Well, I'm slowly climbing back into the saddle again. The kids and I were gone for those 10 days and returned last Sunday night. (More to come on our trip....it's was awesome.) It took me several days to catch up on missed phone calls and emails. My daughter caught the nasty 24 hour flu bug (it reared it's ugly on Tuesday). Bless her heart, she was literally out of it, on her back, head in the trash can, for an entire day. Temperature,  the whole 9 yards. I am so thankful for her that it was only for a day. The next day, she bounced out of bed like nothing had ever happened!! Thank You Lord!!

Yesterday was my turn to "fall off the horse". Yes, the flu bug attacked again! This time for me. I'd forgotten how bad you really feel when that happens. I have to say though, that I am SO proud of my children. Early in the morning, I called all four into the room and officially commissioned the oldest two to be "in charge" for the day (almost a scary thought =]). They were so good!! And so sweet!! They managed to feed breakfast and lunch, make sure everyone brushed their teeth, collect a beautiful bouquet of flowers for me, writes several wonderful Get Well cards, and encourage me everytime I seemed to arise from the dead!! My dh was wonderful too. Even though the truck broke down over in the middle of town, he managed to get a ride back to the house, pick up the van, call AAA to tow the truck back to the shop, and take the kids with him to a side-job for the night. I don't know for sure, but I think they got back home around 8:30pm.

I feel like I missed a whole day!! But, just as with Sis, this morning I awoke good as new. A little weak from a day without food, but good.  So, I'm climbing back into the saddle again. We have a cookout tonight with all my GNO girlfriends and their families. And a quieter weekend ahead. (Except Daddy is working for a while on Saturday.)

We've decided to offically start back to school full time the week after Labor Day. Our local PS's have started back this week. This is yet ANOTHER reason I am so happy to homeschool. Thankfully, I've been working a little at a time this summer on getting last year's binders finished and closed. And this coming year's schedule is about ready. The kids are really getting excited.

This will be our second year to organize a Homeschooler's Fieldtrip Club....something the kids thought of last year. We've planned out a really fun schedule of trips for the second Monday of the month, Sept. - May. The response has been overwhelming really. We've already closed our first fieldtrip to a local nature preserve...over 100 will be in attendance. Wow!! It makes me proud to be a homeschooler! The trip will include three rotating nature classes (Rocks and Fossils, Woodland Ecology, and Forest Food Web). The morning will also include a self-guided hike through the 400 acre hiking trails, a tour of the historical structures on the property, and the museum (which has alot of local Native American history, and geological specimens). Other trips we have planned this year will be to the Louisville Glassworks factory, Fort Harrod, Stage One to see Narnia, the university Planetarium, the House of Reptiles and the Falls of the Ohio.

More to come ...

Home For Him,

Deb