tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79114730862021018502011-08-02T12:53:23.198-07:00julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.comBlogger311100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-38297885093626142482010-04-23T10:50:00.000-07:002010-04-23T11:17:01.430-07:00

As you may be able to tell, I rarely write on this blog anymore. It nags at me, calls me, haunts me and mocks me! I do have a few very good reasons! Nonetheless, it plagues me.One reason is, I am a homeschooling mother of 3 students and 2 preschoolers. This reason is plain to see and very easy to understand. What it boils down to is, I have very little time. Updating a quick status on

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-78942669802257261952009-10-10T10:13:00.000-07:002009-10-10T10:32:31.576-07:00

This week we began a new homeschooling adventure. We left the homeschool coop we were involved with, and went out on our own. Was this because we didn't like it? Or we were unhappy with the curriculum? No. Quite the contrary! We loved it, we were happy with the curriculum, we loved the people. What we were missing, though, was simplicity.Every Monday we would hit the ground running.

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-91952409585562972832009-09-25T10:43:00.000-07:002009-09-25T12:18:59.001-07:00

It is one of the best parts of my homeschooling experience that I get to learn right along with my kids. I am the first to admit that I was a poor student in my school years. I really didn't care much about studying, or about what I was learning about. Now, as an adult, I am fascinated by the things we are learning, and so excited that I get to learn these things again, or for the first time, as

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-42889415498091059672009-09-22T13:51:00.000-07:002009-09-22T15:05:48.954-07:00

Today has been a less than banner day at the homestead. Tempers have been lost, sore throats, toothaches, and grumpy attitudes. And that was just me!!!But, as they say, the mother is the thermostat of the family, setting her family's hearts to a warm glow, or an icy frigidity! Today, I was far too frosty for our own good. I reaped what I sewed today, and I have a lot to make up for in the grumpy

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-64845904786414309432009-09-02T05:45:00.000-07:002009-09-02T06:09:06.401-07:00

My summer disappeared in the blink of an eye. We saw all cousins on both sides of the family except one, we swam, we played in the yard, all the typical summer activities. Of course, here I am using the word "we" very liberally, because I was not terribly involved in much of these activities. The cousin visiting, yes! Otherwise, I was a feeding machine all summer. I spent the summer getting

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-50611602167437364342009-05-28T12:15:00.001-07:002009-05-28T12:27:45.330-07:00

It went into gestation, delivery, nursing, sleepless nights and lots of floor pacing, that's where!!It is official, I am the mother of a daughter. A six week old daughter, to be exact! It is amazing how your life can zip by you when you have 5 kids. So far this is the greatest change that I have noticed. Time is faster with 5 kids. And harder to hold on to.So to back up a bit, our little

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-840279785292228362009-02-27T14:10:00.000-08:002009-02-27T14:45:33.073-08:00

Nesting. It is a beautiful thing, no? It can cause us to accomplish tasks that we have been putting off for months, to have strokes of genius to finally solve that one nagging organizational problem, or to work tirelessly day and night to create a beautiful, clean home.Unfortunately, it can also make you a stark, raving lunatic, who terrorizes all around her. This is where I and my family are

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-6887570747308363222009-01-27T10:35:00.000-08:002009-01-27T10:46:44.867-08:00

As we are counting down the days until our daughter's arrival, I am becoming more and more obsessed about one thing: I need to become a girl again. If I am going to raise a young woman, yikes, I need to remember how to be one!What does this mean to me? Well, for one thing, dark roots are no longer acceptable. I wake up every day looking at my blondish, brownish, whitish hair and think, I have

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-82819176106756481752008-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:002008-12-30T10:07:37.553-08:00

I just realized it has been over a month since I posted anything. Admittedly, it is the busiest month of the year, so I will cut myself some slack.I spent the last month growing larger. My stomach is quite, um, out there now, but that is okay. I know that at 24 weeks, I am just at the beginning of the hugeness. I have a plan to spend the last trimester sugar free, so I pray this time my baby

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-25400991715009966622008-11-21T11:40:00.000-08:002008-11-21T11:51:11.563-08:00

I am still in shock, two days later. I am having a daughter. We are calling it "she" now. Wow.Just a quick little check in. I went to Costco this week, and Jeff held up a size 4T pink, soft, Minnie Mouse covered jacket with flowers and leaves on it. It was girly. It was sweet. And I burst into tears in the middle of Costco. Thanks a lot, honey!!! So, here is my latest realization. We, in this

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-83447220022719623272008-11-19T11:38:00.000-08:002008-11-19T11:54:21.889-08:00

I know a few things for certain. I mean REALLY for certain, like, you could stake your life on them. I know my husband loves me and only me. I know that Jesus truly lived and breathed, died, rose from the dead, and has saved me from my sin. And I know that God intended me to be a mommy of boys.For as long as I can remember, I have cared for boys. In college, God prepared me for my life by

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-57824307088342246412008-11-08T05:54:00.000-08:002008-11-08T06:17:23.279-08:00

This is the face that plagued my morning. My husband went off to a men's breakfast this morning at church, totally at my bidding. I really wanted him to enjoy some man time, and not with men of the pint-sized variety. This left me to do Jeff's daily job. Make breakfast.Being that today is Saturday, it is pancake morning. So, not wanting to throw off any one's rhythm, I began making pancakes

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-71141513072530297272008-10-21T17:04:00.001-07:002008-10-21T17:18:24.811-07:00

I got news from a friend that has shaken me to my core. She is due to have her fifth child about 5 days before I am. She, like me, has four children of the same gender. Only her family is a sea of emotional, flowing estrogen, rather than rough and scratchy testosterone. The news? She is having a boy. A boy!!! She did it. She figured out some way to have a child of the opposite gender from

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-63284507902598111592008-10-11T05:42:00.000-07:002008-10-11T06:06:18.992-07:00

My mother will be coming to visit this Wednesday. It is rare that we get visitors up here in the great Midwest, and when we have them, we are always very excited. My boys get to show off their world to their grandparents, aunts, or whoever is visiting, and to show a little of themselves off at the same time. That is cool.There is, however, a downside. The cleaning. Have I mentioned that I

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-70469825324261561532008-10-03T11:59:00.000-07:002008-10-03T12:18:59.119-07:00

I must be leaving the first trimester of pregnancy, because I am cooking again. Still gagging and hating certain smells, (today it was a rotten potato at the store, and pesto in my sink) but overall able to function in the kitchen again.So, that explains my title. I am baking. And blogging.Have I told you about our small group? They are six families (plus ours) that get together every other

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-66716870694903298912008-09-20T05:40:00.000-07:002008-09-20T06:08:57.682-07:00

My 8 year old is amazing. While you may look at him and see a sweet, blonde haird, blue-eyed, average little boy, in reality, he is........well.........it varies from day to day. At the start of every day, this beautiful boy emerges from the living room, meets me at my bed, or wherever I happen to be at the time, and announces to me what he is that day.Probably my most favorite of all of his

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-61589078805245847132008-09-18T05:47:00.000-07:002008-09-18T06:06:53.925-07:00

My oldest son, who has a knack for making comments that hit me at my most insecure spot, has done it again. He made a comment the other day, something along the lines of how I talk about recipes and food all the time. Once I nailed him down, and asked him if he has EVER heard me talk about ANYTHING but food, he admitted that his "all the time" was a little misplaced. And I truly believe that

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-79483876108178160342008-09-09T18:26:00.001-07:002008-09-09T18:51:02.158-07:00

I will be the first to admit that my 5 year old is a doll. Dimples, cheeks, blue eyes and blonde hair. Just too cute for words. Well, apparently, I am not the only girl who thinks this is true.A couple of weeks ago, my boy came home from Wednesday night church and told me that the little sister of my 8 year old's best friend had announced to him that she "has a crush" on him. He was quite

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-17828539696820513432008-08-30T01:33:00.000-07:002008-08-30T01:53:50.024-07:00

Today is my 11th wedding anniversary. 11 years ago today, I married the sweetest, kindest, most patient man on earth. He has had a lot to be patient with, marrying me! I have been blessed beyond measure as his wife. Maybe not in the traditional sense that some may think. We don't have a ton of money, our house is small, our cars are not fancy. But we have got it where it counts. After 11

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-42807484877539246142008-08-26T08:39:00.000-07:002008-08-26T09:12:07.617-07:00

Have you ever asked yourself, at what point did it become okay to look happy in a photograph? My dear husband and I were mulling over this question as we looked at a picture my father sent to me yesterday. I would say we could all agree that a 50th anniversary should be a smiling, happy occasion. Yet, let's take a look at my great grandparents on their 50th anniversary....Bless their little

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-92206264375053275562008-08-25T12:23:00.000-07:002008-08-25T12:36:02.330-07:00

I wish to begin this post with this emphatic statement: I am glad and thankful that I am pregnant. I thank the Lord each day, and I am grateful that we have a chance to see another little one come into the world to amaze us daily. Nothing I am going to say makes this not true. Okay, here goes the rest.Being a mommy, and a homeschooling, working mommy at that, takes many things. It takes good

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-7024923958750728822008-08-16T05:41:00.001-07:002008-08-16T06:14:38.697-07:00

Wow, since last I wrote, God has seen fit to answer my fervently typed prayer from the previous blog: I am pregnant. This is a lot to take in, even if I prayed for it to be true.Just for a little history lesson, I have been pregnant 5 times before this. My first pregnancy was just a few months into my marriage, and we were shocked and excited. 2 months later it was all over. We were

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-76323893963279200752008-08-02T06:39:00.000-07:002008-08-02T06:58:56.377-07:00

So that I don't leave you hanging, as if any of you are, my trip to the lake with my lady friends was wonderful, refreshing, and well worth doing. I had a great time. I bobbed around a lake for a while in a life jacket, I cried, I laughed, I made cinnamon rolls. In other words, it was the quintessential girls' weekend. There was the one adventure with the 4 of us nearly sinking a paddle boat,

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-55414027608929717142008-07-22T16:57:00.000-07:002008-07-22T21:32:16.822-07:00

I wish I liked all of it. But I don't. This week, one of my lesser character traits has come to the surface and reared its ugly head. I am impatient. Very impatient. This Thursday I will be going away with 3 of my dear lady friends to go and have a "mommy-recharging" weekend. We will hang out at the lake, we will eat, because that is what women do, and we will encourage one another. There

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-82464471864994214402008-07-12T10:26:00.000-07:002008-07-12T10:52:52.153-07:00

I have much to say on this topic. As a mom, wife, woman, even as a human being, I need to be constantly reminded that things may not always be as they seem. This was never more apparent to me as it was just two days ago. My 5 year old son, who is precious in every way, showed me again that I don't know as much as I thought I do.From another room, one of my sons shouted, "Momma, what year was

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-6383932435694509772008-07-08T11:09:00.001-07:002008-12-09T04:15:18.264-08:00

I have recently heard of the "Prairie Muffin Manifesto", easily found on the internet with the help of trusty old "Google". I read this, and I was encouraged. It is a 50 item list of the ideals I hold for my life as a mom, wife and Christian. I loved it from the minute I read it, even acknowledging that it is an IDEAL, and as of yet has not even REMOTELY been attained in my life. That is okay

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-18425165806641225912008-07-07T08:26:00.000-07:002008-12-09T04:15:18.410-08:00

What can I say about these boys? They are precious, they are my life. Today, they are driving me nuts!!! Why, you ask? For no good reason other than my husband's work schedule. This doesn't make sense at all, so if you are confused, you should be.Last night, I looked at our calendar and saw my husband is working two days in a row from 9 am to 9 pm. He is working this hard so that we can

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-72491445741102811582008-07-03T08:11:00.000-07:002008-07-03T08:44:19.630-07:00

I'll admit it. I am somewhat of a perfectionist. Not so that you would be able to see if you came to my home, mind you! I do not have an obsessively neat house, or laundry always done. I do not have the perfect meals on the table at just the right time, and I do not always look my best. So, outwardly, I don't look like much of a perfectionist. The problem is, I long for all of the above

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-47487704838732211422008-06-25T18:42:00.000-07:002008-06-26T17:18:14.963-07:00

June hasn't been a very good month for my family. We have had, in just three weeks time, two bouts with either a stomach virus, or a stomach virus and food poisoning. Either way, it wasn't pretty.The first weekend of June it involved myself, my 8 year old, and my 18 month old. I have to say, of the two illnesses this month, the first involved the most prolonged, er, clean up. Much time was spent

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-72291332348222447002008-06-15T20:55:00.000-07:002008-06-15T21:24:19.615-07:00

I have been motivated to write this after reading my dad's post on Father's Day. Even if you don't know my dad, it is worth a read. His blog is http://www.earnestdcember.blogspot.com/. I am not ashamed to say that I was reduced to tears, hearing my dad talk about his father. You know, I can't think of any man (besides my husband, of course) that I have ever loved as much as my Daddy. And besides

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7911473086202101850.post-42123671427472592822008-06-12T18:26:00.000-07:002008-06-26T17:17:18.299-07:00

By the title above, you would think I have something like 13 sons. Well, truth be told, I only have 4. They are ranging from 9 years to 18 months old, and I love it. They are wild, they are crazy, they are loud. They wrestle almost as often as they breathe. They are adventurous, they talk constantly, and they are so cuddly with me and my husband. It is a good life.I think the term "bucketloads"

julieandtheboyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00866172573182461741noreply@blogger.com3