7 Quick Takes # 1

+ JMJ +

I got this great writing idea for a quick blog post from Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary.


George Sipe at convertjournal.com wrote:  "Some random thoughts or bits of information are worthy of sharing but don't warrant their own full post. This idea was started by Jennifer Fulwiler at Conversion Diary to address this blogging need."  She's inspired many people to write their own 7 Quick Takes.  I know it isn't Friday, but I'm excited to try it out, so here goes ....

1.  Blogging has taken over our family!  I wish I had learned to do it earlier.  Being a bit of a techno-phobe, I shied away from the concept till my daughter finally decided to try it out last week.  She proved to me how easy it was.  Well, almost -- it's taking us a while to learn the tricks of the trade, but boy, is it worth it!  My older two have been busy filling up their blogs.  SLED called it a "piece of heaven on the computer."  =)  What a great way to improve their writing skills!  Oh, the wonders of technology.

2.  I can't wait till the end of the schoolyear.  Things have been great at home, but I made the mistake of overextending myself by teaching 2 Art History classes at our co-op this year.  I also lead a highschool Socratic Discussion Group with some families from our local homeschool support group.  Teaching all 3 classes has been rewarding, but it's been more than I can chew, and I am feeling burnt out.  Much as I love to teach Art History, next year I am taking a break from it.

3.  I really want to have a relaxing summer with NO EXTRACURRICULARS to keep us running from activity to activity.  But it seems impossible to do here in this area.  There are just too many wonderful offerings to ignore -- a 1-week Latin summer camp for middle schoolers, a summer public speaking course for middle school and high school, cooking lessons for my youngest, cello lessons, swim team, Suzuki Institute, WorkCamp ....  Help!  How can I say no??!!!  Things were so much easier when my husband was laid off last January and unemployed till April.  (I never thought I'd say that!)  We were forced to quit our extracurriculars, and it was truly a blessing in disguise!  Slowing down never felt so good.  We were able to stop and smell the roses (despite the lack of funds).  How to maintain that slower pace now that my husband is employed again?

4.  My older kids have really been enjoying their Fencing class, mainly because they have a very good  teacher.  It has become their favorite sport since we began it in 2008.  The problem is, many of the kids in the class (mostly from public school, ages 12-18) often curse or say inappropriate things while doing warm-up exercises or ultimate frisbee.  How to handle this without quitting the class?  The teacher is one of the best in this area.  And yet, what we say reflects who we are ....

5.  A new neighbor is moving in 2 houses down from us.  We'd been praying for a good conservative Catholic or Christian homeschooling family, but it turns out this man is a single father whose child shuttles back and forth between his parents.  The house next to us is for sale, so we are still keeping up our prayers for a good homeschooling family. 

6.  I've been wanting to get Glazunov's "Concerto Waltz No. 1" on iTunes since I first heard it on the radio last Saturday.  It was such a beautiful piece of music!

7.  Tomorrow is our last day of class at co-op!  Woo-hoo!

Thanks, Jennifer!

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