Unschool-ology

Unschool-ology
Unschooling: Living Without School; Living Free Range-Freedom to Learn What One Wants When One Wants

Friday, July 31, 2015

To Trying Something New

I have a great Husband. He isn't perfect. But he is perfect for me.

I know I say it all the time. I never can get over how God is growing us together.

Our marriage still has some of those "today" kinds of struggles. Like, my Husband won't attend church because of "hypocrits." And struggles with reading his Bible because he doesn't quite know what to make of it. Which kinda bothers me. But-I get it.

And of course he struggles with the fact that I am a go, go, go kind of gal and I get caught up in every day life-especially in the afternoon when I am trying to get everybody fed and make everyone happy. Sometimes there just is not enough of me to go around. Guess that is Motherhood.

Which is why I must be crazy to want another baby!

I spoke with a certified Nurse/Midwife doctor-whatever you want to call her-a few days ago. And she told me about a great alternative to the surgery for endometriosis. (A doctor I spoke with over a year ago gave me an exam and a checklist and told me she is about 90% sure that is the issue. I've prayed about it. I am sure too.) The problem is, I don't do Western medicine. Even if I did, I don't have insurance. And the surgery is hardly guarenteed to work. I have heard of women needing several surgeries just to conceive once. And even then it sometimes does more damage than good....I'm just not up for that.

So she told me about systemic enzyme therapy. A NATURAL alternative. She said it will work as good as any surgery could and sometimes better. Because if you continually take it, you can keep the scar tissue gone and reduce miscarriage risk too. It all sounds great, but it is a very strict therapy. I have to take 6 pills a day at certain times. And I have to take it with room temperature water or colder. I have to change my diet-completely. Like I'm not really supposed to even eat gluten. It is going to be work. And it looks like it will take 3-6, maybe 9 months or so to even find out if I will get pregnant with it.

Stressful.

But hopefully worth  it.

I discussed it with my Husband. It is definitely NOT cheap. And it is for sure a dedication that I need support on. And his exact words were, "Why haven't you already bought it?" Gotta love that man. He did say he is afraid for it not to work though because that basically means we have hit a dead end.

Dead end.

I don't like the sound of that.

Neither does he because he dreads seeing me depressed like he has in the past, only-this time he knows it will be way worse.

We discussed it-our other options. I told him God would change his Heart if we were meant to adopt. But that I just don't feel like this is it. He wouldn't have laid it on my heart-our hearts-if there wasn't SOMETHING. And S is just so gentle and caring and understanding. There must be a plan there. For all 3 of us. I just can't get over it. I can't figure out what it is.

Guess that's how it goes though.

It's weird. I never thought it would come to this. In fact, I still don't think it has hit me. Like, 3 years-2 actively trying years, and we haven't been able to have another baby. There must be something wrong. And I am going through all the motions. I am waking up every morning and charting my temperature. I am keeping track of ovulation and making sure we maximize our odds. I am taking 10+ pills a day. And month after month I am not pregnant, but I don't think it has hit me that I can't have more. As of right now, my body won't allow it. But when I talk about it and when I think about it, I still have all the hope in the world. I just know it will happen any day now. I already bought a carseat because I found a good deal on a brand new one. That's how much hope I have. I was holding a newborn the other day and it didn't hurt me inside. It made me excited because in my mind, it will happen very soon. It is like my head knows it isn't realistic, but my Heart won't give up. My heart keeps saying, "It has already been X number of months. Any day now..."

Anyway, I put an order in for the enzyme therapy pills-after HOURS of research. And I also ordered a hot water bottle and castor oil to use for detoxing the liver and uterus. The mixture of the two should really help pull out the scar tissue. I can't wait for it to come in. I will keep taking my other supplements too. They are all safe to take together.

Omega 3 and 6-Fish Oil and Evening Primrose. Those will help keep my body balanced AND it does something else my Husband likes. But I will spare the details. ;) Bee Propolis because it helps with inflammation and scarring. (In a clinical trial, 60% of infertile women with endometriosis became pregnant in 9 months vs 20% in the control group. It raises my odds 40% but I have only been taking it 2 months. So I was looking for something else to help.) My Vitex keeps my hormones SUPER balanced. And I MAY stop taking bee pollen. It is supposed to help egg health, but I don't think I need help in that area. Overall health. It doesn't seem to be helping there. I still stay tired all the time and it is supposed to help with that.

Anyway, I'm rambling now. But I just keep praying it happens-before I come to terms with what is going on and the reality of it hits me....

I have a brand new carseat-Safety First Alpha and Omega. 5 lbs-100 lbs. sitting in the basement. I have an entire closet of maternity clothes that will fit me from early pregnancy to the "about to bust" stage. Boxes of baby clothes I have collected-not bought. Most of them were from a yardsale that was closing up early-told me to take anything. Others are from friends. I have the exact right sling I want. The pump. Cloth diapers from birth to 3 years old. One size fits all sort of thing. Everything. I could give birth today and be prepared. I. am. ready.

But God isn't.

However, he did give me an amazing Husband, whom, although he isn't great at talking about tough subjects, he doesn't want to see me hurt. He supports me. And that is the only thing that has mattered this entire 3 year struggle. He could talk all day long, but if he didn't back me, it would be a real struggle.

So on to the next steps in our Journey. To trying something new.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Beautiful

Dear Daughter,

I miss you.  This Summer has been a blast,  but you and I both are missing or alone time together. We are struggling to make it through these last few weeks before school starts back for everyone and it is just you and me once again. The parks will be empty in the day. The neighborhoods will be quiet and. No more babysitting. We will be free again to do completely and totally as we please.

It makes me cherish our time together even more when we go through times like this when playing alone is few and far between.

I like to take that time to get to know you. Not just to live the days with you,  but to know you. I know all the little things about you.  I know you prefer blue Jean shorts to gym shorts. And dresses to jeans.  They make you feel too restricted.  I know you don't like a bathing suit that exposes your back. I know you grind your teeth in your sleep. And that you are afraid of the dark.  I know you like cold showers but hate washing you're hair.  I know you are a compassionate person and amazing friend. I know you like art and chess. But you don't like to be told how to draw. And you prefer to watch the moves the computer makes to learn strategy. Again-with the whole "being told what to do." I know you like to invent things, especially things to help animals. And you adore the newest form of Tinkerbell-a Tinker Fairy who creates things from scrap to give the animals what they need. I also know you like to spend hours in the kitchen concocting experiments to see if you can turn things blue or get them to disintegrate. But that adds to your insecurity every time you "fail." Some of the most famous people failed over and over again. They felt like failures all their lives and yet we still study them and their life changing discoveries today. Remember that, girl.  I know you like to go outside and decorate spots to worship on the ground. I know you like to pray in your head as opposed to out loud and that music and dancing is your favorite form of worship. I know you also idolize Beethoven and Vivaldi. And Rossana Pansino. You are free to do whatever you choose with your time and these are the things you pick. I know that you like your things so-so, but they never seem organized to me. An artist's mind is a hard thing to get into, but I see how your mind works. It sees beauty in everything. Even the most "evil people." It thinks of things in an abstract way and therefore does not see the same things others see in the clouds or on the streets. "Look at all those beautiful shades of green in the trees, Mommy," you say. "Those rays of sun coming from the clouds.....it is like Good is trying to tell us something...." I know you have never liked fighting. As a baby, you would cry and scream if Daddy and I would wrestle. You still do. I know you are sensitive. You hurt easy and you connect strongly. I know that you cry everytime you wake up from a nap. I know you sleep with me instead of your bedroom because you prefer the comfort of another person-anybody. I know that when you play kitchen, your feelings are hurt if nobody tries your "food." I know you like to write in your journal prayers and letters to your future sister. But sometimes you lose Hope in God's Promise to us. I know you treasure your sparkly pens and notebooks the most.  I know you get embarrassed easy, so stop picking your nose and  scratching your butt on stage. I know you bite your nails when you are nervous and you have a bad habit of waiting to the last minute to pee. At which point you begin The Dance and still don't say anything. I know you like spicy foods and signing in the car with Dad. I notice when you fall down on your bike,  the first thing you do before you get up is look around to see who saw you. The tears only come if somebody knows you fell. I know you always start jumping on the left side of your trampoline. And know you want to do everything right.  I know you want to travel and go to college for science AND art. I know you want 2 kids because 1 is not enough but 4 or 6 is too many. I know you don't like to be thrown off balance-never have-probably never will. And I know you don't like asking for things. It's rude and sounds ungreatful, you say. I know you keep a running list in your head of all the people you want to do nice things for.  I know you count in your head a lot and spell words. I know you repeat and rhyme things too. A lot goes on up there. I know you can't wrap your head around why people can be mean. And I know, to you, like me, their is an excuse for everything....I could go on. .

