by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on February 27, 2009
LAUGHTER: Convulsive merriment; an expression of mirth peculiar to man, consisting in a peculiar noise and configuration of features, with a shaking of the sides and expulsion of breath. (Webster’s 1828 Dictionary)
All I can hear right now, as my children play in the backyard, is uninhibited laughter. You know, there is really nothing more pleasant than to hear my kiddos’ laughter. I can’t help but laugh with them.
Man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter –Joseph Addison
Laughter is contagious. And, sharing a joyous moment with those whom I love is priceless! It truly
is the best medicine for any ailment.
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. –W.H. Auden
Who makes you laugh?
by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on February 23, 2009
Dear Mom,
Today at Mindy’s house we were very busy! As soon as you left we trapped Mindy in the hall closet. We did sword fights with her china and made Bailey wear a tiara. We messed with the mini-blinds and did a tunnel slide down the staircase. We even threw an egg and a tomato off of the balcony. We ordered a pepperoni pizza from Mountain Mikes. It was delicious! After doing hurdles on the tunnel we went outside without our shoes and played in the sticky mud. We were hungry after all of the fun so we raided the fridge. Because the house was such a mess by then we threw a laundry party and danced on the kitchen counter. Don’t tell them, but we stole all of the Schuchard’s money from their coin jar! To make it more fun, we even wrestled in the house.
And we said Mindy’s house was boring!?!?
Don’t come home too soon…we’re having a blast!
Zach, Ethan, Julia, Josh, Ben, & Noah
by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on February 21, 2009
On Tuesday I received a fun email in my inbox… It was an “
exclusive VIP invitation to a red carpet event“.
The invitation read:
We all know what its like to juggle our careers, family and social lives – it’s a balancing act to say the least. And moms need to give a little TLC to themselves, as God knows they give it to everyone else!
Frito-Lay is launching their first campaign inspired by women that illustrates something we usually don’t see celebrated – every lovable bit of our womanly selves, from our quirks to our most genuine moments.
We’d like to invite you to a VIP red carpet event in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 24 (THAT’S NEXT WEEK!). Our special celebrity guest (BROOKE BURKE!) will host the premier of Only in a Woman’s World, the new animated series celebrating four friends who humorously experience everyday “that’s so me” moments about topics like diet, beauty, snacking, exercise and body confidence.
Of
the four women in Only in a Woman’s World, I most relate to
Cheryl, the “full-time mom”… She doesn’t profess to be super-mom, but she does put everyone else ahead of herself.
Well, this mama gets to celebrate beauty and snacking with three of her girlfriends, come Tuesday! Along with a few other hand selected women bloggers, I will be joined by
Lori (
A Cowboy’s Wife &
My Wooden Spoon),
Katja (
Skimbaco), and
Andrea (
Mommy Snacks), for this {squee}
exclusive event!
But, don’t worry… In true YoungMommy style I will be blogging and tweeting it up the whole time!
Oooh, and I almost forgot…
We’ll get some serious time with the folks at Frito-Lay. Any questions or comments you’d like for me to pass along?
Yes, Mindy, I promise to bring you back some crunchy goodies!
by Christine - From Dates to Diapers on February 20, 2009
Ray, and I have built our family on the solid foundation of Christ and take our responsibility as parents, and teachers, of our children very seriously. Most of you know that I homeschool, but did you know that I am a second generation homeschooler? Ever since I was a little girl I have wanted to teach my kiddos at home, as I was taught.
This school year our three oldest will be finishing up their 2nd grade work, mid-year, and will move on to 3rd grade. Josh is doing quite a bit with the older kiddos, but for the most part he’s doing K-1st grade work. So far, we have used Sonlight’s core curriculum, with Saxon Math, Total Reading’s phonics program, and Bible lessons prepared by Daddy, with various other carefully selected “random” books, and such. This hodge-podge has worked incredibly well for us and my kids are intrigued by the history lessons and read-alouds (with just a few exceptions) that Sonlight has given us.
Our school days, at this point, are pretty flexible. I imagine they will continue to be so with the two little ones demanding much of my attention! We do have a set amount of work to accomplish each week, but some days are filled with hands-on activities, while others are filled with more structured work. We do most of our structured work at the kitchen table, while some “work” is done outside, sitting on the floor, couch, or even on my bed!
With as much traveling as I have been blessed to be given the opportunity to enjoy, we will be schooling through the summer, so as to stay “on track” with our studies. That is one of the many reasons why I so love homeschooling — It affords us the flexibility to enjoy life!
Here are some things I’ll be sharing with you over the next couple of weeks:
What else would you like to know? I DO love questions and am happy to answer any you may have. I look forward to sharing more than just a glimpse into our homeschooling adventures…
You may be surprised to discover that we’re not your typical homeschool family!
