PENCIL + SOLE OF FOOT = TRIP TO URGENT CARE CENTER

Published on March 14, 2012

Max (age 10) is very creative, and is always using household items to make a variety of contraptions, as well as artwork. I give him free access to several boxes of my craft supplies and, of course, anything in the recycle bin is fair game. Last week, he made a medieval weapon by taping two plastic bottles together, and then taping freshly sharpened pencils all over it. It resembled a spiked ball - or a flail without the handle and chain. We praised his creativity and I told him to put his new "weapon" up on the top shelf in his room because it looked pretty dangerous. He didn't. A few minutes later, he came to me, and sheepishly said, "I have some pencil lead stuck in my foot..." …

Disney Again?!

Published on March 7, 2012

I'm not a big fan of amusement parks (especially The Magic Kingdom) but I am excited about visiting Disney's Animal Kingdom. We're meeting Richard's sister and her family there later this week and Frank (age 19) is bringing his new girlfriend so we'll get to know her better. She'll be here all day on Wednesday with us while Frank is at school so I'm thinkin' that'll be a good time to pull out all the old photo albums. Heh... …

Shark’s Teeth!

Published on February 29, 2012

Last Friday, we decided to play hookie in the afternoon, and take Max and Mason to the beach. It was 70-something degrees, breezy, and partly cloudy and it was the perfect day to go on a shark tooth hunt. We grabbed some towels, spoons (for digging), and bottled water and jumped in the truck. When we were just a few feet out of the driveway, a warning light came on, something beeped, and the transmission started jerking. Oh no...... …

Key West = Clothing Optional?

Published on February 22, 2012

We took the newlywed in-laws (Richard's mom and step-dad) to Key West for four days last week. We took the RV but got the in-laws a hotel room. When we arrived, the campground was PACKED and Richard didn't think we'd ever be able to back the RV into our spot. I am the backer-upper in the family, having years of experience backing boat trailers onto boat ramps, so I always get the fun part of pulling into campgrounds. The first thing I did was get out of the RV and ask a guy to move his truck. It was right where I needed to be when pulling forward before going back. He did. Then, a bunch of guys came out of their RVs and stood watching. I thought maybe they were impressed by watching a woman drive that big rig. Ah, but that was not the case. They were all standing in front of their own RVs, in protective postures, ready to scream at me... …

Key West, Here We Come!

Published on February 16, 2012

On Friday night, I told Ali (age 21) to drive herself to the Urgent Care Center because she had such a bad toothache. She lives 90 minutes from us so I couldn't just race over there and drive her myself - though I sure wanted to! …

Made Of Offer On A House But…

Published on February 8, 2012

Last week, we made a list of houses we planned to drive by that weekend. On Friday, I received an automated email from our realtor that said one of the houses on our saved list had a price drop of $25K. We gave the realtor a call and he met us there later that afternoon... …

More House Hunting

Published on February 1, 2012

Last Saturday night, we drove up to Anna Maria Island to see Ali and Justin. This time of year, the weather is perfect there, with temperatures in the 70's and a brisk sea breeze blowing. We slept with all the windows opened, and woke up the next morning to the sound of their neighbor's waterfall. Heaven! …

Twitter Dee, Twitter Dum

Published on January 25, 2012

We recently hired someone to help with book formatting and I'm now able to find a few spare moments in the afternoons to get more involved in social networking. I've been spending time on Twitter and, if you're truly on there to read and not to just promote yourself, it's pretty addicting... …

House Shopping!

Published on January 18, 2012

When we moved to Florida, we decided to rent until we figured out where in Florida we want to live. We love Port Charlotte but we really have our heart set on the Sarasota/Bradenton area. So, we are now actively house hunting, which is so much fun! We considered renting up there instead of buying, but I really want to have a house that we can truly make our own with renovations and, most importantly, a large garden where we can grow lush, tropical goodies, like mangos and oranges... …

Homeschooling Friends!

