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life{in}grace

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Garland, neighbors and my book giveaway winners…..

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There is a riveting discussion going on in my previous post so check it out…along with all the comments.  Our neighborhood progressive dinner was last night so I’ll show you some fun photos from that and announce the winners of my book giveaway.  But first, here’s a peek at my garland…….that I’m ‘froofin’ right up for the Nester’s garland party on Wednesday.  Get your ‘garland on’ and join us! (I sound like I’m doing a news segment—-now back to you Leigh Ann)
And here are my lovely neighbors—-those people whom I have the pleasure and privilege of sharing my life with….(and my dog and my kids and my baked goods, and my Christmas decorations that stay up until Feb 1st—I’m one of those)
And here’s the Tankini Squad—those neighbors who are home in the summer lying by the pool—-and no.. heavens no Leigh Ann, I will NOT be posting  swimsuit shots this summer—unless it’s my head photoshopped onto Jennifer Aniston’s body. So be thinking ahead of time who you’d like your head photoshopped onto. K?  (And as I scroll back through these pictures right before I post them, it occurs to me that I have a bit of  a 70’s flair going on—the wide leg trousers jeans, the shwanky blouse, the Farrah Fawcett  hair—–I think I could be the sidekick of Cousin Eddie or a young Burt Reynolds….I even have a little bit of a swagger).  Note to self: easy on the feathered bangs.

More fellowship……
and my dear very own guardian angel….Donna…..who has been my next door neighbor for the past 8 years and is now moving.  I’m still in stage 1 denial of her leaving….so when I’m able to speak of it like a normal adult, I’ll get back to you.
And the winners for my book giveaway (which took me forever to decide on–because I had to research all the books they recommended) are Denise, Meme, Musings from a Homeschooling Mom, Kelly, and Sheri.  I’ve made my Amazon order of your recommendations and can’t wait to start reading.  Email me your address—and when my books come in—I’ll mail them to you.  Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!  Hugs and love to all!

Buns and jumpers……and other perils of being home all day……

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I have a good reason for posting these pictures. I’ll tell you in a minute.

First let me say that one of the major roadblocks for me when I was deciding to homeschool was what I’d like to call the denim jumper road block. Or what I call the ‘buns and jumpers’ factor. I do not own a denim jumper and if I did, trust me, I would not wear it well. I envisioned that everyone who homeschools wears denim jumpers and tight librarian buns and grows their own wheat and takes vows against electronics and laughter and makeup; none of which I was willing to do. Imagine my surprise when , after reading a few hundred blogs, I realized that it takes all kinds.

And ex-doctor/ADD/obsessed with all things fashion and decorating/ moms like me have our little niche in the homeschooling world. I found that there are in fact plenty of fun-loving, hip, classical- book loving women who have journeyed out into the homeschooling wilderness with nothing but our dry erase boards, laptops, lip gloss, a lot of good books.

So when my 16 year old daughter commented on my ‘uniform’, it gave me pause.

First let me say that she often mistakes my closet for the dressing room of Target. She shops, she tries things on, she leaves things lying on the floor, and never brings the number back. So when she meandered in to ‘try on’ a few things and came out wearing part of my ‘uniform’, I was aghast. My uniform is not a denim jumper, but it is a pair of lounge pants from Victoria’s Secret; the boyfriend pants with the bedazzled ‘PINK’ on the rear. And a stretchy mock turtle neck and wooly warm sweater from Target. I often vary the color of the mock turtle. But the rest stays the same. I wash it, of course—maybe twice a week. But that is what I LIVE in people. Everyday, until I have to leave the house.

So when Caiti said to me, “You can’t wear these EVERYDAY!” I say,

“Ummmm…..Yes. Yes, I can. I can…… and I do. And this is the one thing in my closet that is off-limits. Take the Fry lace-up knee boots and the Rock ‘N Republic Jeans and the Micheal Stars t-shirt and what-have-you……but for the love of all things cozy and comfortable…….back away from the lounge pants.”
And when the girls and I go to ballet or to Hobby Lobby, I exchange the lounge pants for jeans but often leave the top ensemble in place. This present lounge wear addiction that I’m nurturing did not come about overnight. I didn’t purpose ahead in my mind that when I started homeschooling, I would forsake all cute clothes and resort to one pair of lounge pants as my official ‘uniform’. It just happened. I do make an effort to change out of the lounge pants for a short time in the evenings. So my poor husband can at least get glimpses of the fashion guru he once knew.

So I don’t judge anymore. I’ve lost every judging right there is. I wear a loose (fairly fun and fancy free) bun almost everyday and my own special ‘uniform’—–lounge pants with a limited variety of tops. My very own version of buns and jumpers.

So scroll back up to the top and see my bun and then take a gander at the top half of my uniform. There you have it. Maybe I’ve just given up. Or at least given in—-to comfort.

Please advise…… before I start selling all my clothes and boots on Ebay. Is this a phase? Am I just taking advantage of wearing lounge pants because I can. Will I grow weary of lookin’ like a lazy college student who doesn’t understand that PINK flannel PJ bottoms does not constitute proper outerwear? BTW, there is nothing more disappointing to any husband than to see a Victoria Secret bag that houses oversized lounge pants and a hoodie. Look on the bright side, it could be worse. It could be a matching track suit. I see a good new years resolution coming on here.

And if I seem a little over-dressed for church…..well, cut me a little slack. I’m making up for a weeks’ worth of lounge pants. If it’s any consolation, I’m still wearin’ plenty of makeup. And all manner of hair products. When that ceases, by all means, intervene.

My obsession with books……and a book giveaway

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I have a dangerous obsession with books.  C.S.Lewis once said that a person’s most frivolous outgoing expense every month should be his books…….I’m finding that very true in my little small town where NOTHING I ever want to check out is at the local library.  Is George McDonald really that obscure?  Shouldn’t every reputable library have Louisa May Alcott’s Eight Cousins and more than one copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin? They have every last book in the Goosebumps series.  Too bad I’m not into prepubescent slimy monster stories.   So Amazon and I are good friends.  This is one of my most recent purchases….a book about how to lead children in discussions about books.  It’s fascinating and should be on the shelves of every educator who plans to teach children the love of reading. 

This quote is my favorite:

What children read is important. The theory, still in vogue, that says that it doesn’t matter what your child reads as long as he or she reads something is just plain wrong. If anyone tries to convince you otherwise, don’t believe it. This notion springs from the assumption that kids need success–any success–to bolster their self-esteem, and if they have to struggle a little it might leave them feeling bad about themselves. Nothing could be more wrong-headed or insulting to children. Kids’ self-esteem comes from the same source as adults’ self-esteem: taking on something that seems hard at first and then doing better at it than you ever thought possible. Kids are hip; they know when they’re being dumbed down, and no child develops genuine self-esteem from being praised for something he or she didn’t work at.

As a  little help for the giveaway here’s the list of my latest Amazon order…. mostly for the kids

 The Phantom Tollbooth
 Babe: The Gallant Pig (Babe)
Atlantis: The Legend of a Lost City
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters 
 The Lutheran Book Of Prayer
 The Railway Children (Nesbit)
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
The Orchard Book of Roman Myths 
Lost Horizon
Eight Cousins
A Wrinkle in Time
Now what I want to know from you is:  What are you planning to read in 2009?  Do you have a list?  I want to know so I can maybe add it to the ever growing list of books I want to snuggle in with this winter.  And because I love you all so much I’m giving away a copy of the Lutheran prayer book to the person who leaves me a comment suggesting a book that piques my interest that I either haven’t read or have been wanting to read again.   I often post prayers from the Lutheran Prayer book and it is a wonderful resource for a christian of any denomination.  You could tell me about a great childrens’ book too….I’m always on the prowl.  To give you all a fair chance at picking my book,  my kids don’t read Goosebumps and I don’t ever read anything by Patricia Cornwell.  Now…..Ready, set, tell me what to read.

