my mind is a swinging pendulum

We'll homeschool and I'll buy a ready to use curriculum. We'll homeschool and I'll piece together a curriculum. I'll re-do first grade. She'll have a good foundation when we start more difficult math and cursive in second grade. Plus, she'll be at the "real" academic level for her age since we put her in "early." I'll start with second grade because she could get bored if we re-do first. If we can pull her out now, I'll do first grade up until August and then start second. I want to do a classical education and have no problem with the christian-laced curriculum. The Baron doesn't want her whole education full of God. Nevermind that she is currently enrolled in Catholic school and we aren't Catholic. I'll leave her in private school. I'll pull her out now assuming I haven't signed a contract. I'll start next year.

On a less insane note, this was an exchange between the Baron and the big kid in the car a couple of days ago.

The big kid, playing with a tiny stuffed penguin: La, la, do, do... (general noise and happiness)

The Baron: Hey, big kid, how do you sPell penguin?

The big kid: You catch him, lift his wing and smell.

The Baroness and Baron look at each other, puzzled. They both realize at the same time she thinks he said sMell, not sPell. Not sure why I would have to bury my face in a penguin armpit to get an good sniff...

is it valentine's day yet?

This year, Valentine's Day will mark our 13th anniversary. Amazing.

Living in the south affords me the luxury of moving from pine trees and lights to red hearts and lace doilies with ease. There is no bitter cold or ice to remind me it's winter. As much as I love having my house decorated from floor to ceiling with green and red, I was tired of tiny bite-marks in the candles and broken ornaments. In the spirit of Christmas I allowed the girls to play, somewhat freely, with the decorations. Without a doubt, the broken-and-super-glued ornaments now out number the still-in-their-natural-state ornaments at our house.

I'm realizing we aren't the total losers we were just a few short months ago. We spent Christmas Eve with a nice couple and their kids. Last night, we had Wii fun night and leftovers at another couple's house. The wee one had a playmate just her size and the big kid fussed and fretted over their new baby. I had a neighborly conversation with the young couple across the street. I've made it my mission to get her involved in the command functions so she stays informed once the men-folk deploy.

I received two packages of books along with a nice, handwritten letter from New York, on Christmas Eve. A couple up the street had his mother, grandmother, and younger brother and sister visiting a few weeks ago. The Baron stopped and asked if they needed help mending their elaborate Christmas decorations after a big storm. He knew the husband from the last time he was on sea duty.

The visiting family were the only ones home and gladly took the Baron's help. They started chatting about this and that and stumbled onto the homeschooling topic. Turns out, the mother home schools this guys younger brother and sister (teenagers) in New York. Later that evening, at her request, the big kid and I stopped by to chat a bit. She was doing crafts with the couples young girls and the big kid joined in. This friendly woman took my name and address but I had no idea she'd be so generous.

Don't worry, I'm sure my life is still sufficiently blah that I can maintain this blog without any trouble. Be warned, though, I do have a glimmer of hope and my need to be thankful for the blessings in my life may shine through from time to time.