Posted in Random Thoughts

I am trying to work out our schedule so I thought if I wrote it all down, it would help.  So here it is:

Monday

gym - a.m.
school
K's dance class
dinner to reheat after dance or crock pot
1 load laundry
clean LR

Tuesday

gym - a.m.
errands w/mom
1 load laundry
clean DR & bathroom

Wednesday

gym - a.m.
school
AWANA
1 load laundry
clean entry/porch/car
early dinner

Thursday

gym - a.m.
school
J's HS class @ library (2x month) or MOPS steering mtg (1x month)
1 load laundry
clean upstairs

Friday

MOPS (meeting or Bible study)
school or field trip
1 load laundry
clean K/bath

Saturday

gym - a.m. with Hub
school with Hub (thanks Hub!)
2 loads laundry
plan next week

Sunday

church
football and lounging
prepare for next week



Okay, so that's what looks good right now.  We'll see how it works out.  I know we are too busy.  I don't have any days where we stay home the whole day.  Which makes me feel horrible.  Hub and I talked about the time I spend at the gym but we decided that it just isn't something that is optional right now.  I guess we don't want the crazy me coming back!  At any rate, I am usually home by 10:30ish, so it isn't too bad.  We usually get a little school done before lunch (and a load of clothes, very important), have lunch, and then finish up when V goes to take her nap.  I usually get my housework done at the tail-end of her nap.  I know that I need to use my time better.  I keep saying it, but not doing it.  *sigh*

Posted in Random Thoughts

I write something called the "Coordinator's Corner" for our monthly MOPS newsletter.  I am feeling compelled to share it here:

“I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil."    Job 3:26

 

This is a crazy time of year!  School has started up again.  The holidays are quickly approaching.  It’s time to begin to prepare for winter (already!).  I don’t know about you, but I’m busy!

            In the midst of our busy-ness, it can be hard to stop and remember to breathe.  I know I don’t have time to relax!  I have to wash the clothes, make breakfast, go to the gym, shower (if I’m lucky), make lunch, do school, run errands, clean up a little, fight with a 2-year-old about using the potty, make dinner, do dishes, get the kids ready for bed, fold clothes (to leave in the basket, thank you very much), and show my loving husband some attention when he tells me about his day at work.  WHEW!  That is just one day!  Does this sound familiar to any of you?

            Why do we do this to ourselves?  Am I afraid to slow down?  Or worse yet, to stop?  Doesn’t God command us in Psalms to “be still and know that I am God”  (Ps 46:10)?  How on earth can I possibly hear God’s will for my life if I don’t ever stop to listen?

            Sometimes I think I must look like a chicken running around with its head cut off.  I had such a bad day last week that I finally cracked.  I was sitting in the car crying about all the “stuff” I had to do.  Who puts this pressure on me?  My family?  My friends?  No.  I do it to myself.  We do it to ourselves.

            I am here to tell you that it is okay to let the kids wear pajamas and stay in for a day.  It is okay to go to McDonalds for lunch and order pizza for dinner!  It is okay if you don’t get the mantle dusted, or the laundry put away, or the toilet scrubbed.  In the big picture, does it really matter?

            Now, I know some of you are saying, yes, it does matter to my sanity.  But God does not want you to be constantly busy.  I am serious.  It isn’t good for you anyway!  God calls you to spend time talking with him and reading his word.  This is the only way to hear what He wants from you.  I think a grand epiphany is probably pretty rare.  Don’t count on a burning bush.  All the answers to your life are in the Bible.  Only Jesus can help you through your days.  I think this is why I can be driven to the point of massive freak-out and break-down.  It always comes when I have been neglecting my spiritual life.  If you can’t make time for God, He will make it for you.

            I want to encourage all of you to take a little time to be still.  Fall is a wonderful time of year.  The leaves are gorgeous.  There are pumpkins to pick and apples to eat.  Maybe get up early and go outside for a walk in the chilly morning air.  Or go get a cup of coffee by yourself.  Go to a movie alone.  Nobody cares; nobody is judging you.  Take care of yourself by letting God take care of your spirit.

