Help Wanted: Inspiration Please

I need some inspiration. Something visual to stimulate my senses or maybe more like bring me to my senses. I am acutely influenced by the visual things around me. I realize I am quite simple minded person, if it looks icky --- I feel icky. Right now in my house everywhere I look is visual chaos-loud visual static-that in your face not pretty stuff and it is draining me. I get this way from time to time. Those that know me well, know that this feeling is typically a warning sign for impending paint brushes and furniture moving. But...I have painted and painted to the point where I am going to loose square footage in my home if I continue and there is no new way to move the furniture as I have tried them all. I am feeling stuck with the need to change but no immediate path or resources to execute it. I am in need of a new source of inspiration for my surroundings. I keep trying to play this game with my self where I am not me and what would I tell me to do if I asked for ideas...and of course the answer is to start with removing half of the belongings in the home...Any suggestions?

We're not in Kansas anymore...

So today while driving home from school, Ms Canoley asked me a question about our neighbor as we drove by his house. She said "Mom, I have a question... how can that guy (our new 30 something neighbor) have gray hair and be so buffed at the same time" WHAT???? I said... Canoley "yeah, how come that guy on the corner has gray hair and be buffed?...it makes no sense?.... I mean he HAS GRAY HAIR"
Me: Uh Noley, how come a nine year old girl is noticing a buff neighbor? She replied, because his shirt is always off.... uh yeah Noley that IS my point!
Oh my... what AM I in for?

Why Zhu Zhu Pets are EVIL forces of the Devil...

So this morning, while I was sorting laundry I shoved a load clothes into the washer and was suddenly startled by the strange muffled sound of a rodent. Given that the laundry room IS the room that once housed a very large family of RATS (prior to our occupancy), I am accutely sensitve to the sound of unwanted houseguests. I stopped and listened and heard nothing else so I figured it was coming from the Ivy (another evil from the devil) outside the window (which also houses many a large RODENT).

I walked back down the hall to get another load of clothes from a childs room only this time to have the sound come directly from the clothes in my hands... I drop the clothes on the floor and BAM! they start moving... Well I screamed so loud, I think I woke up every person on the street. I ran into the dining room only to be followed by the rodent...a ZHU ZHU pet RODENT. The thing was chasing me...all the while sqeaking and talking. I pick up the RODENT and through him outside into the back yard (yikes, and I wonder where my yahoos get that?)

I take the load of clothes and finish loading the washer only to hear once again the muffled sounds of a RODENT...I look down and there again is a ZHU ZHU pet sqeeling from the bottom of the laundry basket. I was very very temped to toss him in the washer. If I knew for sure he would not leak on my white load of clothes he would spining around and around at this very moment.

I am NOT a fan of ZhuZhu pets. I believe they are evil forces of the devil that are packaged as cute little hamsters that when left to their own devices set out to drive parents crazy when the kids are at school.

Salvete!, New School and a Budda

We are officially into the new school year. So what does that mean in the house of Tomatoes? Well for those of you that know us it always means something new. Heck, why do the same ole thing more than once right?

Salvete! - The past couple of school years we have spent covering the history of the world at home. Since we spend so much time in the car, I love that we can use the car time to learn something--and the history has been great. This year we are going to add something new to our car learning time---Latin. I bought on Ebay the Prima Latina program and will spend the next nine months slowing working through the DVD/Book. I was surprised how both Nols and Tobbers liked the first lesson. I think they got a charge out of knowing half of the words already. MeiMei however is less impressed, as she still fancies herself a French girl.

New School - Noley and Tobers are still at School of the Hood. HooHaa and MeiMei are at the new school. We are very happy with change and am hopeful that Tobbers can make the move over something this year. Two schools, two start times and four different curriculum's---ah doesn't that sound like fun?

a Buddha - Yesterday we signed up the kids for Sunday School. I decided we needed a little more divine intervention with the four kids and after a lot of research we settled in on sending them to a program that will teach them to be honest, kind and to be a good citizen. When the kids went to WholySpit, they were exposed and reminded of the presence of God and about being a better person daily. Since that departure, we have been working on these things at home but for some reason we have been some hick-ups in this area. I had looked into the Church where the Yahoos went to vacation bible school "Ocean Camp" this past summer since the kids loved the program, but when I learned that it involved mostly bible drills, I knew that was not quite what I was looking for....learning about the bible was fine with me, but I did not want that to be the only focus. So I decided to step back and look at the big picture and decided on sending the entire family to Dharma School. I can hear the questions already... Oh my ***** they are converting their children into Buddhists!!! No, we are simply learning about the teachings of Budda. Just becuase one goes to a Dharma school does not mean they are a signed sealed and delivered Buddist. And yes, one can still believe in God and Buddha. The first classes start next Sunday and will conclude in May. I am hopeful that a weekly reminder of selflessness and peace will benefit them in the long run.

Five Days Left...

Well we are rounding up the end of summer. We are down to five days left before we launch into the new school year. At the beginning of summer we (the kids and I) of things we wanted to do , visit or accomplish this summer and I have to say that we have successfully accomplished about 75% of the list. Noley mentioned the other night that she was very happy to have made the list and to see many of the items checked off (Oh she is my girl) but that she was disappointed that there was one item that was on the list she really wanted to do....go to a drive in movie. We have never taken the kids to a drive in. So I think in honor of this being the the last weekend before school starts, we will take the Yahoos to a drive in tomorrow night. We pack a picnic dinner and load them up just like when I was a kid. Please please please let there be something tolerable at the drive in.