Homeschooling Update *Copied from Homeschooled Hooligans*

Back to School, Back to Posting, Back to
Something....or at least I Hope!
Hi everyone. It's been a long break, a long winter, and a long travelling season for gymnastics. Add in a last minute move (so that my parents can live with us) and it's no wonder I've lost my mind, my computer's flash drive, and my lesson planner. HA! At any rate, all is not lost. David (the gymnast) has been kicking some heiny at the competitions. Patrick is finding his groove again after the move (this normally takes MUCH longer then 2 weeks) and I think I found my lesson planner today. I do, however, make no promises about ever finding my sanity again ; ) As for school, we managed to get several weeks worth of school done between the middle of January and mid-March. Then we did 2 weeks of "inde" schooling while I packed like crazy and then got a week of almost spring break the week of the move while David's best friend spent the week with us while he was on spring break. In case you are wondering, inde school is what I call all lessons/activities that do not need adult help. So, things like CD Rom math lessons with the lectures pre-recorded, online videos about the Constitution, quiet reading time each day, educational videos, lots of games and lots of outdoor play. Also things like "how many boxes fit in the truck?" - "Where did Mama put her purse?" - "If I fill this box to the top, can I still
pick it up?" These all count as life skills, quite useful in the 'real' world after school. ; )We are now back to school, David is REALLY loving his math studies this year and is doing quite well in his pre-algebra class and has even already asked if he finishes it early, would I order him another. Why YES, yes I will! Patrick still struggles with 'wanting' to do school, but is putting forth
a good effort most days. I do still need to find his math disc, and then get back to curriculum studies. We've been doing some random worksheets I've found in the move, so all is not lost : ) Derek is getting back to his studies as well, although he's got Grma snowed into believing that if he says he doesn't want to do school, he doesn't have to do anything. Oops. I haven't brought his curriculum back out yet either, just so he and Patrick can stay together in their lessons, but I have enough K-1st grade workbooks, manipulatives, games and such to fill at least one whole 5 shelf bookshelf, so he is moving right along. I'm almost worried that he will be ahead once we get back to actual My Father's World studies. But a nice little repeat never hurt anyone anyway, right? Overall, all is well again in the MeYeR Man Crew Homeschool. I love, love, love homeschooling, even on the tough days. And hopefully, those are over for this year. Travelling is nearly over for the year, the move is over, and we are settled. Life is good.

Gymnastics Season 2: Level 8

David wins EVERYTHING at the State Meet.
David skipped level 7 this year and went straight to competing at level 8. It's been an interesting change for him and he worried that he wouldn't do well this year as he tried to get a handle on the changes from compulsory gymnastics to optionals gymnastics. Well, in true David form, he's done quite well for himself. The coach is pleased with his advancement, and I'd have to say, so are we.
Sorry that I haven't posted tons of pictures like any proud parent should do, but between the travelling for meets, the 4 part time jobs, homeschooling and the move, I just haven't kept up like I should. (My apologies David, I took pictures, I just need to post them) Anywho, blah blah blah...get to the good stuff, right? Well, suffice it to say that we are the proud parents of THE Level 8 (ages 11-14) NM State Champ. 1st in every event. Yeah, that feels good to say. *winks*
Regionals is in Colorado Springs, CO in the middle of April. He is already tweaking his routine so that he does well there. He's pretty excited as we are also. David, in case you haven't noticed, we are SO proud of you.
OK, now I need to go find the buttons that popped off my shirt from being so proud :D
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David won the handstand contest at the Las Cruces Invitational and got to do that cool trick with the Cruces Gym coach.

LOL, Still Behind

The move is officially behind us now. We moved on the 17th, unpacked like mad for what felt like years but wasn't that that long in reality. By the next day, we were serving up homemade meals again on 'real' dishes. My Mom is a wonder. Energizer bunny style energy, for sure. I WILL post some pics of the house I promise. Just need to get home to my flash drive.
Anywho, all in all, with the move completely FINISHED (did the move out walk through with the old landlord today) I can say with a touch of hindsight that moving up the block instead of across the country or across town is much better, but it does tend to drag it out a bit. It was nice to have the luxury of making small trips once or twice a day instead of all in one day craziness, but on the other hand, it felt like it was never going to really truly done. 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other, I suppose. At any rate, we are moved in, settled and loving it.
Dad and Mom are cozy in their master suite downstairs. (I love that jacuzzi tub!) Mom and I have piled all the bath beads, lotions, candles and other potions we can find as we unpack and apparently, I NEVER need to buy another scented soap, candle or lotion. (how sad)
The boys are loving their new rooms. Each one is a tad bigger than the last house and so now they have room to actually hang out in their rooms. David is trying really hard to be patient about us getting around to painting his room as it's an embarrassing shade of purple (he's 14, give him a break, right?) Derek is kind enough to share his double closet with us since our closet is full of shelves. Not that Dan or I have tons of hanging clothes, so it's no big.
Dan and I have made ourselves quite cozy up in the rec room/upstairs master. There is plenty of room for both 'areas' so it's all good. The 'library' or large closet with shelves on all 3 sides upstairs has quickly become the home off all our books, the linen closet items, extra games, scrap-booking stuff and even most of the craft supplies. (I think it's my favorite room in the house, LOL) Mom is pressing me to use their private LR as my office/crafting room, and while I would love to, I know they need their space, too. So, we are still working on a compromise that we are both happy with for that room. However, for right this second, it's being called the overflow room and is full of things that we are sorting out in the process of unpacking and arranging the garage. : ) It's nice to have a room for that!
Over all, probably the best move ever. Tiresome, but doable because for the most part, we could unpack it as quickly as it was getting to the new house. Life is good.
Come on down and see us sometime. We've got enough space to share for a while! Love to all

Holy SMOKES! 6 weeks?

Has it really been 6 weeks since I've posted anything? I am SO sorry. Goodness, where to start? My mind is scrambled at the moment, so please forgive any spelling, grammar or crazy mistakes in this, and it's certainly NOT going to be in any cohesive order. I think I'll use bullets and just have at it.

• We are moving! On Saturday the 17th, so the luck of the Irish and the Blessings of God will be upon us. : ) We actually got the keys on Tuesday, 2 days early : ) and have been busily taking things over each day since, so that Saturday won't be too terrible.
• Yes, we are moving AGAIN, but we are so excited. My parents (Larry and LaVonda) will be moving in with us! For now, it will be as snowbirds each year when they come for the winter, and when they are not in residence, we will have an awesome guest suite to share. When the time comes due to health issues, it will be permanent. The house is perfect for 2 families living together. 1st floor master with huge walk in closet, plus full private bath, and private sitting room. 3 bedrooms, rec room (which we will use as our master bedroom) and a full bath upstairs.
• David has been doing well in his gymnastics competitions this year as well, even though the first one or two were very different than what we are used to, since he changed from compulsory level to optionals. Different scoring, different routines, different everything except how much he loves it. Coach has high hopes of David making it to regionals again this year. The state meet (where he could qualify for regionals) is the weekend after the move. He's pretty excited.
• Patrick has already been packed for about 2 weeks. He's excited about the new house. It has a large slant ceiling closet under the steps that he has claimed for his 'gaming den'. We will see if he actually gets to have it, as I need somewhere to put my cleaning supplies, but maybe we can share. He is big enough this move to be quite a helper and I think he's excited to be counted as one of the big dogs this move.
• Derek is concerned about the move. He says he's afraid he won't be able to find the bathroom : ) But has been busily packing his books and toys anyway.
• EVERYONE is excited about having a pool table at the new house. It will be a great addition to game night for sure, and when Dad is having a good day, we can help him get up there and play some as well.
• I'm excited about matching appliances, a fancy oven, and unlimited hot water. Ha ha ha!
• Must get back to packing, packing, packing. Mom has been a great help. She seems to have limitless energy. And they say youth is wasted on the young *winks*

Ok, really must scoot now. I'll try to not let another 6 weeks go by without a post. LOVE to all!

