Happy Fall 'Yall

It has been a fun fall for the family.  We have been to festivals and costume parties.  Tonight we will be passing out candy to the trick-or-treater's on campus here at the Marland Children's Home.

It has been a little "tricky" for us with all of the traditional foods and treats available in our area.  Our good friends cooked up some "seaweed and octopus" for us.  And we have been lucky enough to have gluten free goods to bake and take to the outings we have attended.  Tonight the kids are feasting on a (small) bag of treats from our local health food store.  All are gluten free and most are sweetened with fruit juices.  Grammy and Poppy stopped by with our favorite treats -- Fruits and Nuts so we are rockin' this gluten free thing this season.



So Much fun at the Marland Children's Home Fall Festival
that their eyes popped out and went crazy!



May I present a BeyBlader, A Flapper Dancer and an Evil Bat girl
who later went as a BeyBlade Fixer

Kallie Volunteering at the Marland Children's Home
Fall Festival

Bobbing for apples with our friends

Flippin' Zany Bands

I love morning snuggles and giggles.

This morning Zachary entertained Bennette and I by flipping his Zany Bands off the ceiling and catching them (well, trying.  Some of them popped us in the face. lol!)

Some may need that cup o'joe first thing in the morning.  but to get my day started off right . . . Bring on the giggles!

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010

Principles or Rules?

We have been doing some extensive reading on unschooling recently.  We have been applying some of the principles of unschooling life.  It is overwhelming, however, I found a quote joyfullyrejoycing.com that began this process for us, "Don't drop all your parenting rules at once. Just say "Yes!" more."

Our entire family is going through an amazing transformation.  I copied a quote from Organic Sister on Facebook the other day "You can't fill a glass with water and have it spill orange juice. Likewise you can't fill a child's life with unconditional love and generosity and have them become "spoiled, self-centered or needy".

It's really all about slowing down.  Re-evaluating EVERYTHING.  I create the stress in my life by over complicating things.  I am learning to enjoy my children and through this process we are understanding each other and growing in our relationships by leaps and bounds.  I am still the parent, protective and watchful, but I am have a different motivation.  The way we have done things in the past has rewarded us with children leading a parent directed life that they could not wait to be free of (like jail).  I want something different for my children then what I have created for them so far, a controlling, inconsistent, stressed out persuit of a unrealistic life.  It is so true, they do not do what you say, the do what they see you do.

We are throwing out the rules.  We are trying instead to instill valuable principles.

A principle internally motivates you to do the things that seem good and right. People develop principles by living with people with principles and seeing the real benefits of such a life.


A rule externally compels you, through force, threat or punishment, to do the things someone else has deemed good or right. People follow or break rules.

I had always looked at the two as being the same thing.  The two are different in definition and in application.  Re-evaluating this type of thinking is making HUGE changes in our home, in our relationships, and reaches down into the very core of my being and is changing me.  I am more relaxed and I am truly enjoying my life experiences.  It is not perfect, but I find myself more at peace with myself and with the world around me.  I am discovering what truly matters and that I can confidently set personal boundaries without guilt. 

Try this experiment:  The next time your child asks if they can eat dessert first, say yes!  AND JOIN THEM.  The next time they ask you to play Barbies or Legos, you guessed it, say  Yes!  But the real key is to put out of your mind whatever you were doing or whatever needs to be done and enjoy that time with your child.  There is nothing more important than that moment. 

Thanks for following me in my journey, I think I am on baby step 126,155,332 and I have a lifetime left to go.  Remember to LIVE--Simply.  Generously.  Unpretentiously.

Thursday, September 23rd, 2010

Meanwhile in the land of the Clonts familiy . . . . . .

Simplify. 

This used to be my driving force.  What I needed to strive for in order to keep me focused and on the 'sane train'.  But I guess that was too simple, oh how I love to complicate things.  When I say complicate--I mean disect it, dig deeper, find the origin and the motivation.  Yes, I usually end up just making things more difficult than they need to be but my motivation is for understanding, not just to cause trouble.  That being said, my current motto is . . .

