13 Google Searches

I've forgotten about Thursday Thirteen for a couple of weeks now. I had a good excuse last week. It's time to jump back on the band wagon with a fun one. Thirteen Google searches that brought people to my site.

Have you ever looked at how people find your site? Some of the google searches make sense. Some make you wonder how your site got put on the list that Google brought up. Some are just plain odd and make you wonder what the searcher was thinking.

1. Stuffed Animal Storage - This or some variation of it is by far the most popular search term bringing people to this blog. It's all because of this post where I posted about how I store my daughter's many stuffed animals.

2. Shiny Kids Clothes - Some poor kid out there is stuck going outside to play in his shiny clothes. The glare from the sun reflecting off of his clothing is too much for his friends and one by one they chose not to play with him anymore while he wonders, quite sadly, why no one wants to play with him. It's the clothes mom!

3. House to Hold Stuffed Animals - I'm sorry but if you have to buy a whole house just to hold your kids' stuffed animals, you have too many! Declutter mom, declutter!

4. Pictures of Children in Shiny Shorts - What is it with the kids in shiny clothes? This one just sounds like a pedophile to me. Why do you want to see photos of kids at all, let alone in shorts, especially shiny ones? And how does this have anything to do with my blog?

5. The More I Lover Her the More I Want to Move Away From Her - Seriously, I think you need a shrink to answer this question, not the web. And again, how does this have anything to do with my blog?

6. Photos of Naked Swimming Lessons in YMCA - Huh? I seriously doubt the YMCA provides swimming lessons to naked individuals. And why are you looking for this anyway? Ok, so I googled it and apparently they used to require swimming nude...before the YMCA became a co-ed place. But I'm still left with the nagging question: Why are you looking for photos of this?

7. Chocolate Distractions - I find chocolate quite distracting, too, especially to diets. Today, for instance, we had chocolate chocolate chip waffles with chocolate milk for breakfast.

8. Steak Apple - Now is this a steak that taste like an apple or an apple that tastes like a steak?

9. Get Skinny While Breastfeeding - Now if I knew how to do this, I'd be skinny. Unfortunately, my 5 years worth of breastfeeding haven't helped me any in this area so you've come to the wrong place for information on this.

10. Blockbuster Changed My Account - You bet they did. That's why I wrote this post and why I'm no longer a customer there.

11. Watching TV While Breastfeeding - Is this a question? It's not like watching TV takes a whole lot of effort or coordination. Since you're just sitting there while your child is nursing, why not turn on the TV and veg out for a little while.

12. Science Experiments for Kids With Just Household Items With Out Suscribing - That's a long one. I find shorter phrases yield better results especially if the spelling is correct. Try "kitchen experiments for kids".

13. Free Fun for Kids in Tacoma - I'm glad this one is working because I now know that all the research I do so I can post my Tacoma Kids Weekly at Homeschool Distractions is not in vain.

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13 Reasons I Want to Move

We have lived in this house for 9 years. There are many reasons we want to move: we've outgrown this house and need more space, we want to own a place with a backyard larger than a matchbook, we want more snow rather than snowless cold weather, we are tired of 9 months of rain every year, and we want to live in a house on a quieter street where the kids can safely play outside. But there are other, more frustrating things about living here that makes us want to move...

1. There's gang activity in the area. Two weeks after we moved in, we found ourselves calling 911 when we witnessed two young men beating up a third young man in the middle of the street in the middle of the night. Turned out one of the houses across the street on my block was a known gang house. The two were angry that the third was in their girl's place even though she invited him in...or something like that. Thank goodness they were evicted when the house was sold to a new owner. At another time, I witnessed a drive-by shooting one block away. Fortunately, they didn't hit anything or anyone.

2. Someone stole our stroller off of the porch. We were barely eeking by on a small single income with a new mortgage, and a new baby. That stroller was a gift from my dad and it meant a lot to us at the time. We could not afford to replace it. Fortunately, my brilliant husband suggested I call around the local children's resale shops. One of them had just bought it. We were able to positively identify it over the phone so we were able to recover it without cost. Despite having the resale stores records, the police refused to act until we contacted a city counselman. Even then all they did was "investigate" and refused to do anything to the thief who claimed he found our stroller in the park. They said that they could not prove he was the person who stole it. Isn't it illegal to possess or sell stolen property?

