Well, poo

Okay, so I didn't make it even a full 24 hours. Why? Because I got too many emails regarding the last post. ha! So you do read!

Yes, I'm okay. No, I'm not mad at anyone. No, I didn't mean that you cannot email me (which was a funny question to receive in an email.) I left off the pronoun. Oh, those ridiculously necessary pronouns. I meant that I would not be emailing, calling, or visiting. Or at least that I will not feel obligated to. And, yes, you can certainly drop food by my house tomorrow. I think that covers all of the questions.

Everyone once in awhile I get so much on my plate that I feel overwhelmed. Too many things come up at once. Too many demands on my time, and emotional strains at once. And the flight reaction kicks in. I want to shut down, run away, and be alone for about a week. Ever feel like that? No? It's just me?

So I canceled everything this week. Except the field trip on Friday that we are all looking forward to. I want to focus this week on things that really need my attention. I don't want to worry about any extra activities, needs, plans.

For one thing, The Artist has suddenly started asking some very pointed questions. I knew it was coming. She is in 3rd grade after all. And I want all of her information to come from me. But I was unprepared when the comments and questions started coming. She's still my baby!! Now I feel the need to formulate a plan, and handle this wisely. I don't want to say the wrong thing and warp her for life. (Hence the reason for the new survey question on the left hand sidebar)

I also feel the need to organize my time better. Too many things come up, and I let them in my life without giving it much thought. We need to be more intentional. But I can't even formulate my plan, rewrite my schedule, plan our holiday activities because I'm never home!!! That is going to change.

I asked God to help me have some resolve and just back off for a week. And then I got the stye. Yeah, it looks bad. It's uncomfortable. And it's keeping me home. And guess how long it lasts? You guessed it: one week. God is good.
(I'm not being sarcastic.) He knew I needed some more motivation to just stay home and focus. :-) I'll save you the pain of an eye photo. It's not pretty. (I also have mastitis, so I'm feeling very rundown... and I'll save you from pictures of that as well!)

Sooooo, there you have it. You can email. I may answer, I may not. You can call. I probably won't answer, but I still love you. Call and leave an urgent message if it's important. I'll put my sign "We're busy with SCHOOL." on my front door. And maybe my other sign, too: "Solicitors will be shot. Survivors will be shot again." I can't stand solicitors.

This one week we will be home. Glorious home. No cub scouts, plays, drive-through events, homeschooling functions, extended family functions, MM, church things ....nope, just HOME. I love my home. And I don't get to enjoy it as often as I should. And the kids-- oh, we do so many FUN things, so many school things...but there are so many other things that I would love to incorporate and focus on. So many gift ideas, craft ideas, and other homeschooling resources that we own, that I don't even have time to look through.

Time is such a precious commodity. I've always loved the quote: "Children need quality time; quantities and quantities of it!"

Enjoy your time!!

playing hooky from church

Yesterday we went to a nearby National Park for some hiking and a picnic. Yeah, we just skipped church to go. Sometimes I feel so much closer to God while we rejoice in His creation, rather than sitting in a building. It's great to fellowship with other believers, and also necessary...but there's just something missing sometimes. I need the joy back. I need to look up at the sky, face to the sun, and smile, "thank you, Lord, for this indescribable, amazing beauty!!"

Besides, we had to take advantage of the awesome weather yesterday. It's dropped 30 degrees since then. Argh! I reeeeaaaallly need sunshine. Really. Days like today just start to wear on me pretty fast.

So, anyway, I got to talking to a young mother at the playground area, after our picnic and hike. She was nursing a baby girl, while she watched her 2-year old son play. This woman was very sweet...very talkative, and I soon discovered that she is a cross country runner for NSU, and an early education major. She is about to gradate, but wants to stay home with her kids. Only problem is that hubby wants her to go right to work. Hmmm...

I promised to pray for her, for God's leading and guidance. I really feel for her. I'm so thankful that I have my husband's support to stay home and educate our children.

I mentioned to her that we homeschool and really enjoy that. This opened a whole new can of worms. Apparently she had been "homeschooled" for two years, 8th and 9th grade...except that she "did nothing." She said she literally did NOTHING. It was boring and she got terribly behind her public school peers. They had NO curriculum or assignments, field trips, etc. This is was a total shock to me. WHY would someone keep their kids home, with no intention of teaching them? Wouldn't it be so much easier to send them to school?

Anyway, this is now the view that she has of homeschoolers. Do others share that view, I wonder?
Because I can tell you that the vast majority of homeschoolers work their tails off. It's a never-ending, amazing, complicated, tiring, stressful, but completely joyful and satisfying job. Seems like an oxymoron, but that's the only way I can describe it. I wouldn't give it up, even after stressful days like today. It is fun, rewarding. And I learn as much as the kids do! Most of the homeschool moms that I know share this same feeling. We may get overwhelmed, but we stay the course. I do know of a few out there who just don't make school a priority. To those I will say: put your kids in school or make school at home a priority. Not to say that we don't take days off or get behind sometimes...I'm talking about the people who "do nothing" for two years. That just isn't acceptable.

We talked about a few other things: breastfeeding, church, childcare (which is what she is so concerned about, possibly going into the workforce soon.) Fred laughed about it on the way home. Men get to know each other slowly(talking football for 6 months?) , but women just jump right up on their soap boxes and go to town. :-)

"Sorry milk bar closed"

I was nursing the baby before lunch, when Isabelle came over, trying to play with him. The kids have been excited today about Oliver getting his 6th tooth. Well, he was obviously distracted nursing and didn't have much of a desire to play peek-a-boo at that moment. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, can you please just close your boob now?"

Isabelle has also been meeting regularly with a JBU student now, for part of a graduate program thing. The gal played Candy Land with her last week, while asking questions about Isabelle's life, faith, and so forth. When the gal left, Isabelle relayed the questions to me. Then she paused and thought aloud, "I don't have a secret life anymore."

YES, I am still...

Why is it that the holidays can bring out all of the retarded comments? Just so no one else asks, let me just clarify for everyone that I am indeed still breastfeeding my almost-9-month-old. And I love it. And I plan to continue. And you'd better believe there will be a longer post about it soon, but right now I'm just tired. You can blame this little rant on a MIL.