stunz family blog

Final Post! Sort of...

2009-06-16T18:22:00.001-05:00

This is the final post from Texas.
(for 2 years anyway because according to Jenny we have to be back by then)

The final post on this blog.

But not the final blog post.

We're moving to Singapore and we're also moving to http://thestunzfamily.wordpress.com/.

This is one move you can definitey make with us. Hope you'll come along.

Good bye, Texas.

Singapore, here we come! Not sure if you're quite ready for the Stunz Family 5!!!

Wilco will love you baby ...

2009-06-16T18:15:00.007-05:00

Like Andrea mentioned, Jakeb and I went to see Wilco Monday night. We drove from Dallas to Oklahoma City, Watched a three hour concert and drove back. We got home at 2:10 am but not before being pulled over by a Texas highway patrolman. He gave me a warning because I told him we were moving to Singapore.

The concert was totally worth the trip. Wilco is amazing live.

Here are some pictures:

College???

2009-06-16T06:25:00.006-05:00

We are attending Tori's college orientation at the University of North Texas. Yesterday was a fun filled day of informational sessions and sweat. Boy, was it hot outside. June in Dallas is insane. At least there's no humidity or mosquitoes. Plus we got "free" tshirts! We thought we were going to have to change into them at one point because we were sweating so much. Hopefully, today we won't have to stand in lines in the hot sun.

Anyway, as I sat in one of the sessions, I had this overwhelming sense of unbelief that I'm a college student's parent. That's insane! I also sat by a mom that balled her eyes out. I'd bet her son is ready to get away from her. I think I was too hot and tired to be emotional. Maybe I was too dehydrated to have tears, I don't know. But I'm just so proud of our daughter! She is ready.

Although her college is pretty darn liberal (what colleges aren't?) she is ready. She is so level headed and grounded in her faith and she knows where's she headed. She has a plan :) and I'm just not worried about her. UNT seems to fit her. She is ready for the academic regimen and she will do well in. I will miss her like crazy but she is ready. It's time, it's right and there's alot of comfort in that.

We learned a few of the Mean Green traditions. I have to say the alma matter is pretty stupid. I know, where's my school spirit, right? But I have a hard time singing "glory to the green". Anyway, the eagle claw is a pretty big deal and I think we've got it down.

Here's a pic of them teaching us the proper way to make the eagle's claw and how to say "CAW". It sounded just like an eagle! And another picture of the kind of box Tori will be living in.

CAW!!! GO MEAN GREEN!

Where in the world is...

2009-06-14T07:40:00.006-05:00

We are in Dallas now for a few days and boy is it hot! We're staying with my sister and enjoying a much needed day of rest today. Church, lunch and then a couple hours at the spa with the girls for pedicures, manicures, foot massage, etc. Tomorrow and Tuesday Tommy, Tori and I will be going to Tori's college orientation. Tommy and Jakeb will be driving to Oklahoma tomorrow night for a Wilco concert. Yes, they're insane! Can we cram anything else into a day??? :)

We actually got all of our suitcases packed up and found we had a little space to spare. WOW!! We are under the allowed weight but it's really hard to fit 70# into a suitcase and it be manageable so most suitcases are around 50-60#'s. I sure hope it all makes it to Singapore.

We drove up to Dallas in a rental truck because we had to bring Tori's college stuff to put in storage since she won't have a closet at home to leave her winter clothes, etc. We also needed room for all of our bags. 14 large suitcases, 5 carry on's and 5 backpacks. A Mazda 3 just ain't big enough!

The goodbyes over the last few days were too hard for words. It's so incredibly twisted to know you are excited about going somewhere and feel so bad about leaving the people you love. Those goodbye hugs are a killer and they just don't last long enough. They are sweet hugs, though. And that's saying alot for a non-huggin' kind of person.

We'll leave early Wednesday morning for the airport and begin our 30 hour journey to Singapore. About 24 will actually be in a plane. What a trip!

Something Good

2009-06-12T08:39:00.008-05:00

We've shared some sweet time with friends and family over the past couple of weeks. That's something really good.

We've also had alot of "treats" come our way. Meals paid for, coffee paid for, small and very thoughtful gifts, pool party lifeguards paid for, etc. You gotta admit, there are some benefits to moving. :) None of the givers of those treats would want a thank you, but thank you anyway!!

We've eaten as much Mexican food as we could manage - it really is even better when it's free! We're eating the rest of Jakeb's deer today for lunch. My mom has fixed all of the kids' favorites and spoiled them rotten. The kids got Shipley's for breakfast once more and we're having Mimi's tostadas tonight. And Anna and I had a Sonic date yesterday during Happy Hour.

Yep. Definitely something good!

Something Bigger

2009-06-11T08:08:00.004-05:00

In the midst of all of my "to do" lists, which are shrinking by the way, there's this. A reminder that there's something bigger for me to do than pick up the dry cleaning and change the sheets.

As we say goodbye to people we won't see for a while, I'm reminded that we're a part of something bigger and still very much connected no matter where we happen to be on this planet as long as we're connected to Christ and his work.

Thanks, God. I sure needed this today.

From Shaun Grove's blog post.
I dare you to face Robert Redford and his little film while holding your to do list. Stare up at the cosmos and shout out the goals of your day with all the enthusiasm you think they deserve: Pick up dry cleaning! Buy cat food and bread! Call mom! Turn in TPS report! Softball practice!… and feel the stars’ laughter.

Amazingly, I woke up this morning with every one of these basic needs totally met: food, clothing, roof. Before the day even began I was already unnecessary to its completion. No wonder the sky scares me. It’s a reminder of how pointless we really are these days.

Both humbling and empowering.

I just wanna watch cartoons!

2009-06-10T16:13:00.004-05:00

So last night ended horribly. We said some tough goodbyes.

I picked up this precious little nephew of mine

and gave him a big hug and a big smooch and told him to grow up and be a good big boy. To which he replied:

"I just wanna watch cartoons!"

Me too, sweet boy, me too.

What I'll Miss

2009-06-09T18:32:00.000-05:00

I'm starting this post with dry eyes. I'm sure I won't finish it that way. I don't want this to seem like we're dying or anything. We're just moving. These are some things I'll miss and I thought I'd document. Don't get me wrong, we ARE looking forward to the many new things we'll experience in Singapore. We'll create new memories there and when we leave after a few years, we'll have material for a similar post, I'm sure.

But for now... I'll miss Chipotle, buying large quantities of groceries at one time, roaming the aisles of Target and Walmart, getting in the car to head wherever I need to go on my timeline, Sonic Happy Hour, Target clearance racks, free or cheap shipping and much more.

I'll miss the ample supply of huge pecans off of my huge pecan trees in my front yard. I'll also miss making pecan pies in a jar and tons and tons of peanut brittle!

I'll miss our annual trips to Lake Catherine State Park (pictured) and Landa Park.

I'll miss our neighbors. Jay, Pam, Sonny & Kaetlyn, Jesse & Nealie and their boys and "Mr. Boy". That's short for his real name but Anna started calling him Mr. Boy when she was little. That man could run circles around us!

I'll miss living in the place where one of our previous dogs was buried.

I'll miss looking out my back window to see the fort that Jakeb and Tommy built when Jakeb was about 8 years old. He bought the supplies at Lowe's with about $140 of one dollar bills and a bunch of change.

I'll miss my Christmas time gingerbread house.

I'll miss those hand painted tiles that we put on our backsplash thinking we'd never move. Not recommended by the way.

I'll miss the joy that Anna got when she played with Bella.

I'll miss all of the family birthday celebrations.

I'll miss our family Easter mischeif. (aka - Halloweaster)

I'll miss being goofy with my sisters.

I'll miss seeing my kids be goofy together. (Since one will head to college in the fall.)

I'll miss these wonderful friends at the BEST nail place in the world.

I'll miss my kids being goofy with their friends here.

I'll miss being goofy with my friends.

And I'll even miss being goofy with these weird people. :) Edie, how'd you miss out on this one?

I'll miss family meals around this particular table. I love this table! So many fun memories from as far back as I can remember.

And family memories around this table. Just as special!
I'll miss getting to see these precious little kiddos, and a few others whom we love, grow up before our eyes. I'm also sure we'll miss the grand entrance of some new ones that are sure to come along at some point.

And going to their adorable school performances.

I'll miss my sister leading me in worship at our church.

I'll even miss sitting in those blue chairs. Mostly because of who was sitting next to me.

I'll miss the giggles every time we pass this statue of Stephen F. Austin on our way out of town.

I'll miss that last stretch of road headed south on Hwy 288. This means we're almost home.

I wonder what that stretch of road will look like that leads to our next home.

There's so much more I'll miss but I can't wrap my brain or heart around it. I think this will do for now. Don't you? As Jenny puts it, I spilled a little.

The Countdown Is On

2009-06-09T07:55:00.002-05:00

8 days from now we'll be on a plane headed for Singapore, and this week is pretty full. Our week is full of events and everything pretty much has to go like clockwork to make it all happen. There's really no time for being spontaneous. Not that I'm ever really good at spontaneous anyway... We want to fit it all in and then some because it's all about spending time with those we love but when we get to the end of this week there will not have been enough time, I'm afraid.

A few things have made the list and a few things haven't. We think we've done a good job in spending time with friends and family. I'm sure they'd be telling us if we hadn't. :)

A few months ago, we created a Singapore Bucket List (things we wanted to do before we leave for Singapore) and I think we've mostly accomplished the items on that list. I really wanted to go eat Indian food with Tommy yesterday for lunch at his favorite place there but my to do list was too long and the kids were going to need to be taxi'd around. I really want to go eat at our favorite Persian food place before we leave but it doesn't look like that will be possible. We got to eat Chipotle on Sunday and I waddled out. I think I'll miss that place the most. Why does almost everything we want to do revolve around food? Who knows? It's either that or coffee. Oh well. Food, family, friends, fun and coffee. That's it. That's what matters. Ok, God is at the top of that list but I hope that goes without saying.

I feel very pressed for time but I also feel like we're sort of going in slow motion. I'm really trying to be still long enough to soak in the moment. My moments are going to be drastically changing very soon and I'll miss these ones.

Semi-sad post coming so brace yourself.

To Do List

2009-06-08T18:18:00.005-05:00

It's long. And I'm sure you wouldn't care to read it. But that's what our life is about right now. There is much to do.

I think this may be the shortest post in the Stunz blog history. But I got it checked off of my list. :)

Full Circle

2009-06-07T20:36:00.002-05:00

These last couple of weeks has been full of things we will do for the last time before we go to Singapore. Amazingly the last time doing some of them is a lot like the first time.

Andrea talked about how we went to Ecclesia for the last time a couple of weeks ago on Pentecost Sunday. I grew up in a church, and still go to one for that matter, that does not observe the liturgical church calendar. So I though it was totally unique the first Sunday we went to Ecclesia they had a guest speaker who followed the liturgy for the day and they remembered Pentecost. Our trip back was a return to the beginnings - a full circle.

The last day in our house I ran the running route I ran the first time I ran from the Center Way house in 2001. I call it 'sidewalk' because it runs along a sidewalk behind houses on Azalea and continues down the side of Plantation to Cedar. The run on ‘sidewalk’ the last day in our house took me full circle.

This morning was our last Sunday at Brazos Pointe Fellowship. BPF is a place I have preached and taught more than any other church we have ever been in. I was ordained at BPF as a preacher and teacher. The first message I ever preached there was at the end of 2002. It was a Christmas series we were preaching using themes from the movie “The Grinch That Stole Christmas” - and my message was on greed. The verses I started on were from Luke 12:15

"Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

This morning Greg was preaching on finances in marriage and guess where he went? Luke 12:15. I told Andrea that those were the verses I preached in my first message at BPF and she said, “How do you remember this stuff?”

I just do. - Full circle.

So this is the Tree of Enchantment!

2009-06-07T07:37:00.015-05:00

My mom, Anna and I went to Abner Jackson Plantation. I've known about it for several years but have never been. It's pretty much where Lake Jackson was started as far as I know. Then it got trashed by a storm in 1900 and Dow Chemical came along in the 40's. Why anyone would want to establish a sugar mill or anything for that matter, and purposely live on swamp land in plantation times, with that type of clothing and no a/c, I'll never know! Cheap land, I guess? We chose to live here but we have a/c and can wear shorts and sleeveless shirts! :)

It was a hot hour or so and the mosquitoes were in full force. Thank God for the invention of mosquito repellent! That seems to be my perfume of choice these days. We managed to walk the whole plantation which is more like a strip of land with only ruins left and story boards to tell about what was once there.

We saw the Tree of Enchanment! I say that with some sarcasm... This is the tree where the Lake Jackson, rather the City of Enchanment, logo came from. I never knew that the tree in the logo had a specific origin. Now I know. We affectionately call the City of Enchanment where we live "The City of Entrapment". :) Tommy and I were mostly brought up in this area so it's home and will always be our family home even though it is really not a place of grandeur at all.

At the end of our tour, there were some guys reinacting and telling stories about life "back in the day". Then we saw this crazy big, ugly bug!! It looked like a giant mosquito. Imagine how much Benadryl one would need after getting a bite from that thing! I think it was actually a mosquito moth or something like that.

All in all, it was worth visiting - once. And I'm glad I got to experience it with my mom and daughter.

Here are some pics. I particularly like the bird poop and the bullet hole on the sign in that 2nd pic. My mom thought it was bad that it was there. I did too but I also thought it was funny. You can click on the story board pics to make them larger if you want to read about it.

Brazoswood High School Graduation 2009

2009-06-06T08:51:00.014-05:00

Tori and I went to the Brazoswood Graduation Ceremony last night. It was outdoors, with the mosquitoes and sort of hot. I did take a light sweater, though, just in case it got breezy after the sun went down. I know people thought I was crazy but I did end up using it.

This would have been Tori's ceremony if she hadn't been such an overachiever and graduated early. Her close friends graduated and so we went. She was pretty happy that she got to endure experience it from the other side of the fence. We heard one lady cussing about having to be there. Tori mentioned how ironic it is that this is one of the most momentous events in our lives and everyone hates being there. :)

Before we went, I realized that one of Tori's friends' last name starts with "W". Do you know what that means??? Out of a senior class of over 500 we would have to wait for hours, probably around 4 to get to her. Or so I thought. As it turns out, Katie is brilliant so she was in the top 10% and actually walked very early on along with her other close friends whose names were towards the beginning of the alphabet.

The speeches were good! Some pretty clever people headed up the Class of 2009. The beach balls were hilarious and they even had the wave going at one point. Anything to pass the time, right?

Here are some pics that I took. I particularly love the orange hair and purple bow. It has nothing to do with graduation but it's a pretty bold look you must admit.

Congratulations Katie, Liz and Cristi, and Mindy and all the others with last names past "M" that I didn't stick around for cause it was already after 9pm.

"I wish you all the luck in the world. Let's get this show on the road!" Steve Snell, B'wood HS Principal

Sans home life ain't so bad.

2009-06-05T09:09:00.014-05:00

Tommy has a t shirt that says, "camping mocks the homeless". He got it from a blog that he reads because it makes fun of the people who take complex issues and reduce them down to sound bites and because he likes things that make people think. In regards to the homeless, we aren't heartless people and that's not what this post is about.

People usually don't get that t shirt and at first read, it seems offensive. In fact, it was pretty offensive to one Starbucks employee we encountered because she volunteered at a homeless shelter in Houston. We understood completely. But if you give it a second or two and think about it, people all over the world are homeless and live in the outdoors while we vacation in the outdoors in our luxury campers and rv's. Even sleeping on the ground (or air mattresses) in our tents is more luxurious than what homeless people have. We love to camp and we think it's ironic that we enjoy what others endure.

For the last week and for one more week before our move to Singapore, we are sans home and "camping" in my parents driveway. We have taken over one room of their house for our bazillion pieces of luggage and one bed and their camper. When I walked out of the camper this morning, it was cool out, the birds were singing, squirrels were scampering and it was quiet and peaceful just as if I was stepping out into our favorite state park in Arkansas. Except the ground was concrete and had some cars in it and I walked about 10 feet into a house. :)

So there's not a whole lot that I can do right now. I'm tying up some loose ends with cell phone cancellations, helping Tori & Jakeb get ready for their Kenya trip, completing school forms for the Singapore schools, finishing up the last little tidbits of homeschooling, taking care of insurance changes and a few photo projects that I wanted to get done before we left. We're getting to visit with my parents, family and friends. We're busy but it's certainly better than the last few months of sorting, organizing and packing and all the crazy decisions we had to make each day. Right now, we are pretty much in a holding pattern until next weekend. Then it will get chaotic again.

