Thankful Thursday | an end to the homeschooling
This week, I am thankful:
that I am almost almost almost done homeschooling
I have been homeschooling since 2004, and as soon as Zoe finishes her algebra book (25 more lessons!), I will officially be done.
Nineteen years of teaching my kids! That's a pretty respectable amount of time. And I'm ready to be done and just be a student myself.
I know sometimes homeschooling moms feel a little at loose ends once their youngest graduates, but I do not anticipate feeling that way at all, mostly because I'll be in nursing school.
"At loose ends" is not how you're gonna be describing my next two years. 😉
I know homeschooling moms sometimes feel a sense of sadness when this chapter comes to a close, but I also don't really feel that.
I homeschooled for almost two decades! That's a lifetime supply of being responsible for other people's learning, I think. 😉
Also: NO MORE MATH AFTER THIS. 😉
for strawberries
I have eaten SO MANY strawberries this week. And I feel 100% good about it.
I don't know if I could ever get tired of strawberries. But I would be willing to try.
for perfect weather
Man, this week has been full of days that are 10/10, elite weather in my book.
It hasn't been humid.
It hasn't been hot.
It hasn't been cold.
It's just been perfect in-between weather that doesn't make you shiver or sweat.
I wish this type of weather lasted all year round, but then again, maybe I wouldn't appreciate it as much as I do if I had more of it.
for my cat's trimmed nails
As I write this post, she's kneading my stomach, and I am feeling very happy that I got her nails clipped today.
It's a much less spiky experience this way. 😉
that it's not hard to get my cat into her carrier
She is very uncooperative if I try to cut her nails myself (which is why she has to get into the cat carrier and go to the vet for a trim!)*
But she is not impossible to get into a cat carrier, so I'm thankful for that.
She does tend to hide under the bed if she gets a whiff of a go-to-the-vet plan, but as long as we shut all the doors so she has no escape route, we can just pick her up and gently insert her into the cat carrier.
*we even watched videos on YouTube with titles like, "How to trim your fractious cat's nails" and we still failed. I decided it's just not worth all the accidental scratching.
that everything for Lisey's move is coming together
I think almost everything is in order now; she's got a rental, her car is getting shipped this week, she's got a plane ticket to fly out...
And of course, she already had the job all lined up. 😉
that I get to go to nursing school
I know my excitement may wane once I am knee-deep in classes and clinicals but right now, I am still full of unbridled enthusiasm.
that you can get titers to prove immunity
There are a LOT of things I have to prove immunity for before nursing school starts, and it's sort of a headache to try to find all my old immunization records.
Luckily, you can get blood tests, called titers, which check for antibodies against certain diseases.
For example, I was not vaccinated against chicken pox (there was no vaccine back then!), but I did get sick with chicken pox as a kid.
So, to prove immunity, I had a blood draw, called a titer, to check for antibodies.
I had a ton of titers drawn, and as it turns out, I just need one booster and then I'm all good to go on the vaccination front.
And I didn't even have to pull up a bunch of old paperwork. Yay!
(I was in the military healthcare system as a kid, so I don't even know where I'd start to find my vaccination records!)
that my drug test and background check came back promptly
They're due on May 26th, I believe, so I'm glad to have both of those knocked out.
(In case you were nervous, the report said that I am drug-free, and also that there are no crimes in my past. I'm sure you are shocked. 😉 )
that our colds are getting better
Lisey and Zoe and I all got a mild cold over the last week or so, and we are all on the mend now.
(It wasn't Covid; we checked using my stash of free tests!)
Kristen, such an exciting time for you, congratulations on the end of the homeschooling chapter of your lives and on to the starting line of your new profession.
I am thankful for my upcoming retirement as a teacher for 32 years. Grateful for the profession of my lifetime but ready for to start a new chapter.
Thankful for good health and curiosity that will help me navigate my days to include learning and relaxing. I am not ready for a new vocation, I am ready to explore and learn and that is amazing.
Thankful for wonderful, supportive friends and family.
Thankful that I am keeping my anxiety in check with mindful strategies and habits.
Thankful for coffee, as always!
Karen
@Karen, Congratulations on your upcoming retirement!
@Karen,
Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! I like your plans so far....explore, learn, be curious! also relax and enjoy.:-)
Kristen, your rejoicing over your cat's trimmed claws reminded me of my favorite Soul Kitty story:
When Soul Kitty was a year old, I met my now husband and was preparing to move across several states to be with him. My husband already had several cats of his own, and the last thing we wanted was a potential spraying war when everyone met. I made an appointment for Soul Kitty to be neutered, especially since he was due, anyway.
Important Note #1: Soul Kitty had his front feet declawed "thanks" to my mother. He had had to stay with her briefly and took a shine to her antique leather chairs.
Important Note #2: In preparation for my big move, I'd sold or given away all my furniture, including the bed. Thus, Soul Kitty and I had been sleeping on an air mattress.
I dropped Soul Kitty off at the vet to be neutered that morning and retrieved him early in the afternoon. When we came back to the apartment, Soul Kitty crept out of the carrier and walked gingerly over to my air mattress. Once there, he turned around and kicked HARD, **POPPING** the mattress with his back feet/claws! He then limped to the corner and curled up to sleep. I couldn't even be mad! Once the shock wore off, all I could do was laugh, pet him, and tell him, "You know what? Fair."
