A Whole New Chapter

Many days Two years have gone by since I last took the opportunity to get my thoughts on paper, well screen. You know what I mean. As I read back on the post I last posted, I am transported back to that turmoil I was living. It was such a tumultuous and seemingly gargantuan decision. Alas, I came through it in one piece...and so did our little homeschool. :) 

To bring you up to speed, almost EXACTLY 2 years has passed since my last post. That is weird. I got the itch to start writing again. I don't know why, but here goes. Since that day 2 years ago, we have come a long way...in my humble opinion. Last year we tried out a hybrid homeschooling situation, and while it fit for that year, we are back home full time this year! We are happily(well, in the effort to be transparent, some of us may, on occasion, be described as...hmmm...less than happy, but, hey, we all have bad days, right;) homeschooling all FIVE (yes! Baby makes 5!!) of our little blessings. And boy were we blessed by our sweet baby! She joined us in August and we couldn't be happier. Now, of course, her homeschooling consists of cuddles and coos, but those are the best kind of life skills, right? Little lady, she's 4 and adds tons of trouble  joy to our day. The big kids, they are all working hard. But, heck, any homeschooler will tell you, late january brings the winter blues, big time! It's the season of second guessing choices and progress, of wondering if you are doing enough, if your kids are going to measure up. Well, I can honestly say, we are doing our best. And, quite frankly, am pleased with what I see. Sure, I beat myself up when I start the comparison game. But, I am proud of the progress we have made. What gets tough, is when I realize, that we need to add more. And God forbid, I hope it is NOT flashcards. But of course, you know it is flashcards! I mean, math facts are the bane of my existence! At least until the child learns them...which sometimes seems will NEVER happen. But I digress. Actually, if we are going to talk bane of my existence...we talk potty training. But I am not going to go there. period.

In other news...I have started making my own bread. (To be honest, that last statement is really just to help me feel better about my disorderedly large purchase...more on that later though.) That is...I am absolutely determined that I WILL bake the bread my family eats from now on. Don't ask me why. But I am a woman on a mission. i have made about 8 loaves of bread in the past week or so. Maybe 2 weeks. Of the 8, maybe 2 were edible. Seriously, two. I mean, how stinking hard can making bread be? I have scoured the internet looking for recipes. First, I was just getting well reviewed recipes, and trying to make them in my bread machine. Well, for those of you who know better, you can stop shaking your heads...I did NOT in fact know that there were different proportions for the Bread Machine. I do now. ANyway, finding 100% whole wheat bread recipes that you home-make, and want to turn out like light fluffy sandwich bread that doesn't taste like a cardboard box, is not as easy as you might think. I finally got my first loaf to at least "look" right. It tasted ok(a little dense and somewhat doughy). That's all. Ok. Well folks, if you know me at all, you know that telling me something tastes "ok" is about as equivalent as a kick in the teeth. I don't make things that taste "ok" and stand for it. Maybe that is why I am on a mission. I don't want to suck at making bread. And for all intensive purposes, I SUCK at making bread right now! Well, I think my next trick will be to try and knead by hand. I literally have NO IDEA what I am doing. Like instead of conversing with my human friends last week, I was looking up youtube videos on how to make bread. I have a problem. I "may" have ordered a 25lb. bag of organic whole wheat bread flour. And by "a 25 bag" I "MAY" mean TWO 25 lb. bags of flour. For those of you wondering if you read that right, yes, I did in fact, say that I ordered 50 lbs. of flour! 50 POUNDS OF FLOUR!!! I must think I am running a bakery. I don't even eat that much bread. See?! Crazy obsession. I have issues. 

Okay, my kids have a class we have to get to in the morning. And did I mention my baby doesn't sleep. No?  Oh well, there you have it...Mama is tired. Good night! Sweet dreams!