So today it was raining. All day.

It's not that we didn't need the rain. We do need the rain. We really do. It's just that the kids turn into wild children when they can't get outside.

So, by lunch time I was surrounded by four wild, screaming, mini-terrors. It was horrible. I was about ready to scream.

So we made lunch and the munchkins went down for their naps early. Take that tiny terrors!

No, really. They all needed the naps, I think and when it rains they sleep better. So the kids all went to sleep and I came and collapsed on the couch. And I sat here for awhile and watched a couple of episodes of the Waltons. I felt much better.

And the afternoon was much better.

The Television

So, a couple of weeks ago I made a decision to turn off the TV. So, I set a time limit of one hour of TV per day, and Mom picks the programs. I did this for a couple of reasons. First, because the little monkeys weren't really actually watching the programs. The TV was on and it was noise and it was only contributing to the noise that the kids were creating. Second, because I realized that there were better ways to spend that time.

We have been sticking to the schedule pretty well. They get to watch one hour of PBS kids every afternoon. They actually sit and watch the shows. So it's quiet. I also initiated a rule that if they get up and start playing or running around the TV goes off. They've done pretty good.

But, my little turkey DD4 was sneaking up to the toy room and watching videos very quietly while DD6 and I were still working on schoolwork. So, I had to unplug the VCR. HA! Mommy wins!

Anyway, I plan to keep it up. It's working. The girls spend more time reading than vegging. And that's a good thing!

I had a lesson driven home to me yesterday. I was coming home from the grocery store yesterday evening and was in the left turn lane. I guess I was farther forward than I thought and it looked to cross traffic that I was in their lane. I was able to back up a little and correct my mistake, but not before I learned my lesson.

As I looked up and realized what was happening I looked into the trck passing in front of me to see a driver that was pointing at me and (from the looks of it) calling me a very unflattering name very loudly. And yes, his family was with me. It's funny how I saw this in slow motion as he passed. Sadly, the recognition passed between us after he called me this particularly unflattering name.

It was a deacon from my church.

Now, I do not post this because I think that because he is a deacon that he has to be perfect. Not at all, I am a sinner, same as him.

I post this because in my immediate reaction I judged him. And then the hammer came down. What had just transpired in front of my very eyes is why showing everyone grace all the time is sooooooo important. Even when someone makes a boneheaded move in traffic. You never know who is in the other car.

I have forgiven this man, though granted, I have lost a great deal of respect for him. But, I am grateful I learned my lesson. Now I just have to put it into action.

Today was amazing. We finished school an hour early (even with extras), and the DCKs haven't been fighting all day. It must be the change in the weather.

My Schedule

Back during the summer I made up a schedule in true MOTH (Managers of Their Homes) fashion. It was a total disaster and I hated it. I didn't like for the following reasons:

• I had to get up at 6 a.m. to get everything done.
• I was dragging the girlies up at 7 a.m.
• I was angry at DH when he let me oversleep or when he wanted me to stay up later with him.
• Because it wasn't working.

See, I recognized the need for some order to our days, especially when school started. It drives me absolutely insane to stumble through a day and when the day is done to look back and realize that I really didn't accomplish much of anything. I know that one of my biggest failings is in being self-disciplined about my time.

So, we stuck with the schedule for about 10 days and then chucked it because we were all so grouchy and ill-tempered that it obviously wasn't working.

It wasn't until more recently that I noticed something that put a whole new spin on the schedule business. My DH and I were talking about natural sleep patterns and I said, "I don't know why it is, but even if I want to I can't seem to sleep past 7:00." It was like a light bulb went off in my brain.

So, I went back to the schedule and adjusted everything forward an hour, with me waking up at 7:00 a.m. and the girls getting up at 8 which is much more close to the time that they would normally wake up naturally.

And believe it or not, it has worked wonders in our house. We are much more organized and our days just seem to flow better. The girls always know whats coming and now that DD6 can tell time she is getting better about keeping her own schedule, which has made it easier on me.

I Love a Full House

I enjoy having a full house during the day. I like having the DCKs here, even though homeschooling with two toddlers underfoot can be somewhat of a pain.

Anyway, I find that my frustration lies not in the two extra children around, but in the vast difference in parenting philosophies that I share with their parents. In many ways, it is a frustrating venture trying to raise someone else's children.

For instance one of the DCKs exhibits some very troubling behaviors, reminiscent of Asperger's to me. I won't go into the behaviors that I am seeing, but they trouble me. His parents on the other hand just shrug it off. Were he my child, I would be taking him to the pediatrician ASAP, even if only to be referred to specialist and told that it was nothing to worry about. Because in my mind should he be diagnosed early intervention could make all the difference in the world.

The other thing that I notice, not only in my own DCKs, but across the board with other providers I talk to is that the vast majority of the children in our care are sleep-deprived. Morning are routinely bordering on nightmarish because the children are exhausted. In some cases the parents keep them up late to spend time with them that they miss during the day. In other cases, bedtime habits, or lack thereof serve to draw out bedtime with an early morning looming on the horizon.

I often wish that If I am going to be subjected to the tantrums and whining brought on by lack of sleep that I ought to be the one making the decisions about when they go to bed...

