Simple Woman

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Outside my window…

Erie Canal near Goodyear Park, Akron, OH

I am thinking…
about Calvin and his new position as a cadet with the City of Cleveland’s EMS department. He told me yesterday that by the end of his training, he will have to run a mile and a half.

Mr Pete and I replied in unison, “Your little sister can do that.”

To which Calvin replied, “I have to do it in under 12 minutes.”

To which Mr. Pete and I once more smugly replied, “Your little sister can do that too!”

But seriously he has to do a daunting obstacle course, do timed sit ups, push ups and running, and write 1000 word essays!  It just amazes me that Calvin ends up being so challenged at his attempts to pursue his career as a paramedic!

Calvin reffing a soccer game for us last weekend.

Oh and today, Rosie’s last race… she ran a mile and a half in 11 minutes 7 seconds according to her coach.

I am thankful…
that we made it through another CYO cross country season – although I always sort of mourn the end.  I miss taking the kids to practice and I miss being outside to walk.  I also miss all of the wonderful parents I meet every year at the meets and the practices – I think that’s what I miss the most.

In the kitchen…
Turkey breast tomorrow – chicken for dinner tonight!

I am wearing…
black pants and a white T-shirt.

I am creating…
an idea for an All Saints Day costume for Rosie – since that is only a month away! She will wear her medieval costume one more year since she is absolutely the perfect size for it and next year she will be too big!!  But for trick or treat she wants to be Penelope something or other – I’ll have to check that out.

I am going…
to keep walking while Noah still has practice and as Rosie prepares to run her first 5 K in a few weeks.

I am wondering…
if this is going to turn into an old lady blog- you know where I talk about all my aches and pains and medical stuff.  My mom used to talk about her medical things and I totally get it now – and feel kind of guilty that I didn’t like hearing about it then.

But this is the deal – getting older is a journey.  I’ve never been over 50 before and the things that happen to the body at that are age are different than what it was like at 20, 30 or even 40.  So it helps to sort of “put it out there” and see if any other folks are going through it or if something I write can help someone else who is going through it too.

I also think it’s sort of normal for kids not to want to hear about their parents’ medical litanies – because it is scary to think about your parents getting old and not being around forever.  I always wanted to think of my mom the way she was at around 35 to 40 and despite evidence to the contrary- I still can’t believe she’s not here sometimes. 

I’ll try to keep it to a minimum though.  I’m sort of in a big push now because it’s the end of the year and I’m trying to meet my deductible- and also because I would like to be all done with my medical stuff before another big event later this fall.

I am reading…

I am hoping…

• That I can be on good terms with all of my sons.
• That the young women my sons give their hearts to won’t break them. 
• That I have the strength to manage a homeschool group and a soccer league. 
• that all my children make good choices going forward.
• that I can get through the next few weeks of cross country and soccer.
• to start planning a costume for all saints day for Rosie. 
• that I can endure all of the things I am called to endure – through Christ who strengthens me. 

I am looking forward to…

• Noah’s first high school cross country championships.
• Rosie’s next cross country party next weekend that I am helping to organize.
• Going shooting and gun shopping with my oldest. 
• A new family member. 
• The end of season Cross Country pizza party- next weekend that another veteran mom and I help to organize. 

From the Learning Rooms

• American Literature short stories for Noah via Bob Jones Press
  
  

• Spelling program per Dr. Holinga for all three kids. 
• Instacert for History and start American History part 2 for Noah.  Also starting the American History course from For Such a Time as This.
• Noah finishing up Easy Grammar so we can start the Literature portion of For Such a Time as This.
• Runkle Geography for Izzy
• Apologia Science – Physical for Noah and  Izzy. Creation science Botany for Rosie
• Saxon math for all with math tutor for Noah.
• Starting the Pearl by Steinbeck with Izzy and Noah 



• Latin for Homeschoolers for Noah
• English from the Roots Up for Izzy.



•  Diane Craft reading program for Izzy.  Ms. Craft is coming to Ohio next month and I definitely want to ask her what the next step should be for Izzy’s improvement. 
• The Long Winter and Prairie Primer for Izzy.



• Pathway readers for Rosie and the Wand for Language arts.

for Rosie.

I am learning…
how to help myself heal and get back on track after the colonoscopy I had over a week ago. The secret is – drink lots of Chamomile tea, take one Align every day, Greek yogurt, and use the Proctofoam prescription along with the Anusol.  At least for me, with ulcers at the 22 cm range, that all seems to be helping.  Your mileage, as they say, may vary. 


I am pondering…
what I have never heard in any of the homeschooling conferences I have attended in the past 18 years – and that is when your kids get old enough to think and figure things out for themselves, their homeschool mom will be a target!  Yesterday my oldest son chastised me for not having him write more when he was homeschooled.  He has apparently completely forgotten the time he sat in the same spot, folded his little arms and told me clearly, “I won’t do it.”   

Homeschooling isn’t that much different than regular schooling in this regard – you can’t make a student learn if they don’t WANT to learn. I guess at least at home we have the ability to try to gear the education more towards the child, but even then, we will have things that we think they should learn and if they don’t want to learn it wholeheartedly- they just won’t. And frankly, I don’t think that’s on the teacher- that is on the student – who has free will even if s/he doesn’t have any common sense.


A favorite quote for today…
“What’s gotten in the way of education in the United States is a theory of social engineering that says there is ONE RIGHT WAY to proceed with growing up.”
― John Taylor Gatto, Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Education 

A few plans for the rest of the week:
To get back into homeschooling with the kids, especially little miss Rosie who missed out last week.




A photo I am sharing…

A cool picture because four of my six kids are in it!  Sam is reffing- Gabe, Noah and Izzy are playing!