I can't believe I said it...

I am looking back at my posting and officially retract what I said. I referred to Friday, November 16 as the happiest of days. It was a terrible day. (one of the worst anyway) Some day I will have the courage to tell you about it. How ironic that I wrote those words on that day. How ironic that a day can change so quickly.

I have been going through a tough time personally and have been unable to write, think, or function well. I'm honest at least.

We had a nice Thanksgiving- I'm not lying. We are back home and soon will be celebrating Martha's 13th birthday. That will be a day of joy. A day to celebrate. I bought her a special birthday gift that I hope expresses all that 13 means...growing up, maturing, change, excitement.....

While this blog has been mostly about my family and my wonderful children, and my animal pets...there are times when we have to mourn and be truthful. Life can be hell. There are a million things that we can take for granted- our health, safety, security, love, and many other stabilizing factors. Don't let one day go by without expressing thanks to God for all that you have.

I'm sorry to shock with my negativity...there are days that just turn out that way..

(edited extremist language) :o)

The happiest of days

Do you have a week day that you could call the "happiest of days"? I think my children would pick Friday.

We had a great day yesterday. The kids went to their Homeschool phy-ed program, I got to visit with the ladies and also a good friend (later that night), and Martha and Buddy were able to socialize and do what they love most.

For Martha, Art is her first love. For Buddy, playing sports and just playing full throttle outside are his favorites. Martha has made several clay projects at her Art class. She brought home a clay bunny last week and it is the cutest thing. Buddy brought home a bruised, bloodied lip from playing too hard this week. I thought I better compare/contrast the two. (This is why we are making sure his Tetanus is up to date!!! He He He!!!)

They have both been journaling this week. It is creative writing, but it still involves focused planning with main thought, paragraphs, punctuation, etc. I have promised not to read their journals without permission, but I hope to receive permission at some point. There is a point where our children move from having no privacy to deserving *some*...and I am adapting.

For those of you who know me, you may or may not know exactly how much I dislike secrets, whispers, "hidden" information, etc. I am unabashedly curious and questioning and am driven nuts with secrecy. No secrets, no elephants, no emperor with no clothes.

We are having company this morning. It is out of the ordinary for us to switch things around with school, but sometimes you need to do it- especially for good friends!

Nothing is planned for our weekend. I like it that way...sort of. Steve will inevitably throw something my way and I will have to be flexible. But, I am prepared to be flexible and spontaneous......!!! (is that a joke or what?) For any of you who thought that I ran the show at this house, boy, are you mistaken. Steve has always been in charge, in control, and the one who calls the shots. I get a couple weekends a year to make hay, but day to day I am the Mother Who Does Everything (like the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything).

I don't think Steve thinks I do "everything", but I am proud of my job as wife, mother, and homeschooler. Some men just don't think a woman is doing anything unless she is working outside the home and making money AND doing all the mothering, wifely duties, etc. Normally, I would rise up and not take that sort of talk, but in this area I will sacrifice my own reputation for my children. I know my children are better off with my presence at home and so I am willing to put up with trouble for it- for them. So....I will try to stop looking so hard at the Classifieds...it is hard to try to please everybody and my desire has always been to try to please EVERYONE in this house.

Enough of the serious talk.....I may have to delete that paragraph above, so if you read it before I delete it use the information carefully. He He!!

Time to get ready for company and to get on with our day. I will report back early next week to let you know how the weekend went.
Blessings on your weekend!!

Here bunny, doggy, and kitty...

We have had a good 3 day weekend with Steve. He goes back to work tomorrow and leaves us with a lonely, boring routine. (just my current opinion!! He He!) Sometimes, I envy those families who have husbands/fathers who work from home. Oh well, having Steve gone makes me appreciate his presence all the other days!

