We Are a Happy Family!

Mi Familia

December 2007

Being Different

You would think that by this point in my life (mid 40's) I would be used to being different. I should be comfortable in my own skin and let other people's perceptions and opinions of me roll off my back. I wish.

First, I am a member of a church that is at times accused of being a cult. And, because I am a member of this church there are many that would say that I am not a Christian. I don't drink, smoke, or shop on Sunday. I am different. Square peg, round hole.

Next, I homeschool. Not only am I viewed as being different from the majority of Christians, now I'm even different from most members of my own faith. Some of my most vocal critics have been people with whom I attend church. Purple square peg with green polka dots, round hole.

Then, I don't let my daughters attend sleepovers. What? Not do sleepovers?! If people questioned my normalcy before, they really do once this bit of parenting comes to light. Even within the homeschool community this is seen as being extreme. HAIRY purple square peg with green polka dots, round hole.

Can you tell that someone tried to guilt me into shaving my hair today? Thanks anyway, but I think I'll keep my hair...and my purple color with green polka dots....and my square shape.

Cough, Splutter, Choke!!!

"Forgive me, Father/Homeschool Principal, for I have sinned." I attended a small homeschool conference yesterday, and ... um ... well ..., I spent WAY too much $money$. Thank goodness it wasn't a big conference with numerous vendors or I might have spent even more. Eeek!

Now that I've confessed, I can say that I got some really cool stuff. I'm especially excited about Fix It! Grammar and Editing Made Easy with Classics by Pamela White. Four days a week you have students find and fix sentence errors in a cumulative story. Each story lasts an entire school year (33 weeks). This nonconsumable text is for approximately 5th grade through high school. And you know what made it an even better purchase? I used a $10 gift certificate/raffle prize to make it affordable. What a deal!

Fix It! Stories:

• Tom Sawyer
• Frog Prince, or Just Desserts
• The Little Mermaid
• The King and the Discommodious Pea
• Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
  

Farewell Odysseus

Farewell royal Odysseus, master mariner and soldier, son of Laertes. Yes, we have finished reading Homer's The Odyssey. Now on to Vergil's Aeneid.

Saturation Point

My schedule this past week:

• Monday - spent the evening at in-laws, went to the grocery store on the way home to buy a snack for the next day's activity.
  
• Tuesday - arranged rides and chauffeured preteen girls to church.
• Wednesday - babysat granddaughter in the evening at her home.
• Thursday - had the missionaries over for dinner.
• Friday - (aaah! stayed home)
• Saturday - chauffeured a group of older girls to church while DH chauffeured a younger group to a different church building at the same time, went grocery shopping before going to pick up younger group and bring them home.
• Sunday - church, the last two hours I spent "locked" in a room with 2-3 year olds. Sweet kids but I come home feeling fried every week.
  

Every item on my list is Good. But, I have a problem. All of these good things has left me feeling washed up, burned out, saturated!!! Personally I don't enjoy being this busy, but what could I have done differently? I don't know.

The older I get the more I realize....I am not in charge of my life. I just pretty much do whatever is planned for me by other people.