still here

Hey bloggy-friends!  I'm still here...problem is, I've taken such a long break from blogging, I'm not sure how to get back into it.  A huge part of it has been the on-going saga with my grandparents, I felt/ feel like there is  so much drama and negative-stuff, that I'm not sure how to share it without dumping it out and being, well, negative.

but, um here goes....I'll just jump back in.  My grandmother is still living with us, in my front living room.  We were hoping to use some of my grandparents' savings to build her a suite, but we weren't real sure if it was a wise move, so that was part of why we went through conservator court...so that the court would make big decisions like that, because frankly, we are a bit lost with how to manage what little they have.  The court said no.  So....grandmother is living in my front living room, which has french doors on one side, and the other side we can board up.  Things can't stay that way, though, she really needs an attached bathroom. So, we will be moving her into our master bedroom.  Our house is a 1950's house and the master is not really big...she will lose some space in the move, the front living room is pretty spacious.  I think access to her own bathroom kind of trumps spaciousness, though. But only barely.  I'm a bit sad about giving up my room.  Sky and I will move into the front living room.  I love, love, love the big picture window in that room, so I will look forward to that.

I am taking another child development type class, this is my third. I'm planning on getting a certificate for early childhood education so I can be a kindergarten aid or a preschool aid in a headstart-type program.  I was also taking an Algebra class, but I had an epiphany last week that I really hate math and I didn't want to be there.  I thought getting an associate's degree would be the smart thing to do, since I'm taking classes....but I really just want to learn to write better and explore art. Sky said from the beginning that I should just take classes that interest me, and I can see now that he was right.  I was beginning to dread going to class, and for my first exam (which I got an A on) I had to spend a lot of time studying for, that I didn't feel I had.  Amie and Demi have started back up with homeschooling, and then I have the grandparents' care stuff....and so on.  My math class was two evenings a week, so now it is really nice to be home again for those two nights.

*Homeschool

We've started back up, full-swing.  I'll get a homeschool materials post up real soon.  Demi and Amie are busy with a few Biola Star classes, we have our normal homeschool studies, and then art and music.  Josie is back at the performing arts highschool for her 2nd and last year, she will be graduating this year.  Meg is in her second year of college.  She cares for horses in the morning -as a job, just got a part time job at Barnes & Nobles (Yay!) and graduated from the police explorers program this Summer.  She is very busy, and I am so proud of how hard she is working and how responsible she has grown up to be.  She's still not sure which direction she wants to go with as far as law enforcement, it changes...at first it was the horses, then FBI, now she's talking about forestry.  Who knows, but I'm sure it will be exciting.

So, that's a sort of re-cap of what is happening around here.  Oh, did I mention my grandmother has a dog?  We now are a two-dog family.  Sky is thrilled. (that was sarcasm) She's a sweet, small dog.  The transition to having my grandmother and her dog here has really gone very smoothly, my grandmother is a gentle soul, and so is her dog. Grandfather is finally landed in a really nice private nursing home...for now.  He got kicked out the first week, we got him new medication and took him back after a week back home.  So far it's okay, but every time I get a call from that area code, my stomach clenches.

here's a teaser with the homeschool stuff.... Oak Meadow World History, Aleks Math, Memoria Press First From Latin, Minecraft..... (I'll just name drop, since most of you stop by for the homeschooling stuff....I cleaned out my homeschool closet, totally!!  {shriek!!!!!}  I've tried to clean it out each year for the past 4 years, it is finally done. (Sky had to help me, bless that man!)

Here's a hawk on a fountain I saw during a run (okay, mostly walk....) because,

hawk.....urban....city.....fountain = cool and unusual.  I love my neighborhood.

How's life bloggy friends?  I'm glad you stopped by :)

So this happened...

Heellooo out there!

so much going on, I don't even know where to start...

So, this is happening.  Josie, artist in residence, is currently enrolled in driver's ed class.  She decided to paint her car.  Because, obviously, this is what you would expect to find in the parking lot of an urban Arts School.

I followed the CIA on twitter. Well done, well done....

We've had glorious weather here in Orange County. I've been doing lots of this...sitting on the front porch, drinking a protein shake and reading my daily psalm + Spurgeon's Morning & Evening devotional, after my run. (okay, mostly walk- a little bit of run....)

And finally, I returned to my car after class and found a ticket on my windshield, for...quote "occupying two parking spaces." um...okay, my bumper was over the line, but I was not taking up two parking spaces.  Actually, the car in the stall in front did not pull up all the way, probably to park in the shade, and so I miss-judged where exactly the front line was.  A little mistake, but, come-on.  Yeah for Irvine Valley College. I feel hunted now every time I park my car.  I have to ask, if they are so picky about the lines...what is up with the messy three lines painted on each side?  I'm thinking they are not really as picky as they pretend to be.

• I finished my first college class and I am in the middle of the next class.  We just had mid-term, and I got an 'A'  :)
• I went to court and my grandfather was deemed incompetent and  I am his conservator.
• my grandfather threatened to kill my grandmother the following weekend, after a series of screaming sessions.  I told her to pack, collected her, and discovered a bruise on her arm.  She is never going back.
• my grandmother now lives in my front living room, which we have closed up and made into her suite.  Hopefully, we can begin building her a real suite onto the back of the house.  This is all a big adjustment for all of us.

this is {Home} reporter Jenn, reporting in.... stay tuned

7 Quick Takes, March like a lion edition

so I'll catch you up on what is new, but...where to even begin?

~1~

Four kids, 19 years of parenting, and our first cast.  It was bound to happen.  I knew with Amie's love of parkour, that a cast in our future was likely. I really thought it would be her wrist or arm, though, not the leg.  She did this jumping from a 10 foot wall to a 6 foot wall, landing badly.  One of the coaches came to get me when it happened and since she was still on top of the 6 foot wall, the quickest way to get to her was by going up the wall.  The coach offered to give me a leg-boost up, and I accepted.  Hands down, one of my very favorite funniest memories is the look of awe and shock on the other coach's face when he saw me pull myself up onto the wall.  He thought I scaled it.  His eyes bugged out is surprise.  I kind of wished I really had done it, but I fessed up right away that I had a leg-up.  They had so many cast color options!

~2~

I have a mid-term exam for my college class this week, which means that I am at the half-way point in the class.  I have to take a moment and reflect on the fact that I haven't dropped out of the class, missed any assignments or just simply stopped going.  Maybe I should light a candle in thanksgiving...living the Jenn life, I don't have a lot of success with follow-thru.

~3~

No missed assignments in my class, but living the Jenn-life, I of course have to have some screw-ups...I earned a perfect score on my first paper, but- here's the Jenn-life story>>>>> I stayed up late the night before finishing it (as only an accomplished procrastinator can) and then in the morning, I printed it up, 3-hole punched it, and stapled it together, with the rubric on the front.  I dropped Josie off at school, got on the freeway and headed to class. As I was turning it it, I flipped through it, and realized the last 2 pages did not print at all.  Yup, classic Jenn-moment.  I was really lucky that the instructor is very approachable and easy-going, I emailed the entire paper to her as soon as I got home.  The end. The moral of the story is that Sky is right and I shouldn't procrastinate.  I'll get right on that....tomorrow.  Maybe.

~4~

We (my sister and I) have moved on from helping my grandparents to managing their care.  Two weeks or so ago, they had a plumbing problem in their bathroom.  Sky took 3 days off work to go and repair their floor and replacing faucets on two sinks, and repairing water damage.  We've been dying to rip out the carpet in their bathrooms and replace it with laminate that would be easier for grandmother to use her walker on, and easier to clean.  Well, the water damage took care of that decision, and we were able to put in new waterproof vinyl plank flooring.  It's really, really nice looking. Grandmother fell again while we were there, and we were able (barely) to convince her to come stay at our house for two nights while the bathroom work was going on, so she could rest.  It was also a trial run for her to see what living with us would look like.  Grandfather has alzheimer's and is declining, I really think grandmother needs to be living with us, so I can care for her.  I couldn't believe how hard it was to get her to come stay with us, she was so worried about grandfather.  I am hoping that we can have her stay with us about once a month for two days, so she can get some rest.  I am already madly pinning grandmother suite ideas on pinterest, and I think we are going to start on the suite soon, so it will be ready for her when she needs to come. I {heart} pinterest.  I'm a visual person, I love pinning beautiful photos and ideas!  You can see my boards here:

http://www.pinterest.com/henjenca/

(I know, I need to figure out how to put a pinterest button on my sidebar...coming soon!)

~5~

We are doing a lot of managing and coordinating for the grandparents.  I have found that the Cozi site is really useful for elder-care management.  It's a online family schedule site, the cool thing is that two people can manage it so both my sister and I have access.  We put all their Dr. appointments into the calendar, and then we get alerts weekly on what is happening.  There is also a section for photos- where I upload receipts and there is also a journal section where I can record things that are happening with them- that grandfather could not remember my mother, that grandmother fell, that I spoke to grandmother for the first time about coming to live with us.  It is a really helpful site, and it is free.

~6~

Josie has a painting up for auction for her arts high school.  The auction ends March 19th. This would make a nice gift for someone in the military, or for a parent of someone in the military.  It is titled "on patrol" and you can click the link here to bid on it here: On Patrol OCSA auction.  It is oil on canvas and the size is 15" by 24". Proceeds go to fund the Orange County School of the Arts conservatory programs, which is non-profit. The fundraising event also has other art and packages for bid, different things like dinner packages, tours, etc.

