Meghan did try American Heritage Girls again, but let me know even before we left the building that is just isn't for her.  That's fine with me, she has her circle of friends, can do crafts anytime at home, has worship and Bible class, and can still earn badges through Keepers at Home.  She wants to take some classes offered through Michael's Craft Store as well.  Oh, and her guitar lessons!  I'd say Meghan has a pretty well-rounded life right now.

  Rachel now has cute little flower stud earrings in her ears!  This girl is moving so fast through her math book that I can't keep up!  My Future Meteorologist is also doing a unit on the metric system for science.
  Goal for the day is finishing Courage to Run and spending quality time with the children :).

Crafts

  Meghan and I ended up shopping after her guitar lesson.  We went to Michael's and bought supplies for Christmas crafts.  Meghan is the kind of person who needs to express herself creatively.  I am looking forward to getting closer to all of my family members through creating together this season!  Just one of the many ways God blesses us!

FIGURING OUT MEGHAN

  I told you something else would come up about Meghan.  Yesterday, she seemed anxious and was argumentative with me.  She had her hands clenched and I "caught" her getting into my purse for my Burt's Bee's Natural Hand Sanitizer a few times.  I thought she was avoiding the new couch, but she did sit on it last evening. The day before, Thursday, she was feisty and loud and wanted to do things only her way.  Not in a disobedient way, but she wouldn't follow any adult suggestions from me or her Scrapbook Class teacher.  She also got "tested" for homeopathic balance, and couldn't seem to sit still for that.  She is getting much closer to being balanced, though.  We were told it still showed some anxiety issues, so maybe she was sub-consciously living that out Friday.  Tonight, we are going to a friend's house for Bible study, and Harley will be spending the night with Meghan afterwards.  I'm thinking Meghan may show signs of being overwhelmed around Sunday night after all of this being involved with people coming up in the next 48 or so hours.  
  I ordered the missing LIFEPACS for Meghan's Language Arts and I want to get Rachel more intensely involved in her own Language Arts; she is working in a grammar book, but she has a composition book which we have only opened a few times this year.  She is also doing a Total Language Plus study guide on Amos Fortune, Free Man.  I am still liking Saxon for math and we are still reading the book about Harriet Tubman's girlhood.  I need to do some prepping for Rachel's LIFEPAC 702 for Science.
  I would like to add photos to this blog at some point, to make it more interesting; I love reading other's blogs that have photos.
  Grocery shopping is definitely on the agenda for the girls and I today.  Aldi and Kroger, here we come!

  Meghan's halloween party went well; cupcakes, bingo, and playing outside.  Judy and Harley attended.  Meghan ended up spending the night with Harley.  Sunday was a big day for Meghan:  waking up in someone else's home, going to Bible class and worship, doing puppets, another Bible class and then out to dinner with Harley and her mom and brother.  When it came time for bed, she was overwhelmed and asked me to lie down with her for a long time.  I think I'm finally figuring her out.  But I don't want to get too confident in that area, because sure enough, something else will be thrown at me.
  Right now, Meghan is working on review math problems and Rachel is correcting math and grammar.  Meghan will have a therapy appointment later and I want to go to Trader Joe's while we are in that area.  Maybe Gregory will go with us.
  I will have a teenage daughter Thursday.  Rachel wants to have her ears pierced for her birthday and she is having a sleepover on November 4th.
  Even though the last three months or so have been trying and confusing for me, God is always good and I can still say He has blessed me more than I deserve.

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING

 We are now using BEAUTIFUL FEET for history, Rachel is staying in LIFEPAC for science, and Meghan has moved to Science for Christian Schools (it seemed to me she was seeking what the creationism aspect of this curriculum had to offer).  Math is still Saxon, Meghan is back to LIFEPAC for language arts, and Rachel is doing a grammar workbook at the moment for language arts.

We loved our vacation in Gatlinburg and Kentucky and want to go back already!  Maybe even live there someday?

Meghan had her fifth guitar lesson today and she is excelling!  This is something she really likes doing and is sticking with.  I am impressed.

IT'S HERE!

  Our "My Father's World" curriculum came in the mail today!!!!  Yippeee!!!  I'm ready to study it and get started, but Michael and Andrew are visiting, and I need to make preparations for Gregory's birthday tomorrow.  I can't wait to get my hands on those books other than just smelling the pages and saying "Ahhhh....the smell of new books!"

DAUNTING TASKS

  The shoe closet (also known as the coat closet) and the bookcase are waiting for me to organize them.  Although we are well into May, winter boots are still out on the shoe self in the entryway, waiting to be replaced by white sneakers and flip-flops.  And the bookcase?  I glanced at it smugly the other day, having gotten rid of many books we no longer need, either through Goodwill or our neighbor lady looking for books for her three-year-old grandson, but it now looks smugly at me as piles of books from this week's library and homeschool curriculum used books sales sit on the floor or on the dinning room table.  My goal is to attack the shoe closet today and to have the bookcase organized before the beginning of the new school year.  But, it's rainy and cool today, and we still have homeschool work for this year to finish, and there's laundry, and lunch, and dinner.........

  Getting ready for the annual (only once a year) used homeschool curriculum sale!  Pricing items we want to sell and making a list of things we need to look for.  I love used books!
  Today is a beautiful, sunny day!  Maybe Shane will blow leaves and then I can buy some outdoor plants and flowers after school.  I think there will have to be walks taken and school done outside today.
  Matthew is at work.  His diploma arrived in the mail Friday; party on the 28th!

THE CLOCK TICKETH!!!

  I asked Rachel how many days we had left of school and she said "ten".  I said "no way!", but then realized she is right!  So, the next 2 weeks will be spent on finishing LIFEPACS 410 and 610, getting multiplication down pat, and reading chapter books.  Two weeks, wow!  I thought we had more time!

Friday, April 29th

  Today we played hooky.  What a statement to start out a new homeschooling blog with, huh?  But it was such a beautiful day, that after all of the rain and flooding we have suffered through, I couldn't think of doing anything else but letting the girls enjoy the sunshine outside and be out there to enjoy it with them.  We played wiffle ball, played with neighborhood dogs, and sat in the sun.
  Meghan did do her Self Test 1 for LIFEPAC Language Arts 410, and I caught Rachel doing her next math lesson, so I guess we didn't completely abandon school today.
  Now we are off to the bank to cash a check the girls earned for doing odd jobs for a neighbor lady.
  Movie night at the church building--Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang.