Just right...I think

Well, after this huge debate with Christmas being too much, I have decided that it was just right for this year. We had a great time and I even forgot to wrap some things. It might have looked like a lot, but it was pretty small actually. The dollhouse was a big hit!! Here are some pictures from that fun day.

Reading Christmas Eve:
"Santa's" Milk & Cookie:
All set up Christmas Eve:
Opening Presents:
A Horse from Tangled! Thanks Mom & Dad:

Baby Kahn! A Big hit:

(She has a larger horse that looks just like this one that she named Kahn, so it was a perfect match for that one. She was super excited about it.)

Jeremy's Stash:

Nicole's Stash:

Anna's Stash:

Anna's looks like a lot, but it was really all big stuff. She had a good time and I got some great deals. It was a lot of fun. Would have been more fun for her if I had remember where I hid everything and wrapped it, but oh well. I am sure she didn't mind. It was a lot of fun and I am glad we got those items. Now if only I could clean up everything? Ah well. I promised Jeremy I would leave up the tree till after New Year's Day, but you can bet your buttons that January 2nd it'll all be down. I want my house back. Hope everyone else had a good Christmas too and if I don't get back here before then, Happy New Year to you all. May 2011 be good to you all and may you be blessed!! Take care!

Too much?

Well, it is Christmas again and I always think we get Anna too much. I try to limit it, but its hard, since she is the only one. This year, there are two gifts from Santa and about 5 main ones from us, along with little junk. Is that too much? She has friends who get only two gifts and some that get tons. I feel we are middle of the road in regards to this, but still feel like maybe we over-indulge in the holiday. Not sure yet. Nothing she gets is especially fantastic and this is the most she has gotten in several years, but I still sometimes think that it is too much. UGH!! What a complicated dilemma. I'm not sure. Anyhow, that's what I am thinking right now. Do you think she gets too much, too little or just the right amount? I won't be offended by any answers, just looking for a happy middle ground. Thanks!

Anna's 9th Birthday

Exactly one week ago today my little girl turned 9 year old. She was super excited about her birthday and her party. She just really wanted it. I can't say I blame her. It is the one day that is completely devoted to you. Anyhow, here are some pictures from her party.



Anna wanted to "make jewelry" for her birthday party, so we went and bought some beads and the threading stuff to make necklaces and bracelets. Someone should have warned me to cut them extra long so we had room to tie them. LOL! I had a very hard time tying them closed, and some of them never made it home, but for the most part the kids had a great time.

At one point in Anna's party we had someone come in who needed some help with money, so someone started an impromptu game of musical chairs to occupy the kids. (We had her party at the church, so it isn't an unusual request. We got him taken care of, then promptly locked the doors.)

Opening gifts is always fun. She got some neat stuff. She also got a lot of new clothes, which you don't see here. LOL!!

We also had one amazing cake! A co-worker of mine made it for Anna's birthday and I had no idea what to expect. She went way above the call and made this totally awesome cake that had everyone awe struck!

As you can tell we all had a good time and Anna absolutely loved it. I am so glad that so many of the friends and family came out to help her celebrate her big day. It wasn't this birthday I'm worried about, it'll be next years birthday when she turns 10 and hits the double digits. I may have to cry then. I would have to say that this years party was a huge success. Anna had a great time and that's all that counts.

It's ALL about the PJs

It's ALL about the PJs at our house. Anna is kind of obsessed with "Footy" pajamas. She absolutely loves them and can't wait to wear them. The only problem is that she outgrew them last year and I gave them away without replacing them. Yes, I know that's a problem, especially when they are her "favorite pajamas." Well, every time we passed them in the store all last winter she kept insisting that she NEEDED some new footy pajamas. "Mom, please. You promised." UGH!! That's what I get. Well, last year came and went and I never bought her a new pair. Then, they came out with the winter stuff again this year. "Mom, I just gotta have them. You got rid of my other ones and I loved them so much. PLEASE get me a new pair." Well, I finally gave in. I still don't see the fascination with them as I used to think they were for babies AND I hated getting all undressed to go to the bathroom, but so be it. My daughter loves them and thinks they are the bestest pajamas, so for her birthday I got her some.


Promptly after opening them she asked if she could wear them that night. Uh, nope. It was 70 degrees outside. Too hot for footy pjs. But last night it dipped down into the 20s. Yep, Daddy and I both agreed that she could wear her footy pjs last night. That was plenty cold enough to wear hot jamys. Here are some pictures of her proudly wearing her new pjs.

AND, she insisted that I take one of her pretending to read a book, cause we were of course taking pictures of her in pajamas and the only other time we did that was Christmas in front of the tree in an attempt to get "cute" Christmas pictures. Anyhow, here is that pose too for you viewing enjoyment. (Oh and YES she picked out "The Night Before Christmas.")

As you can tell, my darling daughter was thrilled to death about her new footy PJs and I am glad we got them. She loves them and I can guarantee that they will get lots of use!

Can I Scream????

UGH!! Can I SCREAM!!! I had the worst pictures ever of Anna taken a few weeks ago and I was assured that they would print fine, BUT they printed horribly! They are all blurry and out of focus and the new one that FINALLY came in is so dark you can't see her!! I am so not happy with this company. I am in the process of asking for a refund, since I obviously will have to go some where else and do them again. What happened to good old fashioned customer service!!! I had to call another stores location to get in contact with a regional manager. I am very upset and sad to know that we will have to do this again. You can only get the initial pictures once. Taking them again somewhere else is almost pointless. UGH!!! So upset and frustrated!!! Her pose and smile were so cute too. Sigh!!.......

ARD done...

IEP set in place. Praying that we got everything in there that will be neccesary for Anna to succeed in school. They say she is adjusting quickly and well. She already has several "friends" and is very social with the other kids. Her reading teacher said that her reading is very good. She has tested her and has had Anna read to her. (She always has read well...once she decided to do it. LOL!) It made me feel a little better, but as her Momma, I will still always worry. Glad that's done and that we are seeing some swift action in this. I pray that all is enough for her to succeed.

Guess that's all. I better go find something better to do with me afternoon. Take care all.

She's In

She's in public school for now. It is a tough thing for me, but Anna is resilient and she came out the first day saying she liked it and she likes all her teachers. They switch classes for everything. She is getting more "hot" lunches, because they are tons cheaper. We have a meeting tomorrow morning to find out what help they will be given. The ARD was a lot faster than I anticipated, but I'm glad. We'll know tomorrow how far they'll go to help her. She is slightly behind in math...but this is not through any fault of her own. She was at a school that hadn't started multiplication or division yet, but this school she's at, they have. (I actually love the way they start them out on division AND I think she actually grasped the concept.) Guess that's the update for now. I'll check in later this week after the meeting tomorrow. Take care.

Hard Decisions

Well, I think we/I have decided that we have to at least try the public school. No one really truly knows or understands why the decision is so hard for me, except my dear husband. It is hard. VERY hard. We will go out this weekend and get a few basic school supplies that Anna didn't have to have for private school and then we will register and start at the new school Monday. I will continue to pray, but I have to at least give it a shot. If after that six weeks time period I still feel hesitant or not comfortable, then I will make that decision to bring Anna back home. (My sis-in-law was my encouragement for this. She called right after I posted the last post and encouraged me to at least try it. If it doesn't work, then there really is nothing lost but 6 weeks or so and I can always pull her back home if I absolutely hate it.) I will give it my best shot and continue to pray. Thanks for those who cared enough to encourage and pray for me. We will continue to need prayers.

Asking for Prayers

(This is a lot personal and hard for me to post, but we need prayers.)

Please pray for guidance. We have withdrawn Anna from the private school effective this Friday and the plan was to put her in public school, but I'm not so sure about this plan. I really need prayers for guidance that we make the right decisions. I am running out of time to decide this as it will need to be on the paperwork first thing Friday and because I'm making the schedule for work for next week and if we will indeed be homeschooling again, we will need to tweak it just right. I make that schedule for tomorrow. Thanks all for the prayers. I always hope I'm making the right decision for my little girl and acting on faith and not self, but sometimes I question and double guess myself. Thank you in advance again. God bless.

Changes are Brewing....AGAIN!

Well, changes are brewing....again!! I know, not shocking in my household. As of last week, Wednesday to be exact, Anna will finish out this month at her current private school AND we will be putting her in a close by public school with LOTS of prayer. It was a tough decision, but we really need to put aside the money we are paying in tuition every month and save up for other expenses we have coming (like medical on my end.) It was a good school and I liked their curriculum, but they have no extra resources for children who need extra help, which left Jeremy and I schooling Anna at home to the tune of 1-6 hours a day. (YEAH, I know really developmentally appropriate for an 8 year old. NOT!) Anyhow, so from November 1st, till Christmas we are trying out the public school. We will be praying a whole lot as this is not really high on my list of where to send her to school. Anyhow, if it works, she will continue, if not, after Christmas I will be changing my work schedule and going to back to homeschooling forever more. Anyhow, that's all. We could use prayers for Anna and for us as a family. This was a very hard decision and not one we came by lightly. I am really personally struggling with this idea, but I am giving it a shot, to say that at least we tried. I hope it works.

My Beautiful Gift from God!

Today I was thinking about how lucky and blessed I am to have a beautiful gift from God. He gave her to us to raise and love and show His ways. She is more than we could ever ask for. She is smart and witty and very funny. She thinks of things in ways like no one else can. She loves unconditionally and she has a smile like no other. She is my special little girl and I love her deeply. She is our little miracle and our pride and joy! She is the light of our lives.

Outside playing in rocks:

Roping a tree (she's a little cowgirl):

See that beautiful smile:

She completes our family picture:

See! BEAUTIFUL!!!

I love this girl with all my heart and feel extremely lucky and blessed to call her mine. God truly knew what he was doing when he gave us this beautiful little girl. She is truly a joy to have in my life. I am proud to call her my daughter!

School Troubles?

***WARNING: FRUSTRATION VENT AHEAD!!!

We are beyond frustrated with school. Anna has a major test again tomorrow on vocabulary words that are way beyond 3rd grade. I received them tonight. The test is tomorrow. By the time I got home from work, that didn't give me much time to make sure she knows them all. These words are hard. We will be going over them again in the morning.

They keep pulling her out of PE for finishing class work, which results in her needing to do make up work for PE. She has this make up work completed and on time, but she never gets to take it to PE with her and she has a different teacher for that class. UGH! So, we spent the time doing the work, but she loses points for not turning it in. Not fun.

Math is hard too. We have been working on it and working on it, but she is still behind. I received a timed math paper back with a "memorize facts" comment written on it. That's all we've been working on. She had completed 4 questions out of 25-30 in the 5 minute time period. Anna has gotten better at the math and even a little faster, but when she feels the least bit threatened, she shuts down. I'm not sure how else to drill it into her. We started touch math with the intention of it making things faster, and it does, but not fast enough.

I love the school that we picked out and the things that they stand for. I like Anna's teacher, but I also feel like they are not giving her enough to work with. They just expect her to pick up with the other kids and be able to perform at the same level. She is trying hard, but still struggling. I have e-mailed the teacher and the principal. I have tried keeping a daily log open with the teacher. I have tried watching her in class and observing the teacher's technique. I have tried doing the work at home, but that is paying to have her in a good school and still homeschooling. I just don't know what else to try right now. They are not willing to work with parents and get the student to feel confident. They are not making it easy to transition. I am just beyond frustrated. I do not feel that they are working with us or with Anna and her learning disabilities. She is trying hard and we are trying hard with little results. There is no one else to contact at the school. No one.

I just do not know what to do right now. I do not know if I should move her to another school, where they are better equipped or do I move her back home with me and go back to working full-time nights again. (I really am enjoying my days. REALLY!) I will not got back part-time. I am working full-time. I took a promotion at work to be able to put Anna in school and I will not go back on that. I will have to figure this out. This will require a lot of prayer. I really wanted to give it till Christmas break to decide, but it is obvious to us that something will have to be done sooner. There is just too much stress involved in schooling her where she is at. We need something different.

All I'm asking for is prayer and guidance. We don't need criticism. We just need prayer. Thanks all and thanks for understanding.

New Doctor

Well, after four years of no health insurance and over five since my last complete check up, I finally have health insurance and a new doctor who I love! He is so kind and gentle. I like him already!! Just wanted to share! I am a very happy person today. (Even though he is sending me for a billion tests. LOL!!)

