Half-Pint House

Resetting

It's reset time here at the Dunham house. I wrote more about it over here. Excuse me while I go check something else off my list...

Because Nothing Says "Atlanta" Like Chick-Fil-A

While searching for a place to eat lunch in Atlanta this afternoon, I asked Craig if Atlanta was known for any particular type of food (you know, like Chicago and pizza...or anything else). He immediately answered: "Chick-Fil-A." Of course.

Also, nothing says "Atlanta" quite like a pseudo-magician pulling scarves out of your "sleeve" in front of a fountain downtown at Centennial Olympic Park:

And nothing says "Atlanta" like a trip to the Children's Museum of Atlanta, which you got into for free with your reciprocal museum pass to The Magic House in St. Louis (but which you almost didn't because you left your museum pass on the refrigerator in St. Louis). Lucky for us Craig isn't phone-phobic, and a couple of phone calls later we were on our way. (FYI: It would have been so disappointing had we had to pay for it. The people were nice, but The Magic House puts it to shame.)

And finally, nothing says "Atlanta" like a pet goat. What? Okay, so we're not in Atlanta anymore, but staying at the home of my best friend from high school and her family in the middle of Tennessee. And this goat (Royal) belongs to them. We're having a lovely time.

We have 5.5 hours to go before officially clocking the first Dunham family vacation with no major "episodes." It's been a good one. We think we're ready to return now.

Fun, Interrupted

I know there are those of you who are just dying for things to go wrong on this trip. Shame on you! But to appease your sadistic desires, I will let you know that the first night we were here C8 made it very apparent she was in need, not for the healing powers of the ocean, but the Children's Medical Center:

While the other four members of our family actually saw dolphins in the ocean that morning, C8 and I got better acquainted with the blue walls of the waiting room where we were kept for 90 minutes. Never fear, though: I keep a card game in my Mary Poppins bag, so we became experts at Zigity.

And then another 30 minutes at the local Walgreens:

After that, we were back to normal again, doing what we've been doing all week - swimming for the girls and Craig...

...sitting, staring, and reading for me:

<

I have actually gotten in the water up to my knees everyday, and yesterday even took the plunge and got in all the way. I found a decently sized seashell when I was in the ocean, but upon showing it to E5, was knocked over by a wave and lost it again. Sad. I really wanted to find one super cool shell on my own. As it is, we've found about 1,000 of the regular kind of shells. Still, it's fun.

Our condo is nice and we're very grateful to the people who are letting us stay here this week. Apart from the 70ish self-appointed condo policewoman intent on issuing us some kind of personal grudge citation for bringing children into her retirement haven, hanging towels and swimsuits to dry on the deck railing (we got in trouble twice in five minutes by two people for this one), and hanging towels over the pool fence, it's all been good.

Yesterday, we were shown around some of the "Old Florida" area by Ken and Dorothy, friends of the people who own our condo and aunt and uncle of Monica's husband, David:

And from there it was back to more of the same:

Today, we expect to repeat this scenario minus the doctor's office and Florida-tour several more times.

PS: C8 feels much better now and we're trying to obey the rules from the condo police. We don't want to spoil the reputation of the people letting us stay here this week, but I'm telling you, the verbal restraint required to be polite is taking something out of me. Could be the reason I slept 10 hours last night... *grin*

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

Craig thinks he's funny. Let's all go over and laugh with him, shall we? Personally, I'm hoping to break the trend, but I think he secretly wants another link to add to our list.

Wish us the best! If you've read here long enough, you know we're going to need it.

Calling It For What It is

So my post for WORLDMag today? It could get me in trouble with area homeschoolers. But I don't think any of them read my blog, so it's all good.

Right?

Summer, I Hardly Knew Ye

I know, I know, it sounds a tad bit dramatic. But seriously, WHERE DID OUR SUMMER GO? In my defense I really didn't think I was over-planning the summer. Even still, here we are smack dab in the middle of July and I'm not sure what I have to show for it.

The girls are in VBS this week, and on Friday we leave for a family vacation to a Florida beach. The girls have never seen the ocean before and we plan to make the most of it...by staying firmly put right there on the beach. Some families may feel the need to go to that famous Mousetrap and spend a couple of month's worth of income in doing so. Not us! No, we're borrowing a friend's beach umbrella and her sand toys and staying with two different families on the way out and two different families on the way back. The beach condo was arranged for us by our friend Monica and it, too, is free. (Thanks again, Monica!!). We just have to get there and get back.

