If I could remember...

all the funny things that Miss Rose says when I sat down at the computer, I'd have a busier blog. She said something earlier, and I thought to myself, "I'm going to blog that later," but now that I'm here, I've forgotten what it was. I assure you it was funny, so go ahead and laugh anyway.

On a more serious note, she declared that she would like to be a doctor when she grows up. I asked her why, and she said "because it looks like they have a lot of fun." I did finally narrow it down to the fun doctor. She was a very sweet and upbeat Child Life Specialist who came in the ER to make things fun for Miss Rose. Thank you, Ms. Alison! Your job was well done!

Blessed Peace

We spent an eventful night in the ER with Miss Rose. She ended up with a rather deep cut about 3/4" long from her nose out. A plastic surgeon ending up stitching her up for which I'm very thankful. The Lord blessed us with calmness and a wonderful staff. She is doing ok for the most part today. Just a bit of pain when she opens her mouth to chew. Thank you for all the prayers! Now I just have to hope I can squeeze a nap in between all of the gift wrapping and other Christmasy things!

The Great Dakota Escape

Our great wonder (where she went) dog, the infamous Dakota Sue (yes, that was intentional), lived up to our rather low expectations of her once again. Wonder of wonders, she escaped from the house again. The kids seem to have forgotten that if she is in the side yard jumping up and down barking at something and not really caring too much about the potential of getting scratched by the barbed wire, that she will inevitably bolt at the first sign of a door-opening. Today's adventure would not have been quite so interesting except for the fact that the new hydrant up the street is giving us a small taste of Yellowstone. Two days now a lovely guyser has showered the air, wet the grass, run across the road (thankfully it's been above freezing), into our "dry" creek, and generally making a mess of things. I digress. You can imagine which way she decided to bolt...the muddy way. Did I mention our neighborhood has lots of dogs (and there is always the worry that she will mistake a small dog for a squirrel)? Dakota feels the need to visit all of them...today it was twice. She made the loop around her favorite yards, and we finally decided to drive the van around the block, because sometimes a car ride is more enticing. Apparently, she remembered that the last time we went to the vet. After round two, she did finally, and rather begrudgingly, hop into the van, and of course, since she needed to have the last word, she promptly jumped up on the back seat. The one towel at the entry of the van did not undo the damage the fire hydrant had caused, and so my dear children had the great pleasure of wiping off the seats (yes, seats. She also thought it would be cute to put her paws up on the middle seat from the back seat she was sitting in). Now if she'd smiled at me like Winn Dixie, I think I would have lost it. I'm sure anyone watching our shinanagins were already chuckling.

Sadness

Today we mourn the loss of our dear, sweet Ebony...part of the dynamic rodent duo, Ebony and Ivory. She was missing this morning, and after some worry of escapage, we were relieved to find she had passed peacefully in the cage. So far everyone has held together, but that has been somewhat challenging with Miss Rose asking several times if Ebony's going to come back and visit Ivory in her really nice cage, and that she (Miss Rose) needs to have her back so that she can practice holding her without getting bitten. ;-(

Do or Dye and Question Why.

A few weeks ago I purchased what I thought was a botttle of 100% juice. It was only when I tasted it and discovered it was really pretty good and quite sweet that I checked the label. It was only about 10% juice and loaded with sugar and dye. This explained why Miss Rose was completely bouncing off the walls...she'd just finished her third glass.

Fast forward to yesterday...I was at the store, and I decided to do a little closer inspection of all of the V-8 products. I feel partially redeemed, because I was not entirely nutso buying their fruit juice. They DO have several that are a mix of fruit and veggies and no added sugar, dye, or preservatives (I believe there are seven varieties in all). It's called V-Fusion. I'd mistakenly bought their drink for the less hearty drinkers...V-Splash. Amazingly enough, my kids all like the hearty one, too. V-8 has tarnished their name by creating the latter. Of course that's JMHO, but I expected more from them.

November Neglect

In the frenzy of fall, it appears that I've neglected my poor blog. However, I have accomplished a few things:

1) School is going a bit better. I even have Miss Rose's curriculum for next year and have made some decisions about things for the others. Thinking ahead keeps me going for this year. :-)

2) My personal project is coming along. I think I have about two more weeks to finish it. This week hasn't been so great for it, and other things came up this weekend.

3) Next weekend is my cousin's bridal shower. We were working on things for that today, and I think it's going to be lovely!

