The One Thing I Hate About Winter is....
HAT HAIR!!!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
My Awakening
I have shared with you my search for how we are to continue to home school next year and the years following. Specifically since we have a high schooler in the home. I have looked at online schools such as Abeka and Bob Jones, but I have also looked at co-ops such as Classical Conversations. The kids want to join Classical Conversations (CC) because they want a peer group to socialize with and compete with. I want a guideline, accountability, a reassurance that we are hitting all the marks to graduate.
Last week I attended an information meeting for our local CC group. The problem with this group is that they are young. My two oldest will be considered Challenge students and the Wenatchee group doesn't have a Challenge class....yet. I have been asked to consider being the Challenge Director and therefore teach my kids and any other students who are in that level. Tomorrow, we will attend the CC Open House and meet with the moms who have kids in the Essential group (grades 4-6) and might have kids that need to move up to the Challenge class.
In my struggle of whether or not to step into this position, I have had to face some humbling things about myself. You see, to be the Challenge Director it will take a lot of work and preparation. My friend who is the Challenge Director of her group says it takes her about 8 - 9 hours of prep time each week (basically all day Saturday and Sunday). This won't make life easier but more complicated, but this is where I had to wake up and realize that this is the time and effort that I SHOULD be putting into my kids school preparation. NOT spending enough time prepping with my current curriculum is why I am so frustrated with it and feel like I am not getting enough out of it. That is because I am not putting enough INTO IT. I love Tapestry of Grace but right now I feel like a lone fish swimming up stream. I could sign my kids up with TOG's online classes, but CC has something that I need that TOG doesn't and that is live people to network with and meet with here in my area.
So I have to make a choice, do I take the challenge and start putting some energy and effort behind our school or do I turn it over to an online professor. (Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with online schools. I know they do a great job and that may be the best fit for your family. I also know online schools don't take all the pressure off mom, I would still have to keep my kids on track, monitor their school work, check over material...you get the picture. I just have to decide if it is the best fit for my family.)
The other factor weighing in this decision is cost. CC charges a tuition. However, if I were to be the Challenge Director I would get paid for teaching the class. In other words, if there are five other students besides my two I will make enough money to pay for the tuition for all three.
Well... this is still a prayer matter for me. Open House tomorrow. A Challenge Director meeting in two weeks. Then we will see.
Oh....FYI - We were supposed to close on our house today but evidently you have to have a document from the IRS to show you are current on your taxes before you can buy a house anymore. Once our buyers get that paperwork then we can close. I am keeping the Champagne corked until then.
Last week I attended an information meeting for our local CC group. The problem with this group is that they are young. My two oldest will be considered Challenge students and the Wenatchee group doesn't have a Challenge class....yet. I have been asked to consider being the Challenge Director and therefore teach my kids and any other students who are in that level. Tomorrow, we will attend the CC Open House and meet with the moms who have kids in the Essential group (grades 4-6) and might have kids that need to move up to the Challenge class.
In my struggle of whether or not to step into this position, I have had to face some humbling things about myself. You see, to be the Challenge Director it will take a lot of work and preparation. My friend who is the Challenge Director of her group says it takes her about 8 - 9 hours of prep time each week (basically all day Saturday and Sunday). This won't make life easier but more complicated, but this is where I had to wake up and realize that this is the time and effort that I SHOULD be putting into my kids school preparation. NOT spending enough time prepping with my current curriculum is why I am so frustrated with it and feel like I am not getting enough out of it. That is because I am not putting enough INTO IT. I love Tapestry of Grace but right now I feel like a lone fish swimming up stream. I could sign my kids up with TOG's online classes, but CC has something that I need that TOG doesn't and that is live people to network with and meet with here in my area.
So I have to make a choice, do I take the challenge and start putting some energy and effort behind our school or do I turn it over to an online professor. (Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with online schools. I know they do a great job and that may be the best fit for your family. I also know online schools don't take all the pressure off mom, I would still have to keep my kids on track, monitor their school work, check over material...you get the picture. I just have to decide if it is the best fit for my family.)
The other factor weighing in this decision is cost. CC charges a tuition. However, if I were to be the Challenge Director I would get paid for teaching the class. In other words, if there are five other students besides my two I will make enough money to pay for the tuition for all three.
Well... this is still a prayer matter for me. Open House tomorrow. A Challenge Director meeting in two weeks. Then we will see.
Oh....FYI - We were supposed to close on our house today but evidently you have to have a document from the IRS to show you are current on your taxes before you can buy a house anymore. Once our buyers get that paperwork then we can close. I am keeping the Champagne corked until then.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Practice
Today the boys and I went up Ski Hill to practice skiing. Let me restate that, I went up to practice skiing. They went up to have fun skiing. I am proud to announce that I made it up the tow rope and came down the hill about ten times,...without falling!!! I still struggled with turning and making S turns, but I did make it.
We are home now for lunch but may go back up this afternoon. Our ticket is good for all day. I like that about our little hill. We can ski, go home, eat, do chores, and go back to ski whenever we want that day. Very convenient.
Do I like skiing? It is still too early to tell. Can I tolerate it? Yes. Will I learn to love it? Time will tell.
We are home now for lunch but may go back up this afternoon. Our ticket is good for all day. I like that about our little hill. We can ski, go home, eat, do chores, and go back to ski whenever we want that day. Very convenient.
Do I like skiing? It is still too early to tell. Can I tolerate it? Yes. Will I learn to love it? Time will tell.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Week Two
It's the families second week of skiing at Mission Ridge.
The weather was a lot nicer and the sun was out, but don't be fooled. It was cold up there.
