Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... are potentially ugly storms starting today.

I am thinking... about making this a full-out sick day for us today. Dawson had his oral surgery yesterday, so he's definitely out. Eli has caught a cold and isn't feeling well. I woke up with a headache that feels sinus-y. Everybody is still asleep. Seems like a good day to keep everybody home and learn about earthworms. (We need to get our habitat made before they die in the cups they are in.)

I am thankful ... for Dawson's sweet friends who sent him Facebook messages to get well soon, and for Tonio coming over to hang out with him even though he was pretty out of it. He has great friends.

I am wearing... my pjs still, and probably won't upgrade much today.

I am planning...  so much right now. It's the nature of a homeschooling parent. Finishing up this school year with some delight-directed unit studies, and thinking hard about next year.
 

I am creating... clean and organized clothes closets. Two down.

I am going... to try my best to get back into a better exercise schedule. This time of year, especially, my arthritis is flared up with all of the pressure changes from storms. I know this. I know this. But, still, I get worn out and exercise is one of the first things to go (because I need to do it first thing in the morning, but sleep wins out.) But I also know that if I would just get up and exercise, I would have more energy. It's a vicious cycle.

I am reading...  Reality Check by Peter Abrahams, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Dawson's daily read-a-loud), The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (Brynne's daily read-a-loud),  Stepping Heavenward by E. Prentiss (my daily devotional).

I am hoping... that Dawson gets the feeling back to the left side of his jaw, chin, and lip. He's having the same nerve damage issues that I had when I had my wisdom teeth extracted. I am SLOWLY getting the feeling back, so I hope he is successful as well.

From the learning rooms... I've decided to give our homeschool an official name: Pursuit Academy. There are times where I am asked what our school's name is, and we haven't had one. My homeschooling blog is called Journey to Excellence, but that is not our school name. So now... We are on a Journey to Excellence at Pursuit Academy. How's that? To me it's all about the journey ... the pursuit. The end result will work itself out.

Noticing that ... my kids are so cute when they are in the backyard hanging out at the fence with our neighbors' kids. We have three yards that all meet together in one spot. All three homes' swingsets are in that corner. The kids will all swing on their sets and talk, kick balls back and forth to each other over the fence, and just hang out. I strongly remember my neighborhood friends when I was a kid, and those are great memories.

From the kitchen... we are using up the remainder of our fresh foods from my last shopping trip. Need to make it stretch to the 16th. Today, I am making homemade banana mini-muffins for our homemade snack.

Around the house... the weeds are dying. We finally broke down and hired a lawn company to deweed and fertilize our yard. I imagine our neighbors will thank us.

One of my favorite things... is a Sunday afternoon nap, or any nap for that matter. But Sunday afternoon ones are just extra special.

A few plans for the rest of the week... My week will mostly consist of taking care of Dawson. I'm going to go up and clean his room and nerd cave today so they are all ready for him when he gets to feeling better. Eli and Brynne have choir practice at church on Wednesday night. On Saturday, Brynne and I are meeting some friends to go have a "tea party" at The Pink House in Claremore, Oklahoma, then are going to see the musical The Secret Garden.

From my picture journal.

I came across this when looking for a photo to post. Kyndal did the editing after it was taken. It couldn't be more true for us as a family. With Kyndal's move this past December, I was so worried what it would do to us as a "family". But she and I are so incredibly close right now. It's surreal, because when she calls it feels like I am talking to my adult daughter who is out there in the world living her own life. And then I have a flash of remembrance that she's only a 17 1/2 year old junior in high school. I love her and miss her, but she has not been forgotten. And, I don't feel as though she has left us behind.

Lots of women Daybook. See what they have to say at The Simple Woman's Daybook.