Thursday, July 4, 2013

The Homeschool Mother's Journal: The One Where I'm Home Alone


IN MY LIFE
I'm not sure I like this 'home alone' stuff. :sniff: :sniff:

My kiddos wanted to spend more time with Grandpa and Nannie Lobster, so they packed up and went back with them after their visit here. They've been enjoying some SPOILING TIME while I've had "downtime".

I get that moms, especially single moms, NEED time away from the kids, and the kids NEED time away from mom, but I get bored...and a little lonely. I'm not one of those moms who wants time away from her kids that often. I enjoy them - their zaniness, messes and questions - even if they exhaust and challenge me too!

But it's TOO quiet when they're gone!

Yeah, quiet. :sigh: There ARE days when ALL I want is quiet for 5 minutes. How about you? But several days of JUST the fish tank bubbling in the livingroom - until I sold it to another homeschooling family - and the click of laptop keys and I need the TV on for "background noise".

I'll admit it..."Ricki", "Ellen" and "Judge Judy" kept me company some afternoons. That Judge Judy!

(Psst! Unfortunately I didn't take many photos this week to share.)


I'M GRATEFUL FOR
Family and friends who give of themselves, their time, energy, and even money, to my kiddos, and enrich their lives with new experiences and wonderful memories. Thank you!

THINGS I WORKED ON
Mostly I watched a UNIQUE selection of DVDs, read "beach books", worked in the garden, played with the animals, sold some curricula, and continued on with home improvement projects.


I moved on from DECLUTTERING/ORGANIZING to PAINTING. Our "leftover" paint cans caught my eye one day, so I looked through, found what colors we had, and started repainting some areas around the downstairs. We're looking cleaner and brighter!


And complained to Rosie, our Golden Retriever, about the mud. :sigh: With all the rain we've been having, parts of our yard, especially around the chicken coop, have turned into  slippery "mud bogs".

HOMESCHOOL HAPPENINGS
I attended a planning meeting for a new co-op. One of my goals for this upcoming year is for Cati and Sam to have OTHER INSTRUCTORS, VARIED LEARNING EXPERIENCES and TO MEET NEW FRIENDS. So, we'll see how things "pan out" with this new co-op.

HOMESCHOOL HELPS
Have you seen the website Teachers Pay Teachers? Well, I got this idea to click on the FREE button and then 3rd grade (for Sammy) and voila! download "mayham"! You should check it out! Lots and Lots of cute downloads!


MY FAVORITE THING
Chinese take-out...for the 4th of July. Happy Independence Day! BBQing or picnicking without the kids just seemed like too much work...and NO WAY am I brave enough to mingle with the CROWDS in-town for lake space!

IN THE KITCHEN
But what I DIDN'T do was cook much. Why bother for ONE PERSON, right? Well, OK, I cooked, but nothing exciting. :wink: I did spend QUITE a bit of time pinning crockpot SOUP recipes on Pinterest though. Do you have a recipe?

PEOPLE AND PLACES
• Walmart • Hannaford • Post Office  Library • Garage • Dollar Tree 

SOMETHING TO SHARE

As ALWAYS, linking up to these WONDERFUL blogs:
Homegrown Learners photo 79396fe0-1f8b-44f8-a90e-f8ca7bfa801e_zpsa74bcc3b.jpgHip Homeschool Hop Button

15 comments:

  1. Wow! I am glad you had such a productive break. I understand missing your kids. I can't imagine what I would do with myself.
    Blessings, Dawn

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  2. Ah I love the cartoon! You seemed like you did a few great things around the house without your blessings! I too love being a mom and love being with my kids!

    I used Teachers Pay Teachers all the time! Great stuff! Enjoy the week

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  3. I don't think I could stand being home alone. I can see that one would get a lot done that way, though. LOL

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  4. Being alone is so strange isn't it? Even with just Keilee it is so quiet here when she is gone. Everyone always says that you need alone time but I love being with her and she has so few years left here. :/ I have used Teachers Pay Teachers. They do have some great free stuff!

    We watched The Goonies a couple of weeks ago. Kei hasn't seen it for a few years. I love that movie. Hope your house is filled with noisy laughter soon Jessy! Take care friend.

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  5. I agree. Even when just two of my children were gone with the grandparents a couple of weeks ago, it was so quiet at my house that my husband was going around complaining about being bored!! Hope they're having fun and back to you soon :-)

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  6. I find my house WAY TOO QUIET when my kids are away, too! A few hours is about enough for me. Sounds like you've been productive though - you'll be glad of that when you're back in the thick of it!
    Thanks for the tip about Teachers Pay Teachers - I've heard of it but not had a proper explore before. You've inspired me to do so! Hope you have a lovely family reunion soon.

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  7. I love this post =) (they always make me smile)! I JUST introduced "Goonies" to Emme the other night- she loved it! Good luck with the co-op! I, too, am a believer in having "other instructors" in my kids lives. Crock pot- a whole chicken, one cup of water, cover chicken with honey, drop in three bullion cubes, season the chick to taste, cook first hour on high and then turn down to low until the popper pops (about another 4-5 hours). Chicken will fall apart and be glorious. Use drippings to make a gravey- YUM YUM. ;)

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    1. Yummy! That sounds awesome...and whole chicken is usually pretty cheap to buy! I'm hoping to stretch the food $$ with veggie-filled soups this fall. (Not now! Way TOOOOO hot! Phew! LOL)

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  8. I couldn't imagine how quiet my house would be with both kids gone! I get to find out in 2 years when they can both go to youth camp at the same time. I'm sure I'll be lonely too!

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  9. What a nice treat for you, and your children this week. But, oh how sweet your reunion will be!
    You've accomplished so much this week! I'm now wondering if I might be able to farm out 5 kids and hubby for a week so I can tackle some much needed projects.

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  10. Wow! You were SO productive! Good for you! I completely understand about the quiet. It is so strange here, too, if the kids are out or visiting their grandparents. I don't know what to do with myself, lol. :-) Coming over to visit from THMJ. Hope you are having a great weekend.

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  11. I agree! I love being with my kids. I miss them so much when they are gone. I love the cartoon. That's how I feel too.

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    1. Hi Sara! Thanks for coming by and commenting! I'm not able to find your profile and blog to visit in return.

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  12. Time alone? What's that? LOL!! I'm never totally alone but I miss my kids when if are gone for more than a few hours! I sure do hope you have been enjoying your time alone to the fullest!

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  13. I miss the kids when they are gone, too.

    You are so strong. Lesser trials could make a person crumble.

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