spring break in our rear view mirror

We all survived spring break. It was a pretty low key non-event around here. But we managed to squeeze in a little fun. : )

My girl turned 18. She had a small get together with her besties.

I made cupcakes. And there was no licking involved on my part. For the first time. Ever. And I didn’t eat one either. These aren’t the prettiest cupcakes but they are a recipe of my mom’s that this bunch seems to enjoy. So instead of a bundt cake, I made cupcakes. And I sent the leftovers home with everybody so they weren’t staring at me. Crisis averted. : )

One of the girls made her this pretty bookmark. This girl is a reader herself so it makes me smile that she gave my girl a bookmark for her birthday. It’s very pretty. Good job!

She could use it in Pride and Prejudice. She was having to read that for school. And this sort of book is not her thing really. (even though she finished reading it last night and ended up liking the ending, so it’s all good) But the girls also gave her this…

…which I think is a hoot. The light is awful because the flash is so obnoxious that I shot a lot of pics without it. : / But the book on the left is P&P and the book on the right is P&P and Zombies. Cracked us up! A fun little gift while she was trudging her way through the real thing. : )

They also did some things you can do now that you’re 18 kinda stuff. One of the things they did was a mock-wedding. This is the ‘bouquet’ being tossed. The girls made tissue paper flowers for fun and used these in their ‘wedding’. It was a hoot!

The party was fun. She had a great time getting together with the girls and I had fun planning it and listening to them laugh. : )

Also during spring break, my girl went for her driving test. Well, nerves got the best of her and she drove into a parking lot instead of making a right turn. And got so flustered, she didn’t do well on the rest of the test. She did not pass. (she went again a few days later and passed with flying colors, justsoyaknow) She was crushed and a little embarrassed but handled the situation with grace. I was thankful for her attitude and it was a learning time for her…even though she was disappointed at the time.

We drove to a podunk town near us to order her a class ring. It is one of the things about school she was missing and really wanted one. So we found a company that could make that happen even though she home schools. So that was a fun little outing.

On a funny note…we have had trouble with our potty flapper for ages. I can’t tell you how many we’ve gone through. But his time the hubs came home with something different.

Isn’t it cute? It’s kinda like being at a bed and breakfast every time I flush. Or not. ; )

My garden seems to be taking off. I have baby strawberries.

And the kale is getting bigger. And everything is really doing well and growing. And the squirrels are doing their best to dig it all up. Will be making a fence’y kinda deal pronto!

I had to take the cat to the vet Monday. She had a weird tummy. Come to find out she had lost THREE POUNDS. Gah. So the vet did a bunch of blood work on her and she’s got high thyroid. So we’re doing meds for that. She’s acting better but not eating as much now. I may end up trying to find something herbal for her if she doesn’t start eating soon. She is on antibiotics also which can cause her not to want to eat. The thyroid med doesn’t taste bad and it’s not hard to get it down her. But the antibiotic tastes bitter and she foams at the mouth with every dose. Which is gross, in case you didn’t know. ha. So it will be a long week or so til that’s over. Ugh. Poor kitty. Aaaand in a strange move I still don’t understand, she slug slobber onto my lip last night. Poor me. : p

Well I think that about covers all the major activities of spring break and beyond. Hope you are all doing well, my friends. : )

school days

It feels like we’ve been “doing school” for this school year forever. Already.

I know.

But it’s really just been two weeks and two days.

We were originally going to start school on the 15th. But hubs was going to be out of town and I am not good at tech support and the school is using new software. So I am of little help.

Like I’m such a big help otherwise.

But then last week we had company and this week we’ve got some odd things going on. So we are stretching out “Week 2” and finishing it up this week.

We have no plans for a fall vacation. We can’t decide where we want to go. We almost pulled the trigger on a trip to DisneyLAND. And then backed out. And then we almost pulled the trigger on a trip to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge Tennessee and a really nice log cabin. But backed out on that one too. We need some ideas…and preferably at a place where it’s not as hot as the surface of the sun…like it is here.

Ideas? Anyone..anyone?

some hot news

So I guess I’ve got this thing called a blog. Hmm..I guess I’ll have to try this out and see how it goes. Seeing as how I haven’t posted in almost a month. Do you all even remember me? LOL

Well, there really isn’t that much to tell. It’s summer and we haven’t been up to much.