Sans home or homeless life, for us right now anyway, ain't so bad.

Singapore Marina Barrage

2009-06-03T07:28:00.012-05:00

In just two short weeks from today, actually right now as I write this post, we'll be boarding a plane to begin our adventure in Singapore. That's crazy! Something we've been thinking about, planning for and dreaming about for a year is now a reality.

The photo is of a place called Marina Barrage and was taken by a photojournalist there, Tan Geng Hui. I read about it on this blog that we follow. From what I understand, it's a newly developed area and a new ferris wheel - which I will NOT be riding, btw.

Our incredible realtor, Ann, whom we've only met via email will be competing for a medal with a team in the Singapore Dragon Boat Festival on the 2nd Saturday after we arrive. Since she'll be there, we won't be looking for a house that day so our plans are to go experience this event and cheer her on. We're looking forward to it.

Our lives will soon be very different!

How long do hugs last?

2009-06-02T07:07:00.007-05:00

I guess we'll find out as yesterday was the first of the tearful goodbye's I've had. Hopefully there won’t be that many. I can usually control myself. I'm not a crier and I'm not typically an openly emotional person at all. But this one got to me.

I'm not a big fan of hugs. In fact, those who know me well, know that I like my space and most of the time I don't want or need anyone in it. :) But, when a hug is given rather than taken, I'm usually up for it. So yesterday when I got and gave hugs to two of my closest friends, hugs to last a couple of years, it was a tad emotional. I don't like this part at all. I'm ready to rip the band aid off and get on the plane. Not really but kinda. This part is necessary but I don't like it.

All that said, I hope the hugs last for a while. I don't have many close friends. Honestly, I don't need many and can't handle very many. I'm not that good of a person to be friends with. But the ones I have are incredible cause they know me and love me anyway and I hate leaving them.

We met the Crocker's and Bennett's (close friends from our Houston days) at Discovery Green park in Houston. It was pretty a cool place. The kids had a great time and were worn out when we left. I loved being with my two friends from Houston. Just occupying the same space with them for a little while is a good thing for me.

Catchin' Up

2009-06-01T06:19:00.019-05:00

So this weekend has been pretty full. Our days are pretty full right now in general but mostly with fun stuff and not all the packing and planning junk so I don't mind this kind of busy.

Saturday, Tori and Jakeb had their Kenya trip training and I went to take the team pic. I'm not a photographer but at least it's captured. They are really excited about going now as if they weren't before. The trip is in July. You'll be able to follow along on the Kenya blog soon.

We are staying with my parents right now since we have no home. It's weird coming back to my mom & dad's house with your whole family after being married for 20 years. But, hey, it's better than living under the highway. :) This is my mom, Matthew (my nephew) and Anna playing Canasta and one of the things I love the most about staying here. My mom is always up for a game with her grandkids and she rarely shows them mercy. Look at her face. She's goin' in for the kill and they don't know what's about to hit 'em.

Saturday night, Tommy's brother and his wife took us all and Tommy's parents to Perry's Steakhouse. Man, what an incredible meal and a rare (no pun intended) treat for us. I'm not sure I've ever been that full! Thanks, Toby & Kim. It was a very memorable evening for us.

This place was right next door to Perry's. I thought it was funny and ironic.

So, on Sunday, we went to see some good friends and a previous pastor of ours, Bro. Robin and Diane and their son Daniel. They are now at FBC Crosby and we really enjoyed going to church with them and then eating Mexican food at Iguana Joe's in big ole' Crosby, Tx. I so regret not taking any pictures. I had my camera in my purse but I guess we were just having too much fun talking and eating.

This picture is from Ecclesia where Robbie Seay leads worship and Chris Seay is the pastor. We love that place and it has been a sacred haven for us for over 5 years now. Tommy even figured out that our very first time to visit Ecclesia was on The Day of Pentecost many years ago so we thought it was pretty ironic that we were there to say farewell on The Day of Pentecost. Ecclesia and the Seay's will forever hold a special place with us.

The Communion table at Ecclesia. (sans bread)

The Crocker's met us at Ecclesia and we went to eat dinner afterwards. We just can't get enough of some people! We love you guys!! (Oh, and Anna and I got new glasses this weekend with transition lenses. They look kinda dorky in pictures when they're tinted. Kinda hippy like. I'll have to keep that in mind.)

The Stunz and Crocker kids.

And this is what your kids do at the end of the day when they've been couped up in the back seat of a Mazda 3 for about 12 hours. Anything to pass the time and forget about how much their booties hurt.

All Packed Up

2009-05-29T09:55:00.019-05:00

Well, our life is all neatly packed up in a box but it took three days for the moving company to get it that way and many days before that for us to get it all sorted and organized. Our air freight was over so my beloved Bath & Body collection and homemade candles will be travelling by boat. :( We actually had some extra room in the sea container. Benito, the moving guy, told me I needed to go shopping. I was simply too tired, believe it or not...

We had some fun with our mover people. They were very nice and we almost feel like we’ve known them for years. Who knows, maybe we’ll see some of the same ones in a couple years when we unpack all of this mess back here in Texas.

They worked fast and furious to get it all done. I was kinda surprised at the relaxed pace of the first two days with only two packer people. Tommy and I even got to sit around for a while. The third day, however, was a flurry of motion and things went very fast. We're exhausted and we're glad that part of it is over with. My feet, legs and brain have never hurt so bad.

We're spoiled now after this move. Using a moving company, especially when someone else is paying for it, is way better than packing a Uhaul ourselves!

Anna and Jakeb took our dog, Bella, out to my sister's house where she (Bella) has barked so much she's hoarse. Sorry, Colleen. The kids got to watch part of the spelling bee yesterday until they ripped the couches out from under them. We cleaned up the house and turned over the keys to the new owner. They are a sweet couple who will begin raising their family there. We're very happy that it sold and that part is over with as well.

Now, we're at my parents house spread out in their camper and in bedrooms in their house. We'll be here for a couple more weeks spending time with family and friends and then we're off to the next big adventure.

Below are some pics of the last few days. The before's, the during's and the after's.

And there it goes...

Movin' On

2009-05-26T06:08:00.006-05:00

Just a quick update. We had a great time away in Dallas and my neice's wedding was really nice. It was a nice break from our chaotic and ever-changing world. We hit the ground running as soon as we got home yestrday.

So...

We got our suitcases packed up, mostly.

We got the rest of our stuff sorted and organized, mostly.

We borrowed a hanging baggage scale from Tony and Laurie to weigh our suit cases. It broke on the 2nd bag. oops! It wasn't that heavy.... We'll replace it, we promise! Anyway, we got to visit with them a little and that was really nice.

We slept in our beds, in our rooms, where we have for the last 8 years and 1 month, for the last time in our home on Center Way.

The next time we see our beds, they'll be in Singapore.

The movers come this morning. They say it will take them a couple of days. A couple of days of craziness from what I hear and I'll be needing some serious caffeine and an extra portion of serenity.

We think we're supposed to close on the house on Thursday. We hope.

Regardless, we'll be out of our house by tonight and staying at my parents house cause we won't have any beds here.

The kids are doing well. It's so nice having older kids that can do some of their own packing and driving to run some last minute errands.

Tommy saw some of our friends in Walmart last night. He was buying yet another suitcase. (Walmart was the only place open.) He was also buying a bunch of Lean Cuisines cause we don't have time to cook and we're about to not have any dishes. Anyway, these friends popped in a little later and brought us some food. They felt sorry for us, I guess. :) We also had a fun, short visit. I cherish these moments!

Anna and Jakeb will take our dog, Bella, to her new home today. My sister and her family will be taking her in. That's going to be a little rough for Anna especially.

Tommy and I are doing well. I'm blogging and he's out running. I can't imagine having the energy to run right now. I woke up yawning...

I hate packing (I think I've said that before) and am very overwhelmed by this process. Taking the time to write helps me out a little. It helps me purge at least a few of the thoughts that are running wild in my head. Tommy helps me out alot and tells me what to do when I'm standing in the middle of the floor slowly turning in circles not knowing which way to go. There are so many little things that have to be decided on. You know, things like, "where does that box of q-tips need to get packed?" I think I started to cry a couple of times for various reasons but was just too tired. So no tears yet.

A Perfectly Wrong Kind of Day

2009-05-21T05:58:00.005-05:00

So, yesterday was lousy. Getting in bed last night was a welcome end to a perfectly wrong kind of day. Alot about this move seems perfectly wrong. We know we are supposed to go and we are excited about going. It's what God wants us to do. We are completely confident in that fact. But that doesn't make it any easier to pack up our life, say goodbye's, and get on that plane.

Did I mention that yesterday was lousy? I think I did. So, I wake up this morning and this email is in my inbox. I have an incredible daughter. I have three incredible kids. I'm trying to be strong for them through all of this and they come through for me. I've got it good.

Hey!

This is one of those Joy Williams songs that I told you about.

Anyway you should listen to it and THEN go have a spectacular day in Dallas and make today not "one of those days". Unless of course "one of those days" means wonderful :)

Love you!
-Tori

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynyA6qPjUpo

A day in the life of....

2009-05-20T19:51:00.008-05:00

... a family moving to Singapore. And a yucky day it has been. Mostly cause we still own this house. We're told it will be soon but we've been told that since, oh, about April 30th.

The movers come next Tuesday to pack us up. We'll be at a family wedding (YEA Brett & Jon!) so we'll lose a few days of sorting and organizing before then. We've been told that when the movers come, they are a flurry of activity and we'd better be watching closely or one of our kids will end up in a box.

Unfortunately, I've experienced, rather we all experienced, my first major meltdown today. I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. I wish I was better at blowing stuff off. I want to. I really, really want to. But truth be told, because I'm me, I would fill up every day possible with doing things to "get ready" and it would still never be done so not being here for a few of those days for the wedding will help me out I think. Come Tuesday it is what it is. Thanks to Jenny, my bedding will get packed dirty. She talked me into it. I'm not washing it for it to sit on a boat for 6 weeks and then have to wash it again once we're there. If anyone else wants to talk me into something that will save me some time and grief, I'm open.

We are throwing tons of stuff away. Some of it is probably not trash but I don't care to mess with it. Trash day is Friday if anyone wants to come diggin'. :)

All in all, we are simplifying and that part of it feels good. We're really trying to get rid of that pack rat mentality. We're not, ok, I'm not a pro at it but I'm better. It ain't goin' with us. Anywhere.

So, our kitchen floor is the designated area for the stuff that's going in our 500lb air shipment.

Our office is where all of the storage items are being put.

Alot that is going into the sea container shipment is all over Anna's floor. She can get to her bed but that's about it. I promised her I wouldn't put stuff on her bed.

We have two closets that are designated for DO NOT TOUCH signs for the movers. They'd better not even think about going in there.

We have suitcases EVERYWHERE and are having to pack those so we can get all of that stuff out of the way before Tuesday. To where, we're not sure. We planned on going to my mom & dad's but we may find a suite instead. We're gonna have lots of junk and that would give us some space to spread out. We'll see...

For now, we can still sit on our couches and a corner of a table is open to finish up our last little bit of school work on.

We have color coded post-its ALL over our house. Red - storage, green - airplane, blue - sea container, yellow - 500lb air shipment.

It's a mess around here and I'm tired. I have nothing more interesting to write about right now. Sorry. This is our life. Exhausting, not enteratining. Perhaps something laughable and/or interesting will happen soon. I'll let you know if that happens.

Happy Birthday, Tommy!

2009-05-20T06:22:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was Tommy's birthday. I'm a terrible wife because in case you hadn't noticed, this post is the day AFTER his birthday! And on top of that he had to write his own birthday blog post. http://trechoagon.blogspot.com/ That's just not right... Sorry, babe.

Anyway, we had a pretty good day yesterday so better late than never! We had a Singapore relocation meeting with HR and then he and I ate at his favorite Indian place for lunch. Then the kids joined me for some shopping and we met Tommy after he got off from work at Pei Wei for dinner and went on a trail shoe hunt and a baseball cap. That's what he wanted and that's what he got.

Your family loves you and we are so grateful you were born 42 years and one day ago.

Happy Birthday, Tommy!!! You are older than me. Okay, and wiser too.....

Love Never Fails

2009-05-17T18:20:00.009-05:00

Tori and Jakeb performed their last song at BPF (our church) this morning and our good friend, Jason C. played the djembe for them which made it that much more special. It was awesome! The lighting was bad, my video skills are seriously lacking and the lady taking offering got in my way but, oh well.

I LOVE it when my kids make music!!

For those of you reading this on my facebook, you'll have to got to the blog to watch it. www.stunz.blogspot.com

Walk With Me Quiet

2009-05-15T12:24:00.000-05:00

Music does it for me. It connects me to who I am, to who I've been and who I want to be. It is also what connects me to my Creator more than anything else. That connection has been a little on the fritz lately.

But... this song did it for me. Recently, I've listened to it over and over and can't get enough. I've thought about sharing it with you for over a month now but have been a little stingy. For whatever reason, today was the day to share.

I'm broken. I'm not fixed and at times I'm pretty sure I'm not fixable. I'm not restored but I have hope that I will be. Someday.....

Through this song, I've connected to who I am. To who I want to be. To God.

Walk With Me
by Caedmon's Call (Back Home)

Walk with me quiet,
Walk with me slow.
Watered down coffee,
Words of Gold.

Will you lead me,
beside the still waters.
With oil that runs over.
My cup overflows.
You restore my soul.

If I knew how to post just the song on here I would, but I don't and I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to. So, go find it. Everyone has iTunes, right? Go buy it. It's worth the .99. Maybe it will do it for you too.

Protector or Spy? How far is too far with internet security?

2009-05-15T07:52:00.011-05:00

Tommy and I have always been pretty careful to keep up with what our kids read, watch and listen to. I've had my share of "discussions" with teachers and librarians about required reading, believe me. It seems, though, that as the kids get older (18, 16 & 10) we are not able to keep up as easily. We are older too and they can simply move faster than we can. :)

We have always taught our kids the "garbage in, garbage out" concept and that you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. So they can own some responsibility for their actions but as parents, what lengths do we go to when it comes to internet security?

This week, we set out on researching Parental Control software in order to protect our kids from the weirdo's and meanies out there in cyber world but we've come to a realization that alot of the softwares out there are more like spyware. You can watch what sites they visit, monitor their chats, take screenshots of things they view and even monitor their every keystroke even when they're not in the internet. That all sounds good in theory in the name of protection but is it too much?

We trust our kids. Tommy and I trust each other. We have no reason not to. But how far do we go to protect our kids and each other and balance that with respecting privacy? We all need some accountability in this area.

What if we did nothing more than what we do now, which is verbal communication and having basic security settings on our software that we currently use? What if our kids stumble across something and it causes them to stumble? I mean, that can happen by typing anything on google images. No software is going to filter google images. It's just impossible to be completely safe.

I would feel like a horrible parent if I found out we could have done something and didn't but I also feel like a horrible parent if we "spy". Of course, if they know we're doing it then it's not spying. On top of that, though, the software is expensive and still not the perfect solution.

What's a parent to do???

I recently put word out among my facebook friends and asked what they do and what they recommend. The consensus was basically to "do what your gut tells you to do and do all that you can to protect your kids. You'd rather having them mad at you than hooked on porn." I can go for that but we want to maintain a healthy and honest relationship with our kids as well. Our job as parents is to influence and train them to make good choices because one day we will not be around to protect them from everything.

So, we're still not sure what we're going to do longterm. We think for now that we're going to tell our kids that they aren't allowed to delete their history until we've looked at it. That we want access to their history and it better not be cleared or there will be consequences. They know that the demons are out there. Anna, our 10 year old, being a little more naive, will need more firm guidelines. She can only go to sites that we say she can and others will need to be by permission only, like google images. We will put our computers in a walk through area as best we can be more aware of what is on the screen. Our kids have always known that if we walk through and they hit the minimize button, that's no good. And they know we're watching.

