My birthday was two days ago, but I guess it was asking too much for my family to take 15 minutes out of 365 days to buy me (or make me) a card.  Not my husband, nor our older daughter, nor our younger daughter thought it was important to acknowledge this joyous occasion that way.  One of them even asked me what I wanted for my birthday, and I replied that I didn't want a present, but a card would make me happy. It isn't that they don't have the time or the money, because they freely spend time and money on other things. And it isn't that my wanting cards is anything new; it's been a tradition for years.  I'm feeling rather like Eeyore over this.

I'm trying hard to be content, because after all, dear husband did treat me to Chinese food, and he and younger daughter took my van to be washed by the high schoolers at church this morning. And older daughter called to sing to me (she has a lovely voice).  All of those are wonderful gifts, and I know I should just hush and be happy.

But there's just something about a personal card wishing me a happy birthday that warms my heart, that makes me feel important.

Thank you to my cyber-friends who did send me cards -- I very much appreciate your TLC.  And a shout out to my elderly parents for their remembrance of my special day.

Sigh.  Maybe next year. 

According to the Social Security Administration, these were the most popular names for boys and girls in 2007:

BOYS:

1 - Jacob
2 - Michael
3 - Ethan
4 - Joshua
5 - Daniel
6 - Christopher
7 - Anthony
8 - William
9 - Matthew
10-Andrew

GIRLS:

1 - Emily
2 - Isabella
3 - Emma
4 - Ava
5 - Madison
6 - Sophia
7 - Olivia
8 - Abigail
9 - Hannah
10-Elizabeth

Just in case you were dying to know...;o)

Researching and planning for Grade 8 are finally finished.  Hurray!  Here's what I've put together...

ART:
Art lessons at the studio (summer program)
Feed My Sheep (Barry Stebbing) (continued from Grade 7)

BIBLE:
I & II Chronicles
Ezra
Nehemiah

DRAMA:
A Celebration of Classic Poetry & Prose (fall program)

ENGLISH:
Easy Grammar Plus
Wordly Wise 3000 Book 8
Of Places Literature (A Beka)
Writing for 100 Days (continued from Grade 7)
Lots of independent & aloud reading

HEALTH:
Total Health (middle school curriculum) (continued from Grade 7)

HISTORY:
America:  Land I Love (A Beka)
Lots of living books
Current events

MATH:
Algebra 1/2 (Saxon)
Sudoku puzzles

MUSIC:
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
Listening to associated CDs
Guitar lessons

PHYS ED:
Daily calisthenics
Twice-weekly ballet class
Occasional biking/hiking with Daddy

SCIENCE:
Exploring the World Around You (Parker)
Exploring the History of Medicine (Tiner)
Exploring the World of Physics (Tiner)
Exploring the World of Chemistry (Tiner)
Nature journaling

Also, this summer our daughter will be attending the week-long Camp Cadet program run by the state troopers ~ a foretaste of a life in law enforcement (she wants to be in the FBI).  She's not very athletic, so this might make or break the dream.

In addition, we will be cooking and crafting together on alternate weeks during the school year, in lieu of attending Pioneer Club at church.  There are simply not enough hours in the day nor days in the week.

I think that's everything, at least for now.   

Now we just need to cross the finish line in Grade 7, prepare the portfolio, get evaluated, meet with the superintendent (my choice), and turn in our affadavit/objectives for the new year before we can blobbify for the summer.  This homeschooling stuff is serious business, LOL.

A few things I learned during my recent hospitalization...

1.  You will inevitably get extremely sick and need to go to the hospital the morning of the day you had planned to shower, shampoo, and shave.

2.  You will inevitably need to stay in the hospital just the right number of days to turn you smelly, greasy, and hairy.

3.  It takes eons (as in 7 hours) to get from the emergency room to the med/surg room even though they are only six floors apart.

4.  If you are a quiet hermit type, you can be sure your roommate will be the polar opposite (one had the tv on all the time; the other had a steady parade of phone calls and visitors).

5.  If you are admitted with severe stomach/intestinal nausea/pain, you can be sure your roommate does not have the same problem, and the smell of her food will fill the room to the point of causing you to be on the brink of hurling all day long. 

6.  There are some folks who are medical staff who should not ever be in direct contact with patients.  There are others who are angels in disguise.

7.  It is highly likely that your pastor and his wife will show up for a visit at the very moment that you are heading into the bathroom with just a thin, tell-all hospital gown on as a cover-up.  There is no escape.

