Biggest Event of the Year

As the BIGGEST EVENT OF THE YEAR, the Rolling Stones concert is going to be pretty tough to beat, at least in this family. Even if it is still only January.

IT WAS AWESOME!

Even if I wasn't feeling my best. Should've known ... been fighting tonsilitis since Thanksgiving ... yep, it's baaaaack. With a vengeance. Went from "eh" to not sleeping, not eating, not talking, barely breathing in only a couple days.

The first dr to look down my throat said "Oh holy Pete!" and promptly ran out to call a specialist. Who said "Come in Now." As in NOW.

And when he looked, he said "Ooh those are gonna have to come out. But not today ...first let's see about relieving some of your pain." And he took out his medical stuff (NEEDLES and STUFF) and waved his magic wand and ...

After a few hours I really did feel better. And I can drink and talk and even eat food (and I love to eat food, especially chocolate!). But the nasty things that have been ailing me and slightly inconveniencing my family have got to come out, and soon.

Surgery is a scary word, even if it's "day surgery". But especially when the dr wants to discuss the entire procedure and recovery with my husband, because, well, I'm "very important to your family and he needs to understand what's going to happen". Made it sound so ... serious.

Could even be the biggest event of the year. Let's hope not. Nothing's bigger than Mick Jagger. Keith Richards. As Tears Go By LIVE . Yeah, I'm still basking in concert after-glow.

Mommy gets to have a little fun

I've been keeping it pretty quiet, not getting too emotional or anything but ... I'M GOING TO SEE THE ROLLING STONES!

Whew! That felt good.

My dh, who is NOT a fan, bought the tickets as my Christmas present. Isn't he the GREATEST HUSBAND EVER? So while he may not enjoy the show as much as I will, he gets all the credit for making me so happy.

I showed my boys the commercial on tv, and they seem a little puzzled as to why I want to go see a bunch of old guys try to be rockers. I guess it's going to be a stadium full of old people trying to relive their youth.

And we're gonna have fun, Fun, FUN!

Sponge Painting

It takes both creativity and energy to set up any kind of art projects around here. So I was quite proud of myself yesterday for taking advantage of tv time and using it to cut up some sponges into neat little shapes ... for painting.

I cleared the table and covered it with newspaper. Removed any extraneous furniture (to avoid having to clean up the inevitable splatters), got out glitter paint (because who can refuse GLITTER PAINT?!), got the whole place set up nicely for them and then ... when their show was over I announced: Who wants to paint?

Usually that's like asking for a stampede of elephants. But not this time. They casually walked over to the table, saw the sponges, sat right down and began to build with them. Monsters. Robots. A castle.

At least I took pictures before I cleaned up.

Morning Coffee

I've just had a good long (uninterrupted!) night's sleep (it's an event to be celebrated) and now I sit here, my mind still not awake, just a blank slate, waiting for the day to start.

No coffee yet, cause that's just a command, like "Gentlemen, start your engines!" and then the brain floods with ideas and plans and all kinds of tid bits that don't fit together and I try to write them down as fast as I can before I get interrupted by the family ruckus.

No, right now I can just look out the sliders and watch the sky clearing and think "what a beautiful morning" and not be inundated with the rest of the world. There's a sprinkling of snow left on the grass, and I know later I'll be asked to make a snowman out of it. But for now it lies untouched, like my brain before coffee.

A moment in time that comes to pass all too quickly. I hear them coming ... better get my coffee!

Stayin Home and Lovin It

No, I'm not going to start in on my newest home business that would be just right for you! I know, I see that slogan everywhere, and I know exactly what it means.

Staying home, and loving it, is what my son now says about school. It's a huge responsibility, taking his education into my own hands, and I feel the pressure. But it's worth it every day. And I'm lovin' it, too!

Don't get me wrong, we have our down times: there's boredom, there's lack of motivation, there's endless review to see where we stand ... there's fun math games and computer web sites, there's dinosaurs and skeletons and drawing and music and reading "cool stuff" and writing and so much more ...

I love it so much, I cleaned yesterday. Oops, sorry, should've warned you that was coming. Hey, it happens, occasionally. I do know how to clean, and I invited friends over just to make sure I finished (at least finished the common areas!)

And we're gonna do it again, today! More school, more cleaning, more friends. It's taking me awhile to get into a groove (we just don't do "routine" around here, so I settle for a groove). But it's working.

And we're never going back to "reglear" school again!

There's No Place Like Home

It's good to be home. After more than two weeks of travelling with the family, in the car, it is so good to be home. Now I can catch up on piles of laundry, mail and email, (and take down the Christmas decorations) and get back to the routine of family living. And start homeschooling. Yep, today's the day I have waited for since we made the Big Decision last fall. Am I ready? Well, as ready as I'll ever be. Is the Big Boy ready? He spent the last couple of weeks telling all his relatives how great it was going to be ... now it's the real thing. It may take us a few days to wind down from the Family Holiday Road Trip, but it has been a good transition period, and I think we're ready. Nobody wants to get back in the car today anyway ... might as well school at home! There's definitely no place like home ... for school!

Happy New Year!

May 2006 be your best year yet!