Wednesday, August 29, 2012

about that homeschool thing

I purposely haven't posted much lately, and especially about the whole homeschool thing.  I can't believe it's only been a week since Todd and I made another huge decision, but tomorrow morning marks one week ago that we had the big talk.

I had gotten a phone call from their assigned teacher, Mrs. Bible, and as much as I loved her and her name, she said some things that threw up red flags for me.  One was about truancy.  She said that if they failed to log in for three days in a row, K12 would send a truant officer to my house.  Then she started talking about doctors' notes for sick days, and make up work, and all the while I'm thinking, "If I have to report this heavily to someone, why not just send them back to a regular brick and mortar elementary school?"

Because this was no different.  Except that we were prisoner to my house and the computer.

About that~I knew that they would have to be in front of a computer everyday, but I had no idea it would be for that long of a time period.  I also knew that a certain amount of hours were required each week for attendance, but again, I had no idea it would actually take six and a half hours of work everyday.

Why was this program any different than a brick and mortar school?

So, between the statements about absences and make-up days and truancy officers, and the whole issue of time and being chained to our house and computer, I had the big talk with Todd.

I told him all my concerns and after much study on my part and researching of different homeschool curriculums, we decided to order A Beka for Jonah and Noah.  This came after much thought and discussion between us.  The curriculum is on the expensive side and the shipping price is near ridiculous, so Todd found out that if I attended a webinar today, we would get shipping at no cost.

We both logged in to the webinar today and after it was over, he placed the order online.  Hopefully our new curriculum will be here next week.  Some of my other homeschooling friends haven't started yet either.

Another huge blessing is that tomorrow morning at nine thirty, Jonah and Noah will start their enrichment classes at Germantown Presbyterian.  I don't know if they're really called  enrichment, but I thought it had a nice ring.  They are taking Time Travelers (a science-y class), Continental Cooking (a math and geography class) and Flashlight Reading.

Don't those sound amazing?!

While they're in class, I will also be in class.  It's required of the Mom's whose kids attend, that she go to a Bible study.  So, I will begin my much-waited for Bible study class.  It's been too long since my last one, and I am itching to get back into studying God's word!  I can't wait.  I have no idea what it will be like, but we'll be studying the book of Romans.  I will have homework each week, too, which I will do while Jonah and Noah do their independent study time.

I'm praying that they have some independent study time.

I'm going from assisting the kids along in their work to being their teacher, all in a short period of time.  There are days I don't feel qualified enough, but then I remind myself that who is more qualified to educate my own children than me, THEIR OWN MOTHER?!

The cool thing is that I have seen God's hand throughout all of this, and even in this, He's been making sure that I am trusting in Him to help us along our way.  We're having to dish out kind of a lot of money right now, and I'm not sure how, but we know that God will provide.  He always has in the past, and this occasion is no exception.

If you would like to pray with me about this, I would so appreciate it.  I know He's going to work it all out, in His own timing.  I'm also praying that He provides me with patience on waiting for that timing.  :-)

I know He will.

I've tried not to be too negative about our homeschool situation while we were doing K12.  I didn't know if I thought it was just me or what, but I was really trying to make the best out of what was kind of a bad situation.  There were days that we all cried.  And I'm not saying we won't in the future, but all of the issues I mentioned combined with our frustrations made it so much worse.  I'm blessed that Todd and I saw eye-to-eye on this, though, and that he totally agreed with me on how crazy their guidelines were.

For those of you who know me and who prayed for me, thank you.  It was only your prayers that got me through those days.  And for those I cried on and vented on, thanks for listening.  My precious friend Aimee just so happened to be in the wrong place and time one particularly grueling day.  Poor thing, I bawled my eyes out on her.  I don't know that I've ever done that on anyone other than my husband or parents before.

It was humbling.  Especially when she brought me brownies later on that evening.

I have the greatest friends a girl could ask for, and don't ever think that I take them for granted.  I thank God for them daily.

