Procrastinating Mommies

Do you procrastinate when you have too much going on? Sometimes I find myself dragging my feet when I have only a few minutes to get 5 or 6 kids fed and into the van and dressed for dance class. I find a dish to wash. I find a phone call to make. I hurry and get Sam dressed and then rest for a few seconds of well-deserved but ill-timed down-time (loving-the-hyphens!). I write a blog post. I dig around in my bag. Then I rush everyone into the van and we go. Sometimes we're a few minutes late. Then I rush the remaining kids to buy hamster food because the dang thing has been out for days and we've been feeding her things we probably shouldn't. Then we take their friend-who-spent-the-night home. Then we pick up Jordan, pick up the Activitied Child and head home. Or to the pool. No wonder I procrastinate. And this is SUMMER, which means there is LESS going on!

Rosetta Stone Free Demo CD

I called 1-800-349-5311 to get the Rosetta Stone free demo DVD. It rocks. Too bad my memory is so bad after having and caring for 5 kids over the last 10 years that I probably couldn't learn a new language at gunpoint. I have enough Spanish in my brain to get by ... I get to practice it sometimes here in Kansas City. I would learn more if I had to, just as I would easily learn sign language if I had a deaf child. As for teaching my kids a foreign language, however, I'm stuck. I always thought we'd easily learn Spanish together, but I have enough trouble fitting regular stuff into our homeschooling days.

What are your thoughts on foreign language learning? I know a lot of people who are teaching their children LATIN, for gosh sake. I think it would be cool but am so scatterbrained and disorganized that I don't know where we would fit it in. Tips?

The Well-Planned Day GIVEAWAY!!!!!

Rebecca Keliher of Home Educating Family has generously offered to send one of my readers a copy of her wonderful homeschool planner called The Well-Planned Day. I can vouch for this $24.95 resource ... I just bought one and love it. It's gorgeous and includes articles about homeschooling. You can check it out here, then come back to leave me a comment, which will enter you into my drawing. If you don't feel comfortable leaving contact information on the comments section, please leave a comment and then email me at mommykerrie at yahoo dot com.

Tell your homeschooling friends! You can also head to http://www.wellplannedday.com/ and sign up for a sample issue of Home Educating Family!

This giveaway ends on the 14th, when I will draw a name and post it here.

Thanks for participating!

LEGO Master Builder Academy Building Challenge!

I love LEGO contests for kids! Just got the new LEGO magazine in the mail yesterday. Well, the boys did, but I think it's cool, too.  I don't see this Building Challenge on their website so if your kid is a LEGO freak and doesn't yet get the magazine, here are the details of the Challenge:

It says to take a look at the sneak peek LEGO Master Builder Technique on a page of the magazine, and they call it "Sideways Building." It's basically just making something cool out of LEGOs that is not going straight up and down!

"We'll pick 10 of our favorite models and give each of their builders a LEGO gift card worth $100.

How to enter:

1. Build a model of an outer space vehicle using pieces from your LEGO brick collection. Make sure it includes Sideways Building!

2. Take a color photograph of your model. Color photos or photo-quality computer print-outs only. No Polaroids, please.

3. Write a description of 150 words or less telling us about your model. Don't forget to say how you used Sideways Building to make it!

4. Mail your photo along with your name, age, address, daytime phone number and the name of your model to:

LEGO MBA Building Challenge
PO Box 1625
Enfield, CT 06083-1625

All entries must be received by September 30, 2011!"

Sidenote: my husband grew up in Enfield, CT!!!

Fourth of July

What is it about lighting a firecracker, throwing it REALLY fast and then hearing it BANG! that is so much fun? Most years I'm inside nursing a baby or being pregnant and hot. I did miss festivities last night due to a baby who likes to fall asleep for a nap/bedtime at 7 p.m. lately, but I did get to blow up some firecrackers yesterday. It's actually illegal in my city/county, so don't tell the fuzz, okay?

So today we went to a parade in Lenexa and got tons of candy. Now we're at my aunt's house in another county so we can LEGALLY blow stuff up. Later we'll go out hunting for a great display ... we haven't seen a real display since like 2001 when Joel was a mere week old and I sat in the truck nursing him while we watched fireworks.

What are your plans? Whatever you do, enjoy your independence and your freedom!