tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54930879095138269462024-03-19T17:27:05.782-05:00Our Particular Harbour"My fantasy has always been to find that perfect laid-back town by the ocean...the kind of place where the locals are all legendary characters... where the air is always warm and the sea is crystal clear." -J. BuffettDanahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-18352605865771278022012-09-07T18:33:00.000-05:002012-09-07T18:41:55.195-05:00So here's what I tried this week...<br />
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So in order to try and make time for more 'tents, forts, and fun', I decided to approach planning our school day a bit differently. Instead of cramming an hour of work in before leaving for swimming (or whatever else I've scheduled The Crew for), I've left everything this week to wait until we've returned home, had our lunch, and digested our food for a bit. At this point, we head upstairs for two or three subjects and then take a 20 minute break (to be spent as The Crew pleases with the one caveat that it be 'sans tech'). We then repeat this process until all our work for the day is done. I have to say, the difference is <em>Uh-May-Zing</em>! Not only did the day go smoother, the work better, and the attention span lengthen, but The Crew seemed to like it better too! (<em>thank you, thank you...I'm here all week</em>.) All kidding aside, though our day of schooling lasts longer (typically until 4:30'ish), we all seem to be in a better mood, and I'm sold on making it our new 'normal'... whatever that is.<br />
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So I've been doing the above schedule now for two weeks... perhaps the longer school day is somehow connected to this lag? Anyway, I'm still in love with our new approach to school, and although the whole dinner/laundry/groceries/housekeeping thing is still a bit of a challenge, I can see a real difference in The Crew's energy levels and how they approach their schoolwork. They are much more relaxed and open to their lessons after having twenty minutes to burn the edge off the never ending supply of energy 7 year old boys each come equipped with. Of course, it wouldn't be 'Life' if there weren't a few hurdles still left to clear. Next week our HomeConnection courses begin, which will add an additional two (plus) hours to our daily schedule. I'm keeping an open mind... which for this Type A is a pretty big step! I'm sure it will all come together eventually... most likely right around the time we move across the country. Again, one. step. at. a. time.<br />
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Fair Winds! <br />
<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-54816946199278687662012-09-05T18:50:00.001-05:002012-09-05T18:54:19.615-05:00Time stops for no Mom...This past weekend, my husband and I logged several miles of running. Not in the way you would automatically assume. I'm not the type to enter 5k's or marathons (though I reserve the right to do so in the future). No, this was a weekend devoted to that childhood right of passage of 'learning to ride a bike'. As I jogged along behind my sons with one hand resting lightly on the seat of their bike, I remembered my own joy the day that I finally coasted down the driveway of my childhood home. I remember that feeling of triumph and pure joy, as I steered my pink Huffy (Thunder Rose... she was a beauty!) down and around the tight curve of our drive. It's a moment forever etched in my mind, and the look of pride that I saw in my mom's eyes as she obligingly watched me perform this new skill (over and over) is one that I've never forgotten.<br />
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More than once during this past weekend, I felt the tug of those memories and knew that I was in the midst of one of the most important moments that my boys will have from their childhood. I held my breath as I watched each of them wobble awkwardly for a moment and then I swear to you, my heart stopped in that space of time in which they each found their balance and pedaled away. All at once, I saw them as babies, taking their first hesitant steps... and at the same time, another image took shape. I saw them as young men sitting in a packed car and pulling away from our future home as they head out and into the world. My heart took a painful and awkward lurch as it started beating again, and then burst with pride as I was jolted back to the here and now... watching my boys ride like they had been doing it their whole lives. It was a weekend, and a memory that I will cherish always. Once again, I'm so grateful to the Lord for allowing me to experience the joy of being their mom.<br />
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Fair Winds...<br />
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-25978001142897576202012-08-20T19:00:00.001-05:002012-08-20T19:00:12.706-05:00The Universe is fed up.<br />I'm a 'Type A' person. This is a really just a nice way of saying "A person who can't relax...ever." I'm really guilty of this on several different levels, but the level that it seems to create the most problems in, is our homeschooling. I hop out of bed each morning, guzzle some coffee and BCAA's, hop into my workout session, spring into the shower, scream thru my 'get pretty' routine, and then land on the threshold of our homeschooling room as if it's the beach of Normandy. All I'm missing is a flag to plant and a battle cry... really, it's that bad. It's at this point that I'm usually under the gun to leave the house in t-minus 60 minutes and counting, so I launch The Crew straight into their lessons and away we go. I have to give them credit. They answer the call to arms, every. single. time. They do their best and settle right into their work. They move from item to item with the efficiency of a well-trained soldier... I should be thrilled. Except... (<em>yes, there's that word</em>) Except, that's not what I originally had envisioned or hoped our homeschooling experience would be. (<em>at all</em>) Something (<em>or Someone</em>) has to change, and I'll just state the obvious here and admit that it's not The Crew. <br />
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It seems The Universe agrees. In the last week, several... shall we call them hints? gentle nudges? swift kicks in the??? have presented themselves to me, and forced me to take notice of the situation I have created. First, I was perusing the homeschooling boards over at WellTrainedMind.com, and amid the normal chatter was a post about what a fellow homeschooling mom was hoping to accomplish this year. Thinking it might have a mountain to conquer that I had inadvertantly left off my own battle plan, I clicked on the topic and read her top ten list. <br />
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The first item was: "Build more tents & forts". <br />
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<em>Wait, what?</em> Tents and forts, tents and forts, I frantically flipped thru the pages of my "To Do" list (<em>don't judge</em>) and realized that not a single fort or tent had been scheduled. Item number two was just as shocking:<br />
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"Play More Games." <em> (uh-oh)</em><br />
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The list went on:<br />
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"More Read Alouds & Cuddle Time" <em>(dammit!)</em><br />
"Less Computer Time" <em>(now wait just a minute here... no Facebook?!)</em><br />
"Less Research of curriculum" <em>(but let me just look at this last math sample...)</em><br />
"More laughter and joy in the little things" <em>(hmm, what's that your saying? In a minute.. my sample is downloading)</em><br />
"More patience." <em>(Right, right... why is it taking so long to download this %^&*% thing!?!?)</em><br />
"Less focus on finishing and more focus on enjoying the process of learning." <em>(oh. Now that one stung a bit.)</em><br />
"Speak more encouragement"<strong> </strong><em>(I do this one! Excuse me while I do my happy dance...)</em><br />
"Enjoy this time... it is not going to last forever, you <em>NITWIT</em>!" <em>(okay, I added the nitwit part, but really it fits pretty perfectly.)</em><br />
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Soooo, I was feeling a bit down after reading that list. It stuck with me. To the point that I copied it down word for word <em>(oooo, look another list!)</em> and put it in our schoolroom as a gentle reminder in those moments that I feel I might be losing sight of the real goal. I even pinned it on our board and walked away feeling as if I had accomplished something... but not really sure what.<br />