I'm also thankful for my sweet husband, who listened to me night after night voice my frustrations over wondering whether or not we had done the right thing in removing them from their previous elementary school.

More than anything, though, I am thankful to my sweet Jesus who cares about every single detail of our daily lives.  I love the verse that says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you." (Matthew 7:12)  He truly loves us and cares for us.

Our journey is just beginning, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.  It's already been a thrill ride.  Whoever said being a Christian was boring has clearly never lived life on the edge~because that is exactly what it's like.  You never know when God is going to yank you out of your comfort zone and put you up to something you never thought you were capable of.  And if I fall, well, guess what?

He'll be there with His arms open to catch me.

Here's hoping for a wonderful tomorrow~who knows, Thursday's might become my favorite day, yet!

Love to all.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

a little blog reading

Lately, all around me, I am seeing this theme: MARRIAGE.  Literally, all around me.  Even the blogs I love to read are talking about this topic.  With September right upon us, would you believe that this month (in the bloggy world, at least) is "Revive Your Marriage" month?

What'd I tell you?

Is God trying to tell me something?

I'm enjoying our pastor talking about this in church as well.  I was so disappointed on Sunday to find out he wasn't there, but the message from our associate pastor was awesome.  I took lots and lots of notes in my journal, as I have on the Sunday's Brother Chuck has talked about marriage, and someday soon, I plan on sharing those on here.

Until then, I thought I would give you some links to some really great blogs that I read almost daily.  The topic they're about is... you guessed it: marriage

http://tolovehonorandvacuum.com/2012/08/hope-springs/

http://peacefulwife.com/2012/08/28/your-words-can-cause-catastrophic-damage/

This second one is kind of lengthy, but you can skim over it and get the general idea of what the writer is trying to drive home. 

Do you have blogs that you love?  Share them with me!  I'm always looking for new ones.  Happy reading and love to all!

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

some factual things

I have a permanent crick in my neck.  :-(  I really need to make the time to get into a chiropractor!  But that's the problem; I seem to not have a lot of time nowadays.  Let me correct that sentence~I don't have a lot of FREE time. 

Today was an awesome day.  School was long for us (it is going to be long every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), but we got SO MUCH accomplished!  A huge bonus was re-teaching Noah how to hold his pencil properly.  That poor child has struggled in writing for what seems like forever, and today, we corrected a lot of those struggles.  His letters became clearer, too.  It was amazing!  I have a sheet of paper that he started yesterday, then today he finished it.  You should see the transformation.  It touched my heart so much that I was compelled to take a picture:


Look at that sweet baby holding his pencil so nicely!  His teacher from last year would be so proud.  :-)  I love this picture, too.  Look at those gorgeous eyes and eyelashes.  Sweet boy. 

And because I could never be unfair, I took this one, too:


Such concentration!  And yes, I was so drinking an afternoon cup of coffee.  I have resorted to saving my coffee each morning, in case I should need another cup.  And yes, Phyllis, I know I used to make fun of you for that.  I am so sorry! 

The dogs drive me crazy sometimes.  Today was not one of those times.  I snapped this while they were being all cute:


Crash thought Andy made a nice foot rest. 

And lastly (with the pictures, I mean), I felt bad that they were having to write (because they hate it), so I joined in the fun.  Except for me, it really is fun.  Hence this whole blog. 


I had a moment of inspiration, thanks to KLove this afternoon.  :-) 

We have God~moments throughout our day.  Do you?

Jonah had a little thrill this afternoon when he heard his teacher say his name during his online class time.  :-)  They also really enjoyed getting to talk to the teacher who's been assigned to them, Mrs. Bible.  She called us today to meet them (and me), and she asked them some really sweet questions. 

I still get a kick out of her name. 

How was your day?  Ours was wonderfully productive.  I'm feeling so good about it that I am thinking of going to read their science book before tomorrow comes, so that I can be prepared.  And yes, I still hate science, but I am determined to hide that from them, since it's their favorite subject.  On a good note, it's been a whole week since I've had a science nightmare.  Literally, I had a bad dream about science.

