I've been sick. It's been a long time since I've had a really good cold like this one. No fever, just really tired, throat hurts, head hurts, and I haven't an appetite. I've been so spoiled though. I don't have to go in to work. My girls have done school work quietly, allowing me to rest. They have made me soup for lunch. Marty has been doing the driving in the evenings and my parents even dropped off soup last night. I am so spoiled!
Mostly, I've been dozing in the recliner wondering whatever did I do when the kids were little!? I know that I just kept going and you get through, but what a luxury to not have to do that! You young moms with little people have a hard job. I can honestly say that in my experience, being a stay-at-home mom is a harder job than going to work! Seriously. Because the work at home NEVER STOPS!
When you go to an office you can work as hard as you want. You can procrastinate, be slow, make like you're busy, eat at your desk, etc. Of 'course, I realize there are deadlines and some jobs are more high stress than others. Still, at home, the kids don't wait. They don't understand "mom's sick." There is a constant need and a constant mess. Meals to be made, play to be supervised, and if you are homeschooling....well, it is demanding. No sick days for moms/dads at home.
I can remember times when I thought there was something wrong with me because I just couldn't seem to get well. Well-meaning people who care about me would urge me to take care of myself. I tried, really I did. I'd take medicine and try to rest whenever I could, but sometimes it felt like I was up to my elbows in kids and cleaning. Usually, they would get sick first. Then, after wiping 1000 runny noses and being sneezed and coughed on another 1000 times, my immune system would be beat and I would succumb.
It's a hard job. Be kind to yourself. I know now that I didn't have to have it all within myself. Learn to lean on people; family, friends, neighbors, and especially Our Lord. When you pray, "Lord, help me get through this day." be prepared to say "yes" to the neighbor who offers to watch the kids for a few hours or pick up milk at the store, etc. That is Him helping.
At the end of those long days, don't focus on what didn't get done. All the dust, dirty dishes, and mess will wait for you and even if you had cleaned it, it will most assuredly come back again. You'll have plenty of days when the kids are gone to have a beautiful house and leisurely mornings with coffee. Till then, be kind.
Musings on the daily trials and triumphs of a homeschool family.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Monday, October 13, 2014
Loose Ends
I've been reading through past posts and realized I've got a few loose ends to tie up. I do that every once in a while, read my old posts. I can't remember what I've shared and I don't want to repeat myself too much.
For instance, Jane has NOT gotten her drivers license yet. She's not terribly anxious to, but also it's difficult to make time to take her. Plus, she has to learn a manual shift. She does great! She's been on the road with the van, but only in the cemetery with the Mazda (the manual shift). We are getting there, but if it were yesterday it wouldn't be soon enough for me!
Also, we have NOT taken Ruth to Six Flags. Shoot! The plan all along was to go in October for the Fright Fest, but then when she saw and heard more about it she decided she didn't want to go; too scary! She is a daredevil when it comes to doing things, but she doesn't like scary movies or spooky things. So, maybe next year!
I am loving my new job! It is such a blessing and working out so well for our whole family. My boss is awesome and I was a little afraid that I had gotten in over my head, but I'm doing fine. I do have a lot to learn, but I feel at least capable of learning it! I was also a little concerned that I wouldn't be able to get everything done in the 15 hours, but I can.
The dance schedule is finally settled! Jane just got moved up from Modern 2 to Modern 3 last week so now we know her schedule is set. Jane dances M, W 7:30-9 (ballet); T she demonstrates 4-6; Th she dances 7-9:15 (tap/jazz); Friday, if she's not babysitting, she takes the point class, 4-6:00; Saturday is her modern class from 1-2:30 followed by Company practice till 4p.m. Sundays vary, but it's Nutcracker rehearsal 3-5 hours; that will end after Christmas.
Ruth also got moved up from tap/jazz dance 5 to tap/jazz dance 6. Ruth had been taking 90 minutes of ballet on Tuesdays and 90 minutes of tap/jazz on Thursdays. However, Ruth doesn't want to leave her friends so she now dances M 5-6:30 (her Dance 6, tap/jazz), T 5-6:30 (her ballet) AND Th 5-6:30 (her dance 5 tap/jazz). At least the schedule is finalized and I know what it will be for the rest of the year.
We are re-vamping our chore schedule. We've had a talk with the kids and how we expect them to help keep certain things clean...like the toilet, the sink, etc. So, I'm going to try and put up a cleaning chart like they have in public restrooms. It'll be on the door and you sign it and date it when you've cleaned. I'll have columns for sink, toilet, and tub and they can initial and date showing what they cleaned. Do you think they'd be devious enough to initial and date even if they didn't clean it? No, not my kids, right? Seriously, I'd be so disappointed if they did, but I don't think they'd stoop to that. We'll see. It's just another effort on my part to keep up with the house!
Her are some pics of the girls working at the table. I've been trying to get a slideshow on the side column, but it's really giving me trouble. I'm not giving up yet, but here are two for now.
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Autumn
What a wonderful summer we had! Marty and I finally got the hang of our backyard pool and thoroughly enjoyed it. Next year we think we may convert it to a salt water system; we hear that’s even better!
I had said that we’d be doing school work over the summer and we did. Jane mostly focused on using Khan Academy to a do a review of algebra. I got email updates as to how much time was spent and what levels she passed, etc. That's an awesome resource! She HATES math, but there is no way around it and Khan Academy has been very helpful. Now, third week into September, she is well into algebra II (lesson 29) and our goal is to complete algebra by Christmas. That’s how the boy's high school arranged their block schedule; four classes per semester.
This semester Jane is also tackling history, literature, sewing, and photography (the photo class is only 10 weeks). I’m so grateful for the sewing class. She has already made a binder cover which has front and back inside pockets. Now they are making a really nice tote bag. It's lined, has two straps, a pocket, and decorative trim. They are teaching her real sewing, not just the basics and the class goes till December 18th. She will have made the two projects I mentioned plus a skirt, a purse, and sleep pants. Mind you, this is a free class offered at the Pillar Foundation for homeschoolers. They give the students the project, we get the materials and they walk the kids through it. There are two moms teaching the class of about 9 kids. Sew wonderful!
Ruth is doing great, also. She has grown so much. At 5’2” she is one of the two tallest girls in her dance classes. She takes 1.5 hours of ballet on Tuesdays and 1.5 hours of tap/jazz on Thursdays. She seems to be absorbing her school work like a sponge! She’s flying through her math, she went through three science books last year, she’s in her 8th grade geography book; I just can’t seem to keep up with her. Part of that is because it’s just her and Jane so as long as Jane is working on school, Ruth might as well also. Years ago, the boys couldn't wait to finish and go outside to play. Ruth works longer and zips ahead. She just turned 11 and she’s turning into quite a wonderful young lady and I’m loving being her mom and teacher.
This fall so far has been wonderful. Our schedule is so much simpler. I no longer will be working days, but instead was asked to work from home for CCFM, Conference for Catholic Facilities Management. I’ll be working about 15 hours a week doing bookkeeping and website maintenance. It is such a blessing. I’ll still be working Tuesday nights at the archdiocese and about two weekend shifts a month, as well.
So Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we are home all day, unless we want to go out! Tuesday we go to Mimi’s house (I call it Tuesday Mornings with Mimi) for some classes. Ruth has about 14 (yes, I said 14) other kids that take art, geography and writing with her. Jane has about 6 other kids who take photography and literature with her. The rest of Tuesday is ours. Then Thursday mornings we are home until sewing class begins at 12:30 and that ends at 3p.m.
I am SO much more relaxed this year than I have been the last two years. Little by little, room by room I’m getting my house back in order. I'm doing better with grocery shopping and dinners. I just feel like I'm back on track. I'll finish here with a poem that Ruth is memorizing:
I had said that we’d be doing school work over the summer and we did. Jane mostly focused on using Khan Academy to a do a review of algebra. I got email updates as to how much time was spent and what levels she passed, etc. That's an awesome resource! She HATES math, but there is no way around it and Khan Academy has been very helpful. Now, third week into September, she is well into algebra II (lesson 29) and our goal is to complete algebra by Christmas. That’s how the boy's high school arranged their block schedule; four classes per semester.
This semester Jane is also tackling history, literature, sewing, and photography (the photo class is only 10 weeks). I’m so grateful for the sewing class. She has already made a binder cover which has front and back inside pockets. Now they are making a really nice tote bag. It's lined, has two straps, a pocket, and decorative trim. They are teaching her real sewing, not just the basics and the class goes till December 18th. She will have made the two projects I mentioned plus a skirt, a purse, and sleep pants. Mind you, this is a free class offered at the Pillar Foundation for homeschoolers. They give the students the project, we get the materials and they walk the kids through it. There are two moms teaching the class of about 9 kids. Sew wonderful!
Ruth is doing great, also. She has grown so much. At 5’2” she is one of the two tallest girls in her dance classes. She takes 1.5 hours of ballet on Tuesdays and 1.5 hours of tap/jazz on Thursdays. She seems to be absorbing her school work like a sponge! She’s flying through her math, she went through three science books last year, she’s in her 8th grade geography book; I just can’t seem to keep up with her. Part of that is because it’s just her and Jane so as long as Jane is working on school, Ruth might as well also. Years ago, the boys couldn't wait to finish and go outside to play. Ruth works longer and zips ahead. She just turned 11 and she’s turning into quite a wonderful young lady and I’m loving being her mom and teacher.
This fall so far has been wonderful. Our schedule is so much simpler. I no longer will be working days, but instead was asked to work from home for CCFM, Conference for Catholic Facilities Management. I’ll be working about 15 hours a week doing bookkeeping and website maintenance. It is such a blessing. I’ll still be working Tuesday nights at the archdiocese and about two weekend shifts a month, as well.
So Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays we are home all day, unless we want to go out! Tuesday we go to Mimi’s house (I call it Tuesday Mornings with Mimi) for some classes. Ruth has about 14 (yes, I said 14) other kids that take art, geography and writing with her. Jane has about 6 other kids who take photography and literature with her. The rest of Tuesday is ours. Then Thursday mornings we are home until sewing class begins at 12:30 and that ends at 3p.m.
I am SO much more relaxed this year than I have been the last two years. Little by little, room by room I’m getting my house back in order. I'm doing better with grocery shopping and dinners. I just feel like I'm back on track. I'll finish here with a poem that Ruth is memorizing:
A haze on the far horizon
The infinite tender sky
The rich ripe tint of the cornfield
And the wild geese sailing high.
And all over upland and lowland
The charm of the goldenrod
Some of us call it autumn
And others call it God.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
So much to do, so little time...
It has already been a busy summer. Dance recital is over and has left us very tired. Jane danced five dances, four days in a row. Ruth danced her tap dance to "Steppin' Out with my Baby" on Saturday morning; the only show of the six shows that Jane didn't dance in!! We have a week to recoup and then ballet intensive begins and summer camps.
Our friend Emma has been coming three days a week this summer and we have been doing some science, study of the continents (they are making lap books), and a study of our state's history. They only have to do about 2 hours a day to get their stuff done. Then, Ruth does math on Mondays and Wednesdays (the days I'm at work). Jane is using Kahn Academy to brush up on algebra I before taking algebra II this fall. I want to go on field trips, but when?? I have this whole curriculum built around learning our state's history and it includes field trips (five in all) to various landmarks and our capitol. The days just fly by and I can't seem to fit everything in. There's dance camp and sleepovers and my work and lunch with the piano teacher (a final farewell; no more piano next year), summer school, cars to be inspected, doctor's appointments, etc. It's all good stuff, but hard to fit everything in. I want to do the field trips on days that we have Emma (tuesday/thursday/friday) and that is even more limiting. We will just keep plugging away and get in as much as we can and hope it's enough; it'll have to be!
I want to get a weekend away either with just Marty or with the kids also. Again, it is so hard to plan around everyone's schedules. The three boys all work different jobs and schedules, but even the things the girls are doing can tie us down. Not to mention Marty's job has been unusually demanding lately. The weekends fill up faster than I can get it on the calendar. The thought of a weekend away, even if it's just Marty and I, seems a pipe dream. Sometimes I wonder that I don't get more discouraged about all the plans I make and how little I seem to actually accomplish. I just figure that if you make no plans, that's exactly what you'll accomplish... nothing. Sometimes I get discouraged and say to myself, "What's the point? It's never going to happen, why even bother making plans?" But that's just the devil with discouragement trying to stop me from doing all that is good. I get wonderful ideas of things to do and I KNOW they won't all happen, but it's fun to see what does work out.
Sometimes, it takes a while for things to work out. Last fall, I was determined to take Ruth to Six Flags. We bought shirts and a tye-dye kit so everybody would have a similar shirt. It never happened. However, we have the shirts and plan to tye-dye them for 4th of July and still plan to go to Six Flags THIS fall. We'll see if it works out!! Once in a while my kids might say, "Hey, we never did..." this or that thing. Mostly, though they talk about the fun times we've had or the neat thing we did. That's how life should be. This world revolves in God's time; whether we like it or not. I try to focus on what gets done; the memories created, trusting God to provide for the things that are important. I "look" at the things that fall by the wayside as the flowers that didn't quite make it this year; maybe they'll be back next year. If not, oh well, I'll plant something else there!
