Dressed for Success

We start school a week from today!



We're getting pretty excited around here.

Even more so that our first week of school is planned out. {huge.sigh.of.relief!}



Jim and Emily were here overnight from Friday to Saturday. Jim left with Josh for a few hours and while the men folk were outta the house Emily kicked my butt into gear and made the decision for me that we were going to get my first week of school stuff - organized.

Armed with a pen and Post-Its {God bless the Post-It} we went through my huge ol' binder to find out exactly what was needed for week one. We pulled all books, CDs, etc that would be needed for Days 1-5.



It didn't take us long at all! Why I've been putting it off is beyond me. I'm so thankful for a {pushy} friend like Emily. The entire time she was so encouraging (and probably thinking I'm nuts for taking on this curriculum for Kinder.) Her excitement and sweet words left me feeling like I could actually do this!



On Saturday Josh and I went out to dinner. Over a pizza and Blue Moon we talked about our school schedule, what our new routine will look like, etc. We also talked about his involvement as well. We're all really excited about this.

Like, really excited.



And we're actually ready!

*she wore this outfit out in public today. she can say a lot of things about how i mothered her, but she can never say i didn't let dress her own way.

Statuses? Status'? Statusi?

Without a Facebook account there's no place (except for right here, in list format) for random blips about what goes in our house.

It hasn't even been 12 hours since I deleted my account and I have slew of status updates:

"Sugar, I love your blue eyes and your cute nose." "Mama, you have a big nose, but it's good to sniff with."

The husband and I were kinda fighting yesterday. I went out and bought him a new starter for our Suburban. He came home with a Pumpkin Spice Latte for me. We both laughed.

Josh worked late last night. I fed the kids. Bathed the kids. Put the kids to bed. Got them settled (with a little help from a wooden spoon threat) and then he walks in the door. They fly outta bed and he winds 'em up chasing them around the house for 20 minutes. At least I had a Pumpkin Spice Latte to enjoy...

Got carpet samples yesterday. Between the three I chose, the one I want costs double the one in my price range. Big sigh.

Spice picked her own outfit today. A pink sweater, a skirt, a green sock, an orange sock and her sister's tennis shoes. She's rockin' some style today, folks.

Amazingly no one died last night without me posting these updates to Facebook.

I think we're all going to be okay.

So much for putting the fun in funeral

I have no sitter for my youngest today.

The funeral for my grandpa starts in approximately 20 minutes.

I had planned to take Sugar but Spice...well, Spice is my wild card. Sometimes she's an angel and other times {read, most times} she wears horns. ☺

A funeral isn't really a place to test out which Spice I'm going to get.

So, home I stay.

Right where I belong.

End of a Season

If we're friends on Facebook, you know how often I'm there, what I had for breakfast this morning (Pumpkin Spice Latte), the latest antics of my two year old and when I'm headed to the grocery store or asylum.

I don't know how long I've been on Facebook, a coupla years? More? I dunno.

I love it.

I love sharing the random stuff of my day. I love reading the random stuff of your day.

But I think it's time.

The Facebook season of my life was/is fun. However, I'm going to be entering a very busy season of my life soon and I want to make sure I'm devoting as much time to that as possible.

I've also been neglecting my blog. And if I have to choose FB or my blog to put my time into, I'd rather it be my blog.

Pretty sure that I'm going to be very sad this evening when I hit delete. But it's time.

I'm {mostly} ready.

I'd love to have you come back and read what we're up to right here.

In two weeks

Two weeks from today we begin our home school journey.

*gulp*

I've been nervous about it for approximately....five years. More so in the last five months. Because I realized it was time to get serious about it and because Sugar was resistant.

"I'm going to go to school. I'm going to wear a backpack and ride the bus. My teacher will teach me and then I'll come home to you."

That's an actual statement she made to me a few months back when we were talking about Kindergarten. She asked me who her teacher was going to be and the above statement is what I heard after informing her that I would be her teacher.

I dropped the subject. I didn't want to push her about it. I know my daughter well. Then her fifth birthday was getting closer and people would ask her if she was going to start Kindergarten. She'd nod but not say much.

But it opened the door to start talking to her about it again. And again I told her that she'd start school at home.

"But I don't want to."

I kinda froze. Then I remembered a few little girls that she loves that are home schooled.

"Honey, did you know that Emily is the teacher to Rachel and Beth?"

"She is?!"

We talked about it some more and she was finally okay with the fact that she wouldn't be riding a bus and leaving home to learn.

In just the last couple of weeks she's been getting really excited. Asking me daily if we can start school yet. I told her that once she starts school she has at least 13 years ahead of her and we can just wait a few more weeks.

Part of me is waiting because I haven't lesson planned for our first couple of weeks of school.

Part of me is waiting because I want to hold on to her just being my little non-school-aged kiddo. There's no going back once school begins. I totally get that I can't prolong the inevitable. Yet I see nothing wrong with waiting to start school until after Labor Day and enjoying these last few weeks of summer with my little girls sans school schedule.

After a gazillion mixed reviews on curriculum choices we purchased a curriculum that I believe will be really good for our family. It's very thorough and has a structured flexibility to it (follow me on that one?!) that I'm looking forward to.

It's going to rock for our family.

One thing I'm most excited about? Buying school supplies.

my FuNkY heart

Maybe it's coming off the weekend high.

Maybe it's the fact that it was freezing in my house this morning.

Or maybe it's just my life.

But right now I feel FuNkY.

This time of year just gets me, man. Always.