LIVE -- Simply, Generously, Unpretentiously

First of all LIVE!!! Enjoy life, live it up!  Don't be afraid to make mistakes, you only truly fail if you never try at all.  Do something everyday that is totally outside your box.  I am not suggesting that you commit a crime but I am suggesting that you LIGHTEN UP and RELAX and ENJOY your exhistence rather than simply tolerate each breath that you take.  Here are a few suggestions you are welcome to use:

• When life gets too stressful, I am at my witts end (hormones, grumpy children, ect) I like to take what we call a Joy Break. 1. Gather all present family members in one room  2. Turn up some music as loud as your ears can possibly tolerate it  3. DANCE (I make a total fool of myself headbanging and then waltzing with any other objecting family members who refuse to loosen up).  When the song is over you will have experienced an incredible release and the whole family will have a change in attitude. 
• Purposly give up control of something and let someone else do it their way.  AND THEN ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE for both of you. Stop. Evaluate. Enjoy.  This coming from a recovering Nazi-mom with the need to control everything. 
• Make time for yourself.  I see this as quality verses quantity.  If you invest a little time for yourself you will greatly improve your attitude and motivation  in addressing others.

Simplify.  Un-Complicate your life.  For some people this means scheduling your life to create order.  For others it means trashing your schedule.  For me it means limiting my investment in things that are not important, stressful, or have a negative effect on me and my family.  I also like to find simple ways to accomplish things.  Things that are rich and vital to exhistence but are so easily overlooked in the life of chaos that we can find ourselves in. 

Generousity.  Give.  Give of yourself, your time, your resources.  Give yourself to your spouse.  Give to your children.  Be generous in your love for your family, your community.  That means something different for everyone.  Community may mean your church, your city, or your friends.  If you live with an attitude of generousity you find opportunities all around you to be generous.  It may be to help your child tie their shoe; a generous smile to a clerk in the grocery store that is having one of 'those' days; cookies for a neighbor who is in a bad mood.  You will be amazed at how your relationships will change if you simply give.  No amount of money can compare to the investment of an attentive friend.

Unpretentious.  I am not a good faker.  I want to be genuine even if that means that I have to be diplomatic and set some serious boundaries for myself.  I strive to be respectful of each person and their unique individualism.  But to fake it--that breaks the simplify rule by complicating things.  Don't misunderstand, I DO speak fluent sarcasim, I love to cut up and have fun.  I do think in order to have a genuine relationship you will have some bumps in the road.  However, to pretend that we can reach some kind of perfection is simply unrealistic.  I am imperfect, you are imperfect and we can agree to disagree sometimes--respectfully, of course.  You say tomato . . .

Your comments are welcome

Monday, September 13th, 2010

For Aunt Judy



My thoughts exactly!

Friday, August 27th, 2010

Reading.  I love to read.  I rarely pick up a novel because once I start something like that I can hardly put it down and I do not need any more excuses to procrastinate.  I like magazines and the kinds of books that you can be satisfied with reading a section and then be able to pick it up again later with out missing a beat. 

Blogging.  I love to blogging for many reasons.  It gives me a chance to vent (though my rantings probably don't make sense to many); I can post things to keep my friends and family up to date on what is going on with us; AND I love my reading list.  The reading list enables me to "follow" blogs that I am interested in and I can just log in to my blogspot account and ta-da, my reading list is right there.  The most current blog postings pop up right there and I can skim through and read just as if I were picking up a magazine. 

This allows me to have a moment to myself.  Sometimes I need a refreshing idea for schooling or dinner.  Sometimes I just need to find a little inspiration.  Blogging has become a good outlet for me and I can have reading material right at my fingertips that fits me for the moment that I need.

As always, please feel free to leave a comment or a note.  It's not a commitment and I don't think you're being nosy either :)

Grace and Peace To You,
Tina

Monday, August 23, 2010

Once again, it is tryout night for the current community theater production.  This time both Kallie and Zach will be trying out for Jungle Book.  As usual, the drama runs high in the household during the hours leading up to tonights tryouts.

Zachary was up at the crack of dawn putting his laundry away.  He instructed me that he was going to take care of "this" and then start on his school assignments for the day because he wanted the day to "hurry up".  He can hardly sit in his seat with out coming to tell me something else that has to do with play tryouts.  Boy, I hope they are letting 2nd graders try out this time. 

Kallie takes a different approach.  She is up and excited.  She talks non stop, dramatically--no less.  EVERYTHING is overly done.  Kind of like the overacting done in the old black and white films.  It is hilarious to watch, stirring the macaroni and cheese has taken on a new form.  I have never seen such dramatic re-inactments as I have today.  She is so expressive and I will NEVER get the song out of my head that she has been practicing.

I love this day!  It is a little annoying (hence the ten minutes that I have locked myself in the office to blog/vent and left them in charge of each other) BUT wonderful and memorable.  Even when things seem to get crazy, I need just a few minutes to stop and remind myself how blessed we are.  These days are very exciting and these memories will build their bond with each other.  

So cheerio! folks as I continue my afternoon in support of the arts and the imaginations and dramatizations of my wonderful babies . . .     

Friday, August 20th, 2010

So . . . What is it that you do?

I cringe when people ask me this question.  When 'catching up' with old friends, meeting someone new, or even a question from a stranger about my website logo.  I have no idea how to sum up everything that I do.  I usually just pick one and roll with it, if they are really interested in getting to know me they will find out the full scoop. 

Once during a catch up with you session at a funeral, an old classmate handed me his business card.  He holds an impressive title as Presidental Security IT--ok, big muck, muck--- at a renown Bank in the Big City (Not knocking it--He is brilliant).   When it was my turn, I stated that I worked from home and that I contracted with various clients.  I kid you not, he said "So you're a hooker"?  It was hilarious!  I really have to rethink that response for next time. 

I wear many hats.  Generally, I am wife and mom.  I do W-O-R-K from home as well.  My "Clients" include a few small businesses that contract certain administrative/bookeeping work to me part time/on call.  It is flexible for me and cost effective for them.  I can work from home mostly from my laptop and phone.  I like that it keeps me connected to the former administrative world that I once knew and helps to pay the bills.


Did I mention that we homeschool?  Darren works the second shift, so his help is priceless.  I don't know how to catagorize us, Relaxed Homeschoolers may fit pretty well.  I would like to adapt more unschooling principles but still hold on to some traditional homeschooling as well.  I want my children to relax and have fun learning.  There are so many opportunities for learning and discovery and those are not limited to the textbook. 

Now my passion is handcrafted jewelry and I do not have the time to work that part of the business like I would want to. I am hoping to find some time to get back into that in the near future and get my online store bulked back up. I have this friend, who keeps introducing me to all of these other easy crafty ideas. And then there is the Etsy influence that I always think "I can do that! No one does that around here." I want to have time to do some of those things and I keep telling myself that if I will just get organized then I will have more time . . . .

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Heerree's Bruc-ey!!!

My all time favorite shark--Bruce from Finding Nemo.  Anybody who is Anybody knows that this is Shark Week.  At our house, the ecclectic homeschoolers wishing we were radical unschoolers are celebrating Shark Week.  Fun facts, books, research and of course the Discovery Channel is in store for all of us.  However, when the little ones go to bed . . . it's time to introduce Kallie to . . . duh da, duh da, duh da, duda. duda duda . . . okay either you get it or you don't.  I think she's ready ;0)

I have had to explain many interesting and new things while watching Discovery Channel during prime time.  The kids understand that they are reacting true events of real people.  You should have seen Zach's face when the "Pirana 3D" movie commercial came on.  He did not filter that we were watching a commercial and he freaked.  Hilarious!!!!

*********************

We did survive the yard sale this weekend.  It was hot, but there were a lot of people out and about.  I must brag about how well our friends took care of us.  Not only did they participate to make it a BIG yard sale but they made it fun and easy.  They were taking money before I could even drag myself out of bed the first day.  I heard it suggested that we post a sign that said "Early Birds will be Shot!", but once 6:30 a.m. rolled around people were practically throwing there money at us to get to the good stuff first.  And then there was Saturday morning and the big breakfast that they cooked up for us--yummy.  We had so much help that things went super smooth.  Thank you, Thank you!!! 

*********************

So what is your favorite "Bruce" qoute or moment?  Or maybe you have another shark favorite to share. . .

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

A wonderful day for a playdate with our friends. 

The temperature was hot but the sprinkler was wet. 

We spent a great afternoon outside.  

Kallie and I had our noses in our new books in the shade.   

The little ones compared scary faces

(Bennette's really is pretty scary).

An exhausting afternoon, I hope all the other children crashed as hard at bedtime as mine did.

For more pictures of our afternoon visit my facebook photos.

Wednesday, July 28th, 2010

Kallie and Zachary take the stage.  I have posted a picture of them.  Here is the link to the videos on YouTube.  Once there we have also loaded two other videos of clips from the Pinocchio production that took place last Saturday.



