Oh My Goodness!!!

Yesterday we started the day off with a movie, had lunch with friends, then a trip to a local free "waterpark". It was a very fun day. I got home in time to put a meal of spaghetti on the table and then off to a party, one of THOSE parties. The one for ladies only-called slumber parties even though it isn't really. It was so funny and fun. And Erik was very pleased with my purchase(SO AM I!)...it was definitely a good one. And you don't get to know!! (and maybe next time Hula won't be at aerobics and she can go with me!!)(Teen angel sounds just like you!)

Today, after two days of running, is catch up day. I am washing all our sheets and then doing the other laundry. I have managed to stay on top of our laundry lately. Since the new washer, we haven't had any Mount Washmores. This is probably because I sorted through the girls clothes and made them pare back half of their clothing. I also cut us back to one hamper. Very effective!! It makes a huge difference in the laundry load!! (Mia told me this a hundred years ago.) (Mia is my hero-if they don't use it, it gets tossed or given away.) (Mia is my "stuff" mentor.)

Today is also the day I go to my mom's house. Things are really tense between she and I right now. It makes me so angry that she is not even trying to take care of herself. She is not checking her sugar and managing her diabetes. Also, she has congestive heart failure which means she is really prone to retaining fluid around her heart (a very bad and serious thing). To remedy this retention, she is to restrict sodium. She refuses to do this and is staying puffed up like a balloon. Today, she asked me to bring her a big can of stew vegetables (loaded with salt). I said, why don't you let me get the real veggies and make the stew and then it won't have any salt. She went off on a tirade. (I'm still probably bringing her frozen ones-bring on the tirade baby!). Also, she is mis-stating things. Like telling one daughter no one has been to see her all weekend when everyone has been for a visit. Playing the guilt card. One of my sisters says it could be a touch of dementia creeping in-but my mom has been doing this our whole life so I can't be so quick to defend it. I am choosing to let it go and just not believe most of what Mom says anymore. I accept that I cannot change her behavior-but I won't let it control me either. It is a constant source of drama-I love her but she is so very unpleasant to be around these days(and also before). I'm trying to shower her with unconditional love and service in her presence and save the rants for on here and to my sisters. So far that is working out. It makes my stress level very high on visit days, but other than that it works. It makes me really look forward to church tonight!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Chipping Away

Even though it seems I am not progressing on my main goals of curriculum decluttering, school year planning and laundry-I am chipping away at all three of them. Monday and Tuesday have become running days so there is little time to do anything other than get those tasks done. I just keep telling myself that just like the Tortoise, slow and steady wins the race!!

There isn't a whole lot bumping around in my noggin other than food prep, clean-up and kid-herding. It is summer and my brain can really tell it!!

Happy Tuesday!!

Odd and Random Catch-Up

• Class reunion picnic was fun. The food was good and within diet parameters. Erik showed up just as I was beginning to get really antsy. He was able to stay a tiny bit and socialize. The girls really got involved at the craft table and then did not want to leave. (We still did.) All in all I would give the picnic a thumbs up. It was slightly awkward but still fun.
• The dinner was okay. We really enjoyed getting to spend some time with Erik's cousin Dena and her husband. We talked about old boating memories and family stuff and wondered why we don't get together more often!! The rest of the night was typical of class reunions. Drinking and dancing. (we didn't do either-not even a margarita) Two types of dancers-girls who want to be looked at and couples who look like they want to be somewhere else-if you know what I mean. We sort of called it a night rather early, 9:30, but we did enjoy seeing a few people and chatting a bit. However, most of our visiting was done at the picnic. The fact that Erik was going on about 3 hours of sleep over the course of two days was a big factor in our early departure as well.
• Class reunions ARE overrated. I can't imagine spending lots of money to travel in from out of town to attend one. It would be more fun just to get together with old buddies instead-in my humble opinion. With that said, since we are still local, we will probably attend them if others go to all the trouble to plan them-but I won't be nervous again!! My mom assures me that they get more fun as you get older.
• We mowed our yard today and it was none to soon!! We will have to mow again before it needs it in an attempt to "mulch" all the grass clippings!!
• Paperbackswap RAWKS!!! I got an old book I have been wanting to re-read forever. I have searched ebay, amazon and just the general internet FOREVER. I never could locate it. It was my favorite book when I was 15. I was so delighted to find it and I read it in one day. All I have to say about it is...well, my 15 year old self had much different tastes!! It is a very weird book. AND, contrary to what I thought, I will not be sharing it with my children for them to read-for a while!! My 15 year old self also loved Rich Man, Poor Man. I am reluctant to re-read it now. It is funny how your taste in literature changes-I used to be the biggest Stephen King fan ever. Now, I would only be interested in re-reading The Stand. I will have to say though that IT is the scariest book ever written. I slept with my light on for a long time after reading that book!! It is also funny how there were no limits placed on what I was allowed to read!! That was not a wise thing.
• Toby-wonderful precious Toby- did something today that my girls will never forget and possibly never forgive. He killed a baby bunny. They all got out of the pool and chased him around the yard trying to save it. That just made it that much more of a game for the Tobster. It was hard to convince them that is just the "circle of life" so to speak. We may need to brush up on food webs/chains a bit more.
• Tomorrow morning I will have to devote serious time to taking the house back. Since decluttering-the house stays somewhat neat(I use that term very loosely) most of the time. But with me sifting through curriculum(meaning alot of books are off the shelves and on the floor) and being home very little this weekend, things are REALLY BAD.

I hope you had a great wekend too!! I will catch up on your lives in the morning!

Nervous!

Today is my husband's 25th class reunion. The picnic is at lunch and then the dinner tonight. To say I am nervous is the understatement of the year. Most of the girls he went to school with that I know still look exactly the same-maybe a little better. Most of the guys he went to school with that I know are not exactly fun to be around. I do have some really good friends in this group and also some family-so it isn't as though I will be without people to talk to-a support network. ( ; However, I am nervous. To further complicate things, Erik will only be making an appearance at the picnic so I will be there alone and feeling like a fish out of water.

I wasn't nervous in the least for my own high school reunion. I don't want to be nervous over this one, but they just give me a colossal case of the "I'm not good enough's". Which is ridiculous but the facts-just the facts.

This also gives me pause to wonder if my chilren will feel badly that they do not have a class reunion. Will they feel like they missed out on something? Oh well, we will cross that bridge when we get to it.

How about you, how do you feel about class reunions? Do you go? Do you think they are stupid? Do they make you nervous? What about your spouse's reunion-is that different?

Inquiring (nervous) minds want to know!!

Independence Day!

Two of my children are making pancakes-red(strawberries), white(white choc chips), and blue (blueberries) ones. They are doing this independently. They, like most children, love pancakes!! I do not. Thankfully my carb free diet saves me from them. The cool part though is that I(we-Erik has helped alot with this) trained my children to cook for themselves and that is a GOOD thing. When they saw that we were out of pancake mix, they pulled out the cookbook to make them from scratch.

Today we celebrate our independence from a country that tried to tax us without allowing us to participate in the governing at all. We all pulled together and revolted!! I wish we could do it again, this time against the powers that be since they essentially govern us without our input as well. I am saddened by the state of our union. The two candidates for president depress me. Especially when smart informed people tell me they don't care about the election and they are not going to vote. We need a revolution to take our country back from lifelong politicians. They obviously are overpaid and feel overly important.

Whoo, I feel better. A little. Not really.

I am proud to be an American though. I am very proud of our troops. They are awesome. Perhaps we could replace every congressman with a service man (and every service man with a congressman!!). That would shake things up in a good way. It says alot about your character if you are willing to die for your country, defend the rights of people who hate you, and sacrifice your life and plans to fulfill a mission. That's who I want taking care of our country!!

Have an awesome day, thank a serviceman (past or present), teach your children what this day means and blow up some fireworks (or just watch someone else do it!).

Happy Fourth of July!!

Planning

I have been working on my planning for next year. Sifting through all of my curriculum. I find good intentions with every book I pull off the shelf. Projects that I am sad I haven't done yet, unit studies waiting on the shelf for me to get around to them. It is so hard to believe I have only been homeschooling for a little over 3 years. I have enough stuff to homeschool twice that long. AND, I have already culled through my things many, many times.

Do public school teachers do this?

I am working on paring back to only that I WILL use. IN THE NEXT 2 YEARS. Otherwise, I will keep feeding this stockpiling habit I have developed. Our house is too small, our bookshelves to full for this insanity. Plus, I am only one teacher with only 3 pupils. There is only so much I can teach in one school career(well, 3 really)!!

Hello ebay, I shall add to your auctions soon.

My name is Janice and I am a curriculum junkie. I'm trying really hard to kick the habit, ooh~LOOK!! I just found something really awesome on paperback swap...

Work Day?

Today is Erik's day off. Our list of things to do is extensive. The yard needs to be mowed. We should perhaps give the garden a bit o' attention. We need to weedeat and we also have some flower seeds we've been needing to plant. I still have lots of inside chores to do the most important of which is working on my school plan.

So we decided to go BOATING. Because it is a perfect day for it. We shall make a point not to think of our to-do lists. I don't think we will have a problem blocking it from our mind. OR blocking the price of gas (CRAZY expensive) it will take for marine recreation. (That will be harder to block out!) Summer is fleeting, sometimes you just have to "SEIZE THE DAY!".

Is It REALLY July?

For most parents, this creates a sort of giddiness and also a side of get-busy-ness. As you realize school is just around the corner and you must make the most of your short time left. At least, that's how I used to feel. As a homeschooler, it is a little different. Now I am focused on how short my time is to get my schooling butt in gear. I have done quite a bit of planning-but I am by no means finished. There is much work to be done.

I just can't believe it is July. Wow. Happy July!!