So, going with our gut... we just can't afford to be lazy in this area so we'll pay closer attention and have more conversations with our kids about where they're going on the net and go from there.

We're not "buck passers" and we certainly can't "fix the internet"! But we can pay attention. Parenting is a tough business and leaves no room for laziness or complacency in any area but must be balanced with love and trust.

Happy Mother's Day to ME!

2009-05-10T13:31:00.007-05:00

"Happy Mother's Day. I puked up my vitamins." bright-eyed with a hug at 7:00am.

"Happy Mother's Day. Hope you have a wonderful day!" read a note on my coffee cup with cream already measured in.

"Mamma, Happy Mother's Day!" with sleepy eyes and a hug at 8:30am. Precious!

"Happy Mother's Day!" with sleepy eyes and a hug at 11:30am. So sweet!

I also can't help but think of my precious girl in Kenya, Mercy. She's not my real daughter but God has placed her in my heart as if she was. She calls me her Texas mom.

I am blessed.

I love being a mom!

2009-05-09T09:01:00.013-05:00

Tommy thanks me all the time for being the mother of his children. I always tell him that it's one of my favorite "jobs." I love being a mom!! I always wanted to be a mom. I can remember being a young child and thinking about having my own babies someday. I didn't like playing with those fake babies. I liked the real ones. So I got three of the seven I once wanted. Thankfully, God does indeed know our limitations. I LOVE my three and they are an immeasurable blessing. I could not be more proud to be their mom.

This is one of my favorite pictures with my kids. It's from a couple of Christmas' ago.

Here's one of my favorites videos of a "true" mom. Just for fun!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhkymT0Af_0

Don't spend your Mother's Day cleaning. Go sit on the couch with your kids!

Question Of The Day

2009-05-08T15:56:00.004-05:00

Anna asks tons of questions every day. She's always been super curious about everything. I like that about her - most of the time.

Anna: Mom, what year were you born?
Mom: 1967
Anna: Wow, did you have air conditioning?
Mom: Yes. (And we had indoor plumbing too!)

I guess I'm old but I'm still cool, right?

Never peel a boiled egg again. Wow! Who knew???

2009-05-08T06:40:00.009-05:00

Ok, so there's a ton of stuff going on in our household right now but most of it relates to finishing up our school year or our move to Singapore in which I'm sure most people are tired of hearing about.

So.... I thought this was blog worthy and it's not related to Singapore in the least - except that I guess I might utilize this knowledge there, with a Singaporean egg.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y

Songs and Friends

2009-05-05T07:18:00.004-05:00

Two of my favorite things! Songs and friends. And two things of which I'm especially grateful for these days.

Jakeb and Anna are using this poem in their school work right now. I chose it because it's a beautiful poem and it applies to our lives right now.

The Arrow and the Song
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.

I breathed a song into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For who has sight so keen and strong,
That it can follow the flight of song?

Long, long afterward, in an oak,
I found the arrow, still unbroke;
And the song, from beginning to end,
I found again in the heart of a friend.

We'll miss you, Table!

2009-05-04T09:53:00.020-05:00

This is our table. Well, this was our table. It's been a great table but it was time for us to part and now someone else has it.

We got this table at Dingo's Furniture store in Freeport, Texas about 17 years ago. After having been married for about 3 years and when Tori was about 1 year old, it was our first major furniture purchase. It left our house this past Saturday morning to become a great table for another family.

If I've counted correctly, it has been moved with us 7 times. Isn't that the number of completion or something?

We've shared many a meal as a family and with friends around this table. We've called many "Stunz family meetings" to this table. A lot of homework has been done at this table over the years. A lot of tears have been shed at this table as well as a lot of laughter. It has staged a host of super cute birthday cakes and party foods for after dance parties and holidays. Oh, and we've played a ton of games with friends and family around this table where mostly girls won. Ok, maybe we tied......

Among many other things, it has also served as a craft project table and even had Tori's baby footprints etched into it from a project we did when she was a baby where the chemicals from the paint leaked through the fabric. Those footprints have long since worn off and we are left with only memories.

It is time for a new table to help us bring in this new chapter in our lives. Once we move to Singapore, we're hoping to purchase a new and grand dining table with some authentic Asian inspiration that will be a cherished addition for our family for years to come.

But for now, we have a fold out table and a few card table chairs. What an accurate picture of our transitional life right now.

Good-bye table. Parting is such sweet sorrow. You will be missed! (and replaced) :)

If you don't want swine flu...

2009-05-01T12:13:00.006-05:00

...refrain from doing this.

I've been silent about all of this craziness until now. I couldn't resist.

I am very sympathetic towards those who have been affected so don't get me wrong. I'm not poking fun of this serious issue. I just thought it would be good to share a sure fire way of not getting it just in case any of you were thinking of licking a pig.

I do what I can. You can thank me later.

So about this gum thing... UPDATE

2009-04-30T21:41:00.005-05:00

Ok, so I am now convicted (Thanks, Jenny. Of all people...) that we probably shouldn't be bringing gum into Singapore since it's "technically prohibited".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chewing_gum_ban_in_Singapore

I suppose it's true that we'd be sending our kids mixed signals and not setting a very godly example to them and others.

Stink..... So no gum will be brought into Singapore by the Stunz family. Unless we can figure out a way to claim is as necessary for "theraputic value". Okay, okay... I give! No gum.

This section of the wikipedia article was particularly interesting:

In the mid 1990s, Singapore’s forbidding laws began to receive intense international coverage and attention from civil rights activists. The U.S. media paid attention to the case of Michael P. Fay, the American teenager who was sentenced to caning in Singapore for vandalism (spray paint, not chewing gum). They also zeroed in on Singapore’s other peculiar laws, including the "mandatory flushing in public toilets" ruling. It was around this time that Singapore developed its "nanny state" image, where the movements of every citizen are constantly scrutinised and dictated by the government. A common joke is that Singapore is a "fine" country, a jibe at the large number of fines Singapore imposes for acts like jaywalking.
Singapore leaders responded by arguing that as a sovereign state, Singapore had the rights to formulate its own policies based on its own unique political and cultural values.[citation needed] Besides, they argued, these policies would result in greater overall benefits for the country. When a BBC reporter suggested that overly draconian laws would stifle the people's creativity, Lee Kuan Yew retorted: "If you can't think because you can't chew, try a banana."[3]

So about this gum thing...

2009-04-30T06:52:00.011-05:00

Tori, Anna and I love gum. Stride, wintergreen is our favorite. Jakeb and Tommy hardly ever chew gum so they couldn't care less. We have read and heard from various sources that Singapore is a pretty strict place in terms of cleanliness, among other things. We have to make a detailed listing of every video we're bringing in for their strict censorship laws.

One of the things we have read and heard is that gum is not allowed. I had told Anna early on that surely we can bring gum with us and chew it in our home. Undercover, if you will. Then I read on the governments' customs website that gum is strictly prohibited so not to even bring it in. Really???

If you know me, you know that I am completely willing to comply to rules. We're going to live in their country and we should abide by their rules. I'm totally fine with that but I just have a real hard time believing that chewing gum does not exist in a modern, civilized country. So, I emailed a trusted source, whose name I won't mention to protect her privacy, :) who lives in Singapore and she said that indeed, gum is there. It's true that you can't buy it there as stores are not allowed to sell it, but it's there. People buy it in other airports or on their trips back home or they go across the border on the weekends and bring it in. She said they all chew it but they just don't throw it on the ground or stick it under their bus seat. It's such a relief to know they're not going to catch you chewing and make you spit it out like your 3rd grade teacher and then haul you off to prison.

I decided to google "the truth about gum in Singapore" and this blog post came up. I laughed out loud. You have to go read it.

So, we're taking some gum, and we'll chew it in our home and dispose of our contraban before leaving the house. If we forget to spit it out, I guess we'll have to swallow it.

And the winner is......

2009-04-29T12:59:00.005-05:00

http://stunz.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-much-is-it.html

The total dollar amount for the change bucket was $87.87. This means that......

I WIN!!!!! I love winning!

I didn't cheat and they know it. This was a completely legitimate win. I posted the guesses before I even touched the coins to bag them. Anna went with me for the first bank run and Jakeb took the rest today.

Tommy was off by $65.40 and I was off by only $13.02.

So, after I take my $10 bucks, we have $77.87 leftover. Not sure what we'll do with it. Does the winner get to decide? I think so.

Children's Museum - Houston

2009-04-28T09:47:00.017-05:00

Anna reminded me that I never posted about our trip to the Children's Museum in Houston. The kids and I went a couple of weeks ago and I posted the pictures on my facebook and then sort of forgot about it. We did have a great time because after all, whether we're 41, 18, 16 or 10, we're still children!! The newly remodeled museum is incredible! We spent way too much time on the "educational" stuff and then we discovered the massive and incredible play area and wish we'd had more time. Seriously, though, when you go, don't go to the play area first because you'll never leave and you'll end up not even going to the educational stuff. And it's all good! Either plan more time overall or enjoy the educational stuff quickly and leave more time at the end for play. :)

We went on a Thursday and we timed it just right. Homeschooling and college hours afford us a flexible schedule so I wanted to arrive when all of the regular school field trips were leaving and before the free hours began at 5pm. (It's free after 5 on Thursday's and it's insane!) We got there around 1:30 and stayed until 4:30. It was not crowded at all because the school kids were gone and the other crazy people were all waiting until 5 to get in free. Definitely not worth fighting that crowd! It's only $7/person anyway and it was worth every penny!

How Much Is It????

2009-04-27T17:58:00.028-05:00

One of the things on our list of things to do before we move is to get rid of all of our coinage. We aren't going to put it in storage and it won't do us any good in Singapore so we might as well cash it in and go out to eat or something.

I took a change jar that I had in the kitchen and added my coin "collection" from my car to it and cashed it in the other day. It was a sandwich size ziploc full and ended up being almost $64! It did have alot of quarters in it, though. Tommy and I have bucket of coins that we've been collecting for almost our whole marriage. It's mostly only pennies and we don't put change in there every day so it's probably not much but we thought we'd have some family fun. We all put in our guess as to how much money we think it is and whoever gets the closest will win $10 of it and then we'll go out to dinner.

After taking out the Chinese and Canadian coins, a bullet of some sort, dry cleaners tags, pocket lint, strands of hair, 2 guitar picks, pecan hulls, a Mr. Gatti's game token!?!, and mood ring, yes a mood ring, and various other interesting pieces of junk, I'm going to take it in to the credit union over the next few days, a little at a time so I don't break their machine.

It's interesting how the guesses turned out. All of us but Tommy have changed our guesses a few times before this post. Tommy even had some people at work guessing. Tori spread all the coins out and they ended up in the shape of a rabbit. She googled the year of the rabbit and 1963 and 1951 came up, thus 63.51. She says rather competitively, "That, my friend, is Chinese, and it will win."

No one knew what anyone else guessed, until now.

Tommy - $153.27

Andrea - $74.85

Tori – $63.51

Jakeb – $61.37

Anna - $55.28

I'll post the results.

The First of the Lasts

2009-04-27T15:44:00.009-05:00

Anna is a part of the MP3 team in our Children's Ministry at church. They lead out in our children's worship time on Sunday mornings and have choreographed dance moves to help motivate other kiddos to participate and enjoy their worship time.

She's been a part of this group for well over a year, maybe even two, and LOVES it. Until now...

Yesterday was her last time to serve in MP3. It was a reminder to me that we are really beginning to experience our "lasts" before we go.

As I lamented about this with a friend in the hallway at church, after I went and took pictures of Anna "doin' her thang", this friend cheerfully reminded me that even though there are many "lasts" now, we'll get to experience a lot of exciting firsts very soon. Thanks for the perspective, Cindy S.!

Great job, Anna! Your dad and I are so proud of your passion to serve God and His Church and you do such a good job at it! It will be fun to find our places of service at a new church in Singapore.

Bottle Tree Park - Singapore

2009-04-26T14:30:00.011-05:00

Dedee and Jenny, I thought of you when I watched this. All of this food, except the mushrooms, looks yummy to me but I promise we'll find some normal food for you when you come! There's always McDonald's and Starbucks. We also hear there's a BBQ place with red and white checked tablecloths and everything!

This is a place that I found from one of the Singapore blogs I read. The park is called Bottle Tree Park and I'm pretty sure we'll end up visiting there. I wonder if we'll ever be able to understand what they are saying in this video? Chopsticks and strange food, here we come!!

Brain Mush

2009-04-25T05:05:00.003-05:00

We've made a lot of decisions related to the move this week and thought through a lot of stuff. Throw in a couple of allergy ridden kids and homeschool and our brains are mush. I've got a few blog posts formulating but haven't had time to sit and really polish them up.

So, as anxious as you are to read post after post on the Stunz family blog, you'll just have to wait.

Hope you have a great weekend and get to do something fun!! We will be turning our "home" into a "house" this weekend. The moving chaos begins as we clean out our offsite storage unit, move our piano to my mom's house and begin turning our rooms into onsite storage units.

Oh My!!! Mexican Cheesecake

2009-04-20T07:59:00.008-05:00

CHECK THIS OUT!!!

It's gorgeous and delicious!! And sure to bring some "oohs" and "aahs" wherever you take it. It's one big, yummy, gluttonous cheese fest!

I got the recipe from an incredible baker/friend, Erin M., probably 5 or 6 years ago. I've made it once before for Thanksgiving about 4 years ago and have been wanting to make it again for the last several months. I finally did. Yum!!!

Mexican Cheesecake

2 cups crushed Tortilla chips
2 T melted butter
Put in bottom of 9” spring form pan and
bake at 350 for 15 minutes

1 C Cottage Cheese
2 ½ C shredded cheese
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chiles (drained)
24 oz. Cream cheese (softened)
4 eggs
¾ C Chopped Jalapenos (can use fresh for hot or mild in a can – can add a little juice)
In mixer, combine above ingredients, add to crust and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350.

1 8 oz. Sour Cream
1 Container (8 oz.) jalapeno cheddar cheese sauce (it’s hard to find this sauce so you can use cheese whiz mixed with some of your leftover jalapeno’s or queso dip in a jar. I used the queso dip and it was great. I had a little leftover for the garnish as described below.)
Mix together and top the cheesecake. Bake another 15 minutes.

Leave cheesecake in oven while oven cools to make sure it’s done.

Store in fridge overnight or for several hours to chill and then top with:

Knife around the pan to loosen the cheesecake and then release it from the pan. Put in on your serving dish and spread a little of your cheese dip if you have some left over the top to help the garnish stick.

Outer circle – chopped green onions
Middle circle – chopped tomatoes
Inner circle – diced black olives

Can top with a fresh jalapeno or a few of your sliced jalapeno’s.

Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!

Homeschool Update

2009-04-20T05:38:00.006-05:00

We're pushing through our school work pretty hard these days. The kids are not enjoying it much but come the first or second week of May when they are finished with everything early and get to go to the Rec Center or play Wii whenever, I think they will thank me. For the most part, we'll finish all but one or maybe two subjects by the end of April. and then the rest by the second week of May. Jakeb has already completed Algebra 2 and is taking Geometry. It might take him a bit longer to finish that. Tori will be finished with her college semester on May 5th!! Yippee!!! She, too, has done so well this semester, juggling 17 hours in her first semester and working at Kohl's. She's amazing!

Jakeb has already completed a few areas of his English and he takes his last Chemistry test today. WOW! Anna is only two weeks away from finishing History and Science and has also already finished a few areas of her Language course. We switched gears with Anna's Math in February starting over with a brand new curriculum and will finish a year's worth of Math by the first week of May. Double WOW!! There's light at the end of the tunnel.

I have absolutely no regrets about homeschooling this year but it has been a major undertaking with everything else we've had going on. It wouldn't have been easy anyway and anyone that thinks homeschooling is a breeze seriously needs to think again. Without having Tommy's support and help, I don't know if I could have survived. Tori also helped me a lot with Jakeb's curriculum planning and bouncing off ideas.

It's been worth it, though. My kids have learned well and we've had lots of time together. We have field tripped together, laughed together, cried together, thrown fits together, and then laughed some more, and just learned a lot about each other and ourselves together.

We wont' be homeschooling in Singapore. Homeschooling was definitely one of our options but we really felt like being a part of a school would give the kids the necessary social interaction and keep us from being so secluded. We wanted the kids to be able to make friends and being in a school will be a good outlet for me to use my gifts and talents in volunteering. They will be going to an International school and making friends from all over the world like I did when I was a kid in an International school in Brazil. I'm really pretty pumped about that. My best friend in Brazil was from Japan. Their world as they know it and the direction of their future is about to take a wonderfully drastic turn for the good.

So the next few weeks, we're busy with school. Finishing up. Catching up (lots of grading for me to do). Packing up. Closing up the Stunz School. All in all, it's bittersweet.

"We Don't Have To Make Our Beds Today" Day is HERE!!!

2009-04-19T06:15:00.007-05:00

(That's Kim, our realtor/friend. Thanks, Kim!)

YES!!!

We still have to get through to closing on the 30th but the "SOLD" sign gets us a little closer to hearing the perverbial fat lady singing. I hope she breaks the glass on this one.

Honestly, we haven't made our beds for a couple of days now cause we've just been too busy to care but now, I really don't care. Oh, except for Tuesday when the appraiser comes. But after that, I REALLY don't care.

In a previous post, I said we'd celebrate this joyous occasion. Today, we celebrate. Not sure how, but we will. Any ideas?

If you could see our calendar!

2009-04-18T07:29:00.012-05:00

If you could see our calendar it would make your head spin. It does mine. When I hit that airplane seat I think I'll leave skid marks on the floor.

We leave for Singapore on June 17th, that's only 60 days from today, and our calendar is quickly filling up. Dinners and lunches with friends and family, appointments to take care of things, etc. Our google calendar stays up all the time on my computer. Oh, how I love my google calendar!!! We cannot make any plans without referring to it first. Everything has to be on the calendar. That's just our life these days. We have managed to reserve two weekends between now and June 17th when we will plan nothing if at all possible. They won't stay empty, there will be things to do on those weekends but we'll have them open to do whatever needs to be done or whatever we want to do if that should be the case. Every other weekend and most week days are jam packed!

Tommy and I went on a date last night. We haven't seen much of each other this whole week. He leaves for work at around 5am and gets home around 7pm. I had to cancel something with friends to make the date happen but they understood and it was much needed time together. Our dates these days consist of eating out, last night we had Mexican food, getting a tea or coffee at the local coffee shop, updating our calendar and our shopping list for Singapore items and our "to do" list of things we need to remember to take care of before we go. Last night we just sat in silence for a little while. Expressing a thought here and there but just sat. In the same space. At the same time. Nice..... Then we went grocery shopping! Fun, fun, fun. But, it was time away and time together.

Jakeb and Tommy left for the Gator Gallop, a local 5k race that Jakeb really wants to win. I've already baked 6 dozen cookies and put a pot of charro beans on for dinner and it's just 7:30am. Today also consists of a wedding shower, a lunch in Houston with the group that Tommy works with and their families who are all going to Singapore. We had to say no to some things today just to keep the time for this carved out. Then we'll come back for dinner and games with friends. Oh, and I'll need to finish up some school work with Anna on the drive to Houston.

I know I said in a previous post that time with family and friends is valued and a super high priority, and it definitely is! But there are things that just have to get taken care of and cut into our days and time for things we'd rather be doing like hanging out with you. If for some reason we don't meet your expectations of spending enough time with you, which I'm sure will be the case at some point, please accept our apologies and cut us some slack. We're trying. There's so much to do and we're really not lazy people so I hope you understand that we're doing the best we can. There's just so much to do. Oh, sorry, I already said that....

So, in trying to find balance and some peace and perspective in the chaos, I write this post. I'm not whining, I promise! We are busy, we're trying to live in the here and now while planning for the then and there. We are trying to "not sweat the small stuff", keep a positive and healthy attitude and a right relationship with God and each other (that's the key to making all of this work). Stepping back a bit and looking at the big picture, it's all very exciting and we're very grateful for the journey. We love that we're being given this opportunity and honored that we get to go and that the company Tommy works for would deem us worthy of the investment.

Speaking of calendars..... When are you coming to see us in Singapore? That's one calendar item I'd be delighted to add. Oh, and go get your passport! :)

Girl's Day!

2009-04-16T05:54:00.007-05:00

This past Saturday, we surprised my sister, Gwen, for her 40th birthday. Yep, now she's finally old like the rest of us. Well, almost. Her birthday is not until May so we really did surprise her by celebrating in April.

I spent an awesome day of shopping and eating good food with my three sisters and my mom. And then we met the whole family for a murder mystery dinner theater that evening. Family time and friend time is super precious to me right now. I don't know, something about moving across the ocean for a couple of years makes you take notice of what really matters. It's kind of almost like what it must feel like if you knew you only had 2 months to live. Not really, but kind of.

Anyhoo..... Very rarely do all five of us get to be together at the same time. It was a great day and I am so grateful to have had this time with them and to have this photo of us together. This will be one I will frame and take with me. Not to the grave, just to Singapore. :)

I heart my sisters and my mom!

House/Move Update

2009-04-15T05:49:00.012-05:00

Warning: This post may bore you so feel free to skim or skip. Just don't be offended if you ask me about something that I've written and I tell you to go read the blog. :) I've said before that part of the purpose of this blog is for me to journal. This post is written partly with that in mind. So this move and process will be documented for future reference.

Just wanted to let you all know that the inspections are all done on the house and nothing major was found that would delay closing. Negotiations are all done as well. That's a big relief! We should have a "SOLD" sign in our front yard soon.

The buyers of our house are a sweet young couple who will most likely be starting their family here. This has been a great family home since 1965, one where the children have all been tucked into bed and prayed with at night, played hard and enjoyed growing up here, and we're glad that it will continue on as such. They will be the 4th owners of this home since 1965. I think that's pretty incredible that a 44 year old house has only had 4 owners.

We prayed for someone to buy our house who would be good neighbors to our neighbors and we feel they will be. We have loved living here and we LOVE our neighbors and it will be hard to leave them. Along with our other friends and family, of course!

Unless something major happens, we are on for closing for April 30th and we'll rent back and stay in the house until May 28th. The movers will probably come on the 27th. What fun that will be! Ugghhh...

We have alot to do between now and then. Still alot of sorting to be done and getting rid of. What stays, what goes??? If it stays, where does it go? Storage? Trash? Someone elses house? If storage, then which one, ours or Tori's so she can get to it while she's here at college? An agent from the moving company is coming next Wednesday to help us get a better idea of how much can fit in a 20ft sea container and what to put in the 500lb air shipment. This will help us decide what to take and not to take.

We also have to find a home for our dog, move a piano, sell a car, empty out the attic (major yuck!), move out of our current storage building, get International Driver's licenses, purchase the other things we need to buy here that either aren't available in Singapore or will be 3x the price, finish figuring out how the global banking process works and how we set up Tori for banking here, make contacts for change of address and utility disconnects, complete our Will and Power of Attorney paperwork, spend as much time with our friends and family as we can. I'm sure there's more, in fact I know there's more but this list just exhausts me and probably bores you so I'm not putting anymore down.

Then, after all that is done, on May 27th or 28th, we will move in with my Mom & Dad until June 13th - taking over their camper and a couple of beds inside their house. Hopefully, those two weeks will be relaxed and we can just play with our friends and family. Hopefully..... If you are local, and you are related to us or consider yourself to be one of our friends, ask me about June 9th the next time you see me in person.

On June 13th our family of 5 will head to Dallas, probably in a Uhaul truck, to stay with my sister for a few days. I wish we could drive to the airport in the Uhaul. That would just be hilarious to me and would probably embarass the kids to no end. Can you imagine the looks on people faces when we start hopping out of a Uhaul and unloading our luggage??? Makes me laugh just thinking about it. We'll have already sold our Camry, we hope, and there's no way in the world we'd have a vehicle big enough to carry our bazillion suitcases. Picture 5 people each with three oversized suitcases and our carry on and backpacks! Well, Tori will only have two but still... that's 14 large suitcases and 5 carry-ons and backpacks.

We'll attend Tori's college orientation at UNT on Monday and Tuesday. Our plane leaves from Dallas on June 17th at 7am and Tori's will leave at 10am. The company flies us differently since Tori is not actually relocating there. It's a bummer.... but she's okay with it. We'll actually end up in Tokyo at about the same time and then in Singapore within about 30 minutes of each other. Tori will be on Dramamine the whole time so she won't even miss us.

If you made it this far, I'm impressed! You are a true friend!! Thank you for all of your prayers so far and please keep praying that things with the house and the move go smoothly from here on out. You'll be seeing pictures of Singapore before you know it.

My countdown clock says we leave 63 days from today!! We've been waiting for this since last May. It really is strange to think we'll be residents in a foreign country in just two months. That makes my head spin. If you see me and my head is spinning, please make it stop.

Easter Family Fun

2009-04-11T05:50:00.010-05:00

We had some fun last night coloring eggs and making Easter cake balls. Some of my family came over to dye eggs and decorate cake balls. I don't think Bakerella would be to proud of us but we had fun. They really are hard to make, she even says so herself. I'm definitely taking this baking idea to Singapore with me. They are just such a cute holiday or birthday treat. Sure to be a hit! Thanks, Ashley D. and Cyndi R. for introducing us to these yummy little goodies.

What were supposed to be cute little chicks turned into slimey green monsters. I'm not sure that is Easter appropriate but, oh well.....

Nifty 50!

2009-04-09T07:59:00.007-05:00

Anna has been learning the 50 United States and their capitols. Tori and Jakeb keep going around the house singing this song from their elementary school days. They still remember it so I figured it must be a good one and that Anna should learn it so they could all three sing in unison or in a round or something. Yes, we're dorks.

You, of course, have to add "Texas" in the spot at the end. Of course!!

Can you name all of the US states? Their capitols? Bonus points if you can name the states in Singapore. Rhetorical question, btw. If you named all of the states in a comment to this post I'd totally accuse you of cheating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivpUBvOeD1s

Confessions of a Rebellious Bed-Maker

2009-04-08T05:58:00.012-05:00

Yep, that's my bed. And it's made.

I'm pretty OCD about alot of things in my home but making my bed is NOT one of them. I've never been a fan of bed making and I'm pretty sure I never will and my kids probably won't be either. They're not now, anyway. :)

I am happy to pull the covers up and tidy it up but it does not need to be completely made. This is weird for me because I very much like for things to be in their place and in order. Maybe this is my area of rebellion that keeps me sane. Nah.....

If you come to my house on any normal day, you will probably find it fairly tidy and clean but my bed will almost always be unmade. And I don't make the kids make theirs either. I think it makes them love me more. It may even balances out some of my other nazi-style housekeeping issues.

We've all been making our beds since the beginning of February when we put our house on the market in preparation for our pending move to Singapore in June. It's just been a necessary evil in my opinion. It really messes up naptime too. Who wants to make their bed twice in one day???? Good grief!

So, as of today, we've made our beds for approximately 67 days in a row. I think that's enough for a while. The house is under contract and the inspector comes today. Hopefully, we'll be done with bed-making soon.

I guess I could be a good mom and say that since we're in the habit now we should just continue to make our beds because it looks good and we feel better about ourselves and have a better day when things are in order. You know, like when you dress up or take a shower. Instead, I say this almost daily along with the kids, "When will this be over???????".

The countdown is on for the "We Don't Have To Make Our Beds Today" day and I think I will plan a celebration.

Good NEWS Friday!

2009-04-06T05:44:00.012-05:00

This post has nothing to do with the religious Good Friday - just thought I'd be upfront so you wouldn't be disappointed if that's what you were looking for. Although we do have some good things planned for Good Friday. Stay tuned.....

This post has everything to do with good news for our family and it just so happens to have happened on a Friday.

Last Friday Tori and Jakeb and I went to the company clinic to get them more shots for their Kenya trip. Jakeb ended up getting two more and we have to go back for the other one they needed because it was a series and the second dose would have had to happen on Good Friday and they're closed. None of that is part of the good news. Just sort of sets up the story. Oh! Except that we did get to eat really good Indian food for lunch with Tommy! That was a good part!!

Anyway... we then went for Jakeb's scoliosis check. This is the first bit of good news and to me, the best! His curves are still in the low to mid 30's, so as of now, no surgery or treatment is looming over our heads. He has a little bit of growing left. The dark spot in the lower left corner is his growth plate. You can see how much he's grown just since October. So we have to get xrays in Singapore in six months and get them to our dr. here for review and then we'll go from there. If Jakeb's curves stay as they are, nothing will be required and he will be fine. He'll have the same chance for back pain as anyone else with a straight spine does and the curves will not affect his internal organs. This was better than good news!!! I took a picture of his xrays on the computer screen while the dr. was out of the room. Sooo sneaky....

The image on the left is the new one and the one on the right is from October.

While we waited to see the dr., my cell phone rang and it was our realtor. We got an acceptable offer on our house after some lengthy and kind of strange negotiations. We went down on the price more than we'd have liked to but from the beginning, we'd hoped to be able to share this house with a young family and for it to be a blessing to them and even though we are getting less than we wanted, the blessing for us is that we get to close before we leave the country. So we signed the contract yesterday and now it's time for inspections and all that fun stuff. Hopefully that will all be good news too! It's not over yet... but we feel pretty good about it. We're scheduled to close on April 30th and then will rent back from the new owners and be out by May 28th.

The movers should come the last week in May and then we'll be homeless for about two weeks until we leave for Dallas and then out to Singapore on June 17th.

Which brings me to my next bit of good news... Tommy got our tickets to Singapore on Friday. So it's officially offical. Now that a boat load of money has been spent (company money), we are finally feeling like we're really going. Not that we haven't known that before but there was always this "what if" cloud hanging over our head. Now we have the sorting and packing cloud hanging over our head.

Even more good news is that I bought a ton of Bath & Body goodies and saved around $80. But that was on Saturday and doesn't really count for this post but I wanted to share. Bath and Body stuff just makes me happy!

If you are curious about our family's scoliosis history, you can read this post.

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

2009-04-02T06:39:00.019-05:00

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...you have 5 or more lists going at the same time.

...you've lost one or two of those lists.

...you've struck gold when you find one of those lost lists.

...you get excited when you find just the right size box!

...your brain just automatically shuts down at random times and there's not a darn thing you can do about it.

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...you'd rather give it away than pack it.

...when you're glad that something breaks - it's one less thing to pack.

...you hold on to memories for dear life!

...you hold on to your family times and traditions for dear life!

...you hold on to your friendships for dear life!

...tears are often uncontrollable.

...get super excited about an email in your inbox from someone who has lived in the country you are moving to or who is moving there now are.

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...the family meetings that once happened maybe monthly are being called once or twice a week.

...you eat at your favorite restaurants like they're going out of business.

...you make your family eat all that random stuff you've had in your pantry forever so it can get cleaned out.

...when it seems that you spend the bulk of your days at doctors offices, dentists and ortho's to get things caught up and taken care of.

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...you buy 10 tubes of toothpaste, 12 deodorant sticks, 4 packs of underwear per person, 4 new pairs of shoes, 4 tubes of your favorite lip gloss and mascara, etc. etc. etc.

...you buy extra pairs of pants for your husbands long legs and size 11 ½ shoes because in Asia they don’t exist and if they did they would call them SUPERSIZED.

...you not only know why you need a 220/110 VAC step-down transformer but understand what the salesman from India is talking about.

...you have read the specs on all of your appliances and electronic equipment and know how many watts each of them uses.

...when minor depression sets in because you can't take your Kitchen Aid, indoor electric grill and Nespresso machine. Sooo sad.....

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...the only way you can have an intelligent conversation is when you have a spreadsheet open.

...you lose all dignity and put on a clown costume and stand in the street waving a sign that says “House for Sale – Come in and See!!” as cars drive by.

...you have memorized the baggage requirements and weight limits for all major airlines. Not to mention when all of their flights leave to your destination.

...you know the inside dimensions of a 20’ sea container and have diagrammed out exactly what pieces of your furniture will fit.

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...when you're walking through the house, stop dead in your tracks and realize you have no idea where you were going only to remember that, "oh yea, i was looking for that darn list!".

You know you're moving to a foreign country when...

...you and your husband make a list like this and post it on your blog!

Yes, I believe we're officially crazy now. :)

Singapore - Tommy's perspective ...