4) I'm on the homestretch for Christmas gifts. I even wrote out a list of what I have for specific people, ideas for the rest, and a list of gifts I have that aren't currently assigned to anyone.

5) The living room is back in order except for wall hangings. I'm holding off on those until the kitchen is done, but suffice it to say, many no longer match, because they went with the forest green decor. I put out my tablecloth, and it clashed badly, but I realized I had a curtain that I didn't end up needing, and it's the same color as the curtains, and amazingly enough, it fits the table. I should probably rehem it, but that would be too easy.

6) We've had a youth activity here for our church and discussed some future events. It's a good, little group, and I think we shall have some good times. We also discussed the sword-fighting group we are trying to get going for Mr. Al.

7) We went hunting for a 3/4 size violin for Miss Daisy. After trying several at a couple of shops, we came home with four and added in two that friends were selling. We narrowed it down to one with the help of her teacher and some other friends, and we will be settling all of that on Wednesday. Yay!

8) E has kept things in stitches (and messes) around her. Her latest quip has been in regards to donuts. When offered the rest of hers for breakfast, she declared, "No! You can't have donuts for breakfast. They are bad for you!" She forgot that they were ok for lunch the day before, but oh well. LOL

I guess that's it for now.

~cello

Dinosaur anyone?

I asked Miss Rose what she would like to have for lunch, and she promptly responded a Pteranodon. Yep, I'll whip that right up for you! LOL

This year is the year of musical expression at our house. It's amazing what occurs when I leave the older two to their own devices. Aside from the amazing violin and piano duet of the "Cantina Band" from Star Wars, tonight it also includes something from Lord of the Rings (can't remember which).

Miss Daisy has also taken off on teaching herself hymns on the piano and learning a lot of things on the guitar. Mr. Al has taken himself beyond where his lessons took him a few years ago. I'm thankful for the foundation he had then and for the desire he has now. Yay!

The Hills

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help."

I'm so thankful for a faithful Father who is always there!

Baa Baa

I finally got around to watching this youtube clip my sister sent me. Toby, I think Mr. Music will get a kick out of this one.




Might give him some ideas though...

Codes of Hammumommi

I imagine that some of my homeschool rules don't make much sense to my kids. I don't think they will ever understand that even if the hours are in, the text/book must be finished. Or how about the injustice of no computer until your schoolwork is done (unless computer is require for subject). I musn't forget "don't pick you nose." A timeless classic to be sure. Case closed.

Are you smarter than a 6th grader?

Miss Daisy declared that Teaching Textbooks must be written for dumb people, because the author repeats himself several times in the same lesson (I'm making her listen to the lessons instead of just reading them). I asked her if she had learned anything, and she sheepishly admitted, "a little."

Birthday Blues

Mr. Tech welcomed in his 40th birthday with a stunt that could have injured a younger man. For simplicity, I'll copy from another post earlier today:

Dh is home painting the high walls, and he'd just moved the extension ladder over. The paint was on the top rung, and he was up quite high. The ladder slipped backwards across the floor, stopping when it the hit the wall, the paint (3/4 full) fell off of the top rung and landed on the ledge! It did spill some, but it landed as if he had placed it there. Dh was flailing, and I was wondering if we were going to have a trip to the ER, but he is quite agile, and he did some funny motions in the air to catch himself and managed not to crash to the ground. Once I saw he was fine and that the mess wasn't too bad, I burst into laughter.

So tomorrow the family gathers to celebrate this momentous occasion. I'm being nice, because I have next year to think about.

In other news, we are almost 1/5 through the school year. That's right. The countdown has already begun. By mid next week, we'll only have 800 hours to go. Yahoo!

The big announcement at ballet this week is that the show will be Rigoletto based on the Feature Films for Family. Now we only have to wait 10 months till showtime! It's going to be a fun year!

And last, but not least, the painting continues (as you might have gathered from Mr. Tech's stunt). Maybe, just maybe, the kitchen will be done by next weekend. I keep saying that, but surely it will be true one of these weekends, right?

Magnetic Personality

People are truly drawn to Miss Rose. She's just so full of life, and the curls and sparkly eyes just add to her charm. Today she demonstrated just how attractive she can be. She came over to me with the classic "look, Mom" and showed me how she had a magnet stuck on the outside of her cheek. Yep. You guessed it. The other one was on the inside of her cheek. Where does she come up with these things?

