Weekly Wrap-Up

We had a short week this week since we spent Monday driving home from Myrtle Beach. I spent most of Tuesday just trying to get the kids motivated to do anything. It is always hard to readjust after a trip. T complained that he never gets a break from schoolwork, even though he just had a 5 day break. That kid would really love to be an unschooler, and he does read all the time. However he would end up being a 30 year old who couldn't add two numbers together. I know "real" unschoolers would argue that he would learn math when he needed it, but I don't function that way.

I am still trying to figure out a good formula for my weekly wrap-ups. I could go day by day, but when I tried that my week seems boring. I could try subject by subject, but again who wants to hear that we did pages 40-45 in our math workbook? I just need to remember the intention of this blog is to remind myself of the highlights and accomplishments of our school year. So here is our weekly recap:

T: T is back in a "mood" about not wanting to do his schoolwork. We really started off the year great so I am not sure what is happening. Math is always an issue, but he really is doing well with his studies. He just hates math and I am not sure what to do about it. He continues to love history and impressed me this week with some knowledge of Ancient Egyptian Gods. We also finally completed our Egyptian Pyramid and the kids really had fun with that. I am always grateful of his love of reading, specifically science and history. He does a lot of independent learning this way. I have really seen some glimpses of maturity this week in the way T speaks and thinks. That is always a fun thing. He will be turning 9 in January and is really becoming his own person.

M: Ahh M, my darling 6 year old girl. Or should I say, my Whining 6 year old girl, since that is all she did this week? It has been a week full of whining and tattling. I really need to spend some time with her working on these issues, but honestly I was too irritable to be very kind about it this week. I think this is where M needs the most work. Academically she is progressing. She is probably below grade level in a couple areas, but she has improved so much since the beginning of the year that I am confident she will catch-up quickly. This is great news because 2 months ago I was wondering if she had some kind of learning issue. We are finally seeing some real progress. The difference in her reading is amazing. She still tires easily and I need to break up most of her reading lessons into 2 parts, but she is actually READING!!

Mommy: I thought I might add a little of my own update each week also. I am always on the verge of a million goals, activities, or ideas. This week I have been in a "need to get organized" mood. I will admit that I am always on the search for a new way to organize myself and organize/encourage myself to clean. This is why I have about 4 different paper planners, plus 2 electronic ones. I am always searching for something to work for me. Actually my favorite system ever was my Palm T/X. This actually worked GREAT for me. But alas I ended up loosing it right before we moved to Florida. Two years later we found it in the hidden recesses of our couch. But, by that time, smartphones were all the rage and I just couldn't seem to make it work for me anymore. Now I have a Palm Pre which I like, but it does not run on the same software as my old Palm and, frankly, the old way was vastly superior. So I am back to the eternal search to become organized.

Family Friday: North Carolina

Last weekend we had planned an extended weekend get-a-way to visit my MIL in Myrtle Beach. This also coincided with DH and my 10th Wedding Anniversary. At the last minute we decided to leave a day early and travel first to North Carolina. We wanted to see the state we had previously only driven through and view some fall foliage. It ended up being 5 1/2 days with a lot of car time, but also a lot of fun.

We left Wednesday night with a goal of getting to Savannah. The whining started pretty soon after that. T's DVD player only lasted about 30 minutes and he somehow managed to loose all the games for the DS. We had the player, but nothing to play. He is lucky he has a nice sister who let him plug headphones into her player and share her movie. But after about 3 hours he was done in the car. The poor kid is not good at car trips. I feel for him because I was the same way. I was never able to fall asleep in the car which makes for a long trip. T rarely ever sleeps in the car either. M loves to ride in the car and we very seldom get any complaints. And candy usually takes care of any of her ills anyway.

So, back to our trip. We had to stop early on Wednesday so we spent a little longer in the car than anticipated on Thursday. We drove to Greensboro, NC and found a hotel after a short exploration of the city. This was our anniversary night so we looked for a nice place to have dinner. We lucked out and found a restaurant right next door called Daryl's Woodfire Grill. It was a very nice place and, from the talk surrounding us, I believe it had just reopened from renovations. The food was very good and we were delighted to have a pleasant, and delicious Anniversary dinner.

The next day we got up early and the kids enjoyed a free breakfast and some cartoon time while Jeff and I packed. Then we headed off to find coffee and explore the city. Greensboro has a very nice "greenway loop." There was a nice crispness in the air and, luckily, I had remembered to check the weather and we were all appropriately dressed. We had what I like to call the "Savannah incident" a few years back where we all showed up in shorts to a cold rainy weekend in Savannah. I was much better prepared this time. After a few hours of exploration we set off for Myrtle Beach and the next leg of our journey.

To Be Continued....

Weight Loss Wednesday

I recently decided to revisit my Body Bugg in an attempt to increase my exercise. This is the same unit that the contestants on The Biggest Loser use to gauge their "burn" or amount of activity needed to loose their desired weight. So far I have yet to hit my "burn." I am trying to figure out what exactly I need to do (besides run a marathon) to accomplish this. Last week, while on vacation, we visited a state park which involved a lot of walking, touring a historic building, and walking back and forth to the beach and restrooms. I was sure I would have hit my goal that day, but no.

I guess I need to step it up, but I am still having a hard time fitting in when and where to exercise. The treadmill still bores me to tears. I managed 15 minutes today, but that was all my brain could take. With the kids at home all day I just can't leave and take a long walk in the neighborhood. The kids whine too much to make taking them with me a possibility. Sure I could just endure the whining, but if you have ever tried to exercise with a kid hanging on you, you may understand how annoying this is. I remember when Maggie was a baby and Tyler was about 3, I used to try to do 20 minutes of a morning exercise show. I was never so angry in my entire life, and it was a yoga video! This was not exactly stress relief.

On a happy note, I had another NSV this week. I bought size 16 jeans! I really can't remember the last time I wore a size 16. I think possibly in college. I am officially in a smaller size than my wedding dress. Although, to be honest, I still "feel" like I weigh more than when I got married. Maybe that is because I am older and have more body aches and pains and less energy.

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 TV Shows That I Am Ashamed to Admit I Watch

Blatantly stealing from my friend Nathalie....

TV shows can be very stupid, well, a lot of times. But they're also entertaining, sometimes.

Here are the 10 shows that I actually enjoyed (i.e. was addicted to for a while) but I'm ashamed to admit it, usually (in no particular order)

1) The Girls Next Door - this is my most embarrasing show, but also the most enjoyable one 2) Breaking Bonaduce

3) Jon and Kate Plus 8

4) The Real World

5) Real World Road Rules Challenges

6) Britney and Kevin: Chaotic

7) Celebrity Fit Club

8) America's Next Top Model

9) Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood

10) Oprah

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday October 25, 2010

Outside my window... darkness and mosquitoes

I am thinking... that I have a lot of laundry to do

I am thankful for... the wonderful mini vacation we just returned from

From the learning rooms... Tyler had a rough week last week and failed to complete all his math assignments. I told him he would be required to work on math through our vacation until he was caught up on his assignments. I then failed to pack his math book thus making my child the happiest and luckiest 8 year old in Myrtle Beach.

From the kitchen... we stopped at Ruby Tuesdays for lunch where I ate a delicious turkey burger served by a less than enthusiastic waiter

I am wearing... white crop pants, brown shirt and bare feet

I am creating... a To Do list for my week

I am going... to do nothing tomorrow except for laundry and school work

I am reading... another book by Nancy Thayer that I can't remember the name of

I am hoping... for a good number on the scale this week and, also, that Target still has the Halloween costumes I need

I am hearing... the sound of multiple movies from different areas of the house

Around the house... my house looked surprisingly clean when we got home from vacation. I am trying to remember if I actually cleaned before we left or if our neighbors cleaned our house while we were gone.

One of my favorite things... My new IPOD!!!! Ok, remember last week when I posted that I would like to exercise but I lost my IPod and I get bored easily? Well, my AWESOME Husband bought me a new IPod for our anniversary! Isn't that crazy and wonderful? I feel very blessed to be married to such a kind man who, instead of complaining about my mistake in loosing something, chose to find a way to encourage and please his wife.

A few plans for the rest of the week... cleaning up and recovering from our trip, buying last minute Halloween costumes, planning the next two weeks of school

Here is picture I am sharing...

