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!