Today, the children and I went on a Homeschool field trip. We visited a local Humane Society shelter. We found out that each year they take care of almost 4,000 animals- most of them are adopted. What a labor of love! It was hard to see all the cute animals just waiting for families to love them and adopt them. Oh how we abuse animals when we treat them like toys that can just be "thrown" away! Animals are not toys and become "damaged goods" when treated so harshly. I know that Hodge Podge's Friend is extremely sensitive and would suffer from such treatment.

Martha "babysat" on Saturday while Steve and I went out for a night on the town. She did a great job! She will be ready to babysit in no time with all this experience. It is nice having such responsible children!!

This week looks great- not too busy, not too dull. I love to look ahead and feel a sense of peace. Not only is our schedule manageable, but the weather is nice, too. What a blessing.

Lewis is getting bigger and showing his personality. He nibbles, naps, and plays with everything. I can see how a rabbit can be a little devil if left to himself/herself. We have a pen for him to run around in so he has been getting a lot of exercise. I can't imagine owning a rabbit and only keeping it in a cage. It has been a perfect tool for teaching responsibility. The kids have done an excellent job of taking care of Bun Bun!!

I am back in a routine of walking. I have 2 30-minute circuits worked out which keep me in shape. I feel better with this regular habit and hope I can keep it going. It gets tough when the temperature is under 35 degrees. I will have to come up with an alternative plan for those days this winter.

School is going well for the kids. They continue to work hard. Our year is much more balanced than last, with a good amount of field trips, hands on activities and social events. I think this is our best and most balanced year yet. I will feel even more so if their year-end testing comes out well, but that is just one measurement of success. It is too bad I naturally lean toward such formal validation....I know that not every student does well at testing.

I had a migraine today that wouldn't go away so I am hyped up on Excedrin and Yerba Mate tea. Plenty of caffeine to help me out. Too bad I feel a little jittery tonight. My heart does flip flops when I get too much caffeine. Those darn headaches!!!

Well, I suppose I better join the family. Buddy and Steve are watching Monday night football. Martha is entertaining her bunny. I have another stressful week of writing as I prepare my column. I've found that my walking inspires me, so I must walk each day to get the blood flowing to my brain. I have random thoughts that are sometimes hard to organize and put on paper....maybe this challenge will extend my gray cells and hold off Alzheimers a few more years!

Blessings on your week- enjoy each day!

Ready for winter

We are now ready for winter. Our leaves have been mulched and our garage is clean. We had a good 'ol work day on Saturday- just before the colder temps. moved in. I like to feel settled in for the winter....it is cozy. I probably would have gone insane had I been a pioneer wife all "cozy" for months of dark and cold in a soddy, though!!

We took Buddy and Martha to Bee Movie for a family night over the weekend. It was good. It was partly educational, partly funny, and wholly clean entertainment. Seinfeld did a good job- even if the critics thought it boring! It far surpasses any of the Ice Age movies, which I thought were all as stupid as stupid gets. (sorry if this offends anyone!) Steve brought along his MP3 player, but ended up seeing most of the movie.

Lewis has a new play area. We bought a portable, collapsable play pen. We put a sheet down, set up the little wire fencing and he has a nice big play area in the basement. He has had a blast with lots of hopping. We gave him a bed sheet to play with. It is in big pile which he loves to burrow in. It is fun to watch a rabbit making tunnels in a pile of sheets! He has become very well trained with his litter box. He rarely has an accident. It is too bad he cannot be a real house rabbit. Hodge Podge's friend just wouldn't tolerate it!!

We had a Co-op meeting at our house yesterday and talked about animal cruelty and humane farming/animal raising methods. We are going on a field trip to the Humane Society next week. The children really enjoyed participating in the discussion. I often think of the USA as a "light to the world", but unfortunately, we do allow cruel treatment of animals to take place. There are many other countries who ban the methods we use. What a shame. Our little Lewis will never become rabbit stew!

I must begin the process of herding the children. They have all hidden themselves away hoping I won't notice and won't come after them. We must begin our school day!

Blessings to you all!