This and that about homeschooling, grandparenting, church, recipes, tips, and support. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:16:00 -0500 Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:16:00 -0500 Well, I left work in a hurry and headed off to school...just another day in my busy life. Got to school and what do you know? My psych teacher had called and we had no class tonight! Now, on any other night that would have been okay, because I am usually exhausted and not looking forward to 3 hours in a night class after working all day, but I know we have a test next week and he needed to be here for the review!!!!! Anyway, so, here I sit in the Open Computer Lab, trying to get my paper done for Expository Writing on Thursday night and nothing is coming to my mind. My paper is supposed to be a cause/effect and my topic is "Older adults returning to school", how appropriate, HUH? So, my mind is a blank as far as my paper goes, the computer lab computers won't let me work on my text entry homework (they're not set up to let us access the site we need, how dumb is that?), and I have to hang out here until 8:30 when my daughter gets off work...did I mention she works at the college in the Open Computer Lab? But, I did have a very interesting conversation with one of the ladies in my psych class...her son is 8 and is having lots of problems at the local public school and she was interested in talking with me about homeschooling. We spent about an hour talking about the pros/cons of pulling him out of PS and she had a lot of questions about homeschooling in general. She also has 3 daughters, one older and two younger, and she was wondering if she could just HS the boy and leave the others in the system. I asked her why she would want to do such a thing, and leave those precious children to the system that is so failing her son????? Sometimes I just don't get people. And now I feel as if I did not give her enough information, though I did go online and get her the website for HSing in NC, printed her the Notice of Intent form to fill out and mail in to Raleigh, and printed her some other helpful information. I also gave her my phone number and email address so she could ask me anything that she might think of in the upcoming weeks/months/years. Yes, I explained to her that this is a commitment, not something you do on a whim. And I hope she was listening. Yo-yo schooling is not a good idea for anyone, and especially if your child is already having problems in the PS setting. Okay, I guess I am tired tonight, because I seem to be rambling on and on. Otherwise, God has been very good to us this week. We had an unexpected check come in which will enable us to get our car repaired and no one is sick this week...so far. The girls are planning for a weekend trip with a friend of theirs and her church youth group, and my youngest grandson turned 5 today. Happy Birthday Cammie! As a last note, I am trying to get my schedule together enough to be able to blog more often on here. I feel like I neglect this site too much and I want to change that. I mean, I have my site addy at the bottom of my email signature, so what kind of example am I setting when someone clicks on my addy and they see an entry that is WAY OLD????? So, my plan is to be on here at least 3 times a week from now on. And I plan to be adding recipes to my notes, too. Good, cheap recipes, quick to fix and serve. Just the way I like them... http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/672232/ Tue, 24 Mar 2009 19:16:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/672232/ Thought y'all might enjoy seeing this contest...go to: http://www.homemaking911.com/2009/03/02/homemaking-911-march-madness-giveaway Write more later! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/667496/ Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:56:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/667496/ Well, I didn't make it to class tonight. I've been sick since last Friday and have missed 3 days of work this week and all my classes, too. On Monday night, Rachel was able to get me my homework since we are in the same Business class. On Tuesday night, I missed my psychology class...hate that I missed the lecture. And, now tonight, I have missed my English comp class. BUT, I did manage to send in my homework via email to my instructor. Upon my return to work today, my desk was totally covered in tapes of dictation from ONE doctor. She is leaving at the end of this month and is behind about 100 dictations! This is really going to be a problem if we can't get them caught up before she leaves...and it will somehow become my problem even though she is the one who got so far behind. I was fasting today. Now, I'm fairly new to this fasting stuff. Our church does it for 3 days the end of January and I participated in that as much as I was able. I did have to consume some protein each day, because as a successful gastric bypass patient I can't let my protein stores deplete because I can't get "caught up" if I do. Anyway, I spent today catching up at work and trying to stick to my fast. I did okay until I got home and then I ate some tuna for the protein content. I feel that I am doing okay with the fasting, even if I have to eat some protein every day, because I know that God will still honor my fasting and praying because He knows my circumstances. Now, I am trying to get caught up on my FaceBook page, write this blog, and get the kids going on the chores they did not complete today. May the joy of the Lord be yours today! This is something I need to remember. He lifts me up when I am unable to go on. He is always there for me, and I want to be there more for Him. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/660291/ Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:31:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/660291/ Okay, Min is absolutely going to DIE when she sees that I have posted here. I had almost forgotten about this site, it's been a very long time since I have had time to blog about anything. Since my last blog so much has gone on. Rachel, now 18-1/2, has graduated from HS and is taking classes at the local community college, plus working there as the Open Computer Lab Tech 26 hours a week. She carries a full course load and has a GPA over 3.5. I am so proud of her. Now if we could just talk her into getting her driver's license so she could cart herself around, all would be right with her world (and mine). Missy, now almost 16, tried public school last year at the new high school that had just opened up near us. It only had the 9th and 10th grade, so as a freshman she wanted to "try" PS. Well, she got a good taste of it and returned home for this year. Although she did have some experiences educationally that I might not have been able to afford her, the drama she endured far outweighed any good she received there. She is now perfectly happy and content being at home, and is looking forward to starting classes via dual-enrollment in the fall. Today she began the driving part of driver's ed. Her dad blocked the door this morning and refused to allow her to leave. She bulldozed her way past him in order to get out for this! She called me at work a few minutes ago and said the instructor told her she had done a great job. She is sooooo thrilled. Oh, and I no longer work at home. I took a public job with the state of NC working as the stat transcriptionist at Central Regional Hospital here in Butner. It's only a couple of minutes to get to work, and I love my boss. She's really good and has been very understanding about my needing to take off now and then for HS activities, etc. I also have returned to school, even though I am now almost 51. I am trying to get an associate's degree in my field, even though I would love to retire someday! I really hope that once I get the degree I will be able to teach some of the courses at the local community college. I think I would really enjoy that since I have such a passion for medical transcription. Well, I'm sure there are other things that I need to play catchup with, but for now I had better get back to work. Let me leave you with this wonderful recipe: Chicken Devon (as my kids call it, after a boy at church) 4 chicken breast (boneless) Big bag frozen broccoli (we use the cheapest chopped broccoli at Food Lion) 2 cans cream of soup (mushroom, chicken, or celery will work) 1 cup mayonnaise (we use Duke's Light) 2 teaspoons curry powder (we use more because we love the flavor) Place chicken breasts in bottom of crock pot. Place broccoli on top of chicken breasts. In a bowl, mix together the soups, mayonnaise, and curry powder. Pour mixture over the broccoli and chicken breasts. Cook on high for about 4-5 hours, or on low overnight.  Pull the chicken breasts out of the crockpot and shred them. Return to the crockpot. May be served over rice or noodles. Either way, YUM! Now, if you are using chicken breasts with bones in it, don't put the broccoli in until after you cook the meat and sauce for about 4 hours; otherwise, the broccoli will make it very hard for you to pull the chicken out and debone it. I double this recipe all the time and have a big crockpot of it ready for after church. We have lots of folks eating at my house after church on Sundays, and this is one of their favorites. First time we had ever used curry in anything, and we all absolutely fell in love with the flavor. Now I use it in a lot of stuff I cook! Hope you enjoy it. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/651446/ Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:51:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/651446/ Okay, so it took the email to get me motivated.  Actually, I have been off the computer for over 3 months due to a hand injury (no work and no play).  So, no way can I catch up with all that has been going on.  Guess I'll just start from here.....   We joined LightHouse, a local homeschool support group.  Ya' know, that term "support group" just doesn't even begin to describe what you get from a group like this.  So far they have taken me and my family in and loved us every way imaginable.  We are undertaking a new phase of homeschooling this year, my oldest (16yodd) will be starting a job this Friday at the new Sonic and will be taking her PSAT in October and plans to begin community college dual-enrollment classes the beginning of next year.  In addition, we are homeschooling our 6-1/2-yo grandson.  Talk about an adventure.  My 13yodd is none too thrilled about the prospect of all those "childish" field trips, but I quickly reminded her how much fun they were for her at his age and she has reluctantly relented to try and act like she is having fun (though she was thrilled to learn she does not have to attend "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" with us).   My hand is now well on its way to healing and I have been able to return to work at least part-time for now.  So far, so good.    Church is going great.  We have a new youth leader -- he's really great with the kids and just told us he is planning on proposing to his girlfriend THIS WEEKEND!  How wonderful.  She seems to be a great girl.   My son, Mike, is in Korea (as some of you may know) and we finally heard from him via email 2 weeks ago (after not hearing from him since May).  