The Cyber School Mom Diaries

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Days 12 - 18

2011-06-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

Let me begin this update with an apology for being offline for so long. We lost our much-loved Paw-Paw Chuck recently; my husband's step-dad. From the day Paw-Paw and Grammy discovered he was sick with stage 4 small cell lung cancer until the day he passed was just one month. We barely had time to prepare ourselves or Spawn before he was already gone. Maybe I'll write more about that experience

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 9, 10, and 11.

2011-06-12T19:38:00.003-04:00

Day 9, Friday, June 10: Silly Hat and Pajama Day! I'd planned on a jammie day for the first official calendar day of summer vacation, but Spawn came downstairs in this long spiked, mohawk hat Friday morning for breakfast and that was THAT! Fat Nugga wanted to participate, but she doesn't have any pajamas or hats, so she tried on Daddy's sunglasses during a nap with him in the ugly chair: Day 10

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 8: Homemade Sidewalk Chalk Paint

2011-06-10T18:01:00.007-04:00

I found this recipe online and I thought it was a great idea. It is - just limit yourself to one color. We got a little too ambitious (by mixing 5 colors), had a heat wave roll up on us, and really needed to get it done to take pictures before the storm hit and before we had to leave for fencing class. It made it a little less fun than I'd hoped for, but we'll be doing it again soon because

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 7: Newborn Fun!

2011-06-10T17:37:00.000-04:00

What we did on Wednesday, June 8, 2011 Sorry for the delay, guys! I was hoping to have a picture of Spawn holding our newborn friend, Pinklet, but I took the picture with my friend's camera instead of mine and she's understandably busy with her own kids now that she's home from the hospital. She'll get it to me soon and I'll share it with all of you. We made a special trip down to the

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 6: Summer Adventure Mysteries!

2011-06-08T12:04:00.002-04:00

Spawn was desperately in need of a "down" day yesterday. (We all were!) We spent a quiet day at home. Walt preparing for a job interview, me catching up on laundry, and giving my sciatica a rest, and Spawn playing with Legos, his Wii and avoiding the melting heat wave outside at all costs. A heat wave is as good as a rainy day to introduce a quiet activity as far as I'm concerned, so Spawn

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 5: A Brand New Baby Human, An Afternoon at Klein's Dairy Farm and Our First CSA Week of the Season

2011-06-07T14:35:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a busy, busy day here at the ranch! My new baby niece was born yesterday afternoon at 2:29 pm, 6 lbs. 15 oz., 17 1/2" long. In the way of things here at CSMD, we don't share the first names of children (ours or our friends/family), so we'll be calling this new addition "Pinklet". Why? Because she's a girl, she's still very pink-looking, and she grunts like a tiny piglet when she

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 4: Cousin A's 3rd Birthday Party!

2011-06-06T13:59:00.003-04:00

I apologize in advance for the brevity of today's post - I'm a little distracted at the moment. My BFF is waiting to be wheeled into the OR to deliver her 2nd baby right now. =D Yesterday, we spent the day at my-laws' house in the Poconos, celebrating Spawn's younger cousin A's 3rd birthday. He's not totally into opening gifts yet, but he had NO problem blowing that candle out! Since Cousin A is

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 3: Cookie Cutter Hand-stamped, Personalized Wrapping Paper

2011-06-05T12:00:00.003-04:00

Spawn's youngest cousin's 3rd birthday party is today and we NEVER buy birthday-themed wrapping paper. Being homeschoolers, we don't get 30 party invites every year. (Thank goodness!) We attend just a few parties for cousins and best friends and that suits us fine! =D So I always keep some brown and white craft paper on hand so we can make our own paper or I buy deeply discounted gift

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 2: Improv Solo Crafting - Cardboard Bat

2011-06-04T15:32:00.003-04:00

I had something else in mind for yesterday's activity, but Spawn had other ideas. =D He was in the bathroom, doing things I honestly don't want to know or ask about when he discovered my stash of leftover toilet paper tubes in a bag (I save all the major roll tubes. You never know when you'll need 1 or 12 of them!) He started tearing and poking and building and came tearing out of them bathroom

Spawn’s Supermegatotally Thrilladelic Not Bummer Summer: Day 1: Community Block Party and Mini Golf

2011-06-03T20:07:00.006-04:00

Greetings CSMD Readers! We have a special treat in store for you here on the Radvon Ranch this summer! In the spirit of the fun and carefree days of summer vacation and the theatrical release of the legendary 3rd grade summer tale, “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer”, we are sharing our 3rd grade summer fun with all of you. We’re calling it “Spawn’s Supermegatotally

What Spawn is Reading This Week and Happy Towel Day!!! - 5/25/2011

2011-05-25T13:49:00.000-04:00

Woo! Busy, busy week here! So busy I just can't bring myself to walk you all through it. It's like Grand Central Station in here today. Suffice it to say I'm beat! Let's kick things off with some "On This Day" news. Today is Towel Day! Celebrating the life and work of Douglas Adams is the order of the day today! "He's got a towel! Run away!" If you're a Douglas Adams fan, you've already got

DNA of Questionable Origin

2011-05-17T16:50:00.002-04:00

So Spawn just used the phrase "trying to avoid disastrous consequences" in conversation with me. Seriously? Whose gene pool did this little wunderkind actually emerge from? My husband and I are smart people, don't get me wrong! But...Spawn is not like any other 8 year old I've ever met. In one breath he's making fart jokes and in the next he's stringing together vocabulary words his peers won't

Happy Mother's Day!!!

2011-05-08T14:46:00.000-04:00

Here's hoping all you moms (and those standing in place of moms) are enjoying your day and spending it with the ones you love! Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

What Spawn is Reading This Week - 5/6/2011

2011-05-06T16:07:00.000-04:00

I know I don't usually post these on Fridays, but Spawn just wrapped up his first novel yesterday and I thought that was as good an excuse as any to celebrate. =D He finished The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and he LOVED IT!!! =D I am one happy mama today! Not just because he finished his first novel, but it's a classic, and he enjoyed it, understood it, and it's at a 7th - 8th grade reading

The Color of Boogers

2011-04-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

Spawn: "Mommy, what color are your boogers? Mine are greenish-yellow. I thought everybody's boogers were that color, but I saw a commercial with green boogers in it that don't look like MY boogers." Me: ::sigh:: "I think everybody has a different nose, so everybody must make their very own shade of boogers. That's why not all boogers look like yours." Spawn: "Ohhh...that makes sense." He gets

What Spawn is Reading This Week - 4/26/2011

2011-04-25T22:08:00.002-04:00

Spawn just began reading this book today, so I don't have much to say about it yet. It includes three stories and is the first of the 3rd grade independent reading books he's chosen. I tend to gravitate towards mysteries for him because comprehension is a stumbling block for Spawn due to his ADHD. So, every few months, we hit the book store or thrift store and stock up on mysteries to keep him

This one is just for my fellow Parrotheads...

2011-04-16T18:53:00.001-04:00

With thanks to my friend, Debbie, for reminding me. =D Happy Jimmy Buffett Day!!! How are you celebrating today? We've watched the Concert for the Gulf Coast (we TiVo'd it when it first aired) and we made these: Margarita Popsicles with Salt Incidentally, it's also National Eggs Benedict Day and I forgot to go out for some this morning. :( Next year. ;) Fins up! Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

25¢ Word of the Week - Paraprosdokian

2011-04-16T17:19:00.000-04:00

Paraprosdokian. It's a great word, isn't it? It's derived from Greek, meaning "a figure of speech that ends despite expectation". The examples from Wiki are fantastic! And they show that Winston Churchill was a speaker who was fond of the use of paraprosdokian turns of phrase:"He was at his best when the going was good." - Alistair Cooke on the Duke of Windsor. "There but for the grace of God—

Stocked up on the basics...

2011-04-15T02:45:00.001-04:00

I may be out of shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorant all at the same time, but, BY GOD, there are three 1 lb. packages of bacon in my freezer because there are some staples you just don't want to risk running out of. :P A girl's gotta keep her priorities straight! Chrissi, Cyber School Mom

Avoiding the Booby Traps: Preparing to Succeed at Breastfeeding

2011-04-12T00:27:00.004-04:00

A friend asked me to be her doula (a labor and birth support person) and I've been doing a little research on the pitfalls of exclusive breastfeeding and how to overcome them. I found an amazing site and ALL these links are from the same site! I thought they were worth sharing: Booby Traps 101 Prepare: How to Overcome the Booby Traps Ultimate Breastfeeding Preparation Checklist Prepare: The

It's SNOT the most wonderful time of the year...

2011-04-05T18:57:00.000-04:00

If it weren't so aggravating, it would be funny. Allergy season hit the CSMD Ranch today. Every single one of us has been sneezing every 3 - 5 minutes all day. It's almost funny...except that it' snot. :PI know how much you guys enjoy a snot joke for allergy season. ;) Chrissi, (the sniffly) Cyber School Mom

Merry Saturnalia!!!

2010-12-17T21:07:00.001-05:00

Saturnas Caravaggio Our Saturnalia tree is bedecked, beribboned, and gaily festooned with sun and star symbols in honor of this day. (Next, year, I have every intention of throwing a Merry Saturnalia Bowling Toga Party in honor of the Roman god, Saturn, but as one of my nearest and dearest friends is newly pregnant and spewing her guts out most of the day, I think we'll wait until she can join

Happy 10/10/10!!!

2010-10-10T20:43:00.000-04:00

Ordinarily, I would ignore celebrations like 9/02/10 Day, but I do love numbers and it made me a special kind of giddy when Spawn asked what today's date was and I got to say "Ten, ten, ten." =D So... Happy 10/10/10 Day! I took tons of great pictures this weekend from Spawn's two buddies' birthday parties. Of course, the camera flashed "Memory Car Full" just as birthday boy #2 started to open

First Day of School Questions

2010-09-30T22:19:00.000-04:00

Technically, these are First Month of School Questions because Spawn and I have been sick with hayfever for so long, but it's still September, so it counts. ;) This questionnaire is the same one I use every year to gauge the changes in Spawn's attitude and favorite things from year to year. Enjoy! I sure did! =D