Three Marys

I have been working through the Truth in the Tinsel curriculum that I purchased as an e-book online (with a Black Friday discount, no less!) with J and O.  Technically, it's not supposed to start till December 1 and is supposed to be used as a countdown to Christmas or Advent season thing.  But that would mean I'd have to sit down with them like I do on the weekdays on weekends all month, so I decided to start early and even double up on a couple days here and there so we can be sure to get it all in (on weekdays only). 

Monday Mastery: Smugmug

Recently, I started up a Smugmug account.  It's fairly user-friendly, but some things about it are like a foreign language to me!  New (to me) sites and programs are always an adjustment.  In time, perhaps I can send you to see my pictures there ... but for now ... I'll just have to keep posting a few here now and then, till I get a better hang of things over there.

My favorite animal.  The baby is Amani, a female born recently at the Rio Grande Zoo in Albuquerque.  She's so cute.  Just like her mama.

Sunday Silliness, Again

On the way home from church this morning, I asked O what he learned about in Sunday School.

He replied, as expected, "God."

Our Trip to SLC, Part III

Here is the final post in the series.  This contains a sampling of photos from our return trip.  We took two days to drive home and stopped in Moab, UT, this time, which is a really touristy area especially for outdoor enthusiasts. 

Number 100

If you've been counting, you might realize that this is Mama Flock's 100th Post.  Woo-hoo!  Celebrate!

Thoughtful Thursday: Thankgsiving 2011

Eight years ago, we celebrated the fact that our now-daughter, S, had finally rejoined her brothers in foster care under our roof.  She moved in with our family on November 13, 2003, and though we did not know it at the time, she was to become ours just three years later.  The wait was eternal for an impatient mama-to-be like me, but in retrospect, I'm so thankful for the time we spent fostering our children (and others) and the relationships we built with each of them.

These past eight years have gone by in a blink, really.  Some days seem a little longer than others for the trials they contain, sure; but overall, time has just flown by as our children grow. 

Our Trip to SLC, Part II

Okay, so here is a sampling of the photos I took while we were in Salt Lake City.  I did not include pictures from the various restaurants where we ate, from the hotel where we stayed (it was just a Residence Inn), nor from every tourist attraction we stopped to see.  We did many things during our three days in the city -- some were more fun than others, some were more photogenic than others.  I'll try to fill in some gaps with text, but otherwise, just enjoy the photo tour...

Our Trip to SLC, Part I

Here is a small sampling of photos I took on our trip to Salt Lake City earlier this month.  I'll try to explain some stuff that was happening in and around these photo opportunities, too.  Not that you want more words from me ... but because it's more my style. Ha.  Enjoy.

Coupons

Maybe this is a post better served under the Thoughtful Thursday category, but here it is Friday and I'm feeling impatient on this subject.

I know I'm slow to notice things going on in the world some times, but apparently there is this wild coupon craze these days?  I've been seeing more and more ladies with giant binders in lines at stores and they always have loads of coupons when they check out.

Thoughtful Thursday: One-on-one Time

Following our road trip to Salt Lake City and back this past week and these past couple days of house-cleaning in preparation for Thanksgiving and guests, etc., we have had a lot of time together as a family.  This is a good thing overall, but I know it's important to have one-on-one time with the kids, too.  It's not always easy, but with some creativity, we've been able to find some really nice and unique ways to spend time with each of the kids.

It seems that some of our mom-child or dad-child times are kind of repetitive events based on interests (or tolerances) of the kids.  I thought I'd write about some of these for the record of this time in our lives and to share with you how it's not impossible to make time for individual children, even in a busy, large-ish family.

Home Again!

We survived our drive to Salt Lake City, Utah and back.  Yeehaw!  I'll blog more later and if we're lucky, I'll have a few good pictures to share, too.  Good to be back.

Sunday Silliness

I'm leaving town this week, so I'm not sure how posting to the blog will go.  But before I go ... I wanted to leave you with this silly bit.

Thoughtful Thursday: Teenager Angst

Why do I cringe every time our teenage daughter starts talking about living on her own or being married or driving or decorating her place some day or becoming a mother herself?  I mean, she's a teenager.  She's naturally supposed to drive me crazy and make me want her to be on her own and out of our house, right?

Current News: In God We Trust & The $5 Sandwich

Okay, so since I am home and adultless for the majority of my day, I have made it somewhat of a priority to at least check the news now and then so I can feel less disconnected from the world outside.  And sometimes it allows me to have a grown-up conversation with someone -- when I am around a grown-up, that is.

Anyway, two news stories recently sparked my interest and I'm curious if any of you readers of mine have any thoughts on the subject.

Hypnotized

So last night's Harvest Festival was so much fun.  I came home exhausted and achy from running my tail off all day, but it was worth it.  Today, I'm trying to squeeze in some photo-editing so I can get ready to upload portraits for guests of the festival to download.  It's a challenge, but it's a challenge I enjoy.