VEEP T-I-M-E

Wow! What a surprise to see that John McCain chose Sarah Palin, Governor of Alaska, as his veep running mate. As a political junkie, and a Conservative one at that, this is important news to me.

When I heard Governor Palin speak, I was uplifted, energized, encouraged. Her words and remarks were well-said.

However, there is one gnawing thought in the back of my head. "Governor, I pray that this whole experience will not adversely effect your family."

Now, I'm not against women working or, for that matter, women in political life. As a matter of a fact, it is a blessing to know that the United States offers equal opportunity for all of its citizens. Women are not forced into the background, forbidden from expressing themselves.

I do not know much about political life. But I do know about what it means to be a mother.

I know that it requires T-I-M-E. This is not to say that a working mom is unable to provide that for her children. I have seen a few fabulous working moms who put forth such an effort to make sure their children did not suffer the absence of their mother for many hours of the day. It amazed me to witness their dedication.

It dumbfounds me to imagine how a woman who is the next potential veep will make time for her children. VEEP! We all are aware of the unthinkable amount of commitment required from that job. But like I said, I don't know much about political life, and perhaps it can be done somehow.

I will still likely cast my vote for Senator McCain and Governor Palin, but I will be praying for her and her children and her husband. Praying that God will provide that time needed to wash little feet, wipe little noses, muss up little ones hair, sit and read a book, etc.

I admire this courageous and motivated woman. I like her views. Her spirit shines through vividly. Her love of this country reflects my own.

It shall be an interesting election this year!

Blessings,

Camy

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Our News

Four boys in football. One husband coaching. 3 unhappy little ones who are being led around by the nose to every venue requiring our attendance.

You would have enjoyed watching us register our oldest boys (twin 14 yo) at school orientation. The boys wanted us all to come! They will be taking 4 classes in order to be eligible to play sports. Funny thing is, they can't take any core classes!

Anyway, the funniest thing about orientation was seeing my boys proudly carrying and showing off their little siblings. After getting their locker assignments, the boys threw the little ones in their lockers one-by-one to see if they would fit inside! LOL! That was a funny sight. I just begged them to please not lock the locks...you just never know, kwim??

Needless to say, we were quite a sight to everyone there.

Also, we have been running the football player boys here and there to practice. The little ones become so cranky and tired from being out of their usual schedule. Poor dears..

I am doing well w/ thyroid and iron supplementation to correct those problematic issues. If anyone needs a good iron supplement, I HIGHLY recommend Floradix (I use the tablets) and Enzymatic Therapies Liquid Liver Extract gelcaps along w/ chlorophyll capsules. That combo brought my hemoglobin count up 3.7 points in just 6 weeks! Which is a great blessing BECAUSE.....

I am pregnant!

We just found out yesterday. Everyone is so delighted. Our youngest is 3 years old, so this is the longest we have not had a baby in the house. My boys are hoping for twins, a boy and girl, so my daughter can have a sister and they can have another boy to join their ranks. Needless to say, our daughter is praying like crazy for a girl!

I had to share our exciting news.

Blessings,

Camy
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I really had to go!

Recently, I shared a funny moment from my school days with some online friends. This particular occasion occurred when I was in 1st grade.

When I was a scholarly first grader (grin), tetherball was my passion. However, the rest of the children on the entire playground used to love it as well, thus the waiting line to play was at least a mile long. Anyway, I was alllllmost to the front of the line. The clock was ticking. Recess was about to end. My heart was beating...thump-thump and I had to "use the facilities", as they say, really badly!

I was *not* going to lose my place in the line. So, I had an "accident" in my denim, big-bell bottomed jeans rather than lose my spot in the line for a trip to the bathroom! LOL! I vividly remember going into the nurses office to get a dry pair of pants (they had a reserve! LOL).
To avoid embarrassment, I told her that I fell into a mud puddle.

That excuse didn't work for two reasons: 1) It was as dry as the Sahara that day on the playground and 2) The odor emanating from the jeans did not smell like that of a mud puddle. LOL! I remember the nurse's expression as she took my pants from me. Too funny.

I just crack up when I think about that. What was I thinking?!!!

Kids do the funniest things ).

