First Homeschool Group Meeting

I got to the library a half an hour early to get ready. I really expected my co-leader SM to be there, but it ended up being a good thing she was running late. I had to ask her to get plates and napkins! eek

The meeting was set to start at 1:00 and at 1:05 we were the only ones there. I was about to get really depressed when two ladies came in with their children.  SM said she recognized both the moms from a walk she had done, and the one mom recognized me from VBS at the other Baptist church in town.

We all hit it off right away; SM apologized for talking so much, but I said, "Isn't that what we're here for?" She took the kids to the other table and did a craft with them while I talked to the moms. The one mom didn't bring her special needs child; she was home with her dad with an ear infection. Both families are homeschooling due to bullying situations. I find that so sad, but our kids sat at the table after the craft was done talking like they had known each other for years.

Both moms left encouraged and that's what SM and I were hoping for. And WE were encouraged, too.

They bought bookbags and want tshirts like ours, so I think it's safe to say they'll be back! Our next meeting will be at my church since the library is spoken for on that day. I think it will work well for what we want to do.

My son said he wished we could meet every Friday. I'm glad he feels that way, but for now, I think twice a month will be good.

New Project + Local Lady = Drama

So it seems that I cannot do "drama-free".

I'm starting my seventh year of homeschooling my kids. I report to a homeschool umbrella group that is over 45 minutes away. Because of the distance we haven't been very involved in their activities. But the way they process the work and the minimal cost is what we like. We pay $50 per year per family and think that's very fair.

I had mentioned to the head of the group that I was thinking of starting a support group at this little corner of the county and she was all for it. She said she'd mention it to people so that if they live closer to me they'd have a group to do activities with. That's very gracious of her! Another mom who also sends her girls to the same dance class Little Girl goes to is going to be my co-leader.

So the drama is coming from a lady who started a group last year in our little town. She joined forces/resources with the church that split off our church. There's no way I'd take my kids to that group. It's ridiculous to think that there aren't enough people in our area to sustain two small groups, but apparently "they" don't like it. The difficult part is that my co-leader works with this lady in the local girl scouts groups.

Over the summer the group organized as an umbrella group and came up with monthly fees for their members based on how many kids they have and their household income. If that's what they want to do, that's fine.

The lady who has caused problems online is not happy that we are starting a new group. She has posted snotty things on my posts, has started posting all over our local Facebook pages, has said very rude things to the lady who is helping me and accused me of stealing "her" name for our group.

I sent her a FB message explaining that I didn't know her group had HAD a name, but that I know their current (new?) name is the name of the church + "academy" (pretentious?). But whatever. I have already had tshirts and bookbags made up, so I told her I'm not changing the name. I also told her to quit posting negative things on my posts. If she keeps it up, I'll report her to FB. I've already blocked her. That helps me not see what she's posting, and it keeps her from seeing what I've posted. Win-Win.

I do not want her to steal my joy in this, so I need to not worry about her or her psycho pastor and his ego.

Here's our logo. :)

I really am excited. The other mom is going to teach an art class and I'm going to teach a music class. This is the book I'm going to use. I'm working on some visuals to go along with the lessons. :) So cool.

I think we'll have some refreshments at our first meeting, so I need to think about that. I've put together a little bio sheet and a sheet with our mission statement on it to hand out at the first meeting. My kids are excited, too. That is a big help.

No more drama!

Echoes and Cobwebs!

Wow. Excuse the dust! It's been awhile!

So. Baby isn't a baby anymore. I think she's going to have to graduate to Little Girl, at least. ;) I don't know how happy she'll be with that new moniker, but I just can't jump any higher right now.

She's very excited about Halloween coming up. Not because of the candy or carving pumpkins. It's all about the costume for her. I tried to get her to find something in her dress-up stuff that would make her happy, but that wasn't working.

She had several ideas that all revolved around sparkly princesses, and on our way to and from ballet class, we whittled them down to one - Elsa. Not my first choice, but what we came up with was an awesome compromise.  I seriously wasn't going to spend $50 on a costume, even if she wore it every day. But I came across a picture in Pinterest that interested both of us.

The Anna t-shirt was what caught my eye. She asked me a bit dubiously if I could paint the front of the shirt like that. I tried to not act offended, and reminded her that I CAN draw AND paint fairly well. Remember this? 

That little stinker looked me in the eye and told me, "I'm not convinced, Mom."

So we decided to go with Elsa (the light blue t-shirt). I told her I could sew a simple, separate skirt and a sparkly, sheer train onto the shirt, but I'm thinking I may use pins so it can be removed for wearing every day. But it looks like we'll be making a trip to the fabric store for paint, glitter, sequins and some fabric. I'll have to locate a long-sleeve white shirt at Walmart. This also covers the problem of staying warm in a princess costume!

And then she mentioned that she does not have long, blond hair. :/ So we ordered this. I think she's almost more excited about the wig than the dress.

She was all excited about the project, and asked her brother what HE wanted to dress up as. No one should be shocked that he said he doesn't CARE about costumes, and in the same breath asked if he could play Minecraft. sigh

Anxiety

A friend mentioned that the local Christian school will be looking for a few teachers in the fall, and asked if I was interested. I laughed it off at the time, but by that night I was seriously thinking about it and panicking.

We enjoy homeschooling for the most part. Sleeping in, flexible schedule, being home with our doggie all day, snuggling on the couch together while we do our work. There's none of the stress of getting out the door in the morning, looking for shoes or belts or homework last minute, no packing lunches, no homework and probably most importantly to me is not handing over the care of my Type 1 Diabetic son to someone else.

So as I was in bed trying to go to sleep, I was a bit overcome by anxiety and the next morning took some of my anxiety meds. I haven't taken any for a few years now.

My kids are both a bit shy at first and I cannot help but think of how they would feel in such a new environment. Both struggle a bit with reading and spelling and writing. My son has started to be belligerent about doing certain work. I know the lady who would be his teacher and she's great. So in my mind I was making pro and con lists but it didn't matter - the anxiety was winning.

I mentioned the possibility to my son and I was a little surprised when his tears started falling. He doesn't want to go. I don't want him to be afraid to go, but I do want him to feel confident about going. I realize that they both may have to go through some discomfort and that it could be a good thing for them in the long run.

So I inquired about the openings. And the pay. And the tuition break. And my husband and I started talking about what it would cost us financially for me to teach. I would be paid almost nothing for a huge amount of work and stress. I told him it made me a bit nauseous to think about teaching there.

I'm not going to do it. It would completely change our whole life, and not for the better. I do think at some point I want my kids to go to a school, but not now and not there.

I'm looking at different online homeschool options for next year. It's possible that the kids would do different programs; his needs are different than hers. But they will both be doing something online.

And I have a calm, peaceful feeling about it.

Stinkin' Cinderella

When we turned the page in Boy's reading book I knew there would be trouble. He gets so upset and stubborn about certain things, and I knew that a story about Cinderella would be a trigger. To be clear, the story was about comparing and contrasting the versions of Cinderella found around the world. It took us an hour to get the 20 minute assignment done.

I read the first paragraph out loud, and told him he needed to read the second paragraph. After a long time of coaxing and threatening, he tried to make a deal. He would read it, but he would NOT say "her" name. It took more persuading and finally threatening that he would not play in his baseball game tonight before he gave in. "Do you know how this makes me feel inside? Like everyone will look at me and think I'm dumb." Seeing that I had already sent Girl to her room so he wouldn't feel like she was laughing at him, I was the only one there. "Everyone, who?" He was so angry, and I was so sad. And frustrated, and trying to not get angry, too.

