What a yesterday

Hey! What a yesterday! It was a little stressful to say the least.

Deb the ex. director at work asked that both K and I sit down for a meeting to iron out differences. It was rather a tense meeting. I just told her that I felt disrespected by her from day one, she told me that she thought that my job was all about me and not the consumers. I cried out of frustation, she cried out of frustration, she called me passive agressive. It was frustrating to say the least. I am not sure if it did much good.

Dave was awesome bought me a big and I mean big valentine day frog and some beautiful earrings early for Valentines day. It was such a nice thought.

Well I am going to try to slip under the covers and get one more hour of sleep.

a beautiful cake

MDK finished her first course in cake decorating and it is a beautiful cake, I was impressed , she will take one more course and then we will wait till May to take the rest of them. She has a great little friend that is the same age as her taking the courses. She makes absolutely beautiful roses, and is doing well all the way around, she adored the classes.

All of us will be spending Thurs and Friday at Great Wolf Lodge for my work, that should give us a nice break, then MLK will spend Sat Sun with a friend and doing Bible quizzing and they rest of us will find a quiet spot to just sleep and relax in some cheap hotel room for the weekend.

Today I have a meeting with the broad and my supervisors, a tad nervous about it all. Will I better go I will post more later.

The Waltons and Deep Space Nine

The Waltons and Deep Space Nine, what in the world? I am currently enjoying both of these shows. We currently do not have cable or sat. for tv, so we purchase or rent through netflix, or check out from the library what we watch. We proably still watch too much TV but it is not a bunch of junk. Now I do enjoy some of the new shows such as CSI, but so many shows have some sort of agenda other than entertainment, and alot are way over sexualized. I know with this statement I sound way old fashioned, but I really got tired of having to be a filter for my girls when it came to TV watching. MLK enjoys Quantam Leap, MDK enjoys Little House. We all enjoy the PBS series, that is Manor House, Frontier House, Texas Ranch House, etc. Very educational also.

MLK finished her rough draft for her report for Jan. on Thomas Edison she will now need to pick a conterversial subject and write a opnion paper for the month of Feb. MDK has come far on her writing. She has had such a struggle getting thoughts from her head to her paper, but has vastly improved in the last two months.

I have been very introspective the past few months. I have just kinda lived a day to day existence. We are all adjusting to Dave's mysterious illness that is yet diagnosised, we suspect MS but have yet to get a confirmation on that, after many CAT scans and such, it seems to behave alot like that. The lady at work has been heavy on my mind also, but most of all relearning what life is like with Dave and the girls and his illness. It has been a period of readjustment and perspective, not a bad thing just different and it takes time to recalibrate. I have taken up alot of slack, but after a year have run out of steam so now we readjust to what is possible not what was. I am hoping that in the next few months we will all hit a new stride and be through the time of readjustment.

Well better log off for now.

back again and the broad at work

HI! Been off for some time, changed email, it is now kaster@starband.net, had some computer issue with all of that, but now I should be able to blog without difficulty. Love, love, internet via satiliette.

The broad at work, oh the other names I could call her. She has now decided to drag me in front of the ex. director, my supervisor says she has got my back. I went to talk to the director myself, that way I would feel like my side was heard, because once that broad gets started she doesnt stop. I laid all of it on the line. I was so upset and angry that I literally was shaking from the anger that night when I got home.

Today we are doing school, since the girls voted to do it on Saturday and take Friday off. That works fine for me, and it was a nice switchroo for all. Got all the grades in and got their time calcuted for the year to date. We have right at 600 hours, we need a total of 1000. I usually try to get a little over the 1000 hours in. So we will try to catch more educational videos, educational games and free reading. They will start their natural wind down around middle of May. However this year they will do at least one or two subjects part time over the summer. We had too hard of a time to restart last fall.

Well all for now. Post more later

sometimes I am a ditz

Hey there all! I wasnt able to blog for a while because my conference that I thought we went down and back was an overnight so I made a quick trip to Walmart and ta da it was okay. It was a good conference but am glad to be home.