Hair Chopper Extraordinaire

Miss Rose decided she was tired of people commenting on her cute curls so she took it into her own hands to see that it didn't happen again.

Makeover

Take 2 on the blog post. Miss Rose decided to reboot the computer while I was teaching a lesson.

So it's day 455 of the living room and kitchen remodel, and if you find any errors in my counting, just know that you are wrong, because I'm quite sure I have my facts straight. Every day that you live in disorder counts for more that one day. I'm sure it's even higher for Mr. Tech, because he's having to live with me living through this.

See that little teeny light way far off? That's the light at the end of the tunnel. It's barely in focus, but I'm sure it's there and that I'm going to love these rooms when they get finished. Since it was my bright idea, I'm attempting to keep from being frustrated, but it's going SOOOOOOOO slowly. I'm finding how much I really appreciate order and how it balances my sanity. Knowing this, you might be surprised that I'm already thinking about the next room to be made over. I've decided that the garage and basement must get cleaned before that happens though. The good thing is that the next room will have a door on it that can be closed, and I can pretend that everything is normal in the house.

I don't remember what else I said in Take one of this little post, so I'll just call it good and close.

Shadows

Do you ever have one of the mornings when you know the Lord is trying to get your attention? This morning on the way to music camp, there was a song on the radio playing just what I needed to hear. The chorus goes like this:

Here I am, Lord send me,
All of my life, I make an offering,
Here I am, Lord send me,
Somehow my story, Is a part of your plan,
Here I am

Shortly after that I turned onto a road, and the sun was behind me. I was looking off to the grassy area on the side of the road, and I noticed that each street name sign had cast a shadow...every one was a perfect cross.

4 days to launching

Top Ten Excuses Not to Start School on Monday

10) None of our summer projects are finished.
9) The dog ate our school books.
8) Our living room is in chaos.
7) We missed the tax free weekend sales.
6) The computer wants a vacation.
5) My pencils need sharpening.
4) My brain is overloaded.
3) None of our summer projects are finished. (yep...these deserved two slots)
2) I still have a stack of books to read.
1) We's already so stinkin' smart, we don't need no schoolin'.

More Flakes

Those of you who know me know that I can be a bit on the flaky side, and I've forgotten a few things that I shouldn't have, especially since Miss Rose burst into my life. I choose to blame my eccentricities on the continued loss of brain cells and overstimulus of the remaining few (recall the triple music fest from a few days ago). Today, however, gave me hope that if I asked, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the flakiest of them all" that it would not be me. Nope.

I think I'll buy this T-shirt.

Snowflakes on my eyelashes

We visited the Narnia Exhibit at Union Station today. It was enchanting to see all of the costumes they had on display. Some of them were so beautiful! It was a bit too short for our liking, but it was well done. I did have one scary moment when Miss Rose disappeared. She was supposed to be with Mr. Al, but she wandered off from him. I checked at the gift shop at the end to see if they'd seen a little girl in a floral dress (that was my first worry, because if she'd gotten out who knew how far she would wander), but Miss Daisy found her by the catapults a ways back. We finished going through the rest, her hand in mine, and then she wanted to go back to the beginning. I wasn't sure why, but my friends graciously waited with my other children and niece while we went back. I discovered she wanted to go back through the wardrobe. I told her that wasn't the way out, and she said, "but that's the way Lucy got back!" I'm pretty sure that is why she had wandered back on her own earlier. She was ready to go home!

Hello, Monkey buddy.

This entry is dedicated to my bestest banana buddy in the whole wide world (since you are almost the only one who ever reads this). Now I have to think of something to say.

What were the odds that on the day Miss Rose chooses to put one kernel of popcorn up each nostril that dh is scraping off the popcorn ceiling in the kitchen (we did the living room last night)? It just makes me want to go right out and find some hot sand and see if the Iroquois(?) had it right. I'll let the dog taste test it for me. Maybe we could fry some eggs on the roof while we are it.

Tomorrow is design day. Woo! I get to go see if the designer came up with some amazing plans and color schemes for me. I hope she a least picked a great color scheme. My mind has been working on the design aspect since she left my house, but I hope she has some great ideas there, too! Best things in life are free! hehehehe

Music camp is around the corner, and I think I've only got two or three loose ends left, and I'll take care of them tomorrow. Yay!