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Fast forward a couple of days to me perusing Facebook (<em>I said don't judge</em>) and finding a "pin" from a wonderful friend of mine who is <strike>obsessed with</strike> active with Pinterest. She pinned a blog link among her daily pins. Normally her interests are more along the lines of baking or crafting, but occasionally she'll find some great parenting tips or sites that she passes along as well. This time she pinned a link to a blog called "Hands Free Mama", and the name caught my attention. So I clicked on the link, and that's when it happened... The Universe reached out, slapped me sideways, and said "WAKE UP!". Apparently a sign tacked onto my bulletin board was not enough for The Universe. <em>(In my opinion, The Universed might be a little "Type A" too...)</em><br />
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Rather than try and tell you about it, I really think it's best that you go check it out. Be prepared for a bit of a gut check while reading... I had more than one occur. Ultimately I hope to be more mindful of the people that I care about most in my life, and to start letting them know more often, and in more ways, and well just <em>more</em>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.handsfreemama.com/" target="_blank">www.handsfreemama.com</a><br />
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Fair Winds!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-15289730355245716732012-08-17T18:07:00.002-05:002012-08-17T18:07:49.422-05:00Grade 2, Week 2<br />It's been a busy week. Swim lessons are currently on summer schedule, which means four lessons in a week instead of two. I made the mistake of signing up for a 10 a.m. lesson, thinking that would give me plenty of time each morning. Obviously the lazy days of summer caused a sort of temporary amnesia about what one can accomplish before 10 a.m. We managed to make it, but were diverted on Monday by a doctor appointment for one of The Crew. I'm not quite sure, but it seems he may have inheirited my migraine issues. Last night he had what I would consider to be a full fledged migraine (light sensitivity and located on one side behind his eye), and I'm no longer willing to continue with the 'wait and see' approach of our current doctor. I have another appointment scheduled for next week in which I plan on asking for (<em>aka demanding</em>) a referral to a pediatric neourologist. Keep us in your thoughts!!<br />
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As for our school work, we managed to complete everything that I had scheduled, with the exception of our science experiment. I was out of eggs and didn't really want to add a trip to the store on top of everything else, so we skipped it. Other than that, everything went really well. Today, The Crew took their first math test of the year... each of them scoring perfect scores!! A second quiz in science (also perfect scores... thank you, thank you), and a full review of spelling before launching into AAS2 next week. This week in history, we finished up with Julius and Cleopatra (... ahhhh, amore!) and are getting ready to move into the middle ages soon. The boys are also currently reading a chapter a day from Encyclopedia Brown, have memorized their first poem of the year already, and worked on identifying action, state of being, and linking verbs in a sentence. We're still on target with about 3 hours/day of curriculum work and once their HC classes start in September, our days will be very busy. <br />
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I wanted this post to be a bit more personal this week, but I also wanted to get this up fo rthe week. Coming soon... My feelings on yet another impending military move.<br />
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Fair Winds!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-46973651879877693382012-08-10T18:09:00.001-05:002012-08-10T18:09:51.906-05:00First Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Our first week of second grade is officially 'in the books'! We managed to stay on track this week and put in five very solid days of work... I still can't quite believe it! Admittedly I took on a bit more than usual for our first week back. Normally I like to settle into our core subjects (math, reading, handwriting) for a week or two and then add in language arts, science, history, geography etc. as we get our groove back. This year I had scheduled swim lessons for The Crew and unwittingly signed them up for the M,T,W,Th morning lessons. This meant we needed to be out of the house and on our way to the pool by 10:15 a.m. Each. Morning. This. Week. <em>Have I mentioned how brilliant of a scheduler I am??</em><br />
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So I dove (<em>ha ha</em>) right back into our pre-summer schedule of getting up bright and early at 6 a.m (<em>for my <strike>sanity</strike> workout</em>), getting myself showered, rousing The Crew for breakfast and getting dressed for the day, packing our swim bag, and then heading upstairs for a solid hour of school work from 9-10. After coming home, it was a half hour of free time before lunch, eat lunch, and head back upstairs to finish the rest of our work. Usually we were finished with our book work by 2pm. Then, because I buy into the whole sunshine and exercise thing, I made it a point to hustle us all out the door and to a nearby park for some playtime. About an hour of that and then we came back home for me to get dinner prepped and some housework done while The Crew had some quiet reading time (currently they're each reading a book from The Magic Treehouse series). After a quick review of what they'd read (usually in the form of a quick narration of the chapter) our school day is FINALLY complete! This week we averaged just shy of three hours/day for our bookwork, not including quiet reading, park time, swimming etc. I think that's right on par for second grade... Hurrah!!<br />
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All in all, I'm really pleased with the fact that our first week went so well <em>and </em> that it's done... I hope that by the time we move in the early part of 2013 that we'll have completed a solid 18 weeks of our school year... because I know we'll be taking an extended break during what will be The Crew's fifth? cross country move. <em>(Five moves in seven years... yup, I think they are officially military brats ;)</em><br />
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Fair Winds!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-3893124119002473992012-08-07T14:07:00.002-05:002012-08-07T14:07:56.806-05:00Hey You! Get Outta' My Way!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was browsing the internet yesterday, and I stumbled upon a fitness blog in which the author wrote about 'getting out of your own way' to obtain your goals. <br />
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<em>Confession #1:</em> My most current fascination/hobby is body building... I do what I can from home, but I know I'll never really hit my goals unless I go to a gym and sign on with a personal trainer. Currently with my other obsessions of photography (I have a small lifestyle photography business that I wish I could devote more of my time to) and homeschooling The Crew, it's hard to picture how I can possibly make it all happen. <br />
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<em>Confession #2:</em> I'm one of those people with a bucket list a mile long. Including but not limited to: competing in a fitness competition, writing/publishing a novel, making a real go of my photography business when we finally settle into our 'forever home', travel Europe etc. etc. etc. Sometimes the frustration I feel about the obstacles in my way are almost palpable. My other lifestyle choices (aka military life and homeschooling) seem to cause direct conflict with my other dreams. But do they really? Or is that just an excuse that I tell myself in order to make my lack of progress on my bucket list easier to deal with? Am I really just guilty of getting in my own way?<br />
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It's hard to imagine giving up one thing in order to accomplish another. I remind myself that life is full of 'seasons'. That there will come a time in which we aren't packing up and moving cross country on a regular basis. That homeschooling will be something I <em>did</em> rather than something I <em>do</em>. That these other dreams will have their time and that I just need to be patient. All good things come to those who wait, right?? Unfortunately, I have also had enough expereince with loss in my life to know that sometimes tomorrow doesn't come. That nothing, especially more time, is guaranteed. <br />
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<em>Confession #3:</em> I'm turning 40 next spring. There's no time like the present I guess... it looks like I'm going to need come up with a solution. Move over me, I'm coming thru!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-88630648075396233072012-08-06T17:46:00.003-05:002012-08-06T19:12:46.894-05:00The Crowd Goes Wild<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The proverbial bottle has smashed upon the hull of our school year. It's official. The first day of 2nd grade is now in the books. I started the day nice and early with a cup of coffee followed up by my daily routine of lifting heavy things and putting them back down. After I mopped myself off the floor and downed some breakfast, we headed upstairs and got down to business. We follow a bit of a routine with the order in which we do our core subjects. Math is always first. It takes the longest amount of time, the highest amount of concentration, and the most amount of patience to do it right... so it's where I like to start. Today was evaluation and review day. I thought The Crew would struggle a bit after such a long break, but yet again they remind me that they get their math skills from their father by blowing thru the evaluation test and completing their first lesson in record time.<br />
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<em>"The gold medal goes to... the Crew! Better luck next time disheveled woman with damp hair!"</em> <br />
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So on to language arts (grammar, narration, spelling, phonics, & copywork), and reading before it was time to suit up for the boys' morning swim lessons at city pool. We actually left the house on time without the usual chaos... <br />
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<em>"A nice recovery from the woman in black who still looks a bit out of sorts, but who has managed to tame her somewhat questionable hairstyle with multiple headbands and clips!"</em> <br />
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The boys did great with their new swim instructors and swam the entire lesson in the deep end of the pool while practicing various stroke techniques... better watch it Mr. Phelps. We've got our eye some of that gold hardware you're so partial to! <br />
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Then it was back home for the rest of our reading, have some lunch, a bit of free time, and finally to head back upstairs to finish out our core subjects. First, how 'bout a little review of ancient civilizations, hmmm? What, it's only starting from 10,000 years ago (give or take a century or two)... no problem! Once that was complete we broke the seal on our new science curriculum by talking a bit about the planet Earth, it's layers, the atmosphere, etc. The boys each wrote out a quick review of the lesson in their student workbooks, cut out a planet earth diagram and colored it's different sections. We then hit our U.S. Fun Facts workbook and spent some time focusing on Fairbanks, Alaska and the Northern Lights as well as the interesting days and nights they experience thru the year. After a little personal reading time we were done for the day... So off we went to the local Fro-Yo for a celebratory treat for a day well done!<br />
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<em>"And the crowd goes wild! The frantic woman with hair issues nails her routine! Noone saw this coming! A perfect first day... the crowd is going wild!....She did it! She did it! She did it!!!!"</em><br />
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1 down, 179 to go.<br />
<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-22644225128397858652012-08-05T22:35:00.000-05:002012-08-05T22:35:54.576-05:00Do you have a goal?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I often think of that line from the movie Pretty Woman... "Do you have a goal? 'Cause you need to have a goal... You just can't turn tricks forever." If you look past the fact that this is a conversation happening between two hookers, it's actually always struck me as pretty good advice. You gotta have a goal. Something to work toward when you're somewhere in the middle and you start to lose sight of why you started whatever you're doing in the first place. Tomorrow we start our second grade year. I thought it might be a nice time to write out some personal goals for the upcoming school year. So that when I'm in the midst of the craziness, I can look back and remember what it is that I'm doing it all for. This year is bound to be full of challenges... The biggest being a scheduled cross-country move just after the new year. Already I can see all sorts of challenges that we're going to have to overcome due to this. I need a goal. A light thru the fog. Something to aim for... so here we go.<br />
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1) Keep my focus on what really matters... it is not really necessary for my seven year old children to dissect a pigs heart. If it fits into the schedule, fine. If it's going to make me crazy to get them to the dissection, then I really need to give it a big ol' pass. Keep focus on what's important. Besides, they'll have plenty of time for that pig heart later!<br />
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2) Learn to say no (and not rake myself over the coals for having said it!). This is a big one. I tend to over commit myself, and then end up stressing out over keeping that commitment. The key to doing everything well, is to not try and do everything!<br />
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3) Enjoy the small moments. I'm pretty good at this, but it's still a nice goal to have :)<br />
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4) Stop making lists. They'll make you crazy.<br />
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Fair Winds!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-11696035159842183442012-08-03T14:42:00.002-05:002012-08-03T14:42:46.696-05:00The path less travelled...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was a beautiful day. We played. We learned. We enjoyed life. Maybe August has more to offer than I thought :) Cheers!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-21581250011570242042012-08-01T13:19:00.001-05:002012-08-01T13:19:38.216-05:00New habits? Today is August 1st. For some reason I have never been a fan of August. Despite the fact that we were married in August (14 years this month!), I have always viewed it as a pretty boring month. No major holidays to celebrate, and summer is starting to feel like a worn out flip flop. The grill has been fired up (repeatedly), s'mores have been toasted and consumed (even more repeatedly!), and the dog days of summer are upon us. Typically I start the school year after the first week... Mostly because I'm a bit of a Christmas freak and I love to take that time off from our official schedule and really immerse ourselves in enjoying the season of Christmas. So that in itself tends to give even more of a 'funs over!' vibe to this month. <br />
Each year I find myself taking a deep breath as the calendar flips over to August. I was in the midst of taking that deep breath this morning when it occured to me that it's really pretty ridiculous to give into this attitude each year. I think instead that I should flip my attitude about August...make peace with it, at the very least be civil to it! So I'm trying a new tactic. I'm going to try new things with the boys this month. Go out of my way to get off the beaten path... look for new things to do. New recipes to try for dinner. Try to enjoy the last days of summer rather than writing them off so quickly. Today I'm driving out of my way to go to a different park for the afternoon. Not exactly earth shattering, but I'm pretty guilty of heading out the door to the same park on nice days because it's so convenient. Well, convenient = boring. It's time to switch things up. See what adventures await... develop some new habits. I'll keep you posted!<br />
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Fair Winds Friends!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-25953200517618606582012-07-30T13:22:00.002-05:002012-07-30T13:22:37.985-05:00Enough said.I second guess my decision to homeschool all the time. There, I said it. I wonder if I'm enough. Not just in general, but across the board. Am I patient enough? Smart enough? Organized enough? Have I researched curriculums enough? Do I have enough planned? Enough language arts? Enough science? Enough history? Enough math? Enough reading? Do my boys get enough time with kids their age? Is swimming, tae kwon do, and soccer enough? Should I add more? Can I add more? When is enough... well, enough?<br />
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I struggle with all of this on a daily basis. I wonder why I should struggle with this. Why I've taken this all on. I'm not anti-public school. I actually had a really wonderful experience in school as a child. If my current situation were different, I believe I would have my children in public school. But, that's not the case. We're a military family. Since my boys were born, we've moved four times (with another scheduled in less than 6 months). I worry about consistency in their education. It's no secret that states vary in their public school success rates. We have lived in states with excellent reputations, and we have lived in states that are at the absolute bottom of the list. I don't want my boys to fall thru the cracks because of this. I don't want our current lifestyle to create gaps in their education. I want them to have, on some level, the consistency that I had as a child. I want them to have the best. I go around and around on each facet of my decision to homeschool on a weekly basis. I wonder, when I will convince myself that I am enough?<br />
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I do have glimpses of it. There are moments when all of my self-doubts are chased away... I see my boys reading a book together, playing with other children, and being confident in themselves. They are curious, intelligent, giving, charismatic, and generous little boys. And when they look at me, my heart knows that in their eyes I am not 'just' enough... I am everything they need. <br />
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And that is most definately enough.<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-79542427403835294232012-07-28T17:19:00.000-05:002012-07-28T17:29:33.958-05:00Take Two...So, that didn't work out quite the way I had hoped. I've come to this realization... When your husband is deployed, don't make any promises about doing ANYTHING! Especially blogging. Deployment was as stressful as one might think it would be. We kept very busy with our schoolwork, classes at HC, swimming, tae kwon do, and meeting up with friends. There were also moments of sadness as we said good-bye to two families that we had become quite close with, and of course spent several holidays feeling the absence of Daddy more keenly than average. I won't lie. The early winter months were hard, but we managed to pull ourselves through the end of May and FINALLY my husband's deployment ended in the early hours of the morning June 1st, 2012. Since then we have been enjoying our time together as a family. At the end of June we took a once in a lifetime family vacation on the Disney Fantasy to the eastern carribean (AMAZING!), and in July went camping for one night before being completely rained out (DISASTER!). We are now quickly approaching the end of another summer vacation while anticipating the start of the new school year ahead. The Crew will start their 2nd grade work on August 6, and while I have a bit of orgnanizing to do, most of the curriculum is prepared and ready to go! And of course, it just wouldn't be 'normal' if we didn't have a move scheduled to happen in the midst of everything... I'll know more soon, but it looks as if another cross-country move is on tap for sometime between November and January. <br />
With all of that being said, I've come to realize that I really would like to make this blog a more consistent part of my life. In the past I've treated it like something I was doing for others... friends, family etc. and while I'm more than happy to share my life with anyone whose interested, I also just really want to write this for myself. So that when I look up and my kiddos are grown, I'll have this 'journal' to look back on and remember the details... I may ramble more. The spelling and grammar may not be perfect. It might even bore you a bit. But it will be all me, all the time.<br />
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Fair Winds!<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-87574378726615265802012-01-07T15:49:00.000-06:002012-01-07T15:49:17.278-06:00Goodbyes and New Beginnings...<br />
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Big deeeep breath. Yes, it has been months since I last took time for a personal blog. It has been a whirlwind few months. So much has happened... Where to start? The beginning I suppose? The boys have been busy with the school work here at home as well as their classes at HomeConnection. We went into our holiday break on schedule having completed 17 solid weeks of home curriculum. We took a well deserved two week break for Christmas and the New Year and have completed our first week back (this last week) with our core subjects and HC classes. This week I plan to be up and running at 100% for our home subjects and press full steam ahead into springtime. <br />
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The two weeks we took for the holidays was well needed. My mom (aka 'Mimi') was here for a 10 day visit. She helped so much with making the holiday seem more of a celebration this year. For those who don't know, 'The Captain' has been deployed with his squadron (as of 12/1) and won't be home again until early next summer. Unfortunately, saying 'good-bye' to Daddy was not the only good-bye we were forced to say this December. Just a week after The Captain left for deployment we received the sad news that his father (Grandpa) had passed away unexpectedly. The news was a shock for everyone. We will miss him and his loving presence in our lives always. He was a truly devoted father and grandfather. His passing has only reiterated to me that there is no guarantee of a 'tomorrow'. That you need to hold on tight to today, and tell those that you love how important they are to you. That you need to slow down, take in the small moments of life, and be thankful for the time you have been given. <br />
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I don't often make resolutions at the new year anymore, but given the timing of his passing, I think it appropriate to make the commitment to be more aware of my life... to open my eyes to the amazing blessings that surround me daily... to hold onto memories and record them as they happen. I hope that this blog will be just one of the ways in which I can do this.<br />
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<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-67667743281564343012011-09-09T18:58:00.000-05:002011-09-09T19:23:34.848-05:00Our First Month of First Grade... At a glance!<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I can't believe we've already got a month in the bag! We've found our rhythm and next week begin our HomeConnection classes... The Crew is really looking forward to this, especially their Lego class where they'll build motorized Lego projects with a local science teacher. Personally, I'm more excited about the fact that it won't be happening on my dining room table! Those little pieces drive me nuts when I step on them!</span><br />
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Well, as promised, here's a quick 'sum up' of and 'stand out' moments for week four!<br />
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<strong>Phonics:</strong> We are so close to completing this curriculum! It's called Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading. I was drawn to it originally because a) I <em>AM</em> an ordinary parent and b) I <em>AM</em> interested in teaching my boys to read... <em>PERFECT</em>! I can't say enough about this particular phonics based program though. It's the reason that my boys are reading so well at the age of six. I remember starting this with them in Alabama in front of our little magnetic board/easel when they were four. That first day they looked at me like I was crazy... Most likely thinking, "Um, right. Of course A goes /a/ lady. We knew that when we were like TWO!" or maybe it was more like "Just humor her brother... maybe she'll go away and let us play if we say /a/ enough times." Either way, it worked. <em>I am Ordinary, hear me ROAR!!</em><br />
