Let the Planning Begin!

Pin It Do you watch Iron Chef America?  I feel like The Chairman.  Instead of the battle it's the planning, but I feel like it needs a big kick-off like that.

(Read this in The Chairman's voice.)
LET THE PLANNING BEGIN!

(Allez cuisine homeschool!)

Wow.  I cannot believe it is time to start planning for the 2012/2013 school year already.  If you know me, you know that this is probably my favorite part.  I feel like a big ole' nerd just saying that.  Give me paper and lists and OH MY HEAVENS a checklist and I'm a happy girl.

This year is going to be even more fun and challenging to plan because I have a high-schooler.  Did you catch that?  I HAVE A HIGH SCHOOLER.  (Or I will, in the 2012/2013 school year.)  In the span of an hour, I go from very excited about this to completely terrified, and from "we can TOTALLY DO THIS" to "oh my heavens, have I made it too easy/hard/complicated/done too much/done too little/left her completely unprepared, what in the world was I thinking trying to homeschool my children?!?"  (Add that to my post-hysterectomy psychosis mood swings, and you've got a total bundle of joy right here.  You're jealous of my family, I know you are.)

As of now, I have plans for the little one and the middle one pretty much nailed down, other than math for the little one.

The middle one will be doing Heart of Dakota Creation to Christ.  Been around for a while?  You might be thinking that you've read that she has already done this.  She has.  She did it for fourth grade, combined with her sister.  She did okay with it at the time, but I think it is so fabulous that we will enjoy repeating it.  I really want her to grab every morsel out of it, and she and I are both excited about her doing it again.  This time we will add the extensions for her, and as of now, the plan is for her to do this one and Resurrection to Reformation over three years.  (It's going to take some math and juggling to figure out how to make that happen, but I'm up for the challenge!)

She will also be continuing with Bob Jones Reading 6 and English 6, and Teaching Textbooks 6.  This will cover her needs for 6th grade.  LOVING that I already have all of the Creation to Christ stuff and Teaching Textbooks stuff.  I just need to get the student notebook from Heart of Dakota and the BJU worktexts and she's good.  WOOHOO!

The little one will be moving into Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory, also from Heart of Dakota, which we will be spreading out over two years.  He will also be doing the Bob Jones first grade Reading/Phonics/Composition/Handwriting class.  We loved this class when the middle one did it, so I'm looking forward to doing it with him.

I am not sure yet what to do with him for math.  Right now we are using Singapore math, and while it's okay, it doesn't feel like "it" for him.  I feel like I'm marking time until third grade, when we can switch to Teaching Textbooks.  (Second grade, Teaching Textbooks?  Please?)

Okay, I'm mid-post and I have to run.  Plans for the oldest coming up soon.

Gratitude Journal - 341 - 350

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341.  Maybe I should be thankful that this blog still has readers, as inconsistently as I've been posting! 

342.  For chick fil a tortilla soup!  I had some today for lunch and it was quite yummy!

343.  HALFWAY THROUGH WITH SCHOOL!!  WE ARE HALFWAY THROUGH WITH SCHOOL!!  I am definitely thankful to be where we are with this school year.  Each child is doing well and did I mention that we are HALFWAY THROUGH???

344.  I made a meal last night that everybody in my family enjoyed.  Will the wonders ever cease?  It was chicken and dumplings, which I've made before several times.  This was a new, super easy, recipe, in the crock pot, and they loved it.  It will definitely be added to our regular menu!  I love it when I make a meal that everybody likes. 

345.  We really did have a fabulous Christmas and New Year's.  We were able to spend both with my family, so it was nice to be able to visit. 

346.  For a very smooth first day of co-op, and realizing that I missed it over the break.  I also realized that I am really enjoying it this year, as are each of my children.  This is an enormous blessing!

347.  For filling out our calendar and plans for the remainder of the year, and realizing that we will be finishing right when I would like to. 

348.  For being gently pushed out of my comfort zone in some areas, and being shoved out of there in some other areas, and realizing that where He calls, He equips. 

349.  For the rain the last week.  It is really odd to have a drought here, which we had last summer and fall.  There has been quite a bit of rain over the last month or so though, which has been really nice.

350.  For this.  Adoption final for my nephews, now brother/nephews.

I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today.  Hop on over and read some more gratitude journals!

Hi!

Pin It I am still here.  :)

I actually have several blog posts in progress.  We are back in the swing of regular life around here, so maybe I'll be able to get back in the swing of regular blogging as well.  Or maybe not.  We'll see.

That's what I like best about me.  I'm consistent.  Haha~!!

I love getting back into a normal routine. 
The house has been de-Christmas-fied.
The kids are back working on school things.
The New Years resolutions are written.
The leftovers are being eaten/planned for/frozen.

That is kind of the way I like it.  I'm always anxious to get the Christmas stuff out and get all decorated, but I am equally anxious to get it all put back away and get the house back in order as soon as the last present is opened!

Ah ... schedules ... routines ... calendars ... menus ... BACK TO NORMAL!!

Blogging?  We'll see ...  :D

Merry Christmas!

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Home Again, and Giggling

Pin It First, thank you all for the concern and prayers regarding my last post.  I really am doing okay, it's just that some days are hard.  I know you all know what I mean.

We got home safely, and I really just have a minute to post, but I am totally giggling and have to share.

Our Christmas ornaments have been through a lot.  Some have been through several moves, and most were not top quality to begin with.  I started a series of Disney ornaments about 19 years ago with the intention of saving them up and then giving them to my nephew when he was old enough to have his own tree.