Did I mention how much fun that we all had?  Here are some reviews:

"Loved It!"
--Nanna and Pa

"Good."
--Bennette (5)

"Spectacular!  And I wouldn't lie or my nose would grow"
--Dad

Happy Wednesday everybody.  This week has been chaos, I hope to get back in my regular groove after we get through the weekend.  If "you" read this (and you know who you are)--We Love you and Miss you so much it hurts ;0)

Monday, July 26th, 2010

~~~The Pink Bustier~~~

True Story . . .

Once upon a time a family was getting ready to have a yard sale.  Momma sent Daddy out for some boxes so they could begin packing up some of their things for the upcoming event.  Daddy went to the dumpsters behind a few of the local retail businesses to collect some discarded boxes.  There Daddy found a box of discarded defective merchandise that he brought home for the family to dig through. 

Oh and the children did laugh and play with the things that were in the box, gleefully running the last few minutes down on depleating battery operated Christmas toys from years gone by.  But alas! (dork) In this box was another small box with twelve individually wrapped and sealed ornaments.  Brand new, not opened price tags still intact--What a find! 

Not, however, particualarly "G" rated.  But HILARIOUS nonetheless.  Inside this small box were twelve porcelin pink bustier (boo-stee-ay) christmas ornaments (email me if you want to know what is scripted on the bustier--I double dawg dare you posted the picture anyway I COULDN'T HELP IT!).  I can understand why the "retail store" may have seen these as controversial and inappropriate for their taste.  Well, now we have a box of eleven because--If it is controversial and misunderstood I HAVE TO HAVE ONE!

And so the story of the pink bustier became another running joke in the Clonts family.  Guess who's getting bustiers for christmas? The gift that keeps on giving!

Have a good FunDay MonDay!!!

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Let's talk health and nutrition.

First I will take you on a time warp. 15 years ago I landed a job as a pharmacy clerk and worked in that field for about 3 years. I gleaned ALOT from my experience. Sure I learned some great skills and gained mucho knowledge about how the world works but let's talk about what I learned from the nutrition aspect:

(scene: Enter middle aged woman with a gallon size ziplock bag full of small amber color prescription bottles)

"Mrs. D." approaches my pharmacy counter and places large clear bag on the counter. "I need to get some refills". I watch as she opens the bag and I watch her hands tremor as she removes the small bottles one by one and sets them on the counter. Appearently frustrated by her lack of focus and control of her own hands, she begins to tell a story I have never forgotten. "I went to the Doctor for . . . He prescribed this" (gently placing another bottle on the counter). "But the side effects caused ____, so he prescribed this" (another bottle). "The combination of the two caused me to ______, so I take this" (you guessed it-another bottle). This went on until every bottle had a horrifying explaination.

This was only the beginning of my observation of the giant pharmaceutical beast. I have some crazy stories, this was only the beginning of my eye opening experiences. Now is the time to enter a disclaimer, if you will. I am not opposed to doctors, pharmacies, blah, blah, blah. I have gained much knowledge from many of these kind of proffessionals in my life. From some, what to do; from others, what not to do. No bashing here, just sharing my personal opinions and experiences in my own journey.

From the beginning of these experiences at the pharmacy I determined that there had to be an alternative to this kind of lifestyle. Being on the fluffy side ALL of my life, I have had plenty of ups and downs on the health/weight scale. I began a quest and it continues to this day. I will use this forum for discussion, if you are reading this, yes, you. Please feel free to discuss, comment, email me--let's chat.

Ok, here is a brief list of things attempted (some of them may have been beneficial, some not so much):

~Supplements (you name it, there's an vitamin/herb for it)

~Pyramid/MLM Buy/Build/Bankrupt

~Exercise (from Walking Buddies to Classes & Memberships)

~Books, Videos, Cookbooks

~Flush; Detox; Cleanse

~Eat this, don't eat that

~Groups, Clubs, Bible Studies (yes, even Bible based fads)

Some of these worked great but I fell off the wagon; Some things were just a JOKE; Some were too expensive; . . . You get the point, one excuse is as good as the other. I love to watch/read articles on health tips, good nutrition, and what not. I am always looking for the magic potion to cure me. The truth is that I am my biggest enemy. My brain, my will, my laziness & procrastination. I acknowledge this, I live with it every day.

Just laying the foundation here. Tomorrow we will discuss what IS working for me RIGHT NOW and I am not selling anything I am just taking back CONTROL of me and using this blog to document my journey. I have tried some really outrageous things lately and it is affecting everything about the way I live my life. Topics that I would like to discuss (but not limited to):

~Getting rid of joy sucking worry

~Depression

~Relax, Breathe, Let it go

~Iridology and other Alternative thinking

~Food Allergies that make you retain weight

~Herbivores, Chia seeds, and Herbal Tea

~Educating yourself

I DO NOT have it all figured out, you are welcome to join me in this journey if you like. I would love some feedback.  Until tomorrow. . .