In fourteen years, that was Soul Kitty's only devious moment. Again, fair play to him. <3
I'm thankful for that memory this morning. Thank you, Kristen! 🙂
@N, Ha! After Gus's manhood was taken away from him last year, the assistant at the vet's told me, "He's a little hissy from the anesthesia." Of course that's become another family catchphrase. He'd never hissed at me previously, except when I literally plucked him from the trash and bathed him first thing. Poor baby. He was scared and bit me, too. But he was filthy and wet and I figured he needed the warmth, as well.
@N, This is just the greatest story!!! I laughed and laughed. Thanks for sharing 🙂
@N, When I had my soul kitty neutered, I opened the carrier, he went slowly up to my bedroom, jumped into a basket of clean clothes, pooped, jumped out and onto the bed and went to sleep. Stinker!
@Elizabeth, That’s hysterical ! I’m grateful my soul kitty wasn’t as motivated as yours. 😛
@N, That's hilarious! Thanks for the grin.
Thank you for another lovely post. Why did you choose homeschool for your kids? Mine are at school but I often wonder how they'd respond to more time at home and a more flexible schedule.
Might I recommend strawberry salsa (if you haven't already eaten them all!). I love strawberry salsa in salads, on fish, or chicken-so tasty!
Also wanted to congratulate you again on nursing school. I'm very excited for this next chapter in your life!
I'm thankful beyond words that no one, not even the perpetrator, was killed or injured in a bizarre incident here last Friday afternoon.
Our street is a quiet cul-de-sac at the top of a steep hill, with a set of brick steps leading down the hill from the cul-de-sac to a busier street below. About 2:30 Friday, I was taking a break from gardening and looking out my living room window when a black pickup (which turned out to be stolen) came racing by at about 60 mph, closely followed by three county deputies' SUVs. The pickup went sailing over the edge of the hill and landed just east of (not on) the second flight of steps. Amazingly, the driver managed to scramble out of the pickup, get down to the street below, and try to steal ANOTHER vehicle before the deputies finally caught up with him--and arrested him on a lengthy string of charges. They'd been chasing him all the way from the other side of the county!
But it's an absolute mercy that no neighbors were in or on the street at the time, and that no one was either coming up or sitting on the brick steps. There could easily have been serious injuries or loss of life. (I'm also thankful that there was no structural damage to the steps, but that's secondary.) Sometimes we do get lucky.
@A. Marie, Oh Em Gee.
@A. Marie,
Whoa! What an experience! Thank heavens no one got hurt!
@A. Marie, Wow! I might have been scared even sitting in my house and watching this. You took your break at the right (or wrong) time!
@A. Marie,
Holy cow! What a bizarre incident! I'm so glad no one was hurt.
@A. Marie, Like living in a TV cop show! Glad you were not out on the stairs when this happened.
Kristen,
It seems you had another good week. I am happy for you.
I am thankful for summer fruit. I have cut both a cantaloupe and a watermelon this week and they are both good. I am thankful that a neighbor is happy to accept some of it since it is too much for two people.
I am thankful for the lovely spring weather. Day after day it has been nice out. I seems this does not happen many years but I'm loving every day of spring this year.
I am thankful for family and friends. I love how we can stay in touch via group texting when we cannot be together in person.
I am thankful that it is time for breakfast and we have plenty to eat and I have the ability to prepare food (access to food and a kitchen, the physical and mental ability to do so).
I am thankful for our new neighbors. The previous neighbors were wonderful for thirty years and the new neighbors are bringing new life to the house. They have elementary school aged kids and dogs and it is fun to see them appreciating their new home.
My husband is active duty, and my kids went in for well- hild checks in March. None of their baby records are there as they switched computer systems. My oldest is only 15 and my youngest is 5.. Both had zero records!!!!!
Always promptly print anything you think you may want from the military!
I have my yellow card from the military dependent life as a kid. Your parents probably have yours.
I had chicken pox as well. Mom took is to a chicken pox party at the base commander's house when we lived in Hawaii. 1982. Irony.
@April, My youngest sister was the first of my family to be young enough for the chicken pox vaccine. I remember my mom wanting to get her infected rather than using the vaccine because it was so new. I don't remember what ended up happening.
I'm thankful:
* that I got to go to third grade camp with my oldest child this week! We had a lot of fun, she had some moments of being brave and doing hard things, and I was really glad to have that time with her.
* that so many other parents went to third grade camp. It was such fun getting to know them! There were some faces that I only knew in passing, but now we've played games against each other, had meals together, and had fun together.
* for my husband and friends who took care of things at home. It wasn't smooth or always easy, but everyone was fed and alive when I returned. I really appreciated a couple of friends watching my 4yo on the days my husband had to work.
* for great weather this week.
* that I saved my extra tomato plants. A number of my plants didn't survive my time away, but I still have some left to fill the empty spots.
* that we made it back *just* in time to watch my middle child walk the halls in his kindergarten graduation cap with the seniors in their graduation caps. It was so cute and the timing was perfect.
--More rain! 2/10 of an inch, with more on the way this weekend.
--That the hail that came along with the rain last night didn't completely wreck my just-uncovered tomato plants outside. They look a bit bedraggled, but otherwise okay. The really small plants--green onions and peppers--were still safe in their milk jug greenhouses.
--That my children are now old enough and experienced enough shepherds that I can see the sheep have broken through the fence, and I just yell for the children to put on their boots, round up the sheep, and fix the fence. Even better, they LIKE doing this. I really do not, so it works out very well.
--That the people who regularly drive down our dirt road now know to go somewhat slowly to look for the sheep (and shepherding children) grazing on the side of the road. We live in a place where open range is not uncommon, so most people are unfazed by creeping past grazing animals.