Both girls went on a youth activity last night, Dave and I went to the grocery store, wow what a lively couple we are.

Both girls got in late so all is quiet here. Well better get to cleaning house.

back to work I go

Here I go for the long stretch, since I had a long stretch off. Yesterday was a good day, I cooked and cleaned like a mad fool, felt very much more like myself again. I made pork roast with potatoes and carrots, and bread in my bread machine yesterday. MLK made cornbread and brownies. I also made soup for the family to eat today.

The girls plugged away well yesterday at their studies, MLK has just really gone far in her most hated subject Math. She was just whipping out the answer yesterday. Now MDK is having trouble with Math, mostly fractions, but given about a week, I think she will get it, she remembers what to do, just forgets do you do that with multiplication or addition. She however has taken a jump in reading.

The church voted to extend the loan and finish the building, it may even be finished by the end of Feb. Dave has painted both offices. He is exicited, but has had a rather rough week, still trying to get over the flu. Well better go!

Be still

Be still and know that I am God. Sometimes in this century we really dont have a clue how to do that. I will be coming off a five day stretch of no work, because of Martin Luther King Day, and I had great plans to accomplish much. But instead it was a be Still weekend.

Last night MDK and I went to her cake decorating class and she made her rainbow cake. Notice the picture above( I finally fiqured out how to post pics here). She was so proud of her cake, it looked really nice, alot of hard work that went into that little cake. She plans to make another cake this week and practice this technique again.

MLK is in a really bad mood this morning mostly because I let her stay up late to watch a movie called A Walk to Remember (very good movie), and I told her only if she promised to get up without carrying on. So instead she is carrying on in other ways. Gotta to love teenagers.

Well onto school work and chores.

a slump

boy I have gotten alot less than usual accomplished. I feel right now like I am just going around in a big circle chasing my tail like a dog. It is raining and sleeting here so I am getting a little bit of my storm.

Maybe sometimes it is meant to be to just calm down and make sure that everything comes into balance. Well all for now.

what a disappointing storm

I am very disappointed with this storm, it has only produced a dusting nothing to sneeze at. I wanted a really good one, dont ask me why but I did.

We will have church this morning but will proably not have AWANAs tonight, due to the fact we really dont know what this "storm" will do. Too many kids to take a risk. Church attendance will be low today, due to the unpredictablility of it all.

Today MDK has to get all her frosting and cakes ready for class tommorow night. She will be very busy.

I have been the underachiever of all times the past few days. I did however get all semster grades in, and got the first half of the girls portfolios done. I have done some reading and a little bit of picking up. I really just feel like hibernation mode. I also worked on the next newsletter some, so ahead of that game.

Maybe today I will get motavatied, but the way I feel proably not. I quess we all need to recharge our batteries now and again.

Feeling a little down

I dont know why but I am feeling a little down today. I am suspecting that for me this is somewhat normal for this time of year. I have what is called SAD seasonal affect disorder. I stay on meds year around and do really really well. It is a very low dose of Lexapro. When I am not on it, I dont function well, I sleep alot or none at all, I cant remember simple things. One time I was interpreting in class and could hear the words but didnt have a clue what to do with them, I end up being unable to know which way to go while driving the car. It is not pretty. On the medicines I occassionally have a few weeks here or there where I dip, that is when I know I need to take it easy, get extra sleep, get some sunshine, and recharge. I feel that dip coming on. So I will adjust and do what I know I should do.

Finishing up a little bit of school today, MLK and I are hitting the CLEP study hard. She did an awesome power point on Little Woman.
MDK made chili last night and it was awesome, what a cook!

Dave is still sleeping alot due to both flus he got at the same time. He just finished up his Z pack, hope it did him some good.
Well all for now.

waiting for the storm

It is predicted that we will get a good ole fashion ice and snow storm. I enjoy those times if it is not dangerous. I love the idea that the whole world slows down and everyone can get off for a while. We love to hunker down and enjoy the beauty of it all.

