Learning to fingerknit!

Now, before you envision me as Charlotte Mason herself, please know that I got this idea from pinterest!  I guess you could think of me as the 21st century version of Charlotte Mason, ha ha!

Getting behinder and behinder...

We had so many wonderful visitors in the month of October and November that I have now found myself at that precarious state known as...behind.  Now, I know that seems like a strange thought to my homeschooling friends.  "Behind whom?" you might ask.  Well, I guess I am simply behind where I wanted us to be at this time.  Every year I start out with the greatest intentions to adhere to my chosen curriculum, but every year about this time, I start to feel confined by thus curriculum.  So, inevitably I scrap the curriculum for a while, only to return to it in spring, without completing it totally by the end of the school year.  I think the problem for me lies in my need for freedom.  I want to be free to study whatever might come up.  That is what I adore about homeschooling.  I feel that education is so much more meaningful to the student when related in a relevent way to that student.  When it is Christmas time I want to be doing Advent studies and baking bread to share with the neighbors, and making home-made Christmas gifts.  I guess I have yet to find a curriculum that gives such freedoms, except unit studies.  I guess that is why our beloved Five in a Row curriculum worked so well for us.  It gave us the freedom to pick and choose what we wanted to study and when we want to study it.  I had hoped that Exploring Countries and Cultures would give us that same sense of freedom, but it is still feeling a bit confining.  I will keep working at it though, because I do see the strength in it, but I am still longing for that simplicity that I had with FIAR.  Maybe this gives me points to ponder as I look ahead to next year...until then I am just going to keep pressing on.  I will take time to smell the flowers, as they say, bake the bread, and enjoy this amazing journey that God has ordained for us...

Noah enjoying THE HOBBIT...

In preparation for the upcoming movies Noah is reading THE HOBBIT and I am reading ANNA KARENINA.  These are first readability for both of us.  I am really enjoying AK, although I am not a fan of the some of the characters actions.  Gaining insight into the mind of someone opposite of myself.  I love it when characters don't behave the way I want them to.  It provides for an interesting inner dialogue!

DEAR school day...

Dropping everything and reading.

Wow, sometimes I really impress myself...

So last night I was poking around a bit in blogger, trying to remember how to do all the things that I once knew how to do when I was regularly writing this blog.  I had once been able to post things by mailing from my iPhone, but hadn't done that in ages.  So, after about 10 minutes I figured out how to set up a mobile blog and merge it with my existing blog!  Success!  I am not nearly as tech savy as those who are having a blog carnival (whatever that means), or those posting crazy ideas to pinterest, but at least now I can update on the go!  Maybe now this little blog won't be so forgotten!  Cheers!

The cute little buggers...

This is our ridiculously cute yin-yang picture.  They are just full of cuteness...and naughty-ness...

I love them, I love them not, I love them, I love them not...

I think that title just says it all, right?  Oh, yeah, I guess I better tell you what I love and don't love...two beautiful little puppies.  Two puppies that came into our lives shortly after we had to say goodbye to our faithful dog, Addie.  Addie was 14.5 and was getting worse by the day, poor girl.  She completely stopped eating.  I think it must have been cancer or something horrible...or maybe she just wanted to see her girlie in heaven, who knows.  Anywho...the atmosphere in our house after Addie was gone, was, well...just sad.  I had so wanted the kids to grow up with a dog, like I did.  For as far back as I can remember, Icy was there.  He was a giant ball of fluff, a mix of collie, husky, and anything else big, dumb and loyal.  Everywhere I went, he went.  We visited everyone (read, all the old people) in the neighborhood, we went down-town to the drug store where we shared some ice cream, we even went to church together one time (boy that was memorable, and unintentional).  We got Icy when I was really little, I don't even know how old I was, all I knew is that he was ALWAYS there...always.  He lived 15 years until we had to let him fly to heaven.  Didn't you know that dogs fly to heaven when they die?  Yep, angels...special halos for the really good ones.  So, I wanted my kids to have that same, little town, neighbor visitin' friendship and goodness that I had growing up.  One problem, we found siblings.  Two little sibling, rescue puppies, from a place called All About Dogs Coastal Rescue.  We fell in love at once.  They looked so sweet on the website.  Beagle-Dachsund mix.  One looked more like a beagle, the other with short stubby dachsund legs.  They came over for a visit and that, they say, was that.  What we did not expect was that after four months, yes, four months, they would STILL not be potty trained, and would escape the yard several times a day.  Now, on their behalf, the fence is falling down and there are holes everywhere that we have done our best to patch up...but seriously, multiple times a day.  Chasing them all over the street, even into our sweet neighbors house, seriously, I almost died.  Had the older lady not been so sweet about it, we would have had floppy-eared soup for dinner. 
So, today was my breaking point...I had HAD it with the accidents, with the escapism.  I was DONE!  I am sure I told the kids a thousad times that we were just going to have to take the dogs back to the rescue (I'm sure there will be therapy about that later).  I have just felt so taxed lately with all of my duties PLUS puppies acting badly.  Okay, they are just puppies...and cute ones at that, but I swear if someone had come by the house today inquiring about pups, I would have handed them both over with all their supplies without another thought.  The problem is that I have these three little kids that have to have that doggy goodness of childhood...sigh...I guess I will just have to pray for yet another miracle, that I don't completely loose my mind until they stop all the aggravating puppy behaviors.  Oh, and we are getting an in-ground fence :)  My friend Ashley (our friendly Petco manager, love her) assures us that after two days, they will NEVER go past that fence again.  So, that is the plan...hopefully, all will be well by my next post, which, at the rate I'm going will be sometime next year...ha ha.  I know I have been MIA from this blog for a while.  I kept waiting to feel really good and settled here in P'cola before I really started writing.  Now after a year and a half, I think I am there, maybe half-way there...
Till next time...

