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A couple of days ago, our worship pastor got a cancellation for Sunday’s offering solo. He’d heard our 10-year-old sing a few times when she tagged along with dad to worship team practice. So he sent a text message to Matt to see if Sky would be willing to fill in. This was her first real public worship experience, and I was panicked! She had just two days to prepare. There’s no way, I thought. But Matt was totally confident. “She’ll be fine,” he said. I guess he was right. Check it out, and decide for yourself. That’s Matt playing electric guitar for her. I don’t know how he made it through the performance, seeing his baby girl up there, especially in light of the reaction of the congregation. For the most part, the congregation sits through the solo and is “ministered to.” On this day, most of the crowd was on their feet by the time the song ended. What a powerful move of the Spirit. I, of course, was a blubbering mess through it all! I hope you are blessed today! |
Posted in Journal Page
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This week has been a roller coaster, and I can hardly believe we're about to pull into the station, and this week's ride is almost over! How did it get to be Friday already? The week started out great, as most weeks do. Monday I didn’t get up quite as early as I wanted, but I jumped right into the morning schedule, and we had a rockin’ first day of school. We accomplished every goal I’d set for the day, and every one of us went to bed feeling fulfilled. Tuesday, with God’s amazing grace, I rose from the bed two minutes before my So a few behavioral goals for this year emerged from Tuesday morning’s events, and Matthew and I have committed to pray about this one and seek God’s wisdom on how to train the kids to honor their precious and amazing dad when he is leading lessons. When I got back, I did a few afternoon lessons. At about Wednesday was a mean bear of a day. The morning started later than I’d hoped, and Matthew and I confronted some worries. His pay is strictly commission, and this pay period is off to a very slow (as in not-moving-at-all) start. We have some big bills this pay period (namely, the rent), and we’re uncertain about how that will be paid if he doesn’t get paid. He went off to work, and the kids and I had a fairly good morning. Although, I’ve realized that I need to have everything prepped for our day the night before. I did a good job of that for Monday and Tuesday, but by Wednesday I thought, “Oh, I can do those one or two things done in the morning.” Bad idea – it’s an unnecessary time waster during the school day. Matt came home that afternoon thoroughly frustrated and angry. He’d had a few very difficult sales calls, and one in particular was less than graceful. He eventually realized that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against powers and principalities and that our weapons are not carnal but spiritual and have the power to pull down strongholds. But it took some time. That night was a busy one for sure. I dropped Matt and the kids at church in time for Matt’s sound check, and headed off to the Girl Scout Council meeting. I don’t like that the council meetings are on a Wednesday night. I covet that time in Bible Study, and the first Wednesday night of the month is communion at my church; I really missed being a part of it. After the council meeting, I headed back to church to get everyone. Skyler had the first Praise Dance practice of the year. So we didn’t get out until Yesterday morning was a rough one! I got out of bed pretty early, but I felt terribly groggy, and every attempt to meet with my God ended in me dozing off. The kids spent most of the day on their independent work, and I put together the Parent’s Information Meeting for our new homeschool girl scout troop. The meeting was last night, and I really enjoyed it. I just love this group of parents, and I think the girls will enjoy each working together. I’m hoping that our oldest girl and our youngest girl will each recruit a few friends for them to work and fellowship with. This morning, the boys start Lego Club and Sky is going to a friend’s to sleep over. I plan to get a good day’s schoool work in between the two. I have to spend this weekend working on the e-zine for our homeschool group, but I also need to make sure I work hard at prepping our lessons for next week. And next week, I need to pay close attention to getting to bed early so I can wake up early |
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Griffyn, Skyler and Seth kicked off our school year tonight auditioning for the Christmas Musical. We're doing "The Best Christmas Present Ever" by Celeste Clydesdale. I'll try to upload some pics tomorrow. Sky audtioned for both drama leads. I think she's got a decent shot at one. Griffyn just blew it out of the water. I'm so proud of all of them, but with the daily limitations that autism had placed on Grif, I was just overflowing with joy tonight. About half way through the audition, after he'd read for a few parts and did one solo, the director paused and called me out of the room to tell me that she was so blown away, Griffyn could have any part he wants. What momma wouldn't melt at those words!? Sethie did great too. For some strange reason that I may never quite understand, he wanted the part of the hairdresser. This is my hardcore superhero-amphibean-loving-tough-guy. Very funny. But he was insistent! I think he might get it too. He said he wants them to change the character's name from Emma to Evan. Too funny that boy! Tomorrow we start school. So I'm off to prep the morning's lessons, clean the schoolroom and get everybody's clothes ready! Oh goodness...I have NO plan for dinner. I didn't start my school schedule yet, which has me shopping on Saturday. I think we're going to have to wing the food this week, and have Matt make multiple quick stops at the grocery store (it's right near his office). But ready or not, 2009-2010 schoolyear, HERE WE COME!!!! |
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Matthew built these custom cubbies for us. Each child has one of their own with all of their notebooks for the year and a bin for supplies (pencils, flashcards, whatever else they think they need). Our regular bookcases were not wide enough to accomodate all of the binders for one child on one shelf. Plus this gave us an extra surface!
I gave each child an "in-box" tray where they can collect copy work, and any other independent work I've prepared for them. They can also store any work that's still in progress. The top tray is labeled "Completed Work." I can go through it whenever I'm ready, make notes, assess progress and then return it to them so they can either make adjustments or store the final work in their binders.
On top of this table are the kid's bags for co-op. We've since purchased new backpacks for each kid (Walmart had a great sale!), and I stored them on top of one of the bookshelves in a large wash basin. The backpacks contain their co-op notebook, supplies, a small lunch bag and small water bottle. In place of these bags, I put two white dish basins on this table. One is labeled History Resources and the other is labeled Science Resources. Since we share a variety of books, supplies and tools for each history and science unit, I thought it might be helpful to keep those things contained and easy to access. We'll see how it works this year.
Drawers are labeled so we remember what goes in each.
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We're getting all set up for the new school year to begin on Monday (August 31st).
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Yesterday had it's bumps in the road, but by the time I laid my head on our soft, freshly scented, Egyptian cotton pillowcases, I had accomplished as much as God wanted me to accomplish. I worked on the Israel unit as planned, feverishly typing as much as I could. By the time I'd left for Griffyn's doctor appointment, I had accomplished a good amount -- not as much as I'd hoped, but a good amount nonetheless. We took the chocolate bars to Griffyn's appointment to try and sell a few more. Our goal is 20 boxes, which equals 1040 bars. A HUGE goal, I know, but it's for our homeschool group. We love our support group so much that we want to help raise as much money as possible! We sold just 5 bars at the doctor's office. Not as much as I'd hoped, but five closer to our goal. On our way to the Opera House for the orientation and parent's meeting, the car overheated and we broke down. Matthew was teaching a guitar lesson and didn't answer the phone. Thankfully, a friend came to get us and brought us back to our house. We were able to take the van and make it for the parent's meeting, but we missed the training session for the placement vocals. It's okay, they told us. Skyler can just sing scales for her placement appointment today. Again...not what we'd planned, but still okay. I picked up Matt and the other kids up at church, and we came home to a house that's messier than I like it to be. I could have stayed up cleaning, but I knew that it would thwart my early wake up. So I checked email and went to bed. I'm working toward getting back to a 5am wake up time. The lazy days of summer saw me sleeping until 7:30 -- 8:00 am. Yesterday I got up at 6:30. Today 6:20. My goal is to reach 5 am by Monday when we start school, but the lesson of yesterday taught me that my plans are not always God's plans. I'll work hard and trust His grace to take me wherever he'd have me be. Goal for today -- finish entering information for Isreal unit and begin organizing it. Sam has a dermatologist appointment, and Skyler has per vocal placement for the Opera House. Matt is going to take the kids through the neighborhood tonight to sell chocolate bars, so that should give me some time to get work done. |
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I'm still not sure why I want to blog, but I do. And whenever I think about this poor, ailing blog, I am wracked with guilt. So, this new school year comes with a New Year's Resolution...I am going to make a renewed commitment to this dusty corner of cyberspace. We officially begin our 2009-2010 school year on Monday (Aug. 31). This week is all about preparation. We've got a host of doctor appointments. Skyler's orientation at the Sarasota Opera House is today. Tomorrow she sings for them and gets placed. Sunday is auditions for the Christmas musical. Skyler is trying out for both leads. Griffyn is auditioning for a speaking part and a singing solo. Seth is auditioning for a small speaking part. That means lots of practicing this week. My goal for today is to finish adding all of the information to the first unit of the history curriculum I'm writing. Tomorrow I plan to organize it, and Friday I'll proofread. Whew...time to get back to work.
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Posted in The Big Move
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Wow...time flies, huh? My husband just got a new job (in the Promised Land analogy, this might be akin to victory in the many battles toward Jerusalem!), but the training is INTENSE, and time for me to write is limited and usually occupied with writing and editing articles for our local homeschool group newsletter. With Matthew working long and late hours, I find that I'm more focused in the evenings on preparing for the next day. The house is clean, dishwasher's empty, and I can't put together a full load of laundry until the kids get dressed and hand over last night's jammies. Our homeschool agenda is already listed on the dry-erase board, and all the lessons are prepped and ready to go, so I have a few short minutes to continue my story. We prayed over the offer, and although we knew we wouldn’t be able to find a rental through a realtor or the newspaper, we trusted that if it was God’s will, he would open a door for us. A number of kind and generous people in our homeschool group offered us temporary housing solutions, but nothing permanent presented itself, and so we knew that this was not the plan God had for us. Another couple that we’ve known since before we were married encouraged us to consider I was open and honest, explaining that we weren’t even sure if we were going to end up in With housing out of the way, we figured we’d need a job ready for Matt if we were going to live in As easy as it was to find housing and work, that’s how easy it was to find a church and plug into a great homeschool group…all from Sarasota seemed to be welcoming us with open arms, but there was still a journey ahead, and if God was in it, He was going to have to provide a substantial sum of money to move our family of seven 1,300 miles. Because we have quite a few pets, who would have to travel in the car with us (turtles, a snake, a gecko, cats, a bunny, and a dog), we knew we’d have to drive straight through the night without stopping. That meant we’d have to take turns driving, and we couldn’t split off to have one person drive a moving truck and the other drive the van. So we had to find the most inexpensive way to get all of our belongings to After adding up the cost of moving, gas for our van, tolls, food for the road, a complete car tune-up and new tires for the trip, deposits for the house and utilities, money to restock the refrigerator and pantry, and enough to live on for about three weeks to allow time for the move and for Matt’s first paycheck, we calculated that we would need far more money than we could put together in our own efforts. We needed Jehovah Jireh (the God who Provides), and we knew that if He put this amount of money in our hands, we could be sure that this was His plan for us. Over the next four weeks or so, we watched in complete amazement, as the money began to pour in. It came in a variety of ways – some from the loving and generous people who just wanted to help, some from large jobs that Matt was offered as we planned and packed, some from the sale of machinery that we would not be taking with us – but it all came, exactly when it was needed. On The next morning we awoke, showered and got dressed. We spent the day with some friends, letting the kids run around and expend as much energy as possible before the monster drive ahead of us. My mom and Matt’s mom joined us for dinner, and helped us get the kids ready and pack the car. We said goodbye to all the neighbors and hugged our moms tightly, and then got right on I-95, the road that would take us all the way to The last leg of our trip was I-75, which we’d picked up in It was as if we’d just crossed the Thanks for joining me so far…I’ll be back soon to tell the amazing story of how God filled our home with beautiful furniture for just $7.00! |
Posted in The Big Move
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On Five months later, to the day, God is continuing to work mightily, clearing the land on our behalf, and leading us slowly toward the “ I’ve written a little in this blog about the challenges we faced and the changes we were facing, but today, nearly a half-year later, I thought our experience might bless and encourage someone who feels like they’ve been wandering the desert for far too long. Earlier blog entries detail the events that led our move. Urgent Prayer Requests Needed, dated The move was exciting, exhilarating and life-changing, and I believe some of our experiences could be helpful to others who may be seeking God, and wondering if they’re destined for a life of promise or a life of struggle. As is the case with most homeschool moms, I don’t have much time to write. We have five little ones, and I publish the monthly newsletter for our local support group, plus I’m helping my husband build a business. I’ve set aside about an hour of writing time in the morning, so it may take a few installments to tell our story, but I do have one golden nugget to share for today… Perhaps the greatest lesson we’ve learned so far is something we’ve found ourselves applying again and again since First and foremost, we took that paper from the Sheriff’s Department and spread it before God. If you get a chance today, read Isaiah 37:14-38. It’s a great picture of how to handle bad news. King Hezekiah receives a disturbing letter from his enemy, and he takes it into the house of God and spreads it before the Lord, asking God to save him. God responds mightily on Hezekiah’s behalf, slaying 185,000 in one night. I encourage you to read the account for yourself – it’s a powerful example of God’s willingness to work on behalf of those who seek Him. After praying and trusting with all our hearts that God was in control and that He would lead us and provide for us, we sought out scriptures to stand on through the journey. We knew we needed a few key things from God: wisdom, guidance and provision. So I went to google and typed, “scriptures about wisdom,” “scriptures about God’s guidance,” and “scriptures about God’s provision.” We printed them, and poured over the lists, highlighting those that quickened our spirits. I wrote some of them on index cards and carried them with me in a small, vinyl photo album, reading them, praying them over and over, and in doing so, I was most definitely hammering in my faith. Within those first couple of days we also raised a prayer army. I wrote out exactly what had happened and what we were facing, and emailed it to every Bible-believing Christian I knew. Then I went to every Christian-based website that I could think of and submitted a prayer request. An interesting thing happened. I began receiving all sorts of prayer requests in return. So I got a notebook and wrote them all down, interceding daily for the needs of others, as I continued to meditate on the scriptures and listen for God’s voice. There were a few possibilities that presented early on. We followed up with each one, praying over them, and asking God’s direction. Then we took small steps toward each possibility and waited to see what God would do. And that’s where I’ll end today. To be continued… |
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Just shortly after my last entry, I tried to log in to my blog, and I was locked out. I posted messages on the forum, sent messages to the help center, but to no avail. After trying all of the suggestions, it still wouldn't work. My kids couldn't get into theirs either. Finally, I received an email from a very helpful fella (thanks Shawn), suggesting I use a different browser. We downloaded Firefox (which I'm really enjoying, by the way), and voila! Here we are. Hooray!!! Okay, I think I'm back on for real this time. LOL! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all. |
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I've seriously neglected this blog, but I had good reason. Every time I tried to add an entry, there were no editing tools. I would cut and paste an entry from Word, like I had always done, but instead of seeing all my neat little buttons and icons to insert pictures, change fonts, etc., it was just a blank text box. Without html code, I couldn't even get the most basic formatting of spaces and line breaks to work. My lines were just all mushed together. I tried to get some help on the forum, but to no avail. So in my frustration, I took a homeschoolblogger time out. Then today, out of the clear blue sky (and here on the gorgeous west coast of Up until August, when the problems began to happen, I had been using Internet Explorer. My techy husband decided he liked Safari better, so he changed my default browser. I customized it with all my favorites and got acquainted with the new, more stripped down browser that did seem to run faster and more efficiently. All was fine...except...homeschoolblogger's entry editor doesn't seem to be compatible. This morning, I decided to try crafting an entry in Explorer, and voila! It's back. And so am I. I'll write more soon about our adventurous move to beautiful
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From a poster in our library (and I liked it!)...
The more your read, the more you know.
The more you know, the smarter you grow.
The smarter you grow, the stronger your voice,
When speaking your mind, or making your choice. |
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I just received a call from Sarasota. We were approved for that house that we've been hoping for. It's not the biggest or newest or even the nicest of all the houses we saw in our price range (we're renting), but it was our favorite nonetheless!
In spite of its small stature, the house seems more functional than the others. It has an extra room that will serve well as a schoolroom and office combo. There's a sliding glass door in the kitchen that opens to a patio with an awning, where we could eat many of our meals (I really like the idea of eating outside whenever possible). There's a nice side shed in the back yard that can house our gardening supplies, lawn mower and power tools.
But best of all is the garage in the back yard. It's about 1200 square feet with a 10-foot ceiling. Have a look.
****I can't figure out how to insert the picture. The menu that I'm used to seeing is not here*****
The stuff obviously belongs to the current tenant. The side you can't see is lined with a countertop and cabinets. I'm thinking this would be a great art center for the kids. Just put a few bar stools, and they can create when the mood strikes. We envision this space as home to all of our aquarium animals, a space for the kids' toys, a comfy corner for Matthew's music set-up (he and our friend Tony, who lives just a few houses away from this one, can jam there!), and a small woodshop for Matt. This space sold us on the house! Now we just have to wait for Matt's gutter machine to sell and to receive enough money to make the trip!
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Posted in Words to Live By -- Great Quotes
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"In matters of style, swim with the current. In matters of principle, stand like a rock."
--Thomas Jefferson |
Posted in The Big Move
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If theres one thing Ive seen demonstrated throughout this experience, its that Gods ways are not our ways. But He has given us a blessed assurance that Hes with us every step of the way, and He is in total control.
From our current vantage point, it seems that God is leading us to Sarasota, FL. We have very close friends there, who have been urging us to consider Sarasota for a few years now. The cost of living is a fraction of what it is here in the New York Metropolitan area. I guess you could say its part of the Bible belt, so there are a number of local church bodies to choose from, and the homeschool atmosphere seems welcoming. Floridas laws appear favorable to homeschoolers, and there is a thriving homeschool community in the Sarasota area.
At this point, were just waiting for God to work out the details. House rentals are readily available and priced at less than half of the lowest rental we could find here. We found a house that would accommodate our needs well, and its just around the corner from our friends. We submitted an application, and now were just waiting to hear back. Matthew has a job offer in Sarasota. The hours would allow him to rebuild a contracting business there. We just have to work out the terms of employment and finalize it.
I put together a comprehensive budget that would cover the cost of getting all of our people, animals and our vehicle from here to there, the security deposit and two months rent on the house, a tune-up, 2 new tires and a timing belt for the van, a small budget for unforeseen needs in the new house and a month's living expenses (including the cost to restock the fridge and pantry, as most of the food won't transport well). The total came to just under $12,000. God has already provided $5,000. Hes so amazing! We listed Matthew's gutter machine for $6,000, but we may get only $5,000 for it. That would leave $2000. I was tempted to say that the remaining $2000 will have to come from God, but it all comes from God!
In the meantime, we're packing, cleaning out the house and preparing for a big yard sale. We ask for your continued prayers. In addition to Gods provision for this move, we need His strength, wisdom and grace. |
Posted in The Big Move
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Yesterday we learned that Matt’s mother is, once again, trusting all the details of this house in her nephew’s hands. She told us everything is all worked out. When we pressed for details, she said they are taking another mortgage to cover this mortgage. We asked if she was planning a quick sale and transferring the deed into someone else’s name. She said she didn’t know; it’s in her nephew’s hands. This was just confirmation that we need to go. If after losing more than a quarter of a million dollars to this man, she still fully trusts him with all the details, we can’t just be involved in this. It seems like God may be opening doors in Sarasota, Florida. We have dear friends there, and I have family just a few hours away, on the east coast. We have found a nice house that would meet our needs at a very affordable price. But ultimately, if this is what God has planned for us, He is going to have to provide all means to get there (it’s 1,200 miles from here!). We need God to come through on every detail of this process. And although it’s a real challenge to submit so completely to a total unknown, having to trust Him for every detail will give us a certainty that we are in His will. The words from the Sanctus Real song, “Whatever You're Doing” have some meaning for me now… There's a wave that's crashing over me, and all I can do is surrender |
Posted in The Big Move
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Our family has lived in the house my husband grew up in for the past three years. The house is owned by his mother, but she lives in a neighboring town. After returning home from a day out on Monday (July 21st--my birthday!), we found a notice posted on our door from the County Sheriff's department stating that the house will be auctioned off on August 29th to cover the outstanding mortgage of $350,000. We were completely shocked and horrified! Not only did we not know that the house had ever been in foreclosure, we did not know there was any mortgage on the house. As it turns out, my mother-in-law had pulled the equity out of the house about two years ago, and gave it to her nephew in what she believed was an investment. Although we do not know all the details, it appears that her nephew (my husband's cousin) conned her out of this money, and failed to pay the mortgage payments as he'd promised. We were never informed about the problem because my mother-in-law continued to believe her nephew when he said he'd taken care of it. At this point, we don't know what will happen with the house. The bank wants $70,000 (20% of the total) to pull it out of foreclosure, and we certainly don't have that kind of money. But no matter what happens, this circumstance has clearly shown us that we need to move. Even if my husband's cousin manages to come up with the money (or another scam) to save the house, we are sure that we can't continue to live here. We have five children (one with special needs), many pets and no clear direction of where to go. More than anything else right now we need prayer. Although we were shocked by this, we realize God wasn't. He knows the outcome, but somehow, He allows us to participate in His plan and process through prayer. So please, please pray for us. Pray that we will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. Pray that God will protect us. Pray that He will go before us and prepare a place for us. Pray that He will provide strength for the move and wisdom throughout this season. And pray that God will provide all our needs because without His provision, there's no way we can do this. It's such a blessing to have a community across the nation to support us in a time of dire need. Please help us spread the word, and storm the gates of heaven! Thank you fellow homeschoolers, and brothers and sisters in Christ.
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This week my dear friend is celebrating a birthday. I have a great card that I made with a women's group while my kids were in VBS last week. Now I just have to find the time to write something in it and send it out. I bet one of the most frequently asked questions of homeschool moms is, "How do you do it all?" Of course, we all know the answer to that one: We don't! Sometimes our houses are not as neat as we'd like. Sometimes our kids don't get a bath as often as we'd like. Sometimes we don't get to catch up with extended family and friends as often as we'd like. Can anyone relate, or is it just me? But today reminded me that it's usually the busiest people who figure out ways to accomplish more! We all have little secrets and tricks to squeeze more out of the day, and one of mine is finding small pockets of time. In my purse, I have a ziploc bag with some notecards (including the birthday card for my friend), a pen and some stamps. My husband was home today, so I got to go grocery shopping by myself! While I waited on the very long line, I pulled out my ziploc and began to inscribe my friend's card. As I wrote, it occurred to me that not only was I "creating" more productive time in my day, but I was alleviating some stress because I didn't feel the slightest bit irritated by the pace of the very long line (unlike some standing around me). When I got into the car, I wanted to remember to sit down and post this tip, so I pulled out my handy little spiral notebook, and as I was scribbling the reminder, I realized that this too is a great tip for staying organized! In my purse, at all times, is a small spiral notebook. I get them at the Dollar Store. I like the ones with a plastic cover (for pocketbook durability), and a little pocket on the inside cover so I can keep deposit slips, important receipts, checks, or anything else of significance that I pick up during the day. Throughout the day, I jot notes in the book: things I need at my next trip to the store, a phone number or website, notes to myself, the name of a good book that someone recommends, a Bible verse that I hear and want to meditate on, etc. In the evening (or early the next morning), I take out the notebook, file away any important things in that little front pocket, follow up on anything that I've jotted down, and make a to-do list for the next day, right there in my little notebook. Because I keep a running list of groceries (along with my weekly dinner menu) in the notebook, I have a good head start the night before shopping day, when I have to write out my complete list for the week. Hope my little ideas bless someone out there in cyberland! |
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Summer officially begins tomorrow, but in our family it started this past Wednesday when we took our first summer field trip to the Land of Make Believe amusement and water park in Hope, NJ. See some snapshots below -- there's no pics of the water park because we didn't want the camera to get wet! Monday will begin the summer schedule. For the first three weeks, we have VBS in the morning, home for lunch, a few hours at the Town Pool, home for a late snack and water break, late afternoon lessons, dinner and bed. After the first three weeks, we'll have early morning lessons, two hours at the town recreation program (arts and crafts and some sports), home for lunch and then the same afternoon schedule. Wednesday continues to be "shopping day" when all the errands and grocery shopping gets done, topped off with the night at church. Monday is the usual summer field trip day. As a kind of large family, we've found memberships to be the best Christmas gifts of all. We are members of zoos, museums, botanical gardens and children's museums. This makes for great weekly trips at little to no cost! Although we don't carry a full academic schedule through the summer, we do keep some things in place. The kids still have to do all the same chores and the older ones still need to have their own devotions. Plus, we still have a family prayer time where we stick to a weekly intercession schedule (Mon - Salvation for people we know, Tues -- Ministries/Missionaries, Wed -- Leaders (from dad and the church to government heads around the globe), Thurs -- friends & extended family, Fri -- the people in our home, Sat -- our house, yard and neighborhood). All the time in the car in the summer provides great opportunities to pray together! For summer lessons we do reading, math, Bible verse memory, spelling, Latin vocabulary, nature journaling and literature. Our trips and literature sometimes offer history, art, theater, music and science, but we don't do anything formal in those subjects. Our evenings are pretty tightly scheduled through the summer as well. Mondays after dinner I go to the library from about 6 - 9 to work on next year's curriculum. Tuesday nights after dinner we write letters together as a family (mostly to commend great service at stores, to lawmakers, to soldiers, etc.) and then we watch a movie, take a walk or play a game. Wednesday is church. Thursday is another night at the library for me, but only after we take about an hour-long walk. Friday is always Family Movie Night. After being out on a trip most of the day, we're usually tired. Saturday morning is my time for paperwork, email, etc. My husband often works during the early part of the day, and then we spend the rest of the day at the Town Pool. Saturday night the kids go to bed early, as Matt and I prepare for the Sabbath. And Sunday is the day of rest! We LOVE the summer! And we're all so excited that it's here! Here are some pictures from this week's trip...
