Weekly Check-In

This week has been busy for sure!
Piano lessons, karate, gymnastics & Christian Women's Fellowship all took place. Not to mention battling the Commissary on payday weekend. Thankfully we only spent 2 hours in the store this time.

Physical therapy, dentist & doctor appt. for just me, and more to come. I have a tooth that needs to be replaced. Boo! The best option seems to be an implant, but I really, really, do not want to go through all that. I am going to a holistic dentist in a few weeks to see what his opinion is & then we'll go from there.
My doctor appt. was for pressure behind my right eye. They found that I have a small ear infection in my left ear & my eyes checked out fine at optometry. So, Zyrtec & antibiotics to help clear up my sinuses as well as the infection. I've been on the meds for 2 days now and my eye does feel better. Follow up next week. :)

As far as homeschooling goes for the week, well, you know all the appts. I just mentioned? Well, they took over the week for sure! Some school did get done, but not as much as I wanted. Next week will be better! Right?

Mary Beth & Miss Mae weren't feeling well at the end of the week, even had low-grade fevers. They seem to be much better today though. Which is nice, as we won't have to miss church tomorrow :)

And the countdown continues... but not for Christmas :)

Here I go again...

So after letting my blog fall of the face of the world-wide-web (again), I'm back to give this another go!

We finished up our time in Virginia Beach & in July arrived aboard Camp Pendleton in CA. While we miss our dear friends in Virginia, we are excited to be back in sunny California! Today's high was 65 & sunny :)
TMO packed us & moved us across the country. We had great packers, loaders & unloaders! I felt very blessed as I know this isn't always the case. Only one broken bookcase. :)

We are now as settled in as we will get for the duration of this deployment. Which isn't for too much longer. ;)

The Oldest came home from culinary school over the Thanksgiving holiday. It was so awesome to have him home! We haven't had that much fun as a family in a long time. I even had sushi for the first time & loved it! We are looking forward to the next time he can come home, and hopefully for a bit longer. :)

I'm going to strive to do weekly updates on this blog. Praying I can stick with it now that things are a bit more settled :)

Homeschooling Mid-Year

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine asked for people to send in answers for their monthly question in the Teacher's Lounge column. Here is my response: 

"If someone asked you what to expect when transitioning from public/private school to homeschool, what advice would you give them? "

When we made the switch from public school to homeschool 2 years ago, I had no idea how our days would go. I imagined sitting at the table with my 6th & 2nd grader while they quietly did their work & listened intently as I explained lessons. All the while, my 2 year old would be playing quietly near us. Oh, was I in for a big surprise! There was bickering between the kids, crying over math & grammar, and lots of screaming from the 2 year old! I thought, "Dear Lord, I thought this is what you wanted me to do! Why is this not working?". After about a month of these types of days I decided to back off of our schedule & really evaluate what works best for our children & for me. I threw them to quickly into school at home. I remember reading on various homeschool sites, online support groups & in other publications, that you need to let your children "de-school" for a while. To begin slowly to let the children, and yourself, get used to this new adventure. My kids also missed being around other children all day. No, they didn't have quality time at school, but they did enjoy being near so many kids. So before you break open the textbooks, unit studies or whatever you're using, find a local homeschool group/co-op that meets regularly so your children know they aren't "the only ones" and can begin to make good friends.

Most importantly, enjoy this adventure with your children! 

So I Started a Blog . . .

. . . and then abandoned it! What a crazy, busy time it's been! We've celebrated holidays & birthdays and have said good-bye to loved ones as they've moved. We've accomplished homeschooling milestones & are still striving on reaching personal goals. Life really is moving along fast & it's good. :)

Marine Corps Birthday Ball

Tonight is the Marine Corps Birthday Ball! I so appreciate all the hard work that my husband puts forth into his job. He has made many sacrifices both for me & the Corps. Marines & service members do this every day. This is a night to truly honor each & every one of their sacrifices & accomplishments!
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This is also my one night of the year to get all "dolled-up" & walk on the arm of my handsome Marine! I'm very much looking forward to wearing my new dress & will share pictures later. Thankfully our oldest, Kevin, will be overseeing the younger kids while we are out. Tonight will not be a late night however, as we have LOTS going on tomorrow.
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The kids will be on a timed schedule today to get their school-work done any leftovers will have to be completed on Monday. Hopefully they will be diligent with their work & not have any leftovers!

First Post!

So, THIS is how you blog! Finally created this to my liking! I will try to update this blog as much as possible. Between homeschooling, military life & family activities I can't promise that it will be every day.