Our friend Emma has been coming three days a week this summer and we have been doing some science, study of the continents (they are making lap books), and a study of our state's history. They only have to do about 2 hours a day to get their stuff done. Then, Ruth does math on Mondays and Wednesdays (the days I'm at work). Jane is using Kahn Academy to brush up on algebra I before taking algebra II this fall. I want to go on field trips, but when?? I have this whole curriculum built around learning our state's history and it includes field trips (five in all) to various landmarks and our capitol. The days just fly by and I can't seem to fit everything in. There's dance camp and sleepovers and my work and lunch with the piano teacher (a final farewell; no more piano next year), summer school, cars to be inspected, doctor's appointments, etc. It's all good stuff, but hard to fit everything in. I want to do the field trips on days that we have Emma (tuesday/thursday/friday) and that is even more limiting. We will just keep plugging away and get in as much as we can and hope it's enough; it'll have to be!
I want to get a weekend away either with just Marty or with the kids also. Again, it is so hard to plan around everyone's schedules. The three boys all work different jobs and schedules, but even the things the girls are doing can tie us down. Not to mention Marty's job has been unusually demanding lately. The weekends fill up faster than I can get it on the calendar. The thought of a weekend away, even if it's just Marty and I, seems a pipe dream. Sometimes I wonder that I don't get more discouraged about all the plans I make and how little I seem to actually accomplish. I just figure that if you make no plans, that's exactly what you'll accomplish... nothing. Sometimes I get discouraged and say to myself, "What's the point? It's never going to happen, why even bother making plans?" But that's just the devil with discouragement trying to stop me from doing all that is good. I get wonderful ideas of things to do and I KNOW they won't all happen, but it's fun to see what does work out.
Sometimes, it takes a while for things to work out. Last fall, I was determined to take Ruth to Six Flags. We bought shirts and a tye-dye kit so everybody would have a similar shirt. It never happened. However, we have the shirts and plan to tye-dye them for 4th of July and still plan to go to Six Flags THIS fall. We'll see if it works out!! Once in a while my kids might say, "Hey, we never did..." this or that thing. Mostly, though they talk about the fun times we've had or the neat thing we did. That's how life should be. This world revolves in God's time; whether we like it or not. I try to focus on what gets done; the memories created, trusting God to provide for the things that are important. I "look" at the things that fall by the wayside as the flowers that didn't quite make it this year; maybe they'll be back next year. If not, oh well, I'll plant something else there!
Monday, May 12, 2014
Change is Good
I am getting ready for our next school year. I am SUPER excited about how it is shaping up. We've decided to enroll Jane in some online courses instead of participating in a co-op. She'll be taking a history course and algebra 2 online and we are both excited about it. The name of the game for next year is "simplifying" and we are doing a great job!
As I said, we will not be going to co-op, so that frees up Friday. We are also dropping piano which not only frees up our schedule, but saves us money. I am hoping after the summer to go down to 1 day of work during the week and 2 weekend shifts plus maybe a few weeknights a month. That will really make a HUGE difference in my time! I LOVE my job, I really do! But I am just spread too thin and I need more time with my girls and for housework, etc. Marty has been such a tremendous help. He does laundry, cleans the house, yard work, etc. when I'm working Saturdays. I work at the girls dance studio on Saturdays 9-1 and about 2 Saturdays a month I work at the archdiocese. This past Saturday I worked from 9a.m.-10p.m. Obviously, I get nothing done at home on days like that!
There are a few other changes that will occur next year. One is that Sam will be going away to college. Very weird. This is possibly the most difficult change. It was weird when our oldest, Martin, went away. We all noticed the empty spot at the table. It was weird when Leo went away. But with Sam, it seems drastic. There will be 4 at the dinner table, instead of 6 or 7. Strange. However, everything has it's pluses and minuses. The plus here is that we will have fewer car issues. We've had 3 drivers sharing 2 cars for school, and 4 different jobs among us. It's fine; carpooling works. But with Sam away and me home more, it will be easier. Another change is that Jane will be getting her driver's license, hopefully by the end of summer. That makes a difference with dance. Finally, she will be able to take herself to dance and maybe Ruth, as well. I'm not sure what the dance schedule will look like for next year. Jane's schedule won't change much, but Ruth's is up in the air right now. I am hoping it, too, works out with our "simplifying" theme!