Matt and I made T-Shirts with our initial on the back
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"On the Front Porch" is having a blogging contest! This gives me the opportunity to write about how much TOS means to our homeschool. Finding the current issue of The Old Schoolhouse in my mailbox is like getting a letter from a pen pal when I was 10-years-old! I run into the house, forsaking all other mail, and do the first "flip-through" to catch a glimpse of all the goodies in store for me this month. Then TOS takes up residence in my big Barnes & Noble bag that poses as a purse. From that moment on, I'm on the lookout for opportunities to begin my journey from the front cover to the back. Each day affords snapshot moments to take in a few paragraphs -- waiting for my coffee to heat up in the microwave, on line at the post office, sitting at the bank drive-thru window, a quiet moment in the ladies room (blush blush!). The TOS journey lasts about 3 weeks. In lieu of a bookmark, I use a post-it so I can make notes of anything I want to research or follow up. As soon as I'm done with the read-through, I set about "digesting" the issue. First I grab my well-worn TOS, along with my magazine tote -- a Whole Foods Shopping Tote Bag with a 3-ring binder, pens, a scissor, some envelopes, stamps, and page protectors. While Matt and I veg-out on the couch, I go back through the magazine and cut out any articles I want to archive in my 3-ring binder or mail to a friend. I also keep handy my Brain Book (a little spiral notebook I carry around everyday for to-do lists, shopping lists and ideas that I need to follow up) so I can make notes of things I want to try, books to read, things to look up on the Internet, etc. Whatever is left of the issue goes in a milk crate with the other digested magazines and catalogs. The kids use these for projects. TOS is like a monthly homeschool convention tucked right into my daily life! Thank you, TOS, for all you do. I can't imagine this journey without you! |
Posted in Proverbs 31 Woman
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Whew! I think this has been my longest blogging hiatus. Nothing catastrophic or monumental has kept me away; it's just been a matter of scheduling. I run an all-women, online investment company, and I've spent all my computer and reading time working on that. We just finished "Rule #1" by Phil Town. Amazing book for anyone even remotely interested in the stock market. Easy for even the novice to grasp and written in a conversational tone that keeps it flowing from the first to the last chapter. I didn't plan to make this entry anything more than a quick letter of explanation for my prolonging blogging absence, but now that I'm on the subject, this might be a great tip for other homeschooling moms! In the image of the Proverbs 31 woman, a group of 13 women in five different states, including little me here in New Jersey, formed an LLC and opened a private Yahoo message board to learn together and invest together. After a couple of months of talking, thinking and planning, we all met at the beginning of last August and drafted an Operating Agreement. Part of the agreement is that each of us sends our Treasurer $50 a month. We now have more than $4,000 to invest! All of us came into this knowing little to nothing about the stock market, but we each agreed to read a book, share what we learned and combine our efforts to dig out great companies at great prices. We use our combined financial resources to purchase stock. With the economy in a slump, this is a great time to buy companies that are on sale! Thirteen women began as stock market rookies, and almost a year later, we can talk shop with the big boys! What's more, we're making money for our families right from home, working at whatever time fits best into each of our unique schedules. As the net worth of our company grows, we hope to branch out in the next few years and explore other investment opportunities, like real estate, foreign markets, e-commerce, commodities, and maybe even a little venture capital (one day!). If anyone out there in the abyss of cyberspace would like more information on how we got started, send me a message. I'd be happy to share more about our experience. Now it's back to mommy world... |