New post up on my Homeschooling Blog

Just wanted to share...I have a new update post on my blog.  Be sure to check it out.  I haven't been able to do much posting lately, and def. not anything here.  Again-life right now is on basic mode.  So be sure to visit the Hsing on a Wing and a Prayer blog for new info.  My goal is to start using our workboxes more sometime here this new year, so I would have a relevant post to go along with it-LOL.  Until then, keep on workboxing and visiting my main blog.

Thoughts on Blogging-Part One

Here is a straight from my heart post. This is not a boo-hoo poor me thing, but a truly honest take on what has been stirring within me for a long time. I sense I am not alone.  I bet many bloggers out there feel exactly like I have/do/will. When do you call it quits? What's the point anyway?  I mean, really. 

Seriously. There are those shiny blogs out there that you know are very popular and they do offer oodles of ideas and resources.  Thank God for them.  I have gone there many a time to get new inspiration or ideas to help me carry on. But what about my blogs?  If I go by traffic (I am betting many hits are just spam) then I would have to say I am definitely not in that category.  The real kicker here is that I am not even sure I want to be.  It's work.  They must continually maintain and keep on top of it to be that successful. Do I even want that responsibility?  What about the posts I pen?  Are they just junk to the reader?  Useless? Are they even remotely helpful? 

Honestly-I can't answer that.  

I truly decided I was done blogging. It's true.  Done. I lost the love of it and I didn't see any reason to continue.  Hence the lack of postings over the last year or so.  It has been on my mind (letting it go) for a long time now. I felt like I put a lot of effort into what I was writing/creating and had very little response/traffic to justify the time involved.  Why write when no one is even reading it? So I did very little to maintain it and just let it sit there as it begged me to put it out of it's misery.  

I mean, did anyone really care?  Was I helping fellow moms/homeschoolers or was I just taking time away better spent with my family?  Frankly, it was the latter not the former of that question that hit me like a big pizza pie in the eye.  I was blogging for not.  Now, I know people have lives, so cruising the internet for this or that isn't always possible.  But I also know many gals do have successful blogs that truly are a help-that get readership and have loyal fans.  They exist and thrive. They are blessings.  

I didn't (and still am unclear here) feel mine were much help. And that is the cold hard truth that has literally kept me awake at times-pondering...

Do I just let it go?  

I have prayed about it.  I have even shed a tear or two about it. 

I have let it sit so as not to make any rash decisions. 

Then I had a talk with myself.

I have been a mom now for almost 27 years, have cared for children since before I was 13, I have an Early Childhood Development degree, have worked at a Montessori school, had home day cares, taught Sunday School, researched the snot out of different homeschool methods, curriculum and so forth, wrote reviews on curriculum for four years, helped with homeschool groups, ran a homeschool co-op for a time, plus I have done home preschool through high school graduation with my children for over 25 years. Surely I have some insight, some useful nugget of hope or help that can inspire or encourage someone out there.  I know I have, I have comments attesting to it.  But is that enough?

Our lives are different now from whence I started blogging. Three of our children have graduated. Two have earned college degrees, moved out and gone on to be successfully employed adults. So yes,  to all those doubters, they are able to live -no thrive- in the real world.  One is currently working (while still living at home to save for future expenses) and will be attending college down the road. The baby of the family is our lone student. The dynamics are different. Homeschooling one vs four is a big change.  It's definitely a "horse of a different color" from our humble beginnings. Do I have anything new, update and hip to offer?  Or is it all the same regurgitated stuff penned on a different day?  Is there enough in me to want to continue? Want to keep coming up with different ideas or projects? 

For five people to read in five minutes? I don't know-I truly don't. And here I am-standing in some vast wasteland of doubt with discouragement bombs raining down with hurricane force. Do I truly want to make that [dedicated, intense and committed] walk across this land to save my blogs or grab a shovel and bury it quickly.  Very, very quickly and move on along down the road?

Right now, I have decided to wait it out. I will continue to pray to see what comes about. I guess, all five of you out there who may read this-you too will have to wait too to see what becomes of this. The 'to save or not to save my blogging career' will not be made lightly-but it's become abundantly clear I need to get off the fence and go in one direction.    

Funny tie in for our workbox on insects

So yesterday, I loaded a box with a worksheet on insects (from Considering God's Creation worktext) and the needed goodies to complete it, for our science lesson for the day.  It pertained to knowing how to identify an insect and then the back has a section on the metamorphosis of several insects-one being a BEE.

As we were about to discuss the stages and glue on the sections for the bee, my hubby came in the front door and left it open (as he was going to turn around in just a few mins. to go back out) and wouldn't you know-a giant, giant bumble bee decided he would present himself as a living example of his species.  There he was, buzzing around and making a bee line for the fruity-flower scented candle in the dining room.  I mean he was a big bumbler!  The boys (meaning son and dad) grabbed the handy dandy bug catching nets and quickly snared him in it.  He was then swiftly hustled out the back door and left to figure out where he was in the world [which was our backyard].  Now, sure, we could have placed him in a container and spent some time examining him. To look over all of his bumbly body and 6 legs, 4 wings and massive head, thorax and abdomen.  But we didn't.  We figured he was already discombobulated enough.

Mind you, this is the very bumbler who buzzed around me all day on Easter, as I sat outside trying to absorb some vitamin D.  He has a real liking for our front porch area and I suspect he decided it was time to take a look about the insides of this place.  So I am sure he will present himself again somewhere down the road.

I love how little things like this happen and tie in perfectly, exactly as we were studying the very subject.  Just a funny BEEdazzling way the Lord presented a great moment for our homeschool science class.

Hey if you are a FIAR rower, and have done the bk 4 ones...

help me figure out where these stories are suppose to take place, I would be much obliged.  I am compiling a listing of the states or country or continent these take place in/by/near/sorta maybe....and since I don't own these, and the inter loans haven't come in yet, any help would be great.  I will post the listings for those FIARowers who like to have a quick glance referral as to where they occur, soon on my scribd.


Arabella (I know it is an island-does it pinpoint any specific region of the world?)
Roxaboxen (any place?)
Higgins Bend (?)
Hanna's Cold Winter (?)
Mailing May (I remember it being out west, OR or WA?)
Hickory Chair (southern USA?)
Albert (would NY be a good guess?)




If you could just leave a comment if you know-I figure some have no location, but a guess to the general area is fine too.  Thanks.

 UPDATE!!

**I forgot to cross post-2 folks have now mentioned HSS and their FIAR listings, and yes, I have finally gone there-but also have posted the version I did on my Scribd pages-look for the icon on the side bar to get you there.  Can never have too many reference charts! :0) Thanks for all your help folks-I have this as done as it is going to get. 

Oh yeah! They fixed my issues at Scribd! Yeah!

It wasn't me!  Whew!  They had some tech difficulties and of course, one of the issues is what I had...you can link and subscribe by clicking this little icon!

Ah, I feel better now!

Two things to show ya right now....

this precious excursion led to these

12 totes, two shelves to hold em, and a couple catties

now to assemble, Velcro areas for the number cards, and finally-my teen will have 

a perfect workbox system (well not perfect, cuz that would require having stuff in them!)

New Easter workbox number cards available on my scribd

You can hit the pic of these in the side bar and it will get you to the downloadable page.