Your Turn to Vote

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Frappuccinos are sweet,
And so are you!

Crock pots are handy,
Children are fun,
I hope that this birthday,
Is a wonderful one!

-MusicMommy3


Roses are Red, Violets are Blue,
But arises this flower of another hue;
Petals of passion, achievement and grace,
Why, beauty within shines from her face.
Thirty-five, still blooming,
New buds swell from the stem;
Kyle’s love is consuming,
He’s just glad he’s him…

-Don


If she’d been born a Mary Ann
Would her hair be black as night?
A blue-tressed Violet, chestnut Jill
An Albino’s head of white?

If her folks took Buffy home that day
She might be blonde instead
But she was born a Ginger
And thus her hair is red

-Phil


Roses are red; violets are yellow
No one has said my firstborn is mellow
Squeezes life from a dime; expects me to rhyme
Buys rice in bulk; loves her incredible hulk
Washes no dishes, but offers good wishes
Blogs her opinions while homeschooling her minions
Cuts her own hair and has skin so fair
Mothering her way to fame; Ginger’s her name.

-Nancy


Roses are Red, so is Ginger’s hair,
Violets are Blue, like her eyes.
Sugar is Sweet, like her Spirit and Smile,
She’s creative and funny and wise.

Of Children, so far, she has seven,
But her ministry reaches so far,
To count all she’s reached, when in Heaven,
You would have to number the stars.

-Angela


Roses are red,
Violets are blue.
If my nose was running money,
I'd blow it all on you.

If I were a wealthy dad,
I'd buy you anything that's hot.
If my nose was running money,
but it's not.

-Dad


Roses are red
Their leaves are green
I've been blessed by your family
The Clarks make a great team.

Sugar is sweet
But bears like honey
I learn so much from your posts
And your style is so funny.

-Susie


Roses are red
Violets are blue
Whatever Ginger says
Is what you should do
Because she believes with all her might
That what she thinks is always right
Of course, for G it must have been fate
Because for us it's a family trait!

-Jamie


Roses are red, begonias are too
With Ginger as Mommy
The kids know what they should do
Play fun games, avoid sibling fights
There's never boredom if the family size is right
If anyone is sick, it's herbs to the rescue
I'm a fan of Clark Chatter
and I bet you are too!

-Heather


The worker from the CPS
Came calling at the door
Found seven kids engrossed in books
And lounging on the floor

When asked the teacher’s name by him,
Charlotte Mason they all said.
I’ve heard she’s tough. But, I didn’t know
that Charlotte’s hair was red.

-Jill

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Grocery Shopping

Normally, I take one child and we run our grocery errands at night after dinner. It's quality time with that child and we talk a lot, especially about our special memories together. I don't enjoy grocery shopping at all, but I do enjoy the quality time together.

Well, recently, due to poor planning and procrastination, I've had twice when I needed to go grocery shopping during the day, which means all the kids go with me. I was gearing up for it the way you'd prepare for an ice storm. That is, I was dreading it. As it turns out, it was just fine. It makes a huge difference when your youngest are 3 years old, apparently. They were much better at following the rules and having good attitudes. (Lydia did throw 3 fits, I should mention, but I was able to talk her out of it and we kept going. We didn't have to leave the store & start over, thank goodness!) We went to Sprout's, WalMart, and the bakery. We had 30+ grocery bags when it was all over. Thankfully, I have 6 able helpers to get it all put away in record time.

We're not going to fit into our retro-fitted minivan much longer. For now, we have skinny kids and it works. But there may come a time when we'll need to seat more than just six kids. ;)

Yet Another Giveaway

This teaching CD by Doug Phillips was so encouraging to Kyle and me. I just know you'll love it. Tell me about a parenting victory you've had recently and you'll be entered to win this gem.

And the Winner Is. . .

The winner of the Visionary Father's CD is

Congrats, Faith! I hope your hubby is encouraged by this great CD. Blessings in your homeschooling,

Now Is The Time

Don't Forget!

I've received several poems already and I must say they make my day. Thank you guys so much! I wanted to share the verse of the creative genuis known simply as Phil. Unfortunately he didn't follow the contest rules at all. In light of the fact that his poem was disqualified, I will publish it here instead, for your amusement.

[with apologies to Samuel Taylor Coleridge]

Rime of the Ancient Barister

It is an ancient barister
Who doth accosted me.
I asked the grey and red-haired lass
“what may I do for thee?”

She grabbed me with her aged hand
And bade me hear her tale.
Then put a finger to her lips,
her skin both drawn and pale.

“Hold off! Unhand me, grey-haired loon!
Why shouldst I hear your screed?”
“To warn the others in your care,
lest they should not take heed.

A latte once, a mocha twice--
and this by ten of nine!
By ten a.m. I’d had them thrice
and then get back in line.

And when I’d finally come back home
and burst wired through the door
I’d drain the change jar from the shelf
and send Pedro for some more.

Still all the while I knew I’d erred.
How great indeed the loss.
The venti mocha latte frap
was now my albatross.

But thankful for my loyal friends,
who came rushing to my aid,
suggested a dramatic cleanse
and brought the lemonade!

And enemas and bedpans!
And visits to the loo!
And craps (no fraps!) and lots of naps!
And all that cleansing poo!

Still I had to pick up Pedro
from work at three, I think.
There was frappe, frappe everywhere!
And not a drop to drink!”

My red-haired friend relaxed her grip
upon my tortured neck.
Then from her flask she took a nip
and left me with the check.

Before she fled, she passed along
a final parting sneer.
To resonate a warning
For all with ears to hear.

“He drinketh best who knowest best
true serendipity.
For our dear God made coffee beans
but saints should stick to tea.”

How We Birthday Around Here

Twice a year, we have a big birthday bash- the Spring Fling and the Fall Fest. Between my sister's family and mine, we celebrate all the spring birthdays at one, and all the fall birthdays at the other. After the first year of doing birthdays this way, Kyle felt that we needed to somehow celebrate the birthday kid's special day other than just saying: "Happy Birthday!!" So we started this new tradition: on their special day, the birthday kid gets to choose one friend to celebrate with. We give them a choice: Chuck E Cheese or Jump Town. Elena vaccilated for several months about where she wanted to go and who she wanted to go with. In the end, she chose her best friend, Sophie, my friend Gretchen's daughter.

Sophie is a year younger than Elena. My blondies are short, I tell ya!

So, after spending a little over $30 for this experience, which the girls were tired of after 20 minutes (girls don't like to sweat apparently), I decided this tradition needed some revising.

After we'd been there for 45 minutes, with me encouraging them to "go back and play" several times, Sophie asked Elena: "Can we go back to your house to play?"

That confirmed my plan. Next time around, the birthday kid will decided who they want to spend the day with and they can play together all day at our house (or the park) and we'll take the two out to eat somewhere fun. Less cost, which you know I love, and more quality time together. I wish I'd thought of it a year ago!