Life

Summer is coming, though not really for us.  We fell further behind in what I consider a normal school routine and we will be schooling all summer long again.  We will take one week off for horse camp, the first week in June, and another week off for my vacation and Family Day, the third week in June.  There are no other scheduled times off.  We are trying very hard to keep on grade level, but it doesn't always happen.  I will be talking with A's developmental specialist on her next appointment to see what they recommend as far as math.  We are still struggling with that, despite my best efforts to make it easier.

We are on the search for a new church home.  That is an undertaking.  We have a million and one churches in this area and finding the right fit for our family is hard.  It has to meet the needs of all three of us and not just any one person.  We are looking for a spirit-filled, Bible believing church with a good youth program and a good ladies ministry would be great as well.  Should be easy right?  Well, its not.  We have been to a few, but nothing has just pulled us in and said that this is home...at least not yet.  We will get there.

Jeremy's new job has been great.  He actually can have family emergencies and can tend to them without the fear of losing his job.  He has a great boss and he truly has a great job.

I have recently become assistant manager over the store I work at.  I am having a hard time with the transition.  I feel the need to try and fix things and make them right all the time, and I still want to do floor sets and help out in education.  I'm hoping that as time goes on I will learn how to rotate between departments better.  I have no doubt that this is where I'm supposed to be, but it is hard for me to adjust. 

As far as my health, I try to deal with things on a day-to-day basis.  I can't always do what I need to and that was part of my decision in switching roles at work.  My RA has started going downhill and I think that is partly because it is getting worse, and partly because I can't take NSAIDS any longer due to internal bleeding.  I didn't notice a difference right away, but it just gradually is getting worse.  I feel like I have no control over my days and feeling, because I really don't.  Random things will cause the most extreme pain now.  That's all I want to say about that though. 

I guess that's all for now.  I'm not much of an updater on here, but there also is never much to update.  Take care for those who still read.  Prayers always welcome.  Thanks.

One Year

We have now officially been in our house for one year.  So glad to have a house, but sometimes wonder if we did the right thing by buying a house.  It has been a struggle.  Getting the house was not the struggle, but repairing things that break down in and around a house is challenging.  We have repaired a fallen fence (like a month after we moved in), had the electric box outside replaced and now we are having plumbing issues.  It seems as if we might keep Drano in business!   Neither one of us in very handy, but we sure try, but this bathtub we have might cost us a fortune. The drain gets clogged after one week.  One week.  REALLY!!  I can't buy Drano once a week just to keep the drain clear.  That is ridiculous.  But, short of paying an arm and a leg for a plumber, which is next to impossible right now, we will continue to use Drano once a week. (But not till I get paid, so for this week, we just have to deal with water to our ankles.) 

In other news, Anna is working on schooling with me.  After going all summer long, we took one week off and then started right in on 5th grade work.  (4th grade math)  She is loving it and we are making good progress.  We are still behind in math, but she is mostly remembering what we have been studying.  We have our days, like one day this last week she forgot how to tell time to the hour, which we have been working on since Kindergarten.  She has known that for a long time, but it was just one of those things that we had to re-learn.  She does love horse club.  I wished I could pay for her to do it more than twice a month, but it just isn't possible.  Too expensive.  I also need to find her an orthodontist.  That girl is going to need braces.

I'm still working at the same ol' place.  I'm not exactly happy there right now.  There is a lack of authority there and we certainly need a take charge kind of person.  Oh and to top it all off, the person I wanted to be in our dept I was told couldn't and now the girl they put in will be leaving.  I so just want to say that I was right, but it won't serve any purpose.  I am currently waiting on the results of an MRI I had last week as well.  I sure wish I knew why they ran it.  I will be carrying my phone with me tomorrow at work.  I need to hear from them tomorrow.  Until then, I just worry about what it could be.  I try not to worry too much, but there's not a lot one can do.  At least I worked yesterday and that took my mind off it for a while.  I have been having several health issues lately, and I am trying to get some answers.

