For those of you who are still periodically checking my blog (and after two months of me not posting, that might be all of 2 or 3 of you), I wanted to let you know about some changes our family will soon be making.

My husband and I have decided--and this has been a painfully slow decision to make--that our homeschooling adventure will be coming to an end. I say "adventure," but it's really been more of a struggle. For a few years now, it's been like trying to make that square peg fit in that round hole by hitting it repeatedly with a sledgehammer. I'm tired of wielding that sledgehammer.

As of next fall, our kids will no longer be "homeschoolers." Instead, they will be "school-at-homers." We will be taking advantage of two different online accredited schools for our sons and oldest daughter (youngest daughter is only a toddler).

You may have questions regarding what we're doing, so I'll try to imagine what you might be asking and will answer them as follows:

• Yes, they are public schools, so yes, they will officially be public school students.
  
• Yes, I know my kids can attend these schools part-time and still retain their homeschooled status. But we'll be putting both feet in the water: they will be full-time in the public school system. I need this break. It may be permanent. Most assuredly will be.
  
• No, I am not turning my back on the homeschool community, nor am I trying to make this a slap in the face of the "homeschool pioneers" who have done so much to pave the way for all of us. I am, have always been, and will always be truly grateful to those brave souls.

A few things have necessitated this change. For starters, I'm tired of "kicking against the goad" (that's in the old testament, just can't remember where at this moment). I have always said that homeschooling isn't for everyone. It appears that is now including us. We've had 10 fulfilling years of learning on our own at home. We're done with the "on our own" part.

There are some incredible families who've been to hell and back and continued "homeschooling anyway." Those are strong people. I feel like we've tried to be strong for the past few years but now that strength is waning. After the loss of our baby in 2004 and my husband's cancer diagnosis in 2006, I feel shell-shocked. There just isn't much left.

That actually brings me to my second reason for ending our homeschooling run: my husband's cancer situation. He is still doing "fine," evidenced by his tests coming back in an acceptable range every couple of months. But if the cancer (a blood cancer called multiple myeloma) decides to misbehave, his oncologist may decide it's time for a bone marrow transplant. If that happens, he'll be off work for several months (honestly, I'm not sure how long it would be), and we don't know if his company would continue to pay his salary.

Because of the uncertainties surrounding his health and our future financial situation, I am taking courses to brush up on some skills I've learned in the past, and am also learning some new ones. I'm currently taking a course in copywriting ("copy" is everything from business letters to junk mail--yes, I said it--to the words on that box of cereal in your cupboard). I am also freshening up my proofreading skills in an effort to get some freelance jobs while taking the copywriting course.

I am also signed up to take a course in affiliate marketing (which I've tried before, but didn't fully understand, so it fizzled out). I'm very excited about this. It helps that it's free--how awesome is that!

So, switching the kids over to being school-at-homers instead of homeschoolers will free me up to find work and bring in the extra income we are really needing, and may need more of in the future. I hope you won't judge us too harshly but will remember us in your prayers. (And keep in mind the main point--our kids will still be home.)

If you'd like to leave a comment, please make it an encouraging one. I'm really needing that right now! I will keep this blog up through the summer (or at least until summer), and will then switch to another blog hoster. Afterall, we'll no longer be homeschoolers, technically. I'll let you all know the name of that blog once it's up and running.

We'll talk soon. :-)

For me, my daughters, and at least one son, this flu has turned into bronchitis. We haven't been this sick in years. If you haven't caught this flu yet (hopefully you won't), check out this link from WebMD. You'll discover what distinguishes a cold from the flu, and how flu symptoms in infants, toddlers, and young children can be different from the symptoms an adult might experience.

If you think your flu may have progressed into bronchitis, check out this page to make sure. You will also find valuable information on determining if your bronchitis has progressed into pneumonia--something not to take lightly.

Know your symptoms, know your children's symptoms. If something doesn't "feel right," it probably isn't. Never hesitate to call your doctor. You can at least talk to the nurse about the symptoms you or your child are experiencing.

I, personally, am a big fan of using aromatherapy in easing the symptoms of colds, the flu, and bronchitis--and a host of other ailments. Here is a portion of an email I sent to family and friends yesterday outlining just what I'm doing for us:

I'm pretty sure we have bronchitis now, and am realizing Jesse had it first. Not sure if Joel did -- may have, since he's still coughing (he was the first of all of us to get sick, and has been great about helping the rest of us now that we've gotten it). So, first the flu, now this.

Erica and I have the worst of the cough right now. Bethany is coughing, too, though, and I know it really scares her. She was having a tough time tonight, but was able to cough up a lot of junk and then calmed right down. ("Icky!" was her word for it...) We're all (except Joel) still running low fevers, achy, have occasional chills, etc.

Joel is pretty much all better now, just coughing a bit, but Jesse still has a nasty cough. So...I made him a chest rub with Sweet Almond Oil (for a carrier), and 2 drops each of eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils. Erica and I are also using the same rub, along with some lavender essential oil. She and I are also using heat packs placed over the oils on our chests/necks, which really seems to be helping with the coughing and chest pain. If Bethany's cough gets worse, I'll make a VERY diluted rub for her, and will probably sit and watch a movie with her to distract her from me holding the heat pack to her chest (not too hot, of course).

Also have the humidifier going for the girls -- it has a fan on it to blow out steam mixed with eucalyptus, tea tree, and lavender oils. Lavender is an antiviral and antispasmodic.

Just thought I'd share my routine with the essential oils and heat in case this stuff hits any of you. Also drinking lots of herbal tea with honey. "Throat Coat" with echinacea is a good one. (Everything I mentioned is available at Fred Meyer in the natural foods department.)

I must say I DO NOT recommend the use of essential oils on children under 6, unless used in very diluted amounts, and you must know what you're doing. Do some research before using, and you'll discover wonderful aromatherapy "recipes" for bath oils, chest rubs, diffusers, and the like. Two authors I highly recommend are Valerie Genari-Cooksley and Maggie Tisserand. Information can also be found online, of course.

In case you missed last night's lunar eclipse, KIRO TV here in Seattle caught it on time lapse photography.  My kids and I did get to see the eclipse from our backyard, which was an answer to prayer (I prayed it wouldn't be too cloudy to see it, proof that God hears and answers even our "little" prayers). We did get to see the moon turn a muddy shade of red, but that color doesn't come through on KIRO's pictures. My daughter got a somewhat grainy picture of it last night in which the red color is visible, so I'll try to get that posted later (depending on how it looks once I upload it).

Do take a look at the pictures. There won't be another lunar eclipse visible over our continent until December of 2010.

My very good friend, Aileen, forwarded this to me today by email. Since so many of us homeschooling moms (and homeschooled students) feel overwhelmed by all we have to do, I figured this would serve as our little helping of REAL chicken soup for the soul today:

A HANDY LITTLE CHART  

I received some links today by email that I wanted to share with you all. The first one is interesting, in a "Wow, I wonder how the Bubonic Plague started" sort of way. It's a map from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) showing where influenza is currently popping up in the USA. Forty-four out of 50 states are reporting it as "widespread". That's maddening, isn't it? To think of all the people who could've washed their hands, used hand sanitizer, coughed into their elbows or a tissue, or gee, I don't know...stayed home but didn't, it's no wonder this thing has spread like it has. The biggest contributor to the fast-and-far nature of this flu, I'm sure, is air travel. Illnesses are no longer confined to one geographic area. Anyway, check out the map, and show your kids. Tell them, as I did with my kids today, "This is why you have to take precautions when you're sick (and after you've been around other possibly-sick people)." It's a good reminder for us adults, too, to practice personal responsibility.

The next links pertain to a very cool meteor that appears to have landed in a sparsely populated area of our great state of Washington. A pilot with Horizon Air says he saw it go down in the southeast corner of the state, and an Idaho National Guard security camera actually caught it on tape. The meteor explodes twice in the sky and seems to burn out before making landfall. Maybe it's in a bunch of little pieces and that's why they can't locate where it landed...just a thought.

And last but not least: On Wednesday, February 20, there will be a fantastic lunar eclipse -- the last one until December of 2010. The moon will turn a "delightful shade of red" over Europe and the Americas. I'm hoping we'll be able to get a glimpse and not have to wait two more years for the next one. This link will give you the best idea of when you'll be able to witness it in your area. If you do, let me know.

My new friend, Mikki, tagged me quite a while ago.  I've got to come up with six non-important things about myself. The hard part is choosing only six non-important things.


