Slowing Down

I am taking a break from blogging for a bit. There is so much happening in the world, and I am exceedingly interested in all of it, but I am tired and need a break.

I wish everyone a very blessed and prosperous New Year. God bless and Go Fred!! Plus - Troll and I have made it 6 days with no smoking.

I would like to direct you to the many home educator blogs on my sidebar.

Why Homeschool is soliciting ideas for a homeschooling carnival graphic.

I will be visiting and commenting on all of my friends' blogs. I am just suffering from severe overload and can't quite get to writing about anything.

Merry Christmas!

From the Grizzly Sloth.

The Things a Grizzly Mama Has To Do

Apparently, it's called, 'Priming the Pump.' We lost power last night due to the horrifying winds. According to the guys down the corner store, a tree fell over onto a power line and started afire. We were without power for about 4 hours. So - old Grizzly Mama had to climb down into that hole there once the power came back on.



The water pump needs electricity, and if the electric goes out that old water pump won't just start up again on its own. Oh no. Grizzly Mama has to climb down that there ladder and turn a switch or two and maybe hit it to get it going again.

Gingerbread Crackhouse

This thing looks like a Salvador Dali nightmare or something. It was our first EVER gingerbread house, so I'm actually quite happy with it. Atleast it's standing!









Ahhhh. But the Spritz. The Spritz - they are perfect!



We had a nice day in the house, looking at the trees covered in ice. We were cozy in our warm kitchen. Beautiful!

I Am Totally Exhausted

Grizzly Mama's done - she's grizzled. I can barely lift my arms and I just want to sleep for 2 days, now. The level of activity for this household has increased beyond what I am capable of dealing with. If it's not practices, it's concerts. If it's not concerts, it's Christmas activities. If it's not Christmas activities, it's community service projects. If it's not community service projects, it's shopping. If it's not shopping, it's doing laundry. If it's not doing laundry, it's working. If it's not working, it's getting the tree up and decorated. If it's not getting the tree up and decorated, it's vacuuming up the needles. If it's not vacuuming up the needles, it's getting the greens hung. If it's not getting the greens hung, it's getting all the outdoor lighting set. If it's not getting the outdoor lighting set, well. You get the idea.

I'm done. I'm taking a day off. Well - not totally off. We'll be baking cookies for a Christmas party that's coming up next week. Spritz. My favorite. We're bagging the co-op tomorrow morning, due to weather and the fact that Troll is taking my favoritist SUV into Philly for his commute - leaving me with that sportish type car that's no good in the snow - and we're supposed to get snow, ice, sleet - whatever - tomorrow in the a.m. I'm not driving in it. No.

We're going to bake cookies, do a couple of lessons, take long hot showers and I am going to try to chill out for a bit. Then we can face that BEAR of a Friday refreshed. (hopefully)

They Want to Try School

We are going to inquire about the possibility after the holidays. There is a small Catholic school in our area. I like it. I need to check the curriculum they use and see if we can afford it.

I have mixed feelings about this. I like the school - a lot. I always told them that doing school at home is something we take on a year to year basis. I always told them that their desires would be taken into account. Up to a point, anyway. For instance, back in the old neighborhood going to the local public school was out of the question. Really, going to any public school is out of the question. From the beginning Catholic school was a no-go for me. We are Catholic and we are raising our daughters as Catholics, however I do not have good experiences to draw on in regard to Catholic schools. This parish, though, is a really dynamic parish. It is very spiritual which I am not used to, having gone to Catholic Mass my entire life and never having had much of a spiritual experience there. I mostly looked at as a discipline type of thing, rigid not fluid. Rules, regulations, memorizing the prayer was more important than simply praying to God. I do like the traditions: incense, holy water, order of Mass. I don't know, maybe I can appreciate the spirituality of the thing now and I was just unable to as a kid and young adult.

The younger has come such a long way. She was born scared of her shadow. She is ready and will handle it beautifully. The older was born ready to jump into any new experience and I know that she will thrive.

The most difficult things for them will be: not being able to go to the bathroom whenever they want, eating within a tight schedule, and waking up early in the a.m.

I will miss teaching them, and learning right along beside them. It is work, however I never anticipated the blessings it would bring. You get a whole new appreciation for your kid, their strengths and weaknesses, when you teach them yourself. I will miss spending time with them. Sure, there are times when I just need to be alone. I need to go somewhere by myself. Those times don't come along very often. Less often than you would expect.

So. Monumental decision for us. What are your thoughts? Have your children ever expressed interest in going to traditional school? Have you tried it for a year or two?

What Shall We Name the Bear?

The Naming of Bears is a difficult matter,

It isn't just one of your holiday games;

You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter

When I tell you, a bear must have three different names.

First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,

Such as Abdul, Musa, Wiqas or Ali,

But Allah forbid that you named him Mohammed,

Lest you’re beaten to death by the laws of Shari’.

I found this poem at Archbishop Cranmer , via comments at Always On Watch.

It's a delicious little rhyme, isn't it?