End of Summer

Well, I obviously don't blog much anymore.  Maybe that will change with the kids going back to school?  Maybe not.  Now that the kids are older, it's just so much harder to blog without stepping into their stories and privacy.

We had a lovely but busy summer.

• Our daughter got married!
• Camping with our church family
• Cabin with extended family
• Time at the beach
• Church
• Jobs, Appointments, errands
• And all the normal life stuff...cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard work, etc.

And now we are headed back to school.

1. Janae - Homeschooling.  Senior Year.  She is working and focusing on the few remaining credits she needs:  Government/Econ (City on the Hill program + Notgrass), English (British Lit), and Biology.
2. Zach - Grade 8 @ GMS
3. Mark - Grade 7 (Learning Support) @ CMS
4. Micah - Grade 6 @ GMS
5. JH - Home with me for 1 more year.  He's doing Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and has an IU13 Special Ed Teacher.

As the kids head back to school, I'm hoping to get caught up on things around here that need done.  Not homeschooling any of the boys should help, but we'll see.  I also want to do some canning now that I've finally found lids a few weeks ago.  And I imagine JH will need plenty of attention as he withdraws from having his brothers with him every day.  I'm also looking forward to the humidity breaking and fall weather (but not winter so much).

Have a lovely day!

Blessings,

~Karen

School 2020-2021

 As I mentioned in my previous post, our schooling is currently on Plan B.

So, for those of you who are curious as to what we are doing, here's the basic plan (off the top of my head, not necessarily exclusive to this):

Janae: 

*    History & English - Notgrass World History + Grammar

*    Math - Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2 + Dave Ramsey Foundations High School Math (co-op)

*    Science - Environmental Science (Co-op)

*    Foreign Language - Rosetta Stone Spanish + Spanish @ Co-op

*    Digital Photography (Art)

*    Phys Ed (Biking +)

Zach & Micah - Local Private School

Mark:

*    English/Language Arts - Continue Working with Tutor

*    Math - Developmental Math

*    History - Focus on United States Geography + Wonders of the World @ Co-Op

*    Science - Daily Worksheets, Abeka Health

*    Cooking - 2 classes @ co-op

*    Phys Ed, Art, Music

John:

*    All About Reading - Pre Reading

*    Potty Training

**As always, subject to change...

Dreary Days

Winter has been rather dreary here...not terribly cold but not warm.  Hardly any snow, but damp.  I think I read that we've only had 10 sunny days since the beginning of the year.

I see that I last posted on January 3rd.  At the time, I had all sorts of posts rolling around in my head.  Now I can't remember any of them.  I do seem to remember wanting to post on my "Word of the Year" for 2020 which is Faithful.  Maybe I'll do that yet.

Life continues to roll along.  This week Autumn got her wisdom teeth removed.  I'm strongly considering sending the boys all to school next year and resuming my original plan of only homeschooling high school, so I've started talking to schools about doing evaluations and what not to see about making that happen.  Part of me feels like I "should" feel guilty about sending them back to school as if I failed.  Part of me feels relieved at the thought of having some extra time to things around here that need done.  Another part of me feels some trepidation at having to once again deal with high anxiety over homework every evening.  But I never really felt "called" to homeschool like some people.  It's just something I evaluated every year and did what seemed best per child per year...so I'm okay with however it works out for next year.  We will see how this develops as we continue, but so far it has changed one thing...I'm not looking at curriculum for next year!  I will need to do this for Janae, but she's my third high school student so I pretty much know what I do for them.

In the spectrum of large family living, I'm frequently thinking of what style of dress I want for my oldest son's wedding...while simultaneously gradually potty-training the youngest son.

In January we dropped OT and added weekly tutoring for one son.  He continues with ST as well.  We are working on adjusting meds for another son and resuming talk therapy as well.  We had taken a break after his last counselor unexpectedly quit.  We are in the midst of our winter semester of our home-school co-op.  I'm supervising/teaching Typing this time.  These things are necessary, but do take a lot of time and driving...I'm glad we bought a car so I don't have to take the big van everywhere.  :-)

Considering how many viruses have been around, we've been relatively healthy.  Four of the kids did get mildly sick and we've missed and canceled a few events/appointments, but still, it's been relatively mild compared to what I've been hearing from others. 

As always, I continue to read as much as I can sneak in.  But right now I'm blanking out on what I've read since I last posted.  I know I read "Detached" which was a fascinating story of a man who was diagnosed with RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) written by him from his perspective.  I recently purchased "20 Life-Changing Choices Adoptees Need To Make" by Sherrie Eldridge.  I've been blessed by Sherrie's writings and am finally starting to add her books to my collection after years of wanting to do so.

Randy and I went out for the evening last Saturday night while our friends kept the kids.  It's always nice to get away for a few hours and be able to talk without interruption from anyone other than a waiter or cashier.  :-)

And my final random thoughts...I'm looking forward to warmer weather and spring flowers.  I've been thinking about Lent and whether I want to "give up" anything this year...but nothing has come to mind so far.  Fasnacht Day is late this year so I guess Easter is late as well.  It will probably snow in March since we haven't had much yet.

Blessings!
~Karen

Sad

Here it is, the last day of summer vacation.  The kids are actually still sleeping (finally sleeping in!)...but I will have to wake them up soon as Mark has physical therapy this morning.

I love summer.  I love the relaxed nature of it.  The having my kids home with me.  (The fighting...not so much!)  I love not having to pack lunches or worry about homework.  I love the freedom to do whatever we want when we want to (for the most part).  I love warmer weather and the colors of the flowers.  I love all the green out there!

Nevertheless, fall is fast approaching, the nights are getting cooler, the corn stalks are turning brown...and with it comes the new school year.  No doubt next week I'll be blogging about how much I enjoy getting things done without interruption!  :-)  but for now, I'll just be rather melancholy...

Yesterday the kids and I went to Blue Marsh Day Use area to hang out with the boys' youngest biological sibling (and his mom and one of his sisters).  It was such a beautiful day!  In the afternoon we went to the pool with a few friends.  Lovely!

So...this year:

Josiah - Grade 10/11.  He has a full schedule this year...but his goal is to work hard and graduate a year early.  This year he will be learning  English II, Biology, Chemistry, World History/Geography, Geometry, Consumer Math, Business Computer Skills, and completing Spanish 1 (he did the first half last year).  He will also continue working part time as his school schedule allows.  He will be doing his Biology and Chemistry at our local Homeschool Co-op.

Autumn - Grade 8...her last year at our small private school.  So we and she will need to make a decision about her schooling for high school...the local public school or homeschooling are her options.  She will also be getting braces in September so will have regular orthodontic appointments to add to her schedule.  :-)

Janae will be in 5th grade this year.

Zachary will be in 2nd grade.

Mark continues in the Life Skills class.  After a summer break from therapy, we will be resuming that as well.  Occupational for sure.  Physical will depend on today's evaluation.

And...my baby, Micah, goes to Kindergarten.  I really can't imagine...  Anyway, as is the practice at our school, kindergarten is 2 full days/3 full days.  So he will go every Tuesday and Friday and alternating Wednesdays.  He is very excited!

Randy continues to work hard to support us.

And as for me...well, I've thought a lot about this coming school year.  And all the possibilities now that I will have all of my children in school.  And I came to this conclusion.  The house still needs cleaned, the laundry still needs washed, and food still needs cooked, the bills still need paid.  We will still be meeting with our Family-Based Therapy team.  So, I'm hoping to be able to do all of these things more efficiently (as in, without interruptions) and thoroughly (more than a lick and a promise as the saying goes) and go from there.  I will continue taking kids to appointments.  I will continue to go shopping (groceries don't seem to last very long with these growing children...neither do jeans!)  I will continue with our foster/adoptive parent support group (coffee & play group).  I will help out at school as needed but not commit to any regularly scheduled volunteer work.  The only thing I have added (at this point) is offering to help out the Release Time program at our church as a substitute.

I was going to add photos to this post...but I need to leave the house in half an hour and everyone is still in bed...so I guess I'll save the photos for another post!  Have a good day, y'all!

