The Break-Up

This is hilarious, but good news. I've seen this among my own family and FB friends as well. I'm thankful some eyes are being opened, but I just hope it isn't too late!

Boys!

Seth captured a stick bug and made it a clay backpack. I'm sure Mr. Stickbug is thrilled.


- Posted using my iPhone

This is dedicated to Poppie and Bro. Jamie (you know who you are)

Deep Sea Cake

My children think they can just name a theme, and their mom can bake a cake that tastes good and looks just like whatever they imagine. It's a tall order, but I have fun trying. Some turn out better than others! This year, Seth didn't just want an ocean cake (I've done one of those before for him), but he wanted a deep sea ocean cake with a scuba diver!

I actually had high hopes for this cake, and was going to do a lot more with it...until Summer woke me up by bringing me my glasses...

Migraine + blurred vision = mediocre cake, but Seth liked it so that's all that matters.

Getting in Touch With My Inner Tomboy

What a mother will do for her son!



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Happy Birthday, Sunshine!

My little Seth turned 7 years old yesterday. He's changed so much over this past year, and it's been a joy to watch him grow and discover who God wants him to be. Seth has never been into guns and knives and cowboy hats like my other boys, and I've had so much fun trying to find ways to feed his insatiable curiosity about everything there is to know about God's creation. Seth has been a challenge to me from Day 1, and he continues to cause me to do lots of soul-searching as I go down this uncertain road of parenting.

A few days ago, we were at the Wal-Mart vision center having KK's eyes examined. One of the associates was watching all the kids seated quietly, and he came over and said, "What?! All your brothers and sisters have on cowboy and cowgirl boots. You have on tennis shoes! You are not a cowboy?" To which Seth replied in a humble, quiet voice, "No sir, I'm a scientist." So cute, and indeed, he IS a scientist. This year, he had his heart set on this deluxe insect collector's backpack for his birthday.

He has had so much fun already with it.

Here he is having his birthday morning monkey bread.

For his birthday supper, I cooked one of Seth's favorite meals: chicken fingers and macaroni and cheese. I'll share my recipes below. These chicken fingers are the one and only reason that I even own a deep fryer. I threw it away several years ago, and went without one for about a year. The kids and Jason just kept on asking about chicken fingers, so I purchased another one just for this one meal. I spent quite a while tweaking the seasoning on these, and they are so delicious!

CHICKEN STRIPS

Mix together:

2 sleeves of saltine crackers, finely crushed

1 1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. onion salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

Preheat deep fryer to about 365 degrees. Beat together 1 egg and 1/2 c. milk. Dip chicken tenderloins (about 3 lbs) into milk mixture, then cracker mixture, and deep fry about 4 pieces at a time for 4 minutes, or until desired crispiness. (1 chicken finger = 3 Weight Watchers points)

HOMEMADE MAC AND CHEESE

8 oz. elbow macaroni, prepared according to directions

In saucepan, stir in:

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 can evaporated milk

1 c. water

2 Tbsp. butter

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Stir in 1 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

Add macaroni and mix thoroughly. Pour into greased small casserole dish (7 x 11, 9 x 9, etc.). Sprinkle with 1/2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Enjoy! (1/9 of dish = 6 Weight Watchers points)

In Memory of the Americans Who Died on 9/11

I miss having a patriotic President, don't you?

The Forgotten Man

I did a blog post several months ago about artist Jon McNaughton's amazing painting, "One Nation Under God".


Now, McNaughton has painted another amazing piece of work called, "The Forgotten Man". Notice what our President is standing on. See this video below:




Click here for the amazing interactive painting where you can scroll over each person and read the information about each one. It also has McNaughton's explanation of why he painted this picture, and his response to its critics.

Click here for Jon McNaughton's website, where you can purchase copies of his paintings. Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Stick 'em Up!

Can you tell she has lots of brothers?

- Posted using my iPhone

The Little Terrorist☺

Summer Rose really does love her "babies". Really, she does.

Seth rescued this one from its baptism in the water dish. We're Baptists, so that means full immersion!

Leave it to Tara (music playing in background)

Some days I feel like I'm the secret star of a sit com, and that there's a hidden camera somewhere and an audience laughing behind the scenes. I've occasionally shared some of these experiences , and I'd like to share another that happened yesterday.


We had piano lessons yesterday evening, and toward the end of the session, Summer dirtied her diaper (note to self: potty train this child!). I was so busy packing her bag to keep her occupied, happy, and quiet during an hour of lessons that I forgot to pack one little important item: a diaper. No sweat. I always keep extra in the van.


Well, at least MOST of the time. But, as luck would have it, there wasn't a spare in the van either. I didn't realize this until after I had cleaned her up in the church parking lot (where we have lessons), so I just put her in her seat with no diaper and headed to Wal-Mart.


Yes, Wal-Mart. I go to the store once per week, while I am already out with everybody dressed and ready. I was not about to go all the way home without picking up my groceries while I was out.


I'm thinking.....I could buy diapers at Wal-Mart and put one on her. No, too much running around and time wasted, besides I just paid $16 for a case last week and diapers are not on my list. Still thinking.....


It was then that I discovered some little handy sized trash bags in the console, and an extra burp cloth in the drawer underneath the passenger's seat. Well, as they say...Necessity is the mother of invention, and here's what she looked like as we ran through Wal-Mart.


And here are the good sports who helped their crazy mom rig this up:

What a day!

Join us again next week for another exciting episode of "Leave it to Tara".

The Gay Old Party

I don't have cable TV. I don't get my news or my views from New York City (or Sodom, to be more accurate), so I was not as devastated as some to hear Glenn Beck spewing out the ignorance in the video above. From the outside looking in, I can appreciate his stand against intrusive government, the progressives/Marxists takeover, and a return to the Founding Fathers. But, from the outside looking in, I knew that he was a Mormon (not Christian), and that we wouldn't be holding hands for long if he ventured out of the realm of history and into the spiritual. It was bound to happen, however, since our worldview is shaped by our spiritual beliefs. And so now, besides giving some really, really weird Mormon history lessons on the Bat Creek Stone, he has turned to Pluralism with the upcoming 8/27 and 8/28 events, which he has self-titled "Glenn's Divine Destiny". We conservatives really need to re-think who we so readily elect as our poster child.

What I wanted to address in this blog is the notion that gay marriage "neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg", therefore we shouldn't be concerned about it.

First of all, I'll say that it DOES pick our pockets in many ways, the most obvious being that we have to pay for all their strange diseases they contract and spread. (I could go on about defending ourselves against politically correct lawsuits, paid benefits for "partners", etc.).

Then there's the notion of "breaking my leg". It's been argued a million times about the agressive promiscuity of this group of people, as well as the undeniable links between homosexuality and pedophilia. And let's not forget that God did do more than break legs when he rained down fire and brimstone and destroyed 2 entire cities for practicing this abomination. However, the elephant in the room that no one wants to discuss about homosexual sodomy is that it is, by definition, an assault. I'm trying to word this carefully because I know I have readers of all ages. Without painting a picture, the act of homosexaulity is in itself a violent act. It's unnatural. For it to be carried out, one must violate the laws of nature and simple mechanics! Okay, enough said. People, this is not complicated.

Glenn, what about this poor grandma in the video below?

Her leg is in serious danger of being broken!

You've shown your true rainbow colors now, along with most of the other GOP. Perhaps it will now stand for the "Gay Old Party". Both parties have become so corrupt, they have really become one because they are on the same side. I like what Benjamin Rush, a member of the Continental Congress, had to say, "I have alternately been called an aristocrat and a democrat. I am neither. I am a Christocrat."

Viva La Difference!

As I've said before, this country is truly going to the dogs! And in light of current events, it's more important than ever for the redeemed of God to speak up and declare the truth of it! What current events am I speaking of? Namely that even the "conservative" spokespersons of America (at least that's their claim) are caving in to pressure and showing their true rainbow colors. Rush Limbaugh, who paid Elton John to sing at his (4th) wedding, Glenn Beck tells Bill O'Reilly that gay marriage is not a big issue or a threat to American family values, and Ann Coulter agrees to speak at Homocon, a fundraising rally for GoProud ("gay conservatives?").

Well, I may be the last conservative hauled off to prison for hate crimes, but I'm NOT caving in on this issue....and I think this article below is one of the most spiritually indepth, and intellectually thought out, articles I've read in a long time that explains why:

The Gospel for 21st Century Sodom by Peter Jones

Please take time to read this article and forward it.

:-)

WARNING!

Some smarty pants executive at Crayola, in order to trick parents who run through the grocery store quickly throwing items in the buggy and hurriedly marking them off their lists, has advised Wal-Mart to stock the new Neon Color Explosion marker sets RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of all the miraculous Color Wonder products (that only color on Color Wonder paper, a parent's dream!). The packaging is exactly the same as well. Cute.

You can't say you haven't been warned.

