The Queen Comes Out of Hiding

Yes, that's me. I'm back. I really do miss blogging, but it took a lot of time away from other things in my life. Mainly housekeeping, child rearing, exercise, spending face to face time with important people in my life, etc. I guess I need to find a happy medium. I am not the best time manager. We'll see how it all goes.

You may wonder what's been going on around here. I'll try to sum it up for you.

The King of my castle is busy, busy, busy. Always on the road, it seems. When he's home, he's on the phone with work...I guess I shouldn't complain. He has a large family to provide for, and it takes a lot of provision to keep us going. He doesn't get a lot of free time, but his new hobby is trying to create the perfect pie. You'd think I would like it, but I don't. You should see the scale when I step on it. He's sabotaging me.

I can't remember what I called this kid. Squire? He's 14. He is busy with school and activities. Track is happening now, and only 35 days left of school. He has big plans to take Driver's Ed this summer. (Lord, help me!) That way he'll be ready to drive when he turns 15 in September. He would like us to move to South Dakota so he could be driving now.

I'm pretty sure I called this one Scribe. He's 13 and up to the same stuff as his closest brother. It's frightening to me, but his voice is changing. I hear men in my house all the time now. He's a comedian and makes me roll my eyes and shake my head many times a day.

Jester. Not so much anymore. The laughter he brought to our home is no longer here. He decided to disown the family. This is one of the last times I saw him, which was on his 19th birthday in October. It's sad. It's hard. I'm trying to deal with the rejection, but not doing so well. Some days I cry. Other days I am just plain angry. Angry with him. Angry with my husband, because I so badly want to blame someone. Angry with me, because I didn't see it coming. I feel betrayed. I miss him.

Prince Charming. What can I say about him? He makes me smile every day. I look at him in awe and wonder. As a mother I can brag about his brilliance. He's four and is starting to read. Seriously. I haven't even taught him how. The other day he said to me, "Freak is like free. Free is F-R-E-E. I can spell freak. F-R-E-E-C." I was very impressed. Of course, I didn't correct him. He'll be home another year so he should have the correct spelling down before he starts Kindergarten in 2012.

My Jouster. Not so much a fighter with me anymore. (Whew!) Though we do compete from time to time. Here we are doing a push up contest (he beat me because he's only 20 and the sun was in my eyes, but I gave him a run for his money). He is making great strides at turning his life around. He still lives at home and is my right hand man when The King is away. He's working at Hardee's while he waits to start construction work the end of May. He's looking forward to making some real money so he can get a place of his own. I'm not so sure I want him to go, It is really nice having another adult around all the time. He has a girlfriend who has a one year old son. I adore that little guy. I love it when they come to visit so I can get my baby fix.

Maiden and Duchess. Two years apart and toothless together. Isn't that fun? I love my girls. One looks just like me, one acts just like me. So, I guess I have two Mini-Me's. I don't know if that's good or bad. I guess it depends on who you ask. They are doing well in school, and sadly for The King, love to spend time at the mall (which I have no problem with).

Well, that's it for today. I'll have to let you know in the next few days what I've been doing for myself. I am heading down a new path...

My Children

Here is the most recent photo I have of all of my children. It was taken on Jouster's 19th birthday in July. I can't believe I have a 19 year old son. It makes it harder for people to believe I am only 29 years old when they see him by my side. There may come a day I will have to admit my real age.

Let me update you on what is going on with each of them.

Jouster: He is now 19 and swore he'd never step foot into a college. However, he is now a college student. He has worked out his schedule so he can be a full time student and still work his job at the hog farm 3 days per week. He still struggles from time to time with demons from his past but is really doing well. I am proud of the wonderful young man he has become.

Jester: We struggled with him over the summer. He left home two weeks ago and we haven't heard from him. He has stayed in contact with Jouster so we know he is safe. We will keep our distance and allow him the space he feels he needs from us. He is a senior in high school this year and will turn 18 in a few weeks. I am sad that our relationship has come to this point, but all I can do now is pray for him. The little kids miss him. Maiden said last night, "I hope he comes home so he can sit in his spot again." (Meaning at the dinner table.) It broke my heart.

Squire: Is in 7th grade this year and is taking his homeschool studies very seriously. He started playing piano again which makes me extremely happy! He is in cross country and is begging to join the Civil Air Patrol.

