Now What?

Well the kids have been at school for a little over a month now, I have cleaned, organized, rearranged, caught up on my craft projects, am almost finished with this year's scrapbook and I find myself asking, "Now what?"

As part of my yearly evaluation at work, I have to list a goal. For about the past seven years I have listed getting my BSN as a goal (I may or may not be a bit of a procrastinator😬). I have used Homeschooling the kids as an excuse for as long as I can, and it doesn't look like Jeff Probst is going to be calling me anytime soon to be on Survivor so...

I have made all the phone calls, emails and connections to get the ball rolling. As I was filling out transcript requests, I realized that maybe I should have kept better track of when I actually went to school. Being in the military and moving approximately every two years has left me with kinda a long list of schools - not to mention it's been more than 17 years since I needed to know this information. I thought this part of getting started would be the biggest headache, but thanks to today's technology it was all done in less than a week. The advisor said I could start classes October 27th, and I was like, "Hey, whoa, slow your roll, advisor-lady!" What was she thinking? I had stuff to do. Then reality hit me in the face and was like, "No, you don't, you lazy cuss; stop your procrastinating and do it!"

So with the prayers and help of my family, friends and co-workers I begin this new journey. This will be a big change for me - no sitting in class, no teacher to look at in the face, no chalkboard or overhead projectors; it's all done online. Each class is only five weeks long with a two-week break in-between. I have thirteen classes in total to complete my BSN.

So as a motivational goal, I have promised myself a graduation celebration at the most magical place on Earth. The timing should work out to right around when Garrett will also be graduating (or really close to it). So if I can get him on board we can gang up on Sean and get this thing locked down. 

Emptynessting : Trial Run

We are three weeks into the kids both being gone for the summer. I have to admit, it is flying by. Only a couple of times have I missed the kids.  I circled around their rooms while cleaning and putting away clothes and smiled at how clean their rooms can be when they aren't in them, destroying them. I did get a little teary-eyed when I anticipated a conversation that I will have to have about someone asking how the kids are doing (now granted this conversation won't happen until the end of July, but it's never too early to practice). All in all, so far so good. 

Sean and I took a little trip about a month ago sans children to see how it would be traveling without them. It was nice not having to fuss with the extra luggage, tickets, and bathroom hunts in the middle of crowded airports. Sean and I didn't fight over who would get ready in the bathroom first, who's turn it was to share a meal with mom or what we wanted to do next. 

We decided (Sean was looking out for me) to take a trip driving up the West Coast of Florida to see what we could see. 

It was so much fun. We stopped in Sanibel to pick up a couple of shells and had some wonderful seafood everywhere we went. We tried to stop in Clearwater, but Friday at 6pm isn't the time to sight see there. Everybody and their brother was there. I kept telling Sean that this was not what I remembered. Where was the sleepy little beach that you used to go to when you wanted to avoid the crowds of Daytona? He had to keep reminding me that things change in 25+ years.

Just a small sample of some of the wonderful seafood we had.  I even got to shuck my own oysters!

Now this wasn't just a trip for fun, we did do a little work while we were there. Sean was checking out business opportunities. I had been trying to tell him you don't have to be a 60-year-old retiree to move to Florida. Once we finished up in Cedar Key we were left with a couple of days before we were going to stop in and surprise my mom with a visit. So we decided to really test ourselves.  We knew that this would be a biggie, but we were willing to put ourselves out there for the sake of the kids. We wanted them to feel confident that Mom and Dad would be okay without them. So we did what any responsible, concerned parents would do. We went to Disney. We figured if we could go to Disney without the kids and still have a good time, we would be all right.

We just happened to time it right for the Flower and Garden event in EPCOT. This was going to be a special treat. I would be able to spend a couple of days in EPCOT just staring at all the topiaries, and no one would be acting like they would rather poke their eyes out and eviscerate themselves right there in the middle of the UK pavilion.

We some how even had a good time on Lauren's favorite ride.

Sean and I were so proud of ourselves. We did it. There was no moping, no sad faces, and no wishing the kids were there (okay, maybe a little wishing they were there :)). All in all, it was a success! We did it! This empty nest thing is going to be okay. We did a good job. We have raised two wonderful kids who are well prepared for adulthood, and we can definitely smile about that. 

Who's afraid of an empty nest? Not these guys! 

Last LTC Ever

This is the last year that the Andrews household will be competing in LTC (Leadership Training for Christ) and it is bitter sweet. The kids started with LTC once we started going to West Olive. They immediately got busy doing everything from drama, chorus, signing and Bible bowl. 

Both of the kids found their respective niches: Watching Garrett write and direct the teams drama skits was one of my favorite things to see evolve. It was a process, but he did so well oranganizing and writing the script to suit all the kids strengths. Lauren has excelled in signing for the deaf.  This year she took on the added responsibility of teaching the 3-6th graders how to sign and has done a magnificent job. 

Bible bowl has also been a very big part of LTC for the kids. The kids start in January and spend every weekend doing practices and study meets. This year Lauren got an early start in October with Bible bowl by joining a traveling team that went all over the valley and even California.

