Saturday, October 19, 2013

TToT: Week 20


I so missed being in the Ten Things of Thankful Hop last week and am glad to be back! And with that, I will jump right in!

1. I am thankful that the PBA still enjoy watching the holiday Charlie Brown DVDs with us...beginning with Halloween (which we watched this week...it's never too early!)


2. And not only do they want to watch them with us (all together as a family, I mean), I am thankful that THEY ask US to watch them together…we don’t even have to initiate the family time.

3 & 4. I am thankful for a Fall Break. True, I am not giving them the two weeks that the public schools in the area get, but I think we will be thankful (#4) when we have a three week Christmas Break (December 11-January 2, thank you very much).

5. I am thankful on said Fall Break that we are doing a little bit of camping. We are not pros by any stretch (because honestly how often have you heard me mention that we are camping?) but it’s still fun.

6. And I am thankful that we are camping with friends who are more experienced campers (albeit, campers from Colorado, so Indiana is probably a little bit of a let-down but still…our benefit either way).

7. I am thankful for my 10yo and his tender heart. We just finished reading The Diary of Ann Frank today and he *sobbed* at the end. Spoiler alert if you haven't read the book: He had NO idea that she died in a concentration camp. Bless him...

8. I am thankful that SOMETHING appears to be sinking in and the PBA may be finally embracing the whole “life-long learner” thing I have been trying to instill for oh, say, 4 years now (ok, probably more than that if we’re honest): this week, my 12yo was reading his history book and paused in his reading, came out to the living room to ask me if it would be ok if he took a break from the book to look up more information on Tiananmen Square. He wanted to know more than the book was giving him. “Oh sure, that’s fine.” I calmly said, but on the inside, I was doing the Happy Dance. I looked something like Elaine, because I can’t dance. Here’s a visual just in case you don’t know to whom I am referring:


And yes, my dancing skills are that poor that even in my own mind I look like Elaine.

9. I am thankful for the “Catch and Release” program we have going here at the PBA (Yes, we catch the bugs in the house and we release them outside...unless of course no one is around and I am the one who finds the bug, then it is "RIP, Mr. Bug! You should not have come into my house!")

Since I know you were dying to know, I believe this is a Grass Spider
10. I am thankful that no one is judging me right now for the giant Indy-hairball which is attached to the spider in the jar. (Yes, I'm making assumptions here, so if you ARE juding me, Peanut Gallery, keep the comments on the DL please.)

Bonus: I am thankful that this creepy thing is no longer in my house (though undoubtedly his army of friends is still roaming about) and has been released into “the wild” which is my back yard. And yes, I fully-realize the potential irony in this statement, since I was excited to go camping…in a place where there are spiders and other creepy-crawlies. But this spider, in particular, breeched our agreement. The one in which I don’t bother the bugs as long as they maintain their boundaries (stay outside). But once they cross the threshold of our house, it is GAME ON. If I am out in nature, however, I will (usually) choose to let them live.

Now hop on over to Lizzi’s blog and catch up on all the other thankfulness lists this week (there are lots of fabulous co-hosts, BTW but there were just too many for me to include...plus Lizzi was the one who started it all, so I'll give her the props)!



35 comments:

  1. Ack! That spider in the jar looks extremely scary. Thankful too that it's not there! Once again, a great list, and have a good weekend!

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    1. Well, he's not poisonous or anything so I can tolerate him. Thanks for stopping by! :)

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  2. Not loving the spider, but the rest of the list is great. :)

    I would totally go far away from those wasps. They are horrible and scary. So will you get rid of the nest come winter?

    I love the Charlie Brown Halloween special (and all the rest). It's on our viewing list for the weekend, too! I think my favorite is the Thanksgiving one.

    I need to know more about this long fall break - and three weeks at Christmas???? That is definitely not how school works around here.

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    1. Well, it's homeschool so we have some flexibility on our breaks. :) Public schools don't have three weeks either! THanks for stopping by! :)

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  3. I am definitely a catch and release gal! I swear I even relocate them to better neighborhoods... lived with a Buddhist too long! Love your lists...missed you last week! I have to say the EVERY time I see the title of your blog I laugh... I just love the title... Lastly, my favorite all time cartoon line is... "I got a rock." How sweet that everyone still wants to see the classics!

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    1. Thank you sweet Zoe! I missed being included...just wasn't feeling it, which probably meant I SHOULD have done a list. I'll try to for two-fer this week to even things out. :)

      Glad my name makes you laugh...that's the intent. And it's also pretty spot-on! :)

      Thanks for stopping by!

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  4. MISSED YOU!!! Glad you're back :)

    BAD spider! Well done for your catch-and-release method though.

    Your boys are such wonderful characters, both of them. Love the way you're raising them. Props to you.

    And, er, camping. Rather you than me, but glad you'll enjoy it.

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    1. Thanks...so glad to be back! :)

      Well, I try to cath & release. Doesn't always happen. :)

      Thanks...I am trying to do the best I can for them.

      :)

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    2. It seems as though you are enjoying wonderful successes :)

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  5. 1. "I got a rock."
    3. Wait, wait, wait! School kids there get a TWO WEEK fall break? We get NOTHING.
    7. That is very sweet. Have him read "A Tree Grows In Brooklyn." My son read it at about that age (it's about a girl, if you haven't read it [and if you haven't, shame on you]) and cried and cried at a certain point in the book (that I won't reveal for those who haven't read it and are now DYING to).
    9. and 10. I have the same rule about crossing the boundary lines, but I do NOT do a catch and release program unless I'm at preschool; I smash the bejeebers out of them (sorry, Zoe and Lizzi).

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    1. I forgive you. You got poisonous spiders where you are...

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    2. Yes, some schools get 2 weeks...not all. Christine's kiddos, for instance, only get one week (I think)...sorry you get nothing. You should move to Indiana. I'll come and help you pack!

      I have not read it (sorry!) but might try it...maybe I'll wait until I am in need of a really good, hard cry and then it can help me...

      I do not blame you for not catching and releasing...but for the record, Lizzi...we have poisonous ones here too. I have yet to catch one of them, though. Yuck-o. I'm not sure what I would do if I did. Probably smash the heck out of it...in all honesty.

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    3. That's fine. Smash the heck out of poisonous ones. They can do serious damage!

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    4. Dyanne, your kids may not get a fall break, but I bet they don't start school the first week of August either. Many school districts in Indiana are going to the year-round schedule.

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    5. We started on the 15th of August, which is too early. First of August? Gahhh!

      Kris - happy to send you a brown recluse if you'd like.

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    6. We start July 29.

      And we have those lovely things here too...but I so appreciate the offer! :)

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  6. Yikes! I'm all for smashing the bugs. And love impromptu family time :)

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    1. I know...I have to fight the urge sometimes to smash the bugs. If it weren't for the homeschooling, I'd smash them all!

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  7. I love that you are getting to keep up family traditions even as the children get older. I hope you have fun camping during your outing. Enjoy the break!!

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    1. Thanks! We did have fun...I included some of the "thankfuls" from the trip in a second post (that doesn't happen often that I have a second post)! Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. Confession time: My kids have never seen the Charlie Brown holiday shows. We don't own them, and we always forget they are on. No joke, every single year since they were little, the exact same thing happens. We get them to bed, collapse on the couch, turn the TV on, and see the Charlie Brown show is on. One of us will then say, "Should we get them up for it?" The other says, "No". End result: kids who have never seen the wonderfulness that is a Charlie Brown holiday show.

    Oh my heavens, poor 10yo. I can't believe he didn't see the end coming, or heard about it at some point earlier in life. Like from his mom, who surely knew and could have warned him.

    There is no catch and release here on the farm. All family members are well-versed on the grab a shoe and squash it method.

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    1. I'm not sure about this friendship if your children have not see the Charlie Brown holiday shows...that's almost unAmerican.

      Yes, I could have warned him...and I actually assumed he'd see it coming. It was as much of a shock to me that he didn't see it coming as it was a shock to him that it happened.

      I know...catch and release is somewhat over-rated. But from a homeschooling aspect, I have learned a lot about bugs. I mean, the BOYS have learned a lot about bugs. :)

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  9. I'm gonna stand with the rolled-up newspaper crowd on the spider issue... with two qualifications: I will leave them alone outside and I expect them to respect our boundaries... no negotiations. This applies to spiders only, am a total arachnophobe most other multi-legged creatures stand a running chance (given the number of legs these critters sport, I'd say that I am being more than reasonable).
    btw.. Christine I made the horrible mistake of following the link in a recent Post of yours, about spiders and such and then compounded my error by actually reading your account of the story about the things that showed up at your house one fall.
    ...thanks *a lot*
    lol

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    1. Yes, if I lived on the farm like Christine, there is no way I would have catch-and-release in effect. That woman has some stories...

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  10. Hurray for motivated learners, regardless of the smoothness of the happy dance!

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    1. Yes, I am a train wreck on the dance floor for sure! :)

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  11. Charlie Brown --- YES!! I know my kids have seen it, but.... I am with Christine in the fact that we don't own them and ...I don't catch them when they come on. But, definitely classics! My favorite is always Snoopy as the Red Baron.

    I am not sure I agree with the catch and release system... insect/spiders/bugs outnumber us like....a gazillion to one, so... I just figure we're pretty much the top of the food chain...it's us against them! When Gillian was younger though, she would get very sad about it, so we would take moths & spiders outside. And in fact, just today, when we were at a photo shoot for the kids, we found this very intriguing bug. We studied him awhile and Chris let him crawl around on his hand. We got up to leave and I was the first to say "Don't kill him!" He was such a unique bug, we still don't know what he was. So, maybe I retract my position on catch & release -- I now say it's a case by case scenario.

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    1. Did you at least take a picture? That way you can Google it. The Googling is the best part. :) I know...you're clearly a rookie at all this. I'll cut you some slack...this time. :)

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  12. ...OH! and I forgot to mention Elaine. One of my favorite scenes from Seinfeld. Chris and I often reference that. I didn't even need to click on the video, because I can picture her "dance" in my head. ;) I think a vlog entry of Mrs Always Random dancing is in top order --- soon!

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  13. Such gorgeous stories about your family :) I love that your son was so deeply touched by the ending of The Diary of Anne Frank. And how wonderful that they are growing in life-long learners. It really is fun to go camping now and then, isn't it, even if you're not a pro. Every so often we do it too. I think it's great for kids and we all appreciate what we have at home so much more when we come back! Love your Elaine dancing - lol :)

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  14. I loved all the Charlie Brown specials as a kid...it was a sign that the "holiday" was coming. Yea!!!

    I had to quickly scroll by the spider as I am a bug-a-phobe and nearly missed reading the last paragraph. Please next time leave enough space so I can scroll without having to scan at lightning speed. ;)

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    1. I will certainly give a heads up next time! So sorry about that! :)

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  15. Ugh... not so happy about the spider pic but still a lovely list! I especially liked no. 7 but I wondered whether the subject maybe is a bit too heavy for a ten year old. Hope he is okay. xo

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