Our anniversary dinner at the beach

Weight Loss Wednesday

I must say I was fairly disappointed yesterday to step on the scale only to learn I had lost ZERO, NILL, NOTHING!!!! This has happened before, but I really stepped up my game last week. I really want to loose 10 lbs by mid November to reach an important goal. Last week I really concentrated on my water consumption and I started to exercise. I walked EVERY day. So, yes I was very disappointed with the results. Oh, I won't give up or backslide, but I can be pissed for a couple days, right?

I did have a small non-scale victory this week. Maybe it is more of an observation, but either way it is a success. I took my husband's car to get an oil change and decided to walk over to the adjoining strip mall rather than wait. That group of stors didn't have a place to get a drink so I walked across the parking lot to the McDonalds. Then I walked over to the next set of strip mall stores to check out Blockbuster. I did all this without giving the distance a second thought and, in my most unsupportive shoes. When I finally left Blockbuster and headed back toward the car shop I noticed the distance I had traveled. I realized that a year ago I would have been very reluctant to have walked that short path. I would have gauged the distance and, although it is not a huge distance, it would have overwhelmed me. It is hard to explain to a person of normal health and weight, but those extra pounds made each step an extra burden. And that became another double-edged sword. The extra physical difficulty of movement made the mental burden of exercising that much harder to overcome. But this week, even with my continual knee pain and extra pounds, I realized what a physical difference the 60+ lbs have made thus far. Now if I can just get over the boredom complex of the treadmill and find my IPOD I might actually make a habit of this exercise.

Playing Tag

Ok I'm in... Nathalie from A Pinch of Curiosity tagged me and I'm supposed to answer her 5 questions, tag other people and they have to answer my questions and then so on and so forth. I'm not sure how fun it will be Nathalie ;) but I will try. Just kidding... I don't mind answering the questions, it's the coming up with new ones that it the difficult part.

1) Are you an organ donor? Yes, but I told Jeff everything except the eyes. I'm not sure why I have the hangup since I want to be cremated.

2) What is the most frivolous thing you have ever bought? I'm not sure what the answer would be. I have made some impulse purchases of electronics, but I am not sure I would call them frivolous. The one thing that comes to mind is a really stupid purchase I made in college. It was one of the first purchases I ever made with my own brand new credit card. What was it?? A stuffed animal. It was not expensive, but it was certainly unnecessary. I guess I see this as the beginning of a lot of stupidity around credit cards and finances. I am glad those days are behind me and we no longer have credit card debt.

3) How many pairs of shoes do you own? Well I have only two pair that I wear on a regular basis. And I did just purge a bunch of my shoes, but I think I own about 14 pairs.

4) Have you ever "paid it forward" and how? Yes. DH and I have on occasion left an extra large tip to someone who "touched" us, not by good service but by their character or struggles. I have paid for the coffee of a person behind me in the drive-thru. We recently helped out a family member by gifting them a sum of money during a difficult time.

5) Free association: If I say "homeschool" to you, what are the first 3 things that come to your mind? Go! struggle, work, time (can you tell we are having a bad day?)

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Monday October 18, 2010

Outside my window... the birds chirping and the neighbors leaving for work/school

I am thinking... that I hope to beat Nathalie with my early morning post today :)

I am thankful for... that I am not trying to rush 2 kids out the door and to school

From the learning rooms... We finally completed our first Ancient History project. We made a stuffed animal mummy complete with a giant tomb and grave robbers. Today we are going to make a model pyramid.

From the kitchen... steak!! I crave steak on this weight loss plan so Jeff is going to buy me a nice juicy steak. YUM!

I am wearing... my pajamas since I just got up

I am creating... a packing list for our mini trip this weekend.

I am going... to the doctor and get x-rays on my knees. Then to the library and to get the oil changed in Jeff's car.

I am reading... a book by Nancy Thayer

I am hoping... that I lost more than 1 pound last week

I am hearing... silence! The kids are still asleep so I am enjoying a little solitute

Around the house... Jeff painted the roof of the playground yesterday. His garden is looking very nice. The weather is beautiful so we spent most of the day outside.

One of my favorite things... The Well Planned Day Homeschool planner. I didn't think I would like a traditional planner, but it is pretty and colorful and has lots of boxes and that make me happy. I do wish it included a place for Mom's "To Dos" for the week.

A few plans for the rest of the week... driving to Myrtle Beach at the end of the week to visit my MIL for the weekend.

Here is picture I am sharing...

T and his friend N

.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I am finding it harder than I thought to consistently blog and to be open and honest in my blogging. I don't mind telling strangers my issues, but I would rather not share them with people I know! LOL I know I am not the only one with these issues. My friend Nathalie has a blog I'm sure she regrets sharing with me ;) but also has hidden blogs. This blog is "hidden" in the sense that I have not shared it with my extended family. However since the original intention was a "diary" of sorts for myself then I guess I need to actually share with myself what is happening. And thus, weight loss Wednesdays is born....

Back in February 2010 my SIL started posting on Facebook about loosing weight. Then she posted about how my brother lost like 40 lbs in one month or something ridiculous like that. I finally decided that if I lost weight only 1/2 as fast as he did it would still be a huge success. I started The Program on March 15, 2010. I have now lost 62 lbs. People are FINALLY starting to notice and I am buying new clothes in regular sizes. It is all pretty exciting. I still have more weight to loose, but I have finally lost enough that it is really making a difference. It is pretty depressing when you loose 25 lbs and no one notices. It is tough to keep going sometimes, but right now I am happy and energetic and ready to go the distance.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY Tuesday October 12, 2010

Outside my window... hopefully the kids will be out there soon because they are being way to LOUD for me

I am thinking... about Ancient History

I am thankful for... for the clothes I just ordered from Old Navy that FIT and they aren't even plus size!!!!

From the learning rooms... slow, slow day. It is almost 4pm and we still haven't finished our school work. The kids are wrestling on the floor and avoiding their math.

From the kitchen... probably a Garden Burger for me and the lasagna roll-ups I should be making for the kids

I am wearing... one of my new sun dresses from Old Navy

I am creating... my food order for next month

I am going... to the park tomorrow and to Michaels. Maybe I will actually get some supplies to do one of these SOTW projects!

I am reading... Beloved by Toni Morrison, but not sure I will make it past the beginning.

I am hoping... to get these darn library books reserved so I can take it off my "To Do" list.

I am hearing... silence! Yeah the kids went outside. This is actually a big deal in our house because my kids always think it is too hot so now that the FL heat is lessening, maybe they will do this more often.

Around the house... I need to get laundry started and finish opening the windows

One of my favorite things... my new hair clip. My hair has not been this long for years and it is driving me nuts. Plus it keeps falling out. I am saving up to have my hair cut on our cruise so I have to deal with it temporarily. I have never worn a hair clip so often and I am loving it. I feel like a real professional housewife now. ROFL

A few plans for the rest of the week... Lego day at the library tomorrow and hopefully a few errands

Here is picture I am sharing...

This is Jeff and I after having lost a combined 100 lbs.

So my friend Nathalie reminded me I forgot to post yesterday. Sorry to all my many readers (LOL) :)

FOR TODAY Monday October 4, 2010

Outside my window... Wow what a beautiful day... opening my windows now

I am thinking... about buying a geography unit study

I am thankful for... for the wonderful family weekend we had and my loving husband

From the learning rooms... I am not sure why I am spending the morning looking at online curriculum, but I must have a purchase bug because things are looking pretty good

From the kitchen... honestly I have no idea. Now that Jeff has been eating his main meal at work, dinner time has been leftovers and frozen pasta for the kids and salads for me

I am wearing... ummm still in my PJs

I am creating... multiple lists of lists for no real reason

I am going... to a game day with our local homeschool group this afternoon (makes me miss our game days with Noah and Nathalie)

I am reading... nothing at the moment. I think my reading summer may be turning into a movie fall

I am hoping... some silly historical romance that is not good and I should really just give up on this author already

I am hearing... the kids messing around in the garage and yelling at the cat

Around the house... I need to get laundry started and finish opening the windows

One of my favorite things... my "new" pajamas They aren't really new but they were way too small pjs that I had in my closet forever and now they fit and are SOOO comfortable.

A few plans for the rest of the week... book mobile, game day, Daisy Scouts, Cub Scouts, and weekly date night (at home) with DH

Here is picture I am sharing...

My kids with their cousin at J's brother's wedding in July