Confessions of a Daydream Believer

Daily Awesomeness Served Fresh

2012-02-26T10:48:00.002-05:00

As I'm rocking out to some Beastie Boys their song "Sabotage" blasts through my speakers

which then makes me think of this

then I find one of the many mustaches strewn all over the house and this happens

and this

Phil just smiles and nod.

Look someone has to keep the awesomeness flowing around here;-)

Laughter is what will keep you sane.

My Ikea stories from yesterday will be presented shortly and if anyone asks I was not the the one who took the old lady out in the bathroom or had a Yak rug on her head.....

Until then have a fabulous Sunday!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2012-02-22T09:53:00.000-05:00

It's a cool but yet balmy Wednesday morning here in Florida, after enjoying a much needed cool front over the past weekend it is back to to the upper 70's/lower 80's which means Strawberry and Citrus festivals are just around the corner, yay!!!

Before starting the school day I must begin with What I'm Loving Wednesday:

I am LOVING Logan and I's fabulous new blog The Quirky Mustache. I mean seriously, the name alone makes you want to check it out;-) He did his first post yesterday and did an awesome job!

I am LOVING a literary curriculum based upon Lord of the Rings! My son who is obsessed with the movies and is counting down to The Hobbit, which is being released in December, was stoked to see this awesome find yesterday at Home Scholar Books.

I am LOVING & THANKFUL that my husband's company pays for his gas and we only have to fill up my truck which I only drive in town so a half a tank lasts me three weeks.

"It's ok, I think you're weird too."

I am LOVING these shirts! Logan thought it was hilarious too:-)

LOVE!

I am LOVING the Lime Cilantro Tilapia tacos I made over the weekend! Delish!

Courtesy of Pinterest

YUMMY! Gooey awesomeness!

Pinterest Love

So my dear friends, what are you loving today?

Stay Out Of Muddy Water

2012-02-21T11:10:00.002-05:00

Lately I have walked around with stung emotions which I have let fester and in result they have become bitter and distasteful. I bypassed them fore I believed they would just fade away but each time I would hear their names or see their faces and knowing what they have done and or said about myself, my husband or my son hurt all over again.

I have come to the realization that though you may be related you certainly are not family. Those who truly love and respect you, who are excited when you have happy news, who understands what you have been through, who make the effort to really know you as a person; it doesn’t matter what car you drive, how large of a home you reside in, what social circles you mingle through or the astronomical number of extra-curricular activities your children are in; they adore your immediate family, quirks and all.

These hurtful feeling came to a head yesterday and I began to cry. For the longest time I have been trying to “prove” myself in some odd way to these people. Show them that no matter what they say they can’t break my spirit but yet here I am, upset, crying and offended.

My closet is my quiet praying place so I sat there on my floor, weeping and praying. I prayed for God to take these unhappy feelings away. I wanted retribution but was trying to do it my way and that is not how it works.

I turned to 2 Thessalonians and there it was in bold black lettering

Justice Is On The Way (from The Message)

We’re so proud of you; you’re so steady and determined in your faith despite all the hard times that have come down on you on.

He’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time

He is proud of me

My son is proud of me

My husband is proud of me

My parents are proud of me

That is what matters.

And for those who have spoken ill of me or my child will have to deal with their own sour tongue one day; that is not on me.

When I heard the church bells toll early this morning I smiled, inhaled deeply and felt….light.

God made me His “heart on the sleeve” daughter, I will not change that. I am passionate and grateful for those in my life and those people deserve my praise and attention not those that bring un-pleasantries and misery.

Concentrate on the light and let go of the dark for they are like murky water, they will only bring you under.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

2012-02-16T15:31:00.001-05:00

EXTRA! EXTRA!

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

THE QUIRKY MUSTACHE IS HERE!

What is The Quirky Mustache you ask, well, it's place where my son can share his stories about the Autism Spectrum, Homeschooling, his relationship with God, Bullying, and how he does a Dope Robot Dance.

I will be sharing the stories from my POV of raising a son in these times, raising him to be a strong and responsible man and be a valuable contribution to society. This is his brain child, he designed it, he came to me with an idea and a vision and we made it so.

There won't be any advertising, no reviews, just good 'ole writing from the heart of one awesome kid and of course we will have a ton of whimsical tales to tell.

I feel as if I have lost my way in regards to this blog so I will continue with Confessions of a Daydream Believer it will be strictly for fabulously witty confessions; homeschooling, quirks and all that stinky boys stuff will be at The Quirky Mustache (which already has a little something on it).

Logan's journey is so important to us and I can't get his book out fast enough so journaling it is the next best thing.

I spent many days praying about this, about my writing in general and I haven't felt good about it in sometime so it's time to start fresh and have True readers not "Hey I'll follow you if you follow me!" or "I'm following you to try to unload a product on you." All that seems so false and I don't want that.

Don't worry, I won't overload you all with double the blog posts daily. We just don't have time to be doing that. This blog will start to look different and things will be moved around but I feel great about this.

Thank you to those who read and respond to my crazy blog posts. You guys are Fabulous!!! XXOOXXOO

What I'm Loving Wednesday With a Side of Soapbox

2012-02-15T10:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Wednesday my friends! I am functioning on 3 hours of sleep so I will attempt to stay somewhat coherent through this post. Coffee at 8pm is not such a fab idea;-)

I am LOVING quite a bit this week so let's get to it, shall we.....

I love my son's creativity and how he views our homeschool life. I must say, I am diggin' the tiara, ha!

These are a crunchy yummy surprise and only 100 calories. The maple and brown sugar are my favorite!

Yes, I enjoy the sparkly vampires...I know, I know but the books are fantastic and most of the movies are good. I did see Breaking Dawn Part 1 in the theater and I did find some spots to be one big cheesefest but overall it was fun to watch. I did purchase the Blu Ray, as I have all the others so why not? I do hope that Part 2 is a bit better.

Self-Publishing 'The New Black' Declares A.V. Harrison Publishing

I definitely think this is the future, I know I am heading that direction.

Love!

Instagram, nuff said!

Pinterest Love

I want this shirt!

Such an awesome idea.

This about drives me crazy!

I'm very Martha Stewart like that;-)

My dream kitchen

Now, if I may, hop upon my soapbox for just a moment.

The death of Whitney Houston is yes very sad but I feel awful for her daughter not for Whitney Houston. She made choices, her misery was 100% self-induced and I have a very difficult time feeling sympathy for those who dabble in the drug world and when something like this occurs I should say "Oh, what a tragic thing!"

Really?

So her friends and family couldn't help her? Intervention? Cut off ties with her if she didn't comply?

Yes, she was a magnificent singer but that was some time ago and have we really thought of her lately? She has left her daughter, who is struggling to cope; who wouldn't?

What about the soldiers who died fighting for us?

The children who lost their battle with cancer?

A mother who was killed by a drunk driver?

We are a society taken with celebrities, wanting to know their every move, good or bad. But you know what it shows me, no matter how much money you have, the mansion you live in, the jewels around your neck, the Black AmEx card in your Chanel purse, it Does Not Buy or Create Happiness and Self Destructive Behavior is even more Prominent.

Celebrities are nothing but a mirage, from a distance it looks beautiful and perfect but the closer you get it begins to disappear into thin air, evaporate in to nothing.

Alright, I'm hopping off now;-)

SO what are you loving today?

Forget The Card, Just Give Me The Chocolate

2012-02-14T08:37:00.000-05:00

Because I love to harass my kid (he's so gosh darn cute) shhhhhh don't say that to him and we love stache's!

Phil and I do not celebrate V-day, I don't need a barfy commercial based day to tell my husband I love him.

I'm not a flower girl.

We do things for each other every day.

However, I NEVER turn down chocolate;-)

Logan enjoys V-day on a family level but that's it.

Another reason I LOVE homeschooling....I don't have to painfully watch my child fill out 25 valentine's to kids who don't care and just want the candy and some children are ostracized for not being "cool" enough so they only receive like 5 valentine's while some other kids receive 100.

Now this is the perfect v-day movie

Hehehehe!

Do you celebrate? Big date night? Do you celebrate just for the kids?

White Leather Boots Mixed With Slot Machines Equals Well, This Blog Post

2012-02-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

Last night Phil and I enjoyed a lovely (childless) double date with our dear friends, it was more of an early birthday surprise dinner. As we departed for our destination Patricia aka GPS gave the surprise away.

I haven't been to a casino since our honeymoon to Las Vegas and let me tell you, the people watching alone is worth the trip!

As we entered the casino we were hit with a wall of smoke so we walked briskly to where we needed to get our cards for the dinner. As I saw the sea of slot machines being intensely played their faces read

"I mean business! Back off!"

Due to the fact that I am cheap (not frugal) I could never do that, it would kill my soul to give away any cash to an enormous metal money suck apparatus. The elderly population appeared as if they were ready to take any one down with their canes and walkers who stepped near their machines. And I am pretty sure the guy with the oxygen tank should not be anywhere near cigarettes. But hey, what do I know.

As we made our way to the Fresh Harvest restaurant that resided on the second floor we merged in to the casino traffic.

I have never been in one place with so many people with missing teeth and or no teeth at all....and I worked at a nursing home.

The highlight of the evening was the woman who was donning thigh high white patent leather boots, why yes, Pretty Woman flashed in my mind;-) And her dress, if you want to call it that, barely covered the rest.

Oh wait, there was a woman who was sporting a velour brown jump suit with 6 inch high heels and had the words "BeBe" bedazzled on her tushy.

Like I said, the people watching alone was just priceless!

The food was fantastic and the company, one word

Fabulous!

After three hours of laughs and merriment it was time to head back home. It was a pleasant break from our busy lives to just immerse ourselves in to "peep" conversation and not have to censor ourselves due to our children's curious eavesdropping.

And my cashola was extremely jubilant to come home with me;-)

Happy Monday Everyone!

Read It or I Will Stalk You

2012-02-11T08:15:00.001-05:00

Kidding

(Kind of)

My first article with Home Educating Family Blog is live!

Come read about Visual Spatial Learning, a style of learning that many don't even know exist. I had a such a light bulb moment when I discovered this. And I must say it has been awesome ever since!

Happy Saturday my Bloggy Peeps!

Brain Implosion 4.0

2012-02-09T12:20:00.001-05:00

Thursday morning

Brain implosion

Nuclear

Brain implosion

Like on the verge of deleting all of my manuscripts, my blogs, everything

Brain implosion

I am over loaded, over committed and over frustrated.

The writing branches are becoming muddled and weighed down. I hear and see the words

"I love your writing but can you write about this...."

"You homeschool? Well, we don't really discuss that, can you write about this...."

"Your son really isn't Autistic enough to write for our magazine, maybe you would fit in to a parenting magazine."

"Your son is too Autistic for this magazine, maybe you would fit in to an Autism magazine."

"Your book is perfect but would like you to write about xyz."

WHAT DO YOU PEOPLE WANT?!?!

I feel my identity being shuffled through a deck of literary madness.

People come to me seeking my writing, they are aware of my topics and passions but yet they ask for some thing I am not a part of ie breastfeeding (haven't done that in a VERY long time), I am compared to those who are already prevalent in writing world whether it be the blogging world or the novel world.

I have 1 completed manuscript, 3 started manuscripts about 3 different topics because this is what "sells". I feel as if I do that I am selling out because they want me to fit some pre-fabricated literature mold.

I am sick of changing my writing to fit that mold or to "compete" against others, I just can't do it. Nor do I have the time. Teaching my son in Priority #1! Period!

Everything is 2nd and that includes this self-doubting poo that keeps getting flung my way.

Take me and my writing for who I am....

Flawed

Imperfect

Neurotic

Nutty

Sassy

Visionary

Waggish

Uberfabosity

AND my son's newest word creation

Hypeilarious

I know after a little one on one with my Father, some quiet reflection I will find my way again.

I will know which way to go

And

which ones to let go.

I Am Me....a hodgepodge of awesomeness that yes homeschools her son who yes is very high functioning on the Spectrum who yes loves writing fiction but also loves writing about her son's amazing life and her fabulously wacky northern family.

I am writing for me not for the literary agents, PR firms, publishing companies, online magazines or for any one else.

I refuse to sell myself out just so I can get published.

It's not about the fame or glory.

It's not about the money.

It's about Logan growing up and seeing that his mom wrote for him, for our family and to share stories about what we have gone through and possibly making some one laugh, cry or just relate.

Uff Da!

Time to piece my mind back together and pour myself a second cup of sweet dark nectar.

Oh and yeah, breathe......

What I'm Loving Wednesday - Family Edition

2012-02-08T15:57:00.001-05:00

I know it's 3pm, I haven't forgot about WILW, I was helping my bestie do a little kitchen demo right after some chickie chit chat and lunch. While we hammered at the tile the boys did some fishing, soaking up the Florida sun.

On to What I'm Loving this week......

Logan's new froggy pets: Mung Daal and Chowder

I am loving my dearest closest most fabulous peeps who know me inside and out, who understand and support me, who lift me up when I am feeling blue, who never judge me, who give me advice, who just listen to me cry and who make me laugh so hard I need Depends to be around them. I appreciate and treasure them all!

I am loving my boys! Right there is my entire world, my breath and my life. They make me a better person!

I am loving Pops & Fe Fe aka mama & dad. We all swing from the same crazy tree and I wouldn't have it any other way. Though we are 2000 miles apart we would be there for each other in heart beat if need be. Now that I am in my 30's I can say that my parents are my best friends.

I am loving Mom II aka Phil's mom. She's an absolute hoot and we love when she comes to visit. Especially when I bring out the margaritas;-) I have an uber dope MIL!

Pinterest Love:

Perfect for the school room!

Great idea:-)

YUM!

What are you loving today?

Peculiar frogs, duh!

2012-02-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

This is why I don't watch the news because it makes my blood pressure rise and my brain hurt.

All I can say is DUH!

Study: Children most vulnerable to second-hand smoke

This story in our local paper continued on saying how dangerous cigarette smoke is when people are driving and smoking with their children in the car.

DUH!

I know people do this, even to this day, I see it all the time and yes I will be the one to unroll my window and say some sassy comment to the driver (if we are stopped) especially when their infant child is hacking a lung in the back seat.

Study: Facebook could be addictive

Really?

I'm thinking we need to spend our money on less obvious studies.

Just sayin'

Of course it has addictive properties so does every other social networking time suck entity.

DUH!

Now that I have had my dark nectar fix I am much more calm and can carry on to much more fabulous topics.

As we enter into our new Science unit study I had found this awesome app that allows you to dissect a frog. Yay! No smell and no mess! Double Yay!

I remember in 5th grade dissecting a squid and I can still smell that funky aquatic stench. Blech!

Logan absolutely loved it!

It was funny because even as he was using the virtual scalpel he was saying

Ewwwwwwwww

Yep and he wants to do the actually thing.

We have ordered frogs and their little habitat. Now, I know what you are thinking

Are they going to dissect those frogs?

No! Even though Phil thinks we are after they die, we are not. Logan views them as pets and will not dissect his pets.

That's a sentence I thought I would never type;-)

He has already named them

Chowder and Mung Daal

(don't ask)

Logan has always adored strange novels and when he found this one on his Kindle Fire he ran out to me so I could purchase it for him immediately!

Mom! This book is based in Florida and the author is from here too!

This book is perfect for me because I'm awesomely peculiar!

He hasn't put it down.

Well, there you have it, my hodgepodge of awesomeness for the day;-)

Happy Tuesday My Fabulous Peepolas!

Potty Mouth Tree

2012-02-06T10:08:00.001-05:00

I would like to thank my father for the beyond amusing phone call yesterday in regards to my grandpa's and their well, colorful language they bestow upon us all for now I have infinite material for my book;-)

One grandpa will probably be on profanity probation *bleep* nurse *bleep* *bleep* and *bleep* at the home and the other, let's say he vividly recalls a *bleep* Sargent *bleep* that *bleep* *bleep* that he may or may have not wanted to *bleep* *bleep* with a blunt object.

Apparently it was National Grandpa Potty Mouth Day on Saturday, if I would have known I would have flown up for a visit just to witness this hilarity in person.

You're grandfathers are quite colorful!

Yes, our family tree is quite kaleidoscopic in the language department whether in English, Swedish or Norwegian.

My *bleep* family!

I put full forth effort in to not dropping naughty words in front of Logan and I am quite successful except when I'm driving and Logan will call me out immediately. I replace them with

Fudgeinhimer!

Look, we are guilty of throwing down a curse word here or there but between both grandpa's and their rowdy mouth's I am very much looking forward to incorporating this into my book. The way I see it, they can enjoy their no-no words and some Schnapps....they've earned it for *bleep* sake;-)

Strawberry Kisses

2012-02-04T17:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday myself, Logan and our fabulous homeschool peeps headed to JG Ranch for some strawberry pickin' fun. As we drove past our neighborhood public school which was flooded with chaos of cars dropping children off, buses weaving through the lanes, children crossing the road with out a crosswalk, just absolute madness, Logan says

All those kids have to sit in a class room all day and I get to go pick strawberries with friends, life is good!

With a gleam in his eye he sighed deeply and looked up at the hazy morning sky.

The Florida air was still cool enough to enjoy the picking process. The neighboring birds sang sweet melodies to us as we roamed the lush strawberry fields. However, I am thankful that symphony doesn't live near me:-)

The berries were gorgeous! Such a brilliant shade of red.

As Logan gathered his bounty he looks to me

This is so much fun!

I was thinking

Why yes manual labor looks good on you son;-)

(It was a bit bright out ha!)

Logan is quite eager to get back out to the fields and pick blueberries next. For him to see where his food comes from, learn about agriculture, see the hard working people who tend to these fields to support their families, how absolutely amazing!

For his hard work....
a sweet reward!

Mentoring Minds Think Alike

2012-02-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

As a homeschool mama I am always on the look out for new curriculum but when I stumbled across Mentoring Minds I had to share it. Though this program is more for a medium to large classroom based environment I feel that it can also be used in the homeschool realm as well. I have many teacher friends in the public and private schools that also would love this program.

Math has always been a rocky road for us and I know for a lot of other homeschool families. Let's be honest, my numerical skills really weren't all that awesome in school but as I was reading through their math program I was quite impressed. Now don't be frightened away when it says that the program will help your student with Standardized Tests, it's not saying that it is solely going to teach your child what is on a test at the end of the year but for those who do the option of Iowa Basics or California Assessment Tests (like us) then it will guide them when those tests come around. They also have Math Essentials and Math Vocabulary Adventure which offers math literacy strategies.

On the research tab it will give you a list of Product Research that they have, for example, for children with ADHD/ADD, it is called the ADD/ADHD Wheel which will assist in the following

Capturing Students’ Attention

Keeping Students on Task

Organization Skills

Time Management

Etc.

So if you are teaching one student or ten you should hop on over see what would work for your classroom.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2012-02-01T09:41:00.002-05:00

February how I love thee....not because of the Hallmark based holiday smack dab in the middle of it I am thinking more of

Tax Return

End of the Year Bonus

Literary Pay Outs

Some see Red

I see Green

Before you start thinking

"All she cares about it money?"

First we do the "grown-up" thing with it and pay off chunks of my car, pay off any bills that we may have ie hospital, doctors, etc. and then what ever is left over we are going to do some fabulous remodeling of our home. Yay!

Now that our shady neighbors are shipping out we have decided to stay, mainly because I am cheap, not frugal, cheap and I don't want to pay to move, blech!

We are going to move the school room, completely re-do it, move Phil's office to where the school room is and out of our bedroom, paint, purchase new lighting, well let me show you what I'm loving and from where I'm loving it.

I see an Ikea field trip in my future;-)

A few of my favorites for the school room and for the dinning room.

Needless to say I have quite the list!

I am loving this book! The 20's are my era:-)

Pinterest Love

What are you loving today?

Sass in the Suburbs - Curriculum Style

2012-01-31T09:52:00.002-05:00

*I'm not an expert but I play one of TV*

Here it is Tuesday once again, last Tuesday of January and I have a great homeschool question, one that us teachers love....curriculum. I salivate at the thought of catalogs, new products, conventions, oh my, I feel dizzy!

Andrea,

What are your favorite curriculum's you have used or currently using?

Debbie, WA

When I first started I stuck with what Logan was using at his private school before we had relocated in to the Twilight Zone. They used Saxon Math, Abeka (we lived in Pensacola and they are based there sooooooo....) and they used various computer programs.

I bought the Second Grade Abeka kit and Time4Learning.

I quickly discovered that purchasing the entire Abeka kit was not needed as we did not use a large percentage of the reading materials. As time has gone on we have discovered that workbooks aren't our forte so we use quite a few online programs with limited workbook use.

BrainPop is Logan's favorite! It is a fun and unique supplement filled with hilarious videos and detailed worksheets.

We just began using Thinkwell Homeschool for math and so far, so good. Locating the proper math program has been my Kryptonite. Khan Academy is a fabulous resource for ummmm well, pretty much anything under the sun ha!

As Logan has gotten older we have become more Eclectic homeschoolers and pull from different educational resources such as the History channel who has an entire area for the classroom such as videos, worksheets and project ideas.

So my homeschool peeps, what are your favorite curriculum's or websites you use?

Should Have Known

2012-01-30T10:09:00.003-05:00

When Logan was a baby I was a full time working mama, I introduced him into the daycare world at roughly 6 weeks (end of maternity leave) and from that time until he was about 3 it was a child care battle. In that time I did decide to become a Lead Teacher for Preschoolers at a local church who also had childcare, perfect set up. When Logan needed me I could be there, I could feed him while the children were napping and his daycare was free *bonus*. I absolutely adored my class and their little minds that soaked up everything. I implemented one on one teaching time, star charts and a ton of hands on activities. At the end of each week the children would bring home their star charts with a note from me and their progress. The parents were over the moon with the new changes!

Due to Logan's illnesses he did not start walking until he was 2 years 2 weeks old but that child was on the ball when it came to learning him numbers, ABC's, shapes, etc. When people would say

"Oh, he doesn't walk yet? Mine walked when she/he was 6 months old."

My inner snarky dialogue would be

"Oh yeah well why don't you have them walk on over to my frig and get me a soda while singing their ABC's? No, okay then zip it!"

Fast forward to my breaking moment of daycare's and not just daycare facilities but home daycare's as well. I had good and bad experiences with both but I had had enough! There was such a lack of patience, education and love. Just because they are two years old doesn't mean you can't have fun learning time.

We had just bought our house and I decided to do daycare at home. I already had the proper credentials, I had friends that were already doing home daycare and we did our continuing education classes together and supported one another.

I kept the kid count low, I had three full time and one part time, ages 1 1/2 years to 4 years and it was Fabulous!

Where am I going with this?

I should have seen my homeschool future ha!

My fondest times were the one on one education I was giving to my preschoolers and when I did home daycare.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Also I am not real big on authority, I like being my own person, my own boss. I've had my own business before and I LOVED it! Just like home daycare, being self-employed is my cup of tea. I guess I'm not too surprised that I decided to homeschool my child. It is an amazing adventure! I want to teach my child about life not about what is going to be on a test at the end of the year.

If 31 year old Andrea could travel back to 21 year old Andrea she would say

"You are doing the right thing, you are doing what is best for your family, it will hard but you will make it and you will be stronger for it and don't punch that teacher when Logan is in that horrific public school even though you really want to."

If there was anything I could take back it would be that. Never putting my child through such a psychological traumatic experience. I firmly believe we are not always wanting to listen to God (us, stubborn?) and God will be like

"Really? You need that harsh but loving shove don't you?"

I call it a Love Tap;-)

Each shove was for my child, in those moments when I doubted my strength and when they came I had to make those decisions that I was so hesitant on and in the end it worked out swimmingly.

I have truly put my trust in God, I know He will place us where we need to be. In my heart I know He was trying to get my attention some time ago but I was stubborn *gasp* Me? Stubborn? I am not a fan of earthly authority but I am of The Authority and I listen even though my inherent rebel child wants to emerge with a pout and stomp of the foot. I know if I don't the "Love Tap" is coming;-)

I know once Logan is grown and graduated I will continue in the educational realm, it's what I love but that is someday and right now I am living for today and having an exciting time teaching my own kiddo.

The world is our classroom!

Have you ever had or needed that shove?

Have you had that moment of Oh Duh? That so makes sense!

Shout Out Sunday!

2012-01-29T11:14:00.000-05:00

Today's Shout Out goes to my Grandma Johnson in South Dakota!

Dad: Your grandmother knows more about you then I do.

Me: Why is that?

Dad: She reads your blog everyday, she was telling me a story about Logan and I asked how she knew this and her reply was I read Andrea's blog everyday.

*laughing*

Me: Well, she can't help that she is more technologically advanced than you.

I believe my dad rebuffed my statement with a sarcastic undertone;-)

Love you Grandma and tell Grandpa HI and We Love Him!!!!

Just Sayin' Saturday

2012-01-28T10:25:00.001-05:00

Yes, my face says it all

It was one of "those" days yesterday.

When the word

Seriously?!?!

flashed in my head numerous times throughout the day.

And

Are you for real?!?!

As my husband says

"You are having an emotional reaction."

Why yes, yes I am which is a nicer way of saying I want to slap you upside your noggin.

Life is hard, that's a given but when your marriage gets too hard do you throw up your hands and say

"I quit! It's too hard!"

For some yes, their circumstances were different, verbal, physical and mental abuse are a deal breakers for me. But when it comes to your children do you throw up your hands and say

"I quit! It's too hard!"

No, you don't, you may divorce your spouse but never your children.

When Logan has a tough quirk day (as we call them) and the tears are flowing and I want to just curl up in to a ball and hide in the closet I never once thought

"I quit, this is too hard!"

I never want Logan to ever have that mentality so I would never impose that on him. In the darkest of times there is light, there is hope and there is faith. Quitting is not an option, I put my big girl panties on and face it head on with strength in my heart and conviction in my step.

This is who I strive to be daily.

The synonym for quit is abandon and that word is powerful and reverberates through the soul with anguish. We can not abandon our children, our responsibilities, our faithfulness.

Just sayin'......

Where's Grandma?

2012-01-27T13:38:00.000-05:00

I've been known to laugh at inappropriate things at inappropriate times and this story isn't any different.

Now, when you read this headline

Grandmother's body stored in Clearwater storage unit since 1995

Yes, you read that correctly (I swear only in Florida)

CLEARWATER --

The body of a Clearwater grandmother has been taken from a storage unit where the family supposedly stored her body in a coffin since 1995.

According to Clearwater Police spokesperson Joelle Castelli, the department received reports of the body found in a unit at U-Store Self Storage located at 1217 Lakeview Road in Clearwater.

The family rented multiple units from the storage facility since 1985, but recently fell on hard times and had trouble making rent.

"They've been a few months behind on their rent lately and the company did the proper things to say, hey, we're getting ready to clear out your storage unit. We're going to put it up for auction," Castelli said.

When the facility moved to evict the family from their units, the woman under control of the units told facility officials they couldn't evict the family because her grandmother was stored in a coffin in one of the units.

According to the granddaughter, her mother told her on her death bed that she stored her own mother in the unit in 1995.

Facility officials contacted Clearwater Police officials and officers responded to investigate the woman's claim. When officers opened the coffin, skeletal remains of a human body were in the coffin.

Officers are now investigating the family's two other units to make sure the woman's mother who recently died isn't also stored in one of the units.

"We have a death certificate for both mom and grandma and we're trying to verify that mom was buried appropriately," Castelli said. "They have three units in this storage [facility] and we are opening the others and going through them."

The woman who alerted officials to the body has not been arrested and charged with a crime at this time, but CPD officials said she could face charges of improper disposal of a body.

What made this story even more hilarious is that my mother runs a storage company and well, I had to call her and ask

"Did you find a grandma today?"

Her awesome response

"No but the day is young."

Didn't anyone in that family wonder "Where's Grandma?" I mean, after the funeral no one noticed where she was? Everyone was chowing down their funeral meat sandwiches and drinking juice so all was good?

Were the plots too expensive?

And how did that conversation even begin. So grandma dies and the daughter and Uncle Joe are sitting at the kitchen table wondering where to put grandma

AH-HA! I got it!

Storage Unit!

Seriously?

Uncle Joe said "Cousin Dan has a Roto-Rooter van."

And that casket looks homemade, family arts and crafts?

Just the visual of these people driving to the storage unit and unloading granny in the storage unit next to boxes of worn out clothes and little Johnny's baseball trophies from the 60's is hysterical.

And how I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when the storage unit person called the family and said we are auctioning off your goods and the response is

"Don't auction off grandma!"

I think I would look for a new job after that. Because if you read the mother recently died so is she residing in unit B37?

Maybe storage units are the new mausoleums. I mean some are air conditioned, you could bring in a couch, shake up a cocktail, the possibilities are endless. Since my mother runs a storage company maybe she can hook us up with some family discount.

This is why I love Florida, if you ever watch wackado shows on T.V. you know the majority of those stories come out of Florida. You just can't make this stuff up!

At least now you know their is an alternative, cemeteries can be so stuffy and crowded.

Yes my friends I could go on and on...it's just too eccentrically fabulous!

Where I'm At

2012-01-27T10:08:00.000-05:00

Happy Friday my Bloggy Peeps!

I am over at

http://www.lynsrandomthoughts.com/

today!

A little politics banter with your coffee;-)

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2012-01-25T15:36:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know, I missed out last Wednesday compliments of that crazy SOAP/PIPA ordeal, I went quiet for that day. But with a (for now) victory our rights are staying intact.

I guess this will be more of a double loving Wednesday.....

LOVING that the sheriff's department delivered a fancy dancy eviction notice to our next door neighbors today. I almost trotted to the police lady wanting to share an embrace but I passed, I was thinking she needed some chocolate, maybe a truffle box? Too much?

Timothy Olyphant has returned in all his marvelous cowboy hat wearing glory! He makes the backwoods look good;-)

Junebug wine....need I say more when the word wine is involved.

Father identifies son on viral beating video, notifies police

Love this newspaper heading! Have you heard about this father who did the RIGHT thing and is TEACHING his son a lesson?

CHICAGO - The father of a Chicago teenager involved in the beating of another boy, has turned the boy into police.

Raymond Palomino was identified by his father in a video of a group of boys beating another boy that went viral on YouTube.

The boy can be seen stomping, punching and slamming another boy to the ground in what appears to be seven boys ganging up on one. The other teenagers suspected in the beating were wearing face masks disguising their identity.

"I had to call. I did what was right as a parent. I am in law enforcement myself. The right thing was to turn him in," said Michael Palomino.

Palomino faces charges as an adult and is in jail on $100,000 bail. His father says he does not have the money to bail him out.

News10/KXTV

How refreshing to have a parent be a PARENT and not make excuses for his child's bad behavior. What a concept!

I am loving my beautiful friend Missy who is adopting two sweet children from Ethiopia. Please keep them in their prayers as they enter the final stages of the adoption and then they can come home!

http://www.roepnack.blogspot.com/

Here is her blog to follow their journey.

I don't love Valentine's Day but I love all the chocolate.

Time for Pinterest Love....

Who doesn't love a little piggy in rain boots?

What a bummer!

You know that song is stuck in your head now ha!

What are you loving today?

Mama Q & A

2012-01-24T11:38:00.000-05:00

*I'm not an expert but I play one of TV*

Are you wondering

"What the heck is she talking about?"

I have to admit, for the past couple of years I've led a double life, okay, not really but doesn't it sound intriguing?

I receive a handful of questions via email or message in regards to homeschooling, Autism, IEP's, public school vs private school, parenting, you get the picture. Since beginning our homeschool journey I have placed myself on many communities ie The Homeschool Lounge as time when on I ventured to Bloggy Moms and a few others.

I did this to A. Connect with others for support and B. Begin laying my book publication foundation.

Last week one of my dear friends asked

"Why don't you post your advice in response to those questions?"

I guess I never really thought about, Dear Abby had to start some where I guess.

"You are like Carrie Bradshaw but less sex and well city, how about Sass in the Suburbs."

HA! Love it!

My creative began spiraling so we are going to start today, more of a test. My fabulous bloggy peeps and can drop some knowledge on whomever is seeking advice as well. Every Tuesday I will present the question, so let's start with my most recent inquiry.

Q. I decided to start homeschooling my 7 year old daughter but the school she was attending is giving me a hard time about releasing her records. I filled out the proper paperwork but it has been over a month now and at first they blamed it on the new year but it is almost February. What can I do?

-Monica

A. I had the same run around with the public school that Logan had attended. Each time I would phone them they were rude and short with me. They were taking it personal that I was choosing to homeschool my child. The route I went was going through an umbrella school. Since homeschooling was so new to me I felt more protected that way. Once I gave the school the release forms they felt the need to drag their feet. The umbrella school administrator also began contacting the public school to find out what the hold up was. After a few fun legal terms to the school they did release the information.

The bottom line is this, once you complete the necessary paperwork they can not hold your child's records hostage. Whether you are going through an umbrella school or through the district they have to turn over the records.

Every school is different, I know people who never had an issue and in fact encouraged their decision to homeschool but there will always be a few out there who want to make it difficult. Be persistent and depending on what state you reside in, know your homeschooling rights. The most informative site is HSLDA which will show you everything from legislation to laws. Also, there are a plethora of online sites to guide you, such as The Homeschool Lounge where you can connect with those in your state (one of my favorite sites).

Some school districts have been known to bully homeschool families, I actually know of one in Florida and what they were doing was against the law. Always remember you have rights and if you are following the appropriate protocol then they can not harass you and not release her records.

Once I quoted the laws to the school office magically the information was sent to the umbrella school. You don't need to do it in a nasty way, just firm and confident. You are doing what is best for your family, it is your decision, not theirs.

-Andrea

Alright my homeschool peeps, has this happened to you?

If you have a question you would like some advice on drop me an email

andrea5980(at)gmail(dot)com

message me on facebook or look me up on my various communities which are listed on the side of my blog.

And don't worry, if you want to remain anonymous I am totally down with that. I will only put those up who give me permission.

Have the Best Day Ever!

~ Logan

Behind the Gates: Don't Let the Gate Hit You on the Way Out

2012-01-23T10:07:00.004-05:00

As you know I live in a gated community that house many amusing characters however these neighbors I will be doing cart wheels in the street when their moving van pulls away. Yes, our next door neighbors were served a 21 day eviction today so that places their final departure day right before Valentine's Day! Best present ever!

I *heart* that you are outta here!

Peace Out Homeslice!

Our neighborhood is elated that these unsavory people are getting their walking papers.

I know that I won't miss their dogs defecating in my yard on a daily basis, or the skeevy shirtless white boy who distributes illegal narcotics to high school students who by the way their license plate was turned in to the local law enforcement, hope that weed was worth it you 16 year old CHILDREN, or the male who suspiciously died in the house last October and my son is still completely creeped out about, or the simple fact that you have two elementary children who live in that environment, NO mother of year award for you.

Our neighbors came together and said

"Why should we have to move when they are the problem?"

So we became the neighbors from the black lagoon and the landlord finally ~~caved~~ agreed when I stated to her in regards to her property

"Well, if you want the SWAT to do a drug raid that is fine by me, when they shatter windows and break doors down they won't pay for that, and do you really want that to take place while two innocent children are being brought up in that environment, I am pretty sure Child Protective Services is not going to like that since it is documented that you were aware of the going ons."

BAM!

21 day eviction notice!

I'm quite persuasive! Or threatening as my husband said, actually he called me a Vigilante ha!

Oh, are you wondering how I had the landlords contact information, well, let's just say I'm quite the PI on the side;-)

Of course now we are re-thinking the whole moving thing because well, I despise moving, packing, reconnecting utilities, unpacking, deposits.....blech! We have plenty of time to decide. Once they move out our neighborhood is still highly entertaining but in a "pull up a chair with a bowl of popcorn" kind of way.

And then what will I blog about?

I was asked if I would help clean the home after they vacate and my reaction could have been a bit harsh

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yeah for $50 per hour and a free Hazmat suit!"

In a serious tone

"We could work that out."

NOW that would be a blog post!

Have you ever had those kind of neighbors that make you want to get a Tetanus shot?

Find My Happy Place

2012-01-21T10:14:00.001-05:00

When I received this email

Official Announcement: Picnik is closing

Take heed! The ants have invaded. Picnik will be closing April 19, 2012.

I felt the need to curl up in to the fetal position, rock back and forth and recite

"Find my happy place, find my happy place...."

Once the shock wore off I said

"Seriously Picnik?"

Since joining Google in 2010, we have been creating editing magic in Google products while continuing to keep Picnik awesome. But now we get to focus on even awesomer things. Picnik will be closing on April 19, 2012.

Thanks Google, you're a real doll!

*insert sassy eye roll*

Google would like people to skip on over to Google+ and use the "Creative Kit" aka Picnik effects. Well, your ploy isn't going to work on me, I will not be skipping, frolicking, or meandering over to Google+ though thank you for the refund and free entry until April 19th when Picnik dissolves into the Google+ abyss.

At least I have time to find a new editing program, of course Photoshop is screaming out at me. I will miss the blooming blossoms and painting skies...curse you ants!

Any photo editing suggestions?