Within the last 15+ years, we moved from O.C., CA to Albany, NY to Camp Pendleton, CA to Iwakuni, Japan to Lemoore, CA to Sicily, Italy to OC, CA to Pensacola, FL to O.C., CA/Everett, WA/Aircraft Carrier Deployment
Name:(Ben and) Vicki Country:United States State:California Metro:Orange County Gender:Female
Interests:For security purposes, we recently started replacing our children's names on this blog with more non-descript initials. J.13.ds = "Icy13" our oldest son, age 13. He likes computer/video games, Basketball, Football, Lego, and is learning the guitar. J.10.dd = "Poptart10" our only daughter, age 10. She likes reading, crafts, and swimming. J.8.ds = "Hotdog8" our middle son, age 8. He likes photography, reading, hiking, sports like basketball, football, swimming, and playing the Wii. J.5.ds = "Yoda5" our baby son, age 5. He likes Star Wars, airplanes, doing puzzles, and to sing and entertain crowds.
Ben/Dad is currently deployed aboard an aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, in the Persian Gulf for 5 months and is based out of Everett, WA. Vicki/Mom and the kids will be staying near extended family in Southern CA while Ben/Dad is deployed and then they will relocate to Everett, WA for 1.5 years. Expertise:We hope to use this blog to write brief and occasional notes to our 4 children so they can read about themselves and our family life 20 years from now. It will probably be a very eclectic mix of anecdotes, thoughts, ideas, observations, cultural impressions, advice, etc. Be sure to e-mail us and keep in touch! Our current homeschool methods include a somewhat relaxed, literature-based Charlotte Mason/Classical style using a mix of resources including Latin Centered Curriculum/Memoria Press, Trisms, Thomas Jefferson Education, Notebooking/Lapbooking/Index Cards, Ruth Beechick Books, Story of The World, Institute for Excellence in Writing IEW, BraveWriter.com, Math-U-See and Teaching Textbooks, Apologia Science, Handwriting Without Tears, Audio books/cds, swim team, seasonal team sports, piano/guitar, and of course, everyday life learning.
Last night, while we were waiting for the middle 2 J. kids's rehearsal, the other kids, Grandma/Vicki's mom and I went to Sam's Club. Yoda5, my big helper, wanted to show the lady our membership card to get in. Just then, Ben/Dad called and was talking to him. I had to take a photo of him because he looked and acted like a little businessman, with the cellphone to his ear, carrying the shopping bags, and showing the card to the lady.
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that somewhat typifies my recent days: "My kids drive me crazy. I drive them everywhere else." We are much busier than usual this month, with the 2 older J. kids in Junior Lifeguards in Huntington Beach in the mornings (10 minutes away each way) and then shuttling the middle 2 J.s to rehearsal for the La Habra Depot Theatre Wonka Jr. musical in the evenings (40 minutes each way) .
Sometimes Hotdog8 likes to show off new acting terms he learns at the rehearsals. The other day, I was digging in the van's trunk to get his song notebook out and he told me matter-of-factly, "Mom, I don't need my notebook anymore. We're off-book now."
Okay so theres this monk who is kind of absent minded. He went to church and took his hood off and on his ears were big patches (one on each ear). The priest came to him and asked him what happend to his ears. He said, ''well you know how I am sort of absent minded and I was ironing when the phone rang. And instead of picking up the phone, I put the iron to my ear. The priest said, '' well that only explains one ear, what happened to the other ear"? The monk replied back,'' wouldn`t you know it, he called again.''
Lifetime
