Another addition to our Family

...if you know me at all...you would wonder what was wrong with me...I wondered myself...but we did it...

We got another pooch.

BUT it is actually OK. It's not another bulldog. It's a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. We name her Coco. She super cute, quite the snuggler, playful, and loves ME...which scored her big points. It was the main reason I kept her. She loves me and she can snuggle. She's a lap dog which I reallly like. And she's SMALL...which is a bonus. Next to BlackJack she's a piece of cake to take care of.

Blacky is still my boy but she fulfills needs he can't. He's not a snuggler and he's definately not a lapdog. He can't get on the couch nor in our bed. He's just too big, stinky, sheddy, all the above. But we love him. He's got enough personalitly for a million dogs (when he's awake). He's a hoot.

So that's our big news.

For more info on her and Cavaliers go to www.jadelyncavaliers.com

Coco is on everypage at the top except the opening page. She's the brown and white one.

I'll post some pics real soon. Not tonight though because I'm so tired.

Ruff Ruff.

Riding the Waves of Indecision

Please say a prayer for my husband. He lives with the most up and down, manic depressant, on again off again, roller coaster riding, indecisive wife. I really don't mean to be, but this home school journey has made me this way. All year I have been on again off again about home school. Weekly it changes. My husband has given up trying to lead in this situation. He says the ball's in my court.

Since I said, "...I should post also about why I [am continuing] to home school this year if this past [year] was so hard," two posts ago I have went and visited a charter school. I was really thinking I was sending them to school in a couple of weeks.

BUT I went there and I got a sick-to-my-stomach feeling. That is my "gut feeling". I know when I get this feeling the decision what ever it may be is not right. I knew then they wouldn't be going to school this year at a school. That's it. I will (God Willing) be homeschooling this year.

SO...I must add (for my fellow Christian folk) that last year when I made the decision to home school it was simply because and ONLY because I felt God led me to do it. I had no convictions of my own as to WHY, only that's what He wanted me to do. I had already signed them up for private school. Then one night I got the "gut feeling"...the next day I cancelled their registration and began the adventure of homeschooling.

This year I have not been led by God to send them to school. I have just been a rebellious little child of God and took the matters into my own hands. Thus, the up and down emotions. I haven't really prayed about it too much because I kind of knew what God wanted and didn't want to hear it. I was trying to see if I could do it differently and somehow be at peace about it.

Homeschooling is a commitment and it's challenging, and frankly I'm a WIMP. When things get tough and there are schools out there and teachers who do this sort of stuff for a living I think, "Why am I making life so difficult. I could be enjoying a few hours all to myself everyday, reading a good book, going to the gym, going out to coffee etc, while someone else teaches my kids."

But today's trip to the "regular school" confirmed what I already knew. It's just not time for that yet. Maybe someday I don't know. I'll take it year by year and PRAY and see where God is leading.

I am excited to home school another year. It's in my heart. I just hope since it's my second year that I'll do a better job than this past year. That I can make it more enjoyable for my kids and be more consistent.

I do have more of an answer as to WHY I am homeschooling this year, in addition to it being God's will for us. Because I heart homeschool. I really do. It's an adventure, it's neat, it's fun. When it's good, it's soooo good. It's nothing like I thought it'd be when I first started out (Thank God) but so much more. There is so much one can do as a homeschool mom for her kids. The sky's the limit. There is so much to offer your children. And it's not cookie-cutter. It can be so creative. It a good feeling when you figure out a way to teach your child something that is normally boring in a fun, exciting way. Overcoming the challenges is fulfilling.

So ONWARD I go into the 07-08 school year.

God forgive me for my rebellious heart. Give me what I need for this upcoming year I pray.

Learning to Read

About a week ago I bought Hooked on Phonics and a Leap Pad letter video from Costco. My daughter loved the video and watched it over and over again. She was learning sounds and not even realizing she was "schooling". So anyways, she watched that over and over and all we did with the HOP is learn the letter names. Today she decided she was going to learn to read, so she got her books out and proceded to sound out words. Among some of the words she sounded out were "tag", "rag", and "lots". It was really neat to see and she was pretty happy about her accomplishment.

Phew...I've been busy & School Plans

OK so I have been busy, although it doesn't look like much **my side bar people** (see previous post) but adding stuff to these blogs is tedious, time consuming work. At least it is for me. But it's fun. I feel like I have a real blog now. I just have to learn now how to blog about stuff people want to read. Well I'll get to that eventually, I kind of like to ramble anyways so I'm in no hurry.

So I was thinking. It's August and all and September is right around the corner which means a new school year. For a homeschool fam it could mean that and it could not. Some of us homeschool year round. Which is what we have done this summer. {Ok random question. Is "homeschool" one word or two?}

I'd like to say it's because we just love to school so much that we didn't want to stop but that's not quite the truth. This year was one of the hardest years of my life. I'll just lay it out there...that's what it was. I was up and down. One minute thanking God above that he called me to do this, looking forward and planning the years to come, the next minute looking for jobs online so I could afford private school and then the next minute thinking, "you know, public school doesn't look all that bad." {We don't need to mention the 3 or 4 near panic attacks I had this year} But anyways, we're just plain "behind" when it comes to the curriculum we're using. {Could that be because we didn't even school the entire month of April this year (March was a bad month)Maybe}

So we have schooled this summer. Before you think, "poor kids, don't even get a summer vacation," "schooled this summer" means this: about a week in June, a week and a half in July, and this past week of August. And a typical day is about 3-4 hours. So don't go feeling sorry for the little twerps.

Am I worried about being behind? No. Because what is "being behind" really? Compared to regular school is what we all think? Well my son isn't behind for a few reasons. For one, had he went to school this year I was going to have him do another year in Kindergarten (rather than first) for social reason not academic. Secondly, the work he's done this year is pretty advanced in my opinion so I think he's fine. Third, homeschool's timetable is just so different than regular school. Unless you do it, it's sort of hard to understand. And 4th, come Sept. we're abandoning our current curriculum to start a brand new one and we'll be starting my son with second grade and my daughter with Kindergarten. So when second grade starts he'll be second grade in everything but Math which we'll finish up with later in the fall and then start second. So we're fine.

So with all that said I was actually going to talk about curriculum in this post but I'll go ahead and save it for a later date. Oh and you know I should post also about why I continued to homeschool this year if this past one was so hard. I will here soon because that is a good subject.

Happy Sunday all.

I'm Kind of Excited

I am learning how to put pictures and picture links in my side bar. So stay tuned as I'm sure I'll be putting more and more in as the days go by. By the way that pic of me isn't the purtiest pic but it is the most REAL. That's what I look like most of the time (minus the glasses), no make up and hair pulled back in a barret or pony tail (when my hair is longer). I am a pretty simple girl, and I'm OK with that.

Memories of an Ordinary Day

Sometimes in my regular journal I like to write down what we did that day...just to remember the ordinary days of our lives. The lives of my children go by so fast and I wish I could videotape every minute. It saddens me how much I forget. Some memories are burned in my mind but many more have fluttered away.

So here I am on my blog doing this same thing. Just a couple of things I'd like to remember in the future.

Like how my daughter looks so cute flipping her "Hooked On Phonics" flashcards with her little 4-year-old fingers.

Like how my son told me how he got his math done so fast by singing a little song and using his little 7-year-old fingers to count.

Like the cute little look on my daughters face when she doesn't know one of her letters as she flips through her flashcards.

Like how the 2 of them played in the dirt at the soft ball game and made a berry pie with some berries and dirt.

Like how they have watched their new Leap Pad Letters DVD over and over since we got it 3 days ago.

Like the satisfaction I get as I watch them play in the dirt and be kids.

Like how I so much enjoy reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle to my kids.

Or things...

Like how I feel when I see my husband run the bases faster than anyone on the team (except maybe his brother ha ha) and that's with no cleats on.

Like how I just enjoy watching him play softball period.

Like how I feel when I see my husband working his butt off finishing the fence, replacing the slat on the deck, and mowing the lawn in the hour he has from the time he gets off work to when we have to leave for the game.

Or things...

Like how my sweet doggy follows me, and noone else but me, all over the house and sleeps under my desk or in my office as I type.

Like how my sweet doggy stinks up my office as I type...not fun but a funny memory nonetheless.

Or things...

Like the feeling of a accomplishment I got as I got many things done today and didn't get stressed out like schooling my kids, cleaning, laundry, feeding/bathing my kids, cleaning my dog, putting a shelf together, getting half my office cleaned up, and staying on my diet (ha ha)...


That's all for now I think.

By the way my son asked me yesterday why there needs to be a husband and a wife to have a baby... Fabulous.

Outside Endeavors

We've been steadily getting things done outside. Pictures will follow in a near future post. We're just a few slats away from finishing a portion of fence that was rotted away from an ivy infestation. We have pressure washed out little porch and it is about one third stained. This Saturday we hope to haul away many loads of yard debris and rotten wood and concrete stones. And I'd like to get some front yard weeding accomplished. All of this and more we would like to get done for an end of Summer BBQ we want to have for friends and family and just to have done before winter sets in.

Tonight J will play in a playoff softball game. I LOVE watching him play. Hottie Tottie. Ha ha.

Alrighty hopefully I'll get some pics downloaded tonight and put them up.

Smith Rock Part 1

The beginning of the "misery trail"













Another view from the top looking down at where we started.








Victory










On the other side on the way down.









Keep in mind these pics are in no particular order...

Smith Rock Part 2

We visited some friends this weekend who live by Smith Rock




Here's my boy. With some of the rocks behind him










The two of us. So fun. I really did have a good time with just me and my boy.









Here we are half way up Misery Trail














A picture from the top












The two boys and the "joker" aka Jack Nicholson

Happy Birthday to my Boy

The two birthday boys.










Blowing out the candles












Pinada...








There's more pics but didn't feel like putting them all down...

Here You Go TAM!

Here's the full "plant thing" growing on what used to be a flower stand














And these are the blooms...the one on the left is the before and the one on the right is after...it's the fuzzy one.


The plant thing has since been removed.

New Plants and Old Plants aka This Buds For You!

Pushing through the dirt

We made it.

The tall one is sunflowers, then we have baby snap dragons and then forget-me-nots.

Thanks Burgerville

Visitors...

My mom and dad are on the left and my aunt and uncle are on the right. They came to visit and we all had a bbq at my parents house.

Fun times. My uncle entertained us with many stories of old times. It was fun