 

We decided since this was Lauren's last year we would treat her and ourselves and stay at the host resort. It was so nice not to have to get up at 4:00 am to drive to Tucson on Saturday morning. I am pretty sure Lauren enjoyed the extra time she had with her friends.  How do I know this you ask? The most glaring answer is because I hardly saw her at all during the two days that we were there. She is quite the social butterfly (I have no idea where she gets that from, Sean and I are very introverted people). I am not going to complain too much, I thoroughly enjoyed sitting in the sunshine, reading my book and the only being bothered by the waiter asking me if I needed anything. 

Cha-Ching!!!

At the Senior recognition banquet on Saturday night, she was honored as a senior and also received a monitory scholarship for college.  I have to admit this one of my favorite moments. I love free money!  She was also honored at the Celebration event afterwards for her excellence in signing. She stood in front of over 400 people and signed a song while the whole attendance sang along - proud momma moment for sure (so glad I had plenty of tissue).

Spring Fever

It's funny how those feelings of needing a Senior Skip Day never seem to go away. The need for a skip day was alway greater after coming back from Spring Break :). Who really needed school when the weather was perfect, the sun was shining, and the smell of Hawaiian Tropic was in the air? Well now I really don't even want to finish this, I want to just get outside and sit…focus Leigh.  Anyway, now that we are older and more mature we call it a Mental Health Day. I do have to confess since the kids started high school I have been plagued with Spring Fever. 

It use to be that I would plan the most fun and entertaining unit studies for the summer. We would focus on anything from science, marine biology (because I love anything to do with water), cultural studies that would take us from the U.K. to Mexico (because the layout of EPCOT always inspires me), to literature and music appreciation. Then the kids got older and started going to camp, not only to be campers but junior counselors as well. This left only a week here and a week there for creative and inspiring unit studies. I found myself frustrated, if I couldn't plan out a eight week unit study that would include a reading schedule, trips to points of interest, work sheets, tests and quizzes why bother. 

Spring Fever set in. As March would come to a close I would notice the pile of books on the table and the two days worth of papers I needed to grade. The kids hadn't stopped doing their work but I had totally slacked off of mine. I still find myself doing this. What happened to the person who would get up after working all night and immediately start grading the papers (ok, maybe not "immediately", but immediately after two cups of coffee)? Where was the person who would come home after working all night and review with the kids what the assignments were for the day and what we would be doing after she got up? 

Needless to say this year is no different. I am beginning to suffer immensely. Lauren could have doubled up on math last year and graduated a year early, but she didn't want to do twice the math. There was no way she was going to sit around another year just doing math, so she has been doing a full load (7.5 credit hrs) of school work. She finishes her math curriculum in two weeks but still has to finish up her physics and psychology curriculum. I am so wanting just to call it all good, pack up the books, highlighters, rulers, staplers and three hole punch and call it a day. My kids are much better students then I ever was. I really don't see her quitting early, but one could hope.

As I was writing this, the catalog for school curriculum comes in and I sit and look at it. Should I open it? I am sure there is some really cool stuff in there. I know that if I do I will be inspired to do something rash, like try to fit in one more unit study about WWII (it's the one I never did, that I wish I had). No, NO I can't, I shouldn't. I get up and into the recycle bin it goes without even a peek at the extracurricular section. I am strong! I knew I could do it! Now to take it outside to the curb before I can't stand it anymore and find something for Miss Lauren to do on the three weeks she is home this summer before she heads off to college in August.

New Year, Last Year

2014 is well underway, and I am left with the realization that this is it, really it. This is the last time I will go through textbooks and teacher's books working out assignments so we can get through the whole book before the school year is over. It is the last time I will put assignments, dates, and holidays in a grade book. It's the last time I will put all this information in an assignment book to keep track of individual assignments, so someone isn't constantly asking me what they have to do this week This is it. I will never journey this way again.

As a little experiment, I will try to break this down so I can account for my time over the past 11 years:

Hours picking curriculum: approximately 6 hours every school year doing research and checking the prices of comparable curriculum = 66 hours

Hours making assignments and writing in grade book: approximately 3 days x 6 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 396 hours

Hours writing assignments in kid's assignment books: approximately 12 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 264 hours

Hours making Excel spreadsheet to keep track of and calculate grades: 12 hours to design to my liking + 2 hours x 1 a year x 11 years = 34 hours

Hours spent grading papers: approximately 2 hours x 5 days x 36 weeks x 11 years = 3,960 hours

Hours entering grades into Excel spread sheet: approximately 3 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 66 hours

Miscellaneous hours spent in kids schools preparation (making assignment books, ordering assignment books, printing final grade sheets, etc..): 8 hours x 2 a year x 11 years = 352 hours

Approximate total of 5,138 hrs over the past 11 years, which equals approximately 467.09 hrs a year I have devoted to educating my children. Now I didn't count the multiple field trips to museums, art exhibits, points of interest, summer unit lessons we did the first eight years and Disney (see my last blog) or learning experiences of daily living like trips to the grocery store, Home Depot, gardening, pet care, nutrition, foreign languages and the dreaded driver's ed., nor the grueling hours devoted to soccer, tee ball, tennis and swim. It's been a lot of work but I wouldn't trade a thing about it. I have enjoyed every second (apart from the driving lessons; I so could have done without those).

All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” 

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring