For Scootch

I wrote this about 2 or 3 years ago - guess I didn't publish it. While I didn't write one when his sister died, this was extremely cathartic and felt I should post it.

Big basso rumbles and paws in my face,                                                                         Chasing your sister all over the place,                                                                                 A gentle head nudge and a grab at my hand,                                                                       Keeping you was not what we had planned.
Smiles to our lives you brought every day,                                                                          With love and affection we watched while you played.                                                         For the hearts you helped heal and the company you kept,                                                 I write a bad poem now that I've wept.
Not so good, but it's hard to condense over 14 years of one of the best and most intuitive pets I've ever had.  (Especially trying to do it in 10 minutes...)
Scootch, my wonderful gray long-haired tabby cat, was with us through a lot of different things.  Bandit, our first beagle, found him and Molly in our woodpile. The dog rarely made a noise yet on that cool day, he was out barking like crazy at the same spot.  When I finally decided to see what was going on that evening, I found two very young gray kittens.  One I could hear mewing and the other, when I reached down, hissed and batted at my hand.
There was a hard freeze coming that night and we couldn't in good conscience let them stay outside. (We figured a momma cat was moving them when the dogs showed up.) We brought them in for the night and then took them to the vet where we discovered they both had a serious case of ringworm and had to be quarantined for a month.  (Hubby was hoping to take them to Nuke-Con which was 2 weeks later to find them new homes. Like that worked...HA!) They were about 3 weeks old and I bottle-fed them, took them to my in-laws when I worked so I could easily feed them over lunch, taught them how to get into the litterbox - I hand-raised these cats.
He accepted all of the kids with good graces and much tolerance. (One time I recall Scootch was playing with MM when he {MM} was maybe 3 or 4. Scootch got tired of playing and MM didn't know it.  Scootch whacked him so hard on the cheek, I could hear it reverberate throughout the room. I was stunned, waiting for MM to cry. Instead, he looked at me, looked at the cat and laughed.)
The dogs in our lives he dealt with a little more severely. Routinely he would beat them, though they hardly realized it.  When we brought home Cletus (our coonhound), the only place he wouldn't go was MM's room, so the cats would take refuge there. One day Cletus chased them down the hall and started to come into the room. Scootch, who had had quite enough, turned around in the doorway and, for the first time, smacked him upside the head. Cletus was so startled he pulled his head back and crashed his face straight into the door jamb. He must have thought Scootch was some sort of ferocious beast because from then on, he never bothered the cats again.
He and Molly stayed with me the night before my mom died, when I sat alone in the darkness with my thoughts and feeling that she was going to die. Neither one pawed, meowed or head-butted - they just were there for a friend in a time of need.
When TSS and EB came to live with us, they'd only had a yappy, nippy dog who they incessantly teased.  We showed them how to care for and respect animals. TSS has healed a lot from the events of his previous life and had claimed Scootch as his. (After me, of course!) He started calling him "Scootch-a-Boo" and could easily spend an hour lying on the floor petting the cat.
I could go on and on about him and how positively he's affected our lives. I'll miss his deep purrs in my ears before bed and pawing at my face for me to talk to him or pet him. Hubby misses him coming up and grabbing at our hands because it's obvious that hand isn't doing anything, so it should be petting him.
Goodbye, my big gray cat.

I'm baa-aaack...

...on task (or off, considering what I'm supposed to be doing...).

Updating the blog, trying to post a little more frequently - though we've heard that before!

School
We've been revamping school schedules - again.  We had a series of months where we took off apart from life skills, standing classes and videos. The boys had become almost rebellious in doing their work, so we just stopped. I wanted to see what would happen. About a month or so ago, two came to me and asked if they could start schooling again - FINALLY! We revised a bit, and then ended up completely on a different schedule.

I now have planners for each boy and am trying to get their schedules and work into their planner. I'd done that in my own planner but that just didn't work out. There was so much to put in, plus I'd have to rewrite it all out for them anyway, that I started slacking. Now I'm planning out their week one at a time for the rest of the "official" school year, which ends in mid-June. Trying to balance schoolwork with housework and yardwork, plus field trips, scouts and other classes and activities...yikes!

EB keeps asking about going to public school - mostly after he's been hanging out with his scout buddies. I sat down with him and explained why, exactly, we'd pulled them out (he was only finishing up 3rd grade when we did that) and what cost it would have to him (no family vacations). I just don't think he's a public school kind of person. While he's extremely social, that's been a detriment in the past. He doesn't like other people telling him what to do (you know, like teachers...). I also told him he needs to put forth some effort here - he's never given it a chance as he doesn't do the work he's assigned without a fight. (Which is currently working in my favor - he can't test for his next tae kwon do rank until he gets it together...)

Me, I don't want to be beholden to the school's schedule. I already pick up other children a few days a week and it plays havoc with our scheduling sometimes. He thinks it's just going to be a time to sit and chit-chat with his friends. 

