Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - It's October at Our Home

Well, I am still typing up my "Blog Awards" post... I have tried to get it done a 1/2 a dozen times, and have lost the post 4 times now, I think. I told Tamara probably 2 weeks ago that I had an award for her, and I still don't have it done. I'm sure she isn't worried about it right now, tho, because she is in the midst of the California Fires - so please pray for her, ok?

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

October... will it snow or rain or be in the 80's? Who knows... this is Indiana! Ok, so I know it will be getting cold enough to snow soon enough, but it is getting a lot colder here in northern Indiana. The animals don't mind yet - and neither do our Littles who still go out barefoot or in flip-flops (tho it was in the mid-50's). Amanda minded the cold, tho, when she went out this evening and took a picture of the pink landscape. The sun had gone down and was casting a pink color on everything outside - the freshly harvested corn fields, the still-green 100 year-old maple tree in the front yard, the sky, the outbuildings... It was strange.

The days are growing shorter too. Rachel feeds the chickens right before dusk and 2 weeks ago that meant feed them around 7:30. Now it means 6:30. I hate being on Daylight Savings time. During the summer, the sun stays out 'til 10pm, and now it's gone before 7.  Anyway, enough of my groaning, I suppose.

Amanda's 18th Birthday Party

Of course, October in our home means the countdown to Amanda's birthday.  We are all looking forward to this weekend, to  her 18th birthday party. She invited all of her blog friends, and a couple of families and our family will be here. We have been planning food and a bonfire, party decorations... cleaning... !!  I am not quite sure how I am feeling about her turning 18. Your child's birthday is always an exciting time, and sometimes a bit bittersweet. That's how it is with her turning 18. She and I have been discussing our relationship and her still being my little girl, but becoming a young woman of 18. How our relationship has changed but is still the same. How it will always change, and she will become a wife and then mother, and she will be released from my authority but not my love or (some of) my instruction. It is a strange thing. A strange feeling. A lovely relationship and a mystery to me. And, it may not happen for a few years, but I am reminded that I was married at 20 and had Amanda when I was 21. That is only 2 short years away for Amanda... and Jocelyn is just a year and a half behind her.

I am anxious for her to be a happy bride and joyful mother... and I am thrilled for her to stay here and be my adult daughter. So, I am treasuring these precious moments with her... good and bad - they are all good.

And, we get to meet Jill Novak this weekend too! Yay! She has been a friend now for ... gosh, it seems like years, but it has just been months. Jocelyn wrote for their last issue of The Girlhood Home Companion, and now I am going to be too (yay!). We met Eric and his dad last month, so it will be fun meeting Jill and their 2 younger daughters! This is an answer to prayer that they can come. PTL!

We have another friend coming who is a bit more local. She was a Creative Memories consultant last year, and her daughter blogs with the girls. I haven't seen her in awhile, so it will be fun for the girls to get to meet each other. My mom can't come, of course... she's in NM. My grandparent's will make it and so will our neighbor, Mr. Schenck, so there will be a good bunch of friends and family.

Amanda is doing an online virtual birthday party tomorrow with her blogger-homeschool friends, so that will be fun for her too. She has met a lot of good friends at Homeschoolblogger. She has grown up on HSB for the last year and a half, and I am glad there is such a place.

Homeschool

Speaking of October, I don't think I will ever totally get 'back into the swing of things' as far as a schedule. Ever since LucyLillie was born, we have been going with the flow, doing our workbooks and chores... just kinda' living life. I suppose it's a good thing that I am a fan of "Relationship Time" instead of "Clock Time". Our friend who was a misisonary to Cambodia always spoke of the "time" the Cambodian people lived on.. the time where it's ok to stop and help a friend get his cow unstuck from the mud or the time that you have to stop at a friend's home and eat dinner on your way to another friend's home. Time that you actually live rather than what has to totally control your life.

I am not talking about  wasting time and letting whatever happens happen. I am talking about having a plan, but a flexible one. A very flexible one. One that is scheduled enough to make sure our children are learning and doing school work, but flexible enough to allow for the learning that goes on 'outside the classroom', so to speak. That includes interruptions to our academic learning to teach and train in character... which is sometomes a big UGH.

Some days I feel like I all I am doing is character training. With a 10 year-old boy-about-to-be-a-young-man and a 4 year-old and a 2 year-old, with poor (haha) Hannie in-between, well, I feel somedays like all I do is correct and teach, correct and teach. Imagine that. Amanda and Jocelyn are working - literally working, it seems- on so many blogs, writing so many articles and blogposts. They have responsibilities that I don't think I would have even wanted when I was their ages. To their credit. Those things fill their days for the most part in addition to the daily home responsibilities. Rachel is still working her math, reading and writing, which makes up her english and spelling. She is my letter-writer. She loves it, and it suits her. And I am so waiting for my new printer to arrive. I have a bunch of stuff I want to copy for the kids!

Well, that is all for now. I have spent a bit here reading and catching up on your lives, so I hope you enjoyed catching up on ours!

blessings!

Jacque

Oh, I almost forgot - another cool thing came up - Amanda and I are going to be reading and moderating with/for the HSB Literary Club on Homeschoolblogger! I plan on it being really fun to do with Amanda. We are going to be reading the Lamplighter selection: Hedge of Thorns. Please consider joining us!

Friday, October 26, 2007 - Untitled Comment