These are just some of the things I know about you. These are things that make you Beautiful inside and our. Your heart, soul, and mind. And I appreciate every second I get to know you more whether it is noticing which way your eyes shift when you are unsure of yourself or finding out your views on God. Beautiful.


Wednesday, July 8, 2015

American Culture and Teen Pregnancy-It's Okay!

What is wrong with American culture? Where should I start? Could it be how much we focus on our material possessions?  How much we base success off annual earnings? Or how about the way so many people parent based off the preferences of others because they are too afraid to be labeled as one of the bad ones. You know, because if you don't do at least 3 totally Pinterest-y sensory activities with your child every week, you suck. And you fail as a Mom. So don't have your kids too old.  Don't have your kids too young. Don't have too many kids.  But don't only have one. Don't put them in bed early. But not too late either. Good lord,  don't spoil them,  but don't do what I consider depriving them either. And holy jeez, spank them. Wait, Don't.  Yes. Do. Actually, do whatever the newest issue of Parents magazine tells you this week-unless I think they are wrong.

One of the biggest parenting stigmas I hear about the most is how bad being a teen mom is. And don't forget the show 16 and Pregnant that made it look like a ticking time bomb to have a child young.  Well, I'm just going to come out and say it.  I don't think there is anything wrong with being a teen Mom.  In fact, I think it is right. I believe it is the way God made our bodies. Ever see how easy it is on a younger person to endure pregnancy in general? I hear people in their early thirties complain about how much harder it is being pregnant after age 25. I hear a lot of comments about how easily a young lady's body bounces back just because of their age. Or how easy it is for teens to get pregnant. Ever wonder if that is a sign that our body takes conception and pregnancy best while we are still young? And why would God model our bodies that way if he didn't want teenagers to get pregnant? (Note: I'm not saying having kids at an older age is wrong. I'm saying there is nothing wrong with the way God programed or bodies.)

I hear quite a few arguments about having kids young, but in general, they are all pretty much the same. There is so much buzz about immaturity in young Moms, which as I mentioned earlier is generally caused by that thing we have today called "modern society." But, when you truly look at it, the ones that are going to be totally neglectful parents as teens, probably would be no matter what their age. Generally, they have endured something like neglect growing up or alcoholic parents. Maybe they are on drugs themselves, and the chances of the effects of those things disappearing as they are older are well, slim to none. So again, I say, what about the older Moms who don't care for their children, who abuse their children. Who never took two seconds out of their day to hug their child or learn how to be the best patent they can be? There are just as many of those as their are neglectful teen parents. Age is not a factor here, people.

I was raised by a teen Mom. And she may not have known everything-which by the way, she still doesn't - and she may not have been perfect, but I will always remember the afternoons where we colored in Barbie coloring books together, me striving to color just like her. And I will always remember the energy she had to be a kid and discover with me as a child. She was a great role model for me as a young child. She shaped me into who I am today. She taught me to volunteer my time. She taught me to love education but resist blindly following the masses. Her age, what she wore, the way she talked, like a younger person- did not determine her ability to parent me.

The other thing I also hear a lot about is the lack of resources for "poor, young, Moms." That we have to support them with food stamps and free diaper programs. But people, that is not what young Moms need. That is not what any Mom needs. We, as a society, need a paradigm shift into a different form of thinking. What if we went back to the old ways? Cloth diapers. Growing our own food. It would take a serious revolution, but ladies and gentlemen, this new age way of thinking-disposable diapers, preprepared foods-THIS IS OUR FAULT. These parents don't NEED these things. We have just told them they do! One generation after the next we quickly began relying on big companies to provide for us. Maybe we can't change the world to see it all happen in our lifetime, but we can help Moms learn to do things more cost effectively. We can teach them to cloth diaper with the simple run of the mill, oldin' day cloths. We can teach families how to start gardening and passing it down to their children. We CAN teach families to begin working their way toward self sufficiency so that slowly, but surely, we can change that cycle. This crisis. This crisis of poor and destitute. That is a man made crisis. Not God. Man.

Now, fellow Christians don't get your panties in a wad because I know a few of you right now who are reading this, rolling their eyes, and thinking, "She does not need to be advising anyone who is pregnant.  Typical hippie." But as Christians, how can we deny that GOD is FOR teen pregnancy?

