This and That

I am always amazed as to how busy life can get.  We have launched into our school year, and have joined a homeschool community called Classical Conversations.  We meet every Tuesday.  I decided in an effort to really learn the material and teach my kids in the process, that I would take on the role of tutor.  This is a technically teaching, but we can't call ourselves teachers. On Tuesdays, I have eight children, not my own, and we learn the new material for each week.  By the end of the year we will have learned a timeline with more than 288 events, science facts, latin, some English, and math.  This is in addition to what all we are doing at home.  On one hand, it is overwhelming, especially having parents sitting in and watching me teach, but I, myself, am learning a lot too.  So even though it stresses me out some, I am thankful for this opportunity.

This year, I am also trying to get a handle on what possible learning disabilities my youngest might have.  It appears there is evidence of a slight case of dyslexia or some other type of learning glitch, but with focused work, even in this last week, I am encouraged about the process we have made.  Little things have made a huge difference. For instance, we took two index cards and I laminated them in the same pouch leaving a space between the cards.  This clear strip or space allows only the sentence she is reading to show between the index cards, while the cards are covering the sentences she has already read and the ones she has yet to read. It helps with her tracking and keeping her place while reading.  Such a little thing, but it has been marvelous!

We have also started the school year with new rules, thanks to my sister-in-law inspiring me. No television during the school week.  Sunday night to Friday evening we are a television-free household.  Technically, my husband and I can watch an hour each day if we so choose, BUT we rarely get to that. So it has been pretty quiet.  We have also banned video games.  I know you are thinking we are horribly mean parents, but, when it is all said and done, the children rarely have time to miss those things. Weekends are a different story, they are allowed video games as well on the weekends, but my hope is as the family learns to entertain themselves in other ways, the weekends won't be completely overrun with technology either.

Outside of our house there have been other things occurring in life.  My handicapped aunt started chemotherapy this past week, and my grandma's house, has achieved a sale pending status.   I am praying my aunt doesn't get horribly sick from the chemo, though we do expect her to lose her hair.  Additionally, she is being tested to determine if she was genetically predisposed for this type of cancer. I guess that information is helpful to the rest of us females in this family, but I am really hoping this was a "fluke" and not genetics. As for my grandma's house being sold, I am relieved for my parents' sake.  It has been a long road to get to this point.  However, I am sad too.  As long as I have been around, that place has always been my grandparent's house.  I am torn between walking through it one more time and never going back over.  I am afraid I will turn into a blubbering mess.

This past weekend, my hubby and I spent our night away.  It was so relaxing!  The dinner we had at our inn, was quite possibly one of the best meals I have eaten in my entire life.  Slow roasted prime rib, asparagus cooked to perfection, and a five cheese macaroni with a crusted top, that was heavenly!  We enjoyed a complimentary bottle of wine as well. I felt rejuvenated by the time we returned home, and my eldest survived with only a moderate case of homesickness, which in my opinion was a success. Now that I know we can all do it, my husband and I might need to get away a little more often than once every 10 years.

All in all, I am feeling mostly content.  I would like to hover in this spot of contentment for awhile though.  I am not in any rush to move on to the next thing right now.

It Has Been Awhile

Tomorrow my husband and I are going away for a night.  The operative word is GOING. I can count on one hand, minus a few fingers, how many nights we have had without children in the last almost 11 years. And NEVER have we gone anywhere to have those nights. One child is desperately uncomfortable with overnights, so even if one is fine with being away, we always have the other.  The only place that both kids feel at ease is at my parents' house, and that hasn't been an option too often in the recent past because of my parents' feeling burdened with my grandmothers' care (prior to their deaths), and then my mom's own health issues.  But now, I think we are reaching a place where the kids aren't quite as high maintenance, except for when they are fighting with one another.

I have had married friends take cruises, vacations, or just long weekends with their spouses, sans children, and I have had twinges of jealousy.  I want that, just every now and then. So we are starting with one night, and we won't be far away, but just getting out of our routine and regular obligations for one night is kind of exciting.