2009-04-01T09:47:00.002-05:00

Last year at this time Andrea and I were praying about taking a job that had the possibility of sending us to Singapore. We told the kids about it from the very beginning and asked them to pray with us. We accepted the job and for a whole long year the Stunz family has wondered if the potential of a thing would become the thing itself.

In the past year I have busied myself worrying – at times. Worrying whether the economy would mess things up and we would live in Lake Jackson forever. Worrying whether the projects I have done in the interim would keep me from going to the project I really wanted to be on – the one that would take us to Singapore.

I’ve worried about how to pay for everything. I have worried about moving to a country where we will live for approximately two years and us hating it. I have worried that we had to pass physicals and “what if we are not healthy enough?”

But you know what? Every time I have started worrying I could not worry for long because God has shown me in some way or another that He is in control and not me and that if I will just chill he would handle everything.

It is amazing how all of the timing has worked out – not always as fast as I’d like – but just right. The path we have taken in the last year is one I could not have predicted. It has had turns that were unexpected and seemed to be taking us away from the goal but each time they have worked out for the best.

As I think about what is still left to do in the next couple of months it can be a bit overwhelming. There are a hundred million decisions to be made and I don’t want to mess any of them up. But if … no … when I do make a poor decision (I am sure I already have) we will still be okay.

We have a house to sell and it would be nice if it sold before we went to Singapore. So I start asking myself, “should I give it away to anyone with cash just to be done with it?” But then I sit down and work the numbers and if the house doesn’t sell we are okay. Will it be a pain to close on a house while we are in Singapore? Yes, but we have made provision for that to happen. If we still own a house in Lake Jackson when we step on a plane bound for Singapore we will more than survive.

Our schedule is packed and Andrea and I have worked hard not to fill every second before we leave with something else. Deciding how to spend our time is sometimes harder than deciding how to spend our money.

I write this stuff not so anyone would feel sorry for us. We chose to move to Singapore and I am more than happy to put in the work it takes to see it happen. I believe the rewards far outweigh the risk and the work required to realize them. What is comforting is that it is not just on Andrea and me and the kids to make this happen.

This year has been a good lesson for me about worry. Although you would think I would have learned that lesson by now.

Fear is a poor chisel to carve out tomorrow. – Andy Andrews The Traveler’s Gift

Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
- Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)

Daraja Children's Choir of Africa Tour 2009

2009-03-31T14:44:00.006-05:00

click here to donate: http://store.410bridge.org/store/page3.html

If you follow our blog, you know that the Daraja Children's Choir is extremely close to our family's heart. Tori got to visit some of them last year at their home in Kenya and then we were blessed beyond measure to host 3 of the girls, Rahab, Mercy and Gladys, and the tour coordinator, Christi, in our home last October. See the side bar to find out more about how Mercy has been forever connected to our family.

So, I wanted to give you the opportunity to help the choir on their upcoming tour. Each year, the choir children arrive in America with pretty much only the clothes on their bodies. They need everything from swim suits to toothbrushes, from socks to suitcases. We can help them by purchasing the clothes and supplies they need with a little bit of our cash and the click of a button.

They will be blessed and you will be blessed as well!

BTW - if you live in our area, they are scheduled to be back at our church at the beginning of August. We'll be in Singapore so if you go, enjoy it for me, please!

"You're sitting in a chair in the sky!!!"

2009-03-30T07:01:00.008-05:00

I thought it would be a good day for a video. Here's a good one about the spoiled generation we live in.

Go watch it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoGYx35ypus

Fun With Friends

2009-03-26T11:47:00.013-05:00

So, what do you do at your small group bible studies??? :)

Shot Day

2009-03-25T17:08:00.010-05:00

This was the only picture I got. Due to lack of caffeine and nutrition, no one was in the mood to have their picture taken while being punctured with a needle.

Today we went to get our physicals and shots for our move to Singapore. We got to go to the company's health center which was awesome! Mostly because it was free! They told us to fast for 10 hours for blood work and stuff so we did. I was dying from lack of coffee! I had such a hard time driving the hour+ it took us to get there, not to mention that we left at 6:30am. Of course, we had to get up earlier than normal cause the house had to be show ready in case we got a call. It stinks to have a house for sale! The kids were dying from lack of food! THEN, they didn't even take bloodwork so we fasted for nothing!!! And on top of that, no one called to see the house.

Jakeb and Anna each got one shot, I got three, Tommy got none. Lucky dog. I have one more in a month and two more in six months after we get there. Jakeb will go back next Friday to get his other shots he needs for his Kenya trip this summer. Since those are for personal travel, it won't be free but it will only cost us a $10 copay. I love that place. Tommy's company is very good to their employees.

We were done at the health center at about 10:25 and went to find a place to eat. Nothing around there opened for lunch until 11 so that was the longest 35 minutes ever! Chipotle and diet coke never tasted so good. I'm sure everyone in the restaurant thought we hadn't eaten for days. They might as well have given me a shovel instead of a fork. I don't even remember looking up.

Singapore Update March 2009

2009-03-24T06:45:00.008-05:00

Plans are well underway for our move across the ocean in June. We’ve been thinking, dreaming and planning about this for almost a year now. It’s all becoming a reality. We’ve had our long list of things to do and buy before we leave and now we are at the place where things are finally getting checked off. The list, however, continues to grow like a bad weed.

The school issue is settled. We’ll have things to purchase and do once we’re there like placement tests, purchase uniform (the kids are real excited about that) and buy Jakeb a Macbook. This is required for high schoolers. That offsets the uniform issues for Jakeb! Getting school taken care of was a huge relief.

We’ve found a realtor there and have been communicating with her via email. We think we’ll like working with her. The economy is being affected there too so many expats are having to leave so we shouldn’t have a problem finding something, it’s just a matter of location.

We’d love to sell our house here. We’ve had a few bites but no real offers. One offer came in but you couldn’t call it real at all. We’re selling our house, not giving it away! We know that God wants us to go so He’ll do the right thing with our house we just hope we notice what that right thing is and that it happens fast.

We’ve also been packing up stuff that’s not going with us, finding homes for a few things we won’t need to keep but don’t want to store, getting Tori ready for college and figuring out exactly what is necessary to take with us. Like my dishes. I love my dishes but I don’t want them to get tossed into the ocean and I think they may be too big for the cabinets there so do I take them or just buy some there. Do I take my Kitchen Aid or will it blow up if I try to use it even with a transformer? How much deodorant and medicine should we take/can we take? We hear the deodorant there is not as good (which makes me wonder if everyone smells bad) so we need to take our own among other things that aren’t readily available or are just super expensive. These are the types of things we think through on a daily basis.

Larger sized clothing and shoes are not available there so we’re stocking up on running shoes for the guys and pants and jeans, etc. It’s just money, right??? We’re also buying some things that will get us through the first few months, like make up, toiletries, etc. This will give us time to find out what’s there and make it a smoother transition.

We’ve also been gathering copies of all of our medical records, making all the dr. appointments we will need to get everything in check for about a year.

I think what I’m finding most difficult right now is balancing all that there is to do with keeping my family together, doing things that the we want to do before we go (we call it our Singapore bucket list), getting enough rest, spending the time we need to/want to with friends and family and keeping some margin. If we have disappointed you, it was completely unintentional and if/when we do, it is still unintentional. Please give us grace and understanding as we walk through this unchartered territory. We’re trying…

In all of our correspondence with those who are there and those who have been, someone ended their email to me by saying, “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.” This is not easy by any stretch of the imagination but we know it’s what we’re supposed to do and we are super excited about this adventure God is blessing us with. So I hope this didn’t sound like I was whining. I’m definitely not whining. This is exciting to us! My goal was to just post an update on where we’re at.

Tomorrow, we go to get physicals and shots. That will not be exciting at all…

The passenger seat is empty...

2009-03-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

The passenger seat is empty... Jakeb got his REAL driver's license today. What a bag of mixed emotions.

Congratulations, Jakeb! God is watching you. :)

Space Center Houston

2009-03-20T06:39:00.022-05:00

We had a super fun time at Space Center yesterday. Anna, Jenny, Jackson and I spent the day wandering, watching, playing, touching everything germy, shopping, eating and visiting. I remember going there several years ago when Anna was little. And I watched parents with all of these little kids trying to keep track of them and keep them happy. They could have spent much less money and gone to Chicfila or McDonald's for the play area and the kid wouldn't have known the difference. I treasure those years but I don't miss that craziness. Parents with little kids in Space Center can get rather cranky.

Here are a few snapshots of the day. Jenny has some good ones on her blog. I've included a couple of video clips too of the dive show. Not sure what the diving has to do with Space Center but it was enjoyable. I took my new little camera and I guess I didn't realize that you couldn't video sideways. Death defying dives and gravity defying as well as it would appear.

Anna in the flight simulator. She and Jackson had fun crashing their planes on purpose. Hope they never become real pilots.

Jackson took this one of Anna. Not bad!

"hmmm... no matter that I'm responsible for the people who are in orbit. i wonder what i should have for lunch?"

Watching the dive show.

I think the sideways video's are funny.

Wanna get away?

2009-03-18T17:43:00.013-05:00

I did. More like I needed to get away. So I did and I'm grateful that things worked out so I could.

Before this school year started, I didn't really find it difficult to grab some "me" time here and there. Even though I worked, the kids were in public school so I could usually find a few hours here and there to just be me. Now, with homeschooling and the kids being home 24/7, cleaning alot since the kids are home 24/7, planning an overseas move, selling a house, cleaning alot since the house is for sale, and normal wife and mom routine, there is very little time for me. I very rarely get to leisurely shop, not even for groceries, read, or even think about things that aren't on my list. I know, somebody call a "waaaah"mbulance...

When we started home schooling I was a little disillusioned to think that I'd get to leave once or twice a week for a coffee break with friends but that has maybe happened two or three times. I thought I'd get to go to the gym or go for a walk alone, read a book, or focus on my health. It's not like I'm a prisoner or anything, it's just that if I want things to run smooth around here, "me" time and God time gets pushed to the back burner and it's just not easy to make those things happen. Plus, I'm just plum tuckered out by the time the necessities of the day get done. Life is just going at a furiously crazy pace these days and it's often hard to organize the priorities.

So, I got away. For a few days. To Georgia. I lived a couple of days in the life of the Bennett family and enjoyed every minute of it. We joked about me being on a decision making vacation. It was funny that things kept happening in their home that I thought would make a good blog post, only it wasn't my family :) It was nice not to have to figure out what's for dinner. I slept, I read, I sat, I watched the rain, I watched kids cartoons, I visited with my friend, shared stories and caught up. I just was. And it was nice.

I'm glad to be home. I love being with my family more than with someone else's family. (No offense, Suzanne.) When I missed my kids, kissing someone else's kids on the forehead helped. It wasn't the same, but it helped. I certainly didn't try it but I'm pretty sure it doesn't work that way with husbands. :)

It was good to hug my grown up girl at the airport when she picked me up. It was good to sleep in my bed. It was good to kiss my kids on the forehead and my husband on the lips. (My kids are grossing out now if they're reading this.) I love being in my home. There's nothing better than being home but sometimes it takes getting away to remind me of that.

It's okay to "wanna get away". I'd venture to say it's necessary to get away, at least it is for me. Getting away makes me want to come back.

Now, I'm going to fold laundry and make my bed and probably scrub a toilet or two. For today, I'm thankful that I'm home and it's a privilege. It'll probably wear off in a couple of weeks. :)

Thanks, Suzanne (and family)! I love you guys!!

Suzanne's 4 yr. old took this! A little crooked but not bad...

Happy 16th Birthday, Jakeb!!

2009-03-18T09:01:00.015-05:00

www.jhintze.com

Wow! I can't believe our son is 16! I can't believe we'll have another driver! I can't believe how blessed we are to be his parents!

What an incredible young man you're becoming. What an incredible musician you are. What a great student you are, dedicated to God, hard worker, friend, brother, and let's not forget how much fun you are to be around. You've always kept us laughing.

Happy Birthday, Jakeb! Please drive safely and don't do anything that would make your mother worry! That's the question you need to ask yourself from now on, "Is this going to make my mother worry?". Yep, that's it. (Ok, I guess you should ask if it honors God first, I'm sure that's more important.)

We love you, Jakeb!!

Bayou City Classic 2009

2009-03-17T19:00:00.015-05:00

Tommy, Tori, my sister, Gwen, and I walked/ran this fun, early, freezing cold and windy 10K this past Saturday. Jakeb was signed up for it but ended up with a better offer to go camping with a friend. It's the fourth time to do this race for me and probably the last for a few years. It's my favorite race and I finished it with a sense of pride and sadness. My right foot is injured so I hurt but weighing the pros and cons, I knew I couldn't bail. I also got to walk with Gwen on her first BCC and with Tori, my daughter, which is always a fulfilling experience.

Enjoy the pics! And maybe one of you might consider doing this race next year so I can live vicariously through you. :)

Tommy was sharing his tunes with Tori. Some banjo folk song with Chinese words. Yep, he's weird!

Yes, belly dancers! They are there every year. That alone should make you want to sign up.

I'm sure Tommy hates that I'm putting this one up but oh well. He should have posted first and I took the pictures so.... Isn't there a song about men in tights?

I think every Honda owner should put mirrors all over their car.

Blog Vacation

2009-03-16T08:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I know all 12 of you readers are anxiously awaiting what's next on the Stunz blog!! Sorry to disappoint you but I got nothin'. Mostly just cause I'm out of town and can't post the pictures that I want to of the Bayou City Classic we did last Saturday and also because I'm pretty sure those other family contributors aren't going to post anything either. :)

So we're on a little mini blog vacation. Be back in a few days.

Bella-Full Dog Treats - Pay Day!

2009-03-12T09:11:00.009-05:00

The final payments for Jakeb and Tori's Kenya trip were due this week so Anna decided to hand over the money she's raised for them selling her Bella-Full homemade dog treats. She was able to give them each $99.50!! Way cool!!! I'm so proud of her for her heart, her generosity, her time and effort, her love for her big bro and sis and desire to help them fulfill their passion and her mean cooking skills. It has been a great experience for us all.

Anna wants to continue to make them for local family and friends if anyone wants some. She plans to take her supplies with us to Singapore and see if there's a market for them there with our new "family" and friends. We hear there are a lot of spoiled pooches there too. The money she makes will just go into her savings account. Probably for one of those Cavalier King Charles Spaniels when we get back to the U.S. :)

Texas Independance Relay 2009 Photos

2009-03-09T18:41:00.005-05:00

Photos as promised. Check out Jakeb's blog or Tommy's blog to hear what they had to say about it.

If you're reading this on my facebook, you'll have to go to the blog to watch the picture video.

Texas Independance Relay 2009

2009-03-07T07:39:00.018-06:00

Tommy and Jakeb left at about 3am to head to Gonzales, Texas where they will be running the Texas Independence Relay. It's a relay run from Gonzales to the San Jacinto monument. 203.20 miles total. The team starts the race together and finishes the last bit of it together. They'll finish on Sunday, late afternoon.

Jakeb and Tommy will each run 4 legs of the race and each leg is about 4 miles or so and at all hours of the day and night. The team of 11 (suppposed to have been 12) travels in three vans. They'll put their sweaty running clothes in a ziploc and wash off with wet wipes. Nice, huh??? They do get a brief stop at a hotel for about an hour or two nap and a shower.

Here's a link to the race updates if you want to follow. It's race specific, not team specific, but we might see an occasional picture or two of someone on their team. Their team name is The Battling Bloggers of the Texas Republic. Here's a fun interactive race map.

Tommy is running legs 9, 20, 26 & 40

Jakeb is running legs 8, 19, 29 & 38

Tommy did this last year but this will be Jakeb's first time to do a relay race. He had no trouble getting out of bed at 2 something this morning. Pray for their sense of reason to be in full working capacity (this is something I often worry about with the two boys), for their safety and health and for them to have a really good time! I think the last thing I told Tommy this morning when he was leaving was to not do anything that would give me a reason to worry. :) Like sleeping in an open field with wild animals. Yes, he did that last year.

I sent the camera with them. I hope to be able to put some pictures up on Monday.

2009 Birthday Post

2009-03-05T08:09:00.010-06:00

All three of our kids have birthdays very close together. On top of that, they are right after Christmas! We didn't plan that very well.....

We had a great time this past weekend celebrating and relaxing at the beach. It was cold and we hadn't planned on that but it was still better than being at home. Plus the heater worked in the beach house, you have to jiggle wires to make ours work. We've spent a small fortune trying to figure out what is wrong with it over the last 4 years with no success. I guess we did nail down which wires to jiggle. I digress....

So I'm posting pics of our weekend but it also occurred to me that I never posted pics from Tori's 18th family party. We had fun with some temporary tattoos to commemorate the occasion. Some had more fun than others. I think Anna ended up with over 20.

On Friday night, we had family out to celebrate Jakeb and Anna's birthday's. It was actually Anna's birthday day so she got to pick the cake she wanted for Friday. This year was Jakeb's big party year (we rotate years) so Saturday was all about him. 8 or 9 of his friends came out for a few hours and had a good time playing out on the beach (and unfortunately in the beach). We played games, ate way too much junk food, watched movies and had an overall good time.

(I put in all the pictures in reverse order and it would be a pain in the you know what to reverse them so I'm not going to. So go to the bottom and scroll up if you care.)

February Photo Catch Up

2009-03-04T06:47:00.010-06:00

Here are a few pics to catch up for February. It's weird that it's March already. The beach birthday bash post is next.

Jakeb & Tommy ran with Jason Culverhouse to pace him on his 100 mile run for Segera. No pictures of Tommy and Jason were taken because Tommy ran with him at 3 am. This photographer was in bed. It was a cool thing to be a part of.

Anna and Tommy got some awesome tickets to a Rockets game. That Ming guy is a giant!! Anna was impressed to see a "real" basketball game up close. They had a good time. Thanks, Mark!!

We took Gwen & Mike to Zushi's in Houston. It was incredible!! The spicy tuna was Tommy's favorite. I think my and Gwen's favorite was the Shaggy Dog. Cool name and tasty sushi! Guess which one that is... (we had already eaten some off of the plate when I took the picture)

Tori's nose ring! She turned 18 and this is the most rebellion we got out of her. I think we're pretty lucky! :) And it's actually pretty cute.

Anna was asked to puppy sit these super cute (and super expensive) little puppies for an afternoon. We had so much fun with them! They are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Anna and I are already saving for one when we get back from Singapore. Is it a sin to spend $1000 on a dog???

Time For Change

2009-03-02T19:17:00.007-06:00

So, a lot is changing in our world these days so why not change up our blog as well? We're retiring our previous blog banner that Jenny made us over a year ago when we transferred this blog over from Tommy's blog to our family blog. Jenny recently took our family pics so she voluntarily made us a new one. Look up. Up at the top of the blog page. It's pertty! Yes, I meant pertty. I'm putting our old one on this post so I can look at it when I want to.

Thanks, Jenny for keeping us current and making us look so good!

HAPPY 10th BIRTHDAY, ANNA!!!

2009-02-27T07:20:00.018-06:00

jhintzephotography

Today is Anna's 10th birthday! Her first double digit birthday. We were discussing this the other day and she starting talking about her first triple digit birthday... I told her I wouldn't be around for that one! :)

Here are a few early year pics of her. Good grief, she's a beautiful girl!!! She's also funny, random, quirky, dramatic, hard-working, merciful, godly, tender-hearted, friendly and incredibly generous.

Happy birthday, sweet girl! We love you more than you could ever know!!!!! Every day of your life is a gift to us!

Photo commentary:
1. Anna 1 month
2. Anna 6 month
3. Funny Girl!
4. Smiley kid! (Tommy always called her "smiley kid")
5. Ready to fly!
6. Don't Shoot!!! (she really wasn't shooting the baby, it was just one of those shots.)
7. She'd rather be outside than anywhere!
8. She's always getting "into" something.

Enjoy!!

So much fun.... so little time.....

2009-02-26T09:24:00.004-06:00

There's so much to do these days with birthdays, a big move across the ocean, selling a house, etc. My list is growing longer and longer every day. Very few things are getting checked off at this point. Almost seems impossible and it is definitely overwhelming.

BUT..... this weekend is going to be fun, fun, fun! Tomorrow is Anna's first double-digit birthday! She'll be 10!! It's hard to believe. We will also be celebrating Jakeb's 16th this weekend even though his birthday is not until March. We got a beach house for the weekend and are really looking forward to spending quality and quantity time with family and friends - not to mention eating a ton of good food. And it looks like the weather is going to be incredible!!

Jakeb is having some friends out on Saturday to play and eat. We ordered his favorite ice cream cake from Cold Stone Creamery, cookie do delirium, and will make over an hour drive to pick it up and pay way more than is reasonable for a cake but it is sooo yummy!!! It's his birthday! On his real birthday, we'll take him to Zushi in Houston. He loves sushi and we're pretty happy about that cause we do too and that restaurant is awesome!

We always fix the kids whatever they want for breakfast and dinner on the day of their birthday. Since tomorrow is Anna's birthday, I asked her what she wanted and she told me she wanted El Toro (a local Mexican food restaurant). I told her we'd be at the beach house so we won't be eating out. She matter of factly said "Oh, I thought we were catering." I think I laughed out loud. I at least snickered out loud. "Well, we won't be catering", I told her, "so what's your next option?" We're having bacon sandwiches. The kid loves meat! She eats meat for dessert. I bought plenty of turkey bacon (she loves turkey bacon) and will probably buy white bread too! It's her birthday!!

I will post some cute pics of Anna tomorrow.

My hero!

2009-02-23T21:46:00.005-06:00

This girl is my hero! Really! She's awesome!!

Tori showed this to me just now and I knew it had to be shared. She said it's what she watches when she's having a bad day. It is sure to brighten yours!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEtP9zQAOI4

Anna's tearin' it up on the court!

2009-02-20T09:36:00.015-06:00

Here are some videos and pics from Anna's basketball games this season. This is her 4th year to play Upwards Basketball. She knows what she's doing out there and it's fun to watch her play!

Anna and big sis', Tori.

Anna & big brother, Jakeb

Anna and the team & coach - post game pep talk.

Thanks for coming, Pawpaw!!

This wasn't Anna's shot but it's fun to watch when they play as a team.

Coaches rock! And teachers!! And parents!!!

2009-02-18T07:41:00.005-06:00

Those who invest their lives in the lives of our children, thank you! Those who do the unusual or unexpected, or perhaps the unthinkable, thank you! Your efforts are not wasted. These boys are proof!

http://www.nbcdfw.com/sports/football/A_Game_of_Hope_Dallas-Fort_Worth.html

Random Family Update

2009-02-17T16:43:00.014-06:00

Life is happening even though it may not appear as such out here in the world of blog. Here are some random things that are going on in the Stunz household.

Tommy bought a new desktop computer today. No, not a Mac. We're just not that wealthy! But it is fast, or at least it will be when Tommy gets home and unloads it and hooks it all up. What a pain to transfer stuff this is going to be. We've had this old Dell for about twice as long as a typical computer life span is supposed to be. It has like about a 30GB Hard Drive, 540MB Ram and our new one has 6GB RAM and 750GB Hard Drive. I think that's quite an improvement and although still lame by some peoples standards, we are out of the dark ages. We also get a printer with WIFI so we can print from our laptops somewhere else in the house. I think I'm most excited about that. It also has a 22" flat screen monitor. That's almost as big as our tv. Not really but it's big and small at the same time. Our current monitor takes up the whole top of the desk.

Jakeb finished Algebra 2 today!! He's on to Geometry now. We had hoped to finish A2 in one semester but it wasn't all that easy. We're hoping to finish Geometry by the end of the school year but it may take him into the summer a little to finish. Jakeb's brain works more like Tommy's and Tommy liked Geometry a lot more than Algebra so maybe Jakeb will find it easier. Overall, Jakeb is doing great in school. I appreciate them both being willing for us to all learn together.

Anna is doing super great in school. By my recent calculations, we're ahead in several of her subjects so we're slacking off a bit in those so as to not finish them in March and beefing up lessons in a couple of other subjects that we weren't so ahead on. We're also getting to do some cool science projects and stuff.

Jakeb and Anna both have now been officially accepted to International School Singapore. We were sweating that one out for a little bit because Jakeb was in but they didn't have a spot for Anna. Her going to a different school would have meant two different school calendars. That would have messed up vacation plans for sure. Anyway, our small group prayed, and I'm sure that's what did it because early that week we got the email saying that they had a spot for her and to send money quick before it got snatched up. So we did. Well, the company did. We can't afford a Mac, we sure can't afford this school. Jakeb is super excited because ISS High School requires students to have a Macbook. So we will be purchasing one of those from the school program when we get there. That way it will be loaded with the software that he'll need. That purchase is on us. Ouch!

Tori got another hole (she already has two from birth) in her nose on purpose and it has a cute little sparkly thing sticking out of it. She waited all of 5 days after her 18th birthday to go get it done. We are totally fine with it and it looks cute. She loves it! I think people are mostly shocked and it's fun to watch and hear about the reactions from all of those people that think we're stick in the mud, traditional people that must be crazy with anger and shame at the thought of our daughter doing that to her body. Now when she gets the bamboo stick through her lips, we might go a little whack.

I got a massage on Friday. It was okay for the $39 intro price but there's no way I'd pay $65 for one which is the regular price. Plus, it messed up my hair and makeup and I had a line on my forehead for about 30 minutes and Tommy and I were going on a date.

Our house is STILL for sale. I know, it's only been 3 weeks.... but I really hate making my bed and keeping the house clean. We showed it yesterday and I wasn't ready. Anna and I flew through the house and got it ready. I ended up putting a laundry basket full of dirty dishes in my trunk on the way out the door. It was pretty funny! One couple is very interested but they have to wait until May or June to close which works perfectly for us but we certainly aren't going to hold it for them without a solid contract and financing. Another buyer has it "on her list". She didn't like where the a/c unit is placed. That's crazy. Like we're going to move an a/c unit. I don't like it there either but I never once thought that it would be reasonable to move it somewhere else. It is where it is.

The move to Singapore is happening and every day I experience little "deaths". Little things that are depressing and make my heart hurt. But also every day, there are new "life" things happening as well. This is proving to be the challenge we expected but we have to focus on the adventure or it will most definitely pull us under.

Speaking of new life. there sure have been a lot of babies being born lately. And even more to come soon. Congratulations everyone! So exciting and so glad it's not me. :) I'll just borrow yours.

Oh, and...

Tori's truck dances when she shifts gears. We're not sure what is up with that but Tommy's working on trying to figure it out. It makes for a rather comical ride. If you need a good laugh, ask her to come take you somewhere.

Anna didn't know the name for one of the seas in Geography. She knew it started with an "M" and that it was a long name. I always tell her to never leave anything blank, to at least try. So, the Mediterranean Sea is now the Miscelleneous Sea. :) Miscelleneous is one of her spelling words this week and she spelled it correctly. Good girl!

Jakeb is going to turn into a pecan pie. He's found that he loves them and eats a piece every time he's at work.

We ate Persian food the other night on our date. We love that place! The owner is from Syria, her husband is Iranian, the chef and the waitress or Spanish. Did I say we love that place? :) The owner made her special ice cream for couples on Valentines Day and even though it was a day early, she gave us some for free for our dessert. It was interestingly good. It was a vanilla ice cream base with crushed pistachios and rose flavoring. Not something I'd ever crave but we were happy to have the experience. It kind of tasted like eating perfume but in an ok way. Weird.

Then we went to The Dessert Gallery on Post Oak for some real dessert. Oh my!!! It took me three days to eat my piece of cake and the kids even took a few bites.

This is probably the last blog post I'll type on this piece of junk, antiquated computer. Yipee!!!

Well, that's it for now. My brain is sufficiently purged for a day or two.

Blogs We Like - Singapore

2009-02-15T07:15:00.018-06:00

By now, you probably know that we are preparing for our move to Singapore in June or so. We have been preparing for this move since last summer and have been following some blogs to help us find out what's there, what's not there and see the sights.

Below are a few blogs we like a lot and thought we'd share in case you want to read up or see some beautiful photos. Often, these bloggers travel and post stories and photos from other locations. We pretty much have our trips all planned out by using these blogs. They often post things that they have no idea how helpful the information was to me as I've been able to read between the lines. We've learned a lot about what is there and what is not, what to expect, etc. We have even been able to connect with a couple of them. The country of Singapore is small (smaller than Brazoria County) so I'm hoping to get to meet a few, if not all, of these bloggers once we're there. We appreciate them all taking the time to share their journey with us. It has been a most helpful blessing!

http://millysmix.blogspot.com/ This one is my (Andrea's) favorite since she posts things from a family perspective.

http://www.oureverydaythings.com/ This is my NEW 2nd favorite. She takes some beautiful photos and is also family oriented.

http://laurainsingapore.blogspot.com/

http://seenthisscenethat.blogspot.com/ Mostly pictures he takes of destinations, parks, etc. in Singapore.

http://tryingsingapore.blogspot.com/

Enjoy!

Those of you who aren't wanting to hear much about our move to Singapore, here's your warning and now's your chance to remove our blog link from your reader. (Although I hope you won't.) Moving to Singapore is quickly becoming a major focus of where our family is headed and what we are doing so it will be hard to blog without the topic of Singapore showing up. :)

Bella-Full Dog Treats - In Full Swing

2009-02-10T06:09:00.004-06:00

Anna, our 2.5 weeks away from being 10 year old daughter, began making dog treats to help her brother and sister pay for their trip to Kenya this summer. Here's the post from her official launch.

She's done quite well! She started making them just before Christmas and has raised right at $200! She has the process down and does almost all of it by herself except for the hot oven part and some of the packaging (which is totally cute, btw). She measures, she mixes, she cuts them out, etc. And she has fun doing it. It's so fun to watch her work. When Tori and Jakeb go to Kenya this summer, a piece of Anna will get to go too because she had a part in it. Inspiring!

If anyone wants to order some or order more, let us know.

Helpful Homeschool Links and Information

2009-02-09T11:34:00.029-06:00

I've been needing to put this together for a long time to share with a couple of friends and also just to have all of these links documented somewhere. I got most of these from trusted homeschooling friends and we stumbled up on a few of them on our own.

If you're going to homeschool, whatever you decide to use, be okay with making adjustments to make it fit you and your child. You're probably not going to find anything that is perfect. However, Teaching Textbooks for math comes pretty darn close! That is my all-time favorite and I can't say enough good about it!

In most communities, you can find homeschool groups to join that enable you to network ideas and also participate in field trips, etc. There are also many co-op options in most areas. Just takes a little digging. The internet might just be your most valuable tool! We haven't participated in the groups or co-ops but they are always an option for something you might not feel comfortable teaching. For me, one of the downfalls of homeschooling is that I lack passion in teaching particular subjects. A trained and educated teacher might have been able to make Julius Caesar come alive for Jakeb or Alegbra 2 be fun or come up with a much better science or history project for a 4th grader. But since I'm not knowledgeable about those things (and other things) I almost feel like my kids are sometimes missing out. This is out-weighed, however, by many, many other benefits.

I'm sure this is not a comprehensive listing. When I think of or run across other helpful information or links, I'll post again. If anyone reading has anything to add, please feel free to comment.

My main pieces of advice for homeschool parents are:
1) If you're married, both husband and wife need to have a strong committment and dedication level. This has been a very challenging year for me (and fulfilling!) but without Tommy's support and help, I would definitely have gone bonkers! If you're single, make sure you have some type of support from grandparents or close family and friends or a homeschool group. It would be so hard to do this alone!
2) Be sure and physically look at your curriculum choices if at all possible. Either at a store or at a friends house. We were headed in one direction with Anna but when I physically saw it, it was absolute chaos on a page and would not have worked well for Anna's learning style at all! Saved us a ton of money!
3) Remain open minded to new ideas and techniques. If something is not working, be willing to try something new.
4) Be flexible but not so flexible that your kids think they are in control and can do whatever they want.
5) Relax every now and then, ditch the lessons and have fun being with your kids! Instead of reading about clouds in your science book, go outside and look at them. What a treasured time!!

Links we've actually used:

http://freetypinggame.net/ This site is tons of fun for the family to play with each other!

http://www.multiplication.com/interactive_games.htm Anna struggled with her multiplication tables at the beginning of the year. She knows them well thanks to this and some other fun math games we found. We love the Jump Start software games and I also found a music cd with the multiplication tables put to classical tunes. She HATED it but it was incentive to learn them when I told her that when she learned them all she wouldn't have to listen to it anymore. :)

Snagfilms (You can find some documentaries here that are hard to find. This has been helpful to enhance history and science lessons.)

