Here's a quick list of what all I got done today:

Filled in the hole (leading to the center of the earth - it was about 2 feet deep, and 4 feet wide.) under the pear tree.  I cheated and added pears to the hole, as some dirt was just gone!

I cleaned the yard and weeded the area behind the shed.  I discovered rotting wood, a few "helicopter trees" and lots of nightshade bushes thriving back there.  All of it had to go.

I weeded the rose garden, cleared the weeds around the hostas, prepared the roses for the fall and winter by clipping them down to about a foot and burying them in some straw.

I filled in the OTHER hole, the one the kids were digging in before the center of the earth hole got more attention.  I weeded the surrounding area, and clipped another rose bush (this one is trying to hide my neighbor's nasty looking garage) so it would also survive the winter.

THEN, I weeded the area around the fence where the main lilac bush is.  I then cleared 2 out of the 3 food gardens we planted.  I weeded and pulled up the dead stuff.  I have to double dig it before the ground freezes, but I HAD to get the weeds up before they went to seed.

While I was putting my gardening equipment away, I saw a bug!  I thought it might be a giant grasshopper or locust or something, but when I got closer, I recognized it!  I have a praying mantis in my yard!  I picked it up (as squeamish as I am, there's no way I was going to let THIS Teachable Moment pass me by!!) and I was all nervous for a second or two while s/he struggled to get free, biting me repeatedly until I figured out how to hold it correctly.  Oh, for the learners out there, they can't bite strong enough to break our human skin, so it just pinched a little.  I knew from pictures that they had wings, but to see one in flight was just awesome!  We got some good pics on my phone, but with money being so tight, I won't be able to send them to myself for a little while.  I will TRY and remember, and will post them to my albums.  They turned out really good!  Diana immediately hit the books after studying the real life mantis in the yard.  She read up on them, and told me all there is to know about the little yard guardians ;)

Voldemort actually mowed the front lawn today, too, which was amazing.  If I hadn't witnessed it, I wouldn't have believed it. :)  Kudos to him! (HEY, by the way, Volde turns THIRTY tomorrow!!)

I'm exhausted.  I can't wait to get the kids in bed and drift off myself!  Diana's doing her schoolwork, and Dexter's "sleeping" (which means he's in the crib, but I can hear him playing!)  I just decided to jump on here and unload my busy day!  Take care!

So, okay.  I finally see my knee going back to normal size when I come down with a huge cold.  The cold turned into a sinus infection which, in turn, became pinkeye somehow.  I'm feeling like I can't catch a break!  Thankfully, the Internet is a plethora of information, and since I'm still nursing, I have the home-grown cure ;)

I found on multiple sites that breast milk is a natural cure for pinkeye.  Amazed, and a little curious, I decided to try it.  It doesn't sting, it makes me laugh every time I do it because it's so WEIRD, and my pinkeye is disappearing.  Moreover, it hasn't spread to the other members of the household, if you can believe that!

On the normal homeschool front, we missed a few days because of me dying of multiple infections ;) but we're back doing work since yesterday.  I also found a free downloadable homeschool program to track assignments, hours, attendance, field trips and all sorts of things!  I can't find the site now, of course, but a search should turn it up because the little windows icon reads, "Homeschool Tracker Basic" which should give you a decent result. (I assume...)  Take care!

Obama's Not Exactly's

1.) "Selma Got Me Born" - NOT EXACTLY, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. (Google 'Obama Selma' for his full March 4, 2007 speech and articles about its various untruths.)

2.) "Father Was A Goat Herder" - NOT EXACTLY, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.

3.) "Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter" - NOT EXACTLY, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had.

4.) "My Fam ily Has Strong Ties To African Freedom" - NOT EXACTLY, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya . It is the first widespread violence in decades. The current government is pro-American but Odinga wants to overthrow it and establish Muslim Sharia law. Your half-brother, Abongo Oba ma, is Odinga's follower. You interrupted your New Hampshire campaigning to speak to Odinga on the phone. Check out the following link for verification of that....and for more.
Obama's cousin Odinga in Kenya ran for president and tried to get Sharia muslim law in place there. When Odinga lost the elections, his followers have burned Christians' homes and then burned men, women and children alive in a Christian church where they took shelter.. Obama SUPPORTED his cousin before the election process here started. Goo gle Obama and Odinga and see what you get. No one wants to know the truth.