Oh and it’s hot. I mean really, rilly hot.

And last week I was watching the news and the weather man said that this week was going to be the hottest yet. I’m thrilled.

In another weather cast, he said something about a cooling trend (at some point) and “cooling down” and then he said “100”. That is not even funny, my friends.

We have pretty much given up on the local water park. A friend of mine was there the other day and said the water felt like bath water. Not exactly refreshing, if you ask me.

We have gotten to know our local malls/shops/stores pretty well though. They have air conditioning. And I’m pretty sure I’m not going to have to deal with any bath water in there either.

And in some other, other news..we start school two weeks from today. Doing online school again, cuz we love it. Excited and a bit nervous to get started. Just like always.

Oh..did I mention it’s hot? 

visitors from afar

We recently made some new friends.

The mother of one of my girl’s classmates called me and wanted to know if they could drop in for a visit so our girls could meet.

They don’t live anywhere around here…we are talking several days of journey for them.

We said we would love to meet them.

So we did.

And our girls did.

I enjoyed listening to our girls giggling in the same room.

Instead of over skype.

For six fun filled days.

I loved meeting and getting to know her parents a little bit…fighting my ‘from the wall’ tendencies the entire time. : )

And more importantly meeting them at our church on Sunday for worship…which is the thing that binds us more than having daughters that happen to be friends.

And then we said our goodbye’s and there was stillness in my little house again.

It was a wonderful experience and one that I never expected when we signed on to do homeschooling online.

Who’dathunkit.

school’s out!

We have now officially completed 10th grade! She was down to two finals left. And spent a week studying for one and then almost  a week studying for the last and she took that one a little over a week ago.

We have returned her books from this year and registered and purchased her books for next year. She’s turned in every little odd and end required in every class and received her final grade in all her classes. 

We are done.

It’s been nice to let her sleep in some. And it’s been nice to see little doodles on her whiteboard calendar instead of things like “study” and “test” and “write paper”.  Little doodles are a lot more fun.

We have no big plans for the summer…or the fall. Which is kind of sad. She’s taking a beginner cake decorating class with some friends.

I ate some of her classwork when she got home.

I like this class. Yum. : )

free style school pictures

Wednesday we did something super fun.

I decided a while back that if this home school girl was going to have “school pictures” then I had better come up with a plan.

Cuz Grandma is waiting. : )

Thankfully I have a sweet friend who is also a super fantabulous, incredibly amazing blogger, Antique Mommy. But she is also an equally amazing photographer and Photoshop artist, which is easy to see on her blog and photography area.

Soooo, I asked real sweet like and she agreed to take us/her out for a fun little photo shoot.

The results are amazing! : )

This is one of my favorite shots…just straight on!

But being that Antique Mommy is not just a photographer but also an artist, she saw many more possibilities behind the lens than I ever could.

Enjoy! (and yes, I’m freaking out a little since I don’t do a lot of pics of my girl on here. Watermarks away!)

Since my hubby is a snarky one, he had to caption this…woe is me, I’m a modern girl trapped in log cabin times..I’ll never play Nintendo again.

But I think I’ll adjust. If Laura Ingalls could do it, so can I! : )

This is one of my favorites. I love the lush green in the background contrasted against her skin and sweater.

And AM couldn’t resist a little fun with Photoshop, since she’s a genius at it. So she gave us a little glimpse into the future with this little trick.

Look mom, no braces!

She took over 200 pictures of my girl. Of course not every picture can be a winner, but we came pretty darn close. The ones I shared here are just a few from the very tippy top of the iceberg. She sent me 80 amazing shots!

There is so much more to tell about this fun day that is a post unto itself. Check back soon for the rest of the story!

the experiment

One of the more interesting things about homeschool is the fact that WE are involved in so many aspects of it. From turning in some of her assignments to helping her when she’s stuck to science experiments.

Last night we had the privilege of helping her with a science experiment.

We needed to find some open area to count paces that equaled about two football fields. I grabbed a hoody because it’s decided it’s winter again here. (Don’t EVEN get me started on THAT one!)  And I told the girl to put on something warmer too. She headed into her room to change and off we went.

We drove to a local park a few blocks from our house and let Dad do the pacing since he’s got long legs.