--For texting, which believe me, is something I thought I would NEVER say. However, we got our eldest a flip phone specifically because he's going to be working all summer and gone a lot. He does call occasionally, but he texts me all the time (even though it's slow and awkward on a flip phone, ha). It's nice to know where he is and what he's doing.
-Today is my kids’ last day of school. I’m so happy I won’t have to pack school lunches at 6am M-F for a couple months.
-I’m extremely grateful that my FIL survived a recent bout with Covid, pneumonia and a lung infection and that we’ll soon be able to visit him and my MIL for her 80th birthday.
-Something has been killing my tomato plants, which makes me so thankful I have the option to get food at the grocery store and farmers’ market. Growing food is always a great reminder about how much work goes into feeding all of us.
We also had a cat that hated having his claws clipped. My dad would have to hold him tightly swaddled in a towel while I did the clipping and the cat growled and hissed the whole time. Our other cat was much more mellow and would just sit there and allow it all to happen grudgingly, but without incident.
This week I am thankful for:
1. The lovely weather as well.
2. My allergies have finally calmed down.
3. The most delicious pancakes I had last week.
4. A good price on a brand of whole chicken that we like.
5. A road trip to see family and celebrate some good things!
Military health records may be impossible to retrieve. I shudder when I think of the stories told to us by a pediatrician/military brat, and of the experience I had too. I am sort of tempted to go in and get titers to check for everything because I have no idea if I'm up to date on most of my vaccines.
I'm glad Lisey's move is coming together--Having done a cross-continent move with shipping cars and finding housing etc., it's deeply sastisfying to get to the actual moving part knowing most of the pieces have already fallen in place. Lisey--you're going to rock it in Hawaii!
Thankful Thursday:
-for a friend who came over so I could do an ER run with a kid (and antibiotics that make something that would have been very serious 150 years ago not such a big deal today)
-getting my educator's license in Minnesota. Now there are more options for my employment!
-having a sick kid because it's given me a good reason to slow down and catch up on sleep. I hate that she's sick, and I don't like the extra work that comes with keeping sickness limited to one person, but it has been a good reminder to me that rhythms of rest are really important to not burning out.
-summer is coming soon. I am looking forward to a more relaxed pace that allows me to get some stuff at the house taken care. I am also looking forward to warmth. I turned off my furnace a few weeks ago after my heat hadn't run for a week. I thought I wouldn't need it anymore. I was wrong. I'm ready for summer and all things warmth.
@kaitlin, Congratulations on the MN license!!! Big step forward.
I am really thankful my daughter has stepped up to help me a lot while my son is gone.
I am thankful for a three day weekend, yeeesss!
I am not thankful for all the extra tourists around. Whimper.
I am a little upset that two pieces of jewelry BFF promised to me have disappeared. Sigh.
But basically I am happy that I've made it to yet another summer.
Totally random, but I have two friends that live on Oahu (one man.and one woman. Both are married, upstanding folks!). If L. ever needs/wants a hiking buddy I can share their information. Just let me know!
Kristen's weather report reminded me of the movie Pleasantville, where the weather forecast was always "72 degrees and sunny, not a cloud in the sky." Always. Every day. Day after day after ...
So speaking of Pleasantville, I am once again thankful for for my Nextdoor feed:
#1: Eric H: “I didn’t catch anyone on my Ring camera today but did see these ducks hanging out in the acequia.” Accompanied by a charming video of a mother duck and her eight (8!) ducklings. Mom climbs (okay, waddles) out of the acequia (irrigation canal for you non-NM residents) and patiently waits for all her offspring to figure out how to join her. Spoiler alert: They all made it out. Good job, Mom! Great video, Eric.
#2: Gorgeous photos of the Rio Grande and the Jemez Mountains; spectacular photos of sunrises + sunsets + double rainbows; video of people rafting down the Rio Grande from Taos.
#3: Photos and videos of four roadrunner hatchlings in their nest (we were worried about #4 who took several extra days to hatch). The mother returns to the same house every year and lays her eggs in a nest she builds in an artificial plant on this lady’s patio. She and the daddy roadrunner are so tame they eat out of the lady’s hand. “Do you want some bacon?” [You can actually see this on you tube – the channel is Mary K NMTrue. Or just search for roadrunner. It’s a riot.]
And also thankful for a long, leisurely, and delicious lunch with a friend at our favorite Village eatery; that another friend is back in town after spending a few of the winter months in Arizona (she does NOT want to spend the summer months in Phoenix); and lots of photos of yet another friend’s 11 week old golden retriever puppy. My vet says “Everyone wants a golden retriever. Until they get one.” But this friend has had lots of dogs through the years and I’m confident he will be well trained. (The puppy, not the friend. Although puppies have been known to train their owners. Don’t ask me how I know.)
Hope everyone has a pleasant day! But NOT in Pleasantville (which turned out to be not so pleasant).
@JDinNM, You reminded me of something. On the highway entrance, another driver and I stopped to let a family of geese cross the (busy) road. No one honked at us. The goslings were cute, even cuter was watching the parent at the end of march nudge the last gosling to hurry up. It was adorable.
@WilliamB, Hah! "Hurry up, hurry up!" says every mother everywhere, including the geese and ducks. Thanks for painting that picture!
@WilliamB, Adorable, even pictured second hand. But when I first read your piece, I thought you meant that none of the geese honked at you!
@JDinNM, Your post made me nostalgic for NM. We lived in Los Alamos for three wonderful years, visiting Santa Fe often and several other parts of NM as well. I cried and cried when we left, unusual for me, it is so beautiful and somehow just right in so many ways. We had a traffic stopping duck that waddled between the village pond and someplace on the other side, and we all just stopped for her and her ducklings. So fun. We had a mama bear and her cub near my job, less fun, as one doesn't want to tangle with bears...
@Kristina, The Land of Enchantment. Not just a tourism department slogan.
Many things, but a few stand out:
Our son who lives in Kenya had a life threatening illness and was hospitalized for several days last week. We are so thankful for antibiotics that are taking care of the problem and he is home recovering.
Also thankful for the doctor he had while in the hospital…. Top notch, widely respected in his field both in Africa and Europe, not what you always find in a third world country.
Thankful that we are leaving today for a few days away. It’s been a very busy season and we’re running away to rest and recharge.
@Addy, what a nerve-wracking experience. I'm glad your son got the good medical care that he needed.
Is it just me, or is your thankfulness list getting longer?...(: My goal this week includes trying to do the same! This week I am thankful for:
*my newish job which is 100% less stressful and terrible. I don't end my shift feeling like I want to cry in my car a little bit before driving away, and I actually look forward to going to work. I make a good wage, have great benefits, am making new friends, and am learning, learning, learning every day!
*My son bought a car and I am thankful for having my loaner back from him since it gets better gas mileage. But also for being able to help him until he found one.
*For Pandora and The Google Lady who keep me in music all day long. $5 a month well-spent.
*For avocados! And focaccia bread pizza! And fresh eggs from my mother's chickens!
*And last but not least, that one of the lumps my mother found has turned out to be benign, and we think the other one will be, too, but she has one more mammo to check. No one wants breast cancer at any age, but especially not at 93. Sheesh!
Woohoo for the end of one journey, and the beginning of your own learning journey! That is awesome. And, agreed. 19 years is plenty of time invested in being responsible for your kids education. Well done.
1) That I'm back from an international work trip, and almost re-adjusted fully. (Waking up in the morning - still a bit of a struggle.)
2) For a workout class that kicks my buns, and that I enjoy. I find self motivation for workouts particularly difficult, when I'm off routine (see #1), so this helps me get back into it.
3) I had some leftover delivery service meal options, that I put in the freezer for a rainy day. I've so enjoyed having a quick & healthy option, on nights when I need something to fill in a gap on our meal plan.
4) Things have made a very positive & unexpected turn at work, which has been exciting.
5) My mom is coming to visit tomorrow, and I'm always excited about that.
I love your 'unbridled enthusiasm'! When I take my high school students to research at a local university, I feel the thrum of academic excitement and it makes me want to go back but I realize that I may be romanticizing it a bit LOL
So does Zoe graduate this year?
Yep, she sure does!
@Kristen, Yay for Zoe! Does she have college plans?
I am thankful for many of the things that have always been consistently good in my town, the services and the people who work there:
Trash, yard waste pick-up, street sweepers, and clean-up week.
The library.
The garden center.
The grocery store.
The post office.
I loved homeschooling our son and daughter from the very beginning when we adopted them ( we teach our babies so much without realizing we’re actually teaching them) all the way through their high school years. Each of them went on to graduate from college. We’re so proud of them ! My sad feelings aren’t about the end of homeschooling days. Rather, it’s been a hard transition for me to not be needed by my son and daughter in the same way they needed me for all those 18 years or so. My husband and I are more “ life coaches “ in our adult kids’ lives now. I’m adjusting better with time but just not sure what my purpose is at this stage of life…
I’m thankful for coffee and sunshine and chicken soup.
I’m thankful plans are in place for my husband and me to go away in October for our anniversary.
I’m thankful for friends and time to gather with them.
I’m thankful for azaleas finally blooming in our front garden.
I’m thankful for baby birds popping out of nests and birdhouses in our yard.
I love the new life ( of flowers and birds and bunnies) that emerges each Spring!
And I’m thankful for strawberries, too!
Shocked, Shocked...NOT
Military kiddo here – I remember my mom had this little yellow booklet that had all my vaccines listed when I was little. With all the moves, I think it was helpful for school vaccine requirements. I’m pretty sure it’s still in my important documents folder, but 40 years later I’m not sure how helpful it would be.
I only go into the office two days a week. One of my coworkers set up an outing to a new coffee shop on a day I was in the office. I appreciated that she made sure I could join in on the fun!
My son still isn’t cleared to play or practice with his teammates, but the coach has welcomed him to all practices and games as “assistant coach.” Yesterday I picked him up from practice and found him leading the warm ups for another team who was getting ready for a game. He’s doing all he can to stay involved!
A majority of my outside plants have made it through winter. I’ll have to cut back and pull out a few plants, but overall everything looks great and maintenance will be low again this year. The people we bought the house from did a great job of landscaping with beautiful plants that come back year after year.
Deck staining is complete – we can finally start using our deck again! I’ll spend some time this weekend moving our deck furniture back and looking at how I can move some plants onto the deck to make it the relaxing space I love each summer/fall.
@Geneva, I have one of those booklets too, and I was thankful my mom held onto it since I was too small to remember what vaccines I received as a kid. I needed it when I wanted to get working papers when I was 15.
My Dad always said that if God made anything better than strawberries He kept it for Himself!
One thing about nursing school is that once the prerequisites are out of the way all classes are relevant. No, you may never work in psych or ER but the content will be relevant if for nothing else than to pass your nursing boards.
Congrats on your approaching retirement from teaching. On to your next (better paying) career.
1. Thankful that the soil amendments that we added to our garden are proving to be worth every penny as every seed that I planted in the garden is thriving. Now I just have to avoid pests, heavy rains, hail, and wind and we should have a fantastic harvest 🙂
2. Thankful for all of the green springing up all around us. Winter felt long this year and the sight of green is just so wonderful.
3. For my two energetic pups who are more than a handful but keep us all going with their antics and just love us so well.
4. For rest. I was traveling for the last two weeks and did not work out while I was gone other than to be sure I got my steps in daily. I was nervous that I would not be as successful when I returned to my workouts this week but I found that I have more energy and I can accomplish more - run farther, lift more weights, rebound more quickly.
5. For the coming summer break with my little guy. We have some day camps planned for him but I am looking forward to the days with no schedules and time to enjoy as a family without the rush of school.
"I know homeschooling moms sometimes feel a sense of sadness when this chapter comes to a close, but I also don’t really feel that."- this happens when you put all your eggs in 1 basket, irrespective of the basket you choose.
I'm grateful for the kind, helpful souls at the customer service. The kindness of strangers always brightens my day (the refund/ return helps also ;D).
Congratulations on the end of homeschooling! You are free to concentrate on your own now, and I'm sure you will do well.
This week I'm thankful for:
1. My second mail-order refill of my uber-expensive medication is coming on time for my next dose, just as it is supposed to do. After all the headaches I had for months getting the financial assistance and the delivery started - late - I call this a real thanksgiving.
2. Those whom we honor on Memorial Day. I have a lot of veterans in my family, but no deaths during wartime since the Civil War. My husband's uncle even survived storming Normandy Beach. I'm very grateful!
3. A sweet grandson who turned 3 this week. As the only grandson after five granddaughters, he is breaking new ground for us, and he does it full-throttle.
4. The local teen who lost her leg to a shark, striding confidently on her prosthetic leg to get her high school diploma; graduating right on schedule with her classmates after a very rocky start to her senior year - to say the least.
5. A holiday. Memorial Day is about much more than grilling and a day off of course, but I admit I'm glad to have a three day weekend, since it's our first one since New Year's Day.
@JD, a salute to your #2. I had relatives on both sides of the Civil War: a great-great-grandfather who fought with an Alabama regiment and sustained a neck wound, and a great-great-uncle who was a drummer boy for a Michigan regiment and died of measles. (I once read somewhere that more Civil War troops died of various diseases than died in battle.) In addition, my paternal grandfather served in WWI and my father in WWII, although neither went overseas. A special salute to your husband's uncle who went ashore on D-Day!
@JD, Hear! Hear!, for your #2 thankful item. My father was in the Air Force some years after WWII, but he lost his older brother, who joined the Army, in Normandy. He never talked about my uncle, must have been very difficult for him. On my husband's side we have several family who served in the Navy, but recently retired.
My great great grandfather served in the First New-York Rifles at Bull Run and Fredericksburg. There's a picture of him and the regiment at the New-York Historical Society. I wonder if he took part in the Draft Riots? It just seems like something my ancestor would do. (To quote my sister during "Gangs of New York," "If there's some jerkoff holding up a dead rabbit on a stick, it's our ancestor." I come from the quality folks.
My great aunt's fiance was killed at Pearl Harbor, and my dad, in the Marines, went to protect VP Nixon in Venezuela. Later, when president, my dad mentioned the Venezuela thing and Nixon shook his hand and thanked him.
Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Rabbits
@A. Marie,
I have soldiers on both sides too - a southern sympathizer married a northern sympathizer in Kentucky, but they made the marriage work even though they had close family members on each side in the war. The two men I know of who died in the Civil War both died of disease in their Union camps, although I can't remember which disease. My grandfather was named after one of them.
Disease was such a killer in the Civil War.
My great-uncle was in WWI cavalry and my dad was flight engineer on a PBY Catalina rescue seaplane in the Pacific, picking up downed fighter pilots off the ocean waves. Other family members were in Germany, France, Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia... too many actions.
A salute to your family, too! A salute to all who have served or have loved ones who served!
@AnnieH,
I'm sure it was terrible on him to lose his brother. That's another war "wound" that doesn't get as much press.
You have done well at giving your children a good education and have shown how it is done. It has been my experience that when I am learning something new, my brain is sharper in other areas, so, again, kudos to pursuing nursing.
My thought on paying the vet to trim your cat's nails is that you stay in good graces with her.
Always thankful for this blog and community/family.
Thankful for chai latte.
Thankful for my cuddley dog Molly, in spite of her propensity to shed/"sprinkle" hair/"glitter" everywhere. (How does it get in the fridge?)
Thankful that I was able to clean and straighten the house last week and keep it in order (so far). That and cooking have been the two hardest things for me to do in the last year or so.
Thankful because the house is in order I can concentrate on working outside, which is my best favorite thing to do. I love to plant for the pollinators, birds, and little varmints. And to bring joy to my neighbors and myself with the beauty of blooming and growing things.
7 more days till my final surgery! Sooo looking forward to being a side sleeper again.
That I get to be involved in my 5 grands lives - a blessing.
We can go to our NEMO home after husbands MRI & my post-op.
For wonderful friends who have been caring for yard while in NWA.
For God/Jesus always being there for me even when I'm cranky.
One chapter ends and a new one begins. May we all be able to appreciate the new chapters.
Since I stopped having indoor cats, I no longer trim claws. When I did, any time I was petting a cat, I messed with its paws. This way it got used to being handled. Maybe I just had indoor cats that were mellow, or maybe this did "train" them. Who knows, but now my outdoor cats need every defense weapon to be ready to go. (We put them in the very huge garage at night, but occasionally one will go rogue and have a campout.)
Thankful that. . .
. . . the guy who backed into my car did minimal damage and his insurance has come through in less than one week.
. . .the rooted-in-water sweet potato plants, rooted-in-water basil plants, protected-from-bugs zucchini plants are still growing in their little pots before I ease them into the Wild West that is my yard.
. . .the county is almost finished repairing the lower section of the road that leads to our cabin so that now the Park (my husband as a volunteer) can begin assessing the damage on the upper parts
. . .Always always always for hot water, electricity, propane
. . . a strawberry stand on the way down the hill so that when I have to actually leave home, there is a reward on the way back. (OF COURSE I eat them while I drive!)
@Central Calif. Artist, I'm curious how you protect your plants from the bugs. The gnats are always going after my basil plants!
@CindySW, I put a ring of diatomaceous earth around the plants. It wasn't keeping the roly-polies off, so today, for the first time, I wet the plants and then put the D.E. directly on the plants. If you get the ring of D.E. wet, you have to redo it. More will be revealed in the fullness of time.
What is your planting zone? I am in 9b and just found a fabulous website for my zone called Audrey's Little Farm. That's where I learned to put the D.E. directly on the plants.
@Central Calif. Artist, thanks for the tip! We are in 8a-8b but my house gets a lot of shade in the mornings. I'll have to check out Audrey's Little Farm.
Kristen, Whether it was through clever planning or happenstance, your nursing school activities will help with any bittersweet feelings at the end of a 19-year era centered on your kids. You will be the kind of nurse we all wish we would encounter if we have to go to the hospital. From recent experience, that is a super stressful time, even with the best situation.
That said, I am thankful for the wonderful medical teams we had from diagnosis through several hospitals to a happy outcome at the end, seven months later. And for good insurance with no hitches in coverage.
Just heard a burst of voices outside-- the kids from the parochial school and some staff went walking past my house on the way to the park, presumably for a field day. They even have a day off from wearing uniforms for this last day of school.
There are few things as joyful as children's voices! The sounds of children at a kiddie movie matinee always make me smile.
Thankful for a lovely stretch of sunny but not-too-hot weather. For my son's easy adjustment to his out-of-state internship (yesterday he helped catch and tag paddlefish on the Mississippi River--he sent me a picture of one--very bizarre-looking). For finding next year's prom dress for my daughter from the sales rack at Penney's--we went there to see what they had, now that prom dresses are on sale, and lucked out with one that looks good on and doesn't cross into the, ahem, inappropriate category; because it was on clearance, it only cost me $36!! Thankful that the landscaper who hired my son last summer is willing to hire my daughter this summer--the work will be hard, but I think she's up for it. For coffee with my sister this morning.
@Kris, $36 for a prom dress is a DREAM! I love that she's on board with the plan to get it now to make it affordable. Way to go, mom!
@Ruth T, it's a dream to find any prom dress that "doesn't cross into the, ahem, inappropriate category"! Who's designing these things?
@JDinNM, right????? I thought this was going to be a little easier than the homecoming dance dress, since long dresses are the norm in our area for prom, but the necklines were beyond plunging and the slit skirts .... oh my.
RuthT, I am blessed to have a budget conscious daughter! She isn't into all the drama that so often accompanies teens, so that makes things like shopping during off-season simpler.
@JDinNM, I often wonder if people have full-length mirrors or if they have parents. And I wonder why women advertise sex if they aren't selling it. . .
I am grateful for the kind person who turned my phone into my kids school when it fell out of my pocket and to the kind office staff person who dropped it off at my house on her way home! It was so nice of them!
I am grateful for some beautiful weather lately.
Grateful my son has learned to read and found a few series of books that he likes. Being able to curl up with a good book is such a joy in life and I am glad he can do that now!
Grateful our gym’s outdoor pool will be opening up this weekend. I can’t wait to splash around in the sun with the kiddos.
I appreciate your homeschooling perspective, and have for a long time! I’ll be at the end of my homeschool-mom career at the end of next year and will lean in to being over joyed! On to the next phase! (I feel like I could look at it both ways right now, sad/loose ends or joy of completion and I can choose how to approach it) I choose joy.
Happy almost summer!
You know, Kristen, I also just finished over 20 years of homeschooling too and I don't feel very sad about it at all. I THOUGHT that I would. I was always one of those moms that cried over every milestone; the end of breastfeeding, reaching certain ages, and as my kids started moving out. But by the time my youngest graduated from high school (at home) last year, I was already like you and knee-deep in my own studies. Now, I just feel ready for my own adventures, excited about my kids' also and grateful that those days are behind me. 🙂
From school to homeschool and then back to school again. Congratulations!
I am grateful that the rug planned for the orangy-red room clashed with the orangy-red.
Which meant I had to find another rug, which meant I also found a rug for the dining room. A rug I love and didn't know I had, and that matches both the dining chairs and the existing blue walls. For the price of an hour in the hot attic and a sore back, I found a terrific and free-to-me solution.
For my mother, who went to her grave still buying rugs. I'm leaning pretty heavily on this right now.
For being surrounded by good people so I can, for example, get 4 people together on 24 hrs notice to discuss grab bars for 2 hours straight. For the contractor who knew enough to know he needed more input, and for the physical therapist who's willing to make house calls to keep his patients safe.
For all the executive function, critical path analysis, use case, and listen-to-the-expert skills I've learned over the years, and the privilege of being exposed to good role models for all these skill sets.
For all the work that Past Me put into learning to just ~keep going~.
For being wise enough to know that Future Me is going to be very grateful to Present Me for doing all this work now, and for having enough experience for this to be sufficient motivation for just ~keep going~, even when I'm tired and worn out.
@WilliamB, We used to tease my mom about all the stuff she would save "just in case." Sometimes we would also argue about her keeping what I considered clutter, but after she passed I needed something to sort her jewelry in to make it easier to look over and divide. She had kept one of those large Ferrero Rocher plastic chocolate boxes that turned out to be perfect. I looked up to heaven and said, "okay, mom, you win this one!"
@AnnieH,
Love this
Today I'm thankful for prospects and opportunities and the energy and hope they bring. I know it's inevitable that not everything will pan out the way I'm hoping but still...it's nice to have things to look forward to and be optimistic about:
-that I might find the right comforter/sheet set on sale for our guest bedroom this weekend (our friends are coming to stay and I'd like for it to be nice for them.
-that the job interview I have later today might be a fit.
-that sunny days are going to kick in any minute now.
-that there will be delicious watermelon and white nectarines for us to enjoy this summer.
-that my little garden will produce a hobby and some good veggies (fingers crossed that I don't kill everything like every year before this).
-that there's only ONE MORE WEEK of waking up early and packing lunches before it's summer break for the kidlets.
-that there's only ONE MORE DAY until it's a long weekend and the unofficial start to the summer!!! And even then, our division is closing down shop early (squeee!).
No more math would have me dancing the hula on the front steps!
Today I am thankful for doing well at physical therapy (the therapist has her Ph.D. and is worth her weight in gold): for our awesome veterinarian and his care of our oldest dog, who has several health issues and a fierce attitude, but he is unfailingly kind with her; always for my sweet family, for our pack of rescued critters, and for this lovely soft Southern springtime.
Congratulations on finishing up the homeschooling and enjoy the excitement of getting into nursing school a little longer, its a big deal! Your cat makes me want to adopt one!
This week I am thankful for the warm days since we were able to open up our pool for our son to go swimming. I'll wait for the temps to go up a few more degrees before I jump in.
For my son who is about to graduate, both enjoying and nervous over his last few days of high school and all the pre-graduation activities.
For passing my car inspection and getting it registered on the same day and no wait!
For my stash of random frozen fruits and veggies to make smoothies in the mornings.
For the basil plants that are growing and going strong this time of year!
So, so many good things this week!
I'll only mention good dental care, as I broke not one but two molars yesterday. I look forward to getting them mended. I used to grind my teeth a lot, not good. I've learned to relax my jaws a bit.
Your cat looks so relaxed on the vet's exam table! My cats would jump down and hide in a corner if nobody was holding them.
We also homeschool and I'm thankful this was the last year for our second kiddo, who is officially enrolled in college for the fall. Only two more kids to do assessments for, and soon it will be just one, and then six years from now we'll be done with homeschooling as well!
I'm thankful for a beautiful day today. We had our obligatory last-day-of-school outing to a local military museum; we hadn't gone in maybe two years thanks to Covid. We were able to walk outside and admire planes, along with dodge school groups (today was the last day of school for our local district, but others are still in session and i think they're in "let's just keep them occupied and not have to teach" mode right now.
Thankful my learning-to-drive kid was able to drive us there to get some practice. He's getting better!
On another driving note, I'm thankful his older brother has been happy to supervise the parallel parking practice--DH and I take our learning driver out on the highway and streets, but it's good for him to do some practice with his brother, who is so good at using humor to defuse anxiety!
Tip for wrangling cats: get the cat carriers out a few days early. My cats run and hide whenever they see the cat carries come out, but after a day or so they start trusting us again.
Also, this year I started getting both of my cats into the cat carriers by standing the carriers upright in the bathtub. It is MUCH easier to get a cat into a carrier when you work with gravity. The cats still hate it and feel betrayed, but I have fewer scratches.
@Clare, Genius. Gravity for the win.
Not that people should necessarily go out and buy another, but we have a carrier that opens from the top as well as the side. Easier.
@Clare, My junior soon to be 14 yr old cat will not go willingly into the cat carrier, front entrance. The first time we bribed her with cat treats and she went in; yup, that never happened again. My vet says to wrap the cat up in a towel and drop her into the carrier that is upright; the towel is somewhat comforting to the cat, and with the legs wrapped, less chance of scratches.
I am thankful for . . .
A nap. Every weekend this month has been full to the brim. It has all be great fun, but the weekends are usually when we catch up on sleep from going hard during the week. We are dog tired. And my husband has been pulling all-nighters over the last couple of weeks because our business is short-staffed. So this morning he dropped off the kids and then came back home and we together took at 2 hour nap. He is a small business owner, and I am an academic. The hard part is sometimes pulling all-nighters; the reward is that there is no one to yell at you if you get to work two hours late. My brain feels so much better.
Human beings on the other side of the line. We got an outrageous water bill from the city. I think resolving it is going to involve sitting on hold for hours and politely asking what else can be done. So far everyone I have spoken with has been really kind and has continued to push the issue through their departmental processes. I imagined I would be facing endless automated call trees and people who read from a script. I is an enormous relief to speak with a person who shows empathy.
The weather. The older I get the more I don't like hot weather. Don't get me wrong, I love an 80 day. But I dread 97 degrees and high humidity. So I will take all the 55 degree May mornings I can get. And today is even overcast. The perfect day to hole up in my house and quietly get my work done (after that two hour nap).
Congrats to Lisey! I am so proud of her for graduating and making this big move. I have a brand new 2nd LT moving 3000 miles away for the Army so I understand the big adult responsibilities that Lisey and my son will have.
@Susan, Congratulations to your son! My son was a brand new 2nd LT a few years ago, USMC. It was hard to see him go. Now he's honorably finished his service and is back in the area. The years seem long, and short. The growth I saw was amazing and has formed him like no other experience could.
