Well, it sure is good to be getting back to a regular schedule now. Still had the two younger ones with mild reoccurring fevers last evening so had to take care of them. We all slept well all night though for the first time. Yay!
It is so very cold again today: maybe 20 degrees at present and may get up to 30 today. Snow is predicted even! We will stay cozy and warm if the electricity stays on. It went off for 20 minutes this am. I really do
wish I had thought to buy hot chocolate, but I may google a recipe from cocoa powder, sugar, and milk which I do have. :-))
We have to catch up on a spelling test today and rearrange the schedule to extend school a couple extra days in May to make up for sick days. It will be smoother to adjust it, since everyone is still not up to par yet with their coughs and all, than to push to "catch up" and risk more problems of relapse. I always set the schedule for each year to end around the 20th of May or sooner so that there will be room to adapt anyway and still finish by the end of May.
Time to get to work. We are starting late since I let them sleep in to stay warm when the electricity was off.
I hope you enjoy a special day with your students, too!
Melanie
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Fevers and Flu
It is amazing how fast children can get sick. Within a day after I wrote the last post, The older two were coming down with something, had sore throat and slight temps. I didn't worry as that was manageable, until Thurs. when their temps. hit 103 and rising that morning and sore throat and cough. It was time for the doctor.
While waiting for the appt., their temps went to 103.8 and 104. Very aggressive virus, so, since Jr. strength wasn't working, had to switch to adult ibuprofen. It worked so well that their temps. were embarrassingly normal when we got to the doctor. The strep test was negative, so that left the evil flu. By evening, the third son had it, and by morning the last one.
We turned the living room couches and the lazy-boy into beds as an infirmary so that I could keep watch on each for temps, giving medicine, ice water, cool baths, etc. through each of the three nights (while I was starting to feel bad). Two were almost better by Sunday, except their coughs, so they waited on the rest of us and rested in between. Monday all of us were feeling better, but still tired and the coughs are less frequent.
Tomorrow we will try a half day of school. It will be good to eat something besides soup and crackers and applesauce and yougart again, too.
Tonight, we all went to our own beds, but I couldn't sleep still as one woke me once already, so I am writing this. I am tired but restless, but want to be sure I don't miss a need. Luckily, my husband did not get this flu, and I hope he doesn't! I am glad that my case was comparatively mild, PTL!, so that I could care for the others. God was good to see us through this so well, when it hit so unexpectedly. We have since learned that there is a LOT of this going around our area. Well, time to try to get some sleep again. I can hear the promised cold front sweeping in with its winds. A perfect start to February. :-)
Recovering my joy,
Melanie
While waiting for the appt., their temps went to 103.8 and 104. Very aggressive virus, so, since Jr. strength wasn't working, had to switch to adult ibuprofen. It worked so well that their temps. were embarrassingly normal when we got to the doctor. The strep test was negative, so that left the evil flu. By evening, the third son had it, and by morning the last one.
We turned the living room couches and the lazy-boy into beds as an infirmary so that I could keep watch on each for temps, giving medicine, ice water, cool baths, etc. through each of the three nights (while I was starting to feel bad). Two were almost better by Sunday, except their coughs, so they waited on the rest of us and rested in between. Monday all of us were feeling better, but still tired and the coughs are less frequent.
Tomorrow we will try a half day of school. It will be good to eat something besides soup and crackers and applesauce and yougart again, too.
Tonight, we all went to our own beds, but I couldn't sleep still as one woke me once already, so I am writing this. I am tired but restless, but want to be sure I don't miss a need. Luckily, my husband did not get this flu, and I hope he doesn't! I am glad that my case was comparatively mild, PTL!, so that I could care for the others. God was good to see us through this so well, when it hit so unexpectedly. We have since learned that there is a LOT of this going around our area. Well, time to try to get some sleep again. I can hear the promised cold front sweeping in with its winds. A perfect start to February. :-)
Recovering my joy,
Melanie
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
All In A Day's Work
Hello Everyone!
