Call Home!

My family has a newsletter "Call Home!" that we put out once a month (my maiden name is Call if you don't already know that). I will be posting my section under this title every month. It will usually be pretty long as I sort of recap everything, so if you're interested, read on. . .

I (along with the help of Dave’s mom) home schooled Mark this month. It has been fun and a little bit crazy, but also productive for both Mark and me. But, now (through Phil and Becca—whose nephew attends, and my neighbor—who teaches there) we’ve found a Montessori private school that Mark is excited to go to. We don’t know yet if he’ll be able to start immediately or if we’ll be waiting until Fall. We toured the school and it seems that everything is taught in a very “right brained” way. Mark is most excited about not having to wear shoes, getting to do his work on the floor (at his own pace), having a quiet lunch room, and getting to go on a field trip EVERY Friday. Needless to say, I’ve been very busy and going a little bit crazy trying to adjust to all the changes around here. Hopefully we’ll be able to settle back into some sort of routine soon.

Well, we’ve all had dental appointments where 3 of us (Mark, Kyra, and I) had to schedule again for fillings and crowns. What is up with our teeth?!! It was fun to have mom here for a few days after Reed was born, she and I got to go to the temple together. Speaking of--Rachel, Robert, and I just took all the kids through the Draper temple. The kids LOVED it! Darci thought all the lights were pretty, Mark loved the “heaven” room and the sealing room where “he will get married,” and Kyra liked seeing where we do baptisms for the dead—in a font on top of 12 huge oxen. It was a great experience and I’m really looking forward to attending the temple dedication with Mark in a couple weeks.

We’ve been taking advantage of the awesome weather this past week. I took the kids to the park on Tuesday and finished my book while they played (yes, my kids are old enough to do that now), Wednesday Rachel, Irene, and I took all the kids to the zoo, and yesterday Becca called everyone and we all met at the park for the afternoon. We missed Irene and kids and Frosty, but the rest of us “locals” were there to have fun together for a few hours.

Kyra and Emily had a little dance recital where they both volunteered to do solo’s. I was so surprised that Kyra jumped right up to perform without any reservations—she’s usually too shy and nervous to do things like that in front of other people. When Dave asked her if she was scared she said “No, my teacher told us to just pretend we were in class and that no one was watching, so I did that and it wasn’t even scary.” They were both adorable and did a great job!

Dave just got a third job (second being a jiu-jitsu teacher at the gym) with a security solutions company that provides training for the Special Forces teams from all branches of the military. He’s the high threat environment instructor who teaches them the hand to hand combat and ground fighting. Last week they told him he’s the highest rated instructor they’ve ever had. Now he is part of the required curriculum for their program.

Daddy 'n Darci

This was one of those adorable "daddy-daughter" moments that I actually caught on film (oh wait, what should we say these days? caught on memory stick?!!). Darci thought it was so funny to pinch his cheeks together and move his face back and forth--she was laughing her head off. Oh, and isn't her hair adorable? lol

Randomness

Here are some random happenings in my life lately! Enjoy.

My girls (and their friends/cousins) love to play with all the clips and barrettes. I often have a head full (as you see my mom with Mark below) to take out when I go to bed at night. And, no, it does not stop at hair, they love to decorate the plants, soap, toys, etc. I had my nieces over one night and we made flowers for their hair. They had a great time designing them and then I just hot glued them together and onto a clip. Aren't they cute? It was easy and a lot cheaper than buying them in the stores.

Kyra was begging me to get her some juice and apparently I didn't respond fast enough (or the way she wanted me to). I do keep the amount of juice we drink down to a minimum around here, just because I know water is so much better for all of us. So, when I turned around, this is what I found her doing (I guess there's more than one way to get a drink of juice):

Here's Darci and her cousin Forest. . .Yes, they are three (and two) and yes, they got a hold of some markers when I wasn't looking. Of course, this picture was taken after I calmed down and got Darci's belly washed off, and then realized how funny it was (because it came off )! Little stinker bellies!!! lol

Pay It Forward. . .

My sister Christina has this on her blog and I thought it sounded fun. So this is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift. Good luck!

Good Reads

If you loved The Work and the Glory, Children of the Promise, and the Hearts of the Children series (as I did) then I've found another series you might enjoy (as I am!): Out of Jerusalem, by H. B. Moore. As I confessed in my last post, I love historical fiction, especially LDS based series. This one obviously begins with Lehi in Jerusalem. The author has also started a prophet series of which I've read the first one--Abinadi. It was very good, I can't wait for Alma!! I also heard from a friend that there's a series out there on the life of Christ called The Kingdom and the Crown. Has anyone read those? I think I'll look into it next. Enjoy. And be sure to let me know what you think. . .

I'm IT!

