Writing and Whatnot

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Since we began school in late August, I've scarcely taken any paid writing work. As much as I love getting paid to do something I love, I just haven't had the time to offer my clients the kind of commitment that I pride myself on and I'm not willing to downgrade my level of service just to make a buck. So I basically took a break. I've done some simple, fun writing here and there for a gymnastics blog and I have a few (also gymnastics) book reviews in the queue, but I've done no marketing and no querying at all.

And I miss it so very much.

Bug will be eighteen months old on the 26th and he's finally sort of settled into a predictable schedule and become comfortable with caretakers who are not me-and-my-chest. Bear is doing beautifully in her lessons and her activities, Husband is on a more predictable and manageable schedule, and I've decided that it's time to work in a little writing time.

My plan is to set aside a scant two or three hours per week which will function as my office hours. It'll have to be in the evening when Husband is home, which is not ideal because I'm really at my best earlier in the day. But if I know those hours are specifically for writing, I can prepare myself to be in the right frame of mind.

I have a list of ideas for magazine articles I'd like to query, a novel I haven't touched in over a month, and a fat stack of half-written and unedited poems that could really use a coat of polish. Not to mention writing here!

It's very easy to slip into that "Once [X] happens, I can finally [Y]," mindset, but there is always another 'X' to wait for and at some point you just have to make time for the things that matter. 'Y' matters right now, today. So it's time.

Time 4 Learning Curriculum

Time 4 Learning home page

As you may recall, we've been using Time 4 Learning (T4L) as part of our homeschool curriculum this year. Mostly we use it for math, as the lessons and quizzes work really well for Bear, she hates worksheets and workbooks, and on the tiny, sliver of an off-chance that the state of Kentucky was to be all, "Show us yer works!", I can print off records of her participation and scores. It's the only graded work we do, and only because Time 4 Learning does it for me.

We've also been using it for some social studies/history work. I had planned to do some U.S. History as part of our year, and they have a really nice chapter on the Revolutionary period in the social studies section. Every day Bear logs in and does the next little segment, which usually consists of some reading (anywhere from 4-20ish short pages of text), some simple in-text questions, and a short lesson quiz at the end. We don't put a ton of emphasis on the quizzes, but if she does REALLY poorly then I know she didn't read carefully and we should probably go over it together.

T4L has a program where users can review the curriculum on their blogs and receive a $25 credit, and because I'm a fan and we've been using it for about five months now, I figured I'd give my thoughts and enjoy a free month of service. 


Here's what a I like about Time 4 Learning: 

• Even when I'm rusty on something, I can read or watch videos along with Bear and catch right back up, so not only am I better able to help her, but I re-learn some things, too.
• At almost ten years old, she is perfectly capable of logging in and doing her work autonomously. If she needs me she asks, but most days she does this work alone.
• The price for one child is only about twenty dollars per month. This is completely worth it to me, as my child is learning her math (and other subjects when we use them) and arguing/resistance is minimal. 
• I can log in from any computer under my parent account and see what she's currently doing and what she's done. I can print off customized reports, answer keys, and other useful tools. 
• There is a parent forum where you can ask questions and seek out advice. I haven't really used it, but I like that it's there. 
• Tests, quizzes, and activities can be done and redone as many times as you like.
• You can work one grade level above and below your selected grade level.
• Bear likes it. 

What I don't like:

• Some days the website is very, very slow to load. We've never been incapable of logging on and doing our lessons, but it's frustrating now and then.
• Some of the math lesson videos are pretty lame. Bear despises the JT & Rita Show in the math chapters. She finds it incredibly annoying and a bit insulting to her intelligence. It does a pretty good job at teaching the lessons, but it's not fun to watch. 
• It might be my technical ineptitude, but when Bear does poorly on a test and we retake it, the grade report still shows all the scores. I'd love to be able to consolidate it to only the highest scores on each test.
• There are occasional errors in the quizzes. However, T4L is very fast to correct these if you contact them, and the errors have been few so far.

Overall we're extremely satisfied with Time 4 Learning. I have plans to use one of the science chapters in a few weeks, and we intend to continue using it for our math at least through next year.

Feel free to ask me questions if you're thinking about using T4L for your homeschool or as a learning supplement!


