A Fresh Start...

Ah--- January is here... and the first week of school is behind us already! I hope you had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I took two weeks off of work, and feel like I was never gone! The days just flew by! My Parents-in-Law came down for Christmas, and, as always, it was a pleasant visit. We trekked to EPCOT for a Princess Breakfast for our Princess's Fifth Birthday, we went to MGM to see the Christmas lights, heard Steven Curtis Chapman read the Christmas Story from Luke 2 at EPCOT, and we managed to follow all of the little traditions we've set for our little family over the years... We tried to keep the focus on Christ throughout the season.

We've already had dental appointments (and other mundane events) try to upset our school schedule, but we managed to stay on track this week. We'll just keep taking it one day at a time and try to accomplish as much as we need/want to stay on track... I am getting better at scheduling work and school and home, or maybe it's the two weeks off of work and school that allowed me to get caught up, but I hope I am able to continue. We bought a lot of convenience foods for this week, and managed to not eat out at all- which many of you know is a huge accomplishment for me!!

Although, we are wrapping up Japan, and have discussed taking the kids to a Japanese Steakhouse for lunch today (hoping the lunch prices are less expensive than the dinner prices!)... More on Japan in another post...

We have started Apologia's Zoology II: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day, and with that, LightHome Publishing's A B Sea Creatures for cursive penmanship for DS#1. We picked up our Bible study again, this time studying Gentleness, and learning the 23rd Psalm.. DD and I made bracelets to help us remember the sequence of the verses, and the meaning behind some of them...

DS#1 is studying drawing, using a book called Drawing and Painting Animals by Bill Tilton. This is a First Steps Drawing book, and he has really had a boost to his confidence in drawing through this.

DD#2 is taking another semester in guitar and signed up for Basketball, and DD continues in her ballet- she has her first recital coming up this spring.

Everyone is keeping busy, and finding interests that suit them. DS#1 is looking forward to the day he can volunteer in an animal shelter of some kind - we've read that you have to be at least twelve for most, so I suppose the time is coming when I should start looking into local shelters to find a good fit for him...