One final change I've made that I'm really excited about is dinner. I have a friend who is selling Wildtree products and I love it! Since my life has been what it's been for the past couple of years, I haven't done my usual grocery routine. In the best of times I would make a menu, clip coupons, check the store ads, and do my shopping. I haven't had time to keep that up. Too much frozen pizza, too much wasted food. With Wildtree, Marty and I spend a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday (after I have shopped with the grocery list for whatever meal plan I'm making) assemblying 10 good, healthy, freezer meals. So far, we have loved them all and it takes me maybe 20-30 minutes to put dinner together. The 10 meals last us 2-3 weeks with leftovers and a frozen pizza here or there. It has been so great. I am so happy and satisfied to know that we are eating healthier. Wildtree not only has organic, low sodium, low sugar, products (and grapeseed and coconut oil), but they give you all the recipes and products so you can duplicate what you've done. Well, this is starting to sound like a commercial! I can assure you, no one is paying me; I just really love the time saver and the good food. You can check out their website: www.mywildtree.com\cathydaub if you want more information. We will be trying to get our pool up this weekend. YAY!! Looking forward to a beautiful summer and hoping our changes bring a less busy fall!
As I said, we will not be going to co-op, so that frees up Friday. We are also dropping piano which not only frees up our schedule, but saves us money. I am hoping after the summer to go down to 1 day of work during the week and 2 weekend shifts plus maybe a few weeknights a month. That will really make a HUGE difference in my time! I LOVE my job, I really do! But I am just spread too thin and I need more time with my girls and for housework, etc. Marty has been such a tremendous help. He does laundry, cleans the house, yard work, etc. when I'm working Saturdays. I work at the girls dance studio on Saturdays 9-1 and about 2 Saturdays a month I work at the archdiocese. This past Saturday I worked from 9a.m.-10p.m. Obviously, I get nothing done at home on days like that!
There are a few other changes that will occur next year. One is that Sam will be going away to college. Very weird. This is possibly the most difficult change. It was weird when our oldest, Martin, went away. We all noticed the empty spot at the table. It was weird when Leo went away. But with Sam, it seems drastic. There will be 4 at the dinner table, instead of 6 or 7. Strange. However, everything has it's pluses and minuses. The plus here is that we will have fewer car issues. We've had 3 drivers sharing 2 cars for school, and 4 different jobs among us. It's fine; carpooling works. But with Sam away and me home more, it will be easier. Another change is that Jane will be getting her driver's license, hopefully by the end of summer. That makes a difference with dance. Finally, she will be able to take herself to dance and maybe Ruth, as well. I'm not sure what the dance schedule will look like for next year. Jane's schedule won't change much, but Ruth's is up in the air right now. I am hoping it, too, works out with our "simplifying" theme!
One final change I've made that I'm really excited about is dinner. I have a friend who is selling Wildtree products and I love it! Since my life has been what it's been for the past couple of years, I haven't done my usual grocery routine. In the best of times I would make a menu, clip coupons, check the store ads, and do my shopping. I haven't had time to keep that up. Too much frozen pizza, too much wasted food. With Wildtree, Marty and I spend a couple of hours on a Saturday or Sunday (after I have shopped with the grocery list for whatever meal plan I'm making) assemblying 10 good, healthy, freezer meals. So far, we have loved them all and it takes me maybe 20-30 minutes to put dinner together. The 10 meals last us 2-3 weeks with leftovers and a frozen pizza here or there. It has been so great. I am so happy and satisfied to know that we are eating healthier. Wildtree not only has organic, low sodium, low sugar, products (and grapeseed and coconut oil), but they give you all the recipes and products so you can duplicate what you've done. Well, this is starting to sound like a commercial! I can assure you, no one is paying me; I just really love the time saver and the good food. You can check out their website: www.mywildtree.com\cathydaub if you want more information. We will be trying to get our pool up this weekend. YAY!! Looking forward to a beautiful summer and hoping our changes bring a less busy fall!
Monday, April 14, 2014
Spring
This is a wonderful time of year! I love the rain, the new growth, the busy birds and our new school books! Just when things are 'slugging' along and you think you are not going to make it out of winter, spring arrives along with the new books for next school year. It gives me renewed energy and I get all revved up again.
Even the girls love looking through their new books and seeing what they are going to be doing. In Jane's case, she has to finish what she is doing this year; all her stuff is for next year. Ruth, however, has finished her geography, math, and history so she'll begin new books right away. I bought a wonderful book on Greek history that she'll start reading, taking notes, and then writing a summary at the end of each section. Ruth loves Greek history, so that will be a fun book for her to use. It includes a section on Greek foods (I smell gyros). Following the sections on Greek art, furniture, and currency we will go on a field trip to the Art Museum. We LOVE the Art Museum! Ruth is also starting her Saxon 6/5 Math and I've looked through it and am wondering if it is too easy for her. I'll decide once our summer break gets here in July; I may just bump her up.
