New year resolution

Here comes the new year and time for new resolutions and new directions.  Sometimes change is hard, and this resolution is one I have struggled with for some time.

What resolution?  Retiring this blog.

At first it filled a real purpose for me, but my inspiration seems to have dried up.  Plus the fact that I was beginning to spend far too much time on the computer.  So the time has come to say goodbye.

I will miss writing (although I'm keeping my family blog going), I'll miss the directed focus to homeschooling, and I'll miss the comments.  

I will try to keep up (although sporadically) with your posts.  I do not promise to comment though.  Those take me some time to compose, but I do promise to enjoy what I read!

I will miss the encouraging words I have received through this blog.  Bless you for making them!

Lastly, I wish you a wonderful new year with bountiful blessings.  May the Lord watch over you with loving care every moment of your lives.

A third of your day?

I just got an email from Vitacost about how a school has found a 3% increase in kids eating fruits and vegetables when schools remove the sugary treats from the school's premises.  One rebuttal was interesting.  The person quoted said, "Sandon also said school cafeteria services get an 'awfully bad rap. The kids are only eating one meal at school, and they are only at school one third of their day.'"   

Excuse me?  Last I knew, schools offered breakfast as well.  As for the third of the day, another third is spent (hopefully) sleeping.  That leaves the last third for family, homework, extracurricular activities.  Hmmm.

Thinking of you

Hi! We had a great Christmas although low key. I've been pretty sick and so has my husband, but it was nice anyway. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, minus sickness! I haven't been online here much either because we have been busy.

My posting will likely be irregular because we have some pretty ambitious school and career plans. (Santa brought some new workbooks which J-Dawg was actually excited to see, and we are busy with photography and rebranding our photography business. My main job is still homemaking, mothering, and homeschooling, but my husband is asking for some help on the photography side too.) Check out our site at JLSstudios.net.

I apologize that this is so short and all over the place. It's very late, and I'm very tired. I just wanted to tell you I hope your Christmas was wonderful and that the rest of this year and next are very good for you and your families!

December activities

Okay, so friends of mine are sending out cards, making cookies and candy, decorating their homes with lights, and participating in frenzied shopping. (The mall looked awfully quiet today though!)

Us? Our tree has been up forever (and we love seeing it), I might get to writing a Christmas letter this year---maybe, fudge should happen sometime because I have everything I need or maybe Jim will make it, cookies don't last beyond 3 days, and cinnamon rolls haven't been on the docket yet but need to be so he can take them to work.

BUT we are reading Genevieve Foster's World of Caesar Augustus and have reached the part about Herod, King of the Jews. Fitting reading, I think.

I found a fun mathematics workbook (a whopping 29 pages) for the kids to do before Christmas. Lots of colors, easy on the eyes, fun theme (Princesses and Scooby Doo). What more could a child ask for?

Ahem! Those things must wait for Christmas Day! ;-)

Finished!

They did it! The boys finished their workbooks. For a reward, they got some money and computer game time. They're thinking they are pretty special!

December begins

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We did. It was nice to have the whole family home, including Jim. He was determined not to go into the office, and he kept that promise until later Friday. For Thanksgiving, I baked 1 cherry, 2 chocolate pudding, 1 apple, and 1 pumpkin pie. I think we finished them all off yesterday. Mmm.....maybe there is one more slice of apple pie in the refrigerator.

Jim and I went shopping to atypical stores on "Black Friday" and got our major Christmas shopping done. This year, I believe we have "hit" it with just a few presents. I am soooo excited to have them open them. Quantity we'll not have, but quality we will!

The boys took their purple belt test on Saturday and did mighty fine! S-man was on fire! Normally he gets nervous but seems calm. This time his movements were executed with a punch! Both were exhausted when they finished. Guest judges came up from Arkansas and they had a hard time telling the boys apart (important when you are judging!) The local black belts said, "You think it's hard now? Wait until they begin!" The boys tend to work at the same rhythm---even with their eyes closed.

Jewell just competed in a tumbling medal meet---and won a medal. Considering they didn't have long to practice their routines, she did very well. She needed a little help about halfway through, but she remembered it better than anyone else. She loves gymnastics! This week she'll have two classes because it was canceled for Thanksgiving last week.

On the school front, the boys are finishing their American Heritage Publishing workbooks as fast as they can! Christmas money is on the line. I don't usually bribe them with money, but they need Christmas money anyway....

My exciting news is that I just finished the Old Testament. I'm ashamed to admit that I have never completely read the Old Testament all the way through before now. Even in Seminary when I was a teenager. I was truly amazed at how addicting it was. I really enjoyed it. Sure, there were parts I slogged through, but the wisdom I learned was amazing. Things I had always been taught were there; I found them for myself! The last several prophetic writings were especially hard hitting for me---where it talks about the importance, and hence the condemnation heaped on the people, for failing to observe the Sabbath day, build and attend the temple, and pay tithing. Those prophets wrote much of the last days, so much as to engage my attention completely.

So there you have our last couple of weeks in a nutshell!