The kids start off going to ski school.
To make sure they remember what to do, their instructor had them use the tow rope one more time to show him they knew how to ski.
He then had them go up Chair 1. That is the chair that drops them off at the easiest slope. Todd took the kids on Chair 1 last week so this was nothing new to them.
The kids did well for their instructor, but I heard Bryce took too long to come down so he got sent back to the tow rope. After lunch I asked Todd to take Bryce up Chair 1 again to help him. By the end of the afternoon, Bryce proudly reported to me that he had gone up Chair 1 nine times.
I opted out of skiing today.
Last week during one of the many times that I crashed and burned, I tore, injured, did something to some muscles in my chest. It hurts to breathe deep, sneeze, or move my arm too much. I want to be fully in charge of my body on the slope and asked for one more week to heal.
I had to confess to my dear husband, that when he talked about skiing with the kids, my thought was "That would be great time for Todd to spend with the kidos." Notice I didn't include myself in that. I thought I would be spending Fridays alone and was looking forward to it. Todd really wants this to be a family activity, so I have promised to try skiing again.
We are finally home. Todd is soaking in a hot tub. Bonnie is spending a night at a friends, and the boys and I are enjoying a pot of warm chili. Soon we will settle down to watch Real Steel before turning in for the night.
Goodnight Everyone.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Sore Muscles...
Ouch...my body hurts!
Friday, the family went up on Mission Ridge to learn how to ski. You may think that we were taking a day off of school but we were actually joining the Christian school in town. You see they don't have a regular PE class so they cram all of their PE into five Fridays in the winter skiing. In the morning the students take lessons and then they have four hours to ski in the afternoon. We were fortunate to be allowed to participate with the Christian school this year. Bonnie, Brian, and Bryce are taking lessons in the morning, while Todd and I ski. After lunch we all ski in the afternoon. Of course, that is easier to type than it is to act on. You see, I really don't know how to ski. Friday was my first time in sixteen years to try skiing and let's say I stink at it. It took me over an hour to get down the easy slope (according to Todd it takes the average skier five minutes to get down the slope.) Yep...I stink. I lost count with how many times I fell. I was shaking and wanted to throw the towel in multiple times. Finally I made it down and was glad to head to the lodge. After lunch, Todd took the kids who had spent the morning on the tow rope up the chair lift and down the easy slope. They did much better than I did. I, on the other hand, spent my afternoon on the tow rope and practiced skiing in and out of the cones set up. It was so easy there. I wish the easy slope was more like the beginner course. sigh....I plan on going back up next Friday. I have to do it again. I have to prove to myself that I can do it. I hope I learn to enjoy skiing for the family's sake. I want to enjoy it but right now it is pure torture.
On another note...Bonnie participated in the 30 hour Famine fundraiser for starving children. I was very impressed with how she called up people and asked for them to sponsor her. She raised about two hundred dollars for the cause. I didn't need to do anything but sit back and watch. Already she is asking to get a job in town. She picked up a job application for the Enzian Inn. I am not sure if I am ready to let her go in to the work world, but on the other hand she has wanted to work and make money since she was little. I feel safe allowing her to work here and eager to see her grow into a young woman.
Finally, winter has hit Leavenworth full force. In this last week we have gotten at least two feet of snow. I love it. Snow is beautiful and refreshing. Bonnie and I just took a walk into town. The snow covered us from head to foot. We had to walk on the road in the tire tracks because the snow was mid-calf high on the side walks. Oh, how I love this town.
Friday, the family went up on Mission Ridge to learn how to ski. You may think that we were taking a day off of school but we were actually joining the Christian school in town. You see they don't have a regular PE class so they cram all of their PE into five Fridays in the winter skiing. In the morning the students take lessons and then they have four hours to ski in the afternoon. We were fortunate to be allowed to participate with the Christian school this year. Bonnie, Brian, and Bryce are taking lessons in the morning, while Todd and I ski. After lunch we all ski in the afternoon. Of course, that is easier to type than it is to act on. You see, I really don't know how to ski. Friday was my first time in sixteen years to try skiing and let's say I stink at it. It took me over an hour to get down the easy slope (according to Todd it takes the average skier five minutes to get down the slope.) Yep...I stink. I lost count with how many times I fell. I was shaking and wanted to throw the towel in multiple times. Finally I made it down and was glad to head to the lodge. After lunch, Todd took the kids who had spent the morning on the tow rope up the chair lift and down the easy slope. They did much better than I did. I, on the other hand, spent my afternoon on the tow rope and practiced skiing in and out of the cones set up. It was so easy there. I wish the easy slope was more like the beginner course. sigh....I plan on going back up next Friday. I have to do it again. I have to prove to myself that I can do it. I hope I learn to enjoy skiing for the family's sake. I want to enjoy it but right now it is pure torture.
On another note...Bonnie participated in the 30 hour Famine fundraiser for starving children. I was very impressed with how she called up people and asked for them to sponsor her. She raised about two hundred dollars for the cause. I didn't need to do anything but sit back and watch. Already she is asking to get a job in town. She picked up a job application for the Enzian Inn. I am not sure if I am ready to let her go in to the work world, but on the other hand she has wanted to work and make money since she was little. I feel safe allowing her to work here and eager to see her grow into a young woman.
Finally, winter has hit Leavenworth full force. In this last week we have gotten at least two feet of snow. I love it. Snow is beautiful and refreshing. Bonnie and I just took a walk into town. The snow covered us from head to foot. We had to walk on the road in the tire tracks because the snow was mid-calf high on the side walks. Oh, how I love this town.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
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