Snow Days

Being homeschoolers, we don't often get snow days when the schools around us do. Guess I'm just mean that way - but after all, they just had 3 weeks off for Christmas break.

Today was one of those days all the area schools were closed due to freezing rain and snow in our area. We did school, however they have canceled church for this evening - so we can stay in and keep warm. YEAH!!!

I do however remember snow days as a child. My sisters and I would spend the entire day outside. My grandparents lived next door to us. They used to be chicken farmers, and while they had retired when we were young, they still had a huge barn, with a long driveway that would amount to large snow piles in front of the barn. We would dig tunnels (horrors of horrors - as I tell my children their tunnels can't be any wider than 2 feet), sled down the piles along with the hills on the side of the barn and the other side of our house. Come in long enough to eat lunch then back out into the wonderful snow! We would take turns cross-country skiing with old skis that belonged to my father (until we got some of our own one Christmas). We attempted to ice skate on the "pond" behind the house (that was really more like swampy land with 2 inches of frozen water). Those were the days!

Today I avoid playing in the snow at all costs but I love to look at it, and actually enjoy being snowbound. Around here that doesn't happen too often - even when we do get dumped on. I just love hearing stories of southern towns who shut down with a couple inches of snow. I think it would take several feet of snow (as in 4-6) for our towns to be shut down.

So since my evening has now freed up - I think we'll play on the wii, and curl up with a good book. Which one of my current 5 should I read???

Silence is Golden

Our first day back to school after a too long/not long enough vacation (did that make sense?). I couldn't resist taking this picture as they were all hard at work and there was no bickering or arguing going on at the moment. Something rather rare around the school table. I used to have a teacher who would say "Silence is Golden" when she wanted us to quiet down. I think she was a music teacher? I relish that saying now - since it happens so infrequently.

We did manage to make it through just about everything by 3:00 a bit late for us but we're slightly behind in a couple things so I tried to do some doubling up. Monday's are good days as we usually have nothing else going on. Tuesdays we go swimming, JT has speech, plus Dad is home so we make it a light day doing just the basics. Wednesday isn't bad but we do have church in the evening. Thursdays the boys have Quiz practice in the evening, and Friday we don't do school because it's Dad's other day off and we use it for errands, inventory scouting and whatever is needed for that day.

So we're back to our "normal" routine. J was asking if it was summer yet? Gotta love them!

The Next Step

After 13 years of homeschool, my oldest child has graduated and will be heading off to the Word of Life Bible Institute in the fall. She has already been accepted, and today I sat down to fill out all the financial "stuff". Kind of a scarry step for both of us. We are praying that between grants and scholarships, she won't have to get a loan. She has been putting away as much of her paycheck as she is able.

I have mixed feelings about starting this "empty nest" part of my life. At least having many children it will be a while before they are all gone, but my oldest and I have become good friends over the past couple years, plus she has always been my right hand. I will miss her dearly. I have had some practice with her being gone as the past 3 summers she has worked at the WOL Inn. She is more than ready to start this new path and I'm sure we will both be fine. It's only a phone call and 4 hour drive away!

Today I have also been getting ready to start back up to school on Monday. I finally got my quarterly reports done. I was very bad (seems to be the norm for me when it comes to the first quarter for some reason). With my computer dieing I had to "re-create" my reports all over - and while this really doesn't take long to do, it's just something I was not wanting to do. So I spent an hour this morning and got that all done. Now to go throw in some laundry and see how things look for Monday morning in the kids lesson plan books.

Until next time...

Have a wonderful day!

Where do I begin?

Just finished reading a blog on getting started for those New Year resolutions. Check it out at Living on a Dime Blog.

A New Year

With a new year upon us, it's a time of reflection, and of looking forward.

I don't like to make resolutions, but I do like to think about things I can try change and accomplish in the coming year. Maybe posting it will help me hold accountable to some of these things.

Here are some things that come to mind as I type - in no particular order:

* Be more consistent in my Quiet Times and Prayer with God.
* Spend less time working and more time enjoying my husband and children.
* Exercise.
* Stay on top of my bookkeeping (sad to say I have a degree in accounting).
* Be more hospitable with friends - stepping out of my comfort zone and inviting them over.
* Update my blog more often.
* Put in the garden I've been planning to do since we moved here.
* Paint my front door, dining room, and bedroom.
* Make lists so I can stay on task.
* Don't check my email every 5 minutes. lol

I'm sure there are many more - but it's a start!