All Pilled Up

A friend posted this on her Facebook. If only people would realize that Pharmacy is a business! A huge, largely crooked business, full of executives who wouldn't take their own medicines, and "regulators" with padded pockets. It's time to take charge of your own health care, change your diet and exercise, stop eating from the frozen section and fast food, and get back to nature! If ObamaCare is our best hope, we are going to be hurting.

They Don't Make 'em Like They Used To!

Jason's aunt (whose age I won't guess in case she reads this) found a dress that her mother ("MawMaw" to us, who passed away in 2006) had made for her over 50 years ago. The dress was made to look like a flower petal, and unfortunately the hat that was made to match it was lost. She washed it and pressed it and wanted to see if it would fit Summer.

I was expecting a worn-out shredded piece of cloth, but to my surprise the dress looked practically brand new! I compared it to today's Wal-Mart junk in Summer's closet that begins to unravel after you wash it only once. Once again I am reminded of how we assembly line Americans have lost the art of quality!
What a shame! Makes me wish I had sense enough to learn to sew well!

(That's not a stain on the dress, it's water where I sprayed her hair to fix it)

Funny note: Jason's aunt wore this dress when she was about 5 years old. Summer just turned 2 and it fits her like a glove.

My line of Stringers runs a little big. :-)

Home Sweet Homeschool

I've been so busy trying to "tweek" our daily schedules lately. If there's one thing I've learned after 8 years of homeschooling, it's that it is 10% instruction and 90% structure, especially when you have several students. The way it happens in larger families, is that you gradually add and adjust to new students as you go. For us, however,with my boys being so close in age , I went from 2 students to 4 students, with 1 lively baby in the background to add to the fun! It has certainly been a challenge, but then...I love a challenge!

Seth and Bubbie could not be more different in personalities, and I've always conducted what Gregg Harris calls "delight directed" study. I've never followed a particular curriculum, but taken the eclectic approach, tailoring it to whatever interests my children have at the time. The boys do much of their study together, and I'm finding it quite difficult to teach (in a fun, contagious way) to a scientist and a cowboy at the same time. (and did I mention that we have a lively baby in the background??) Most people have no clue as to the skills it requires to be a homeschool mom!

One thing I've been working on is to make sure that the boys get the same experiences of music and reading and art that Caleb and Madelyn had (back when I had more time to devote to fun school stuff). I've compiled them an assortment of history and science encyclopedias, animal picture books, and art books, and of course...pioneer and cowboy books, that they may choose from in the mornings after they finish lessons. I've gathered photos of famous composers that I display and let them sit and listen to music from that one particular composer for an hour each day (one composer per week). They are not allowed to talk (for boys that age, talking = play fighting). I've been delighted at how much they've enjoyed this time, and they've already learned a lot. Bub actually recognized Tchaikovsky in the store the other day. It has helped keep down the chaos while I do harder subjects with the big kids, and the boys are learning the skill of concentration as well.

In the afternoons, while I finish up with the big kids and Summer naps, the boys get to do art. Now, I HATE CRAFTS (bad homeschool mom!), and I'm not going to sit and glue popsicle sticks and fuzz balls all afternoon, but I do have a little tolerance for art and creativity. Here's my rule: If you can clean it up yourself, you can do it. So, they have paint, markers, drawing paper, clay, as well as magnet sets and other constructive toys that they can play with QUIETLY during this time. I also made them some play-doh, and I'll share a recipe below.

I'm going to post their school schedules soon, just simply because as a hs mom, I always enjoy seeing how other people do things and getting new ideas for our family. Hope everyone is getting geared up and ready for a new calender school year. Don't get bogged down with the daily grind, and just remember what a privilege and responsibility it is to mold and shape little hearts and minds.

Here's a cool twist to the usual play-doh recipe. You don't have to take time to try and color the play-doh with dye, the Jell-O colors the play-doh, and it's also scented! Fun! It takes under 10 minutes to make this.

Jell-O Playdoh

1 c. flour

1/2 c. salt

2 Tbsp. cream of tartar

3 oz. box jell-o, any flavor

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 c. warm water

Combine dry ingredients in a skillet. Whisk in oil and water. Cook over medium to high heat with a spatula until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and knead on wax paper until smooth. Wrap in wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container or ziploc bag.

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Notice anything odd about this picture?





- Posted using my iPhone

Quotable

"The very least you could do for me is not write a book about me when you're grown."

- Me to my oldest son, after a very exasperating day of homeschooling




- Posted using my iPhone