Disclaimer (as copied from the T4L review submission page):

As a member of Time4Learning, I have been asked to review their online education program and share my experiences. While I was compensated, this review was not written or edited by Time4Learning and my opinion is entirely my own. Write your own curriculum review or learn how to use their curriculum for homeschool, after school study or summer learning.

Look What I Did...

No criticisms, please. I know my flaws and errors. But I've finally moved this from a wedge mat to the floor, which is HUGE for me, and if you'll recall, has been a major goal of mine for some time:

I didn't get it by my target date, but I realized a long time ago that taking a class one hour per week was not going to be a fast track to super tumbling skills. I'm fine with that. I'm just really proud and excited. I set my goal, and now I've reached it.

Now I can work on making it really nice and clean, fixing the bad habits, and then start learning a new skill! New year, new goal!

My Theory on Winter and Why it's Terrible

So it's the end of January and this is about the time the winter doldrums really begin to set in.

Eff you, doldrums. Eff you.

I have a theory about why this is. I've been watching a lot of Big Bang lately, which is probably why I'm developing theories and shit. My theory is that the winter doldrums set in right about now because this time of year is very stupid. Hear me out. 

The beginning of winter brings us Christmas. It brings us delicious, decadent food, time with family and friends, out of town guests, presents, beautiful decorations, and very season-specific music. It's a Thing. People LOVE Things, especially in America. We love for everything to become a Thing. Christmas is one of our favorite Things.

Hyperbole and a Half

January rolls in and we're all, "Imma lose 250 pounds! Imma organize my ENTIRE HOUSE IN THIRTY-ONE DAYS! Imma learn that skill and write that book! This is MY YEAR!" It's exciting. It feels like renewal. There are White Sales, which we jump all over because you cannot enjoy a massive weight loss or a magazine-styled house without crisp bed sheets and fluffy towels. January, cold as it is, feels like hope.

Where I live, January also often brings the first big snow of the season. Sometimes we get one in December, but even then, January brings the first snow days for the school kids and usually some kind of exciting, stock-up-on-provisions-because-we're-all-going-to-die PANIC. It's dumb, but it's kind of fun, as long as I don't have to drive in it.

For me, my birthday is also in January, so I look forward to that. I am a fan of both cake and presents, so it's really a pretty big win for me.

Original, un-defaced source

And then February looms on the calendar. And it's like, "Yay...February..." What does February bring? Prescient groundhogs and Superbowl commercials. That's about it. I hate football, so even the game is pretty meaningless to me. February brings more of the nasty cold we got in January, but the novelty has worn off. We don't want to leave the house because it's cold and wet outside, but then we get cabin fever from being so cooped up and we begin to crave warm breezes and flowers poking out of the ground. I even start to crave rain, for the simple fact that it's not snow or ice. And the thing about February is that it's not like spring is right around the corner. No, where I live we could see spring in March...or May. There are no guarantees.

Granted, last year was a bizarrely mild winter (the school kids had no snow days at all, which is unheard of), and so far this year has only brought slightly more wintery weather. We're seeing unseasonable highs (and I'll take them!), but it's still too cold and damp for the park or the zoo.

So we hunker down, put on another pot of coffee, and glare at our friends' Facebook photos of them sitting on warm beaches while we pull our sweaters a little tighter around us. I grit my teeth and tell myself that putting our savings toward a beach vacation means not putting it towards building our dream house and that gives me perspective for about seven seconds.

And then I just want my bathing suit and umbrella drink.

Pretend it's sunny and that umbrella is poking out of a really big frozen margarita...

How are you forcing your way through the winter grossness? Is there something you love about the season that makes the grayness more bearable? 

Three Months to Sale Time...

It's been almost a year since I had my "ah-ha" moment and Husband and I decided that 2013 is the year we finally sell this house and move on with our lives. As we draw nearer to our planned listing window, shit's kinda gettin' real and we're basically terrified.

According to all the numbers I'm coming up with, our house is worth between 3-5k less than what we owe right now (and significantly less than what we paid for it in 2003). That's not horrible compared to what a lot of people are looking at these days, but the idea of selling for less than what we owe is a little painful. I mean, a few grand are not worth putting our dreams on hold...but still. That's assuming we can even get what the house is worth in a sale. People don't want to pay appraisal; they want to negotiate.