Other
I've been out of commission for a while - I have a pinched nerve in my back from a herniated disk last spring. It got so bad that I could hardly walk for an extended time. About 6 weeks ago I finally went to a chiropractor and have been extremely grateful for her services! I went back to TKD this past week and was able to do almost everything without penalty. So nice to be able to move with little or no pain and difficulty!
With that, I'm going to sign off - I have core strengthening and stretches to do before we start on the day.

Swimming, Cable TV and Wabi-Sabi!

Hubby has had this whole week off and has taken the older boys swimming every morning, trying to help the older 2 get their next ranks in scouts. I'm hoping we stay YMCA members for a month or two, so he can continue taking them before work every morning. :)

MM is getting there - needs to work on his stamina. TSS has the crawl stroke down, but has issues getting his face in the water for extended times. (That and he doesn't sink or float, but hangs in the water - "neutral buoyancy" Hubby says.) EB, he says, "sucks" at swimming. The child has no control over his limbs. It's like each limb has a mind of its own, and his brain doesn't control any of them. (He's kind of like that in taekwondo - his strikes and kicks are loose.) TCC has decided he'd like to go too, but I'm not about to get up at oh-dark-thirty to go swimming, no matter how much I love it. (Honestly, they're gone between 6 and 6:30 every morning.) We might do an afternoon thing, when Hubby takes the older ones during an afternoon session.

As far as cable goes...we got rid of it on February 7th. TCC, who was the most vocal about not getting rid of it, told us last night he doesn't ever want it back. (Mind you, he can watch the shows he wants online...) Hubby is undecided, but is investigating purchasing equipment to get the local channels. I, personally, don't miss it much at all. I'm getting much more stuff done at home and even my time online isn't as much as it used to be. I rather liked the first night or two, when we all gathered on the couch and watched a movie. Or reading to TCC, instead of having him hang out in the basement watching the boob tube until bedtime. I think it's going to be a good thing for us and I'm excited about the prospects.

Hubby and I recently read about wabi-sabi in Mother Earth News and I would love to see us do more (or less, as it were) with that. I'd love to pare down our things and leave the house simple, pleasing and have things with history and presence. I think the timing of the article was fortuitous, as I recently watched a show on Buddha and felt what I learned was profound and has an application for all of us - regardless of spiritual beliefs. Essentially it was this: No one knows for certain what happens when we die, except those who have died. So, stop worrying about your future, as well as your past, and live in the here and now, with those who are with you, in each moment, and live fully, within that moment with those people. Appreciate them and everything around you.

May you be filled with loving kindness.

May you be well.

May you be peaceful and at ease.

May you be happy.

Quiet Sunday Morning

Hey look - I'm updating again! In the same month even! Figured no one else is stirring, so why not. I couldn't sleep - mind is too active right now.

I cleaned up a little bit of the kitchen (more on why not the whole thing later), made myself a mint mocha (with homemade chocolate mint syrup) and came down to study for my taekwondo test on Tuesday. After almost a year of inconsistent attendance, I'm finally going to test for my next belt. Woo-hoo!

Ok, so the reason I can't clean up the whole kitchen is because I only have full use of one hand right now. (Ceej, I'm sure, would be laughing with me about that...)

We were starting back on our school schedule when, last week, we had 2 snow days. Normally these don't impact us, but EB and I decided to make something comfy for dinner for Hubby, who works out in the weather. Cutting up the veggies with the mandolin (yeah, you can see where this is going...) - had one last thing to cut and it got stuck. It shot through, with my index finger. Sliced my finger from just under the cuticle to the first knuckle, deep enough to probably do nerve damage. The rest of Monday was spent applying pressure and directing the kids on what to do to finish the meal. (EB, BTW, was exceptionally helpful! He and MM helped me take care of the wound; EB shoveled several times and he made my lunch!)

Decided against going to the hospital - couldn't drive during the snow (what, with one hand bleeding all over and the other trying to stop it?) and figured they wouldn't be able to stitch it well - just superglue it. And have you ever had to go get stitches and they take so long to get to you that the wound seals? And then they come and rip it open? Seriously, who needs that? Not to mention the last time I went in, I had 2 cuts - one needed stitches, the other didn't - they stitched the one that didn't and I said "we're done". Then it was such a lousy job - the cut wasn't even stitched completely closed - that I had to go get them taken out.

So anyway, Hubby was off the following day, which always is a day off of school. We had a packed day of appointments the next day; I worked the following and we had a performance to go to on Friday. (Which we couldn't find any parking for, so we left - thankfully it was only $20!)

Maybe this week will be better for school. :)

Tomorrow MM goes to his first official orthodontist appointment. They said they were taking a mold of his mouth, but they already did that last month during our consultation. I'm hoping that means they'll actually put things on - he's getting anxious for it to be done.

Alrighty, time to hit the "books" - need a refresher on my terminology before anyone else gets up.

Happy New Year!