Today is laundry day. It's also catch up on the house because I've been gone for nearly three days day. It's clean the deck outside because it looks awful day.

I just can't seem to motivate myself indoors. I mowed the backyard this morning. I washed the outside of one of the windows in the living room. I've changed a couple of diapers. Thankfully Sugar made sandwiches for herself and her sister while I was out mowing (huge surprise!) because I didn't even have the oomph for that.

I'm distracted.

I admit it.

There's a lot going on.

On the inside.

My heart. My flesh. My heart. My flesh.

{big sigh}

I want to curl up in bed and wake up next Monday.

On my mind

A weekend of scrapbooking begins tomorrow night. Pictures, paper, embellishments, adhesive, snacks, Kristie, Treena, and my mother-in-law. I'll leave tomorrow night. My mom is watching my girls for the day on Friday until Josh gets home and then I'll be home Sunday. Two entire days to scrap, talk, and stare at all the snacks.

Weight loss. I'm down 6.5 lbs. For four years I was 135 lbs. I hated it. Until I gained 15 more this last year. When I look at pictures of 135 I realize it wasn't so bad. I just compared pictures of me at 135 with pictures of me at 115. I think I'll be happy with 135. My goal is to reach that by mid-September. I'd love to lose more but a little at a time is my goal right now. I'm not doing any fancy diet. I'm just more aware of my food intake and I'm trying really hard not to eat after 5:30 pm.

My sister Erica.

Laundry. I've been naughty. I've been washing it, drying it and watching it wrinkle in the clothes basket. Shame on me. I got up early to fold Mt. FAPA. The girls have put away their own clothes, now I just need the towels, dish cloths and mine and Josh's clothes to find someone to put those away.

Expectations. Realizing I still need to lower the expectations I have of myself and my kids. It's such a process. None of us is perfect. Everyone has quirks. But we need to love people in spite of them and hope to be loved in spite of our own.

Country music. I love it. I have for 16 years. But I'm thinking of giving it up. I always think about giving it up. Maybe it's time.

Poor decisions.

Victoria's Secret. I walked in, found what I needed and walked out with $45 less than I went in. Takes big money to hold big...well, nevermind.

My marriage.

My friendships.

The water the dog let drip out of his mouth after he left the toilet bowl. Ew.

Finding a new home for said dog. Seriously, I'm totally done with him. He's neeeeeeeddddyyy. (don't worry Min, he's safe. but if you wanna come get him.....)

Laundry. Oh, did I mention that already? Prolly because I still have more to FAPA and the washing machine just chimed letting me know another load has been washed for me.

It seems all my posts end because I either have laundry to FAPA or a lawn to mow. It's time to hire someone to do these things for me. I'm ready to kick back with a Blue Moon and a good book.

It's {only} Kindergarten

Kindergarten starts for Sugar in less than a month.

I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't skerd.

Before Sugar was even born Josh and I knew that we'd be homeschooling our kids. Yes, us. The ones without a college education. We know it freaks people out. Heck, it freaks us out. But, right now, it's what we feel called to do.

I have the curriculum. I have the kid. Most importantly, I have God. I know I couldn't do it without Him.

I've voiced my fears a couple of times to a few people only to hear, "remember, it's just Kindergarten."

I always wanna respond, "uh huh, what's yer point?" (i'm gonna rock home school with my grammar and spelling, huh?)

However, I don't respond that way. I take in what's said.

I remember only two things about my Kindergarten year: my first friend, a boy named Peter, and falling asleep on the bus everyday on the way home from school.

While the two memories I have of that year are fond and funny memories, I want Sugar to have many more. I'm so so so looking forward to this time with her. I'm also looking forward to seeing how much Spice will pick up as well. She's observant and loves to listen - it's the whole holding still thing we need to work on.

To me, it's not just Kindergarten. As if Kindergarten is no big deal. Kindergarten is a big deal.

It'll be our first year to truly make a pointed effort in teaching/learning. Yes, yes I should have been making a pointed effort long before now but that's the way it often goes with a firstborn. They're the guinea pig. (I'm a guinea pig, I'm okay with it)

It'll be learning how to get Spice to pay attention too.

It'll be getting up early each day. Having a routine.

It'll be sticking to a commitment I've made.

It'll be a process of learning. Not just about adding or subtracting. Or geography or science. But about each other and how to work together.

It'll be learning to be patient. For Sugar and for me.

It'll be one, fat, beautiful mess.

And, I think I'm ready for it.

you know, mostly.

{pffft}

august makes me antsy.

i don't know why.

i guess i partly know why.

the beach is soothing.

5 hours is not enough time.

my hair is frizzy at the beach.

and at home.

i missed a call on my cell phone this morning from a number i don't recognize.

that drives me nuts.

i miss people.

i hiked in flip flops yesterday.

my husband thinks i'm weird.

i tried to kill a spider last thursday night with a salad fork and spoon.

my blog will get a new look soon. hopefully soon.

right, Denise?

i know i change the look of my blog often but i can't help it.

i'm not a good mom.

i feel bad for my girls.

my pasture needs to be mowed.

i mowed the front lawn already today.

the girls and i went to the park.

i took them to a town where the gun fights are less and i could feel a little safer.

we didn't stay long because i'm not a fan of bratty kids and oblivious parents.

i know what i'm making for dinner tonight.

i lost 4.5 lbs last week.

i'd love to do that for another 4 weeks.

okay, the pasture really needs to get mowed.

i'm going.

to mow the pasture.

right now.

no, really.

i am.