I will get to see a dermatologist and get skin tags removed and he is referring me to a Rheumatologist, hopefully different from the last one I saw, so I can get a full RA work up again. If I can't get in with a different one, he is referring me to one in Midland. There is one there that he likes. (Could mean some road trips in our future, but it would be worth it.) I also get to have my first mammogram, based on family history, among other reasons. (YIPEE...NOT!)

Anyhow, I am hoping that I can keep this doctor for a very long time. He's good. (Prayers needed for the good Rheumy here. I wouldn't mind driving to Midland, but would rather stay here.) Thanks all.

Meeting Done

We met with Anna's teacher and the principal briefly today. Her teacher and I feel that it is more the fact that Anna has never been in the school setting till this year. She is passing all her classes, and doing better in some than others. Her teacher is doing her best to help her along. I will continue to keep in touch with her teacher on a regular basis and we will continue to do a little bit of extra work at home. She will catch up to the class and she will do fine. I am very glad that we had the meeting. I was able to go over the work with her teacher and we both think that it would be more detrimental to her for her to go back a grade, so we will continue to work hard to make this transition work for her. I am very glad that we had the meeting and now I know exactly where she sits and how she is doing. We are seeing great progress with Anna in school and she is starting to understand what she needs to do. By the next progress report we should see considerable improvement and she should be fully adapted to her class and routines. Thanks for all the prayers. They were very much appreciated.

Meeting

Tomorrow we meet with Anna's teacher and the principal about her schooling. She seems to understand and know how to do the work, but has absolutely no idea how to work independently to complete it. She is too used to me sitting there saying do this one and do this one and now do this one. She has absolutely no idea how to do work on her own and especially not with all the distractions of a classroom. She doesn't understand the consequences of not getting her work done and even if she says she does, she doesn't remember when she would need to. We are going to try and set a plan in place between us, the teacher and the principal. It may be that she needs a "buddy" to check in on her and make sure that she is doing the assigned work, not helping her, but just making sure she has done it...kind of what I do, but someone in her class. We may just need to let her see the grades she'll get if she doesn't do her work. Maybe threaten her with repeating 3rd grade? UGH! I don't know. I just know that we are meeting them tomorrow. I'm praying for understanding and results. We will need to have a plan in place.

We started working on her diorama today for her reading project. She seems set on doing this, so even though she has absolutely no clue what one is, we are doing one. She will still have a written portion of the project, but it will be her work. Today I showed her how to make 3-D grass with her construction paper. That was fun to watch. I'll post pictures of her progress and the finished work next week when she's completely done. YES, I have been taking pictures of her working on her diorama. It is her first big project. I am not reading the book. This is all on her. Her project and her work. I may show her how to do things, but I am not doing it. The pictures ought to be fun to watch.

Alright. Time for me to crash in bed. Have a good night. Take care all.

An hour of Awe

Well, today Anna had an appointment with her allergist, so when I took her back to school I sat in on the class for an hour. My child is very lost. She can't follow more than one step directions and they were giving her a page with 10. I also talked with the secretary AND the teacher has NEVER seen all her file, so she has absolutely no idea about Anna's testing we had done at the middle of the last school year. SO, needless to say I will be scheduling a conference with Anna's teacher after I know she's had time to read over the file. I will also be making more class visits to observe again and see how things are going. Still have no further information on the tally slip, but hope to have more today after school. But I do get the sense that this class is run on a LOT of independent work and Anna is not used to working like that. It explains a lot of the incomplete papers that we have coming home to finish. It also explains the grades she's been getting. I should have observed sooner, but I really wanted to make sure Anna knew what she was doing and that she had time to learn the whole routine of the classroom. I'm very glad that I stepped in for a few minutes...okay an hour (that I'm sure Anna just wanted me to go away.) I'm hoping that after her teacher reads the file it will all be a bit better. I'm praying for that. It was very insightful. Should have done this two weeks ago!

At Odds with the Teacher

Yes, already! My daughter came home with her homework folder and it says to pick a fiction book for book project. What book project? I look online where it lists this info and its no where to be found. Of course it is now after 7pm and she doesn't know, maybe make a diorama she says about the book. Sheesh. That's a lot of help there! Good grief.

Next thing in her folder is a sticky note with three pages listed on it. I have no idea what it is for, so I ask Anna if she was missing these pages. She said yes. SOOOO, off I go to dig through the stacks of papers she has already brought home and low and behold, at least 2/3 were in the stack. UGH! They are only in that stack if they are in the keep at home section of her folder, so I put a note with them and place about 5 other pages that "might" be the third paper and place those back in her folder for the teacher. Its a very good thing I had kept all her papers to now, otherwise we might be in trouble. I also took the rest of her school papers and placed them into a large three ring notebook with dividers. I have a feeling this won't be the first time I have to dig through work that had already been sent home.

Then, as I'm digging through my daughter's backpack the rest of the way, I find a tally slip. A tally slip is only given if they've been in trouble, BUT the dang thing is not dated or filled out. It has to be from today as she got a new backpack this weekend. UGH again. SOOOO, she's been in trouble at school for something, but since the teacher can't be bothered to fill out her section, I ain't signing the darn thing. All I have is Anna's word that she wasn't paying attention. I don't know in what subject or anything.

I'm already having a HUGE issue with this teacher. She does not do her job. I don't care if she's been teaching 4 years or 40(ding ding ding), she needs to do her job. I try to keep Anna current on things, but if you send home papers in the keep at home side, I should not have to file them to be able to find them again for you when you decide to record the information. Most parents trash most of those papers anyhow. She should be very glad I had not done so...at least not yet. I also should not have to take a tally slip and figure out what my lovely child did during your class. It is your job to fill out the date, time and infraction. IT is NOT mine!! I have her correct work and send it back. I will discipline my daughter IF you can be bothered to do your job and fill out the proper spots.

I WILL NOT try and figure out this school thing on my own. So FAR, the only warm welcome we have gotten is from the office staff. The rest has been trial and error. No one tells you anything. The handbook is not clear. Everyone treats you like you've been there the whole time your child has been in school. It has not been very fun for me to figure this mess out. I am NOT a happy momma right now!!!

P.S. I taught for 5 years in a public school, so YES, I do know what the teacher's should do! DO NOT try to tell me otherwise!! UGH!

