My week and sharing the love on curriculum

Well, it's been a long week!!  After I posted last time I got really sick :(   With a lovely respiratory infection.  It was really upsetting to me because I felt like I never totally recovered from my bronchitis at Christmas.  By Friday morning I was coughing, hardly had a voice, runny nose and watery eyes and a very stuffed up head.  So, I had to call and cancel my going in to our co-op to teach my strings classes.  I felt so badly about having to miss.  Even though I was sick the day before, I had everything set out to try and go.  When I got up and could hardly walk or talk I knew that it wasn't going to be happening.  I continued to feel really bad until probably Monday.  Yesterday and today have been better but I still don't really feel back to normal yet.  I started getting a tooth ache a couple of days ago too.  I'm not sure if it's related to me being sick or just a painful tooth.  I am not enjoying it either :(   Sam has had it also, but not as badly as I did.  I'm glad because he is still having pain from the shingles.  That alone is bad enough for him. 

Since I'm back I would love to talk about what we are doing for school work.  Sam is in 9th grade this year!  So exciting!!  He is growing into such a handsome and kind young man.  For our math we are using teaching textbooks.  For science we continued from last years apologia on to apologia physical science.  For history we are using The Mystery of History volume II...the Early Church and the Middle Ages.  We are loving it!  A friend is letting us borrow hers and I can't say enough good things about it!  It is a very enjoyable history curriculum to use.  For Language Arts we are using "Jump In"...for reluctant or eager writers along with Easy Grammar Plus and I am hand picking literature books to read for this year.  As an example of that..for right now we are reading "The Hobbit," and "A Connecticut Yankee in King Aurthur's Court."  Both are really good and we are doing them as a read aloud because I love reading with him and being able to discuss the stories together!  You are never to old to enjoy an adventure or two together :)  I don't know about you, but I love talking homeschool curriculum!  Love, love, love it!!   If anyone wants to share with me what they are using this year I love to hear all about it :)   Of course, Sam is also playing in the strings ensemble at our homeschool co-op and he sings in concert choir.  We have an art book series that he is working in also.  We do our Bible lessons from our class at church also  So all in all we are having a wonderful year!  That is all for tonight.  Much love to each of you!  And for those dear friends who I have promised to pray for..I am praying for you and love you dearly!!  Please keep my sweet new grandbaby that is due in May..(but will probably come in April)..baby Elliana..in your prayers..and Maci too!   "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15

With Love and Hugs,    Jerelene   

       

A beautiful day!

  It was such a wonderful day!  We had a little snow this morning..and then it melted into a beautiful and sunny day!  Sam and I took off for his weekly cello lesson this afternoon.  Then to my Mom and Dad's to stay and visit for the evening. Since yesterday was my birthday, my Mom had presents for me.  Lots of goodies but my favorite was a gorgeous Thomas Kinkaid Anniversary clock...it is just beautiful!!  We had a nice evening..visiting and talking and hearing my parents tell stories about my grandparents and great-grandparents. It was good to refresh my mind and it was nice for Sam to hear a lot of the stories that he had never heard before. My Dad had his pilot license for years and used to fly a 2 seater cub.  I used to fly with him when I was young.  He took off from a corn field at my grandparents home. It was so fun!  He had uncles and a brother that flew also.  It's funny, but Sam comes from a long family line of pilots.  On my husbands side..he is related to the Wright brothers!  Anyway, it was a wonderful evening.  We topped the evening off by stopping for a yummy blizzard from DQ on the way home.  Sam got a mint-chocolate blizzard and I got a turtle chocolate and pecan blizzard...yum-yum :) Well, I'm going to keep this short..it's been a long day!  

Love and Blessings,  Jerelene

 

I'm back! Yay!!

I am so excited to finally sit down and right a post! First time in such a very long time!  I had told myself I really wanted to do this again..so, as a birthday present to myself; I got busy playing around and tweaking it a little.  I am not done..by far. And to be honest, it has been so long since I've posted anything that I couldn't remember how to do some of it.  As an example, I had a horrible time trying to figure out how to change my background. Then I messed something up and changed my template and couldn't get the original one back!  So aggravating!!  For now I am just going to have to accept what I've got until I can figure out how I had it before..lol.
My hubby took us all out for a late lunch of yummy mexican food. That is my favorite, so it was awesome!  I haven't been out for mexican in a long time so it was quite a treat!  He also surprised me a little bad of donuts this morning...which I really didn't need..but the thought was SO sweet!
My sweet little grandbaby Maci is getting so big!  She spent some time with us this weekend.  She is potty training and doing such a good job!  I can't believe how big she is getting and how smart she is :)  She has been busy talking about her new baby seester that is coming this spring.  Baby Eliana is doing well. The last ultrasound showed her to be about 1 lb. and 15 oz.  I can't wait to see her! From the ultrasound pics I think she looks a lot like little Miss Maci!
Sam is doing well.  He had shingles back in December. He still has some residual pain in the area where the blisters were. They said the post-neuralgia can last a good while in some people. He has been exercising and working out and has lost probably 25 pounds or more. He is a lot taller now too.  He is growing up to be such a handsome young man.  He is in 9th grade this year. He is still playing cello..and doing SO well!  I am very proud of him.
I am teaching in Sam's homeschool co-op again this year. I am teaching and directing the strings class. I am blessed with wonderful and kind students.  Sam being one of them! We are busy working on music for our spring concert.  They are doing so well and I am proud of them all. They work hard on the music and it is challenging music at that.  "Rues Farewell," from Hunger Games, "Trumpet Voluntary", "Rondeau", "Allegro" and "Spring" by Vivaldi are the pieces we are working on. I feel very blessed to be able to spend time with these lovely young people every Friday.On the homefront,  Mark is staying busy.  He is still working as custodian at one of the local grade schools; plus he lays brick with friends and on his own when he gets calls for work. He still does the taxidermy some..but not as often as he used to. Mickey, Teddy and Peanut are doing well.  Teddy had a bit of a sick spell right after Christmas, but is doing ok now.  I can tell age is taking a bit of a toll on him. Mickey and Peanut spend their days begging for food and snuggling up with the nearest family member. I am hanging in there as far as my health.  I have good days and bad days. I treasure the good! After the last round of MRI's they finally diagnosed me with Occipital Neuralgia. It is from the bone spurs and bulges that I have in my neck. It causes severe neck pain and pain running up into my head and behind my eyes. At times on bad days it is so severe that I vomit. They have now given me phenergan to take at home to try to stop the vomiting before it starts. Between that and the ruptured discs in my lower back and the fibromyalgia and the fevers I run...it is a constant struggle to try to get everything done. I think my family is sometimes tired of me being ill..as I am also. All I can do is pray and have faith that God is with me and that everything has a reason....That our trials make us stronger!  I know that I am so much luckier than some that are going through so much worse of trials than me, by far.  God is good though..and blessings are plentiful.  Family, grandbabies, friends, all the beautiful things that God has blessed me with..those are what I focus on. I miss the interaction between my blogging friends.  Over the years I have found that those friendships have remained as strong as ever.  I am truly blessed by each of you..and you know who you are!!  Even though facebook has sort of taken over the blogging world..there is something so special about blogging :)  And on a happy ending note...A crocus has popped out in my flower bed!  It brought a huge smile to my face today. I am so very ready for spring and all the beauty that it brings with it! How about you?
  The flowers appear on the earth; the time of singing has come.   Song of Solomon 2:12
 With much Love,    Jerelene