The rules are:

(1) Link to the person that tagged you.  √
(2) Post the rules on your blog.  √
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.  √
(4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.  √
(5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.  √

So, here are the "6 Non-Important Things" about me (pretend to care, okay?):

1.) I came down with laryngitis on my wedding day and had to whisper my vows.

2.) I hate yardwork.

3.) Drinking coffee from any latte stand other than Starbucks feels like betrayal to me.

4.) I look ridiculous when walking in heels.     

5.) I was copy editor on the yearbook committee in high school. I was assistant editor, but kept showing up late for class and was demoted. Hey -- it's not my fault the class was held right after lunchtime and there was a Taco Time just a few blocks away. And a donut shop.

6.) The last plane I rode in was a tiny Cessna when I was 12. I haven't been inside an airliner since I was 6. Don't care if I ever do again.

To finish this up, I'm supposed to tag six people. I am, however, going to skip that part. If I wasn't sick today, maybe I'd make the effort! But, anyone reading this is more than welcome to complete the tag. Just let me know if you do, so I can pop over and read your "non-important" answers.

It's amazing how "the crud" can disrupt your life. My family has come down with the flu. First, my oldest son, Joel (almost 16 years old), began feeling sick after coming home from the youth group's winter camp (it was a Friday through Sunday thing, Feb. 1-3). Several of his friends attended the camp while ill. Why can't people keep their sick kids home? But I digress.

After feeling "iffy" (not sure if he was sick or not) for about a week, it hit him pretty hard. He felt lousy for several more days. Then it hit my second son (almost 14 years old). He started off feeling "iffy" as well, and on Valentine's Day became very sick. Actually, my 12 year-old daughter did, too, the same day, but her sickness hit her without warning. They were both very ill, and also vomiting, which tells me we've also been visited by the stomach flu. Jesse didn't stop throwing up until I gave him some Benedryl. (Try that! Obstetricians prescribe antihistamines to women all the time for morning sickness. I used children's liquid Benedryl with Jesse -- the liquid is absorbed so much faster than a pill. Okay, okay...check with your doctor first.)

They're all trying to get better, but it's a struggle. They're still coughing, and Jesse was still running a fever today. And now it's official: Bethany and I are sick, too, as of today. We're stuffy and running fevers of our own.

So, if you've missed me, now you know where I've been!

This nasty flu has also kept us from taking part in the bird counting thing that Cornell University was doing. If you and your kids participated, post a comment and let me know how it went, what birds you saw, etc. I'd love to hear about it.

In the meantime, I will look at this flu as a chance to get caught up on my reading: books, magazines, and of course, the blogs here on HSB.

Stay well!

Have the winter doldrums taken hold over your household? Are the kids whining that there's nothing to do? Could be they just need a purpose -- a job, of sorts. Here's something that will help them feel like they're contributing to something bigger than themselves:

The Great Backyard Bird Count!  

This annual four-day event "engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent."

From the website:

It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Plan to count birds for at least 15 minutes during February 15–18, 2008. Count birds at as many places and on as many days as you like—just keep a separate list of counts for each day and/or location.

2. Count the greatest number of individuals of each species that you see together at any one time, and write it down. (You can get regional bird checklists here.)

3. Enter your results through our web page.

Speaking of birds, I just heard some Canada geese flying over our house (yes, heard -- the noisy things). To me, they're one of the harbingers of spring, as I never see (or hear) them around here in the winter (which we're still smack in the middle of, though the temps have been pretty mild). We live just a couple of blocks up from a small lake, which these geese call home for the spring and summer months. Since they're back so soon, maybe they know something we don't . . . an early spring, perhaps? That would be nice.

Have fun with the bird count! If you participate, let me know what birds you see at your house (and what part of the country you're in, if you're comfortable with sharing that).

I don't like to be told what to do. Never have. Whether it was my mother telling me to clean my room as a child, or my husband telling me to pulleaze balance the checkbook...doesn't matter. Almost automatically, my lips would press together, I'd get that defiant look in my eye, and though I may have never said it out loud (or did I?), I was thinking it: "Make me."

My mother no longer worries about my messy room (which is still messy on occasion...am I still rebelling?), and I'm not such a clod with the checkbook anymore. Yet that streak of rebellion is right there, firmly ensconced in my heart. Probably has something to do with being a human being who needs Jesus just a tad more each day, and may have something to do with me still needing to grow up in certain areas of my life (which, frankly, I refuse to do). Like my room...do I let it stay messy just to placate my inner child? Or am I just a tired, slightly undisciplined mother who has too much to do? Dr. Phil, are you reading this?

It's because I don't like being told what to do that I don't make New Year's resolutions. I rebel against myself, too. 

Me: "You must resolve to finish those piles of filing this year."

Me: "Make me."

I like to make the betterment of myself just happen naturally. As if it tiptoes softly into my life through the side door so as not to disturb my inner brat. Like this Christmas, I got rid of a bunch of needless junk without having to tell myself to. As I took down certain things (vases, pictures, knick knacks) to make room for my snowmen and other cheerful holiday dust collectors, many of those extra things went into boxes to be given away. And when the Christmas things came down, some of those went bye-bye, too.

(You'll be happy to know that several of these things -- vases, mainly -- will no longer be clutter in anyone's house, because when I opened the hatch on my SUV at the thrift store, they fell out onto the pavement and broke into quite a few unrecognizable pieces. Obviously, it was for the best. No one else needed them, either.)

Another way some of that New Year betterment happens is by one of my favorite downtime activities: Visiting web sites that deal with how to organize, how to be a better parent (wife, friend, etc.), and how to get closer to God. These sites are full of tips that come in like a gentle teacher through the side door of my life, and after while even my inner brat is behaving -- never having known what hit her. Here are a few of my faves:

Martha Stewart: It's my opinion that most of the people who put her down for her uber-domesticity have never really perused her web site at length. There's a ton of fun stuff on here. Don't get stressed out thinking you have to do everything she says, or exactly as she says to. The point of the site is to make life easier for you. Look at it that way.

Get Organized Now: Maria Gracia is a professional organizer with a load of great ideas. It's not a huge site (which is a good thing for the easily overwhelmed), but you're sure to find some tips to help you with your time, money, and general organization.

Christian Women Online: This site is pretty new to me, but already a favorite. If you need encouragement, this is the place to be.

I may add a few sites later. Right now my inner brat needs a cookie. ;-)

Here's an article about a mom who knows parenting is not a popularity contest. She's not tiptoeing around her kids, trying to keep from hurting their feelings when she has to discipline them. She's nosy, she's tough, a little brash, but I'll guarantee you that her 19 year-old son, mentioned in the article, knows without a doubt his mama loves him very much.

Meanest Mom on Planet Sells Son's Car 

On Christmas Eve, one of my sisters-in-law was telling me how terrible it is that she still hasn't put her now-grown sons' pictures into albums. I had to laugh, because I would love to have that problem. I told her that most of the pictures I've taken over the last few years are still on my computer, sitting ducks to be wiped out by a malicious virus. I would be perfectly happy if they were printed out and "safe" in some of those photo storage boxes. How time flies...and how things change.

I'll make myself get them uploaded, at the very least, to my favorite online photo storage site: Snapfish.com. I've used Snapfish for 5 or 6 years now and am very happy with their service. The cool thing about Snapfish is that they give you unlimited photo storage, and will also print out and mail your pictures to you at a very good rate. (It used to be 12 cents per print, but they have just dropped it to 9 cents.) Or, and I love this, you can choose to have them printed out at a Walgreen's near you. I did that this year with our Christmas photo cards.

Now's a great time to be a new Snapfish.com customer. All new orders will receive 50 free prints if placed by January 3. Lucky you! I got 20 free prints when I signed up way back when, but 50??? Don't pass up this one!

To be deemed an "official" white Christmas, an area has to have an accumulation of at least 1" of snow, according to this article by KOMO News 4 in Seattle. I had actually prayed that we would wake up to a blanket of white yesterday morning, but it didn't happen. Then, after the presents were opened and we were munching on cinnamon rolls (the kind you have to peel out of a can), we saw that once again, God answered a prayer in His timing as we saw the first icy flakes falling. It was just a dusting, certainly not the inch required to call it a white Christmas, but it was a beautiful sight. There's something gentle and calming about watching snow fall softly to the ground, covering over a multitude of nature's sins and making even the ugly things becoming. Very much like Christ's love for us.

I hope you all had a nice Christmas with the ones you love.