Tonight my little man and I made a batch of brownies. 

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First, he read the recipe.  He helped measure and add each ingredient.  Then he counted to 50 as he stirred the batter.  He was understandably let down when I told him they would take 30 minutes to bake.  But, he waited patiently... watching the timer very closely. 

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I just wish I had taken a photo of him enjoying them!

We've had a bit of a delay in starting school this fall.  We had planned to start two weeks ago, but due to a few things beyond my control, we had to put it off until this week.  What was such a big deal that it was out of my control?  This right here:

We made the decision in mid-June to put our house on the market.  With all the renovations that needed to be done before we could even put a sign in the yard, we were pretty much busy non-stop through July and the first weeks of August.  The original "to-do" list was about 5 pages long, including things such as:

• paint (every... single... room...)
• paint all doors and trim.
• refinish kitchen and bathroom cabinets.
• regrout and caulk around tub/shower.
• install tile backsplash in kitchen.
• weather proof back porch.
• put fence back up (that we took down 5 years ago when we added on).
• replace bathroom vanity lights.
• install under cabinet lighting in kitchen.
• scrub gutters and downspouts.
• refresh landscaping.

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What it turned in to was much more.  Little projects turned into big projects, like when paint didn't match the original wall color, so instead of touch-up painting... we had to paint the entire wall.  While painting the entire wall, we found a moldy spot under the air conditioning unit.  So, we had to cut the drywall out, repair the leak in the a/c unit, then replace the drywall... patch, and repaint.  It seemed that so many of our "little jobs" turned out that way!  So, a two week project turned into an almost two month project. 

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Last weekend, we made it official and put the sign in the yard.  So did we start school right away?  Nope.  We went to basketball camp.  Our homeschool group hosted a basketball camp and my two younger ones wanted to go.  So, we postponed school for a few more days and went to play some ball!  (And of course, they loved it!) 

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Now, the house is finished; basketball camp is over; and tomorrow - we start school!  Can't wait!

'Cause I can't remember - it's been too long since I've seen it around here.  Seriously.  Tomorrow will be the first day in a very long time that we haven't had something out of the ordinary to do.  Well, unless you count going to the dentist, 'cause I think we'll have to do that tomorrow.  My youngest has some sort of something funky going on with one of his teeth, and I will probably end up in the dentist's office just to have it looked at and make sure it's nothing serious.  You really don't want to know more than that.  Trust me - it's gross. 

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Anyway... moving on.  "Normal" seems so abnormal to me that I'm not even sure where to start.  There's laundry to catch up on... mega cleaning to do... and let's not even talk about the schoolwork needing done.  Why?  Well, let's rewind a bit and I'll explain.  I've posted in the past about my family's interest in community theater.  A few months ago, we became aware of a local community production of The Miracle Worker.  Immediately, my daughter began plotting her audition.  She has been fascinated with the story of Helen Keller (as portrayed in The Miracle Worker) since we first studied about her almost 3 years ago.  My husband and I were hesitant to let her audition, partly because we didn't think that she would get the part, but also because we weren't sure we were up to the commitment of time it would take if she did get cast. 

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Well, the auditions were held, and my little girl got up there and gave it her best shot.  And we waited.  She told herself over and over again that she would not get the part, just so she didn't get her hopes up.  Monday rolled around and we went to our homeschool co-op classes, which is where we were when the cast list was put up.  My husband was keeping an eye on the website where the cast list was to be posted, and he let me know as soon as it was up.  Much to our surprise,

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SHE GOT THE PART! 

Our little girl was cast as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker! 

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To say we were "proud" would be an understatement.  We were overwhelmingly proud and excited for her to have such an opportunity.  And, we were not quite ready for the whirlwind of activity that was about to take over our lives, either!  To make a long story short - many rehearsals, costume work, and lots of late nights later... and we had ourselves a wonderful production. 

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The last of 8 shows was last Monday night.  Then, Wednesday we took off for a quick vacation.  So now... it's all come to a sudden halt.  So what will we do with ourselves now?  Hmmmm....

Yesterday was a gorgeous day here in Arkansas and my 3 children spent the afternoon playing outside with their cousins who are out on spring break this week.  The two little boys were adequately dirty, which is always a good indication that lots of fun was had. 

