Today

Today is going to be a good day.

It's the first day in a looooong time that I've actually felt like getting up and going for a run. By default, running days are always better.

There's been a lot going on in my life lately - stuff that I haven't really been talking about here. I'd say that those closest to me know all the details, but even that's not really true. Many people know the basic facts, but the deeper realizations, emotions, and thought processes behind everything have very much remained private.

I haven't been blogging much lately, because my head has been very much wrapped up in what is going on here in my life, things that I haven't been ready, willing and able to discuss. I have been finding it hard to think about much else, most days.

I've been doing a lot of processing. A lot of thinking. A lot of feeling. It's a journey that I've wanted to make on my own, only because this is all so huge that I need to feel as though this is something that I'm doing for the right reasons. I need to look inside myself and rely on my own judgments, perceptions, and emotions. I need to feel, even if I ultimately make the wrong decisions, that it was my very own.

Today I am feel calm, centered, and sure of myself. I am ready to break the silence - I have a feeling that there will be a flurry of emails to a few people with deep explanations -- it seems that I am always better in writing than I am in person. The rest will be discussed with people at a lesser level, but they will get the level of conversation that their friendship warrants.

I feel good and ready to do this.

My life is changing. I am changing. I am learning to rely on myself, trust my instincts, and listen to my inner voice. Good or bad, this is where it is leading me.

Tonight's Bedtime Giggle

So I was putting Miss Molly to bed tonight (and she was fighting it, as usual). She hunkered down in bed, pulled the blankets up around her and snuggled in close to me.

She looked at me and said in 'fake sweet voice': "You're snuggley, Mama."

I snuggled in closer.

"But not as snuggley as Dada, because him is hairy."

heh

Hairy daddy = better snuggles.

Getting On Track

Yesterday was highly successful in terms of getting some order restored to the house. We're not at the level I'd ideally like to be, but I'd no longer shudder in horror if a neighbour stopped by unexpectedly to borrow a cup of sugar. So I'd call that progress, for sure.

Plus, I'm working my way up to be able to have a friend over to my house for the first time for a playdate, and I don't want to traumatize her (yes, Charmaine, I'm talking to YOU!) heh She already thinks I'm nuts enough as it is...

The girls and I experimented with "secret ink" yesterday (lemon juice) and started talking about the 5 food groups. I hadn't really planned on going over that yet, but that's the beauty of going with the flow...sometimes the kids lead you where THEY want to go.

Today we're taking a field trip.

To the mall. Heh.

They need new shoes for the fall, and sadly enough, going to the mall is a field trip for them, since it's a place they so rarely get to visit. But honestly, it might be a good opportunity to talk about consumerism, waste, and the importance of protecting the planet.

Ah, gotta love homeschooling. There's a learning opportunity in everything, if you just take the time to look for it....

I Mean Business, Dammit!

I woke up this morning, despite too little sleep, feeling sense of purpose. Lazy summer days are over. It's time to get organized and get down to business. The fall always makes me feel like that - motivated for "fresh starts" and in the mode for getting things done.

The house is a disorganized shamble right now. The girls and I have spent much of the summer just doing our own thing. We weren't on any kind of a schedule or plan.

Today that changes. It's time to whip the house back into presentable shape, and get cracking on some of homeschooling projects.

No more Mrs. LazyBones.

Happy First day of UN-school !!!

While other families across the city are rushing about, readying their children for the start of another school year, I can't help but smile to myself as I sit here, in the still early morning, anticipating a leisurely breakfast with my family. None of that rushing about for us.

This morning we will take the girls to the local candy shop to go a little nuts. We will see a movie. We will have pancakes for supper. All in the name of celebrating the fact that we can do what we want today.

I'm a homeschooler, and proud of it, baby!

I really should be running.....

I've been having a difficult time lately finding the motivation to run. Not sure what's up with that. I guess partly it's just due to the fact that I have about a million and one things going on in my life right now. Of course, the ironic part really is that when I'm running, I'm much better equipped to deal with my life and everything in it when I am running. But those things drain my mental and emotional energy to the point where I don't WANT to run. It's a vicious circle, as you can see.

Tomorrow is the first "official" day of NOT back-to-school. We're going to make it a special day for the girls, take them out to a movie, have pancakes for supper (one of their favourite things EVER) and just generally celebrate the fact that Miss Emma is not going to school. Of course, she seems to be quite tickled these days that she's not going off to sit in a classroom, or at least, that's what she tells us. I hope that attitude continues for a long while to come.

I hope to write a little more in time to come about some of our special homeschooling projects that we hope to get under way. I think I might be more excited about some of them than the girls! heh Ah well, nothing like living vicariously through your kids, right?

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun

This was shared with me this morning, and I felt compelled to pass it along....

The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun