Minivan Moments

As I attempt to muddle through my normal routine, I am endlessly interrupted by my emotions. My darling Dania is scheduled for her adenoid-/tonsillectomy next week (Thursday, April 2nd at 8am) and I am consumed with what cannot really be called fear; it is actually grief . It makes no sense in the physical world, but I have been walking constantly through the misery of losing my daughter in surgery. It comes to me more frequently now than when it first began more than a week ago, and it is now a perpetual companion, this Grief. It perches upon my shoulders to accompany me on my chores, it waits for me upon my pillow to remind me before sleep can come, and it haunts me during quiet times (of which there are thankfully few). Last night, when my husband returned from his workout to find me with tired, red eyes, he inquired about my condition. Yes, I had been crying. I cannot seem to escape the crying. When I explained how I had been feeling, rather than comforting me or placating ...

Oliver got a lucky placement into a training class on Monday. It is a 6-week class by a local "dog whisperer." After only one class, we have a clicker and a few answers, but many more questions! Although Ben thought me cruel for restricting Oliver's access to the kitchen (we couldn't get him to stay off the counters, table, chairs, and island!) since he is not allowed upstairs (he cannot be trusted not to chew everything in sight!), he learned from the dog trainer that the best thing to do for a food aggressive dog like Oliver is to restrict their access to rooms in the house - in other words, no free roaming. Ben had to admit that I was on the right track on that one - well, now that he heard it from an expert! During the first class, we learned how to teach Oliver to "SIT. " If you know Oliver very well, you know that we already taught him that. Umm, okay. In the meantime, I had started teaching Oliver to catch his kibble piece-by-piece in order to ...

Okay, since I have two basic interests (homeschooling and life), I have decided to separate them! I am starting a homeschooling blog that is dedicated to my homeschooling topics and our adventures in education! You are still free to read both blogs, but this way, I will not feel like I am jumping all over the place when I rant about politics one day and praise my kindergartener for his reading skills the next!! Plus, I will be able to better network with homeschoolers and discuss curriculum choices and the like if I don't have to put them through the family and opinion stuff first. We'll see how I do writing two blogs, I suppose! My Homeschooling blog will be at: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/abc5d The weather is beautiful outside and we are worn out from yard work, but we are so happy to say a big "Hello!" to Spring!! Dania is anxiously awaiting my presence, so this is a short entry just to let you all know about the blog addition! Have a great week!! Blessi...

Wow! I just read a WeE-book (a short, electronic book available for immediate download) from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine called The "Me Time Myth and Boy! was it just what the doctor ( The Great Physician , that is) ordered! I have been hosting a Really Big Pity Party around my house lately, and I have been as misguided as a little girl wandering into a Men's Restroom because she hasn't been told to look for the dress! (The only problem is, I probably have been told to look for the dress!) I have been dissatisfied with my life - every aspect of it! The house is never tidy, but I don't like to clean. The kids grumble about their schoolwork, and I get tired of rallying them. The dog is biting everybody, yet I don't feel like 'shadowing' him again today. The dishes are never done, the family needs to eat again (...whole grains, lean protein, vegetable, fruit...), the laundry is piling up (whites, darks, pastels, linens...) .... You get my drift her...

Today, the kids and I packed up our enhanced water bottles and our coins from candy sales and headed down the street - literally. We walked down the street to the local bank and supermarket (between 1 and 2 miles away, I would estimate); we traded our $36 in coins in for dollars and we picked up our lemons from the supermarket. We decided to eat while we were there, so we purchased a few sandwiches, some fruit from the fresh salad bars, and some Cheetos (yeah, you knew we couldn't be that healthy, right?) and sat in the dining area of our new grocery store (next to the Starbuck's counter, by the way - and no , I didn't indulge!). So, we got home, felt wonderfully tired, let the dog out to run and pee, and basically hung out in the yard. When we were ready to come inside, Oliver thought he would make a game of it. Yup, he ran away from me. Naturally, the neighbors were enjoying the patio and witnessed the entire thing (I even saw them watching me and heard them talking ...

Okay, it seems like forever since I wrote on here, and I really have nothing to say and too much to say all at once! There is so much that God is showing me lately, and there is so little time to do more than just soak it up and take one step at a time. The kids are great! We survived a few days of babysitting while my sister-in-law was in Hawaii. Yeah, that's a rub, right? :-) We enjoyed a teaser of Spring, which prompted us to begin some seedlings... (can you say "germination?" what a wonderful teaching opportunity it was!) we planted 2 different kinds of tomatoes, basil, early peas, and some flowers. Most of our seedling pots are on the kitchen table, but in a month or so, we will have some work to do to transplant it all outside! Yay! We learned today that Quin is actually halfway through first grade on his reading and math. That is a really nice surprise to a laid-back homeschooling mom! Calysta is trucking along in all her subjects beautifully. And Dania is ...