No in depth or inspirational entries tonight…If I ever do inspirational posts..I don’t really think of any of my posts as inspirational, it’s just life to me, but I suppose that some of my posts could be encouraging or inspirational to others….Who knows.

In any case, I can’t say our day was that great. I have felt aweful all day, not like that is anything new lately, but it sure is getting old!!! Des has been running a temp all day too, so that has added to everyone’s grouchyness…..and confirmed my decision to stay home from work…yet again.

Staying home is nice, I just wish it wasn’t because we were sick, and I wish it didn’t make my paychecks short…God is great, and He can work out paycheck shortages….right? *sigh* Yes, I know He can, He will provide for all of my needs….the Bible says so! Sometimes though, it’s tough hanging onto that faith. Moments when Satan tells me differently, moments of doubt….We are hanging tough though, and continuing to believe in God, and His promises..

Do pray for our financial situation, as well as me being able to stay home full time, please!!

Seems that we have been missing quite a few days lately. Really I guess I should say that we have been missing out on the bookwork part of our school days, because every other part of our day is school in itself.

*sigh* Still it bothers me to be missing so many days of bookwork. Not that we are behind really, or short on hours or anything, it’s just that we had been doing so good with our bookwork that these missed days have crimped that…With appointments, and much needed shopping trips and a few other things, it’s added up.

Now for the last two days (today and yesterday) it’s been the girls being sick again. Meg has a rather severe ear infection, and Des is plagued with horrible allergies! I can’t see making them pour over books, knowing that they aren’t feeling well, and couldn’t put their whole effort in to it.

Sickness has really plagued us this winter….either it’s me feeling under the weather, or it’s been the girls. Colds and flus, and now the current problems, nothing serious, but serious enough that we haven’t felt up to bookwork.

Still, we haven’t wasted our time. We’ve been doing huge amounts of charactor training, and household training. I am overjoyed with the girls’ behavior lately!! They aren’t perfect, and we’ve still had some problems, but they have been so much less serious than a few weeks ago!! All three of us have been doing a fair amount of housecleaning, together. With me teaching them what to do, and why. *LOL* Des is now the queen of laundry!! She has gotten such a kick out of being able to wash and dry laundry!!! It does my heart good to see her so happy doing household tasks! Meg takes pride in having a clean bathroom, which suits me fine, since that seems to be a room that doesn’t get much attention from me..*LOL* This is the learning that makes life!

Yes, reading, writing, math and all the other bookwork is important! I’m not, and will never say that it isn’t important! But I feel that being able to clean a house, wash your laundry, and knowing how to cook is just as important! And the girls are getting so much joy out of learning these lessons of life. Being able to help Mom with so many more things, knowing that they are growing into young ladies, because I do now allow them to do laundry and learn how to cook. And this new emphasis on household chores has turned over a new leaf in their behavior, along with a few other methods I’m now using. It’s a blessing, and brings me so much joy to see this happening!!!

My once whiny Meg, now whines so much less, because I’ve told her that “young ladies do not whine”…..I haven’t yelled in days, which I’m VERY proud to say!!! I have been seeking the Lord to help me control my temper, and I contribute some also to my girls because “young ladies always listen to their Mom the first time” so I don’t have to repeat things a dozen times….Oh, sometimes I still have to repeat things, but the girls are doing so much better at listening, and also staying out of trouble….

*LOL* Now if only they would get that “young ladies do not argue with their sisters” we’d be on top of the world!!! *LOL* That time will come….I am confident of that!!! Thank you God, for giving me wisdom to teach my children!!!

We will be hitting the books again, never fear, but these days have not been wasted!!

I’ve been looking back over some of my entries, and I think I’ve done some pretty nice entries, especially some of the ones lately.

So, if you haven’t already read them, you should scroll down and read “Stepping Towards Feminism” which is one that I especially like. There is also a nice post about the girls, which for some reason I can’t think of what I titled it, but it has something about the girls in the title. There was also an interesting one on “Counciling” which has me wondering if I should continue counciling.

Anyway, those are the recent ones, so take a few moments, and enjoy what I hope you will find as a good read!

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I don’t hardly remember wearing dresses as a child. Special occasions mainly, and there weren’t many occasions that were deemed that special, including holidays…We spent our holidays at home, just us 4, and so there wasn’t much point in getting all dressed up. I spent my childhood, and later my adulthood wearing jeans and shor 99.9% of the time, and did so happily.

When my girls were born I followed suit with how I had been raised. I didn’t see wearing dresses as practical for children, I mean, after all they would just get dirty, with the girls’ rough and tumble play. They have constantly, since they could talk, asked me if they could wear dresses, but I have always put them off, choosing the more practical shorts or jeans.

I guess part of my thought was that it was better to be rough and tough than to be ladylike and girly.