Crossing our fingers on that one.

I have some serious plans to sit and stare. We will stand in the sand, splash, and select seashells. We will also read, play Bananagrams, and probably go see Up and Harry Potter while we are there (it is supposed to rain some next week, but we will not be deterred). I am seriously looking forward to this.

But when we get back... poof, the summer is basically over. Craig's school starts back unbelievably early. I don't think we will match him this year (we tried last year, but failed then, too). I need a solid week (maybe two) to get my planning in gear and prepare, so I'm thinking third week of August. Here's hoping. But that's just one month away. Wah.

Anyway, consider this my attempt at reminding myself I have a blog. You might rather wish I wouldn't.

Catapult!

The other day C8 was going off the diving board at the pool. She meant to yell "Cannonball!" as she jumped off (to make her big 50 pound splash) but instead yelled, "Catapult!"

It's all about the launch anyway, right?

My friend Lisa said, "Only a homeschooler..."

My Summer in Facebook Status Updates

So I realize I've been all but completely missing in action here. Life has just taken different directions, but it hasn't exactly slowed my FB habit down (ahem). Here's my summer so far in Facebook status updates:

June 1:
4:33 pm - The girls have play practice from 6:30-10:30 tonight and most of this week. It's going to be a long week.

8:27 pm - Waiting for Guffman.

June 2
9:29 am - Trying not to turn on the A/C window units today, but it's 10am and I'm dripping. Not sure how long I'm gonna last here.

8:23 pm - Could really appreciate a Braum's banana fudge sundae right now. But I'd settle for a Braum's peppermint shake. Either one.

9:23 pm - Writes better when flat. This desk business is for the birds.

June 3:
8:45 am - Hoping the two girls who've gone to sleep super late all week and have not taken any naps sleep until 3pm today.

11:48 pm - I have no graphic design skillzzz. I could really use some now. Oh, who needs it anyway? I've got multi-colored sharpies and I know how to use them.

June 4:
8:27 pm - Putting all four kids down tonight at a respectable time. Like responsible parents do. Come, sweet slumber, cure the lack-o-sleep grumpies in my children. Please do.

9:44 pm - Kids who have grown accustomed to not falling asleep until 11 will not suddenly change their ways back to 8:30. Sigh.

11:09 pm - I'm having this weird and unexplainable urge to play webkinz.June 5:

1:12 pm - Attended musical theater day camp performance for Katie and Millie. About to attend day camp tea party for the same. Tonight is opening night for The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe with Maddie, Chloe, and Katie. We're just sooooooooo into the arts today.

6:38 pm - Finally remembered to get flowers for the girls. I usually see other parents bring them and then slap my forehead because I forgot. Not tonight. Note to self: don't forget to bring them with you.

10:32 pm - Whew! One night down, five to go. This washing the face paint off after every gig is gonna get really old.

June 6:
3:13 pm - Just spent way too much money for 30 18x24 enlarged copies. Kinkos has quite the racket going on.

11:09 pm - Wishing I'd stuck to regular 'ole chocolate chip cookies instead of cupcakes decorated to look kinda like lions (emphasis on kinda). This job is messy and it's taking forever.

June 7:
11:57 am - Bye-bye Sunday. I'm about to go run the concession stand for the girls' play. Immediately after that I head to the church to set up the registration table for the Classical Conversations practicum this week.

8:31 pm - Craig is reading poetry to the girls right now.

June 8:
11:06 pm - I just filled up my Sonlight shopping cart with everything I want to get this year. The total came to almost $800 and I then proceeded to empty everything back out of the cart. I need a homeschooling sugar daddy.

June 9:
6:44 pm - I am completely extroverted out and in desperate need of a jammie day. Come, Thursday, come quickly!

9:26 pm - Dear Homeschooling Sugar Daddy, After you graciously give me some gift certificates to Sonlight, Veritas Press, and Institute for Excellence in Writing, I'd really love some built-in bookshelves in our dining/school room. Thanks so much! ~Megan

10:48 pm - PS: Homeschooling Sugar Daddy, would you tell the Homeschooling Cleaning Fairy that I could also use some help from her? I can't seem to catch her around these parts lately.

June 10:
8:35 pm - I bought fruit roll-ups as an easy snack for my kids this week while in their student camps. I very rarely buy convenience snacks like this. There was a $5 cash card in the box, so in effect the fruit snacks paid for themselves. Yippee skippy

9:16 pm - Geez. I think I was almost struck by lightening. Shutting down the computer NOW and getting the heck away from the window!!