Seriously. 

Love to all. 

Monday, August 20, 2012

attitudes

Do you deal with bad ones in your home? 

I do. 

And can I tell you that I am officially over them?  I don't really know why Graham and Drew come home and get their panties in a wad almost the minute we set foot inside our house.  And yes, I do realize their age, but that is not going to be our "normal". 

I can tell you that it's all about to change. 

They're very jealous of their little brothers.  And that makes absolutely no sense to me, since I gave them the option of homeschooling.  They chose to stay enrolled in their public school.  So this choice is just that...their choice.  Today, when they got home and made snide comments to their younger brothers about how much "school" they really did, something in me snapped. 

I maintained my composure, but I very firmly let them know that this was the absolute last time I was going to have the following conversation with them (probably this week).  Then I reminded them even though they each paid for their own iPods, I still had the power to take them away.  That applies to their cell phones, too. 

I am over the bad attitudes.  Especially when nobody has done anything to warrant being on the receiving end of them. 

How do you handle this in your home? 

I am praying that they remember my words from this afternoon, otherwise they're going to have a very long week ahead of them. 

And can I also tell you that nothing puts me in a bad mood faster than their bad attitudes? 

Well, it's true. 

I'm such a mean mom. 

I guess they'd better learn not to bring out that side of my personality.

On a positive note, today was an awesome day for Jonah, Noah and me.  Woohoo!  We actually finished for the day!

Enjoy your night~here's hoping for an attitude~free night!

Love to all. 

Sunday, August 19, 2012

the lessons we teach our kids

I've been thinking about that above statement a lot since last weekend.  In case you don't know this about me, I have issues about being submissive to my husband.  And I don't mean just "submissive".  I mean Biblically, respectfully submissive.  Not the attitude of, "Well, I'll be submissive because I have to, but I don't have to like it one bit". 

You're probably wondering what the term submissive and the title have to do with one another. 

Well, in the area of submission, I have been trying to be better.  When I started this year of 2012, I came up with my word for this year.  That word is "committed".  As in, "I am committed to becoming a more Godly wife and mom this year."  Being a Godly wife means submitting  Biblically and respectfully to my husband. 

So God, being God, decided to teach me some things along my path.  Some of what He taught me came from my Beth Moore Bible study on the book of James. 

Anyway, Todd and I don't see eye to eye on everything.  I am working on the way that I might discuss with him the things I don't agree with...without breaking into World War III.  Last weekend, we were sitting in the living room talking, and I asked him if he felt comfortable asking the boys to work as much as we make them. 

At the time, Graham and Drew were cutting our grass.  Graham cuts and edges in the front yard (sometimes he edges, sometimes Todd does that) and Drew cuts the backyard.  The conversation didn't go as I had imagined, and all of a sudden, we were really upset with one another.  We ended up being okay, but I had to apologize for the way I worded it. 

Stick around...I really do have a point.

That point is that I have been thinking of the lessons we are teaching our kids.  Most of our friends don't make their kids work like we make ours.  And by "work", I don't mean "slave", but they do pull their weight around our house.  They are expected to make their beds every morning, keep their rooms tidy, keep their laundry put up.  They have to keep their towels hung up to dry in their bathroom and keep that tiny space clean at all times.  They help with our pets, with their feeding and cleaning up after them.  And the older two boys cut our grass.  They also take out the trash any time they see that it needs to be done, and they haul it all out to the curb on Wednesday afternoons for pickup on Thursday.

All this work for the grand price of...

...

living in our house.

They do not receive an allowance.  These are things that are just expected of them.

They do get paid to do jobs in our neighborhood (helping a neighbor cut his grass or dog sitting), but they also know never to expect money.  That way, if they do something for someone and do get paid, it's a pleasant surprise.  They know that we should never get paid from family or from friends...some things we just do because we love them.

