My Thoughtful Spot

I've hardly had time to be online lately. I rather miss it but life is just so full. My little 'uns take up so much of my time these days! Schooling is a big endeavor no matter how one goes about it. Some have assumed that unschooling takes less time, that child led learning means the kids do it and all I have to do is make sure they have educational stuff around them. Oh if only it were that easy.. well, it is that EASY, but it's time consuming too. James has discovered numbers and loves them dearly. He's found letters and everything containing a letter must be read to him - including the codes on fruit in the supermarket! "Thats not a word honey, it's just a code" ... it's not good enough. it has to mean SOMETHING! He's a little sponge. He is learning simple adding and it's just so much fun - and yet I'm telling you there are SO MANY questions.

And Katie. She's old enough she'd be doing her work on her own - only instead she's following me around talking to me. She learns so much and wants to show me every cool thing she's learning and finding. She still struggles in some areas, traditional learning is tough for her, but she's blossoming and becoming such an individual with a strong mind of her own. We have so many games we play - I am not a games person really but it helps her learn and she loves it. So... what to do! Spelling puzzles are great fun, tho difficult for even me. I've never been great with scrambled words but with plastic letters to arrange and rearrange we finally get the answers. In fact, I bought more plastic letters today becasue I am sick of using an "n" upside down as a "u"! LOL Pathetic? Perhaps but ask me if I care.

Brianna is a challenge right accrossed the board. She's entering those wonderful years of moods and emotions and all without speech. We'll all need your prayers! yet it's amazing what she can learn. I bought her some Dora early readers, I'll bet she'll be reading them in no time. It will take yet more of my time and attention, but I believe thats what I'm here for. I can't imagine saying to any of my children "no, I'm sorry, you have to learn that on your own". I LIKE learning with them, spending my days with them, finding new and creative ways to help them past their struggles. It's what I do best, what I enjoy, what fulfills me.

Ben is writing exams in HS this week, his graduating year. It's odd not having him home with us, but i guess we're getting used to it a bit at a time for next year. I dont see as much of him, but he still finds time to show me cool things and share strange little tidbits he learns with me. he just has less time to find those things now.

It's quiet here and I hate to go to bed. Quiet is unheard of for me these here days. But, i have to get up at 6 am to take Mark to work so I can have the vehicle and get Brianna to respite care, James and katie and myself to Cubbies, and then Bria and I to Awana. I get to take pics of all the kids at awana tomorrow night - I'm looking forward to that. I should get my stuff packed up and ready tomorrow and get there early to set up.

My house is slightly chaotic. Ok, so more than slightly. I'm working on it. Other things are just more important right now! Thats my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

My daughter has a 14th birthday coming up and is inviting 13 friends to a party. Ok, so maybe we do need to tidy up a little.... up to 4 of those friends are staying overnight. Oh what a night THAT should be. I'm glad my room is far away from where they are sleeping. She'll have fun as will the girls and thats what really counts. I've also given her use of my (old) digital for the night. That alone was pretty exciting.

I guess I have to go to bed. I just figured I should post before my sister starts counting again!

Goodnight all... sweetest of dreams to each of you.

You Are Old, Father William

"You are old, father William," the young man said,
"And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head--
Do you think, at your age, it is right?"

"In my youth," father William replied to his son,
"I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
Why, I do it again and again."

"You are old," said the youth, "as I mentioned before,
And you have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door--
Pray what is the reason for that?"

"In my youth," said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
"I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling a box--
Allow me to sell you a couple?"

"You are old," said the youth, "and your jaws are too weak
For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak--
Pray, how did you manage to do it?"

"In my youth," said his father, "I took to the law,
And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
Has lasted the rest of my life."

"You are old," said the youth, "one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose--
What made you so awfully clever?"

"I have answered three questions, and that is enough,"
Said his father. "Don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
Be off, or I'll kick you down stairs.

Lewis Carroll

motherhood does weird things to one. It's 7:30 AM, minus 24, and I've been OUTSIDE. But who wouldn't take pity on a kid needing to walk to the bus stop on a day like this???? I often enough don't have the vehicle, but today I did.

The house felt warm when I first walked back in!

the water is thawed, but the drain pipes are busted so i can't run water in to my sink anyways. Will the fun never end?

On the positive side it's minus 21 and no windchill factor. That can't be a bad thing!

It's minus 24, windchill factor of minus 33 and my kitchen water pipes are frozen.

so much fun.

I am so NOT going anywhere tomorrow if this weather holds. It might be wednesday which is supposed to e full, but.... It's -17 with a windchill of -28. This isn't pretty. By morning it's supposed to be -24 and I'm not thinking about what the windchill will be. The wind has picked up from 16 kph at 9ish to 28 kph now at midnight. Tomorrow I am putting a ham in the oven to cook all day and keep the kitchen warm! Its going to be frigid when i first wake up, THAT is for sure. Oh for my moms woodstove...........!

The kids got to play outside today and i'm glad. Now, i'm going to curl up under a blanket with a good book and let the heaters run just a little longer before I have to turn them off for the night. We have two convection heaters that stay on all night. The rest have to go off. I'll get hubbie to turn them on when he wakes up in the am. Then on goes the oven!

For now... sweet dreams all, I hope everybody is warm and toasty!

this is a cute pic of james... But this one shows his true self SO MUCH better!

I had forgotten completely that grads wore stoles (who thought up that name?) and then I found out that not only do they wear them... but the school insists they the grad pics all look like. She actually told me that it would be unfair to the other students if Bens pic was different. Whatever! So. Today i had to create a stole. No pattern, and certainly no CLUE. I bought white material and looked up my friend/photographers website in hopes she had some grad pics for this area. She did. (she lives too far away to be of help on such short notice). So, I had a clue what sort of stole to create. And... I did it. I did not have fun. I didnt even remotely enjoy myself. But... I did it. It took ALL freakin afternoon of my suposed to be day of rest Sunday. I'm taking tomorrow afternoon off instead. In the morning I have to run to walmart and print pics for Ben to take to school and at 11 the OT is coming re James. AFter he leaves............ the day is MINE! I hope. I may have to take hubbie to work. And katie to youth. Tues I have to get up at 6. Wednesday too. Are we having fun yet?

So. Thats my day. I have 13 hrs to clean up the house, go to town tp print pics, eat, sleep and breath somewhere in there too. I will likely not be here until after I have recovered. I took some pics of the rest of my crew today too. i'll share them eventually. Kinda like that recipe i am supposed to be blogging... I will get to it. Honest!

(scroll to previous entry to see the results of my hard work.. in more ways than one!)

it comes from living with a man who snores.

I also ache, both legs, both arms. We'll be off to cubbies in about 20 min - I really would like to stay home but i'm ready to roll and J is too so t's off we go. I don't have to drive and thats worth a lot - even tho it means we're going to be late! I hate hate hate being late, and when I count on hubbie to come from work it ALWAYS happens. But I still dont have to drive.

I'll have from about noon until 6ish at home, that has to be worth something!

Later taters