Not Quite Ordinary Observations

For Today...Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Outside my window...the brightness that comes after a spring thunderstorm. I think the grass just grew six inches!

I am thinking...about where I’m going to put the extra crate I realized I needed for teaching the kids. My teaching supplies for Olivia require the big crate I was trying to squeeze everything for all three kids into. Angie & Steven's both fit in a small crate!

I am thankful for...ready-made curricula. They make my life so much easier.

I am wearing...denim capris and – wait for it – a maroon top! Now, if I had written this yesterday, it would have been a green tank top.

I am creating...um…well…a successful first week of school. That’s it! And a workable organizational system for school. See? I am creating! Sort of…

I am remembering...what it feels like to be back in a good exercise routine and on a disciplined wake-up schedule. I hate getting up at 5:00 and I despise exercise. But, I love the effects of both. We are well on our way back to a habit of both.

I am going...to need to figure out my afternoon schedule just as soon as I figure out how much time school is really going to take each day.

I am reading...the kids’ school readers, and I just finished Just a Minute by Wess Stafford (for review). Hope to get back to Beyond Hope’s Valley by Tricia Goyer (for fun) soon. Wonder if I can get both it and my next review novel read before next week…

I am hoping...my weight and size respond quickly to the effects of getting back into an exercise routine. My pants are way too tight.

I am hearing...new music from Christy Nockels (review coming soon on Joy of Writing), kids playing with a gear-building set.

On my mind...friends in the DFW area while tornadoes are ripping through right now. And, on a totally different note, the imminent return to communication with my friend Joanna. Their email in the village has not worked this time around, and I’ve missed her so much!

From the learning rooms...

Olivia – ships and shipping, Pacific Islands research, intro to anatomy, math review, plurals/subject-verb agreement

Angela & Steven – peoples of the world/intro to world history, water cycle and purification, and I’ve gone blank on what they’re doing in math and LA (and yes, I’m too lazy to go pull it out to refresh my memory)!

Noticing that...it’s getting brighter and brighter as the afternoon wears on.

From the kitchen...spaghetti. Still need to menu plan. Another discipline I hate doing but thrive on the effects of keeping up with!

Around the house...windows closed and air conditioning on. The calendar might say spring, and we will probably still have a few days of spring-like weather. But summer is effectively here, especially considering the mosquitoes demand closed windows.

One of my favorite things...organization.

A few plans for the rest of the week...just school. Next week is the busy one.

A picture worth sharing...notice the camo shirt under the silky robe.