But we are one of the only families that I know that do this.  Most of our friends don't make their kids do anything, and lots of them give allowances. 

And sometimes, I wish that maybe we didn't require so much of them.  But then I remember that we're not just raising boys.  We are raising future husbands.  I was thinking yesterday, what in the world kind of young men would we be raising if we didn't require anything of them?  Would they someday be husbands that just paid for people to do the work they could do themselves?  Would they know how to turn on a lawn mower?  Would they be capable of helping their wives out on a day when she was sick?  Would they know how to run a washing machine or dryer or dish-washing machine?

I want them to be kinds of husbands that know how to do those things!  I don't want them to be lazy.  I want them to know that life can be fun, but first, we must take care of our responsibilities. 

I'm not saying we're perfect and that I always think this way, but really, what it boils down to is this: We are not raising sons.  We are raising future husbands and fathers.  I pray that they remember that we've raised them with integrity, and that it's never okay to lie.  Whether that be in person or on Facebook by creating an account for your under-aged child. 

I want them to be upstanding citizens, men who lead their families by example.  I also want them to know how to treat a lady.  That is why, in another couple of years, I plan on "dating" my sons before they are ever allowed to go on a real date.  I want them to know that chivalry is not dead, and that they should always open doors, let ladies go first, and pay the check in a restaurant.  (And this idea is one that I got from a friend that we go to church with, so I can't any credit for it.) 

And, yes, we expect them to work as teenagers.  They will have to help out with their gas, insurance and spending money.  And not just because we think it's a good idea, but because with four kids, we will have to have help! 

So, these are the lessons we are teaching our kids.  Maybe the next time I disagree with something my sweet husband asks our boys to do, I will keep my mouth shut and re-read this post.  Because, really, Todd knows what it's about.  And if they are half the men that he is, then that would be amazing.

Love to all. 


Saturday, August 18, 2012

This Weekend...

is the kind of weekend we spend with our friends. 
is the kind of weekend when the t.v. doesn't get turned on for an entire day.
is the kind of weekend my boys are spending outside with their friends.
is the kind of weekend that my husband is helping me with house things.
is the kind of weekend that I might just decide that I do like Luke Bryan after all.
is the kind of weekend that I am enjoying cooking things to enjoy with our friends.


May yours be as beautiful as mine has been. 

Love to all. 

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Thursday?!?!

This week has alternately flown by and dragged.  I don't know which one is better, but whatever the case, that's how this week has gone.

I am forever grateful to my sweet friend, Aimee, for picking up the boys from the middle school (plus one that carpools with us) today and tomorrow.  Jonah, Noah and I have not been able to get our work done by two-twenty everyday, which is the time we have to stop and leave to head to the car line.  She very graciously offered to pick up these two days in a row for us.  I am so thankful! 

So, guess what?! 

We were able to finish right before three!  You have no idea what a huge accomplishment this feels like. 

I think I had this romantic idea of what home-schooling would look like: later, lazy mornings, lots of breaks, lots of laughing, lots of them learning independently, lots of free time for me, you get my drift.  

That dream abruptly ended this week (last week?), when I realized that it's not AT ALL like that.  We have worked our tails off all week, and I am never far from them.  The bad side is that my house is a semi-wreck.  The good side is that we are definitely getting some good, quality time in. 

I'm noticing things about them that I don't know if I've ever noticed before.  Like the fact that Noah is hilarious.  But when the older boys are around, you would never know it.  He is definitely shining like the star he is during our school time.  And Jonah is an amazing reader.  He is beautifully fluent when he reads Bible verses in the morning.  I pray that through this decision to have school at home, they grow into the confident personalities I see coming out. 

So, I'm not saying that it's been a bad week, but it has definitely been a different week.  Some days will go really well, other days might not go at all (our Monday).  And some days we might finish early, but some days we might not finish until right before bedtime.  (Because I'm allowing them time outside to be children.)

I'll take what I can get when I can get it.  I'll take today's little moment of happiness and hold it close in the rougher days ahead. 

Until then, I thought I would share some pics for my non-Facebook peeps, AHEM, Big Daddy. 


 In science we're talking about environments and ecosystems.  Part of what we did today talked about food chains and food pyramids, and they had to make their own food chain out of some cards they had to cut out.  They're so proud of their work that they're planning on hanging them on their bedroom door.


 In the "beyond the lesson" segment of today's science, we were challenged to get an anole (do you know what that is?) and make a vivarium for it.  (I feel so smart just saying those words!)  Todd is currently at Pet Smart checking into it all as I write this. 


 I think this was Wednesday.  I don't know...all the days are running together.  But poor Noah was freezing, and it wasn't even all that cold in here!  For once.  ;-)  In this picture, we were doing literature.


That's what we've been doing.  Tomorrow might be a different kind of day for us...I'll have to wait and see, and I'll post about what we ended up doing.  Oh, and an anole is a lizard.  Yikes.  Yup.  We're seriously considering it.

Love to all!

And I just noticed our food chains are backwards.  Dang it.  Oh well, they got the point.  HA!

Monday, August 13, 2012

lessons I'm learning

A friend of mine told me that through the educating of her own children, God has taught her many things.  I appreciate that sweet lady taking the time from her busy life of being mom to 5 gorgeous kids to encourage me on our journey.

That being said, there is some truth to what she said!

I'm not at all a "fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants" kind of girl.  I need structure, and preferably, a schedule.  When those things fly out the window, I really don't much care for it.

I had some really good time talking to the Lord today, though.  Both this morning as I took Graham and Drew to school, and afterward, when my day started to go down.  It wasn't coincidental that I prayed for God to make me flexible today.  I prayed, specifically, for God to help me remain calm when things don't go as planned.  (This comes after a really rough night and morning last week.)

God might have given today to me as a gift to remind me of what I prayed. 

Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control.  How we handle those moments is up to us.  We can freak out and be upset, which I was tempted to do today, or I could decide to go with the flow.

I chose the latter. 

Not that I will always choose to act that way, but I promise you, I will always remember today.  I know this isn't life-changing for most of you, and most of you already know this, but I was thankful for the lesson God showed me. 

Love to all. 


Thursday, August 9, 2012

our first full day

I thought I would update you on how our first full day is going and what all we've been up to today.  We got a little bit of a late start.  I woke them up at 8:30 and they got dressed and we all had breakfast.  I had every intention of starting at nine, but that didn't happen.  It was closer to 9:30 by the time I figured out what I had to do. 

And after a mini-meltdown on Jonah's part.  I have found out that Jonah does not like to read...especially if it's a long segment.  I told him that he had to get past that, that I was here to help, but that he really had to do it on his own.  I think he's trying to see what all I will do for him...which, so far, has been not much.  I'm sure I'm not nearly as sympathetic as he'd like me to be.

Anyway, we got started and stopped at 11:30 for lunch.  I also sent them outside for a little recess. 

They didn't get much of a break, though, because they had to be logged in to their "classroom" at noon for a writing prompt meeting.  They are currently working on this as I type this.  I'm sitting in the same room with them, here but not here.  They are working towards their writing assessment test for their fifth grade year.  They're doing it early on so the teacher will have some idea as to what they need to improve on.

I think that's pretty cool.  I like that they're already working towards something.

After this prompt we will get our instructions on what we are to do with them and we will go on with our day.  They are supposed to log in 6.5 hours of attendance every single day, and after this is over, we'll be at about three and a half.

They don't have to finish everything in a certain time frame.  If they don't finish the day's work, they can work on it tonight or on the weekend.  They have to have a certain amount of hours each week, and this gives them the freedom to work on weekends if they need to. 

Anyway...so far we're having a good day.  Jonah and I might butt heads a little, but we'll get past it.  He always thinks he's right for some reason.  I can't imagine where he gets that from.  ;-)

I hope you're having a great day!  Love to all.  


