Weekly Preview and Review

So, we went to church on Sunday AND Wednesday this past week. I don't even recall the last time we did that. We have not participated in Wednesday night church in a couple of years.

After church Sunday, we went out to eat at Cici's Pizza (buffet) with a couple of families. We stayed for a long time while the kids played and chatted.

Karate is going well; we started the regular session so we are now working on earning our yellow belts. This is the form we are learning, though we are doing more (MUCH more) than just this in class. (Just the first 45 seconds of the video shows the form. The rest is instructions.)

David was invited to attend an adult self-defense session at the karate studio on Saturday mornings which sounds intriguing. After a bit of persuasion, he decided to attend and see what it's about. Sounds like he liked it. Bob took him today since I wasn't feeling well. In future, I may go running while he's at class. There's a nice paved 1 mile loop just a mile up the road.

Let's see.... What else? Oh, the girls' NEW room is now half lilac, half bright green. That's the big room over the living room. We are moving the girls' stuff in there right now. Their old room is a COMPLETE PIT. Disgusting. The boys are helping clean it out and then they will paint their rooms this weekend.

Everyone is getting new beds. Eventually. And we are looking for some good used furniture for the living room - preferably two recliners and a coach.

I decided to teach a repeat of the essay class I taught last February and March. It will meet four Thursdays after karate, every other week. I have about 15 teens signed up for it. The proceeds from that will help pay for next year's curriculum. This starts on the 21st.

Sunday - Relax, church - where?

Monday - WORK 4 hrs, Lessons, Karate

Tuesday - WORK 4, Lessons (1/2 day), Homeschool Rollerskating, Soccer Practice (E), Movie Night?

Wednesday - WORK 4, Lessons, Youth Group/Church, Meeting for Co-op,

Thursday - WORK 4, Lessons, Karate, Soccer Practice (E)

Friday - WORK 4

Saturday - SOCCER GAMES (J&S), Book Club!
Sunday - Relax!, Church

I imagine that James and Suzy will also have soccer practice this week, but I have heard NOTHING from their coaches yet.

Tuesday is busy, so it's likely that the Movie Night won't happen. But the local theater is showing Sound of Music on the big screen for FREE. I'd hate to miss it!

Weekly Preview and Review

A Day Late and a Dollar Short

So here this is a day late. Or two, depending on how you are counting. But maybe you're not counting at all!

Actually I had the dollar. But I needed $4 since I was sending David up to the gas station for a gallon of milk. Since I went out TWICE and neither time remembered to get milk. So, I raided the stash of quarters and sent him out into the cold. Fresh air is good for him, right?

Saturday - Baby Shower & Thrift shopping
Sunday - Go to church, SOF planning meeting, and watch Downton Abbey
Monday - WORK 5 hrs, Lessons, Gymnastics
Tuesday - WORK 5, Lessons
Wednesday - WORK 5, Lessons
Thursday - WORK 5, Lessons
Friday - WORK 5, No Lessons, SCRAPBOOKING
Saturday - SCRAPBOOKING!

Everything is all back to normal - no Christmas decorations in my house. The lights are still up on the porch, but that's not my domain. I love getting it back to normal.

Last week I went to Bob's doctor appointment with him. I used to do this regularly, after his accident. But once he was able to drive, I didn't go anymore. Maybe I should though. He never seems to know what the doctor told him. So, this time I went and asked her to give him some dietary guidelines for his high blood pressure. She said, no more than 4000 mg of sodium a day. Try counting that yourself sometime. lol

The kids had art class on Wednesday and after I dropped them off, I hit the Christmas clearance at Rite Aid. Got some LED lights we'd been hoping for and a few other odds and ends. I always look for clearance wrapping paper that doesn't look Christmas-y. I scored a few rolls of that.

Friday was co-op, but my co-teacher (and good friend Darlene) was teaching this week so I didn't have to prepare anything. We are reading Mansfield Park and it is SO MUCH BETTER the second time reading it. I enjoyed it! The girls like reading Austen too, which is so gratifying! We are well underway in planning the Regency Ball.

Saturday, I went to a baby shower for a book club friend. Suzy and Emily went with me and some other friends were there, so that was a nice time. And I didn't eat any cake.