Random Musings

• I changed the blog header photo to this lovely photo of tulips that my daughter took.  I believe she may have the eye for photography that I am lacking.  :-)
• I changed the name as well..we'll see if I like it or if it changes again.
• Just finished 2 days of track-n-field.  Monday for Mark, Zach, and Janae.  Tuesday for Autumn.
• Took Zach to the ENT today.  The doctor recommends that Zach get his tonsils removed.  He is quite excited because he remembers an episode of Huckle & Lowly that he watched...and all of the ice cream that the patient got to eat!
• Went to Josiah's ball game tonight.  Fun to hang out with friends there.
• Down to 3 weeks of school left...while I'm looking forward to the more relaxed schedule, I'm starting to panic a bit at the thought of keeping my more challenging children occupied.  And while I love having them all with me, the part of me that is introverted does find not having as much quiet time a bit of a challenge.
• With school winding down comes the fun, end-of-year activities including Field Trips!  Autumn goes next week, Janae, Zach, & Mark go the following week.
• I am planning on going to the Homeschool Convention later this week to decide on what curriculum I am using with Josiah next year.  I've looked online, but there's just something wonderful about being able to look at the actual materials themselves.
• Micah had Speech Therapy today.  We are taking the summer off and then he will resume at school in the fall...so we only have one more session left.  Between Mark & Micah we have been seeing Miss Susan for about 3-1/2 years.  It will be different to no longer have her part of our weekly schedule.
• It is late...mornings come to soon...Good night, y'all!

February rolls on

We are approaching the midpoint of February.  I have great hopes that, just like every other year, spring truly will be hear before long.  The school year is starting to wind down (we're in the 3rd quarter) and I'm starting to feel the pressure to make sure Josiah makes it through this first year of homeschooling with his grades intact and prepared for 10th grade.  I've also started looking at curriculum for next year.

It's also the time of year when we need to prepare to file our taxes.  So this week I've been focusing on getting my ducks in a row as far as our 2014 financial records.

Everyone actually went to school today.  Amazing.  Zach was home sick on Monday.  Janae was home Tuesday and Wednesday.  She is now on Azithromycin and it's amazing how much better she is feeling!  But I expect her to be tired today when she comes home from school.  Last week Josiah & Janae were both off school Thursday and Friday.  So it's been awhile since we had a normal schedule.  Because of the illnesses, Mark's normal therapy schedule was adjusted.  So we had Occupational Therapy this morning.  And he'll have Physical Therapy tomorrow.

We continue to work on our latest house mini-remodel.  We were hoping to get a lot painted last weekend, but then Randy was sick, so while he did get the ceilings painted, we didn't get as many walls painted as we had hoped.  We hope to get some more painting done this weekend.  I am getting ready to have my closets back...but I know that the change will be worth it once it's finished.  In my head I'm frequently thinking about how I'm going to reorganize our stuff (clothing, games, office supplies, etc.)

Well, it's about time to take Josiah to co-op...gotta go!  Have a great day!
**And when I published this, noticed it is post #1200.  I'm rather amazed that I've posted that many times...

First Day of School

Mark is all ready for his first day of Kindergarten.  At our school, Kindergarten children go either Monday/Thursday/alternate Wednesdays or Tuesday/Friday/alternate Wednesdays.  Because Mark has some challenges, he will be going every day.  He will miss a few hours every other week when he goes to occupational and physical therapy.  He will have speech therapy at school.

Autumn is now in 7th grade.

Janae is in 4th grade this year.

Josiah is in 9th grade.  As our private school only goes to 8th grade, he has chosen to homeschool this year.  He had started art, health, and grammar already.  Today he added history, English, and Bible.  In a week or two we will add Science and Math.

The whole crew.  At first it was quiet with only Micah and Josiah here, but Micah soon started making lots of noise to fill in the gaps.  I remember Micah & Mark doing the same thing last year.  There is usually a week or two (or more) of the preschoolers adjusting.

The first picture that I took of Zach had him looking away from me (as is typical when I try to photograph him).  Mocha was the ticket to getting a great smile and eye contact.  :-)

 

Everyone came home with smiles on their faces so the year is off to a good start!