3. Someone broke into our car. While our car was parked in our driveway, someone decided to break into it. They broke the window to get into it. They stole the entire center console with the stereo, my husband's few tools and his suade jacket. Again, we could not afford to replace what was lost. We fixed the window and gaping hole in the dash on credit. My dad replaced my husband's tools. The jacket...well, he went without and has actually never gotten another suade jacket. The police agreed to take a report over the phone.

4. Someone broke into our neighbor's house. The woman of the house was in Vietnam caring for a sick relative at the time and the man of the house was at work. The thief obviously knew their schedule because he hit their house at exactly the right time.

5. Someone put a slingshot pellet through our car window. I hope they had fun. Us? We had to replace the driver's side window.

6. Someone broke into another neighbor's garage. I don't remember what they took but I remember that they busted the side door (the people entrance). I was so angery when he told me. He is a sweet old man in his 80s.

7. A drunk driver hit our car and ran. The driver hit our car so hard that they moved it from the street where it was parked against the curb to my neighbor's front yard even though it had the parking break set. The car was totalled costing our insurance thousands of dollars and us our $500 deductible. We had to contact the city counsel again. Despite having car remains positively identifying the color and type of car that hit ours and an eye witness, nothing was done other than to take a report.

8. Someone broken into our car. This time they managed to get in without breaking anything but they stole all of the CDs he had in it...a visor-type CD full of Christian music. They also left behind their cigarette butt. Nice.

9. Someone stole mail off of our front porch. Did you know that priority mail will pick up at your house? They do...if the package you left for them is still there and hasn't been stolen before they arrive. Fortunately, the package, destined for an ebay buyer, was only worth about $10. Ever since, we tell every company mailing packages to us to instruct the delivery company to not leave the package on the porch and require signature confirmation. They never do.

10. We had a meth lab across the street. We came home one night to lots of activity across the street. Our neighbor came over to inform us what was up. Apparently, the house behind her was a meth lab and the police cracked down on it. Clean up was in process when we arrived home. I was a bit freaked when I realized that I had returned their dog to them...knocking on their open door to do so. They also had a kid living there.

11. Our neighbor's purse was snatched. Someone pushed our 60ish year old neighbor to the ground and stole her purse as she was waiting for the bus half a block from our house. Her purse had everything in it including her license with her address and keys to her house. She was badly shaken by the experience. The police took a report and suggested my neighbor not carry a purse when walking or riding the bus.

12. A drunk driver hit our new (to us) van and ran. The police wouldn't even take a report this time until I contacted city counsel...again. (We LOVE this city counselman.) Two days later a witness knocked on my door and told me this story... After hitting my car, she hit another car and got stuck for a minute. At this point, the witness tried to take her keys away from her. She got her car moving and continued on her merry way until she hit a third car. They told me the make, model, and license plate of her car. I got into my broken car (still drivable with $3000 of damage) and drove to the third car. I knocked on their door to give them the information I had just received and he told me this story....Her car refused to move after she hit his car but she was spinning tires trying to get away. They were able to call the police and get her. He told me she was taken to jail but the police report indicates that she wasn't arrested. She had two kids in the car with her as well. This just happened in November and we have not been able to recover our $300 deductible. I don't know if my insurance company has been successful in recovering their $3000. I have to give them a call and follow up.

13. Someone stole my hubcaps. I left to take my toddler to the doctor this morning to discover my hubcaps missing. The only reason I had those hubcaps is #12. The collision repair company couldn't match my existing hubcaps so they had to replace all four. Fortunately, the hubcaps will only cost me $35.89 but do I really want to replace them so they go missing again next month?

Meet Zach and Sybil...
They are quite protective of us. They bark when ever someone walks on our property...even if it just someone walking along the sidewalk. They greet everyone who comes to the door. They'll attack anyone who tries to hurt a member of the family....they've nipped at us if we aren't careful in play-sparring in their presence. At least I know we'll probably be protected if anyone decides to try to enter our home.