J's job is questionable, as always.  His bosses seem to make up rules to suit themselves and then write you up.  They have a common goal to make life miserable for everyone but themselves.  I am hoping that J won't have to be there too much longer, but its hard to look for a job when the one you have emotionally exhausts you, which is sometimes worse than physical exhaustion.

I guess that's all.  Still hard to believe that we have lived in our house for one year.  Still have lots that I want to do with the house too.  As J says we have 29 more years to get it done.  LOL!!  It may take me that long to get it the way I want it.  Now, its off to search for Christmas and birthday ideas for Anna.  She doesn't NEED anything else and we are in an in-between stage for toys and such.  I'll be glad to accept ideas from anyone who may have them.  LOL!!  Take care all.

School Front and then some...

Well, Anna and I will begin school on Monday, if all goes as planned.  We will still be finishing up a bit of last years math, but then will move on.  She is doing mostly 5th grade work.  We will continue to use Building Spelling skills for spelling, Bob Jones Reading 5 will start our year for reading, but I am going to try and change us over to mostly book studies.  We are currently in the planning phases for the first book.  Saxon Math will continue to be our math for now, provided she learns how to copy over the problems correctly and keeps everything lined up.  I'm testing this out, and may switch.  We are still really struggling with math.  She has made great strides though and is progressing, but it is still a daily struggle.  For history and science, I am at a loss.  My time is limited and so are my resources.  We are slowly buying some history books to read, but soon enough we will have to incorporate more.  She will definitely know about the people in history, but as far as geography, well, that is not getting done like I want.  She does read a map, when needed.  We have two large wall maps in our den, but I still think she needs more. Science, well, if you count horse club as science, then she will be getting science twice a month, LOL!!  Those are two big barriers.  We only have so much time with my full time work and homeschool group activities.  I will have to keep searching for something.  It will all work out, just writing it all down. 

As for other stuff, work is okay.  Things are changing and not everything is nice.  I work and that's all fine and dandy, but working with people who lack work ethic and morals is hard.  We have mostly a good crew, but not all.  It is a very demanding job and sometimes it just drains me completely.  The other day was good though.  We have a lady who homeschools and she came in and she is always uplifting to other homeschool moms.  It is always so encouraging to hear her talk to other moms about homeschooling and it shows that she has a true passion for it.  The other day I told her that and she just was over-joyed and happy that I work there and that I know what product we have and where to find it.  She made my day and she told me I made hers and that it was such a blessing to have me there.  I wished there were more days like that.  I really needed that this week.  She was such an encouragement to me.  I certainly need to hear encouraging words everyday.  It helps me cope with the stresses of life.  It helps me to also realize that other homeschooling moms have struggles too, even if it isn't the same as mine. 

Health wise, I am doing better in some respects.  The hysterectomy was a life saver.  I am glad that I had it done.  My RA has its ups and downs.  I have new things with it that have been bothering me lately, but I am trying to deal with it the best I can.  I am hoping to see a new RA doctor in Odessa as I am not crazy about the one that I have been seeing.  He is not good at all.  (We have nick named him Dr. Quack as he did not treat me right until I had insurance.  He actually refused.  Sad, huh?!)  Anyhow, as much as I hate to drive to another city almost two hours away, I need someone who takes a personal interest in me as a person.  I have a life to lead and would like to lead it in the best way possible.

I guess that's all for now.  I have three girls running the house and it is almost shower time.  (Anna is having a sleep over.)  I will update again in a few weeks, after we start school and things return to an almost normal again. 

Busy/Sick/Busy

Well, sorry for the complete lack of posting. I spent all of February and half of March sick. I went to work, to the Doctors and basically did little else. My house was really showing it after 6 weeks. Thankfully, it finally passed after two rounds of steroids. I love those things and hate them all at the same time. They kicked it though, so I was fine with the side effects. Thank goodness that's all done.

As far as busy, we have been running like crazy. I don't get the luxury that a lot of homeschooling moms get in that I can not be a stay at home mom. I must work. We need my income. Forget need, we have to have my income or we would never eat, or have a place to live or clothes to wear. You know, things like that. It is a vital part of our household. Sigh, but anyways, it is very tiring and I get physically, emotionally and mentally drained. Especially when I have issues to deal with at work. With the cost of things going up, it really scares me as well. We manage, but we will be struggling again very soon with all the cost of living increases.

Homeschool group is going fine. We enjoy going and enjoy the people there. Anna absolutely loves her classes. I absolutely love being with the babies. Its almost therapeutic for me to be with babies. Holding a baby is like good medicine. There is nothing better in the world than a baby cuddling with you and falling asleep in your arms. I love every minute of it. I'm hoping that I can be with the babies again for at least one class period.

Things at home have been busy too. When you are down sick for so long, it takes a while to get the house back in order. And with school, church, work and homeschool group thrown in, it takes a little bit longer.

Anyhow, it just has been a while since I had time to sit down and write, but I'm glad to finally be able to do so. I'm also glad that I'm feeling better. As for school, we will be going through July or August. There will be only a one week break in there for horse camp. With the way we have to do school, there is not time for breaks. We will have to work through them all. I better go, speaking of school, because we need to do school today and run some errands. Chances are we will only get through the reading, spelling and math, but that's ok. We will complete our course eventually. I better go. Take care all. And if you are actually still reading this blog, thanks. I know I hardly ever post. Gotta go. Bye

Christmas is Done

I'm so thankful that Christmas is done. I love Christmas, but working retail at Christmas is starting to take its toll. I hate how commercialized it has become. I hate how people act when they wait too long to buy their gifts and what they wanted it now out of stock. It's all nuts. We did Christmas on a smaller scale this year. Anna did still get one larger expensive gift, but overall, Christmas was small and I rather enjoyed it. Smaller is better sometimes. We also didn't have to go crazy spending the money with others. I will likely continue to keep it small. Emphasizing the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus Birthday.

In the same token, I've about had it with my job...period. I don't want to be in charge of so much anymore. I want to go in and work and go home. I want to be able to spend more time with my daughter and concentrate on her schooling. I'm just not quite sure how to go about this and still bring home the money I need to make ends meet in our house. Something, somewhere has got to give. I'm just not sure what or where or how, but something.

As for school, I know we homeschool so we can do things at our own pace, but right now I feel so far behind. I feel like we aren't doing enough to actually call it schooling. We've basically had the entire month of December off, except for about 2-3 days. Things have just been so hectic. Not sure what to do there either, but it is related to work again, so I guess that has to give a bit. We also need a slight change of curriculum, but the one I want to try is costly. I'll have to pray about that one. I'm thinking the change will help us to complete more schooling though.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. So thankful that the holiday is over and that things are starting to get back to normal. But also extremely tired and stressed out over things. Anyhow. I do hope that all of you have a VERY good New Year. I doubt that I will be posting again before then, so there you have it. Take care.

Things to think about...

If you don't like what I have to say, I don't really care...I have lots going through my brain and I have to figure out how to get all the info out without offending someone, so on my blog it goes.

A. I am trying to figure out what to do about our homeschool group. Anna likes being with other kids, but (and this is a huge but) the group we are currently in is overwhelmingly huge! I mean it has over 300 people there every week. I like a fair sized group, but would rather there be around 100 people at the most. It feels very impersonal to me now. So my thoughts on this are to start a weekly play type group of my own, which is very difficult for me to do considering my current workload of school and homeschool. My other thought is to join another group that already exists or maybe up my participation in another group I am in and see if we can't meet a little more often. Sigh, see, lots of info going through my head. Like I said, Anna likes being there, so I really am not sure where to go with this.

B. We are planning a very simple sweet party for Anna's tenth and I feel like we are letting her down, since we have done a few larger parties already. The thing is, with the house we just got there were some expenses with moving and we have not recovered from that yet. My goal is for her to get to play in the park with her friends and have cupcakes and juice, but that depends on the weather. I REALLY would love to have a simple party at the house, but I just don't know if I can handle everyone in our small house. (I love everyone, I really do, but that is a LOT of people in one small space.) Praying that the weather cooperates so we can do the park thing. LOL!!

