Our home(school) away from home

A few years ago, when our kids were still in private school, conversations with friends frequently focused on our schooling options.

At that time, the idea of home schooling was the one thing I hoped I wouldn't ever have to do. "But if I ever DID home school, " I would say, "I would use all of the money that we would have spent on private school tuition and travel around the country doing school."

The kids were getting older, and they are good travelers. I imagined us living in a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains in the fall. In February, we would find a place on the beach in Florida. And spring would be a perfect time to see the Grand Canyon.

What better way to study geography than to see it all first hand?

Shortly after we made the difficult decision to do school at home, I also found out I was pregnant. And I resigned myself to the reality we would be doing home school... at home.

Then, a few months ago, a friend offered to let us use her rental home in Florida at an incredibly generous price. Once again, my mind started racing with the possibility that we really could take our schooling on the road. The house had high-speed internet access so my husband could work from there almost as easily as he could work from our home.

We started making plans to pack up our school work and my husband's work and take it on the road. We plotted out a four-day drive across the country with stops at several major cities along the way.

But what happened next? Coming soon...

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The oasis

It's an oasis in the middle of a city.


It's a garden.


It's a place to go for a walk.


A place to dine.


A place to shop.


A place to go for a boat ride.


It's completely enclosed, heated and cooled to a perfectly comfortable temperature every day of the year.


For us, it was a stopping point.
A place to stretch our legs.
And have a bite to eat.


Do you know where it is? Have you been here before?

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Another year

If you were reading my blog this time last year, doesn't it seem impossible that a year has gone by already?

Actually, I have to thank you for hanging around after that spectacle I created last year surrounding my big milestone birthday. The 40-day countdown. All the celebrations I had for myself. Then the surprise party.

Oh, not to mention the little secret I was carrying around, too shocked to tell all my friends and family there was a perfectly good reason I wanted to puke all of the time.

It was nice to let this birthday quietly come and go. My husband was on another continent, so that left me home to have a nice birthday just doing what I do everyday... being a mom.

It all started when my alarm clock went off yesterday at 5 a.m. Whoa! That was early considering the alarm also had sounded at 11 p.m., 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. But fortunately, even though she has a loud scream, my alarm clock is cute and cuddly. And unlike most mornings when she can be lulled back to sleep, she apparently was excited to tell me happy birthday and couldn't wait to start the day.

Once I got out of the shower, I couldn't find the big kids. I have drilled into their little minds my love for birthdays, so I was afraid they might have pooled all of their piggy bank money and rode their bikes over to Target to buy me a gift. Instead, they all jumped out of their hiding places and sang "Happy Birthday".

They told me they would be more than happy to buy me ANY Wii game that I wanted as my gift. All I had to do was drive them over to the store so they could pick it out.

Then, it was time to rush through school so we could meet up with their friends at the Arboretum. Thankfully, their friends all come with moms who are my friends, and we all had a nice afternoon together.

After that we went to the kids' favorite restaurant, Go Roma. Actually, I don't mind Go Roma. I thought the food was great the first 16 times we went there. But after about 349 meals at their favorite restaurant, I can't say it would have been my No. 1 pick.

I ordered myself a little chocolate molten lava cake for dessert and a little dish of ice cream for the three big kids.

"You ARE going to share, aren't you Mom?"

Oh. Yeah. Of course I was planning to share. I cut the tiny little cake into four pieces and passed a bite to each person.

When we got home, the kids decided we should have a movie night. And guess what?! I could choose ANY movie I wanted to watch!

Well... as long as it wasn't that one or that one. Actually... as long as it was either this one or this one. I made my selection from the two choices I was given, and we all sat down to watch it together while I folded laundry.

By about 8 p.m., I was ready for bed. It had been a long day.

It might not have been a birthday filled with all of the things I would have chosen for myself. But I got to share everything we did with my four greatest gifts. And that was perfect.

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The notecard

If you are looking for my Lost post, scroll on down...

***

I really don't like getting the mail. It gives me a sense of dread about what demands lie hidden inside sealed envelopes.

Bills that need to be paid. A reminder about something I've forgotten. A meeting I need to attend.

I'll admit it. Sometimes I leave my mail piled in a stack for days before I work up the courage to sort through the junk and take care of the letters that require my attention.

So, it was kind of unusual yesterday that I took a minute to open the mail right away. The first thing that caught my eye was a small envelope with my name and address hand-written on the front. There was no return address.

Hmmm. I can't think of anyone who might be sending me a thank you card (although I still owe thank you notes to about 10 people). Maybe it's a birthday card from my insurance agent. She's one of the few people left who still sends a greeting that way instead of through Facebook or e-mail. Or an invitation? A home party, maybe?

I tore open the envelope and read the first line.

"Emily, you are such a blessing to me..."

What?! I was on the phone with my husband at the same time. While we were talking, I kept scanning the note to try to figure out what it was about. Who was it from? Why had they sent it?

No signature.

I looked at the envelope again. No return address. The postmark was blurred so I couldn't even see from what town it might have been sent.

It must be from my secret sister. I think I remember reading in the secret sister description that we could send notes to each other in the mail. But wouldn't she have at least signed it, "secret sister"?

Maybe it was an early birthday card. You know. You're supposed to say nice things to people on their birthday. But wouldn't it say, "Happy Birthday!"?

I read it again line by line.

"Thanks for sharing kindness to those who are insecure and have nobody."

Really? Me? I have shown kindness to the insecure?

I don't feel like I am that good at showing kindness to the insecure. I'm usually working so hard to battle my own insecurity that I'm afraid I come off as aloof.

I was so struck that this person saw that in me. Because seriously. That would be one of the Top 5 things I would want someone to include in my epitaph. "Loved Jesus. Wonderful Wife. Awesome Mom. Could stretch 5 pounds of ground beef into 10 meals (just kidding). Friend to the insecure."

I continued to read.

Wow. Whoever wrote this note really had the gift of encouragement. It wasn't just a quick one-liner, thank-you-for-doing-such-and-such kind of note. The writer had really taken some time composing her thoughts.

I was so curious that I put out a message on Facebook, hoping the writer simply forgot to sign her name. Another friend from my church responded that she also had received a note of encouragement in the mail that day. So, that means, it wasn't from my secret sister. It wasn't for my birthday. It wasn't from a relative.

Someone wrote that note. For no reason. Just.... to be... nice.

I needed that. More than that person could know. And I just wanted to say, "thank you". You inspired me. I hope I can follow your example and spread some encouragement, too.

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Lost: The Last Recruit

Spoiler alert: You know the drill. If you didn't watch Lost on April 20, 2010, then don't read this post.


So, it really is a small world after all, huh?

Wasn't it great to see all of our favorite Losties bumping into each other in the off-island reality last night? And finally, it seems that the two realities are starting to merge.

Other bloggers have been saying that what is happening on the island is affecting what is happening off the island. That could be the case. Or maybe it's not a cause-and-effect relationship.

But perhaps — as I seem to blog every week — it's just destiny. Their lives are destined to go in a certain direction and it will happen whether or not their plane crashes on the island. Whatever the case, the off-island existence is starting to mirror the on-island outcomes in many ways.

Let's just break down a few examples.

SUN AND LOCKE

Off the island, Sun and Locke are simultaneously being pulled out of ambulances and pushed into the ER. They are side by side on their stretchers when Sun looks over at Locke and seems to have one of those deja vu moments where she suddenly remembers her island existence. "It's him! It's him," she shouts.

On the island, Locke approaches Sun as they are marching through the jungle. Just as she can't speak English off the island, she has lost her ability to speak English on the island, too. Instead, she writes Fake Locke a note" "You did this to me."

JOHN AND LOCKE

On the island, FLocke asks to speak to Jack in private. FLocke tells Jack that he had been posing as Jack's father when he led him to the water. Now, he took over Locke's dead body because Jack was so nice to bring it to the island. He also informs Jack that Locke "wasn't a believer. He was a sucker."

Claire informs Jack that he has unknowingly aligned himself with the Great Body Snatcher just by allowing FLocke to talk to him. So, I guess all of those warnings about killing FLocke or Jacob before they were allowed to speak were for real. If they do start talking to you, you will be sucked over to their side.

Off the island, Jack is reunited with Locke in the emergency room after he was mowed down in the parking lot by Desmond. I have a feeling Jack is going to restore Locke's ability to walk, don't you?

And while Jack is about to save Locke off the island, it's FLocke who picks up Jack and carries him through the jungle to keep him from getting killed on the island.

KATE AND SAWYER

Kate and Sawyer are getting a little reunion in the police station off the island. And on the island, they are running away together, trying to escape by stealing FLocke's boat and hoping to get a ride on Widmore's submarine.

CLAIRE AND JACK

Jack meets The Claire Littleton when he goes to hear his father's will being read. I loved this part. Not only did Desmond intercept her on the way to the 15th Floor, (I wonder if the number 15 specifically applied to Claire in any other instances?) but he takes her right to Ilana, an attorney who has been searching for the mystery woman mentioned in Christian Shephard's will.

Surprise! You have a sister!

Meanwhile, on the island, Claire tells Jack she chose to go with FLocke because he was the only one who "didn't abandon me". She seems lonely enough as a pregnant woman going to an adoption agency by herself, but not half as sad and hopeless as the on-island Claire.

I was just happy that she was brave enough to leave Locke, even though she knew he "would be mad".

SAYID

And finally, Sayid's two realities seem to be exploding.

He gets arrested by Sawyer for killing Keamy and the gang, and as a result he has to leave Nadia, the woman he loves. On the island, Desmond asks him what Nadia will think when Sayid tells him that he was reunited with her only because he killed Desmond in cold blood.