10:40 pm - In the midst of helping plan and pull off the Classical Conversations 3 day parent conference I totally forgot I have another job. Articles due tomorrow. Whoopsie. Guess I won't be going to bed anytime soon...

June 12:
10:02 am - The only thing I absolutely HAVE to do today is make chocolate chip cookies for the 60 member cast/crew tonight. I can handle that.

7:04 pm - Getting ready to go ride a bike. I haven't done this in about 18 years, but I know where the ER is, so it's all good.

June 13:
11:46pm - It's a little too early to tell, but at this point in time I'm thinking that substituting half of the oats for rice krispies in my quadruple batch of no-bake cookies for tomorrow afternoon was a bad idea. But what else are you going to do after you've already mixed up everything else for the quadruple batch and then find out you only have enough oats for a double?

June 14:
1:57 pm - Just about completely ready for the cast party which will be at Heman Park today. Just in time for the rain to come in soon. I. Can't. Win.

7:53 pm - "Best cast party ever!" - Mr. Beaver

June 15:
3:29 pm - is a single mom for the next two weeks. Sniff, sniff.

9:07 pm - I want to paint my bedroom blue. Now. But I won't. Because I have about 75 loads of clean laundry on the floor in desperate need of folding and putting away.

June 16:
12:31 pm - drives absentmindedly every time Craig goes out of town. I missed the turn to Erin's today. We live on the same street.

June 17:
2:31 pm - Oh A/C window unit, how you tempt. And your partner, humidity, how you taunt. Who says swimsuits are just for the pool?

9:02 pm - Just got back from the Botanical Gardens with Susan. We ate our dinner alfresco beside the rose garden. Sounds lovely, no? Well, consider that we also had 8 children with us in various stages of swimsuits on/off, running around and trying to throw water at us. Changes the tone a bit, that.

10:29 pm - The secret to an easy bedtime routine is daycamp followed by the pool, followed by the botanical gardens. And having two sisters at Grandma's.

11:09 pm - Planning a weekend get-away in July. Let's just say that the STL bed and breakfast folks aren't exactly thinking one-income school teacher salary as their main clientele.

June 18:
12:57 pm - sings karaoke just fine when I'm the only one in the house for 5 hours.

June 19:
12:07 am - I have a pesky fly buzzing around me right now. Where's the president when you really need him?

June 20:
8:33 am - Had a glorious day of no plans in place until C8 broke her wire on her braces. Blasted braces.

5:05 pm - Yay for Jimmy John's on a Saturday night! I heart the Beach Club.

June 21:
5:11 pm - I just gave my kids $1 each for the ice cream truck. Yes, I'm buying their undying love tonight. For one hour, I rule.

9:12 pm - always rearranges furniture when Craig is out of town. Why?

10:24 pm - I would make more progress in my kitchen right now if I'd clean to Switchfoot instead of dance to it. Stop it!

June 22:
8:08 pm - didn't put sunscreen on for our 5:30pm trip to the pool, but should have. Ouch.

8:41 pm - Heartland Creamery's Organic Whole Chocolate Milk is my new nemesis.

June 23:
2:29 pm - does not like working conference booths. Does not like it at all. In fact, I stink at it. Give me a word document and a keyboard please.

6:50 pm - I had a beautiful tomato growing in my garden. Today it is gone. This. Means. War.

June 24:
9:44 am - Anyone played Bananagrams? Is one set enough for a family of 6, one of whom hates games and another who can't spell?

5:15 pm - The pool makes me insanely tired. Ready for bed right now. Or maybe it's single parenting. Either way, super tired. Come home, Craig, come home!

8:51 pm - I haven't heard from my editor all day today and I'm sorta wondering if I missed the rapture.

10:10 pm - I just did what I always do when insanely tired...I made two pie crusts. What?? Okay, so Craig called and then said he'd call back soon. I figured I could punch out two crusts while waiting. Crusts in the oven...still waiting.

June 25:
4:02 pm - 53 hours to go until we are six again.

4:41 pm - needs to consider phrasing a little more thoughtfully before posting status updates. Ahem.

5:17 pm - Should have finished the pies last night. As it is, I'm bringing peach soup in a pie crust over tonight for dinner. Sigh.

June 26:
9:37 am - Loves having the schedule wiped completely clear. I might actually dust today!

10:26 am - Trying to say yes more than no to the girls today. So far the no's are winning, but when the request to make pancakes at 10:15 in the morning came in I said yes. That should count for about 3, right?