However, after talking to a very dear and special friend, and reading some very special posts by her children, I’ve had a change of heart. I see now that it’s okay, even desirable to be and to raise my children to be ladylike. To wear dresses, even when we’re just doing stuff around the house.

It’s these bits of encouragement, and things like her telling me to put a table cloth on the table, simply because it makes the room prettier, that has me valuing her friendship so highly! Thank you my dear friend!!!

A recent trip to Walmart, and a bit of splurging netted the girls each a top and skirt, and even myself a skirt. I have always had skirts and dresses in my closet, but dressy ones for special occasions, nothing simple. So, while on our way to the fitting rooms to have the girls try on their outfits, I spotted this skirt, and it was beautiful. After looking at the clearence price of $5, I couldn’t pass up a chance to try it on…*LOL* It was a bit big around, but a simple tuck fixed that easily enough…It’s a dark blue, well kind of like a country blue, and down on the bottom is a thin strip of white and a strip of dark brown….Oh, and it’s ankle length….The girls’ outfits are a solid light pink for Meg, and a solid light blue for Des. They were sold as an outfit, but we were lucky enough, blessed enough to find t-shirts that matched perfectly.

My only complaints are that they are light colored, and so will show the dirt or stains really easily!!! And the skirts come to the top of the knee, and I would have preferred the bottom of the knee….But I couldn’t not get them….All three of us were so excited to be buying skirts!!!

And being the newly formed female *LOL*, we just had to have shoes that we could wear with our dress/skirts….In the shoe department, we were lucky enough to find some boots for all three of us, and on clearence!!! A deal I couldn’t pass up!! *LOL*…All three pairs are black, but their’s is leather, or fake leather, and mine is velor. They are dressy, but also casual enough that they can be worn everyday as well….Just what I was looking for!!!

I have hopes of getting a sewing machine when I get tax money back, so that I can try my hand at machine sewing, and using a pattern. Neither of which I have any clue how to do!!! Can’t be that hard, right??? I think it would be much easier to make the girls dresses and skirts of the length and colors that I want, verses trying to find them in stores!!! Pray for a little guidence here, won’t you?? *LOL*

In any case, onward we go, toward feminism, toward being ladies!

Something else I have started doing in the last week, thanks to an article on the No Greater Joy website, is telling the girls what a lady would do, or wouldn’t do. The article, if memory serves me correctly, was called “Ladies Wear White Socks”. Anyway, now I’ve started saying things like “A lady brushes her hair every morning”, “A lady does not make a mess when eating”, “A lady likes a clean home”, and “A lady is quiet when other people are on the phone”…It is amazing how much of a difference in the girls’ behavior in the last week!! I’m not saying they are perfect, but there is deffinitely a huge difference!!! Meg even asked me last night, and I can’t remember what we were doing, but she asked “Momma, would a lady do this?”…It was too precious!!!!

Something else that has really been pressing upon me, is manners, or the lost art thereof! I was raised with the please’s and thank you’s, not to talk with food in your mouth, and such manners like that, of which I am teaching my daughters. But the manners concerning respect that I have become interested in. Like how the girls address other people. Like Mrs. So and So…I don’t remember being taught that, and never even thought to teach it to my children. After doing some reading, and some talking, I can see the merit of teaching them this. And so, now we are learning, which means I am trying to remember to teach them, to address adults with Mr. or Mrs. title.

 I thought you all might like to share in our joy, and our excitement as we step toward being ladies!

Again, I want to thank J, A, and J….It is through our many talks, and their wonderful blog entries, that has really pushed me to do this! Thank  you, so much!!!!

I don’t know much about self defense products. I know mace and pepper spray fall into that category, but that’s about the extent of my knowledge. My Dad taught me that anything could be used as a weapon or for self-defense. He also taught me to use my body for self-defense, through martial arts.

I intend to teach my girls martial arts as well, but not for the sake of fighting, or defending, but for the control it teaches you, for the relaxation that I always found in practicing it….And for the bond that develops between teacher and student…*LOL* I have found it difficult to step into the role of martial arts teacher, because I still think of my Dad as the teacher, although he assures me that I am more than capable of teaching them!! *LOL*

Broad subject isn’t it…*LOL* I wanted to post well, I guess a general entry about my girls, since I haven’t really done that in awhile….

Des, she is 8 now…hard to believe, but that is a post for later…Weighing 45lbs, and being 50 and 1/2 inches tall, she has grown so much! A lot of people don’t see it, because my girls have always been small and light, but I see it! Quiet sophistacation and beauty is what I see in her. She wants to be an artist, and is getting quite good at drawing! She is cruising right through her schoolwork, getting good grades…I think they would be A’s if they still used that system for grading, but it doesn’t matter…The best part is that she is having fun learning, and is really “getting” it, so we have no fear of repeating anything this year. She is having a blast learning to do laundry, although, she like her Momma is much better at washing it and drying it, than at getting it folded!! *LOL* She is also becoming quite the little cook!