Will Sayid see he light and realize that by killing Desmond he won't be able to have the reunion with Nadia he dreams of? I have a hard time believing that he really did kill Desmond, but I wonder if he left him in the well. I'm hoping Sayid finally came out of his Zombie state and rescued him.

SUN AND JIN

And finally, finally, FINALLY ,Sun and Jin are reunited. In the hospital room off-island, Jin promises Sun they will always be together.

He makes the same promise on the island when they finally get together. (Was anyone else afraid they were both going to run into the electric fence and get zapped?) As soon as Sun runs into Jin's arms, her ability to speak English is restored. Yay!

**

So, now Jack is convinced the he can't leave the island because it isn't done with him yet. But he's trapped by FLocke, who is determined to get off the island.

And Sawyer tells Kate they are "done going back". He is just as set on stealing the submarine and going home. Unfortunately, they are caught by Widmore, who seems like he might have them all shot execution style.

This is getting good.

What did you think?




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Bible study for kids: It worked!

With only about six weeks left in the school year, lots of people have been asking me how things went during our first year of home school. I decided to write a series of posts on what worked for us!

This first post is about a Bible study we did this year. Even if you don't do school at home, this is a great resource. I actually wrote this post back in November, but didn't publish it.

**

Since I woke up this morning, I have been wanting to write a blog post about a great resource I have been using this school year to work on character issues with the boys.

Instead of getting a few minutes of downtime, I've been fighting an unusual amount of stubbornness, disrespect and bad attitudes all day. You know, character issues.

Isn't that the way it always goes?

It's so tempting to blame the flaws of our children on outside factors. Why are they so ungrateful? Why do they complain so much? Why do they argue with their siblings?

It must be the kids at school. It must be the neighbors. It must be something they watched on television.

The ugly truth is that we, as parents, are responsible for molding the behavior of our children. And if you are like me, you might fall into the trap of focusing on "behavior modification" rather than the real heart issues that are leading to poor behavior.

For example, it's great when children use good manners. But do they say "please" and "thank you" because we have practiced it 100 times, or does it also spring out of a heart full of love and respect for others?

I have been trying to do a better job of teaching my kids the "why" behind their behavior. And these Bible studies have been a huge help.



They are written for kids in elementary school and focus on traits like kindness, obedience, self-control, thankfulness, responsibility, etc. We just finished "Choosing Kindness" and decided that November would be a great time to work on "Choosing Thankfulness". The author of the book is Kaye Freeman.

Each lesson includes a short Bible passage, questions for the kids to answer and sometimes an activity, like a coloring sheet, word search or secret code to solve.

When we started our first study, I would read all of the Bible passages to my first- and third-grader and ask them the questions. I realized a few weeks ago that I was skipping one of the most important aspects of doing a Bible study — teaching THEM to study the Bible on their own.

Now, I let them look up the scriptures, take turns reading and also read the questions. It takes longer, but that's OK. They get really excited about trying to find the verses and they are learning more than just character traits. They also are learning a life-long skill.

I'm linking this post to Works For Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.

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Join my fan club and this WON'T happen to you!

Just when you thought you had seen enough here at everydayMOM, I've gone off and done it again. I created my own fan club.

I know what you're thinking. You've GOT to be kidding?!?!

But there is a very logical explanation. I'm just trying to make your life easier.

If you join my fan page, one and only one thing happens: You will get to see everydayMOM posts in your news feed on Facebook. And doesn't that sound exciting?!?

Sometimes I post links to my blog on Facebook, but I thought it would be nice if my readers had the option to get ALL of my sometimes silly, often sarcastic, once-in-a-while thought-provoking, frequently over-the-top and once-in-a-blue-moon spectacular posts delivered right to their news feed. AND this also allows readers to get everydayMOM on Facebook even if they aren't FB friends with the real life eM(ily).

Now, I'm sure you still might be wondering if there is a hidden catch. So let me just tell you the Top 5 Things That WON'T Happen If You Become a Facebook Fan of everydayMOM.

1. You WON'T have to wait in any long lines. That's right. You will be able to read my blog — just as you always have — from the comfort of your own home.

2. You WON'T have to worry that you've missed something. No more rushing to get off Facebook to check for a new blog post. It will be listed in your news feed right alongside all the reports from your other friends about urgent topics like what a nice day it is, who is drinking a second cup of coffee and what fun activities all of your friends enjoyed over the weekend without inviting you.

3. You WON'T have to hurt my feelings if you secretly don't want to get everydayMOM in your news feed. That's right. You can just "hide" me like you do all of your other friends who you regret ever accepting a friend request from.

4. You WON'T have to eat my cooking. You can continue to eat the foods you like. I won't try to make you try any of my ground beef recipes or one single thing I made in the crock pot. I won't even come to your house and try to mooch dinner (unless I'm invited).

And finally....

5. I WON'T feel like a complete idiot because I am the only person in the world who wants to Fan me on Facebook.

So, go ahead. Be nice. Click the link. Become a fan. It will be fun. I promise.

P.S. I'll love you forever.

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