I'm baaack!

I've been away for 18 days.  I could've been back a week ago, 10 days ago, yesterday...I just don't know what to say when I come back.  Don't know if anyone is even still here.  Don't know if anyone is even caring what I have to say in the first place. ha!  WRONG!  18 lovely people are following my blog, which means 18 people DO care about what I'm saying. :D  You know how special that makes me feel?  That's more than half my class in high school, and not even half of them cared about what I had to say or what I did.  Not until I got pregnant our Sophomore year anyway.  haha  I'm just a little unsure of how you 'make an entrance' when you've been gone for a while.  A little hey y'all should suffice, right?


Well, hey y'all!  I've missed blogging.  Things have been a bit crazy.  We've got the flu in our house right now.  Everyone had been the picture of health (aside from my migraines) since we pulled Bones out of the B&M school.  We've played off and on with other homeschoolers (since regular schoolers seem to think we have the plague or something now...) We went to a new church this past Sunday (which was a-MAZ-ing!!!) and the kiddos got to play with a bunch of other kiddos.  48 hour incubation period and BAM!  Bones is down for the count.  He's doing much better today, thanks to Tamiflu and lots of rest.  He's eating a bit, back to being mouthy and using totally crazy logic that somehow makes sense and I can't say no to,  and picking on KK.  He should be well in no time.  He told me he's not even mad at the kids at church for giving him the flu, he wants to go back.  ;)

Anyhoo, just wanted to stop in real quick and let y'all know that I am indeed alive.  I will be back later today to post about some homeschooling stuff.  Many friends asked me to write a post about how/why we chose to homeschool, and what curriculum we're planning to use next year when we're through with our online public school.  I also want to show you some new things I'm doing to make my day go much easier and some time saving stuff we've implemented in our homeschooling day.

For now I must bid y'all adieu.  I have an appointment and some errands to run in the morning, so I need to get some beauty sleep.

Blessings!

This year...

I'm not very good at keeping resolutions.  They're made to be broken it seems, which is sad in a way...  When we make them, we fully intend to make good on them.  I think everyone desires to better themselves in some way; and the New Year offers us all a fresh, clean slate in which to get started.  We set out, buying all the fitness equipment, gym memberships, organizational tools, nicotine patches and all that we need to make good on this resolution.  We force ourselves to do it for a few weeks, and then life gets in the way and we fall off the wagon.  And then we beat ourselves up over it for the next 48 weeks.  And then January 1st comes around and we do it allllll over again.  At least that's how it goes for me...

I wrote the other day about choosing to have 'Goals for 2011' rather than making 'Resolutions'.  I"m hoping this changes my mindset when it comes to making good on them.  I don't expect a perfect outcome.  I KNOW life will get in the way, and I know some days I'll fall off the wagon.  What I've got to learn to do though is to get back up, dust myself off and climb back on. 

Anyway, without further delay-here are my 2011 goals:

Faith Goals:
   *Read the whole Bible
   *Do an in depth Bible study with others
   *Make it to church at least 2x a month

Family Goals:
   *Get our lives on a schedule (not a down to the minute schedule, but at least some sort of routine.)
   *Play with the kids and be silly at least 30 minutes a day.  (Have to admit, I am WAY too serious.)
   *Keep up with the laundry!!!

Financial Goals:
   *Go out to eat only 2x a month
   *Pay off 3 debts
   *Get at least $2500 put away for a rainy day

Fitness Goals:
   *No more soda(unless out to eat)/at least 6 cups of water a day
   *Take my vitamin
   *Go to bed while there is still an 11 on the clock, get up while there is still a 7 on the clock
   *Get Physical at least 1 hour/day at least 3x/week
   *Lose at least 30lbs by 2012

Personal Goals:
   *Read 15 books (Give me suggestions!!!)
   *Re-learn Sign Language
   *Unplug on Sundays
   *Let The Hubs do more (I am an overachiever and I get offended easily when offered help.)



Last, but certainly NOT least...I have seen many people doing a 'Word for 2011'.  I like the idea of that, but couldn't think of just a word for me to make aprt of my life in this year.  Instead, I've chosen a Bible Verse that I need to remember and incorporate into my daily life. 

Proverbs 21:19  Better for a man to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife.

I tend to nag.  A lot.  I tend to pick fights...a lot.  I came across this verse randomly.  I have NO idea how I found it, but it spoke VOLUMES to me.  I don't believe in coincidences, I know that every little thing that happens in my life in some way is connected to my Lord.  I KNOW that He put that verse in front of me to be laid on my heart because He knew I was struggling in this area.  In turn, I need to listen to this verse and pray on it, that I may find a way to be less quarrelsome and less nagging.


So...there we have it.  My 2011 Goals.  Wish me luck!  :D

Blessings!!

Choices...

I had an entire post typed up and ready to go. I was proofreading it before I posted it, and then decided not to keep it. It was going to be all about the drama that seems to surround me in this little life I live... As I was reading it, I decided that if I posted it, I was just keeping the drama near me, and I wasn't doing anything to better my situation.

I've made many choices in my life. Mundane, everyday choices -- Mayo or mustard? Sweet tea or soda? Red or pink polish? Truly life altering choices -- Do I tell my mother I just had a baby? Do I keep said baby? Do I tell him I DO still love him? Do I leave everything and get married?