There are houses for sale nearby. Wanna be my neighbor?

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13 Greats In 2008

I can't think of a better way to complete the first Thursday Thirteen of the year than with a list of things I want to accomplish in 2008. I'm thinking that by posting them maybe I could come back at the beginning of each month and update on how I'm doing on them to that point and that maybe, just maybe, that will help me actually accomplish them. I'm going to write them as if they have already happened. You know...that whole "visualize it as already done makes it more likely to happen" theory.

In 2008, I...

1. ...became adept at making and adhering to a monthly budget. Because of this, we have a small emergency fund started in a savings account and have paid off much of our credit card debt.

2. ...continued to play the Grocery Game, saving our family several thousand dollars this year in groceries, bath/beauty, and household items. I've saved extra by keeping on eye on the Grocery Game's message boards for good deals on other items we have needed/wanted and Christmas gifts purchased early.

3. ...lost not less than 25 pounds and as much as 55 pounds depending on when #4 happened, if it happened.

4. ...got pregnant with our fourth child but not before July and not after November. (If we have another child, he/she cannot be born during the months of December, January, February, March, or September!!!)

5. ...found a homeschooling routine that works well for us. In fact, our routine was in place and worked so well, we were able to maintain it even though #4 happened.

6. ...got the house picked up, got the clutter removed, and been able to maintain a cleaning routine that keeps the house looking decent. My routine was in full swing and working well before #4 happened because I tend to get very sick when pregnant.

7. ...created a menu plan that I enjoy cooking, enjoy eating, and assists in the weight loss goals. The menu plan worked so well that we've reduced the number of times we eat out significantly so that we now enjoy eating out as a special occasion rather than an ordinary thing.

8. ...studied the Bible daily (school days) with my kids as part of our homeschooling routine.

9. ...found time each month to work on organizing, printing, and arranging our photos into nice-looking scrapbooks.

10. ...found time each month to knit or crochet. Because of this, I've completed several of my unfinished projects.

11. ...spent 15 minutes each day, at least 5 days a week, practicing the piano.

12. ...begun taking taekwondo classes with my son. Because of this, I've improved my balance, strength, and confidence. My fears have decreased because I feel more able to defend myself and my children against strangers who may seek to harm us.

13. ...beaten my husband in a game of Madden 2008 on the Game Cube ; -P

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13 Things About My Wonderful Husband

I decided to do an additional Thursday Thirteen post. A bonus thirteen! How cool is that?

13 Wonderful Things About My Husband

1. He knows and accepts that PMS is a real thing.

2. He knows and accepts that I'm really, really, really distractable and forgetful. He may make fun of me but he doesn't hold it against me....too much.

3. He totally supports me homeschooling the kids and gently helps us get back on track when my distractable self gets us off track.

4. He supports my many adventures into new and exciting hobbies even though he knows that it is probably just a passing fad and all that new stuff I bought will start collecting dust after the next new and exciting hobby discovery is made. At least it keeps me busy!

5. He cooks dinner sometimes even though he has just gotten home from work and I've been home all day with the kids. It seems so backwards but I get tired, bored, and/or unmotivated sometimes and he's a pretty good cook.

6. He does laundry when my distractable self forgets that the mountain in our bedroom is actually dirty clothes that need to be washed. (Now I just need to train him to fold, hang, and put it all away...Shhhhh.)

7. He's a great dad...taking the kids on special dates, playing GameCube with them, enjoying board games with the kids, rough housing, teasing, teaching, going on field trips with us, being the "mean parent" (but not too much), etc. etc. etc.

8. He works hard to pay the bills, feed us, house us, clothe us, buy everything we need, support my many adventures into new and exiting hobbies....

9. He loves animals ALMOST as much as my daughter and I do and will remember that when it is time to add to our zoo. : )

10. He enjoys fixing my computer every time I break it...I mean every time it breaks all by itself, with no help from me whatsoever.

11. He supports natural homebirth, attachment parenting, child-wearing, co-sleeping, and breastfeeding.

12. He supports me going to weekly ACA meetings every Monday (and watches the kids) and bi-annual, 4-day retreats (and watches the kids) so I can stay somewhat sane.