Scribe: Not so serious about school. He's in 6th grade and hides from me a lot. We are working on him staying on task with getting his work done. He's also in piano again...much to his chagrin and is running cross country. He's a pretty good little runner.

Duchess: She has taken over the role of first born. She likes to "mother" the younger two around and keep them in line. She is a second grader this year and is still working on learning to read. She is now in charge of egg collecting and loves her new chore!

Maiden: My little Kindergartner. Her goal for this school year, "To finish Kindergarten." She only thinks she's doing school if she's working in workbooks. Me reading aloud to her is not considered school to her. She gets frustrated when I won't let her work ahead in her books. I need some of her enthusiasm to wear off on Scribe!

Prince Charming: My little boy is three--and--IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! He is my little snuggler and is never far from my side. The most common words out of his mouth are, "I want my mama," or "I need you mama." I love it. Hopefully his need for me follows him all the way through his teen years.

Because I Have Boys...

If injuries, blood, scabs or infection make you queasy...you may not want to read on.

Boys like to document monumental moments in their lives...like when they leave half their knee on an asphalt driveway while visiting friends in town.  As a mom of five boys, I've learned that certain things boys find cool can actually be quite disgusting.

Like huge scabs.  That smile was nowhere to be seen on the day of the injury...but now, the battle scar is something to be proud of.  Watching the changing colors of liquid oozing out of the scab has become a new form of entertainment for Scribe and his brother.  Hearing the excitement in their voices when they pour hydrogen peroxide on the wound and watch it foam out of control baffles me.  Boys.  Gotta love 'em.  (But I don't think I'll ever understand them.)

Just Keep it Coming

My last post was a tutorial on how to get your kids to say you are the best mom ever...

I have another way.  I just learned this the other night.

Squire and Scribe sent me to town with $10.00.  "Can you go buy us some Wii points?  If you can't find them, make sure you ask someone where they are.  1000 Wii points cost $10.00, okay?"  Not knowing my way around an electronics department, I had to ask.  The helpful employee took me right to the cards and said they were now on clearance:  2000 Wii points were $15.00.

I called home to see if the boys wanted to spend an extra $5.00.  They were more than happy to, but were disappointed they hadn't sent me with enough  money.  They asked if I would pay the difference for them and they would repay me when I got home.  I told them that wasn't a problem, as long as they remembered to pay me back.

Scribe responded, "Oh, Thank you mom.  You are the best mom ever.   When you get home, I'm going to give you a big hug and big kiss."  I rushed home to cash in on my big hug and big kiss before he forgot...or changed his mind.

Twice in one week I've been told I'm the best mom, ever.  I think that makes me definite mother of the year material, don't you?

Reading is Fun!

The other day I was asking Scribe and Squire, subject by subject, if all their independent school work was completed for the day.  Math was done, Bible was done, Language Arts was done. 
When I asked about their reading assignments,  Scribe looked at me and said, "Reading can't be part of school because I do it for fun.  That would be like saying eating candy is your supper."

Lunch Idea

Scribe is my kitchen helper. He loves to try cooking new things. So far he has mastered baking bread (whole wheat from scratch--really from scratch--he even grinds the flour) and frying eggs perfectly. Now he can add another thing to his cooking mastery list: corn dog patties.

First you need a box (or two) of corn bread muffin mix. Mix it according to the directions on the box. Chop up a package of hotdogs and fold them in. (More or less depending on how hot doggy you like them.) Next, fry them on your griddle until they are done in the center. (They take longer to cook than pancakes, so be patient.) Serve with ketchup. Easy enough for a 10 year old to make!

Math Whiz

Scribe was sitting in the living room one morning doing math. He had decided to do it on his own. I was impressed....finally he had become a self starter. Usually I have them do their math at the table, but this day I allowed him to remain in comfort. Why not? He was self motivated and that certainly warrants a little leniency from mom.

He sat there intently. I couldn't believe how long studying mathematical concepts was holding his interest. As I moved from room to room, he was still engrossed in that math book. Nearly an hour later, the boy was still studying his math. I was so proud.
Until I became suspicious. He had no pencil in hand and I began to wonder.....

Since when do math books contain "Far Side" comics? I think my self motivated boy is becoming a little sneaky.

