A little business…

First an award, because I love awards.

Cheryl over at Homeschooling Journey bestowed upon me this lovely honor. And now I’d like to thank Cheryl, the academy, my mom and of course God. Hehe, I jest because I love!

Schmoozing as defined by Dictionary.com is the ability “to converse casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.” When it comes to blogging, schmoozing is your ticket to making new friends, getting yourself noticed and building a reputation. Some bloggers are gifted with the ability to effectively schmooze and others not so much…”

Seriously, thank you Cheryl.

And now for the Shingles update. A few of you have asked how I am doing and I’d love to report that I am healed!!! But sadly, that is not entirely accurate.

My spots have healed over and I am not getting any new ones so I’m not contagious anymore. However, the pain and fatigue are still here, although not to the same degree, so I am slowly getting better.

This morning I took E out to Target and Payless (two of my favorite places) to buy her some new shoes. We found two pair, and went into Target anyway, because it was right next door, and I haven’t left my house for close to two weeks…and I am weak.

We bought a few more important things for her because she is growing like the preverbal weed and none of the winter clothes from last year are going to fit her when fall decides to honor us with it’s presence. It seemed a bit silly to buy a sweater and jacket and long sleeve shirts with it’s almost 90, but hey, what are you going to do; Target is not selling short sleeve shirts anymore, because they go by the calendar. Not real handy in TX when Fall often does not really start until mid November. But I do have my nice new fall picture on my blog to look at, so If I turn the AC way down, I can pretend…

And the great ramble comes to abrupt and unceremonious halt…

Have a great weekend!

I did it!

I cannot even tell you how proud I am of my new design! I totally did it myself!!!

It took FOREVER to get the photo sized just right and the 'Homeschooling on the Hilltop' just the way I want it.

But I did it!!

WOW!!

AMAZING!!

So what do you think of my new fall design?

TGIF, I think.

I looked around my house at 10 am this morning and tried not to panic. I seem to do this every Friday morning.

See, I have decided that Friday’s will be relaxing days here Hilltop Academy. We work hard doing all our academic work and trying to get as much done as possible with A before she goes off to Scottish Rite for her dyslexia remediation, M – W.

Then Thursday is co op day. My kids all are taking a fun class or two, and some academic classes (like science! Whoo hoo that science projects are no longer being done in my kitchen!!) so Thursday is a busy academic day even though it is out of the house.

So I have decided that Friday’s I’ll leave as open as I can for independent study. A does not have SR on Friday so she is with us all day.

Here is the scene. Classical music playing on the radio (okay it’s actually coming from the TV, because we have satellite radio on the TV, but it sounds weird to say music is coming from the TV.)The pumpkin candle is lit, so is smells like fall, and the blinds are all open so the sunshine is splashing into the room.

B is doing his academic work, he has several classes at the co op this year and he needs most ever day to get it done. G is tinkering with his remote control car on his desk in his room. He is studying the many pieces of the now taken-apart car with an intensity that I wish he would reserve for math. E is lying on the living room floor, writing in her journal and adding illustrations from a how-to art book she found.A and T are in their bedroom poring over all the Amazing Animal books that I recently checked out from the Library. The air is occasionally punctuated with one of them yelling something like, “MOM, what is O-C-E-L-O-T?

So why am I panicking you are wondering, right? Well, with the exception of B, this does not look like school! Has anyone done their math? Written anything? Read any facts?

See, I am torn. I think I have a little unschooler in me, fighting tooth and nail with the OCD School-at-home mom who is also in me. I love what I see; I love to see my kids engaged in learning apart from school. I love to see them want to learn things, like what an Ocelot’s habitat is, and how to draw, and what makes a remote control car go, but the OCD mom in me feels like this should happen after all the academic work has been done, and all the lines filled in, and all the i’s dotted and the t’s crossed.

So my compromise is this. Friday they must do their math (if we don’t do it at least 4 days a week, it’ll never get done and there is no time on co op day) and at least look at what is required of them as far as co op homework, then they can pursue their own interests. (No TV or video games though, I’m not completely nuts!)

I think it is all the years spent in tidy classrooms with handy scope and sequences to guide my education, that has me panicky on Fridays. But I can’t help feeling a little nervous.

I pray I’m not scarring them for life! I sure do hope these kids will be functioning members of society and good disciples of the Lord one day despite their somewhat quirky education!!!

Mad Skills

It takes a special kind of talent to ruin something that comes, pre prepared, in a box. But fear not. It is a skill I apparently possess in spades.

Oh, my lucky family!

I give you…Blackened Garlic Bread!











Want to hear the really sad part? They ate it anyway.

Fish Talk

There is an empty 2 gallon fish tank in the boys’ room and the girls’ room because, well, we stink at pet ownership.

When I overheard my boys staying the following, I decided maybe I am scarring them for life.

G ~ “I wonder if Mom will take us out soon to get some more fish for our empty fish tanks?”

B~ “Why don’t we just save ourselves the time and get dead ones?”

Not good, not good at all.

It Hurts, No It Itches, No It Hurts...

Things you can do to keep your hands busy so as not to scratch Shingles spots clean off your body…

1. Crochet

2. Rip out crochet stitches that are wrong due to not paying attention to what you are doing because you want to scratch so much.

