I want an alpaca!

We went to two alpaca farms today. My mom, my dad, Mr. Incredible, Violet and I. All 5 of us left wanting to be alpaca farmers. They are so cute! They are soft, and mild mannered and gentle. Mr. I would like one to mow the backyard. My dad liked that benefit too. Mom and I let the alpacas at the first farm eat from our hands (I think they had Purina Alpaca Chow). Violet preferred to just pet them.

At the second farm my mom bought alpaca wool socks for me, Violet and herself. Violet is wearing hers as I type.

It was definitely a good afternoon. When we got home, Violet asked me to e-mail the Cadette Mom from her GS group to see if she could bring her socks to show the girls and tell them about the farms. A huge step for her! (I'll wash her socks before she takes them.)

So if you are looking for just the perfect Christmas gift for me, an alpaca would fit the bill. I wonder what our Village Board would say about it? I don't think alpacas are addressed in the Village ordinances.

School: Week 1

This was our first full week of 7th grade and I think it went well. It was certainly a success academically. The subjects we started on were a good mix of fun and challenging. A few things are outside of her comfort zone, which is good. One in particular is You Decide! by The Thinking Company. But she was game and we read through the first lesson together and she actually expressed an opinion. I was pleased.

Violet was definitely willing and eager to do school work. She was ready before I was most days. I think we need to work towards more subjects being independent. I've been struggling to keep up with work, the house, family, and now school. I don't know how I'll make it through the semester.

Her Girl Scout group is still going okay. The Journey they are working on is also outside her comfort zone. I've told her she should stick with them, once they get through this, the next things they tackle will have to be easier. We decided to lead a service project with the group. I checked with the group leaders to make sure it fit with their vision and goals for the group. I didn't want to jump in mid-stream and find out it wasn't their cup of tea. We're collecting used blankets and towels for the greyhound rescue. I'm hoping that will also give Violet a better sense of belonging with the group.

Today I have dinner with my ladies' group from work. Tomorrow we are going to an alpaca open house. It is National Alpaca Farm Days, and we've found 2 farms near us with open houses. My folks are going with us. It was my mom's idea and she was really happy when we all said we'd like to go.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

It's That Time of Year Again

Yes, it is almost here, the Girl Scout fall product sale. The time of year I ask my dear readers to lend me your e-mail address and/or snail mail address so that Violet can earn the stupid patch for soliciting magazine sales both online and via the mail. Several of you have allowed me to use your addresses for several years, and unless I hear differently, I'll go ahead and do it again this year (you know who you are).

If you are new and wouldn't mind getting an e-mail and/or mail advertisement for magazines from us, I'd love it if you'd e-mail and let me know where to send it (janetp1 @ gmail.com). You are under absolutely no obligation to make a purchase. She needs 12 e-mail addresses for one patch, and 11 snail mail addresses for the other. Simply providing your e-mail or snail mail address helps Violet out. You should not be added to any mailing lists, just the one ad from QSP.

E-mails go out on October 14th. The snail-mailing is done in January, I think.

Thanks for considering it. I really appreciate the support!

Home again, home again

And home for a while now. No more long work trips until next May! Hooray!! I love going on the trips, but it puts a strain on life at home. Mr. I and Violet are good about it all, but it is just so much more routine to be here.

The trip was good. Definitely less stressful than the last one. It really helped that there were so many of us from the office there. And lots of others that we know.

Most nights I slept pretty good. I never used to be able to sleep well on the road, but I must be getting used to it. The worst night was the night before I had to speak. Of course! I woke up several times during the night. The worst was at 5:30 in the morning. I heard sirens outside. Then the thermostat in my room started to make a hissing noise. Only I didn't know it was the thermostat at first, I had to turn on the light and figure it out. THEN I started thinking it must be hissing because the hotel must be on fire and that's what the sirens were. I was mentally laying out my shoes, coat and purse to take with me when the fire alarms would go off any second. I finally figured out that by changing the heat/cool setting on the thermostat the hissing would stop. Still no fire alarms, so I went back to bed, but didn't sleep for a while.

Turns out that the thermostats frequently hiss. It is a really old hotel and it shows. But no evacuation. No fire. And the conference went on. But I continued to hear a lot of sirens on the stay. What on earth do they do in downtown Peoria all night long?

