Monday

It is hard to believe that winter is making it arrival this week when you look out the window today.  The temperature is mild, the sun is shining, it is a beautiful day.  However, the weather network tells me that we will have flurries tonight, up to 70 km winds, and perhaps up to 10cm of snow.  And all this week it is suppose to snow… we could have over 20cm accumulated this week.  It starting to sound like time to hibernate.  I have been saying we will get some bookwork done when the snow flies… I guess I won’t be able to procrastinate any longer.  LOL! 

My Monday started out a little rough.  I had no internet connection on my laptop this morning.  Not a great way to start out the week for me.  So I checked Deanna’s laptop and she had internet which meant the problem was my laptop not the internet connection.  So I tried to figure it out on my own but I just couldn’t (I was so focussed on trying to solve the problem I didn’t even get coffee made which of course only made the Monday morning frustration even worse.  No internet, no coffee… my whole morning routine was shot!!!)  So I sent out a plea for help to my local tech guy and we tried to figure out what the problem was.  I was truly testing his skills because my laptop is not a Dell, and it is running Windows 7.  But we managed to figure out what was wrong (I had accidently hit the button that controls whether or not to connect to a network) and now I am back in business.

I had a weird experience last night.  I woke up sometime after midnight and my nose was running (like when you have a bad cold but I don`t have a cold).  I tried to find the kleenex box in the dark but was unsuccessful so I got up and headed to the bathroom.  I turned on the light and noticed I was covered in blood, I had a really bad nose bleed.  So I cleaned myself up, stopped the nose bleed, stayed up for a while to make sure it would stay stopped and then headed back to bed.  This morning though I still feel “weird”… like I have taken too strong of a sinus pill… a bit woozy.  Weird.  But there hasn’t been any more issues, so hopefully this will pass and I will feel “normal” soon. 

Today Jordan had an appointment to go and see a horse.  He is looking to buy one.  This one was local so Wes took him to see it, along with one his local horse advisers (Darlene).  The report when he came back was this horse was not for him.  It was head shy, it tried to get away when you went to get on and other things that made Jordan say no.  Which is good, at least he isn’t rushing into any animal.  I sent him this article today (http://horses.about.com/od/buyingyourfirsthorse/f/horsebuyingask.htm) that would help him interview the sellers about he animal they are trying to sell.  I also sent him this link about FAQ about buying horses (http://horses.about.com/od/buyingyourfirsthorse/a/horsebuyingfaqs.htm).  So this afternoon Deanna and I have been searching Kijiji for more options to consider.

Yesterday we were at a friend’s place for a work bee.  A group of us got together to help them build a skating rink (with side boards and everything).  Right now it looks like a great riding pen (round pen) for horses.  :o)    It was fun to watch the boys (of all ages) working together.  Deanna took a lot of pictures and got some really great shots.  Work bees are great for getting a lot of work done in a short amount of time with great fellowship too. 

I read a great thread about home schooled kids and the choice of not heading to college after graduation today.  You can read it here (http://www.fiarhq.com/forum/showthread.php?t=81909).  I find this journey of home educating my children and the lifestyle we choose to live fascinating because we are so different than the majority of people in our North American culture.  We just have different priorities and in some ways we are ‘pioneers’ in what we are doing with our kids, I don’t often find others who have gone on before us to pave a way and to learn from.  I am more invested in choices my children may make for their future lives than I ever was in my own life.  LOL!

The other day I purchased a program called Unschool Your Teen Audio-Seminar & Resource Guide (http://www.homefires.com/seminars/teen.asp).  It is being shipped out to me right now, but I am looking forward to hearing from other who have taken this road less travelled.  It is kind of a scary road sometimes, there are no scapegoats, all the focus will be on Wes and I, as people watch whether our kids become a success in their lives.  We won’t be able to blame the school system, or the “whatever” for our kids failures (if they have any).  Of course “success” is all relative… my definition of success is probably different than another person’s.  Wes and I have spoken before and we feel that if we are able to lead the kids to be able know their heavenly Father, and follow and obey Him, then we have been successful because if they follow God’s lead for their lives, what can possibly go wrong?

I found this great link in my email inbox this morning (http://www.marcandangel.com/2010/11/15/12-dozen-places-to-self-educate-yourself-online/) – 12 dozen places to self-educate yourself online.   I love this quote from the article - “All education is self-education.  Period.  It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting in a college classroom or a coffee shop.  We don’t learn anything we don’t want to learn.  ** Those people who take the time and initiative to pursue knowledge on their own are the only ones who earn a real education in this world.  Take a look at any widely acclaimed scholar, entrepreneur or historical figure you can think of.  Formal education or not, you’ll find that he or she is a product of continuous self-education.”  I just love that line… all education is self-education!  I want to keep all these links handy for future reference.  :o)

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Well it has taken me all day to write the above (there have been numerous interruptions to my writing today).  And now it is time to make supper so I think I will just stop here and call it a day for blog writing.   TTYS