Jane is happy we've found a history book she likes. It's world history and it's a very readable book. In other words, it's not written like a text book but rather like a novel. She will be reading, taking notes, answering review questions (given in the book) and creating a timeline. Now I just have to find somewhere in the house where I can put the thing!! And, by the way, the conference went well and I think I did fine with my talk on intro to homeschooling; it was fun. I really enjoyed the people and there was a happy atmosphere throughout the whole conference. One of our vendors gave me a bottle of holy water that I took around both Friday and Saturday and asked God to bless our efforts and to send His Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of His faithful. That will be tradition from now on!
I just found out that Leo will be home for Easter this year and I'm very excited about that. We haven't had him home for Easter the last two years. I'm going to put out my hummingbird feeder in May and this year I'm going to plant a lilac bush. I feel like our house needs one and I'm looking forward to going to pick one out. I never love our house more than I do in the springtime! Happy Easter!!
Even the girls love looking through their new books and seeing what they are going to be doing. In Jane's case, she has to finish what she is doing this year; all her stuff is for next year. Ruth, however, has finished her geography, math, and history so she'll begin new books right away. I bought a wonderful book on Greek history that she'll start reading, taking notes, and then writing a summary at the end of each section. Ruth loves Greek history, so that will be a fun book for her to use. It includes a section on Greek foods (I smell gyros). Following the sections on Greek art, furniture, and currency we will go on a field trip to the Art Museum. We LOVE the Art Museum! Ruth is also starting her Saxon 6/5 Math and I've looked through it and am wondering if it is too easy for her. I'll decide once our summer break gets here in July; I may just bump her up.
Jane is happy we've found a history book she likes. It's world history and it's a very readable book. In other words, it's not written like a text book but rather like a novel. She will be reading, taking notes, answering review questions (given in the book) and creating a timeline. Now I just have to find somewhere in the house where I can put the thing!! And, by the way, the conference went well and I think I did fine with my talk on intro to homeschooling; it was fun. I really enjoyed the people and there was a happy atmosphere throughout the whole conference. One of our vendors gave me a bottle of holy water that I took around both Friday and Saturday and asked God to bless our efforts and to send His Holy Spirit to fill the hearts of His faithful. That will be tradition from now on!
I just found out that Leo will be home for Easter this year and I'm very excited about that. We haven't had him home for Easter the last two years. I'm going to put out my hummingbird feeder in May and this year I'm going to plant a lilac bush. I feel like our house needs one and I'm looking forward to going to pick one out. I never love our house more than I do in the springtime! Happy Easter!!
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Busy, busy, busy...
I haven't posted for a while. It's been so busy, I can't even decide what to write about. I've started a few drafts and then days go by and they are obsolete. One of the things that has taken up a lot of my time is the Catholic Homeschool Conference. I am the vendor coordinator and am going to give the Intro to Home Schooling talk. I'm not a person who gets nervous about talking in front of people, but I've had so little time to prepare that I'm wondering how this is going to go. I really want to do a good job. I keep trying to zone in on that one special message I want to get across. You know, the one most important thing to take away....but it seems to change daily. Mostly, I want to speak from the Spirit and not from myself. I love the conference, but it is time consuming!
Jane has been injured since Nutcracker. Turns out that her pointe shoes weren't right and she danced for months in them and did 4 shows with two pointe pieces per show (one 4 minute and one 7 minute). She kept telling me that she had this spot on her foot that was hurting. Being the sympathetic mom that I am, I said, "Well Jane, you're dancing 16 hours a week. Your feet are going to hurt. Soak them, massage them, take some ibuprofen and get used to it." Yup, that's the kind of mom I am! Seriously, though, I don't know much about dancing and I just figured it was normal pain that you here dancers suffer. Turns out she has deep bone bruises on both feet affecting mostly her last three toes. It's been NINE WEEKS of not dancing! That's a long time and we are all paying for it! What really got her back on the dance floor were the bio freeze treatments that speed healing of bruises. She's dancing again, limitedly. We are all relieved...Jane is not fun to live with when she can't dance!
My baby, Ruth, also came up with a neat little medical condition called Refractive Amblyopia. Basically, she is legally blind in her right eye. Yup. She's been telling me for years that her vision is blurry out of her right eye, but again, the mom I am said, "Well, look out of your left." There...problem solved. No, I did NOT say that, but I did discount what she was telling me. All evidence pointed to her being able to see. She had some rudimentary exams at the pediatricians - they never indicated a problem. My sister finally took her (Marty and I were out of town and I asked her if she would) to Sam's for one of their free health screenings and they said she had a big discrepancy between her two eyes. Well, an eye exam, a specialist visit, and voila! glasses! The good news is that her eyeball works fine, but her vision is SO bad out of that eye that her brain has stopped interpreting signals from that optic nerve. The specialist will be giving us exercises to try to retrain the connection. She was apparently born with this condition and her left eye compensates (20/20 vision out of that eye). So, my life has been vendors, doctors, dance, school, doctors, speakers, floor plans, doctors, etc. But these are the days to treasure. One day life will slow down and, God willing, I'll sit and smile and look back and enjoy the memories of these busy days.