C. Since we are on such a tight budget right now, we will not be able to spring for the gift for Anna that we were going to get her for Christmas, so now we must keep our eyes peeled for for something that she will like really well that is reasonably priced. We will see what happens there. Its not that we needed the bigger thing, but it would have been nice to get it. She doesn't need it though. It was more of a luxury than a necessity. We will have to see what becomes of that. We do need to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, so maybe this is a good year to learn that part really well.

D. I no longer have the luxury of an iPhone. My phone bit the dust and again with the budget thing, we can not replace it and of course we had no insurance on it, sooooo. I am using a regular old rinky phone. Maybe we can save some money on the data plan, since I won't be using anything. Who knows. I have grown accustomed to a smart phone and have used it every day since getting it, even on the day of my surgery, when I mostly slept. LOL! Who knows, but maybe it'll help me concentrate more on what is most important.

E. I think that's all for now. Its a lot for me to think on, but it'll be alright. Please let me know if you have any thoughts or ideas for us/me. I might could use the advice right now. Thanks and please don't take offense to anything I said. I just had to express myself.

House Found

We have found a house and we will close on September 22. We are really happy and nervous all at the same time. Everything is working out smoothly. It has been great. We are still negotiating a few things, but hopefully that will all be done by end of next week.

I still haven't started packing, but we HAVE started school for this year. (Yeah, I know. Bad timing, LOL!!) We are moving along though. Anna and I are enjoying it, even though we've only done 3 days. Tomorrow we go on our first field trip of the school year to an old fashioned ice cream shop. We are going to learn about the history of ice cream and then enjoy a treat. How fun is that?! We start our weekly homeschool group next week. Anna is excited about that. She is taking Body Systems and ballet. Yes, ballet again!! LOL! She likes it. I let her because she has fun in there.

Oh and to add to our fun in life, my mom is moving about a week and a half before me. It was supposed to be after, but it will be before. By the 15th, so life is definitely interesting. Just thought I would update. Pictures of the house will be up when we get moved in. Hope everyone has a good weekend.

Change is Brewing

Well, we are at it again. CHANGE! I like some changes and others I do not. Our new change that is coming is...a new house for us. We are not sure when or where we will get one, but we are pre-approved for a mortgage and we are on the hunt. It may take us a while to find something suitable, or it may be quick, but we will begin viewing houses starting Monday. I am very excited about this. We will be getting enough room to have a school area in the new place. It is something that is a must. I want to have a place to do school that isn't all over my living room and kitchen. It will be great though. We are super excited.

As for school, we are getting ready to start the next school year. We will be doing 3rd grade math and 4th grade everything else. This is what we feel is best for Anna and will help her to be more successful. She is on grade level in everything else, so we do not see the need to hold her back. One of the reasons to homeschool is so she can keep going in the areas she is strong, so that is what we are doing.

Guess that's really about it as far as change. We are very excited about this prospect and as soon as we find that special place, we will let you be aware of it. More moving excitement is sure to follow shortly thereafter. LOL! Thank for all for being excited with us. We will keep you updated.

Plant Study

Anna and I are reading about plants in school, so what better way to learn than to see which plant will grow faster and taller. So, we planted Sunflowers and Daisies. We have had fun watching them sprout so quickly. We labeled the pots and set them to grow. Here are some pictures.

Day 1:

Day 4 (Sunflower sprouted first):

Day 5 (Sunflower is growing fast):

Day 6 (You can't see it, but the daisy did finally sprout):


Day 8 (We planted the sunflowers outside):

We have had a great time and have since reused the sunflower pot to start some morning glories. They will be blue. They are doing really well too. We still have one daisy sprout, but its not near strong enough to be taken outside yet. I'm praying that it stays alive to make it that far. The sunflowers are still doing good outside, which is surprising. I thought for sure we would lose them with the cold we have had lately. I'm about to take the morning glories outside for transplanting too and start some more inside. Its been a lot of fun and she has enjoyed it and so have I. Its fun to watch them grow. We will continue this through the spring. I will bring you some more updates as we get them. It was well worth it.

New Routine and other things

We are slowly getting into the groove of a new routine. With me still working full-time, it has been a change to homeschool and do this. Anna and I are getting used to it though and we get done what we can.

She was super excited about school today as we planted two types of flowers this morning and I had her make predictions for them. We planted daisy and sunflower seeds. She has predicted that the sunflower will sprout through the soil first and that the daisy will grow tallest. She also wrote down step-by-step directions about how we planted the seeds. It was fun. She finished her writing with this sentence; "I think that planting the daisy and the sunflower was very fun. Everybody should plant flowers." I would think that she had a good time with it. We also are going to try taking a daily picture to monitor their growth. That will be fun to watch as well.

As for the other things, she has discovered the truth about all the seasonal myths. She is handling it well, but she was not happy to say the least. She couldn't believe that Santa was not real. She figured the Easter Bunny out last year, but still insisted on the other. This was half instigated by a friend from church telling her that none of it was real. I had a conversation with her Sunday about it all and we gave her several days to think about it. This morning I discussed it with her again. She understands, but isn't happy. I told her that Santa is about the spirit of giving and is a fun character for kids. She is not to tell anyone. I also told her that it will not stop Christmas or Easter. We will still buy her things, but that now she knows who really cared enough to bring her the things she asks for. Like I said, it was hard for her, but she is going to be fine. It did not completely devastate her. OK, well, I have other things as well, but they will have to wait. We are heading out for some lunch and errands before I go to work. Take care all.

Changes and Surgery

Well, lots of changes have happened. We are back homeschooling as of Friday. Anna is much calmer and mornings are a lot smoother already. We are excited and happy about this change. I am glad we came back to it.

As for the surgery, tomorrow morning, bright and early at 5:30am, I will be admitted to the hospital for exploratory and then full surgery. There is a possibility of a hysterectomy, but I won't know what all they do until I wake up. I am not in the least bit worried about the surgery, just the recovery. This will put me out of work for 6 weeks. I am a little worried about that, but I will be able to pick back up when I am cleared.

I will have some time on my hands afer surgery, so maybe I will get on here at least once more? Hey, you never know?!

Anyhow, if you all have time or can, prayers are appreciated for a successful surgery and a good recovery. I know I am in good hands. Thanks so much.

Asked Anna...

her opinion on going back to homeschool or staying in regular school and she listed some good points for homeschool.

1. You only gave me spelling tests at homeschool. At school I take a test in everything every week.

2. We did history. (Anna LOVES history, but since it isn't tested in school, they have done none of it.)

3. There was no math tests every week. (I never tested her. I checked her work everyday so I knew how she was doing.)

4. No one made fun of her clothes everyday. (She has a little bully picking on her at school. This girl picks on her outfit everyday. EVERY DAY! How depressing is that for a child.)

Anyhow, we haven't made any permanent decisions yet, but I really am seriously considering pulling her back home for school. Not sure how yet, since I want to remain full-time, but I'm starting to side with yes we will probably go back to it. I know a lot of people are against it, but this is whats right for our family. I'll make a more permanent decision by end of month or so. Please continue to pray. Thank you.

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.

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!

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!!

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

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.

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.

Our Day at the Fair

Yesterday we went to the Fair early in the morning. Number one, it isn't busy and number two, its pretty much free if we go early enough because the midway isn't open yet. Anna and I always go to look at the animals every year. It is educational and she still thinks its fun. Anyhow, here is our morning at the fair in pictures.

Petting a Cow:

Watching them Milk "Candy" the cow:

Petting Pygmy Goats:

Touching a goats mouth:






Holding a baby duck:

Eating fair goodies:






Clinging to Daddy:






Posing for a cute picture on the way out:

That was it. Of course there were a few things in between, like petting sheep and holding a baby chick, but those were the highlights of our trip. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.