At any rate, having these sweet little ones come to the house every day makes me appreciate the opportunity that I have been given in being home with my own kids every day. I get to decide when they go to bed and when they get up and my schedule is my own, not imposed on me by the outside influence of a job outside the home or a school schedule.

The Waltons

Through the wonders of the internet and the ease of mailing DVDs I got hooked on the 70s television show "The Waltons." I watched the 1st and second season on DVD from Blockbuster over the summer.

I can not even tell you how much I love this show. Mainly because it embodies so many things that I wish I had. Enforced simplicity (much of the show is set during the Great Depression), a large family including multiple generations, and an appreciation for homemade things, not so much store-bought.

I love the relationships that they share simply because they spend so much time together. I know that the show is an idealized version of events. But the sense of community that the show demonstrates...I wish we still had that. I wish that I knew my neighbors, but instead of living in the same house for two generations, we're lucky to have the same neighbors for 6 months. The way the characters on the show come together in times of hardship, the generosity, the kindness...

Sigh.

When I get out my soapbox, my DH always asks if I'm feeling froggy. Well, tonight I am.

I am so sad for all of the kids that I see every week at church that are wasting away. Don't get me wrong, they're well fed and well clothed. But, they look beat down all the time. It breaks my heart.

I am sad for the first grader who comes to church on Wednesdays and then has to go home and complete 90 minutes of homework for school the next day.

I am sad for the little girl that told me that she couldn't check out the book she really wanted at the library because it was above her graded reader level. Instead of getting a book about birds (her passion) she got a book about how to play with a rope (!).

I am sad for the little boy who has lost his spark because everyone tells him what a bad kid he is. He's not a bad kid. I've taught him. He is inquisitive, energetic (very!) and used to be happy. He's not a bad kid, but he has so much energy he doesn't do well sitting in a desk for 6 and a half hours a day.

I am sad for the little girl that has no friends because she has a wildly independent streak. She can be very loud and very opinionated. The other kids don't like that. She likes to talk. She's gotten in trouble at school for that (big surprise). She thinks she's stupid because the other kids have hassled her for getting in trouble. They don't understand how she can be "so stupid" as to not know how to be quiet. Every week I can see a little more of her spirit has died. She's 5.

I am sad for the girl who was "cyber-bullied" over the weekend. Someone posted hateful, ugly things on MySpace. Her friends have left her. She feels all alone.

I feel sorry for the boy that has his manhood questioned on a regular basis because he enjoys music over sports. And has chosen a historically feminine woodwind instrument.

I feel sorry for the girl I saw last Friday after the High School let out early for mid-terms. She looked miserable as the other kids turned their backs on her. No telling what her social crime was.

I can't say with any authority that homeschooling could fix all of the problems that these kids have. I don't know their lives, or their homes. What I do know is that the educational system is broken. By third grade the sweet, kind, thoughtful, inquisitive, eager child I taught as a 4 or 5 year old has been reduced to a glassy-eyed, labelled, bored, peer-oppressed mess.

And my poor high schoolers. Their prayer requests every week curl my hair.

Something is wrong. Very wrong.

And it chaps me that their parents just shrug and move on. Like they don't care. Or the kids are too much of a bother. Too time consuming. Too much trouble.

The parents buy into the labels that their kids are given.

Sure, they wipe the tears. They tell them that they are loved at home. But, let's face reality here. Mom and Dad can't help you when the kids on the playground decide that your purpose in life is to provide them with a target. You're on your own there.

Every time I feel my burning desire to homeschool my girls waning, or I feel the burnout is impending, or I feel overwhelmed at the task laid out before me, I only have to look into the hollow eyes of the children at church to know that I must keep on.

I have no desire to shelter my girls, but rather to provide a filter for them. I never want to see them beat down and depressed. I never want them to dread coming home to face a mountain of work that seems insurmountable. I don't want to watch them waste away while I stand by and wring my hands feeling helpless. I have been given a job and I will do it. And when I lose my joy in the task at hand I just remember those eyes. Seeking approval, acceptance, praise, a morsel of something, anything to say that they are worthy of love, pride, joy.

It breaks my heart.

I am having a day when I really don't want to do ANYTHING! It really stinks. My attitude today stinks (but admitting it is the first step, right?), my kids are in crummy moods and the DCKs are going wild today.

School Stuff

We got most of school done this morning. That's one in the win column I suppose. DD4 wasn't interested for the most part and DD6 was anything but enthusiastic. But we muddled through it. The one bright spot was Archeologists Dig for Clues. What a fun book!

The House (aka Tornado Central)

I have had one of those mornings when, if DH were to walk in the door right now, he would want to know what I had done all morning and wouldn't believe me if I told him!

Mainly, the problem is the torrential rain we have had for 3 days straight. The kids are wild from not being able to go outside and have followed me from room to room undoing everything I have done. After all it is so much more fun to play in a clean room!

So now that everyone is laying down I will be redoing some things and trying to tackle some additional chores.....

Got up bright and early this morning...6:30. I was quite pleased with myself. I have been making a concerted effort to get to bed at a decent hour these days, and it seems to be paying off.

