We celebrated our Fourth on the third. The little ladies are scared of big noises, and my mom is growing increasingly weaker, so I wasn't planning to go anywhere. However, James got off work early and graciously offered to stay home so I could take the big kids out to watch fireworks. "You need a night out," he said. Sweet man. While Daddy endured a Yo Gabba Gabba marathon, the big kids and I went to a nearby town for dinner and dessert, then caught up with friends to watch the fireworks show.
The big kids are away at summer camp, so the little girls and I met playgroup friends at a nearby fountain for some wet summer fun. We arrived early and had the whole place to ourselves.
Over a weekend break from my summer classes, James and I loaded the kids up and drove to Oklahoma for a quick overnight visit to Marcie's house. We really didn't plan to make the trip, but after a long phone conversation with Marcie on Saturday morning, we spontaneously opted to spend lunchtime and baby naptime driving, putting us in Tulsa mid-afternoon. The grownups guzzled tea while playing cards and dominoes, and the kids played in the sprinklers, ran in and out of the house, ran up and down the stairs, and played dress-up, Barbies and video games. We left late Sunday afternoon and made it home just in time for bedtime. It's always fun to reconnect, even if the trip was random and rapid.
Sunday was our final day in New York City, and after three super busy days, we decided to slow way down on Sunday morning. We had breakfast at a nearby luncheonette and we spent the morning strolling through Central Park. We were both just a little bit sad to leave the city, but we were super excited to return to our homes and families. Four fun-filled days was just enough time to see and do all we wanted. New York City was amazing -- I can't wait to return with James and all of the kids!
Breakfast at the New York Luncheonette 
Dakota Hotel and Strawberry Fields
Sunday Morning in Central Park
Day three in New York City was to be as long and as busy as day two. We began the day with a second trip to Ess-a-Bagel (so delicious!), and though we didn't have a lot of actual sightseeing planned, we had planned a long day of shopping. Between the flea market in Hell's Kitchen and a visit to Chinatown, we hoped to load up on lots of goodies. Lots of things at the flea market were good for admiring, but not so good for carrying home on flights, and Chinatown wasn't the bargain mecca we thought it might be. In the end, we walked away with a few souvenirs and interesting trinkets, but we didn't purchase near as much as we prepared and budgeted for.
We also visited the Carnegie Deli for the biggest Reuben sandwich ever. We spent the afternoon checking out the Guggenheim and exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art (admission for both of us: $10 after one free admission for Bank of America cardholders and one discounted student admission). We returned to Rockefeller Center later in the evening to admire the nighttime skyline from the "Top of the Rock."
Ess-a-Bagel: The Most Delicious Bagels in NYC
Hell's Kitchen Flea Market
Artistry in Chinatown
Sharing a Reuben at Carnegie Deli
The Guggenheim
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rockefeller Center
The Nighttime Skyline from the Top of the Rock
Day Three: Street Scenes
Day two was long and busy. We got up and out early, and we packed so much into a few drizzly hours. We fueled up at Ess-a-Bagel, a most delicious New York bagel shop. We had everything bagels topped with olive-ladened cream cheese, then we hit the metro for a busy day on the town.
World Trade Center
Statue of Liberty
Ellis Island
Saint Patrick's Cathedral
Shopping on 5th Avenue
Times Square
Toys 'R Us in Times Square
Day Two: Street Scenes
For Christmas, James gave me a girl's trip to New York City with my best friend Marcie. With a brand new baby at home and a newly sick mom, I thought I'd have to cancel. Fortunately, Mom was secure and stable, and James felt confident he could take care of all four kids by himself (with some meals and help from friends popping in). He and Mom both insisted I go, so I went. I'm very glad I did.
Life was super busy for both Marcie and I all the way up to the day of departure. Last night, we were still texting each other about what we were packing. She even texted this morning before she boarded the plane in Tulsa to make sure I was still boarding in Dallas -- ha! We had some ideas of things we wanted to see and do, but we had no specific itinerary. Fortunately, James also gave me a Frommer's guide to New York City, so on the plane, we decided to loosely follow the "NYC in Three Days" plan found inside. We eliminated a few things from the suggested itinerary and filled in the open spots with things that were more important to us (like visiting the Central Library and scoping out the best bagels).
Our Hotel -- The Waldorf Astoria
Grand Central Terminal
The New York Public Library
Day One: Street Scenes
Last winter after drooling over some food blogs, I sent an e-mail to my canning friend Marcie and begged her to add tangerine marmalade to the lot of jars she planned to prepare for me over the summer. A few months later, UPS dropped a box of sweets on my doorstep -- blackberry jam for Bub, tangerine marmalade for me. The marmalade was so bright and so delicious, it was like sunshine in a jar! It was better than I imagined it to be. No doubt about it, Marcie takes care of those she loves.
The spring semester just began for me, and in an effort to make some decent dinners in the midst of my busyness, I've been relying on meal starters I have stored in the freezer. I thawed some cooked turkey and planned to put together a casserole, but I decided instead that I wanted to make something other than a noodle dish with a heavy, creamy base. I searched AllRecipes.com, my go-to recipe site, and came across a simple poultry dish using up the delicious marmalade. This is the recipe before I modified it:
Sweet Orange Chicken
Ingredients
* 5 pounds bone-in chicken parts
* 1/2 cup orange marmalade
* 2 cups orange juice, or as needed
* 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Directions
1. Place chicken into a Dutch oven or large saucepan. Stir together the orange marmalade and orange juice; pour over chicken. Sprinkle in the cranberries.
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink, and the juices run clear. Check occasionally, and add more orange juice if necessary.
The original recipe calls for bone-in chicken, roasting it in the marmalade, but my technique was simpler. I put about 4c. of deboned, pre-cooked poultry in a Dutch oven, then thinned about 1/2c. marmalade with some juice and warmed it on the stove. I poured the warmed marmalade glaze over the poultry and let the whole lot simmer together in the oven for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees. While the turkey heated, I cooked a pot of rice, steamed some broccoli, and made a bit more marmalade glaze to top the final dish. When the rice cooker shut off, I took the turkey from the oven and shredded it, then served it atop the rice drizzled with a bit more marmalade glaze. The steamed broccoli was served on the side.
This dish is reminiscent of a sweet Asian dish. It's so simple and so delicious -- it's a new family favorite!
The down side? I'm out of tangerine marmalade.
For Christmas, James gave me a girls-only four-day trip to New York City to share with my friend Marcie, and Babbit has opted to tag along. We head out very early on March 31st and return late on April 3rd. We're all so excited to visit the big city -- none of us have ever been. I've been researching our touristy options, and while we each have access to reasonable travel budgets, Marcie and I are both super thrifty and would love to prove that a trip to NYC doesn't have to break the bank. (Secretly, I think if I can prove that to the hubs, he'll let me go back again really soon.)
I have some things in mind that I would like to do and have been looking for the most cost-effective way to do them. We've considered purchasing the City Pass, but I've learned about Free and Pay What You Wish options for museums and think that may be the better way to go. To fully embrace my personal challenge of NYC on a dime, I've downloaded the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs guide that lists loads of inexpensive cultural offerings. I've set up a separate travel e-mail account to subscribe to Groupon and Living Social for NYC deals, and I plan to watch for the 90% off sale at Restaurant.com. Also, the Entertainment book for NYC is only $20 shipped. We save so much in DFW with our Entertainment Book, I can't imagine the savings in NYC would be any less remarkable. I've only just begun building a list of must-see things with prices posted. Here's what I have so far:
Free/Cheap Places to Go in New York City
Brooklyn Bridge – FREE
Brooklyn Heights Historic District – FREE
New York Public Library – FREE
9/11 Memorial Preview Site – FREE
Central Park – FREE
Metropolitan Museum of Art – FREE, BoA "Museums on Us"
Guggenheim Museum – Pay What You Wish on Saturday
Museum of Modern Art – FREE on Target Free Friday nights
Museum of the City of New York – FREE, BoA "Museums on Us"
Statue of Liberty – FREE ferry tour, $12.00 for crown tour
Opera at the Met – $20/$25 last minute tickets at Box Office
Theatre – FREE, or inexpensive last minute tickets at Box Office
New York Philharmonic – Student Rush Tickets, $12.50 each
Chinatown – FREE to explore, $$ for shopping on Canal Street
Cheap Places to Eat in New York City
Papaya King Hot Dog Stands – Chelsea (Under $5)
Dumpling House – Chinatown (Under $5)
Café Edison – Times Square in Edison Hotel (Under $10)
** We're excited to try inexpensive little hole-in-the-wall places, preferably ethnic ones **
Despite my planning and bargain hunting, this is a daunting task and I would really appreciate some insider tips from those of you who have been there/done that. Favorite restaurants? Best way to buy show tickets? Number one way to save on souvenirs? Your insight is invaluable to me.