I am so glad that January is almost over! The sun has returned for the whole week which is such a help even though it is still cold. Before my daughter left for college, we started on a quilt for Veith, and did some mending on her things to get her ready.
Now that Harmony is back at college, life is settling into a new routine of sorts. Everyone misses her so much! It is my turn on the rotation with the boys to do the dishes and table. I feel quite sad when I start to set her place and realize that she is gone. Doing up the dishes by hand takes some extra bit of our time. We try to not to run the dishwasher much to keep the bills - water, electric, and gas water heater- lower. It does add a bit of satisfaction at least to put that "Joy" in the water and scrub things sparkling clean. Makes me wonder how I managed to do it so long ago when I had ten place settings to clean by hand three meals a day.
These colder days keep our schedule more relaxed since we don't go very many places when it is chilly. The main creative thing we did two weeks ago was to make a bunch of Thank- you notes a bit late for the Christmas gifts they received. (Better late than never!) And a couple children have a few lessons to catch up on that will keep them busy this week. I never like to finish January unless everyone is generally caught up in their schoolwork. I encourage all of you to do a special review of where your students are and adjust for their needs, too. Aside from our usual school day, we are actively doing home remedies for our allergies that have hit our area, mainly cedar fever and mold spores. Luckily, we are still well enough to do schoolwork, with a box of tissues to share :-))
For fun we are practicing learning calligraphy and bowling skills indoors until the weather gets warmer. Then we will take up kick-ball which seems to be becoming popular here. The bonus is that they can learn running bases for baseball at the same time. They are starting to beg to get seedlings started. I may actually try it this year. We have also done some organizing and played a few games to liven things up a little.
Our evenings are mostly spent reading, playing with Legos, or listening to Jonathon Park some nights. I work on writing up tests for the boys, doing e-mail, or sewing for my doll dress business. Have a soft-bodied doll almost ready for the website, and is she ever cute!
Then, Veith has to be driven to work and back most nights, so I sandwich supper in-between. We finally got in some driving practice together in the neighborhood last weekend. He did quite well! But the hand maneuvers for turning corners still need refining before we go anywhere over 15 or 20 miles an hour :-)) This is my fifth child l've taught to drive. It is always good to see their confidence and carefulness improve with their skill.
Today, for excitement, after starting laundry, I did some sewing/ mending on my husband's duffel bag and my son's favorite pair of socks. Later, I have to go to town with the boys when I drop Veith off to get just the right ribbon or yarn to make hair for those dolls. Plan to make chili or a chicken casserole or the like for dinner, too. Yum!
Later this week, Andrew will help me put my pictures of the doll and a couple new outfits up on the website. Please, check out harmonydollfashions.com if you get a chance in February. Thanks!
Hope all of you have a great finish to January!
Melanie
I am so glad that January is almost over! The sun has returned for the whole week which is such a help even though it is still cold. Before my daughter left for college, we started on a quilt for Veith, and did some mending on her things to get her ready.
Now that Harmony is back at college, life is settling into a new routine of sorts. Everyone misses her so much! It is my turn on the rotation with the boys to do the dishes and table. I feel quite sad when I start to set her place and realize that she is gone. Doing up the dishes by hand takes some extra bit of our time. We try to not to run the dishwasher much to keep the bills - water, electric, and gas water heater- lower. It does add a bit of satisfaction at least to put that "Joy" in the water and scrub things sparkling clean. Makes me wonder how I managed to do it so long ago when I had ten place settings to clean by hand three meals a day.
These colder days keep our schedule more relaxed since we don't go very many places when it is chilly. The main creative thing we did two weeks ago was to make a bunch of Thank- you notes a bit late for the Christmas gifts they received. (Better late than never!) And a couple children have a few lessons to catch up on that will keep them busy this week. I never like to finish January unless everyone is generally caught up in their schoolwork. I encourage all of you to do a special review of where your students are and adjust for their needs, too. Aside from our usual school day, we are actively doing home remedies for our allergies that have hit our area, mainly cedar fever and mold spores. Luckily, we are still well enough to do schoolwork, with a box of tissues to share :-))
For fun we are practicing learning calligraphy and bowling skills indoors until the weather gets warmer. Then we will take up kick-ball which seems to be becoming popular here. The bonus is that they can learn running bases for baseball at the same time. They are starting to beg to get seedlings started. I may actually try it this year. We have also done some organizing and played a few games to liven things up a little.