3. Type

4. Erase typing because no one wants to know how many ways you can say ‘it hurts’ and ‘it itches’.

5. Read out loud to the kids (This might actually work if it’s a really good book.)

6. Read Job, that’ll put it in perspective.

7. Stuff chocolate into mouth.

8. Talk on phone with friends, (this only works if you hold the phone with both hands)

9. Ride in 16 year old son’s bouncy truck because he needs to go to the bank and the library and he only has a permit. (This works rather well as you are too busy holding on for dear life to scratch.

10. Pray…with hands neatly folded, for healing...or the Rapture; whichever is faster.

A Boy's Best Friend

I think perhaps I am a bad mom, I think my kids may be missing out on a right of passage for all American children. I developed this impression because of the response my children exhibited when they were the recipients of no less than 7 boxes of sugary cereal. There was weeping, there were cries of joy, there was dancing…from my 13 year old boy, dancing people.

You see, I put a moratorium on sugary cereals sometime last year. I do by cereal, but I buy the healthy kind. I also get lots of eggs & sausage, bagels & cream cheese, English muffins with low sugar jam, stuff like that. What I don’t buy anymore is sugary cereal.

My kids have been known to buy, with their own money, sugary cereal, but even then I won’t let them eat it for breakfast. They can have it for a snack after school is done.

Whichever scientist decided that high doses of sugar do not affect a Childs behavior has not met my children. If I want them to focus on anything before 11 am, I must make sure they get a healthy breakfast with very little sugar.

Well, my sister in law, the mom of T who is living with us, brought us 7 boxes of sugary cereal. 7 boxes. 7!


G dropped to his knees weeping, and while holding the box of cereal close to his heart he began to whisper, “chocolate crispy puffs, chocolate crispy puffs”, over and over again, while rocking back and forth.

I think tomorrow morning at the start of school, I will be weeping due to the cereal, but for an entirely different reason

I Think They Call it Shingles Because the Skin on My Back and Side look Like Roof Tiles...

1 Peter 6-11

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.

I am holding on tight to those verses right now. I feel as if I’m being devoured. I have Shingles. I got this pain that just kept getting worse and worse, like no pain I’ve felt before with my Fibromyalgia, and that’s saying something!

I finally developed a funny rash, then the rash started to HURT! Like when my shirt would rub against in it would take my breath away.

So D said “Please, please, please go to the DR.”

See here’s the thing with me and DR’s; I spent 10 years of my life going to various DR’s about the pain in my hips, and they tested me for everything under the sun and then decided I was nutty.

Finally I was diagnosed with FMS (Fibromyalgia Syndrome). At least now I’m not nuts (well only a little).

So I am hesitant to go to the DR for fear of hearing the “well, we can’t find anything wrong with you…” given with a condescending, you’re nuts look on their faces.

But I went to a nice, new, lady DR here in town. She took one look at my rash and said, “You most definitely have Shingles, and aren’t you in A LOT of pain???? And why have you not come in sooner???”

So I’m on the ‘you must rest and drink lots of fluids, and Oh yeah, you’ll be contagious for the next month’ program now. I can hear all the spinning plates crashing to the ground.

This is really, really, really, really not a good time to be sick! And did I mention it is not a good time to be sick?

‘And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast’

I’m holding on tight to this one God.

Could I get any more boring?

I went to Target today. I shouldn’t have because that store is a giant cash eating black hole for me, but I did it.

I bought my winter wardrobe. I am hoping that if I spend money on warmer clothes, I’ll actually have a chance to wear them.

So here is what I bought. I am so boring. This is just the long sleeve version of my summer wardrobe. And instead of jeans, in the summer, I’m in jean shorts. WHOO HOO! Such a fashionista I am!

I did buy a multicolored striped purse and some flats that had some pattern in them (I can’t tell you how happy I am that flats are back!!!) but for the most part, everything I own is a solid color.

Here are a few of the things I bought.

They had this shirt on sale so I bought a few more in various colors; one can never have too many solid colored T’s in TX.

Then I bought several colors of this, just like above, but note the longer sleeves.

I did go a little crazy and get this version with a peter pan color, but I bought it in black so I can wear it to church.


And let's not forget the must-have hoodie. (AKA a sweatshirt if you're over 18.) I do own a nice coat to wear to church on the 3 Sunday's a year that it is necessary, but mostly I just wear this. I also have a nice crocheted sweater, but well, that is harder to wash, so I stick with the old standby. Could I get any duller? Hello grey, my old friend!

I think if my sister in laws knew I was buying more solid colored shirts they‘d have a fit. Someone has to be the plane jane in the family, and I take that position very seriously!

Weather you like it or not.

I have lived in TX long enough to know that September is not fall here. It is just an extension of summer. I expect hot humid days in September. I have gotten used to it. Now and then we'll get a cooler day in September to remind us that it won't be 100 degrees with 87% humidity forever, but most days in September it's just downright hot.

But in October I expect more, I expect cool days. I expect some 70's with a crisp feel to the air.

I am unwilling to except this...

Hi 91
Lo 73
Partly Cloudy
80% Humidity


It's just not right! It's October, I want to wear a sweater, or at least 3/4 length sleeves with out sweating buckets, dadgummit!