Someone shared an easy, no-knead artisan bread recipe on the Well-Trained Mind Board. This technique came from a book: http://www.amazon.com/Artisan-Bread-Five-Minutes-Revolutionizes/dp/0312362919

There is also a demonstration by the authors on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMxJgIpe38Q

I have not tried the recipe and method yet. I am still a bread snob! Just today (even though it was humid and hot), our home smelled of "freshly-baked bread" aroma. I made 5 whole wheat sourdough loaves, with the help of my 11 year old boy.

Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice book is still my favorite. He gives the lowdown on making many sorts of bread. I like his explanations regarding using pre-ferments to produce delicious sourdoughs and artisan breads.

My favorite, hands-down, is the recipe for his Cinnamon Raisin Walnut Bread. Following the baking of the loaf, you rub it with butter and then roll it in cinnamon/sugar. MMMM...it produced a sweet crunch before breaking into the tender, cinnamon/sugar swirled slice. Don't forget the butter!

Have a great day! We begin our brutal stretch of football season tomorrow. My husband coaches our 8 and 11 year old. Our 14 year old twins are playing on the local high school freshman team.

Thank Heaven the littlers are very portable. I tell them to jump into the van, and off we go...:o)

Blessings,

Camy

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And we're baaack!......sorry about the delay in posting! It is, after all, "summer."

It seemed sensible to me that this entry should reveal updates of our family's summer so far.

It has been a cool summer here in Michigan! We have not been able to enjoy the beach that often. Only one day has worked out for us to spend time at our favorite, family-friendly beach.

We have picked raspberries (from Grandma's berry patch), picked strawberries, worked on school (summer "lite" schedule), cleaned and organized the house a little more, and transported the boys to summer football workouts w/ the high school freshman team.

I am in dire need to take a block of time to work on our fall school schedule. I will be teaching 6 children. One is a preschooler, so that won't be so tough, but the others will require me to prepare a plan of some sort. We keep things very simple and uncluttered (when it comes to school anyway :o), so it isn't hard to organize once I get started.

The biggest transition into fall school mode will be the oldest boys', the twins, course schedule. I am outsourcing Spanish, Biology, and "maybe" history (I am quite possessive of history, however. I'm still thinking about that one). It was my intention to begin a "Greats Books" study with them this fall. We would start the classical education format 3-year cycle with studying Ancient times. I love ancient literature (yes...I am a geek...and proud of it!). Even my boys love the gore and violence of ancient literature, namely The Aeneid.

My 11 year old boy's schedule is well-determined from this vantage point. Yet I am struggling over whether we should continue Latin or not. Our main hindrance is "t-i-m-e." I do believe Latin is wonderful for teaching an understanding of grammar, sentence structure, and vocabulary. Did you know that students who study Latin have higher (on average) SAT scores?

Much of the younger children already are doing their studies for the fall schedule. I need to determine further their memorization work. We have learned many poems in the past (mainly Robert Frost), and I'd like to work on more of that. They have learned excellent public-speaking and verbal skills from memory work.

But...the hammer will fall soon.....football begins NEXT WEEK. (yikes...panic). It will be rush, rush, work, work, run, run, etc...

As Ricky Ricardo used to say on the "I Love Lucy" show, "LUUUUCY!"

So, that's where we are.

It has been a blessing to be sprinkled with the company of friends this summer. We are expecting some visitors this week.

Hope your summer is progressing well!

Hey, one more thing... Don't forget about the Perseid meteor shower next week! Here is a link for more information about it: Perseid Meteor Shower. How about waking your kids at 2:00 am (during the meteor shower) and taking them outside for an awesome display of God's handiwork! This would be a great memory for all.

Oh, one more thing (laugh). I just wanted to tell you all about my 3 year old boy who is as stubborn as a mule. He threw a literal blow-out tantrum at Sam's Club the other day. After having 7 children, this doesn't phase me a bit. I just looked at him and said "This does not embarrass me, and is that *all* you got?!!!!" I lost my pride when it comes to these things (children's unpredictable behavior at times) a long time ago! LOL! No, really, he was tired...I'll give him that much. He settled down after his brother took him to the van, kicking and screaming. That was my fun this week!

Blessings,

Camy

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