Our evenings are mostly spent reading, playing with Legos, or listening to Jonathon Park some nights. I work on writing up tests for the boys, doing e-mail, or sewing for my doll dress business. Have a soft-bodied doll almost ready for the website, and is she ever cute!
Then, Veith has to be driven to work and back most nights, so I sandwich supper in-between. We finally got in some driving practice together in the neighborhood last weekend. He did quite well! But the hand maneuvers for turning corners still need refining before we go anywhere over 15 or 20 miles an hour :-)) This is my fifth child l've taught to drive. It is always good to see their confidence and carefulness improve with their skill.
Today, for excitement, after starting laundry, I did some sewing/ mending on my husband's duffel bag and my son's favorite pair of socks. Later, I have to go to town with the boys when I drop Veith off to get just the right ribbon or yarn to make hair for those dolls. Plan to make chili or a chicken casserole or the like for dinner, too. Yum!
Later this week, Andrew will help me put my pictures of the doll and a couple new outfits up on the website. Please, check out harmonydollfashions.com if you get a chance in February. Thanks!
Hope all of you have a great finish to January!
Melanie
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Year Blues
Hi Everyone!
Since I was raised in Michigan, I always have the irresistible desire to hibernate in January.
I only wish we could have some snow here in Texas, too, to make it seem like a legitimate
reason to have a sabbatical month to just stay home and enjoy my family and get away with a little reading and organizing. Some years I have actually managed it!
Other years, like this one, when I plan to rest and stay cozy, the Lord has other ideas. There are people to care for at home and away, and, Alas, I still need milk and eggs every few days, and my son still needs to be driven to work. Since I don't hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door (though I have THOUGHT about it :-)), a neighbor came by and blessed me with gingerbread cake, and two days later another friend came by with three kinds of tea (to warm my heart as well as my hands no doubt!) God seems to know that misery loves company and has arranged that I not be given time to be too alone with my SADD syndrome. Getting out in the sunlight helps ALOT, so I have to journey out to greet the day and at least check the mailbox or just go to see something in the yard that the boys beg me to see.
Soon, also, there is a missions conference at our church in the middle of the month with several families with 4 children each that I will enjoy meeting.
Also, my daughter's birthday is next week. It will be just a family celebration, before I say a tearful good-bye when she returns to college. Learning to live without her all last semester was an opportunity to accept being the only girl in a houseful of guys. It was great to have her home through the holidays. I was so surprised to have my son from Wisconsin home for the whole week. Andrew's parents arrived for the whole week, too, as well as my daughter and son and his native friend from Papua New Guinea. Arranging beds for all was made easier when Grandpa and GranD chose the new Motel6. That left one son on a sleeping bag and the two couches for two willing sons. Feeding thirteen every meal all week, and eleven all the next week, left very little time for rest or reading. But I was rewarded by their compliments that it was so much better than that college food. (though I personally would have loved all their choices every day when I was in college)
And they gifted me by raking all the "millions" of leaves and cleaning the backyard! I was so grateful for their thoughtful help!
Now it is January and time to start schooling all the children again. My sabbatical will have to be sandwiched inbetween all the activities this month. My children surely couldn't live without their annual January homeschool bowling day either, I am sure. Not even an allowance for them this year to help pay for it. Times are tough. My son's paycheck came in time to let him buy the last two $2.50 pizzas at the store with the free bowling coupons on them so that will help.
It is great when you discover that your children are catching your frugal ways and benefiting from it even.
Still, since even the sun hides, I really have to struggle to cheer myself up in January. This week though I had a really good laugh. My 2nd son is working a second job as a pizza deliverer and saving all his tips (to finish flight school) in a special bucket and depositing in the bank at intervals.
