What we've been up to....

Sometimes I'm really good about keeping up with blogging, and sometimes I'm just really, really not.

Summer is busy and full.

So, for anyone wondering, and for my own memory keeping purposes, here are a few things we've been up to lately:

• We celebrated Jo's 1st birthday! 
• IW and QL went to VBS, which they love more than cholcolate.
• Husband has his resume in for a new job, and I've been working on projects around the house to prepare for a move, just in case.
• We've been doing lessons in between all these other crazy things taking place.  But it's summer time, so I'm being pretty laid back about it.
• I had to take Em to the doctor, and long story short, we are all trying a gluten free diet to try to solve the 'all four of my kids have tummy troubles and I think that's a little fishy' issue.
• Turns out that I have gluten issues.  And dairy issues.   Good times.
• I have spent the last 2 weeks holed up trying to figure out how to feed my family, and myself.  
• I have spent a disgusting amount of hours online/with my nose in books researching celiac disease, gluten issues, and new foods to cook.  My head was seriously swimming with it for about a week. 
• I shopped at the local-ish Whole Foods store for the first time since we moved to the south.  I am so thankful for the awesome variety of gluten free foods they have.  I am not thankful that their gluten free fish sticks cost $10.00 for a box of 24, and I ruined the first 3 I tried to cook, and Jo only ate 1 of the next 3 I cooked.  I will not be buying them again.
• I have been working on scheduling a couple field trips for our homeschool support group.  My perfectionist tendencies have reared their ugly head.
• I am trying to plan a special occasion, involving a lot of people.  I love being an idea person.  I am learning about myself that I don't really enjoy being a point person.  Again, my perfectionist self, along with my 'need to make everyone happy' self finds this very stressful.
• Spending so much focused attention on so many things has left my house in a really bad state.   I don't do well with a house in shambles, and it's starting to affect my family members.  (Husband: "Do you know where my socks and underwear are?"  Me:  "Ummm, yeah.  I guess I need to do some laundry."  : /    No bueno.)  It's time to get my focus back to my most important job:  CEO of my home.

I know I haven't posted in a long while, so I also know I'm forgetting a lot of stuff.  But I think you get the gist.  It's been a little bananas.
And my Google Reader feed has 397 unread posts.  397!!!  Bananas.

Weekly Wrap-up, Is it Friday already?

We got back to doing lessons this week!   (We take breaks pretty much whenever we need them, so a year-roundish schedule works best for us.)


We worked through Week 2, Term 1 of Higher Up Further In.  It was a great week, even with the holiday hub-bub!  The only important thing we didn't get to was a nature walk, but I figure that's not too bad for our 1st week back at it.

A couple of things came to light this week that will be integral to our future homeschooling success:


1) IW is a grumbler.  He just started Life of Fred for math (which I love because it enables him to be a little more independent).  He really seems to enjoy it, or at least that was my impression from his laughing while reading it.  And he has mentioned a few times that it's easy.  So imagine my confusion when he announced that he "hates Life of Fred".  WHAT?!?!  Are you kidding me?  I know some of the early chapters are going to be super easy, but that's just how that goes.  
The next time he did a chapter I sat with him and he giggled and laughed and I said, "It sounds like you really do like this."  "Yeah, I guess I do."
Sheesh.  
He is just a grumbler by nature, and while that grates on me, I am glad to have realized it now instead of later.  I now know that if he's complaining about a part of our homeschool, I need to make sure it's not just his grumbling nature before I go adjusting curriculum.


2) When we're doing lessons, our house turns into a big fat mess, fast.  I don't need a spotless house, but I do need a house that's organized and tidy.  I'm a very visual person, and clutter just shuts me down.  I didn't realize how much time I was spending on keeping the house tidy until that time was allocated to full days of lessons and childcare.  About 3 days in I had to really take stock of the situation.  I just do not function well when surrounded by mess, but I will not let a messy house be the reason we can't homeschool.  SO, I pulled out my copy of Large Family Logistics by Kim Brenneman.  


I LOVE THIS BOOK!!!


