Endeavor's Final Farewell

Yesterday morning, David called me from work and said we should go to Ellington Field to see the space shuttle.  Endeavor was on it's way from Florida to California, and was due to make a pit stop at Ellington Field.  So David took off from work a bit early, and we drove out to see the shuttle.  

Thank goodness we stopped and got dinner at Chick-fil-A on the way.  I knew the traffic would be crazy around the airfield, but I had no idea it would be PACKED.  It took us nearly 2 hours to get there, and over one hour to get home (normally, it would be about 45 minutes each way).  Thank goodness the kids behaved...even Theresa was a trooper and didn't fuss one bit!  I read several news articles online this morning...over 20, 000 people (including us) came out to see the shuttle.  WOW.  

We were only about to see the shuttle from about 100 feet away.  The general public wasn't allowed any closer.  There was some kind of official event going on while we were there, but the gates were locked, and police officers were everywhere directing traffic.  Craziness!  For a while I though we weren't going to make it, but luckily we finally were able to park in a field, and walk up to the gates.  I took as many pictures as I could before we lost daylight.  

David hoisted me up so I could get pics over the chain link fence...thanks honey!  One kind woman took my camera and got this shot for me...just to prove David could support me...and she let me hold her very nice camera too, LOL!  (Glad I've lost 10 pounds in the past few months!). 

Not to be outdone, Rebecca decided Theresa need a little boost too. :-)

One more shot after the sun went down. 

The kids got to bed late, but they were glad we went.  David says we wouldn't even get the opportunity to see a space shuttle that close ever again.  I'm sure he's right.  Fly on Endeavor...we wish your final home was in Houston so we could see you again!  

A Prayer

Over the summer, I went through a rough period of being really angry with myself.  I wanted to smash plates.  I wanted to yell at someone, anyone.  I wanted to hop on a plane to Tahiti!

Thankfully, none of those things happened.  Although Tahiti would have been nice.  

Instead I sat.  In the quiet.  For a LONG time.  I mean...hours.  David and the kids were kind enough to stay away.  I prayed.  I thought.  I told myself it would pass.  It did. 

Funny thing...a very dear friend texted me in the middle of it all.  She promised to pray for me.  Those are the best kind of friends...the ones who say they will pray for you...and really do.  Such sweet comfort...thank you friend.   

Sometimes I write out my thoughts when I'm in this particular situation.  I'd rather scream and holler, but I know God would rather I converse with him instead.  While it's never fun to get that really hard knock over the head from God...I knew He was only doing it out of love.  And He was telling me I needed to get off my butt and stop feeling sorry for myself!  

So here goes...A Prayer.  By me. 

Dear Jesus

Please give me the courage to follow You. 

Even when I fall into despair, 

And curl up into a little ball, 

And cry because I have no strength left

To do anything else.

I am scared to see the wall I tried so hard to build

Come crashing down all around me, 

Because You long for my soul. 

However imperfect it may be. 

You pull me up out of the darkness. 

You dust me off, and wipe away my tears. 

I lack the courage to take just one step. 

But you whisper words of hope and healing. 

So I follow you, sweet Jesus. 

I am broken, I know I am shaken. 

Yet you raise my head, so I may see. 

Your perfect love covers everything.  

May your mercy and grace be enough for me. 

When you say, "I am here for you my child."

"I AM all that you need."  

I LOVE YOU.  

Amen

A Crash Course in Homeschooling

We officially started school 4 weeks ago, and I'm only now getting to post some words and pictures about it.  So far, it's going pretty well.  A few bumps, here and there, and a few major revelations for me--all good in the long run.  

The first day at Regina Caeli, I dropped the girls and Gabriel off at the church, took a couple of pics, walked them outside to the playgroup and said goodbye. I was sad to see my sweet angel boy start kindergarten, but I didn't cry.  I still have a baby at home to occupy me, thank goodness.  

The next day (Tuesday) was our first day of homeschooling.  I'm not gonna lie.  It's hard work keeping the kids on task and motivated.  Definitely more work than I expected.  Both the girls have a quite a few assignments every Tuesday and Wednesday when we school at home.  This week was more days than usual...we were "on syllabus" Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday due to the Labor Day holiday.  I breathed a sigh of relief after getting everyone off to school this morning at the church (and then taking Joshua to his middle school).  Now I'm just relaxing, and my teeny baby girl is sitting right at my feet.  I'm definitely enjoying the one-on-one time with her. 

Speaking of work, the girls have assignments in Math, Religion, Science, History, Latin, Phonics/Spelling, Language Arts, Geography (not every day), and Language Arts.  Yep...it's a lot!  But they are learning, and so far, are doing great.  Rebecca especially loves the History--right now she's reading about George Washington and the American Revolution.  Christina hasn't made any of her preferences known. ;-).  Gabriel seems to LOVE it all, especially reading. 

