I Stepped on a Lego

I stepped on a Lego earlier today


Lego pain is sneaky

At first, you don’t feel it

It seems to take a moment to register

Then…

POW! The sharp sensation

like your foot is being sliced

or stung by a jellyfish.

Eyes begin to water

A shout wells up in your throat

You fight, oh you fight, but you just can’t help it!

“KIDS! GET DOWN HERE NOW!”

Then they arrive, timid and meek

knowing by the tone of your voice

That there is trouble coming.

You look at them, not seeing children

but vicious, foot torturing terrorists.

You slowly bend down and pick up the offending Lego,

with a maniacal smile you stand back up

Limping, blood dripping from the rip on your foot

you hobble over to the nearest chair.

“Which of YOU left out the Lego's?”

Eyes dart from child to child

knowing they will all deny the atrocity

you decide to punish them all.

You consider laying out a line of Legos

and making them walk across it

Like one of those coal walking ritual things

“Let’s see how you like it!” runs through your mind

In light of the possible legal ramifications

You decide to send them all to the couch with a book

while you vacuum up the left out pieces in front of them.

You are sure that you will need surgery to recover

A splint, a cast, stitches…

Then the youngest of the perpetrators toddles over

“Mommy, you hurt? I kiss it for you. You can have my spiderman bandaid”

Sigh, punishments dealt,

Snuggle on the couch

“If you ever leave your legos out again, I will throw EVERY ONE OF THEM AWAY”.

Then smother them in kisses and go grab some shoes.

Free Texas State Fair Tickets for Homeschoolers

Photo Credit

This is the procedure you will need to follow in order to receive your free tickets to the State Fair of Texas. Be sure to follow the instructions carefully:

All requests must be made in writing. No requests made by phone or email will be accepted.


Free Home School tickets for the 2012 State Fair of Texas are good any Thursday during the run of the Fair.

The program is for Kindergarten thru 12th grade beginning with 5 year olds - no PRE-K. We do not have a ticket program for children younger than 5 years.

The program is for families living within a 100 mile radius of the Fairground. Each family must submit individually to avoid duplicate requests. We do not accept requests from home school groups or associations.

Please submit your request on school letterhead, if you have it. If not, any paper/stationery is fine, just make sure to include your name and address. Include the ages and grade levels of each student. Requests without this information will be returned unfilled. We can send one teacher ticket per family. If you would like a teacher ticket, please include your request in the body of your letter. Include a daytime phone number where we can reach you in case you have left out any information. Include a business size stamped envelope.

Please DO NOT address the envelope in any way as we will print address labels. The envelope must be business size because of the length of the tickets. All requests must be POSTMARKED AND COMPLETE by the deadline date of Friday, May 25, 2012. Incomplete requests and requests arriving after this date will be returned unfilled.



MAIL YOUR REQUEST TO:



STATE FAIR OF TEXAS

ATTN: LISA BOUBEL

PO BOX 150009

DALLAS, TX 75315

Operation Wipe Down!

I have to clean house today!  I am ashamed to say that it is a DISASTER.  If I were to invite Merry Maids over, I would have to kick the stuff out of the way of the front door in order to open it.  If I were to have a police officer knock on the door, he would draw his gun upon entry, because I am sure he would think the place had been destroyed during a robbery.   If I were to have a medical emergency, there wouldn't be a place to put the stretcher!  I am so ashamed!

So, this morning we are cleaning house.  I am going to fix the mess and then swear to never let this happen again.
I am going to attempt to post my progress on our Facebook page!  Hop over there to join me, see pics of my progress, and maybe even post your own goals for the day!

Remembering What's Important

It is a mistake, but I do it constantly. I look up threads on homeschool forums where parents are posting what they are doing for their child's school year. Parents, what am I saying? These aren't just parents. These are mutant, ninja, super parents. Parents that fit 4 math curriculums, Latin, 2 musical instruments, a formal art program, 2 hours worth of read alouds, creative writing classes, soccer, gymnastics, super fun crafts 3 times a week, play dates and all this on top of the "normal curriculum".

As homeschooling parents we tend to want to compete. Not just with the public school system but also with each other. We teeter on the edge of insecurity so we overcompensate by adding in so many supplements that we end up overloading our children and ourselves. More, more, more. Mustn't leave any "gaps". How will my child get into college if we don't do this and that. In the rush of trying to get it all in we forget why we started homeschooling to begin with. It is moments like these when I am grateful for friends who bring me back down to Earth. They remind me that while academics are important and extra curriculars are great, they are not the primary reason that we homeschool. Today, I remember that I do not need to be super mom.