My children are taking this event personally, "Can't you have a good time with us around? Why do you need to leave us behind?" I tried to explain that it was so their dad and I can have at least one uninterrupted conversation for one night and be just us.  Sometimes in the day to day, you forget who you are even married to, because so many "business" transactions are taking place.  "Did you pay the cell phone bill?" "Who is taking the kids to their events tonight?" "I have a meeting, dinner is on the stove." And sometimes, after being with other people all day long, we just have no more energy to eek out a meaningful conversation or any real conversation at all.

I keep remembering an Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Raymond and Debra finally get a weekend away from their kids and all they do is pass out on the bed and sleep. At the time, I thought that was funny, and now, NOW I understand it, as only a parent can.

Truthfully, I will probably miss my munchkins, but sometimes it is good to miss people.  It reminds you how much you love having them in your life.

A Good Day

Today I felt loved. In a testament to not being on Facebook, I still got quite a few birthday wishes the old fashioned way...you know, via email, telephone, and the really archaic mode of SNAIL MAIL! Most of the people that I love best in the world wished me a happy day, with a few exceptions, but I know life can get super busy so I won't hold any grudges. Coordinating a simple lunch with my own parents proved challenging enough, and required us to part ways between lunch and dessert because of previous commitments. We reconvened for my most favorite birthday cake, chocolate cake with caramel frosting!  My paternal grandma used to make the best homemade caramel frosting, and I miss her cakes. Therefore, my mom ordered this type of cake from a local bakery, and though the icing wasn't homemade it was still delicious!  It was so rich, that I could not even finish my last bit of caramel icing on my plate.  Not wanting to waste such a treasured treat, I scooped it back into my cake box, for later consumption. It might just be calling my name right now!  Of course, I still have half a cake left too, but I will enjoy what I can.

Anyway, I have received some very fun presents the last few days, and my husband did not leave me hanging with "just" the cookware.  Two of the best (non-material) gifts I received today were 1) My husband actually got off of work early today at the encouragement of his manager BECAUSE it was my birthday, and 2) We are very close to signing over the deed and being COMPLETELY done with the rental house.  The previous two years on my birthday, while working at a different company, my husband was not only required to work on my birthday, but to put in an exorbitant amount of overtime, coming home very late. Today's new precedent was a welcome change of pace. From previous posts, I am sure you understand the significance of getting closer to unloading our rental house, so I won't elaborate there.

I can ask for nothing more than what I have been blessed with today.

Remember When?

Had dinner at 8:30 tonight, thanks to a jam-packed day, and now I have popped my first two Tums of the night, certain to be followed by more. Do you remember when you could eat after 8pm and it didn't make you completely sick to your stomach?  I used to be convinced that I had a stomach of steel, and now I am realizing it had nothing to do with steel, it has to do with AGE. A young stomach can handle all sorts of torturous foods at any hour of the day. No wonder senior adults eat dinner at 4:30, they probably need all the time they can get between digestion and bed! I used to mock my husband and his ridiculously sensitive stomach telling him, "you should know better". Now that I am in his shoes he just passes me his Tums and withholds his commentary.  Obviously, he is a little bit nicer than I am. So here is my question, other than wine, does anything get better with age?

Ramping Up

My blog entries have been scarce lately, and I keep thinking that my time will free up soon, but when one obligation drops away another rushes in to claim my time and my mind. This coming week is no exception to the chaotic life I am currently leading.  In a fit of sheer delusion, I told myself that I would find time to paint the interior or my house before school starts for us.  It needs a coat of paint desperately, but I am filing that under, "it ain't gonna happen anytime soon", and I am just going to have to be okay with that for now.  Additionally, I had the horrid realization, that I have not composed our notification letter, curriculum list, and study outline for our homeschool notification that needs to be submitted by the first day of public school in our district.  Homeschooling families are big on sending this documentation out at the last possible minute, but I like to have it done and ready to send earlier, just in case.  The problem I discovered tonight is that while I thought my husband had backed up everything from my last computer before it died a horrible death, he did not.  Therefore, all of that previous notification work is gone.  I can't pull up the documents from last year to modify.  No, that would be too helpful.  I must start from scratch. 