Errand Day

So, today, I decided that I would bore all of you with the petty details of my life. LOL.

DCB (that's DayCare Boy, for the uninitiated) got here at about 8:30. I think he might have been earlier, because according to Caller ID his Mom called at 8:10, but she didn't leave the message and I was in the attic (which I will explain later) so didn't hear the phone ring. She probably had her DH drive around the block a time or two worried that I was still in the shower, since she doesn't usually bring him til 9ish.

Anyway, I digress.

I got the girls up and made them put on fall clothes for the first time this season. It actually got down into the forties here last night in the DFW area and was quite chilly this morning. That's why I was in the attic, getting down the fall clothes. Exciting, right?

So we ate breakfast and DCB had a snack (#1) and we loaded up to go to Sam's.

I met my friend, Lauri (name changed to protect the not-so-innocent) at Sam's. We are the co-social chairs for out Bible Study class and we are having a party tomorrow night. We went and baught all of the stuff for the party to feed approximately 80 people we spent $120. It sounds like a good deal to me, anyway.

We went to Wal-Mart to buy some other stuff, like mayo and pickles, cause quite frankly, we didn't think we needed 5 gallons of mayo.

Then we drove out to the house where we're having the party. This house is amazing and the owners are so sweet. So, we stood around and talked wedding stuff (the home owner's daughter is getting married soon) for a bit and then headed out.

It was only 10:30 and the library doesn't open til 11 on Fridays, so we headed home. I checked DCBs diaper and the kids had a snack (#2 for DCB). After that we headed out to the Library.

The Library - An Adventure

On the way to the library, I was explaining to my DDs that we were going to take a new approach to choosing books. Before, I would just sort of wander up and down the aisles with the kids and let them pick whatever. And they liked that just fine.

Today, I explained, we would be a little more deliberate and actually visit the non-fiction shelves (shock and awe).

So, following an idea from The Well-Trained Mind, I had each DD pick out one science book, one history book, one art or music book, one hobby book, one biography, and one book of poetry. TWTM also recommends one classic novel and one storybook, BTW, but classic novels are a little hard to come by for a 4yo and we didn't stop at one storybook. We did get Peter Pan and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe on CD. So I guess that counts as the classic novels.

I had to return the Junie B. Jones books on tape that we got awhile back. Frankly, although some of the stuff is funny, I just don't like Junie B. Her language and attitude are too easily copied by my 4yo and with good literature available, I just don't want to waste my time.

We were at the library for an hour! And it was so cute. I always let DCB pick out a book or two (he loves books) and he had one of his books with him. Every time we would stop to look at books he would sit down on the floor by my feet and "read" his book. The librarians LOVED that. He also tried to read while walking, but that sort of threw a wrench in his day when he accidentally started following the wrong person. He was headed away from me, but didn't realize it. He heard me call him and turned in the direction of my voice but I guess was trying to identify me by my clothes and walked up and stood next to another woman, who looked a little surprised at her new friend. He was sort of shocked too, I might add. I was standing there stifling a giggle. He wasn't scared, just surprised that someone else actually had similar clothes...

Home Again?

After the library we headed home listening to Peter Pan in the car. We got home and poled out and as soon as I walked in the door I just cringed. TWICE I had walked by the bag of dry-cleaning that I was supposed to drop off this morning. Oops. So, we piled back into the car and headed to the dry-cleaners. It was then that I realized that it was pst lunch time, the kids were hungry and I would have to cook something at home. We headed to Sonic for lunch only to met with at least 50 thug-like teenagers. Apparently the local high school had mid-terms today and let out early. My DDs were in awe that some of the girls they saw were actually allowed out of the house.

So, home for lunch, finally. We ate and everyone is quietly enjoying rest time.

Week-end Plans

We have a church social tonight. Then tomorrow the Bible Study party. And of course church Sunday. Gymnastics class Saturday morning and hopefully, a nice thourough cleaning of the home-front. I always forget how hard it is to homeschool and keep the house clean!

Have a wonderful weekend!!!

That last entry was a doozy, wasn't it? Sorry about that!

One of the things I love about Sonlight is the fact that I can pick up the Instructor's Guide and know what to do each day. I also love that I can look back and see what all we have done. It's nice to have that record. DD6 is keeping a notebook of pages from her readers and read-alouds this year. I am thinking of adding a history one, too. She narrarates to me what she remembers of the story and I write it down. Then she draws a picture. What a neat thing to be able to look back on in the years to come!

Television

But, I was thinking, one thing I didn't mention in yesterday's thread was that reading The Well-Trained Mind really convicted me of how much time we all spend in front of a screen. Previously, I had let the girls do whatever after we finished schooling, whether that was watching cartoons, playing computer games, or toys, or whatever.

I had no idea that I could use that time for teaching as well. So this week the TV went off. I watch the news in the morning for weather, and local news (we do not take the local paper anymore). Then off it goes. We eat breakfast, I read the paper, we do school. Then DD4 gets 30 minutes of computer time while DD6 finishes up her work.

