The Birthday Girl Got Her Ears Pierced {LaLobe Dallas}

Rachel has been wanting to get her ears pierced for several years.  I always just brushed it off and said, "Maybe when you turn 10."  I never really thought it through or talked to Stuart about it.  It was just something to say to get her to stop begging me at the moment.  

…..Then she turned 10.

I asked for some recommendations for where to take her to get her ears pierced.  Some said to call her pediatrician's office.  Not all pediatrician offices will pierce ears.  I called Rachel's pediatrician and they do pierce ears for active patients.  However, she hasn't been seriously sick in a long time and we haven't had any concerns about her health so we haven't taken her to well exams in a few years so they no longer have her as an active patient.  I didn't realize that she was no longer active and I did ask for the lady to double check with her supervisor but they still refused to do it because she wasn't active.

I got my ears pierced when I was about Rachel's age.  I remember my mom took me to my pediatrician's office.  The nurse used a piercing gun which was spring-loaded to force the sharp-pointed earring into my ear lobe to make the pierce.  The first pierce was my right ear and it went great.  It felt like just a little pinch.  For the left ear, she pierced it with the piercing gun but the gun wouldn't release.  She tried to pull the sides apart but she couldn't.  She had to go get help and left the piercing gun hanging on my ear lobe!  That was painful.  Fortunately my mom quickly held it up until the nurse came back with help.  Eventually the two of them were able to pull and tug to get it to release.  My ear piercings turned out fine but I did have a lot of pain and even an infection on that left ear.  

Now that was probably 35 years ago so technology on those piercing guns has surely improved since then.  However, I did a little research and learned that the piercing gun is not the best way to pierce an ear.  The preferred way is to use a needle.  This allows for greater control on the placement and angle of the pierce.  It also allows for a more sterile environment because they use a single-use sterilized needle rather than a plastic piercing gun that can't be thoroughly sterilized.  Also I would prefer to have a piercing done with someone who is trained specifically in piercing the body and does nothing but piercing as compared to somewhere like Claire's that mainly sells inexpensive jewelry and toys and happens to also do ear piercings by someone who may have just started working there two weeks ago.  Ok, maybe I'm being a little harsh on Claire's but I did call our local Claire's to ask about ear piercing and the girl I spoke to sounded like she could have been Rachel's age and she was a little too bubbly for me to take seriously.

For ear piercings with a needle, several moms have used tattoo parlors because they typically do body piercings as well.  It sounds shocking at first but think about it.  These shops have strict sterilization regulations that they must follow and the artists there usually take a lot of pride in their work and many have studied the human body, circulation, etc. in order to provide the best canvas for their work and the best experience for their customers.  Stuart was a little hesitant when I first mentioned a tattoo parlor but we both agreed that it would be fine.  However, Little Bit didn't like the idea and I completely understand that a tattoo parlor might make the already scary experience even more intimidating for a child.  So I did some research and found LaLobe in Dallas.

LaLobe is a dedicated ear piercing salon that specializes in working with children.  And they use a needle instead of a piercing gun!  Perfect!  They prefer appointments but they also accept walk-ins.

They charge $39 for the ear piercing if you purchase earrings from them.  If you bring your own then the charge for ear piercing is $57.00.  They require that the first earrings used are 14K gold.  I got Rachel some opal birthstone earrings for her birthday but they are 10K gold so I let her browse their selection of earrings.  

October actually has two birthstones - opal and pink tourmaline.  Rachel thought it would wonderful to buy the pink tourmaline earrings for her first pair so she could have both of her birthstones.  But at $165 I had to say no.  I steered her to the basic $54.00 14K stud earrings. She was ok with this but she mentioned something about earrings on her Christmas wish list.  *sigh*

While I was signing some paperwork, Rachel watched two teenage girls get their ears pierced.  They made a big deal of acting scared before hand so I was a little worried about Rachel getting more scared but they calmed down once they were in the chair and neither of them cried when they actually got the piercing.  I think that helped her see that it wasn't too bad.  However, she looked very nervous as she waited for her turn.

