Notes from the Sofa--Thank God for Sticky Shoes

Finished up Week 8 of our homeschool adventure this school year.

Week 8 was not the high point of this adventure.

I'm just saying.

Let's be real. Some days just aren't bouncy, happy, everything-is-fine days. Some weeks are better than others.

This last one wasn't.

In my quest to be a good (homeschool/ballet/music/fun/gamer) mom, I try to share the victories with my friends and family. Victories are fun. I would hate to scare someone off who is considering homeschooling. It is a wonderful experience. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

So if you are new to this blog, considering homeschooling, why don't you go visit some of the wonderful blogs listed on my sidebar? Many are homeschoolers, and if they're not, they are lovely people who will share wonderful cheerful thoughts about life and you will feel great about reading their posts.

What? You're still here...okay...warned.

But there are moments. Moments when I would like to push "Reset" for. So this post will be honest, transparent and offer full disclosure--okay, maybe not full, but partial disclosure...weeellllll maybe just enough disclosure that a couple people might read this blog again. What I am saying is that I will more transparent than the current administration--not hard. Yes, I'm in a mood.

Week 8 started off alright. The boys actually did some work in the car because we were traveling home on Labor Day. Boo wanted to know why he had to labor on Labor Day. I offered to let him off the hook and do it all on Tuesday, and, just wondering, what better was he going to do on a four hour car ride, anyway? He chose my way...good boy.

Boo is reading Finding Out About Everyday Things--an older Usborne book. It is more about the way thing used to work, but I think that helps to know how things have been and shows the advances in technology. He also finished Henry Huggins and is reading Elmer and the Dragon, the second book in the My Father's Dragon series by Ruth Stiles Gannett. He's enjoying it and it would be a great read for other readers from third to sixth grade.

Roo and I had an hour long discussion of slavery and the Civil War during that ride. Poor child was a captive audience. I usually don't go into lecture mode. But it was just something I was passionate about. He still loves me and promises to listen in the future.

Tuesday saw a pretty productive day, Roo had a three hour rehearsal thrown in at the end. Getting home after 8:30 was kind of a bummer for both of us. But all in all, it was a good day.

Wednesday included reading, as always. Roo is working his way through The Way Things Work. I was fortunate enough to pick up our copy at The Half Price Book Store for $1!! Roo has enjoyed the section on levers and has increased my knowledge by sharing all he has learned about levers. Fascinating stuff!! I love all these pieces of knowledge that they are thrilled about and want to share.

But Wednesday is where the slope started getting slippery. Boo woke up saying he felt bad and could he just sleep? I wish I could tell you my motherly instinct saw his discomfort and that I cossetted him and pampered him. But...she says hanging her head in shame...I cajoled him and tried to get him to pony up and do some work. No, I did not check his temperature...no, I did not do any of the good momma stuff I should have. Until later when I realized he had a fever. Ugh...now we both felt bad--he felt sick and I felt like a toad.

Wednesday was also the most miserable night the four and a half hour night at ballet for Roo--the first official night of the ballet school year. And Roo had no intention of missing that. In fact Boo thought he could make it to that. Hello?? Temperature?? Chills?? I may have been dense for a while, but once I catch on, I know what the right answer is.

Thankfully my hubby works from home and Boo was by then positioned on the sofa with an I Love Lucy episode and pillow and blanket. So Roo and I hauled down the road to ballet with our carpool kids. Where he worked hard and I sat and stewed about what a terrible parent I am.

We got home after 9:30. Ugh.

Thursday was an independent work day for Roo, because Boo and I sat for two hours in the doctors office for less than five minutes of face time so the doctor could confirm the diagnosis I was already convinced of--Strep.

Then it was a race home to drop Boo off with Daddy and Roo so I could run to the pharmacy (the wait for filled Rx's was over an hour). I dropped the prescription off, ran home ate lunch between 2:35 and 2:40, put make-up on (because I had not had a chance earlier) made the most excellent cup of coffee I have made in a long time, drank half of it...and proceeded to baptize the table (with all Roo's school work), the floor (the dog won't lick up coffee-drat), my favorite pair of shoes, my shirt, a calculator and a fabric pencil case with the rest.