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Last night, I allowed the kids to eat their dinner in the living room while watching a movie.  I was in the kitchen cleaning up when my youngest came in with a rather disgusted look on his face.  He said, "How do worms eat that stuff?"  I had no idea what he was talking about, until he showed me his hands.  I had neglected to tell him to "wash up" before dinner, and he still had dirt caked on his hands from playing outside.  Evidently, he managed to get some of it in his mouth for a little taste!  Ick! 

I have been informed numerous times that I need to update my blog.  And, seeing as how I haven't written anything since CHRISTMAS... I suppose I probably should update before the people at HSB go in and delete it altogether. 

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So, what can I say, after 3 long months of silence?  I mean, I've been kinda busy, it's true... but still, that's no excuse for not saying a single word.  And I apologize for that.  So, let me just share what's been going on here lately.  And, if you see any typos, chalk them up to the fact that I have a very sore finger that is not wanting to cooperate with me.

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Let's see - Christmas was great...had family in from Ohio and the kids all had a ball with their cousins.  All of the children got money from their grandparents.  My kids chose to buy new pets with their money - specifically: hamsters.  That was a first for us, and it has been an adventure, let me tell ya!  Those little things might be small and have brains the size of a pea, but they are smart!  They have managed to escape so many times... it is unreal. 

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January was uneventful, for the most part, at least until the very last week when we were hit with a major ice storm.  It pretty much turned our town on its ear for a few weeks.  And, since my husband works for the city utility company, he was working about 100 hours a week during that time.  It was difficult having him gone.  A positive note, however, was that some friends of ours came to stay with us for a week because they had no power at their house.  I enjoyed spending time with my best friend and her sweet babies!  If you have to endure the aftermath of an ice storm, it's much more tolerable with good friends and cute kids.

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In February, we celebrated our daughter's 10th birthday.  Nothing major, since there was still so much going on with the ice storm aftermath.  We basically went to dinner at Chili's with some of our family.  Later in the month, she did have a friend over for a sleepover as sort of a late birthday party, which was a celebration enough for her.  We were supposed to start back up with our homeschool co-op in February, but again, the ice storm caused some delays.  The church that allows our group to use its facilities ended up being used as housing for out-of-state utility workers until nearly the end of the month.  So, co-op classes were postponed until March.

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March has brought some new endeavors my way.  For one, I am teaching a class at our co-op's "Monday School".  I have about 12 students that I teach for about an hour every Monday afternoon.  My class is based on the Konos "Attentiveness" unit, with a focus on the 5 senses.  It's not a difficult class, but for me to volunteer to teach is really a step out of my comfort zone!  And so far, I'm really enjoying it.  It's not as hard to get up and teach as I thought it would be! 

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Another thing I'm starting this month is writing for The Homeschool Post, which I think is pretty cool.  (Pop over and check it out!)   I've also got a few other writing projects in the works.  I've always wanted to actually write for a reason, and I'm excited to be getting a chance to do just that.  I'll share more information on that when the time comes. 

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So... there's a little recap of the last few months.  I'm sure I've forgotten a few things (at least!), but that's okay.  This isn't supposed to be heavy reading, right?  Right.  Okay then, until next time (and I promise not to take 3 months to get back), ta-ta! 

Okay, I got tired of messing with PhotoBucket,

so I'm just posting these pics the way they are.

Sorry if it shows up all wonky for ya. 

We really love Christmas at our house.

We always get a real tree; usually from a tree farm,

but this year we went the old-fashioned route.

Last weekend was really mild, weather-wise,

so we bundled up and went out to my

brother-in-law's farm.  We spent some time walking through

the woods, and finally found the "perfect" tree.

Okay, so it's not really quite "perfect",

but it is pretty.  And, well, the fact that it was FREE

certainly made it even more beautiful.

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Hoping to have time to blog this week.  In the meantime, here is a pic from yesterday. 

Guess what we were doing? 

I have pics of the boys, too, but Photobucket is being contrary at the moment and will not let me resize them.  Stay tuned, and I'll post them as I have time this week.

I've just finished rearranging our school room for the bajillionth time, it seems.  I'm constantly trying to figure a way to make things work more efficiently and maximize the small space that we have for our schooling.  Plus, I got some new educational posters a few weeks ago and needed to make room to display them.  This is how it ended up, and so far - it's working out great for us! 

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As you can see, the big desk in the middle of the room is mine.  There are two smaller wooden desks beside and right behind my desk for the two younger children to work at.  My 11yo usually pulls the small folding table over to the couch to do his work.  And, we have our big dining table there if we need a big area to spread out and work. 

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It's funny that we added this room on about 4 years ago, just because we needed more space and an extra bedroom when we had our 3rd child.  Little did we know then that we would be using this room for doing school at HOME just a few years later!  (Our two older kids were at a traditional school at that time.)  I guess that you could say that God knew we would really be needing this space more than we could have imagined at that point.  It has served us well! 

Never underestimate the power of Play-Doh, especially for little boys who learn best by using their hands.  Let's face it, Play-Doh is a lot of fun!  It's squishy and soft and able to be maneuvered into any shape imaginable.   So, why not use it as a learning tool? 

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My 5 year old will resist doing school work because he sees a lot of it as pretty boring stuff.  But put a ball of Play-Doh in his hands, and school work is the furthest thing from his mind.  Then, challenge him to make the letters of the alphabet with his Play-Doh, and you've got a fun game on your hands!  Better yet, ask him to add different beginning letters to endings such as "at" or "ag" ... and make a game out of seeing how many different words he can create! 

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When it's all said and done, he has had a whole lesson in Phonics while PLAYING.  And ya know what the best part is?  Spending time together, and having a lot of fun doing so. 

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I signed up for the Blogger Friend School a few weeks ago, but have somehow neglected to follow through with any of the assignments.  Yes, I'm a procrastinator extraordinairre!  That gets me into trouble sometimes, and it used to get me into trouble when I was in school - a LOT.  Thankfully, the Blogger Friend School is a school where participation is encouraged, yet optional.   This week I'm diving right in... with last week's assignment... lol.  And the assignment is to write about something that I would never leave home without. 

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This is not a difficult one for me, because I'm one of those people who seem to carry everything but the kitchen sink.  The reason for this is that I've been caught too many times in a situation without something that I needed, and those kind of circumstances make me very uncomfortable and frustrated.  So basically, I carry a lot of little odds and ends in my purse, pretty much wherever I go.  This also means that I do not change purses frequently, like - a different purse for different outfits, because it's just too complicated. 

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For example, I always carry a TIDE pen, for those inevitable little spills and stains.  And a Sharpie, cause you never know when you're gonna need to mark something permanently, like kids' cups or jackets.  I always have Head-On, for headaches, and ActivOn for muscle-aches and pains (dh and I are gettin' old!).  And, particularly during the winter months, I keep lip moisturizer of some sort handy.  For my kids, this means keeping three different ones so they are not sharing eachothers germs - so I purchased Aquafina Lip Balm that comes with three different colored tubes.  They each know which color is theirs and can get to it anytime they need it. 

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Let's see, what else is hiding in my purse?  Well, there's a wallet, of course, even though there's no money in it most of the time.  It does have all the necessary ID cards, bank cards, insurance cards, library cards, discount cards, and membership cards.  Whew!  What else... eye drops, lipstick, fingernail file, Swiss Army Knife (this comes in SO HANDY, believe me!), extra pens, notepad, bandaids. 

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There's something else that I've added to my stash recently, that I really don't know why I hadn't thought of it before.  It's my Pocket-sized New Testament.  Now that 2 of my kids are playing basketball and they have 2 hour practices twice a week, I find myself doing a lot of sitting and waiting.  I don't always want to lug my laptop or bookbag around, but I always have my purse.  And now, I always have my little New Testament with me, as well.  I'm looking forward to putting it to much better use. 

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I guess the only other thing that I ALWAYS carry with me would be my cell phone.  Besides using it for calls, it also serves as a timepiece because I do not have a wristwatch that functions right now.   It can also be used as a light, a timer or stopwatch, a calculator, a radio, MP3 player, voice recorder, camera, or calendar, to name a few.  And perhaps my favorite use for my phone is GAMES.  I love SCRABBLE, and since I've got the game on my phone, I've gotten pretty good at it!  I like to think that it's increasing my brain power at least a little bit, too. 

Update: My photo was chosen as a finalist in the contest at 5 Minutes For Mom!!!  Can you believe it?  I am absolutely astonised, amazed, bewildered, aghast, and all those other words that mean really, really surprised and excited and all that jazz!  Would you PLEEEEASE do me a humongous favor and go vote for my pic?  It's at www.5minutesformom.com - look for the SLEEPING ANGEL contest, and scroll down to the last pic, which is #20.  Help me win an amazing, beautiful bedroom set for my precious 9 year old daughter! 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!

When my daughter was still quite small, the movie "Toy Story II" was released.  She fell in love with the character of "Jessie the Cowgirl", and insisted on all things cowgirl from that point on.  For Christmas that year, she got a Jessie doll and a red cowgirl hat.  Somewhere along the line, she acquired these cowprint pants and a pair of cowgirl boots.  Guess what she wanted to wear every single day? 

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The hours that little girl spent with her imagination running as wild as a cowgirl's horse were countless.  And when all the riding and rustling were through, this is where I'd often find her - true to her cowgirl ways... asleep under her worn out hat; having sweet dreams of life on the range, no doubt.  

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My little cowgirl has grown up a bit now.  She's no longer into the cowgirl scene, and now sports many different styles of hats.  She's almost 10 years old!  *sigh*  How can that be?  My little cowgirl is galloping straight into double digits.  I think that she's ready for a bedroom more suited for a young lady.  THIS ONE is gorgeous.  I showed it to her, and she immediately began making plans for what she would place on the shelves on the headboard. 

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What a blessing it would be to win this set!  And thanks to Home and Bedroom Furniture and 5 Minutes For Mom, that just might happen!  5 Minutes For Mom & Home and Bedroom Furniture have teamed up to give away a full bedroom set to the winner of their photo contest.  We would love to win the Lily Rose Set!  It would definitely make my little cowgirl's dreams come true! 

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(This is my entry for the "Sleeping Angel" Contest at 5 Minutes for Mom.)

*note: This was originally posted 10/24/06.  I am reposting it as an entry for Works-For-Me Wednesday. 

This is so off topic it's not even funny... but hey - we homeschoolers need all the help we can get when it comes to getting organized, right?  I don't remember where I heard this idea or if I came up with it on my own, but with the onset of the cold and flu season I felt compelled to share it with you. 

It's bad enough being sick, having sick kids, or heaven forbid - both at the same time!  I used to have the hardest time keeping medications organized and orderly enough to be able to find what I needed WHEN I needed it.  And, if hubby was the unfortunate one who had to go scavenging through the cabinet during the night for some Tylenol or a thermometer, well, let's just say that I may as well have gotten up and done it myself.  But, when you're holding a feverish baby who only wants to nurse and hold onto Mommy's elbow, there may be no other choice than to call for help from Daddy. 

What I ended up doing was cleaning out a cabinet in the kitchen to be used only for medical supplies.  Some people prefer a bathroom cabinet, but it worked better for us to have it in the kitchen.  I got 4 small plastic bins from the dollar store and labeled them as 1.adult medications, 2.children's medications, 3.misc. meds and tummy meds and 4.first aid.  Since there are some prescription meds that dh and I take regularly, I got 2 smaller bins (long, skinny ones) to hold those, as well as daily vitamins. 

As you can see in the picture, the bottom shelf holds the basket with "adult meds" and the two small bins on either side are for our personal daily prescriptions and vitamins.  Dh's is on the left, mine is on the right.  It occured to me the other day that maybe I should put these on the top shelf, but I haven't gotten around to that yet.

The 2nd shelf has the bin with "children's meds" in it.  I try to keep a supply of Children's Acetamenophen (sp?) and Ibuprofen, since we all know that children are most likely to come down with some fever causing illness in the wee hours of the night.  Also, off to the side is a place for their vitamins and a small bowl that holds medicine droppers and dispensing cups.

The top shelf holds 2 bins side-by-side - the "first aid" bin, and the "misc" bin.  These probably need to go on the bottom shelf, since I am having to get to the band aids pretty often these days!  The "misc" bin holds things that we need occasionally, but not all the time, such as ACE bandages, an inhaler mask, vapor rub, mineral oil, diaper rash cream... that kind of stuff.  That way I'm not having to rummage through all that bulky stuff every time I need a bandage or a Tylenol or something. 

Here is the photo:

Anyway.... I hope this helps someone, somehow!

Just thought I'd share!

I have been so excited about finally having my VERY OWN DESK(!) for my VERY OWN STUFF(!) and yes, my VERY OWN MESS!  And since I am an organizing wannabe expert, I immediately began putting my desk in order.  I had the neat little paper-holding trays, which I labeled with one child's name per tray... to hopefully clear up the confusion of which paper belongs to which kid.  'Cause even homeschooled kids forget to write their names on their papers!  And it's sad, but true, that I have a little bit of a hard time telling the difference in my little genius' handwriting sometimes - even though they are 5, 9, and 11. 

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Moving on...  I managed to resist the tempation to run out and purchase a bunch of officey type stuff for my VERY OWN DESK(!) since, well, we don't have a money tree growing in our backyard.  But, I really needed something to put stuff like pencils and pens and dry-erase markers in so that neither I nor my children would be spending inane amounts of time each day searching for a writing utensil.  So, being the amazingly crafty momma that I am, I came up with a plan.  I would make my own pencil miscellaneous-writing-utensil-holder, and it would be more lovely than anything one could purchase at Office Max.  And very likely, it would be much cheaper, too! 

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So I went sifting through my cabinets and drawers (kitchen drawers, not under-drawers - smartypants) for something that could be used as a pencil miscellaneous-writing-utensil-holder.  I found the perfect thing - an old frosting container, like the ones that cake frosting comes in, be it Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker.... you get the picture.  Then I started going through my abundant supply of arts and crafts materials, and I found some excellent supplies to use.  I had stacks of those foam sheets in a rainbow of colors, leftover from one of the kids' birthday parties a few years ago.  I had foam letters (self-stick ones!  Woohoo!); all sizes, shapes, and colors of buttons; seashells; ribbon; tiny little pom-poms; rick-rack; and all kind of other stuff.  I couldn't believe the stuff I pulled from that box! 

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Of course, when my kids saw all the loot - there was no holding them back.  So they, too, got to make their own pencil  miscellaneous-writing-utensil-holders!  For theirs, I picked out a few of the plastic cups from the cupboard that were getting a little worn out and let them decorate them.  We covered the containers with a sheet of foam, secured with hot glue.  Sis actually cut strips from several different colors and glued them on hers like a rainbow.  (Such a creative child!  Just like her mother!)  Then the children did their best to make sure that absolutely no crafting supplies were left by gluing anything they could get their hands on onto their cup.  I finally said, "STOP!" because it was just getting to be silly.  If I'd let them continue that way, there would be no room left for all their miscellaneous writing utensils!  

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When they were through, I sifted through the leftovers and found a few things suitable to adorn the retired frosting container that was soon to be prominently displayed on MY VERY OWN DESK!  Ahem.  This, ladies and gentlemen, is the finished product:

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In case anyone ever wonders who this belongs to - it's written right across the front - "MOM"!  Even though it houses Disney Princess pencils... it still belongs to MOI. 

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(I think I've had too much sugar today.)

Here's Sis being a "bulldog" with her math paper.  Grandpa, who takes a very active role in the kids' schooling, always asks her if she's being a bulldog or a kitty cat when it comes to her schoolwork.  He encourages her to be a "bulldog", or in other words, to bunker down and get it done without whining and complaining that it's "too hard".  Why is it that she listens to Grandpa better than she listens to her mother? 

Here is another little guy who has learned a lot from Grandpa.  Grandpa taught LilBub how to read when he was 4 and has continued to be a huge encouragement to him with his reading.  Basically, Grandpa barters with LilBub - 1/2 hour of reading time gets 1/2 hour of PS2 time.  Works like a charm!  I mean, the kid can read can't he?  Something must have clicked! 

This is the one who is both my easiest, because of his age, and my most difficult... also because of his age.  He is 11-going-on-20, and likes to "challenge" his mother, so to speak.  He basically knows everything and doesn't understand why I am making him do school every day.  LOL!!! 

It's a gloomy, chilly, rainy day today.  I did NOT want to get out of bed this morning!  But, being the prudent homeschooling mama that I am (haha!) I rolled out after hitting the snooze button only once.  I really dread the winter months when it's so dark in the mornings.  That really makes it hard to get out of the warm bed! 

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So what are we up to today?  BigBub has been partly working and partly goofing off.  *frustration*  He likes to take his time and get everything organized the way he wants it, and he often spends too much time organizing and not enough time actually working.  Then by the time he gets around to doing the work, he's either run out of time, or he's "tired".  (And the rainy day only magnifies that "tired" feeling!  I'm feeling it, too!)   It's hard to know where that fine line is between expecting him to be responsible for his own work and getting it done on his own OR standing over him like a drill sergeant.  He's 11. 

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Sis is working on her worksheets, and complaining of being "bored".  LOL.  The 3rd day into it, and she's bored! 

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LilBub is being very good today.  I printed off a fun activity for him to do this morning.  It's an alphabet snake from KizClub.com.  It requires a lot of cutting, so I helped him with that.  But he pretty much did the rest of it by himself.  Now he's excited about having a couple of snakes hanging around.  He can't wait for daddy to get home because he is convinced that the snakes will scare him!  After all that work, I let him chill out with a LeapFrog video. 

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Now we're getting ready to eat lunch.  I'm thinking it's a mac and cheese kind of day!  After lunch - who knows.  I may declare an official "Nap Time" as part of our daily schedule.  LOL.  What kind of day are you having today?

School has officially started at our house, as of today.  It's a little later than I would have liked, but at least  we've got the ball rolling.  We are taking a little bit of a different approach to schooling this year.  I'm not sure what you would call it... "cheap", "frugal", "cost-efficient".... whatever you wanna call it, we're just trying to do as much as we can while spending as little as we can.  With $20 comprehensive curriculum workbooks from Barnes and Noble for each child, we've managed to get a pretty good start on the basics with a very small investment.  (Plus, educators get a nice discount at B&N.)  We'll be adding more as we go along, but for now, the workbooks are a good way to ease back into schooling. 

I've tried to make "Back-To-School Day"  fun for my kids these past few years by making it somewhat of a holiday.  It's kind've like Christmas, only instead of toys, they get to open school supplies!  And would you believe that they LOVE it?  This year I bought them each a big binder with folders for each subject.  I gave the older two kids their own mini-dry erase boards to keep in their binders and use as "scratch paper".  My youngest started Kindergarten this year, so he got his own binder, too!  Instead of a mini-dry erase  board, though, he got a notebook sized dry erase board with lines for writing.  They all got some fun dry erase markers, too. 

I did NOT buy new markers and glue and rulers and scissors, etc., etc., etc....  We still have a bajillion crayons left from when the older two were in traditional school for a few years, along with a dozen or so rulers and pairs of scissors!  Glue sticks and craft paper are something we keep in stock all the time, too... but this is a great time of year to stock up on those things, while they are marked down! 

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One downside to the day has been this crazy headache that I've been fighting.  I don't know what has triggered it, but I've had it since Saturday.  It's driving me crazy!  So, I'm sorry... my creativity level goes waaaay down when my head is hurting like this.  Hopefully it will subside before I blog again!  :)

It's the very last day of July, and I'm finally getting some planning done for our school year that will start very, very soon.  Ironically, I have a houseful of kids today.  I'm "hiding" in my bedroom with the laptop while the natives are running wild through the rest of the house.  I'd put them all outside, but it's raining.  Then again, a little rain never hurt anyone...

While I'm doing my planning, I thought I'd share a neat little tool with you all that has been really helpful to me.  It's called the Homeschoolbar.  The Homeschoolbar is a toolbar that you can download and install on your computer.  When you open a browser window, your homeschoolbar will appear at the top of your window.  In it, you will have access to all kinds of homeschool goodies, such as a homeschool specific search bar, links to homeschool websites and blogs, news feeds about homeschooling, links to sites for homeschooled kids, and tons more.  I have been able to find a lot of what I need for my homeschool planning through this cool tool. 

To learn more and to download your own homeschoolbar, go to www.homeschoolbar.com. 

It's strange to see that we are now halfway through the month of July.  I guess I've been too busy to notice the days slipping by in front of me.  And though it is not without reason, it still makes me feel frustrated at the lack of accomplishments this summer.  I had every intention of getting the kids started back on some schoolwork after the 4th of July weekend.  But that did not happen, and it still has not happened.  Maybe this coming Monday we can get something going.  I am also hoping to set aside time for planning and getting things in order for the coming school year.  I know of a few things I'd like to focus on, but I need to gather resources and set some tentative schedules. 

One thing that I know we are going to do this coming school year is learn Spanish.  We made a wonderful acquaintance recently when our family was involved with the local community theater's summer production of Fiddler on the Roof.  This young man played the role of "Perchick" in the play, a student who agreed to be a teacher for the daughters of the main character, "Tevye".  Ironically, as we got to know "Perchick", we found out that he is going to major in Spanish this coming year, and is already quite knowledgeable with the Spanish language, so we asked him to consider tutoring our children.  And he agreed.  :) 

One really cool twist in the whole thing was when we discovered that he only lives up the street from our house.  So "Perchick" has become a regular guest in our home, and has pretty much been adopted by our family.  Sis has already learned the Spanish alphabet and numbers.  Her brothers are going to have to play catch-up! 

Meanwhile, our new Spanish teacher has started a blog here on HomeschoolBlogger.  Go by and pay him a visit at -  www.homeschoolblogger.com/spanishteach/.