The Homeschool Store This is a great store in Houston and the only one I've been to. They have a lot of new and used stuff. It's stuffed from wall to wall so bring your Starbucks and plan on staying for a couple of hours and you might consider leaving your young kids with grandma or a friend. You'll need to be able to focus if you're going to research. They do have a video corner and they welcome kids, of course.

Homeschool Tracker (LOVE this! I could not stay organized without it. I make my lesson plans on this and enter grades. It tracks attendance and spits me out report cards. Wonderful tool! We used the free download since we only planned on homeschooling for one year. I'm sure the one you pay for is much better if you don't mind paying for it.)

A Beka We used this for most of Anna's curriculum. I have some major issues with how "King James" it is but we just made our own adjustments. It was our fall back since we used it when we homeschooled Tori in the 4th grade. I couldn't find anything else that I was happy with so we went with A Beka again. It's laid out well for non teachers such as me with handy lesson plans and answer keys and such. I particularly liked the core subjects in these - History, Science and Language. The reading program has been very helpful for her and she has improved considerably. Anna really enjoyed the science and we liked how it brings our history and creation back to the Creator. Math was okay but we ended up switching to Teaching Textbooks.

Teaching Textbooks (math) My FAVORITE math. We use for Jakeb, Algebra 2 and Geometry. We even switched Anna from A Beka to this mid year. It's awesome for the student and the teacher!! Only starts at 4th grade right now, though.

Rosetta Stone for Homeschool They have a great setup for tracking the kids lessons and grades for homeschool use. You can buy one and the whole family can learn. Can only be loaded onto one computer.

Apologia We used this for Jakeb's chemistry. A challenge but great curriculum. The chemistry home lab kit is even available.

BJU Press We used their World History for Jakeb. We love how it's built around the bible. Very intense, though, and covers a lot of material.

Rainbow Resource This is a one stop shop for homeschool curriculum. We ordered most of what we needed from here when we got started. Their prices are good. It's also a good place to go dig around and see what other curriculum options are out there that you may not be aware of.

Amazon They actually have a lot of homeschool stuff. We order Jakeb's history from Amazon to utilize the free shipping over $25 option.

Christian Book Distributors Same here. Good resource to price compare.

Progeny Press This is what we've used for Jakeb's literature. You can order age appropriate books and a study guide to go with it. I'm thinking of getting one of these for Anna to finish out her year and have something different to do than A Beka. They are very reasonably priced. We also used this for Jakeb's Poetry. He didn't like it but it was a good study.

Wordsmith (Creative Writing) We used this for Jakeb. The A Beka writing program, Penmanship and Language A, was fine for Anna.

Vocabulary from Classical Roots We used this for Jakeb to prepare him for SAT. It's laid out well but is a challenge to teach. He has learned a lot, though, that will be helpful for him when taking the SAT.

Analogies 2 We got this for Jakeb also to use to prepare for the SAT. Again, it's not fun but necessary.

Recommended links that we didn't use:

Kid Test I totally meant to use this and forgot about it until now when I was going through all of my emails to get these links. I may still go do this for Anna & Jakeb to see if they're on track. It's not free but I can't remember how much it is. Maybe $25 or something like that.

Dive Into Math

HEP Bookstore Homeschool Store in Houston. This store offers SAT prep courses and other helpful classes like how to make your student's transcript and such. Great resource but I haven't needed it. I did get some great info from their website when we began though from the FAQ's page. You should definitely check that out!

http://www.bravewriter.com/

http://www.excellenceinwriting.com/

http://www.sonlight.com/

http://www.mathusee.com/

UPDATE
Here are two more links for some good science project ideas that I found. I actually pulled several easy ones to try this week for Anna's study of matter, air and weather but there are lots of others there for young and old kiddos.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/acat_science-projects.html

http://home.howstuffworks.com/science-projects-for-kids-weather-and-seasons13.htm

UPDATE 2
This is a great resource for parents of children with learning disabilities or issues. They also have a resource for homeschool support. Check it out!
http://www.thewoodlandslearningcenter.com/

Pray for Jason.....Pray for Segera

2009-02-07T05:12:00.003-06:00

Jason Culverhouse has already begun his 100 mile run in Huntsville this morning. He should be finishing around mid day tomorrow. Please pray for him and all of the other runners out there this weekend. It's quite an undertaking, mentally and physically.

Jakeb and Tommy will be two of the fortunate ones to get to pace him at different legs of the race. Jakeb will be running with him around dark tonight for around 6-10 miles and Tommy will run with him in the wee hours of the morning for about the same mileage. Pray safety for all, clarity of mind, no injuries and most importantly, for support/sponsorship and awareness to be raised for the children of Segera and Kenya.

Our family is going and we are so excited to get to be a part of this. I'll be posting pictures when we get back.

Here's our original post on this for more information about Brightpoint and why Jason is running for two days.

REALLY Inspiring Video

2009-02-06T07:29:00.003-06:00

Ok, here's another video I ran across and found inspiring enough to share with you. The love a parent has for his/her child is always inspiring to me.

REALLY Funny Video

2009-02-05T17:31:00.002-06:00

This is the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Enjoy!

Proper Etiquette

2009-02-04T07:39:00.013-06:00

(she must be messing with her nose ring!)

I've been thinking alot lately about proper blog, facebook and email etiquette. For me, for my kids, and maybe for you. :) I was thinking of coming up with my own list of do's and don'ts but since I'm lacking a creativity and time these days I decided to google it and see what happened.

I found some good stuff out there and thought, "Why reinvent the wheel?"

This link on blog etiquette or blogtiquette as it is apparently called is awesome! I'm even adding it to my reader, I think it will be a fun one to keep track of.
http://tipjunkie.blogspot.com/2008/05/blog-etiquette-or-blogtiquette.html

Here is an article on facebook etiquette I found interesting.
http://quarterlifecafe.honadvblogs.com/2008/08/04/the-new-facebook-etiquette/

And here is a list of the top 26 email etiquette rules. I love #6! and #8. #11 is my absolute favorite though. I hate to be left wondering....
http://email.about.com/od/emailnetiquette/tp/core_netiquette.htm

So go read them. Make your kids read them. Send this to all those people who send you all that junk. :)

And, let me know what your favorite etiquette rule is. Maybe you've got one that's not out there. Maybe it's something I do (or did in this very post) that you'd love to call me out on. Now's your chance! Please share...

Update: Here's one more link I found. Maybe the only one you'll need. She's got TONS of etiquette links listed including Twitter and My Space and others. http://communityorganizer20.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/social-media-etiquette-roundup-understanding-cultural-norms/

House FOR SALE

2009-02-03T06:05:00.006-06:00

In our preparations to move to Singapore, we've been selling and getting rid of a lot of stuff lately. Haul after haul to Helping Hands Hospice and to the dump and some to other people to clutter their homes. We've been ruthless in our culling of things that aren't memorable, don't need, don't fit, don't want to store or are just flat out junk. We had a ton of junk!

Our house is by far the largest thing we are trying to get rid of. We'd like to get rid of it soon so we can get that checked off the list. And... we'd love to get it into a bidding war and sell it for well over the asking price. One catch, though. We haven't a clue where we'll live until June if it sells quickly. How's that for flying by the seat of our pants??? Maybe we can live with you???

The realtor.com ad link is below if you want to see pictures of our clean house. We're missing Jakeb's room cause he was painting it when Kim came to take pictures. But it's the cleanest teenage boy's room you've ever seen! If you know someone interested in buying a 4 bedroom house that's in pretty good shape (we think), tell them to call Kim Caldwell at American Realty, 979-297-5555.

By looking at the pictures online, I think I'd want to buy it!

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/709-Centerway_Lake-Jackson_TX_77566_1106469217

BTW - I'll be strategically placing some of Jenny's business cards around. Since our home is pretty much a jhintze photography gallery, maybe I can send her a few clients when people come to look at the house.

It's the end of the world as we know it.....

2009-02-02T06:13:00.006-06:00

I know that's a song cause I can hear the tune ringing in my head but I haven't a clue who sings it or if it's even a decent song. Oh well.....

That phrase rings in my head because it really is the end of the world as we know it around here in the Stunz household. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Tori has graduated high school and her daily schedule is almost completely her own.
2. Tori turned 18 yesterday and has officially entered adulthood.
3. A FOR SALE sign is in our front yard and a lock box is on our front door knob.
4. Our house HAS to stay on the ready for realtors at all times (what a stinkin' pain!).
5. Plans for moving to Singapore this summer are in full force (so much to think through!!).
6. The "pull away because I don't want to hurt" process seems to have begun in our church relationships and in some of our friendships (on both sides of the fence). It's natural but it's still painful to experience.
7. Jakeb is about to turn 16!!! Watch out....
8. Anna is about to enter the double digit age.
9. Bella's dog house is not bright neon yellow anymore. I made the kids paint it because although it was fun, it wasn't very appealing to potential buyers in photos on the internet.
10. There are no more major remodeling projects to be done around here. Just a few minor items to take care of. I guess I'll have to read a book. Can't do anything else cause the house will get dirty.

I'm positive that's not a comprehensive list but it's off the cuff. The end is just an opportunity for a new beginning, right? I'm not wanting to wish it all over because we've got a really great life right here and right now. But when you know that something is ahead, it almost seems like it would be easier to just rip off the bandaid and get it over with.

Inspiring!

2009-01-30T15:21:00.004-06:00

This is a couple of years old but it just crossed my path. I thought it was well worth sharing and immensely inspiring!

Enjoy.

Glass half full, half empty or sideways?

2009-01-30T12:20:00.007-06:00

Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Life as we know it in the Stunz household is about to be turned upside down and sideways. I have choices to make daily on how I will respond to situations that arise. I have a choice as to how I let things affect me and how I respond to them. (Philippians 4:4-7) Sometimes I make the wrong choice but, to my credit, I have made some right ones along the way.

So there are a couple of ways I can choose to look at the glass. Full – optimistic to a fault. Half full – realistically optimistic and generally content. Half empty – pessimistic. Empty – totally unhappy with life and anything and anyone in it (these people are downers). I try to be a "half full" kind of gal but I have to consciously choose to be. Half empty or empty just can’t be an option or I’m going down and I’ll drag others down along with me.

OR… I could look at things as half full and sideways. Here’s a picture of a fraction problem that Anna did in math recently. I really like this perspective. She is our optimistic, sideways thinker!! I wish I could be more like her.

Running for Segera

2009-01-29T10:49:00.004-06:00

Next weekend our family is headed to Huntsville for an overnight camp out. Even though we LOVE camping, we probably wouldn't choose to camp in early February but my parents are loaning us their camper and a friend of ours is running 100 miles for a cause that we are head over heals in love with. He's running to raise money and awareness for the needs of the children of Segera in Kenya where our daughter went last summer and where she and our son will go this summer. Tommy explains in more detail why Jason is running this super-human race on his blog and how you can participate should you want to. So you can read the details here.

I'm anticipating incredible things to happen in Huntsville, Texas next weekend and I'm pumped that our family gets to be a part of it. Not to mention we're getting a cool t shirt!

These are the links for my facebook note in case they don't come through in the feed.

Tommy's blog: http://trechoagon.blogspot.com/2009/01/100-miles-for-children-of-segera.html

Brightpointe Ministries: http://www.brightpointforchildren.org/ (click on Jason/100)

It's All About Tori - Part 7

2009-01-25T08:38:00.021-06:00

Well, 7 is the number of completion so I think that this will be the last post in this series. Jakeb and Anna will no longer be ignored as they kind of have been over the last week or so as we got ready for graduation and party stuff. Thanks for being so gracious and understanding, Jakeb and Anna! You're time will come!

Tori's graduation party yesterday was great and many family members and friends came to celebrate with us. We had TONS of good food and desserts. I put together a video scrapbook of her life and we watched that several times throughout the day. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and we got some good reactions - a few laughs and a few tears. I used right at 200 photos and put some meaningful music behind them. It's too long to post anywhere so if you want to see it, you'll have to come over or I'll sell you a copy for "only $129.95 with $6.95 shipping & handling". College money...... :)

A highlight for me was surprising Tori with a close friend from her younger days when we lived in Spring. I love surprises (giving, not receiving) and it was fun to see the look on Tori's face when she saw her.

Throughout these graduation festivities, I think Tori was humbled and understands how blessed she is to have family and friends who love and support her.

Throughout these festivities, I have been reminded once again of some things that are important:

*Time spent with those you love and those who love you cannot be replaced or recaptured.
*Every once in a while it is good to gorge on fajitas and desserts.
*Choices that we have made and the choices to be made really do matter.
*Wherever you are, be all there, but always be open for change.
*One is never too old to get help from her mom. (My mom scanned about a million pictures for me for the video.)
*Laughter is incredible and we don’t do it often enough!
*Take lots of pictures/video and keep them organized.
*When someone loves your kids, it’s better than them loving you.
*Pappasito’s chips and salsa are the BEST!

"Ok, I'm ready for the video!"

Fun Gifts

Tori & Megan (childhood friend)

Well, movin' on... Not sure what we'll write about next. We don't have very much going on right now. At least not much that some of you will want to read about. :)

It's All About Tori - Part 6

2009-01-24T08:14:00.007-06:00

Well, Tori did it, she has it and now it's time to party! She successfully completed her grade school days and has her high school diploma. Way to go, Tori!!! I know we've said it before but I'll say it again just in case you missed it. I can't imagine how we could be any more proud of you.

NOW, it's time for a party. We're having a few friends and family over today to celebrate with us. And as is appropriate when you're having a party, the laundry room floods. Not a little spill over but a flood. The whole drain from the washing machine came unscrewed and the water had no where to go but all over the floor and everything that was on the floor. It was about an inch deep covering the entire floor. Luckily, I kept it from going into the kitchen but it did manage to get out to the garage and make a little river. Tommy and Jakeb are out running 10 miles so they won't be back for over an hour so after a little breakdown and throwing down every towel I own, through tears, I called my dad and he brought over his wet/dry vac. It was awesome! Totally sucked!!! :) (Yes, I said, "sucked" because that's what it did.) Definitely adding it to my list of things to buy someday.

Thanks, Dad, for saving the day!

Clean up is done and we're ready to partaaay!

It's All About Tori - Part 5

2009-01-21T06:24:00.005-06:00

Here is another thought from Tori's Pawpaw that came in about Tori's life so far.

You hear a lot about "style" but not much about "substance". Tori has handled good times and bad on her way to becoming a fine young woman with a solid balance of both. Character counts. It always will.

PawPaw

I've laughed and I've cried so much over the past few weeks. I'm grateful that there has been a measure of both. Tori's graduation ceremony is tonight. She'll walk to receive her diploma that she has worked so hard for over the last 13 years. She'll be in her cap and gown looking so grown up and beautiful. We'll be proudly watching with friends and family. I'm pretty sure I'll be tearing up alot.

It's All About Tori - Part 4

2009-01-20T07:50:00.014-06:00

So here are a few thoughts from family and friends to add to the series of Tori posts. Enjoy and thanks to those of you who helped make this post so great! If more come in, I'll be sure to post them.

Tori, as you go from one stage in life to the next, you will….blah blah blah… Hey Toto, You know that as I've watched you grow from the fuzzy headed, cutie patooty, playing with the gerbil ball in the bathtub, to the incredible young lady you are today…I have to sit down just to take it all in. You and I have shared some great times and I look forward to many, many more with you in the years to come as you grow even more and become even more awesome than you already are. Gal, God has such incredible plans for you and to watch you follow them is a blessing to all of us. But, I can only speak for myself when I say, "HEY FRIGID-EAR, GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF THE REFRIDGERATOR"! I love you with all my heart and I will always be here for you! ALWAYS!

Love, Ollie

Let's see....How about a silly poem?

Tori with the pixie ears,
Tori with a tiny rear,
Mumbles her words half the time,
What isn't mumbled is often whined,
Smart as a whip, sharp as a tack,
But still a blonde and that's a fact,
Stunning beauty to behold,
And she has a heart of gold,
Now that kid is all grown up,
Driving around in her own red truck,
Congratulations, you've done well,
And I hope you never go to jail.

Love, Jenny

A few things I've learned from Tori:
That taking medicine can really be entertaining.
That it's not cool to drive a large, loud truck with the generator running.
Give a girl an empty whopper wrapper and you never know what you might get in return.
That chocolate and new shoes really do help heal a broken heart.
That a very proud aunt can cry like a baby just because her very special niece is growing up!

Geez! Thanks, Tori.
Edie

Aaron's Top 5 things he likes about Tori :

5. Freaks out easily when touched by feet.
4. Key member of the Stunz family singers.
3. Allows Kenyan babies to pee on her.
2. Does what she says she will do.
1. Loves God and loves people.

It's All About Tori - Part 3

2009-01-16T07:15:00.011-06:00

Things we’ve taught (and didn’t teach) our daughter…

We DID teach her:

To sleep through the night. This was a particularly difficult task at the age of 2 when she thought it was ok to come crawl in bed with her totally exhausted and mostly unaware parents. We had to make up our minds, not hers. (great advice from my wise sister)

To share. Or to take turns which is the politically correct term these days. Also learned at the age of around 2 with her friends Shelbi and Emily. Man that girl could throw a fit! Shelbi and Emily could too for that matter. :)

To love God. We didn’t force her, though. We simply did what we could to guide her towards Him. She accepted Christ at the age of 5. We wholeheartedly believed she understood her decision. I think it’s safe to say that we were right.

To question. To question God and her parents, teachers and others who are teaching her anything . With respect, of course. Also, to question her faith. Periods of doubt will come. Embrace them and figure it out.

Seek wise counsel. That would usually be her parents. Ha! She has done a great job of finding a few, others, besides her parents, that will offer wise advice and encouragement.

To love others. Friends may come and go. Some have stuck pretty strong but friends are still no guarantee. Family is always there so “play nice”! And spend as much time with them as you can.

To love all. God created everyone. Every race. Every color. Every stage of life. Every human that walks the earth. He loves them all and so should she. And she does.

To nurture. She will be such a great mommy someday. I’m not sure if nurturing is taught or if it is inherently wired. But she’s got it. She understands and loves kids and they love her back!

To work hard. We don’t do lazy in this household. She knows how to clean the kitchen and scrub toilets. She knows how to clean her room and can do it at the speed of light.

To get dirty. She can certainly be a girly girl but she also loves to camp, hike, and doesn’t have to take a curling iron and make-up. She will avoid porta-potties if at all possible, though.

To do your best. Perfection is not attainable nor expected. Set the bar high but be realistic. Hopefully those around you will be realistic too.

To know and use your gifts. She has a pretty good handle on who she is and who she was created to bef. She knows her abilities and talents and she is aware of her limitations.

To serve. To serve locally and around the world. The doors for serving and helping others are always open and she’s more than willing to walk through them.

To play hard. She loves to laugh and have fun.

To cuddle. With her mom and dad or little sister on the couch watching a good movie. She’s never too old to do that!

To dream big. Nothing is impossible! Cliché, maybe, but it’s true. Go for it, baby.

We DIDN’T teach her:

How to sleep until noon! Not sure where that came from… She certainly got over that problem she had when she was 2. Maybe we taught her too well?

To fold fitted sheets. I’m pretty sure I’ve failed as a mom here. My mom tried to teach me but I can’t fold those stupid things so I wasn’t even going to begin to try to teach my kids how to. Just roll it up in a ball and stick it in the linen closet. Better yet, just wash it and put it right back on your bed.

To be grumpy in the mornings. That really only happens when she wakes up before noon. I will be warning her future husband and children for sure. No real conversations before 10am or so.

To love healthy food. She would much rather eat Hot Tamales (the candy). Tommy fixed me a wonderful dinner one year for my birthday and she cried through the whole meal. She knows how to eat healthy, so one day, maybe…..

To be adventurous. Well she is adventurous in some ways but she certainly loves the comforts of things she is accustomed to. She can take adventure in small doses. Can I just say, “Hong Kong Mall”???

To clean up puke. She is already telling me that I’m taking care of my grandkids when they get sick.

To make straight A’s and 4.0’s. Maybe it is genetic somehow but she is sooo smart and it seems to come so easy. I know I didn’t or couldn’t have possibly taught her that. Maybe Tommy did when I wasn’t paying attention.

I'm positive there are other thing we have taught her and didn't teach her but all in all, we've done good with this kid!

Tommy’s post yesterday made me cry. I’ve done a lot of that lately and I’m sure there’s plenty more to come. Happy tears because we’ve somehow, by the grace of God and a lot of hard work, done a great job with Tori and she is an amazing human being. Sad tears because things are changing and she’s grown up. She’ll always be my baby girl but it’s time for her to go out and live her life – her way.

But I’ve also done a lot of smiling lately. So many memories as I’ve reminisced through videos and pictures of Tori’s life. If the videos weren't all on ancient vhs format I might post a few. I may still if I have the time to transfer them over to this century's technology. But let me just say that Point of Grace had a big influence in her younger years.

She hasn’t really had a choice before whether she would spend her days with us or not. She now has a choice. I’m pretty confident that she’ll choose us every now and then and I’ll be incredibly thankful for every moment!

It's All About Tori - Part 2

2009-01-15T13:07:00.007-06:00

We walked around the Hospital parking lot still trying to decide what we were going to name our first child. We had no idea if it was a boy or a girl so we were throwing around different names again. The contractions got bad enough that Andrea would have to stop occasionally. We went back inside and the nurses announced that we would have a new baby soon. They put Andrea in a hospital gown and we kept doing laps, inside the hospital halls this time rather than outside in the parking lot.

As labor progressed I was fascinated by it all but there were also times that I lost focus. Andrea wanted me to watch the monitor and tell her when the contractions were coming, when they had peaked and when they were over. One time she felt pain coming on and saw I was watching ESPN on TV and she sternly told me, “You’re not watching!”

The end of labor is such a frantic thing. The room is busy with motion of doctors and nurses and the pain of a mother. In no time at all Tori came into the world. There was a moment of silence that seemed to take forever where the world stood still and I watched Tori take her first breath. Then she screamed and all at once I felt a flood of emotion I did not know I was capable of. First I realized what a miracle it is for God to breathe life into a human. Then the doctor handed me this little baby girl and the magnitude of the responsibility of being a dad was real to me for the first time.

As I look at my daughter today I feel another wave of emotion I was not prepared for. The emotion of releasing the arrow and letting the child I have been responsible for be free to be an adult and find her own way in life. I do not doubt that Tori will do well. She is more mature and ready for what is ahead than I was at her age.

I am not the kind of parent who wishes for the past. I like our past but I also like where we are in life as a family and I enjoy watching my kids grow up. Although Tori is not moving out of the house any time in the next couple of days or weeks, when she does set out on her own I will miss being in her orbit everyday.

Tori I am proud of who you have become. I have written that in your birthday cards the last couple of years and I mean it. You are who you are partially because of me but also in spite of me - and that is a good thing.

Houston Half Marathon 2009

2009-01-14T06:50:00.005-06:00

I know I said the posts would mostly be about Tori. This one includes Tori but I found the picture below and it spurred this post.

Our family is all about to take part in the Houston Marathon somehow. Anna is running in the kids run on Saturday, Tori and I (and my sister, Gwen) are walk/jogging the Half Marathon and Tommy and Jakeb (and my brother-in-law, Mike) are running the Half Marathon. I'm not sure I'm ready for it but ready or not.....

I found this picture from Tommy's first or second Houston Marathon (the full 26.2). Tommy's not in it. I was spectating and waiting around for Tommy to come around the corner and snapped this picture. I had forgotten about it and thought it was funny. You see all kinds of funny stuff at the marathon from the spectator view and the participator's view. I like both views. If you participate, though, you get a "free" t-shirt!

Perhaps these two young ladies ran their share of marathons back in the day.....

It's All About Tori

2009-01-12T06:47:00.010-06:00

Tori doesn't like it when we tell her that and it's even worse when we start singing the worship song, "It's all about you...", but for the next couple of weeks, if I have the time, my posts will probably be mostly about Tori, in a good way. She has two final exams left in her high school career and she's finished. She will walk and receive her diploma next Thursday. She will also turn 18 in just a few short weeks. I can't believe it!

She has done so well in school and continues to amaze me in her academic acheivements and motivation. She's just a well-rounded kid (excuse me... young woman) with a souped-up brain and it all seems to come so easy for her. She got a lot from me but I know she didn't get her smarts from me. She must have got that from her dad. I was one that "had potential". :)

Tori, your Dad and I could not be more proud of you! You are an incredible young woman who loves God, owns her own faith and are a productive contributor to society. This has been our goal in raising you from the start and we feel we have acheived great success. You are loved beyond what you could ever imagine!

My liver is fat!

2009-01-07T15:12:00.004-06:00

Well, I went for my year and a half checkup a couple of weeks ago. I went to get routine lab work done along with another ungodly test that I will leave to your imagination.

My iron is always low. I've given blood twice in my life, and neither time went so well. I couldn't even give blood for my own daughter's surgery a few years ago. I've been taking iron for all this time (give or take a few months when I got lazy).

My iron is in check now but she told me I had a fatty liver and my cholesterol is just over where it should be. They did some further tests to make sure it wasn't Hepititis or something and that all came out ok.

Turns out it's probably just the 30 stinkin' pounds I've gained over the last year and a half. Guess I got lazy with more than just my daily iron intake.

DANG!

Not only am I fat on the outside, I'm fat on the inside! That's just wrong!!

I hate New Year's Resolutions. They are only a set-up for failure for me. So I'm not doing that.

I just need daily discipline. I'd rather clean the kitchen than exercise.

I'm walk/jogging the Houston Half Marathon in a week and a half so I'm not totally unhealthy and lazy. I just weigh too much.

Why am I putting this on our family blog, you ask? Well, it's sort of an announcement to my kids that I'm really going to clean out all the junk food in our kitchen and we're going to start eating turkey and twigs again.

My liver needs to lose weight!

Why does food have to be so fun and discipline have to be so unfun???

Christmas letter from Mercy

2009-01-07T05:26:00.012-06:00

I'm a little behind in getting this posted but I need to finish packing up Christmas 2008 to get ready for our 2009 adventures.

We got a letter from our "daughter", Mercy, from Kenya just before Christmas. She wrote it to us before they left the US to head back and some sweet person from the Daraja Choir mailed it to us. Receiving it was definitely up at the top of my Christmas highlights list. I wanted to put it on our blog because it's getting packed up and I want to have it posted somewhere so this post is more for me than it is for you. My blog post, my perogative.....

Here's a picture of it. She's quite the artist! She is so animated and fun and her "all over the page" and "fill up every bit of white space" art expresses who she is completely. I love it!

I think you can read what it says if you click on it to enlarge.

She prayed often while at our house and her prayers are what I remember the most, besides her need to dance constantly. :) She prayed for God to "bless the work of their hands, O Lord." It moved me every time she prayed that. I was so glad that she included that in writing in her letter. Such a sweet girl. We are so blessed to have her in our lives.

Homeschool Remodel

2009-01-06T07:52:00.011-06:00

We've done alot of home remodeling over the past few months and now it is time for a homeschool remodel.

We started homeschooling Jakeb and Anna this school year, 10th and 4th grade respectively, and can I just say that the last semester was quite a challenge for me. Not only do I not know how to teach Chemistry or Algebra 2, we had to deal with a few personality differences 24/7 and a very busy routine for me, especially over the holidays. I knew it would be challenging but didn't expect it to be as challenging as it was. Not knowing what the heck I was doing didn't help any either. Tommy has helped a lot and is extremely supportive. He helps Jakeb with the Chemistry and Algebra and has great discussions with Jakeb over certain History lessons. He also will sit and do spelling words and read to Anna at night. Afterall, this was our decision, not mine, so we're "all in this together". Are you singing? (High School Musical for those of you who don't have a 9 yr old daughter)

When we started, we got a free download of a lesson plan and grade tracking software which is wonderful and did the best we could with ordering the curriculum we thought would work best for each kid. We talked to a few trusted homeschooling parents/friends and they gave us tons of advice and information and then we jumped in.

The daily lesson plans and trying to "go by the rules" was seriously stressing me out but I didn't know how to fix it. Overall, it's been good and I have no regrets but over the holidays, knowing our lives are about to go into warp speed with a pending overseas move and our oldest daughter graduating from high school, I needed to come up with a better system. I can't tell you how much thought I've given to their education because it is such a huge responsiblity. With all of the frustrations and challenges, we've thought and thought and discussed and discussed and even shed a tear or two. We've tried many different things and some things worked and some things didn't. Maybe by the end of this year, I'll have it figured out but somehow I doubt it. I think it will continue to need updating. Remodeling your home is a never ending process, right? So is parenting and everything that comes along with it. You can't keep doing things the same way all of the time. You have to be flexible. For someone who likes consistency, this is difficult.

But, I'm ditching lesson plans and ditching going "by the book" for the most part. Some of my close friends and family reading this are gasping aloud, I'm sure! I followed the rules to a tea and it drove me crazy. We used the same curriculum to teach Tori when we homeschooled her in the 4th grade and since we didn't know any better, we didn't purchase all the lesson plan books. We just went through her books and learned the stuff page by page. She's graduating a semester early and is close to the top 10% of her class and pulling a 4.0 in her college classes simultaneously, so it didn't screw her up any.

We've ordered some new curriculum for Anna's math from the same place that Jakeb's Algebra 2 and Geometry came from. I LOVE IT!!!!! Teaching Textbooks is a wonderful math program for a non-math oriented teacher mom. It was a crazy idea to switch mid-year but again, all the lesson planning was driving me bonkersand I wasn't confident that I was teaching her what she needed to learn. Anna was doing Abeka and it's okay and she did well. So well, in fact, that I gave her placement tests and figured out that she was ready to move on to 5th grade math! This is the kid who didn't know her multiplication tables when we started in August. I guess I'm not that bad of a teacher, huh? Since we're starting a new curriculum, she'll probably go into the summer to finish but she loved it so much yesterday she did two lessons and wanted to do more! Jakeb is finishing up Algebra 2 in a little over one semester and will go into Geometry and finish that up early summer.

I've also restructured the daily lesson plans to weekly so I don't have to get up at 5am every day or stay up late to get ready for the next day. It's ready for the week and it will make the kids have to be more disciplined in working on their own. I'm still up at 5am but I'm not doing lesson plans.

I have a refreshed outlook on our homeschool adventure. I'm sure there will still be challenges but I'm not stressing over lesson plans - today.... They'll still learn the material, and I'm pretty sure they're actually learning more than what they would in public school. Besides that, Anna has gained an enormous amount of confidence in her reading and testing issues and that give us much joy.

I'm excited about this homeschool remodel and it's not near as messy as our bathroom remodel was.

Bella-Full Dog Treats - Going Strong

2009-01-05T05:39:00.005-06:00

Anna began making Bella-Full dog treats last month to help fund Tori & Jakeb's trip to Kenya this summer. Tommy and I are providing all the supplies so all of the proceeds from the treat sales is being split between the two of them.So far, she's raised over $100 in less than a month!

You should see Anna cookin' in the kitchen! She's awesome!! She's able to do everything by herself except get the pans in and out of the oven. She does the measuring, the mixing, the rolling out, the cutting, EVERYTHING!

If you'd like to order some (or some more), or you know someone who does, please send them our way. We're not real keen on the idea of shipping though, so you'd have to be real special for us to ship. :)

Also, if you've already ordered some, let us know how your dog liked them. So far, we haven't heard anything legitimately negative. I say legitimately because one customer said their dog wouldn't eat them at first but that's because he normally gets to eat pizza and waffles and stuff that their kid throws down. So why would he???

Jenny made the "business" card for her. It's cute! Thanks, Jenny!!

Good day at church!

2009-01-04T14:08:00.009-06:00

Tori and Jakeb got to do a song in church today. Tommy preached on being content, a not so popular topic that he made entirely tolerable and one that we are personally learning a lot about in this stage of our lives.

They sang Brandon Heath's song, "Don't Get Comfortable". The lady in front of me obviously had better things to do than listen to my kids.

My husband and children are incredibly gifted and talented and I'm thankful they were able to use their gifts and talents this morning. It was a good day at church.