Our Week Ending 26 February 2009

Wow! Yet another month almost over...

This past week was so much fun, albeit cut a little short due to illness - all three were sick at some point in the last several days. I thought their symptom combination a bit bizarre: headache, low-grade fever, runny nose, and some lethargy - all lasting, at the most, about 36 hours.

Casey had a piano recital Saturday night, a piano recital that almost didn't happen for her due to the aforementioned sickness. An hour before we were to be at the recital location, she was still feverish (despite ibuprofen) and writhing in pain from her headache. I called her teacher and said we probably wouldn't be there, but 5 minutes after that phone call, Casey felt fine. She gave a beautiful performance!


Math is going well, although, we are starting to play a bit of catch up now that I've assessed the number of lessons remaining and the time frame I would like to see Saxon 1 come to an end for Casey. We missed quite a bit last November and December due to the holidays and various family emergencies - and math is the subject which suffered most. Casey loves doing all of the addition and subtraction flash cards! On the other hand, I'm starting to see a look of dread whenever I pull out a worksheet full of addition and subtraction problems.

Our favorite subject this past week was, without a doubt, science. Our subject was the respiratory system. We talked about lungs, breathing, hiccups, coughing, choking, phlegm - and the kids loved it. We also made a lung model - even Tricky learned something about respiration!


Casey will probably earn her Book It Pizza Hut coupon for February either today or tomorrow. She's a few pages away from finishing both Matilda and Very Funny, Elizabeth!

Will is still coming along on his letters. I'm resisting the urge to break out 100 Easy Lessons. (Soon, Angela, soon.)

You may notice that my weeks always end on a Thursday. Our school week runs on a different schedule than most - our school week begins on Friday and (actually) ends on Monday. Those are the days I don't work so those are the days we do school. [And yes, I realize that I technically shouldn't teach on Sunday, but we do go to church and keep school light on Sunday. If I didn't teach on Sunday, my children likely couldn't be homeschooled. So if you want to rat me out, go ahead; guarantee my children a substandard education.] Pardon my momentary mini-tirade.

So that's our week! Thanks for popping in!

Wordless Wednesday... I HAD to explain this one.

Casey showing her dislike for a particularly horrid performance of Mozart's Queen of the Night.

If you'd like to share Casey's experience and hear this performance yourself, click here. To learn more about the performer, Florence Foster Jenkins, click here. She's hilarious!

Lent...

I have a great camera! I'm VERY happy with my camera...

But I keep forgetting it!!! Fortunately, I had it when Casey had her piano recital on Saturday night. I remembered to get it out when the kids were trying out our lung model that we made yesterday. However, I forgot to take pictures of the TWO king cakes I made last night. I forgot to bring my camera to Nonnie's birthday party tonight. I keep forgetting...

I don't know if I should chalk it up to stress at work, three children at home, or all the chaotic messes swirling about me all of the time.

Tomorrow is Lent. I've decided what to give up - hopefully that will help me clear my mind and tend to the swirling chaos. Hopefully I will be able to adjust and prioritize. Hopefully I'll be able to focus more on the spiritual me - and all of the sacrifices made for me.

On the first day any given new year, I start working on my resolutions. I mentally establish them, then write them down, then start off on the new me for the year. Amazingly enough, so far, I've kept my 2009 resolutions! (I'm quite proud of that - although, I didn't make resolutions that were impossible or even extremely difficult to keep - they do require some effort, though.)

Lent seems to me to be the time of setting spiritual goals: focusing on Jesus's sacrifices for me, setting Lenten sacrifices for myself and working (not struggling) to uphold those sacrifices, strengthening my religious/spiritual self. A time for Lenten resolutions - if an analogy is to be drawn to the New Year, then working on the inside as the New Year forced me to work on the outside. [I find it interesting that some use Lent as an opportunity to lose weight by giving up certain food groups, i.e. sweets, with the goal that their Lenten fast from sweets is nothing more than a 40-day diet. Not judging; just commenting. And, no, I did not give up any sort of food or food-like group.]

As the new year is passing to recent memory (but not my resolutions), and camera-remembering doesn't seem appropriate for a Lenten sacrifice, maybe remembering to take my Nikon will be a mid-year goal!

Our Week Ending 19 February 2009

It's been a while since I've blogged. Life is taking over, I suppose.

The kids and I had a great week! All of our subjects are coming along nicely as we are nearing the final quarter of our home school year. The first full year will be over in just a few months. Seeing the bookmarks in our texts is the clearest gauge of how far we've come - and how little there is left to cover.

I'm so excited to be nearing the end that I've already chosen my texts for next year!

As for now, Casey is enjoying our human body unit. This week, she and her brother learned about the circulatory system - complete with a real stethoscope (my mom thought it was a toy one until she heard Tricky's heartbeat). The kids enjoyed listening to everyone's heart pumping that oh so vital fluid through their bodies. We even listened to our dog's heartbeat - much to the chagrin of our little Shih Tzu, Sweet Pea.