Well, he thought he would be funny and decided to put a slit in the cover and leave it in the hall, so that we couldn't miss it, with a message scrawled in marker. Flight Tips: Donations accepted.
When my husband saw it, he promptly wrote a tip about adjusting the flaps before landing and pushed it through the opening. AH... flight tips... We all caught the spirit and started writing our own. Be sure you have enough gas before take off. Have fun. Never push rudder when you need aileron, and others. Boy is he in for a surprise when he opens it to count his tips "money."
We sure had a good laugh!
The other thing I got to do over the holiday was taking my 16 yr. old son to get his driving permit. In Texas there is a new law that stopped the use of the previous inexpensive state curriculum (which I had already used successfully with the first four children), and instead, requires parents to spend money on only approved, and costly, courses to qualify to teach their own child after registering with DPS. After registering, my son paid for his own online course out of his paycheck. It said to use their materials and set aside the DPS packet. When we completed level one, it was finally time to go take the test for the permit.
Knowing it would be a two hour wait (this is my fifth child to process) we took books to read. Well over an hour later, we were called. Wow, But ... what is this? They seem to have lost my registration! After a futile wait of 10 or 15 minutes, they finally reached someone at their own driver's ed dept. only to be told they couldn't find us in their registry. I told them the check number and date, but they said that wasn't good enough.
(and I had left their packet at home since I wasn't supposed to need it...) To make it a three hour wait instead of 1 1/2 I had to go back to my city to my bank and get a copy of the front and back of that check ( and for good measure returned home for the packet) just to go back and wait only another 10 minutes this time (Whew!) to show them the proof so he could take his computer permit test, which he passed easily. (91%) Boy was I glad! By the time I got home, it was time to start dinner for 10 this time. The next morning, we went to the high school parking lot to practice. He even got the 15 pass. van in a left parking place perfectly that day. What a relief.
SO my "vacation" did have some reward in all my labors, and I AM thankful for the new year as it always is refreshing to have a new start, soo.. why the blues? I think I can explain...
One son went to Alaska a couple years back and took pictures of snow sooo cold it was BLUE. Maybe that explains why I get the New Year "Blues." :-)) I freeze in Texas when it is 40 degrees! My favorite present two years ago was a thick soft green blanket from my brother. If I could stay in it with a book and a cup of tea until January is over, I would. Alas, my family still likes to have clean clothes and eat three meals a day. Now, layers of clothes have become stylish for me so I can function each day for my family.
Time to make a list of goals for the year. I met one last year with my husband's help. Starting my website and blog was it, and I hope I have more time for writing this year. Check back to see if I find more to write.
If any of you out there also get the New Year Blues, consider this...
When you feel down in the mouth, remember Jonah, .... he came out all right. :-))
Digging Deeper to Find Joy in January,
Melanie
Since I was raised in Michigan, I always have the irresistible desire to hibernate in January.
I only wish we could have some snow here in Texas, too, to make it seem like a legitimate
reason to have a sabbatical month to just stay home and enjoy my family and get away with a little reading and organizing. Some years I have actually managed it!
Other years, like this one, when I plan to rest and stay cozy, the Lord has other ideas. There are people to care for at home and away, and, Alas, I still need milk and eggs every few days, and my son still needs to be driven to work. Since I don't hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door (though I have THOUGHT about it :-)), a neighbor came by and blessed me with gingerbread cake, and two days later another friend came by with three kinds of tea (to warm my heart as well as my hands no doubt!) God seems to know that misery loves company and has arranged that I not be given time to be too alone with my SADD syndrome. Getting out in the sunlight helps ALOT, so I have to journey out to greet the day and at least check the mailbox or just go to see something in the yard that the boys beg me to see.
Soon, also, there is a missions conference at our church in the middle of the month with several families with 4 children each that I will enjoy meeting.
