Museum of the Confederacy on Valentine's Day with Friends

I love that they are willing to take the time and actually read each exhibit.





A little silliness is necessary.

fish face

This Bible was in a man named Hubbard's pocket when struck by a bullet
at the Battle of First Manassas, thus saving his life.

Confederate Legend is the name of the fish.

Snow in Feb 2012

After crying because we had to miss church,
Emily cheered up by attempting to throw a snowball at me.



I will admit, it was pretty coming down.



Rebecca rolling the body of a snowman.

Isn't he cute?

Emily made a snow penguin :o)

The absolute best part?  It was practically gone by the afternoon for many.  (Of course, not our yard, though.)  The roads were clear and safe for even me to drive on. 

Sea World Nov 2011

* These pictures are a compilation of two days worth of Sea World pictures.

Take notice of the last picture, I look happy, but in reality I was miserably sick.  I spent that night and the next day vomiting with food poisoning. 

They were warned not to stand too close or they would get wet.
It was not a possibility, but a probability.

They were soaked first thing during the day with that nasty salty dolphin-y water.

Emily and me

They LOVED this ride and still talk about it months later.

Look! Pink chickens on stilts!

Love the beautiful landscaping.

Although it was Thanksgiving week, Sea World went all out in decorationg for Christmas.
It was beautiful!

A cute display in one of the stores.

She matches :o)

So does he :o)

Even the Clyde and Seymour show was decked out with Christmas decor.

She wanted to read everything.  I love it.

My two favorite girls with my favorite flowers.

They loved that Jay matched the flowers on the bush behind them.

I wasn't going to add this, but figured I should post pics of myself.
  I am what I am :o/

Re-evaluating again...

I don't know why I do this to myself constantly. 
It is the end of February and I'm already trying to plan next school year.  Don't you think I should get them through this school year first?  I think I enjoy planning for the following year because I have ADD.  I have been saying that more and more lately.  I have been going from activity to activity, subject to subject, curriculum to curriculum... I need to FOCUS. 
Focus on what? 

Oh yeah, this school year. 
At this point, it feels like we will never be done.  I wanted to complete school by the end of May, but that's not going to happen. 

I need to re-evaluate my goals/focus points for this school year so, here it goes:
~*~Rebecca and Emily~*~
Bible- continue reading at least 2 chapters a day with the understanding that some chapters may take longer to explain

Math- Saxon 8/7 for Rebecca and Saxon 5/4 for Emily  They are doing great, working steadily and swiftly each day, understanding new concepts with ease :o)  There were tears over long division the other day, but that is understandable.  Long division can be difficult.

English- Bob Jones 7 and 4 for Rebecca and Emily respectively.  Goal is to work through the book doing at least 1 lesson daily skipping the writing portion so we can focus on IEW together once the Grammar portion is complete.

Spelling and Vocab- both have taken a back burner and it it shows.  They will both be required to do spelling or vocab daily, either on their own or with me, depending on the difficulty.

Science- Rebecca will continue reading and familiarizing herself with Apologia General Science even though she will repeat it next year.  This will give her a leg up on what I am assuming will be a difficult class. I will not expect her to take tests, but she will continue to answer the questions throughout the module and study questions at the end of each module.
Emily- we will continue taking a subject and expounding on it through living books and lapbooks. 

History- This is where my ADD (that I don't seriously have :o) shows bright.  We have used lapbooks, notebooks, living books, the states SOL standards, and now a literature approach.  I am enjoying reading to the girls each morning, and Rebecca will be the first to admit, she likes it too.  As to how much actual historical facts they are truly getting, I am unsure.  I can say that we are enjoying history and it will be a year to remember. 

Literature- We have not have a 'true' lit program, but the girls are reading age appropriate books, most that they enjoy, so I am ok with what we are doing right now.  The goal is 100 books recorded this year- 2012- since we have not been good record keepers prior to last month.  That in itself is a goal to work on- be a better record keeper.

Piano- Rebecca is flying through her books and is progressing nicely.  They have both been taking lessons for over 3 years now.  Rebecca is in level 3 and Emily is on level 2. As long as they continue to practice daily and progress, I am pleased.
Now that I have gone on and on, I will finish with a picture.  This weeks weather has been insane!  Snow on Sun. night- Monday, roads clear by Monday afternoon, mid 60's on Thursday and 82* today (Friday).  Unfortunately, the high for tomorrow is predicted to be 55.  Sheesh.

Sea World Nov 2011
That's how this week has been~ snow to short sleeves in a matter of days!
Insane.

I copied this off of Facebook.  I put it on here to remind myself that Rebecca is growing up. 

She is 12years old, and has been in our youth department for a year and a half.

Actually, I think this picture was taken just days before her twelfth birthday.

She is growing up, hanging out with older girls (14 15 and 16 yo- these girls are), and maturing.

I love the beautiful, young lady she is becoming.

I know I need to lengthen the rope just a bit, but it's hard.

See the post below this to see why my emotions are all over the place tonight.

Time to Lengthen the Rope Just a Bit

Tomorrow, I am going to do something that I have put off for many years.  It makes me excited and nervous at the same time.
 
I am enrolling my oldest daughter in a co-op for next year.  Never mind how she feels, I am having conflicting feelings right now.  After reading up on the handbook and looking at the forms and registration papers needed for tomorrow, I am having mixed feelings.  My stomach is literally in knots at the moments.

It's only one class!  I'm not putting her in for every subject, just one- science.  Then why am I sitting here feeling like a failure?  I knew this day would come.

Why am I enrolling her in this particular co-op? 
1. We have gotten to the point where I cannot effectively teach her science.  I truly dislike science.  There is no way around it, I dislike it all- plants, the human body, electricity, animals, nature, etc.  I don't like the experiments, especially because they rarely turn out right.
2. She has had a formal science education thus far and to incorporate it into unit studies or lapbooks would really be an injustice for her.
3. She deserves a chance to go a class with her peers and get a good science education. 
4. It is close by, is one day a week, only an hour long, and is on a day/time that suits our hectic schedule.

So, why am I a bundle of nerves at the moment?
1. Jay isn't here to discuss it with.  Although, I know his reaction would simply be, "Just keep her home, don't spend money we don't have."
2. It's a serious, year long commitment.  I am not one who usually runs from commitments, just those that are long term and for something that is "the unknown". 
3. It means that my baby is growing up = I can't hold her hand, walk her to class, talk to her teacher each week afterwards to see how she's doing.  According to the handbook and other students I have talked with, I just drop her off.  I don't even do that at church.  I walk her in to make sure she gets to where she needs to go, that there is adult supervision, and (secretly, to hug her goodbye before leaving).  Now, I usually do it with the pretense of having to get a drink of water, using the restroom or that I need to chat with someone about something for a moment.  Yes, this will be a growing experience for both of us.
4. Accountability.  Not just accountability for her, but for me too.  I have never had to answer to anyone for my children's education.  What if I haven't taught her some crucial skill, and she goes to this class completely unprepared, embarrassing herself and me? 
5. The cost.  It is a lot of money for one class!  The registration fee, technical fee, tuition, copy fee, lab/supply fee, and textbook fee.  Now granted, I borrowed the book last year and I'm hoping (assuming) that she will let us keep it for one more year so I don't have to go out and buy that book too.  It is a lot of money, more that we will spend for all of her other courses put together. 
6. She will be missing the first week of class due to a scheduled vacation.  How does that work?  Does that put her behind right from the get-go?  Will her teacher hold it against her?  This will also guide us in what we can and cannot do for the entire school year.  We like our off season vacations.  How does this affect that?  Petty and selfish, I know, but still a concern.
7. Lastly, I feel like a bit of a failure because she is in 7th grade and I am not able to effectively teach her science.  I can handle Emily's science.  I've taught 4th grade Science before.  I am getting into new territory and feel inadequate.  What if I cannot handle teaching high school.  These are genuine fears that I have! 
Another thought is what if I love the class so much that I feel the need to put her in there for more classes the following year?  Does that mean I am getting lazy and practically giving on on my dream, desire CALLING to homeschool our children?  I already know that she will need to take a foreign language else where.  Where does it stop?  Will I want to put her in for writing or math because it's getting too difficult for me?  This scenario is a year and a half off, but it is still on my mind.  I'm not trying to borrow trouble from tomorrow when I'm trying to manage with today, but I think that is just what I am doing to myself.

Now that I got all of that out, the queasiness is gone.  I feel better.

Upward Basketball

I did not realize that it was cold enough to snow this past Saturday, but I was proved wrong. 

At my sister's baby shower, the hot topic was the pending snow forecast and how we need the snow to kill the germs that is keeping everyone sick around here.

Not being a fan of snow, I was not thrilled to look at the window above the door at Rebecca's basketball game and see big, fat snowflakes falling.

I was happy to see the snow had stopped and melted by the time the game was over.

Rebecca's team (in orange) played very hard.  They started off with a player short, making it difficult for them to get the breaks needed.  They play 4 on 4 and only have 6 players on each team.  It is imperative that each player be there for the game, but sometimes, things come up and someone is missing. 
Anyway, with a player short, they did a great job holding their own.  They were pretty much tied much of the first half.  During the second half, one girl was injured and now has a fractured arm :(  This caused the girls play a little more cautious.  All in all, they lost 22-27 I think.  I personally believe that they played their hardest, making their coaches and parents proud, considering the shortage of players and injury.

Inflation Nation Parties

the girls with a friend from church

good thing she wears shorts under her skirts

at a Valentine's party

my girls know what to do...pose and let me get a good picture

I wonder what she is thinking

wild child... this is for you, Jen, to copy and put on your non-existent blog

such fun with friends