Weekly Wrap-Up ~ First Week of School

From the Heart ~

I have had so many emotions this week:

• relief that our first week of school went so well
• sorrow that my oldest is really struggling with accepting himself for who he is and accepting the help that he needs so much to move forward with his hopes and dreams
• strength to push forward using a new parenting approach with helping younger son correct his negative attitude
• joy that my dd graduated from her braces to her retainer

On the Homefront ~

We are testing out a new way of doing chores with the new school year. With Timothy being away from home more, it is hard to assign him chores; and we are often out as well, making the routine of mid-day chores difficult to plan. Basically, if you are present for a meal, you are expected to do a chore. In the morning, I make a list of what needs to be done for the day and then assign these items throughout the day after meals. So far, everything that needs to get done is getting done. We will see what I think about it in a few weeks.

Also, Goldilocks got her retainer. She did a great job with her braces, and now we enter the new phase in fixing her teeth and bite. She will have to wear a retainer for about 4 years. I was amazed that the retainer comes in different colors and with pictures imprinted in them.  She picked a purple one with a unicorn...the special treatment kids get these days! (My Mom, who wore braces as a child, is just amazed at all the treats the orthodontist gives out and can only imagine the old metal retainer she wore as a child and the huge canker sores it gave her. She hasn't seen the unicorn one yet. lol)   It is so hard to raise unspoiled kids in this spoiled country of ours. However, I have been very pleased with the medical care Goldilocks has recieved. Her teeth look so much better, and she has no pain chewing food anymore. We are praying that the retainer will be enough and that she will not need braces again in her teen years, which we were told was a distinct possibility.

Learning Time ~

We had an excellent first week back to school. This may have been our best in several years. This year the little ones are studying language arts (4x a week), nature study (1x a week), science (2x a week), physical education (2x a week), health (1x a week), literature (5x a week), sign language and Latin (2x a week), reading lessons for the girls (4x a week), art (3x a week), music (2x a week), history (3x a week), geography (1x a week), math (4x a week) and Bible (1x a week).

Growing magic crystals

Living Frugally ~

We saved most of the money we were trying to save in the month of July. I saved almost enough to pay for our co-payment of Tom Sawyer's mouth surgery in August. Hooray! Now I have to try to do the same thing in August to pay for a repair that the van needs before September. Buying the groceries at the scratch and dent store is making a huge difference. Also, our relying on free entertainment for the summer has helped a great deal, too.

I had several pounds of meat and a big basket of apples left over from last week, so I kept the groceries to $75 this week!

In addition, making my own glass cleaner, hand soap, and laundry detergent saves a considerable amount of money. I am trying two different kinds of glass cleaner this month -- one that is only vinegar and water and another that is vinegar, water and rubbing alcohol. We will see which one I like the best.

Blessings, Dawn