This Calls for a Wrap Up Post

So I somehow missed blogging throughout this entire month of November.

We were busy?

But I'd like to remember what we did this fall, so here we go, in summary form:

We attended a family reunion on my husband's side. We used to have annual Christmas get-togethers and we haven't in a long time so it was neat to get together.

NASA had a special anniversary day and we went to walk around Johnson Space Center. When my husband and I were little, and we would visit NASA, it was actually a portion of Johnson Space Center that you toured. These days, visitors go to Space Center Houston, which has been adapted for tourists and has lots of fun stuff for kids. So it was a special treat to get to walk around JSC, most of which is not normally open to the public. And it was free!

We got to touch a portion of a real moon rock. 

Met a man who was in the astronaut program in the early 60s while in line to get these pics.  He showed us a pic of himself as an astronaut so I guess he was telling the truth.

We went camping for our 2nd born daughter's birthday. That was what she wanted to do. It was so fun to go, because it had been about 5 years since we had camped (other than our backyard).

We got a little shelter instead of tent camping because a big rain storm was due to come through. We were glad we did.

So when it rained the second night, we were able to just bring our chairs inside and eat around the card table. It was a nice time.

It was expensive, however. We had to get several things we didn't anticipate since it had been so long since we had camped. Whew. Camping is never cheap.













The younger girls and I went to a farm on a field trip with our homeschool group. We had been a few years ago and enjoyed it this time as well. Our youngest didn't really remember so it was all new to her.

Train ride!

See? I was there too!

When you feed goats, sometimes they slime you. 

Whew! We were WORN OUT at the end of the day. 

Then it was time for a certain 15 year old's actual birthday. Since we had gone on the big camping trip, we just had family over for cake. No theme this year: just "blue."

Little sister was super proud to make her gift (she painted and potted a plant for her room). 

Happy Birthday!!

Our youngest has been on the waiting list for awhile to read to the dogs at the library. She finally got to start doing that on Mondays.

Our drama classes at co-op had a little holiday performance. That little pilgrim was one of the emcees--telling corny Thanksgiving jokes in between performances.

We went to my parent's "country home" for Thanksgiving, just like we usually do. I made turkey pancakes for the girls Thanksgiving morning.

But first I had to wake up 3 turkeys.....

That night we had a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with my sisters and brother-in-law.

And that gets us pretty much caught up to this week, which I'll share about later. Whew!

In summary, we spent a lot of money, I cooked and worked very hard the whole time we were out of town for Thanksgiving and was exhausted when we got back, but we had some fun times and it was a good November.

There's No Tired Like Thursday Tired

Whew.

We have co-op on Thursdays. If you don't know, co-op stands for "something I don't want to do but would be really good for my kids."

Not really. I resisted joining co-ops for years but finally gave in. Co-op actually stands for "cooperative" and that part means "parents do all the teaching."

Which means I'm really tired on Thursdays. Because, see....it's a fine arts co-op. And since I can't read music, they don't want me teaching choir, or music, or band.

And so, I get to use that degree in Early Childhood my parents paid for. I really like teaching the preschool class. The preschool world is where I belong. It's so ridiculously easy for me to come up with activities for that age group. And really, the morning is not what wears me out.

Our 6 year old got to hold the flag today at our co-op morning meeting. 

We eat a really quick lunch (reminds me of being a teacher in public school) and then it's off to 5th period. THAT period is the end of me. I'm only the assistant in that class, but it's late, the kids are tired, they aren't listening the way I'm sure they did earlier in the morning, and I feel like a bouncer. The period lasts about 10 minutes longer than any of our thresh holds.

But we are home now. The first few weeks I just came home and fell asleep. I wonder if I'm getting too old for this gig? I better buck up because my girls love co-op and we have many more years there.

So now the only thing left to do is unload the car. I usually put this off as long as possible. It's full of all manner of junk---my rolling crate, a ton of library books, my flannel board, a giant stuffed bear, the girls' backpacks, and all of our water bottles.

I did, however, bring in the lunch kit and clean it out.

So I'm doing 50% better than last week already.

But I'm too tired to care.

Signing off,

Wrapping Up August

I'm sitting here listening to "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel in amazement remembering my friend who made her children learn every reference in that song. History--check! I don't think I caught half of them. I could educate myself. One day. If I have time.

We celebrated our oldest's birthday this weekend.

The little girls and I made her the shirt. She was not excited about being 19. 

So many goodies! It takes 3 different kind of donuts to accommodate all the allergies and diabetics in the family. 

The whole family (grandma, aunts, cousins, etc.) got together and gave her a whole bag of fidget toys and stress relief toys. She LOVES them. They are to help her study this fall. 

 She's 19 now and about to embark on higher education. Gotta get her a house key this weekend as she will not be on our schedule anymore. Growing up is strange and hard and I so remember being where she is. How can it be **cough28yearscough** since I was her age?

The younger girls and I started back to co-op last week. We forgot to take their pictures at home so we took them on the lovely gym wall once we got there. They had a great first day. The youngest is taking choir, general music, P.E., ballet, and art. The second-born is taking choir, band (she plays clarinet), music theory, and drama.

I teach the preschool class and assist the youngest drama class. It's a tiring day, but I can't beat the classes my daughters are getting to take and the friendships they make.

This time last year we were in the middle of Hurricane Harvey and a DIY remodel of our house. When the water got half-way up our front yard that Friday night, but we didn't flood, we figured we weren't going to. So Saturday found us painting during the storm. We were really fortunate to not flood (our old house did flood during a storm).

