Get The Heck Out 2009

Dear 2009,
I am sure there are some out there will argue that this year has been a wonderful year for them, and while I can say there has been great moments I know I will not remember this year fondly at all. You see 2009 you were a year that threatened to break our family, almost broke my sanity and pushed our family to the brink. 2009 has by far been one of the hardest years of my adult life, it was the year I went faithless for the majority of the year and have struggled to get it back.

2009 you made me so uncomfortable that even the people who could help me most, I think were puzzled with what to do with me next. And while there are no guarantees that 2010 will be better, I do know that 2009 is now gone and that is a comfort. 2009 if only you would have not been such a confrontational, devestating, and just a "ball busting" year and on top of it the recession made things ten times worse to deal with. The only good things that came out 2009 were a new grandchild, a stronger relationship with my twin and a new found bond and a stronger relationship with my oldest-and for those things I am grateful. 2009 you did not have to be so mean you started out with all the promise of other years but quickly decided to turn wicked SIGH so it is with no regreat that I shred your calendar, and to not look back with any longing to the good old days in 2009.

So while I have never been a resolution maker.. I will promise to not become as bitter has you, 2009 pushed me to become. I will not lose the lessons you taught me, but I will not give you credit either. I will not live under the illusion that nothing bad will happen during 2010 but I will not let it get the best of me as you 2009 did. So in closing 2009, get the heck out. GOOD RIDDANCE, and please let the door hit you on the way out.

Christmas 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Turtles!

Wordless Wednesday

From our Fall hike on Tuesday

Homeschool Mom Translator

This is so cute and funny!

A Day in the Life of Sparks Classical Academy

A typical day
Someone was curious about everyone's day with highschoolers and since I have 3 (two 10th graders and one 9th grader) I thought I would share. But becuase I tend to be long winded I thought I would add it to my blog, so my bloggy friends could see. Ohhh and please keep in mind I am do have sleep issues, so if you see me getting up before 8am I am lying LOL.


9:30 ish wake up and normally at least one of my kids is also

10:40ish kids start their morning chores

11:00 start school normally I start with the Queen to be's math (alg 1) so while I work with her, wacky prince and chef to be work on their assigment sheets. About this time is when sleepless wonder arrives and normally finishes eating he brunch-ish meal.

12:00 I finish math with queen and we normally eat lunch and I start with sleepless and give him is daily sheet and he starts to work away

12:30 Prince to be time for math help with queen moves onto do her indepenedent stuff
chef is normally by this time working on science and doing a project of some sort

1:00 ish I finally decide I am hungry and eat something and start to read for co-op literature class

finish up lunch about 1:30 and I work with Chef to be on his english and the others normally have finished their math and have corrected their worok

normally this continues until about 4 when most are done. I am around to answer questions or help with issues.

when sleepless wonder has finished up for the day (which is anywhere between 4:30 and 5 and if he is not I normally stop him by then) we all go up and play Brawl on the wii... we normally play that for about 30 min. If I am real tired normally I nap

Most of the time by 7 Sleepless has been picked up and dinner is almost ready

my kids play or Queen to be normally work on spanish for our co-op and watches TV (spanish for some reason monopolizes a bunch of time for her). We all kind of hang out for the rest of the day. My kids are told to read at 10pm and lights out at 11pm. We are a very late night family.

Wordless Wednesday

The joy of homeschool teens... ohhh and just so you know my youngest one is on the other side of THAT DOOR wanting to be let out :) of course he was rolling on the ground laughing while asking to be let out.

Thoughts

You know you never know what God is going to call you do, and you never know when he will call you to do what you would view as the craziest thing. Our journey with the Sleepless Wonder (his bloggy name) began many years ago, 4 I believe. And never would I imagine what a difference this kids would make in my life in such a short time. You see Sleepless one is part of our homeschool and clearly that is where I thought the it would start and end. But wait I am getting too far ahead of myself.

And how did I get into that one?? Well good question! My daughter was good friends with him for 4 years and a couple year after we meet him, his parents stopped homeschooling him and enrolled him in a private school and we all thought that was the end of the Sleepless one for us. But ever now and then we would hear from him and lost touch with him a couple of times, until this summer. My daughter had been going through some hard times and out of the blue she asked if she could call Sleepless, and I said sure, even though truth be told she was only allowed to call one other person. And that is how it all started!

The hung out for months this summer and it was getting close to "school time" and Sleepless, and now just his father, decided that they would go back to homeschooling. Well Sleepless is in the same grade as Queen to Be and I offered to his dad to help if it is needed, that even though Sleepless is very smart and ahead of my Queen that I would love to help with this. After countless calls and many hours of talking we settled into a "plan," now the funny thing is that plan does not at all look like our "homeschool" today. But anyway off we started and I found that Sleepless is quite different from my kids but hmmm who isn't? But I truly enjoy being around this kid as much as I enjoy my own kid and he truly he has a good and what seems like a "he has always been here" fit.

Now looking at the journey we have been on for several months, God put him into our lives to help heal me and more important to heal him. After a tough year were I questioned just about everything I had ever done, he came and helped me to put faith back into my mothering, schooling and family. How did he do it? By just being there and by just being the one who needed me more than I needed to keep reflecting on my past and its mistakes. I am truly in awe of what and how God did this! And I am proud to say that I now have 4 kids, thank you God for putting this family into our lives. And thank you for allowing him to put faith back into my journey! And thank you most of all for allowing me to be his "mom!"

Long time no bloggy

Well it has been a long time since my last post but here I am, we have been very busy with now homeschooling 2 in high school, and soon to be 3. WOW... it takes a lot more time to grade than it ever did before, but luckily the do work independent a lot. We also registered for co-op classes and start next Friday.

The big news is we have an additional student this year with our homeschooling, we are homeschooling a family friend with my kids. We are very excited to have him as he is in the same grade as Queen to Be, and he will be known on this blog as Sleepless One :D because he sleeps less than me, which is incredible in itself.

Our Co-op Classes for Fall 2009:
Queen to Be
Sign Language
Mapping the World
Spanish II
American Lit
Dance

Sleepless One
Chemistry (yup he almost died when this class almost filled up... strange!)
Spanish II
American Lit
Dance

Wacky Prince
Biology
Current Events
Flag Football
Dance

Chef to Be
Designing Playgrounds (he is very excited about this they will make models and stuff)
Robotics
Chess
General Science I (abeka 7th grade science a great book)
Frisbee Gold

More Lake Fun on Dad's Day Off

Since we only have one car and dad only has one full day off... we take advantage as much as possible to go and have fun with out friends.


This is one of the Queen to Be and her new friends that are starting co-op with us this fall they are sitting on the rope that sections of the beach area


This is the sand creation my adopted niece made with her "friend boy" if you can't figure it out it is Mr. Crabs from Sponge Bob.


Here is the artist, Manga Girl and Her Friend Boy Mr. Boyscout


And last.. The Wacky Prince and his version of the Thinker... disturbing huh?

Wordless Wednesday

Friends at the Lake

A Homeschool funny

An Afternoon at the Lake

We took a mid-week break to go to the lake with some friends... we had a good afternoon and had lots of fun. We saw some old friends we have not seen in a long time and some co-op friends. Yes these teens played in the sand and made this stuff, the joy of homeschoolers the ability to entertain



This is the boys... mud pit they made. it started out as an island on our previous trip to our lake spot


This is the girls dragon, my best friends daughter did it she did a great job





The girls working hard on their "castle" and dragon




The whole group sitting on the wall eating lunch, we didn't tell them to do this they just did :) isn't that cute?

Dear Socially Challenged Duplex Mates PART 2 (yes it is another letter)

As previously discussed in part one of this letter, I feel it is time to once again address some issues that obviously your mom did not teach when you were little. I am so sorry that your parents failed you in this area but it is time at your age to realize that yes there are other people around you.

First of all, I am glad that you are married and also have a boyfriend, I am glad that your guy has a great time over there and your husband does not seem to care. But please do not leave for a "date" with your boyfriend and kiss in front of our window and declare your love for each other. My children know that is not your husband and I am tired of the questions. It is just really white trashy of you to do that to your husband and your kids... they can see you too. And I honestly find it very gross to say the least and maybe I should say the least.