The week after that, it's going to be all about school. I hope I can work on that a bit tomorrow while the kids are gone. The house is in a bit of chaos from living room/kitchen project, but I'm pretty sure I can focus without LOTR, Steve Green, and Dust in the Wind in the background. Maybe I'll blast some of MY music while I have no one to complain. Hmm....what shall I pick?

Friends Forever

Today started out as a flurry of activity and with me a bit disgruntled as I realize that we are running behind and will be late for the tour of my high school alma mater. Yes, I got a bit snippy, and I had to apologize in the car, and I prayed as we were heading there that the Lord would calm us and allow us to be good witnesses for Him today.

After the tour several of my elementary buddies met back at my parents' house (behind our old school), and we ate and visited and just relaxed and enjoyed the beautiful day God had made for us. It was quite a pleasant time, and I'm glad we followed through with doing it. I think it's going to become a yearly event. We shall see. :-)

Did you ever see The Fox and the Hound? They are so close and have so much fun and declare that "we'll always be friends...forever." They move on and have separate lives and have their differences, but when it comes right down to it, that bond of friendship is still there. It was like that today, and I'm so thankful I had so many good friends growing up. Until next time...

Sweet Innocence

Miss Rose woke up with bad dreams last night. I could hear her trying to tell her sister, but she sleeps a bit like a log, so I called her to my room. She quickly snuggled in and fell back to sleep, stirring only once, but she settled again when I held her hand.

This morning she climbed into my lap and told me about her bad dream. Apparently a little friend had touched things in Miss Rose's room that she shouldn't have, and then she came in to my computer and messed up my emails.

I'm so thankful that was all there was to it, and I told her it was just a dream and not to worry about it.

Of Mice and Mothers

There is one thing a mother should never have to see, and that is a pet rodent in a trap. Thankfully, my eyes deceived me, and it was not our precious Ivory Halftail in the trap, but a little white-bellied grey mouse. Four of the little dear (or maybe deer?) mice have been caught...our highest count ever. Alas, there is at least one more on the run...across the living room, down on the stove, behind the stove, across the counter, down the stairs. It is elusive.

Speaking of dears, my children were doing the dishes, and I told them they could save the pans and stoneware for me, so they graciously obliged. I washed one muffin tin and left it to dry and then reached for the other one that was sitting on top of the bar pan (from our pizza), and yes, you guessed it, there was the elusive mouse. It was a bit startled, but it looked at me for a moment like, "Why are you disturbing me?" and then took off behind the stove again. I couldn't help but wonder if he had a little motorcycle stashed somewhere. He seemed like he wanted to talk. Now that we've become such friends, it's a shame to think that he might get caught, but this just isn't going to fly. Maybe he could bunk with the skink.

Denial

"an unconscious defense mechanism used to reduce anxiety by denying thoughts, feelings, or facts that are consciously intolerable."

This state is often seen in homeschool moms in late July when they know school is just around the corner.

I'm sure I have no clue what this statement means. Nope. Not one.

Incidently, if you need me you can find me here:


La La Land: A state of being out of touch with reality.

In preparation for school...

I nearly have my desk cleaned off. I also have completed a few loose ends that I've been putting off, although there are several more to deal with. Maybe tomorrow. It's hard to believe July is drawing to a close and that school will soon be starting. The year is shaping up to be a challenging, but good one.

I enjoy pondering some times. Tonight I remembered that my guardian angels are watching over me. I love to think of my grandparents that have passed on and the legacy they left me. Here's another family's tribute with The Judds singing "Guardian Angels."

Reunions

Last night I had the experience of revisiting my youth a bit...just a step back in time to church youth camps and friends. I heard several say "those were the best days of my life!" and while I could concur that I had some nice times, even some things that shaped my Christian walk today, I had to reply that I really like my life NOW. I don't think I would go back. I have good memories, but it was so nice to be able to say that I'm happy with who I am, where I am, and what we do as a family. I think that surprised some people. My life is full of joy, and I saw much emptiness. I credit my close family ties and solid Christian teaching, and it makes me want to strive even harder to build those strong bonds with my husband and children.

I have my class reunion coming up, and I'm only planning to go to a small (read free) part of it. It will be interesting to see how people have changed since I last saw some of them. I pray that the Lord will be able to use my life as a witness to others that day.

