Homeschool Beach Conference

We had a great time at Fort Fisher Aquarium on Kure Beach. This island was so beautiful when you got to the end of it. It's all protected with the aquarium and a Civil War Museum. There was a battle fought right there on the beach. Things got a little crazy by the end of that day and I forgot to get pics of the Civil War stuff.

We went to Wilmington for a Homeschool Conference with the Maxwell Family and it was fantastic. www.titus2.com The girls got a picture taken with Sarah Maxwell who writes the Moody Family books. They were so excited! They were also excited because the next day when we checked out the Maxwell's Blog there was a picure of them with Sarah.



We went to Wrightsville Beach and walked the beach and played in the tide pools and ocean a little. The temp. was only 67 but the water was warm. Do you see the little starfish? That is the first one we've seen in North Carolina.

I just love how they are holding hands.....it just melts the heart!

Where We've Been..... ;)

Bennett Place

About a week ago we took the girls on field trip. We did a quick study of the Civil War here in the Raleigh area. One of the books we read was, “Emma and the Civil Warrior,” by Candy Dahl. We had a great time and learned so many things that you just don't learn in a school book. Did you know that Union Soldiers occupied the South for 12 years after the war eneded? When President Lincoln was shot the peace talks were taking place here in Raleigh for a surrender of the Confederate Army. To save the city from being burned Sherman kept it a secret for the Yankee Soldiers (knowing if they found out he was dead they would burn the city).

The picture of Madi and Sydi show where the two sides met that day. Madi is representing the Yankees and Sydi the Confederate Army. They are standing on the actual sides the Army's approached each other from.




This simple farmhouse was situated between Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's headquarters in Greensboro, and Union Gen. William T. Sherman's headquarters in Raleigh. In April 1865, the two commanders met at the Bennett Place, where they signed surrender papers for Southern armies in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida. It was the largest troop surrender of the American Civil War

Fruit Tasting

Today we went to the brand new Harris Teeter just up the street from us. They had some clearance fruit we had never heard of or tried. It was fun and tons of laughs. Some of that fruit was just GROSS! All of the fruit had a label except for one. It is the big green one and so we named him Bob. He was just okay. The worst was the red fruit we all spit that out. Madison spit out every single fruit except for the star fruit. Big fun in the Krause House today!

Crazy Hair Night

It was Crazy Hair Night at church for the Awana the other night. Everyone had great hair! Sydney of course had the BEST!

College

Today we were in Downtown Raleigh doing some fun stuff. I'll share those pics later. We are in the van and we pass part of the NC State campus. I ask the girls if they might go there someday. If I have any NC readers my husband and I are from Chicago and New York and we don't care about Duke, UNC, NC State or whatever else there is. All you non NC readers people down here are CRAZY about the college that they went to. I just don't get it. Therefore I could care less where my girls go to college in state. I would love a private college but not so sure the bank account would like that. Now that all of that is on the table on with the story.

Mommy: Girls do you think you'll go to NC State someday?
Madison: (no answer)
Sydney: Don't you remember I'm not going to leave. I'm going to do homeschool college.
Mommy: Really?
Sydney: Yep.

Yikes!!! I might have to go back to school.

If You Give A Mom A Muffin.....

If you give a mom a muffin,
She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan for supper.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").
The cookbook is setting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.
She will look for her checkbook.
The check book is in her purse
that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.
While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.
Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.
She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
And chances are... If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Written by Kathy Fictorie

I thought we needed a little funny after 911. I'm oh so glad to be out of this stage. So funny now to think back to those days.

Remembering............

They sent this video for the girls to learn the dance. They also had a dancer on the DVD that went step by step to teach them the dance. They were so funny to watch. I do have to say the girls didn't like what the real girls were wearing. They didn't like the hoochie mama look.

Barbie Dance Party!!!!