13. He gave me permission to post this photo of my surprise stocking stuffer to him. I love it when he plays along with my silliness.

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13 Memories of 2007

We've had a busy year! Today I'm sharing just thirteen of the exciting, happy, sad, fun, humorous memories from this year. There were so many to choose from it was hard to choose just thirteen to represent the past year. As a homeschooling family, we go to so many really cool and interesting places...all in the name of learning...on school days. : )



We started the year off anticipating the arrival of Joshua. After refusing to join us, he was rushed into this world via induced labor on February 28th. The coolest things about his birth was that we got a really awesome doctor, my closest friend was there, and the kids witnessed the whole thing. Mika burst out in happy tears, alarming everyone in the room, and Sammy thought it was "cool".
Then just 2 1/2 weeks later, Josh came down with a fever on the way home from church one Sunday. A call to the doctor sent me to the children's hospital ER. It wasn't long before they told me we'd be staying for 2 days so they could treat a urinary tract infection via IV. Not long after that I was told it would actually be 4 days so they could also treat RSV. We arranged for an awesome friend to take the kids (We love you Susan!) until my father could come up and Scott joined us at the hospital. We ended up staying a heart-wrenching 8 days while we watched our poor, very sick, newborn baby struggle to breath. We were soooooo happy to leave and I'm still paranoid about running noses (I freak out because I don't want Josh anywhere near a child with a runny nose for fear he'll get RSV again.)

In June, we took a field trip to the Pioneer Farm Museum. This place is cool and this was our second visit there. The kids got to learn all about what life was like for the pioneers. They kneaded bread, ground coffee beans, dressed in pioneer clothes, carded wool, washed laundry in a wringer, chased chickens, visited barn animals (including the above horse), watched a blacksmithing demo, sawed some branches, and took a short wagon ride. There's more but that list was getting long! We also visited their Native Indian tour on this trip. We played indian drums, made arrow heads, played indian games, and tried weaving. We enjoyed every minute of the trip.

Every summer, we participate in the library's summer reading program. When the children reach their reading goal, they get a free trip to the Pt. Defiance Zoo. The special program this year was a rather unusual and odd drama group, Umo Ensemble. The show was extemely weird but left us in stitches nonetheless.

In August Scott's niece, Rachael, came to visit. We had never met her so we had no idea what to expect. She is absolutely awesome and adorable. Since she had never been to Washington, we gave her the grand tour of western Washington. Well, as much as we could in one week. One of the many stops was the Space Needle, of course. We had a tiring but very fun week and can't wait to see her again.

One of the places we went to with Rachael was Long Beach. She wanted to see the Pacific Ocean. We surprised Mika with a horse ride on the beach. After getting over her initial fear that the horse was going to take off with her, she loved it.

Labor Day weekend we took our annual camping trip to Cannon Beach, OR. The kids love spending time playing on the beach and visiting with Papa. We also enjoy burying our dog, Zach. He doesn't mind at all. In fact, he lays there patiently while we do it and stays there for quite a while afterwards. He gets lots of attention from people walking by. When he's had enough, he just stands up and shakes the sand off. I think he likes it.

On the beach, we also dug ourselves a big moat and then stood on it while the waves came in. We stood safely inside our moat on our little island. When we left, we saw two other groups of people enjoying our island. We want to do that again in 2008.

One of our field trips this year was to Camlann Medieval Village. It was a quiet day as we went on one of the weekends after the summer festivals. It was still interesting and quite a learning experience. We want to go back next summer during the festivals. My 7 year old daughter snapped this photo of the potter apprentices' hands working some clay. Isn't it a wonderful photo?

It doesn't look like it in this picture but the kids are enjoying cotton candy at the Puyallup Fair. We go every year because we absolutely must! We have our caricatures drawn by one of the artists there each year. We have 9 years worth of carictures and it is a family tradition. Even during years money is tight, we find a way to get to the fair to get our mugs drawn.