Wednesday, August 8, 2012

un-school

Many of you have asked how this week has gone for Jonah and Noah. 

I will be completely honest with you and tell that it's been very strange having two go off to school everyday and for the other two to stay home.  Even stranger than that is the fact that Monday we did not have school (un-school, I guess I should say). 

Tuesday we had a half day.  All it was, was a "meet the teacher" event.  Yes, I said "teacher".  They are not being home-schooled, in the traditional sense of the word.  They are enrolled in an online school...Tennessee Virtual Academy (TNVA).  In this program, they will have teachers assigned to them.   

(The difference between this program and tradition home-school programs is that this is a state-mandated curriculum.  They are doing the same things their friends are doing in their public school.  Should they re-enter a brick and mortar public school next year, they would just slip right back in.  Also, this program keeps track of attendance and grades so I don't have to.) 

Their "homeroom" teacher is a Christian lady, whose last name just so happens to be Bible.

Those of you who know me, know that I am always looking for and finding God-things.  This is one of them.  The fact that she is a Christian lady who went to a university where we know people.  Crazy!  Well, not really...not in the eyes of God.

Anyway, we attended that event online, which took about 45 minutes.  They spent an hour doing a reading assessment test, and they played outside.  We also went to see my Mom at her new job (the cutie-patootie little shop on The Ville's square, called Cottage on Main), and Jonah and Noah got to "help" her make a floral arrangement.  After our visit we grocery shopped, and they were in charge.  I let them push the basket and find the items we needed. 

Today we didn't have any assignments, as K12 is considering this a teacher training day.  So we hung out at home, they played outside, we met my Dad for lunch and we swam for a couple hours.  And yes, that is so considered P.E.  :-) 

What happens in their (un) school is this: they participate in an event and I log in their attendance.  I assume they will attend their online class (called Class Connects), be taught something, and get their assignments for the rest of the day.  I would love to explain more, but I honestly don't know what happens.  And all of the above is assumed, as that has not been done by any of us yet.

My job is not "teacher".  I am called "learning coach".  I'm here to help if they need me, but they're encouraged to do it on their own as much as possible.

I will be honest and tell you that I've had a couple of days of doing some pretty serious freaking out.  Because, what if they are bored?  What if they miss their friends so much they can't see straight?  What if I harm them by removing them from their public school?  What if I hate it?  What if they don't learn as well at home as they would at school? 

I pray that none of this happens, but I have had some serious self-doubt.

The bottom line is this: this was not a decision that I took lightly.  I prayed and prayed and prayed (and prayed some more) about pulling them out of school, and I know without a doubt that God Himself has led me to this point.  There were too many things that just happened to think otherwise.  Things started falling into place, and I knew that this was the answer I prayed God would make clear for me. 

I know that I love having them at home.  I only wish I had them all at home!  But Graham and Drew truly love middle school, and I for that I am thankful.  Jonah and Noah loved their school, too, but this idea of un-school appealed to them as much as it did me.  When I noticed things taking a different kind of turn at the school they were in, that was the prompt I needed to make my decision. 

And I say "my" decision, but it was all of our decision.  Todd was all for it, and he totally supports me in this.  Graham and Drew were given the opportunity, but they opted to stay at CMS.  Jonah and Noah were given the opportunity and they took it.

I keep on asking them if they wish they were at their old school.  They keep saying no, that they love being at home.  As of this moment, they don't miss their friends too much, because they see them at church and have them over.  I pray that I don't do them harm by removing them from the care of people that don't know them as well as I do, but even if their grades aren't as good, I seriously doubt that 4th grade ever broke the bank.  I don't think I'm going to hate it, I really don't.  I will need to remind myself that I need to be patient and kind and gentle and full of all the other fruits of the Spirit.  And I'm pretty sure they learn well at home.  At least they always did before they started school, so I don't know why now would be any different.

I need to rest in God's peace.  And yesterday's devotion with Jonah and Noah told me just that.  It was a good reminder. 

