Taking a Break

I appreciate that anyone reads my ramblings. I, however, need to take a break from it. Maybe I'll be back soon and maybe I won't. I have enjoyed sharing little pieces of my life with you. God Bless.

Aggravation and Irritation

I have to admit that I am irritated. I probably shouldn't be, but I am. Someone said something to me that aggravated me; probably because some of what she said is true and partly because some of what she said is completely ridiculous. I have found that as I read blogs and talk to people, I feel a little upset when I know I should be doing or not doing something and an outsider points that out. Of course, you can't really get mad at someone who is blogging their own opinions. But it is easy to feel frustrated when you read or look at some one's blog and they do and have all the things you wish you could do or have. It is really just jealousy and a lack of confidence in that particular area. I confess that these women who can go to Goodwill and transform things from trash to treasure amaze me and irritate me at the same time. Those women out there who have organic gardens, homeschool their children, and have spotless houses aggravate me too. The women who can run home-based creative businesses, always look put together, who always make the most of every minute with their kids, and seem to be able to get more done in 24 hours than I can get done in 24 days make me mad too. Now, I know that they are only really sharing part of their days. I know that no one is really able to do it all. I am not really mad at them. I am mad at me. What should I do? I suppose I should actually attempt to change in those areas where I know I should. If I feel like I am not being all I want for myself and my family--I should change that. Maybe that will be good enough, but I have a feeling no mother ever really feels good enough. I'm working on it...

Treats

Okay, so there are only a few days of school left. Tomorrow is the last Wednesday night church before summer. I am glad that these things are ending for awhile. It will be nice to be doing something different for a few weeks. The treats for the teachers are where I am struggling at this present moment. For Wednesday night church my girls have about 30 teachers between them. If I was rich, this may be less of a problem. I always like to make homemade treats or buy candy bars if they're on sale. What to make? I made cake balls this weekend. They were really tasty, but messy. My kitchen isn't even back to the way it was yet. Cookies seem generic. Truffles are an option. I just need to make a decision. The hardest gifts are for H's teacher at school. One has been there the entire year and is really sweet. The other teacher has worked at the school the whole year as a floater, but just started working in her class full time recently. I like to give gift cards. I like to give gifts that are thoughtful. I don't have enough time for the latter. It's difficult to say an adequate thanks to the people who have been important in your child's life for almost a year. I'll figure it all out, but I am sure it won't be enough.

Summer Reading Challenge

When I was little, the summer break meant I would leave the house after breakfast and return just before it got dark. I would even eat the mint we grew so I wouldn't have to come in for lunch. I am actually hoping that mint has some kind of major health benefit.

Summer for my children is very different. They are much less free than I was. They can't be; we just don't live in the same world we did back then. Summer means they have free reign in our backyard and that's about it. They are also major wimps when it comes to heat. I can sit outside dripping sweat until I melt away; they can stand only about 10 minutes in 90 degree heat before they are headed inside declaring they are sweating (like it may kill them). This brings me to what they do when they are inside. They like to watch TV, but they get bored with it after awhile; and I really don't like much of what's on. They play and make messes as well. This summer they are going to read. Scholastic has a great challenge for kids to read this summer and log in their minutes for competition. My girls have already begun and they are loving keeping track of their time. I am hoping this will continue through the summer.
If they can't be as free as I wish they could be, maybe their imaginations can be. This summer I hope they go to faraway lands, experience magical adventures, and meet some amazing heroes along the way.