I think the best field trip of the 2007-2008 school year so far was our trip to the Pacific Science Center. It was the kids' first time there and they LOVED it. After 5 hours there, they still didn't want to leave. I think they loved it all but the dinosaur bones were probably a favorite.

Sammy started taking Taekwondo classes this year. He loves them. We can provide these classes thanks to Columbia Virtual Academy. CVA is a public school-homeschool co-op of sorts. It allows me to homeschool under the supervision of a certified teacher and they provide a good-sized student fund to pay for curriculum, supplies, classes, and field trips. This program is VERY homeschool friendly and hasn't cramped our homeschooling in any way. We still homeschool exactly the same way we did before we found CVA only now we get to do more because we have the funds. The kids like that.

Ok, I said I'd never get a gaming system. Never ever. Here's the kids enjoying the new-to-us GameCube on Christmas Day. Scott got it in trade on a laptop he sold. He was going to sell it but a friend of mine gave me a good reason to keep it so we did. The kids say, "Thank you Susan!"

Josh loves his new walker. He'll be walking for real in no time.

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13 Years of Memories

It was Christmas 1995. I was feeling pretty down. I was 21 years old and feeling alone in the world. I was not speaking to my family, I had lost my apartment, and I was living in the basement bedroom of a friend/co-worker. One day the Mountain Man candy lady came into my workplace like she did periodically and saw this cute Frosy ornament. I bought it, deciding right then and there to start my own Christmas tradition of buying myself a special ornament every year. And I have... This was my first ornament. Frosty. Because he is cute and I like snowmen. 1995.

The year 1996 was the year I met my husband. We broke up for a few weeks right before Christmas (we got back together on Christmas day) so I wasn't in the mood to buy an ornament. Luckily, a friend gave me this cute little doll. She's now missing a black button foot.

My husband bought me this cute Precious Moments ornament for our first Christmas together in 1997. We had a Precious Moments cake topper on our wedding cake too.

We spent Christmas 1998 surrounded by boxes as we waited for our first house to close. It finally closed two weeks late in 1999 but we thought that this house ornament was still appropriate for 1998 since we were up to our ears in closing stress and boxes.

I was pregnant with our first child in 1999. That summer we went to a big, outdoor boating event in a nearby city. Not only could you look at tons of cool, wooden boats but they had tons of vendors and food. I saw this salt dough pregnant woman and had to have her for Christmas that year. She lost her foot a few years ago. Last year, she lost her head...it falls off so she can't hang on the tree. I want to either find the lady who made her and get a new one or try to remake her myself.

Our first child celebrated her first Christmas in 2000. I just love these teeny Precious Moments shoes. They have her name and birthday written on the bottoms.

In 2001 we chose to commentorate September 11, 2001 with this ornament. I was going to say something about praying the families affected have peace this year but there are just no words...

The year 2002 was our second child's first christmas. We chose this cute ornament for his first Christmas.

In 2003, the wife of a former coworker of my dad sent us this hand made ornament. This spider is so pretty and came with a story about how the spider covered a tree with its webbing and how Santa turned her web into tinsel. Cute story. We have no tinsel on our tree though.

A family friend gave each person in our family an ornament for 2004. Here's mine: a cute fabric bag with a snowman. Its begging to be filled but I don't know what to put in it.

This little puppy ornament reminds us of the year my husband's boxer suddenly became ill and had to be put down because she had advanced cancer in her liver and gall bladder. She never showed any signs until it was too late.

In 2006, my husband's boss took everyone to Disneyland. The kids loved it, I found this ornament in a shop on Main Street because I knew a Disney ornmaent would be perfect for our tree.
One month after Disneyland, I became pregnant. The kids had been wanting another sibling so everyone was very excited making a second ornament for 2006 necesssary.

Our third child is celebrating his first Christmas this year so my daughter picked out this ornament for him.

One year I realized that I wasn't going to give up my yearly ornaments as long as I live. My kids would have to come home for Christmas if they ever wanted to see them again after they move out. This led me to decide to start them a collection as well. I start each child's collection when they are about 4 or 5 so we can tailor them to their activities or likes. This year my daugher has a gymnastics bear and my son has a black Spiderman.

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