The choice I made today is both mundane and life altering. I am making a conscious decision to NOT let the drama affect me anymore. I choose to ignore them. I choose to be the bigger person. I choose to be myself and do what I feel is right for my family and myself-even if others disagree. I choose to not worry about what others think. I will live right near the main instigators for several years, and The Hubs is best friends with some of my other problem people. I have no choice but to put a smile on when I see them. No choice but to bite my tongue. No choice but to play nice.

I am choosing to not be friends with them any longer. It is high time I surround myself with good people. God people. :) People who accept me as I am. I refuse to sit in silence any longer while others try to make my life miserable. I'm not very good at standing up for myself. I forgot how to do that about 7 years ago-but that is a blog post for another day. I rarely stand up for anything but my children, which isn't a bad thing. I just have to learn to be assertive for myself once again. I am not a pushover. I am strongwilled. I am determined. I am stubborn!

I know this post won't make much sense to anyone. It's pretty much nonsensical rambling at this point as it is. I just needed to get it out.

I have another post in the wings, I'm just unsure of posting it. I decided in November that rather than calling my New Year's Resolutions 'resolutions', I was going to call them my 'Goals for 2011'. Seemed like a fantastic idea to me at the time. However, now we are a week into 2011 and I've not yet hit 'publish' on that post because it seems like many others in the blogosphere had the same idea. I don't want to look like a copycat... There I go again-worrying about what others think...Someday I'll get there. :D

Blessings!
Anna

changes.

I have been away from here for two long months. Not a very good blogger, am I...

However, I do have a good excuse for being incommunicado for so long. There have been many, many small changes in our household in the last couple of months. There has also been one huge, life altering (for us as well as our children) change that has affected every aspect of our lives since mid-November.

Starting November 15th, we pulled Bones out of the Public School system. We are now homeschooling through an online school, Ohio Virtual Academy which uses the K12 curriculum. We looked into homeschooling before we even put Bones into Kindergarten back in San Antonio, but The Hubs talked me into letting him do one year of public school first so we could see how it worked for our boy. Well let me tell you, it was terrible! Once we got to Ohio this summer, we decided to enroll him in the school here, thinking maybe the problem was just the system in Texas. Again, we were wrong. I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty behind our reasoning right now, but I feel (as do many, many others) that we are doing the right thing for our children.

Come spring we will be heading to the Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati to pick out our curriculum for the 2011/2012 school year. We've had Bones academically tested now that he's out of public school. The school system refuses to test students until 3rd grade now (same in TX as OH), but his teacher said it's not law, it's just that there is no funding. Anyway, we had him tested and in Language Arts and Math, he is on an upper 3rd grade level. In Reading/Phonics he's at a mid-upper 5th grade level. So proud of that kid! He LOVES Music and Art as well, and is really enjoying History. His absolute favorite though, is Science. The Hubs likes to help with that.

Kayla had her developmental assessment at 30 months. The lady that does them was blown away by her. I won't get into all the details, but cognitively/developmentally Kayla could go into Kindergarten now and be academically equal to the 5 and 6 year olds. So we've been working on some homeschool stuff with her as well. If at 2.5 she is ready for school, I cannot put her in Kindergarten in 3 years and expect things to go well! haha She just soaks up everything I teach her, and Bones really enjoys teaching her things too.

So homeschooling is definitely not for the faint of heart. We've not established a real clear and good routine yet, which makes it even more challenging. I have 2 weeks of laundry waiting on me right now, the floors desperately need cleaning, I've not had a chance to read anything other than teacher's manuals in awhile, the dust bunnies are invading...it is definitely chaotic. I asked friends on Facebook how they do the schooling and the cleaning, and one friend who also homeschools replied "we're supposed to do BOTH?!?". I'm beginning to wonder if my house will ever be clean, or if I'll ever wear anything but yoga pants ever again. Time will tell...

I hope to establish a good, working schedule in the next few weeks. Hopefully that means my house will get clean and I'll have a little time for reading and blogging!!!

God Bless you and yours!

Hello!

Hi there! I'm Anna Joy.

I'm a twenty-something mother and wife who needs a break at the end of the day. I am a stay-at-home-mom, and I love my job. :) I have a 2 year old daughter, "Kayla" and a 6 year old son, "Bones" . The Hubs is in the US Air Force, and has been for 7 years now.

The Hubs and I have been together for 8 years, and married for almost 4. I love him more than words...  We recently moved from Texas to Ohio, and will hopefully be here awhile. We're southerners by blood, so this it quite a change for us. Kayla and Bones have never seen snow as we've spent years in Florida and Texas, so I'm sure this winter will be quite interesting.

I like to sew, but cannot manage a straight line for anything. I also enjoy cooking, and am learning to try new recipes often. I like to do the dishes as long as I don't have to put them away, same for laundry. I miss my clothesline in Texas. FAVORITE chore ever was hanging the clothes on the line. Vacuuming is somehow therapeutic to me, but I despise mopping. I make my own laundry soap and baby wipes because well, I can. I like to paint, although I'm terrible at it. I also build furniture. Those tools in the shed? They're all mine! I am learning to be more frugal, which is one reason I taught myself to cook and make things myself. I am trying to lose weight. Not "those last 10 stubborn pounds" either, but pretty major weight.

I am patriotic, and a very Conservative Libertarian; I am strong in my beliefs. I have faith in God, and believe there is a reason-and season-for everything. To me, there is no such thing as a "coincidence", there is Divine Providence in all that happens.

I'm sure this blog will become a place for me to talk about everything under the sun. I need a place to get out at the end of my day...even if it's only virtual. I'm not sure I have much to say that's not already been said, but I'm going to give it a try! :)

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you'll come back soon!

Anna Joy