Where does one even start? Short of overwhelmed, which seems almost contradictory since we were mostly under a stay-at-home order for what felt like forever, I’m not sure how else to describe it.

Mentally, I’m exhausted, if you want the blunt end of it.

While there aren’t as many places to go and things to do, there is a constant mental overthinking of everything. Having everything suddenly yanked from your plate is freeing in one sense, but dealing with the fallout from that is hard as well.

Having time by myself is something I love (and need) – don’t get me wrong, I love my family – but quiet isn’t especially happening when one is surrounded and there really isn’t space to go to be by yourself and your thoughts.

Now with everyone locally trying to figure out what they are going to do school, there are so many people asking for homeschool advice. And I want to help (and am as best I can), but at the same time I am trying to balance getting everything set up for our own upcoming year.

Did I mention feeling exhausted?

I am reading through some of my old posts, especially THIS ONE, and reminding myself that this is a new year – new opportunities for learning and growth – and trying to relax.

We have so many exciting things coming up soon:

• our oldest returning from her (more than) year-long adventure with Mercy Ships
• McKenna starting her SENIOR YEAR (gulp) and all that entails
• a GREAT co-op group for Zachary in literature and chemistry
• the boys swimming – we hope!!

There are a lot of things I can be frustrated about. But I have to choose to focus on the good. It can be a struggle.

Part of my issue (I know) is that there are still so many uncertainties in our schedule – as in our calendar is still WIDE OPEN. That is so foreign to me. It isn’t always busyness for the sake of being busy, but I will admit to breathing a sigh of relief when the boys started back with their evening practices a few weeks ago and the house was just s.i.l.e.n.t.

It was a brief moment of wonderful.

If it’s any consolation to the rest of you, I didn’t pick up any new hobby over our stay-at-home time, I didn’t plant a garden, I gained weight – essentially, I feel as though I was the anti-thesis of productive. On the other hand, I did come up with a fabulous muffin recipe (see weight gain) and conquered some levels of Candy Crush (now deleted from my phone).

Things will ease back into normal (I mean, goodness, Costco had some samples the other day – we must be getting back to normal in some ways, right?) and life will settle back in, I know it will.

So in the meantime, I’ll take a deep breath and keep plugging along.

How are YOU doing?

This year is a bit different for our family with one of our girls far away across the ocean and in Africa! Our typical Thanksgiving day feels a bit off, but I have a feeling we are on the cusp of an entirely *new* season. Different yes. And a good thing too.

Meanwhile we have rolls fresh out of the oven, a turkey creating an amazing aroma, and we are waiting for friends and family to come hang out and enjoy a bit of a feast. 

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!

I’ll be back this Friday to share some GREAT Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals with you all (who says homeschoolers can’t take part in all the sales and specials?), so be sure to subscribe by email and get all the coupon codes delivered to your inbox.

Until then – ENJOY your time with your family. Cuddle up with those kids. Take a nap or two.

Relish in the many blessings that we have – and give thanks for it all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Day four of the science giveaways from Home Science Tools  is here! We still have one more BIG giveaway coming, so stay tuned and check back Monday for that one. 

If you are just joining us, be sure to check out the end of the post for links to the past giveaways and take a moment to enter before they end. Over the next several days, I will be sharing some MORE giveaways from Home Science Tools to both get your family thinking of science-related gifts for Christmas and to put some tools in your hands that will make science even more enjoyable!

Today’s giveaway features TWO products and both are described a bit below, but I’d encourage you to visit the Home Science Tools website and check out their science gift guide as you begin your second semester planning and holiday shopping.

Magic Penny Magnet Kit

Have fun learning about the properties of magnetism with the Magic Penny Magnet Kit ($24.95). Perform 32 amazing magnetic experiments with the two powerful bar magnets and 24 British pennies in this kit. Create arches, “airplane wings,” bridges, balancing shapes, and even a levitating pyramid of pennies!

The Magic Penny Magnet Kit comes with:

• 2 extra-strong magnets encased in stainless steel
• 24 newly-minted British pennies
• 1 US penny
• activity guide

——–> Learn more about the Magic Penny Magnet Kit <———-

SomeBody Game

Working on a human body unit? Be sure to check out the SomeBody Game ($28.95). Children will enjoy learning the major organs, muscles, and bones of their bodies and how these parts fit and work together as they play this game, collecting colorful body part stickers and attaching them in the right places on their game boards. Includes reusable stickers, game boards, cards, and more. Ages 6-10, 2-4 players. 

——–> Learn more about the SomeBody Game <———-

Download the 21 Winter Science Experiments Ebook

Home Science Tools is offering my readers a FREE ebook: 21 Winter Science Experiments, which includes some great projects to work on in the upcoming months, including DIY Hand Warmers, Poinsettia PH Paper, and so many others! Download it HERE. 

Enter the Giveaway!

Ready to enter? All you need to do is follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway is open to those with a US mailing address only. Giveaway ends on Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 11:59pm.  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let’s face it – I’ve been a bit remiss sharing anything a bit more personal over the last few weeks. Life has been busy with shuttling kids back and forth all over kingdom come, we had a big swim meet, and then trying to stay on top of school and do it well – that can suck the life right out of you. 

So, I tried to do a quick video sum-up here, but below you’ll find the SUPER bulleted version of what’s happening with each of the kids. 

• Laurianna – We are still waiting to figure out what in the world is going to happen with Mercy Ships. She has been accepted and at this point we are anticipating a July departure once she is “plugged into” her position, but there is a possibility she may be leaving earlier based on a need they have to fill another spot. So…we wait. (I am trying not to think too hard about this because it will mean she could be gone for over year to a place VERY FAR AWAY). 

• McKenna – This past weekend, McKenna passed her driving test and is now officially able to be behind the wheel all by her lonesome! She is working three mornings a week and balancing school with her social life (ha!) and newfound freedom. Work = car and gas money.
• Zachary – In the fall we told Zachary that if he qualified for the Florida meet, he could go (mind you, we assumed he wouldn’t qualify – cough). I promise, we weren’t trying to underestimate him. This past weekend, he qualified with AAA times in not only 1, but FIVE events. We are now making hotel reservations and eating our words.
• Kaleb – We are scaling back in some subject areas and really pushing our reading and spelling time together hard. Over the last several weeks we have also been working on Beyond Five in a Row books with one of our friends (currently Homer Price) and having fun learning about so many different things as well as reading a lot together. 
• The Parents – This weekend our church is launching a new campus, closer to our house, and we are helping with various aspects (Rick is heading up the sound team on both of our campuses). It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I’m also preparing for the upcoming Teach Them Diligently convention in Nashville at the end of March. 

That’s the sum-up for us – how are YOU doing?