Guertin Family Homeschool - Homeschool Blogger

Kids grow up too fast...

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 11:31:00 -0500

It has finally happened...my girls are interested in the kitchen, their hopechests and their ability to be future Godly women. I cried a little bit, because they are not babies anymore, and I find myself trying to not bite my tongue when they are about to do something 'wrong'. Now, I don't mean wrong as in using vinegar instead of cooking oil...I mean 'wrong' in comparison to the way I have been accustomed to do things over the years.

For instance, folding towels. Mother is very particular about how towels are folded. Now the girls are telling each other (when they think I can't hear them) "This is stupid...it's alot easier to fold them THIS way." Or the way they fold the sheets. Or how they make biscuits....

What am I going to do now? My girls are growing up so fast...and to think they even have their own minds and opinions. I guess the days of my best reason behind them doing things a certain way 'because I said so' are falling farther and farther away.

Sigh.

Well, at least eventually (I hope) there will be grandbabies.

What happened to good days?

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:59:00 -0500

It used to be that I would have 1 bad day a week, pretty much to the point I could set a clock to it.

These days I'm lucky if I get 1 good day a week. I am feeling so down all the time, the kids are not doing their lessons or their chores, their attitudes stink and I think it's contagious.

Some people are saying that with me just recovering from being sick, quitting smoking and the new diet are too much at once. What am I supposed to do? I try to be happy and smiling when my dh gets home, but instead I am ready to cry, need chocolate (Belgian Milk Chocolate would be great) and would sell my right arm for a cigarette.

I want my good days back. I want to drown myself in chocolate (ok, so I won't do that part...but a girl can dream) and have a good day with the kids where lessons get done, attitudes are all positive (including my own) and my house is clean for more than 5 minutes.

It didn't happen today....I guess I'll try again tomorrow. And hopefully before long I will get over wanting cigarettes too. Like I was taught in a great program I started almost 5 yrs ago...God willing, one day at a time....

There's a monster in my office....

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 07:09:00 -0500

For the last 2 weeks, there has been a monster in my office. He's also in the living room sometimes, but mostly in my office. He's pretty strong too, and invades my space, my thoughts, my dreams at night...

I have been told by several different people that 'the monster will go away soon' or 'just keep holding on, he'll lose interest soon'.

OK, this is probably where I should say something that will ensure you do not think of men in white coats coming to get me...

I quit smoking 2 weeks ago. Not sure yet if I totally like the idea or not. It sounded like a good idea when I was still smoking and got pneumonia. Then I thought of how much easier I would heal without smoking.

Well, at least I can say I'm not coughing up a lung every hour. But that monster keeps showing his evil side and the temptations to just go and gt another pack are very tempting....

Anyone got enough duct tape to tie me to my chair today?

I still don't like Mondays

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 21:20:00 -0500

So, we had one of those typical Monday mornings here today...grumble grumble, I'm still tired, I don't wanna...you know how this goes, don't ya?

K decides that it is unhealthy for her to start her day before 9:30. Breakfast is at 7:40am in this house, which means, if you wanna eat with everyone else, you are up and out of bed by 7:30am and marching up the stairs to HELP ME with breakfast. It's funny how 14 yr old girls think they know what is best. It's not my fault she read past bedtime (sneakily I might add...after the grownups were gone to bed) and was tired this morning. I am not letting her get away with it this year...hubby and I discussed this...remember?

Grumble, groan, roar "Leave me alone!!!" "Mom, K yelled at me!" "Mom, A won't get outta my face"...

Then come the non-verbal autistic screams and crying because everyone is yelling....not so much fun, but do-able with patience...only problem is, since I quit smoking 4 days ago....again...patience is a little thin. Breathe Mama...walk away for a minute...where did I leave my coffee????

Let's just say that by the time the kids were all in bed, we were still behind my carefully planned out schedule. The one that was supposed to be perfectly planned out to actually work. The one that I forgot to put French on, and for some reason 5 days a week we have life skills...twice.

Has anyone seen where I left my brain? If you happen to find it, please send me a post so I can arrange for shipment. I'm pretty sure it escaped and is in Alabama or something like that (living in Quebec it might just be safe all the way in Alabama).

So, Mom is officially off the computer for the night, going to take a shower...and going to bed with prayers and dreams of a better day tomorrow.

Besides, I never liked Mondays anyhow

A new beginning...

Thu, 4 Sep 2008 17:53:00 -0500

Well, here we are...September again. And what a shock it was for my children. Mom made a schedule this year. With actual lessons, books and assignments pretty much in place already. Mom decided that the kids have to get up earlier this year, start school earlier this year, and get our chores done too...

I have never seen such blank stares in my life. What do you mean we have morning chores, afternoon chores and evening chores Momma? And what is Saturday doing with school work on the schedule Momma? Saturdays are the weekend!

I proceed to tell my children, with the enormous support of their father, who is standing behind me waiting for one child to whine or complain so he can add his 2 cents. I can feel his foot tapping behind just ready to pounce. He wants to get in on this but does not want to interrupt.

I explain to my wonderful children who were completely lazy all summer that we have to work more this year because according to my standards, they slacked off too much and need to catch up. They had a protest against lapbooks, so I had to find something else to use. Lapbooking was so much more fun, but now they have to actually write on paper without the words listed in their instructions. They have to think. Dad's getting anxious, the foot tapping is getting quicker...he feels it coming as fast as I do.

But Mooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmma, it says that on Saturdays DAD is teaching!!! Why does Dad have to teach?

I ducked...Dad was on this one so fast it almost made my head spin. He answers the children with this..."If you would have listened to your mother all last year and did what you were supposed to when you were supposed to and didn't give her a hard time and listened with both ears and...."

I lose track...he's talking way too fast, and in both Canadian official languages at the same time. How can anyone say that much without stopping for at least one breath?

I don't know what he said to these children, but all week, every single thing that needed to be done, got done and almost on time.

Having Dad in my corner seems like a pretty good thing. We might actually get stuff accomplished. In the very least, I'll get loads of exercise trying to duck away before Dad steps in so I don't get caught in the whirlwind.

Another day in the Guertin home...

Wed, 4 Jun 2008 09:08:00 -0500

I think my kids are suffering severely from spring fever. They don't want to work, they don't want to do chores, they don't want to go outside (who wouldn't want to go outside on a nice day??). All they seem to want to do is argue and fight with one another. I just want to go hide under a tree and read a book or something. I thought maybe the kids would join me, but they don't. I have even given them a lighter work load, seeing as it's so nice. But they still can't seem to get it.

So, I think it's time for a day or 2 off again...or maybe I can say we have cleaning to do. That usually gets them working on school stuff, which is much more fun than wiping base boards and cleaning windows...right?

I'm praying to God for much patience today, before I end up with kids on a clothesline...

Quite a productive weekend...

Mon, 19 May 2008 09:54:00 -0500

Don't you just love those weekends that you get sooooooo much accomplished? The weather was so nice this past weekend that we had family time and devotionals outside while soaking up the glory of God's gifts of nature.

Front and back yards were mowed, pruned and tidied up. We put bamboo fences around all the the flower and fruit gardens to pretty it up a little while we wait for the colorful blooms to peek out and pretty up the world....just an all around great day...

Until...

The pain hit. By the time dark hit last night, every joint and muscle in my body was a wreck. I guess it's time for me to start exercising again, because I am so out of shape at the moment it isn't even funny.

Then again...maybe I'm just old. It is my birthday after all...but I somehow don't think my body is supposed to be falling apart just because I hit 29..for the 7th year in a row.....

Signs of spring

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:55:00 -0500

It's amazing after the horrible winter we had, that my rose bushes survived. I had forgotten to cover them before our first snowfall. But, it appears that everything has survived.

I even have many, many tulips growing just about everywhere, including the middle of the yard. I know for a fact that I didn't plant them there. I think the squirrels must have been having fun burying them in the fall.

I just feel so blessed to be able to sit in my office and be able to hear and see all of God's wonders. I think today might be a nature/outdoor class day....

Spring fever has hit...

Tue, 13 May 2008 09:59:00 -0500

Spring fever has hit our house. After the long winter we had here in Canada, my kids really want to be outside. They are giving me a hard time with sitting still long enough to get anything accomplished.

So I came up with a compromise. If they finish up any work that isn't done yet (half finished lapbooks and such) today, then we can start an in-depth nature study, and work primarily outside. We have a huge picnic table that hubby built that will give us all enough room to work when weather permits.

Then we can keep the things that are 'less fun' for days when it's too icky out to go work. Great idea, right?

Now watch it rain for a week....

I'm so spoiled!

Fri, 9 May 2008 14:50:00 -0500

My hubby is just the best hubby there is. (OK, so I'm a little biased...) He came home last night with a new computer for me. He said I have been working so hard on everything lately, that it was time for something new.

You see, I usually get a 'new' computer when his needs upgrading. He gets the super duper deluxe model (needed for work), and I get his 'old' computer, which becomes my 'new' one.

Well, this time around, I GOT THE NEW one! Bells, whistles...speed! He said I deserve it because I am working so hard. Mother's Day and birthday combined, and I have a new toy.

Don't ya just love it when hubbies spoil us? All I asked for was a new pair of earrings...and I got a computer instead. I love my man!

Now I have no excuse for not blogging...everything works so well! Get ready folks...you'll be hearing a lot more from me now!

Happy Mother's Day!
Steph