To further assist you, here’s what I’ve read so far this year:  Mere Christianity, The Great Divorce, Reflections on the Psalms, Reading Between the Lines, The Imitation of Christ, Charlotte Mason’s series on Homeschooling, The Well-Trained Mind, The Well-Educated Mind, The Pilgrims’ Progress, Uncharted, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Madame Bovary, Pride and Predjudice, Heart of Darkness, New Moon, Twilight, Amusing Ourselves to Death, The Book of Concord, Julius Ceasar, Emily Dickenson, History of the World, What’s So Amazing About Grace, The Defense Never Rests, A Generous Orthodoxy, The Mind of the Maker and probably 100 letters that Abigail Adams wrote to John and I can’t remember what else.
Addendum: you people are serious readers…..it’s gonna take me a day or two to sift through the titles……or order more Lutheran prayer books.

Typical Homeschool Day….a very detailed account…..consider yourself warned…..

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I took the new printer plunge……and love it already…..the Epson Artisan 800.  Now we can have school again.  Below is an hour by hour account of our day.  I read countless of these from different blogs in preparation for homeschooling  and LOVE to read them.  So post one if you homeschool.  And if you’ve been just dying to know what we do all day…..here goes…..

5:15a Arise and stumble to sink.  Take out bite plate (which has helped significantly with my bruxism—ie.grinding my teeth off—-at night,  the bite plate has me sleeping like a BABY and dreaming in color–dreams the same……still about missing a whole semester of classes and my teeth falling out)
5:15-5:30 Read the advent readings from the Treasury of Daily Prayer–by the fire.  The house is cold is the mornings.  We keep the thermostat low and dress warm.
5:30 Write a post for the day about my family’s obsession with Waffle House.
5:45  Scan around in blog world.  Find the first thing ev-er on the Nester’s site that I don’t want to make (the fur wreath) and marvel at how 327 people will leave comments on one post of Pioneer Woman.  Could she possibly read those?  Marvel at the advent post from Conversion Diary….and read some interesting stuff on the Phoenicians-–which I will teach the girls later today.
6:15 Emme wakes up from a bad dream.  She’s crying and says that “Scooter was about to fall off a cliff”…..to reassure me how scary this dream was, she says with somewhat of a snicker-cry “Daddy was even crying”.  That’s funny because they’ve always enjoyed asking Daddy if he likes Scooter.  He used to “Not really”, now he says “He’s alright”.   The dream was telling I think.
6:45 Snuggle with Emme, make coffee and listen to a wee bit of the news.  Chores will have to wait. 
7a The teens begin to arise.  Caiti has started the Twilight Series and asks me multiple questions about the 2nd and 3rd book.  She reminds me to ‘alter’ the renaissance dress she has to wear tomorrow night.  I commence the ‘altering’ which is good reminder to me why I don’t sew
7:20 Eat Raisin Bran which I’ve had every morning for the past 6 months.  That’s how I handle breakfast.  Find something semi healthy that I like and eat it for 6-9 months in a row.  Oatmeal was before Raisin Bran and bagels before that.  What should I switch to next? Fiber rules.
7:30 Kiss the teens goodbye and hand them cinnamon rolls as they leave. Fiber is of no consequence at their age.  The baby (6 yo) is now awake and Emme won’t let Scooter out of her clutches.  He will NOT fall off a cliff today.  Not on her watch.  They eat and get ready for ‘school’……which starts promptly…….whenever we finish breakfast and personal hygeine.  This personal hygeine means different things to different people.  Emme will insist on braids and her ‘skinny’ jeans while Elea will be in sweats and a headband.  Let’s not discuss me.
8a We decide to start with History today so we did a unit on the Phoenicians—a group of Semitic-speaking people who lived ~1500-1200 BC  along the coast of the Mediterranean and were famous for their ships and sailing, the alphabet and blown glass.  We made faux ‘stained-glass’ with crayon shavings and wrote using the Phoenician alphabet.  We listened to Vivaldi while we worked…..his piece called “Winter”.  It’s beautiful and my girls kept getting up to ballet around the room.
8:45 We tackled Grammar next using English for the Thoughful Child.  We practiced with initials and titles.  They got a kick out of writing the initials for a guy named Clives Staples Lewis.  And Miss Emaleigh Mae.
9:15 We practiced copywork today using the following poem that we are also memorizing.  The girls almost have it down….maybe a short video will be forthcoming.  The poem is as follows:
 A Chrismas Carol by G.K. Chesterton
