Weekly Homeschool Wrap-up–July 26, 2009

If you want to participate in this meme, please visit Carol atThreeLittleLadies, and be sure to link your post to her Mr. Linky so that we can all see what life has in store for you.   From where I sat this past week,

As an individual, I…

feel much better about this past week than the last couple, even in the midst of some rough circumstances.   I think I’m anticipating the start of a new school year—always a source of joy until about three weeks into it (LOL).    I’m excited about upcoming ideas for the business, and I’m finally well rested (ROFLOL).    It’s crazy that, two weeks before we begin school, I’m just getting into the swing of summer.   Between dance, wrapping up last year’s work, and trying to create a healthy amount of work to keep the kids moving forward, I grew tired by mid-July.   More on that later.

I worked out twice—again.   The key seems to be to get up before everyone else, a task that should come fairly easy over the next few weeks with some discipline about going to bed.

As a wife and homemaker, I…

have truly been ministered to by our pastor’s series on relationships.   There are now beds on our stages, and we are not one of those churches with the auditorium-sized  platform that is always prop-ready.   I’ve missed several weeks of the series because of our teaching and visiting the younger teen’s Sunday school class, but what a powerful word we had this morning.   Our pastor talked about covenant relationships, and how there is no such thing as casual sex.   You leave the bedroom with a part of the other person, and you try to couple that with everything that God has placed within you.   If there is no discernment, those two parts residing within you just don’t mix.   That portion of his sermon wasn’t for me, but it was for the oldest, who heard the “real deal” rather than some crap from television that could potentially destroy her in this area.   The conversation about covenant, which eventually led into a conversation about the power of what we speak and confess in our lives, was nothing short of awesome.   The church body prayed a collective prayer about closing windows of the past over our lives and not being bound by past relationships and people who should have never entered our lives in the first place.   Amen to that.

As a mom and homeschooling parent, I…

I did get the planner for our son this week.   It’s attractive and fun to work with.   It’d be perfect except for one thing—it’s 2008-2009.   I laughingly thought, Oh, that’s why it’s a free sample!    Anyway, thank goodness that our son was flexible and willing to let me mark up the planner (tastefully) so that it works for him.   I know, I’m cheap, right?   The same planner was $15+ at a store, and it will be tossed in a year, so I figure that a little penny-pinching here will balance some extravagance in other areas.

Sadly, our son had his first experience with puppy love gone wrong.   Somewhere during the year, his feelings for his dance partner began to blossom into something more than friendship.   The oldest is a late bloomer in this area, so I was totally unprepared for an 11-year-old who suddenly wanted to buy his own scented lotion and “manly” deodorant.   I think the feelings were mutual, as his partner began to e-mail him every day and invite him everywhere.   My larger concern is that, to the best of my knowledge, this family is unsaved.   We have always talked to the children about being equally yoked, and even though he’s not getting married tomorrow, I don’t want his head turned away from what’s most important in his life.

Well, there have been significant changes to the competitive dance program for this upcoming year—significant enough for his partner’s family to decide that they no longer want to remain at the studio.   His little heart was broken, but thankfully, he seemed to have recuperated quickly.   His partner assured him that they would still see each other (??), but I’ve noticed a sharp decline in the e-mail frequency between them since her family made the decision to leave.   I’ve read somewhere that, at that age, kids pick friends largely by who they associate with on a daily basis.   I felt bad for him, and was probably overprotective of his heart in initially trying to convince the family to stay, but perhaps it is for the best.

The youngest has gotten a real break this summer since the month of July.   I just haven’t had the energy.   She mentioned on the way to church this morning that she’d forgotten her vowels—YIKES!    Then, much to my relief, she sang the vowel songs perfectly.    We have continued to read, though, and my hope is that it will be enough to simply pick up and keep going, coupled with a bit more refreshing in math skills.

The oldest began researching what some of her current college choices—right now—require in terms of high school courses.    We wanted to be sure that we didn’t have any gaps, and that she’s not getting her hopes up over some place that won’t treat her equitably as a homeschooled student.    She researched—on her own—the honors program at her top choice.   Dare I dream…?

We finished Ralph Moody’s Home Ranch.   Ralph did entertain the idea of first love at the very end of the book, but the girl ran off too fast for him to do anything about it.   Bummer.    I’m going to take a break before we begin C. S. Lewis’s The Silver Chair.

As a business owner, I…

am still walking into the blessing that I received on last week.   This week’s activities include final preparations for my presentation at the Heart of the Matter’s Parenting and Home Education Conference on next week.   I am also writing a couple of articles for their website and the fall edition of the magazine.   I hope to wrap up the editing of the Christian character study by mid-next week.

May the Lord bless your week as well.