Also, my daughter's birthday is next week. It will be just a family celebration, before I say a tearful good-bye when she returns to college. Learning to live without her all last semester was an opportunity to accept being the only girl in a houseful of guys. It was great to have her home through the holidays. I was so surprised to have my son from Wisconsin home for the whole week. Andrew's parents arrived for the whole week, too, as well as my daughter and son and his native friend from Papua New Guinea. Arranging beds for all was made easier when Grandpa and GranD chose the new Motel6. That left one son on a sleeping bag and the two couches for two willing sons. Feeding thirteen every meal all week, and eleven all the next week, left very little time for rest or reading. But I was rewarded by their compliments that it was so much better than that college food. (though I personally would have loved all their choices every day when I was in college)
And they gifted me by raking all the "millions" of leaves and cleaning the backyard! I was so grateful for their thoughtful help!
Now it is January and time to start schooling all the children again. My sabbatical will have to be sandwiched inbetween all the activities this month. My children surely couldn't live without their annual January homeschool bowling day either, I am sure. Not even an allowance for them this year to help pay for it. Times are tough. My son's paycheck came in time to let him buy the last two $2.50 pizzas at the store with the free bowling coupons on them so that will help.
It is great when you discover that your children are catching your frugal ways and benefiting from it even.
Still, since even the sun hides, I really have to struggle to cheer myself up in January. This week though I had a really good laugh. My 2nd son is working a second job as a pizza deliverer and saving all his tips (to finish flight school) in a special bucket and depositing in the bank at intervals.
Well, he thought he would be funny and decided to put a slit in the cover and leave it in the hall, so that we couldn't miss it, with a message scrawled in marker. Flight Tips: Donations accepted.
When my husband saw it, he promptly wrote a tip about adjusting the flaps before landing and pushed it through the opening. AH... flight tips... We all caught the spirit and started writing our own. Be sure you have enough gas before take off. Have fun. Never push rudder when you need aileron, and others. Boy is he in for a surprise when he opens it to count his tips "money."
We sure had a good laugh!
The other thing I got to do over the holiday was taking my 16 yr. old son to get his driving permit. In Texas there is a new law that stopped the use of the previous inexpensive state curriculum (which I had already used successfully with the first four children), and instead, requires parents to spend money on only approved, and costly, courses to qualify to teach their own child after registering with DPS. After registering, my son paid for his own online course out of his paycheck. It said to use their materials and set aside the DPS packet. When we completed level one, it was finally time to go take the test for the permit.
Knowing it would be a two hour wait (this is my fifth child to process) we took books to read. Well over an hour later, we were called. Wow, But ... what is this? They seem to have lost my registration! After a futile wait of 10 or 15 minutes, they finally reached someone at their own driver's ed dept. only to be told they couldn't find us in their registry. I told them the check number and date, but they said that wasn't good enough.
(and I had left their packet at home since I wasn't supposed to need it...) To make it a three hour wait instead of 1 1/2 I had to go back to my city to my bank and get a copy of the front and back of that check ( and for good measure returned home for the packet) just to go back and wait only another 10 minutes this time (Whew!) to show them the proof so he could take his computer permit test, which he passed easily. (91%) Boy was I glad! By the time I got home, it was time to start dinner for 10 this time. The next morning, we went to the high school parking lot to practice. He even got the 15 pass. van in a left parking place perfectly that day. What a relief.
SO my "vacation" did have some reward in all my labors, and I AM thankful for the new year as it always is refreshing to have a new start, soo.. why the blues? I think I can explain...
One son went to Alaska a couple years back and took pictures of snow sooo cold it was BLUE. Maybe that explains why I get the New Year "Blues." :-)) I freeze in Texas when it is 40 degrees! My favorite present two years ago was a thick soft green blanket from my brother. If I could stay in it with a book and a cup of tea until January is over, I would. Alas, my family still likes to have clean clothes and eat three meals a day. Now, layers of clothes have become stylish for me so I can function each day for my family.
Time to make a list of goals for the year. I met one last year with my husband's help. Starting my website and blog was it, and I hope I have more time for writing this year. Check back to see if I find more to write.
If any of you out there also get the New Year Blues, consider this...