Toby, dh said that he found a waterproof mike for $250 and another do-it-yourself version on youtube (much cheaper, but I won't mention what the waterproof material was in such respectable company). Dh also has another idea for a waterproof console. I've got him thinking now. Maybe we are onto something. Luckily my blog isn't highly read so maybe we'll get rich off of it. ROFL

Miss Rose's Questions

While driving home from my sister's house yesterday (all of 4 blocks), Miss Rose posed the following questions to me:

How can the sun and the moon be in the sky at the same time?

Can you see the earth if you are in space? (or something like that)

Is the earth farther away than heaven?

Ugh. I should have blogged last night. I can't remember the last one, and it was my favorite. Seems like it was something about God. Maybe I'll think of it in the shower.

You're Not Alone

I love this song. I'm hoping we get to go see her in concert.



Looks like she'll be here in July. :-) Now to find out how much.

Blog Stare

I have a few minutes, and so I thought I would blog a bit. The only problem is that, as usual, my mind is blank now that I sit here. I think this is what happens to my eyeballs.





I think the same thing happens to my brain when I think about all the things I need to do. Time to make a new list.

Motivation anyone?

There's so much to do
but without motivation
I just sit and think.

Party at my house
Bring your own cleaning supplies
We'll have lots of fun.

You want healthy food?
I'm afraid I don't do well
in that area.

Speaking of projects
I have many left undone.
Want to help me out?

OK that is all
I promise I won't haiku
till your face turns blue.

In Memorium

Today we give thanks to all those who have served our country and fought for our freedom, for the families who made sacrifices, and for those who gave all.

Peace in the little things

It's amazing how God places things around me at just the right time to give me peace and strength. Today, as I need to feel His presence around me and covet prayers, I've been blessed with these simple things to lift me up:

Miss Rose came in singing "When I am afraid, I will trust in Him."

The scripture on my chat board reads, "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers." Acts 1:14

My laugh and lift quote is, "Jesus Christ is the divine Physician and Pharmacist, and his prescriptions are never out of balance." - Vance Havner The "lift" part is called "Eternal Healing" and ends with,

We must trust God to refine and strengthen our faith - even if by fire! No matter what trials we face, we must trust that "in all things God works for the good of those who love Him" (Romans 8:28). And we must continue to believe that He is at work in our lives (even right now) accomplishing a true and eternal healing.

And just minutes ago as I looked out my kitchen window, I saw a sparrow and was reminded that He knows even when a sparrow falls, and "I know He watches me!"

Thank you, Lord, for all of these reminders that you are in control and that Your will is perfect.

Deep Thoughts

It's late, and I don't have an original thought of my own, so I thought I'd share a couple of Jack Handey's.

Maybe in order to understand mankind, we have to look at the word itself: "Mankind". Basically, it's made up of two separate words - "mank" and "ind". What do these words mean ? It's a mystery, and that's why so is mankind.

If you go flying back through time and you see somebody else flying forward into the future, it's probably best to avoid eye contact.

:-D

Top 10 Signs that School is Drawing to a Close

10. It's light before the alarm clock goes off.

9. Homeschool conference has come and gone, but you left more there than you took home.

8. Your list is planned out for next year, even though you are struggling to finish this year.

7. You are looking forward to any used curriculum sales coming up.

6. Several subjects are completed.

5. You are counting down the hours or days left until school is done (ok, I've been doing that since February).

4. You tell yourself that next year you will be done by the end of April so you can enjoy the beautiful weather more.

3. You clean off your shelves to make room for all of the new stuff coming.

2. You catch your kids reading when they are supposed to be doing science, and you don't care.

1. Your tadpoles are all dying, and even though you are sad, you are delighted that you will have your counterspace back!

My Saviour Lives!

Under His Mercy

We've really been enjoying our morning devotionals together. We've returned to using Character Building for Families, only we are in Volume 2. We used Volume 1 about 2 or 3 years ago, and it's nice to see the maturity that has taken place since then. The current topic is "Mercy." This followed "Desire for Jesus." We also usually cover 2 days at a time, because the attention spans are much longer now. An added blessing is that my personal devotions have often prepared me for what we are studying together.

Today as we discussed the topic of forgiveness and recognized that sometimes this is really hard. Corrie ten Boom shared about meeting one of the meanest guards from the concentration camp, and how he asked for her forgiveness. Relying on the Lord's strength, and not her own, she was able to extend her hand and grant that forgiveness and was blessed with feeling the Lord's spirit through her body. I'm reminded that the Lord gives us strength when we are weak, and that our strength will be renewed when we wait on Him. May we each trust in Him to do what we must.