Tuesday Randomness

A few photos of last week's trip to the beach interspersed with random comments.  We are blessed to have family with a vacation home near the beach that they rent to us very reasonably.  We had a great week, cooler than normal, but still lots of fun:  swimming in the ocean, playing card games, eating, watching favorite movies & tv shows, bike riding...just hanging out together.

 

 

I worked hard to get photos of this little one...he likes to hide and mope when the camera is out.

 

 

I'm feeling melancholy tonight....school starts tomorrow.  And Zach starts kindergarten so I'll be sending 4 kids on the big yellow bus this year, at least some days.  Zach goes full days Tuesdays, Fridays, and alternate Wednesdays.

 

Randy really enjoys riding bike, so several evenings I took the kids in the van to the beach and he biked out to join us.  For his birthday, coming up soon, I told him to go ahead and get that road bike he was interested in...I love to see him enjoying this!

 

Josiah is getting quite mature.  He is now as tall as I am.  This year he will be in 8th grade...his final year at our small private school.  So we need to decide where he goes from here...local public school or homeschool or cyberschool.

My efforts at getting a group photo of the kids this weekend were not so great.

This beautiful girl is going to 3rd grade.  She has a great teacher and is looking forward to school.  She loves being with her friends and is our little butterfly.  She loves math, but struggles with reading and spelling.

Our oldest daughter is now a middle-schooler...6th grade, so she'll join the Jr. Youth at church.  She is getting tall as well...we can now share shoes.  She has a small class at school...13 I think, and only 4 of them are girls.

Me and my sweet little boy who loves to give me kisses.  He turns 5 next month.  We still need to do the potty training thing as it's just not happening.  He continues with Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapies.

World War II Tower at Cape Henlopen State Park, DE

Sisters

 

My parents joined us for a day at the beach.  When mom was hiking up the tower with some of the kids, they sang Amazing Grace, marveling at how it echoed off the tower walls (and thinking no one was around).  I was outside waiting for some of the rest of the kids.  It sounded so beautiful!

My favorite man!  :-)

My Kindergartner.  We're still working with him a lot, of course.  While he's not currently doing any therapies, we are debating about trying some meds with him.  He has been diagnosed with some assorted letters...but it's hard to know what's a diagnosis and what's a result of trauma...because even separating from your mom at birth, is trauma...

 

Tonight he surprised me with lots of kisses and giggles...very rare.

 

I am so not ready to do the school thing again...homework, lunches, stress....loving the "lazy" days of summer.

 

We got a letter notifying us that we are being audited by the state dept. of transportation...making sure our miles traveled (Randy's trucking) match up with what we reported...so lots of paperwork and copying going on around here.

 

I have not done much freezing/canning yet this year...so that needs to be a priority very soon.

 

We're also redoing our basement so that's all torn up.

 

I noticed that I've hardly blogged at all this year compared to the other years...not sure why...maybe I just don't have much to say this year...maybe the kids are older and I'm busier in a different way.  I think when I had infants, I would often blog in those late night hours when I was trying to get them to go down for the night.

 

And now my baby's turning 4 in a few months...

3 weeks...

until school begins.  Some years at this point I am saying "these kids need to go back to school.  They need their routine."  This year I'm saying "no, summer can't be over already!"  I love summer.  I love the laid back schedule and the barefeet and the open doors and windows.  I do not like humidity, but otherwise, I love it.  School gives us a nice routine and me the chance to shop with fewer kids...but I do like having my kids around me.  :-)

The weather has cooled a bit--nice cool mornings and evenings.  I always think I can tolerate heat much better if it's cool over night.

Miss S was here this morning to do physical therapy with Mark.  The agenda for the rest of the day includes laundry and baking.

Friday night the younger 3 went to Grammy's overnight.  We took the older 3 out for supper and shopping.  Then they watched some old episodes of Hogan's Heroes (stuff we've restricted from our younger ones as they pick up way to much!)  Saturday the 3 of them spent the morning with Randy while I went to a friend's house for a freezer meal workshop.  She sells Wildtree (all natural, GMO free, organic seasonings, oils, etc.)  I had to do some prep work before (chopping veggies, buying meat, etc.)  Then at the workshop we put together seasonings in bags, came home and added my prepped stuff, and put it in the freezer.  Now I have 10 meals all ready to thaw and grill.  We tried the grilled Tilapia recipe last night and it was fabulous!