What a difference 350 miles makes

That is how much less I'll be traveling this week, versus my last trip for work. About half the distance. Same amount of time gone. Yet, this trip feels like it will be so much shorter and easier.

First, I'm not leaving the state. And I'll be traveling to a city, hotel and conference center I've been to several times before. Last time I had to go to Michigan, to a city I'd never been to. This time I know right where I'm going. I know how to find the parking garage. I know where the conference center is and what the layout will be. I know where my room will be (at least where the elevator is that will take me to it) and where to find food, coffee, all the essentials.

I'll be just as busy at the conference this time, but will have far less pressure on me. Last time my boss had to cancel at the last minute due to a death in her family. I spent the weekend before making phone calls and rearranging schedules to get someone to come with me. Granted that someone was WONDERFUL and I couldn't have done it without her, but I was the senior on the trip because I'd been to this conference before and knew the people. My substitute, who outranks me in the firm, was a newbie in this situation and looking to me for details on protocol, etc.

This time I share one speaking 90-minute session with someone who really knows our material. He's been speaking on it all summer long. I realized yesterday I haven't spoken on this material in probably 4 years. I've gotten up to speed, and except for a few small details I want to go over with him, feel confident about my part. And I know he can cover for me if I can't answer a question. Last time I was speaking for 4 hours and was the lead since my wonderful substitute wasn't as familiar with all of our topics. (But she did a fantastic job, better than I could have done on my own - thank goodness she came with me. Are you sensing a pattern? I'm really glad she was with.)

This time I'm attending more educational sessions, acting as room monitor for more as well. There will be more time in the trade show booth. But there's just none of that pressure of the Michigan trip.

So bon voyage for a few days. I look forward to getting caught up with you after my short trip.

A blog award

Mel at Night Owl Mom just awarded me the Liebster Blog Award. Liebster is a German word which means favorite or beloved. The recipient of this award should link back to the one who gave it to her and pass it along to 5 bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Here are some of my favorite bloggers who definitely deserve this award:

Mother Mayhem, three words "I miss you." And a few more, we've got to chat more! (Hugs)

Fatcat at Home*School*Home always inspires me with their plans and schedules. And provides great resource tips. Just when I think I know about every homeschool resource out there, she posts another great one!

Mom #1 at Two Moms' Homeschool makes me laugh and makes me cry, sometimes in the same post. But mostly I love hearing their family adventures which now include college.

Ami.Mental, if you've read her blog, then you know. With Mental you get honesty, craziness and warmth all in one.

Gail of Tales of Homeschool. Another great place for ideas and inspiration on all things homeschool and extracurricular! If we could transport your girls in, I would so love to add you guys to our Juliette groups!

Thanks Mel for finding my blog a favorite or beloved. And thanks to all the mom-bloggers I read for sharing and letting us into your lives. When I fall behind on my blog reading I find myself wondering what happened next. How is Sweetums? Which kid has caused Mental to turn blue trying not to laugh at their fart joke in front of them. And all the other crazy, quirky, fun things that go on daily in the lives of homeschoolers (retired or active - you never really leave the world of homeschooling once you are in it).

Cautiously Optimistic

Violet went to her first meeting of the new Juliette group yesterday. She seemed to have enjoyed it. Mr. I was a little worried when he picked her up and she was just sitting there with the other girls, but not talking or eating her snack. But she did tell me several things they did, and things she said during the discussions. She said she likes the other girls and the Cadette mom is really nice. She had an assignment, which luckily she remembered to tell me about today before I left on my trip, and she did it (she needed to find a picture of something she wants to be when she grows up, a children's librarian in her case).

She took her sash with and said she did show it to the other girls (none of them wear them at most meetings per the moms who run it - typical of most troops too). And she wants to keep taking her sash with her.

So I am cautiously optimistic that this will work out for her. Those of you who've known us a long time will know that she's very quiet, shy and prone to being overly sensitive. Those qualities don't really lend themselves to big group activities with kids, so we've avoided them. (Or tried them to have them fail miserably.) She's been showing more and more signs of maturity and it would be so nice for her to come more out of her shell. So far so good.