5.) "My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian" - NOT EXACTLY, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldn't allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man.

6.) "My Name is African Swahili" - NOT EXACTLY, your name is Arabic and 'Baraka' (from which Barack came) means 'blessed' in that language. Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
Barack Hussein Obama is not half black. If elected, he would be the first Arab-American President, not the first black President. Barack Hussein Obama is 50% Caucasian from his mother's side and 43.75% Arabic and 6.25% African Negro from his father's side. While Barack Hussein Obama's father was from Kenya , his father's family was mainly Arabs.. Barack Hussein Obama's father was only 12.5% African Negro and 87.5% Arab (his father's birth certificate even states he's Arab, not Africa n Negro). From...and for more....go to.....
http://www.arcadeathome.com/newsboy.phtml?Barack_Hussein_Obama_-_Arab-American,_only_6.25%25_African

7.) "I Never Practiced Islam" - NOT EXACTLY, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years, until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
4-3-08 Article 'Obama was 'quite religious in islam'' http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=60559

8.) "My School In Indonesia Was Christian" - NOT EXACTLY, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
February 28, 2008. Kristoff from the New York Times a year ago: Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it'll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as 'one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.' This is just one example of what Pamela is talking about when she says 'Obama's narrative is being altered, enhanced and manipulated to whitewash troubling facts.'

9.) "I Was Fluent In Indonesian" - NOT EXACTLY, not one teacher says you could speak the language.

10.) "Because I Lived In I ndonesia , I Have More Foreign Experience" - NOT EXACTLY, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldn't even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons.

11.) "I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs" - NOT EXACTLY, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.

12.) "I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion" - NOT EXACTLY, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.

13.)"An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office" - NOT EXACTLY, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

14.) "A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life" - NOT EXACTLY, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesn't, and never did, exist.

15.) "I Won't Run On A National Ticket In '08" - NOT EXACTLY, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.

16.) "Voting 'Present' is Common In Illinois Senate" - NOT EXACTLY, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.

17.) "Oops, I Misvoted" - NOT EXACTLY, only when caught by church groups and Democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.

18.) "I Was A Professor Of Law" - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

19.) "I Was A Constitutional Lawyer" - NOT EXACTLY, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.

20.) "Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill" - NOT EXACTLY, you didn't write it, introduce it, change it, or create it.

21.) "The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass" - NOT EXACTLY, it took jus t 14 days from start to finish.

22.) "I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill" - NOT EXACTLY, your bill was rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation - mainly because of your Nuclear donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod came.

23.) "I Have Released My State Records" - NOT EXACTLY, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.

24.) "I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess" - NOT EXACTLY, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens . You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.

25.) "My Economics Bill Will Help America" - NOT EXACTLY, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.

26.) "I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois" - NOT EXACTLY, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.

27.) "I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year" - NOT EXACTLY, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.

28.) "No One on my campaign contacted Canada about NAFTA" - NOT EXACTLY, the Candian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.

29.) "I Am Tough On Terrorism" - NOT EXACTLY, you missed the Iran Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports the destruction off Israel .

30.) "I Want All Votes To Count" - NOT EXACTLY, you said let the delegates decide.

31.) "I Want Americans To Decide" - NOT EXACTLY, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.

32.) "I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate" - NOT EXACTLY, you passed 26, most of which you didn't write yourself.

33.) "I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics" - NOT EXACTLY, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.

34.) "I Don't Take PAC Money" - NOT EXACTLY, you take loads of it.

35.) "I don't Have Lobbysists" - NOT EXACTLY, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.

36.) "My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad" - NOT EXACTLY, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.

