Zzzzzzzz

I have nothing to say! There has been nothing out of the ordinary going on, nothing earth-shattering to report . . . in short, nothing to blog about!

I've got the kids on a modified school schedule this week, owing mostly to the fact that it seems to be Spring Break for all the other kids around here; I figured, "Why not?!" But when I say "modified" I mean that we're keeping up with all of the scheduled Sonlight readings and just dropping things like math, daily grams and handwriting. Speaking of handwriting, I came across a curriculum the other day and I noted that it did not employ a daily handwriting program. May I just say how refreshing it was to see that SOMEONE else didn't find it necessary to enforce a formal handwriting program in the upper elementary level?! Darcy and Tyler both have beautiful cursive handwriting and when we're already spending 6 to 6-1/2 hours a day (that includes Peyton, too) doing schoolwork, I have long held the belief that neither of them needs daily practice at this point. And yet so many curriculum companies still want you to purchase their accompanying handwriting programs. Handwriting is one "subject" which I have gladly removed from my lesson plans.

Okay, you know it must be boring around here when I'm blogging about handwriting programs! The weather has been absolutely fantastic the last few days--I think I've mentioned it over the last couple of weeks--and we have tried to take advantage of every opportunity to be outside enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. That's another reason for modifying school this week and giving them more outdoor time--knowing Ohio as I do, in another week or two my kids will be wailing, "It's so HOT!" by 11 a.m., and if they're going to be inside, they might as well be doing schoolwork!!! No, that makes me sound like such a taskmaster, and I'm really not. However, I was just telling Darcy this morning that whether any of the kids want to admit this or not, I think they prefer the school schedule because there is an established routine, there is stability . . . they know what's coming next. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not into spontaneity (much to Randy's chagrin), and to a certain extent I think I've rubbed off on my kids. Well, no, I take that back. None of the kids is the "difficult to transition" type. They are ready at the drop of a hat to go off and do something (especially something fun!). But I also think they value our life's little routines. I guess that makes them pretty well-balanced!

We had a little impromptu picnic today . . . hey, I just realized! I was SPONTANEOUS today! Wow! Stop the presses! It all started when Sawyer said he was hungry, and that he would like to eat outside. I merely put a blanket on the grass and to the kids it was immediately a "picnic." I quickly threw together some sandwiches and relied on "convenience" foods to fill in the gaps. But let me tell you how we came by these convenience foods . . . .

Grandma Phyllis' son, Chuck, works for a company that provides coffee, soft drinks and other vending supplies to various businesses in the region and apparently, when certain products are not sold but they exceed their expiration date, the company has no choice but to throw out the expired products. Now we all know that certain products do indeed lose their freshness after a certain period of time, but due to fortunate circumstances over the last few weeks and thanks to Chuck, we have been the grateful recipients of three HUGE boxes of bagged chips (Fritos, Doritos, Sun Chips and Cheetos), 432 cans of Welch's 100% Grape Juice, and a crate full of bottles of Lipton Iced Tea. And they are all perfectly fresh and delicious! Well, obviously, we haven't been able to plow our way through 432 cans of juice YET, but all of the chips we've opened have been crisp and crunchy, and the juice and tea tastes great! Thank you, Chuck!

You're not going to believe this, but something finally HAPPENED that is blog-worthy! But just to be ornery, I am going to keep you in suspense until my next entry. Ha ha! Hey, it's been so dull around here, I can't include EVERYTHING in one entry or I might never write again!