 The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap
His hair was like a light
O Weary Weary were the world
But here is all aright.
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast
His hair was like a star
O stern and cunning are the kings
But here the true hearts are.
The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart
His hair was like a fire
O Weary Weary is the world
But here, the world’s desire.
The Christ-child stood at Mary’s knee
His hair was like a crown
And all the flowers looked up at Him
And all the stars looked down.
I found it in a great book of poetry and pieces for memory and dictation called “The Harp and Laurel Wreath”
9:35 Continue with Memory Period.  We are working on finishing Psalm 8 and will start Luke 2 (The Christmas passage) next.  We are also memorizing a history and bible catechism that we add 2-3 lines to every week.  We use Story of the World for history and Veritas for Bible.  This catechism is in lieu of a song…….I like the catechism style much betta!!  And finally we are memorizing Luther’s Short catechism which begins with the ten commandments.
9:45 Bible-We are studying God’s giving of the Ten Commandments to Moses.  We read Exodus 19 and 20 and completed a worksheet on the commandments.  Elea reminded me that the guy who stole my purse maybe didn’t know them.  Keen observation.
10a Short break in which I check a few more blogs,  strip the beds and commence the never ending pile of laundry.  I unload/reload the dishwasher and listen to a segment from Issues Etc on American Evangelicalism.
10:15 The girls were playing ‘vet’ with Scooter who is now begging to go outside—-mostly for a reprieve from the ‘vets’.  We now begin math.  Today we count to 400 by tens (we’re using Saxon BTW) and count odd numbers to 49.  We learn our 10’s multiplication facts using cheerios which the girls find fascinating and satisfying.   They complete their assignments while I read more from the Harp and Laurel Wreath book.  This book has some amazing stuff for memorizing….by far the best source I’ve found to date.
11a They both ask if we can have lunch yet and I talk them into finishing reading first.   Emme listens to The Tale of Despereaux while Elea read Knights Before Dawn to me.  We then switched and Elea listened to the audio book (and played with legos) while Emme read Mr. Popper’s Penguins to me. 
11:40 Lunch…..which is pathetic today.  I need to go to the store……but until then we’ll have……PB&J, fritos, apples, and a BIG COLD Diet Pepsi for me.  I could not possibly homeschool without it.  Don’t judge. I only had one today.  In a can.  Ice cold.  With a straw.
12:10 Check my email/blog and realize I’ve won a contest on this wonderful site.  I picked this and can’t wait to see it.  Thanks Carissa.  Visit Brown Eyed Fox.  You’ll love her artsy ways.
12:20 Switch out the laundry and make Elea’s bed.  Swiffer the living room and dining room and ponder making cream of asparagus soup for dinner. I’ll pick up the ingredients after my run today.  Macdaddy gets home early on Wednesdays!
12:40 Recite memory work again and do spelling.  I go shower and clean up while the girls finish their work.  Ahhhhhh.  What a wonderful 15 minutes.
1:15  The girls finish and decide they need a bath too.  They stay in til almost 2 and have prune hands and feet.  I continue cleaning and listening to good stuff on Issues. 
2p Macdaddy arrives.  We hug and kiss.  I decide to go for a run……Emme(8 yo) whines at how bored she is…..so I invite her along.  She does great!  I make it shorter than usual but the exercise feels good.
2:45 We stop at Ingles on our way home to pick up a few groceries including asparagus for our soup tonite. Emme begs me to buy white bread.  I am so weak.  She can’t wait to make ‘white bread sandwiches’……..thanks so much Grannie……for introducing my children to the 2 pounder and bologna.  I draw the line at bologna.
3p Make cream of asparagus soup and watch Survivor Man with the family.  
4p Read a little/blog a little/continue laundry.
Evening spent with family doing Advent readings, reading, playing memory game, blogging, and skipping my ballet class.  It’s cold out…….and I’m not feeling very ballerina-ish, if ya know what I mean.
Just reading this may make you want to jab sharp objects through your ear drums.  But you know what……I love my little hum-drum daily routine.  My little ones are at ages where they REALLY like me and love hanging out with me.  I’m gonna take full advantage.  It doesn’t last forever.  This was a pretty productive homeschooling day for us though unfortunately I didn’t get a whole lot done otherwise.  Some days, we skip grammar and  bake all day.  I guess it’s all about balance.  Tomorrow is sour dough bread day……so math facts could suffer.  Just sayin’.
 