Bio-Letters

UGH!!! I absolutely wish we had only agreed to once or twice a year on letters to bio-mother. UGH!! We are having to write 4 times a year, but I just don't want to. She shows little interest in my daughter most of the year and she doesn't understand the fact that we will not let her see Anna again for a very long time. The whole content of her letters is asking for a visit. Not just once, but the last letter she wrote asked us to meet her once a week. YEAH right! First of all, we live 6 hours away. Second of all, the last visit we had was detrimental to Anna's well-being. Third of all....N_O_ NO!!!! Its not happening.

Its not that I'm not happy to have some contact with bio-family, its just that I don't want to write 4 times a year. I have nothing to say to the woman. Honestly. NOTHING! I tell her the same things every letter. (Anna is tall. What size she is currently in, even though she will never get anything from her. How school is going. What she likes in school and what she doesn't like. BLAH! BLAH! Blah!) I stopped sending a whole bunch of pictures each time as well and now only send 1-2 per letter. I bet that wasn't well received, but oh well.

The point is, I just don't want to write these letters anymore. Unfortunately, we are bound by the stupid agreement, until Anna turns 18. Not that bio-mom would know the difference, but if she did figure it out one day and realized we weren't holding up to our end of the agreement, she could sue us. Anyhow. I guess that's all. Its just one of the parts of our adoption I don't like. I regret signing that agreement, completely. I can't wait till we're done with it. Praying I can make it another 9 years and a few months.

This and That

Well, school has been in session now for two weeks and today when I asked Anna if she wanted to go back to homeschooling or stay in school, she said school, so I guess that would mean its going well. She is doing great on some things and not so good on others, but she likes it overall. I am very happy with our decision to put her in school. So far it is working out great. We have my mom's help as she picks Anna up nearly every day. It is good for both of them.

Last weekend we had some surprise visitors...my sister and her family came for a visit. I almost cried when they walked into my work. I so was not expecting them to come, but I am so glad they did come. I finally got to meet my new nephew who was 6 weeks old and my mom got to meet her new grandbaby. It was a good visit, even if it was a flying trip. I am so happy for them and I can't wait to visit with them again! Here are some pictures from that visit:

Norman and Micah:

Nanny and Micah:
Graciela hugs Anna:

Anna, Graciela & Micah:

Again, it was a lot of fun and I am so glad they came. We had a great visit.

Today, Anna and I have been a couple of busy bees. We started the morning at Tar*get to get her a new backpack. I found one I liked for her, but she wanted the "pink" one, only because it was pink. Ugh! I didn't like it as well, so I slowly convinced her that the one I found was cute and it has a stuffed animal hanging off it. We ended up with the one I like, because I AM Mom after all. Then headed off the Kohl*s. I love that store. They have such nice clothes and we got some excellent deals. Anna got 3 pairs of capris, 3 pairs of capri leggings, and 2 shirts. I got me 4 shirts. We spent about $50 and saved about $120. LOL!! That tells you how much they were on clearance. All were 70-80% off, except one of my favorite shirts, it was only 50% off. I think we did good and I'm happy with our purchases.

Anna and I then headed home and painted her finger nails and toe nails. ELECTRIC BLUE!!! LOL!! I found it at the local discount store that I dislike shopping at and bought it. It was a fun color. Here are some pictures from that:

We followed that up this afternoon by making a batch of no-bake chocolate cookies. YUMMY!! Now, if they would ever harden, we can eat them all up. LOL! That was all today. I'm off for two more days, whatever will I do with my time. I'm not used to being off, let alone a 3-day weekend. We have had so much fun today. Hope we can keep it up.

1st Day of School

Today was literally Anna's first day of school. We are not homeschooling this year. Instead we found her a nice Christian school to go to and we went full force with it. Anna was excited and scared. She should be, its all new and she hasn't been away from us hardly at all in the last 3 years. (The year before that she was in daycare, but that was all play.) Anyhow, after much prayer and deliberation, we decided that it was in our best interest to put her in school. Public school is just NOT an option for us, so we are paying a good deal of money to have her in a good school. Anyhow, she tested into third grade, which is right where she should be and so here we are....Anna's first day of school!

Love this picture and the way she posed her legs:

At the school waiting:

This is how I left her, a little nervous, but okay:

Anyhow, she did great and had a good time. She will adjust and said that her favorite thing was recess. Her favorite subject is of course reading. No surprise there as that was her favorite when I was teaching her. She's good at it. Anyhow, here's to a new year full of new adventures, including school! Praying that we made the right decision for her and for our family. Thank you all for your continued support and prayer.

Dear Lord

Dear Lord....Help me to be strong and brave and not have fear. I don't like fear. Thank you. Amen.

Changes!!!

Well, lots has changed in the last few weeks. Not only did I get the key holder position, but I also went full time AND in 23 days, Anna will be starting school. She will NOT go to public school, as I don't think that is a good fit for our family. She will go to a private school. I am praying that this is the right decision for our family. Truthfully, I love being at home with Anna, but I did not like being fully responsible for her learning and frankly, I didn't want to be home anymore. I wanted to be out and about. I'm just not a home body. I love being out. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change being home with Anna for 3 years for anything, but I was starting to not enjoy it. We were homeschooling for all the wrong reasons. Most people have no idea why, and I prefer that they never do, but we were mostly homeschooling out of fear. I am letting go of that fear and letting God take care. He is taking care of everything.

Anna tested into the third grade, which is exactly where she should be. We will work extra hard in math so she can be somewhat on level. I really am trying to make sure she gets down the addition and subtraction facts in the next three weeks. We are drilling flash cards, which is my least favorite way to do it, but time is short for her to learn it and learn it well. I am very happy with the school we have chosen. It was a short test, but I really think the placement will be wonderful. She will wear a uniform one day a week and the rest of the time she will wear regular clothes.

The next few weeks will be trying and hard. We have registration to pay and then tuition all in one month. We even have to buy school supplies and some new school clothes. We also have no child care this summer, so it means finding someone to watch Anna every time I work right now. I also am trying to learn all the things that go into my promotion at work. It is a lot to take in, but we will make it. God has provided the means and we are taking it. It is a life-style change for us. We have gotten used to either Jeremy or I being at home with Anna almost exclusively for the last 6 years. He stayed home with her while she was younger and then I stayed home with her the last 3 years. (She spent only 1 year in day care when we first moved here.)

Anyhow...there are a lot of changes in store. They are scary and exciting all at the same time. I pray that these changes will be good for our family, for our marriage and for Anna. I pray that God will take care of all that needs to be taken care of. I also pray that Anna does good in the next school year. I am trusting God with all the details. It will be good.

Hold that thought

Ok, So hold that thought on my last post. I got a promotion at work this week, but only cause I asked for it. :-) It was a position that had been previously only allowed for full-timers, but since so much at work is changing anyhow, I asked if they would consider a part-timer. I got it and so far I'm happy. I hope it stays this way for a while. Unfortunately, I've come to realize at work that a lot of bad things happen in cycle with everyone's monthly cycle. LOL!! Guess tempers and moods flare at certain times. I guess it makes us cranky...you think? LOL! Anyhow, I got the promotion and I am learning new things right now which makes me happy for a time. Praying for the best, cause lately I've been known to speak my mind. Have a good week.

Wanted: Read On!

Wanted:
New Job!

Requirements:
*Appreciate the workers you have and the hard work they do.
*Talk with respect to your employees.
*Know how to make a schedule.

Date: Two Weeks from today

RSVP: ASAP

Contact: Me

Comments: UGH!

Getting Tall

Everybody keeps commenting on how tall Anna is getting, so lets put statistics to it. Last month when she went to the Dr, she was 4'3". This month, only 30 days later, she is 4'5". She has shot up 2 inches in only 30 days. She is in fact getting very tall.

She is also very beautiful. She has long dark hair that is still got some perm in it from 2 years ago. Apparently it REALLY stuck to the ends this time. LOL! She is our little princess in every way. I love her very much and wouldn't change her for the world.

Doubt?...Couldn't be!!

Lately I have been doubting whether homeschooling is right for our family. Is this really what is best for Anna as well as for myself. I mean let's face it. Homeschooling is tough. Its hard. Its a lot of work. Its tiring and exhausting. Well, wouldn't you know God has a funny way of telling me that we are supposed to do it. I recently signed up on website for homeschooling parents. I was checking out their curriculum and in order to fully access some features, we had to sign up. Anyhow, I signed up and also started receiving their daily devotional. Yesterday I got this one:


Poor, Pitiful Me
Tuesday / June 29, 2010


"O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 118:1).

Standing in the basement doing laundry, I wondered, "How much of your life do you sacrifice before there's nothing more to give?" I was missing a beautiful summer day outside and feeling frustrated that there was so little time for the things I enjoyed. I dreamed of relaxing in the sun with an ice cold glass of lemonade and a good book or riding my horse into the open pastures near our ranch. Homeschooling seemed to be consuming my entire life, and each day I felt a little more drained. If I wasn't teaching my children, I was cleaning their messes. Would there ever be time again for me?

Self-pity is a destructive force in a person's life because it fails to acknowledge God's goodness with a grateful heart. The Hebrew nation's constant grumbling is a prime example (Psalm 106:25). For over 470 years, they cried out to God for a deliverer to rescue them from bondage in Egypt. When deliverance finally came and Moses led them to the Promised Land, they continued to complain, even to the point of longing to go back to Egypt. Although God had proven Himself mighty with miracles and provisions, they failed to be thankful for His loving hand of protection.

What about you? If the demands of homeschooling have you down, stop your personal pity party and think again about what the Lord has done. Your days might be busy, but God has blessed you with incredible opportunities to change the world through your children's lives. Let praise and thankfulness replace your "poor me's" and watch as God blesses your faithfulness in serving Him as a homeschooling parent. "I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth" (Psalm 34:1).

Father, forgive my selfishness when I fail to appreciate all You have given to our family. Lift my heart today and help me to focus on the things in life that are truly important. In Jesus' name, Amen.


Yeah, I know....slap in the face, right? Well, even after this I still had my doubts. I mean I know it is what I want to do, but like I said....IT IS A LOT OF HARD WORK!! Well, anyhow, if that wasn't enough for me, this morning I open my e-mail to this little number:

Unfulfilled Days
Wednesday / June 30, 2010


Do homeschooling parents ever admit that life is anything but one blissful moment after another with their children? If they're honest, they will. As much as we would like to proclaim homeschooling's benefits and see our children's lives through "rose-colored glasses," we must also attest to our children's sinful behavior that causes disruption in the home and unproductive homeschooling days. Children easily demonstrate sinful actions of selfishness, greed, jealousy, and other undesirable characteristics that require daily correction and training in righteousness. Like management in the workplace, wise homeschooling parents must allow for down times in academic productivity to address the more important issue of character building in their child.

Amazingly, there are many similarities between our relationship with our children and God's relationship with us. As His children, we demonstrate actions that disrupt God's family of believers. With selfishness, pride, and rebellion, we fail to be productive in accomplishing God's will. Daily, God must discipline us and provide the instruction in righteousness that will develop Christ-like character. Patiently, He continues to perfect the work He has begun in us, so our lives will bear much fruit for His name's sake (Philippians 1:6).

Are the frustrations of homeschooling tempting you to give up teaching your children? Do you find yourself taking one step forward and two steps backwards? Just as God gently corrects and teaches you in your spiritual walk, allow the Lord to help you show that same patience toward your children. Although your days may seem unfulfilling, you are giving your child the exact education he needs. "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Lord, how difficult it is to stay on track in our homeschooling! Remind me that we are learning more than just academics and show me how to deal with my children's true needs. In Jesus' name, Amen.


Yeah....let me just say that even though it is a lot of hard work and sometimes, okay, a lot of times, I wonder if we are doing right for Anna by doing this, I would also think that this is a wake up call. I get it Lord, I really do get it!! So, even though it is hard work. Even though we are not the ideal homeschool family. Even though we could really use the money if I went back to work full-time. Even though Anna has a learning disability. Even though it costs a lot. Even though it is time consuming...Even though a lot of other reasons. I get it. Homeschooling is the right fit for out family and God has made that evidently clear to me. So, its back to fall planning I go. No more delays. No more excuses. No more wondering. Its just planning time. That's all. Time to work on the wonderful opportunity given to us.

Bath Time?

In the length of time it takes for me to take a bath in the morning, my daughter had managed to transform the living room into what I call the Barbie circus!! LOL. Here is what you see upon entering the living room:

As you can see, Barbie is the ring leader. She is all decked out in her riding clothes of course. ;-) Can't you see the boots?

Then we have this little number. Its called horse balancing.

What? You can't see it? Here's a better angle:

Don't you wish you could bend over a horse like this and still have a huge smile? I know I sure do. (NOT!!) LOL!!

Oh and in case you are wondering what's under the blankets by the carriage, its all 4 of the kids. Apparently the circus is not good for their eyes or something like that. Either that or it was bed time. Take your pick.

Happy 5th Family Day

Here is what your Daddy posted on his Face*book account:

5 years ago today my wife and I completed a journey that changed our lives forever. The change brought an indescribable joy and love to our house that would remain forever. This joy and love came in the form of a very special little 3 year old girl that holds the key and reins to our hearts to this day and will continue to do so until we pass away. We have been through so much as a family but through our trials our love for each other has gotten stronger. The judge may have sounded the gavel to start this family but God's intentions for you were clear since the day you were born. We love and cherish you more and more with each passing day. Happy Family Day, Anna!

Here is what I posted like an hour later:

Today is our Family Day Celebration. Happy Family Day Anna!! We love you very much!! We didn't need a judge to tell us that you were meant to be our daughter!!

Here are the comments left by all the people who love you:

Aunt Natashia said, "We are blessed that God put you in our lives. You are very loved and I could not imagine the family without you!"

***Note....if you all have comments to add, please let me know and I will add them. I plan on printing this post and keeping them for Anna to read. Thanks all.

Superficial

I've had it with superficial people! I can't stand people who do not want to include me for who I am. I don't get it. Please, don't include me in things out of obligation. I'd rather not go at all and YES, I CAN tell when you are superficial. I do not need the stress in my life. I need people who know who I am and love me anyways! I need someone to include me (and Anna) cause you like to spend time with us. I do NOT like to be an after-thought of your plans. The oh yeah, we need to call Nicole and see if she wants to go long after you've made plans or started makes me mad. Just don't call at all. I've had it.

What I do need is someone who likes me for who I am and what I am about. I am not going to change to please you. I want someone who will go shopping with me, knowing I can't buy the $30 pair of shoes on the rack. I will be the one hunting down the $5 and under clearance. Anything over $10 is usually out of our price range. I want someone who like to spend time at the park and do other free or nearly free things. The play areas in restaurants are good too. I need someone who will call and say "Hey! How's it going?" and truly want to know. I need someone who is true to their word! I need a real friend, not superficial. Superficial people annoy me!

There, now I've said my piece about it all. If you are my really friend, you can ignore this. If you are a superficial person, then stop it. I need only true friends.

Sincerely Me!

No More Sundays....

Yes, ALREADY! They stopped doing it after I've only done two because we lost too many people and we need every possible person on the floor right now at all times. SO...there is not any more Sunday night work. UGH!! I was really counting on that for extra hours I need. We really needed the money from it. Oh well. Nothing I can do. It will all work out in the end.

Starting to look for homeschool items for the fall. Glad I bought a bunch early. We already have history, reading and Bible. Still trying to get Math, Science, Cursive handwriting and Spelling. I may use an eclectic mix of workbooks this year from the store that are all going to be 90% off (starting June 7th). Yes, its not ideal, but at this point it is very practical and affordable for us. It won't hurt. We just will work through them like any other curriculum. I think it will work and that we truly can do it. Spelling I will buy what I always have...it works well and she loves it. It is only $20 for the year anyhow.

My mom has had a friend visit from Canada for the past week. She is very quiet and seems almost shy, but she has known me since i was a baby, so I have been trying to make sure to get over to my mom's a few times. I hope they had a good visit.

Alright, I better close for now. Anna just looked over and said this looked very long. I told her it was still short, but its okay. Have a good weekend all. And for those of you who may still read....THANKS!

Working Sundays

I am now working on Sundays placing orders at the store I'm at. It is okay, but I think Anna is taking it hard. Here is the note I found on the kitchen table when I got home:

"Hi Mom. I got in trouble and Daddy wasn't kidding."

I then go to my room to change and there is the following note:

"I miss you Mom. I Love you. Love your girl Anna."

Now, don't get me worng, this is just the first week to work Sunday, but I think it was hard on her. What do you think? I think she will get used to it, but we have had a lot of work changes in the last couple of weeks. I now only get to put her to bed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Thursday, Friday and Sunday I am at work at bedtime. Saturday's it really depends. I feel bad, but I must work to pay bills and put food on the table. I'll have to make sure to give her extra loving tomorrow. This too shall pass.

What to do?

I have some big decisions to make as far as homeschool groups in the fall.

One group we are in, I absolutely LOVE the people, but the only thing we can do with them is a field trip once a month. I also do that groups Mom's Night Out. I have been really unable to participate in the groups Family Night, because I work. I am thinking about changing it for the fall though and making it so I can not work on Monday nights. It may be better that way.

The other group we are in is changing to every Friday. I would have to teach and be in a committee of some sort and we would be committed to being there every single Friday, which I really am hesitant about. It is a good group, although very large. They also do good field trips once a month. Anna is aiming for this group.

Right now I am leaning toward the group with people I love and changing my work schedule to no Mondays so we can participate fully. Guess I know what my heart wants to do, but I'm having a battle with my brain. I've been doing that a lot lately. Hmmm. I need to stop that. It would make life easier if I'd stop thinking and go with what my heart says. LOL!!

Pictures

All day I have been cleaning house and working on pictures. Since we went digital, we have been very behind at developing pictures and those that we have developed are way out of order. I spent this afternoon going through three picture boxes of pictures and placing them in order in a couple of albums. I still have big gaps in the albums, but it is better than sitting in boxes. I just wish we were ALL the way caught up on our photo developing. I have big plans to scrapbook eventually, but until I get all the pictures developed and in order, those plans will have to wait. I am proud of the work I accomplished this afternoon though. They are better off in a photo album than in boxes and when I get the pictures to where I want them, then I can scrapbook them all and make them even better. I love to scrapbook and feel like Anna is missing out if I don't scrapbook at least a couple years of her pictures. A big goal for me would be to scrapbook them all, but we take a LOT of pictures...and by a lot, I mean a whole LOT!! Anyhow, I guess that's all for now. Debating if I am heading to church or not. Have a good week. Take care.

Figuring it Out

I would like to say that we have another year or two of the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, but my darling little girl is extremely smart. At Easter, she discovered the eggs still in the fridge in the morning not hidden. The eggs usually got hidden while she was in her morning bath. She didn't even make it that far this time. As soon as she woke up, she was checking everything out. Problem solved by telling her that the Easter Bunny was running late and needed to come back while we were at church.

Yesterday, she had 6 teeth pulled by the dentist, so the Tooth Fairy had to come overnight. We started a "letter" from the Tooth Fairy last time and fairy dust as her cousin had always gotten it and she didn't understand why she didn't. Anyhow, this morning she got up and said that the fairy dust looked just like our glitter in the house. I quickly solved that one by stating that she may have gotten the same kind or maybe she borrowed ours. Sheesh!!

Anyhow, with all the things she is guessing, I'm willing to bet that by Christmas she will have it ALL figured out. She is very bright and knows already that the Santa's at the mall are just helpers or other men dressed in Santa suits. I wish she would believe a little longer, but she is way too smart. My little girl is growing up. I don't know what else to say. It is kind of sad to me. I want her to be a little girl for a little longer, but she is growing up.

Easter Pictures

Here are some pictures from Easter this past Sunday. Anna had a lot of fun and looked so cute. The best part was that she learned about writing on the eggs with a white crayon before dying them. She loved that part. It was like surprise messages. She thought it was really fascinating. Anyhow, here are a few pictures from Easter.

The Eggs:

The Basket:

My Easter Princess:

Finding the Eggs:
Hunt Number Two with cousins:

It was a lot of fun although this year Anna got very smart. The "Easter Bunny" hides the eggs and our died eggs while she is in the bath every year, but when she woke up, the first thing she did was check the fridge. Lo and behold, there's the eggs that the Easter Bunny should have hid. Good grief. (We weren't up yet, or else it would have been done.) Anyhow, being the quick thinking mom I am, I told her he was on a tight schedule and running late, but that he said he would be back while we were at church to hide the eggs. Thank goodness she bought it. While we took my mom home, the Easter Bunny hurried home and hid all 30 eggs. LOL! Good work Easter Bunny! It saved the day.

Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed the pictures. Have a good week all, or what's left of it anyways. Take care.

Babies Movie

Ok, I admit, I'm attracted to babies period, but this movie looks too cute. I do believe that I WILL go see this one in the theatres. I will definately take my mom, but may even take Anna to it. It looks so cute and neat and is definately a learning experience of the different cultures. Watch the trailer and tell me what you think...

Blah..Doctors...blah!!!

Is so sick of lousy doctors...I see better doctors at the clinic than Anna sees on a regular basis. Here we are nearly 5 months out from initial visit on swollen tonsils and they still say its viral. UGH!! I took her in again today and that is what she said. She also said not to bring her back in unless she runs a fever over 100.4. Good grief. It isn't strep, it never is, but plain old tonsillitis, probably. They said again, yes, they're swollen and inflamed. Give her cough drops and gargle with warm salt water. UGH! How do I get them to understand that this is a chronic problem unless I keep bringing her in. They aren't getting it. This never goes away. It gets slightly better and flares back up. Is my 8 year old supposed to live on cough drops and chloraseptic spray? UGH!! I know this is all cause she has Medicaid. If we had her on Jeremy's insurance, her tonsils would already have been pulled out months, if not years ago. OK, vent over. I am just one frustrated Momma!!

My Little Girl is Famous....

My little girl is featured in the paper yet again for something fun we have done. She has spent the afternoon's of what is most kid's Spring Break at the Lubbock Lake Landmark taking classes. We still schooled through Spring Break as Much as Possible, but these were "Spring Break Classes." Anyhow, the newspaper was out yesterday and they interviewed the kids and took pictures. It was too cute. So although they got my daughter's age wrong, I will put it up here for you all to read. (She is 8, not 7 as the article states.)

Life Lessons: Local children learn about natural world during their spring break
By Adam D. Young AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Friday, March 19, 2010
Story
last updated at 3/19/2010 - 12:17 am

Dozens of Lubbock children spent
their spring break digging in the dirt, sounding like thunder storms and eating
worms.

Well, that dirt-digging was a lesson on planting a garden of
life-sustaining vegetables and grains. That sound of thunder was produced by
Native American rope-and-string toys the children built themselves. And the
worms ...

"I'm not sure if it's alive or if it's gummy," 7-year-old
Keller Pettit said, lifting a spoonful of "worms and dirt" dessert to his mouth.

"Of course it's gummy - real worms aren't colored. They're brown,"
8-year-old Alyson Oliver said before she grabbed her own cup of a concoction
containing Cool Whip, gummy worms, Oreo cookies and vanilla pudding.

Alyson and Keller were among dozens of children eating, learning and
playing Thursday during the weeklong Spring Break Fest afternoon program at
Lubbock Lake Landmark.

The Landmark offered children the nature-oriented
course as a way to introduce them to the outdoors, said Susan Rowe, Lubbock Lake
Landmark education program manager.

"I want them to get in touch with
nature and develop not necessarily a love, but a concern or caring for nature,"
she said. "I also want them to know they can do things for themselves - they can
grown food."

A highlight of Thursday's program had the children working
with Landmark volunteers to plant Three Sisters Native American Gardens, a
combination of bean, corns and squash planted in a specific sequence within a
circle.

The three vegetables are important in Native American culture
because each provides essential nutrients the others don't, said Kristen Vogt, a
student intern at the Landmark who coordinated lessons for the program.

Beans provide protein and fat, corn provides sugar and squash provides
carbohydrates, she said.

Vogt sat with 7-year-old Anna Lonis, a
home-schooled student from Lubbock, trying to show her the order to plant the
vegetables. She told Anna the corn seed is planted first, in the center of the
intended plot.

The bean plants are buried around the corn kernel to
assist the beans' growth, said Rowe.

"The runner beans use corn as a
pole to grow up," she said.

Squash seeds, which will produce wide green
leaves, are planted outside of the circle.