Lesson of the Day

I know this post is a little out of the ordinary, but wanted to write it anyway. I am a born teacher and I love to teach. I love to teach things that may have been overlooked or that no one really had the time or reason to teach. So today you'll get a mini-lesson from Samantha. Now onto the post. One of my greatest fears is that the facts of the Holocaust will be forgotten or twisted to a point that the truth can no longer be discerned. I am determined that I will fully inform my children. They have already seen several movies and documentaries about the Holocaust. I have personally been to Dachau, a German concentration camp. I want them to know that the Holocaust did happen and it was a horrendous, terrible thing. There isn't a story that comes from that time that doesn't break your heart one way or another. The stories of heroes are what impress me the most. It is the resilient fighter spirit that I want my children to see. Life was hard and unfair and cruel to so many. There were people willing to lay down their lives to help others. There were people who had no reason to risk their own lives, but they did and the world will never be the same because of it. I think of the generations that are living today because someone saw injustice and though they were only one person they believed they would make a difference. The Bielski brothers were these kinds of people. I had never heard of them until December. This is from Wikipedia: Their family was killed when the Nazis took over their lands. The Bielski brothers, Tuvia Bielski, Alexander Bielski (1906-1995) also known as "Zus",Asael Bielski, and Aron Bielski managed to flee to the nearby forest after their parents and other family members were killed in the ghetto in December 1941. Together with 13 neighbors from the ghetto, they formed the nucleus of their partisan combat group which was formed in the spring of 1942. Originally the group consisted of around forty people but grew quickly.
Hundreds of men, women, and children eventually found their way to the Bielski camp; at its peak 1,230 people belonged to the group, and 70% of its membership consisted of women, children, and the elderly.[1] No one was turned away.[1] About 150 engaged in armed operations.[1]

The partisans lived in underground dugouts (zemlyankas) or bunkers. In addition, several utility structures were built: a kitchen, a mill, a bakery, a bathhouse, a medical clinic for sick and wounded, and a quarantine hut for those who suffered from infectious diseases such as typhus. The camp's many children attended class in the dugout set up as a school. The camp even had its own jail and court of law.[4]

Under their protection, 1,200 Jews survived the war, making it one of the most successful rescue missions of the Holocaust.[1] The group spent more than two years living in the forests and were initially organized by members of the Bielski family.
The movie Defiance tells their story.

As is true in today's world the film has provoked controversy over whether the Bielski brothers were heroes or ruthless killers. An article in the Telegraph says, "One man, Jack Kagan, who as a 14-year-old boy escaped the Nazis to join the brothers in the forest, spoke in their defense. In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph he said, "The brothers were heroes. They saved my life and so many others. Without them we would all have been killed."
"It was war and they were protecting their people who had seen thousands of Jews, including their own families, murdered by the Nazis."
Mr Kagan, who moved to Britain in 1947, said the killings acted as a deterrent to others "who thought of selling Jewish lives to the Germans for a sack of potatoes".


We have to remember in order to never forget so that this will never happen again. We also have to educate ourselves and future generations so they will never let it happen either.

What Will The Summer Bring?

Oh, how I hope the summer brings wonderful things! I always have a huge list of things I hope to get accomplished during those summer months. We also have a huge number of birthdays in those months as well. I have some things in mind that I would love to do. Some include harvesting my veggies from my garden; playing in the backyard with the girls; cleaning every inch of my house; planning lessons for the fall; baking some really yummy and cute things from Bakerella; and planning some super fun birthday parties. The summer flies by too fast for me to get many of the things done on my list. I do love the summer. We shall see what it brings.

Thankful

Being a mother has changed me completely. I am so different than I was in so many ways. I can appreciate my own mother so much more and other people's mothers too in ways that would have been impossible before. I know the sacrifices made. I know the worry and fear that is involved every time one of your children gets sick or hurt. I know the desire that comes from wanting them to choose the right things. I know the hope to protect them from having their hearts broken or hurt. I don't know many other things though. I am still learning. I have yet to go through many milestones with my children. Today, was our graduation recognition at our church. I always get teary for the parents. If this is the first child to go through this rite of passage, I imagine what the parents must feel. They are about to let their children go. These children who have been with them almost everyday for 18 years, who they have loved more than they imagined possible, are about to move on without them. Scary for all involved. It reminds me that my time with my children in my house everyday is short. I love being a mom. I love having them here each day to teach them and be with them. There are moments, though, when I feel so overwhelmed and so crazy and act opposite than I want to. It is in those moments that I wish I could pause time and remember that all of this, the good, the bad, and the ugly will be gone all too quickly. I am not, nor will I ever be the perfect mom. I do want to always be a grateful, thankful mom. I know that I am blessed far more than I deserve with both the children and family that God has given me. So in this moment let me thank my Mom for loving me with everything in her and always being there for me. All the good that I do with my own children, I learned from her. Thank you too, to my husband's mother. She has a son that knows how to treat a woman; who has a big heart; and who is a great guy. That doesn't just happen on its own.
I am hopeful that my own children will say that they know that I love being their mom; that there is nothing in this world I would rather do; and that I am so grateful for each day with them.
Today, I can sum up how I feel with just one simple word-- THANKFUL!

Pictures

The really neat thing about this picture is that everything in it, except the lamps, was bought at yard sales and I got those lamps at Wal-Mart on clearance.
This does make a big difference in the "finished look" factor for the room. Not that the room is finished, it just really looked unfinished with the naked fireplace.

Okay, after looking these jeans up, it turns out they really only retail for $150. Still, they were a fabulous bargain at $3!

I have a (now not so) secret goal that I will have my entire house decorated with yard sale and clearance items. I was thinking that if you decorated every room in your house from Pottery Barn that it might cost between $25,000 and $35,000 (but probably way more than even this). I would love it if I could fully decorate my house (over the next few years (God-willing)), for about 10% to 20% of the Pottery Barn price. Wouldn't that be pretty amazing? It will be a fun journey and bargain-hunting adventure. Want to join me?

Yard Sale Update

Okay, now this weekend I hit some yard sales that made me remember the reason I get up and sneak through the house trying not to wake anyone on a nice Saturday morning. There were over 5 subdivision sales in our city last weekend. It was impossible to hit them all. I chose the two that are my favorite. It was pouring down rain the entire time and so it wasn't the best time I've ever had. One thing that everyone who really knows me knows is that I HATE to have wet feet! It is SO DISGUSTING! I chose to wear my little slip-on flats instead of my sneakers. Either way I knew my feet would be wet and the slip-ons dry faster. So, there is sacrifice for the bargain hunter. Anyway, I know you are the edge of your swivel chair wondering what I bought. I got a table. It is small and I was truly hoping it would be perfect as a table for behind the love seat because it really doesn't want to show its naked back anymore. It did not fit (of course). My husband said it looked like some kid had made it in wood shop class. I thought it had potential and it was $5. I couldn't buy the wood for that. I also got a fireplace screen for $10. When we had our house on the market several people didn't like the gold thing that went around the fireplace. I didn't put it there, but as a people pleaser, I took it off and my fireplace was naked until Saturday. I also bought some very expensive jeans that I can't fit into yet. The jeans would have cost $200 in a store, but I paid $3. Hopefully, if I can stay on the wagon with better eating and a little bit of starving, I can fit into those jeans by the end of summer. I also got some sunglasses, necklaces, adorable tops, two pairs of shoes for my girls. I hope hitting these good sales doesn't mean I am in for a drought the rest of the summer. I am going to put up pictures tonight of a couple of my good deals. Until then, you'll have to just live in suspense.

Bullies

My oldest daughter has a bully. She has had this particular child/bully in her classes since she was four. I have been the teacher in the class before and seen this girl be a bully to other children than just my own child. When I was the teacher in the class I did try to tell the mother of this bully, what was going on. Needless to say, it wasn't well-received and there has been major tension since. I am one of those people who doesn't want their kid to think that life is fair and that everyone will like you. I guess I just don't like lying to my kids. But we have put up with the teasing for almost 6 years and to be honest, I am done. It has reached a point where Good-Hearted G doesn't want to be in church if she has to be with this kid. I don't know what it is that has caused these problems and I obviously don't know how to fix them. We have a nice associate minister at church who will make sure that they won't be together in class anymore. I think it's sad that it has come to this. I know that if my child was the one teasing and picking I would want to know and I would want to right it. I guess not every parent is like this. It makes me glad that we homeschool. Not that it completely prevents this from happening (obviously), but that it gives us a greater opportunity to talk about these problems and allows me to educate my children even more on why behavior like this is absolutely unacceptable. I wish more parents would realize that teasing and tearing other people down isn't just a normal kid thing and it shouldn't be excused.