~7~

Sky found us a new show on BBC, it's called Endeavor and is a police mystery show that takes place in the late 1960's - I think. It's very good, we've watched two episodes so far and we are hooked.

*7 Quick Takes happens every Friday over at Conversion Diary

7 Quick Takes -life edition

{1}

Josie is working on a painting for her arts highschool, they will be selling it at auction for a fundraiser. She continues to amaze me with her artistic talent.

{2)

My sister and I had to have our grandfather's driver's license suspended this Summer.  He is suffering from alzheimer's and was not safe on the road.  It was a hard thing to do.  Now, my sister and I take turns taking grandma to her Dr.'s appointments, and a weekly shopping/lunch outing.  My grandmother is a dear, I'm hoping to take her home with me some day <3

{3}

Oliver: A.K.A. Evil Kitty and I have come to a truce.  I keep Emma-the-wonder-labradoodle away from the dog door at bedtime, and Oliver is free to use it without being chased.  Win/win. (no more meowing at me at 2 a.m. to be let out) Here is a photo showing how in his world, Cat > Composition homework

{4}

I am giving up on my facebook fanpage for this blog, and concentrating on google+ (watching my post views continue to dwindle on fb because they want to sell ads, is frustrating and it has gotten worse)  It's a bit of a learning curve over there, but I think I am going to like it.  Leave your name or handle in the comments and I'll circle you!

{5}

We dropped Demi-Sky's online Latin class and I ordered Memoria Press First From Latin on dvd series to do instead. I'll report back on how it turns out.  I also ordered First Start French for Josie to work with afterschool.  The books arrived a day ago, and I am very excited.  Am I the only nerd that gets super excited when the UPS truck leaves a box of books at my door?

{6}

I started back to college to finally finish a degree, decades later.  It was really kind of scary for me.  I am taking classes first, outside of my degree, for early childhood education.  I'm thinking I would like to work with the HeadStart program part-time once Demi and Amie start highschool outside the home.  The class is mostly young people, which makes me feel old, but there are a handful of moms about my age in there, too.  The instructor has been very encouraging about me being a homeschool mom, I admit I was worried about what the reception would be about that.  When I first started homeschooling, 13 years ago, I often got negative or hostile reactions from educators, but as the years went on, the general feeling seemed to warm up.  I am really glad that with my first college class back, my instructor is sympathetic to homeschooling.

{7}

I love photography.  I love the fact that a photo can take you back to a certain moment in time.  I am going to try to post one photo memory a week that I want to cherish and I will be putting up a linky so others can share, too.  I hope you will link up!

My Burn Book {moments I want to burn into memory}

*7 Quick Takes is hosted every Friday over at Conversion Diary blog

*join the Hot Homeschool Hop over at Homeschool Post!

My Burn Book {mom school}

My Burn Book {moments I want to burn into my memory...}

I started back to college, and Amie made a extra special label for my notebook

(share your recent photo memory below)

Homeschool 2013-2014

2013-2014 Homeschool Year at Cliffs of Insanity Day Academy:

{Teddy, my bonus student, went back to public school last school year.  Meg graduated and is attending her first year of college. (Yes, I homeschooled her all the way, K-12)  Josie auditioned for a performing arts high school (charter school) and will be there for 11th grade and 12th grade (unless she decides to come home, but she loves it so far).  This year, we are down to two students; Demi-Sky is in 8th grade this year, and Amie is in 6th grade.}  Here is a list of our studies and books we are using;

Amie 6th grade

Math Mammoth light blue series     Aleks Math (online)           Piano lessons        Parkour classes (p.e.)

Science:  Aha Science -online, and a few Science 2 U classes (monthly themed classes)    Literature: independent reading

Test Prep: Buckle-Down Language Arts 6

Demi-Sky 8th Grade

Math: Teaching Textbooks         Aleks Math (online)           Piano lessons      Lacrosse team (p.e.)

English: Intermediate Composition 8 with Biola Star (once a week class with a great syllabus):

*Teaching Writing: Structure and Style Seminar Workbook Institute for Excellence in Writing 978-0984099092 *Student Resource Notebook Pages IEW   *Word Web Vocabulary Workbook Vol. 1 Sage Education Enterprises, Inc. The Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth Speare Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, by Avi The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom Miracle Worker, by William Gibson Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt

Latin:  online Latin Class with Biola Star (twice a week)

*The Latin Road to English Grammar vol. 1 & 2

Oak Meadow Science 5                   Buckle Down Science Standards Review 8                Independent reading

Together-Amie & Demi:

Veritas Press self-paced History: Explorers to 1850 (online)

Shurley English 4

Bible:  Who is God? -Apologia Worldview series

private art lessons

to get to 2nd semester, hopefully:

Memoria Press First Form Latin set with dvds

Grammar of Poetry IEW

Fallacy Detective

The Ode less traveled; tackling the poet within -Stephen Fry

Philosophy for Kids

Logic of English: spelling (for Amie)

After-schooling with Josie -

Who is God apologia Worldview (independently and by discussion)

*Rosetta Stone French      *assigned literature -To Kill a Mockingbird, etc.