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

Who has 2 teen-aged boys to feed these days? This mama! Bring on the new, larger grocery bills! Happy Birthday Patrick, enjoy your teen years. They are, after all, the best years of your life : )

For Pat's 13th birthday, we tried to go bowling, but it was league night so we opted for Sonic and a RedBox movie. We went bowling that weekend and Dan beat us all, even while bowling with his left hand (Jerk) Pat got an iPod for his birthday and has ENJOYED the iTunes gift cards and Nutter Butters from PaPa and Grma.

Simple Woman's Daybook

For Today...Feb 3, 2012
Outside my window...the sun shines bright, fluffy clouds float lazily by as buds begin to form on the shrubbery in the back yard. Spring is coming!
I am thankful...for a brief moment to squeeze in a blog during this hectic week
I am thinking...that I'm super blessed to be surrounded by family and friends that take such good care of my family and me.
From the kitchen...right now, a lunch of egg salad on homemade bread, green olives, pickles and orange and spice tea with vanilla sugar. Life is good. The meal plans for this week include:

• Monday: Leftover smorgasbord pulled from the freezer
• Tuesday: Chicken and rice casserole
• Wednesday: Papa John's Pizza and Ice Cream for family night
• Thursday: Spaghetti with marinara sauce
• Friday: Game night~ veggie tray, chips and salsa and birthday cake
• Saturday: L~ Fend D~ Homemade pizza (it's better than Papa John's, just sayin')
• Sunday: L~ Turkey and stuffing, relish tray D~ Popcorn and veggie tray

I am wearing... jeans and a red t-shirt, bare toes
I am creating... a new homeschooling routine, yet again.
I am going... nowhere for the rest of today, the gym and a Kohl's Cares Event tomorrow, and church on Sunday
I am wondering... how many people will show up for game night tonight, we usually have about 20.
I am reading... "Eats, Shoots and Leaves: A No Tolerance Policy for Punctuation" The book of Romans, "21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You" "The Story" (this week I also read the whole Rose Trilogy book series from Beverly Lewis) **wow, no wonder I haven't had time to blog recently** : )
I am hoping... to be the wife and helpmeet that Dan needs.
I am looking forward to... continuing "The Story" series at church
I am learning... that I can go nearly a month without purchasing groceries, and still eat healthfully, if I'm willing to put in the effort to catalog the contents of the freezer and pantry.
Around the house... Game Night prep is nearly finished, D and E are playing basketball on the PS3, P is playing a video game on the DSi, and DT is outside on the trampoline. (In case you are wondering, we don't have school on Friday. Fridays are devoted to socializing and getting ready for game night)
I am pondering... the fact that Dan and I so often forget to be grateful for the amazing health all of our children enjoy. So many children have disabilities, poor immune systems, vaccine injuries, or emotional, mental or learning problems. We need to be more mindful of how blessed we are.
A quote for today... "Grace isn't a little prayer you say before receiving a meal. Its a way to live." AMEN AND AMEN!
One of my favorite things... a night alone with the hubby in a fancy-schmancy hotel for free, while good friends care for our children. Every couple needs a break now and then *winks*
A few plans for the rest of the week...game night, gym, church, grocery shopping and hide and seek tag at the park on Sunday. (Park time is Daddy and boys time, mama stays home to lesson and meal plan, enjoy some quiet and get the house ready for a new week. It's good)
A peek into my day...Dan and I are so old that this is how we start our days together. LOL!

Ahhh, the breakfast of champions! Vitamins and either iced tea or iced coffee. : )

Oops, I almost forgot. If you like this kind of post, zip on over to Miss Peggy's site at www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com and check out some other daybooks!

Do You Have Photo Envy?

Earlier today, I read this great article over here. (http://www.hiphomeschoolmoms.com/2012/01/beautifully_picturesque/#comment-5158) And it got me to thinking about the assumptions we make about the people in front of the camera. Surely they don't have financial troubles, marital issues or rowdy, goofy children. They must be very nearly perfect, I mean the proof is in the picture, right? Most of my family pictures come out looking very much like they were inspired by a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon (no offense, Calvin) and I get frustrated sometimes. So today, I'm going to embrace the personality of my kiddos and post a posed picture and a 'real' picture or two. Hang on to your hats people : )

For another peek into 'real' life, check out this too! http://themancrew.blogspot.com/2010/05/wordless-wednesday_20.html