Whew! What a day we had. It went pretty well. We have almost all new curriculum so it is a little overwhelming for the teacher but I think kids enjoyed it all. Once I get used to the new stuff and how it all works it will be fine I'm sure.

We also went visiting to one of our shut-ins. It was fun and we really enjoyed it. This man is retired military and so it is fun for us to talk and compare experiences (we don't have nearly as many as him but...) and the kids really enjoyed it too.

We also went to the bookstore this evening. That's always a fun trip. We all love to go and browse. DD got 2 new "Magic Tree House" books. She is really enjoying them. She just finished the first one and tonight started the second one. Some of the words are a little hard for her and silly kid just tried to read it by skipping over them. I told her not to do that anymore. She needs to either ask for help or go get the dictionary!

DS is reading a book too and is really enjoying. I can't think of the name of it at the very second.

ME??? I'm just reading all the curriculum so that I know what to do each day!!! I'll get down to a science soon and we will be good.

Well, tomorrow will be our first day of this school year. I'm hoping that we are ready. DD is very excited, DS is not as much so but I did catch him looking through his new books today.

I worked today to get an area set up for us. Last year, I used a box but it didn't work too well for us. It was was too messy. Now we have a cabinet for our books and notebooks and supplies and it is located right by the kitchen table which is usually our work area so there will never be an excuse not to get things put a way. Everything has a place.

I got a new program for the computer that will hopefully help keep me better organized. I've planned the first two days. I want wait to see how we work before I plan more than a few days at a time. That may sound dumb but this year is going to be so different having them both home. I'm not really sure how we will get it all done. With them being so far apart in age I'll be having to work with them a lot separately and DD will need a lot of one on one. DS will too at first because we are using some new curriculum so until he gets used to it... so I'm not sure how it will go so we are just going to go a couple days at a time for now.

Well, I need to go do some reading for tomorrow... nothing like waiting till the last minute! Wish us luck!

Christmas???

It feels like it at my house! I got my swap last week and now the homeschool curriculum is coming in all the time! It's wonderful! I love mail and packages are even better.

The kids are even getting excited about it all. DD got her Math stuff today. She is beside herself! Even DS came running out saying, "I want to see her math!! What's it look like?" Then he was slightly disappointed because he thinks hers looks neater than his. I told him it was the age difference but still. hehe

We are expecting 5 more packages I think. I think they excited about it!!

We are going to start school on Monday. I know that when DH gets back there will be some days we won't get a lot done so I figure we will get started a little early.

We've actually already started. I've added in a little here and there and they haven't really seemed to notice. To funny. Not full days or anything like that but enough that it is school. Yesterday DD had science and DS participated but not as thoroughly. We found a beautiful locust next a newly discarded shell. It was really neat and DD thought it awesome!! She drew a picture of it. Maybe I'll start scanning some of their work and put it on here. Who knows.

Anyway, DS then proceeded to catch it in a jar so that they could observe it. Later in the day they let it go. DD also had some reading.

They played games yesterday, that in my opinion count as math and logic. Then today we've had music and will have some reading here in a bit. They are actually having fun. It's great. Schooling is found in most everything you do. Just look for it.

Now if only the lawnmower kid would come!! Have a great day!

Life at my house lately...

It's been busy and different. Somewhat stressful at times and then again exciting.

DH's time overseas is coming to a close. YEA!!! Not too much longer and then we will finally be together again. This is the cause for the excitement and the stress. I'll be so glad to have him home.

Things have a changed around here a bit though in last year and I worry about that. For the most part, I like the changes that have occurred here. But I worry about how DH will take to it. Also, I've been a single parent for a year and it will be hard in some ways to relinquish some of that... what's the word... authority? I'm not sure if that's the word I'm looking for or not but that will be hard in some ways but great in others.

Don't get me wrong. I'm so very ready for my husband to come back home to us. I need him in such a bad way. I want him here to take some of the weight off my shoulders. You know so that we can be a couple again, a team. I'm really excited about it but there are the fears...

