A time to knit....

Finally got the time to take pictures of Stuart's sweater. I started knitting about 9-10 months ago and this is the first sweater I made for him. I've done a couple of large market bags, a shrug and a couple of vests for Alyssa, and hats & scarves for everyone. I'm working on another sweater for Alyssa (a hoodie) and have a cabled sweater lined up next, plus Stuart wants a hat to match the sweater. Oh, and Alyssa wants another hat. I'm thinking I'll do a cabled one to match her sweater. I'm about 1/2 done with her hoodie now, so it's moving along nicely. Stuart chose this sweater to match one he saw in a trailer for the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince movie. It's a striped, zip-up cardigan that Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint) is wearing in the trailer(he's in the middle in the back) and he wants a hat to match like the one Ron wears in Prisoner of Azkaban (I'll add a picture of it and one from the trailer). It took almost 2 months to make, but I had to adapt a pattern for a zip-up cardi that was solid and figuring out the stripes and lining them up on the sleeves and body of it were a challenge. If I use the same yarns they should look good together. It's a shame the movie was moved back to July, he wanted to wear the sweater. Oh well, he's wearing it now since it's gotten cold and says he loves it. The cabled sweater and hat are from Harry Potter movies as well, they are patterns from the ones worn by Hermione (Emma Watson) and are in a lovely soft gray wool. Since I'm making Alyssa's hoodie in white wool-ease, I'll probably make these in either a soft rose color or stay with the original gray.

I've started listening to the Harry Potter series on tape/CD. It's so relaxing to listen to them while I'm knitting, along with a lovely hot cup of tea (Earl Grey). Such relaxing times, although far too few! At this point I only have the first 4 books on tape/CD, but am getting the others for Christmas. Along with a new set of interchangeable circular needles and some lovely wool I wanted to order from Ireland. It's been highly recommended from my knitting group and I can't wait to try it. Oh, and I am thinking about ordering some lovely organic, hand-dyed wool from another Raveler. I'm still trying to decide on the colorways. It's more expensive than I would usually buy, but it's so pretty and unbelievably soft.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. It's late and I'm turning in. I've stayed up late a few nights this week already making a doll for Alyssa and the clothes and shoes for it and I'm feeling it tonight. I'll add pics of Alyssa and her doll later.

2008 Walt Disney World Vacation Pics - Finally!

I never did get around to writing about our trip to WDW this year. It was wonderful! We had so much fun and tried several new things. This year we stayed for 15 days at the Caribbean Beach Resort (Martinique Bldg. #26) and it was lovely! Our building had just finished it's refurb and everything was fresh and clean and looked so nice. Also, a few days after we got there they finished the full pool remodel (complete with the kiddie splash pool with the slides, dump bucket, etc.), all themed like a pirate's ship. It's great! And, it's so much fun to watch the evening fireworks from the pool!

While there, we went to the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. It was a blast! Alyssa had her dress that I made her and we brought with us. And, we had already been to Bibbity Bobbity Boutique and had her hair and such done, so we had the long, curls and all that I redid for the party. We had original had her hair and such done for her to wear at the Cinderella Dinner at 1900 Parke Faire, and couldn't pass up the chance to dress up again. Alyssa and I went to afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian again this year, and as usual, it was elegant and she was such the little lady, LOL. We all had so much fun!

Stuart loved the thrill rides and decided that next year he wants to go on several of the tours. So, we'll have to schedule all that in. He's still excited about going every year and couldn't believe when a couple of his friends didn't think it would be any fun. While we were there he commented a couple of times, "what? and this isn't fun?" It was funny, but after I thought about it, I was so proud that he's almost 15 and still thinks for himself and doesn't readily follow the crowd. His idea of following a crowd is having to wait around for everyone else to decide what to do and then wait for them to do it, so he says he's just going to decide what to do for himself. I love that boy!

We had great fun at all of the rides. Tried restaurants at the parks and several of the resorts and in general, just had a wonderful family vacation again. So, we've already reserved next years, LOL. Oh, well...if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Now, if only we didn't have to wait 10 more months for our next vacation, ;o).

School has started!

Well, it's officially the 2008-2009 school year! We started on August 4th and it's been a great week. Stuart is in 10th this year, Alyssa in Kindergarten. Both have full schedules, but it's working out well. Alyssa's is way too easy for her, so we're accelerating the lessons and moving ahead to find a more appropriate level for her. Looking ahead at the work though, she'll be finishing any new material by Christmas at the latest and will be ready to move on to first grade. The only thing holding her back at this point is her handwriting and that's simply because we hadn't stressed the proportional formatting of the letters. We're working on that now, she can read all the letters, and so far all of the readers that we've tried her on, so it's strictly a matter of learning the formatting and I may actually switch to cursive, I think she'll adapt to that easier. We'll see.

Stuart is reviewing the tests of his Algebra 1 book for the time period before we leave on vacation (the whole reason we started early) and before he starts his Algebra 2. So far, so good. He's done extremely well on the ones he's taken this week - aced it all so far. He's not ever going to love Biology, but so he's retaining already and gotten A's on everything so I can't complain. He's interested in architecture, so we're looking into some courses he can take in that. He already is learning a computerized program we had on house design and he's doing well with the proportion of the structure and picking up the basics on that. He's always loved drawing and design, so this may be his future. Only time will tell.

Craig will be home from New York tonight and we are all excited. This was a busy week for him, but he is staying at a hotel IN Times Square and has had great stories for us about it. We were going to join him up there, but his company had already booked his flight home and we couldn't change it without them losing about $980 which wouldn't have made them happy, so we're planning on going in a couple of weeks so the travel planning department will have advance notice that he won't fly home that weekend and in lieu of paying for his flight, have offered to cover the hotel in Time Square for all of us for the weekend, can't beat that! So, we'll show the kids NY! Sounds like great fun!

Well, other than that, I've been making some totes and bags and selling on Ebay. I really detest ebay these days, but it seems to be a necessary evil. There's a larger market there, so for now I'll go with it until I'm at a point to start a website of my own. We'll see where things lead.

We're looking for another church again. We've been members of our church for 6 years, but they have just become too liberal and not (we feel) completely scriptural anymore. They have the whole mega-church thing going, coffee shop, book shop, etc. to name a few and we truly feel that it is bringing the marketplace into the temple. The kids enjoy their classes, but we do feel we would be hypocrites if we stayed there. It's really difficult to find a conservative, restoration Christian church these days. And, we're too conservative to go to the 'new wave', liberal, entertainment churches. Believe me, we tried for four months recently and had to stop. They had women reading scripture from the pulpit, women attempting to teach men, the services were set up around the music which had no resemblance to the hymns we love. We may end up visiting a Church of Christ, but it cannot be one that believes and teaches that they are the only denomination saved. So, we're at a rock and a hard place. We're praying about it and seeking God's guidance and will see where he leads us. We can take the kids to their classes for now where they do enjoy it, have a private Bible study for Craig and I and home church for now. I'm not trying to criticize anyone else for their choices in churches, I believe that Our Heavenly Father lays on each of our hearts what He desires for each of us. What is right for some and what they have been led to may not be right for us. We'll wait for His Word and go from there.

Well, it's close to bath and bed for some (wish it were me, LOL). Be blessed!

Study re: real outcome of homeschool socialization - good news for a change!

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Survey: Homeschoolers new political force
Refutes 'socialization' concerns posed by thinkers in academia

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Posted: October 23, 2003
1:00 am Eastern

By Art Moore
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com

An unprecedented new study of adults who were homeschooled not only contradicts assertions they lack socialization but shows them far more likely than the average American to be civically minded and engaged in their local communities.

Parents who homeschool often are asked, "Aren't you concerned about your child's socialization?" notes the survey's author, Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute in Salem, Ore.

Brian Ray

Time magazine, in a feature, posed a similar question, he pointed out: "Homeschooling may turn out better students, but does it create better citizens?"

The answer, he says, is an emphatic yes. But not only does homeschooling turn out more active citizens, it produces Americans who tend in overwhelming numbers to hold conservative values.

It's the biggest story behind the story, says Ray, who conducted the survey of 7,300 homeschooled adults on behalf of the Virginia-based Home School Legal Defense Association.

"It's one thing to say they get jobs, get married and have families – which they do – but for those who want a very different set of presuppositions running adults' lives and determining how they vote, this will be bothersome," he told WorldNetDaily.

That's because, Ray explained, a "very large proportion follow a traditional Judeo-Christian worldview and believe in the founding concepts of liberty and limited government along with active participation by citizens."

"Those kinds of ideas are not cherished by many in positions of academia," he said, noting this is where much of the criticism originates.

According to some estimates, the number of homeschoolers in the U.S. is as high as 2.5 million.

Ray, who says the modern homeschooling movement began about 25 years ago, has taught in public institutions from elementary through the university graduate level and has studied homeschooling for about 19 years. He has a Ph.D. from Oregon State University in science education.

More involved

Only 4 percent of the homeschool graduates surveyed consider politics and government too complicated to understand, Ray found, compared to 35 percent of U.S. adults.

The study showed homeschool graduates work for candidates, contribute to campaigns and vote in much higher percentages than the general population of the United States.

For example, 76 percent of homeschool graduates surveyed between the ages of 18 to 24 voted within the last five years, compared to only 29 percent of the corresponding U.S. population.

Homeschool graduates in older age brackets show even higher numbers, with voting levels of 95 percent or higher compared to a high of 53 percent for the relevant U.S. populace.

Ray said people who doubt homeschoolers are becoming socialized typically have two presuppositions.

"One is that for adequate ability in terms of social chit-chat and being able to talk at a cocktail party, you probably need to attend an institutional school for 13 years of your life, because that has been the norm for about 100 years," he said.

"The second, he continued, "is that schools run by state-certified teachers generally know the best ways for a child to acquire knowledge and worldviews."

The first assumption has been found to be unwarranted by a number of studies already, Ray says, and the latest survey of adults reaffirms that.

"The second one is more difficult to deal with, because it's more philosophical," he said.

Studies show worldview largely depends on associations as people get older, Ray said, rather than the influence of the school system, but the homeschoolers are much more likely than others to align with the beliefs of their families.

Ray said there is a certain percentage of homeschoolers who would not align themselves with conservative values and politics, "but if you get those two groups together, they both believe very strongly in the jurisdiction of parents over their lives rather than state."

"Homeschooling will tend to develop students with strong independent thinking and critical-mindedness," he said.

Community service

The study shows 71 percent of the homeschool graduates participate in an ongoing community service activity such as coaching a sports team, volunteering at a school or working with a church or neighborhood association, compared to 37 percent of U.S. adults of similar ages.

Eighty-eight percent of the homeschool graduates surveyed were members of an organization such as a community group, church or synagogue, union, or professional organization, compared to 50 percent of U.S. adults.

The survey also shows the completion of homeschooling is not the end of formal education for most homeschool graduates.

Over 74 percent of home-educated adults ages 18 to 24 have taken college-level courses, compared to 46 percent of the general U.S. population.

In its synopsis of the study, the Home School Legal Defense Association said it presented good news for homeschooling parents wondering whether they made the right choice for their children, showing 95 percent of the homeschool graduates were glad they were taught at home.

The vast majority said homeschooling has not hindered them in their careers or education.

Eighty-two percent said they would homeschool their own children, and of the 812 study participants who had children age 5 or older, 74 percent already were doing it.

The survey also indicates homeschoolers are content with their lives overall.

Fifty-nine percent of the subjects reported that they were "very happy" with life, and another 39 percent declared they were "pretty happy."

Ray said it is possible respondents were motivated by a desire to make themselves and homeschooling in general look better, but pointed out he implemented all the usual scientific safeguards used in social studies of this kind. He said he made sure the study included homeschoolers who had a bad experience and tested the data with quantitative and qualitative studies.

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If you'd like to sound off on this issue, please take part in the WorldNetDaily poll.

---

Art Moore is a news editor with WorldNetDaily.com.

Study re: real outcome of homeschool socialization - good news for a change!

---

---

Survey: Homeschoolers new political force
Refutes 'socialization' concerns posed by thinkers in academia

---

Posted: October 23, 2003
1:00 am Eastern

By Art Moore
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com

An unprecedented new study of adults who were homeschooled not only contradicts assertions they lack socialization but shows them far more likely than the average American to be civically minded and engaged in their local communities.

Parents who homeschool often are asked, "Aren't you concerned about your child's socialization?" notes the survey's author, Dr. Brian Ray of the National Home Education Research Institute in Salem, Ore.

Brian Ray

Time magazine, in a feature, posed a similar question, he pointed out: "Homeschooling may turn out better students, but does it create better citizens?"

The answer, he says, is an emphatic yes. But not only does homeschooling turn out more active citizens, it produces Americans who tend in overwhelming numbers to hold conservative values.

It's the biggest story behind the story, says Ray, who conducted the survey of 7,300 homeschooled adults on behalf of the Virginia-based Home School Legal Defense Association.

"It's one thing to say they get jobs, get married and have families – which they do – but for those who want a very different set of presuppositions running adults' lives and determining how they vote, this will be bothersome," he told WorldNetDaily.

That's because, Ray explained, a "very large proportion follow a traditional Judeo-Christian worldview and believe in the founding concepts of liberty and limited government along with active participation by citizens."

"Those kinds of ideas are not cherished by many in positions of academia," he said, noting this is where much of the criticism originates.

According to some estimates, the number of homeschoolers in the U.S. is as high as 2.5 million.

Ray, who says the modern homeschooling movement began about 25 years ago, has taught in public institutions from elementary through the university graduate level and has studied homeschooling for about 19 years. He has a Ph.D. from Oregon State University in science education.

More involved

Only 4 percent of the homeschool graduates surveyed consider politics and government too complicated to understand, Ray found, compared to 35 percent of U.S. adults.

The study showed homeschool graduates work for candidates, contribute to campaigns and vote in much higher percentages than the general population of the United States.

For example, 76 percent of homeschool graduates surveyed between the ages of 18 to 24 voted within the last five years, compared to only 29 percent of the corresponding U.S. population.

Homeschool graduates in older age brackets show even higher numbers, with voting levels of 95 percent or higher compared to a high of 53 percent for the relevant U.S. populace.

Ray said people who doubt homeschoolers are becoming socialized typically have two presuppositions.

"One is that for adequate ability in terms of social chit-chat and being able to talk at a cocktail party, you probably need to attend an institutional school for 13 years of your life, because that has been the norm for about 100 years," he said.

"The second, he continued, "is that schools run by state-certified teachers generally know the best ways for a child to acquire knowledge and worldviews."

The first assumption has been found to be unwarranted by a number of studies already, Ray says, and the latest survey of adults reaffirms that.

"The second one is more difficult to deal with, because it's more philosophical," he said.

Studies show worldview largely depends on associations as people get older, Ray said, rather than the influence of the school system, but the homeschoolers are much more likely than others to align with the beliefs of their families.

Ray said there is a certain percentage of homeschoolers who would not align themselves with conservative values and politics, "but if you get those two groups together, they both believe very strongly in the jurisdiction of parents over their lives rather than state."

"Homeschooling will tend to develop students with strong independent thinking and critical-mindedness," he said.

Community service

The study shows 71 percent of the homeschool graduates participate in an ongoing community service activity such as coaching a sports team, volunteering at a school or working with a church or neighborhood association, compared to 37 percent of U.S. adults of similar ages.

Eighty-eight percent of the homeschool graduates surveyed were members of an organization such as a community group, church or synagogue, union, or professional organization, compared to 50 percent of U.S. adults.

The survey also shows the completion of homeschooling is not the end of formal education for most homeschool graduates.

Over 74 percent of home-educated adults ages 18 to 24 have taken college-level courses, compared to 46 percent of the general U.S. population.

In its synopsis of the study, the Home School Legal Defense Association said it presented good news for homeschooling parents wondering whether they made the right choice for their children, showing 95 percent of the homeschool graduates were glad they were taught at home.

The vast majority said homeschooling has not hindered them in their careers or education.

Eighty-two percent said they would homeschool their own children, and of the 812 study participants who had children age 5 or older, 74 percent already were doing it.

The survey also indicates homeschoolers are content with their lives overall.

Fifty-nine percent of the subjects reported that they were "very happy" with life, and another 39 percent declared they were "pretty happy."

Ray said it is possible respondents were motivated by a desire to make themselves and homeschooling in general look better, but pointed out he implemented all the usual scientific safeguards used in social studies of this kind. He said he made sure the study included homeschoolers who had a bad experience and tested the data with quantitative and qualitative studies.

---

If you'd like to sound off on this issue, please take part in the WorldNetDaily poll.

---

Art Moore is a news editor with WorldNetDaily.com.

If I want modest clothing for my daughter, I'll just make it myself!

Well, after shopping and scouring the internet, I've gotten quite disgusted with the clothes available for little girls. My daughter is five, I mean really, she's 5. She's not trying to look 25 or even 15 (don't get me started on that, either). But, she's 5. It seems like we keep going from extreme to extreme. It's either trashy and inappropriate or it's trashy and cheap. I can't stand the hip huggers, the cropped tops, the barely there necklines and shoulders, the whispy, see-through or not even there midriffs. The mini-skirts that can't even cover when she's picking something up or the oh-so-tight shorts and jeans. Don't start on the sayings (it should be illegal for a little girl to wear anything that proclaims her a hottie or anything similar). There's no modesty and very little of anything else. So, with 30 years of sewing experience behind me and off and on years of making things for other people's daughters, I'm dusting off my serger and getting busy. I've designed about 12 outfits for her and I'm just going to get busy working on them. Last year, I made several little shift dresses and scarves for summer, but nothing really major. Now, I think it's time to get serious and just do it myself. I mean, why am I paying someone else to make her clothes that I like, when I am more than capable of making tailored, finished clothing for her myself? Well, time was one thing. Another was money. It's so much cheaper sometimes to just buy it made up already. I have found some very pretty dresses for her that way. But, I can't stand the everyday clothing (which we don't buy), but which is all that's available. So, I am starting work on a basic wardrobe (tops, capris, shorts, skirts and dresses) which are modest and fashionable and fully lined and made to last and all. She's already gotten very excited just going through my stash of fabrics, and this weekend we're going to the lfs (local fabric store) to look for coordinating (not matchy-matchy) fabrics to build on. That way, I can add fall pieces as needed right into winter. No more worrying about finding tacky, immodest clothing. No more worrying about them falling apart or fading after 2-3 wearings.

Can you tell I'm on a rant?? Well, between embroidering, knitting, sewing, appliquéing and embellishing, I'm hopefully going to be very busy and she's going to be very happy. I'll post updates and pictures as I get stuff done. Who knows, maybe I'm not the only one wanting pretty, modest clothing for my daughter. Now, if only I could add cobblering to my resume and make shoes that don't try to look like high-heels - UGH!!!!

Catching up.....

Wow, life has been so busy lately! Most recently, we've been working with VBS at church. It's been busy, but great. We've had 250-300 kids per night and about 80 workers. Both Craig and I are crew leaders for the 4-5 year old group. Our youngest is in the same age, but not in either of our crews which has been really good for her. She tends to shy away from the dancing and such around us (guess we're just the old folks, LOL), but really comes alive when she doesn't think we're looking. It's funny, we encourage her to have fun, but I guess because we are more conservative at church than most, she thinks she has to be as well. Hopefully, as she gets older, she'll learn that praise and worship are very personal and will find her own way (although I still don't see anything wrong with being conservative, LOL). Stuart is meeting more of the teens (more on that in a moment). Some of the kids have been very fun to work with, others...something of a trial, but all a blessing. We've gotten to know so many more people in the past week, we've been attending this church for just over 3 months and have taken things slowly. We haven't joined the church yet, but we're considering it, prayerfully. We are getting more comfortable with some issues (nothing theological, more logistical), and we are studying scripture and praying about the others (theological). I respect Craig's wisdom and faithfulness and we'll await God's desire and follow that path.

Stuart has had fun, he's gone paintballing with a group and is learning how to work the sound control board on Sunday mornings. He loves computers, so this is a good fit for him. Last night, his friends let him know that one girl likes him. She made minor attempts to get his attention a couple of times. I know that at 14, he's very much aware, but knows we don't go in with the boyfriend/girlfriend thing at this point. She's nice (according to everything we've heard) and very modest in appearance (Thanks be!). We're leaning more toward courtship as an option to dating. At the very least for a few years. He can have friends, they can go on group activities, family dates, visit her home (as long as we know the parents and know they will be there), and sit together at church. But no one-on-one dates or anything (I was surprised at how many are allowed to do this at this age). We won't say that he won't be allowed to date later, I think it really depends on him and his maturity level and who it is with, etc. At this point, he's completely on-board with courtship in the future and has not problem with it. We'll see. As for Alyssa, don't even want to go there for another decade or so, LOL.

Things are going well with Craig's work. We've all settled into a schedule and I think it's so sweet and funny to see him taking a conference call on the back patio. I fix his lunch and serve it to him out there sometimes. It's almost like we've always done it this way.

We've gotten the kid's homeschool schedules ready for next year. Stuart has to decide on one more elective, but otherwise, we're done.

Stuart's schedule is:

Abeka Bible Doctrine for Today
Abeka Grammar/Composition IV
Abeka Vocab/Spelling/Poetry
Heath Integrated Algebra 2/Trigonometry
Abeka World History (includes Government supplement)
Abeka Biology (with labs)
Abeka Spanish
Computer Programming /Game Programming for Teens
'?' the mystery elective (maybe guitar)
Plus, he'll have field trips with the homeschool group (laser tag, go carts, etc.), and missions service.

It'll be a heavy year, but he's doing well, so I think it will go well. Last year his GPA was 3.74. I'm pleased, but hoping he'll take this year a little more seriously. He can do better, but is a little apt to goof off. I never should have told him I didn't want to push to graduate too early. As it is, he'll graduate at 16. So, I think he's taking me literally and not pushing too hard :::sigh::: oh well, LOL.

While Alyssa did K4 last year, I don't really want to start her in 1st grade yet. She's just turned 5 and I would rather wait and not pressure her at this point. So, we're going to do K5 this year. She's already sounding out most words and reading/spelling 5-6 letter words. She does well with basics, but we're moving on to the higher level readers. She does very well with basic adding and subtracting, too, so we'll see. Here's her schedule:

Abeka Letters & Sounds
Abeka Readiness Skills
Abeka Number Skills
Abeka Writing with Phonics
Abeka Basic Phonics Reading
Abeka God's World Science
Abeka Social Studies
plus, Art & Music from a variety of companies and she's starting Ballet & Tap at a local dance studio.

I am going to see how she does holding back to kindergarten, but we did go ahead and buy several of Abeka's first grade texts so that if she needs to move on to keep from getting bored, we'll be ready quicker.

Well, let's see. I've been slacking off on my knitting lately. Craig's poor socks will never knit themselves so I will have to start on those again. I've found a wonderful knitting community at Ravelry.com and just love the message boards, tips, patterns, etc. I've been working on some Paton's Kroy socks for him in a Glenchek colorway. But, I only have 2/3 of one sock done. Those heel turns are still slow-going for me and I've moved on to sewing for Alyssa lately. I've made several shift dresses for her with matching head scarfs for her and her American Girl doll, Kit. She loves to go to church in matching outfits. (I also found a couple of sets on ebay and that's always fun!). But, I need to be more diligent about finishing projects. I'm starting on some capri outfits for her/them, since it's been so hard to find modest shorts for her. She's so tall for her age and so thin, that's it's hard to find shorts that aren't too short but still fit in the waist. I think it's going to be easier to just make them myself. So, I've had a blast looking at patterns, catalogs, etc. and recreating my own for her.

This past week, the kids and I cleaned out the garage and attic. We had a yard sale last Friday, but got rained out. I didn't really mind since it got the last of our unpacking done and we just donated most of it and threw out the rest. One of our neighbors got really irritated that a few people stopped by our trash to pick through it and loaded up some boxes. As long as they didn't make a mess, I didn't care, and it was only out for a few hours Sunday night (pick up is Monday am). I figure it's in the trash and someone wants it, they can have it and be blessed. She considers that if it's in her trash, it's still hers until the garbage man picks it up. Oh, well...different strokes for different folks. LOL. On a sadder note, our other neighbor's (an elderly woman) son moved in recently after losing his home (he's not married). Well, he lived there for a couple of months before taking his life in the back yard this past Sunday. It's horribly sadder because they do not know Christ. We've just really been praying for her family. The neighborhood has been taking up a collection to help her with funeral expenses and doing what we can.

Well, that's about it, I'm waiting on my dryer to be delivered shortly and then I can finish up the laundry. First, 3 weeks ago the washer started leaking and we had to replace that. Then, last week the dryer switch shorted out and we had to replace that. They messed up the delivery date on Tuesday and now, hopefully, we'll get it today. YEAH!! So, lots going on. Continue to be Blessed!

Welcome to our lives...

We are the Hale family. We are a basic family (mom, dad, big brother, little sister). We live in a beautiful, rural part of Kentucky which is, fortunately only about 30 minutes from Louisville, 15 minutes from Shelbyville and an hour and a half from Lexington. We get to enjoy the country while benefiting from the convenience of the city. What could be better?

Craig and I have been blessed by Our Savior, Jesus Christ, to be married for 23 years (at the end of April) and to have 2 children (Stuart-14, and Alyssa-4, she'll be 5 in early May). Life can be very hectic and there so much to keep up with, I wanted to start this blog as a 'journal' to look back on and share. We welcome you and your comments, as long as they are respectful and language is temperate.

We've seen and heard so much from so many people (IRL and On-Line) about how much their families have grown apart, we've decided to face it front on and do all we can to avoid that. So, what does that mean? I (Lisa) don't work outside the home anymore. I enjoyed a wonderful job as a Benefits Analyst for several years, working both from home and in the office. Over the course of our marriage, I worked for the first 8 years, stayed home with our son and home-schooled him for kindergarten. He started first grade at a Christian school about 35 miles from our then home and I started working part-time.

After that first year, the reality of driving that far out of the way for school was getting ridiculous, so we searched for a school closer to home. We found one, another Christian school. This one, we didn't see eye-to-eye with on many, many issues and decided after about 2 months that we needed to leave (more on this at a later date). We re-visited the idea of the public schools nearby and decided to try it. Well, it worked (well...more on that later, too) for a while. Our son was quite advanced and was getting left behind, due to time constraints, teacher-pupil ratio, the simple fact that they didn't need to work with him, so they left him to his own devices most of the time. Not exactly what we had in mind academically. While he was involved in I-LEAP classes, he wasn't being challenged anywhere else, so while we continued to try to work with the school for the remainder of 2nd grade and all of 3rd grade, by 4th grade we were done fighting a losing battle. We home-schooled him for the majority of 4th grade and again enrolled our son in yet another Christian school for 5th grade. His 5th grade teacher was great! She challenged our son, extending various opportunities to him throughout the year and was wonderful all around. Sixth grade, not so great. Another teacher, and back to the same old, too many students, not enough time and no patience for having to provide anything extra to a child who finished in such short time without being challenged.

So, 2 months into the school year, we withdrew him and decided the best course of action was to work it out ourselves. So, we began homeschooling permanently. After scoring at 97% nationally on the Stanford tests, we began moving at 'his' pace. Well, his pace finished sixth grade early and started 7th grade that year. We follow the public school schedule (for the most part) and so enjoyed summer vacation. He picked up 7th grade and then finished that and 8th grade by the end of May. So, he was 13 and ready for 9th grade. While I wouldn't have been please by that prospect in a public school - peer pressure, etc.- I had no problem moving him up at home. Now, he's 14 and almost done with 9th, getting ready to move up to 10th grade shortly before we end our school year. We will probably use the extra time to review, focus more on elective courses and prep for testing again. I really don't want to accelerate him much more and have a 16 year old college freshman.

So, while we were enjoying the journey, trying to keep up with our son, we were amazed and blessed with an addition to our family of a perfect little princess - after 18 years of marriage! We had always hoped for more children and had lost many to miscarriage and had settled our minds to being grateful for our son. Well, all things in God's time, not ours! We may have decided we were done, but thankfully God hadn't. Our lives have all been enriched and blessed by our daughter.

She is now 4, going on 5. She had such fits when she was 3 and realized that while brother had school, she didn't. So, when she turned 4, we thought we'd give it a try and see how it went. Well, she's finished most of the curriculum and all of the workbooks already for kindergarten, so I guess it went well. We've been having to supplement with extra work for her since the end of February and we'll just continue to see how it goes. She's writing, reading and working simple math. She loves science and history and anything artsy or crafty. The year is moving along beautifully.

As for extra activities, field trips, etc. Last year, we had activity and game days every 2 weeks. Well, you can imagine how hectic that was. Then in May of last year, my husband had a severe diabetic reaction that triggered a seizure and a heart attack - at only 45! Since we were at the end of the school year already, we simply ended for the year. We are blessed to have a couple of huge support groups locally (750 families in all take part to some extent). There is never a shortage of field trips and activities - we usually have to limit the number of things we do so that they don't interfere with school itself. Our son is involved in computer game programming, video game design, guitar, chess, video gaming on-line, and loves go-carts, laser tag and is beginning airsoft. He enjoys weight-lifting and wants to look into boxing some, as well. Our daughter loves anything crafty, wants to knit (but I just don't think she's ready yet), loves High School Musical and anything with Disney Princess or Barbie.

Now, as for Dad and his contribution to building family unity. First, his health is better than ever (runs 2 miles a day since last year) and his diabetes is under very good control. However, he really started looking at the quality of life after last year. So, towards the end of the year, he started looking for a new job where he wasn't working 70 hours/week. As an actuary working in the pension benefit area, there are many areas he can work in. We were so blessed when he found a virtual job. He works from home full-time. It's been amazing! He travels 8-10 days of the month, usually meeting with clients, and the rest of the time he's here. We have breakfast together, he works and the kids start school. Then we break for lunch - with him - and do everything imaginable from playing in the snow this past winter, to picnicking outside a couple of times already this spring. If nothing else, the kids can show him what they are working on (he's the math whiz/teacher here and holds lessons in the evenings and weekends), watches our daughter ride her bike, finger paints, plays a game with our son, or we simply stop for coffee and tea in the sun room while the kids do their thing for a bit. Then it's back to work - lots of conference calls in the afternoon - while we finish school or leave for afternoon activities. We are usually done by around 3:00 and then the kids are free to goof off for a while. Dad works until around 6:30 or so and he's home! ;o)

One of our family rules is that we eat dinner together, around the table or the island or wherever works out best. I spend part of the evening grading school work from that day (if I hadn't had time to do so already). Then we watch TV together - you can still find good, funny shows, you just have to work at it and the DVR helps tremendously - we can watch what we want, when we want. While we spend time together, we sometimes read - we all love mysteries and often end up talking about the plots and such more than we read - I knit or sew (still multi-tasking, LOL). Then the kids have some free time before we all get ready for bed at our various times.

Weekends are family time, with movies (home or at a theater), the zoo, game days, dinner out for the family, dinner out for mom & dad to have date night and church. We just finished getting our annual Disney vacation scheduled and everything reserved, so we're really psyched about that, even though we still have a few months to go. I'll update about our vacation plans later, it's going to be great again!

So, that's where we are. First blog and it left so much out, but we'll fix that in the coming days.