Yes, this is the same one I posted on FB, so if you've seen it there, you can move on. . . but thanks for checking in. :)

1. One of my biggest priorities is getting enough sleep (for me and my children)! I am definitely NOT a night person. I love mornings and I hate to take naps.

2. I LOVE my family—immediate, extended, and in-laws! My “sisters” (6 immediate, 5 in-laws, and a few extended) are my BEST friends! I am the 4th of 10 kids and enjoy/have enjoyed every minute of the chaos.

3. I really enjoy scrapbooking when it involves girlfriends, food, and lots of goss. . .I mean chatting. :)

4. I love all sports. Racquetball, skiing, volleyball, and gymnastics are a few of my favorites! I got my secondary education degree from BYU in Physical Education (and am also qualified to teach math).

5. I love numbers. I memorize numbers easily and love working with them (hence the math endorsement mentioned above). I know most phone numbers by heart even though it’s unnecessary these days. I can’t wait for my kids to be in algebra so I can help them with their homework!

6. I am usually happy and I laugh a lot.

7. I’m living my life-long dream of being a stay-at-home-MOM! (yes, that really is all I’ve ever wanted)

8. The two years between finishing college and having kids, I worked as a software tester for a consulting company. I tested programs for Novell and what used to be First Security Bank, to make sure they wouldn’t “blow up” on 01/01/2000 (remember the big Y2K scare?).

9. Summer is all about being at the pool! I take my kids almost every day that it’s above 85 degrees. It’s really all about the sun. I don’t understand why anyone would ever go to an indoor pool; they kind of gross me out.

10. I’ve never pierced my ears. No reason, just never have.

11. I love reality shows.

12. I’m a great driver (despite what you all think or have been told). FAST ≠BAD!!

13. I really love kids. My own and others’. I like teaching them and watching them play and learn. We could all benefit from being more like kids—more forgiving, happy, innocent, loving, and willing to do anything for a piece of candy.

14. I hate laundry, love vacuuming, and get along pretty well with all the other household chores.

15. I don’t enjoy shopping for clothes, groceries, or household items, but if I have a good chunk of money to spend, I like shopping for crafty things to decorate my house. (I rotate my decorations a few times a year to match the seasons—silly, I know, but it’s fun).

16. I LOVED doing our taxes every year until Dave started his own business and we invested in some real estate—now it’s not so fun anymore.

17. I married my FHE dad from my college ward.

18. I really liked growing up in the small town of Star Valley, but I couldn’t live there as an adult. . .I have to live within 5 minutes of a 24/7 Wal-Mart (or equivalent).

19. I’m not an avid reader, but I do enjoy reading educational and uplifting books. My favorites are historical fiction—usually LDS based. Oh, but don’t get me wrong—I LOVED the Harry Potter and Twilight series too.

20. I just started a blog a couple months ago.

21. I am definitely left brain dominant.

22. I miss my dog, Spike.

23. I should be in bed (refer to #1).

24. I love getting Christmas cards (with family pictures) from my family and friends every year—but I have a feeling that won’t last much longer as we all join FB and the blogging world—no need for hard copies, right?

25. As of TODAY, I have 34 nieces and nephews (congrats Julie) with 2 more on the way!

Right or Left? That is the question!

Did you struggle through school or do any of your children? Research shows that 50% of us are left brain dominant and 50% of us are right brain dominant. Well, it's no secret that the schools are geared toward left brainers--which means that many of us were, and many of our kids are, not being taught in the best/easiest way possible. (If it's not obvious to you--just google "right brain learning" and you'll find all the info you care to know on the subject.) I am left brained and therefore excelled in school and always believed I was smart. Little did I know, the kids who got B's and C's regularly were just as smart as me, they were just having to work twice as hard in the school setting to do what came easily for me. Well, we recently found out that Mark is not just right brain dominant, but almost exclusively right brained. I've been madly researching all I can about this (hence this blog--and the absence of blogs over the past couple weeks) and have come to the conclusion that Mark will not reach his full potential (or even come close) if I leave it up to our "left brained" school system! So, what does that mean? Well. . .after much deliberation, prayers, pondering, advice, dead ends, etc. . . we've decided to homeschool Mark for a little while. Yes, you did just read HOMESCHOOL! And, yes, I've always had all the same reactions you're hearing in your heads right now (huh? ugh! weird! wacky! Nutso, etc. etc.) to people who say they homeschool or were homeschooled themselves. But after all my research, I am totally committed to our decision and I'm actually VERY excited about it. We're going to do the rest of this year (3rd grade) and possibly/probably next year (4th grade) at home (hopefully getting through the 6th grade curriculum in that time) and then re-evaluate. We'll focus on helping him learn how to adapt what he'll get in school to what he needs to learn and be able to send him back for 5th grade and beyond!!! Since this is all so new to me (and since I LOVE hearing from you guys). . .just curious what all y'alls thoughts are. . . !