So our plan is this: Go ahead with all the planned repairs and updates on our list. That includes a few expensive things, like a new roof (though we have "people" who are able and willing to help us with the work), mold eradication in the crawlspace (I know, right? Ew...), and new (cheap) carpet in at least one area of the house. We'll also tackle the relatively inexpensive but necessary "little things," like finishing up trim work, repainting a bunch of stuff, and putting new vinyl down in the laundry room (the floor in there is unacceptable, y'all).

Once we've got that stuff finished, we're going to have an inspection done to head off any further problems so there are no surprises that could cost us a sale. We'll decide what to do about any issues from there. Then we'll have an appraisal done.

We're also going to make a (top-secret) list of things we are willing to offer a buyer in negotiations and set aside a budget specifically for that.

Depending on what the inspector and appraiser say, we may be holding off one more year. I hate the sound of that. I hate the idea of staying here in this neighborhood that I hate, fixing shit while other stuff keeps breaking, putting off our dreams even further. But I hate the idea of financial ruin even more, so we're going to keep taking it slow and do what's best for us, even if it's not what we want to do.

So as of right now, that's kind of our plan. It's a lot of "hurry up and wait," because the big things like the roof cannot be done until March, when we have our tax return in the bank and Husband can take a week off from school and work over his Spring Break to do the work. Until then, we're slowly continuing to declutter, pack, repair things, and hope for the best!

Things My Parents Taught Me

This post was supposed to go up, like, two weeks ago, but shit got busy and I didn't finish it in time. Whaddaya' gonna do? As a loving tribute to my mom and dad, here are some of the things they might not even be aware that they taught me.

It's never too late

I was born less than a year after my parents got married, and at nineteen and twenty, they were young parents. Needless to say, there was a lot of the big, wide world they hadn't seen or experienced yet.

My mom decided to go get her nursing degree when my brothers and I were very young. It took several years of juggling schedules, getting creative with finances, and sacrificing time and comfort from both of my parents, but when I was eleven I watched my mother walk down an aisle in a white cap and gown and receive her degree. That never left me.

Over the past decade or so college has become much less of a "young person's" game and has become more accessible to learners from all walks of life. I did two years of college right out of high school, dropped out, started a family, and then realized when I was twenty-five that I wanted that for myself, too. The image of my mom sitting cross-legged on the couch, poring over thick tomes and notebooks was always at the edge of my thoughts, pushing me when I felt like it was just too damned hard, when I was tired and my daughter was sick and my husband was stuck working overtime again and the babysitter had an emergency and I had every reason to just quit again. And in May 2011, I earned my bachelor's degree and I walked down an aisle in a black gown with my then eight year-old daughter watching me, just as I watched my mother almost twenty years before.

My college graduation, nineteen years after my mother's. And yes, there is a sizable bun in that oven. I did not hit the Chipotle on my way in.

Give stew

You know how elementary schools have those canned food drives around the holidays? I remember going to my dad to ask him for canned goods for one of those and him going through the cabinet with me. I was grabbing peas and corn and whatever, but he stopped me and handed me a few cans of Dinty Moore beef stew. He told me that while the vegetables were great and all that, a family couldn't make a meal out of a can of corn alone. If there weren't many cans to go around, it made more sense to give out cans of stew because it could feed a family a meal. I can't tell you why that stuck with me, but every time I participate in a food drive, I make a conscious effort to build meals or give stew because that just made so much sense to me.

Leave toilet paper

We moved several times when I was a kid and my parents always made sure to leave a roll of toilet paper for the next residents. They pointed out to me that when you move it's easy to forget things like t.p. when you're trying to make sure you have all your boxes and furniture. Ever since I've always made putting a fresh roll of toilet paper out the last thing I do before I leave a home for the last time.

No "and" in alphabet

My persnickety dad found the "y AND z" part of the alphabet very irritating and he taught me to sing the song without the "and". His point was that "and" is not a letter, and while you could argue that "and" is just pulling the list of letters together, I developed the habit of leaving it out and I still do to this day.

How to accept a gift

My mom and dad would have beaten my ass raw if I had ever reacted to a gift, no matter how shitty or thoughtless or unappreciated, with anything less than absolute grace and gratitude. Seriously. Ass beating. 

I carry that with me and have instilled that same fear in my own daughter. We don't spank, but if she ever reacted like a spoiled brat to a gift the temptation to have her pick a switch might be more than I could resist.

Bear genuinely loves this gift, but she could TOTALLY fake it if she didn't.