Sunday we had church at Woodcrest Retreat followed by a meal.  Then we enjoyed their pool and waterslide in the afternoon.  In the evening our VBS started so we have that this week.

Amazing

School is back in session = changes at home.

This morning everyone played nicely together the entire morning (minus about a half hour storm/melt-down). No need to try for the big kids attention.  I got a lot of cleaning accomplished and the fall decorations have now replaced the spring ones.  I know this will not be the case every day, but I'm sure going to enjoy it while it lasts!

Micah's been carrying around an extra lunch box with a couple of granola bars in it all morning...maybe he thinks he can go to school if he has a lunch box?!

Now to fold 3 loads of laundry that are waiting for me....in an hour the kids will go down for "quiet time" which is a nice way of saying...spend 1-1/2 hours in your bed quietly...not necessarily successfully, but always the goal.  :-)  And I will drink a cup of tea.

I have all the ingredients to make a batch of salsa except for jalapeno peppers.  The grocery store didn't have them.  I'm going to try to get to a local produce stand tonight and find them so I can make the salsa tomorrow.  We'll see....

First Day of School

It's here.

Already.

The first day of the new school year.

Cooler evenings.

Cooler Mornings.

I even have started wearing sweatshirts/jackets again!

This year I have

a 7th grader.

a 5th grader.

and

a 2nd grader.

Zach could go to school, but since he's a boy with a summer birthday who happens to have some extra needs, we are waiting until next year.

I think that I need to take the forsythia wreath off of the front door and replace it with something fallish.

And now

I need to go mix up pancakes.

Mark has speech so I will probably miss seeing them get on the bus.

We're visiting with my friend and her kids today.  Two of her kids happen to be siblings to three of my kids.  We try to get together periodically throughout the year.  But it's getting tougher now that some of them are in school.

Falafel

As I mentioned yesterday, last night we made food for Josiah's Israel presentation.  He made Honey Cake and Falafel.  We bought Hummus and Pita bread to go with it.  Since I made the food off written recipes with no photos, I have no idea if I got anywhere close to how they should be!

Falafel - before it was fried.

Frying the falafel

Here Micah, Mark, & I are wearing our newest tie-dyed apparral. 

Falafel is traditionally eaten on pita bread with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, hummus, etc.  I served it as an appetizer with the option of eating it with pita and hummus.  I did not do the veggies.

Response of the kids...  They all tried the food.  Some kept coming for more.  Others nicely folded there plates and threw it away.  :-)  The one girl continually called the Falafel "chicken".  It was fun.

One of these days...

...I will post a lot of blog posts.  :-)

Tomorrow is Josiah's Oral Presentation of his country report for school.  My friend, Kim, lives in Israel and he chose to do that country.  So far he's done a written report and a display board.  Tonight we were making food to take along.  We made "Honey Cake" and "Falafel".  We will also take pita bread and hummus.  I've got some photos...but didn't get them off the camera yet.  My house smells like Falafel.  I left the kids sample it and they liked it.  I tasted it and thought it was a bit spicy for my taste.

Another Monday

and once again Micah slept horribly.  After a very brief nap, I gave in and called the doctor.  It was hard to get much done today as he was quite needy.

This evening I had parent-teacher conferences with the kids teachers.  Thankfully everything is going well for the most part.  Immediately after that I took Micah to the doctor (so yes, I was distracted during the conferences as I had to take him with me...no time to stop at home in between).  Yes, he has a sinus infection and an ear infection...and one that's border-line.  So we went to the pharmacy for amoxicillin.  Looks like we're picking up with him right where we left off last spring.  We barely made it through last winter without needing tubes for his ears, it's not looking very promising...

Everyone is tired and in bed.  Micah under protest and crying.  Last night he wouldn't sleep until I rocked him.  I gave him some Motrin tonight so hopefully he sleeps better.

Tomorrow Zach and I go see Miss B.  I don't know if I've mentioned it, but I just love our therapists (Miss B and Mark's Miss S.)  They are great ladies who do a wonderful job.  I will probably stop and vote on the way.

