ha ha ha ha

all morning i've been watching stand up, while the videos from last night upload...

Speaking of marriage....

Jami and Pete tied that knot!!!! They had a wonderful ceremony in the garden. Jami, despite being pretty pregnant danced like a champ. Her dress was gorgeous and her groom, handsome. The funniest thing is that they chose the same colors for their wedding, that Trent and I were going to use before we went with denim. Trent's fave, orange and the closest thing to my fave, purple. It was a beautiful and fun wedding, and not just because I didn't have to chase babies. (Jewel actually, finally, spent an entire night away from home!) We had a great time and got to spend some fun time with Craig. Trent also got to see an old coach, and I got to see an old math teacher; it's always fun to see how time has changed people. The boys did the usual "humping dances" that they always seem to end up doing (I just don't get it) and I got blisters on my feet. We managed to miss all the slow songs (someone had to decorate the escape vehicle) but still had a blast. The videos really say it all. Well, except that ass-whipping that someone handed Gabe (he, he),in his own living room no less. No one took video of it (thankfully)but, Craig got a shot of the rug burns. Hmmm, I wonder if he'll stop trying me after this one. I seriously doubt it. The sad part is, it has been so long since I grappled (Trent stopped wrestling with me when I was pregnant, and never got back to it, I suppose he reckons that I'm fragile permanently from the babies) that he could almost take me this time, it has never been so close. If he had been sober, I would have lost (maybe); so, I am going to have to start training before he gets around to challenging me again. What fun! I hope Jami and Pete had as great a time after the wedding as we all did. I hope we all get to hang out again before Craig goes home, and I know Trent does, too. He had to jump out of bed for work bright and early this morning, poor guy. Two really late nights of drinking and both followed by work! He is totally feeling it. I (who didn't drink to a stupor), however, am getting a great Valentine's morning treat. There is not a single child in my house right now! Nothing but stand up on comedy central, funny drunk dancing videos on our youtube, and sushi in the fridge! It would be perfect if only Trent were home :(! Still, a nice break and it feels a little strange. When I woke, I actually forgot that they weren't here for a minute and wondered why Jellybean wasn't in our bed. So, Happy Love Day to all, especially my wonderful husband! Here are some of the videos from the wedding, there are more on our youtube channel (circusmind6); if you were at the wedding, you are probably on the vids, so check it out.

i really have tried....

to stop jumping on a soap box, because there are so many things that I wish were different. But, this video is so great, and I suppose all the "this is such crap" juices are threatening to bust out. Let me just release the pressure a touch.
"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

aspirations, life, real....

Trevor woke up in the middle of the night, pooped in the potty, and poured cereal on a plate (no milk thank goodness) and got a spoon. I found the cereal, spoon, and poop this morning. Later, he got bit by a few ants, and between the scratching and crying, said, "I think I don't love ants!" Funny and wonderful, but the fact that I have the chance to ponder it and record it for later is the best part. Trent and I were talking last night about our previous "aspirations". Five years ago we wanted another child and thought we had the job thing headed in the right direction. Two years ago we wanted better job situations and more time together. Seven years ago, all we wanted was plenty of time together and a porch with a great view. Now, we think of our aspirations in different terms than we did even two years ago. Trent's job situation is stable and, really, perfect for us right now. My job situation is finally headed in the direction that will help us in the long run (and makes me happy). I got my student number in the mail, yippee! And, our wishes for our children are in our own hands now, which is a big relief. And, we have worked the budget to the point that we aren't making payments on much, but still have a few little luxuries that help us accomplish all that we are trying to do. One of our most trying concerns over the years (beside money) has been the desire to spend time together and do things as a family and still have the money to have the luxury of homeschooling. Having the extra computers and finally having a laptop has really made a difference in the convenience of homeschooling, and allowing everyone to do what they enjoy, but still be together. As far as aspirations, there really aren't any that dominate our lives anymore. We don't sit around wishing for a farm, we know it is coming. We do keep reevaluating the plans that will get us there, but no wishing. And, I "aspire", sort of, to teach college physics one day. But, I have a lot of teaching (of our own kids) to do between now and then, so I am not really in a hurry to have two jobs. And, I know that going to school will be so fun for me, so despite the "one day" hopes, I am really just enjoying the process. I could blame our change in outlook on certain belief changes (we both feel strongly about that change in us) but, I don't want to start a firestorm of hate. At any rate, we are happy (finally) to be where we are, and will enjoy each tiny step on the way to where we are going. Even if the way we got here is totally not the way we thought it would go. So, anyway, the point is... our "realistic" is pretty great right now and it feels good to be aware and actively enjoying it. I love grabbing a quick video of everyone doing their favorite things. Also, I got the camera that has been on my wishlist for a year and have been using the heck out of it. Our videos now will be much better quality. I finally figured out how to upload with the highest quality, so I reloaded some of the earlier videos. I had the idea (once I decided to go the "memory book" route with this blog) that this blog would be completely "realistic". And, for the most part, it has. As in, I don't clean the house and build sets (so to speak) when I shoot video. Now that the videos are in HD, I may have to start cleaning more (just kidding). I'm not sure why that is such a big deal for me, but it has always been. I have even written hundreds of poems, diary entries, and little notes about "what is happening right now", or "what I see right now", and "what life is really like",etc. I just like pictures and videos best that are spontaneous and real. I have to admit that in the past, I didn't think there was anything presentable about our home, so I didn't shoot videos (I've mentioned before other reasons); and, there were also times (in particular homes) where I thought, "Wow, this is a wonderful place in our life, I wish I had a camera." It has been an exciting and varied seven (and a half) years. I love that I can get great videos now of all the things that we enjoy daily. Because, these are the little things that we wanted so much to have the time to enjoy. Trevor followed me into the closet and found his dad's gear. We started goofing and here you are. I really just slapped it together and used music from the flip software (I used the new laptop and there isn't any music on it yet) but still, it is cute. I may do some that are more "planned" or "pretty" one day, but don't hold your breathe. I love that we have a wonderful house to make messy, so I tend to relish in the mess.

trying this again...

I wanted to post periodically about our schooling habits, especially to aid me in creating the "portfolio" for the evaluation at the beginning of each school year (that's when ours is due). But, it seems that I am not very good at keeping track of what gets done. I am great at making lists for planning purposes, but after the activity is finished it falls from my mind and is lost. So, let me try to recall and record what we have been doing lately. Taylor has reached lecture 5 of the Basic Math lecture, lecture 3 of the Geometry, and lecture 2 of the American History. These are all High school level lectures, so they come with workbooks (of sorts) and review questions. He is also on lecture 3 of both the Joy of Science and the Game Theory lecture. We always watch lectures like these and the more advanced topics together, pausing frequently to discuss things he doesn't understand and to look up words. He takes notes on some of them and others I let him just watch. This year, Taylor has really started to enjoy them, and has gotten the hang of listening to them. They are fantastic for guiding the "what do we learn next" times. We use them as springboards for further research and experimentation. The Joy of Science lecture has a text book listed in the "essential reading" that is co-written by James Trefil and we have also started reading from it. We are in the introductory phase of this course, but I plan to jump around a bit through the lecture and the textbook based on what science topics the game leads us to. Last year there was only one lecture that we watched all the way through. That was on astronomy (sort of). I didn't know if he would enjoy them or even be able to learn from them, but, I wanted it to help me teach him astronomy. (That was what he wanted to study that year.) That lecture is actually given by Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, who was already one of Taylor's favorite scientists. It was such a big hit, that we tried a few others. So far, they are proving to be excellent teaching tools, for our family. Taylor has also been working on Time4learning.com, but it isn't something that he asks to do in his "free time". He doesn't hate it, but he frequently requests lectures and has never said "Can I do a lesson on time4learning?" While I am satisfied with our progress for this year, I feel that we need to focus a little more on writing skills, so that will begin this week. I haven't gotten the game put back together just yet, but I am sure I will get time before next week which is also when our music lesson schedule will pick up again. Oh, and Taylor made the Diamondbacks team in little league. Oh yes, and we made paper lanterns and a dragon puppet (well, it's in progress). So, that is the official school curriculum for now. Trevor and Jewel are learning left and right, too, but I am not obligated to document that yet. Although, I do, of course, wish we had a full time camera crew to capture everything new they do and say. Especially in these early years. Trevor (much like Taylor at this age) says things all the time that cause the adults to wonder how he understands that. And, Jewel is just at that funny stage. She is learning new things so quickly that her confusion is hilarious. The funny ways she communicates and all the silly things she does.... Ok, that is for another post..kids are great!