He started reading, inserting "stupid" before Cinderella's name. I explained that he was being disobedient and defiant, and how that wasn't acceptable either. He finally gave in and we finished the assignment just in time for Daddy to get home for lunch. So you can imagine how beat down I felt when I told Girl she needed to come out and do her math and she yelled, "You're so mean!"

I could throw up my hands and send them to public school next year, but that isn't what I really want. I just want them to cooperate a little.

Vent over; back to math and grammar. sigh

Read my lips!

So homeschooling has been a challenge the last couple days. I have laryngitis. My kids have selective hearing. They've figured out that when I whistle or snap my fingers I'm not calling for the dog. But it really is difficult to squelch the bickering without a voice. I did manage to say a few words, but it really resembled the sound a duck call makes when blown full force. Not pretty. I probably should be on voice rest for a couple more days. We'll see how that goes. I need to go find a big stick. sigh

Everything is {yawn} awesome!

So last night DH and I took the kids to the late showing of the Lego Movie in 3D. DH thought I was a little crazy. But the dog had an appointment at 3 in the afternoon yesterday which made it impossible to go to the 4 pm showing. And we could have gone to see it minus the 3D at 7 pm, but that is our dinner time. I try to not mess with that as much as possible for Little Boy's sake.

DH is on vacation this week and next, so I figured it wouldn't be the end of the world. And it wasn't. I was hoping the little people would sleep in a little longer than they did...

We like the movie. DH and I were glad to see it wasn't just an adventure movie with cute special effects. We talked to the kids on the way home about the message of the movie: everyone is someone special, we're all created to fulfill a purpose, and when we all work together we can accomplish great things.

I liked that I heard DH laugh out loud a couple times. :) There were many pop culture references that went over the kids' heads.

And then there's the cute *annoying* theme song: "Everything is awesome." lol

I thought the Batman character was a hoot. DH and I both liked the ghost.

Little Boy loved the whole thing, of course. And Baby was glad when it was done. (sigh)

The only down side? It wasn't cheap. :/ But it was fun. :)

Valentine's Day

My sweet husband bought me a tanzanite necklace to match earrings he bought me for my birthday last year. :)  And a bag of peanut M&Ms hidden in a box from Amazon for books or videos. lol


I also got a beautiful flower arrangement. :) The only thing sad about the whole day was that he had to go to work tonight - which would explain why I'm still awake.


I started watching Emma - the movie based on the Jane Austen book. I got a phone call and paused the movie. I checked Little Boy's sugar and finished the movie. I really do need to get to bed.


It was a very nice day. 

I bought a bottle of wine tonight.

I sometimes have a difficult time distinguishing between my generous nature and the Holy Spirit prompting me to help people. But tonight, I felt like it was the Holy Spirit.

I was in line at Walmart and there was a young mom ahead of me. She had a little girl riding in the basket and a little boy in the cart seat. His little eyes lit up as the dad came around the end of the aisle to join them. They only had a few things in their cart. He patted his son on the head, and made his way to the front of the cart to pay. There was a 2 liter of soda on the end of the conveyor belt thingie. I asked if it was theirs. He said yes, but he was putting it aside. And he came and got it and handed it to the clerk. She finished ringing up their things, and I heard him say, "Put back the bottle of wine." He handed it to her in the bag.

Back story. I read a blog by a single mom of six. She posted a story that made me smile. (Go read it.) So when I heard him say that, I didn't even hesitate. I told the clerk that I wanted to buy it for them. He tried to object; he opened his wallet and showed me that he still had a couple dollars in there. I told him it was a Valentine's Day pay-it-forward thing, and that I was buying it and that since I don't drink it wouldn't do me any good. He had an odd expression on his face at that point, and the clerk was asking me for ID. The wife was teary and he kept thanking me. I told them I hoped they had a nice Valentine's Day and they returned the greeting as they left.

So was it the Holy Spirit? I don't know. But I bought a $4 bottle of wine tonight. I sure hope they enjoy it. :)

Weather changes are painful

Man, when the barometer goes up and down it kills me. I went out to eat with a friend while Baby was in dance class. When I stood up, she kind of laughed because I stood up like an elderly person. It took me a couple minutes to even stand up completely straight. (When I explained my pain, she quit laughing.) But she completely gets the barometer thing. Her daughter is autistic; her moods swing radically when the barometer changes. And she personally has allergy issues.


So I wonder exactly what it is about the changes that affects us.

Cool Beans!

So I got the confirmation today for the condo we're renting while in Orlando. The listing was for a 2 Bed/2 Bath condo. I don't know if that's the standard listing and then you get what's available? The condo we're getting is actually 3 Bed/3 Bath! We would have done just fine with the 2 Bed, but the kids are excited to have their own rooms. :) And while we'll probably drive to the pool, it looks like a really nice one. :)

Friday was Little Boy's five year Diaversary. It really is hard to believe it's been five years. In one way, it's been a really long five years. But on the other hand, the time really has flown by. We went out to eat; he picked Denny's. He really likes their breakfasts, so I wasn't surprised. The breakfast he picked was 114 carbs! But I wanted him to have what he wanted. I don't know if he picked up a bug there or if he caught what his grandma has. But yesterday and last night were rough for him.

He woke up Saturday morning with a wet bed. :( Poor kid. We knew he must not be feeling well. And then he called DH because he had thrown up. DH got it all cleaned up.

I had been planning to take both kids to see Frozen. He needed rest, and Baby needed to get out of the house, so I took her to the movie. While we were gone, Little Boy ate a waffle for breakfast. When he drank a whole glass of water, he got sick again. So we tried all day to control his fever and get him to drink little bits of flat soda. I talked him into getting into the tub later in the day. While he was in the bathroom I grabbed a ketone strip and checked his pee. It almost instantly turned the darkest color on the chart and he freaked out a little.

I ended up calling the endo and he told me how to treat Little Boy. By this morning the fever was gone, his sugar numbers were good and there were no ketones. DH did much of the work. <3 br=""> So today we're all laying low; Baby informed us today that she has a show on at 3 pm. LOL She wants to watch the Puppy Bowl. Little Boy decided it was a good time to take a bath. ;)

I think I might try to take a little nap. 

I think it's done

So yesterday I got my gold crown - on my tooth! I think it's done. I was supposed to go back today if it was bothering me at all. I called and told the receptionist I think it's ok. Darn tooth. It's been bothering me for well over a year now, and it's done.


I am down to the wire on reserving a room/house/condo for our Disney trip. I've searched and searched for the best deal. Seeing that we'll spend 2 days not in the parks, I wanted to find a condo or townhouse where we could be more comfy. I need to make a decision quickly. The options are not going to be available for long.


Pepper is loving her "frog". I found treats that I can cram in there and basically she can't get them out. This keeps her occupied most of the day. Maybe that's mean on my part, but it lets us get school work done without worrying whose shoes, coat or toys she's destroying. She throws it around the living room - chasing it - and we love the entertainment. :)  Poor Chicken.


I've reserved her kennel for our trip. She'll have a private "room", get walked 6 times a day and someone will read her a bedtime story. LOL  Spoiled?  Actually, part of my justification is that perhaps we'll avoid her learning any "tricks" from the other dogs.


I ordered a few things from the Disney store online for the kids for the trip. I think I'll give them the gifts for Valentine's Day. :) We need to start a count-down calendar. <3 p="">

There are so many church functions quickly approaching and I need to get on the ball with them before our next business meeting!

MORE SNOW!

My kids are totally lamenting being homeschooled right now. Local schools have been closed more than open the last couple weeks between the snow and extreme cold temperatures. I'm sure they'll be upset tomorrow when I have their schoolwork laid out.