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<strong>Math:</strong> Check. Horizons is in a bit of a review phase for their first grade workbooks and thus far it's been a good review, but review none the less. The boys are whipping thru it each day and I'm sure that soon we'll have to slow down for new concepts, but for now? Zoooom baby!<br />
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<strong>Language Arts/Writing/Grammar/Spelling:</strong> I love how the four curriculum I use here are working in tandem with one another. This week we memorized a new poem, went over common nouns and proper nouns, identified each in a sentence as well as where to use commas, periods, and capital letters. We narrated stories, wrote out copy work sentences, had four spelling tests (10 words each test, so far a 100% average on accuracy!) and wrote our full names out from memory. It was a writing 'heavy' week, but we managed to get thru just fine! We also finished one of my all time favorites, "Charlotte's Web". We've been reading a chapter a night for the last four weeks and reviewing vocabulary from it the next day. <em>Full disclosure</em>: I cried when Charlotte died. Again. Age 38. Still crying. Embarrassing.<br />
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<strong>History:</strong> LOVED this week in history. We're talking Ancient Egyptians. Sumerians. Hieroglyphics. Cuneiform alphabet. Mummies. Pyramids. Wars between Pharaohs. Treasure. This is some exciting stuff people! BONUS: Major score on National Geographic doing a whole Egyptian discovery week! The boys now believe Egypt to be covered with gold treasure buried just beneath the sand. <em>( Note to self: Put passports under lock and key to hinder their escape.)</em><br />
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<strong>Readers:</strong> Go west young man and ride the Pony Express! We've been reading a pretty advanced story this week. I wasn't sure if I should turn it into a 'read aloud' or not, but the boys have not had much of a problem. The biggest thing that threw them off was the hyphen at the end of the sentence and the word 'wrapping' around. Other than that? Cowboys. Indians. Horses. What else does a boy need to be interested in a story?<br />
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<strong>Bonus material:</strong> We have had fun watching our Rivers Nile grow 'reeds' and we continue to flood them every few days. Not sure what to do with a pan full of dirt, stones, and grass... but for now, the delta floweth! Also, managed to find a reason to actually let Playdoh dry out. We've carved our names into our 'clay tablets' just as the Sumerians did and have set them out to dry. Thousands of years from now scientists will wonder how ancient Sumerians got their hands on Playdoh. <br />
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That's it for now... Fair Winds fellow travellers!<br />
<br />Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-64323391949331985802011-08-27T10:10:00.000-05:002011-08-27T10:10:08.603-05:00Crew Log: Week TwoThe Crew has another week of hitting the books, in the books! I'm really pleased so far with our curriculum choices for first grade... I was a little leary at the work load, but as usual the boys continue to be up for the challenge, and so we're forging ahead! We've settled into a nice rhythm and our workload seems to be about 2 1/2 solid hours/day. Once we start HomeConnection in September, that will bump our days to a solid 4 1/2-5 1/2 hours/day of school time. It's going to be a busy fall and winter, but the classes at HC are so great, I just couldn't help myself when signing up last spring!<br />
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This week we finished up the last few lessons of our K math program... I had hoped to get this done over summer break, but 'summer fever' proved to be too much to overcome (my own case being quite severe!) It has actually worked out well as a bit of 'review' before hitting our first grade material. The Crew retained much of their math facts over the summer, but as usual it was money problems (specifically adding various coins together i.e.: nickels, dimes, and quarters) that proved to be the most challenging. We've had a solid review and seem to be back on track! We look forward to cracking open our new workbooks next week!<br />
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I won't go into specifics of all our subjects this week, but one of the highlights of our day continues to be our history program. This week we focused on 'Early People' before farming and after farming came into play. The Crew really enjoyed the story of "The First Dog", filling in their map of The Fertile Crescent, discovering the first irrigation tool used for farming (a Shaduf!), and doing some Cave Painting of their own. Next week I believe the early egyptians make an appearance, and I know The Crew will love that as they are already fascinated by this bit of history!<br />
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As for the rest of the story... well, it's all there, but the specifics are not nearly as exciting as actively participating in the experience as it happens. I'm constantly amazed by these boys. They both have subjects they adore (and some that they are bit less enthused about) but they continue to rise to the challenges that learning new skills presents. I love that we can have this experience together as a family, and am thankful to get the chance to do so! <br />
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Until next week...<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/258/0AB59F5D79FED3E447BA592980FCC7A7.png" style="border: 0px currentColor !important;" /></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-87583430761251381722011-08-25T13:53:00.000-05:002011-08-25T13:53:19.872-05:00'Food' does not have to be a four letter word...but for a long time it was. As a child, food was my friend! I found joy in it! How could anyone have anything but a healthy relationship with such a fabulous friend? What I didn't know was that in those days 'food' was not my only friend... its buddies 'metabolism', 'activity', and 'parental guidance' were there working quietly but diligently in the background. And so as a result, we were never at odds... it was a balanced and healthy relationship. All was well.<br />
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Toward the end of highschool 'Life' came crashing onto the scene. That 'rude awakening' my Dad had always forewarned me about had come to pass. 'Illness', 'Anger', 'Fear', 'Divorce' and 'Death' all filed into the room... 'Life' it seemed, hung with a pretty tough crowd. The timing could not have been worse. In those days I felt pretty alone... and really, in a way I was. My family was gone, scattered to the wind after a series of devastating blows. My friends had all moved on and left for distant college campuses, and at the time 'The Captain' was being kept busy by Uncle Sam a few time zones away. Thank God for my old buddy 'Food'! It was there to help medicate me, and I was more than willing to hook up the IV and let the medicine flow! And so I gained the <strong>'College 15'</strong>, the <strong>'Stress 20'</strong>, and please let's not forget about the <strong>'Poor Me 50'</strong>! Suddenly the balance that I had was gone. Quickly my relationship with 'Food' soured. My friend had become my enemy! And so, like many women...my battle with food began. <br />
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I could go on and on about the details of this bloody campaign. Oh the horror of binge eating! The fruitless attempts at battling back the muffin top! The pantry FULL of 'fat free' treats...(because 'fat free' must certainly also apply to myself if I eat enough of them right?) I needed a reality check. I needed to clean house. I needed to unplug the IV of processed 'fat free' carbs I was flooding into my system and go back to the basics! And that is just what I have done. Gone back to the basics. <em>Eat Clean</em>. <em>Eat Whole</em>. I love the tip "If your Great-Grandma were to hold it in her hand... would she know what the hell to do with it?" Think about that. All the processed food we eat and the many forms that it takes on as it's shaped, extruded, or manipulated by a group of chemists who are well paid by 'Big Food Inc.' in a far off science lab...Great-Grandma would be one confused little old lady. <br />
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So we'll start there for now. My challenge to you is this: The next time you go shopping... shop like Great Grandma would have. You'll be amazed at what you do (& don't) bring home. Once you do that, we'll talk about the next challenge. Learning to love and actually crave Real Food! Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-8274303462534996522011-08-19T12:10:00.001-05:002011-08-19T12:11:01.469-05:00First Week of First Grade!The first week always throws me into a bit of a panic (and when I say 'always', I mean this year and last year I panicked... hardly the 'seasoned homeschool veteran' just yet!), and the few weeks leading up to this one were no different. <em>Did I pick the right curriculum? Did I forget anything major... like Math?? Can I juggle this load with the two hours a day of HC classes I've signed them up for? Will I ever wear clean clothes again??</em> And just like last year, once we found our rhythm and started our day, we were fine. So, for the curious out there, here is our week... for the most part :)<br />
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<strong>Math:</strong> We are continuing with Horizons this year. I like the 'spiral' approach and although the boys might not need quite so much repetition, I appreciate that the foundation is being set for their basic math skills to be rock solid. We did a bit of a 'review' this week of their K material and next week will officially start on their First Grade work. This week we covered counting by 2's, 5's, 10's, & 25's to 100, ordinal numbers, of course addition and subtraction from 1-100, days, weeks, months, seasons, currency problems using pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, half dollars, and of course dollars, bar graphs, tally marks, and story problems (to name a few...) Although this sounds like quite a laundry list, remember this was 'review' so it wasn't too difficult for The Crew to accomplish. In fact, I received quite a few <em>'this is so easy Mom' </em>comments. I'll try to up my game next week...careful what you wish for kiddos!<br />
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<strong>Phonics:</strong> We are more than 3/4's of the way thru with our phonics program, and although it would be easy to 'quit' since the boys are reading grade 3 & 4 material, I still feel it's important to finish the program so we don't stumble onto any knowledge gaps in the future. It was a solid week, and each lesson was finished quickly as it's not really a stretch for them at this point. This week we worked on the different emphasis' of syllables, the 'LE', 'ER endings and clapping out the vowel sounds in each word to count the syllables out. <br />
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<strong>Grammar:</strong> This is a new curriculum we're using called First Language Lessons and so far I'm quite pleased with it. We reviewed what a phonogram was and tested for each letter. The boys (due to their reading skills) passed thru this quickly. We memorized a poem thru the week and took turns reciting it to Dad last night. No fumbles, no stumbles. We learned about common nouns and proper nouns, and completed four entries into our narration journals. The Crew really digs the narration, and are doing well on this skill. Shouldn't surprise me with the amount of talking they do to one another...very descriptive little boys.<br />
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<strong>Handwriting:</strong> Working on our first grade workbooks and two sentences of copywork from either their narration or directly from the reader we're using daily. They grumble a bit by the end, but usually give their hand a good shake and wrap it up well. Letter stroke patterns were remembered well from the summer break which is a nice surprise for me. I thought I would have to spend a bit of time on that one, but not so much! Hurrah!<br />
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<strong>Reading:</strong> Our first reader this week was 'Clara and the Bookwagon' (level 2 reader). The Crew read two chapters a day out loud to me and then we discussed the story and entered their narration exercise into their journals. The second reader we are on now is 'A Long Journey' about swedish emigrants coming to America in the 1800's. (level 3 reader). <br />
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<strong>History/Geography:</strong> We started Story of the World and have focused on the Introduction of History and Archaeology this week. We also have managed one project, A Family History project where The Crew interviewed myself and The Captain on where we were born, our family etc. Today we finish up with an 'dig' in our back garden. I have a load of items buried in the dirt out back and sectioned off with twine and popsicle sticks. Plan on having our dig this afternoon when the fog burns off :) Looking forward to the rest of this program. I really love it! As for Geography, we have read our 'People Around the World' book each day and placed the countries it mentioned on the map as well as finding Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Norway on the map from our reading. I always learn a bit in our Geography lesson as well, so this is a fun one for me too.<br />
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For those of you that are concerned about the fine arts or phys. ed., fear not! When our HC classes start up, these subjects will be <em>more</em> than covered... and then some! I plan on posting some pics of our archaeological dig later and will update the post with them this weekend. Until then...<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/258/0AB59F5D79FED3E447BA592980FCC7A7.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-64031891930297797152011-08-16T13:12:00.001-05:002011-08-16T13:16:04.417-05:00My Fitness Obsession... Volume II am obsessed with p90x. It's embarassing really... I mean, a workout that's sold late at night on an informercial that seems to run on a never ending loop isn't really going to work, right? I may as well really check my self-respect at the door and order the 'Shake Weight' or 'Belly Burner' while I'm at it. Or honestly, let's just forego the whole fitness thing and order a complete set of the 'Pajama Jean' and call it a night! <br />
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Let me just give a little background here. Prior to moving to our little island I was religiously devoted to my local YMCA. I would drop The Crew off at childwatch and hop onto the nearest treadmill to bang out my standard 5k run in front of Matt Lauer and Company before ambling over to the dreaded weight training area (aka: Muscle Beach or Man Zone) to lift some 5 lb weights spastically in front of the mirror for a few minutes. By the time I was back home and showered I had used up at least two hours of my day and my kids had invariably brought home another case of 'snot nose' (or worse). <br />
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A few things started to happen at around this point in time. First, I had hit a major fitness plateau. I hadn't lost weight in months, and I although I could bang out a 5k routinely, I did not have that 'runners body' that I so coveted. Second, my children were becoming increasingly too old to hang in childwatch and have any level of fun. I could tell I was pushing the limits one day when I looked around while dropping them off and realized the only other children there were all in highchairs arranged in a tight semi-circle around a small t.v. that had Barney playing on a never ending loop. The Crew had this weary/resigned look on their faces and had started to ask on a regular basis how long my workouts were going to take. And finally, we had received orders and were going to be moving again soon. I didn't know what fitness options would be available to me here, but I did know that any childwatch scenario would pretty much play out in the same way... with the small possibility of a Baby Einstein video playing rather than Barney. <br />
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So I took a chance, swallowed my pride, and actually phoned the number flashing on the screen one late night. <em>Best. Decision. Ever.</em><br />
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Now lest you think I am trying to sell you something, let me assure you I am <em>NOT</em> in any way getting paid for this post. Fast forward a full year with nearly five rounds of P90x under my belt, I find myself increasingly being fielded questions like "What's your routine?" or "How do you stay motivated?" or "What <em>is</em> Clean Eating?" by other mom's who have become frustrated with their routines and/or are ready for a lifestyle change. I have not become a 'Beachbody Coach' (despite the multiple offers of other 'Coaches' trying to sign me up.) I'm really not interested in that. The <em>last</em> thing I need right now is another venture to take on. No, this has nothing to do with me making money and everything to do with me wanting to answer the questions that I find myself being asked by these Moms who are just as busy, just as tired, and just as in search of answers as I was. So I've decided to add a category here on my blog to answer any questions you might have and also to explain some of the choices I've made for myself in the last few years.<br />
For full disclosure I'm putting up my 'Before & After' pics. I wish I had some earlier shots of myself before starting on my fitness journey post-pregnancy, but like any self-respecting mother with baby weight to lose I managed to destroy all photographic evidence of my situation rather than put the damn donut down and start moving! Be kind... I am still a work in progress :)<br />
<br />
Some quick stats, as it may be hard to tell from the photos... I have lost 12 lbs. and gained quite a bit of muscle. First tip? Take measurements on Day 1, I wish I had! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEism5sKASrGsttA0Jwbe8Q1F5208QE872LQxcBCACPaRT4sGynfo7mVpG3z-afhuSJnR21mgOri2xoocGJeQFdyq8M-idoTI3526BCFa1Zx65RXNVfYHpmF63s_l3k1Dvf5fx1hW73KCMr9/s1600/Day+1Blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEism5sKASrGsttA0Jwbe8Q1F5208QE872LQxcBCACPaRT4sGynfo7mVpG3z-afhuSJnR21mgOri2xoocGJeQFdyq8M-idoTI3526BCFa1Zx65RXNVfYHpmF63s_l3k1Dvf5fx1hW73KCMr9/s320/Day+1Blog.jpg" width="223" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKemalk2xjhx6dR9r4SrYm4sVUjN02IZzqmPGwU9oP0HAadoPdlESnfIwKmw_3GjKTeQLVmNoUu2vkJgUlE_K6kVz1xM0buwyE85YHUUN4ML9AaEyiycHCc9i521hz9KHz_Y_FpxvrIE0V/s1600/blogRound4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKemalk2xjhx6dR9r4SrYm4sVUjN02IZzqmPGwU9oP0HAadoPdlESnfIwKmw_3GjKTeQLVmNoUu2vkJgUlE_K6kVz1xM0buwyE85YHUUN4ML9AaEyiycHCc9i521hz9KHz_Y_FpxvrIE0V/s320/blogRound4.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-10667896834063105262011-08-15T09:57:00.000-05:002011-08-15T09:57:43.018-05:00The stage is set...Although in our part of the world it doesn't seem as if summer has truly even started (less than a handful of days have topped out over 72 degrees here... <em>really</em>??), we're heading into our first grade studies here at home! Today we start with our new schedule (part of which you can see written out on the markerboard) and in a few weeks we'll start our enrichment programs at HomeConnection. I thought some of you might like to see what our learning room looks like... it's a work in progress!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q00KJOZ1Eh_5N0aycuwuOEWRx9yjWVM3bFwmzcAUiqmQUo3Lo8sEhiIB8W57wiENSQmENIw4WEMatLS_auYTtF0j2afyLMuxqQgTV7E2mmovtXstSppfxP5cUliYmy3Vx1TkLw1eElFH/s1600/DSC_0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Q00KJOZ1Eh_5N0aycuwuOEWRx9yjWVM3bFwmzcAUiqmQUo3Lo8sEhiIB8W57wiENSQmENIw4WEMatLS_auYTtF0j2afyLMuxqQgTV7E2mmovtXstSppfxP5cUliYmy3Vx1TkLw1eElFH/s320/DSC_0979.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Just one last shot of the boys playing one of their favorite games... They love the fact that all the different pieces have their own moves or "powers", and I love that they spend a few minutes "unplugged" in the day!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37ylxGoaDI1C4dG-wX7XsVoVFuFVg_EhuSGjOm0XLxBA5vQ-_f4mZd0RccH4Sef3P3sb-AKnqIgQJ7yhUk6Yc_7LUUn4tAaSMFAMckgpEMY-d0-t1URfVcqwwLMsxDyPiUC50B92iKDjm/s1600/DSC_0969.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh37ylxGoaDI1C4dG-wX7XsVoVFuFVg_EhuSGjOm0XLxBA5vQ-_f4mZd0RccH4Sef3P3sb-AKnqIgQJ7yhUk6Yc_7LUUn4tAaSMFAMckgpEMY-d0-t1URfVcqwwLMsxDyPiUC50B92iKDjm/s320/DSC_0969.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/258/0AB59F5D79FED3E447BA592980FCC7A7.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a><br />
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Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-73085465740295504612011-08-13T13:46:00.003-05:002011-08-13T13:52:54.882-05:00The tide has shifted... yet again.<span style="font-family: Georgia;"><em><strong>Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes. ~Henry David Thoreau</strong></em></span><br />
<br />
I have friends all over the world. Some are literally on other continents, and many more are several time zones away. I've met them all under differents circumstances and in different 'seasons' of my life. Some I have known since childhood, some I share hazy memories of college life with, others I met in the early child-free days of our military life, and even more I have met since having children. I love them all, and I do my best to try and keep touch over the distance with them... to maintain the connection that drew us together in the first place. I have to admit though, it's not the same. I miss spending time with each of them. I miss their laughs, their smiles, and their points of view. I want to share a cup of coffee or a glass of wine with them and talk about our children and our lives. I want to say "Come on over" when I hear they're having a rough day. I want to be <em>in </em>their lives and not just an observer. For me this is one of the hardest experiences of being a military spouse. To have so many friends, and yet to feel so alone at times. Today is one of those days. I met a woman just about 10 months ago. We forged an instant bond that took us both a bit by surprise. It was like I knew her the minute I met her and she in turn completely understood me as well. Today, she and her family leave the military and are heading to the east coast to begin their new lives in their new home. I miss her already. I know I'll be calling often and I hope that one day we'll be close enough to visit each other fairly easily... but somehow it just doesn't seem to be enough.<br />
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My friend, travel safe and may you always have<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/258/0AB59F5D79FED3E447BA592980FCC7A7.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-12115316901321090372011-08-11T17:08:00.004-05:002011-08-13T13:53:23.408-05:00The Tooth Fairy Cometh... Again!The Crew has started to lose their teeth. As you know, this is a common enough occurence aboard ship, but I assure you it has nothing to do with scurvy or a general lack of good hygiene and/or personal care. No, it seems that once again I'll be called into duty to attempt the impossible. My mission? To gain access (without detection) into my boys room (we'll call it <i>'the spider hole' </i>as it's booby trapped with various toys that either light up/emit loud explosions/talk at concert level decibels or a combination of all three.) in the dead of night ...If you know me, you know that this is a task that I've avoided at all costs since early on in their lives. I've never been the 'Snuggle Mom'... you know, the Mom who snuggles up next to their child cooing softly and stroking the hair of their precious angel until they drift off to dreamland? Ya, I found out early that twins... well they keep score...on <i>everything</i>. <br />
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"Mom! Will you stroke my hair <b>EXACTLY</b> like you stroked his?" "Mom! I want you to read me that <strong>EXACT</strong> same story and kiss me goodnight <b>EXACTLY</b> like you did him!" I long ago gave up those dreams I had about rocking my children to sleep... Nope. I was more the "toss 'em swaddled in the general direction of their crib and seal the door closed with a large stone" kind of Mom. On rare occasions I would be required to gain access to the room before morning, and so I became adept at the kind of stealth and evasive maneuvering skills that Seal Team 6 currently employs with such great success. I have to admit... its been awhile since I've had to use said skills, but recently I've found myself being called to duty once more. All thanks to a little legend called the "Tooth Fairy". It was just a few weeks ago that 'Operation Fairy' was initiated. As of this morning I was informed by my boy that Round II is imminent.<br />