My favorite shoes. It was almost too much. I went sticky-sticky-sticky all the way from the parking lot to the pharmacy counter and sticky-sticky-sticky all the way back. My husband tried to clean them up for me...but all night, I kept smelling Eau de café--wait--that was me.

Boo had another night at home, much to his dismay. Roo and I rushed to pick up the girls and made it to the studio on time. I got to sit with my favorite group of moms and another mom joined us. I've always enjoyed talking to her. She's another homeschooler, but her child is older and in advanced levels. She's got a lot of good insights, she's witty, smart and open. She chose to ask me, "If you sent your child to a public school and they got a bad education, you could always blame their teachers. Aren't you ever afraid that some day they're going to decide you missed something--and it will be all your fault?"

Gulp...

Well...honestly, yes, but today I still feel like a toad and I don't want to think about THAT! Yikes!

Truly, I enjoyed her company and hope we can talk again. Just maybe when I'm not feeling warty and all. Ya know?

Today, Boo is bouncing around the house. Much improved. Medicine-a-phobic that I am, I know that sometimes a good antibiotic is the only answer. I am grateful for both my boys who love me despite my warts. My husband who for some unknown reason still loves me and is home most days, and all the blessings we have.

Today, I am grateful that I started school early because if this had been my first week of getting back to school with the boys I would have melted into a pile of goo.

Today I am grateful for doctors.

Today, I am grateful I got to half half of the best cup of coffee I've made in a long time...it was better than none at all.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for sticky shoes and cluttered houses and unfinished work. I thank you for people who aren't afraid to admit to having weaknesses and help me to admit I'm not perfect either.

God of spilled coffee, red lights, long car rides, infections, old cats, hairy dogs, sunshine and rain, rushing and rest, LORD of unfathomable heaven and messy, dirty earth, I thank you for this week. I thank you for my family and friends, I thank you for holding us up when we are tired and holding our children when they are sick and their parents are slow to catch on.

Help me keep my focus on you. Help me to see my little inconveniences for just that and to laugh at the bumps in the road. Make me stronger for the truly difficult times and always let me feel Your Presence. Amen.

Counting it all joy,

Julie

Above sofa found here.

Blog Book Tour--Fools Rush In

by Janice Thompson

Janice Thompson certainly likes her weddings! Yes indeed, she does. The first Thompson wedding tale I read was back in 2007, Gone With the Groom, a wedding mystery with a missing groom. Her suspense filled Christian fiction was full of adventure and mayhem.

But Ms. Thompson really caught one of my weaknesses this time, she knows her Dean Martin. Oh yes indeed, she does! And one of my secret weaknesses is Dean Martin's singing. Dino croons the soundtrack of her latest novel, Fools Rush In: Weddings by Bella. Well...I suppose Ol' Blue Eyes sings a supporting backup, but it's Dean who leads the show.

Really, the story is about the very Itallian Bella Rossi and her search for the perfect country and western deejay. Because, you know, Italians and Texas have a lot in common...ummm, do they? Really? Well, maybe more than you'd think.

Bella has inherited the family business...ahem...the family wedding business, that is, and she intends on making it successful. Can a wedding planner who's never had her own wedding make it big designing others' happily ever after dreams? What about Bella's dreams? Will there ever be a wedding bell in her future? What happens when Bella's East-coast family meets the downhome Texas family of D.J, who may or may not be the deejay she's looking for.

Janice Thompson's quirky characters create madcap situations and manage to rely on the LORD at the same time. They are unapologetically Christian and are always ready to share what the LORD has done for them.

My only complaint with the book? Well, Ms. Thompson didn't work in my all time favorite Dean Martin song--Georgia Sunshine. I suppose given the book is about TEXAS and all I can understand. Book One of the Weddings by Bella series was so fun, I'll be on the lookout for Book Two, Swinging on a Star.

My thanks to Ms. Thompson and Revell Books/Baker Publishing for the great time I had with this fun, fast-paced read. Fools Rush In was just released and is available at your favorite bookseller, from Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing group.

Never Forget

In memory of those who died, many prayers and tears still today.

Purple...

...or even aubergine,amaranthine, amethyst, heliotrope, lavender, lilac, mulberry, orchid, periwinkle, perse, or plum.

I have abused the royal color of purple and unintentionally cause my dear friend Buttercup sorrow. Dear Buttercup, just so you know I really do like purple. I was just surprised because I've just always saw myself as a blue or perhaps black personality. But most certainly I like purple.

So offering the olive branch to any and all lovers of the passionate purple color, I give you:

10 Purple Things I Like

1. Lavender



2. Lilacs



3. Orchids



4. Violets



5. Irises



6. Pansies



7. Statice






8. Amethysts



9. Eggplants



10. Purple velvet

Actually twice a year, during Lent and Advent, my blog is usually purple, the colors of the season. But I felt a change would be appropriate to honor the lovely color of purple.

Oh!! One more thing that I love that is purplish (a little gray/purple)...

Oh bother!



Do you have a favorite color? Or a color you see your personality as?

Have a colorful day!

Julie

Aubergine, I'm Telling You!!

I am NOT purple!!

Well, apparently I am.

Who knew?

Your Blog Should Be Purple

You're an expressive, offbeat blogger who tends to write about anything and everything. You tend to set blogging trends, and you're the most likely to write your own meme or survey. You are a bit distant though. Your blog is all about you - not what anyone else has to say.

What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be?

Notes From the Sofa

How cool is this sofa?! My boys would have fun doing school on a sofa like this. Well, it will have to be in our dreams.

So...school this week...Week 7. Boo met Henry Huggins. And just like his brother (and me for that matter), Henry is a favorite. Boo will be reading more about Henry as the year progresses. Henry's creator, Beverly Cleary is a favorite author at this house. Boo's been introduced to Ramona and Ralph S. Mouse. He will also be reading Dear Mr. Henshaw in the near future.

Another family favorite on Boo's reading list this week was Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol. After starting with Encyclopedia Brown, Roo went on a mystery reading kick. I'm anxious to see if the same happens with Boo.

Roo has finished The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau and really appreciated the story. I've assigned The Giver by Lois Lowry and Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix for this week. These books address some really relevant topics such as: futuristic projections, overpopulation, post-apocalyptic societies, dystopian/utopian societies.

From my limited experience, it seems these books tend to evoke a strong reaction. Discussing them with others, both parents and other students, it seems people either like them a lot or dislike them a lot. I've seen around the web that some parents have decided not to assign or allow these books. I do understand that the topics can be upsetting and sometimes create volitile conversation.

I am not suggesting these as appropriate reading material for every child, they just were books that addressed conversations and issues that are causing questions at our house. I read the books myself when questioning whether they would be appropriate for Roo, something I highly recommend doing. I find that the security of a fictional setting can allow for conversation that might be uncomfortable for a child or worse, not take place at all, otherwise and often prompts questions that I would prefer my children ask me versus their peers or even other adults whom I like but disagree with.

Reading choices are an extremely personal decision and the best thing I can tell a parent questioning the appropriateness of a book for their child is to read it themselves. In this busy life we all lead it is often too easy to rely on others to form our opinions. As the person with ultimate responsibility for the education of my children, I often have to put aside my personal reading list and read what is on the agenda for my boys or what they have requested. In doing so, I've been often rewarded with books that I've enjoyed and been glad I've read. Besides, unless the parent has read the book there can be little useful discussion of said book.

In the science department, Boo is learning about the human body, organs and systems and Roo is learning about habitats, environments and ecosystems. The plan in the weeks to come is to do some hands on study on light.