This week is also my birthday, and I am not quite sure I am going to find time to do much celebrating for that.  My hubby bought me some new stainless steel cookware today... though he teased that was my gift, I am really crossing my fingers that he has something else more personal up his sleeve.  However, I am extremely thrilled with my new pots and pans.  Aside from those impending festivities, whatever they may be, I have to attend an Open House for our new homeschool co-op, attend one last training meeting for that co-op, and find time to train the new church secretary that is replacing me. Additionally, I need to map out at least our first week of school lessons, preferably more, since we are starting school next Monday. 

Truthfully, I am longing for the sanity of our school schedule and our normal routines.  It isn't really less busy, but the events that are scheduled are much less random. I do want to be more intentional though about my commitments.  I find myself volunteering here and there for committees and jobs, or being volunteered by someone else, and I need to learn to not commit to anything without thinking and praying first. It has been a huge frustration point for my husband that I am in such high demand by others. On one hand, I think I like being needed, but on another, I know I need to step back and help those that need me the most first. Besides, as a friend once told me, I might be stealing someone else's opportunity to serve. 

Lastly, in addition to longing for routine and more predictability, I am also longing for fall.  The cool weather that we had on Saturday, was just tantalizing enough for me to eagerly anticipate my favorite season. I wish fall would last six months of the year.  There is something invigorating about the fall, at least to me.  

There you have my less than concise ramblings for today. Stay tuned for more random thoughts in the near future!

Thankful

The last few weeks have been stressful, and aside from feeling under the weather right now, I am feeling hopeful. As mentioned before, my handicapped aunt was undergoing some health issues, and last Thursday she had a complete hysterectomy, due to the mass that was found on her ovary. The preliminary tests, prior to surgery, indicated it was cancerous, but the quick biopsies done during the surgery were inconclusive and merited further testing. Yesterday, we received the news. In my mind, after getting an initial cancer diagnosis, I was praying God would work some kind of miracle, and after hearing the results I fully believe that He did. The tests came back, and she did indeed have cancer. But here is the thing, the mass of cancer, was inside a much larger mass, that was not cancer. Weird, huh? Furthermore, the cancer cells indicate that this type is pervasive and often spreads to many different areas of the body. Yet, hers was contained in that one area. Because of these oddities, the oncologist, wants to test it again, to make sure that some mistake was not made in determining the type of cancer cells. Test away! I feel like this was completely a God thing. And I am thankful for what I believe is His intervention. My aunt still has a bit of a road ahead, but the chemotherapy, should be minimal. At this time, they are speculating she will have four rounds of treatment.

I was impressed with the oncologist last night when she came in to talk to my aunt. She was calming, but upfront. During my aunt's hospital stay doctor had her kidneys tested as well, because they were concerned that they were not functioning properly. The doctor stopped by to announce that the kidneys were fine, and my aunt asked, "So there is no cancer?" She knows what cancer is, and that it is scary and ugly. The doctor told her that there was no cancer in her ANYMORE, that they removed it all during the surgery, and her kidneys were not affected. The doctor laid out a plan of recuperation for my aunt, and told her when she would be seeing her next. My aunt was in very good humor, joking and teasing, and ultimately elated by the news that she would be heading home today. Finally!

Additionally, I am thankful that my aunt is in a living situation, where she is under someone's watch 24 hours a day. While family would have done their best in this situation, it still would not have been as thorough and attentive as what she currently has regarding care. Living with her roommates, with caregivers available 24 hours a day, is such a huge blessing! And, her roommates missed her! In fact, her one roommate called their care administrator everyday to find out when my aunt was coming home from the hospital. This overall health situation is one that I would have preferred to avoid, but I guess that I need to see God work every now and then and show me just what He can do if He chooses too. Apparently, I needed that reminder.