witchiepoo's blog

Well, DS15 went to his first "teenager" party last night. I was an absolute wreck emotionally on the inside, but I think it went really well.

Now, I should tell you that my parents never let me go to a party. It always really bothered me, and I ended up lying to them about where I was, and spending the night with friends with neglectful parents. There was never the accountability for me to my parents. I never got to practice being responsible, and usually I was very irresponsible. When I was a senior I told my parents that I was going to the graduation party. Period. They almost threw me out of the house. For real. So, anyway,--read more

More proof DS13 is DH's Mini-Me:

Thursday was ski day at school. We live 20 minutes from 2 different ski areas, and the school takes the kids twice a month during the winter. They have to be approved by their teachers, and must make up any missed work, but get to go spend a very inexpensive day on the slopes. --read more

Warning:
Very long rant to follow. Feel free to return to your regularly scheduled program.

I am feeling very misunderstood today, and I hate that. I have worked very hard the last several years to communicate clearly, and when I know I have been clear, but I am misunderstood, it frustrates me. --read more

The Board voted to accept my resignation last night. I thought I was totally at peace with the decision, but I bawled like a baby anyway. Change is good, but it sure can hurt.

Today DH and I spent the day at a small business seminar. I think we will make a really good team for our business. He is full of practical knowledge, but struggles with paperwork. I am the paperwork queen, but am clueless about how to do what he does. Also, he is severely dyslexic, so paperwork is such a struggle for him. He was so grateful and appreciative about me being there and doing the reading and writing it made me cry. He is such an incredible mechanic and inventor and fabricator, but just not good with the forms, which are nothing to me. I also have the administration/employment/bookkeeping experience, and he just doesn't care much about that side of a business, so I think we will balance one another well.--read more

Well, I hope we are turning the corner; it certainly seems lighter around here.

DH will have his shop back up by February 1st. Yep, HIS shop, his parents are retiring. Which is great for us, but the timing couldn't be worse. He will need me to be office manager/bookkeeper but I already have a full time job until June. So, right now I am preparing myself mentally to be adding more responsibilities to my day. Luckily, the shop stuff is a part time job, and DS14 can do much of it for now. I am also mentally preparing to put up the house we JUST paid off to gurantee the quarter million dollar loan we will sign for next week. Gulp.--read more

The debris is gone and all that remains of DH's past is a charred concrete slab. I saw it for the first time this afternoon and it was like a punch in the gut.

We don't know what we are going to do. DH has gone to hunting camp with the boys to get away from the scene and think. There will be some big changes in store for our family for sure. --read more

The phone rang very early (4:35am) Sunday morning, but I didn't hear it because DS had absconded with the portable that's usually beside my bed and left it somewhere. DH heard it though, strange, very strange as he never hears anything and I am usually the light sleeper, but anyway... --read more

I'm Kidding, it's nowhere near that bad.

It does seem though like all DH and I do lately is fight and bicker. I don't know if it's just that we've been together as much in the last 2 months as we have in the twelve months before that, or if it's just the humidity making everyone touchy, or what, but it's driving me buggy. I know, it takes two to argue and all, I'm working on it...--read more

I do a fair bit of consulting in this area helping homeschoolers wade through the state requirements. I have just a ton of resources I've made up for them already here on my computer. If anyone is interested, e-mail me, and I would be happy to send you any or all of it. I have suggestions for new homeschoolers, curriculum by grade and subject, and general recommendations for each subject area including music, art, physical education, and French.--read more

I am so incredibly grateful for the blessings of having such a wonderful family. I married young, to a man who was raised in a traditional family, and yet the family that we are raising together is so helpful and sympathetic. I have not once in the past several years felt like our home was soley my responsibility. We all work together as a unit to make sure everything that needs to be done for a peaceful life gets done.--read more

I was talking with a group of kids the other day about family rituals. It was very interesting to me how important they were to the children.

We have a "candlelight dinner" every Friday. I make a family favorite meal, we set the table nicely, put on background music, light the candles, and generally linger at the table talking.

We also have a big family dinner Sunday nights. We make a list of everything that needs to be done in the house to organize for the week. Everyone takes turns choosing jobs until we all have a list, and then we put on rowdy music and clean together. We also do the weekly calendar.--read more

We are all so tired lately. I think it's the change of seasons. It's dark when we wake up and dark so early in the evening. We're getting our first snow too, so the clouds don't help. The time change Sunday is most unwelcome. I agree with the flybabies, it's good soup weather. I think tomorrow will be a ssslllooowww simmer chicken, veggie and barley day. I grew up in the southwest, and I really think the transition to winter effects me more than the native New Englanders.--read more

Well, I have been trying the Low Carb thing for 17 days now. It is so interesting. I have a family history of diabetes, and reading the descriptions of people who don't metabolize carbs well got my curiosity piqued. Every symptom they described was me! So I thought I'd try it and see, nothing to lose, and two weeks is a short time period to committ to something. I have been floored by the differences in my hunger and energy level, and I have not had ONE headache! Amazing considering I was taking advil religiously everyday at 3:00pm! I have no idea if I have lost any weight as we don't have a scale and I don't wear tight clothes, but I wouldn't be surprised. --read more

Well! Me, a blog? Cool! Thanks Lynn!

I am so amused by what a girlie-girl DD3 can be. Where did she get this? I am the earth-mamma type. Makeup free, braid, birkenstocks, you know. But DD3 just came downstairs plastered with lipstick. Barbie lipstick no less, given to her by my MIL. I laughed at her and she said "I look funny because I used too much!" Whew...at least she recognized that!

Being the mother of a female is a new experience for me. Before she was born I firmly believed that all the babydoll, dress-up, ballerina and fairy mad stuff was a product of environment. Boy was I wrong! Now I don't know what to think.--read more