It's been a while since I've been tagged for anything; it seems as if that season of tags and awards came and left, and I write that with mixed emotions.    Yes, the tags could be cumbersome at times, and the awards felt almost like a chain letter, but I like to believe that each was passed with some level of genuine affection and admiration, and that's never wrong or inconvenient to share.   

Our son and his dance duet partner from last year began a joint blog not too long ago, and I’m very late in completing a tag he sent.   It's been interesting, in a word--as in engaging, gratifying, and nerve-wrecking all at once--to watch him sort through all of his emotions.  I believe wholeheartedly that the two are experiencing their first taste of puppy love.   Yet, with his partner now gone to a new studio and both of them finding new interests and new friends, I think he’ll grow out of his first crush gracefully and land on his feet.   In the meantime, I’ve had two different moms approach me regarding the possibility that their daughters might be his new duet partner.   Should be another interesting dance season.   In the meantime, here’s the tag.    Typical of his personality, his tag is short and sweet.  However, I also thought of it as a quick look into some parts of the quirkiness that is me that I’d otherwise not consider sharing.

How old is your blog?  Almost 3-1/2 years old

Where is your favorite place to go on vacation?  Of the places I’ve been, probably Hawaii

What is your favorite color(s)?  blue

When did you start this tag? 9:03 a.m.

Who are you going to tag?  I won’t list anyone specifically, but if you read it and find it fun, consider yourself tagged!

I am not a Facebook user.   I made a very conscious decision that, though it might afford me the opportunity to meet more great friends and expand my network, I would rather spend my social networking time creating an informative, and occasionally entertaining (HA HA), blog.   I don’t deny anyone else a guilty pleasure, but I want to take on more activities that are along the lines of purpose, and less that might be good, but distracting.   Besides, because 90% of my classes are online, I spend enough time on the sidelines of family activities while at the computer.  Last night the youngest had another family of 3 girls come for a last-minute sleepover.   They had a movie night on last night, and then went bowling today.   Where was I?   At the hairdresser’s at 6 a.m. getting gorgeous (or at least trying to), and then returning to this computer to complete grades.   The men of the house, the superhero and our son, have been wonderful hostesses (smile).    In the meantime, I’ve read recently that the average time spent on Facebook is around 4 hours per session.   Yeah, like I need another 4 hours on the computer.

At any rate, our son found a couple of articles from World on the Web for his current events notebook.   I found these so neat until I couldn’t help but post them, in his words.

“Facebook Follies Part 1”

Two Australian kids were trapped inside a sewer.   The girls were 10 and 12.   Instead of using their mobile phones to call for help, they used them to post their situation on Facebook.   A friend was online when it happened.   That person called 911 and the girls were found.

“Facebook Follies Part 2”

A 19-year-old teen robbed a house.   His name was Johnathan G. Parker.   He went through drawers and cabinets and found diamond rings.   While he was there, Parker checked his Facebook profile.   But he didn’t log off.   The police found out who he was and arrested him.

Happy social networking to you!

Oh, how we enjoyed our time with Karen and her family this past week.   It's amazing to think of how small the world is and how I would have never met this woman, so like me, if it weren't for a blogging relationship.    They were wonderful, and as I put this mini-slide show together, it occurred to me how much they seemed like friends we'd known forever, so I went with a nostalgic look.   My sincerest prayer is that we will grow to be old, and still dear, friends (although black-and-white wouldn't have to come back! LOL)    She has more pictures here.

I’ve been busy enough that I’m not posting some items in a timely manner.   I was ministered to this morning as I spoke to a group of wonderful ladies at the Heart of the Matter’s Parenting and Home Education Conference.   God’s Word is so powerful, and I am so honored to feel it flow through such a flawed vessel.    I think this Conference will be my own personal pep rally each year--it is an event not to be missed.   At any rate, there are other items—pure fun and inspiration—that I wanted to share:

There’s a great Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop occurring over the next four weeks that looks like a great soirée in homeschool blog land.   Yesterday was a hop through various curriculum plans from each family.   I didn’t post mine since I listed everything on the right side of this blog.   The weeks to come will feature school room photos, first day of school photos, and typical days-in-the-life.   The link can be found here.

I also wanted to make you aware of the end of a blog that is significant in my life.   LindaFay is stopping her “Higher Up and Further In” blog posts.   I hate to see her leave Blogland, but I understand being obedient to seasons in your life.   She has introduced Charlotte Mason Help (www.charlottemasonhelp.com) in order to capture her posts in a way that will be continuously helpful to those looking for what I consider to be not just generic CM help (who is she, what is her teaching approach, etc.), but also the real-life practical application of her theories in her household.

Finally, I also wanted to share another article from yours truly, posted on Heart of the Matter Online today.   I honestly had forgotten that I submitted this, but it’s a timely reminder at this time of year about, from another author’s point of view, the 7 Costly Mistakes of Homeschooling.   The article can be found here, and I pray that it blesses you.

Editor's note: As of today, 8/4/09, there are 100+ bloggers participating in the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop, and this week is curriculum listing--happy reading!  Oh, boy!

Our kids said that this year at VBS was the best ever!    The theme was "Crocodile Dock," but as Louisiana is a close neighbor, we had a Cajun twist (even though Louisiana is more notorious for alligators).    I thought the efforts to transform our family life center into a real, live Louisiana swamp were tremendous and I wanted to share.