Christmas 2009

The night before Christmas Eve, the kids had a sleep over at John and Jenny's.  Matt and I got a evening to ourselves.  I cooked him a special dinner, which was his Christmas present from me.  Lame I know, but we really enjoyed it.
Christmas Eve day we went to John and Jenny's house to join our kids and Kiki for a lovely lunch.   The weather was kind of icky.  It was rainy all day.  But at least the roads weren't bad.  We left their house around 5 pm becauswe I thought I had to interpret for services for my church.  Turns out none of the deaf people came, so I was just another audience member.
After church we came home and did our annual one gift opening.  The kids always open the gift they got from the other.

This year they wanted to let me open the gift they got me.  I was thrilled to see I got Doctor Who season 4 which has my favorite assistant, Donna Noble.

I'm currently loaning it out to Kiki so she can see the rest of season 4.  We are such Sci-fi geeks around here!
Christmas day started late.  Yes, we slept until 9 AM and after some waffles the kids opened their gifts.  After a while I didn't have a living room floor anymore.

It was a very layed back fun day.  we didn't have to stress about running around to other peoples houses or cook extravagent meals.  We got to simply enjoy one anothers company and stay in our pajama's most of the day.  Except for Sam who had to put on the sweater Grandma Rose gave her.

Christmas from my persective.

Since I don't know old Christmas songs very well, I find it difficult to interpret them.  I find myself a little frustrated with the older songs.  I have to admit they are my least favorite part of Christmas.  I didn't grow up with these songs so they don't carry that nostalgic feeling for me as they do for most Christians.  So, I find myself fumbling along like a blind person in a maze.  Don't misread me here, I do love Christmas.  I love what it is all about.  I really enjoy the traditions our family is in the process of making.  I wouldn't give them up for the world.  I also wouldn't give up the childhood I had either.  Learning about all the Old Testament Hebrew holidays and getting to experience them. I feel this was an invaluable part of who I am.  I am able to see full circle of how those Old Testament celebrations and traditions related to and foreshadowed the coming Messiah.  I feel blessed to have had that background.  I almost feel sorry for those who have never celebrated Feast of Booths.  Which Jesus himself celebrated and is where he declared himself the Messiah!  Or never got to have some Days of Unleavened Bread treats.  I learned how to fast by the age of 13.  I mean really fast.  No food or any liquid besides water from sun up to sundown.  First few times was torture!  But I look back on it now as a valuable learning experience and I like that I can connect these things with how Jesus grew up.  He celebrated these same holidays!  Its like I got a glimpse of Him and what his life was like.

Strangely, I knew a lot about a holiday I didn't celebrate growing up.  I remember learning about how Jesus was actually born closer to fall than December.  And I learned the reason Christmas is celebrated in December is because Christians didn't know exactly when Jesus was born so they decided to celebrate Christ's birth on a pagan holiday.  That is the reason we didn't participate.  I don't see it that way anymore.  My persective is this; yes, it is on the same day as the old pagan holiday, but it was to done, so that the Christians could be lights to the world around them.  It was a way to use their own pagan celebration and turn it into a day of worship to the Son of God.  And that is worth celebrating.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Gingerbread house project

Here it is, finally, our annual gingerbread house. Whew, it takes about 2 days to make this. I know, I could go out and buy ones of those kits which have all the items ready to put together in minutes. But, I don't know. I just like trying new recipes. Last years house seemed better constructed, but it didn't taste that good. This years recipe wasn't hard/solid enough. I think the roof might cave in, but it taste great. All in all it's not the beauty of the house that matters, but the time we spent together having fun, making a giant mess and creating memories.

Learning styles

Homeschooling 2 kids has certainly been an interesting study in human behavior and development. Zach has always been a child who learns best when he gets to teach. So he will read his history/science/ math etc.. and then teach it to me, Matt, Sam or anyone else who will listen. Sadly. it took me years to figure out this learning style. Anyway, in order to do this Zach needs to be alone then, when he is done he can be around people.
Zach also loves to argue. Doesn't matter what facts are give to him, he will stick to his original belief no matter how asinine it is. This can be very trying. I often have to step back, and either we do a search on the internet or a trip to the library to point out the truth. He hates to admit that he is or was wrong. I have to resist the urge to point out that he was wrong and that this whole messy argument, research and trip to the library could have been avoided if he would have just listened to me. Yeah, I sometimes can't resist and give the speech anyway. But, I have to keep in mind that he won't just blindly accept things. He questions, studies and forces others give proof. He would make a great lawyer one day. Like Thomas Jefferson once said, "Question with boldness..." That is certainly Zach's creed.
Samantha is a whole new ball of wax. She hates to be alone. She even labels herself as a "social butterfly" (Yes, she knows what it means). She has to be around a warm body in order to learn. So that also can include the dog. And if she is not cuddling, she has to be moving, humming, or fidgeting. I'm sure she would have a problem in public school, because she hates to sit. We attend a homeschool co-op called Quest. There, parents can teach one subject in a class room setting. For instance, Sam took a Spanish class taught by a long-time homeschooling mom. She got Sam. I mean, she understood how Sam ticks. She allowed Sam to stand next to her and read over her shoulder as she taught the class. Sam was able to fidget to her hearts content and she flourished in the class. The teacher told me that Sam picked up the language faster than most of the students.
Sam is also very musical. See previous blog about Zach's music lesson and you will see what I mean. She loves to sing. She will even make up songs about what ever she happens to be doing at the time. Drives Zach mad sometimes. So, I have one kid that needs silence and another who can't stop making noise. Gotta love God's sense of humor!

Nutcracker Ballet

Sam, her friend, Nina, and I went to Nutcracker Ballet this afternoon at the Overture Center in Madison WI. Act one was really good and the girls loved it. We had fantastic seats. Second balcony right in front. Act two, well, didn't seem to go with act one. It was like a spring theme. Now, I'm not exactly an art connoisseur. Maybe I missed something. It just seemed like they need to fill the time with something. Sadly, I would say I saw a better Nutcracker Ballet in little old Wausau Wisconsin's Grand Theater, years ago. You would think Madison's art community could have done better. And what was up with the multiculturalism? I don't remember that being in the story line. Not that it was awful or anything. It was a different take on it I guess. When the girls and I discussed the ballet, we all agreed we liked the first act better and Nina said she got sleepy during the second act. Granted, she is 6 and her attention span isn't like an adult, but I got drowsy too. Thank goodness, the tickets were free!

The charmer

Sam is my cuddlier. She loves to be read to, she gives out hugs and kisses several times a day as well as love notes that seem to litter my house. She can charm the pants off of anyone. She has been known to use this charm to get stuff. If I have to tell her "no" to a request she usually responds with "That's okay mom. I love you." Then, sometimes she will proceed with a compromise. Oh, she's good. It works mostly with Daddy. Matt even admitted to me, that was true. I'm a little tougher for her to crack but, she does try. The other day, she was having a difficult time with her English lesson. Not that it was hard to learn, but it involved a lot of writing and she just didn't want to do it. She tried her most useful strategy, "compromise with a hug." She wanted to only do one page instead of the usual two pages. It was tough, but I stayed firm. She dawdled for about 2 hours on this subject. Finally, Zach brings down a note from Sam That reads: "I love you Mom, can I do just one page?" I stuck to my guns, and said no. Sam was flabbergasted. I left the room to do dishes and unbeknown to her, I could hear her whine to Zach. "I told Mom I loved her and she still won't let me do just one page." HA! Sorry honey, not going to work on me and Daddy's at work.

My baby boy is thinking about going to public school

Zach said he might want to give public school a try. I will admit I have reservations about it. I know there are some good experience to be had in public school. And I think it would benefit him to see what it is like. He made sure to ask if he could leave public school at anytime, which I said yes, but told him he would have to finish a full year. His biggest concerns are bullies and homework. He's dealt with bullies before but only rare McDonalds Playground instances. With our homeschool group all ages play together. Sometimes you will see a 10 year old playing chess with a 7 year old and it's not an odd sight. We don't seem to segregate due to age differences. Zach is very social with all ages and can have a civil engaging conversation ranging form adult to child. Also, Zach doesn't get why you go to school all day then sometimes you have to bring work home and do more school. He told me once that was stupid. In his mind once you've learned it you should move on. But, he said he want's to experience reccess, group class rooms (which he has experenced with Quest Classes, but the group classes can have ages ranging from 8 to 14; not all the same age like in public school), and gym more than once a week. I know Zach would do fine in public school. It is us parents who will find it challenging. Matt works 2nd shift and would only see Zach on the weekends. Because, by the time Matt get's home at 10 PM Zach has to be asleep in order to wake up early for school. Matt normally sleeps till 9 or 10 AM and would probably bearly see him before he's off to school. This is the delema we face and Matt said he would have to figure something out so he could see his son more. Whether that means getting a different job or finding a day shift within his company. We will see I guess.

First major winter storm this season.

We decided to just have a snow day today. All the kids had off from school so we did too. I knew the kids would want to play with their friends on the big snow mounds. In the picture above, Zach is laying down and Sam has the pink coat on. The other two kids are neighbors that pretty much spent the day at my house playing inside and out then had snicker doodles. It was a fun day for the kids.
We were blessed to have our neighbor come over with his truck that had a plow on the front and helped us with the sidewalk. That's right, he used his truck to clear the sidewalk. The snow was so thick and deep snow blowers were not working. He also did the end of our driveway. I love my neighbors! Matt stayed home because his company decided to just close for the day due to the bad weather. So he did shovel the rest of our driveway and help Jeanne (older neighbor lady) with her driveway. When all the snow was finally done falling, we accumulated around 18 inches. Now we have to buckle down and prepare for the upcoming ice storm they are predicting for next week. Never a dull moment in Wisconsin.

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving, what can I say. It was a blast as usual. This time we had the added bonus of meeting my new niece, Sydney for the first time. Oh, what a doll. She's such an easy going baby. Well, from my perspective anyway. Though, I don't have to do midnight feedings or chance dirty diapers. I love the age of my children!
Well, my mom and dad, (mostly Mom) hosted Thanksgiving for the whole Prahl side of my extended family. Yeah, their house is too small for that many people. Mom said next year we are all just going to do our individual family. I think, that will workout better for everyone. My mom doesn't need that kind of stress anyway.
The next day, we did the gift exchange for just my family and like usual, my mom refused to follow the gift suggestion list. She had my name this year so I got a griddle (not on the list) but I don't mind. It totally comes in handy for big breakfasts I make for my family. Wow, I didn't realize how great it was to do 6 pancakes at a time instead of one at a time. Enough on my lame excitement for cooking appliances. The kids got more Webkinz from Aunt Laura. Even though I said no toys. Who am I kidding right? They also got pajamas which they really needed. Sam loves her's a little too much. She insists on wearing them every night. Which means they get washed a lot and already have a small hole forming. I will attempt to stitch them soon. I'm no pro with a needle and thread. I got some awesome pictures of my dad getting his gift. His face was hilarious, but I promised him I wouldn't post it on here, sorry folks.
We got to hear all about Jacobs buck that he got during deer hunting. I want to say it was a six pointer. Ugh, I'm sure someone in my family will correct me. See this is what happens when I put blogging off for weeks at a time.