Yes we bought a Puppy
Not sure what it was that we were thinking…. but yes we bought a puppy.
It all started at swim team, when a dad of a friend of Caleb’s brought in their shih tzu. Caleb actually thought it was cute, proceeded to pet him (instead of climbing on my head) and ask questions about his temperment. Then he proceeded to keep asking us for one. This from the boy who climbed up on top of the van roof last time there was a smallish-medium dog around him.
So fast forward to piano lessons, and Caleb tells his teacher how he now wants a dog, a shih tzu. She lets us know her vet actually has one up for adoption sinc eit had been abandoned by it’s owner. It has been there for 2 months or so. We go to visit with the kids, and Lauren is a little jumpy, but Caleb gets down and though a little skittish, he handles the dog. That afternoon we go again with my husband to see how the dog would do with him. Well, I don’t know the dogs past (neither did the vet), but the dog coward in front of my husband and tried to nip him when trying to pick him up. Hmm no good.
That night my husband starts searching the puppy sell ads. There was a puppy for sale, in a town about an hour away, that I just happen to be heading to the next day. It was a done deal.
I picked him up and we drove home. He had never been in a car for long before so he got sick (ewww). But has done great ever since.
Meet Harry:
Heather has taken him over. She pets him, feeds him, carries him…. basicallybothers him the entire time he is out of his crate. On an upside, she can actually put him in his crate!!
And after taking him to the vet, we took him to get a bath (to wash off the smells of his old home) and get groomed. He got the Puppy Treatment:
Isn’t he cute???
Working on the issues
I have not had a chance to write and update my blog. I hope to me more conistant and we able to do a “week in review” more often. Honestly, having 4 kids and homeschooling 3 is HARD. On top of it, my oldests is having major attitude/laziness/disrespect issues and so our family is in ‘lockdown’ mode. He has no outside activities besides piano and swimming till his work and attitude improve. (Apperantly, thismust be a common age for boys to have issues becuase other parents (not all, but some) have also had to pull their kids from activities for similar issues.
I also realized we are weeks behind where I wanted us to be. I like to take all of December off for advent, but we are so far behind they just might have to work up to Christmas Eve.
So this week – I will start with the youngest first. It is hard to get to do Kindergarten. I feel she is behind in reading – however she is loving Math and working ahead. I also miss just sitting down and reading book after book after book for them at that age. 
The 3rd grader is doing well. Math is getting harder, and we are working towards more understanding of it. But otherwise, she is very independant and doing great. We are using Galloping the Globe loosely and picking a country a week to overview. This week was India – and it happened to be Diwali, so some Indian friends sent us pictures of their celebrations (a benefit of Facebook 
)
The 5th grader – well, we are working on not doing just the minimum. He is really struggling in grammar and writing so I just purchased Saxon grammar for more in depth work. He does devour all the books he reads though and is loving the Sonlight 5 book list. Math is a struggle – not that he can’t do it, but he is getting sloppy and lazy. Working on a lot of heart issues with him right now… better attitude and responsibility. If you don’t see us around much, that is why. I keep thinking sending him to school would be easier – but I doubt it… they we would have to spend hours on homework every night. We would spend hours disciplining him regardless. Parenting is just hard work no matter what path. So we will keep plugging on. I hope one year he understands…..
Serenity
I took a picture last week, of all 4 kids sittiing at the table working nicely. It was an image of peace, serenity and sanity. It lasted a whole 5 min or som but I love the picture because it reminds me it CAN happen. However, I can not find it now.
This year has brought on new challanges. Caleb is in 5th grade and I feel there is a lot for him to work on…. math facts, handwriting, cursive, learning how to read and answer questions. Jessica has to work on correctletter formation and the jump to 3rd grade is a big one in math and amount of reading. Heather is in kindergarten and justtrying to get to the 3 R’s is difficult with Lauren running around. It really does take us all day to finish up all the work. I am switching non stop from kid to kid. I realized that my kids just can not be working on the same thing, as ideal as that might be. Interests, strengths and weaknesses just aren’t making it possible. Jessica would be happy to daydream and just repeat what Caleb says because he thinks he knows it all. Not working on the same thing makes her have to take responisibility and show that she does know her material without looking to big brother for answers.
So far it is working out well. I am learning a lot from both of them. I think that this year I am most impressed by Apologia and their notebooks. They are scheduled well and ask just enough questions and have just the right amount of appropriate acitivites. Caleb is studying the Human Body and Jessica is studying Botany. She was excited to search through the book and find a section on butterfly gardens, becuase she is working on entomology for her 4H project.
That is the other subject we added to our schedule this year -we are scheduling our 4H projects into the school year to get them all done before the last few weeks before the fair. But each child likes such different things. I love how much I am learning myself and to watch them work through a project. But it is also hard to make time for it all. I am still striving for a balance…
Back to the daily grind
I have not blogged much recently, and I am inspired by friends who actually do. SO as the new school year kicks off, here is my resolution to blog again. Life has just been life – busy. In the past month, Lauren has weaned – so for the first time in the last 11 years, I am neither pregnant or nursing. Kind of missing those cuddles.
My health is so much better. I am still on anti-thyroid meds, but I feel that taking vitamins, and exercising actually help a lot more. I am no longer feeling exhuasted and run down. I am not yelling constantly at the kids of being irritable at all times. I no longer feel like I have just ‘lost it’ and and drowning in stuff to do. I still have a ways to go before I consider myself organized. My energy levels are not where I would like them to be, and my motivation has been lacking. I will try to update more often of what it is the kids accomplish.
Filed under Uncategorized | Comments OffThings that make you go hmmmmm
Have to wonder what God is working on for me…. it has been a pattern that a person is placed in my life that I end up a bit in odds with- this has now happened a couple of times in various areas of my life – and then, that person shows up where I LEAST expect them to ever show up in another area of my life. Again this has happened multiple times over the last few years. I have to wonder what it is that I am supposed to learn from these experiences because I am sure it is not the feeling of my heart skipping a beat as I notice them in another are of my life.
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