We usually do pretty good about the "reintegration" (that's what the army calls it). But for some reason I think we've already started having some little, minor problems with it and he's not even home yet!! Maybe it's good that it is starting now. Maybe this way we can get it out of the way and then when he gets home it will be over with, well, at least some of it.

Well, that's that part of our house... the other is the buying of the homeschool curriculum. Boy, can I go over board. I've spent around $300 so far. I'm hoping that I don't have much more to buy and then it won't be so bad. I will have to buy DS a new math book around Christmas time but hopefully that's it.

It's been both a fun and scary process. You know, you hate to ruin your kids! This homeschooling thing puts everything right on you and you can't blame anyone if things don't go well. Hence the scary part. But I love looking at all that's out there. I'm a book junkie and so I can really get caught up with the literature purchases. But for now I think I'm done.

Well, this is where we are and what we've been up to. So much to take in and experience. How are all of you? Is there anyone out there?

I woke up a earlier in the week to the realization that my baby boy is no longer. It is now a nice young MAN! He's almost a teenager. It made me very sad. I miss my baby boy. Don't get me wrong. It's wonderful to see him grow into a young man but... it's still sad to see the baby go.

DD and I had a wonderful week together. She shopped her little heart out as well as my bank account! She bought all the stuff for manicures and pedicures and we even had face masks! She had so much fun! She played with my hair and helped plan menus. She went to church meetings with me. It was great!

Now, I need to make up for too much fun and get my house straightened back up again. I also need some rest! I'm so tired.

We had a VTC with DH yesterday. It was wonderful to see him. I'm missing him. (Nothing new I know.) We don't seem to hearing from him as often. That's okay because we are fortunate that I hear from as often as I do but I sure do love hearing from him!

Well, I guess you are all updated for now. Let me know what's going on with all of you!

I'm still here dear friends! Just busy enjoying my family. I'll return soon, when things slow down a bit. I have much to blog about.

In the mean time... what's going on with all of you?

Dreams of the country???

Crazy, I know. But I have always had dreams of living in the country.

When I was little we had a farm. We didn't live on it. There was a trailer on the property where we stayed sometimes on the weekends and during the summer.

I loved it there. We had chickens, cows and pigs. We had a garden too. I remember riding my bicycle all over the place. My brother had a paper route and we kept the extra papers. I took them out there and made myself my own route. You know, the garden, the chickens, the pigs and then the cows. I loved it.

I loved the garden. But I remember that I didn't like snakes and I still don't! I remember coming out one day and seeing a huge snake skin hanging from the telephone pole near the garden. It scared me to death!

I don't like little critters either. You know, mice. I once went to feed the the chickens and when I pulled the bucket out of the grain barrel, there was a mouse sitting on top!!! I remember screaming and I had a terrible time feeding the chickens from that moment on.

I loved fresh eggs but I was scared of the chickens and I would throw the feed out to them and shoo them out to eat and run into the coop and gather the eggs as fast as I could. They didn't want me to have them and when they realized what I was doing they would come back in and it scared me!!

Did I mention I was only like 7 years old? I'm not sure about the age but I know I was in the first or second grade so...

Anyway, I dream often of living out in the country. I'd love for my kids to experience it. I think it would be soooo good for them. Fun too. I know, it would be a lot of hard work but rewarding too, don't you think?

I dream of this often. Not sure DH shares this dream with me but I'm holding out hope that someday we might have a couple of acres that we can all play on and learn on.... to expand ourselves.

Dreams of the country.....

Curly top!

I love my little curly top! She slept in sponge rollers last night for the first time. She looked so cute! She loved making them bouce when she walked. We know this because as she walked down the aisle at church this morning coming back from the children's sermon, there was a definite bounce in her step.



My Princess
notice the curtsy... she did that just as I snapped the picture!
Too cute!




What a beauty!

more pictures...

What a ham!!!




Gorgeous, darling....

Happy Birthday, DH!

We love you!