To comfort her Rachel brought a squishy toy that she could squeeze if she needed to and of course she brought Pink Baby too.  She has had Pink Baby since she was an infant and it always comforts her when she gets upset.

The wait was short and it was time for Rachel to get in the chair.  She was so nervous but managed to give me a smile.  

They first measure and mark on the ear lobe where the piercing will go.  Then they use a specially designed "tong" to hold the ear lobe in place.  There is a hole in the tongs that they line up with the marking on the ear lobe.  They use a freeze spray on the ear lobe to numb it and then insert the needle.  Once they remove the needle they put in the earring.  She isn't supposed to remove those earrings for 4 weeks.

She was a little bit more relaxed on the second ear lobe but she still wasn't having fun.  She was brave though and I was so proud of her.


Rachel is so excited to have her ears pierced and Genesis at LaLobe did a great job with talking to her about the whole process and helping her to stay calm.

After care:  She had to turn the earrings every hour with clean hands just to help keep the skin from scabbing over the earrings.  After the first day, she just turns them 3-5 times a day and cleans them with a special anti-septic.  The cost of her ear piercing includes a follow up appointment at LaLobe in 4 weeks where they will check the healing process.  

Little Kid Art Supplies

Rachel loves making art.  She loves drawing, painting, pastels, and more.  She has been doing some art lessons online and I have let her use some of my nicer art supplies.  

As we were getting ready for the new school year, I had her help me clean out the art closet.  She was excited to find some supplies that had gotten buried and forgotten about.  But she also turned her nose up at what she called, "little kid art supplies".

While I'm always happy to get rid of stuff on my de-cluttering mission, I found myself actually sad about giving away these particular items.  It was a sudden reminder that my babies are growing up and we are getting rid of our last Crayola crayons and big foam stamps.  As a parent you don't usually know until after the fact when will be the last time your child will ask you to push them on the swing or the last time they will want to sit in your lap while you read a book to them. This was just one of those moments that stuck with me as we got rid of those "little kid art supplies".

Savor the days.  

Eighth Grade Graduation

Every year the Coppell Home School Association has an end of the year party for their members.  There is always great food and a fun time with friends.  The students have a recital where they can play instruments, sing, dance, read poetry, or whatever they want to do to perform.  There is also a graduation ceremony for students completing kindergarten and moving into elementary school as well as a graduation for students leaving eighth grade and entering high school.  

This year Nicholas was called up as a graduating eighth grader.  He really didn't want to wear the graduation hat but....too bad. Stuart had some great words for him but the gist of what he said was "We are proud of your hard work this year.  Have fun tonight because ninth grade starts tomorrow."  Yep, homeschooling isn't all about doing school in pajamas and going on field trips.  This is high school and it is really happening!

Yes, I made him stand in front of the graduation sign.  He hates it when I make him pose for corny pictures but I'm mom and that's what I do!

Students also bring art, science, or other projects to put on display.  Nicholas just recently created this Star Trek Enterprise on his own (not a kit) so he brought that to display.  Some might think that 14 is too old to have LEGOs.  However, Nicholas has an engineering mind and it just has to constantly create things.  LEGOs are a great outlet for that need.  I have always loved that whether we are studying history, science, or literature, Nicholas will always create something out of LEGOs that represents what he is studying at the time.  It is just one way that he processes the information that he is learning.

It's been another amazing year of homeschooling.  We are so blessed to be able to teach our children at home so that they can grow in their God-given talents while developing a love of learning.

Twenty-two Years

Twenty-two years ago I married the love of my life and my best friend.  After all of this time, he still makes my heart flutter and I love him more than ever.

Stuart and I met through mutual friends while we were at LSU in 1991.

Five years later we were getting married.  

Our photographer took me out to some beautiful spots around the old barracks to take some pictures. 

My handsome groom.  

Our wedding was at Ashley Manor in Baton Rouge.  It was an especially nice because Stuart's father sang during the ceremony.

Our wedding party consisted of both of our brothers who happen to both be named Steve, John, my dear friends Kristina and Denise, and Donna, my sister-in-law.

The guys singing Garth Brook's "Friends in Low Places".

It has been an amazing 22 years together.  We have had some moments of mayhem and insanity but the joy and happiness that we have experienced together are beyond measure.  I'm so blessed to spend my life with this wonderful man!

Painting Rachel's Room

Rachel asked to have her room updated for her birthday.  She still has the baby pink walls that I painted before she was born.  I love the color but she says it is too "babyish" looking.  We worked for several days boxing up everything in her room and finding places to put the boxes in other rooms upstairs.  Oh what a mess our upstairs is!

She wants her new room to be turquoise.  She picked a medium shade but Stuart and I were concerned that the dark walls might make her already small room feel even smaller.  We encouraged her to at least try the lighter shade on the same paint chip card and then decide.  We bought small sample sizes of both paint colors and I painted a swatch of each on each wall.  You have to do this on different walls because the lighting will be different in different parts of the room so you want to be sure you like the color on all four walls.  

I let the paint dry then told her that it was about time to paint the second coat on the sample spots.  When I made it up to her room, I found that she had just finished painting the second coat all on her own.  She was quite proud of herself!  Notice she is wearing her cute little Gymboree t-shirt and skirt (NOT painting clothes!).  Oh that girl!

Of course, it took me a moment but I soon noticed that she made hand prints in the paint too.  She actually didn't make a mess with the paint so all is well and I'm glad she is having fun.

She decided to go with the lighter color turquoise.  It is a really pretty color.  She has been a great helper and she has done a lot of the painting herself.

Internship for High School Credit by Apologia {Review}

Did you know that your high school student can get real world experience through an internship and count it as high school credit on their transcript?  I had not thought about that before but there is a great book called Internship for High School Credit: Practical Help to Explore and Direct Your Career Plans by Apologia Educational Ministries that helps walks students through the process.  This book was offered as a review product to the Homeschool Review Crew and I am very happy to review it.

Internship for High School Credit starts out by discussing what an internship is and how it evolved from the apprenticeship model of the Middle Ages.  Back in those days, young people would learn their skills and craft mostly from hands-on experience.  They would learn the ways of the trade and practice to improve their skills over time by working with a master or expert in the field.  When they were finally on their own, they already knew what was expected of them and what the day to day requirements of the job would be.  

But over time, that concept has slipped away.  These days, students go through the basic 12 years of school and are expected to know what they want to be when they grow up without having ever actually stepped foot in a place of business in their chosen career.  They then spend thousands of dollars to attend four years of college and still may not know what it is like to actually do that job every day.  

They graduate and they get their first job.  And sadly, many young people are shocked and dismayed after just a few years in their field. "Wait, what?  I have to do that in this job?  That isn't what I thought I signed up for!"  They are discouraged to learn that their career isn't all that they dreamed of and that it really wasn't what they were expecting.  At this point, they have two choices - keep on plugging away at a career that isn't a good fit for them or cut their losses and start over with a new career. 

The idea of an internship is a great way for young students to gain more experience in the career path they want to pursue.  They learn the ins and outs  of the day-to-day job responsibilities of the field BEFORE they invest thousands of dollars and years of their life to it.   They are better able to focus their college degree on the skills they really need to learn because they know where they are heading.  Plus, colleges are delighted to see students' applications that show they have some experience in their field because the colleges know that those students already know that this is what they want to do and are much less likely to drop out of school.  Not only are these all great reasons for pursuing an internship in high school, but also if the student 

So let's talk a little about Apologia's book, Internship for High School Credit.  The book is intended for the student to read and use on their own.  However, there is a section just for parents and it would certainly be most helpful for the student if the parent read the book and was able to discuss the ideas and concepts to help guide their student along the way.

After discussing the benefits of an internship, the book helps the student think through companies that they might be able to contact for an internship, how to write a resume and a letter of introduction, and how to interview for the position.  For parents, there is also good information about how to document the internship on the student's transcript including course title, number of credits, and grades.  

For the most part, the rest of the book is worksheets for the student to complete.  There are worksheets for semester goals then weekly worksheets to be completed during the internship.  These weekly worksheets help the student track days and hours worked but also include questions and activities for the student.  I really love these questions and activities because they challenge the student to learn more.  They have the student research specific element that may involve asking questions of their internship mentor or looking up information on their own.  They weekly activities include things like learning about the job titles for the people at the business, paying close attention to work attire, thinking big picture about the job they do, career specific language and technology, thinking about how the student's strengths and interests fit with what they are doing in this internship, researching companies in the field that they might could later work for, and so much more.


For more information on Apologia Educational Ministries, please check them out:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/apologiaworld
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• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/apologia/ 
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• Google+: https://plus.google.com/105053356034237782125
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/apologiaworld

The Homeschool Review Crew was given the opportunity to review either Internship for High School Credit or How to HOMESCHOOL with Stunning Confidence, Contagious Joy, and Amazing Focus (DVD and Coursebook).  If you would like to read reviews for either of these products by other members of the Homeschool Review Crew then please click the banner below.

Celebrating Manhood - A Rite of Passage Guide {Review}

As a reviewer for the Home School Review Crew I was given the opportunity to review some products from the Home School Adventure Co.  This is wonderful company that was founded by a homeschool family.  Their mission is to help "other families cultivate and defend a biblical worldview"

I chose to review their product, Celebrating Manhood: a rite of passage guide.  It was written by Stacy Farrell as a way to help her sons celebrate their growth into men of integrity.


My husband didn't have any kind of rite of passage like this when he was growing up.  Sadly, the idea of a rite of passage is something that our modern culture seems to have lost.  Instead childhood just seems to go on and on.  There doesn't seem to be much expectation for teenagers and young adults to be productive with their time and to think outside of themselves so they end up spending their days glued to their cell phones or playing video games. 

However, in the past, there were higher expectations for young people.  They were taught skills and values by their older generations.  They were given more responsibility at younger ages and they were expected to behave maturely and contribute to their family and society as a whole.  We need to get back to that attitude that young people can make a difference and a worthy contribution to the world around them by learning from their elders and then going out and applying themselves.  

A rite of passage celebration is the perfect way for a young man to realize what is expected of him as he enters into young adulthood.  It is his time to grow into his potential and be all that God has planned for him.  

Stacy Farrell has written Celebrating Manhood: a rite of passage guide to help plan a rite of passage for her growing sons.  It is a great resource for parents who have not attended such an event because she has already planned it all out for you.  She includes a blueprint for the celebration and she even includes a template for you to use to make the invitations.  The packet includes an agenda which covers inviting a few men who have been important in the young man's life, food, activities, blessings, and question cards.  

The Question Cards come as 3 different sets of printable cards to be used during the celebration.  The topics for the 3 sets are "If Only I Had Known...", "I Remember When...", and "What I Value and Respect...".  The men at the celebration take turns pulling a card from a deck and giving a meaningful answer.    

Here are a few examples of questions in the cards:

• What helps you deal with the inevitable disappointments you encounter in life?
• What is one of the best experiences you had with your dad?
• If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?

You can purchase the digital download for $14.95 or order a print version for $18.95.  

I think a rite of passage celebration is a wonderful milestone in a young man's life and it is an opportunity that should not be missed.  I'm grateful for the ideas and resources that are included in Celebrating Manhood.  However, for the price, I would like to see a little bit more information about the importance of the ceremony in a young man's life and perhaps a few more specifics included with the ideas for the agenda.  Overall, I think it is a great product and I would definitely recommend it to parents of boys.

If you would like to check out some more reviews from the Home School Review Crew about this product and others from the Home School Adventure Co., please click on the banner below:

Galveston for Father's Day and Sea Camp

We made a trip down to Galveston to drop Nicholas off at Texas A&M Sea Camp for a week long camp in Adventures of Marine Biology.  But since we were going on Father's Day we decided to find a nice local seafood restaurant to celebrate how awesome Stuart is.

Several friends recommended Gaido's.

The giant crab on their roof is striking and certainly gets your attention.  Rachel loves to eat crab and she thought it would be great to eat such a giant crab!

We got there for 11:00 just as they were opening so it was nice and quiet.  The dining room is nice and there are lots of windows for great views of the beach.

Rachel thought it was all so fancy.  We don't usually eat at restaurants with such nice glasses, tablecloths, etc.

Their homemade bread and dipping oil was delicious.  I may have eaten more than my share.

We ordered two appetizers so the kids could experience a few new foods.  Rachel loved the calamari.

Nicholas liked the fried oysters better.  

I'm so proud of my kiddos for trying such unusual foods!

For his meal, Nicholas ordered the seafood platter.  I believe it was a bit more food than he was expecting.

I ordered the Combination Platter which came with char-grilled shrimp, scallops, and fish.  It was so delicious!

Rachel ordered shrimp.  She took one bite and said she loved it!

After lunch we had a little bit of time to just explore before we had to drop Nicholas off so we walked across the street to the beach.  It's kind of unusual for me to see a beach right next to such a busy road.  There is a wall between the two and stairs going down from the street to the beach.  Nicholas sat here to take off his shoes so he could play at the water's edge.  We hadn't really planned on coming to the beach today!  I couldn't help but take this picture.  He's just looks so grown up!

The beach was nice and in the distance we could see Pleasure Pier which is a pier that has restaurants, shops, and an amusement park!

Shell collecting soon began. There were plenty of them scattered around.

The kids had fun and got a little sandy and wet despite Daddy's pleas to stay clean because we didn't have a change of clothes or even towels for them.

We drove along the coast for a while for some sightseeing.  When it was time to turn around, Stuart made a u-turn at this spot and ended up going up the embankment just a little.  The kids were so delighted about being at an angle that Stuart drove on the embankment for a little way.  There were such squeals of laughter from the back seat!  It was a highlight of the day.

We picked up some snacks at a local grocery store so Nicholas could have a few things in his room during the week.  Then we headed to the camp. 

It was hard seeing the real Texas A&M signs.  It was really hitting me that we were dropping him off at a college campus for a week!  What was I thinking?!  He's still my little guy.

Sea Camp is going to be a pretty amazing experience for Nicholas though.  They offer many different kinds of camps throughout the summer. Nicholas is taking the Adventures in Marine Biology.  They will explore a salt marsh by seining, digging, and sieving; learn about biota and food chains; dissect a fish and learn about fish printing; collect live oysters and study them with an oyster biologist;  trawl for shrimp, fish, and crabs from the research vessel Earl L. Milan; tour a turtle facility and meet the threatened Loggerhead sea turtle; and attend a workshop on whales and dolphins and examine real dolphin bones.  It sounds so great and I'm actually jealous that I can't go to camp myself!

Here we are at Check-In!  Ahhh, this is really happening!

Nicholas checked himself in.  He got his room assignment as well as his badge and lanyard that he will wear all week.

He will be staying in Oceans Hall.  I can't help but notice the knot in my stomach as I look at the sign and realize again that he will be staying in a college dorm for a week!  It will only house Sea Campers this week and it will be a neat experience for him.  I'm just having a hard time coming to grips with the fact that he is old enough to do something so cool without Stuart or I being with him.

The dorm is classic with a long hallway and lots of rooms on either side. He will have one room mate, Carter.  They will share a bathroom with the two boys in the room beside them. 

Nicholas' room is on the second floor and they have a nice little balcony in their room.

This is his room for the week.

Seriously, when did he get so grown up?

It was time to say goodbye and Nicholas walked us back out to the car.  Rachel was crying because she was already missing him.  Nicholas gave her lots of hugs.

What a contrast in this picture below!  Sad sister crying.  Big brother with a giddy grin and looking back to check out the other campers arriving.  He couldn't wait to go meet his new friends and jump into the fun activities.

Sea Camp will take pictures of the kids during the week and post them on a website so we'll be able to see what Nicholas is doing each day.  We also got him a cell phone so he can keep in touch with us by phone, text, and email.  It will still be a hard week for us all with him gone.