I have not eaten any sweets in a week! That's amazing. And I lost 5 lbs from my high on New Year's Day. ACK - that was a shocker on the scale, seeing the number so high! LOL I still need to lose 20 to get back to my lowest weight. I hope to get back into the exercise routine this week.

I got all my pictures printed out for scrapbooking - the year of 2007 should be all scrapped after this weekend. I am working on powerplanning it right now to make it smooth as silk! Emily is going along as a teen worker - she gets to scrap too and she is over the moon with excitement!

Re-visited a church on Sunday. The kids all like it. I'm not so sure. Bob is probably going to take a while to acclimate wherever we go.

David has made dinner - brats and rice, so I better go eat it! Suzy set the table and picked a veggie. Wonder what it is? And James and Emily get to clean up! LOL

Unintelligible?

So today, I was sitting in church listening to a young man play the piano and sing. I didn't realize he could play piano, so I was mildly amazed. The song wasn't particularly to my liking, but it was ok and he was doing well.

Then I heard the old guy behind me lean over to his seatmate and ask a question that nearly made me laugh aloud.

"Is he singing in ENGLISH??"

Church Harvest Party

I didn't get a good pic of James at the church party.

Activities and Announcements

Sounds as though we have a new pastor, actually not really all that new, though. The student ministries pastor submitted his candidacy for senior pastor and last Sunday was the vote. He's in like Flynn! He's young (late 20's), married with 4 kids, and on fire for the Lord! It's exciting!

One of my kids left a library book outside last night. In the pouring rain. Sigh.

Much cooler today, thankfully!

We signed up today for all our church activities - the kids are signed up for Sunday School classes. David will be doing youth group on Sunday evenings. Suzy, James, and Emily will be attending Pioneer Club on Wednesday nights while Bob and I attend Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsay).

I will be teaching 4th/5th grade Sunday School this year. I didn't teach last year because of work and actually we burned out on Sunday School about halfway through the year and didn't go at all in the spring. So, a fresh new start!

Other activities will be starting soon. The girls are in a new club called Keepers at Home, which will meet twice a month. Soccer practices will start this week for Suzy and next week for James. Games begin the first Saturday of September.

I am upset because of the soccer schedule. 7 of the 9 games for each child are at the same time. Because I am coaching Suzy's team, I won't be able to watch 7 of James' games. This is unacceptable to me. I've left a message communicating my displeasure. If they can't do anything about that, I'll have to resign from coaching. I hate to do that, but I didn't sign up to coach so that I could miss virtually ALL of my other child's games. Please pray that all works out.

David and I missed the soccer referee classes last week. Both were scheduled during our camping week, and I had planned to come back for the class. But I forgot until it was too late.

I have a couple things to do at night as well - things I haven't been able to do for the past year. Once a month on Monday night, our homeschool group has support meetings which I greatly missed. A friend and I are also starting back up our writing instruction meetings - this has to do with the writing curriculum we are using and we will meet once a month as well, also on Mondays.

Things are coming together! This week should see it all scheduled.

Pastor Leaving

Our pastor is resigning due to health reasons.

He is the third pastor we've had at our church since we started going there five years ago.

I'm not sure I can deal with yet one more pastoral search and transition.

But the kids are so connected there, especially David.

Whoa. Dusty.

Opened the computer case tonight. Whoa. Dusty. Yuck.

Wanted to see what RAM I had in there so I can get some more. Turns out I have one 512MB card in there. I was under the impression there were two 256MB cards, so this is good news. I can get one 512MB card instead of having to purchase TWO new cards to replace two dinky ones.

I have been avoiding writing all weekend.

I also avoided church again today. I just couldn't make myself go. Bob took the kids again today like he did last week. I listened to some praise music and started a Max Lucado Bible study on James that I've wanted to do for a long time now. I'll try again next week to go. I could go into my emotional state, but that would be incredibly awkward for me to write about and probably more than you ever wanted to know about me. If you feel inclined, you could pray for me.

Emily turns eleven this week! Amazing!

We will attend a creation science seminar this week also, if I can muster the energy to go there. The older kids have art class. The younger 3 have Pioneer Club. Bob has his men's group at church. We may go to a museum this week too, however things are starting to look too hectic for me!

Let's see - what else? Oh yeah - work. @@