8.  Visitors really, really, really should stay no longer than 30 minutes at a time.  It is exhausting to mentally participate in your roommate's steady flow of family and friends.  Bring earplugs. 

9.  Trust the kitchen; just trust the kitchen.  That unidentifiable mound of quivering something is food and is palatable, even though it looks like roadkill.

10.  There's no place like home.

It's Wednesday.  That means, for the creature of habit that I am, it is bank and gas station day.

Today was no different.  Went to the bank, enjoyed a funny and brief chat with two of the tellers (about 13-year-old moody daughters, no less), divided my money up into budget areas (groceries, gasoline, allowance, etc.).  Drove to the gas station to get my weekly $20 worth of gas.  Didn't recognize the young fellow who approached me.  The conversation between the two of us was flabbergasting and frustrating.

Young Fellow (very sullen):  Whaddya want?
Middle-Aged Mom (very pleasant):  I'd like $20 worth of regular, please.
YF:  $20 of regular?
MAM:  Yes, please.

He hooked up the gas line and stood there at the pump near the back of the van.  Now, 99% of the time, whoever is pumping my gas cleans the windshield while we're waiting.  I assume it's part of their "full service" benefit.

MAM:  Excuse me...I'm wondering if you'll be washing the windshield today?  It could really use it.
YF:  Why would I do that?
MAM:  Oh, well, because that's what the other attendants do.  Is Butch here?  (note:  Butch is the middle-aged fellow who pumps my gas a lot of the time, and he always cleans the windshield)
YF: Nope.
MAM:  Oh, well, I was just wondering, because he always cleans the windshield.  I was thinking that you might do that, too.
YF:  I might, if you asked me.
MAM:  Sure.  Would you please clean the windshield while we're waiting?

Young fellow proceeded to clean the windshield (with attitude), then headed back to the pump.

YF:  Man!  Did you say you wanted $20?
MAM:  Yes, I did.  Just $20.  Why?

At this point, I glanced at the reading on the pump, and it said $31 and some cents.  Gulp. 

YF:  Look what you made me do!
MAM:  Uh, yeah, I see that it didn't stop at $20.  I'm so sorry.  Is the manager here?
YF:  Whaddya want him for?
MAM:  I thought I could talk to him about what just happened, so we could figure out what to do.
YF:  Well, what *are* you gonna do?  It's your fault -- you distracted me by asking me to clean your windshield.
MAM:  I'm not sure.  Can you go get the manager, please?
YF:  Never mind.  Forget it.  Go.
MAM:  But I'm sure we can resolve this mistake somehow.
YF:  Just go!

He was so sullen and disrespectful toward me, that I actually didn't feel safe sticking around.  Although I wanted to resolve the matter then and there, I did leave.  What he doesn't realize is that if he had been polite and apologetic to me,  I would have gladly paid the extra money for the gas, even though it was his mistake., and even though I would have to take it out of the grocery money.  I would have extended mercy.  

The whole experience left me with a sadness in my heart.  I know I need to go back to the gas station tomorrow to speak with the manager about what happened.  Best case scenario is that he will assure me it was not my fault and will not make me to pay the difference.  Worst case scenario is that he will assure me it was not my fault and will ask me to pay the extra money for the gas I erroneously received (which I don't mind doing -- it's not the gas station owner's fault, and I did receive product).  Either way, I will be able to stand before my heavenly Father and hear Him tell me, "Well done."

UPDATE:  I went to the gas station this morning and talked with the manager, who was shocked and sorry that I had been treated poorly, insisted I didn't have to pay the over-run, assured me that cleaning the windshield is standard procedure, and said that he would bring the matter to the owner's attention.  I, in turn, thanked him for the option of not having to pay the extra money, but I insisted, sharing that I was a Christian and I believed it was the right thing to do.   It always does boil down to "what would Jesus do?", and though I know I'm not perfect, I can sleep tonight knowing that my heavenly Father is pleased with my effort.

Sometimes the chase is more exhilarating than the capture...sometimes the journey is more exciting than the destination..sometimes the climb is more energizing than the summit.

Am I the only one who loves doing all the research, reading, and investigating to plan for the next year's schooling more than I love doing the actual schooling itself?  It's that time of year for me, and I am just reveling in the process of scouring catalogs and websites as I try to figure out what we'll be using next year.

It's not that I don't love our daughter or homeschooling or homeschooling our daughter, because, of course, I do, or I wouldn't be putting so much time and effort into either one.  It's just that there is something so wonderful to me in chasing down the elusive curriculum, in journeying down the path of possibilities, and in scaling the heights of Mount Eureka.

Off to find my bow and arrow, my hiking stick, and my belaying rope.  Care to join me?

I have been awakened out of a deep sleep several times over the last six months or so due to a spiritual struggle I have been experiencing over a certain issue.  Last night, at 4:30 a.m., clarity resounded like a tolling bell on a crisp and silent night. 

There are two decisions one makes in life that are of utmost importance and that have the power to either bless or curse:

Who do you choose to believe in?
Who do you choose to marry?

John 3:16 ~ "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."  If you choose to believe this in your heart, if you profess this with your mouth, and if you practice this in your life -- you will be blessed; if you choose not to, you have removed yourself from under God's protective covering, and His blessing will not be upon you.

2 Corinthians 6:14 ~ "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"  If you are a believing, professing, practicing Christian, and you choose to marry someone who is not a believing, professing, practicing Christian, you have disobeyed God's command and have removed yourself from under His protective covering; His blessing will not be upon you.

As a mother of two daughters who have been raised in the Christian faith, it is my continuing and fervent prayer that they understand and obey both scriptures, that the blessing of God may fall on them always in this life and the next.

Do you think it's possible for a 13 year-old girl to be normal?  I don't think I've met one yet.  But then -- being incredibly, dramatically moody, sensitive, and hormonal *is* normal for that age, so maybe when my daughter tells me she's normal, there is a shred of truth to that. 

To celebrate her normality the other day, I wrote and sang this song for her...

I'm normal,
I'm normal,
At least I think I am;
I like to eat spaghetti
With lots and lots of jam;
I take my showers upside down,
I type with all my toes;
I do my breathing through my ears,
And listen with my nose.

And what is "normal" anyway?  If it's the opposite of "boring," then yeppers -- my daughter is as normal as they come. 

Some funny sayings that make me laugh (something that has been in short supply lately)...

*Forget world peace; try using your turn signal.
*Heavily medicated for your safety.
*I can't hear you!  Old age has some benefits.
*I'm not bossy; I just know what you should be doing.
*Danger:  Mouth operates faster than brain.
*Everyone has the right to be stupid, but you're abusing the privilege.
*Chocolate -- the catnip of the female world.
*If I'm talking, you should be taking notes.
*I see old people.
*Good Morning is an oxymoron.
*Can I get caller ID for the voices in my head?
*Life is a circus, and I'm stuck in the freak tent.
*Deadlines amuse me.

And last, but not least...

*My day isn't done until I've horrified a complete stranger.

Memorize a few -- they might come in handy some time.  :o)

My Christmas Wish List, pre-Thanksgiving:

*musical snow globe
*bathroom cleaned top to bottom
*bathroom light/fan installed
*bathtub newly caulked
*Christian, Celtic, Christmas, classical, choral CDs
*soundtrack CDs (Luther, POTC, Nativity Story, LOTR, etc.)
*Toyota RAV4 or Ford Escape
*stainless steel microwave
*picture window in kitchen
*page-a-day calendar
*sweetarts, coffee nips, chocolate parfait nips
*parmesan goldfish, pretzel goldfish, salted cashews, salted pistachios
*deep muscle therapeutic massage
*barn red t.v. cabinet
*cabin/cottage on mountain lake
*12-inch teflon pan
*anything homemade
*money

My Christmas Wish List, post-Thanksgiving:

*the pain and sadness in my heart to be replaced with the love and the joy of the Lord

hurting hearts still beat,
though the music is muted,
though the song has died... 

Another recent random conversation between mother and 13 yo daughter...

daughter (upon coming downstairs in the morning):  Ah, it's nice to see everyone is finally up.

mother (grinning):  Says the last one up...

daughter:  Oh, I've been up for a while, but I stayed in bed to read.

mother:  Well that doesn't count then, because you're the last one down.

daughter:  Oh, I was down earlier to use the bathroom, so I was up before you and Dad.

mother:  But you went back up, so that still doesn't count.

daughter:  Yes, it does ~ I was up, then down, then up, then down.

mother:  But since you're the last one down now, you are still the last one up.