This week has been odd and I do not go back to work till 3 on Tuesday, but then I work everyday after that, even Saturday next week. I am frustrated with deaf club right now, as they want many things and want to be strong pro deaf, but no one wants to be the leader. I do not want to do deaf club for them. I want them to do it for themselves. I told the treasurer that I am hearing and should not be making the decisions for deaf club and that they need to raise money and I am not going to be responsible for that.

I have gotten up late this morning, because I was up in the middle of the night. I got alot of stuff organized as far as the girls portfolios are concerned. The state of MO requires three things, 1. testing or portfolio of their work 2. 1000 hours,600 which are core subjects 3. lesson plans I am very well organized on most fronts. I have really good software to track hours and grades and do lesson plans, I do both testing and portfolio each year. I feel confident if any questions were raised that I would pass with flying colors. Other states are more restrictive, some are less restrictive, MO is pretty much middle of the road.

I like to give everyone a feel for what we do, so here is what the girls are presently doing.

MDK is doing English grammer, mostly indirect and direct objectives and review on helping verbs. In Literature she is reading Black Beauty, in Science we are doing conservation with a special attention on wind farms, since there is one 10 miles from here. Social studies we are finishing up Ancient Rome and will move onto Medevial times soon. She is learning to do Embodiary for Art, and we are studying famous artists with a resource from Dover Co. She is taking a cake decorating class on Monday nights for Art/Home Ec. She also has to write in her journal everyday from her creative topics book. She also has spelling. For PE we do running on the treadmill, we are more active with PE in nicer weather. For charcter training we are doing Beautiful Girlhood. Math is Saxon Math, and she also participates on a Math Counts team. We do English from the Roots Up which is Latin prefixes. We also do a smattering of different activities as the mood hits such as chess( learning how), different biographies from the Biography channel, knitting, puzzle/stragety games on the computer and so much more. We try to do alot of dabbling beside our main core subjects.

For MLK, we are gearing her to take the CLEP US History I test and then we will finish US history and take the CLEP History 2 test. We work on a difficult spelling list to challange her. Science is Apolgia Physical Science. LA is all about classics, anything from King Lear to Little Women. She will take grammer again next year, but a break this year. She writes all the time and has won a contest. An old computer was given to her so she will be able to write on it. She plans to be an author. Math is Saxon Algebra 1/2. She is also doing Latin prefixes, running on the treadmill, beautiful girlhood, emordiary for art right now. She also crochets, does alot of art for herself, does alot of freewriting herself, plays stragety games on the computer also.

Well all for now before I bore ya all to tears

didnt get much accomplished

Yesterday was a underdo day. Dave was ill and asked me three times if I could stay home from work that has happened three times in our marriage of sixteen years. So I took off and took him to the doctor and babied him the rest of the day.

MDK made and decorated another cake, I have a picture but can find my network cord this morning so cant download it. It looked pretty good for the first time around. She is enjoying this so much.

MLK spent most of her free time listening to an audio book, she also had Bible drill practice.

Today I go to work and then I am done for the week. I have to pick up the CLEP practice book for MLK through inter library loan. I also need to get her birth certificate from the Wayne County Courthouse.

Well all for now.

good day but a bad haircut

We had a good day, got up a little grumpy but then none of us are true morning people. I am the true morning person, got up payed bills yuck! We all went into town ate at Perkins and then they dropped me off at the library to sign up for classes. I also will be teaching a photography class so I had to collect fees, all went well but not so for MLK her haircut person chopped way too short, see was in tears. I told her dangling earrings will help, it really is fine just too short for her liking. They are putting together a yearbook for all the kids in our group, with enrichment and activities they are involved in together, maybe it should be more called like a memory book. I am interested to see what it looks like. MDK is doing Quilting, Social Dance (swing and cha cha) and Fun with Food. MLK is doing Photography 2, Creative Writing, and Comic Art 1. There were many other choices but alot of them were up agaisnt more liked classes.

We are now home doing school in the evening due to being in town this afternoon. That is one thing I love about homeschooling is the flexibility.

MDK started a Wilton cake decorating class, and Daddy spoiled her by getting her a professional mixer. She is so exicited and is loving and experimenting with everything. If I can get MLK to write a novel and MDK to bake cakes we are set.

Well more later due to the fact the teenager in the house wants to call her friend.

cake decorating anyone

Back to work I go today, do da do da. I have a new intern today do da do da. Her name is Ashley, I am hoping for the best. She seems nice over the phone.

Tonight MDK and I are going to a cake decorating class, she is so exicitied. I had a dream about it last night. It was that the instructor had 29 people in her class and half of them she was teaching to paint and the other half she was teaching cake decorating. The painters were doing a picture of a sunset reflecting on a waterfall, and us cake decoraters were left on our own to mix colored icing and get set up, in my dream MDK was so upset, lets hope this doesnt happen.


Tommorow is sign up for classes so it will be a half day school tommorow, well better get off and get on the road.

dreams

Hey there this should be a little easier to read, a few of you said the font was really small.

Do you dream much? I dream all the time always in color. I have had only one b/w dream in my whole life. I never have flying dreams, my daughter says she has them all the time. I do dream in sign language however and sign in my sleep, talk in my sleep, and when I was young walk in my sleep.

MLK had a great time at Bible quiz yesterday she quizzed out twice which was great! Good for her! She said her team didnt do as well because they were up agaisnt alot of older more experienced teams. Everyone on her team are all new this year.

MDK played outside with friends yesterday. Plans to have a friend over after church. Finished off her two assignments yesterday.

I am reading another book by Frank Gilbreth, I so enjoyed, Cheaper by the Dozen and Belles on their Toes. What a neat family.

I am going to try to read Pilgrims Progress again and On Walden's Pond for the first time. I also need to get Latin root assignments and MLK science lesson plans in.

It was a nice day for Jan, went and took pictures of the wind farm up by King City. The blades on the windmalls are 40 ft so from one tip to the next the "wingspan" would be 80 feet. They are massive, I have one picture which I have not downloaded yet that has a old windmill in the foreground with a new windmill in the background.

I also have to get lesson plans ready for my photography class. Ah nuts it all just piles.

Now onto real blogging

My first web posting here was successful so I will post as I normally would.

Yesterday we had a very productive day, we got all but one assignment done and then we took MDK to Math counts team practice. She is the youngest one there so it make it a little hard for her but she seems to enjoy the challenge.

Do you think my space is evil? I hear so much from our youth group and how brazen the kids get on there. I am not sure if it is wise for my daughter to be on there, she hasnt shown any interest much yet so I am not worried about it. But it seems like my space can be very easily taken advantage of due to the openess of teenagers there. I mean there are some really wierd people out in this world.

Today MLK goes to Bible quiz, I am not going due to the lingering cold I have had. I am hoping to just take it easy today, that would be nice but I doubt that it happens.

We helped pick out possible colors for the carpet at the church, it is coming along nicely. If you are interested check out www.fairportbaptist.com

Our youth are going to try to get there own website also. They have asked me to do a ask Mama Chris posting in the past, I am thinking about doing that. I think one of the biggest issues with teens today is not them but the lack of parenting they recieve. They will run amuck with out steady guidance. You must provide them that safety net or you are in trouble. Talked to my good friend from college yesterday it was awesome. Going to try to start a letter writing thing with her. So much of our American history is taken from letters that were written, but now we are losing that, hand written letters are few and far between. Well I had better go get the family up and around and get started on my day.

A new blog spot

I am writing to you from a new blog spot due to the fact that the old blog spot at homeschool blogger updated their website and now I cant blog there. I am hoping that this will work out, as I do enjoy blogging.

I will continue much in the same fashion as I did at my other blog, telling you about work, homeschooling, pics, etc.

Today MLK has Bible quiz, I am not going due to a cold. Dave has a rough last two days. Hope he gets to feeling better. Well I know this is short but I am testing this.