It's official- I am homeschooling this year. I just mailed in my Declaration of Intent to Provide Home Based Instruction.

I am becoming mildly excited about the upcoming school year. All of our curriculum is tucked away, but when I am ready to get it out and start planning, I will become unbearable. Look out!

This year we will only be doing piano lessons- both kids will be taking piano. And perhaps a sport. We need to be academically focused this year, so no co-ops and MOPS groups.

My intended start date is Sept. 8, although I haven't nailed that down yet.

It's early, I know. But my favorite part of homeschooling is the planning!

So the other night, we are playing a golf game on the Wii with the kids. My 9 year old son was busy giving directions to the rest of us, (even though he has the lower score). It was my husband's turn, and he was practicing his swing.

All of a sudden my son yelled, "Come on Dad! Spank it like it lied to you!"

I laughed so hard that I cried, and it has become a catch-phrase in our house.

He may be mad, but there's method in his madness. There nearly always is method in madness. It's what drives men mad, being methodical.
- GK Chesterton

I am so hot!! (No, I mean literally- hot)

Oh my goodness.
I love the summer and the heat, but- not without air conditioning. My house is an oven!!

Great resources!

Last weekend I went to the home school convention, and some of the speakers I heard were Susan Wise Bauer (The Well Trained Mind) and Andrew Pudewa (Institute for Excellence in Writing). They were both amazing speakers and were a source of motivation and inspiration for all who attended their workshops.
I noticed, upon exploring Mr. Pudewa's website that he has downloads available that cover the same topics that I heard him speak on. The downloads are only $3 and are very much worth it. The ones I heard
(I have not listened to the downloads yet) were the following:
Freedomship Education Paradigm Audio Download

Nurturing Competent Communicators Audio Download

Teaching Boys & Other Children Who Would Rather Make Forts All Day Audio Download

There was one other workship called "The Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing. This may be the same thing:

Teaching and Evaluating Writing Audio Download



If you only choose one, I reccomend the Freedomship one (the first one linked).

10 Ways to survive dull sermons...

This will make Sunday more interesting

1. Pass a note to the worship leader asking whether he or she plays requests.

2. Move to as many different seats as possible, without being too obvious.

3. Raise your hand and ask for permission to go to the bathroom.

4. Scratch you arm and shoulder and see how many other people you can make itch.

5. Stare at the preacher with your eyes wide open.

6. See if a yawn really is contagious.

7. Slap your neighbor and see if they turn the other cheek. If not, raise your hand and tell the usher.

8. Signal to the minister that his fly is undone.

9. Draw your arms up into your sleeves and turn your shirt around backwards.

10. Start from the back of the church and try to crawl all the way to the front, under the pews, without being noticed.

Yay! The 2007-2008 school year is over!

I am trying to decide if I am happy or sad. Today was the last day of the kid's scouting program that we go to on Wed. nights. Tuesday was the last MOPS meeting, and we also finished our homeschool co-op today.

It has been such a busy year, and now that it's over, (even though I'm relieved)
I feel the urge to go and fill up our schedule again!

I already have the kids signed up for a couple of Vacation Bible Schools in our area. I have scheduled playdates and decided to keep the little girl in gymnastics for the summer.
I have the kids signed up for 2 summer reading programs, scheduled "movie playdates" with friends ( we are going to see the free ones at Regal), and have a variety of house projects in mind.

I just can't stop! I have a compulsive urge to be busy- even though I get overwhelmed! What's wrong with me?