Keep your fingers crossed!

I have a buyer for Sweet Pea's, and I should be receiving a cashier's check for the full amount the second week of February. Please, please, please, please, please do not let this sale fall through! I'm going to start boxing things up today so that I can get her a shipping estimate for the inventory.

I'm finally doing something I've wanted to do for couple of years. I'm starting a secular homeschooling group in our community. There's an extremely christian group here, and while many of the women are wonderful, the group is not for us because a) we aren't christian, b) their gathering usually aren't our style and c) most of the regulars are very curriculum orientated homeschoolers. So, on the assumption that there are more people like us in Green County and they just can't find us because there is no formal gathering or group for homeschoolers like us near here, I'm going for it. My friend Lisa was talking with a mutual f riend in Madison (Jen, for those of you who know her), and Jen mentioned the group she's a part of and how they are willing to create branch groups. I spoke with Jen yesterday, and the group sounds really great, a good fit for our style and the style of group I wish to create here. So, next week I'm off to a planning meeting potluck for that group to find out more. I'm very excited about this.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally found a tupperware consultant locally so that I could exchange my broken tupperware. Not a moment too soon either! I found out that my favorite modular mate spice containers had just been discontinued, and I really need more. She was able to find another consultant who had some and get a small set for me as replacement for some of the tupperware that they couldn't replace with the exact same item. I just won a large set off ebay yesterday at a reasonable price (with shipping it was 50 cents more than I'd pay for it from tupperware). Now that they are discontinued, the prices some sets are going for on ebay is absurd. Now if only I could find a carousel cheap. I'd like 1-2 more sets of the spice containers too, but I'll just keep watching ebay for more reasonably priced sets. I'm not going to pay $5-10+ over retail for these things!

Abigail has completed the entire first section (A) of the Miquon Math orange book. She's eagerly awaiting beginning the next section, which we will start as soon as I get off this computer this morning. It's art day here, both girls have art class today too. I've got to clean up the house, DUST (I have pledge, woohoo!), finish laundry, clean the toy room and box up orders today too.

Skating Along

I did take the kids ice skating today. They had so much fun! Vincent was intruiged by all of the kids on the ice, so he happily hung out in the sling while I walked around on the ice with Isabella. Abigail had a few good spills and some nervous moments, but before we left she was going around without the walker thing. Isabella wouldd stand alone or hold on to me for a few feet. She had a death grip on the little ice walker, but really enjoyed herself. They skated for almost two hours and can't wait to go again.

We had a new family come to playgroup yesterday. They are new to the area, homeschooling and got my number from the children's librarian (I've given her permission to give it out). The mom had found the other HSing group in town, but they weren't what she's looking for. She's fits in very nicely with the rest of us at playgroup (unschooler, natural foods, no vaxing, breastfeeder, etc), and I hope she'll come back.

Off to clean up my house. I forgot to buy Pledge again this week. By the time I actually buy it and do the dusting, I think you'll be able to cut the dust with a knife at my house. Ugh.

Changes

I made a big decision. I'm selling off the diapers section of PBK. I haven't devoted any attention to it for a year now, no advertising whatsoever. It needs someone with energy and new ideas to revive it and help it grow. I hate to let Sweet Pea's die; it's been such a part of me for almost 5 years now. However the toys and waldorfy materials side of PBK is where my heart is, and I need to concentrate my focus. I offered it up for sale yesterday. I've got a few people interested in it already, probably because I'm not asking a ridiculous price. I hope the sale can go through easily and quickly. I've been thinking about this for a few months, and now that I've finally acted on it, I just want it done.

Some of the new toys arrived yesterday, so hopefully I'll be able to get them up on the website today. Tomorrow is playgroup day in the afternoon plus library storytime in the morning, so that pretty much takes up all day. Today Abigial and Isabella have art, but if Vincent takes a nice nap, I should be able to get some work in.

Abigail and Isabella have decided to use Amy's rubber stamps to create their Valentine cards for the card exchange. They really like using the stamps and all of the colors of ink. They made cards for Luis and my dad for their birthdays, and I swear every inch of the paper was covered. :D

I keep forgetting to by Pledge when I go shopping. My house is so dusty I can't stand it.

I'm thinking about taking the kids ice skating on Friday. The HS group we are a part of is going, and for once it's an activity in our town rather than 30+ minutes away. But, AM I NUTS? Neither girl can ice skate, and I'll have to be chasing Vincent. The ice rink does have those walker things for helping little kids skate; that's the only reason I'm considering going when Luis can't come.