I found a full set of used Cuisinere Rods at the homeschool bookstore near my house for an incredible price and both boys have played around with them. Boo is more of a Kinesthetic learner and they've helped him make a couple of leaps in areas that were frustrating last year. Roo just enjoys anything to do with math and has used them for independent learning.

Learning went on the road Friday, as we packed a bag of books and drove up to Grandpa's house for a long weekend.

After homeschooling for so long, I sometimes forget that other people aren't familiar with it. When I first made the decision to homeschool my children over eleven years ago when Roo was just a baby, I met a lot of opposition from people, even family and friends who were sure this would be a recipe for disaster for my boys. These days I don't think too much about it. It is ingrained into our lives. We've been in the same neighborhood, activities and church for long enough now that people know who we are and are comfortable with us.

So while out and about on Friday, I must admit to being surprised at being made uncomfortable by some who obviously wondered why my children weren't in school; mostly by a high school teacher taking a group of high school students on a field trip to the grocery store we stopped at. It wasn't until after the fact, seated in my car, that I considered the behavior of her charges compared to the behavior of mine.

There's been some pride, the last few years especially, for helping parents who want to understand homeschooling and decide whether or not it will be a good choice for their family. I do try to be a good "ambassador" for homeschooling. I do try to have a good Christian attitude towards everyone; but must admit to failing more often than I would like when being challenged as to my ability to make good decisions for my children's well being. Most people are at least open or tolerant of our educational choices, but I've found over the last year especially a feeling of incredulity that homeschool is a viable choice for learning.

Homeschooling is an ongoing adventure and education for me and my boys. Even with a little awkwardness and uncomfortable situations, I would not trade it for anything in the world.

Next week is the last of the four-day weeks for a while. I'm looking forward to some five-day weeks to come!!

Whether you homeschool or not, what have you been up to?

Counting it all joy,

Julie



The cool sofa in the photo was found at this blog dedicated to chairs and furniture. Cool stuff!

Purple?

You Are a Confident Purple Car

You're definitely an unusual person. Some people may even call you "weird" or "freaky." Luckily for you, you don't care what others think. If anything, you enjoy it when people think you're strange! You are offbeat and eccentric. You see the world a little differently than everyone else does. You are seen as mysterious. People are very curious about you... whether they know you well already or not.

The Car Oracle

Purple?

I think not.

Aubergine, perhaps.

Maybe even amaranthine, amethyst, heliotrope, lavender, lilac, mulberry, orchid, periwinkle, perse, or plum.

But certainly not purple.

What does the car oracle say about you?

Reset Button

I don't know if I mentioned it, but I am a packrat crafter. I don't throw anything away. Even if it is outdated, almost empty, useless or worse...broken. I hang on to lots of stuff because, you know, you just never know, it might be useful. Okay, I guess I do throw some stuff away, like the science projects that find their way to my refrigerator, but if it isn't creepy, fuzzy or green, I hang on for dear life.

Anyway...there was this cheap calculator that I purchased for the boys before school started--big buttons, big readout, easy on my ever aging eyes. It was set on a shelf (because it was used so much) and when taken back out would not work. Since it was "solar powered" I thought little of it and let it sit on the table to charge. A few days later I checked it...still not working. And in ever the packrat crafter mode I shoved it into the shelf again...for that time I might need a non-working calculator. It happens...Right?

So last night in a moment of need I grabbed for the calculator, willing it to come on. Nope. Nothing. No matter how hard I punched those buttons. So of course I threw it away laid it on the table for one last chance.

This morning while doing school work with the boys, I fiddled with it absentmindedly, turning it over, seeing if I missed something. There was what looked like a battery cover, but not wanting to interrupt the flow of school, I didn't get up to find a screwdriver. I fiddled with it some more...wait...what was that teeney, tiny, eensey, weensey little black hole there in the back? What did the raised plastic letters say?

"Reset."

A pen was handy so I pushed it in and, voilà, the calculator resumed functioning!