Published on January 11, 2012

We took Max and Mason to a gathering of local homeschoolers this week. We met at a local community center and each child brought a book they'd recently read, and gave a short presentation on it. Max is reading a book of ghost stories. He was at first nervous, worrying that "no other kids would like scary stuff" but he felt better after a little girl got up and talked about a monster book. So, when Max took his turn, he was very relaxed and did a super job... …

A Nice, Quiet January? Not Quite!

Published on January 4, 2012

After Ali and Justin's bad accident and long recovery last year, our move last summer, my car being totaled by Frank (age 19 - thank GOD he was not injured!!), our Thanksgiving family reunion, and, of course, Christmas, I told Richard that I want to spend January doing absolutely nothing at all. I need a month of nothing so I can de-stress - no drama, no injuries, no illnesses, no trips, no holidays, no nothing. That night, Frank backed our truck into a car in the bowling alley parking lot... …

VACATION!!! YEA!!!

Published on December 28, 2011

Angela is on vacation, spending time with her loved ones. News from the Home Office will return next week. ADVERTISEMENT HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY! by Angela Hoy Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years, and record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook. Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography! **Also works for biographies and memoirs.** …

HO HO HO! THE EXCITEMENT IS MOUNTING!!

Published on December 21, 2011

The halls are decked, the shopping is done, the gifts are wrapped and Matt will be arriving on Friday. We are so excited...!! …

Roller Coasters! Wheee!!!

Published on December 14, 2011

I'm usually not a big roller coaster fan but I was feeling adventurous at Universal Studios last week and I asked Max (age 10) if he'd ride one with me. Richard has been having problems with his neck and Mason (age 5) was too small so I really needed to talk Max into riding with me if I didn't want to ride alone. He shook his head no. I asked him again each time we heard people screaming from the roller coaster. He kept saying no. We passed Revenge of the Mummy and we didn't know what it was but it seemed to be pretty popular based on the line. Max agreed to give it a try with me as long as we didn't sit in the first row. I explained to Max that the location of our seat was out of our control. When it was our turn, the lady working there said, "Row 1, please..." …

QUICK TRIP TO UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!

Published on December 7, 2011

Max and Mason have been begging us to take them to Universal Studios to see the Jaws ride for as long as I can remember. We promised them long ago that some day we would take them. The other day, I just happened to be reading the local news, and noticed an article that said the park would be closing the Jaws exhibit for good on January 2nd. Ack!! …

WOULDN’T BE A HOY HOLIDAY WITHOUT A TRIP TO AN E.R., NOW WOULD IT?

Published on November 30, 2011

It was a pretty hairy Thanksgiving holiday! Guests started arriving on Tuesday night, and left on Saturday. Ali and her boyfriend, both professional chefs, served up a five-star gourmet feast and we all later pushed back our chairs in gleeful, gluttonous agony. We also played some rowdy games of Rock Band for two nights in a row and that was a hoot! I had no idea how many talented singers we have in the family! …

ABBREVIATED ISSUE

Published on November 23, 2011

Angela is running around like a turkey about to be plucked, hosting a crowd of 20 for the Thanksgiving holiday week. News From the Home Office will return next week. ADVERTISEMENT HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY! by Angela Hoy Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years, and record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook. Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography! **Also works for biographies and memoirs.** …

Anticipating Thanksgiving Mayhem!

Published on November 17, 2011

Next week, relatives from three different states will be converging on our home. We are VERY excited because chefs Ali and Mikey will be cooking us a five-star gourmet Thanksgiving feast! …

Ali and Mikey Are Here!

Published on November 9, 2011

Ali and Mikey arrived in Florida late last week. They decided to live in our RV and travel to different nearby cities to look for jobs... …

ANOTHER Accident!

Published on November 3, 2011

Well, now all three of our adult children have been in major accidents. Frank is fine but he wrecked my Mustang and while we haven't heard from them yet, we're pretty sure it's totaled... …

We Found Fall!

Published on October 26, 2011

We're on vacation so I'm going to post some pictures from our trip this week. …

Thank Heaven for Back-up Drives!

Published on October 19, 2011

Last week, it finally happened. My laptop was no longer getting power from the cord... …

Only Three Weeks Until Ali Arrives!

Published on October 12, 2011

We moved from Maine to Florida in July and we haven't seen Ali since we left. That's been very hard on all of us, especially me, her mommy. She stayed behind to finish out the season as a pastry chef in Bar Harbor. Now that the Fall leaves are blowing and the heaters turned on, the season is winding down and Ali, along with her boyfriend, Mikey, are preparing to move down here as well... …

Soooooo Excited!

Published on October 5, 2011

We are getting VERY excited about our upcoming fall trip to Tennessee! We'll be gone for about 10 days and the cabin we found is not only very affordable but also has all 3 of our requirements... …

I Miss Fall…

Published on September 28, 2011

We moved to Florida and we LOVE it here. Problem is...fall is my favorite season and we're pretty sure leaves on palm and coconut trees don't turn red, yellow and orange. I read online that the mountains in Tennessee have beautiful fall foliage in October so we're planning a road trip there next month... …

The Magic Kingdom was NOT the Happiest Place on Earth!

Published on September 21, 2011

Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a fan of amusement parks. A few years ago, we visited Six Flags in Chicago on a day when it was 112 degrees. Frank started vomiting almost immediately when we arrived and, of course, Six Flags would not give us a refund. We were out more than $300 and Frank was suffering pretty badly. He recovered very quickly once we left so we suspected it was the intense heat. On that day, I vowed to avoid amusement parks at all costs in the future. Despite my vow, I reluctantly told Richard we could visit Disney World at least once when we moved to Florida... …

The Happiest Place on Earth!

Published on September 14, 2011

This is an abbreviated issue because we are officially "on vacation" this week, at the Happiest Place on Earth (yes, Disney World). I'll post pictures next week. :) This week's Masonism: "Dolphins like it when you kiss them." Hugs to all, Angela ADVERTISEMENT HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY! by Angela Hoy Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years, and record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook. Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography! **Also works for biographies and memoirs.** …

Max is 10!

Published on September 7, 2011

Max is turning 10 years old this week. We can't believe it! Where has the time gone?! …

Gator Gets Too Close for Comfort

Published on August 31, 2011

After we moved to Florida in July, we discovered alligators living in the canal in our backyard, which was pretty cool and not totally unexpected. We've seen alligators off and on since then - infrequently enough that we all still come running when somebody yells, "Gator!" We give them a wide berth, however, because it's illegal to "molest" the gators and we don't want them to get too comfortable with humans... …

Sh-sh-sh-shark!!!

Published on August 24, 2011

Max (age 9) and Mason (age 5), who are homeschooled, started their new school year on Monday and we are having SO much fun! While they learn traditional subjects, we try to make their lessons more fun by ensuring they revolve around a central theme each week - something they are very interested in. This week, it's sharks! Ever since we moved to Florida, they've been wanting to go shark fishing and they've been watching endless shark nature videos on YouTube and Netflix. Richard even rented Jaws and Jaws 2 for Max and I watched those with him last week, which was a hoot. At one point, Max asked, "Why did guys wear such short shorts back then..." …

Gator Fun!

Published on August 17, 2011

After spending so much time sifting through and then discarding or packing all our belongings during the move, I told the kids we are going to stop buying them so much "stuff." I'd prefer to spend our money on memories (like day-trips, fishing, snorkeling - that sort of thing) than on material objects they're just going to throw away in a few months anyway. So, for Frank's 19th birthday, I sent him the link to a website showing hundreds of fun things to do in Florida... …

Frank’s Going to College!

Published on August 10, 2011

Frank, who turns 19 next week, is enrolled in a Florida college now, and is scheduled to attend his orientation next week. He is very excited and so are we! …

Florida Pictures!

Published on August 3, 2011

We're just renting for a year while we look for a place to buy so it's not really "our" new home but it sure feels like it after just three weeks! We're in a very quiet neighborhood that is only 10 minutes from the grocery store but about 25 minutes from the mall area...so, according to the post office, we're considered "rural"... …

How NOT to Teach a Child to Swim!