Hasn't it been speculated that Mary herself was a teenager? God is steadfast. He does not change. The world has changed. But HE has not changed.

"I, the LORD, do not change...." Malachi 3:6

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever." Hebrews 13:8

Christians, we know that God allows things to happen for a reason. That he has plans for each one of us. He "knew you before he knit you in your mother's womb." Jeremiah 1:5. It didn't matter how old your parents were or if they were married on paper when they had sex. It doesn't matter how much money they have or how many assets they owned. We all know the ever popular Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you..." Romans 8:8-also popular, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. "We recite these words to people at church and around town, but do we honestly know the value of them? What would God think if he saw us throwing his book around at people? What do you think he would think about teen pregnancy now?

Sure, maybe people shouldn't be sleeping around-not my life, not my call-but if that is the true issue here, then why aren't people everywhere getting the stink eye and being judged? I know more people who have slept with multiple people than I know that have only had relations with one or even none. What about people like me and my Husband? We were each other's first. We had sex and had a baby on purpose and we wanted to be together. Yet, people still saw a problem with this. Why?

Young people have been having children for years and years. It was never a problem until recent years. For those of us who took any sort of Science in school, if young pregnancy is our constant, what is our variable?....It's culture. And as I stated before, there is something seriously wrong with America's culture today.

We live in a world where allowing children to watch show depicting super stars shaking their butt on stage is okay. But it's not okay for our children to live that way. Hello! They are learning from what they see. We live in a world where it is okay for somebody like me to wear a top cut as low as I want because it attracts men, but it is not okay to breastfeed. Again-we are talking about food, survival here. We live in a world where it is okay to swear like a sailor before going to church on Sunday, but talking about the facts of sex is unnatural. We live in a world where promiscuity is hailed, but the value of a pregnancy-a life-is diminished.

The stigma that American society has placed on young pregnancies is one of the top reasons for abortion. How much longer should we sit by silently and let innocent babies suffer because their parents are terrified of the eyes of judgement staring at her, fingers pointing at her, and Bibles flying at their head? How many more lives are we going to allow to be taken because we think the amount of money in a Mom's bank account or the amount of clothing and toys they can afford for that child should be a factor?

In this age of school, big business, and family planning, it seems teen pregnancies are wrong. But what if we looked at it from another culture's viewpoint? What if we went back to our roots and we quit worrying about all the luxuries that we want and we quit worrying about everything that society tells us. What happens if we go back to a time where things were done more naturally, before man butted in and tried to fix everything that wasn't broken.

We have lived so long in this culture that it is all most of us know. It is all most of our parents know. Maybe grandparents. And great grandparents. And we have allowed this horrible,  awful culture that teaches shallow thinking and promiscuity to permeate or children's lives.

What if we did this,? What if we went against the grain and told or children it is okay to have sex with the person you love. NOT just anyone. (Christians reference Ephesians 5:31. God never mentioned a piece of paper to be married spiritually. Although, according to Romans 13:1-7, we are to obey the government, and they will once they want to begin to receive legal benefits, the government does not command us to get married to have sex. And sex is the way to have a spiritual marriage.) When most of us tell our children not to have sex outside of a paper marriage, let's face it, it makes us hypocrites. And nobody wants to And no child is going to listen to a hypocrite. We want to save our children from pain without pushing them into rebellion, so we need to teach them what love really is and to be thoughtful and prayerful in what God wants. That they can discern Satan from God's Will. What if we taught or children that IF they DO get pregnant,  we will still love them and their child even more than we already do.  That if they need or help from time to time,  it truly does take a village and that's okay. Most cultures have this familial code that says,  "Your kids are my kids and my kids are yours and they all live together and are taught by each other. And it is nothing to have a house full of grandkids for the night. They feed off of that.  But in today's culture,  children are often viewed as sucubi. And nobody wants to watch them. And if they are living at home after turning 18 or after getting married and having children,  they are somehow failures.

What if we started looking at the important things like LIFE, Family, time together, relationship, helping each other, teaching each others, and having fun. And we became less concerned with things that don't matter,  like how old others are when they have children or get married or how much their job pays as we whisper about how "they may have gone further if they hadn't had kids so early.  They really should have gone to college." But in reality, they are some of the best parents because they know money doesn't matter and they know how to have fun and spend time with their kids without a dime in their pocket. If we took material out of the equation, what do we get? What if we did that?  What would happen?

