And Down the Home Stretch

A tiny skosh of research revealed that I have not labelled a post with "home education" since 2016, which would the time-ish I started working part time for a local, small engineering company.

Aha!

Two years later, and I am teaching only one student for the first time in my twenty-two year teaching career. Two more years to go until I graduate from this school, barring unforseen circumstances.

It has been a kind of rough start of the new school year. The Principal, (remember Student, he is your pal), the School Board and I decided that our final student should be challenged in her math, which means using a new-to-us on-line curriculum. Student did not want a new curriculum. Student also does not enjoy any writing classes, though Student is required to take one every semester. Ahem. Teacher is not having fun either, as a result of Student not having fun. But who said school is supposed to be fun?

I do remember the days when some parts of school were fun -- the early days. . .though those fond memories have been santized of the stress created by all the littles who were too young to do school. . . But those seem like glory days now.

I digress.

I am confident that we all made the right choice and that Student will adjust to the math and the writing.

What I am noticing so far about having only one student is that the stress level and the amount of grading time are much less than I anticipated. For this I am incredibly thankful.

I mentioned that I had started working part-time in 2016. And such is still true. At present, I am also exploring the possibilities available for full-time jobs, with the goal of finding just the right fit for me. Sending out resumes and cover letters and completing applications is kind of exhausting, but it is a good use of my time right now.

I feel like I need to get some kind of further education or training in order to be more marketable, at least if I am going to find a job that truly fits my design. Another thing on my list of things I need to do.

If anyone has an suggestions or ideas with regard to home educating one student and/or finding just the right job, please, send them along.

Warm regards!


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Trim Healthy Mama Blast and Good Intentions

The scoop is that I decided to join the members site at TrimHealthyMama.com; I chose the three month membership, because I want to see if I will visit there enough and utilize the resources there enough for me to feel like I have spent that money wisely.  As of this day, about 12 days in, I can say it has been well worth the money.

So far I have found answers to some of my recent questions, along with the Stubborn Losers Menus and some delicious recipes.  The Chocolate Milk, and the Eggs and Hash recipes are repeaters, and the FP Peanut Butter Cookie Muffin will be. I enjoyed the muffin this morning, completely surprised at how delicious it was and how much I enjoyed the texture as well.  I do so love it when I follow a recipe as written, taste it tentatively, and then blissfully inhale the end product.  Thanks so much, Pearl and Serene!

While out running this morning, I was reminded that I should start thinking about blog posts for the week.  I remember promising updates about some things, one of which I covered above.

I am still school planning, although I added in a major writing project to this month, which is requiring lots of my discretionary time.  Alongside of that I have had some wonderful, amazing ministry opportunities open up to which I have said yes and run after.  Nonetheless, albeit slowly, I have been working my way through a library book by Cathy Duffy and feeling inspired and motivated.  That in itself is worth the investment of time reading the book and doing the exercises.

On the employment front, I have not heard back a second time about an interview, at least not as of yet.  I am praying about following up somehow.  HE knows how much I would love that job, as well as all of the other details that would be affected by me working part-time.

And that's the scoop as of today.


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Checking in on My Poor Neglected Blog

Dear Escapades,

I have missed you and longed to spend time with you.  Dashing off "Theme Song Thursday" posts as a way to stay connected, though somewhat lame, has ministered to my heart and given me hope that indeed I will once again be regularly posting here.  Thanks for your grace, patience and understanding.

And From the Archives

Can you guess what this is?

 Ever have one of those days where more than what is possible lands in that day?

 Whilst prepping supper for the masses tonight (it's date night, and I won't be here), I landed in the "way back machine" remembering the days when I scheduled daily time in the kitchen early in the morning for supper prep so that I could be freed up enough to nurse the baby and still have supper ready "on time."  There's a minefield of reasons why this was kinda a problem, but the benefit was that I did manage a fairly consistent supper time every day. That one goal was accomplished.  I am celebrating the personal growth and change that has happened since those days.  And I look forward to more in the days ahead.

  Why am I still the one making supper every night, you may ask?  Changing old eating habits to healthier ones requires certain food prep practices that I am still working on myself.  I do have help many nights with parts of the meals plus much of the prep is fairly easy because protein and slow carbs are the featured components.  Along with those things, I also very much enjoy cooking, usually, so it's another life-giving part of my day.

  What personal growth and/or change can you celebrate today?  I'd love to hear from you.

  BTW, it's a low carb egg casserole, THM S friendly and DELICIOUS!

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My Tweaked Bluberry MIM THM S

  I haven't blogged about this (or much other than Theme songs) for some time now, but "Trim Healthy Mama" is still a mainstay in my life as far as food is concerned.

May Madness

Madness - a state of frenzied or chaotic activity.

"Let me ‘splain…No, there is too much. Let me sum up. . ."  (Princess Bride movie fans recognize that Inigo Montoya quote).  After the injury which caused me to be Gimping Like a Boss, life around here ratcheted up into frenzied mode.  Thanks to all of you who prayed for my healing and recovery; the pain went away the next day, unless I tweaked the injury.  I can feel the improvement almost daily, and this is the start of week six of recovery.  I plan to hold off trying to run until after eight weeks while continuing to strengthen the injured area with toe raises and walking.  Then I plan to gently launch into running via my favorite, run-walk method.  More on that when the time comes.

While May was madness, -- our 2nd stage drama troupe's play and cast & crew party; a whirlwind 25th anniversary trip to Seabrook Island, SC; graduation celebrations; the last day of our homeschool 2013-14 year; paperwork and preparations for all things Camp Tecumseh; starting a new part-time job; and trying to finish planning the coming school year -- it was also joy and celebration and fun and change and growth. 

The group of Christ followers we have been meeting with locally since September has blossomed into Hope Church GL.  None of us actually wanted to start a church, but did want to hear and to follow what He is up to in our area.  We shall see what happens next.


 In one week, some of our family will start on our summer adventure: a sports camp outreach in Kentucky.  I have thoroughly enjoyed sports camp in the past and am very much looking forward to the upcoming one.  I do not feel prepared, but am trusting that I will be in a week.

What's been going on in your world?

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5 Minutes On Why I Love Reading Books

    One of my earliest memories is begging my Dad to teach me to read. . .or at least the moments leading up to being able to read;  elation and a profound sense of accomplishment overwhelmed me.  Awed by the impact books and written materials made on my young heart and mind, I gorged on these at every opportunity.  To this day I still feel that sense of elation when quiet moments afford me the opportunity to read.  These days I also feel that I was MADE to read books, like it's something I must do in order to live.  Currently my life circumstances miserly mete out mini moments for this need of mine.  Occasionally, unable to bear it any more,  I will set aside all but the MOST urgent minutia and read for hours on end; usually I feel guilty afterward, though I am filled up by the "stolen" book-reading time.  Generally when I read, time sprints past me unnoticed.  I laugh, I cry, I am frustrated. . .I emote with the ebb and flow of the story/information.  Reading books make me feel alive.  I don't understand the mechanics of it, but watching tv, movies, plays, or other media does not affect me the same way.  I think I READ somewhere that this is because reading is an active pursuit, while watching is passive.  I think I agree with that, except when it comes to me watching a sporting event, like March Madness or the Super Bowl :-).  Learning to read is one of the greatest gifts I was ever given.  


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Change is Good and Hard

 BLEH -- Ok, now that that's out of the way, I can agree with my title.

 Love it that the weather has warmed and the snow pack is melting.  Love it that I can change the background of my blog and feel the freshness of spring.  Love it that God is always at work, doing new things, making all things new and providing us with new opportunities.

 And yet, the "warmer" temperatures and melting snow pack bring severe weather and flooding.  Changing my blog's background looks great (in my opinion) with the recent posts that show on the home page, but is not as attractive on some of the older posts.  New things, renewed things and new opportunities free me from my ruts, but jolt me out of my comfort zone and cause me to have to make new decisions and take new action. 

 It's been a long, frustrating morning here in our home school; math, the usual suspect, has bruised us again.  Tears and frustrated words have flowed, and we have decisions to make that are difficult and grievous.  Yet once again I sing:

You can have it all, Lord, every part of my world.  Take this life and breathe on this heart that is now Yours!"

 What good/hard changes are happening in your world?

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Instead

Well, yes, I should be cleaning right this very moment. Of course I WAS planning to do so over an hour ago, BEFORE I had to troubleshoot the printer problems that everyone seems to be having today. . .AHEM!

Whilst accomplishing the things I could do while awaiting the various fixes to take place, (which as it turns out were all NO GOOD, except for the winner:  restarting the modem), I opened a spreadsheet on Google Drive and realized that I did not share this most excellent idea for "large" families who exchange names and gift lists at Christmas time.  If that is you, read on.  If not, it's up to you.

20-20

   One question I have often been asked by other home school parents in regard to home schooling is something similar to:  "What do you use to teach writing to your students?"

Those Little Blue Fn Buttons

  Sometimes features are hidden from me because I don't take the time to observe them.  For instance the little blue Fn buttons on my laptop have been there for as long as I have owned this laptop.  Admittedly I do often use the volume controls on the up and down arrow keys, but otherwise, I have not noticed.  Over Christmas break one of our daughters was given a tablet with a docking keyboard to replace her ailing laptop.  Through a series of mishaps which appeared to indicate that the tablet was broken, she discovered that she had inadvertently disabled the touch pad.  I tried to discover the "secret" to disabling the overly sensitive touch pad on my tablet by using the same method as daughter, but to no avail.  Our tablets are not the same.  Within a couple of days, however, I unintentionally discovered the disable-the-touch-pad button on my tablet's docking keyboard.  This was a wonderous discovery after many times having sent my cursor to unknown locations while typing because I unknowingly touched the pad. And what does this have to do with my laptop's little blue Fn buttons?  Most of you are way ahead of me, for whom it took weeks to make the connection and look for such an item.  Said button is located on the F7 key,  which by the way, is the same location as said button on daughter's tablet keyboard.  Hooray for another "win" for me, finally!

  Speaking of long-time-coming mysteries being solved, after only one week I deduced the cause of last Wednesday's flapjack flop.  In summary, last Wednesday the pancake batter was incredibly different and difficult to deal with, despite my having followed the recipe faithfully.  Then yesterday when I attempted to make blueberry muffins per usual from the homemade muffin mix, I discovered that the muffin mix had been stored in the freezer where the home ground wheat flour should have been stored, and vice versa.  Hence I had mixed up something akin to bread dough with the whole wheat flour which had been sitting on the shelf where the muffin mix ought to have been.  Yes, I did throw out the first wrong batch, mixed up a true batch of muffins and returned each container to its correct "home."  In the wee hours of this very morning, as I was reminding myself to pay careful attention to the pancake making process in order to prevent whatever happened last week. . .you probably have once again already guessed what I realized was the cause.

  Once again the mantra that I find myself repeating to one of my students almost daily in regard to math is one I, too, must embrace:  focus and pay attention to every detail as you work.  Indeed, I will do well to heed this advice.

  I still have so much to learn.


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Tumbled Tuesday

• Kitchen clean-up crew member
• Launderer
• Appliance repair woman
• High School Counselor and teacher
• Elementary School teacher
• Middle School teacher
• Personal Assistant
• Chef
• Baker
• Researcher
• Purchaser
• Appointment Scheduler

 Tee-hee, my multifaceted day so far...

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Keys (and lots of fab links!)

  I love autumn and the expectation of Thanksgiving and Christmas arriving anon.   I love the change in the temperatures and the crispness of the air, even though these signal that winter will arrive soon enough as well.  I love...

 Being famous for love, that's what life it truly about.  Nope, not famous for the "things" I love, but

's up?

  "Pancakes are awaiting at the end," I huffed and puffed aloud to myself at the 1/4 point in my morning run.  The oppressive humidity and warmer-than-I-enjoy-for-running temperature was threatening and berating me.  I spoke those words as a response to the thought that I could just be finished at the 1/2 point, which is our house. Thankfully, in what seemed like seconds but what was in reality much longer, I noticed by my watch that I had less than two minutes left in the run.

  The promised "Trim Healthy Mama" pancakes were filling and lovely once again, and now after having enjoyed breakfast and a refreshing shower, I am exponentially grateful that I did not wimp out of the remainder of the run.  Words are so powerful and change spiritual atmospheres!

  And speaking of THM, the salmon dip I mentioned in my cheesecake for breakfast post is most delicious.  Three of our daughters also partook in the dip and raved about it's delectable goodness.  I hope I am creating and/or increasing your curiosity about this book and new way of eating because I mean to do so.  While there are some things that to this point I do not feel comfortable sharing explicitly about, including finances and my personal weight details, I can say that I have lost some pounds and some inches already.  I will also say that my belly fat is slowly shrinking, which makes me extremely happy!

  Having said that I will also tell you that I have enjoyed several off plan treats during the month-ish since I began THM eating.  These have included homemade lemon meringue pie, a Jack's doughnut and a Kinser's Bakery doughnut or two.  Some foods are simply too incredibly tasty to pass up, especially when they are on occasion and not as a habit.  (That last sentence is not endorsed by THM, by the way.) The Kinser's Bakery doughnuts could easily become habit forming, which I readily admit and am on guard against.

  Alongside of eating, school planning is back in my focus.  Donna Young created a new version of her lesson planner, and after trying out the new BETA version I have decided to use the new planner.  Cudos and thanks to Donna for the changes she has made which make the planner more flexible and user friendly!  You can read about and view the changes she has made here.  NOTE:  I use her Lesson Planner V3, because I keep track of the grades, GPA and other records separately.  The bells and whistles on the Lesson Planner are not as slick as the V Planner V3, but so far suit my/our needs best at present.  This is a product I value highly!

  Having said that, it's time to start inputting the data into my new Lesson Planner V3.

  What's on your "to do" list today?

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Of Cucumbers, Frappas & Zucchinis

 Natural discovery of the day:  another cucumber and zucchini  were ready for picking!  These were the second of each kind picked in the last couple of days.  A week of rain followed by a week of warm sunny weather will do that, I see.

 Foodie discovery of the day:  Fat Stripping Frappa, "Trim Healthy Mama" style.  The recipe in the book makes a gianormous amount, so I think the next time I will make a half batch when having a snack.  Now I can make it until suppertime plus be able to focus on my school planning...

...which I should be doing right about now -- gotta run!

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The Spice of Life

  Enjoyed a paternal family reunion for the first time in ten years-ish over the weekend.  I have definitely missed my family.  It is too bad that life gets in the way of relationships sometimes; I suppose it's a prioritizing of relationships and then giving your attention to the ones highest up on the list?  I feel like that's something I need work on in order to honor people better.

  The day before the reunion, our outreach team, 1 Voice, conducted a prayer siege at the Indiana State Capitol building, which by the way is incredibly beautiful inside.  If you are unfamiliar with a prayer siege, check out the link http://bound4life.com/the-silent-siege/ .  It's not a protest.  It's a prayer meeting.  We experienced God's favor and know that He heard us and is at work.

Theme Song Thursday

    The song that is playing repeatedly in my head this morning is:

God I Look to You

God I look to You

I won't be overwhelmed

Give me vision to see things like You do

God I look to You

You're where my help comes from

Give me wisdom, You know just what to do

And I will love You Lord my strength

And I will love you Lord my shield

And I will love You Lord my rock

Forever all my days I will love you God

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Hallelujah our God reigns

Forever all my days Hallelujah

   Before I move on to my math review, I have to provide you with a chuckle; my right forearm has been incredibly sore this past week.  I have pondered and pondered trying to come up with what repetitive and new motion I have been making that would cause this.  Can you guess?  Yesterday I realized it's from all the writing I am doing in my Pre-Calculus lessons! 
 
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Before Pre-Calculus

 Before I launched into today's Pre-Calculus Lesson (#17 if anyone is counting),  I had to have a snack -- a "Trim Healthy Mama" snack.  Thanks to a dear friend mentioning this book, I have been enjoying food without feeling the negative effects of blood sugar swings while eating lots of yummy foods including sweet treats.

www.trimhealthymama.com

Good Vibrations

Starting to "feel" like summer and like I am in a new groove -- one which is more flexible and less scheduled.  The vague sense of discombobulation is dissipating.

 Driving hither and yon is another theme of this week, alongside overnight guests.  Many steps closer to readiness for summer camp, we are as a result of some of the taxiing.
 
 To get back to sewing the "practice" Jane Austen style dress, I must.  Appointments, shopping, taxiing and Pre-Calc have robbed time from this neglected project.

 Down to only one library book, I feel lonely.  This one demands more attention than most, so it is as it should be.

 Check it out; the author has keen insight into much that is happening at present.

 Something I have discovered which is helping me to be more mindful of God throughout the day, is Praying the Divine Hours.

What good things are happening in your sphere today?


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Belated Theme Song Thursday

  "When I was locked inside my head, when I was lost in a maze of doubt, You called my name and woke me up; you called my name and led me out. And when I chased one more mirage til I was tired and parched again, You gave me one more cup to fill; and sent me one more desert rain.

I'm alive! I'm on fire! And my spirit burns with desire! You set me alight, bright eyed, and with no way to hold it inside. I wanted to thank You, thank You, thank You!

I was sure of all I knew; I knew the world was mine to claim. I had directions printed out, and then I hit a wall of shame. Out there alone and left to die, cut off from You, my sole supply. You shed Your tears for me and then; You took my hand and raised me high." (Peter Furler)

Minding the Minutia

  I should have realized that I was given the theme song for a reason.  Continuing to battle fear, I understand the value of the song.  Thankfully I know that He is at work and wastes nothing.

 Pre-Calc lessons are going well; I am on to lesson 11 today.  A celebration will be in order at the halfway point!

Finally procured a copy of "Mary Poppins" the movie and will be viewing that on this rainy day.  Expecting muchness and understanding alongside of enjoyment.

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