M.O.B. Society BlogHop

Isn't it exciting when you realize that you qualify for a special group? No? Well, it makes me happy. I was working on getting caught up in my blog reading tonight and discovered the M.O.B. Society! It stands for "Mothers Of Boys." I'm pretty sure I qualify.....

This is a family photo my sister quickly snapped of all of us after 

our piano recital this past May.

The M.O.B. Society is hosting a blog hop so I decided to join. I really should be heading to bed as it is 1am my time, but knowing my overworked brain and schedule, I'd forget to come back and complete it!

My blog began quite a few years ago - about six now. It was shortly before we planned to move north. We had the opportunity to move nearer to my in-laws as in the same property as in right across the driveway. Yes, I'm still sane. Thankfully I love my in-laws and we're all great about respecting boundaries and privacy. It wouldn't work otherwise. Blogging is an outlet for me. It's a way to express myself. I used to scrapbook for the same reason, however, over the last few years that has fallen by the wayside as blogging has taken over. I think I like the instant gratification of a blog and the no mess value is a huge plus. I'm hoping to get in to digital scrapbooking at some point for the same reason.

As is obvious from the photo above, I have three boys. My oldest son is the tall one in the back with the blue shirt on. The last time we measured him he came in at about 5 foot 9 inches. My hubby is six feet even. Me? Well, I'm short. No way around that. I'm only about 5 foot 2 inches unless I have shoes on. I did tell the doctor yesterday I was 5 foot 3 inches and most days I can pass for that. Back to my boys though.

My oldest will be turning fifteen in about a month. I'm really not sure how that happened. Well, yes I do, but I'm in severe denial so please do not enlighten me! B14 loves to play on the computer and he even delved in to making his own computer games this past fall. He is also an avid reader. He's currently blazing through the Owls of Ga'Hoole books. He's read the first 10 books in about five days. Lastly, he really enjoys the fact that he can stay up later and watch TV and movies with his Dad & I. A big privilege for him!

My middle boy is 10 years old. He loves trains, planes, and, yes, even automobiles. He loves to talk although that could be his age. He has a very bad habit of repeating things even after being acknowledge the first two or three or dozen times he's said something. He has become a really wonderful swimmer this year and is now loving the water. This is a great improvement over his first year of lessons when he screamed bloody murder when the water kept getting in his ears. He also loves to play soccer and baseball and loves to ride his bike. In fact, this year he rode in the Tour de Cure with me (a fundraising bike ride for the American Diabetes Association). We went 15 miles and I was super proud of him!

And the baby of the family. He's not much of a baby anymore though. He's now 7-1/2 years old and I find it harder and harder to believe that he turns eight this coming January. It seems like just yesterday he was just a sweet two year old lisping out his full name to anyone who asked. We recently determined that J7 has a wheat intolerance. I'm also thinking he may have a dairy issue as well so we'll be eliminating that from his diet as well to see if that helps with his "my tummy hurts" complaints. He loves anything about Star Wars and can probably tell you anything you need to know. No, he has not watched all the regular movies and will need to be older to do but loves the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars. He just learned to ride his bike this past spring and is improving by leaps and bounds.

I mentioned above that my boys love to read and I'm thankful we have a great library system. Some of their favorites over the years have been:

• The Magic Tree House series - suitable for about ages 6 & up. These are great once they are confident readers as they are short chapter books.
• The Owls of Ga'Hoole books - both my almost 15 year old and my 10 year old are reading these. No pictures so they are a slightly more advanced chapter book.
• Sign of the Beaver - this one holds a special place in my heart for two reasons. One, it's set in Maine where we live and two, this was the first advanced chapter book I was able to convince my oldest son to read. It's the one I credit with moving him from being able to read to being a reader. 

There are far more great books out there but my post is getting a bit lengthy as it is as well as the hour. Just a bit more about me before I close. I am a homeschooling momma to all three of my boys. I started on this journey when my oldest was five. We are just beginning our ninth year and it's just as hard some days as that first year, but also very rewarding. I'm so very thankful I am able to be a stay-at-home-homeschooling-mom to my three wonderful boys.

Do you have boys as well and want to join? Head over to The M.O.B. Society to link up!