So, I'll try to be a little more regular about updating this thing. :)

The past several months, life, in general, just feels right. Sounds a bit strange, but I'm a gut-instinct, feelings-based person. I might not be able to explain why something doesn't seem good or bad, but I'm almost always right. (Got that instead of a superbrain, I guess.)

Here are some thoughts:

• I'm looking forward to having the kids start up school again tomorrow and having that routine. Getting done with our Lewis and Clark study - finally.
• We're down to 2 pets and that also is good. The dog crate has been relegated to the garage for the time being. Our dog food consumption has been cut almost in half. No litterbox.
• I'm heading back to taekwondo tomorrow, three times a week, plus doing core strengthening and possibly some dance.
• Eating right more consistently. Ultimate goal is to be 30 pounds lighter by summer; 60 by this time next year. (Though I'll take 30 by fall!)
• We're making some changes - tightening the budget so other things aren't so restricted. My goal there is to get rid of cable at least, maybe even the landline.
• Going to decide if we're planning on staying here for the rest of our foreseeable lives. (That right there makes me cringe...LOL...so maybe a move is in the cards.)

I, personally, am in such an awesome place right now. I love my life, my family and the direction we're headed. (Though, I always expect something to come up when that happens - that's usually when we adopt a child and chaos reigns supreme!)

I'm truly thankful to have all of our friends and family - past and present - who have helped shape (and, yes, even motivate) me.

Life is GREAT!

7 Months?

Geez, has it been 7 months since I last posted?  Time flies, I suppose.  Though since no one reads this, I guess it doesn't matter.  :)

The last two weeks have been chaotic and weird.  

• Our dishwasher went out right before Thanksgiving - leaking water through the floor into the basement.  Check that - pouring would be a more accurate term.
• New dishwasher didn't work right within a few days - ended up having a hole in the bottom of it. Two weeks after the first install, the replacement came.
• I got bit by the neighbor's dog.  (A week and a half later, I still have puncture wounds and bruises.)
• Our Vizsla attacked and killed our remaining cat.  (We're down 3 pets since the beginning of the year.) What made it even worse was that I had already planned on getting 2 kittens for Hubby for Christmas - he's been asking for them for quite a while.
• Our furnace went out less than 2 weeks before Christmas. 

Seems to me there were a few more things, but can't recall them.  I suppose the above things kind of overshadow them.  :P

I believe we finally found our methodology for homeschool!  We started using the Charlotte Mason method, and I really love it!  The kids are generally cooperative with it as well - bonus!  We started using Math Mammoth for math, which seems to be a paper version of Montessori - but we can add the manipulatives if the boys need it.  And starting this week, we're going to give Time4Learning a shot. (They have a trial month for $5 per child - can't beat that!)  

I'm really excited about getting back to schooling!  Though we'll probably only do half days for a little while - I'm going to be paying for the YMCA for the next 2 months so we can go swimming 3 days a week and get the boys comfortable swimming.  Then I'm going to cancel it.  (Since they were supposed to cancel it last summer and they didn't - and Hubby hasn't taken them swimming once like he'd said he would. )

Ok, time to head out. Doing some Christmas shopping today and hopefully will be able to spend the afternoon wrapping before heading to an early dinner with the extended family.

Happy Holidays!

YAHOO - School's Out!

I know, strange title for a homeschooling family that schools year-round. :)

My cheering is for a few reasons:

1) TCC is out of preschool and will now join us on our homeschooling journey. He's excited as much as I am! Loved his preschool and the teachers and staff there, but we're thrilled to start another path.

2) I'm off work for the summer! I was only working one morning a week anyway, so it wasn't that bad - and I love my job. Starting in August, I'm slated to work two mornings a week.

3) I've been picking up two boys from school twice a week for three or four years. They're out of school in 2 days but my responsibilities are done! Don't know what the plan is for next year. The oldest is going into 7th grade and doesn't want to come over (can't blame him - he was MM's friend in school, but they were already growing apart there - and he mostly reads while he's here). The youngest both EB and TCC enjoy playing with as he's right between their ages. Either way is fine for us though.

4) Scouts is done for the summer! Now I can go to taekwondo twice a week!

I guess I'm just happy to have our own schedule for the most part. We'll still have taekwondo twice a week (maybe more - that's at least an option now!) and we're doing the farmer's market once a week though we still don't have a schedule for that.

Yes you heard that right: we're selling things at a farmer's market. Right now our portion is breads, muffins and cookies, but once the produce starts coming in we'll have other stuff to sell. The kids are enjoying it - it's held at a park once a week in the evening. MM is really enjoying getting into the selling aspect, earning money and being around people. Oh and bonus! It's school. The kids are learning that we have costs - had to pay for the spot, have to pay for ingredients, consumables and our time. Hubby's getting a little disillusioned as he's spent the last few weeks busting his buns making bread and he's not seeing much return for it. However, we're having repeat business, so that's a good thing.

Time to close out. The mowing needs to be done, bushes to be planted, garden beds need to be prepped and flowers need to be planted.

I LOVE IT!