Change is good...

We are well into the new year and looking forward to thawing out after a very cold and snowy few months. These months have been full of change and surprises. My hubby started a new job, which was a welcome change since it would mean more money and a chance to save a little money too. I continued my part-time job that began last fall. Also a good change, although it does bring some craziness to our daily lives.


The other changes have been small, some personal and some educational. I have found a little time to explore my spiritual path. Wish I had more time for it but alas I will have to make due with late nights and stolen moments.



Homeschooling has offered up its own group of surprises. I, as always, began to plan for next year early. I like to have plenty of time to research all options when it comes to curriculum. This year is even more important since I will be planning for a high schooler. The surprise came along when I began searching math programs. I always look at the scope and sequence of each program and was in shock to find that many of the hs programs were very advanced vs. his programs this year.

He is just now getting into doing some real algebra and it is very basic at that. I sat down and discussed the situation with him since it is he who will be faced with the Algebra 1 next year. T was not surprised but concerned. So we decided to order a stronger pre-algebra curriculum to work through the rest of the year. I will start by testing him through the easy chapters and hitting the new material hard. What was hard to recognize was that the curriculum we were using was failing him. We were using Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra. I did a lot of research before I ordered it because it was so expensive. But even the best research will not prepare you for the real deal.

What brought all this to my attention was when Poogie was given TT 4 to try out. We use Saxon 3, so this was new and interesting for her. She loved it of course, it was really easy. I waited and waited for her to be challenged and so far that hasn't happened. Needless to say we did not stop using our Saxon program. But I did begin to look closer at T's TT to see if it too as behind. Not surprising it was.

So here I am mid February ordering new curriculum. I have ordered a few other things and made some more changes but will post that another day. Enjoy this warm weather.

Christmas is almost over, now what??

As I listen to my hubby and kids playing new video games in the other room I am beginning to think of the new year to come. What do I want to accomplish? What goals to I want to set and hopefully meet? Time seems to be in overdrive. The days, weeks and months are going by so quickly I can't really catch my breath. But I feel the need for a game plan.

For the last few years I have felt that I am at the mercy of life. What's the use in making plans if I can't reach them. I have felt beaten down by just life. Every day life. I don't want to feel like that anymore. I want to set goals, reach those goals and feel good about things again.
I'm not saying that my life has been awful, wonderful things have happened in the last year. It just seems like the stress and the bad stuff makes it where I cannot enjoy the good stuff.

So I'm going to take some time in the next week to reflect and determine what I want to focus on. Then I'm going to make a plan of action. One that can be carried out. Nothing so far out there that it realistically cannot be done. That only sets you up for failure.

Along with all this I need to come to terms with the knowledge that my family and I are never going to fit into what is considered the norm here where we live. We are different. We homeschool, we beat to our own drummer and that's okay. I also need to face up to the fact that our beliefs about life and spirituality are different than most. It is scary being different. But we have to be who we are not who others think we should be. Just some thoughts at the end of Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!

I know it's been a long while since I posted. What can I say Nutcracker just took up every extra minute we had. It was such a wonderful experience. T threw himself into the role of the Nutcracker with everything he had. I was so proud to see him shine up on that stage. This experience has brought about so many positive changes in him. He is more focused, driven, and is even setting his own goals. The ballet company that he is a member of is a wonderful way for teens to find their way and grow up among other dedicated and focused teens.

Poogie was also a shining star on stage. This being her second Nutcracker was much easier. The bon bon routine was faster and more challenging than last year but she loved every minute of it. I will post pictures soon. I just need to find some "free time" in which to do it.

I have been working part-time for the last several weeks to supplement our income. I have to say it is nice to have the extra cash but exhausting to try to do it all. It will get better when we are all over this crud and are feeling better. It is that time of year when we all get the sinus crud, fun fun.

My plans over the holiday break mostly consist of continuing school and preparing for the second semester. I may take a day to rest, that would be a nice treat:) I hope all of you find time to chill and enjoy your families this holiday season too.