Swimming Creatures

My kitchen counter is serving as Science Central these days. Besides the tomato plants, popcorn plants, and radish sprouts, we have 7 bullfrog tadpoles. I'm actually quite amazed that they are all still living (I even expected some to be DOA), as they came with no instructions, but I've found them to be rather content unless you place them by an open window to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight only to have the blusteriest wind of the season blow the block calendar off the sill and nearly into their tanks. Sudden noises is not one of their favorite things. I keep thinking the biggest one should be getting some legs any day, but I read somewhere that the entire process can take 14 months. I'm hoping that is from the laying of eggs and that these are about 12 months old, because since it was my idea, I have to clean out their tanks every day. Suffice it to say, they are pleased with their new tadpole food I bought for them, and I hope that the rapid growth it talked about occurs. (and in case you are wondering, I've joked about naming them all Legs, but we will probably call the conservation department to see about releasing them into the wild when they are grown).

In other swimming news, Frodo and Smeagol have joined Gandalf, Sam, Merry, and Pippin in our fish tank (we also have a Flintford--the great fish who almost ate---, Jonah, and Mickey). Smeagol is an albino catfish and appropriately eats the scunge off the bottom of the tank. Frodo has rings around him (he's a black skirt).

And lastly, we will not be buying swimming passes again. I've discovered that two family members do not enjoy swimming much at all, and our schedule has not meshed with the pool's schedule very well. I'm hoping we can at least get our money's worth by going in June and July before the passes expire.

Quiet Rest

As one who always struggles with getting my personal devotion time in, the new book I'm reading is really hitting the mark. It's called "A Place of Quiet Rest" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and she gently reveals the importance of this time through scripture and the example of Christ himself. This is the verse that struck me the most:

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35)

Those of you who know me know that I'm not much of a morning person, yet I know that when I make an effort to get up and spend time with the Lord that my day goes much better. This particular verse comes after several verses describing a day in the life of Jesus and what must have been a very exhausting day, yet he knew how important it was to go to his father and be refreshed in the spirit so that he could continue giving to those around him.

Quiet rest...a peaceful part of the day...basking in the presence of the Lord...praying and listening to him. Is it worth a few more minutes of sleep to miss?

Sweet Cherry Otter

Miss Rose has a new song that she loves to sing over and over, especially in the car. Here's how it goes:

Sweet Mow
Sweet Cherry Otter...

I've never met a sweet, cherry otter before, but perhaps if it comes to carry me home, I'll get that chance.

(and for those of you still scratching your head, start singing Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, and I think you'll understand.)

It's never a good idea...

to tell your husband that you just bought a really unique storage box but that you need to get a loan to pay for it. Yes, that amazing box cost me $55,000. I'm very glad that it was in my dreams, because when Mr. Tech was a bit miffed and told me I couldn't have it, the lady at the store wouldn't let me take it back, and the other lady who wanted it wouldn't give me full price to buy it from me, because it wouldn't be new anymore, and I realized I had messed up big time.

A Rodent's Tale, part two.

Ivory and Ebony
lived together in perfect harmony -
till one day Miss Rose
was naughty and chose
to play show and tell with a friend.

Ivory took rides in their dresses;
she ran and made messes
on the floor,
but what's more
that was not the end.

No, Miss Rose had a plan.
She picked Ivory up by the hand
and placed her in her sleeve
and by golly, by jeeves,
she did not know what this would rend.

With a scream I was called,
for Ivory had crawled
up the sleeve, up the arm
and Miss Rose, fearing harm,
pulled the tail, and it came off the end.

So that's the sad tale
of Ivory's tail.
It's now rather stubby,
or maybe just nubby.
A reminder that Miss Rose sinned.

A Rodent's Tale

It's been just over a week since our poor gerbil, Ivory (roommate of Ebony), lost half of her tail courtesy of Miss Rose. She doesn't really seem to miss it, but I realized that she'd never had a rodent poem dedicated to her, so if any of you wax poetic, please share.