Now I need to go do the dishes.  The babysitter fed the kids since my conferences were over dinner time.  And when I got home everyone needed me...so they are still waiting for me.  Randy should be home before to long as well and I think he may be here for breakfast tomorrow....always nice!  :-)

And in the prayer department, continue to pray for:

1. John & Lynn K.  John's the one I mentioned last week who has colon cancer.
2. John M. & family.  John fell from 25+ feet last week and has a lot of trauma.
3. Tyler T. & family.  Tyler's a MOPS friend's son that I think I've mentioned.  He's 6 and has relapsed with his Leukemia.

First Day of School

Wednesday was the first day of school....

Kindergarten Graduation

Okay, well this was from a month ago...

Janae getting her diploma - my camera takes horrible photos inside the school gym.

Janae (back row, second from left) with her class.

I finally figured out a setting to take decent photos. Now if I can just remember until next time!

Random Information

1. I am currently reading "Sacred Marriage" by Gary Thomas. My recommendation - Excellent! One particularly interesting tidbit was when he wrote something along the lines of (I don't have the exact quote handy): "For a long time in my marriage I majored in the pluses and minuses of each of us....that is, my pluses and her minuses." What a good reminder to focus on the good in our mates (and friends and kids!) instead of the areas where they need work. After all, I'd much prefer them to focus on my pluses; I'm well aware of my minuses!
2. The weather was sunny and lovely today. Which led the kids to playing outside (wonderful!) which in turn led to sand tracked all over the nicely cleaned (thanks, Heidi!) floors....
3. Wednesday I need to take Josiah to the dentist. This appointment was to have been a couple of weeks ago but then he got sick. Anyway, it started out as an orthodontic check-up. Then he broke a tooth and lost a filling so it became a dental/ortho check-up. Now Autumn has a toothache so it's a Autumn Dental/Josiah Dental/Ortho check-up....I'm so thankful for the homeschooled young lady from church who can babysit for me!
4. MOPS is this week. I wonder what the chances are of us being well and able to go??? We missed last time because someone was sick.
5. Janae's new favorite thing to do during the boys' naps is "play tea". We get out a nice teapot (Kim, her favorite is the one you gave me many years ago) and a nice cup/saucer. We make a pot of tea. She pours, adds sugar, and drinks as often as she feels like it. Oh yes, we put it all on a plastic tray. If Autumn's home she likes to play too.
6. Josiah and Autumn are both working on posters for school this week. Josiah's is for his president's report (G.W.) and Autumn's is for a famous person from PA (Louisa May Alcott). I had no idea that L.M. Alcott was born in PA!
7. And another favorite blog - wvtreasures.blogspot.com. Her header photos are always so restful. I want to go camping in WV sometime....

2010

This photo I also found on Randy's camera. I think it's in May when Janae went to visit school....but I'm not sure. Perhaps it's from the fall.

Right here and now, the ground is quite white. We are supposed to get a couple of more inches Tuesday or so....but depending on how the storm shapes up it could be significantly more...or rain.

Tuesday

It is once again quite humid....I thought we were done with that. Cooler, certainly, but humid enough to feel quite sticky.

Last night we went to PTF (Parent-Teacher Fellowship) at the kids school. Nice to meet other parents and the teachers...specifically Josiah's who is new this year.

Yesterday we went for groceries and did a number of other errands along the way. I forgot how much fun conversations with 3-year-olds can be. We dropped off some tools Randy had borrowed from a mechanic. When we left, Zach asked "Does that man like you". I, at a loss for what to say since Yes seemed inappropriate and No seemed rude, said, "What do you think?" He responded, "I don't know." He did pretty well at the grocery store although the checkout area is always an issue as I'm managing both carts and he's trying to grab candy off the ends/sides. But we managed. And Matt made it the whole way through without crying this time. And Mark did not get into anything this time and spill it everywhere. Yes, it was a good trip all things considered!

Today's agenda is laundry since I did not do any yesterday.

Well, the kids should be getting up soon. I hear Mark, but since it is still dark and no one else is up, he hasn't come out yet.

First Day of School - 2010/2011