My favorite song: Waffle House Do-Wop……

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Yesterday, we woke up to this…

…in East Tennessee when you wake up to this…….

the news declares that school is one-hour late……

when school is one hour late, we drive here…….
and these sleepy heads…..
order this……
and I show the kids this……

and tell them stories about when I was in medical school and my friends and I always studied for tests at Waffle House……and drank lots of coffee…….and played “Waffle-House Do-Wop” on the jukebox……and always.   ALWAYS.  paused to here this:

“Waffle on four……hashbrowns on two…scattered, covered,smothered……2 eggs over medium…toast on two.” 
usually shouted really loudly by someone with an accent like mine.
Waffle House is an icon in our family.  We love the waffles, the coffee, the music the atmosphere…….all of it.  My favorite experience was the time I went in and “Redneck Woman” was blaring on the jukebox and my waitress sang it REAL loud while trying to serve us our food.   It just doesn’t get any better than that.  There’s no better place to embrace  your southernness. Steve loves it too. It has universal appeal no matter where you’re from. Other songs of interest playing on the Waffle House CD:
 
‘I like what I See At the Waffle House’
‘Life is Like a Cup of Coffee’
‘Waffle House,  Thank You’
‘Why Would you Eat Your Grits Any Place Else’
‘Special Lady at the Waffle House’
I don’t make this stuff up. 

Printer woes………

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7 sure fire ways to decipher whether or not you need  a  new printer:
1. The printer that you got ‘free’ with your computer now ‘feeds’ the paper in crooked and causes a paper jam with EVERY try at printing. Despite this obvious fact, you try it no less than 37 times.  Crooked again……Hmmm, maybe if I just gingerly readjust the paper and try it again…..Hmmmmmm- how about if I turn the paper upside down, or get a new stack of paper all together…..or stare at it really hard…..or smack the top of it like a wayward coke machine….
Nope, still crooked.  
An hour later..
…maybe now it’s had time to rethink things…..
…..sigh…..
….still crooked.
2. You ask at least 10 moms and 1 ‘computerish-looking’ guy and they all commence with their ‘printer’ stories……about how once they show the first sign of incompetence,  you gotta get a new one…..’cause they’re never the same again.   Wow, you people are unforgiving. 
3.  You are stalled from RUNNING to Office Max by one mom/adminstrative assistant/user of printers person (Denise) who asks you if you gave it a good shake?. Apparently the last time hers went on the ‘blink’ it was a piece of popcorn.   Like the  good technical-computer-savvy person that you are……the first chance you get, you turn it upside down and give it a good shake.  This has sadly not fixed the ‘tick’ you’re printer seems to have either….and you could swear that you almost heard the thing ‘moan’ during the shake-down.
4.  You just bought 2 new sets of ink for the ‘affected’ printer.  Of course you need a new printer NOW.
5.  The only IT person you know has had 4 printers in the last 6 years.
6.  Your life as a homeschooling mom comes to a screeching halt without a printer.  Your two small children are sure that it can be fixed…..even if it takes a week or so.   It’ll be a sacrifice, but somehow, they’ll manage.
7.  You spend no less than 2 hours ‘tinkering’ with the blasted thing.  Now it makes a really sad screeching noise along with the crooked paper feed.  It was broken before…..it’s in agony now.
So tell me your printer stories…….reassure me that I need a new one…..and please, make recommendations.   I need to know I’m not alone……and what do ya think about the epson artisan 800……I know, I know…..it’s the one the Nester has.   But it’s on BIG sale at Office Max this week.
 
I know there’s gonna be the one lone person out there, whose closets are clean and who never touches her paper work more than once who says, “No, I’ve had the same printer for 10 years……and ya know as long as you service it regularly and change the ^%$^%$  often and don’t let your kids touch it and keep it in a dust free, well-ventilated environment,  I really don’t see why you should have trouble. ”  Go ahead, declare yourself.  I know your out there. Sue? Gina? LeighAnn?  Don’t be shy.
 *And  I’ve got ink….so,  if you have a Canon MP610 printer—let me know!*