We break for lunch, and that is when the tube usually came on. But NO MORE! After lunch the girls go to their rooms for quiet play. The DCKs go down for nap. At 3 everyone gets up and we have snack. After snack they play or read and DD6 has her 30 minutes of computer time, assuming that she has completed her schoolwork.

I turn on PBS Kids at 5 p.m. for the last DCK and my girls to watch while I make dinner. They watch Cyberchase and Arthur.

It was really hard Monday and Tuesday. I had gotten used to the noise of the TV and the quiet of the kids. Now, I like the quiet during rest time. I like seeing the kids using their minds to play. DD6 will read quietly, sometimes reading to the other kids. She plays games, Barbies, dollhouse. DD4 looks at books, plays "house," plays with the other kids. It's amazing.

They were wild Monday and Tuesday. "Can I turn on the TV?" Or, "Can I play on the computer?"

Now, it's like they don't even miss it. Not to mention that with the limiting of their TV watching they haven't been exposed to the over-hyped Christmas toy commercials this year. I haven't been dealing with the constant chorus of "I want...."

In the evening Dh and I are trying to keep the TV off unless there is something on that we know we want to watch. Usually Heroes on Monday, House on Tuesday, Survivor, CSI, and Grey's Anatomy on Thursday and Football all weekend.

I read, play on the computer (but much less than I used to), sew, or whatever...

I can't believe how much time I have gotten back!

A Journal?

Now with the addition of TWTM to my homeschool adventure and the requisite addition of better books, books on tape, etc. I am feeling the need to make notes of what we are doing besides our formal schooling with Sonlight.

I have a simple composition book that I can jot down notes about our daily activities and think that will work.

Does anyone else do this?

Over-Scheduling

One common theme I am seeing over and over is the over-scheduling of children these days. Too many activities, stressed out second graders. I think it's just sad.

I think it followed immediately after "mandatory" preschool around here. I swear, when people would ask me where I was sending my kids to preschool and then found out that I wasn't! They looked at me like I had just sprouted a second head. I got questions like, "How will they ever learn to use scissors?" and "Aren't you afraid they'll be behind in Kindergarten?"

I don't get it. Even if my DD6 had gone to PS K she would have been ahead of the majority of her classmates, even those that went to preschool. When did society become convinced that we need our kids in school by age 4? And now I am hearing rumblings about real mandatory preschool starting at age 3!

Can you imagine putting your 3yo on a bus to school every morning? Yikes!

So I buck the trend. One extra-curricular (gymnastics for us) and church activities ONLY. We do children's choir on Sunday and AWANA on Wednesday. Gymnastics on Saturday. And I feel okay about that. I like having family time in the evenings. I like my family.

Am I weird? Maybe.

This last month has been a challenge. Isn't getting back into an organized schedule always a challenge??

Schedules

Speaking of schedules, I have one now, which is a sight bit better than where I was this time last year. As with homeschooling, though, it took some time to get it to where it worked. It seems like it is very easy for a beginning homeschooler to fall into the perfect homeschooler trap, isn't it? I did it. I will probably do it again before this journey is over. This time it was over the schedule.

See, perfect homeschoolers are up before the sun (preferably on their homestead) reading the Bible, making homemade bread, and preparing a huge made-from-scratch breakfast for their family (of no less than 6 children).

I did the homemade bread thing last year. I still love homemade bread. On special occasions. For a snack. My loaves never turn out "sandwich size."

So this year, it was the up before dawn thing.

Oy.

I am, by my very nature, a night owl. I always have been. I can get up early if I have to be somewhere, but if my only pressing obligation is hanging out with a bunch of cranky, over-tired kids, well....let's just say I'll hit the snooze button.

Anyway, I was bound and determined to be up at 6, do my quiet time, eat breakfast, see DH off to work, and get the kids up at 7, to start school at 7:30 a.m.

We did it for two weeks. And we were all exhausted, cranky, MEAN, over-tired, and frustrated.

So I moved the schedule back one hour to 7 a.m. wake up for me. And what a difference it has made. We are all in better moods (most days), and school is much less of a battle for me and my night owl DD6. DD4 is a morning person, but she still gets up at around 7:30. DD6 gets up at around 8:30 and we start school at about 9.

And you know what? It works for us. We finish up school around noon or 1. Usually breaking for lunch. We mosey through the work. We have a rest time, and we all feel so much better on our "body approved" schedules!

A New Philosophy

I love Sonlight. I have loved Sonlight currculum since I first laid eyes on it 2 and a half years ago. I love it!

No, this is not and ad, but if you want to check them out you can find them here.

So, this year we are doing their Introduction to World History, Part 1. Personally, I am fascinated by this stuff. The Egyptians, the Roman Empire, the Greeks, etc. Amazing stuff.

And I feel like DD6 is getting a great education. She is very happy about school. She likes school. So many of her peers do not. But, she does.

So, I was trolling the local library online card catalog a couple of weeks ago for homeschooling books. Like any profession, I like to stay up-to-date on what's going on out there. I look at it as teacher in-service. Training days for the teacher side.

I found a book called The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. I put it on hold and checked out a couple of other homeschool related books.

One was Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto. A very interesting look at public education. I hadn't really given it much thought until I read his essays, but he made some very strong arguments for a complete upheaval of the current public school system. It had never really occured to me that in Public School no noe really taught me how to think. I just regurgitated whatever I thought the teacher wanted to hear. And then, coincidentally (or not) I was sitting near some teachers at one of the girls activities and they were talking about grading strategies. They were middle school teachers and were talking about the fact that they each had upwards of 140 kids that they are teaching this year. One, and English teacher, remarked that for the first 8 weeks or so, she reads each and every paper each child turns in. After that she just reads the essays of the really smart, well-written kids (to make sure that they do not start to back slide) and the essays of the really poor writers (to make sure they show some improvement. The rest she skims the introduction paragraph and the conclusion paragraph and grades on that. The other teacher remarked, "Yeah, the good kids get even better, the bad kids get a little better, and the average kids stay average." How sad for the average kids!! But, what more can one adult do when faced with 140+ kids EVERY DAY! What kind of ratio is that?!?

The other book, well, it was more of the same information that I already have. Nothing new. So nothing worth mentioning.

I got The Well-Trained Mind (TWTM)a week later. What a fabulous resource! I must admit that there is a ton of discussion in homeschooling circles about the different philosophies and ways of homeschooling (HSing) children. There's unschooling, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Literature-Rich, the list goes on and on! Til now, I have been reluctant to read too many HSing philosophy books for fear that I would "just love" the new philosophy so much that I would want to completely change our direction.

What a relief it was when I fell in love with TWTM, and I realized that Sonlight (SL) uses a very similar approach. Not exactly the same, but close enough for me!

I love the approach of having my first grader memorize, which was taboo when I was in school. We didn't memorize, we "looked it up." Ha! TWTM also employs phonics for teaching reading. I had already used this successfully with DD6, but was chastised for it, as that is not the current accepted practice around here. I love how the focus changes ever so slightly as the child ages from memorization to deeper thinking to logic to rhetoric! I love the early foreign language exposure. I love (almost) everything about it.

And I love how I can employ it right alongside SL. As much as I love my library, I cannot fathom digging through the tremendous numbers of books there to fond books for DDs schooling. I like having everything arrive at my doorstep in one box and using the library as a supplement! And TWTM works for this purpose. I love it! I feel like I have finally found my HSing groove!

DH Turns Around

And I just have to share this. I knew from the time I was pregnant with DD6 that I wanted to homeschool. It was about that time that public schools in California really headed down the moral slippery slope and I just knew that my local schools would eventually head there as well (I was right, it's starting). That bothered me.

So, when DD6 turned 4 I ordered a PreK program for her from Calvert. It was a quality program, but not a good fit for either of us. We hated it and it was a beating to do school every day, so eventually we stopped and she "unschooled." Can you even call ditching Prek unschooling?  We were much happier, but DH wasn't convinced. I can still remember vividly the knots in my stomach every time we talked about "school." He just wasn't seeing the progress he thought he should. Knowing what I know now, I should have asked what it was he wanted to see, instead I did a lot of crying, thouroughly convinced that DH would force me to enroll DD6 in PS K the next fall.

Obviously, he didn't.

I found SL that spring through a message board. Up until I had found SL, I was planning on buying Calvert K and mucking through it. Like I said, It was a good, solid plan. Nothing wrong with Calvery AT ALL! I AM NOT KNOCKING CALVERT! It just wasn't a good fit for our family. I convinced DH to let me order SL and away we went. We finished the K year strong and I think DH started to turn around.

Now it's a full 180. He is sooooo pleased with the girls progress now. DD6 reads at a 2nd - 3rd grade level (a bookworm like her Mom) and DD4 is showing solid progress in ABCs and 123s. And we are HAPPY.

The other night at dinner DH says, "So, tell me more about this Classical Education." I almost fell out of my chair. But, I did tell him about it and he was impressed. And he is totally on board! What a relief! In fact he wants to take Latin right along with the kids. And hear all about what they are learning, since we both discovered that we didn't learn very much at all in school.

At least we know that we really don't know, right?

Back in the saddle again!

We finished the first day here at Growing Grace Academy (DD6 came home from church upset because she didn't have a name for school to write on her Bible Study Profile Sheet....so we picked GGA). Here's how our day went:

Bible - Leading Little Ones to God and Bible reading. DD6 LOVES LLOtG. She said so. This kid adores devotionals and does them every day on her own anyway, but is excited to be back doing them in school.

Math - Horizons 1. Today was a review from last year on writing numbers and counting, so no problem there.

Reading - Sonlight Int. 2 readers - Cora and the Bookwagon. I was really VERY concerned when I used SONIA (the SL choosing helper at their website) and she said Intermediate level. I was even more concerned when I got the books. I mean, there is a HUGE jump from Dr. Suess to chapter books! So last month at the library I talked DD6 into checking out a couple of the Boxcar kids books for her to try and read. I figured if she could handle those then she was very well prepared for Int. 2. She sat down and read 6 chapters in one afternoon. So, I felt better! We still have to work on not being monotone and not reading every sentence sounding like a question, but all in all, it's good.