Thursday, July 22nd, 2010

Kids Stuff.

Kallie and Zachary will be performing in The Missoula Children's Theatre production of Pinocchio this Saturday at the Poncan Theater.  There are two performances 3p.m. & 7p.m. 

Meanwhile, while Daddy has the kids at play practice. . .
Bennette is obsessed with the video camera and this time she was ready for a performance of her own.  For those of you who still think she is shy--here's a little bite of what it's like with her at home :)



On an additional note:
It has been one year since Kallie started her involvement in the local theater.  It was last year when the Missoula Children's Theatre presented "Beauty Lou and the Country Beast" that she tried out for her first theater role.  Since then, she has been privledged to have been a part of four other local productions with the Evans Children's Academy of Performing Arts.  No matter how big or small her involvement--she loves being a part. 

Missoula is only here for a week.  During this time they begin auditions on Monday, practice during the week, and then perform on Saturday.  Kallie was cast as the misheavious cat, she partners with the fox to decieve Pinocchio.  Zach has been cast as a toy, no speaking parts for him just some action.  Missoula has also offered workshops this week that Kallie has enjoyed.  A workshop on makeup where she adorned some hideous looking witch makeup; Shakespear, which sparked her interest and gave her a grasp on understanding (wish I had taken that one); and today's workshop will be on Improv, which she is really looking forward to.  Thanks to Brian and Allison Epperson with Missoula for all their hard work!

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Don't Look Behind You! 

Girls day out yesterday and guess who got to tag along with Aunt Lisa and Momma--no not the Hulk (or "Hook" as she kept referring to him).  We went to this mega-mongo used book store in Tulsa it was so neat.  We took a picture of Hulk when we first arrived but Bennette was too scared to get near the monster.  Four hours later when it was time to leave she was finally brave enough to have her picture taken with him.  She was so excited for the other kids to see this massive thing. 

Thanks to my hubby and to Kallie for covering for me, I was able to escape for the day.   And one more plug for the bookstore http://www.gardnersbooks.com/ a great resource for homeschoolers or anyone else.  They Buy, Sell, and Trade.  I made some great trades and we bought books for as low as .25 cents. I walked out of there with a huge bag of books for $5 and some change.  Cha-Ching!  Did I mention that we spent 4 hours there and I could have stayed longer.  What a great start to a long weekend, Thanks Lis'!!!

July 15th, 2010

Fun with Limes!

We have such good times at our house.  Tonight we enjoyed an evening of entertainment at the dinner table as the kids experienced Limes and Salt.  Just for fun we photographed a tribute to our dear friends the limes.  Oh how bitter you tasted but we just couldn't stop!

We spent the afternoon sorting and organizing.  We are hoping to make a big haul at a garage sale soon.  The kids are a huge help, they love sorting through all the stuff they forget they have.  Alas, not much gets put in the "garage sale" box on their end. 

The much anticipated rain moved in this evening.  Darren had just stopped in about 10 minutes before the rain started to get his beach towel. I suppose the trip to the swimming pool didn't work out so well. 

Bennette and I will be traveling to Tulsa tomorrow for an appointment and then lunch with Aunt Lisa.  We plan to drop in on Gardeners BookStore, I hear it is a MUST visit. 

Just so you don't forget about the limes here is a little photo essay for you--ENJOY!!!

Monday, July 12th, 2010

We just spent a fun day with our cousins from Missouri.  The boys played Legos, Bionicles, Cowboys, Kung Fu . . .The Girls played Barbies, Dress up (the make up was a' flowin'). . . We even got in a round or two of tee ball even though it was very hot outside.  Enjoy the pictures.

And Kallie did what Kallie do all afternoon while the little ones romped and ran.

Sunday, July 4th, 2010

"Happy American Day!!!"

Quote by Miss Bennette (5) and very appropriate.  We spent the afternoon and evening with family and friends in our neighborhood.  We are only about a mile from the lake where they set off the main city fireworks.  The trees block our view so we typically crash our neighbors yard in order for a prime view.

Watching the fireworks this year reminded me of years gone by.  My favorite memories are those where the kids are so mesmorized by the huge colorful bursts in the sky.  This year I reminised about last year and how our oldest daughter took a couple hundred pictures of the nightworks on her cell phone trying to capture the perfect photo.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Fun in the Sun with the Family at the OKC Zoo this weekend.  We visited the zoo and then moved on to a concert at the Amphitheater. 

It was HOT!  Once we got sat down at the outdoor concert we were in a well shaded area.  The light breeze was a nice treat, except for those times when we were downwind of the zoo.  It was just a litle reminder how close we were to the wild-lol.  We enjoyed a wonderful time of worship with Chris Tomlin followed by an intense jam session with Toby Mac.  By the time the day was over we were pleasantly exhaustipated.  The kids slept VERY well on the ride home.  A family day well spent.