Update

I thought I would give you all a little update on this challenge. I am a drop out. Yep that is right DROP OUT. I think after 3 weeks maybe 4 of having to post no weight loss I was VERY discouraged. We joined the YMCA on June 27 and really started working out on June 1st. I was working my tushy off and nothing (my clothes did fit better just no #). I was going 7 days a week doint 30 min. of cardio and weights every other day. I switched to an elliptical machine and started to see some results. When we first started at the Y I jumped on that elliptical and jumped right back off after 5min. I thought I might die (lol). I can now do an hour no problem. I am now doing 30 min. on the elliptical that equals 380 calories. I then do 10 min. on the treadmill and that equals 130 calories. I also do weights every other day. I have now finally started to lose weight. I do this 6 days a week and I'm exausted just thinking about it. I now have a GRAND TOTAL loss of 20 lbs. Even though I'm a drop out I'm still working hard.

WE WON!!!!!

We got picked to host a Barbie Dance Party. We are so excited! We got an email that said they have shipped the box with all of our party supplies. I have some very excited Barbie girls. You all should check out this website www.houseparty.com and sign up if you would like to do other types of House Parties. This will be my first House Party and I'll keep you all updated on how it goes and of course what is in that box they are sending to us.

QDR Groupies

My ladies have turned into little groupies. We have started stalking this radio station. If they see them or hear they will be at a location near our house we have to go. They are trying to meet all the DJ's. So far we've met the Morning Crew and Billy Dukes. Every single time we leave a location they talk about how they have met someone famous. Ha!

My Baby is TEN!

Madison had a GREAT birthday! She requested such big girl gifts....out with the baby in with the big girl. She got her first Paula Deen cookbook and Michaels' (craftstore) gift card....Thank you Auntie Laura. She also requested a bigger fleece blanket in a girl color, Narnia movie, material for sewing and candy....thank you Grandma and Poppy. She had requested in the past but had no idea she would get it.......drum roll.........a sewing machine...Thank you Aunt Ruthie. We got her some earings and told her these are real from the locked case lol. We thought it would be a good big girl gift. She and Sydney also had a little spa day with manis and pedis. I forgot the camera....I know shame on me. As I'm doing this post she is in the kitchen working on a batch of peanut butter cookies. I LOVE my baby I mean big girl.

Arts & Crafts

We bought some of those black and white notebooks and rocked them out. We even made matching pens. I'll show you those another day.

My Little Baker

A couple of weeks ago our church had a Kid Cookie Contest. The ladies didn't win this year. Sydney made Pumpkin and Madison made Snickerdoodles. I'm a bad Mom because I only got pics of Syd. It was a crazy day folks: morning church, shopping, bake, exercise, bake some more and then drive really fast to night church to get those cookies entered.

I Love you Mom!!!!

We went shopping the other day and Madison picked out this shirt. I just LOVE it! She told me when I put her to bed tonight that it is her favorite shirt. I wonder how long it will stay her favorite.......

Cow Appreciation Day

Today is Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-a. If you dress as a cow you get a free meal. It has been a crazy day. I was going to get pictures at chick-fil-a and didn't have my camera. I forgot the camera because when I was backing out of the garage I hit the seed spreader. Now my van has a great scratch down the side and it bent the garage door frame. I coudln't get the garage door to shut (grrr). I had to go get Tom from work to see if he could fix the door. I had to go get him because we only have one car right now. He was able to bend the frame back and it works for now. It was just crazy. We made it and got our free food.

Surfer Girl

Little surfer little one
Made my heart come all undone
Do you love me, do you surfer girl
Surfer girl my little surfer girl

I have watched you on the shore
Standing by the ocean's roar
Do you love me do you surfer girl
Surfer girl surfer girl

Weighing in at.........

I joined this blog challenge to lose weight. One of the things you had to do to join was take a picture of your scale while you are standing on it and post it to your blog. Um yeah.....I don't think so. We were also able to email her the picture so tht is was I chose to do. I thought I should also do a scale picture too. I covered up the weight with a tag that was laying on the counter. We joined the YMCA about a week ago and I already lost 2 lbs. since my last weigh in. The challenge ends in Sept. I guess we'll see how I do. Come join the fun.