History - People's of the World. Learned about Countries.

Read-Alouds - Charlotte's Web. A favorite of mone and no complaints from the crew!

Science - Magic School Bus at the Waterworks. DD6 ADORES MSB. She has seen just about every episode of the cartoons. The reading went really quickly and she was disturbed that we stopped halfway through!

DD4 is doing a cobbled to gether PreK program of internet worksheets, workbooks, and SL LAK.

We started at about 7:30 and were done at 9:30, so we went for a walk (recess). We would have played outside, but it rained all day yesterday (PTL!) and the ground is still very soggy. It has been nice here weatherwise, as the temps have been in the 70s and 80s. So very mild. YAY!

Anyway, that has been our day...

My DH is always saying that life with me is never boring. He said it again today when I called him to tell him that somehow the kids and I had gotten locked out of the house.

See, Wednesday is library day. Well, let me back up.

About a year ago the door handle on our front door, an el cheapo model, put on by the builder, broke. It wasn't fully attached to the door anymore. So we decided that we had to change the handle and with that the locks. Instead of having a locksmith come out and re-key all of the locks (we like having one key) we just changed all of the exterior door locks. Great idea, right?

So, anyway, the only feature of these relatively new door knobs that I despise, is that they will turn from the inside, EVEN IF THEY ARE LOCKED. So, you have to jiggle the handle from the outside, or visually determine the locked/unlocked status of the doorknob before closing the door from the outside.

Now, we have all gotten used to checking the back door like this because we keep that door pretty much locked all the time. So every time I go out that door I visually check to see if the handle is locked and also jiggle/turn the handle from the outside to verify that it is unlocked before I close the door. Even so, I have locked myself in the backyard several times, but always with someone inside to quickly let me in!

So, anyway, today is library day and we loaded up this morning to go to the library. I had DD6 check to make sure the front door was locked, I locked the back door, and we got in the truck. We being me, my two dds, and the two daycare kids (DCKs), that are 2yo.

DD6 was the last one out the garage door and I reminded her to close it behind her. I am sure by now you can all see where this is going, right?

We drive to the library, find our books, find some cool videos (the entire first season of Fraggle Rock is out on DVD by the way! ) and check out. We pile back in the truck and head for home. We were gone for a total of about 30 minutes.

I pull in the driveway, press the clicker button, pull into the garage. We all unload (no simple task with two in car seats...those of you that have been there know what I mean!).

I grab the bag of books, we parade to the door. I reach for the handle. It won't turn.

It actually  took me a minute to figure out what was happening. I thought at first that my hand wasn't working. So, like a dummy, I stood there jiggling the handle, not comprehending what was obvious. The door was locked.

Now for most, this wouldn't be a big deal, as MOST people carry a house key. But not me, oh no....I travel light on library days, seeing as my keyring weighs a ton and with a bag to carry and 4 kids, I only bring my car key and remote since WE NEVER LOCK THE DOOR IN THE GARAGE!!!!

Now here I stand with four kids, no key, and realize (because I am after all, brilliant...HA!) that I have my cell phone. I call DH just positive that he will have hiddena key outside somewhere for just such an occasion since he is after all Mr. Preparedness.

Me: Hi, honey. We're locked out of the house. Where's the spare key?

DH: There isn't one.

Me: What?!? (Starting to panic)

DH: Yeah, after we changed the locks I never got around to having another made. Why?

Me: (Knowing now that he was totally not listening at the start of the conversation) Umm, the kids and I are locked out. We can't get into the house.

DH: Great. I don't have my keys either. (He's in Chicago, we live in Dallas)

Me: Uh-huh. Well, I think that Dad has a key. I'll call him.

DH: Life is never boring with you around, you know that?

Me: Okay, bye honey.

I load the kids back up, announce that we'll be having lunch at Burger King and head off.

So I call my Dad, but he doesn't have the key, my Mom does. So he drives from his office to the school where Mom teaches Kindergarten (30 minutes) gets the key and drives from Mom's school to the Burger King down the street from our house (45 minutes).

I bought him lunch when he got there. By this time the kids and I had been at Burger King for 1 hour and 45 minutes. But, hey they have a play structure....soooo....

Anyway, after Dad ate we drove back to the house and he let us in.

We got in and changed diapers and I sent everyone off for a nap. Much needed I might add. So far, everyone is sleeping quite soundly....

And that was our adventure. I am sure by now the whole town knows since one of the dcks told everyone that walked into BK that we were locked out. And, for that matter the BK employees thought we were mega weird to be camped out there for so long.....

As far as I can tell one of the dcks must have flipped the lock switch, as they have just reached eye-level with the doorknobs. DD6 didn't know to check the door when she closed it and well, by then the damage was done.

If I never have to go through that again it will be too soon.

P.S. I took another shot at fixing the link in my previous post...

This is not a subject that I usually like to discuss when the temperature outside is still in the triple digits. However, if I wait until cooler temperatures prevail to begin planning for Christmas I will wind up beginning my Holiday plans in January. Oops.

So, I stumbled onto a planner that I really like. Nothing like bite size portions of home cleaning to make a busy Mom's life easier.