Staples has a great commercial series offering an "easy" button. Don't we all wish that we had access to that throughout the day?

Even more so, I wish I had a "Reset" button. There are many things I would reset, redo and hopefully get right the second time. Although I would be willing to try a third or fourth to make things better. Hopefully I would not have a Bill Murray Groundhog's Day experience, although if that would be what it takes, I'd be willing.

What would you reset if you could?

We don't have a reset button, but our Mighty God gives us many chances and even better--forgiveness. I am so grateful. But I hope in this journey to learn to get things right the first time so I wouldn't have to have that wish for a reset button.

Peace,

Julie

The Frontiersman's Daughter

by Laura Frantz

Blond and young, energetic and bold, Lael Click is a girl growing up fast in Kentucke, the territory destined to become the state of Kentucky. What is the destiny of the daughter of Ezekial Click? Will she remain barefooted and free living outside the fort named for her father? Will she become the young wife of her best friend's brother, Simon--an albeit charming boy, but harboring some troubling qualities? Will Lael turn to teaching inside the walls of the fort, feeling the walls containing her? Limiting her freedom?

This beautiful story set in the late 1700s is more than just a piece of historical fiction, it is an intensely personal glimpse at frontier life, the beauty and the raw realities of limited water, limited food, challenging weather and always close by, Indians.

Laura Frantz offers characters with many faceted personalities, many secrets shut away that come back to haunt, not only the secret bearer, but their children. The gritty everyday work of just surviving speaks from every page, but Frantz writes in such a way that the reader can catch a glimpse of the call that challenged so many to leave civilized life and endure many trials in the quest for "a new life."

The Frontiersman's Daughter was hard to put down. I must admit to a couple of nights lost sleep because I just wanted to finish "one more chapter." There was a little housework undone also. It was the perfect summer read for out on the patio.

Love, Loss and Forgiveness on the Kentucky Frontier

Stunning debut novel will delight historical fiction fans of Lynn Austin
in this story of romance and adventure during one of America’s most exciting eras

In The Frontiersman’s Daughter, debut novelist Laura Frantz plants readers into the demanding realities of frontier life during the time in American history when Daniel Boone was settling Kentucky. This story has personal significance to Frantz, because her ancestors were among those settlers who journeyed with Boone—and many remain in those original areas of Kentucky.

Drawing from cherished family lore as well as in-depth research in her writing, Frantz is able to paint a story with a distinct, captivating authenticity.

Frantz introduces readers to Lael Click, who is lovely but tough as nails and coming of age in the fragile Kentucky settlement that her father—a celebrated frontiersman—founded. Life as a pioneer isn’t easy, and it’s more than just the hardships of living in the wilderness that Lael must contend with: The arrival of an outlander doctor threatens her view of the world, God, and herself—as well as the power of grace and redemption.

In the midst of this, Lael must also face the loss of a childhood love, a dangerous family feud, the affection of a Shawnee warrior and the secret sins of her family’s past. Rather than give up, this strong woman draws strength from the rugged land she calls home. This epic novel gives readers a glimpse into the simple yet daring lives of the pioneers who first crossed the Appalachians, all through the courageous eyes of a determined young woman.

Laura Frantz credits her 100-year-old grandmother as being the catalyst for her fascination with Kentucky history. Frantz’s family followed Daniel Boone into Kentucky in 1792 and settled in Madison County where her family still resides. Frantz is a former schoolteacher and social worker who currently lives in Port Angeles, Washington, with her husband and two sons, whom she homeschools.

Friday Fill-Ins

I haven't done Friday Fill-Ins for ages! These looked fun.

1. He was a HOME!!!

2. Sitting on the patio at night with my husband is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend is the guy I married.

4. I do not like housekeeping to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be very scary.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was my sons because my husband went to bed before all of us.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to spending time with my guys, tomorrow my plans include driving Roo to dance and clearing my craft area and Sunday, I want to sit on the patio with my husband (he's been gone a week & I'm glad to have him home if you couldn't guess!