I would not necessarily call my family large, though I know other people might.  However, this book is so full of encouragement, wisdom, and ingenious ideas to make our homes run smoother, no matter the size of our families.  
I've spent all the spare time I've had the last few days at the table with this book, a pencil, a notebook, and a stack of sticky pads.  Hopefully this weekend I can begin putting my Home Management Notebook together, get some routines ready to be put into place, and find a way to manage our home while educating our kids.


The other thing I'm beginning to realize is that I'm getting involved in a few things outside of the home, and it's really eating up my time.  Generally speaking, I don't think being involved is a bad thing, but I have to be careful when Husband is traveling.  For example, I'll be gone all day tomorrow, between volunteering for our cover school, and then a meeting for our support group, grocery shopping and getting together stuff for Jo's 1st birthday next week.  I was also supposed to go to a fundraiser picnic, for a really good cause, but I just don't know how to make that happen.  Husband got in tonight after supper, right before the kids went to bed, and he has to be back to work Monday morning, and I don't know when he'll be home again after that.   


*sigh*


Don't sacrifice the best for the good, right?


Now that we're back to doing lessons I'm going to really have to be picky about what I commit to, or I'm never going to see my husband!





Linking up at

Hello there, and a bazillion pictures!

So, I realize I've been gone a while.  Life is crazy, isn't it?

I've been planning on posting some pictures of what we've been up to, so I guess now's as good a time as any.

We've been busy.  Busy visiting friends, going on playdates and mini-vacations, and I went to my first homeschool convention! (WOOT WOOT!)

I am now a member of our homeschool support group's advisory board (how cool is that?!?!), and we've got some exciting things in the works, so that's using up some of my focus.


I've also been spending some of my time and energy mentoring some new-to-homeschooling moms.  

And I've been busy being a friend.

My neighbor and friend has a 16 year old son who is getting ready to have a pretty serious surgery, and she has been on my mind constantly.

And then I have a friend, who is rapidly becoming a dear, dear friend, who is treading the murky waters of a divorce.  And my heart aches for her. every. day.

I am one of those people who feels others' feelings.  I feel your happy.  I rejoice in your joy.  And when your heart is broken, mine is in pieces too.  Sometimes I really wish I was not this way.  It can be exhausting, and confusing to others.  But the older I've gotten, the more I've realized that this ability to empathize has made me a better shoulder and friend.  

And this friend, well.....she's just amazing.  Beautiful.  Smart. Funny.  Godly.   Motivated.  Supportive.  A great mother.  I really could go on and on.  She impresses and inspires me.  And her getting a divorce kind of freaks me out, if I'm telling the truth.

But enough of that.
Here are some cute faces to lighten the mood!  So far this summer (in no particular order, because that's WAY to much work!) we've.......

QL had kindergarten graduation!

Em turned 4!

They're just cute, so they made the cut!

Octonauts Kwazii cake

I discovered Instagram!  : )

We went berry picking with friends!

Jo walked in shoes for the first time!

We took a long drive for a short visit with an old friend!

we played outside!

Sprinkler fun!

Love this girl!

Sisters!

My BFF and her little fella came to visit! (Can you tell a kid took this pic?!?!)

I got a haircut! (plus, I just really like this picture!)

This guy lost BOTH of his front teeth!

the kids all got to ride in a big green tractor!

We visited our friend's property.  Do you see that tree?!?!  *swoon*  I LOVE Spanish moss!

we visited the farm.......

.......and the pond!

we went to the science center

the big kids and I slept in a tent on the back porch

we took turns telling "scary" stories!

Husband and I celebrated 8 years of marriage!

We went and saw animatronic dinosaurs.  Yes, I really am that big of an idiot!

1 part dinosaurs, 3 parts junk to waste your money on!  The kids loved it!

This was my favorite part: the fountain/pond outside the center where they had the dinosaurs!

My family, all in one place at one time.  My heart was happy!

On top of all this fun stuff, I've been sorting and decluttering, planning for our next year of lessons, and addressing heart issues (always!), both theirs and mine.
We're still waiting to see what's going to happen with the job situation, but after a pretty serious episode of anxiety over it, I've laid it at God's feet and honestly I try not to think about it.  
One day at a time, right?

I hope you all are having a great summer!