Contest Extended to Saturday…Homeschoolers Gone Wild!!

August 23, 2012 at 8:59 pm (Authors, Books, CGCC, E, Education, Family, Gifted, Homeschooling, Jeff, N, Scheduling)


No joke, I can’t even hold a proper contest!

The last couple of weeks have blurred by and I’m losing my mind already. We homeschool around these parts, as you may know, and N’s OnlineG3 classes started on Monday. Coincidentally, Monday was all drama, all the time. One family member cried for two hours because he discovered a conflict in his schedule that denies him *more* class time. He always needs more. He has clear expectations and doesn’t respond calmly on the first pass when things are not to his specs.

I have no idea from where that fantastically noisy trait originated on his family tree.

Pictures of cute kitties make us calm.

Tuesday and Thursday classes were smooth and he had a blast, though we then had a difficult discussion about dropping a science activity we were both looking forward to…but we already see the writing on the wall. He’s a year young for it, and they’ll have a full team, so maybe it’s not fair to have him participating anyway. I don’t know. It brought on more tears though. He wants to do all of it.

In a few weeks we’ll start Friday co-op in Skokie, which kicks off our Beelers on Wheels grand tour for both boys.  This co-op is not negotiable for them.  They love it like a diabetic loves low blood sugar readings.

Monday Science Spectacular begins a couple of days later–4 hours at the Chicago Botanic Gardens for them both as well, with a friend thinking about some fun opportunities for the kids to hang out even more. Tuesdays are always our local unschool group, which is our home base, so that leaves Wednesdays and Thursdays home. Oh wait, Wednesday is for gymnastics, swimming lessons, field trips, and scouts. So, we’re home on Thursday. Part of the day. Sometimes. Homeschool skate is Thursdays for 4 hours. E’s favorite, next to gymnastics.

OMG We’ll never make it.

Calming kitty *and* puppy….

E is technically going into 2nd grade, but he wants to take all of the same classes as his brother. He’s pissed he’s not in Online G3 also, so I sense our lives are only going to get more complicated as E gets older and more joiny.

We also have trips to Iowa and South Dakota this Fall, as well as Symphonic concert, Opera, a one woman play about Marie Curie, and … ?  Some other stuff I can’t see on my calendar because my eyes are bleeding.  Why can’t I say no to those people I ever-so-craftily made myself at home?

We have a very ambitious schedule this Fall. I’m not really sure we can pull it all off, so I’m stressed. I’m always stressed. Last night I had the mother of all hissy fits because Jeff brought home dinner and my order was wrong. How dare he?! How dare Quiznos run out of Au Jus for my sandwich?! WTF is going on with this crazy world? He was surprised at my, shall I say emotional, reaction to the disappointing news.

Calming kitty picture……

Week One of our rabidly over-scheduled and mostly unschoolie-yet-eclectic homeschooling 2012-13 year has begun, and I’m already overwhelmed. I’ve almost forgotten my church bingo wins with my parents and sister this weekend, and that was a spendable cash euphoria!  I will be blogging in the future about the FREE goldfish.  Thankyouverymuch, Aunt Jen and Uncle Tim.

Long story short: you have an extended period to try and win Jen Merrill’s (link to Laughing at Chaos blog) new book:

If This is a Gift, Can I Send it Back?: Surviving in the Land of the Gifted and Twice Exceptional

Read back a post for contest details. I’m way too comfy (lazy?) to grab the link myself. Work for it, people!  I will draw names on Saturday.  She signed them a week or so ago, so they’ll be ready for the mail in a jiffy!

Also, still not sure how the contest will go for the Chicago Gifted Community Center, but I’ll be giving books away there too. 🙂 CGCC is new and awesome, so check us out and help us grow!

DAMNIT!! WTF is the kitty doing in the toilet???? What is wrong with that cat?? I’m not calm anymore.

4 Comments

Amazon.com Should Know I’m a Low Rent Ho

August 14, 2012 at 12:47 am (Addicted, Excess, Family, Organization, Scheduling, Shopping)


I just bought a new wall calendar that is perfect for my family.  We have so much scheduled, and everyone has their own stuff to remember, but none of us can apparently do it without losing parts of our souls.  It’s grisly.

I finally thought I’d just slap an ugly calendar on the wall and see what happens. The three different Franklin Planners, spiral bound calendars, generic planners, electronic organizers, homeschool-specific systems,  the computer…none of them work for our family.

I’ve tried them all.

Not this one. I haven’t tried the ear plug calendar yet, though all it will tell me is the last day I remembered to move the plugs.

Well, more like I buy them all and then don’t get around to implementation.

Because we’re so busy.  And I’m disorganized.

So, we have post-its, random notebooks full of jotted down info, receipts with important scratches on their backs, lists about the list of lists.  Pages of notes about the lists.  Piles and piles of papers, some of which might be important.  This has been a successful system so far, but I’m sort of stressed out.

There are people in the piles.

Don’t judge; it’s not nice.

But alas!!  Amazon, my love, showed me a sweet $5 solution.  It was so seductively presented, with a picture, description, product number, and everything…  Amazon overplayed its hand and should be familiar with my slutty shopping ways by now.  All they really needed was to post a plain old sans serif “Hey, we’re selling shit” and I would buy.  I would also buy some of that delicious ambrosia as gifts for my friends, no less.  I’m easy like that.

Amazon sends me covert messages that indicate it prefers a classier sort of clientele. I’m not buying THAT!

I pointed at my cart and told that calendar to get in.

“Get in there now!” I told it.

I bought that calendar but good.

Get in the cart NOW!                    “Whip Dragon” by Richard Mark Huffman

It arrived on my doorstep with free super saver two day shipping, and I was all twitchy with excitement.  I couldn’t wait to get all of our activities, classes, appointments, whatevers, recorded.  Organized.

WTF?  My calendar, my precious, expired in June? But I bought it in August!

 

Returns Center > Request Refund

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1 of AT-A-GLANCE Recycled Monthly Wall Calendar, 12-Inch x 17-Inch, White-Cream, 2011/2012 (PMA2-28)
Sold by: Amazon.com LLC
Reason for return: No longer needed/wanted
Details: Not sure how I missed it, but this calendar expired two months ago. I have no need for a 2011- June 2012 calendar! Why are you even still selling it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazon doesn’t even want me to return it.  They told me to keep their trash and are giving me my money back with no questions.

Amazon sold me their recycling!

Good thing I just bought a new planner at Target.  I think it’s going to be just the thing to help me get the family organized.

I paid full price, ‘cuz that’s what I do at Target.  My new planner was just sitting there on the end cap.  Asking for it.

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