Traveling Daybook | Your Morning Basket

Outside my Window

The world is moving by. We are on the road to Birmingham this weekend for Matt’s drill and military ball. Matt got one of those nifty new-fangled gadgets that provides mobile internet to multiple devices, so I am hacking in and stealing enough bandwidth to do this post. Love me some rolling wifi. And don’t worry about the kids. They are in excellent hands. My friend Donna has them, and they are hanging between our house and hers this weekend. Donna has four of her own kids. She’s a pro, God bless her. If it weren’t for her sacrifice Cinderelly would not get to go to the ball at all. Meantime, the kids are in sleep-over heaven.

I am Thankful For

Friends, of course. And sweet deals on dresses on ebay that actually fit when they arrive. And shoe sales. Since I don’t have a fairy godmother I have to take what I can get.

I am Thinking About

Not much. I have a whole day and a half with no responsibilities and just me and Matt. It doesn’t get much easier than that. I brought a few books and a couple of projects I can work on. There are some family events I can attend tomorrow if I so desire. I’ve not yet decided how to spend my time.

From the Schoolroom

Oh my, it is going so well. We have three weeks under our belts already. This is not to say that there aren’t general moans, groans, and complaints about math, but for the most part we are falling into our rhythm and it feels good.

From the Kitchen

I am still enjoying Simplified Dinners and have also added Oh For Real: Real Food, Real Family, Real Easy to my arsenal. I think they compliment each other well since Oh For Real has many breakfast, bread and muffin recipes as well as casseroles and the ingredients are basic and whole food — so pretty much the things that are on Misty’s basic pantry list.

Note: I started this post on Friday going up. I am finishing it on Sunday coming home. We had a wonderful weekend together.

I am Creating

Games for math fact review. Give Olivia a worksheet and all I get back is grief and and inability to focus. Play a game with exactly the same material, and she picks it up in a snap. I’ve decided not to fight it.

I am Reading

Outlander. Because the eighth book is coming out in the next year, and I really need to re-read the other seven to refresh my memory. And I am going to join Sarah in the Chesterton reading list, but I have yet to make my first order. Hmmm, wonder if I can get my Classical Mom’s book club to join me on one of those?

I am Praying

For my hubby. For my new godchild (and his older sisters). For God’s graces on me as a mom, because it helps, it really does, if you ask for those first thing in the morning.

I am Listening To

Queen. (And David Bowie because it’s Pressure.) Love Pandora and the ability to create my own station. Queen is one of those places where this country music-loving mama and my fossil band hubby find common ground.

Clicking Around

The Face of Mysterious Priest at Car Wreck – I’ve read a few versions of this story, and it is still giving me chills.
DIY: Milk Glass – but not – I have a bunch of old glass florist vases that were about to get the boot, but I am rethinking it now.
Week in the Life 2012 – I am so intrigued by this scrapbooking approach.

Around the House

I finally got some (but not all) windows done and the August purging and reorganization is going well. Matt almost has the old fence down in the back yard so we have been having fun scouring Pinterest for ideas for sheds, patios, and grill islands. And someone hinted this weekend that he might not be opposed to getting painters to do the inside painting. That would be awesome to have it done quickly.

One of My Favorite Things

Quiet time alone with Matt without the daily grind. So nice to chat and reconnect and just enjoy being together without interruption and noise. We had it when he first came back and I went to visit him in Mississippi, but frankly that visit was a bit intense what with it being the first time we had seen each other in almost a year. And I think no matter how long you have been together post-deployment has a unique weirdness about it that takes a while to shake. Things are the same as they’ve always been, but then really they’re not. Now that we’re a few months out, it is a different kind of togetherness, and it’s nice to get a little break to revel in it a bit.

Plans for the Week

Busy week ahead. Olivia has her second piano lesson. I ~~foolishly~~ happily volunteered to be a catechist this year and have training to attend. The kids are also taking a homeschool karate class that they are loving. Our fall schedule is starting to take shape.

Pam

Pam is the author of The Your Morning Basket Guide and Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace. She also is the host of three popular podcasts -- The Homeschool Snapshots Podcast, Your Morning Basket, and The Homeschool Solutions Show. She lives in the Deep South with her husband and three kids, where she is the go-to lady for great curriculum recommendations or a just a pep talk on a rough day.