Sick of being Sick!

I am so sick of being sick! Now I don't mean to whine, and I KNOW there are people that are dealing with real illnesses and problems but I just have to tell you...I want to be over this. I have had an upper respiratory "something" going on now for 10 days. I am sick of hacking away, bring up so much yellow "stuff" to the point I start dry heaving, and my sinuses kill. I can't stand laying in bed anymore. It has put a damper on homeschooling this week. I have been trying to do stuff but I can't even say we are going at 1/2 speed. I guess some is better than none. Baby Emily is still a little yucky. I didn't get to post about Thanksgiving. I was sick and my little sweetie had a temp of 104.3. Needless to say, we brought her to the ER and she had an ear infection. She wanted to make sure her first Thanksgiving would be a memorable one.

Yesterday was co-op. The little ones are done until after the holidays but the jr. high and above still have a few weeks left. I teach Apologia Biology to a group of 8 students---one being my son. I have to say....they are a great group of kids. And smart--very smart! They keep me on my toes (especially JoHannah and Luke). They are responsible at home to do the reading and Own Your Own questions and the parents give them the tests. I am there as a resource for them. I go over key concepts of the chapter to make sure they truly understand it and the lab/experiments. We have done microscope work and in February we will start dissections. I know for a FACT that if I was just doing this at home with just my own son we would not be doing it to this extent. It would be very easy to slack off and tell him not to worry about the microscope because of time or not wanting the little ones to get into it. But THIS....THIS is great! It keeps us on track and accountable at home. My son is also taking a Honors English and Logic through the co-op. I feel so blessed by the ladies that are teaching this. God has really put us together in a way to fill in for each others "weakness". All this and it is only our first year doing this.

I am suppose to go to a Birthday Ball tonight with Jessica. Tomorrow I am going to a cookie exchange. I found a recipe on Food Network to *TRY* to make. If it goes well I am going to post it under an online cookie exchange that I found.

Well I hope everyone that reads this has a great weekend.
Toodles,
Judy

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1st Wordless Wednesday--Jessica's Tea

Just to set the scene, a friend of mine, along with her daughters, put on a lovely tea-- high tea for Jessie the day after her birthday.

It's Monday!!! First Monday Meanderings

This is my first Monday Meanderings. You may be asking (as I did the first time I saw this) what is this. Let me explain. Basically it is a list of 5 things or goals I have for the up coming week. An overview. It is to help keep me accountable of what NEEDS to be accomplished this week. There are 5 catagories. I will list them, then the goal or goals for the week. I found this originally on Less of Me-More of Him blog. You can click on it on my sidebar to see her website (which I love). So here goes:

1. Bible Study/ Devotions

Restart Beth Moore's bible study "A Heart Like His". Review week 1.

Pray every morning BEFORE dealing with family.

2. MUST-do list

Plan Emily's 1st Birthday party.

--Guest list

--Send out invitations

--Plan menu

Start planning Christmas shopping list

--Who

--Present ideas

--Budget

3. Zone (Usually this means to break you house down in the areas--Zones--to make cleaning easier and not as overwhelming)

This weeks zone will be a little different. I need to go through the different zones and find all picuters and put them together in one spot and start organizing them. I have pictures in different rooms in bags, on shelves, shoe boxes...you name it.

4. Train them up

This week, I need to work on something "homeschooly". I have a hard time doing much more than the 3 R's so this weeks goal is to do MFW---a full week!!

5. Menu Planning---Dinners

Monday-- Chicken Bowl. .

Tuesday-- Taco Tuesday. Chicken taco, Rice and veggie tray with dip

Wednesday-- Not-sagna Pasta Toss with Romain salad with Roasted red pepper vinaigrette. Saw this recipe Saturday on 30 Minute Meals by Rachel Ray. Wish me luck.

Thursday--BBQ chicken, Rice and green beans

Friday--Jessie and I are going to a birthday ball. The guys are staying home and having sloppy Joes with fries

Saturday--Steak, baked potato and salad

Sunday--Portugesse Roast with chicken and chorico (which is a portugesse sausage), potatoes, carrots, olives and a surprise dessert.

Have a great week!!

Toodles,

Judy

Alot of Catching up Part 1--Jessica's Birthday

Birthday Morning, crown and all!!!

WOW! I can't believe how long it has been since I have blogged. Life has been a combination of busy and being sick---but I will get to that later. Well since the last time I wrote we had Jessica's birthday. What a great day. I had co-op that day, so while I went to co-op with the boys, Chris brought Jessica out for breakfast with Emily. She got to pick anything she wanted, they sang to her at the restaurant and then gave her a balloon. After that she got to go to Toys R' Us and pick out ANYTHING she wanted. She picked out baby doll accessories. When I got home my niece Laura was there and after she spent time with Jessica it was now my time out with her.

We have a great imagination!

We went to the mall. She had no idea what we were going to do, all she knew was we were going to do three things. 1st we went and got her a new pair of sneakers (very cute pink Sketchers). 2nd we went to Starbucks and she got to get a Double Chocolate Chip Frapuccino---just like Mommy. 3rd we went and got our nails done. She got her toes and fingers painted and I got a pedicure as we both sipped on our drinks. Very girly---very Jessie. After a quick stop at Target we headed home.

We kept it a family party this year. Jessie got to pick out her favorite dinner---brown tacos (we always have chicken tacos, but she wanted hamburg tacos---brown tacos). Then my sister Glenda and my sister-in-law Liza (pronounced Lisa) came over along with my nephew Andrew.

Well I had taken a cake decorating class last month and I was really looking forward to making her birthday cake. Well I ran out of time so thank goodness I had a can of frosting in the cupboard. Just one problem....I forgot to buy candles (or any other decoration). Well my hubby being the "adapt and overcome type" took hershey miniture candy bars and put them on the cake in the shape of the number 7. I kid you not!!! So we sang to her over her candy bar cake and told her to make-believe she was blowing out candles. Everyone laughed...and I guess it was kind of funny (and pathetic too) but you know what....I bet if you ask her about her birthday I bet she would not say it was ruined from the cake. She probably wouldn't even remember the cake unless someone brought it up. I bet she would tell you about the fun she had and how she felt so special. Even though it was embarrassing to me that I did not have candles or a fancy cake it is not significant in the BIG sceme of things. Sometimes we get so bothered by the little details that we forgot about what is really important. I know I am guilty of it. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Jessie with her Auntie's (pronounced ahn-tees) Liza and Glenda

The whole bunch of us

Toodles,
Judy

Happy Birthday Jessica!!!

Today is my beautiful daughter Jessica's 7th bithday!!!! Yippy!!!! I know she is very excited for her special day. I am too!