Jane has been injured since Nutcracker. Turns out that her pointe shoes weren't right and she danced for months in them and did 4 shows with two pointe pieces per show (one 4 minute and one 7 minute). She kept telling me that she had this spot on her foot that was hurting. Being the sympathetic mom that I am, I said, "Well Jane, you're dancing 16 hours a week. Your feet are going to hurt. Soak them, massage them, take some ibuprofen and get used to it." Yup, that's the kind of mom I am! Seriously, though, I don't know much about dancing and I just figured it was normal pain that you here dancers suffer. Turns out she has deep bone bruises on both feet affecting mostly her last three toes. It's been NINE WEEKS of not dancing! That's a long time and we are all paying for it! What really got her back on the dance floor were the bio freeze treatments that speed healing of bruises. She's dancing again, limitedly. We are all relieved...Jane is not fun to live with when she can't dance!
My baby, Ruth, also came up with a neat little medical condition called Refractive Amblyopia. Basically, she is legally blind in her right eye. Yup. She's been telling me for years that her vision is blurry out of her right eye, but again, the mom I am said, "Well, look out of your left." There...problem solved. No, I did NOT say that, but I did discount what she was telling me. All evidence pointed to her being able to see. She had some rudimentary exams at the pediatricians - they never indicated a problem. My sister finally took her (Marty and I were out of town and I asked her if she would) to Sam's for one of their free health screenings and they said she had a big discrepancy between her two eyes. Well, an eye exam, a specialist visit, and voila! glasses! The good news is that her eyeball works fine, but her vision is SO bad out of that eye that her brain has stopped interpreting signals from that optic nerve. The specialist will be giving us exercises to try to retrain the connection. She was apparently born with this condition and her left eye compensates (20/20 vision out of that eye). So, my life has been vendors, doctors, dance, school, doctors, speakers, floor plans, doctors, etc. But these are the days to treasure. One day life will slow down and, God willing, I'll sit and smile and look back and enjoy the memories of these busy days.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Catching Up!
This is too funny! I wrote this back in early December...about "catching up" and here I am just releasing it! That seems fitting. Here it is, warts and all:
It's been awhile. My cup is overflowing with blessings that keep me happily busy. It seems like everywhere in my life I am trying to catch up. Catching up with my sewing, catching up with house chores, catching up with reading, baking, Christmas stuff. I thought I'd take some time to catch up on my blog.
We are heavy into dance. Jane dances 6-7 days a week now. It's a total of anywhere from 12.5 hours to 16 hours a week with 6 of those hours being on Sunday afternoons for Nutcracker rehearsal. Ruth dances 1.5-2.5 hours a week. Her regular class is 1.5 hours long and then there is another class she sometimes picks up. The house has dance shoes and bobby pins everywhere.
Co-op is going okay. Still not thrilled with things there. Jane is still doing great in geometry and literature. Once in awhile, she'll get stuck in geometry, but so far I've been able to help; sometimes by just guiding her to find the answer. In literature, they just finished reading Hound of the Baskervilles and now they are reading Frankenstein. She is whipping through them and does great in class and with the study guides and tests. Chemistry is a different story! She and I both hate it. It makes our brain hurt....I'm not kidding. Marty, my husband, said at the outset of homeschooling that he would be no help in science, so we are on our own. Fortunately, the text is really good; it's Apologia science, Exploring Creation with Chemistry so it's a very student friendly text. We are muddling through and every month that goes by, we say a little prayer of thanksgiving (and add a prayer for help for the next month).
Ruth is doing awesome. She has finished her reading comprehension and her religion book on saints and her geography on eastern europe. At co-op for geography we are studying the states, capitols, and identify continents and countries. She is midway through her social studies, finished her science, and will finish her 4th grade math by the end of January. Her english is moving slowly, but that's because I'm keeping her on pace with the co-op class. In January, she'll begin a new science, new geography, new reading comprehension and 5th grade math. Right now, Ruth is not liking piano, but that's because our teacher had the girls learn a trio on the piano that they are going to play for the recital and it's not going so well. I think once that is over, she'll make friends with piano again. She generally loves it.
