tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76709995770685147642024-03-23T07:15:03.290-04:00Life With Two Little VikingsBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.comBlogger1403125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-5844465864805384262014-02-04T23:35:00.003-05:002014-02-04T23:35:50.315-05:00New Digs. New Focus.I've hemmed and hawed. I've struggled with life changes. I lost my interest in writing. I fell off the edge of the blog-iverse and stopped checking and/or following blogs altogether.
I was overwhelmed and in survival mode most of the last 4 years. From DaHubby's layoff in early 2010 until now, it's been pretty much one major overhaul after another. And, it's time to re-assess. It's time to dig Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-1619675175328666792013-03-12T08:48:00.000-04:002013-03-12T08:48:10.802-04:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-59083768299469770462013-02-27T16:48:00.002-05:002013-02-27T16:48:30.361-05:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-15325590939030328882012-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:002012-12-23T17:15:15.428-05:00FIR wrap upAs usual, there's good news and bad news.
When I started Katrina's Fall Into Reading Challenge, I started with a list of nine books. Well, I got more than nine books read...just not the nine books I started out with. LOL I wrote a review for each as I finished up and they are linked below.The books I completed from the original list were The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan and The White Queen by Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-86201360135720448202012-12-13T09:03:00.000-05:002012-12-13T09:03:24.594-05:00Corgi addictionNever had heard of or even seen a Corgi before I met DaHubby. He was the previous owner of two when we met. I had a *meh* reaction to them at first then sticker shock when we contacted a breeder after we married in 2001 to purchase a puppy.
We named him Rolle ("rol-lee") and he absolutely captured my heart. He was my constant companion as I settled into a new area, a new home, and marriedBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-83540153592200456942012-12-12T17:01:00.004-05:002012-12-13T09:04:27.585-05:00FIR: "Southbound" and "Graceling"It's getting down to the wire here. Katrina's Fall Into Reading challenge will be wrapping up next Friday. So, I wanted to throw out two more reviews...
"Southbound" was a travel journal of two sisters who hike the Appalachian Trail top to bottom over several months. Normally, I am a fan of travelogues especially those geared to more non-commercial locations. But, I've decided I'm just getting Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-9484083379001422302012-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:002012-12-05T08:00:03.597-05:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-76851679177481789252012-12-04T12:25:00.001-05:002012-12-23T17:08:40.976-05:00FIR: "Juliet"I'm a Shakespeare geek.
I know. Big shocker there, eh?
So, when I found a novel that integrated a modern day mystery AND "Romeo and Juilet," I was all over it! LOL "Juliet" was not on my original FIR list but came as a paperbackswap.com delivery recently.
The story begins when Julie's aunt dies and old family secrets are revealed. Her and her sister's family connections to Siena, Italy Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-40176862462858979732012-11-29T20:25:00.000-05:002012-11-29T20:25:00.809-05:00FIR 2012: The Mark of AthenaAt the beginning of October, "The Mark of Athena" was finally released. It is the third of Rick Riordan's "Heroes of Olympus" series which followed the original five-book series featuring Percy Jackson - a Greek demigod whose cut from the same cloth as Harry Potter.
Both find out following a pre-teen birthday that their everyday, troubled lives are actually very special - Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-15410492664120575162012-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:002012-11-28T08:00:14.648-05:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-29887293750249188982012-11-21T15:51:00.001-05:002012-11-21T15:51:32.151-05:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-63538736955466513232012-10-24T10:54:00.000-04:002012-10-24T10:54:33.861-04:00FIR 2012: When the Walls FellWell, it has been a rough 2 weeks. I finished my last book on the 8th. Four days later, we were at a hospital in Chicago saying our goodbyes to DaHubby's sister who was losing her battle with leukemia, a subsequent stem cell transplant, and its after effects. She died on the 13th and we unexpectedly stayed in Michigan until the 19th. Not a lot of reading going on.
So, over the last four days, I Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-54163538461775705332012-10-11T15:15:00.003-04:002012-10-24T10:29:09.495-04:00Sharing a teaching tool...I've been asked over and over to share this but can't find the original link or file...so I'm trying to embed it from Facebook. This is Flicka's former Daisy troop leader sharing how she taught that troop the Girl Scout law. And, I now use it with Flicka's brownie/junior troop.
Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-58316219671426195952012-10-08T11:17:00.001-04:002012-10-24T10:28:59.260-04:00FIR 2012: The Dresden Files 1-6Well, I can blame an old high school friend for recommending Jim Butcher's novels to me a few years ago. Now, I figure there should be a 12-step group for people needing to get a life after reading the Harry Dresden series! LOL
One of my "secret" reading favorites are the fantasy/ sci-fi stuff of my adolescence. "A Wrinkle In Time" was THE book that drew me into the wonderfulBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-24556021167495188462012-10-03T12:44:00.000-04:002012-10-24T10:28:32.856-04:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-60932185736795346992012-10-01T14:03:00.000-04:002012-10-24T10:28:50.784-04:00FIR 2012: The White Queen by Philippa GregoryWell, one book down...
I've followed the Boleyn books from Philippa Gregory a couple years ago. She has gone on to write over two dozen historically based novels primarily about the British monarchy.
Somewhere along the line, I had added "The White Queen" to my reading wish list at paperbackswap.com. My wish was granted about a week before Katrina's reading challenge started so I started Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-64857133418014205522012-09-26T13:51:00.001-04:002012-09-26T13:51:32.745-04:00Wordless WednesdayBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-28467228896699125702012-09-24T14:53:00.002-04:002012-11-27T20:38:30.154-05:00Fall Into Reading 2012Well, I'm running a little behind but I wanted to post a list for Katrina's reading challenge at Callapidder Days.
This time around and with the season of life we're in, I'm posting more of a wish list than to-do list.
We started homeschooling 6 weeks ago and are still easing into the lifestyle. I've had a few new interests lately (particularly the British history of the monarchy) plus books Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-23564554576351388272012-09-05T15:40:00.005-04:002012-09-26T13:51:58.100-04:00Finding our own ryhthmThe school year started with great plans. I always make plans. Following through? That's an entirely different story!
Knowing that a daily structure is both a curse and blessing on our home life, we started with a set of rules how things would happen and a list of times when they would happen.
But, I remembered something. I wanted the flexibility of homeschooling. I wanted this time together. Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-54481057879081030592012-08-28T09:17:00.001-04:002012-09-26T13:52:09.150-04:00What are we REALLY teaching?Rookie year of homeschooling the Vikings so far has been a growing experience for all of us. The kids are going through a period of "de-schooling" while I realize how little I knew about where they are academically and how much they're capable of.
I was struck this weekend by the fact that we are already "off track" to what I envisioned. I seem to have already forgotten that I wanted Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-29965256839525537542012-08-21T13:03:00.003-04:002012-08-21T13:05:47.423-04:00Goodbye, glasses!My four-eyes and I have been together since junior high. Like 30 years.
In those 30 years, I've probably been through at least 15 pairs of frames and 2 or 3 things of contacts. Initially, my eyes weren't too bad. But, for my 30th birthday, I got the delighted news that I could no longer pass my drivers license eye exam and I was officially "someone who NEEDED to wear glasses."
Ninety-five Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-14914624000903479232012-08-16T12:07:00.002-04:002012-09-26T13:53:30.879-04:00It really says that?I've spent some time over the last couple weeks putting together a Child Training Bible for the Viking Hus. I've often been frustrated while talking over behavior misdeeds, either proactively or after-the-fact, and I can't find a corresponding Scripture to cite. This resource could be the answer to that problem.
As I was taking the time for all the highlighting and tabbing of Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-48982843763846683452012-08-13T12:00:00.001-04:002012-09-26T13:53:47.305-04:00ResistingI tend to be a joiner.
Not always in the peer pressure type way but when I get on-board with something, I tend to want to submerse myself in whatever it is. I get an A for enthusiasm but it's not so good since I don't generally "dabble" in things. It's all or nothing.
But, this time (for whatever reason) it seems to be different.
I'm tired of "us versus them."
Bottle feed vs. breastBeth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-47351878546421961862012-08-06T13:28:00.002-04:002012-10-25T08:28:56.621-04:00Family that your heart pickedHaving grown up as an only child, having siblings is an uncharted mystery I never really understood. While I have half-sisters, I was 20 when they were born and have never lived with them longer than a summer when they were newborns. I love them dearly but I'll never be as tight with them as they are together.
I felt incredibly awkward when we lost DaHubby's brother to cancer in 2005Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7670999577068514764.post-41064202424063209062012-08-02T11:40:00.000-04:002012-09-26T13:54:44.070-04:00Unexpected blessingsThere was a time "when WE were single," as DaHubby and I refer to it, when the division of household chores was different. In the pre-Vikings era, I worked part-time. We initially agree to a marital division of labor that included DaHubby taking care of the bathroom and doing dishes/filling the dishwasher (my two least favorite chores, neither of which he minded) and I would take care of Beth/Mom2TwoVikingshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00093286971978819404noreply@blogger.com0