Skiing

Squire and Scribe went skiing for the first time yesterday. They had a blast. A local ski hill offered a special for home schoolers. The $20.00 fee included equipment rental, lift pass, beginner lesson, and six hours on the slope. What a deal! A fresh snowfall and mild temperatures made it the perfect day for skiing. I now have two boys who think they have found "their sport". The best part is that the special will be offered again next month.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Scribe!

You are a blessing to our family.

Your joyful spirit is contagious.

How did we get so lucky?

We love you!

I may have spoken too soon....

On Friday Scribe made a new batch of bread. Apparently his teacher forgot to mention a very important tidbit of information. Make sure you use the dough hooks in the mixer. You MUST use the dough hooks. Always use the dough hooks when making bread dough.

I was so concerned with safety and making sure he kept the lid on the mixer, that I must not have emphasized enough he use the right mixing tool. My Kitchenetics has a dough hook, a French whisk, and a thick batter/thin cookie dough whip. I had been the last person to use the mixer and left the thick batter attachment in the bowl. He just used that.

A loud clunking from my mixer led me to the kitchen. "Mom, some thing is wrong with the mixer. The bowl (which should be locked into place) is spinning too." I gasped when I saw the thick batter whips. "Is it bad?" he asked. Shrugging my shoulders, I picked up the base of my machine up and gave it a shake. The sound of rattling plastic led me to believe it could be broken. Yep, it was bad.

I called the company to see if it could be repaired. How bad is it? Here are my options:

Repairing the motor base of the machine: $250.00

Purchasing a new motor base: $250.00

New thick batter whips (which now need to be replaced): $39.00

New model trade: $399.00 -$50.00 credit for old machine= $349.00

Switching to a Bosch (best price on Internet/free shipping) $349.99

Seeing my 9 year old serve "his" bread to guests: Priceless

I guess you could say that our last two loaves of bread cost somewhere between $289.00 and $349.00. (Painful smile.) So until I can decide what I should do, I think Scribe will have to learn the art of hand kneading.

Our Daily Bread

Here is Scribe holding our daily bread.


He has mastered the process of baking whole wheat bread from scratch.

Since the beginning of this summer, I have been teaching him how to bake bread. The other day, I told him he was ready to do it on his own.

He was so excited, when he woke up the next morning, he got right down to business.


The first step is to get the wheat berries ready to grind.

The reason Scribe was chosen to be the bread baker is because he showed a fascination with our NutriMill. I told him he could run it on his own if he would let me teach him how to bake bread.

He was more than happy to learn.



Here he is looking at his freshly ground flour. Our favorite wheat berry is white winter wheat.







An open wheat bucket is like a magnet in our house. The younger three LOVE to play with the berries.

I don't blame them. One of my favorite memories as a child was playing in wheat in the granary with my friend. (Actually we would jump from the rafters into the wheat, which now looking back, I realize was not a very safe thing to do!)

We keep the bread recipe posted on the inside of the cabinet door.

Squire is Scribe's moral support. He told me he's not very interested in baking. He would rather make things that don't take so long...like our oatmeal in the morning.

Once Scribe gets all the ingredients together, our Kitchenetics mixer does the mixing and the kneading.


Shaping the loaves is his second, and everyone else's favorite part. He gets to choose a helper, since he has two sisters and a brother who want to 'play' with the dough. This day he chose Squire, while promising Duchess she would be his next helper.

He makes 2-3 loaves each time he bakes and needs to bake about every other day. The entire process takes him about 2-2 1/2 hours. He still needs a little help in figuring out how long to let it raise before baking, but that will come with practice.

He is one proud bread baker, and I am one happy mama!

They Ain't Heavy

They ain't heavy, they're our sisters.

The Raising of the Hoop

Jester likes to shoot hoops.

He decided it was time to bring it out of retirement (the shed) and give it a face lift (new paint job).

It's heavy. Here are the King and Jester trying to get it up on the garage.

Proof that the Queen has to lend a hand from time to time.

(Thanks to Scribe for the shot from this angle.)

Here is Scribe showing us how to shoot a hoop.

LOOKS GOOD JESTER! THANKS FOR YOUR HARD WORK.

Charades

Can you tell who Squire and Scribe are acting out? Here's a clue:
They had a blast at the Crazy Horse Monument. (No pun intended.)