Math, Math and more Math

The Miquon Math materials I bought arrived last week, and Abigail's math kick is still going strong. She's done the first 15 pages of the orange book already. I think she's going to be a main lesson block type of homeschooler - the kind who works on one subject intensely for a month or two, then moves on to something else. Last fall it was reading, now it's math. I do really like the Miquon Math. It's very hands on and introduces subjects in a concrete manner. I've been looking ahead through the Lab Sheet Annotations, and really like what I see.

Isabella is starting to recognize letters in her name. She is beginning the same way Abigail did, by typing. She asks how to spell her name and I recite the letters. She can now recognize and find the I, S, A and L. She has little interest in really trying to write anything yet, but if she accidentally makes certain letters or numbers in her scribbling, she recognizes it. "Look mama, I made a number!"

The girls are over in the dining room and just decided to play Crazy 8's all by themselves. They've got the hang of go fish, so it'll be interesting to hear if they can do Crazy 8's without my help. It's fun to eavesdrop on them sometimes and their imaginative play, how they solve problems or how they figure out games like this.

Luis was laid off all of last week again, and today. He should be working tomorrow and the rest of the week though *knock on wood*. It's nice to see hime, but this so sucks. Oh my, as I was typing that, his employers just called. I'm off to eavesdrop! Yep, I'm nosy! :D

I've been meaning to mention this for a few weeks now. I'm actually sleeping with my husband for the first time in 18 months. Amazing! LOL We have a twin bed pushed against a queen in our room, and Vincent is sleeping in the twin most of the night nowadays. Isabella comes in to the twin sometime around midnight, and they snuggle. It's very adorable.

We are participating in a Valentine's card exchange and the girls want to make their cards. Whoa boy. Those of you participating will be getting some truly, um, unique cards from our household, especially from Isabella. :D

Our friends who I was making the booties for had their baby last week. A fast, unmedicated labor, hurray. However, baby was a very sleepy 38 weeker, and has become jaundiced. She's have a lot of trouble nursing. They are working with the LCs at the hospital here, but I'm not sure how commited the mom is to nursing. We just started getting to know them better in December, and I don't want to be pushy. I've gone through so many of the same things with Abigail that they are dealing with now. It's hard.

I finished my roll brim hat to coordinate with my scarf. I love it! I should post pictures. The colors are fabulous - grinch green with plum stripes. :laughing I started knitting some dish clothes. I was working on a basketweave one when Luis says "Nice washcloth". I thanked him, and he got confused. He wanted to know what i was really making. Seems he thought the pattern was too pretty for a dish cloth!

I ordered a number of new wooden toys for PBK yesterday. Stay tuned for updates as they arrive and get on the website! Muscial intruments, toaster, cash register, parking garage, standard unit blocks, dishes set, tea set, full sized easel and table top easel.

Banging away

Last night we went to a Community Drumming Circle down in Freeport. They have these once a month at a park down there. We weren't sure what to expect, but thought it could be fun. Some friends went with us, and we saw a number of people from the homeschool group we are a part of there. It was in a park building with a nice fire going. The people facillitating brough lots of drums, some shakers and a few other percussion instruments for those of us who didn't have drums. It was wonderful, very calming. Essentially, we sat and banged away for nearly two hours. The men leading it did only very minor direction. The kids really enjoyed themselves too. I hope we can make the next one.

On the topic of banging, I also feel like I'm banging my head against a wall trying to get things done around here. I'm working on developing a new routine, and change is hard.

Knitting away

I was working on Luis' fingerless gloves last night, when he suddenly told me that he really doesn't want them anymore. After making sure he was certain, the gloves were frogged. I was only on the third finger when he told me this, so it wasn't like I was finishing up, but I certainly wasn't going to keep on knitting gloves if he doesn't want them. I'll make him some more socks from the yarn instead. Hmmm, wait I don't think there is enough for his feet, so I guess the socks will have to be for me. Oh Darn. :D

I zipped through my fuzzy simply scarf. I had made one from this yarn for my sister's birthday, and wanted one for myself. I had bought two extra balls of yarn to make scarves for the gift stash, but when looking at the scarf, I realized that if I made it a bit shorter, I could make myself a fuzzy hat to go with it. I'd bought each ball in a different color, but I decided that I could make the hat in the Leaf Green and stick in some Plum stripes to coordinate it with the scarf. The scarf is still long enough to go to my waist if I only drape it once, and I think the bright green and plum hat will be really fun.

I checked out Sitch'n'Bitch ftom the library yesterday (my fines are down to only $7.35 LOL). I must make the Pinup Queen sweater for myself. I've been lusting after the Pinup Girl sweater in the Spring '02 issue of Interweave Knits, but have been too chicken to make that for my size 12 body. The Pinup Queen is similar, but not quite as fitted, carved and detailed. I want it!

Brrrrrrr

Give me a winter with feet of snow anytime over one with cold temperatures and low wind chills. It was a perfectly lovely 12 degrees yesterday when we went out for our walk in the new snow. Perfectly lovely until one rounded the corner and encountered the wind. Luckily there was only about 2 blocks where we really were in the wind during the entire walk. I really needed to go to the bank, or we might just have stayed in the yard. Abigail did play outside for almost an hour after our walk, Isabella for over 30 minutes. The wind didn't get them in the back yard, and part of the yard was in the sun too. The fresh snow was so much fun to fluff around in. What is is about being bundled up in snow pants et al and walking in new snow (the kind with no footprints in it) that makes kids fall down every other step on purpose? I remember the fun of collapsing into the puffy snow world all too well. If it had been warmer or if Vincent were old, I would have been right there with them...

Today, though, the wind was just too much. We didn't get outside for anything. Well, except for Luis. He's laid off almost the entire month of December. However, now that it's January and an absolutely frigid week, he's working again. Outdoors. On the top of a hill. Luckily the site they are working at is partially complete, so there is some protection from the wind, but he's got to be truly outside part of the time too. Even bundled up completely in his Carharts with three layers underneath, even with thermoses of boiling hot soup and eating out rather than brown bagging it just so he can have a hot lunch, he comes home chilled to the bone.

For all of those construction and utility workers out there working in this weather, Thank You and Please Stay Warm.

Mama's Turn

Now that Abigail and Isabella are better, it's my turn to be sick. I felt a sore throat coming on last night, so I started with the garlic. I tried taking it in honey instead of with my usual orange juice last night. That is definately easier. I'm achy and sore today, but not as sick the girls were. Vincent is still phlemy and coughing, but slept much better last night. We were going to go to Madison today, but I'm not sure I want to if Vincent and I aren't feeling great. Maybe next week.

My sister has moved in. The kids are loving it, and we are working to help them remember that Amy needs her time occasionally, and if her door is closed, they don't bother her. It's fun having her around.

I'm thinking of getting Miquon Math to use with the kids. An acquaintance let me borrow her Miquon materials to look at, and I think it would fit our style nicely. Most of the time, Abigail prefers to do word problems that I make up on the spot (CGI math problems, she's doing double digit addition and subtraction and simple multiplication and division all with manipulatives). However, occasionally she wants something different, and I think Miquon would be good.

The local HS group is starting a 4-H chapter. Abigail really wants to join, so we're putting her in that. She is also taking homeschool art again this spring, thanks to my mom giving Abigail her birthday present early. Isabella also received a session of preschool art at the same studio for her birthday, so she's thrilled. Both start next week, on the same day of the week, but 5 hours apart. Thank goodness the studio is only a few blocks away, or that would be annoying!

Finally!

I read The DaVinci Code yesterday. Wow. I've had it sitting on my bookshelf since Thanksgiving, but promised myself I wouldn't read it until the holidays were over. It's been tempting me for so long! Yesterday morning I picked it up, and I finished it last night. What a fabulous book. If you haven't read it yet, do so! I wasn't sure I'd like it, given the emphasis on the Catholic Church in the review, but I went with my gut and got it anyways. I'm going to have to look for other books by that author.

We also saw Pirates of the Carribean recently. Loved it too. I didn't expect to like it, so it was a nice surprise. I definately want to buy that sometime. I heard lots of talk about Orlando Bloom, but gimme Johnny Depp any day. He completely made the move, imo.

Abigail and Vincent are sick. Vincent has nursed non-stop for the last three nights, so I am beat. Last night he alternated constant nursing with screaming fits, poor baby. I hope he starts feeling better soon.

Luis ended up not having to work on New Year's Day after all, so we did go out to our friends. Fabulous evening. Lisa and John always have an interesting mix of people out there, and this was no exception. Fondue, yummy desserts , fireworks, bonfire, great conversation. I'm so glad we were able to go. We went back the next morning for a New Oleans brunch, and had another great time.

Lisa and I are starting a babysitting exchange. Every other Monday she'll come here and watch the kids for two hours while I get some work done, then the alternate Tuesday she'll drop off her son while she goes to meetings, runs errands and/or works out.