"Their leaves will keep
moisture in the soil," Rowe said.

The children hadn't finished planting
the seeds and plants in the ground before they were hyper and wanted play time.

"I'm going to talk to the armadillo," Keller said, pointing to a more
than 3-foot-long armadillo statue he wanted to climb in a nearby field.

"Guys, you need to plant the squash," Vogt told the class.

Working with the children seemed a bit hectic, especially with the noise
and excitement produced by their thunder noise makers.

"They were loud
yesterday," she said. "That's why we went outside. We even had one boy that
repeatedly kept hitting himself in the leg."

Anna said the program at
the Landmark was a fun way for her to meet new friends and spend her time during
spring break. But being home schooled, she said, gave her a different
perspective than her peers on spring break.

"You do home school at home,
so I've been on spring break for a very long while," she said.

To
comment on this story:

adam.young@lubbockonline.com l 766-8725

charles.reinken@lubbockonline.com l 766-8706

OUR KIDS/Local
children learn about natural world during their spring break

Pretty cute, huh?!! If you want to see the pictures that went with it, here is the link, but she is not in any of them. Told you it was special!! :-)

http://lubbockonline.com/stories/031910/fea_592710272.shtml

Spring Cleaning...

Yeah right...that lasted all of about that one day. Then I had to work and have no other bites on the things I am selling since then. It was short-lived. I still have lots to do. I may get it done by summer. MAY! No guarantees.

We have lots of other things going on, so that always gets put to the back-burner.

My car is acting up again. I swear the electrical in that car is going to kill me. My air conditioner went out and has been out. I put it in to be repaired and it is a short in the wiring somewhere. Where, they don't know. They can't find it, but somewhere it is shorting out. All the mechanical is fine, but to have a short. UGH! With all the other things that car needs fixed, I'm about ready to throw in the towel on it. About, but not yet. Can't afford a car payment.

Ok...that's all for now. Look for a more upbeat post tomorrow....its a surprise!! :-) Take care.

Spring Cleaning and Clearing

Spring Cleaning is going very well. I am cleaning up and especially clearing out. Some things have sold already and I am meeting someone else in 15 minutes at a nearby store. It will probably take me a week or more to clear out all that I want gone. We somehow manage to gather all kinds of excess throughout the course of the year.

We did use some of the money for things I've already sold to pay our library fines. Anna and I took back the books and paid the fines. For what I paid, I could have bought 2-3 books. I hope that never happens again, or I will ONLY buy our books. At least then I don't have to worry about them going back. LOL! I changed my e-mail address with them so hopefully we are good to go and I will catch it sooner next time.

Anyhow, that's all for now. Take care all. Have a good weekend and Happy Spring Cleaning to all!! :-)

School Update

We have been doing school, although not everyday and not consistently, we have been doing it. I was looking at her Reading and realized that if we don't want to school through the entire summer, we need to start doubling up on some lessons. We are way behind where we should be. Spelling is about right. We have 7 weeks left of spelling. History is about 25 lessons left. Math, well, we ditched Saxon and went to various workbooks. Until we build the basic skills and master them, there is no need to move on with the harder things like skip counting and multiplication and the like. We do about 3-4 pages a day from several workbooks. It's easier on me, but also frustrating. We have successfully completed our second unit study or lapbook. It was a lot of fun. This one ended up being a double. The Olympics covers a lot of info and we didn't even do everything we could have. What we did do filled two folders. We are enjoying them and they are simple to do. Science, well, that is hit or miss. I think I'm about to buy a magnet kit and we are going to work through the rest of the book we started a few months ago. OK, we BARELY started it, but that because we don't have the materials to do it. We may also invest in a microscope for more fun with it.

As for field trips, we still go on trips with two homeschool groups. One is very large and takes good field trips. The other group also take good field trips, but it is a LOT smaller and we seem to come away with more knowledge.

Anna is taking the IOWA test in April. We may not test her this way again for a while, but it will give us a good idea as to where we are truly at. Anyhow, I guess that's about as much of an update as I can come up with. I know I haven't been good at keeping up on here, but I'd rather spend more time with my daughter. Keep in touch and I will at least try to update every few weeks. Take care all.

Commercial Tears

This commerical made me cry. It is so true and every mom needs to watch this. It is truly the best thought out commercial ever. Thanks P&G!!

Lapbooks/Unit Studies

We are trying to end our study on horses this week so we can start on the Olympics sometime next week or the week after. I am very excited about it. This has saved us from the bore of everyday typical "school." The text book approach was getting really boring and we were both dreading school time. Now with books and mini-studies, we are thoroughly enjoying it again. (And it doesn't take as long each day-BIG YEAH!!) I will post pics of our first completed book when we get it all put together.

I guess that's our big update for now. I know there isn't anyone really reading my blog anymore, but I like it, so I will keep posting when I can. Have a good week all.

Uh....Happy New Year?

Ok, so I am not the world's best blogger. Not too good at Face*book either right now, but there have been other more important things to do. Christmas was great. Pictures are on my Face*book account. Too hard to get them off the disc to post here, so sorry. I didn't get to them fast enough. Will some New Year's pictures do? Yeah, they just might have to. Here are some pictures of Anna playing with her new scooter from Christmas.

Excuse the funny face on the second picture. The "sun was in my eyes." LOL!! She doesn't like the sun directly in her eyes for pictures.

The New Year has brought some changes to our homeschooling as well. We ditched the direct textbook curriculum method of history and science and are doing lapbooks (mini unit studies). So far we haven't finished the first one, but we are liking what we are doing. Horses!! Yes, of course we did horses. That's Anna's favorite thing. She absolutely loves horses!! Now, if I can find someone to show her all the really hard work of taking care of a horse. I think that will at least make it a little more realistic. LOL!! We'll get there. I also have the second one printed and ready on The Great Depression and stuff, but I think it will wait. The winter Olympics are coming up and surely there will be more fun things to do with that for a while. Sports, countries, techniques, etc. What's more fun that learning about something we will surely be watching on TV anyways? I just hope someone puts out some good material for that.

Other than that, things are the same ole, same ole. Lives still revolve around church, work and school. We are having a fun time. Hope you all have a Happy New Year. Yes, I am a lot late with this post, but its okay. Take care.