photo credit: howard models
As part of our summer finale, all three kids (!) and I joined friends for a beautiful afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum. This was a first for each of us, and despite the heat, we had a lovely day together.
The gardens were dotted with Storybook Playhouses -- art installations based on popular children's literature. The kids enjoyed climbing on and exploring the playscapes, and we all enjoyed the plant life a great deal. I believe we'll be returning quite soon.
For the first time ever, I attended a Homeschool Book Fair, and not just your run of the mill book fair (whatever that may be), but rather the BIG book fair in Arlington -- the one held every year for the last 25 years. Several people I know attended the book fair last year, but it was held around the time we decided to homeschool and way before I knew about it or about curriculum or really even where to begin. (This time last year, I was busy picking the brains of my friends, reading reviews and commentaries, and visiting local used book stores trying to figure out where to start. I've come a long, long way.)
Earlier in the school year when I heard about the book fair after the fact, I was so sorry I'd not gone. As the year progressed, though, and as I learned more about homeschooling and how my children learn, I really decided against going at all. After some trial and error this year, we've found materials we love that worked for us and that will work for us for easily one more year. I thought attending the book fair and being tempted by all the shiny new books would sort of muddle my focus and get me off track.
The closer we got to fair weekend, the more the buzz heightened on the homeschool message boards. People were updating their Facebook statuses. Twitter was all a-tweet. I wondered if I would regret not going, still I made no plans... until I saw a blog friend was coming. She was driving into the Metroplex to attend, and that little fact tempted me.
Renae blogs on Life Nurturing Education, one of the most beautifully written blogs on my reader. She chooses her words as carefully as the artwork she features and as carefully as the scripture she includes to make her point, and I'm always so excited when Google indicates there's a post I've yet to read. She'd connected with me to make plans to meet once before when a local university hosted Space Frontier Days, but instead, I went with Amy and Sara to hear FlyLady speak. Because I essentially bailed on Renae before, I couldn't miss that connection when she was in town once again.
We made plans by e-mail and decided to meet in person over lunch. I arrived at our appointed time, but there was so much construction around the Arlington Convention Center, Renae drove in circles for a half-hour or more -- no more than two miles from me all the while. I felt so bad! I didn't mind the wait, though -- sitting alone in a quiet restaurant while drinking a cold glass of tea and waiting on a writer I admire is never an inconvenience. (Actually, with as busy as I feel I've been lately, sitting alone in a quiet restaurant while drinking a cold glass of tea sounds pretty good regardless of who eventually joins me... but I digress.) When all was said and done, I'm so glad we decided to connect -- my imaginary friend (as Renae so humorously put it) is as interesting in person as she is on her blog.
I decided to attend the book fair since I was already in the area, so after lunch, Renae followed me to the Convention Center. Once inside, we really went our separate ways. She was meeting some other blog friends and I had books and equipment and supplies to ooh and aah over. I knew the minute I walked through the doors that I was there to get in trouble. Instead of going crazy, though, I exercised some restraint. I learned by watching experienced conventioneers: I looked through things, I asked questions of the vendors, I made lists of things I wanted to buy, and then I walked away. I'll likely pick up some of the things I found interesting, but instead of buying at full price, I'll spend the summer watching curriculum message boards, checking out the local used bookstores, and perusing eBay and Amazon.
It's amazing how far I feel I've come in only a year's time with regards to homeschooling. Attending the book fair last year would have been far too overwhelming, but attending this year just helped to solidify the good decisions we've made to ensure the quality of the education our children receive. Being around so many like-minded people and seeing so many amazing children truly inspired me to persevere, and though my hands held only lists and catalogs, my heart was full of much, much more.
On Saturday, my friend Amy and I drove to Moore, Oklahoma to meet my other friend (Amy's sister) Sara for a FlyLady engagement. FlyLady (a.k.a. Marla Cilley) is a modern-day organizational guru. Her goal is to help people who aren't naturally organized get that way. She encourages taking on tasks in small bites, doing things in 15-minute increments, and developing and sticking to daily routines.
I love FlyLady. She was a huge help to me when I got married and had to deal with a home filled with things courtesy of my pack rat mother and James' pack rat father. James and I both struggled with what to do with the "precious treasures" they'd collected and kept over the years (i.e., macaroni art, pictures of people we didn't know, third grade perfect attendance ribbons, etc.). If those things were special to them, surely they must be special to us as well, right?
Before we took the time to deal with the all the stuff our parents passed on, we began having children. Bub came to live with us just after our one-year anniversary and very quickly our home was filled with bottles and diapers and toys and gear that consumed so much space we needed a bigger house. We bought a house and moved less than four months later. I was already pregnant with Gracie and went on strict bedrest not long after our move, so not only did I not get the chance to pare down the things that had been passed on to us or organize the already-present baby supplies, even more stuff was added when Gracie was born.
I was so overwhelmed that first year after Gracie's birth. Not only was I overwhelmed by having a toddler and a newborn at the same time, I was overwhelmed by the fact that there was no escape. There was stuff everywhere. Baby stuff, hand-me-downs, things we'd collected together. When I got a break from taking care of the children, I was taking care of the clutter, and I felt like I rarely ever had time to take care of myself. It was a hard, hard time.
Along came FlyLady. I honestly don't remember how I found her, but was so glad I did. I subscribed to her e-mails and pored over the message boards on the FlyLady website. I immediately longed for the freedom people felt just by flinging all the things they were dealing with time and time again. By reading the stories and following the plan, I was able to give myself permission to get rid of the things we kept in those early years. Five-year-old me was not in the macaroni art my mom kept all that time. James was not in an FFA belt buckle. Our kids were not in the clothes they wore once upon a time.
I kept photographs of people we knew and tossed all the rest. I kept a few hand-me-downs that had special personal memories, a couple of meaningful baby items, and some of the things that we'd added together and I purged most everything else. Not too much time later, we moved to a smaller place here in Texas, so I got rid of even more stuff. Though I've had to deal with accumulated clutter from time to time (outgrown clothes, unused toys, surplus items we'll no longer use), I never feel guilt or an emotional attachment to the things that hold us back. FlyLady played a big part in the freedom I now feel.
I haven't followed the FlyLady program quite as faithfully over these last few years. We've had fewer things to deal with, so I let my routines lapse. Now that we have a new family member coming and space must be found for her, I've been feeling the pinch with regards to our present belongings. I've been contemplating resubscribing and taking even firmer control of my zones. What better way than to feel inspired than to hear about the FlyLady program than to hear from FlyLady herself?
The conference environment was very good. We met a couple of sweet older ladies who just gushed over Sara's sweet baby Ainsley and shared some stories of their lives. The church that hosted the conference was well-staffed, beautifully appointed, and thoughtful with guest provisions. The catered lunch was delicious and ample for such a minimal cost. The speaking portion of the engagement, however, was a bit disappointing.
I came to the event hoping FlyLady would share some of her story, but more than that, I was hoping she would touch on all the high points of the FlyLady program. I needed a refresher course and enough inspiration to kick me out of this energyless pregnancy funk. Instead of finding inspiration, we listened to FlyLady and her friend Pam Jones (one of the original Sidetracked Home Executives) tell stories, sing songs, and promote product. I enjoyed hearing them speak and hearing their stories, but as a list maker, I came expecting bullet points.