After-schooling with Meg-

Mere Christianity (reading together and discuss)

Mom School:

Mere Christianity with Meg

going back to college, 3 unit Child Development class Spring semester

All is bright

Hello friends.  I'm back, I think. 

We are in the midst of holiday cheer here.  The kids are all out of school.  **Meg's first semester of college went really well.  She wrote a research paper for her criminal justice class and received a perfect score on it, along with a note written by the instructor that it was the best paper he had read since teaching that class.  She earned an A in her economics class, which was very hard-won, she still insists she doesn't really understand the subject!  **Josie still loves the performing arts high school, but this formerly-homeschooled-kid really anticipated the Winter break. ** Demi and I are surviving his 8th grade Lit & Composition class with Biola Star...I think this class might finally break me; weekly, I ask out-loud why I am doing this.... The last assignment he had before break was a report on a famous pirate, and they had to dress up as a pirate and do an oral report.  It was so much fun, they had a blast.  We went down a dark Jenn-trail with the assignment which involved me trying to make a paper-mache lego pirate head...don't ask....we abandoned that project the night before and went with a traditional dress-up.  Incriminating photos coming later- maybe. ** Amie continues with her parkour classes.

**Our church has a week-long Bible conference the week of Christmas.  Right now, we have six college-age-ish young people staying with us- they are a lot of fun!

**I am trying to get back into my creative groove with photography and art projects, but cleaning and the logistics of having guests have taken over so far.

**I registered for a college class and will return to school next month!  This will be really weird.  But good, and stretching.  I'm excited and a bit scared, it's a little out of my comfort zone...I'm a home-body.

It was 80 degrees today in Orange County....true story.

I hope your holiday season is merry and bright, blog-friends! :)

7 Quick Takes -Create Mixed Media Retreat Edition

~1~

I stumbled upon this mixed media retreat happening right in my backyard.  Stumbled, yes- about two weeks before it was to happen. Usually, I see neat ads for incredible art retreats, but the ads will say something like "come to the beautiful Catskill mountains."..or Hawaii or somewhere else just as impossible for me, but this time, it was nearby!  I looked at all the great workshops offered, whittled my wish list down to 6 classes, then down to 4, then down to the two I was most interested in.  (this retreat covered days!)  I am hoping they will be back next year!

~2~

The class I was most interested in was encaustic collage.  Last year, when we were visiting San Juan Island, I saw an artbook with encaustic artwork in it.  I had no idea what the medium was, but intrigued, I googled it.

I discovered that encaustic collage used beeswax as the main medium.  This was the art technique I was most excited about learning more about.  The class did not disappoint.  By the time I had laid down my first layer of hot wax, I knew I was in love.

~3~

Have I mentioned before my love affair with flamingos?  Yes, it goes deep with me.  I'm currently on the look-out for a large metal flamingo I can dress for holidays.  I gather from Sky's silence on the matter, that he is in full accord with my wishes...hey, if he doesn't speak up before I hit "buy now" it's totally not my fault.  ---sooo, I tried the encaustic technique here with a flamingo photo I took and printed out on paper.  I love the paper doilie layer..it just works.  I need to add a pink feather to this, and then it will be done. I like it, because it has a sort of kitschy feel.

~4~

So the retreat was several days, many of the attendees stayed at the hotel, but I just drove in both days.

The encaustic class was 6 hours long.  Oh the joy!!  It went by soo fast.  We had a lunch break and I enjoyed eating at the hotel restaurant.  The whole day was very relaxing and yet very electrifying at the same time...kind of an art-induced head-buzz.  The second class I took was on making transfers, pretty useful.  I did well with the water and mat medium transfers, but went down in flames with the gesso transfers.

~5~

The bathrooms at the hotel had these signs, which amused me, greatly.

~6~

We are done with school!  Officially- except I am rolling out a pretty rigorous course of study for the Summer.  We switched Josie over to Teaching Textbooks Algebra 2 - I kind of lurve it because it is self-correcting. If it goes well, I might use it with Demi in the Fall.  Right now, I've got Demi working on Aleks math- it's online.  Amie has moved over to Math Mammoth.  I plan to have both Amie and Demi using Aleks Math in the Fall along with whichever program we also decide to use.

~7~

Meg and I are going through the book Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations together right now.  I wrote earlier how I felt panicky over the fact that Meg is graduating and that I feel like so much was left undone.  The book is a small, gentle way to address my feelings and to keep touching base with her.  We meet once a week to discuss our reading, over a bagel or something equally yummy. :)

*7 Quick takes is hosted over at Conversion Diary