All that remains is the fax, ma'am

Tomorrow, G sends off our notice of intent to homeschool. I'm still not certain of the time frame for withdrawal from Georgia Virtual Academy, but we no longer have access to the online school and I can only assume that means we're officially gone. We've had no contact from the school or the curriculum provider, but that's no surprise because lack of communication was one of the determining factors in our withdrawal.

The children liked their teachers and so did I, so it was hard to leave them. They still will be able to contact them, though, and that takes the sting out of the withdrawal.

We start a full schedule with Curly Sue and Moe tomorrow, except for Prima Latina and Ambleside Online. For another week or two, most of their work will be in workbooks. I hope to finish "Peter and the Shadow Thieves" with them, finally, during read-aloud time. Larry and I are still tweaking his schedule, though we have yet to add his Sonlight 6 elements and Latin Road to English Grammar. Fortunately, he is strong in verbal skills so we are in no rush as he gets comfortable with his science and pre-algebra programs.

G will be traveling this week and on one evening I will be alone with my doggies while The Hat Trick visits Nannie and Paw-Paw. I hope to use that quiet time to work on firming up lesson plans for February and a schedule for the rest of the year. We're shooting for completing our work in late May or early June, taking several weeks off and starting a light schedule the second week of July so we can take regularly scheduled breaks throughout next school year.

Our long-range plans include looking into a co-op situation where Larry can get high school credits for math and science (and possibly other subjects), but we have another full school year to make final decisions. I can't believe my sweet angel baby boy is going to be a teenager in a couple of months! I'd love to stick my head in the sand and ignore the idea of him being in high school, but of course I can't.

Off to look at baby photos now. *sniffle* Maybe listen to "Sunrise, Sunset, too." *sob*

My darling girl

Having a daughter is a happy, happy thing. Having a happy, happy daughter is a great thing!

I showed Curly Sue a few scenes from Mamma Mia last night and she really liked it. Today at our Sunday lunch restaurant of choice (Mexican...yummy!), we sat across the table from each other. A little boy behind us called for his mama, and she looked up at me with twinkly eyes, took a deep breath and sang, "Mamma Mia/Here I go again/My my/How can I resist ya?"

Of course I joined her, while the boys and Geddy pretended not to know us. They're probably thanking their lucky stars it wasn't "Dancing Queen."

Hee hee!

Mamma Mia...here I go again...my my...

...how can I be such a dork? I even watched the sing-along version!

I bought Mamma Mia on DVD months ago but just got around to watching it with Geddy (who is a big ABBA fan) this afternoon. It was so much fun, and I can't wait to watch it with Curly Sue! She will love the dancing and singing and there's not too much 'splaining to do.

My favorites in the movie were Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Christine Baranski. Truly, my only complaint was having to hear Pierce Brosnan "sing." I like happy movies, and this one definitely fit the bill. G's also on a mission to make me watch Xanadu, but the five minutes I saw of that one made my brain bleed.

Tonight, we plan on watching Almost Famous, one of my all-time favorites. We lost track of our original DVD -- we might actually have worn it out -- but picked it up again for beans. We also have Eagle Eye to watch if there's time.

If I had to list a few of my favorite movies besides Almost Famous, the Lord of the Rings trilogy would definitely be at the top. I really like Back to the Future, A Mighty Wind, Sense and Sensibility, A Hard Day's Night and Friday. My favorite scary movie is the original Halloween. I also enjoy this Hamlet and this Much Ado About Nothing.

Funny...G just walked in from getting our fast food dinner, looked over my shoulder and said most of his Facebook-listed favorites are on my list, except he likes this Hamlet. I knew I married the man for a reason!

But I'm still not watching Xanadu.

Germs for a winter day

The Hat Trick is down for the count with a nasty cold, spread amongst the three. They are bummed because tonight is The Journey and they love to go. They'll miss the "big game" at the university tomorrow night as well.

Presently, they are full of supplements, breakfast, juice/tea and Zyrtec and happily involved in a Moody Science Classic. We might not be able to go anywhere, but the learning never stops. Yesterday, we watched President Obama's inauguration and we recorded MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech to watch together as well. MLK's birthday is the same day as my dad's and late brother's birthday, Jan. 15, though it's rarely (never?) celebrated on the actual day.

....

A few minutes ago, I let Susie out and sat on my sunny steps contemplating the quiet while she did her business. It's not warm out. I walked across the grass to the mailbox and the frost in the shady part of the yard burned and froze my bare feet. Turning back empty-handed, I found myself face to beak with a mockingbird. We stared at each other until Susie came tearing back through the bushes, begging to be let inside.

"He shook his little tail at me, and far away he flew."

....

Today I reorganize the school room and introduce Larry to the Latin Road to English Grammar. Next week, we solidify the littles' schedule. I can't believe the relief I feel without all the extra pressure from the charter school. I'm sorry that didn't work out, but at least I know which direction we're heading. A long, warm nap will help with everyone's sickies and be just the thing to get us back on track. I have several books to keep me company: The Myth of Laziness, the ADHD Book of Lists, Nourishing Traditions and maybe some true crime.

Or maybe I'll just take a nap too!

Our 44th President

"My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America."

Thinking before I speak (or write)

Last night's post included a rude comment about my husband, which I have since deleted. I usually make a rule of not speaking critically about Geddy, but I certainly broke it last night. My apologies.

While I was at the doctor's office yesterday, the nurse asked how long it's been since I had a tetanus shot. I couldn't remember, so she gave me one. Instead of having it in my left arm, I had it in my right (dominant), so now I'm having trouble lifting and doing things.

Larry and I are going this afternoon to pick up a friend to visit overnight, so he is busy cleaning downstairs. I'm sorely tempted to invite a friend every weekend if it ensures his room and bathroom will be tidied.

Curly Sue and Moe plan to make a clubhouse of dining room chairs, sheets and blankets so they can camp out in the living room tonight. They are going to watch movies on the laptop and sleep on their sleeping bags, and probably eat candy and make a mess. Good times. Reminds me of my little brother and me.

Geddy and I have several movies we bought or were given but haven't seen. We'll probably start with Last of the Summer Wine: Bringing Sam Home, but we also have a Dana Carvey DVD, Iron Man, Eagle Eye, Almost Famous and the Scream trilogy. It's cold out, dinner is pizza, the soda is chilling in the fridge and the house should be tidy enough to stave off guilt. Nothing planned for tomorrow, either. I love Fridays!

White roses

The Hat Trick and I visited my brother's grave today, on what would have been his 45th birthday. He shares it with my dad, who turned 73. We gave Daddy Appaloosa, a Caffeine-Free Diet Coke, a pack of Raisinets and a bag of in-the-shell peanuts. (He also got a new central heating unit after the heat pump gave out earlier this week -- $7,000. My mom joked she doesn't know how she'll top it next year.)

We left white sweetheart roses on Ben's footstone.

Today: I lost my wedding ring petting my parents' dog but I found it. I had to have my foot x-rayed five times to find out that stepping off a curb onto the side of my foot and rolling my ankle with my full weight behind it is, well, bad for that foot. It's been two years since that incident, and I now have a nasty bone spur that hurts. A lot. All the time.

The 14 pills a day I'm taking to kill off H. pylori bacteria are awful but my blood pressure medication is working. I will be glad when I'm back to three pills and a multivitamin a day.

Well, whaddya know?

My bloodwork came back, and I have Heliobacter pylori. I was first treated for it in June and I don't know if it came back or never left. I will start a new round of antibiotics and stomach medicine Monday, but I'm not certain whether I'll have to have an upper GI.

I took Curly Sue to the allergist last week because she's been running a low-grade fever and having headaches and tummyaches for a few days, off and on. He spent about three seconds looking at her, very shortly said, "She's got a virus" and told me to make her drink liquids. I started to ask him about some literature I've been reading about wheat and dairy intolerances and their cumulative effect, intending to see if he thought there was a connection between that and her symptoms over the last few months, but he cut me off and said, "You'll have to ask your pediatrician about that." I like the other allergist better but his attitude is much the same, so I have gotten the name of a naturopathic doctor a few towns over, and I hope to have him check out the children.

It's tough when I know *something* isn't right but can't put my finger on it, especially when a doctor blows me off like that!

I'm leaving in a little while to meet up with some of my high school girlfriends. I can't wait to catch up with them and see what they're doing now. I'm sitting in total silence -- Geddy took The Hat Trick out to lunch and to run some errands, so I had a lovely, long, hot shower with no interruptions. (I joke that I haven't been to the bathroom by myself in 13 years, but truthfully that's not far off the mark.)

My friends and I are meeting at Olive Garden, and because the children are staying with my parents and G has a work dinner, I may actually visit the mall for awhile before heading home. An hour or two by myself at Borders, and maybe a tall coffee, will be heaven.

Tomorrow I start lesson planning for the rest of our school year. I needed a few things to round out the littles' schedule and quite a lot (cost-wise, at least) for Larry. I ordered Wordly Wise for all three; Sequential Spelling, The Complete Writer and Horizons Math for the littles; Teaching Textbooks Pre-Algebra, Apologia Science and Latin Road to English Grammar for Larry. He will pick up in Sonlight 6 for writing, literature, history and geography. I will be glad to be back in control of our schedule!

Welcome back to normal

Well, here we are. New year, new schedule, new goals.

We are withdrawing from Georgia Virtual Academy, effective immediately. We stuck it out for a semester instead of a year. We all really tried to make it work, but for many reasons it just...didn't.

Larry is growing up fast. In the past few months, his voice has deepened and he is showing other signs of hitting the teenage years. Unfortunately, that means that the ADHD we've kept under control with behavior modification all these years has become a blazing problem. We are adding supplements, organizing differently and turning to a gluten and dairy-free diet for relief.

Today, we plan to pick up our paperwork from the school board and tidy our school room. We have allergy shots for the littles and need to return our books to the library, along with a promised trip to Target to spend some Christmas cash. We are looking forward to a calm day in which we ease back into our schedule.

Oh yeah, and I am going to learn the Cha-Cha Slide today!