I'm supposed to go to the dentist tomorrow morning, but I don't know if I'll make it. It's the last step of getting a permanent crown on the molar that I had a root canal done. Bleh. I'll be so glad when it's done. It's been a long time coming, and as much as I like our dentist, I hate going.

Church was busy today. When DH has to work day shift, it gets crazy. But I got up early enough to get things done. I made bread pudding in the crockpot today for the "pre-Sunday school snack". Meh. I didn't think it was that great. But people ate it and said it was good. I think they just liked it b/c it was warm.

I got the breakfast stuff set up and then posted stuff on the bulletin board and then taught the adult SS class. I led the singing since DH wasn't there, and taught children's church. And then drove home - uphill - on slippery roads. I was really afraid I wouldn't make it.

Can I just say that it's always a challenge for me to teach the adult SS class with my MIL sitting front and center. She participates in the discussion, but also tends to monopolize the conversation. And when she disagrees with me it's awkward. But it's once a month, so I'm not going to let it bug me.

I started watching The Blacklist this week. I think some of the killing is gratuitous, but I like the story line.

I guess I need to fix supper. 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

I think I've posted this recipe before, and I know I've shared it with specific people. But this is a super yummy recipe, and it couldn't be any easier.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

2 pounds individually quick-frozen chicken breast tenderloin fillets
1 1.4-oz. package fajita seasonings
2 1/2 cups (1/2 package) frozen pepper stir fry
Juice of 1 lime (approximately 1 1/2 T.)
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
12 fajita-sized flour tortillas
1 cup reduced fat shredded cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese
Fat-free sour cream, for garnish
Shredded lettuce, for garnish
Diced tomato, for garnish

Place frozen chicken tenderloins in crock pot. Sprinkle fajita seasonings over top. Add pepper stir-fry, lime juice and chicken broth. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Spoon some of the chicken mixture onto a tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and garnish as desired with sour cream, shredded lettuce and diced tomato.

Makes 6 servings.

SNOW!

It's snowing here! We're in the 8-12 inch range on the map. I don't think we'll get quite that much, but Baby and I won't be going to get our hair done today.


After running around yesterday, I'm fine with that.

Procrastination

I am a procrastinator. I leave many things until the last minute. There are some things that I don't. But I'm forever washing my hair 15 minutes before I'm supposed to leave. I can wash, dry and style my hair AND put on my makeup AND throw on my clothes in those last 15 minutes. But it's annoying to me, my kids and probably my husband who never complains, bless his heart.

We were supposed to have our homeschool review a couple weeks ago on the coldest day of the season. Everything here was closed and people were being advised to stay home. So I did. And the review is today. You'd think I'd have everything ready to go, but I don't. So I made the appointment for the latest one she had left. 4:15. So here's me - in my head - calculating 45 minutes to get there, 15 minutes to get ready, half an hour at church to make my copies.... I'm trying to figure out how much time I have to get things done. Argh!

So I'm off to get my kids busy on today's work while I finish up putting the review stuff together so I'm not literally leaving it to the VERY last minute.

I'm so proud of myself.  (sarcasm)

Last week was the monthly business meeting. We decided to turn the nursery into a welcome center/other room. So I took the kids down on Saturday and I purged and packed the toys and had the kids lug them to a storage area. DH came down and carried a table upstairs. I went to Walmart and the Dollar store and here's what the old nursery looks like now.  This was after church. The coffee was gone, the water for tea - gone, the sausage/egg/cheese muffin things - gone. There were a few donut holes and cranberry muffins left.

The counting committee has another table set up against another wall. We have several elderly people who help count the offerings who can't go up and down the stairs very well. So it's very convenient now for them to use this room at the back of the sanctuary.

Last Friday the kids were in a piano recital. Baby had a couple little bobbles but did fine. Little Boy was nervous as all get out but did great!  They picked their own clothes out, and looked a little underdressed compared to some of the kids, but they were comfortable. And I don't care, for the most part. And they matched without knowing it. lol

Gotta go. Stuff to do. Before it gets late.

Reality

I know better. I know better than to think my mother would reply much less email me copies of the pictures I asked for. I know better than to hope that somewhere in her black, self-centered, spiteful heart she could do something kind for me. So why do I even bother? I don't know. I feel defeated and sad and stupid. And it bugs me that I keep checking my email to see if maybe she sent them. It would take her five minutes to scan the pictures and hit send.


Our refrigerator is not working correctly. DH vacuumed a PILE of dog hair from underneath it. He thinks one of the fans is not running. I'm hoping he can figure it out and fix it.


I'm exhausted. Staying up too late and getting up late... It's taking its toll. Pain is my constant companion anymore. Psoriatic arthritis stinks. I had a tiny psoriasis flare on my elbow. I really can't complain. Most people have huge patches; I usually don't have any. So that tiny spot the size of a dime isn't really enough to even mention. But it was an ugly, itchy reminder that I do indeed have an autoimmune disease that will surface at will.


I'm continuing to do my shake diet. I've had a couple people tell me that they can tell I'm losing. I guess that's a good sign. I want to get some water pills and try taking one once or maybe twice a week.


My kids are taking turns fussing about school. and piano. and clearing the table. and picking up after the dog. and about each other. It's draining.


So the lady didn't call yesterday about Sunday school and VBS; she got stuck in a meeting. She's supposed to call me today. Little Boy is going with his grandparents to get his hair cut this morning. The kids have piano at 3. Baby leaves for dance at 5:45. The business meeting at church starts at 6:30. And somewhere between schooling and refereeing I get to clean out the fridge and freezer.


Thankfully we have a fridge/freezer downstairs. It's not as packed full, but it's not empty, either. :(


Maybe I'll be busy enough to not worry so much about the email I didn't get.

Busy Busy

First off, my husband found my calendar planner! WooHoo! He found it where I had looked at least a few times; I had even moved everything that was in that area! Thanking God! So my brain has been restored!

Yesterday I emailed my mother. Shouldn't be a big deal, but I was all nerves as I hit "send". I've asked once before for her to email me a copy of a couple of very old family photos with no response. Now that I'm compiling this family tree file, I really want her to send them. I sent her a picture of the kids at Christmas since I didn't get cards out at Christmas. I sent her a pdf file about my great great grandfather and his son almost getting blown up in a mining accident. And I sent her a document with the basic information I've collected about that part of the family. And I asked again if she'd email me the pictures.

I doubt I'll ever see them. I want to cry.

But I've got to get my act together. I have a meeting today at the mill with the public relations lady and the lady responsible for retirees. Our church wants to give a picnic to the retirees. The mill used to do this, but has not for a few years now due to budget cutbacks. I want to try to get as much information about what they have done in the past and see if this is even feasible. Exciting!

And then this afternoon I have a phone appointment with a lady from our state SBC who is going to give us curriculum for VBS.

Somewhere in there I need to do a lot of other things - like school!

Gotta run!

Brain Damage

I really need some prayer. I have misplaced my pocket planner. I was using it to copy information onto wall calendars. I have both wall calendars, but I can't find the one I carry in my purse. It has names and contact information for all our doctors, hair people, etc. I have GOT to find it. I'm very frustrated right now. It's HERE somewhere. And I HAVE to find it.

Sucked Back In

AAaaarrrgghh! I've been sucked back into Ancestry.com.  I've started compiling my research in an extensive way. Starting as far back as I could on the Robbs' side of the family, I've started listing every relative I've located. I'm working through my direct line and then expanding from there. I have a 30 page Word document so far. It includes pictures of people, documents, headstones, newspaper clippings, information from censuses and city directories and any other information I've come across.

I was feeling pretty good about how much I've done in just a couple days when I realized there are several other "lines" in my tree! Yikes. This is going to take some time.

But for now, I am Robbs descendent 3.7.4.3.1.3.2.