7-Quick takes

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1. So sorry to be so sparse in the blogging department – getting back into the swing of things with homeschooling and sports has been a bit unsettling. I usually homeschool through the summer, but with Noah running every morning (and me having to drive him there) school sort of fell by the wayside, and then I started feeling as if I really, really, REALLY needed the break! And now with all of the busyness of fall, I’m glad I took a break!  But that means I have to get used to schedules and routines again and somehow blogging just hasn’t fit comfortably back into it yet!

2.  Part of the problem is that for the next few weeks (mid October) I don’t have a weekend.  The weekends are full of cross country practices and meets, and soccer as well as weddings, baby showers, Sunday school and music for mass.  It’s just go, go, go.

I did manage to get in a nice break today for Friday although even that wasn’t a complete break as we still had the math tutor, the homeschool hike and reading in the morning.

3. I think I mentioned that Gabe doesn’t live here any more.   He moved out about two weeks ago and took the cat with him!  I wasn’t very happy about that at first, but there were certain benefits.  For example:

• When I wake up in the morning, all of the lamps are off.
• The air conditioner isn’t kept running all night.
• The pop, snack, or other food item I was hoping to have is now actually there!!
• The cat isn’t always bugging me to let him out or give him something to eat.

Still, I kind of miss them.  Both.

4.  My oldest son Calvin owns a hand gun.  He also has his concealed carry permit.  But Calvin finds “open carry,” which is perfectly legal in the state of Ohio, to be more comfortable.  So he has a locking holster and he wears his firearm as he goes about his business.  He had two interesting things happen to him recently.

While shopping at Walmart for groceries, a woman was following him around while talking to the police about him openly carrying a gun in the store.  She was saying things like, “He’s in the meat aisle.” “Now he’s getting vegetables.”  ” Is that legal?”  “What do you mean you’re not coming out!”  She apparently left him with a dirty look and a bit of frustration at not being able to get him in trouble for carrying his gun.

Calvin also took his girlfriend out to dinner and while they were dining, a man came up with the manager and insisted that he throw Calvin out for openly carrying his gun.  To which Calvin pointed out that he legally owned the weapon, it was not against the law, and that there were no signs prohibiting him from bringing the gun in.  Cal ended up finishing his meal and leaving a nice tip, but the man who complained about him left somewhat disgruntled.

5.  Because I am over 50, I am supposed to get a “screening colonoscopy.”  And I’ve sort of been putting it off because it’s uncomfortable and not the most pleasant of examinations.  Nonetheless, I screwed up my courage and called up the local gastroenterology practice to make an appointment.  The only time they had was for Tuesday, and so I took it.  I also had a pediatric appointment for Rosie and Noah and although I thought the timing  would be kind of tight, I was determined to try to get all three done.

But the pediatrician’s automated office called me Sunday night to confirm the kids appointments and I thought maybe it would be better to cancel and reschedule just in case my appointment took more time  So I cancelled.

Then Monday night, just as I was mentally ready to go to the GI office the next morning – they cancelled my exam because the doctor had an emergency.  So all of my doctor’s appointments for Tuesday were cancelled!

I’m rescheduled for this week and hoping to just be done with it!

6.  Izzy and I are reading The Long Winter (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
. 

There is an interesting part in there where Laura and her sister Carrie were preparing to go to the town school for the first time, and they were very apprehensive about it.  Ma Ingalls thought it was because they girls were afraid that they would not be able to keep up with their lessons because they had not been to school in a very long time.  But Laura was not afraid of that at all because she knew that her mother had been preparing her for school for a very long time.  And sure enough, neither Laura or Carrie had any trouble keeping up with their classmates!!

Isn’t that just like us homeschool moms though?  To always second guess ourselves and think that the peers of our children will be so far ahead of our own children?  It appears from this that homeschooling moms have had these types of thoughts for a long, long time!

7.Our homeschool soccer league has been in existence for 20 years.  We meet in a local city park every Saturday for eight weeks in the fall and eight weeks in the spring.  The league has a certain culture  and familiarity about it.  It was interesting to me that some of our newer families pointed out some things that long-time members have sort of just shrugged off.  For example one of the new dads called to complain to Mr. Pete that there are no Port-a-Potties.  And he’s right.  There aren’t.  Never have been and I doubt we could ever persuade the city to put one in.  I also doubt that the neighbors around the park would want one put in.  I’ve just always had my kids go to the bathroom at home, or we drive to the closest McDonalds, or even use the facilities at the church.  It just never occurred to me to complain to the previous leaders that there was no place to go to the bathroom.  I’m not criticizing – just making an observation.  It’s just interesting to me what newer families expect and what older families are willing to put up with.