When you feel down in the mouth, remember Jonah, .... he came out all right. :-))
Digging Deeper to Find Joy in January,
Melanie
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Doll dresses for sale
Hello! It is finally December again. We have been busy trying to keep up with school and all of the acorns (many more than usual this year!) and the leaves continually falling in the yard. Learning about bees, wasps, and hornets close up was another surprise recently. We even had a scorpion fly in our house one day last month. Yes, such an insect really exists. Other than keeping busy on grading schoolwork, I have been driving my son to work most days and we are finally starting on driver's ed. He hopes to get his permit soon. Meanwhile, I have been learning to bake bread from scratch again lately as well as potato and ham soup...yum.
I suppose your year was as busy as mine! For me, this year has held a new set of challenges of very frugal living due to my husband’s job loss due to a fall last year. He recovered from that, and it is amazing how God has provided for each need since workman's comp. ended. That was a gentle first step, though, in learning to be content with less as it cut our "income" to subsistence level. After my only daughter's graduation, my husband's summer hospital stay and long recovery at home in summer and fall trained me in caring for additional needs while he rested. He is now back to better health, thankfully, and able to work again.
This fall, when my daughter went to college, I have been busy starting a doll dress website to help make ends meet. My husband does some web design for others, while looking for a job, so he promised to set up my site if I could sew something to sell. I went and got a DBA and began getting some dresses ready to sell while he set it all up for me. I love to sew, so I am glad I can do it in my “spare” time.
If you have an 18” Vision Forum or American Girl doll, or if you know someone who does, please go and visit my site at: harmonydollfashions.com. All dresses are $4.00 off the regular price through December!
I have more designs in mind and I hope to add them soon, so please spread the word and check back every week or two. Even if you don't buy anything, I would love to have your opinion on it and any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks!
May hope and joy in Christ’s birth encourage you to persevere in caring for your family’s many needs through the Christmas season!
Blessings and Joy to you,
Melanie
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Jury Duty / Election Day
I received a card in the mail a while back that summoned me to jury duty this week. When my children were younger, that was not an option, but this time, since my husband and my 23 yr. old son would be home for most of the day to keep school running and a friend could watch the younger ones after that, I knew it was high time I reported for jury duty. I ended up being there the entire day, and I discovered there were at least several others who were first-timers as well. The process of weeding out the ones who couldn't serve took well over an hour, then the rest of us were divided up and assigned a time and court to appear in for the next stage.
In the courtroom where I was assigned to appear, there were over 40 that had to be narrowed down to 12, so each attorney got to grill us with questions designed to do just that. After over three hours of it, with a couple short breaks, those that weren't chosen were allowed to leave.
I think, in the end, though I was willing to serve, that I was rather relieved to be dismissed with the others to go home. Due to the nature of the case, I was so glad to come home and hug my children close. Whether boys or girls, children are precious and their safety should not be taken for granted. When you are used to living in a less than perfect subdivision, you learn to trust God and the instinct he has given you.
I remember the first year or two that we lived here, some guys with knives threatened my oldest three boys (teens) at the park. I was so proud of them for not backing down. They were a little nervous and smaller than those big mean boys, but they had been playing ball, so they were "armed" with a bat. They simply told them that they weren't "scared" of them because they knew they were going to heaven so their threats didn't matter. They never touched them and finally went away. Still, I was so glad that they never went alone to the park.
On a happier note, The results of Election 2010 were excellent!! How good to know that so many Americans are standing up for good, conservative family values and a common sense approach to the economy! I was especially excited to learn that Michigan now has a Republican governor. Real jobs and better roads will make a comeback soon! And the stock market has automatically risen with the hope for an American return to constitutional principles in government. God bless the U.S.A. !!
Melanie Lippert
In the courtroom where I was assigned to appear, there were over 40 that had to be narrowed down to 12, so each attorney got to grill us with questions designed to do just that. After over three hours of it, with a couple short breaks, those that weren't chosen were allowed to leave.
I think, in the end, though I was willing to serve, that I was rather relieved to be dismissed with the others to go home. Due to the nature of the case, I was so glad to come home and hug my children close. Whether boys or girls, children are precious and their safety should not be taken for granted. When you are used to living in a less than perfect subdivision, you learn to trust God and the instinct he has given you.
I remember the first year or two that we lived here, some guys with knives threatened my oldest three boys (teens) at the park. I was so proud of them for not backing down. They were a little nervous and smaller than those big mean boys, but they had been playing ball, so they were "armed" with a bat. They simply told them that they weren't "scared" of them because they knew they were going to heaven so their threats didn't matter. They never touched them and finally went away. Still, I was so glad that they never went alone to the park.
On a happier note, The results of Election 2010 were excellent!! How good to know that so many Americans are standing up for good, conservative family values and a common sense approach to the economy! I was especially excited to learn that Michigan now has a Republican governor. Real jobs and better roads will make a comeback soon! And the stock market has automatically risen with the hope for an American return to constitutional principles in government. God bless the U.S.A. !!
Melanie Lippert
Monday, October 11, 2010
Busy School Days
There is never a dull moment in home education. This year, since my daughter went off to college, I am challenged to teach the last four boys alone at different levels, so I certainly don't lack for things to do! I find time to grade my 16 year old's algebra every day and review hard grammar concepts while also quizzing him in Spanish vocab. review. There is also time for answering 7th grade science questions while helping my 9 yr. old learn long division, and helping my six year old with 2nd grade math, spelling, and language (among others). My days are very full of questions and answers, and, just like you, I feel tired at the end of school time, but after a short break, I still have lots of laundry and meals and cleaning to juggle in my schedule. Added to that is making sure my son gets to work on time, and I will begin drivers ed. with him soon (so he can take himself to work!).
I have finally started giving them piano lessons again, too; but it sure seems more difficult to fit it into their schedule this year. It is so good for brain development, though, that I think we will stay committed to it even if we miss a week or two, now and then. Combined with Teen Court and a speech and debate day with friends, the boys get an opportunity to exercise their minds.
For physical exercise, we sometimes do basic jumping jacks, etc. on some mornings. That is a great way to wake up your brain and cheer up a slow starter. Now that our Texas days are milder (only in the 80's) we can finally spend time in the afternoons at the park with friends, go to the track, or take a hike. Sometimes the boys just ride bikes near home, skate. or play in their tree fort. I am always pleasantly surprised at how much the sunshine helps my health and energy level when I go to the park with them.
I had so hoped that now that all the babies are grown that I would be able to sleep all night every night. Alas, the dog is getting old, so trusty mom is the one who usually wakes in time to take her out. So I start some days a little tired just like those of you with babies to care for at night.
Well, it's time to start a new week. Everyone is up and wants eggs for breakfast so guess I'd better get 'cracking'. Then we can enjoy a busy day of school.
Have a sunny-side-up day!
Melanie
I have finally started giving them piano lessons again, too; but it sure seems more difficult to fit it into their schedule this year. It is so good for brain development, though, that I think we will stay committed to it even if we miss a week or two, now and then. Combined with Teen Court and a speech and debate day with friends, the boys get an opportunity to exercise their minds.
For physical exercise, we sometimes do basic jumping jacks, etc. on some mornings. That is a great way to wake up your brain and cheer up a slow starter. Now that our Texas days are milder (only in the 80's) we can finally spend time in the afternoons at the park with friends, go to the track, or take a hike. Sometimes the boys just ride bikes near home, skate. or play in their tree fort. I am always pleasantly surprised at how much the sunshine helps my health and energy level when I go to the park with them.
I had so hoped that now that all the babies are grown that I would be able to sleep all night every night. Alas, the dog is getting old, so trusty mom is the one who usually wakes in time to take her out. So I start some days a little tired just like those of you with babies to care for at night.
Well, it's time to start a new week. Everyone is up and wants eggs for breakfast so guess I'd better get 'cracking'. Then we can enjoy a busy day of school.
Have a sunny-side-up day!
Melanie
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