Am I Glowing?

I just got home from a wonderful evening with a great group of ladies!  A few posts back, I mentioned that I've been tossing around the idea of homeschooling J and M for the '07-'08 school year.  At least.  It's not an endeavor I take lightly, and I've really been struggling with whether or not it's the right thing to do.  I've sought advice from a variety of places, and I've certainly done a fair bit of research, too.  A few days ago, I joined the local homeschooling co-op; at the time, I was leaning toward homeschooling, but I still had some reservations.  Today, though, I had a chance to catch up with an old playgroup buddy from way back (um, okay, less than four years ago) to my Maryland days.  Emily was (and still is) an LLL leader, and a fabulously talented, resourceful and knowledgeable lady, too.  And a real cool chick.  :D  Her two children are similar ages to mine (well, my school-aged kids) and aside from the good information and reassurances, it was just a grand thing to get caught up on how everyone in our old group is doing (that playgroup is still in existence; the families still get together - neat, huh?).

Anyway, so tonight, the local HS co-op had their MNO (mom's night out, and wasn't it nice of them to have one scheduled for the very next day after I joined?  Yeah, I thought so, too.).  I have really, really missed MNOs!  Even when Steve was still in FL, his schedule was erratic enough that I was rarely able to participate, so my last *real* MNOs were with my old Maryland group.  Kinda sad, now that I think about it.  :/

But hey, it's all good because I really had a nice time tonight!  The co-op isn't affiliated with a religious, ethnic or other group designation; it's a hodge-podge of folks who have this one central thing in common.  I've not met many moms here anyway, so it was nice to be with adults, spend some time talking about our kids, laugh and talk about other things, and, well...to feel human.  And if I felt pretty comfortable with the notion of HS'ing before arriving there, I am now really pumped to do it.  It's still, mentally, sorted out in my mind as baby steps, and while I still feel a bit overwhelmed by the enormity of the undertaking, I feel a whole lot more comfortable with the options and making a real commitment.  Hooray!  Note to Amy - I hope we can still be phone buddies!  :)

In other news, J and M were included among the few kids at their school who "won" the privilege of riding in a limo to a local park and having pizza and cookies for free.

Free, my patootie.  The privilege was extended only to those students who(se parents) sold at least 20 items from the most recent fundraising circular that the kids brought home.  As I'm no great fan of fundraising, and especially protest the way schools use cheap trinket-y type things to entice kids to bug the heck out of their parents to "please buy something, mom, so I can win a Spongebob zipper pull for my backpack!", I told my kids that they weren't going to be able to ride on the limo because *I* wouldn't be buying anything and since we only know a few people, also parents at the school, it wasn't likely they'd sell anything to anyone else, either.  Instead, I sent a check to the PTO in lieu of participation, the amount of which apparently passed some monetary threshhold wherein my children actually WERE invited to ride in the limos.  "For free, mom!"

But they had fun, and because we met them there (so I could take pictures of where my money was going the cool limo ride), it turned into an impromptu park day for Bridget, where, had it not been for the spilt (chocolate) milk and dirt, I would have gotten some terrific pictures.  I mean, I still like them, but the big chocolate splotches on her shirt sort of make me love the pictures a leeeetle bit less.

Here's the "Hummer" limo (there was a stretch Hummer limo, too, but it was full so they got to ride the stretch Excursion which did look a lot like a Hummer, at least if you're 8 and 6):

I wish I could post a picture of James, but the dude kept giving me goofy silly pictures, or else the shading was wrong, or somebody walked into the frame just as I pressed the shutter.  I did get this one of Molly, thankfully:
 

James and Molly were there only for a short time - enough time to eat and perhaps play on the equipment for about ten minutes.  Bridget didn't want to go home, so I kept the camera out and took pictures.  I had my telephoto, and I was way too close to her most of the time, but there are a few that I really like - chocolate milk smudges and all.  ;)

And that's a wrap, folks!

Comments

[Regina]

GREAT PHOTOS!!! Dirt and all!!!

I need to get my act together and upload some recent ones of Nathan - our latest feat was trying to photograph him and soap bubbles - that's tricky! Especially when I have the camera AND the bubble wand!!

Glad you found a support group - moving to a new place is always daunting - and having support -adult support - helps!!!

[Lynn Glessner]

Great pictures! So glad you got a night out with friends, and that homeschooling seems like a good option now. Always good to have options.

[Liz]

Amazing what some perspective can do for you. Natalie, I know you can do this. It sounds like you have the support you will need to get started, as well as a fun group for MNO! Good for you.

Your girls are just beautiful, though I know you already knew that...

[karin]

wow, sounds like you got "just what you needed" on many levels! :O) I, too, have NO doubt that you will be amazing at homeschooling, and I am glad that the timing was just right for the support from those around you!

Love the story of the 'fundraiser' and I second the complaint that they are awful to deal with (just think - YOU won't have ANY of those next year! :O) :O)but the limo ride sounds outstanding, and I know two little red heads that would have loved it!

those photos are great, I especially like the final one of her laughing! just beautiful, those girls!

[KimJ]

So glad you found a great group to help you out with the HS stuff and provide a little fun for you as well! I'm sure you'll be great at it! :)

Fabulous shots!! Such rich color, and the girls are beautiful!

I'm with you on the fundraisers, although I'm usually not even organized enough to do the check thing. I set the info down somewhere, it gets immediately buried, and I find it again long after the deadline has passed. Maybe it's a subcoinscious rebellion. LOL :-b

[Francine]

beautiful, beautiful pictures.

The fund raising thing sounds completely extra-terrestial to me. Non-existent on this end of the planet. Cool limo though :p

And homeschooling - it's just not something that's done here, and the idea of it scares the crap out of me. I often think about it, since it comes up in American-friends-conversations, and I so very much admire those who go for this adventure. I don't think I would have what it takes, but I wish I did. It's an amazing thing to do for your family, imho.

[Angela]

Loved the chocolate milk photos, LOL! You have such adorable subjects! Congrats on the HS decision, I remember well all the research that went into my decision... cool limo!