Monday Misc.

1. A little blast from the past!

In cleaning out our son's closet, we found this little gem.  We purchased it a long while back to keep a certain little guy busy on our trip to the beach.  This time - I'm hooked on it!  I haven't been able to put it down!

 

2.  Second Sunday

This is a time that our extended family gathers for lunch.  It's usually a time for sunshine and silliness during the summer months -- but yesterday it rained.  I mean, it really rained!!  My dear hubby offered to grill.  First umbrella: too small.  Second umbrella: huge with a leak.  Third umbrella: just right.  This has the makings of a childrens' book!  Here's the ending: when it was time to eat lunch - he was DRENCHED!

Pouring rain.  Good sport!

3.  Up at 5:45a.m.

Despite my intentions to sleep in today (after 9 weeks of rising early to get the troops out the door to our day-camp jobs), I was up at 5:45 to make lunch for my dear hubby.  Once I was up and moving, that was it.  It is now 7:04, and I have found my way to the blogs.  I've gotten a lot of reading done in these early moments, while watching the sun come up.  Actually, today it's just sort of the CLOUDS that came up.  That's okay with me.  After 9 weeks of praying for sunny days, I'm ready to slow down with a few rainy ones!  (Hmmm, how interesting that my son -who growls at me if I wake him too early on a non-working day- is up at this hour!  Apparently his body is still on camp-time as well!)

4.  Groceries!

Apparently we need them.  Milk we have.  Cereal?  Not so much.  We squeaked by on Saturday's dinner, using leftover (uncooked) burgers I had frozen from a get-together last weekend.  Second Sunday lunch at my parents saved the day yesterday.  But today, we need toilet paper.  Honestly - that may be the real motivator.  Just sayin'.

5.  Truth

I am really missing the beach today.  This will be the second year that we've missed our vacation.  Last year, we were all saving up for the big 50th Anniversary trip.  This year, the whole schooling thing was too uncertain.  Since it was possible that our son would've been starting school this week, we knew we would not have time between camp and school to grab that beach vacation.  Next year, we'll know how to plan better.  In the meantime, it is cool enough to open windows and hear the birds, and that will have to do.

I hope that you enjoy your day.
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Write down your random thoughts and join in!

Transition

An update on our visit to the Principal's Office:  All went well.  We actually met with a Guidance Counselor, and the Principal poked her head in to chat for a few minutes.  Both ladies were so kind to us, and very positive and encouraging.  This was (truthfully) much more than I had hoped for after hearing the experiences of other parents trying to enroll their previously homeschooled children in school.  OH ME, of little faith!

Once again, I was humbled by how much God was willing to show me of himself, when I was too caught up in myself to have enough trust in him.  It is such a wonder that he doesn't completely give up on me.

And so, it seems, our son is ready to enter into the hallowed halls of high school.  We now will have to take back-to-school shopping seriously -- something we never did as homeschoolers.  Guess I'll have to get over that sick-to-my-stomach feeling when I see or hear the words "back-to-school."  Guess we'll actually have to shop before school starts.  (We are used to bringing up the rear, catching all of the back-to-school clearance items!)

Oh yes, things will definitely change around here.  There will be HOMEwork for goodness sake -- something that we never had to worry about as homeschoolers, since we were HOME all day!

For this year at least, I will have one foot in public school, and the other still at home.  Our daughter has not caught the "school bug" - and is happy to stay at home for another school year.  I fully expect her to change her tune after she observes her big brother this year.

We'll see.

Stay tuned.

Do you have a good

"homeschool to school"

transition story?

I'd love to hear about it!

The Principal's Office

Tomorrow, I am headed to the principal's office.  After years of homeschooling, we are enrolling our son in high school to complete his Junior and Senior years.  Homeschooling worked.  And then - not so much for this man-cub of ours.  He is a social animal (so to speak), and we agreed to agree that it was time.

Hard. To. Swallow.

Feels. Like. Failure.

I know it is not failure.  I know -- HURRAY for us, for figuring it out... that it was time.

I don't feel like "HURRAY" just yet.

Tomorrow, my husband and I will escort our man-cub to the principal's office for the very first time.  (May it be the last. Amen.)

Proof of residency required.  Proof of birth required - as if the man-cub's mere presence isn't enough.  Proof of studies studied required.

Also, I want to prove that we believe that this is the very best next step for our son.  That we want this to work (and work well) for him.  I want to prove that we are a good family, and that we love our children well, telling them every day, and often -- and that this is where we believe God would have our son at this point in time.

But perhaps more than anything, I want to prove that I can get through this meeting without throwing up.  Then, and only then will there be cause for celebration.

{I know -- sometimes HONESTY isn't pretty.}

Isaiah 40:31

And Then There Were Nine!

Only nine days left of camp.  We still have lots of fun stuff to look forward to.  The kids and I have been able to enjoy moments like this.  Only two girls at the Archery Range, and one of them was mine -- so I got a chance to get a lesson from - who else?  My son.  I learned archery back when dinosaurs roamed the earth - so this was a serious refresher course (like I vaguely remember seeing a bow before...)  He was very kind to me, and only said, "Oh my GOSH!!" a couple of times when I was being unbelievably dimwitted.  {But seriously, I'm lucky I didn't shoot myself in the face!}

Oh well, as we like to say around here, "Camp is for the camper!"  So, here's to enjoying the next nine days while making them the best days of the summer for each and every camper.  {No pressure!}