My three bunnies!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note™, an AT&T LTE smartphone

Easter Sunday!

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note™, an AT&T LTE smartphone

Really? Seriously?

So, I have been obsessed with Pinterest.  I know obsession is a strong word, but really it is like my creative secret lair.  I see a million things on there daily that I think I could pull off myself.  I am a visual person, so the pictures really are very appealing to me.  Some things have really caught my eye and some things really have made me think twice about the whole "cyber alternate reality" idea.  Let me explain...

Some things are just too good to be true, you know?  I mean, how do these homeschooling moms of 2+ have the time to have a perfectly organized home, perfectly organized homeschool; where they make their own bread, and games for their kids and have a part-time sewing business.  It seems impossible, or highly unlikely at least.  I can't seem to get it together enough to get every subject done during the day, not to mention clean my house and cook dinner.  Now, before I get hateful comments from all the Homemaker Hollys out there, let me just say that I know that there are those who are VERY organized and who pride themselves on keeping everything neat and tidy.  But sometimes I see posts and pictures from people that make me go, "Really?  That is REALLY what your pantry/playroom/bedroom/schoolroom looks like?  Like a magazine spread?"  I just feel sometimes with the internet we have the option of putting our best face forward, when really I think people hunger for people to be real with them.  I remember looking at some of the magazine ads of the SUPER skinny models and thinking I could never be like that.  I remember thinking that my life was never what it seemed like from shows on TV.  I think the same way about the internet and sometimes I think that we need to be very careful not to present ourselves as perfect, because we are not.  I also don't want to develop this disconnect between the way my life REALLY is and the way my life is portrayed on my blog.  I do like to remember the good times, and write about special things that touch me during the day, but I don't want to ever make anyone wonder if I am some sort supermom.  I am not perfect or anything close.  I am a sinful, prideful, selfish, woman who prays to be better, minute by minute.  You may see my sweet projects, or my cute children and wonder what the true me is like.  I'll tell you:  I am tragicly flawed in more ways than I can count and if it were not for my precious Savior, I would be NOTHING, NOTHING, I tell you.  He allows me to show my real side, scars and all, because it is Him who gives me strength. (I'm still waiting for Him to bless me with talent to get "everything" done!)  I hope that you enjoy the things you read or see here, but please bear in mind, that even though I sometimes seem really put-together (maybe I don't, I don't know...) I am just another person doing her best with what's she's been given.  I try to live up to the dreams that God has for me and be true to him and myself in the process. 

"May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand."

~Traditional Gaelic blessing~

American history for us...

Today was our first official day of school in 2012.  We will continue studying American history.  We are nearing the American Revolution.  We also have added a new part of our studies.  We had been doing another geography program that wasn't much fun, nor was it getting finished, so when my favorite bookstore went out of business, I snapped up all of the Which Way USA items that they had.  We started it today and it was great fun!  It took us a couple of pages to get going, but when we did, we had a ball.  It sparked all kinds of discussions that took us to the computer to do research!  I'd call that a success!  I'm not sure if it will continue to fascinate, but we have about half of the states, so by the time we finish those, I'll know if I should find the rest.  For inquiring minds, I'm providing the link!

Which Way USA?

We are rolling along with the other parts of our curriculum.  By the end of this week Noah will be right on track with his math.  I think that is a record for us.  Caitlyn is doing great, learning subtraction and working on learning to read.  Aiden is a tornado.  I can't keep enough activities on hand for him.  He blows through everything.  Chris' parents got the kids a trampoline for Christmas, that should help everyone with getting out the energy we all have!

I'm trying to come up with creative ways that we can organize (read "throw stuff away without the kids knowing") our school room.  I have so much stuff that HAS to go.  I also am a little sad to get rid of some of the pre-school stuff, but Aiden has far advanced the colors and shapes items, so I guess they will have to find a new home, sigh...

By the way, Noah will be setting up a new blog soon.  It will be a private blog, so if you'd like to be included, let me know.  Also, we would love to have other homeschoolers to follow as well, so if your homeschooler blogs, just let us know!

Thoughts on the new year...

I hope this year will be better than the last.  I hope that I will work everyday for a closer walk with the Lord.  I hope THIS year I'll learn patience.  I hope that this year I will do a better job at keeping the Florida house organized. I hope this year I will not fall behind on school planning, or grading, or teaching.  I hope this year I will be able to enjoy cooking more, since it seems that I won't be able to afford a personal chef anytime soon.  I hope that this year I will be able to USE that one room a day cleaning sheet that I made up two years ago to keep my house clean.  I hope that this year I will workout more than I have in the past and lose that baby-weight before I officially have no more babies.  And, I hope that this year I won't beat myself up when I don't get past my first two wishes for the new year...

Blessings Y'all!

Happy New Year Everyone!

New Year’s Card 2011