Not gonna happen.  Sorry, nephew.

These ornaments really were so cute to start out.  Various Disney characters, brightly colored and cheery.  Through the years though, well, they have shown some wear and tear.

My oldest commented that opening the Christmas decoration box is a combination of Christmas and Halloween all in one.  Peter Pan is missing an arm.  Scrooge McDuck is missing a leg.  The number of intact dalmations is way less than 101.  The worst off is poor Snow White.  I am not sure what the dwarfs did to her, but she is missing a head.  (The only dwarf that is still here is grumpy.  'Nuff said.)

Now I can't stop giggling at the Christmas/Halloween tree.

At least it looks really pretty when it's dark and the lights are on!

(And yes, pictures are to come.  My memory card is full of pics from our trip and I've been afraid to get them off because I'm hoping that the perfect Christmas card pic is on there, and I don't want to be disappointed!)

Six Months.

Pin It It has been six months since the tornadoes in Joplin, Missouri. That means it's been six months since my brother died. It seems like yesterday and also like such a long time.

I hadn't seen Troy since the summer of 2006, when my grandmother died. His health had been bad for the past eight-ish years, something like that.

In 2009, his health took a serious turn for the worse, and we expected that he would not survive. At that time, I had a ton of stuff going on at home. I was a single mother for all intents and purposes because Jim was in Afghanistan. I couldn't just take off and go. Then Troy got better, against the odds. He kind of did that several times.

Then the urgency of going to visit went away. He got better and the "last time" and the "say goodbye" didn't seem as pressing. We talked on the phone a few times, and I have an email from him which still makes me giggle. He knew Jim was gone and told me to let him know if I needed anything. :)

When Jim got back, life kind of took over again and we just didn't make plans to visit. I desperately wish now that we would have.

This last week, I have been remembering silly things. Games we used to play - our house in Nashville had a hall that was completely dark if we closed the doors. We did this silly charades in the dark type game. I remember the BRIGHT red carpet in his bedroom in that house. Last week I got a couple of boxes of old stuff out of my old bedroom at my parents' house and remembered him out there listening to Bill Cosby and Howie Mandel records. I remember him watching Spies Like Us over and over and laughing hysterically through the whole thing. And OH MY HEAVENS, his son Tommy? So many mannerisms of Troy. Things he says and does ... it's a little freaky. And very cool. I would have never remembered Troy singing and dancing (a little strangely) to some old Michael Jackson song until I saw Tommy do it just last weekend. And this is a blessing. :)

And now it's Thanksgiving. Really, I'm not feeling all that thankful. I have regrets for not doing things because the cost to me was perceived to be too high. And then ... to survive all that he did and be killed by a tornado? That doesn't make sense to me. So, I am partly a little angry.

Then again, I am SO thankful. We had a perfect childhood. I have great memories. I see my childhood family somewhat mirrored in my own. I have faith that one day this WILL make sense. So as I sit here in a dark house in the rain, far from home and far from my parents, I'm trying to let the thankful things outweigh the "want to pitch a fit and say this is unfair" things.

And right now? I think that's good enough.

Gratitude Journal - 331 - 340

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Woot!  Two weeks in a row!!

331.  For the oldest finishing her Texas History course!  We are rejoicing much for this class to be done.  She's getting much more out of the Texas history she is doing at our homeschool co-op, and all we were doing at home was basically doing just enough to check the box to say that we did it.  It took up a lot of time, so we are very glad to have it done!

332.  I've probably mentioned this before several times, but I am thankful for white chocolate raspberry creamer.  I have been in coffee bliss.  When the day starts with bliss, well ... everyone is just plain happy about that. When the day starts with bliss AND a clean sink ... well ... doesn't get much better than that!

333.  For watching my oldest get involved in a service project.  I'll post more about this later, because really it deserves a whole post to itself.  I am just thankful to watch her really think about some needs and find a way to help fill those needs. 

334.  For a repair that could have either been a minor fix or financial destruction.  You know how that goes?  It might be something that needs to be cleaned, or it might be the whole darn system needs to be replaced.  Thankfully our repair was of the minor sort, and if it should ever get cold here (ahem ... 4:30 pm on 11/14, and it's 81 degrees right now) we're all set.

335.  For tweaking The Pioneer Woman's chili recipe to just where I want it, and on our cold day last week (giggle ... it's all relative.  It was in the 60's okay?  When you live here, that IS cold!) I made a double batch, so there is perfect chili in the freezer for another day.  It's all in the chili powder/cumin ratio.  Get that right and it's chili bliss.  (So ... start off the day with vanilla coffee with white chocolate raspberry creamer, end it with chili ... the only appropriate word here is bliss.)

336.  For really good dental insurance, as we start the braces process with the middle one tomorrow.  And for the oldest one not needing them. 

337.  For how exciting it is to watch the middle one doing her math.  She really *gets* what she is doing now and is doing her math well and quickly.  And especially I am thankful that she is realizing that she is really doing well and is excited about it herself.  (And while I'm praising her, I'm sitting here with a poem she wrote that she is wanting me to type for her.  She did an excellent job!  Her handwriting is neat, spelling is good, and you can tell she put some effort into it.  Go middle one!)

338.  For snaggle toothed smiles from a six year old who runs up to give me hugs when he sees me at church.

339.  For getting plans together for high school and figuring out a plan there.  It's overwhelming, a little, but both the future high school student and I are excited about it. 

340.  For plans for a relatively easy week this week, then time off next week for Thanksgiving!  And for having much for which to be thankful. I will be linking up with A Holy Experience today. Hop on over and read some other gratitude journals.