Curriculum Fever

It must be the avoidance of spring cleaning, but I am on a curriculum kick. I've ordered our next history, grammar and math. Now I'm shopping around for art. We don't need it urgently. I just have the urge to buy curriculum. I should have my computer taken away until the feeling passes. Or at least my credit card.

I have ordered Story of the World volume 4 and the activity guide. We've used volumes 1 through 3 (well, we're in 3 right now) so I've known for a long time I was going to get that. I got it from Amazon because it seems like they are eliminating a lot of the curricula they carry. They had it for a good price and free shipping.

I also ordered Editor in Chief Beginner for grammar next year. Violet's done well with Easy Grammar, but it is rather dull. With Editor in Chief they learn grammar by editing and finding mistakes. If there is one thing Violet loves to do it is point out other's mistakes. And if it turns out to be a mistake, we'll go back to Easy Grammar.

I also ordered the whole Key To series for math. We're still working in Miquon and using Noble Knights of Knowledge as a supplement, but I know I want her to use this series next. I'm also thinking she can start in it pretty soon. Maybe not. Both the math and Editor in Chief came from Rainbow Resources. I have to pay sales tax from them because they are located in Illinois, but technically I'm supposed to pay the state sales tax on any out of state purchase.

I'm looking at several art books on Amazon, but I don't know. Anyone have any recommendations? My favorite is Discovering Great Artists: Hands on Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters.

Maybe I'll see if I can get it through interlibrary loan and check it out first. That might justify the purchase more.

Its gone!!!

For the last 2 months there's been a huge mound of ice and snow at the end of our drive way. It was at least 8 inches high and in some parts as much as 3 feet wide. It is where Mr. Incredible got too worn out to keep shoveling and the snow plow piled it up higher. Every time I drove in or out of the drive way the car would have to go over it. Bump, bump, thump. Don't be taking a sip of your coffee at the time or you'd be wearing it. I couldn't even hold my arm steady enough to push the garage door opener button while going over it.

And the ice mound extended to in front of the mail box. I had to climb the snow mount every day to get to the mail box. I had to walk across the ice mound to get there, then climb up the pile to reach the box. I kept thinking I was going to fall and slide out into the street right under the wheels of a passing delivery truck.

But yesterday it finally melted! I don't have to wear boots to get the mail anymore! I can drive out without a huge thump (well, unless I hit a neighbor kid who are now all out on the sidewalk again).

I'm free! I'm free! Spring is almost sprung!!

Quick follow-up

Violet didn't get home until almost 7:00 last night. She was invited to stay for dinner.

It just confirms my suspicions, she is not a bad house guest. They would have packed her home long before that if she was.

Now the question. Why doesn't she get invited to other homes more? Playdates are almost always here. Because I'm the one who calls and initiates. So the other parent says sure Little Susie can come over and play. Never once, how about if Violet plays here?

I suspect it is because people are too self-centered and wrapped up in their own lives. No one stops to think how one sided they are. They are so busy that everything and everyone who isn't in their face everyday (at school, at the bus stop, at after school activities) gets forgotten.

Last night when she was getting out of the shower Violet said to me, "Red does a better job at keeping up with her friends than I do with mine." I tried to assure her that Red doesn't. She just sees them every day at school. And that she probably isn't very close with most of them. Just like Violet she probably has 3 or 4 she's really close with, the rest she just knows.

I don't think it was much of a consolation. I guess it is my job to be calling and inviting the other girls over and supervising them each and every time. After all it is my job to make sure Violet has kids to play with. But I just have too many jobs right now. I can't do it all. If only it weren't so one sided I could probably manage.

Whew

Violet had a birthday party to attend today. It was held across the street in her best friend's house. They had a lady come with exotic animals to pet and meet. There were 15 girls at the party. Violet knew the birthday girl, her little sister and one other girl. We'd practiced all morning what to do in certain situations. How to politely decline petting an animal. What to do if the party got overwhelming. How to respond to people and how to make small talk.

I just stopped over there. The party is over but she's been invited to stay and play a while longer. The birthday mom (who knows Violet really well) said she got a little teary-eyed at the beginning, but warmed up and relaxed more when the animals showed up. The mom made sure Violet was sitting next to the birthday girl or the sister. She didn't pressure Violet to pet any animals, or eat a cupcake. Just made the offer and said that's fine if Violet said no thank you. Why can't more grown-ups do that?

I'm so glad. This was Violet's first big outing since several public breakdowns in December. And this outing had a lot more people and a lot more that she didn't know. I had assured her it was okay not to participate in every activity at a party but that you just needed to be polite about it. And I encouraged her to slip away to the bathroom if she needed a minute, wash her hands or get a drink of water, then return.

I'm so glad it went smoothly.

Light switches should not be sideways

I can never tell which way is on or off on our sideways light switch for our porch lights. And since I can't easily see the lights when I try to turn them on, I have to go out to see if I've just turned them on or off. Mr. Incredible can seem to remember if the switch is pointing to the left or right means on or off. How that works when there is another porch light switch in the garage is beyond me!

And why Mr. Incredible can remember the light switch pointing left means the light is on, but he can't remember that I have a meeting to go to that night that is posted on his computer calendar, is also beyond me.

There was a little incident with light switches the other night. There would be a lot more family harmony if all switches could just go up and down like they are supposed to. And if there were only one switch to control each light.

My poor brain just can't handle sideways switches.

Lots of errands

Today we needed to go to the library to pick up all those interlibrary loan books that came in. And I had to stop at the post office to mail our taxes (we're getting a little bit of money back - hooray!). My boss asked if Violet and I wanted to meet up for ice cream. She lives nearby and was working from home. She also had the last of the cookie money from my office. We said sure. Since that would take us past the grocery store, we added that to the list.

Turns out our ice cream date became a work meeting. She had just gotten off a conference call before meeting us and had a big project to assign me. (More hours - the checking account will really like that). I didn't realize we would be talking so much business or I would have taken Violet something to do, but she did fine. And the boss brought her a chocolate Easter bunny and some Peeps!

On the way to the grocery store Violet opened the Peeps and tried some. She later determined that 2 Peeps in the backseat of a moving vehicle, on top of ice cream, is one Peep too many. I was a little afraid there'd be pink Peep projectile. But there wasn't.

School was mostly canceled for the day because our errand list got bigger and bigger. But I did have Violet take the third grade reading comprehension proficiency test from Texas. Illinois doesn't require testing of homeschoolers, but Mr. Incredible and I want to do our own periodic testing just to make sure she's on track. She is. She scored a 35 out of 36 on the test. That deserved the rest of the day off. Sometime in April we'll give her the math test. She's been working really hard on her math the last month. I'm confident she'll do well on it too. Especially after another month of hard work.

We were hoping to go to homeschool open gym at the gymnastics place tomorrow, but the gym has canceled it. They haven't gotten a high enough attendance the last few months. This is the first time all year we didn't have a conflict on the open gym day. Bummer. But I do think we are both rather looking forward to being at home all day tomorrow.

Catching up

I spent yesterday catching up for work. My big accounting client's work is completely done! That felt good to finish up. I should be in for a quiet time since everyone at work is completely swamped. They will be too busy to send me stuff. Of course, it will catch up in the end and they'll all send it at once.

The cookies are all delivered (except for 3 out of town family members who we'll see eventually). Violet added up all the checks on the 10-key (adding machine) yesterday, then figured how much I needed to write my check for - yikes! I kept the cash out that people paid and just put in a check for the remainder. I have to deposit it all in the bank but I'll have to wait until Tuesday to do it. The cookie chair forgot to give me deposit endorsement stickers to go on the back of each check and I don't want to write it all out. The product sales coordinator at Council said she'd give me some at Monday night's meeting.

I also spent some time yesterday interlibrary loan requesting books. We'll be starting our geography studies with the west coast, Washington State in particular. And we're moving into the American Revolution in history.

Last night Violet couldn't fall asleep. I think she wanted to get back up and read more of her book. She gets so focused on things and can't see past them. I think that was what was keeping her up last night. I'm going to go drag her out of bed when I'm done with this entry. Otherwise she'll be up till midnight tonight too.

I'm going to take her out to Michael's this afternoon. She has a birthday party next weekend and wants to get craft stuff for the present (it is on the birthday girl's list). We'll also actually go to the library (I did my interlibrary loaning at home over the internet). Hopefully that will give Mr. Incredible some time to get some projects done that he wants to do.

I would like to report that it became March and spring was here. But it isn't. It is sunny and warm today but there's still snow all over the ground. Last night I got wondering how many days we've had snow cover on the ground. Most winters we get snow, it lasts a few days and it melts. It has just stayed and stayed this winter.

Hope all of you with cases of the ickies are feeling better!