I was beginning to get really worried.  Though, now, I can just be mad because since I know he has an email up and running he should be contacting us more frequently and we have not heard from him since that one extremely short email 2 weeks ago.  BOYS!    I'll be back on later...di http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/193711/ Thu, 31 Aug 2006 09:32:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/193711/ My 6yo grandson stuck a rock in his ear.  Now, you might say, "isn't he a bit old for that kind of thing?"  But like I told his mother, if you've never been told not to do something how do you know not to do it?  He was at school and a "friend" of his said, "put it in your ear."  So, Jon did.  The ER doc told him next time to tell his friend to "go first."   They could not get it out.  It has been in there since Thursday afternoon.  They are going to have to do surgery to get it out (scheduled for tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.).  The blessing is that he has had no pain and the ENT thinks there is no serious damage behind the rock to his ear drum.   As a side note, my birthday has come and gone, now I'm 48.  And sometimes I feel like I have been stuck in the same place for 20 years.  I mean, I don't feel like I am getting anywhere.  I am at a dead-end with my job and now must begin looking for something else to do.  I dread returning to the "public" job market, but I just don't see any other options right now.  My kids are okay about it, but it will sure put a strain on our hsing options.    I, on the other hand, am not okay about it.  I am angry.  If my husband (and I use the term loosely - very loosely) would stand up and get a decent job I would not have to worry so much about my job situation.  I could just continue working at a part-time level and not be so stressed.  It would sure give me more time with the girls and church and volunteering, etc.  Plus I bet my house would get cleaner!  But, that's not going to happen.  He has been drinking and doping again (after 50 days clean and sober this time) and has moved back to his mother's house.  I at this point really don't know how I even feel about it.  I am too exhausted to really feel anything.   I guess maybe I have rocks in my head, too.  I just wish someone had told me not to put them there! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/139159/ Mon, 22 May 2006 18:48:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/139159/ Thanks loads, MIN!   WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW? Any Law and Order WHAT'S ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Company logo (okay, so it's really boring!) FAVORITE MAGAZINE: Reader's Digest (does that count as a magazine?) FAVORITE SMELL: Musk WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD: Thinking about how much I miss my dad and his sister, my Aunt Helen, who was like a mother to me. BEST FEELING IN THE WORLD: Remembering both of them. THINGS TO DO ON THE WEEKENDS: Well, since I have to work straight through the weekends, let's just say I like to have a little free time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (my weekends) but rarely does that happen (too many HS things to do on those days). FAVORITE SOUNDTRACK: The Sound of Music WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THOUGHT OF WHEN YOU WOKE UP THIS MORNING? That I really needed to get going on printing some of the RC books the girls should be reading. DO YOU GET MOTION SICKNESS? Yep.ROLLER COASTERS DEADLY OR EXCITING? Not exciting since I was 16 -- extremely deadly since "growing up" and getting "some sense in my head." PEN OR PENCIL? PencilHOW MANY RINGS BEFORE YOU ANSWER THE PHONE? Usually 2 (if the caller ID says it is someone that I even want to talk too, LOL).FAVORITE FOODS: Mexican or homestyle Southern cookingDO YOU GET ALONG WITH YOUR PARENTS? To varying degrees with my mom; dad has gone home already, but we got along most of the time.HAVE YOU EVER BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIME? Nope. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA? Chocolate (but only in small bites since the surgery)CROUTONS OR BACON BITS? Bacon bits (the real ones, not the fake ones)DO YOU LIKE TO DRIVE? Absolutely (used to want to be a truck driver) DO YOU SLEEP WITH STUFFED ANIMALS? No IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY KIND OF PET, WHAT WOULD IT BE? A talking parrot IF YOU COULD BE ANY TYPE OF ANIMAL WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A butterfly FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK: Don't drink (now) but "back in the day" it would have been either a Singapore Sling or a Long Island Iced Tea (something fruity that you could not taste the liquour in since I hate the taste of it!). WHAT IS YOUR ZODIAC SIGN? Taurus (do you really believe in that stuff?) EAT THE STEMS OF BROCCOLI? Only the part close to the florets. IF YOU COULD HAVE ANY JOB YOU WANTED, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I would want to be able not to work -- just devote my time to my family and church. IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY COLOR, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Well, I kind of like the "natural" look I've got going on! IF YOU COULD HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT AND WHERE WOULD IT BE? A butterfly on my ankle or shoulder (and I still ain't too old to get one, just because I'm 48 today!).HAVE YOU EVER BEEN IN LOVE? You mean today?WHAT IS ON YOUR WALLS IN YOUR ROOM? A set of candle scones (wrought iron) and a Van Gogh print (plus lots of "dust bunnies" on the decorative molding around the top of the walls). WRITE THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND: I'm gonna kill MIN -- she took so many of my answers! IS THE GLASS HALF EMPTY OR HALF FULL? Half FullWHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SNAPPLE? Kiwi Strawberry ARE YOU A RIGHTY, LEFTY OR AMBIDEXTROUS? RightyDO YOU TYPE WITH YOUR FINGERS ON THE CORRECT KEYS? For sure (my transcription would look pretty sloppy otherwise). IF YOU COULD BE ONE GARDENING TOOL, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? A trowel (long and thin) -- now, MIN, does a bush hog qualify as a gardening tool? WHAT'S UNDER YOUR BED? Old albums, a couple of pictures, and the leaf out of the dining room table (along with tons and tons of cat hair and dust bunnies). WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE NUMBER? 7 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE COLOR? Any shade of purpleWHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR: 1972 Maverick, 4 door, puke green WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAR? 1968 Convertible Mustang, 4-in-the-floor, red with black interior FAVORITE SPORT TO WATCH: Professional baseball or college basketball (go Heels) SAY ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU MIN is probably the best friend I have ever had -- she certainly loves me "warts and all" and is always there when I need her.   I tag Rachel and Melissa! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/137067/ Thu, 18 May 2006 09:56:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/137067/ Well, I can't believe it has been this long since I posted.  MIN is going to kill me, ya' think?   Anyhoo, things have been a rollercoaster around here.  Aside from the regular problems of life (sheesh), there have been all kinds of things going on.  But, praise God I finally see a light at the end of that tunnel!   My husband has been struggling with his "inner demons" and that always affects the whole family.  But praise God -- we have a praying church family and he is coming out of the valley and heading to the mountain top again!  The girls and I have been praying steadily and so has our whole church family.  It never ceases to amaze me the power of our God.  As for me, I have been reading "Battlefield of the Mind" devotional, reading the Word on a more consistent basis, and trying to come to grips with my own shortcomings.  It was truly a life-changing moment when I took the step to apologize to my husband for the part I have played in our problems.  What a freeing experience.  I am trying daily to look at our lives differently than in the past, forgiving and forgetting the past hurts and disappointments, and looking forward to the future.    Also, I belong to a yahoo group of users of the RC for homeschooling and recently posted about other NC RCer's.  I have had responses from about 6 or 7 folks, and one of them is also another blogger here!  I went to her blog (whirlwind) and it was such a blessing to read through.  I can't wait until I have the time to read more.   Rachel has been teaching herself HTML and has set up a website (very much "in progress") for me to put my favorite recipes "out there."  She is so excited about getting this up and running.  And she has been teaching herself Spanish (finally).  I have had a running argument with her about her wanting to learn Japanese -- which will cost a fortune to purchase -- I had to make a deal with her that if she would learn the Spanish we already have (Power Glide) then I would buy her the Japanese she wants (Rosetta Stone).  So, now we'll see how the Spanish goes, huh?   Missy is gearing up for her spring dance recital.  She takes dance at a local dance studio, run by a Christian young lady that I have known since she was just a baby herself.  She is not really into the stressed-out kind of dance training, more the leisurely, let's enjoy this for the sake of dance kind of thing.  Missy has really blossomed and is one of the best students there (if I do say so myself).  She has a solo this year.  She is taking the hip-hop class (3rd year) as she absolutely detests the ballet classes and she says the jazz classes just weren't "powerful" enough for her!   Tomorrow is pot-luck Sunday and I have made a variation of "Goldwater Beans", said to be Goldwater's favorite meal (though my dad would have died before eating any of it just for that reason)!  Don't know how it's going to go over...I put extra jalapenos in it (just the way we like everything around here).   The church is gearing up for the big move into our new building.  We expect that our church will take off in leaps and bounds once we get moved and folks start realizing we are there.  Also, we expect that the Celebrate Recovery meetings will be growing.  I have been asked to lead a women's group for CR...but I have to give that a lot of prayer as right now just does not seem like a good time for me to take on something extra.   Lastly, I am almost a year out from the gastric bypass surgery (April 6th).  I have not quite reached my goal of being down to 200 pounds (I started at 305 and am now somewhere between 205 and 210) by my anniversary date.  Now mind you, I'm not complaining.  Folks at church who did not know me before the surgery have even been commenting on how much weight I have lost and it is finally becoming a reality to me that I really have lost almost 100 pounds in the past year!  MIN knew me before and it always makes me feel good when she mentions how much better I look.  I never really thought I cared much about what others thought about how I looked, but I must say that when my husband told me it was almost like he was cheating when we are "together"...well, let's just say that really turns my head!  The only down side is that just last night I had my first bought with vomiting from eating too fast...came home from the Celebrate Recovery meeting and had 3 minutes before Numbers was coming on...woofed down a very small piece of pizza and still missed the show because I got sick.  What a bummer.  But, that is the first and only time I have been sick since having the surgery.  My friend's husband was a year out in February and is still consistently vomiting because he eats way too much and way too fast...though she has begged him to stop it, he still continues and she said he has even started putting back on some of his weight.  I can't imagine going through everything entailed with this surgery and then sabotaging your own efforts like that.  I am just grateful that with God's help and this wonderful surgery I finally have a life that includes my being able to do things like go to concerts, play with the grandkids on the floor, and walk every morning with my grown daughter at the local gym!   In closing (this small book, it seems), our God is awesome.  No doubt in my mind about that.  He has seen me through many valleys and is pulling us out of this one as I sit here typing.  His hands are working in our lives each and every day.  Our church family and friends have pulled together to help us through this, too.  So, get together with your friends and family, pray to our awesome God, and believe the He will pull you through whatever may be looming on your horizon! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/94519/ Sat, 4 Mar 2006 20:33:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/94519/ Hi, both of my daughters are members of the Homeschool Honor Society and their service project for February is a collection of supplies to be sent to soldiers overseas.  After looking over the list of requested supplies, my girls decided that what they felt was most important on the list was the request for letters to be sent in the boxes to the soldiers.  Their older brother (Mike, 28) is in the Army and is scheduled to deploy to Korea in April, and he tells them all the time how much the letters from folks mean to all of the soldiers at his post in El Paso (Ft. Bliss), Texas. So, they have asked me to go to each of my e-groups and request letters from them.    What they would like is for anyone (but particularly homeschooled kids) to write just a short note, a postcard, or draw a picture to be sent to the soldiers.  You just need to mail the stuff to us and we will take them to the center for distribution in late February.  We need to receive the letters, etc. by the first week of February.  I would greatly appreciate all of y'all's help in making this a big success.  Just mail the stuff to us at:   The Wheless Family206 West C StreetButner, NC  27509   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/70391/ Thu, 19 Jan 2006 11:31:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/70391/ The first player of this game starts with the topic five weird habits of yourself and people who get tagged need to write an entry about their five weird habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next five people to be tagged and link to their web journals." Well, endofthe road tagged me.  I am still very new to this type of thing so I had to ask her how to do this.  Anyhoo, here goes.  Oh, and since I don't know how to link to the web journals I guess anyone who reads this can consider themselves tagged and leave me a note letting me know you have done this!   I consider myself a pretty normal person (what's really normal anyway?), so I'm not sure if these count as "weird habits" or not.   1.  I always prefer to read a book before seeing a movie version.  And almost always don't like the movie version after seeing it.  Now, that's probably not really a weird habit, but it does cause some "grousing" around here when I make the kids do the same thing (read: can't see Narnia until you finish the book!).   2.  I have 2 little stray black hairs under my chin that I am constantly (read: obsessively) checking to see if they are visible and plucking them out.  I think this goes back to remembering one of my aunt's really long, thick, black hairs on her chin when I was a little girl and not wanting to be that person!   3.  Like endoftheroad, I eat my M&Ms by cracking off the coating and then sucking on the chocolate.  I thought I was the only person to do that -- and it's wonderful to find someone else who does that, too!   4.  I don't have a problem sharing toothbrushes with anyone in my family (and some outside of my family) -- I figure if you rinse with hot water it can't be any worse than sitting near each other in the holder anyway.   5.  When I am really concentrating hard on something I stick out the tip of my tongue.  My mom says I picked up this habit when I was little.  I had a chihuaha from the time I was born until I was 15 (Cricket) and she always had her tongue tip sticking out -- so mama says I was trying to imitate her and picked up this habit.  My kids think it's very weird.   6.  I bite my fingernails.  I mean, I really bite them.  They are never without at least one or two that are so sore from my biting that I can hardly use them (and I type for a living).   So, I guess some of mine could be considered more of an off-shoot of obsessive-compulsive behavior versus weird habits, but, there they are. http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/68109/ Sat, 14 Jan 2006 12:05:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/gramma2them/68109/