To think for myself

My parents were pretty open minded about any church or religion I wanted to explore. We didn't attend church as a family, but through a variety of friends and church vans I was able to explore many different philosophies. All were within the Christian realm, but that religious fluidity made me a far more critical thinker when I became an adult. I took and enjoyed a few religion and philosophy classes and I feel like my ability to explore and question information and to think about it critically is in large part due to my parents' willingness to let me do just that as a child. I wasn't presented with a lot of absolutes when I was young, and I'm grateful for that. It gave me flexibility and a certain amount of open-mindedness.

No lavish praise 

My parents, and my dad in particular, were not big on the over-the-top praise. I'm not saying they didn't commend me on a job well done; only that I wasn't given the Da Vinci treatment over every drawing of an elephant or branded the next Einstein because I aced a spelling test.  My dad was very reserved in his praise, usually offering a nod and a, "Very good," before turning his attention elsewhere. You might think this sounds cold, but I think it makes sense. I'm not saying I don't have a deep-seeded desire to please my parents and have them approve of my decisions/accomplishments/ideas. I do, as I think most people do. But I know where I stand with my parents. If my dad compliments my work or idea or whatever, I know he means it. I never have to wonder if he's "just saying that" to make me feel good about myself.


I know that's a lot of talking, but it's an introspective time of year and I've had my parents on my mind a lot. It's important to understand where we come from, in both a nature and nurture sense. I am very much like both of my parents, and I'm proud of that.

Handmade Christmas Gifts

Anyone who knows me at all understands the depth of my kraft inkompetence. It's laughable, actually, how ridiculously untalented I am in all things crafty. I have tried and failed at many crafty endeavors, in no small part because of my incredible impatience and deep-seeded need for instant gratification.

So it was obvious to me that I should totally hand-make some of our Christmas gifts this year.

I'll give you a minute to pull yourself together.

I can't post all of my plans because some of them are for people who read this crap. That's not to say I'll actually end up giving those people the gifts I attempt to make, as they may well be colossal failures (the gifts, not the people). But I can talk about some of the things I'm making for the kids, which also may or may not fail spectacularly (again, the gifts; not the kids).

For Bear:

Magnetic paper dolls

I found the idea for this on Pinterest and decided to adapt it for my kids. I wanted something we could keep in the car for them to play with.

Bear is super into The Hunger Games, but I guess licensing has been pretty restricted and I couldn't find any sticker or coloring books to work with. Luckily I found these cute paper dolls on Etsy and they're perfect!

Bear's Hunger Games magnetic paper dolls

The additional costumes for Gale, Katniss, and Peeta

For Bug:

Magnetic cars and animals

For Bug's version of the magnet board I bought a sticker book from Michael's. The book came with several pages of "scenes" to play on, so I ripped one out and stuck magnets on the back of it, too. I used different magnets on Bug's figures than I did on everything else and they don't stick quite as nicely, though I can tip it up and they don't fall off. So...good enough. Lesson learned.

Pardon the glare. I am a truly terrible photographer.

Felt board

I love felt boards, especially for itty-bitties. At first I tried stapling my piece of felt to a piece of cardboard and putting it in an 8X10 frame, but the stapled showed and the frame had sharp corners and it was basically a huge failure. So I pulled it apart and used craft glue to attach the felt to a canvas board and it worked much better.

I also used my huge box of cookie cutters to make shapes for Bug to play with. Cute, right?

The felt board and some of the shapes I made for Bug

                The inside of the bag I ACTUALLY SEWED BY HAND for Bug to store his felt shapes in. I glued a plastic bag inside so the pieces wouldn't stick.

I still have to attach some Velcro to the bag flap so it will close, but it's not bad for a terrible crafter!

I like these gifts because we can update the figures as the kids' interests change. As Bug gets older I can add smaller pieces or things with smaller magnets, like magnetic fridge letters. Bear is getting a tin of magnetic poetry for Christmas that she can use on her board, too.

The cutting took quite a bit of time, but I started working on it in September and just did a little at a time. I definitely recommend planning ahead for these projects.

I haven't made the covers for the magnet boards yet, but my mother-in-law is going to help me with that in the next few weeks. I have all the materials; I just have to physically make them. Instead of "paper dolls," I'm going to put their names on their covers.

Are you doing anything hand made for anyone this year?