Secondly, I know that you both are out of work AGAIN this summer (hmm I have noticed a trend)but please realize that not all of us have the luxury to "get laid off" every summer and collect unemployment. And we do get annoyed with the door slamming, feet stomping and giggling outside at 2 am, even though I have insomnia and I am up most of the time... it never fails that the nights you do that I am actually feeling sleepy. Ohh and by the way, your children should be in bed at 2am, your daughter is younger than my kids and PUT her to bed, she is giggling and hyper because she is sleepy (and yes she is in her brown pants).

Thirdly, I am shocked I have to tell you this one but the sidewalk and curb is not made for road traffic. Please do not run over the curb especially when my children and I are standing there. I am sorry you have a long car and obviously do not know how to park but we honestly don't need the stress of whether or not you will run over us. I would like to think you would not but I can't honestly say I trust you one little bit.

Fourthly, all winter long I have listened to cats being born underneath our house, I have listened to them meow, give birth and "attack" each other. And you know it annoyed me but I also knew I could not trap them because it was too cold or I was too busy to deal with it and I WAS NOT GOING UNDER THERE. Well now in the heat of summer come to find out one of those cats had pulled our duct work down from under our house and we have been living with the heat because of these cats, that duct feeds our upstairs AC. Please realize that I like to use my duct work to cool my house, not to birth your cats.

So until further notice the "Feral Cat Birthing Center" that is located under our duplex is closed. There will no longer be a birthing room in our ducts. I will not be nice about it any longer! I will no longer listen to meowing and do nothing, the city has gladly loaned me the use of animal traps to use, and I will bring them out there and I will not care if it bothers you. I am sorry that you are "addicted" to cats but honestly going through a 30lb of cat food every weeks should be your sign you have too many. And moving them inside does not solve the problem... JUST SAY NO!

Also please be on notice that I will not help look for your wife when she runs off, will not listen to stories of your terrible life or want to go into your house for coffee. My life stinks some times too but I don't feel the need to share the wealth with you please don't feel you need to share it with me. I would normally love to have coffee with anyone but your house smells so bad my eyes, ears and nose feel like they are going to bleed when I leave, not to mention that smell I taste it for days. And my suggestion about your wife, next time she leaves make sure she takes the cats with her, and change the locks.... she is cheating on you!

Again I hope I have brought to your attention some ideas you might embrace. Remember the world does not revolve around you, other people live in this world and honestly don't give a darn about you, and we hate your cats. So the next time you hear a popping sound, it is just me shooting your cats with my airsoft gun. Don't fret about it I really really really enjoy it.


Signed....
still your neighbor and still annoyed

Wordless Wednesday

*note: no one was harmed or died in the taking of this picture*

What we are using the year

Our slogan this year is "Get it done in 2009" my kids begged to switch to a more textbook-y approach. So we are doing what they asked

Queen to Be (10th grade)
BJU Algebra I (yeah finally)
Abeka American History (11th grade)
Abeka American Literature
Earth Science (we are using BJU and adding a project)
Spanish 2 (at co-op)
Wordsmith Craftsman and some daily editing practice
Homeschool Pysch


Wacky Prince (9th grade)
BJU PreAlgebra
Abeka Geography
Abeka Themes in Literature
Biology (at co-op they use abeka)
Jump In writing, Daily Grams 9th grade, and Apples Spelling Drill
we will add spanish most likely after christmas
PE will be taken at co-op

Chef to be (7th grade)
Key to decimals, fractions, percents
Texas History
Abeka Of People Literature
Marine Biology/ CKE Earth and Space (he asked for science at home too)
General Science (at co-op)
Wordsmith Apprentice and then start Jump In
Daily Grams and Editor in Chief
PE will be taken at co-op

School Routine

Here is our school routine for the current school year (started today) I have blacked out the names but I think you get the idea.

WE Now know

Where the swine flu originated!

Our June 1st Nature Walk

Well we are almost done

You will notice I am doing some changes to my blog! We are trying to finish up our homeschool year and hope to be done soon. I will be updating and hope to be adding some new pictures... so stay tuned.