If I get overwhelmed, all I have to do is take a deep breath and pray. 

How's all this for honesty?  You got an eye full.  (Ear full?)

Love to all.

Monday, August 6, 2012

the Monday blue's

Today was the first day of school for Graham and Drew.  They had a good day, and they got right up. 

I, on the other hand, over slept.  Yikes.  I'm praying that doesn't happen again in the morning.  Thankfully, for no reason other than it was just a God-thing, I woke up.  My alarm didn't go off or anything...I just woke up all of a sudden.

The first words I uttered this morning were, "Thank You, Lord", for just that reason.

Graham and Drew like their teachers (for the most part) and things went smoothly.  I enjoyed being home today and took advantage of the fact that I could pray for them on and off all day.  I love that feeling. 


Aren't they sweet?

Today was a free day for Jonah and Noah.  We are doing a half day tomorrow, nothing on Wednesday, then we start full time on Thursday. 

I'm a little overwhelmed, I think.  I'm trying to pray my way through it and just take things one step at a time.  I don't completely understand what is going to happen tomorrow.  There is an online conference that Jonah, Noah and I have to participate in, and after that is over, they can get started.  I think it's just not knowing every little detail that bothers me.  I am a detail freak.  I need to know every little step.  Like I said, I'm trying to just pray my way through it.

I don't know why I get overwhelmed so easily.  Sometimes I think I am my own worse enemy.  My husband has this calming effect on me...when he's here, all I have to do sometimes is just say aloud what it is I'm freaking out about.  Just telling him about my day automatically calms me down.  And boy, did the poor man get an ear full when he got home.

The puppy drove me INSANE today.  He's been very naughty and my nerves were more than just a little frayed when he walked in the back door.

Anyway, I'm better now.  For whatever reason, writing helps me, too.

So how was the first day for your kids?  I prayed for all the teachers and administrators, too...and for all my sweet elementary babies that I won't be there for this year.  I'm missing them!

Well, the Olympics are on and beach volleyball is calling my name.

Love to all!


Saturday, August 4, 2012

~life~

I have started and deleted many posts over the last seven days.  I figure that's God's way of telling me to keep my mouth shut.  Over big issues like the Chick Fil A thing and Facebook pet peeves. 

Anyway.

Today I concentrated on getting ready for our upcoming first week of school.  We rearranged some bookshelves around, I washed loads and loads of laundry, and we had a sneak peak at Graham's and Drew's new middle school.  I wish I'd gotten a picture, but I didn't.  I'll try and get one next week at some point so I can show you what their new school looks like...it's beautiful!

We had dinner at my Mom's and step dad's tonight (yummy, as usual), and I wanted to leave early so that I could come home and finish up my main project of the day. 



This is our new "school" room!  On this desk is one of the three computers we have in our living room.  I know that technically, a school room should never be in the living room, but this is where we always are.  I could have transformed a corner of the room they call their man cave, but I didn't want to take away space from the older boys. 

So, this, in our living room, is our new "school" room!  These book shelves hold all their curriculum for their fourth grade year of school.  I wanted them to have an area all to themselves that would hold everything they need.  The only thing not on these shelves is their head phones for the computer and pens and pencils.  Those are in the desk drawers.

Isn't it beautiful?!  My heart is all happy and excited over this upcoming school year.  I can't wait to start!

So that's what I've been up to.  And enjoying the heck out of our last week of Summer vacation 2012.  I still don't have things to write about, but I've also just been trying to enjoy my kids.  They've had lots of friends over this past week, and we've had something to do almost every day.  It was a great last week of Summer.
 I am in complete denial that my kids will be in 8th, 7th and 4th grades.  There is no way I am old enough to have kids that old!  ;-)

If I don't write before Monday, I pray that your week gets off to a smooth, great start!

Love to all.


third Tuesday check-in

  Happy Tuesday, friends! It's time for the third Tuesday check-in, when I'll share a very honest assessment on how life is going in...