Meg, my darling baby is 6, almost 7….*sigh*…Time goes so quickly!!! 36lbs and 44″ tall, she’s still my MegaMonster! *LOL* She’s shorter than anyone her age, that we’ve seen or met, and is also shorter than many other children that are younger than her, which is much to her dismay!!! *LOL* I keep telling her that God made her the perfect size! She lost her two front teeth months ago, and still has no sign of her adult ones growing in…*LOL* She asks me on occasion if they will ever grow in…I tell her they will grow in at just the perfect moment…She helped me clean all day long, and has found much joy in helping me around the house lately! Cleaning the bathroom, dishes, or whatever it is that needs done…She has, over the last few days, often asked me if we could clean something….She too, has become quite the little cook! Schoolwork is going well too….We will not be repeating any books, but keep forging on…With math and letters & sounds I have no doubts that she will be fine in the next set of books. With writing and reading, she does okay, and we will continue to work on them, at a pace that suits her learning style.

They are a joy to my heart!! Things are going better for us, and I pray that we continue on this road to a better relationship!! Things are not a bed of roses, and probably never will be, but things are getting better! They are listening to me better, I am controling my temper better, we are doing more beneficial things together like cleaning together, cooking together, as well as taking walks together, or reading a book together. Things are coming together for us, things are going to be better for us, I can feel it!!

Branson Missouri is a place I’d like to go someday. I’m a huge country music fan, and Branson has a lot of different things to offer us country music fans. I don’t think that it could ever replace, or even come close to competing with Nashville, but still, it would be awesome to go!!!!

I hear some of the Branson hotels are pretty cool in themselves, but there is also the Titanic Museum, A Dinosaur Museum, Hollywood Wax Museum, and many other things I’d like to see. Plus, they also have some shows that I’d like to see, like the Spirit of the Dance, Legends in Concert, Twelve Irish Tenors, and The Grand Ladies Of Country Music….This list doesn’t even touch the surface of all that Branson has to offer, and didn’t really showcase my love of country music like I thought it would, but that’s okay!

A few weeks ago, I was so desperate and frustrated with how things were going with the girls, that I called to get in with a counciler. I had been told that this place did counciling for parents, and did kind of a parenting class. I was at the end of my rope, and knew something had to be done. I was screwing up, and in turn, was screwing up my kids! It couldn’t go on. So I went to my first appointment, and came away feeling no better than I had going in…but hey, it was only my first appointment…She had given me a parenting book to read, which I imediately started, and soon put down again….

Some of the issues we had discussed was the fact that I was always having to tell things to the girls repeatedly. If I was to tell the girls to “pick up your toys” the counciler suggested the 123 method. Which means that I tell them to pick up their toys, and than when they don’t listen, I tell them “pick up your toys or such and such” will happen…When they don’t do it, than I am supposed to do the such and such….I have issues with this method. Children should listen the first time they are told to do something, not the second or third! I realize that there are things I will constantly be reminding them of, like scooting back from the tv, or that there is no arguing allowed, and stuff like that. But it is my belief that when I tell them to do some chore or task, they should do it imediately!!! A common one of late, is when I call their name, they will call back “what?”….Oh, no, not in my house!! If I call your name, that means I want you to stop whatever you are doing, and come to me, NOW!!

Another thing we talked about was what I was supposed to do when I am talking on the phone, and the girls are being loud….The suggestion of “ignore” them was made…I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with that!!! They need to have some respect and consideration for me! Plus, if they are being so loud that I can’t hear the person I’m talking to on the phone, well I think that is total bunk!! It would be bad enough if it was a personal call, but if I was making a business call, well, them being loud is completely unacceptable!!! I have not yet found a solution to this problem, but I sure know that ignoring them and their noise is NOT it!!!

I wonder if I will continue to go to counciling!!! From their suggestions, and their book, it seems we are on TOTALLY different pages as far as parenting goes! She actually suggested that I put my kids back in public school, just so that my schedule wouldn’t be so overloaded!!! NOT happening!!!!!! Not now, not ever if I have anything to say about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My Dad started taking me to the local recreation center when I was 16, to lift weights, swim in the indoor pool, and to sometimes walk the indoor track. I never did much on the weight benches, because I preferred the weight machines.

I loved those times spent with my Dad!! Sadly though, I got involved with a guy, and moved away. I moved back, and moved away several more times, and the time that we spent at the rec center went away too. Even now that I have been back for 2 years, we haven’t found the time to go again.

I doubt we ever will, on a regular basis, like we used to…At least I have the memories of years ago, to hold onto.