Ancient Rome is turning into a subject Casey is interested in. So, we may spend an extra week or so reading books other than SOTW 1.

Casey was invited to a Poetry Reading and Luncheon for homeschoolers this past Tuesday. She and her Nonnie got all dressed up - complete with hats and gloves - and joined several other children of various ages to recite poems they've learned and share a spot of tea! Casey LOVED it! I'm thinking I might have to host something of the sort this spring! I wish I could've been there, but it was held on one of my office days.

Casey is also well into her choir rehearsals! This season, they will be performing Broadway tunes. The Sound of Music, Getting to Know You, Whistle a Happy Tune, and various songs from Annie are being rehearsed (and memorized). I LOVE listening to show tunes - especially when they're being sung by my children's sweet little voices! Yes, even Will and Casey know the words since they've heard the songs so many times.

Will is so excited about the prospect of reading - and we're very close to starting 100 Easy Lessons. Hopefully, in April we'll start. [Note to self: Get that book spiral bound in March!]

And while her brother and sister are homeschooling, Tricky is coloring up a storm on pink paper or the wipe-erase board.

So, that's our week - sort of!

Our Week Ending 15 January 2009

I'm back and we're back to school - full throttle!

Our human body study has started off well. We've outlined Casey's body and have it hanging on the wall to add to as we learn about the various systems of the body. (Hanging that long piece of paper was no easy feat when I only had 6, 4 and 2 year olds to help!)

As for history, we spent the weekend discussing the Greek Gods and the Trojan War. And, yes, I did show Casey and Will some snippets from the movie "Troy." No battle scenes or love scenes - they enjoyed seeing the Trojan Horse on the beach and hearing Achilles crying out for Hector.

We've started Latin again -from the beginning. I've made GREAT flashcards. Richard made fun of some of the pictures I chose - but that's to be expected. I broke out my little laminator and went to town. I laminated Latin cards, alphabet cards for Will, and addition and subtraction fact cards. I love to laminate!

Math is going well! For the last year, math was usually one of the last things we did in our school day, but I noticed Casey was so tired of working (and, quite frankly, I was tired, too), so I've moved that to the first subject we study once we move into our school room after breakfast. It's working out so much better. Casey is focused and I'm energetic!

Will is working through Get Ready for the Code. With any luck, we may be ready for 100 Easy Lessons by Spring! He's so excited about the prospect of reading!

One thing we started doing with the arrival of the new year is studying about works of art with a painting-per-day calendar for 2009. I also scrounged up my Art Book to provide some information on the artist, background information on the paining (if the painting is in the book), or additional works by the artist. We don't spend more than just a few minutes every day, but it's something Casey looks forward to.

Casey has started up choir and piano lessons again. Her children's choir will be performing Broadway tunes. They've started learning pieces by Rogers & Hammerstein - "The Sound of Music," "Getting to Know You," and others. Casey is wanting to see "The King and I." Maybe for movie night soon.

I've also started showing Will some piano basics - high notes, low notes, black keys, middle C. I just want him to know a little bit before he starts piano lessons this summer. He's thrilled!

As for Tricky - someone asked a few days ago (after hearing her rattle on for several minutes about the dinosaur puzzle she was working) how old she is. I responded that she's 2 and has suddenly become VERY talkative.

And, me? I've been absent from blogging for a while. I've started my Motivated Moms calendar for 2009 and it's become a bit of an obsession. Not to mention, I had to get through the holidays and birthday season (everyone in my home has a birthday between early November and late December... everyone except me). Life is slowly returning to normal - cleaner... but normal.

A New Year... A Better Year

It's 2009. I hope it's better than 2008 - well, at least the last 2 months of 2008.

Tonight brings the close of the birthday season at my house. My children and husband celebrate their birthdays the last two months of the year. Along with the holidays, that makes for a very busy year-end. And, given the misfortune in our family over the past several weeks, things have been more hectic than ever.

But tonight we're finally having Casey's birthday party - a slumber party, in fact. Five little girls, plus my own children... Have I completely LOST MY MIND?! I hope not. I actually think there is some potential for real fun!

I missed wishing Casey a Happy Birthday on her actual birthday, so... Happy Birthday my 6 year old girl! She and I celebrated by going to the Nutcracker at the Fox Theatre. She was so surprised!

As for the new year, I'm keeping my resolutions minimal - but somehow typical, I suppose. I'm keeping up with the housework using my Motivated Moms calendar. I am going to be more diligent about sending birthday cards (something I've become terrible at remembering ever since I had my first child). I also want to maintain my weight... unless I am blessed with a pregnancy this year.

As for homeschooling, I'm getting back on track with the kids. With everything going on in November and December, I didn't make it through as much material as I had hoped. I guess that's the beauty of home school - you can adapt for your situation, right? We did A LOT of adapting! The new year is also bringing in some new courses of study: for science, we're starting the Human Body (some dissection included!); Art; and I'm going to reintroduce Latin. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 2009!

What should I say?

Blogging has been on my mind a lot... I visit my page at least once a day, but I can't seem to think of anything interesting to write about. So... I think I'll just write about things as they sort of pop into my head (at least for a few minutes).

I hope Tricky is able to go to sleep without me kneeling at her bedside. I feel bad for telling her I'll be right back when I know I will only return once she's asleep.

I dread meeting with a certain client tomorrow.

I hope Richard gets home from his bar meeting safely. He was elected President tonight!

The kids had their Happy Birthday Jesus party at school today. Anyone who knows me knows I can't stand that sentiment. Along with all the commercialism of the holiday season, making birthday cakes and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus seem to trivialize one of the holiest of holidays by making it seem like any other birthday. I just don't like it.

This year, we're doing our decorating in accordance with the teachings of our Church. We are celebrating Advent this year. We'll put up the tree on Christmas Eve day. It is truly making me feel the importance of the birth of Christ. I'll be in the Christmas spirit on Christmas Eve - for now, I'm in the Advent spirit.

That said, I'm mailing out 60 Christmas cards tomorrow. I hope...

Speaking of things I need to do -
Buy the items I chose to donate to the local battered women's shelter
Clean off my desk
Box up the presents for the relatives we won't see this Christmas and mail them before Saturday
Ask Nonnie what I can bring for Christmas Day dinner
Practice Dona Nobis Pacem with the kids
Print and frame pictures from Tricky's first 2 years
Finish printing calendars (Michele... the printing isn't working like I thought it would... sorry)
Mentally prepare for the office outing on Friday
Help Casey with her piano work
Finish the pile of laundry

I wonder how my father-in-law is doing today. I wonder how my mother-in-law is doing today. I never updated my blog with what has transpired with my husband's father. He has no brain stem injury. He is still on life support. The doctors are trying to figure out what is wrong - what is causing him to have no voluntary muscle control (and no reaction to stimulus). I mean, there is something going on other than the injuries directly sustained by his accident. Please pray for him, and for my mother-in-law, and for my husband and his three brothers.

Okay, I guess that's enough. I'm going to cozy up in bed and watch a movie on Netflix On Demand while awaiting my love's return home. (By the way, we watched Planet B-boy on Netflix last night. For a documentary about an international breakdancing competition, I was pleasantly surprised. I actually expected I'd fall asleep, but I had fun - and Richard had the funniest little boy grin on his face during the entire movie.)

Wordless Wednesday - At the Science Museum

Tricky's 2nd Birthday

My little Tricky turned 2 yesterday. Unfortunately, we received some very sad news about her grandfather so festivities were absent. I'm hopeful that we may celebrate her passage into little-girlhood within the next couple of days.

Until then... Happy Birthday little one!!!

My absence explained...

Two weeks ago today, my father-in-law("FIL") had one of those freak accidents you hear of from time to time. He was standing on a flat carport, cutting limbs from a tree. A particularly large limb he was cutting must have been under a lot of tension. When he cut that limb, it snapped and hit him in the face. A neighbor who was outside heard the crack and turned to see my FIL holding his hands to his face. Blood was everywhere. Then, probably because he was disoriented, my FIL fell headlong from the carport onto the concrete below. The neighbor, who is an EMT and his wife, a nurse, ran over to help my FIL.

He was taken to a local hospital but quickly transported to a larger, better-equipped facility. He had multiple skull fractures, including his eye sockets; according to a CT scan, he did have some brain damage, although they said it was only to the prefrontal cortex (meaning that he wouldn't lose any motor skills, but may lose the ability to schedule and coordinate things and may not be able to experience joy); and he had broken a few ribs completely through.

We drove the 12+ hours out to Louisiana that Thursday. We were here until the following Tuesday morning. Richard and I (along with his mom, his brothers, and their wives) saw my FIL in ICU at the hospital. At first, he was intubated and unresponsive, but soon he became very responsive (kicking, pulling out the ventilator tube), he also talked to us some, albeit just a couple of words at a time. Once we left on Tuesday, we heard that my FIL was becoming disoriented, not recognizing people, etc.

My family and I went on, as planned, to Florida for Thanksgiving and then returned home on Sunday. On Monday, my FIL had to be reintubated because his oxygen levels had dropped some. On Tuesday night, my MIL called and said that he had a seizure and the doctors believed he may have had a stroke. Then yesterday, Richard called me and told me that the doctors believe my FIL was brain dead.

We drove all night out to Louisiana again where we are now. Last night, the doctors ran a test and found he did have some brain activity, but it's very minimal. He'll never be able to breathe on his own - or function in any sort of way. Knowing what my FIL would have wanted, they will probably let him go within the next couple of days.

It's so sad...so surreal. He was fine two weeks ago and now, for all intents and purposes, he's gone.

Please pray for our family...