So...what have I learned?  Plenty I tell ya!

After the first 2 weeks, I realized that the math and reading curriculum we use in Regina Caeli are too easy for Gabriel.  They are learning phonetic sounds and numbers, which he already has a firm grasp of, thanks to 3 years of private preschool.  It's not a bad thing to go over the sounds again, since he technically may still need speech therapy.  So, I'm using the BOB readers to help him combine sounds and recognize sight words, and a harder math kindergarten workbook I found at the dollar store.  For now, I'm spending more time on the reading.  He LOVES the BOB readers, and wants to read 3 or 4 of them in one sitting.  Otherwise, we are working on fine motor skills---he can write letters if there are tracing lines, but is having some difficulty if there are no lines to follow.  But he is trying very hard, and wants to practice more...so I have plenty of pre-printed worksheets, the chalkboard from Handwriting Without Tears, and a dry-erase board so he can really go to town, erase it all by himself, and start over again.  He likes to recite the poems and has memorized them quickly.  It's good to hear him recite...I can see if he is pronouncing the words correctly.  He did have some behavioral issues at Regina Caeli which we we able to quickly nip in the butt, and he loves going to school at the church with his big sisters.  

Christina is a eager learner, but is also my most stubborn student.  She and I have butted heads several times already, with me storming out of the kitchen, and her in tears at the kitchen table.  Not good!  I knew my patience would be tested with her, and Lord have mercy...it's been a battle.  Earlier this week, I realized I HAD to STOP getting angry.  I knew this was not the way God wanted me to school my child.  It would be a LONG school year if I didn't figure out a way to teach her calmly while meeting her needs and adapting to her learning style. It finally hit me 2 days ago...she was dreading the math lessons (and no wonder, it would take her 2 hours to do 2 pages!), and she seemed to be slow at addition/subtraction with regrouping.  (It doesn't help that Mommy isn't a big fan of math either!)  I knew this could be the root of her poor attitude.  On the advice of another homeschooling friend, I had her take a placement test on Xtra Math...a free, online math program.  Sure enough, she scored a 57%.  She got all the problems right, but was too slow on just under half the problems.  So we are drilling, drilling, drilling with Xtra Math and flash cards.  Obviously she needs to be faster with her math facts--which should make her math assignments less arduous in the future.   My SIL (who also homeschools) told me about Addition/Subtraction War, which I showed the girls how to play, and they love it.  Hooray for math lessons that are FUN!  This hasn't solved all of our tussles at the table, but so far, it has really made a difference.  I still find myself having to be rather firm with her--like yesterday when it took her 10 minutes to write ONE answer to a question using a complete statement.  She was crying by the time she was done...and it took her 3 tries...even though I was as calm as a cucumber and dictated it to her 4 times.  One thing at time, right? ;-) 

Rebecca has frankly been a dream to homeschool.  She is an extremely independent learner, and prefers to do nearly everything by herself...even her Latin declensions, states and capitals, and phonograms.  Unless I have to dictate something to her, or go over an assignment orally, I can give her the syllabus, and she just runs with it.  I love seeing her discover something she didn't know before (George Washington didn't want to be the Commander in Chief, nor President of the United States, but did so out of love and duty).  She loves all the assigned reading, and makes time for supplemental materials without me even suggesting it.  I might ask her to help Christina for a minute or take the baby outside while I'm working with Gabriel, and she never says no...she readily  lends a hand.  After the first two weeks of homeschooling and Regina Caeli, I asked her if she wanted to go back to public school, and she said, "No way!"  She says everyone is so nice, and she doesn't mind all the hard work--which is gratifying because we thought public school wasn't challenging enough for her anyways.  Even the slight uncomfortable and hot uniforms don't seem to faze her too much.  What a gift homeschooling and Regina Caeli have been for her.

It's been an amazing and interesting 4 weeks.  I knew it would be a challenge, but I truly have learned as much, if not more than the kids.  I've had to draw upon my years of teaching experience (from 13 years ago!), use my old resources, book, and files, and call upon the Lord for patience so many times.  But...I believe we are in for the long haul...and it's a journey I am really looking forward to.  I am so happy I get to spend more time with my kids instead of having the logistical nightmare of driving them to and fro, all over town.  I am thankful we've been given the gift of Regina Caeli so I can get that little break 2 days a week and be home with Theresa.  Most of all, I am thrilled that I can incorporate our faith while homeschooling the kids in so many ways every day!  I am blessed beyond measure!