A Song.

Take me away on a Vespa on the windy road between country and suburb. It's not a long drive, but it's a sweet ride, and all I need to keep me sane.

I'm not complaining, but it's been a hard day. I've got a toddler and a teenage daughter. So pardon my shortfalls and lack of patience, but Vespa come take me away.

Birthdays

Birthdays are best when...

• a seven year old girl tries to wake up earlier than mom to suprise her with breakfast
• enormous cards filled with loving words are presented
• home-made gifts are given along with hugs and warm smiles
• strange birthday song traditions live on for yet another year
• lunch is eaten at a delicious italian restaurant...no kids...and it's pouring rain outside
• you know that this is the last year left in your 30's
• baby takes a nice, long nap.
  
  It was a good birthday.

Deep in the woods-- Lost.

On the way home from MN we spontaneously visited Cook Forest State Park. It gets almost as close as one can get to visiting "ancient" trees in North America. Very beautiful! This picture was taken while I was still enjoying myself. About 30 minutes later I had a melt down because we still hadn't found Roy and Benjamin -- who had hiked a little ahead of us and we weren't exactly sure which trail they went on.

We never did find them on the hike until we all met back up at the car. We ended up getting back from our MN trip about 4 hours off our schedule due to the mishap in the woods as well as some unexpected traffic on 80.
Ah, well.....It will make for a good story in a couple years.

Do you read this?

Should I re-surface this blog?
Been thinking about it. I enjoy reading the couple people who still blog the little things in their day and wonder if I should start this one up again.
Perhaps no one comes by to look anymore...being abandoned for quite some time now.

But, if by chance you see this and find my posts entertaining....let me know.

I call this: Dirt, Cookies, and Drool

Basically this is what Benjamin looks like most of the time. Why fight it? This picture was taken after we spent the morning at the Rose Gardens in Allentown. He loves flowers, but this day he loved the dirt more. It was much, much worse, but I think the little leftovers looks cute.

1.5 months left

I'm hitting the part of homeschooling where I struggle to go that last mile. Kindof like in a marathon -- there are a small, very small, few who are still striding galiantly toward the finish line. The largest group of the pack are walking and limping the last 3 miles. There are some who already quit due to injury or maybe poor training. Then there is the group that is plodding along simply concentrating on moving their feet to a rhythmic pattern...left, right, left right...focusing on just getting there. They are afraid that if they shift their speed by either slowing down or speeding up they will thwart any chance of making it.

I'm hoping I can end these last one and a half months with enthusiasm and creativity -- but I'll also be happy with the steady plodding....getting done what needs to get done. Today I am taking time to map out these last weeks and take some time to pray. I'm hoping that I end with the excitement of the beginning.

I don't homeschool because...

I don't homeschool because...

I'm hiding from the authorities.
I'm trying to keep my kids from learning as much as the public school kids.
I have a fear of other people's kids.
I'm a control freak.
I was picked on as a child.
I have genius kids who would be bored in any other setting.
I don't know what else to do with all my saintly qualities like "patience".