Fortunately, just being in the room with 840 like-minded people, I came home to inspired enough to clean. I've cleared a couple of kitchen cabinets and the kids and I have filled four large boxes with unloved dress-up clothes and unwanted toys taking up space. Over the weekend, I'm hoping to conquer our closet and sort through the scrapbooking room. I'm not to the point of letting FlyLady fill my inbox again, but I am slowly beginning to imagine where I may someday be able to house a baby.
Images From the Day
It seems like since I became pregnant, this blog is lucky to get some attention once a week. Though I have reduced my number of commitments and outings, I'm still doing blog-worthy things from time to time -- yet, I struggle to find make the time to blog about them. I hate to still blame the baby growing inside of me, but honestly, it's all her fault. I'm either constantly sleeping or sleepwalking, and I'm pretty sure there's nothing I can do about it. Unfortunately, it's the blog that suffers the most.
To recap the last several days:
On Friday, I joined my friend Amy for two-day Sally Clarkson Whole Hearted Mother Conference. I was a little leery of the conference content considering I've never attended before, but I was pleasantly surprised to be both challenged and encouraged in my role as a mother. Really, so encouraged that I'm considering adding four or five more kids to our brood (but don't tell James).
On Saturday, when the conference ended, Amy and I met our wonderful husbands for dinner and a concert. As a Christmas gift, James gave me four tickets for the sold out Chris Tomlin Hello Love concert (with Israel Houghton and surprise guest Christy Nockels). We invited Amy and Corey long before I made the connection that the conference was the same weekend, and it all worked out smashingly. The concert, the music, unbelievable! I love Chris Tomlin, and he couldn't have chosen better tour mates. Such a great time! What was not great was the fact that I left the car lights on and returned to a dead battery. Fortunately, our friends rescued us -- late though it was -- and our crummy car battery lives on another day.
Very, very early Sunday morning, we left home for East Texas. James' grandmother died earlier in the month, and her memorial service was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. We wondered how the service would play out since James' family lives in a tiny little town and two of his family members (along with their family members) would not be able to make it to the service. We were concerned for James' dad that the memorial service would have a limited number of attendees. Instead, we were pleasantly surprised to see a full little chapel with friends and family that hadn't been seen in years. Even Gigi's students came to share kind words about her -- students she taught in pre-K who are now grown men and women. We were impacted by the life she led, and we were honored by the respect shown to Gigi and to James' dad.
We spent Sunday night in a hotel in Nacogdoches, and it was probably the one hotel in an entire chain of hotels that did not have an indoor pool. Not good when you have two kids who've been made to sit still and be quiet nearly all day long. They were upset and frustrated, but I think I was even more upset and frustrated. It was too cold and too dark to go hunting for a park, so we just made do until they wiggled themselves to sleep.
On Monday, we came home again and life returned to "normal" (a term used loosely around here), what with the schooling and cleaning and living life in general.
Yesterday, we went on a field trip to The Bureau of Printing and Engraving, one of only two facilities that prints U.S. paper currency (the other is in Washington D.C.). The tour was totally free, and was so interesting and informative. We learned about early forms of currency. We learned about the engraving and printing process. We got to see the machines at work and easily hundreds of thousands of (non-monetized) dollars just lying around. Did you know the money printed at the Fort Worth location has a tiny "FW" in the top right corner? (The money printed in Washington D.C. does not.)
Today, I'm doing a mad dash around the house finishing the laundry and cleaning frantically before my father-in-law comes for a weekend visit. He's coming to bring some things of Gigi's he thinks I may want, and staying for last basketball games and first soccer games. We're also hoping to squeeze in The Great Train Expo so Poppa John can introduce his love of miniature trains to Bub and Gracie.
So, I'm doing lots of things -- lots of blog-worthy things -- but unfortunately, they're slow in making it to the blog. I'd like to promise once again that I'll be more diligent, but reality is that this is my life right now. This sleepwalking, just-getting-by, gestating reality is mine and I couldn't be happier for it, even if the blog suffers.