For those of you just tuning in to this sad little tale, suffice it to say that when a 4yo puts a gerbil in her dress sleeve (after having been played with on the floor and put in dress pockets and who knows what else), said gerbil WILL crawl up the sleeve of said 4yo causing tremendous chaos to break forth and echo throughout the house. In an effort to get the gerbil back out, a 4yo will grab the tail, and in self-defense, the tail will be come off. It's rather gross to look at, too. A handy houseguest can perform rodent surgery, truncating the bony remains (which would have supposedly dried up and fallen off in a few days), and cauterizing to reduce risk of infection. It's all quite emotional, even for M.E., but the next day you will find yourself laughing realizing that it would be dangerous to have a wire spoked wheel in a gerbil cage, because their tails can get caught in them and get ripped off, and we wouldn't want that to happen. hahahaha

So my advice...never leave a 4yo to entertain her 5yo friend, because no matter how good they've been before, eventually "show and tail" will happen.

Miss Daisy's List

I suppose I must give Miss Daisy equal opportunity here, although her schedule for next fall doesn't look near as bad. :-)

6th grade
English: Wordly Wise 7, Jump In, Easy Grammar Plus, Natural Speller, Diagramming

History: Mystery of History Vol. 1, Supplemental reading from Winter Promise, etc.

Math: Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra

Reading: Progeny Press guides, free reading

Science: Real Science 4 Kids, Physics and Chemistry; TOPS experiments; living books (maybe Intermediate Science Through Literature)

Non-Core:
Ballet, Modern, Violin, Spanish, Handmaidens, Character Building for Families Vol. 2

Her non-core requires quite a bit of time, so this is pretty full load, especially considering she is my crafty girl. She sews, knits, crochets, embroiders, quills, scrapbooks, and more. :-)

Tune in next fall to see if these schedules bring whines and groans or blissful studies.

Mr. Al's 8th grade

Who would have thought that we'd be embarking on our 9th year of homeschooling come Fall 2009? That's not counting preschool. Surely the Lord has sustained me on this journey I'd never planned to take. I remember the first year of school with Mr. Al. We would usually have 4 bad days and 1 OK day (have I ever mentioned that he was a strongwilled little bugger?). I must have beat my head against the wall daily back then (maybe that's why I'm a bit absentminded now?).

So here we are. It's amazing what we've accomplished when I really look at it. I tend to kick myself for the things we didn't do rather than focus on what we DID do. It's really better to do the latter. What will fall bring for Mr. Al? Here is the tentative line-up:

CORE
English: Elements of Style; Style, Lessons in Clarity and Grace; Wordly Wise 9
History: Omnibus I from Veritas (and many accompanying books) - Ancient History
Mathematics: Teaching Textbooks Algebra II
Reading: Smarr's Introduction to Literature
Science: Hakim's Story of Science Vol. 1-3; TOPS science lab books; supplementary reading

NON-CORE
Art: Annotated Mona Lisa
Greek: Elementary Greek Year 2 by Gatchell; Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar; Graded Reader of Biblical Greek
Latin: Latina Christiana 2; Ludere Latin 2
Logic: Intermediate Logic (Canon Press); Art of Argument; Thinking Toolbox; Challenging Logic Puzzles
Music: ??? Maybe something else from The Great Courses
PE: Variety of exercises
Religion: Character Building for Families Vol. 2; individual study

I'm very excited for him to get to work on all of this next year. We usually tweak as we go until we get in a groove (and many things being only once a week), but he's a very good student and LOVES Greek.

So there you have it...from Kindergarten to this...Thank you, Lord for blessing our journey!

A Chocolate Day

I confess that today was a chocolate day. By 10am this morning, I needed chocolate...and a room all to myself where I could pretend I wasn't mom for a few minutes. It's amazing what a few minutes of refocusing can do to change my perspective. I knew that God saw where I was, and that He didn't want me to hide out all day, and He reminded me to focus on what was TRUE and REAL (thank you Elizabeth George for imprinting that phrase on my mind). It was true that my house was a real mess, that my kids needed me (and not grumpy mom!), and that I had cello students coming in less than 4 hours. I emerged from my momentary asylum with a changed attitude knowing the Lord was with me and that He cared for me!

"I will lift up mine eyes to the hills...my help cometh from the Lord" Ps. 121

Shuffle shuffle

We've been busy moving things around in the house trying to accomplish a more ordered look (don't stop by right now). Some days I think the best solution would be to list half our stuff on freecycle. :-)

And in case you're wondering, Jimmie is 8 days old and is doing great!