The Holiday Grand Plan.

Starting next week, I will be preparing for the coming Holidays. Hopefully that will make November and December just a little less stressful!

It has been less than a month since my last entry! YAY!

Now on to the more pressing matters in life.

My computer has decided that it doesn't like to talk to the printer anymore. I am not sure what kind of fight they had, but it must be a doozie. Probably started about the geriatric condition of our laptop by the less than 3 months old laptop. I mean, let's face it. My 5 year old laptop is practically ready for the trash pile given its advanced age, right?

I actually had a guy at Best Buy tell me that he was in awe that it still actually worked. Sigh. Sadly, we must upgrade as it can no longer handle the software that DH needs for work. On a positive note this laptop will be passed on to the girlies to be used for games, schoolwork, etc. So it is not relegated to the dump just yet. We will be passing on the energy hogs, or ancient desktops that are currently used for that purpose. Surely someone can make use of them, I hope!

But, back to the printer. I will probably spend the better part of naptime today trying to mediate the current dispute. I will report back on this sad state of affairs.

School starts here two weeks from tomorrow. We are all very excited. I am working to slowly bring the girls and myself back to the old school schedule. During the summer we pretty much hang out and sleep in and stay up late, so I do not want the first day back to be a nightmare because we are all cranky and tired!

I find that easing into a schedule is harder than I would like. I hate early mornings, yet if I am not up the day just doesn't go well. I would naturally sleep until 8 or 9, no matter what time I go to bed, but I can't. It has taken me too long to convince my dear sweet DH to see what I do here as a job to allow for that.

Well, I am off to speak to the printer. The laptop is too angry to talk about the issues right now, so I will start there. Hopefully I can get them speaking again, and soon!

Well, summer vacation is officially winding down. Sigh.

Really, I am happy. We stick to our schedule so much better when we are schooling and frankly, I am BORED!

On the one hand, I love having time to do what I want in the mornings, but I would much rather be working on school.

We won't officially start until after Labor Day just because we still have stuff going on this month and would be taking off too many days to make it really worthwhile to start any earlier.

The good news is that I have our stuff (Sonlight Core 1, SL LA 2 Int, Science 1, and Horizons Math 1) and have DD6's assignment book all ready to go. Last year I used Homeschool Tracker, but it took SOOOOOOO long to enter everything and I gave up on it after a month or so. So this year, I bought a teacher planning book and was able to get all of her assignments planned out and written down in about a week.

If you SL users are scratching your heads about why I would need to plan anything, allow me to explain. We use the 5 day schedule and do it in 4 days. So I double up one day and we take Fridays off except for doing our weekly science experiment. I don't know that we will be able to do that much after Core 2, as I have heard that Core 3 is a bit more involved.

Anyway, I think that I will be updating far more frequently as we get more into a schedule...I hope!

I just got the Sonlight confirmation email!

The order is on its way to my home!

I can hardly stand it.

Now to start getting set in stone the plans for assignments. Homeschool Tracker? OR?????

I have decided that summertime is just too busy for me to keep up with the blogosphere. We spend lots of time outside and at the pool these days. An I can honestly say that I am thouroughly enjoying it!

I will be ordering Core 1 for DD6 this weekend! YAY!

We have also decided to make the move toward homesteading. We have some financial goals to meet first, but are doing so with that goal in mind.

Hopefully when school picks up I can be a little more disciplined with the blog?

I have been away for awhile.

Partly because we were bust finishing up the school year, partly because I needed to cut back my computer time, and partly because for the first time in my life I really found a plan for getting and keeping my house sorta tidy, and that just takes time.

The CHCHC worked wonderfully for me. We had a garage sale and made over $100. That was nice. We donated the excess to the Humane Society for their garage sale, so we get to write that off. It felt good to get all that "junk" out of the house. While the house doesn't stay as "neat as a pin," it does stay a little tidier. And the girls are getting better at picking up after themselves which has made all the difference in the world.

I am looking forward tot he next CHCHC to get to all of the things that I skipped in the first one. This one should be much easier.

We finished our first true year of HSing last week. DD6 finished Core K from Sonlight. She is a strong reader and loves school. She is happy to hav ethe break though. I am too. It's nice to have the mornings free again.

DD4 wants to start playing soccer. So we'll be signing up for that and will be starting in the fall. Whee!

Ummmmm.....did I miss anything? I guess not. Now that summer is here I hope to be a bit more consistent.....

More on what I have been dealing with as far as heart issues today. I was musing over this while I was cleaning out my refrigerator today. You know, the clean house part...

Anyway, I was thinking about all the methods I have tried in failed attempts to deal with my lack of desire to clean my house. This led down the rabbit trail of attitude. See, for me the clean heart part of the challenge has been a longer road than the last two weeks.

2-1/2 years ago I was laid off of my last corporate job. It was my second layoff in 6 months. I wasn't really upset, as we had been talking about me becoming a SAHM. I was excited that I would finally be able to live my dream and be a Mom to my girls. Unfortunately, being a SAHM wasn't what I though it would be. It's not that I thought it would be easy, it's just that I wasn't aware of the major adjustment period that would be involved for me, DH, and the girls.

For me it was about suddenly being cut off from all adult interaction. For DH it was becoming the sole breadwinner overnight. For the girls it was suddenly having lost the guilty, miserable mommy and getting the authoritarian mommy. It was a struggle. To say the least.

Anyway, adding to the stress of adjusting to one income was the fact that DH was in school. That was an expense above and beyond what we were used to. He was stressed, I was lonely, the girls were confused...

Anyway, DH had some expectations about what the house should look like at the end of the day. When I couldn't meet those expectations I fell into depression, although I would have denied it at the time. I became severely passive-aggressive. It's my nature anyway, but becoming depressed exacerbated the problem.

Anytime DH would criticize me instead of trying to defend myself or talk to him (since he wasn't in a state to listen anyway) I would do things (or not do things) to get him riled up. Things like not cleaning, not doing laundry, not doing much of anything. I mean, I would about once a week do some minor cleaning to keep the health department at bay, but it was hardly pleasing.

Anyway, it's been a long road.

So, onto the "programs." I think that I tried them all. And it seemed like most recommended that you declutter first. SO I started trying to declutter. Only working 15 minutes at a time for a week in every room was....less than impressive. The program I stayed with longest was Flylady. It was great, but after 15 months on the program I wasn't seeing the results. I was still decluttering. It was devastating. So I quit that. And I tried other programs.

Then I realized the problem. Following the program was what was keeping me from doing anything. In fifteen minutes I could tidy a drawer or cabinet in my kitchen easy. Okay. Yay me!

Then in three weeks while I was in other areas of the house the clutter would come back. It would expand from other cabinets and drawers that I hadn't gotten to. It was VERY frustrating.

Which is why the CHCHC works for me. I have been decluttering in longer lengths of time lately. We had been planning a garage asle for quite some time anyway. So, when Amy (Dandelion Seeds) posted the details of the CHCHC I thought it might work.

And I think it will. See, the problem that I had with the previous "plans" was that I never had enough time to really declutter an area enough to really make a difference. With the CHCHC I stay in the room long enough to really make a difference. I can get it decluttered and cleaned, or mostly cleaned, in the assigned time. Then if I have an extra hour or two on another day I can come back. But the key is I don't have to worry about someone chastising me for spending 2-1/2 hours cleaning (and I mean REALLY CLEANING) my refrigerator.

So, I am a happy camper. The schedule I made for the CHCHC is working. I think I can stick to it even after the challenge is over. And with a sparkly clean house, the upkeep will be easier. And Bonus! I have a copy of the organizer so I can do this heavy duty cleaning in 52 days again when I need to. Because I know that it will work!

Finally.

Oh, yeah. I never told DH about the challenge, but he has definately noticed the difference. He loves that the living room is really clean. I have at least been keeping the kitchen tidy, and that has been noticed too. He hasn't asked what was up yet/ Maybe he's afraid he'll jinx it??

LOL. 

So, I have been slaving away at the challenge...okay, not really. I mean, I have been working hard, but not in the last day or so.

If you need a reminder, this is what my Living Room looked like before:

And After:

And Before (Another angle):

And After:

It's amazing what cleaning the carpet will do for a room....

The entry was a no-brainer for me. Small area. Just swept mopped and wiped down... Easy enough.

So it's the Clean HEART, Clean Home challenge. And while I have been sharing my home cleaning I have not been so up front with my heart cleaning.

Truth is, my biggest heart struggle now is with the church. The body. I see so much division. So much infighting. I know this isn't how it's supposed to look and I know that there are peopel that consider themselves part of the body, but that really aren't...because you can tell.

It's one thing when a sinner-saved-by-grace stumbles. We pick ourselves up again. We apologize to anyone that we have hurt (usually, and sometimes it takes time). It's another thing when a child-of-God who has lost their way stumbles. They wallow in the mud. They enjoy it.

I know that the getting back up can take years for even the strongest person. I am not saying that it is an instantaneous thing. It's not. But a believer should never wallow around in the mud, or worse start slinging it.

I have become greatly distressed at the sheer number of people that I see in my local churches that act this way. This was really brought to my attention when I was talking to DH about a conversation that I had with another worker at our church. DH said, "Now you have to remember that she is not your friend."

Huh?

There are many women at the church that I can not associate with any more. Why? Because they are the meanest women I have ever had the misfortune to come across. Heaven forbid that there should be a crack in anyone's perfect facade. And sin? Good grief! If you have sin in your life then maybe church isn't the place for you...

Huh?

Yeah. You heard me. It's the fishers of men wanting the fish clean before they get them into the boat. Sigh.

So ladies, whether I like it or not I believe tha God has me gearing up for a bit of a confrontation. In the past I have stood meekly by while people gossiped and name-called and said whatever.

No more. I think the only way to make the church a place of peace where sinners can find refuge is to stap this madness. When you are hurt you should be able to come to your fellow believers without having to wonder if they'll call the local paper with your story before you leave the parking lot.

Pray for me? I need wisdom and grace. I need peace. I need God to lead this.

This is my heart.