This shows our rain total during the hurricane compared to our then 5 year old. 

So many friends were not as fortunate. I don't personally know anyone who is not back in their home or a new home, but I'm sure there are many who have yet to re-build. The effects of storms like that are long-lasting.

The effects of remodeling are too, it seems.

See, last summer we packed up 50% of our house belongings planning to hire someone to do the remodel. When that didn't pan out, we rolled up our sleeves and got to work. A year later, our garage is still a big mountain of mess. Actually even more so because we moved all those boxes before Harvey. Then we moved them 472 more times looking for things over the last year.

(This is where there will not be a picture. Ahem. Pride.)

So next month we shall embark on a new project here at Project: Family---the garage. Somehow I don't think this will garner as much sympathy or help as Harvey did.

"Help the victims of home remodeling" just doesn't have the same ring to it.

Signing off,

Getting Ready

I'm ready to not be getting ready for something every day. What I mean is, we've been preparing for back to school for awhile, and this week I'm preparing for back-to-co-op, and also a birthday party.

After that, it will be fall holidays and a camping trip, and Christmas, etc. I think I'm ready for a week of not getting ready for something.

But it is exciting getting ready for that birthday. Our oldest daughter is turning 19.

Our beautiful oldest daughter. It's weird she's turning 19 since we are still in our 20s. Right?

She says she isn't ready to be 19, but as you know, it happens anyway. Since she didn't have any ideas for what she wanted to do or what kind of birthday party she wanted, I made executive decisions. She shall find out on Saturday. (I love surprises)

The main problem on all of that is getting the house clean. Sheesh. Why is it so hard to keep the house picked up?

Getting ready for co-op is another thing. I teach the preschool class and I already wrote the lesson plans a few years ago so it's really just a matter of prepping the first 2 weeks' lessons. That means making copies, cutting things out of construction paper, gathering things, etc. I have a new laminator that the co-op purchased and I'm so excited to preserve the things I make this year for circle time. One day I will have less work to do each week to prepare for my classes.

Well, it also means making sure we (me and my 2 younger daughters) all have clean clothes to wear, names on all belongings, all belongings packed, and snacks and lunch made.

And since we went to the beach yesterday, where I managed to hurt my ankle, we didn't unpack the car yet. And of course there is the sand to deal with. BEFORE we go to co-op tomorrow.

Actual photo of the floor of my car.
I'm kidding. A little. 

My ankle is fine, by the way. I guess I sprained it. I was in SO MUCH pain yesterday evening! I could not believe how much it hurt! It was a several-hours-long delay of pain and it was weird. It swelled up on one side but this morning, it feels fine. And I'm glad.

I have a lot of things to get ready for, after all.

Signing off,

The Extras

Last week, I shared with you about how homeschool is legal in all 50 states and gave some links to help if you are considering homeschooling.

But today I want to address some other concerns. These are always questions in people's minds when they first begin thinking about homeschooling. If you personally know successful homeschoolers, then you can just skip on down and read another post. Because if you do know a number of homeschooling families, then you know for certain that socialization is not an issue--well, not in the way we often think it is.

What about the prom?
What about sports?
Won't they miss their friends?
What about special classes and extracurricular activities?

These are all valid questions! At first glance, public school has a lot to offer and then of course we all picture those poor homeschool kids all alone at home.

The reality is, unless you live far out in the country (and some do!), there are many, many choices of activities for homeschoolers. In fact, our experience has been that it is difficult to stay home and get our school work done!

For those who want the most support possible, there are classes for homeschoolers that you can pay for. Then you just drop off your child and they sit in a classroom with other homeschoolers and a teacher and learn. (What's the difference in that, you say? Well, there are some differences but yes, it does look a lot like public school.) You can also join a co-op. A co-op (short for cooperative), is when parents get together and offer classes for homeschool students. The parents themselves teach the classes. Some homeschoolers handle the bulk of their core academic classes that way. Others enjoy the "extra" classes through co-op such as P.E., music, Lego classes, cooking, etc. That way, if you feel you can't teach math to your student, but another mom can....then you can use your talents to teach guitar while your child goes to math class. Everyone wins. These classes usually meet once a week. Our family has been involved in a fine arts co-op for the last 4 years. Our girls have been able to take choir, art, band, music theory, and drama classes.

Besides these structured classes, there are homeschool groups that just get together for fun things like holiday parties and field trips. Holiday parties felt like a big deal to me when thinking about my children not going to public school. I'm happy to say there hasn't been a Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, or Christmas yet that we haven't had a party with our homeschool friends! Of course you can go on field trips by yourself, but with a group you often get a discounted rate. 

Honestly, we are happy when we have a day to "just" stay home. The homeschool world is busy and active. Yes, there are proms and dances. Yes, there are sports. Yes, there are friends (and they can still see their public school friends evenings and weekends!). And YES there are special classes and extracurricular activities. In abundance! 

Our daughters were in a book club for years. That club had a lot of fun together! 

And if your child has siblings, don't discount them as friends. When my girls were used to being away from each other all day, they didn't play together very well. But after being home together every day for awhile, their relationship really changed. Brothers and sisters can be great playmates!

My purpose today is just to allay the fears of those who may be considering homeschooling. If you have any other concerns or questions about homeschooling, feel free to ask in the comments or shoot me an email! I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

Signing off,