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I'm going in later tonight... Pray for me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1u-z5B3UEFzBCVxCME-ryfZoq88xBDSg4KSybEFpxQTda7bFoKtuTB3I5ZLJRcVK80vVEOqz-FsZdc-eq15O49jxtqInGcpViWQvsZFaFTcrxsVgXpt4BTNh0Lm8gtk2O7wozrsVG0ij/s1600/OwensFirst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb1u-z5B3UEFzBCVxCME-ryfZoq88xBDSg4KSybEFpxQTda7bFoKtuTB3I5ZLJRcVK80vVEOqz-FsZdc-eq15O49jxtqInGcpViWQvsZFaFTcrxsVgXpt4BTNh0Lm8gtk2O7wozrsVG0ij/s400/OwensFirst.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/258/0AB59F5D79FED3E447BA592980FCC7A7.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-63101745293959748122011-08-10T21:20:00.000-05:002011-08-10T21:20:28.585-05:00Can I ask Why?This is the question that the majority of my friends ask most often after hearing that I homeschool The Crew. "Why?" and "Don't you want/need a break?" are often the first two questions that are lobbed my way followed by an incredulous "You couldn't pay me to do that!". Now, I understand where they're coming from... not only do I understand it, but often as I hear the 'big yellow bus' pull up to the corner <em>right outside our door </em>I find myself wondering "Why do I do this?". And as the bus rumbles to a stop and the neighborhood offspring start piling on, I will often slide into a daydream about what life must be like on the 'other side'. Just like my friends who have pre-conceived notions about how I'm ruining my kids for life by homeschooling them, I'm sure that I have grossly exaggerated fantasies about the amount of spa time, mani & pedi's, and massages that I could be fitting into my non-homeschooling schedule ( it is a <em>daydream</em> after all!) By the time the sound of squealing hydraulics rouse me from my thoughts of sliced cucumbers, I've usually put aside the idea of a 'brick and mortar' education for the millionth time (give or take). And once the sound of gears grinding down the street has faded, I'm once again recommited to the path we've chosen. a) because I really don't have the time to be staring slack jawed out my kitchen window and b) because I know deep down that I couldn't do it. The reasons for b) are varied and quite numerous, but ultimately it comes down to the fact that what we're doing works for us. The Crew is thriving. They are far beyond where they need to be for entering first grade. In several subjects they are well into second and third grade work (<em>shameless brag</em>!). They have friends. Alot of friends. They are not shy. They are not awkward. And I haven't ruined them...yet. Ultimately in the end I think we all have to do what we feel is in the best interest of our families. What is for you, may not be for me. What is for me, may not be for you. Neither of us is right, and neither of us is wrong. We're just choosing different paths. <br />
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I wish you luck on the course you've charted... and I hope you'll do the same for us!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/256/DBDEDBC04A073ECB74E64C2A1D61AD41.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-54947026407264490952011-08-09T16:20:00.003-05:002011-08-10T21:20:50.682-05:00The tide brings in... over a year worth of bottles?<span style="font-family: inherit;">what's this? a post? could it be this long abandoned little blog is coming back to life? it's true!! our little band of weary sailors has crossed the country in yet another move (over a year ago already!) and our adventures have continued on as well! so why, you may ask, why come back to this little blog? Well, there is just so much to share with you, and tho' I have a brand new biz ( visit me @ </span><a href="http://www.bjorkphoto.com/"><span style="font-family: inherit;">www.bjorkphoto.com</span></a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> ) and tho' I have a lovely little blog associated with said 'biz', I find that there is so much more of our lives that I want to share with my friends and family that *ahem* may or may not be quite appropriate to share with my clientele. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So if you are here, it is because you are interested in not only my <em>AMAZING</em> photographic talents, but also because you are interested in our lives... our adventures... and our experiences as an active duty military/homeschooling family. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to the chaos...but don't forget to take your shoes off before coming aboard!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/256/DBDEDBC04A073ECB74E64C2A1D61AD41.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-14048587172192312722009-09-22T10:20:00.004-05:002011-08-10T21:21:11.503-05:00A new bottle bobs among the waves….<span style="font-family: inherit;">Sand castles, seashells, strawberry fields, first roller coaster rides, tire swings, firecrackers, flip flops, sunblock, ice cream cones, moving vans, bubble wrap, sad good-byes, hopeful greetings, green swimming pools with frogs, playgrounds, zoo trips, s’mores, glow sticks, campfires, leaf collections and the sound of rain on our tent. These memories (and so many more) I will cherish when I look back at the Summer of ‘09. As I toss yet another bottle out into the swirling currents of our wake, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on my life and how rich it has become. I am so thankful everyday for my loved ones and the joy they bring to my life. It’s been a great summer… and now I turn toward the future with great anticipation. Fall arrives today at 5:18pm EST, and on the horizon I can catch glimpses of all the wonderful memories that have yet to be made. My favorite time of the year is upon us… Let the fun begin!</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/256/DBDEDBC04A073ECB74E64C2A1D61AD41.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5493087909513826946.post-48333948419441489462009-09-07T20:57:00.004-05:002011-08-10T21:21:26.924-05:00She put the "labor" in Labor Day….<span style="font-family: inherit;">“You’ve got this… You’ve got this… You’ve GOT to GET this!” I muttered to myself as I stood amidst a field of camping paraphenalia that I had hauled from our perfectly good, <em>air conditioned</em> home a few hours before. In a moment that I can only describe as INSANITY, I had assured my husband that it would be “no problem” to set out early on Friday with two small children and a minivan of necessities to our campsite at Lake Martin while he finished up his classes and lectures. I would set up everything, play with the kids a while and see him in the late afternoon… no problem! Fast forward to the present where the sounds, smells, and creatures of the woods were surrounding me… indeed were very nearly <em>eating me alive </em>as I clenched the instructions to our eight man tent in my sweating hand and swatted the air with the other. Several indistinguishable nylon mounds were strewn about, along with a couple of dozen poles of various lengths. One could only assume that they were vital to the actual construction of said tent…. The crew sat on a nearby picnic table eyeing me dubiously as I threw what I hoped was a cheerful “Mommy will put the tent up, and then after that we’ll have fun, fun, FUN!” I cringed as I heard the desperation from the last word still hanging in the air, and threw a quick glance over my shoulder to see if I had fooled The Crew…. from the look of alarm on their faces, I could see that I had not. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two hours, four packs of fruit chews, two juice boxes, several coats of bug spray (12 hours protection my ass!), and one potential deal made with the Devil as he passed thru on his way to Georgia later, I stood back… scraped the sweat laden hair from my eyes, and admired my work. This small patch of Alabama dirt… had become <em>mine. </em>I had <em>conquered</em> the Alabama wilderness and built my family… well, maybe “home” was a stretch… but a definite zone..yes, "Zone of Comfort”! Channeling Tom Hanks from the movie “Castaway” I danced around thumping my chest and declaring to the emptiness “I… I have made SHELTER!” It was a heady moment to say the least. The Crew who had abandoned all hope and retired down by the lake to throw rocks, and most likely discuss their current chances of survival, came running back and immediately inquired “Are we having fun now?” Well, I know what our answer to that question is…. now you be the judge!! Happy Labor Day!</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54489/256/DBDEDBC04A073ECB74E64C2A1D61AD41.png" style="border: 0 !important; background: transparent;"/></a>Danahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13060367067929424415noreply@blogger.com0