11:21 am - Wondering just how much creativity I've stifled over the past 10 years by my overuse of the word "no". Since resolving to say "yes" more today, we made pancakes at a non-meal time, and I've lent out Craig's 1940's suit and one of my dresses. I let them take a shelf out of my closet and they are currently reenacting a news program downstairs with K7 as "Brian Williams" and E5 as "Katie Couric".

12:30 pm - All laundry-phobes will be happy to hear that all of my clean laundry is folded and put away. And I only have two more loads to wash. And my room is totally clean.

5:19 pm - 3 hours at the pool. Wasted.

9:42 pm - I'd say something like "23 hours until Craig comes home" but then somebody might misread it.

9:56 pm - I have 1,728 songs in my iTunes and I'm bored with it all. Something's wrong with that.

June 27:
8:38 am - has plenty to be glad about today.

June 29:
8:40 am - is missing the month of June.

4:34 pm - is soaking up the cool air from the window unit before heading out to a Cardinal's game tonight.

June 30:
4:41 pm - I'm ahead of schedule on one deadline and behind on another. So it all balances out, right?

July 1:
10:29 am - lost an entire file of notes on a biography I'm writing for God's World News and is not very happy about it.

9:14 pm - I did not eat the enormous chocolate brownie at the coffee shop tonight. But I wanted to.

10:39 pm - 500 words down, 100 to go. Then comes the second pass with my Mr. Potatohead Editing Eyes.

July 2:
8:51 pm - Spent two hours at the pool tonight and didn't even bother to get in. Just me and _My Name is Asher Lev_ and 9 kids with a diving board. Bliss.

July 4:
5:43 pm - Enjoying a little 4th of July movie action right here on my couch with the whole family.

July 5:
2:16 pm - This is my life. Am I who I want to be? In a word: No. But it's not quite as simple as that, is it?

6:23 pm - wants to go hear the lecture at Avante tonight but is drop dead tired. But still wants to go. But might fall asleep during said lecture. What to do, what to do.

July 6:
12:18 am - I keep wondering if the dining room table is going to unpile itself. I walk in there every 30 minutes or so. Nope. Still piled.

8:29 pm - Enjoying one super clean, extra-organized and recently purged dining room/school room/Megan's office/entryway stuff dump room. Please, nobody go in there ever again. ;)

9:19 pm - Bills that can't be found don't have to be paid. Right?

July 7:
1:47 pm - I heart my next door neighbor who is giving all my girls hair cuts right now.

10:58 pm - Contrary to the popular opinion of the 10 and under crowd, going to the pool everyday is NOT a suitable substitution for taking a shower.

July 8:
8:43 am - Warning to praying wives: If you pray for to be like-minded with your husband you might just find that you've been the wrong one about any specific issue. For 13 years. Ahem.

1:11 pm - Craig is joining the mom's club at the pool today. I'm running errands in the non-ac, but dependably starting vehicle. Joy.

5:38 pm - It was time for me to experience another directionally stupid errand trip today. Took me 45 minutes to find the teacher supply store in South County. Google said it was 20 minutes from my house. I hate south county.

July 9:
7:57 am - I just so love waking up at 6:30 in the morning to the sound of a dog barking at a turtle. Just love it.

July 10:
10:11 pm - Planning a sample class day for Classical Conversations for about 40 moms and 80 kids tomorrow. Gulp. And I heart Susan Peck for all her prep since she's actually teaching the class. I'm just her sherpa tomorrow. Go Susan!

10:36 pm - And Craig declared war on the squirrels tonight by building a chicken wire fortress around our garden. I'm not sure even I can get in now. If this doesn't work I give up.

11:59 pm - What's with this weird time ratio I function under? The earlier I have to get up in the morning the later I stay up at night. Dumb.

July 11:
3:46 pm - On the go from 6:30 until 3. Sat down 30 minutes ago and can't. get. up. again.

4:48 pm - I'm supposed to be leaving for an overnight trip in less than an hour. I still haven't packed. I still can't move. Exhausted.

July 12:
9:24 pm - Just cleaned the kitchen and filled out the report for today's mystery shop lunch. Amazing how taking 24 hours completely off can ready one for more work. Duh. God modeled that with the Sabbath, right?

11:06 pm - Planning a trip to the ocean next week. We're caving in with the crowd and heading to Florida. Unlike the crowd, though, we will not be going to Disney World.