Praise You in This Storm

My heart is heavy today with so many friends in need. I'm especially praying for little Jimmie today. He was born last night and is a mere 1 1/2 pounds and is the son of Miss Daisy's ballet teacher, Rachael.

I know we can't begin to understand everything that happens, nor do we need to, and that's OK! God knows. We just have to remember to praise Him in the good times as well as in the storms. He uses those storms to draw us closer to Him, and is there really a better place to be than safe in the arms of His love?

I leave you with this Casting Crowns song:

Praise you in this storm!

Heavenly!

At the suggestion of a friend, tonight we tried stuffed French toast. We love French toast around here, so it was a must. After mixing up our usual egg, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg mixture, I took a piece of bread and spread a layer of cream cheese on it. Then I spread apricot preserves on top of that and topped it with another piece of bread. I then dipped each side in the egg mixture for a few seconds and prepared it on the griddle as usual. No syrup necessary. Any jam or preserves could be used, and some said they've used pie filling. I'm thinking there is a new French toast casserole about to be born. Yum.

Beating the February Burn-Out

I've heard that February is the classic burn-out month for homeschoolers. Apparently I wasn't included in this survey, because I would have voted for November, but I digress. So here it is February, and while I've made it over that halfway hump, I have to refocus on the finish line and think of the big picture, and guess what that means? It's time for planning next year! Yes, I've been looking ahead to Fall 2009 and all the joys that it will bring, and nothing does my heart better than to peruse catalogs for new items, look at my old lists, and check out websites.

This year it has been a bit of a challenge to get things to fall into place, because we are finishing science early as well as several other items, so I've had to factor in what else we can do for the rest of this year (most will come from things we have around here already). I was seriously losing sleep over this, so I dragged my narrowed down pile of catalogs and notebook nearly everywhere I went for the last 2 weeks, and after much prayer and discussion, I think I have a plan!

Science for the rest of this year is going to be Biology. A dear friend is loaning me her Real Science 4 Kids, and we're coupling that with two TOPS units ("Radishes" and "Corn and Beans"), and probably a tadpole kit and protist kit from Home Training Tools. Add to that helping to take care of our own garden, and we're set for spring!

Next year Miss Rose gets to join the masses of schooled children. Almost every day she asks if she is going to get to do school. I'm planning to do Ann Ward's Learning at Home preK/K with her as well as McGuffey Readerss and workbooks.

I'll save Mr. Al's and Miss Daisy's fall schedule for another post.

If you happen to be suffering from burn-out or are stressed, please take my number one advice: talk to the Lord about it! He has calmed my spirit, given me strength, and brought to mind things I'd long forgotten. I'm so glad He's part of my homeschool team, because I would quickly fail without Him.

Blessings to you all.

Forever Father

Have you ever been reading a book and had something just jump out at you and take hold of your thoughts? "Forever Father" was imprinted on me this morning as I was reading Elizabeth George's Loving God with All Your Mind. As we come to know God as our "Forever Father," we strive to be obedient to Him, submit to Him, follow Him, show Him. Everything we do is checked by who He is. Who we are becomes His reflection.



I was reminded of a Chris Tomlin song as I pondered that this morning. I leave it here for your listening:

You Are Amazing God

Must be a guy thing

Imagine my delight when Mr. Tech made his way across the creek to visit with our new neighbor to discuss the unsightly additions to our picturesque landscaping. After our neighbor jumped on the bandwagon to clean up the creek later this spring, I thought we might actually haul some to the curb for trash day. To my dismay, Miss Daisy discovered a roll of wire farther up the creek. Now it is important to note that said wire had probably been half-buried for longer than we've lived at the house and was completely out of our view buried beneath brush, but it now needed to be conquered. The adventure began with hacking of brush and pulling with muscles and finally required the use of a rope attached to our Toyota to pull it from it's resting place. It is now awaiting a trip to the scrap metal business. I still have a lovely view of busted up furniture, an old stereo, and other misc. garbage, but at least I know its turn is coming.

Back to Blogging

I've been absent from blogworld for several months now, but I keep thinking of things to blog, so I decided to start one up again. Now that I have one, I'll probably stare at the screen and not be able to think of things to say.

For Toby,
Grey mice.
Black rice.
Not nice.
Ew.

The title comes from an old campsong that we still sing, "We're on the upward trail...singing as we go...Zion bound." It reminds me that each day will have its challenges, but that as long as we are focused on the Lord, He will see us through. Fix your eyes on Jesus!