Seven Quick Takes

~~1~~

Brag alert: my 9yo has been chosen for a solo, a trio, and two "lines" (paragraphs, really) at our church's Christmas play.  It's not that she can sing well, she's just the only one to memorize the lines! :)  I'm guessing she's the only one to have time  to do so, from what I can see and hear while dropping her off at practice.  I'm not criticizing busy families, I'm just glad -- right now -- that we are not over the top with that. Kids have school, then activities after school, rush to the fast food place for dinner, then choke it down while the choir conductor is calling everyone back to start practice.  No thanks.

~~2~~

My 7yo just learned to crochet. I've been meaning to do that, but all the credit goes to my 15yo.  She's a better parent than I'll ever be! 

~~3~~

I'm going INSANE waiting for the end of February to find out if my girls got into the private school they are applying to.  I hate not knowing, because I have to make decisions NOW that I would make one way if they get in and a totally different way if they do not.  Right now we are waiting on test results too - my oldest took the HSPT a few weeks ago and the 13yo took the ISEE last week.  Seriously, isn't 4 working days enough time to grade those puppies and get the results back into the mail to me?? LOL

~~4~~

Speaking of waiting, I got my first mammogram done a few weeks ago, and they want to see me back for a follow up.  I'm not exactly nervous because I was warned by several different people that it is very common, but I can't get in for the follow up until early January.  I don't want to spend the holidays with this hanging over my head, but oh well. As usual, part of me is terribly calm about all this, and part of me wants to run screaming into the street.  Those two sides fight all day until I feel like I've been through a war. Maybe that's why I'm so tired.

~~5~~

I'm hoping and praying that God covers all my flubs in the homeschooling department, because I'm making a ton.  This year I threw my dyslexic freshman into the deep end without a rope.  We are doing an ancient history "humanities" year, combining ancient literature with ancient history lessons. She IS smart, so I wanted this for her -- you know, well rounded and all that -- but I didn't realize how much effort this would be for her and how much longer it takes to listen to books on tape than to read silently.  Here it is the middle of December and we've only gotten through some Ancient Egypt lessons (cursory history and lit), read the Illiad, watched Great Courses lectures on it, and read Greek history or watch more lectures on it.  Other than discussions, her output is minimal because she struggles with writing so.  With algebra, Spanish, biology, art and whatever else I'm forgetting there is not enough time in the day... and we're neglecting her very real need for explicit writing instruction and other language arts topics. I was hoping her writing would come along with my help "in the moment" of writing the papers, but it doesn't seem to be. I've taught the basics several times but something gets lost between the head and the outline, and the outline and the paper.  If she doesn't get into the school mentioned above, I have 3 more years to work with this...phew...but if she DOES get in, I need to stop now and somehow produce an extra 24 hours in our days to get this all up to speed.  See #3 for my dilemma.  

~~6~~

This week on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, dh and I celebrated the 20 year anniversary of the day he proposed. It can't really be 20 years because I'm only 29. :)  

~~7~~

Can someone please go food shopping for me? I'm to tired to figure out what we are supposed to eat, make a list, drive to the store, read all the labels, and come home and put it all away. Heck, I'm almost too tired to sit here typing.  Too bad I lost my magic genie lamp awhile back.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Advent season!  For more 7 Quick Takes, join Jen at Conversion Diary!