Published on July 27, 2011

Today's post is brutally honest. I hope, after reading this, you'll understand my need to share our experience. Did you ever make a parenting mistake so severe that it still makes you cry when you think about it? I made one such horrible mistake two weeks ago... …

Giant Wolf Spider, Dolphin, Two Arrests and a Forest Fire!

Published on July 20, 2011

We had an adventure on Sunday with a creepy crawly. We were at the gas station and Max, Mason and I were waiting while Richard was pumping gas. Max suddenly shrieked, "Tarantula!" …

We Made It to Florida!!

Published on July 13, 2011

We made it to Florida...four days early! After all the mechanical problems we had in the RV last week, we decided to get down as here as soon as we could, driving many more hours per day than we originally planned... …

EXTREMELY ABBREVIATED ISSUE

Published on July 8, 2011

Howdy, everybody! Today's issue is extremely abbreviated. We are on the road right now, moving from Maine to Florida, and we're experiencing a few, um, delays. We got separated yesterday and it took a couple of hours to get back together because one of us (okay...me) had driven 50 miles past our campground. We had to stay at another campground that was pretty far off the beaten path. Last night, I heard a funny noise and discovered the cat halfway out the bathroom window in the RV. Ack! I saved him and nobody has yet confessed to leaving that window open. While leaving that campground this morning on a dirt road, we got a flat tire, but didn't realize it until we were on the highway and the RV starting jumping around like a bounce house ride, emitting a strong burnt rubber smell. We managed to crawl to a service station for a new tire but then the hydraulic jacks froze up while we were there. That's where we are right now. Needless to say, we're starting to feel like we're filming The Griswold Family's Cross Country Move. :) So, we have only a couple of goodies for you today. …

Successful Yard Sale!

Published on June 29, 2011

As I wrote last week, cleaning out every room and closet in the house, and getting rid of so much stuff, has been incredibly therapeutic. However, I had no idea how good it would feel to watch complete strangers walk away with our old stuff, and have them all hand us money for it to boot! …

Almost Finished Packing!

Published on June 22, 2011

I'm not very popular at the "home office" right now. I told all the kids and Richard that, when we move to Florida, we are NOT moving all that food from the pantry. We are eating it before we leave. That also means no pizza delivery. Each night since then has been "fend for yourself night" at dinnertime and the pantry has gotten so depleted that we actually needed to go to the store yesterday... …

Mason’s First Stitches!

Published on June 15, 2011

With a boy as adventurous and energetic as Mason, who will be 5 years old this month, it was only a matter of time before his never ending bouncing and running led to a BIG boo boo... …

THE GRADUATE!

Published on June 8, 2011

Frank graduated with honor from high school last weekend. We are soooooo proud of him! He'll be starting his college career in the Fall. Since he now plans to become a doctor, it'll be a long college career... …

KIDDIE POOL!!

Published on June 1, 2011

Only a month after our last snow, it got into the 80s here on Memorial Day so Frank ran to the store for a kiddie pool for the little ones. Boy oh boy, were they happy!! …

THREE GRADUATES!

Published on May 25, 2011

Last Saturday, I held fast to a pile of tissues while we sat the nosebleed section of the civic center, watching our two oldest children graduate from college... …

10 Days of Rain

Published on May 18, 2011

My mom, who lives in Texas, sent me a picture of her pond last week. It's almost gone, looking more like a large mud puddle than a sanctuary for sweaty farm animals. It's certainly not something their horses or even the local deer will be able to drink from much longer. In Maine, we have quite the opposite problem. Farmers are worried their crops will be ruined by all the rain we've been having. Whenever the sun does manage to peek out, we rush the children outside for some much-needed fresh air and Vitamin D, knowing they'll be stuck inside for days on end once another band of clouds approaches. The current forecast is another 10 days of rain...and the forecast only goes out that far so there could be more... …

Backwards Snowbirds? – Part II

Published on May 11, 2011

I wanted to thank everyone who wrote in with opinions on safe (and unsafe) cities in Florida! I've made a list of the recommended city names that were sent in... …