 
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."  Zephaniah 3:17

Posted in School Daze

I am contemplating teaching a little something about the election, being as it's 4 years until the next one.
However, my kids are still small, so I am not really sure what would be a good idea for them at their ages.  J is 6 and K is 5.  Any ideas out there?

Posted in School Daze

This school year really has started out great!  Is it the kids?  Is it me?  Maybe both.  I have really relaxed this year!  And somewhere, I found a little self-discipline.  I am always praying about it... 

I love LLATL!!!  It's all done for me and so far, it takes very little time and is really fun for the kids.  I love it when the learning is tricky.

And even math is going okay.  J is doing great.  He is nearly done with his MUS Primer book that we started half-way through last year.  Then he is onto a unit on time.  K is reviewing Primer with me.  And even though we have had our moments of mutual frustration, things are definitely better this year.  It is my hope and prayer that she can start Alpha after Christmas.  But I am not pushing right now.  We'll just see what happens.

Science has been great!  We're studying habitats and yesterday we covered the desert.  We've been making a web diagram about our habitats.  My kids thought the kangaroo rat was pretty exciting.  They also made torn-paper cacti.

They have learned to identify the music of George Gershwin as well.  Well, I keep playing it every day and now they say, "that's George Gershwin."  I wonder if I put on someone else if they would know it isn't him?  At any rate, they are having exposure to music.  I think appreciation of music and art is so important!  We usually listen to it during lunch.

For SS we are working on Mesopotamia but I had a hard time acquiring some materials.  Wah!  That is the downside to being thrifty...sometimes the library doesn't have it right when you want it.  But we are making do.

And S asks to do preschool every day.  He has a great attitude!  It is so fun.  Yesterday he glued buttons to a letter B that I cut out of paper.  You would've thought I gave him a million dollars!  I just love that things are new and exciting to all of them.

I am really trying to have a positive attitude about school and the snares that come up.  Isn't one of the best things about HSing the flexibility?  So if I can't get to something I am trying not to birth a cow on the spot.  I am really working to be less high-strung.  We are planning our first field trip next week to the local bird sanctuary to view the woodland habitat up close and personal.  And PE, as we'll be hiking.  I hope that later in the year when I am feeling a bit, um, stressed, that I remember this post...

Posted in Austerity Program 2008

So I have been off the austerity program, and my bank account reflects it.  I cannot believe how much more everything costs now.  It is just staggering!  I do want to share this cool new free shareware I downloaded:

SimpleD Budget

I love this software!  I am a visual person and it has really allowed me to see where I am overspending.  It has nice pie charts and my favorite feature, a slide bar for adjusting amounts.  They didn't even pay me to say this!  But they could...

I definitely am spending on things that are unnecessary, like the gym.  But really, it is necessary if I expect to stay married and out of prison.  Believe me.  So factoring in that expense has been difficult, but things are working out.  There is just nothing extra now.

I've set the monthly food budget at $350.  I did not meet it in August; instead, I went over it by $100.  I learned with my nice new budget that I spend more money the more I go into our local Giant Eagle (which is like a Krogers or something).  But if I just do my shopping at Wal-Mart and Costco I can meet the budget.

I already went shopping for September.  I find that my biggest new expense is lunch foods.  I do not want to eat fast food, since it's (delicious) toxic poison, and also not part of either my austerity program, nor my getting-thin and fit program.  I bought a lot more mac & cheese and bread and such for the kids.  And, wouldn't you know, they must all be growth-spurting because I just cannot believe how much they eat!!!  It's gross.  S had 3 giant helpings of green beans last night, plus chicken, plus baked beans.  And woke up starving for more!

Which reminds me:

Green beans with tomatoes

fresh green beans (though you probably could use frozen), maybe about 1 lb or a little more
handful of cherry tomatoes, or other tomatoes, cut into cherry tomato size
tbsp of butter or margarine (oil probably okay here too, but not as tasty)
garlic to taste (i used powdered, shhhh)
pepper to taste
1/2 tbsp sugar
salt to taste
few generous shakes of dried basil, or fresh, chopped

Cook the green beans in boiling water, about 10 minutes, until done.  In skillet, melt butter, add spices/herbs/sugar.  Add tomatoes and cook until just getting soft.  Toss in green beans, coating them with the sauce.  Don't be too violent about it; you don't want to hurt your tomatoes.  Serve.

I don't even like tomatoes.  This is so good.  This little number was virtually free as I am tending my parents' garden while they are on vacation.  I used their green beans and tomatoes.  So really, it only cost me the butter.

Posted in School Daze

We started school today.  J did the end of lesson 21 from MUS and K reviewed lesson 1 with me and then built numbers with the blocks.  So that was pain-free.  For SS we read a few pages out of What Your First Grader Needs to Know on ancient history.  We listened to some George Gershwin and read a book about him.  The kids are really interested in learning about composers this year.  Who knew?  S and I read some books about firemen and an alphabet book.  Then K and J did their first 2 days out of LLATL, which was fine.  Now that I've written it down it seems like a lot!!!  But it didn't take that long, really.  The kids also played educational computer games today but I am not really counting that.

And, I managed to do 3 loads of clothes and today's zone, which is the living room.  I even took the curtains down and washed them.  They were just grossing me out.  I made dinner and went to the gym.  So today I am feeling very good and like the old me!  It is turning out that the old me is around a lot more lately!  Hooray!!!

If I could just stay off Facebook, I would probably be able to spin my own yarn or something!

Posted in School Daze

Turns out I am blog-dependent or something.  I have been considering ending my blogging days but can't seem to give it up.  So too bad for all of you!  Ha ha ha.

I am SO ready for school.  We are starting on Monday.  I just want my routine back.  We are pretty sure we are switching to year-round school.  No one here enjoys the long summer break.  We can still take 6 weeks off in between school years and enjoy summer!  I like the idea of longer breaks built into the year.  I think it'll be better for everyone.

So, here's what the plan is (tentatively, of course!) for school this year:
J--Math-U-See Alpha, Family Math
K--Math-U-See Primer (review) then Alpha, Family Math
J and K--Learning Language Arts Through Literature Blue book, animals and habitats, dinosaurs, weather, plants/trees, ancient History, music (I think we're doing composers and their works)
S--Singapore Math 1A and 1B, Family Math, alphabet, counting to 10, animals, community, nursery rhymes, other preschool-type goodies

The local library is having a day of homeschool classes, so they will also be attending there (J and K).  That'll be sign language, art and "homeschool happenings" which is topical.

I am very excited about S doing school.  He begged a lot for it last year and I can't believe how much he already knows!  And I am interested to see how I'll do teaching 3 kids.  It's an adventure, right!?

I am having some technical problems here at home regarding the DSL and my phone... So I won't be blogging for a bit.  But I'll be back...I think.

Posted in School Daze

I talked with Hub last night about K's math.  I checked out Family Math from the library and I really liked some of the activities in those books.  So I marked them to copy and was all excited telling Hub about it.  He made a frowny face.  He really thinks we need something more drill-focused.  I don't really think it matters too much since K is only 5.  But anyway, so I have asked Hub to do some math work with K so that he can see what I am talking about with her and how she does with Math-U-See.  So for now, J and K are doing MUS (J Alpha and K Primer again, parts of it) and S will do 1A of Singapore.  We will supplement on occasion with the Family Math games.  I suppose it might change after Hub works with K.  We'll see, right Hub?....

Posted in School Daze

I was thinking I should ask the collective brain about a math book/curriculum for my darling K.  Let's just say she is...well, focused, precise.  She likes things to be predictable and where she put them (because they have an order, after all).  She also will walk into a wall if she isn't paying attention.  She likes to color, paint, dance, etc. She likes math on a computer game too.  Math-U-See makes her sad.  She likes the blocks, but nothing else.  I can't turn in the blocks for her evaluation.  So I am seeking your advice.  I mentioned before that I was going to do Singapore Math with her since she loves the little pictures and likes all the different hands-on stuff that you have to do with it.

Any suggestions are appreciated!