(Gracie took these pictures, and I forgot to take any more.
Thanksgiving from her perspective, I suppose.)
Thanksgiving this year was wonderful. We shared our home and our 22-pound turkey with my mom, her friend Mike, and our friends DeDe, Bruce, Rachel and Rebecca. DeDe and I originally talked about her family coming here for Thanksgiving because Bruce's job site is about 30 minutes west of my house, which is about 30 minutes west of their house. With Bruce's unpredictable work schedule coupled with the high chance of him being called back out, it just made sense for them to meet here at this halfway point for a Thanksgiving meal that would go on, with or without him.
I put the turkey in to cook overnight, and on Thanksgiving morning, I got up to stuff the celery, make the deviled eggs, and throw together a few last minute things. Around 9:30 A.M., the power went out for the second year in a row. Last year, the electric company told us and others in our neighborhood that a car hit a transformer. This year -- the second year in a row -- they had no excuse.
Fortunately, the power was restored within the hour and the baking was back on. The turkey finished it's cooking just as Mom and DeDe pulled in for the day. The kids played together beautifully, James and Mike watched football, James and Mike napped on opposite couches, and we three ladies cooked and baked and prepped. Bruce was able to get out early and arrived just before lunch was ready. He was only able to stay long enough for us to fix him a plate before he had to run -- literally run -- back out the door.
We finished lunch, and then sat around chatting until it was time for dessert. Mom took a pie and went home. DeDe and the girls stuck around to share dessert with us, then Gracie went home with them for a sleepover.
Our Thanksgiving festivities were over far earlier than they generally seem to be, so I had ample time to organize my Black Friday game plan. I perused every single ad, and made and modified a great big shopping list. James took care of Bub's bedtime routine while I took a pre-shopping nap. I was asleep by 11:30 P.M., and up again by 3:15 A.M. I pulled out of my driveway around 3:45 and was in Wal-Mart by 4:00.
I completely finished by Black Friday shopping by 2:00 P.M. after looking for one gift in four stores and another gift in three. James and Bub spent Black Friday watching SportsCenter, playing video games, and eating leftovers. Gracie spent Black Friday with Mrs. DeDe, and after a quick trip to the doctor (Rachel developed a double ear infection), they crafted gingerbread Christmas trees, played games, and watched movies.
I picked Gracie up at 2:00 P.M. and we went out for a little more of the Black Friday hustle and bustle. All the shopping was done, but Gracie just loves to go to the mall. I'd not been to the mall at all that day, so I thought we'd browse the bargains and maybe share a hot chocolate.
I stood in Sears, leaning against a pool table, watching her explore the abbreviated toy aisles when James called to tell me that Milo was missing. He realized he'd not seen Milo in about five hours, and thought Bub may have accidentally let him out. I was instantly worried because the day before, between the kids and the dog, Milo's collar had been pulled off, and I put it on the microwave instead of straight back on his neck. I tried not to alarm Gracie, but after a few phone calls back and forth, I decided we should go home to help search for the cat.
I broke the news to Gracie that it was time to leave the mall. She began to sniffle and whine. I tried to hustle her out the door without telling her why we were actually leaving, but she was markedly disappointed in me, so selfishly, I broke the news. When I told her Milo was missing, she was absolutely heartbroken and began to wail in the aisle. "I dreamed my whole life to have a cat," she cried, "and now it's over!" I suggested to Gracie that we pray for God to keep Milo safe and to return him home to us. We held hands and prayed as I sped towards home.
We got home as quickly as we could, but we still arrived after dark. James and Bub had already walked the streets, circled the block, and knocked on the doors of the neighbors. I grabbed a flashlight and began looking under bushes. I crossed the street to talk to a neighbor who had just pulled in when James called to me from the front door to say that Gracie just found the cat. She noticed him as he crept out from under the couch -- the couch that James had picked up to look under three times already.
My friend Heather, who blogs at Welcome to the Edge of Insanity, is chronicling her top ten most embarrassing moments. She's only on number nine, and seriously, I feel so sorry for her. And yet, that somehow doesn't stop me from totally cracking up at her misery. If you need a good laugh (and who doesn't?), head on over and enjoy.
Most Embarrassing Moment #10
Most Embarrassing Moment #9
My friend Michelle has a cherubic little sweetie named Laney, and sweet little Laney seems to live in one tutu or another. Michelle has been making these precious tutus and coordinating hair bows for some time now.
Michelle is now expanding her hobby to be a ministry of sorts. Her heart's desire is to provide fun, frilly tutus for displaced little girls. Michelle says,
"I wondered what God would have me do with this hobby. As I sought Him, the vision of making tutus for little girls who are unable to have frilly extras in life came to my heart. So I told the Lord, to start showing me girls who need tutus and I'd trust Him to provide the materials to make them.... The funds from the tutus and bows I sell will go back into supplies for the ones I give away. For each girl I pray that the tutu would be a physical reminder of who they are as God's child and that the Lord loves them not just some, but above and beyond, amazingly, over the top, to excess, EXTRAVAGANTLY!"Michelle has tutus and hair bows for sale to subsidize the cost of the donated ones. Her things are all so cute, they can be customized, and her prices cannot be beat! Excellent for birthday and holiday gifts, photo shoots, or just because. And don't forget -- every dollar you spend goes back into sharing the love of Christ with little girls in limited situations.
I'm the aunt of a brand new baby niece. Rae Lynn made her entrance into the world this evening at 7:50 P.M. She weighs 5 lbs. 1 oz. and is 17 inches long. She's expected to have a stay in the NICU because of her prematurity, but she was breathing and crying at birth and is doing very well.
Funny story -- I've been friends with my friend Marcie and her husband Tobey since we were all teenagers, and Tobey is now a physician. He's been working on some matters of career advancement lately, so he's been calling a lot to visit with James. As a result, it was not unusual for him to call today. It was unusual for him to want to talk to me instead of James, and I first thought of Marcie, hoping she was okay.
The call, though, had nothing to do with Marcie. Tobey called to tell me he was working in the hospital today and had just been sent up to check on an OB patient whose doctor wasn't yet at the hospital. That patient happened to be Amanda. Not only that, but he'd seen Amanda in the clinic four or five times over the course of her pregnancy. Because Amanda kept her maiden name and frequently came to her OB appointments alone, he'd not made the connection that she was "the other Amanda," my sister-in-law.
He said he came into the room today, head down, looking at her chart. He greeted her while still reading, and as he spoke, he heard my mom say, "Tobey?" When he looked up, he saw her and my brother and it all came together. He said Amanda looked familiar to him every time he saw her, but he thought she was just a familiar sort of person. What a hilarious connection!
photo credit: flagplace.com
Tonight we're having a sleepover with a friend from down the street. I have an extra little girl in my house, and I really don't know how it happened. One minute, two little girls were playing quietly on the porch. The next minute, I was bombarded with, "oh please, oh please, oh please!" I gave in, and since, there's been nothing but glitter and giggles.
Here's hoping we get some sleep!
The kids and I spent the beginning of last week with my friend Emily in Oklahoma. Emily is my dearest friend from college, and we've been actively trying to coordinate our schedules for a road trip or get together for the last several months. Last week, her husband had plans to be on a business trip, and Emily knew we were preparing to homeschool, so she called me with a bribe: come all the way to her her house and stay for a few days, and she'd give me some curriculum and materials to cover some subjects for this year and next. That was an offer I couldn't refuse!
Emily's oldest son went with his dad on the business trip, so her two youngest (Carson and Madelyn) were at the house to entertain my kids. Both groups of kids are mere months apart -- both boys are "seven-and-a-half" and Madelyn will be 6 in November. For some reason, neither of us connected the closeness in age until this time together. The kids enjoyed each other so much -- the girls played with dress-up clothes and the dollhouse, the boys "fought" with swords, jumped on the trampoline, and "studied" Carson's rock collection with magnifying glasses and flashlights. On Wednesday night, we joined them at a private school they now attend (and where Emily now teaches) for a back-to-school carnival.
Because the kids were so entertained by one another, the time Emily and I spent together was really quality time (though there was still not quite enough). She helped me work through my curriculum concerns and convinced me to go with a more classical approach to my eclectic method. As a result of our visit, here's what we're using:
Saxon Math 2: I've been on the fence about math, and had really decided to go with Rod and Staff, but after looking through the teacher's guide she was sending home with me, all of the skills we need for this year were covered. The student text also seemed to give enough consistent review that I felt comfortable using it. I had some concerns that there wasn't enough immediate review with Rod and Staff (at least for this year), but Saxon seemed to do what we needed it to.
First Language Lessons: I was struggling to find a grammar curriculum because the more I moved forward, the more we were bound to workbook after workbook, and that wasn't at all what I wanted for us. I really liked the BJU Grammar, and may incorporate it in the future, but for now, this grammar program gets us out of a workbook and I'm very pleased.
Dr. Fry's Spelling: This is something I'd chosen previously and am actively using. I watched a program several weeks ago about early American education. The program mentioned several forms of early currculum, but the Webster Blue Back Speller really piqued my interest. I went to the homeschool store to look at a copy, but instead, I found Dr. Fry's. Dr. Fry appreciated the concept of the Blue Back Speller, but he modernized it by creating a computer program that identified 3000 of the most frequently used words in the English Language. He then modified the original spelling program by incorporating these words. It's the best of both worlds.
Story of the World: So many people have strongly encouraged Story of the World for our History (and Science) curriculum, but Emily was so determined that she sent me home with two years worth of books and student activity manuals. Though it's last on our list to figure out and put into practice (sometime within the next few weeks), all the things I've heard about the program are amazing, and I'm very excited to bring it to use it.
BJU Bible Truths (A Servant's Heart): Having a Bible curriculum is very important to me. Part of the reason I brought my kids home is so that there would be enough hours in the day to really teach them about the things we value. A scripture I hold dear to my heart is 3 John 1:4, which reads, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth." I really want to do all I can to give them a working knowledge of the Word of God, and to help them cultivate their relationship with their Heavenly Father. Our Bible study is sort of multi-faceted as we are (and will be) incorporating daily reading, devotionals, and scripture memory along with the curriculum. The curriculum helps me with the working knowledge bit. As for a curriculum, I was torn between LifePac Bible and BJU, but when I found the teacher's guide and two student guides for a low bargain price at The Book Cover, the decision was easy to make.
Language is our last subject. The plan was to do an intense study of French, but now I find myself wavering. I think we'll do some light introductory stuff (French songs, picture dictionaries, scripture copy work), but now I'm looking for a Latin program that won't make my head explode. Though I'm not adding in a language study until we get into a really good routine (I'm thinking perhaps after the first 8 weeks), I'm seriously looking for something easy -- Latin for Infants if it's available. Any ideas?
Pictures from our First Day of School
Last night, James casually mentioned, "You know, it's been about eleven days since you blogged. I'm sure people think I've killed you." I've had good blogging intentions, it's just that I've been swamped beyond belief.
In the last week and a half, we've been out of town twice to two different states, visited distant friends and family, picked up missing documentation for our adoption home study, changed the method by which I intended to homeschool, returned several school items I originally planned to use, purchased all the last of our curriculum (including the stuff I decided to switch to), wrote out our school plan and coordinated field trips and events for the next several weeks, bought and assembled new bookshelves and a TV unit, rearranged the game room and shifted furniture downstairs into our bedroom, reorganized our personal library, began reorganizing both kid's rooms, viewed the adoption informational DVD, confirmed our attendance at the education seminar (read: made a financial commitment), connected with a local social worker for the home study, celebrated Labor Day, met our potential new sister-in-law, caught up on TIVOed Big Brother, went to an Aggie football game, shuffled two kids to back-to-back and doubled-up soccer practices in preparation for season kickoff this weekend, began my own French class by completing both written and oral assignments, and started homeschooling. Whew!
I have several posts with pictures coming, but I'm on my way out the door to a planning meeting for a local homeschool group. In the meantime, please be assured that I am indeed still alive, and missing each one of you (and your blogs) terribly.
