Beautified and Beaten Up

Totally random but I have to get it out... I'm bearing my soul to you -- true confessions.  haha

I received a lovely gift from my husband -- an appointment at my favorite local salon for last weekend.  I had put off my salon services to try to save a little money.  But it was time.  Waaaay past time, sister.  In fact, my eyebrows were starting to compete with Michael Dukakis.

So I arrived at the salon, ready to be pampered.  The eyebrow technician helped me first.  I started apologizing immediately about my appearance (ladies, I know you have been there).  The problem was, she was very happy to agree with me.  In fact, she threw in her own zinger about how bad the eyebrows looked. Uh oh.

Seven minutes later, I'm already looking better, whew.  I'm on my way to the hair stylist's chair.  He immediately said, "Wow, we really should have scheduled you to have color done too."  Darn it, he was absolutely right.  I haven't seen that many grays since I saw Betty White looking HOT in Cleveland.  But I hadn't had one moment to call my own over the past week or I would have colored it.  Or maybe I would have just sat and watched TV or played on Facebook.  Anyway, I got a nice mini-facial and I hear him say in a horrified voice, "Your skin is SO dry!?!" Dang it all, the one time I forgot to moisturize in the morning.

Yes, I know.

 I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW!  

This is why I am here at the salon.  

So you can make me beautiful.  

I need all the help I can get, people.

My stylist was actually fantastic & I looked 3000% better after leaving.  Beautified.... and a little beaten up.

School is Cool

Many of you have asked how homeschooling is going.  Here is a non-exclusive list of my thoughts.

Good parts:
-I have really enjoyed spending a lot of time with my kids. (This cannot be overstated enough!!)
-It has been so cool to see each step of learning.
-I love seeing my 7 yo go from feeling unsure to fully confident in a topic like subtraction.
-I love waking up later than 6:30am. :)
-I am enjoying learning right along with my kids.
-I am being stretched and challenged to do new things all the time.
-My kids definitely get social time with friends and peers, contrary to the belief of many "naysayers"
-OHVA's (K12) curriculum is laid out so nicely and easily that I do not have much to prepare.  What a blessing.
-I have to be disciplined with work habits to get things done & it's awesome to look back and see how much my girls & I have accomplished.  I should definitely mention that I try to remember to rely heavily on God's strength.  One of my goals is to ask for His help daily.  There's no way I want to do this on my own!
-I have seen how God has grown my confidence.  We, as parents, know our children better than anyone else.  Of course, it's wonderful to get wisdom from others, but follow your instincts too.

Hard parts:
-I get close to ZERO time alone, which is hard for someone like me who likes alone time. (This cannot be overstated enough!!)
-I put a lot of pressure on myself.  Not just a little.  A LOT.
-My house is a lot messier.  And it was already messy when I wasn't homeschooling. {insert favorite stay-at-home mom Oprah/bon-bon joke here}
-My life is filled with many other activities & it's challenging to prioritize them all.
-Balancing my attention between both kids is hard when I need to help the oldest one with tough concepts. This is a challenge EVERY day.
-OHVA does not allow as much flexibility as I would wish.  It's not hard to get the 25 hours of school per week, but there are times I find myself wanting to supplement something (like a certain science topic) and straying away from K12's curriculum.  I have to keep a certain progress going with their curriculum, so it's important to stay on track and not get too far behind.  So it's definitely different than traditional homeschooling.

I have no regrets about choosing to homeschool my 7yo this past year (and my 5yo when she isn't in preschool class!).  Yes, there have been challenges, but the girls are thriving, growing and learning like crazy.

I find myself hesitant to write blogs about my homeschooling experiences because people do get kind of crazy about the topic and take things so personally... no matter where they land on the subject.  The only reason I'm still posting this is because I know several of you have genuinely asked how it's going.  And I can only be ME, so that's what I'm writing about:  my experiences.

So it's decision time for next year... 

and I am choosing NOT to homeschool.  

Don't be shocked.  

Maybe you're not shocked.

I'm excited about what's ahead.

More info in an upcoming post!