Today I am very grateful for my father in law, who mowed our grass and rototilled our garden. My husband's job has been extra busy and stressful lately and this was a huge help.
Like Kristen, thankful for the absolutely gorgeous weather we've had recently!!
Thankful for a full return to health after almost 14 days straight of someone in our house having a GI bug (we got one good day halfway through)
Thankful that the local strawberries are ripening and we can go pick a lot very soon!
Thankful for my beautiful daughter who graduated kindergarten this week ❤️
Congratulations, Kristen! What a huge accomplishment!
I'm thankful for your blog....I so enjoy your posts.
And....
-the glorious weather we've had recently. I'm walking in the woods many times a day. I've been to creek with my grandson, to the park & lots of time in our yard playing with him.
-time with my grandson. We're joined at the hip many days a week & love spending time together.
-that my husband can take classes from home. Before covid, his employer would send him far away to take training for his job. This week, he's in his study taking his class online with people from all over the world. Pretty cool...they even sent him snacks for the week!
-good sleep & a healthy body.
I'm a military brat and we moved overseas, so I still have a little yellow booklet somewhere stamped with all my vaccinations, including smallpox, typhoid, typhus and yellow fever, plus TB tests every year we lived overseas (and done in school!). Back in the day those vaccines were all live viruses, so I ran a fever and felt awful after each one. At least I know I should still have antibodies. But I missed ever having measles and mumps, got rubella from the early days of live vaccine (I was pretty sick!), and had to have an MMR after my daughter was born the same time she did because I didn't have immunity to measles and mumps. I'm thankful that except for rubella, I never got all those awful diseases.
Does Zoe have plans for when she is done with home school?
Congrats on finishing 19 years of homeschooling! (and no more math!) When I found your blog, your kids were all little and I loved your homeschooling stories. I started homeschooling in 2014.
Thanks for the encouraging example of loving your family well that you have lived out!
Still plenty of time ahead of you to turn to a life of crimes….
@Cate, love this!
I have a claw trimming tip. Do one claw per nap. Sneak attack and quick clip while kitty sleeps. Then on the next nap, do another and so on.
Good for you! And congratulations for Lisey! Moving is much more fun when there is a job waiting for you. And the invitation to nursing school is a wonderful beginning for you for a whole new chapter of your life. The homeschooling has given you knowledge of your children you might not have had otherwise? My husband the teacher misses his seniors when they graduate, but lo and behold, they come back to visit! I hope you can plan a party, or participate in one, to celebrate so many landmarks in your life. Maybe with another nursing newbie? My sister is an RN and loved her classmates from day one. They had a lot of wonderful times together.
My Thursday thanks:
* For my beautiful husband of 45 years, celebrating our anniversary this weekend.
* For my piano, not the most excellent instrument but helping me to improve my skills.
* For my peonies, which are blooming gloriously.
* For the love seat foot rests, which have helped heal my arthritic knee this week.
* For my new doctor, who seems more helpful and sympathetic than any recent doctors in my life. And for the pain medication he prescribed for my knee.
In order to work at my school I needed to show my immunization records. Well, let’s just say those records are really old and who knows where they are anymore so I had a titer done for the MMR - and it turned out I was no longer immune. A quick vaccination and I will hopefully be covered for the rest of my (hopefully long) life.
Congrats!!!!! You did it… it is okay to be proud yet happy to move on to new phases!!!
Onward and upward!!!
I have been a reader of your blog since my daughter was born and she's about to finish grade 9, so a LONG time...but I'm not usually one to comment 🙂
I am thankful for:
1) The beautiful summerlike weather we are currently experiencing on the West coast of BC (Canada) after a soggy spring.
2) That my daughter got hired to do water safety at the waterslides again this summer - such a fun way to earn some serious cash over the summer holidays!
3) That my efforts at the gym to build more muscle finally seem to be paying off.
4) That I recently got offered a new role at one of my jobs that is a major step towards achieving my career goals.
5) My daughter is about to complete her first year at the boarding school of her dreams. Definitely NOT frugal, but she is on financial aid and we are living in our carriage house/renting out our house to make this dream a reality for her!
So needless to say, I am VERY impressed at how you have successfully homeschooled 4 kids!!!
Also, a big CONGRATULATIONS on getting into nursing school. That's no easy task!!!
Oh, I am so glad you popped in to say hi!
What a fun summer job for your daughter. And wow, a boarding school; was it hard to send her off while she was still in high school? I can imagine that her joy at being there helped outweigh any sadness you had, though.
@Kristen, It was harder on me than I thought it would be! It was also more challenging for her to be away from home at 14 than she expected. Especially in the short dark days of winter!
Being a parent is definitely full of ups and downs. This has been a year of learning that nothing in life is all good or all bad 🙂
I'm thankful that the baby looked good at the 20-week ultrasound. I haven't been gaining weight, but the baby is growing.
I'm thankful that due to my advanced maternal age, I get monthly ultrasounds going forward. It will be annoying to have the extra expense and need to take extra time from work, but it will be nice to see more pictures.
I am thankful for the upcoming three-day weekend to celebrate a milestone birthday.
I am thankful that we have a foreign legion and VFW within walking distance. We are not veterans, but both facilities welcome civilians and that will be a nice place to honor Memorial day.
I am thankful for my morning coffee.
You might be able to request your medical records from your time as a military dependent: https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/military-personnel
If this doesn’t work, I can ask some fellow military spouses for you.
Oh, good to know. Thank you!
I'm really hoping my titers will get me covered, but I will check this link if it turns out they need more info!