Musings of a Whimsical Realist

So I am 5 days late.  Really, 6, if you consider the fact that I am writing this just after midnight and it is technically tomorrow.  My first blog post was on November 20th, 2012.  You can read it here: 1st Blog Post! Looking back, I didn't end up blogging as often as I would have wished in my first year.  Life is often like that, especially when one has to live life rather that just holing up in her office and writing about it.  I "see" life best through words -- doesn't everyone have a narrator in their head, giving a running commentary on every minute detail?  One whose words often spill over into a verbal explosion, as I stand alone washing dishes, and my 6-year-old walks by and nonchalantly asks, "Are you talking to yourself again?"  Yes, that really happens! I hope I can harvest more time out of the garden of my life, as overgrown as it is with all the duties of a wife, mom, teacher, friend, sister, daughter, etc.  In the meantime, happy anniversa

So I am PAINFULLY behind on my Project 24 blog posts . . . mostly due to beginning homeschool for a 1st grader but also in part due to a rather strenuous undertaking that we began in September.  After almost 5 years in our own home, we finally were able to take out the hill that we planned on removing our first year here.  We blame job changes and the arrival of twins for THAT particular delay.  And as any "good" home improvement project goes, it took longer than expected and presented unanticipated issues.  Of course. Here is the hill just before we bought the house. As you can see, it consumes half the width of the yard, excluding the sidewalk.  We knew that we wanted to put in a wall to push back the yard and give us more room . . . and almost 5 years later, we got to begin that process! The first obstacle was dealing with the city and building stuff, etc . . . I won't bore you with all of THAT, but suffice it to say, it was a lesson in futility. Finally, we b

So do you know what isn't like homeschooling a Kindergartener?  Homeschooling a 1st grader!  Sometimes it feels like two different beasts entirely, the latter being a beast that devours my time and my energy and my willpower . . . then again, the thrill as she begins to read and understand stories, as she practices her Christmas song on the piano, as she counts out dimes and nickels and pennies, that thrill can calm the savage beast.  Nevertheless, I finally seem to be finding my footing in the school year (and it "only" took me 3 months), so it's time for some blogging!