First Week of School

We finished the first week of Sonlight 100 today. Sonlight spells everything out for us and it is always quite a relief to look down the list, see all the check marks and know that everything has been covered. No guess work required.

We are doing Teaching Textbooks Algebra, Apologia Physical Science, Artistic Pursuits (art --- drawing), Rosetta Stone/Madrigal's Spanish, Analogies, and a word study type vocabulary. This plus the Sonlight core SOUNDS like a ton, but I am finished with the kids in time to make lunch. If they don't nap or take a ton of breaks, they seem to be finishing between 2 and 3pm. My daughter likes to save the reading for before bed, I'll grant.

The new "school room" seems to be working out. We are so organized and the day flows more easily from one subject to the next. It is still a new idea, so we will see if the novelty wears off.

Daughter is having fun being VERY THOROUGH when answering the comprehension questions. I am so proud of her effort to be a good student. She has even acquired a very surprising skill. She seems to be able to laugh at her attempts at art! For now she is optimistic that she is still learning and that her work will improve with further training. I think that is helping.

Son seems to improve as well. His spelling is still horrible, poor boy. It is too bad because, no matter my effort to reassure him, he seems demoralized by his lack of this ability. I will continue to work with him until we find a solution to this bump in the road. He is such a clever and engaging writer. I would hate to have that marred and squelched by a silly old spelling problem.

Will report more when we get through a couple of weeks of study. It is mostly review in the first couple of weeks.

thrilled yet? read on...

School Work

Am in the new "school room". Transformed our yucky old guest room. Moved in all of our books and necessaries along with our big black sofa. Placed two 4x2 folding banquet tables in the middle of the room. Am glad to have the gigantic white board back. We had great success doing our math figures on one of these in years gone by. Having one in our new home makes great sense again. Bought folding chairs, put up shelves, put clamp lights above the sofa. I think it will be a wonderful place to focus on our work.

I "designed" the spot so that it can be quickly converted to a guest room. A curtain draws over the main book shelves. Then we would simply fold the tables and chairs and lean them against the white board wall. The sofa folds out to queen sized bed. Plus, I have managed to keep one side of the closet bare. SO, all guests who wish to come to this horrible part of the world, there will be a place for you.

Will try to report my efforts with Sonlight curriculum as I get going with it all. It always seems so daunting before we start. Once we get going it always falls right into place and I wonder what all the stress was about. I did get to go through quite a bit of it and am pleased so far.

thrilled yet? read on...

Box Day

Got our new Sonlight box. That's always a great day. I am now figuring out just where everything else that I would like to fit in for their benefits will go with the new IG.

I bought a new table for them. I recently realized that they have trouble concentrating

and getting things done properly whilst sitting in an upright "deskcular" position. That will never do since most public colleges don't take to upside-down-on-the-couch type readin' and writin'. Nor do proper businesses of any type that may one day hire my young ones. So, we are to practice sitting up straight and writing out test sheets.

ooooweeee! Let the torture begin!

thrilled yet? read on!

daily report

My best friend is on vacation.  Life is stinky without her.

My babies did the chapter 13 Pre-Algebra test.  I haven't graded them yet.  I always fear the test grading.  Whenever they take a test it is really an evaluation of me as a teacher.  I don't want to fail them.

I rearranged the sod today to make a cool little path to the pool. I like it. I have started another path to the pumphouse.  I think the flagstone looks so cool and really brings balance to the the yard because of the flagstone on the pool.  I guess we are one step closer to harmony.

It occurs to me that I have not mentioned my awesome dog.  We got her at the shelter a few years back.  I do not like dogs.  I agreed to get the dog for my babies.  It worked out that she is the greatest dog that ever lived.  I would not have believed that there was such a well behaved, fun loving, story-book dog on the planet.  She does have one problem.  She has an eating disorder...well, two eating disorders, really.  Binge and purge bulimia AND starve to death anorexia.  She is ridiculous.  It is embarrassing.  She is skin and bones.  People think we don't feed her!

We are watching the old television series "Dark Angel" from start to finish.  I tell ya what, I knew I liked that series for a reason.  Max is awesome.

thrilled yet?  read on...

Free Stuff, Good-uh uh-Good

Just ran across this excellent audio recording of Jane Austen's  _Persuasion_.

I know that for a few years now it has been very"hip" to be a J.A. fan and that it may be kinda fizzling now, but this reader is excellent!  Plus it's free!  Librivox is a wonderful site.  If you have never been there, give it a surf.  You will love it!

Pump House Progress

More work on the Pump House.  It is nearly finished.

We need to add a couple of slats on the bottom and

give her a coat of paint.  I am very happy with it!  Here's

a shot of construction

Framing the Pump House

Post for MiMi

I am so stressed about getting everything from my "old" computer to my "new" one.  I have only had this new one for months and months and haven't done it.  I realized yesterday that there are about 15 home videos from an old analog camera that haven't been copied onto discs.   Had I known that I would never have put anything at all on the new computer and just burned all the videos first!  NO material thing on this world is more important to me than the family movies.  SO I feel I have all the HOME improvement to do *AND* this new project, too.  whhheeeww!

Speaking of house stuff...HOOSbund framed out the pump house!  I'll post a pic later (but I have to get this out NOW for my one follower!)  Next we will FINISH THE BATHROOM (yeah, right) and fix up D-alley.  That's the little strip of concrete that separates us from the neighbor's house on my daughter's side of the house.

Kids went swimmin' yesterday...HOT...they played swords...Good times!

thrilled yet?  read on...

what's up?

I have been doing the same thing day in-day out since September: working my a*s off trying to get this place to resemble something like a functional home.  Nothing shows yet although I work on it every waking minute.  I know I will never vacation again.

Just when I think they are finally getting it, my dumb-bunny kids get poor scores on their arithmetic tests.  Frakk!  We are back tracking and trying to figure out what went wrong. Their writing program has turned to the dreaded "poetry" section.  My ridiculous children are kickin' butt in that.  Who knew?

My best friend/sister is supposedly coming to visit me again soon!  I am trying not to be excited about it because there may be a small flaw in the plan.  Her emanate arrival is motivating me to get a lot more stuff done than I usually would.  I have always worked better under last minute pressure...that's just me.  I told her not to tell me if she's not coming until the day before.  Maybe I'll get a ton finished.  

thrilled yet?  read on!

worth

My little baby girl wrote this for me when she was four.  I have kept it on my fridge ever since-except the movers packed it and so I was without it for a year.  This is one of the most important things I own.  

My Day

I can't seem to figure out where everything goes in this house.  It seems I should since we moved in 9 months ago.  It remains an ever raging battle.  

I did get to talk to my best friend/sister F today.  I always feel better when I do.  So many of my wishes and fantasies of happiness include her.  I know so many of them will never come true.  I think she and her babies will get to visit me soon.  I am trying not to look forward to it...just in case.

My boy is getting huge!  He has to bend down to hug me.  I weep.  He is kicking so much hiney in Algebra! I am SO proud.

My little baby girl is trying so hard to get her room fixed up. We will build the shelves whenever I come up with a design that will hold all of her books without fear of death from above.  SO MANY BOOKS pose so heavy a threat to my chicky.

Another horrid bit of news is letting itself get under my skin.  My Dad's former company of 30 years has taken his pension.  They say they can't pay it.  

thrilled yet?  read on...

Just torturing the babies...

Prepare to laugh...

Nothing

Birthdays don't bother me.  Aging does.  I am feeling so rickety.  Like I have done too much and lived too hard.  I look back and see nothing in my past that says I should feel this physically broken at my age.  Nothing.  It presses on me.  The feeling is such a heavy burden on such an already compromised frame.  I have no time to "get in" anything I haven't actually done to deserve this aching body.  None.  While I sit doing what I do everyday with no change even while I own this knowledge, my pain only gets worse. What will I do to fix this?  To hurry the experiences that I never had to earn this aged body?

Nothing.

Goopy Day

Do you ever crave something that you know you don't like?  Ice cream is mine.  Lately all I have been hearing about is the 31 cent scoop at 31 Flavors (known these days as Baskin Robins).  The constant drum of the the words "31 Flavors" made me want so much to like ice cream the way I used to.  I went to the store and ordered my classic 2 scoop sundae, a large chocolate shake for the boy, and a couple of pints of chocolate chip for B.  I *SO* regret it now.  Goopy goopy goopy feeling in my throat and mouth and EWWW!

What is it, though, that keeps me going back again?  I know that I don't like it.  I know it will make me goopy.  I just don't understand.  Any guesses?  I am befuddled.

thrilled yet?  read on...

My Day

UMMMM...yeah, wholly inconsequential.

I am getting a little tired of B's new schedule.  My whole life is messed up.  It would be so awesome if he were staying on swings, but he is just doing this for two months.  GRRRR...

I will get used to this and then he will change back again.  Naturally.

B was talking to the kids about politics again today.  He is adorable when he gives his explanations and examples for us to visualize his version of how the world is and how the world should be.  So far we pretty much see eye to eye on things involving politics.  At least, if we do not, he is wise enough to keep it to himself.  That works for me.

I got a lot of weeds pulled today.  I got seriously burned in the sun and I think my index fingers on both hands are done-for.  I will take to the shovel again tomorrow and see if I can open up some of those blisters from before.

Finished _Little Dorrit_ last night.  It was ok, I guess.  They didn't give us the ultimate explanation very well.  D and I just sat there looking at each other with wrinkled noses and big fat "huh?"s all over our faces.  Dickens is really in to showing "real life" but that always includes every level of society to include murders and pristine, clean-as-a-whistle good girls/boys.  I don't know about you, but I don't encounter every facet of society often and I certainly do not meet with murders (I hope). I KNOW I don't meet the untouchable good ones.

It just gets annoying.

Anyhow, in the end, I can't recommend it.  Wanna see a really truly good Dickens by Masterpiece?  Easy: _Bleak House_ (The one with Gillian Anderson).

Did get to talk to FP today.  She needs to get a lot of stuff done for the party so she is very busy.  She told me that one of her kids forgot me the other day.  Just as I suspected. 

thrilled yet?  read on...

Love Movie

DVRed the entire Masterpiece (I can never stop calling it Masterpiece Theater...just Masterpiece makes no sense to me) production of C. Dickens _Little Dorrit_ so that my girl and I could watch it all in a row.  We only got through the first two tonight, but the "John" character is making my heart go "wAaaHhh!!!".  I hope we can finish the last 3 tomorrow!!! BTW: Matthew McFadyen is awesome.

My Day

Gained 6 pounds.  What the hell?  I work and work and all I do is gain.

Helped the kids assemble their trampoline.  Their father is going to be pissed.

I nearly took off my finger trying to get all those springs on the damned thing. OUCH!!

I was supposed to use the frame for the tramp as a vine trellis for flowers. Then I changed my mind and decided to use the frame for a temporary pergola type thing.  Then my friggin' daughter gave me the pouty eyes deal and that all fell to the wayside.  It's a trampoline again.  At least the pup is happy.  She loves it!

Kids were doing jazz hands and other ridiculous poses on the tramp...I got it all on video.  They are going to kill me!

Got to talk to my best friend/sister FP today.  She keeps talking about the Luau Birthday Party that she is having for the twins.  It sucks so bad that I am here and nowhere near them.  I would love to be there for that.  Her kids are going to totally forget me.

thrilled yet?  read on...

My Day

Today was a thrill a minute in this inconsequential life.  I pulled weeds all day in my back "yard".  I have filled the yard waste bin with weeds and there is still over half of the yard left to pull.  I have such pain in my hands and back.  I have to get this done if I am ever to be happy when I walk out my back door.  

 I did get to talk to my best friend/sister FP for a while.  That is always the highlight of my day.  Her son is in a musical tonight (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers). I am in agony because I don't get to see it.  He is probably performing right this minute...boohoo...

I painted the trim-second coat.  Maybe B will finish the wiring this weekend and we will finally get to move back into the theater room.  Hmmm...what are the chances?  Slim to none because B got the other blower for the spa.  That means he gets to install stuff on his pool.  The pool always has priority.  

I made "killer brownies" tonight.  They really do kill.  I am SO bad.

thrilled yet?  read on...

Love Movie

 

I'm re-watching _The Forsyte Saga_ with my baby girl.

thrilled yet?  read on...

My Day

This is the theater room.  B made that tv holder thing-a-ma-bob.  We (I) painted the ceiling and fire place a dark brownish-black called Fired Earth.  If I call it 'black' it confuses B and my best friend/sister FP.  I wouldn't want to do that.  Everything should be called by its proper name.  I have to learn that.

I sprayed my entire back "lawn" with the earth killing evil known as Round Up.  I hope it will kill every horrible weed back there and make it easier to work the sand/dirt.  

I killed the apricot tree.  How was I supposed to know that taking down the rotten, bug-infested plum tree would doom the poor apricot tree?!  We started with 5 trees.  Two were already dead.  One was dying.  We killed the apricot tree.  Now we only have the apple tree.  B hates the apple tree.  On the up side-no more pits all over the ground...

I painted the trim in the theater room.  (RED!)  It looks so friggin cule!!

I found a ridiculously expensive set of curtains that I love.  Of course, they don't match anywhere...

Talked to my friend LLD today.  She is in the same boat as we are.  20 years of military service=so much fart gas.

thrilled yet?  read on!