“Good news from the graveyard!”

That sounds like a terribly morbid title for a post, doesn’t it? 😉 Don’t worry. We haven’t actually taken to haunting “dying holes.”

But I DO have several bits of GOOD news!!! They are, in completely random order, as follows:

#1. Have I mentioned a thousand times yet that this is the LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL?????  I have NEVER been so excited to see the last day of school arrive. This whole first-year-back-to-teaching, all while relocating the family across the country, schmorgasborg kicked my rear end up one side and down the other.

BUT, it was also good. There is always good to be found in a thing, well more like USUALLY.

Alan and I, when we were first married, agreed to steer clear of words like “never” and “always”. I think if we stuck to that idea, we’d argue over silly things a whole lot less!

What good came out of home schooling this year?

1. I grew leaps and bounds in my faith. I learned to pray more, and I learned to count on God to answer those prayers. I was humbled, and being humble is a highly desirable trait.

2. Joshua’s attitude is so greatly improved, it makes me giddy just thinking about it.

3. The boys grew so close to each other. They were close before, but now it’s almost ridiculous. Joshua came running out of the bathroom the other day, where he’d discovered a preschool’s business card. “Mom, tell me you’re not going to send Daniel to preschool next year!!” the surprise and consternation ringing in his voice.

“Well, yeah…why wouldn’t we?”

“Well, for starters, then he wouldn’t BE with us!” Joshua explained, as he crawled onto his home base, the trampoline.

“Oh, Okay, well let me calm your fears. He’s only on a waiting list, and it would be a place he could go while you’re at Classical Conversations,” I explained.

“Well, okay then. That would be all right.”

I did not tell him that it would also be Wednesday, maybe even Friday….but we’ll cross that bridge if he comes off the waiting list. Yikes!

4. I learned so much more about my children. I now can say with 100% assurance that Caleb does NOT have ADD. He listens intently, and he absorbs like a sponge. I had no idea. Joshua, on the other hand, definitely needs to lessen his amazing ability to tune people out at will.

I got to finally be a fly on the wall of their learning processes. They are such opposites, these two boys. Joshua doesn’t test well because he flies through his work, carelessly. However, the boy can memorize ANYTHING, practically instantly, and I have been rather impressed!

Caleb just lives to have fun, and he thinks the classroom is fun. I’d put Caleb back in school in a heartbeat, but then Joshua would be all alone. Caleb loves structure, and he wants to know exactly what will happen each day, before it happens. He needs to see the plan.  Sometimes I make up the plan as I go along, and that’s really not even hard or weird to me, so this was sort of a problem for Caleb.

That’s why I’m trying so hard to plan next year out, in more detail, in advance.

Confession time: While I love to make plans, I rarely actually LOOK at my plans. I rarely look at that day’s calendar, which drives my poor husband crazy. I commit events to memory, and that works 90% of the time, and when it doesn’t….I end up owing dentists large sums of money for not showing up for my appointment.  Yep. I am that lady.

I go to grocery stores with detailed lists, but then I think I have them memorized and never look at the list while I’m in the store. This works okay for me, but I inevitably forget something that was on Alan’s part of the list.  Why do I do this??? I think it’s time I start admitting that 90% memorized isn’t so reliable. I have got to learn to start looking at calendars and lists.

I have to know. Am I the only one that makes lists and then doesn’t read them?? Someone, tell me I’m not alone!!!

Okay….back on track here…..good news….

#2. Beach trip with my mom and sister-in-law coming up!!  Wahoo!! We’re talking the beautiful, HOT, white sands of the GULF OF MEXICO, ya’ll.  So excited!!  Would someone please tell auto correct that ya’ll IS a word. I refuse to spell it “yawl,” like it wants me to!

#3. I get to sing in church next weekend! I LOVE singing. I’m singing with a group, not the group in this video. We’re doing a bluegrass song, in honor of “Hillbilly Sunday.” I wondered if I should be offended that there’s a whole themed out Sunday ridiculing what could be interpreted as my people, but I decided to just accept it and move on.

Here’s the song, and the title of this post: