We've got this baby!

This summer has brought about alot of changes in the house. When I say alot I mean ALOT! Well, for one, I am preparing to homeschool three kiddos instead of just one. It is something Randy and I prayed about during the spring and he really left it up to me I felt, but he backed me either way I chose. I spent alot of time just praying about this decision and really felt the peace of God come over me with this decision. I think the kids and I are all a little (maybe alot nervous) about how this is going to work, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God led us here and he will help us and lead us in the right direction daily. I am truly grateful for this opportunity for the kids and for me.
Another big change is one I have talked about a few times and that is our garden. It is huge and has been plentiful! Especially with cucumbers. Randy has taken on pickling and even jelly making. The end of last week I tried my hand at making preserves and loved it and am totally hooked. Not the tomatoes are really coming out so we are making sauces and canned tomatoes! The canning process has taken over our home but so worth it!
The biggest change is that Randy is now just a full time student. He was working full time and going to school full time but really wanted to try to just go to school full time. I was extremely apprehensive about this happening and everytime he would bring it up I would push it off. Well, I was pushed into that decision this summer and am so at peace with it. I have loved having him home, although I know when fall semester hits, due to his schedule, it will be like he is working and going to school. I know the kiddos love seeing him. I say seeing him instead of seeing him more because there were many days that they didn't see him at all before. I am praying that God continues to bless us in this new path. He has so far!!
So many changes but we are working together and love every minute of being together when we can. I have said many times that change can tear a family apart or bring them together. I am so glad to be a part of the family that comes even closer together during change!! How I am blessed!!!!

Some things are just better remembered the second time around...

As most know my daddy has Alzheimer's. He is now to the point that he really remembers nothing. He knows us but nothing he has ever done. Some things from his history though he can still tell us although usually during his stories he will mix one story with another so it can be really confusing to alot of people. Fortunately, for us we have been blessed to have been able to live with him the past two years and have heard these stories over and over so we know them by heart. My daddy has truly lived a very full life and the stories of his past are so wonderful to hear! Now that they are so mixed up though we hear about things like Key West with snow or the streets in D.C. in Pensacola. Kinda funny but sad at the same time. We all try to find the joy in his stories still though and find humor in them also. He will even giggle at himself sometimes when he realizes what he has said and how silly it is. Praise God he can find more than just frustration in his state.

Another thing Alzheimer's has done to my daddy is make him forget things he has eaten or done in his life. The simple things. The other day he told me he had never had a strawberry before in his life. So he got to try a strawberry for the "first time". He love it!! He came up to me the next morning telling me the same thing and again tried a strawberry for the "first time". Loved it again!!!

So glad we have these growing this year so he can try them each day!!!

Another thing my daddy has "never" done is dye Easter eggs! So we gave him an egg to dye!! He loved that experience!!!! I know he has dyed them before with the kids but hey now he did it for the "first time". I am grateful to be able to experience this joy with my daddy as he gets to enjoy "new" things each day and seeing the look on his face is truly priceless. Sometimes it can be very frustrating to see my daddy deal with this horrible monster taking over his mind and body but I will try to see the bright side at least with this one and enjoy his new experiences like I would if they were my kids!!

Photowhat??

Another whirlwind of a week here at the Horton household, but hey, that's life with a big family, right?? It started off pretty slow. Daddy is doing much better. He is feeling good and getting around the house pretty well. You would never know he fell about a week ago!! Yea!!

Unfortunately, Hanni sprained her ankle on the trampoline Tuesday evening. Poor thing, was pretty sore Tuesday night and Wednesday early morning. I took her to the doctor on Wednesday morning and he confirmed that it was sprained and sent us out to a medical specialty place with a prescription for a pediatric air cast. Unfortunately the first place I went didn't carry them for her size and sent us to another place that had to special order one for her size. We finally got her one by Thursday so she couldn't walk until then. She can walk with her air cast though and is healing great and very happy to be able to move around more. That will be on for about a week to help stabilize her ankle while it heals completely! I am so glad her doctor takes extra care for things like sprains because I sprained my ankle as a teen and still feel it sometimes so I am so glad she will get the chance to let it heal properly! Here is a pic of the lil diva in her cool new accessory!!

She is definitely milking it and loving every minute of being waited on!! Everyone has pitched in, including big brother who gets her ice cream every afternoon while I go get the big girls from school. lol
Here is a pic of her at her favorite restaurant, Denny's, while she was out of school on Wednesday to go to the doctors office. She loved mommy carrying her everywhere but mommy was WORN OUT!!!

She did love going back to school today for her first full day back since her sprain! What a trooper! Daddy and mommy are so proud of our Hanni!!

Eli had a great afternoon today too! He went to the door and found a package. Usually that is no big deal since they are usually for the adults but this one was to Kate Horton/Homeschool! It was from Scholastic? I opened it with Eli and it was our 20 books from the Sunny D Challenge we participated in!! Thank you so much Sunny D and Scholastic!! Eli was so excited and to be honest so was I! I love when the kids get books, especially ones we will use at school! I immediately began looking for what we can use for our book of the week next week, but guess what? Next week is St. Patty's Day and I already have a book for that! So I will just have to look for one for the week after. How awesome though for Eli! He worked so hard saving his labels and making everyone drink Sunny D! Great Job, Buddy!!


I had a big day today! I got a new camera!!!!! I am so excited! We ended up getting a Nikon but don't ask me which on because I have no clue since this is all new to me. I probably can only tell you it has a lot of buttons and a big price tag. I am so excited to learn to use it though! I get to go pick it up on Thursday since they didn't have any at the store and had to order it for me. We also got Photoshop which I have been wanting to get for years but now that I have it, I have no clue where to begin! lol I am sure I will figure it out though soon enough.

I am also starting a new blog. I will be keeping this one and our Horton Family Happenings blog but this one will be about our journey through finding health as a family. I am looking forward to this journey and looking forward to sharing and documenting this journey to be able to see how far we come as we go through the process. I don't know when I will start the blog up but it will be very soon so be on the look out if you are interested.

Need to super organize and super clean- spring cleaning!

I try and try to keep up with everything, laundry/cleaning/cook healthy meals, etc. And then someone bombards me with can you do this today or this week!! I am always the first to oblige, but then something gets put on the back burner. Usually a load of laundry or putting laundry away or a cooked meal so we eat junk or eat out. I have certain days that I do my major cleaning during the week and that has worked out for several weeks now with no interruption until this week. We had a very busy day on Tuesday and lots going on in general all week. March is proving to be a very busy month. I am doing what I can, where I can to keep it together but I really need my full days! It is driving me nuts!! I have decided that what we really need is to super organize and super clean!! Take as many days this month and just go through the whole house, inside and out and ORGANIZE! I also want to get to the garage, which Randy has been bugging me about for the past year, to get rid of stuff, just junk in there, and organize it. I really want to do that as soon as I get the inside done because soon it will be getting too hot out to do it and bugs will be a problem. As soon as we are done with the garage I want to do something to get rid of bugs in there so the kids can go in and out without having a huge freak out when they do go in there. I figure this whole project, inside and outside of the house will take me at least a month, probably more since March is so busy. The kiddos have spring break coming up at the end of March/beginning of April so they can help out too. I just have to figure out how to make it a game for them. Usually we just hang out at the house for spring break and play the whole time (last year we had a blast, right in our own backyard), so why not work together as a family and get this house spruced up!? I am sure I will be at the dump alot so if you see me, wave!!! I am so looking forward to this and can't wait for it to be done!!!

Flu, Super Bowl, and other things...

Well, last week was a very germ filled week in our home! It stared with Hanni and wouldn't end! Gracie got it, Eli got a touch of it, Randy got a touch of it, I got it, mom got a touch of it, and poor Hanni had it until Sat. night. Yes, it was crummy and yucky. The only two people who didn't seem to be touched by the flu were my daddy and Maryjo. Although she did get a horrible headache one night, but I am not sure if she had a touch of the flu or just a headache. Well, Hanni's fever finally broke for good on Saturday night and she got to go back to school today!!!!!!!! She was so excited to be back to her normal self. I am still recovering since I really got it on Saturday and geez it takes alot out of a person!! I feel much better than I did though and have been fever free since Sunday morning. I am so happy that we will be able to get back to normal this week though! I was exhausted by the end of last week from waiting on the kids and cleaning and disinfecting and laundry that by the time I got the flu it was that much harder, I think, on me. So excited to start this week off fresh!

Unfortunately, I didn't get to do my normal fun Super Bowl family party snacks and such, due to us all being sick. We did, however, tune into the game to watch the Packers vs. the Steelers! Wow, what a great game! Esp. the second half!!! Maryjo and I were on the edge of our seats hollering and cheering for the Packers! And yippee, they won!!!! Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a Redskin fan but since Gracie was a baby I have rooted for the Packers. I got into the Packers because of a family member who is from the area and I really looked up to him and loved having something to talk to him about at the time. Over that time I have watched and became a fan of the Packers so I was very proud of the Packers to make it to the Super Bowl and to win was even sweeter for me to see! Unfortunately, I don't see this family member anymore but would have loved to have seen him last night to see his face when his Packers won!!

Do I believe in people jumping on the bandwagon during Bowl games when a team is playing?? Well, not really unless they do nothing but talk trash about a team all the time and then cheer them on during a Bowl game because they think that is who is going to win. I saw alot of that last year. But, there are 32 teams in the NFL and chances are ones favorite team is not going to go to the Super Bowl, so if you truly love football and really love the Super Bowl and everything about it, you will pick a team (even if it is not the team you usually root for)to win. I root for the Redskins all year, but I also like other teams and root for them and if they end up in the playoffs and not my Skins, then I root for them. It is as simple as that. I don't have to talk about a team all the time to be a fan. You don't have to be a fan of just one team. To truly love football you have to love the sport and the players and what is being played not just one team. Yes, everyone has a favorite, but most like other teams too. I have several teams I like and a few that I dislike and a few I could care less about. Is it jumping on the bandwagon just because it is not your favorite team in the Super Bowl that you're rooting for? Only if you trash talk them all year and then root for them that final game cause others around you are. Oh, or if because they are in the Bowl game you go off and buy a million things (not for a party)just because all of a sudden you are a die hard fan! No, I am not a die hard Packers fan, but I am free to cheer them on, and I am free to be happy they won, and yes, I am a fan and have been for years, just not a die hard fan like I am for the Redskins!

Trash talking! I can't stand it! It is tacky! Why do people have to do it? If my team wins I say good game or go "team name". If my team loses I say nothing or good game. I don't like trash talking and I think it is disgusting. Just wanted to put that out there!

Organizing and more

Most people go through a major spring cleaning but I am going through a major mid winter cleaning and organizing. It is hard to keep up with living in a house with so many people but it really needs work. I have been working for days now trying to get this house in some sort of order. It is hard to say the least. I am not for chore charts and all but I am hoping that everyone will pitch in and help once they see they need to help to keep it clean. The organization is another task altogether. It seems that people come in the house (I have this problem too) and just drop what they have and leave it. Esp. on the the kitchen table, counters, by the front door, in the living room. When they are doing something in the living room it just gets put on the living room tables and not put away. How hard is it to next time we are up to put it in it's proper place!!?? So from now on I am going to be doing several sweeps a day through the kitchen, living room and what is not put away is mine!!! Ok, I say this now but will I stick with it?? I guess I will have to see!!!

A coupon frenzy!!

Well, I have decided to REALLY try this time to get a hold of this couponing business. I am an at home mom and I feel like that is the best way I can "make" money for the household. Do my best to save money! I know it can be done it just takes time and effort, right?! Well, I started off this Sunday with my 4 papers. Unfortunately there were only 3 inserts in mine but 5 in some peoples but, oh well. I have been clipping off and on all day today and a little yesterday. I also went through last years coupons and got rid of all the ones that are expired. Hanni helped me with this by putting in piles all the ones with 10 at the end and 11 at the end. She was so excited about helping!! I am (hopefully) almost done with clipping from this weeks papers and ready to go through what I have and organize it all. Then I will go through ads and figure out what is on sale and where I can get the most "bang for my buck". I am not expecting to save a huge amount the first few weeks but I know if I stick with it over time my stockpile will fill up and we will need less and we will save more. Randy seems excited about this also and seems to be trying to learn about it! I am praying the Lord with guide me in this and help me to succeed not just for my own satisfaction of succeeding but for my family as well! It would certainly be nice to take a grocery bill one week and do something fun with the kiddos instead, or better yet, save our pennies!! I am sure the kids like the first option better. I guess once they figure it all out we will be compromising!! lol

New Year??

Well, it is now officially 9 hours into 2011 and I don't feel different at all. Except full. Yes, the food to celebrate New Years Eve and New Years is always awesome here! Just like every other changing of the year it is just another winter day. People make resolutions and usually by Jan 3 they are done with them so I don't make resolutions. I figure making life goals is great though but that can be done any time. Why do we have to wait until a new year to start to make better changes for ourselves. I personally have made a goal for us as a family to work together and be a better unit. I did this in December and so far so good! Now, not because it is a new year but because it needs to be done, I am making a goal to make more time for Randy and me. We are seriously lacking in us time due to his work, school, kids, my parents, other household responsibilities. I don't want us to be one of those couple who when the kids are older and the responsibilities are less that we don't know each other anymore. So that is a HUGE goal for me! I do hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year and I hope you all have many blessings this year!!