The girl and I waited behind while he did all the work walking and counting. Then Dad held up two rocks and banged them together. We used his iPhone a stop watch and counted from the time we saw them clack together to when we heard it.

And that’s a very short time, by the way.

But she learned about how light travels and how sound travels in the real world, not just from a book. Big fun was had by all…including feeling like those homeschool weirdos feverishly writing numbers down on paper and standing in the cold while somebody else was banging rocks together waaaay over there. We must have looked real sharp.

But the biggest lesson of the night might have come in the form of a certain girl learning that “putting on something warm” means more than changing out of  a tank top into a tshirt…to go with her flannel pajama pants.

We’re nothing if not klassy.

And yes she about froze. (it was in the low 50’s…she wasn’t about to get frostbite or anything)

And no, I did not loan her my hoodie. She was warned.

And I’m the meanest mom ever.

chat

Miss Boo is enjoying so many things this year about her new school experience.

One of those things is CHATTING with other school mates.

It’s not uncommon to walk past her room and notice the chat window open and hear that tell- tale chime that says something was sent or received.

I’m glad she loves to chat and is enjoying the friendships they’ve created online. So as an ode to her new “hobby”, hubs made this cute video for her. Enjoy! : )

the mourning booth

Yesterday the girl and I did her last ‘go to the gym’ PE session. It felt good to realize we did what we set out to do. 18 weeks of PE (as of this Friday).

woot.

But a weird thing happened yesterday. We walked in the gym on the walking track. Which means we were walking one floor above the wooden gym floor along the outer rim looking down at what ever was going on.

And at that particular time, 3 year old Mother’s Day Out kids were running around playing. At first I was annoyed. Noisy kids. Turn up the iPod. And then I started watching them. I guess being a mom for all these years makes me a bit of a student of behavior because I could pick out the shy kid. The dominant one. And so it went. But then I picked out the girl that reminded me the most of my girl when she was that age. I even told her she was ‘those kids’ once…playing on that same gym floor during her MDO days.

It was a sweet time just thinking about how much my girl has grown up. She’s not that young anymore..she’s taller than I am now. My how she’s changed!

And then I noticed one or two little boys that reminded me of my little boy. Always little to me. One little boy had that same bouncy little run. And another had the same little haircut and face shape. And then my mind wandered a little bit and I started to tear up. I continued to walk with Christmas music ringing in my ears, feeling anything but merry and bright.

It reminded me of several IRL friends…and the blogging community. When one hurts, another will come along side and just ‘be’…listen and say they’ve been there or they understand..or they don’t understand and don’t know what to say but they still care. Those are the best kinds of friends…the ones who are content (and comfortable enough) to just be in those moments.

But there is an even greater Comforter as well. And I know He is with me always. 

John 16:7 (Amplified Bible)

⁷However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].

virtually speaking

As I’ve said, way too many times we’re doing online school. It seems to be a good fit and she is enjoying being able to work at her own pace, not being exhausted…

…and she’s enjoying an unexpected little bonus…the social life. Yep, you heard me right. She’s enjoying the social life of online school!

Who’dathunkit!

Today she came into the kitchen to tell me that the girls have created a 10th grade girls dorm, complete with a small kitchen (one of the girls was baking cookies today), bunk beds (there has already been some short sheeting going on) and a huge room with lots of windows and computer docks to do your school work (no word on any actual school work getting done). And some boys have already been trying to crash the dorm.

All virtually, of course.

But she’s loving the interaction and the girls are sweet. She has friends now from all walks of life. Some in our own backyard and others from around the world.

I can’t wait for the school dance!

No, I’m not kidding about the school dance…it’s already on the calendar and she’s excited about it! : )

a walk in the park

Things are going along nicely with school. We’re both hitting our stride with it and getting more comfortable. And I think we’re all enjoying the extra free time since she’s not so bogged down doing weird things.

She’s even reading a book. FOR FUN. I know!

But the other day she was commenting that things were a little blurry, soooo… I took her to the eye doctor and she needed glasses! So we got those at the end of last week. They’re rimless and really cute. Makes her look very studious and smart. She’s getting used to them and has mentioned how blurry things are when she takes them off. I feel sorry for her that she got braces AND glasses in such a short period of time, but I’m glad she can see. Now.

We got out a little over the long weekend. It wasn’t soo hot and I was we were just itching to get of the house. So we went to the public gardens in the big city near us.

Very pretty.

They had an exhibit along the outdoor walkways with those museum-like signs that you raise/open the doors and read the answers to learn more about whatever topic. And this topic was, of course, nature and the eco-system etc.

But one question stood out. And I even know the answer.

 

YES!

Oh wait..I know my answer.

walking with God…literally

I know y’all are going to get tired of me posting about home school. I can’t help it. Especially because right now while we get rolling, I don’t have time for much else.

We are stepping up her ‘workout’ for PE this week. That means we’re trying to spend a little more time on the treadmill etc. and up the cardio a little bit. Well, I probably don’t have to tell you that she and I are both pretty un-athletic. So bumping up the cardio is a big deal.

And I hate it.

I am not not a big fan of exercise.

The workout center at the church makes it easy as they’ve got TV’s to watch and I always have my iPod in my pocket to listen to music while I walk.

I spend most of my time on the treadmill with earplugs in and my hands lightly resting on the side rail dealies so I can walk with my eyes closed. I know I get a little less of a workout that way because I’m not moving my arms, but it keeps me centered so I can sort of zone out.

I can block out the tv, other people working out (except my girl that I have to remind what to do from time to time) and any other distraction.

And walk with God. Literally.

I listen to music and just worship God. And pray. I love it.

week one recap and an observation

This is pretty much just a recap of week one of home school and an unrelated observation.

Let’s start with the observation. I was out the other day and saw a man driving a very big (Cadillac?) convertible with HORNS on the front of it. I know some people think evvverybody in Texas drives those, but let me set you straight. Ummm, no. This might be the first time I’ve seen one and I’m pretty sure J.R. Ewing wasn’t behind the wheel.

Well, we have completed one week of home schooling. And I’m here to tell ya…

• Seems a bit odd to watch Paula Deen dish out the butter and fat whilst walking on the treadmill. (We do gym work 3 days a week and the other 2 days are weight/floor work we can complete at home)
• Spanish class is interesting via computer.
• I am not near as tech savvy as my husband…and the ENTIRE younger generation.
• Did you know you can say all the vowels in Spanish??? Here, let me show you! Say “Pepe, taco, burrito”. There! You’ve just said all the vowels correctly. Spanish should be a breeze from here, right? RIGHT??? : )
• I don’t think Rosetta Stone is interested in her looking at the picture of the waving man and saying “he’s hot” after saying “hola” into the microphone. I overheard that little jewel as I walked past her room as she played around on RS earlier this week.

But overall, we had a good week. We are still learning the ropes, as they say. This week was a lot of procedures and learning the tech with a little learning thrown in. Next week we’ll be hitting the real stuff harder. I hope we can remember everything we learned this week about zips, downloads, mp3s and a million other little details. hold me.

I’m flying!

OMG(osh)! I can’t believe all the researching, planning and ordering of the books is over and we are down to the wire.

Tomorrow is the first day of school.

This is our first home school type experience. I’ve always sent her off to school in new clothes and a full lunchbox. But this is different. And it feels different. I bought a few spiral notebooks for her to jot down little notes. And a big container of mechanical pencils, which are a fave around here too. And that’s about it.

We’ve been joking that she can go to school in her pajamas! Just kidding though. She’ll have to get her act together a little bit to visit the gym several days of the week. Until January. And then she can go to school in her pajamas! : )

I’ve been thinking a lot about all my routines and how things will change with this new school set up. One thing I realized is that I won’t have uninterrupted days alone to ‘get things done’. And one of the easiest things to get behind on is housework!

So!

I was chatting with a friend the other day and she had nice things to say about Flylady’s system. During our discussion, I figured out that I was already doing some things “the Flylady way”. That made me happy. But I could still see a thing or two that would make cleaning easier.

My bathroom counters are always a mess.

Ooops..pardon the kitty. Flylady can’t help me with that. But you get the idea...mess-y! And it takes time to clean everything off and move it all around to clean. So I got an idea.

I put all my bottles and containers in another container, so I can move ONE thing instead of a zillion little things! I’ll let you know how it works out for me. I plan to do my counters the Flylady way and wipe them down daily so they don’t get dirty. Should be much faster that way.

Isn’t it pretty?

I’ll let you know how it goes!