Days One Hundred and Twenty-One to One Hundred and Twenty-Six??

I can't keep up with this blog. It's running away from me lately. Honestly, it seems like every time I try to do something like this, in the end I feel like a failure. Ah well.

So...I'll keep taking pictures and trying to post them daily...key word here..."trying"....yep.

Things were tough last week. I'll summarize:

Sick kids, mom who's on the verge of sickness, job uncertainty for JJ, evening swimming lessons, a defiant middle child, running, running, running...lots of busyness....it really caught up to me. I doubted my own ability to homeschool the kids. Every day was one of those "Why am I doing this?" days. And that really wasn't even based on what they're accomplishing, honestly. It was just a really hard week full of doubt. I was a bit buried and overwhelmed. We still got things done, it was just HARD. And we didn't accomplish everything that I had hoped we'd accomplish. I threw out the check list.

That said, I really don't need a pep talk. I don't need a pat on the back. I just need to be...to be myself, to rely on God's grace, and to keep pressing on. There...I just took a deep breath. I feel much better. While there are certainly times that I need to stop and re-evalute my curriculum or take a look at other options, there are also weeks like this week, where, through the wisdom of others, I'm forced to stop and look at things as they are. The kids are growing, they're learning, and we're spending lots of time together, which is a big reason why I don't send them away for school right now.

When I step back and take a more balanced look at our week, it was a great success. On Monday, we had a long afternoon of playing.



On Tuesday, I got to hang out with two of my dear friends, Gary and Kathleen, who happen to be much older and wiser. We took a hike in the forest, took our time, took advantage of the sunshine. Dominic read the word "dog".



On Wednesday, another friend came over for the afternoon, a homeschooling mom who's becoming a good friend. We had a great time together. The boys and I made bagels and cinnamon rolls (okay...when I'm stressed, I bake!). We shared some baked goods with various friends. The house smelled lovely.



And...Thursday. I got to enjoy a belated birthday lunch with Gary and Kathleen. They brought some things to contribute to lunch, I shared my baked goods, and we had three hours of snacking and conversation. The boys got to play in the sunshine with Kathleen's son, Henry, who's soon to be thirteen (this is a very cool thing for younger boys who think thirteen-year olds are incredible). I actually got to spend two days in the space of my crazy week with these two dear friends. I realize what a young and inexperienced being I am and how much I have to learn. Aidan picked up one some cool teen phrases such as "right on" and "hit me up with some of that". He used this last phrase on Friday when I was serving some soup into bowls for lunch. With a quirky smile, he held out his bowl and said, "Hit me up with some of that, Mom." Sheesh.



And that leads us to Friday. Blessed Friday. We found a new use for my garlic press. Who needs Play-Doh Fun Factory? This one doesn't break! Simeon was at this for almost an hour. We read aloud a lot today and called it a day.



That was the week. Saturday flew by. 14 miles of running with my good friends, coffee, a little trip to the ER, which turned out to be nothing. I seriously thought I was dying...scary. Long story short: I had an abscess behind my ear, which I popped on my own on Friday after I couldn't get in to the doctor. Saturday, I started having pain down my neck and in my shoulder and around where the abscess was, it was red and hot. I had a minor infection and it was slowly spreading. Now I'm taking strong antibiotics which will completely wipe out my immune system (but kill that infection). No biggie. I was pleased to have a great doctor and very friendly pharmacist. That made my day. That evening, I got to be in my element outside of wife and mom and went to the OSU/Washington State Basketball game with JJ. A friend of mine gave us tickets...really good seats. Beavs lost, but it was a great time. After that we played cards into the night with the Yoders. Good times.