July 13:
2:09 pm - Anyone know how to fix front loader washing machines?

5:13 pm - Attention creepy man following me and my 8yo around at the laundromat today. I'm 35, married, and have 4 kids. She's 8. Exactly why were you following us around again?

5:17 pm - We are now officially eating the appetizer we were planning to take to the now-rained-out church picnic. Think I can convince the girls this is dinner?

9:05 pm - I actually volunteered to help out at another church's VBS this year. Before you think I've lost my mind, I volunteered to help distribute snacks. Yes, I'm a weenie mom.

10:15 pm - If those cats breach my fabric stash again I'm going to make them outside cats for good.

Oh Man!! You know I had to be hurting for content for me to just sit here and copy and paste all that in. You must be hurting for content too if you actually sat here and read through all that.

One of these days I'll begin writing again. But it may not be before the summer is over. But it's going quickly, so I guess I'll start writing again soon. Anyway, VBS this week and Florida next. Summer, slow down!!

Take That, You Squirrels, You!

It took all six of us and about a thousand mosquitoes, but it is up, by golly. And Craig has more to say on that over here.

The Mix Tape Chronicles

Once upon a time I gave a very simplified version of how Craig and I met, the year-of-which-we-still-don't-speak-of (1994), and how it all resolved to what we now know as K-Bliss: all love, all the time (you bought that, right)?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I left out this very significant aspect of that whole time - the courting through mix tape part.

Craig and I met in 1993 and became friends that summer. When I went back to Oklahoma State for my sophomore year that fall I was all giddy and stuff and I made him cookies. But I was poor and I mailed them parcel post. You see where this is going? The cookies didn't arrive for some 12 days and when they did they were all hard and crumbly.

Nice.

He was made fun of mercilessly by the rest of the Eagle Lake team at that time, but he recovered well enough to make me a mix tape as a thank you for the cookies. And I assert that this very act is proof he HAD fallen for me already because who would spend the time to make a mix tape for a 19-year-old with bad postal judgment? Ahem.

Enter "Music for Megan" Volume 1:

The playlist is as follows:

I'd Rather Have Jesus - Jacob's Trouble
Nobody Like You - Billy Batstone
You Remain Unchanged - Margaret Becker
Listen To Our Hearts - Geoff Moore
Innocence Lost - Susan Ashton
Psalm 51 - Charlie Peacock
Where You There? - Russ Taff
Carry On (I Am The Lord) - Harvest
The Just Shall Live - Rich Mullins
No Condemnation - Truth
Amazing Grace - Steve Green
Follow Me - Steve Camp
In The Light - Charlie Peacock
Sweet Love - First Call
I Will Be With You - Margaret Becker
You Are So Faithful - Praise Band
My Redeemer Is Faithful And True - Steven Curtis Chapman
Waiting On Your Faithfulness - Craig Dunham
I Know - Shiloh
Learning To Trust - David Meece
More Power To Ya - Petra
Jesus Is Just Alright (Reprise) - DC Talk

I listened to this tape fifty bajillion times. I'm not even kidding. It was pretty much all I listened to that year.

Today I had this overwhelming urge to recreate the playlist on iTunes so I could again listen to it fifty bajillion times. These songs take me back to 1012 Drummond Hall in Stillwater, Oklahoma and my 92 red Chevy Cavalier (which made it all the way with us to St. Louis in 2005 where it died a quiet death in a Kirkwood auto shop parking lot).

I was pretty disheartened to find that some of these songs are not available on iTunes and, as far as I could tell, not available anywhere else either. I'm missing:

Nobody Like You - Billy Batstone
Carry On (I Am The Lord) - Harvest
You Are So Faithful - Praise Band (that's gonna be easy - because that band is soooo recognizable)
Waiting On Your Faithfulness - Craig Dunham (sniff, sniff - only on a demo tape he recorded, never transferred to CD)
I Know - Shiloh

So when I want the true effect I'm going to have to hunt down a tape player. For now, though, this is close and I'm on my third time through the playlist.

C8 came down while I was doing this and asked if she could listen to it. I said, "Sure," thinking she had a tape player on her CD player upstairs. She left and immediately returned to say, "I can't listen to it. I don't have one of those things this thing goes on." She didn't know the words "cassette tape" or "cassette tape player". Funny.

And thus began the pseudo-courtship of Craig and Megan. He wooed me through music. And I still have every tape.

PS - I just counted. Craig made me 7 tapes and I made him 6 between the years 1993-1996. That's true love right there.