37.) "I Have Always Been Against Iraq" - NOT EXACTLY, you weren't in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time.

38.) "I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care" - N OT EXACTL Y, your plan leaves us all to pay for the 15,000,000 who don't have to buy it.

In the interest of keeping an online record of what we're up to and so I can reference the info if/when I need it:

Curriculum was discussed today, as well as class syllabus.  We have a set schedule, 7 days a week (Sunday school counts as school in our home).  Our school day will average 2 hours, more or less depending on the day.  One non-school book per week will be required, as will a minimum of a half hour of reading every day.  Math and reading will be assigned every day, science, history and geography will be 3x's a week.  Writing, spelling, grammar, and phonics will always be included daily, particular focus on workbook activities from 3-6 times per week, depending on which workbook it comes out of (we're working out of a 2nd grade book for review, and have 2 3rd grade books for a "beefier" year).

The whole year as planned will take 23 1/3 weeks.  The luxury of homeschooling means that we can choose which weeks to complete work, and which weeks we'd like some time off.  All in all, I think we're hoping to end the year before the 8th birthday in June, but are more than happy to end the year earlier ;)

In other news, I have to look at my blog entries in order to remember when it was that I injured my knee the first time.  I injured it YET AGAIN slipping at an indoor playground (pizza was featured, but I'm not telling which place as I was too dumb to file a claim in the first place...).  I was going from one side of a toddler slide to the other, and my right foot sort of slipped out from under me - sideways - and I think I sprained it this time. 

WELL, long story short, I now have water on the knee.  I learned something this week.  Not only is water on the knee REAL, and not just a feature in the board game "Operation" but it is actually a serious injury, and may actually require surgery (or at the very least a long needle and draining.)  Which brings me to another lesson learned - insurance makes a difference.  Only our kids are insured (through the state's low income programs).  I, on the other hand, must find a clinic or hospital willing to deal with this problem (hopefully $50 and under???) if I do not heal in a short enough time frame. (Can I give it 2 weeks to dissipate??) 

In the meantime, I am icing it every day when the swelling hits a painful level, taking the costco version of advil (only 2/day - we're still nursing here and there) and elevating it whenever a free moment presents itself.  I'm sure it's not broken, there's no other pain other than the "bag of water" in there that feels tight like when you have a blister on your heel (which I also have from some adorable but cheap shoes, but I digress...)  I also have news in the pet front.  We adopted a puppy!  It was a long time coming, and I am so happy with our new addition.

 This is Tallulah! She's a Chinese Crested Powderpuff, 7 months old.  She's super sweet, a little timid, but very calm and cuddly.  After our first day together, she was bonded like superglue, and hasn't left my side ;)  She's so great with the kids, and fits in well with our other animals.  She's all hair - only about 3 lbs now, 4-10 lbs full grown.  A darling!! 

EVERYONE stops us to ask about her ("What kind of dog is that, it's SOOO cute!!").  I'm such a geek about her!  She requires a lot of grooming - but for me it's like brushing a stuffed animal without feeling like a crazy lady, LOL. This picture, by the way, is before I groomed her face.  That was her first day home, and we were still getting to know eachother!

I even made my Tallulah a little sweater (you can see part of it in the photo, LOL) for the winter, and am working on a cotton version for the spring and fall weather.  I may have to learn to sew so I can make her things like raincoats or t-shirts.  (And before you short your keyboard out with your tears of laughter, google the breed and remember I live somewhere where the day's weather in summer can range from 40-100 degrees - in the same day!)  I PROMISE never to put doggie booties on her paws.  I'm only putting the clothes on her during days I would wear something similar to keep the chill or rain off, LOL! 

On the church front, I have been suckered into (Oops! I mean suckered into, LOL) being the Sunday School Toddler Room Teacher, which means basically I am doing a little more than what I was already doing on Sundays (having to sit in the room with Dexter because of his high needs self *grin*).  I get to decorate the room and the curriculum is already there - I just have to read it and do it. :)  Wish me luck and patience and pray I can keep what little sanity I have left!!!!