Homeschool Statistics

Created by: College At Home

A Sunday at the Pediatric Clinic

This was a Facebook note I did a few years ago.  It is fun to use Facebook to record memories that I may have otherwise forgot.  :D  My kids are doing MUCH better from their recent health issues!

Rebekah has not been feeling well lately so I decide that I have reached the point I am no longer comfortable treating her with out the advice of her doctor. My pediatrician's office has a lovely walk in clinic on Saturdays and Sunday afternoons. With visions of swine flu dancing in my head, we go to the doctor's office. I arrive a half hour before the clinic opens to ensure I don't have to wait a long time.
There were 12 cars in the parking lot.
Mine made number 13. Everyone was waiting in their vehicles. I decide to stand by the door. 

So, maybe there were not this many people, but that is how it  felt.

I had a plan. Stand by the front door. The weather was nice and I could save gas from not idling. Then as soon as they open the door, take the stairs not the elevator. I may not be tall, but I have relatively long legs. Take full strides. Woo Hoo!
As soon as I get Bekah out of the car seat, everyone else in the parking lot read my mind. Some reach the door before me. There is a small crowd. At least 15 adults and as many children. We are standing in a semi cirle around the door. The atmosphere was not quite tense but, not quite laid back either.
A couple women start chatting. One has a two year old. She woke up with a cough. (She sound croupy to me. I wanted to tell her so in hopes she would go home and save those behind her from waiting.) Another had a 5 month old. He looked otherwise well, but his mother said he was up and crying off and on all night. He also ran a fever yesterday. A whole 99 degrees. Another had an older child, 7 or 8, this mother says to her daughter, "Don't stand or sit anywhere near those babies when we go inside." To offer an explanation to us, "I think she has THE flu. I work for a pharmacy." The mother of the 5 month old said she was scared of THE flu and wanted to make sure junior did not have it. The mother with the two year old nodded in agreement.
I wanted to say, "Well, my kid has green runny poop", and then point her at them like she was a weapon so they would let me in first. I held back.
The facade of niceness among the crowd ended as soon as the poor nurse opened the door. I was like the fourth one in. The race was ON!

Come on! Let's GO! GO! GO!

Three of us head for the stairs. Everyone else runs to the elevator. Two year old mom gets to the stairs first. I get there second. Five month old is close behind. The nurse who opened the door took the stairs and looked down at us from the second set and says, "You all can take the elevator." HA! We say we are fine. Two year old mom says she is worried about the germs and close quarters. Ummm yeah, me too....
Stair people get there first. Two year old mom still in front, she is practically running. Her kid is heavier than mine, I think I can get around her..... I move to the left, then five month old mom behind tries to come around..... I move back to the right.
I hear footsteps of parents and children coming from the elevator. We three in the front pick up our pace. We may as well be running instead of that goofy "I am walking really fast but yet trying to appear normal and not desperate walk" I ALWAYS power walk at the doctor's office :)
We reach the desk. I came in a very close second. I pick up the pen and hurridly write Bekah's name down as if the lady behind me was going to snatch the pen from me and jump in front.....
Sit down. In and out of that office in 40 minutes.

It was sooooo worth the race! 

Project Post Card Part Deux

We did this about 2 years ago but thought it would be fun to do it again!


Project Postcard:


I am starting a new project with the girls and am hoping that some of you will be willing to help out! We are going to collect postcards from all of the 50 US States. As we collect the cards we will notebook about that state. The problem is that I don't know someone in all 50 states (depending on the response we might expand and try for post cards from all over the world!). Thats where you come in. If you are in a state other than Texas or know someone in a state other than Texas we would love to exchange post cards with you or your child! Here is what I am hoping for:


1. One postcard from each state

2. The cards dont have to be from children but if you have a child who can send it all the better

3. After getting your card in the mail my children will send a postcard back.


If you would like to send a postcard please email me at molder.anna@gmail.com and I will send you the information you need.

I am going to mark off here as we get postcards from each state so you can see where we still need them from:

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
 New Jersey
 New Mexico
 New York
North Carolina
 North Dakota
 Ohio
 Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming



We are not against getting more than one from a state so if you would like to swap post cards send one even if it is marked out! We are very excited to see where all we can get postcards from!