I have been trying to get back into sewing. I am sewing some elastic-waist sleep pants for Sam. They are soft cotton flannel and have two pockets. Everything is cut out and one whole leg is done and the pocket is sewn onto the second leg. I am honestly not sure it's worth the effort. Somehow, if I finish, I imagine that the endeavor will bring me a sense of accomplishment. We'll see.
The house is a disaster. The chore chart failed miserably. I can't help but wonder if I had started with the house all clean, would that have made a difference? I don't know. No one seems to care but me. I look at it (it being any room in the house) and sigh. Then, one time, Jane came up and said, "What's wrong, mom?" I sadly replied, "Just look at this mess. When am I ever going to get it cleaned up? It's horrible."
"It's not horrible, mom. It's a happy, busy home!" said sweet Jane. I looked at her and said, "Really? Is that what you see?" She smiled and nodded. I'm gonna go with that....that sounds good. Not sure that it's true, but I like it!
I'm still working 7:30-4:00 on Monday's and Wednesday's and teaching at the co-op on Friday mornings. I still work at the dance school on Saturdays 9-1pm and it all seems to be working. Sam's doing great his senior year. Martin got a new, better job and is making plans to get back to school. Leo will come home for the holidays this weekend. There. Now you're all caught up!
It's been awhile. My cup is overflowing with blessings that keep me happily busy. It seems like everywhere in my life I am trying to catch up. Catching up with my sewing, catching up with house chores, catching up with reading, baking, Christmas stuff. I thought I'd take some time to catch up on my blog.
We are heavy into dance. Jane dances 6-7 days a week now. It's a total of anywhere from 12.5 hours to 16 hours a week with 6 of those hours being on Sunday afternoons for Nutcracker rehearsal. Ruth dances 1.5-2.5 hours a week. Her regular class is 1.5 hours long and then there is another class she sometimes picks up. The house has dance shoes and bobby pins everywhere.
Co-op is going okay. Still not thrilled with things there. Jane is still doing great in geometry and literature. Once in awhile, she'll get stuck in geometry, but so far I've been able to help; sometimes by just guiding her to find the answer. In literature, they just finished reading Hound of the Baskervilles and now they are reading Frankenstein. She is whipping through them and does great in class and with the study guides and tests. Chemistry is a different story! She and I both hate it. It makes our brain hurt....I'm not kidding. Marty, my husband, said at the outset of homeschooling that he would be no help in science, so we are on our own. Fortunately, the text is really good; it's Apologia science, Exploring Creation with Chemistry so it's a very student friendly text. We are muddling through and every month that goes by, we say a little prayer of thanksgiving (and add a prayer for help for the next month).
Ruth is doing awesome. She has finished her reading comprehension and her religion book on saints and her geography on eastern europe. At co-op for geography we are studying the states, capitols, and identify continents and countries. She is midway through her social studies, finished her science, and will finish her 4th grade math by the end of January. Her english is moving slowly, but that's because I'm keeping her on pace with the co-op class. In January, she'll begin a new science, new geography, new reading comprehension and 5th grade math. Right now, Ruth is not liking piano, but that's because our teacher had the girls learn a trio on the piano that they are going to play for the recital and it's not going so well. I think once that is over, she'll make friends with piano again. She generally loves it.
I have been trying to get back into sewing. I am sewing some elastic-waist sleep pants for Sam. They are soft cotton flannel and have two pockets. Everything is cut out and one whole leg is done and the pocket is sewn onto the second leg. I am honestly not sure it's worth the effort. Somehow, if I finish, I imagine that the endeavor will bring me a sense of accomplishment. We'll see.
The house is a disaster. The chore chart failed miserably. I can't help but wonder if I had started with the house all clean, would that have made a difference? I don't know. No one seems to care but me. I look at it (it being any room in the house) and sigh. Then, one time, Jane came up and said, "What's wrong, mom?" I sadly replied, "Just look at this mess. When am I ever going to get it cleaned up? It's horrible."
"It's not horrible, mom. It's a happy, busy home!" said sweet Jane. I looked at her and said, "Really? Is that what you see?" She smiled and nodded. I'm gonna go with that....that sounds good. Not sure that it's true, but I like it!
I'm still working 7:30-4:00 on Monday's and Wednesday's and teaching at the co-op on Friday mornings. I still work at the dance school on Saturdays 9-1pm and it all seems to be working. Sam's doing great his senior year. Martin got a new, better job and is making plans to get back to school. Leo will come home for the holidays this weekend. There. Now you're all caught up!
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