Friday, July 3, 2015

July

We are half way through Summer break-for my brother that is. Of course we never took a break.  Our days just changed.  And S has learned so much so quickly! I take them to swim as frequently as possible.  (Bought her am outdoor pool on clearance for Christmas so she can practice all next Summer too! But she didn't know that.) Just in swimming alone,  she has greatly improved.  She has gotten brave.  So brave (compared to her usual self). She will jump in on her own.  She has learned to dive down to the bottom.  A 9 year old that is on a swim team (same kids who taught her to dive/swim to the bottom) has taught her different strokes and how they take off. She can swim under water and on top and she isn't too afraid of the deep end, as long as she is near a wall. We will work on that.  But she likes the lake. And she enjoys waves.  We were in a pool at Six Flags that simulated ocean waves and she was not scared to dive right into them. My hippie for her is that she will be able to fly right through this next level of swim and get started on the good stuff-diving!  She wants to.  She is afraid. But she wants to push her own limits. She is learning.

Recently she spend the night with a friend and all 6 kids there could ride bikes. The oldest 4 could ride with 2 wheels. Even though she was nervous, they took her and worked with her. Their Mom helped her too. And even though the next day, she hadn't really gotten anywhere with it, they had left an impression on her. (Seriously, this is the best part about Summer. Everybody is available to play long hours and it inspires her to try new things she normally wouldn't do without them around.) She learned to ride her bike in just 3 days!  The first day we worked long and hard.  Her,  Daddy, and I. She was learning the basics since she never could ride a bike with training wheels.  She also learned not to lean on us for support and not to say negative things about her own abilities. That made all the difference.  At the end of the night,  we made Daddy go inside because she just does better when he isn't there watching because she so badly wants to impress him.  And within 5 minutes she was riding a tiny distance on her own.  The next day, within 30 minutes,  because the rain, she was riding further and turning herself.  But she still didn't have the break.  Next day.  30 more minutes.  She had it down completely.  Long distances. Breaks. Taking off by herself. She is definitely growing. I'm happy with myself for holding back and never pushing a bike on her. Not even one with training wheels. And she is pleased with herself for learning.

Chess-she is doing well in.  For being 6. I still kick her butt every time,  but her and my brother tie a lot. And she is putting forth a LOT of effort. And playing consistently.  Her and my brother played for 4-1/2 hours one morning. She plays with her Daddy every night. And when one of us can't play her,  she hopes on the computer and plays on a kid's online site. We are being brutal and not b letting her win in hopes that she doesn't get into bad habits. But CHEA is offering chess club with a professional instructor for a nominal fee and only twice a month this coming up school year,  so it looks like she may be doing that.

One thing she is falling behind on is reading.  She complains about her eyes a lot. We have backed off quite a bit. She was prescribed reading glasses, which she is excited about, but I am having an inner battle about whether I should let her wear them or just wait for her eyes to develop more. I mean, she shouldn't be able to see this close up very well at her age. Her eyes are meant for long distances. To see out in nature. Not to read books. For now I am reading to her. She follows my finger and looks away when her eyes get tired. We will just see where time takes us. She can essentially read, just not 100% on her own which is not big deal at 6 years old. By time she turns 7, we may see improvement. And we have discussed finding a way to let her practice on our projector screen. She will get there.

"Presidency" is going well. :) I'd say so anyway. We have had a crazy start to the year with two crisis on our hands. One, the treasurer thought we had missing checks. But that was easy because I helped her find them. The second was the fact that the IRS does not and never has had a tax status from us so we are having to start from scratch on that. So I'm super thankful for my vice president who loves research as much as I do and gets things done so quick just like me. We make such a great team. I enjoy working with her already. She is the first to reply to the emails we send out and the first to raise her hand when something needs to be done. Things will start slowing down once the school year starts, but right now we are cleaning up messes and getting things taken care of so that we can lay it all out for the next board. (Seriously, I was given an accordion folder with hundreds of papers just stuffed in it  I had to go through and get rid of things from 9 years ago in there! I kept what we needed. Stored the rest. And relabeled all the tabs. I was also given a handwritten paper from 4 years ago with a list of (some) of the president's duties. So I'm working on a list of ALL of them to print out and put in a binder.) We are also working on...GOING DIGITAL!! Woo Hoo! My Vice president made us a drop box account. My treasurer made us an online banking account. And we are good to go. No more storing files from 10 years ago and having to burn them. Just right click and delete. This is going to be good. Our first board meeting is July 10th. I expect it to be a VERY long meeting. So many new ideas for CHEA. When I set out the agenda for the meeting and a request for anything else they wanted added, I didn't expect the response I got! Everybody was throwing out ideas. TShirts. Parade floats. New field trips. We are looking at art classes. And drama classes.....Some things may not pan out completely. But we have lots of things flowing and so many people willing to do them. That's a good sign. I hope to get everyone excited and involved this year. With 100 families in CHEA, think of the possibilities.

Oh, and just a side note. I am really enjoying the relationship building going on with this board. One of our board members suggested we all do a bible study together, so we are. :) We just started, but so far it has been a great way to get to know each other better!

This Fall we have lots coming up. Some smaller things like a little plant fossil dig with the Chattanooga Nature Center. That should be lots of fun. And we are going to the Impressionism exhibit at the Hunter Art Museum to finish up some of her Impressionism study. She will go back to working on her art for her gallery. She says it goes on pause during the warmer months because she wants to be active. Which is very true. (When she went back to drawing the other day, she impressed herself with how much she had improved just because of her age.)

Chess I already talked about. That will only be twice a month. Unfortunately it will have to be a drop off event since it is the night that I have Bible Study. :( But it will be good for her to learn something out of my presence I think. And I'd like to have something big to talk about that I wasn't there for and don't already know. Plus we won't be any busier due to chess because otherwise she would just be at home that night. And it is in Ringgold on my way to the study.

Art-That will be monthly if she even participates in it. We coordinated with a local art studio to set up classes. Because everybody stays so busy and they are already spread so thin, we decided on monthly, but to be honest, that may even be too much for us with everything going on. Since it is in Ringgold, not even 5 minutes down the road. Literally a straight shot, I will give S the option to do it. But we will see.

Swim. She decided to stick with swim this year! Woo Hoo! I am so glad. She has the build for it and she has really gotten so good. I want to see her keep going. That will be weekly, but well worth the time. I am glad she seems to have found an activity that she REALLY enjoys.

AHG...I am a little nervous about this one. They meet 3 times a month for meetings then as scheduled for extra activities...I don't know where to start with this. I think it will be good for S. Such a great way to experience a lot of new things. They volunteer and do different outdoor and indoor activities. But...heh...I don't know. We are going to give it a shot. I am just so terrified of religious politics considering the group that they run under. I'm just worried. And while I refuse to use the girl scouts because they are basically acting very unGodly, I am afraid AHG may be too Godly. I hear a lot about modesty and how they shouldn't wear shorts above their knees....Uh Oh. Very old fashioned it seems. But we always have the option of taking her out.

So on top of all those classes....we have everything else. CHEA. Volunteering. Friends. My Lord, what will we do when we have another baby...I'm getting nervous just thinking about this Fall.

I can NOT believe we are going on our 3rd year of homeschooling. YEAR THREE! When did that happen? Have we really been at this officially for 2 whole years? The first year we were unsure. The second I gained my footing. And now, I am leading bands of homeschoolers. I am mentoring nervous, new homeschooling Moms. And the best part is-I am feeling super confident about it.

As for S, her first year, she was feeling very lonely, although she repeatedly said she wanted to be home. The second year she had friends and she was really into it, but she still was not sure of herself as a person. (This may have to do with age or experience, I am not sure.) But starting this year off she is very sure of herself. Confident in who she is and what she can do. She has friends and she doesn't mind going to make new friends and try new things. We have both changed. For the better. Three years in...wow. So much has changed. From formal to unschool. From unsure to confident. From 4 years old to almost 7...

Every Fall I go crazy buying different stuff for S. One year it was board games. The next it was computer games. This year-CDs. We spend so much time in the car that I feel like we need to start using it wisely. And one of those ways is memory work CDs. She is so excited about them. I bought a few math CDs. But then we also explored You Tube together and picked out tons of songs from School House Rock and other channels. Then loaded them up on a CD. The curriculum fair is coming up. I hope to find more there. :)

Next month I start preparing hard core. I have to submit her letter of intent and we are going to have to write out a rough schedule just to make sure we remember all her activities. I have to start signing her up and paying dues! Making sure CHEA is completely ready for start up...Oh my!

Sounds like I have lots to do...toodles.