This kind of verbal volleyball is a daily occurence in our family.  I guess it keeps us mentally sharp (or confused).  Do you think we'd make good trial lawyers?  LOL

Our 13 yo daughter was working on a vocabulary assignment today, and this is how a conversation went...

daughter:  Man, this dictionary is lazy!

mother:  What do you mean by lazy?  How can a dictionary be lazy?

daughter:  Well, I'm looking up a word that begins with 'un', and the dictionary doesn't list it under 'un'; it makes you go find the original word for the definition.  How lazy is that?!

mother:  Honey, if the dictionary listed every single word that could take the prefix 'un', it would be so big you couldn't lift it.

daughter:  I still think it's being lazy.

mother:  Just out of curiosity, what is the word you're looking up?

daughter:  Unmotivated.

At this juncture, the two of us just cracked up laughing at the irony of it all.  It's little moments like this that make homeschooling so meaningful, don't you think?  :o) 

Three days ago a bunch of us took a field trip to an aquarium for the day.  There were many cool exhibits, but the highlight for me was definitely the impromptu underwater show performed by two young female hippos.  I was mesmerized by their effortless and seemingly weightless gliding hither and yon which made one completely forget their cumbersome heft when on land.  I keep picturing these bathing beauties and have been inspired enough to compose a poem in their honor...

Behold the hippo!
Diving and dancing diva ~
water ballet babe.

God must have laughed when He created the hippo.

So, exactly how does a brand new 13 year-old young lady celebrate the birthday that finally thrusts her into that longed-for status of teenager?  By appealing to the little girl still living inside her and asking to go to Build-a-Bear, of course.

Off we went to that special store in the mall, where our darling daughter selected a Husky dog (which she named Rascal) and an accompanying tiny Husky dog (which I named Rip) to satisfy her desire to cling to childhood while freshly testing the waters of her new stage of life.

Add to that a Newsboy CD from big sis, money from a middle-aged cousin, a funky purse from her grandparents, a 1000-piece puzzle from her parents, and a New York cheesecake the size of a semi-truck's wheel, and you have a recipe for a wonderful day.

The icing on the proverbial cake came today, however, when our princess received an unexpected birthday gift from a friend of the male persuasion.  The plain white envelope signed "From -----", shyly and quickly placed in her hand between Sunday School and worship service, belied the very unplain contents inside ~ a sparkling red necklace in the shape of a heart.

And so it begins.  Been there, did that (still doing that !) with 20 yo daughter, so hubby and I are ready for Round Two.  Why can't they stay little forever... 

I keep a file folder of inspiring, amusing, or encouraging articles, but I don't often remember to go through it in order to inspired, amused, or encouraged.  Don't know if it's my lack of memory or my lack of time or both, LOL.  However, I recently came across this dear poem by an unknown author and thought it was worth sharing...

"Mom's Time Out"

Moms are always on the run
Getting daily duties done,
In charge of other people's lives
As workers, helpers, moms and wives.

But every mom needs time apart
For nurturing her tender heart,
Time not to "do," but just to "be,"
To savor some serenity.

So find yourself a quiet place
And give yourself some mental space...
Relax, refresh, recharge, renew,
Revive and rediscover YOU.

Don't feel guilty ~ you deserve
This time to fill your soul's reserves.
For heaven knows it's surely true
That mothers need a Time Out, too.

Our 12 yo daughter declared the first day of co-op her "best, most perfect day ever!"  We both had a wonderful time.

Then hubby lowered the boom that night by saying he was taking our beloved 12 yo cat to be euthanized two days later.

My heart is broken, and the tears continue to flow.  I want my furball back.

That's what 12 yo daughter said when I told her we'd be joining one this year.  Sigh.  I know that it wasn't logic speaking, for she's never been part of a co-op, so I figured it was fear speaking and treated it as such.  Many people have a tendency toward "fear of the unknown" but are able to relax and enjoy once they get their questions answered and once they spend some time in the new situation.

Tomorrow we have our new member walk-through, and next Wednesday the (every-other-week) adventure begins.  She is signed up for Current Events, Missions, Music Appreciation, Newsletter, Graphic Design, and Aerobics.  If we discover that being part of a co-op isn't the best fit for our family, we don't have to enroll next year, but this year we'll give it a go, put forth our best effort, and pray for a successful, stimulating time.

Because both of us are half-hermit, this will be a stretch, definitely taking us out of our cozy at-home comfort zones, but I think it will be a good thing.  It's possible we feel that we don't need *them* in order to homeschool well, but what if they need *us*?  What if God wants to plug us into the co-op and use us there for *His* own purposes?  

I have stepped out in faith and am excited to see what God has in store.