This and That...

...Job News...
Ugh. So I posted last time about my job at the junior college being frozen due to decreased revenue. No summer work, and as it turns out, no fall work either. So I had to scramble to find something to keep ends meeting. I started working at Whole Foods a couple of weeks ago. At first, I wasn't sure if it would work out, even for the summer, as I was getting very minimal hours, as in about 10 each week. I applied, and interviewed, for a couple of other jobs, with no real success. Thankfully, today I had my first evaluation, which went very well, and I picked up a lot more hours for next week. By the time I got home from work today, they had called to see if I wanted more hours this week too, since they "really like" me. Of course I said YES! Phew!

I also have a job interview next Tuesday for an instructional assistant position in a middle school. If I can get that, and work as a tutor at the local university in the fall, I may be able to quit grocery again. We shall see!

...Job Training News...
I also mentioned that The Boy will be doing some job training soon. He'll be working in the café at the teen club, and will be learning interviewing skills, resumé building, etc. This program is free to club members, and comes with a $200 stipend at the end. He's got plans for that money already... buying an engine for his 1972 Chevy pickup... or perhaps rebuilding the engine it has, though option A seems more likely. He might also use a little of the money for barista training, so he can work on getting a job.

...In Our Homeschooling...
I've asked the kids to take on more responsibility for their schoolwork. I'm making a weekly assignment sheet, and they have from Saturday mornings to the following Friday at noon to get it all done. Of course, I am available for assistance, and we still read our book of the moment and watch documentaries together, but they will be doing their math, other reading, and writing largely on their own. We've also added audiobooks back into our circulation! We're going to finally finish the Percy Jackson series, then listen to The Lord of the Rings. I'm in the process of updating our Afternoon Basket page at last!

...Around the House, Kitchen, and Garden...
Since I'm working shifts that are all over the place, and M puts in 10-12 hour days, I'm working again on actually meal planning. We have a few vegetarian/plant-based dinners a week now, both for health and to save money, and then some meat a few times a week. I need to put my crockpot to good use!

We have a list of things to be done before mid-fall too, like tarring the family room roof to help with leaks, rototilling a big chunk of the backyard and amending the soil, etc. The Boy and The Girl will have to be my primary helpers. Decluttering continues, especially after we've started watching the documentary Minimalism.

We planted several tomatoes this year, along with plenty of peppers and onions, some squash, and some lemon cucumbers. All are thriving! The above-mentioned rototilling is part of our plan to put in a real garden next spring at long last.

...Random Pictures...
Just some recent and random pictures to wrap up this post!

Waiting for fireworks

A recent leaf drawing by The Girl

A trip to the beach on the fourth

Meet Ted, our new caterpillar!

Nose to the Grindstone...

image courtesy of Saxton Studio

My winter break has come to an end. Today, the junior college starts back up, and next week, the university. So I am prepping like crazy for classes next week! I have almost finished my syllabus and a reading schedule for the first few weeks, so I just need to polish those up. This week, I am visiting the classes I work with as an instructional assistant, and next week, I will be teaching and studying. This semester, I am teaching the same students as last semester, moving them from English 100A to English 100B. The class I am taking is in composition theory/application and rhetoric... a practical class for a college instructor!

The Boy is also gearing up for classes, which for him start tomorrow. He's taking Figure Drawing and Comparative Mythology. The mythology class will likely be the most academic class he's taken so far, but I am pretty sure he can handle it. It will provide us with a great opportunity to practice his essay skills!

We started homeschooling again last week, so here is a brief run-down:

Math: Both used their "new" textbooks to do review work, which went well. We're using Jacobs Elementary Algebra (The Boy) and AGS Basic Math Skills (The Girl).

History: We started reading A Little History of the World (3 chapters), and watched the first episode of Mankind: The Story of Us, which lined up very nicely.

Literature: We read 3 or 4 more chapters in The Messenger, which we'll probably finish up in the next week or two. We'll most likely then read the fourth book, Son, before moving on to something else.

I also found our science book for spring! It seems very readable, I love the illustrations (as do the kids), and I love how it presents everything in an interconnected fashion. We'll start reading from it this week, and I'll weave in a few hands on projects here and there, though the bulk of our hands-on work will be gardening and nature observation.

 

I hope things continue to go as smoothly for the rest of the spring! I still have writing to work in as well, and spelling for The Girl, but we'll get there.

Catching Up & Moving Along...

Summer has flown by so quickly! Next week, we'll be back in the thick of things, though we did manage to have a lot of fun the last couple of months.

Catching Up...

There's been fishing, hanging out in scenic spots, and -- for me -- trail running:

And a day at the local fair, thanks to a set of free tickets I won from the bank! We went on some rides, ate funnel cakes, gazed at the amazing flower show, and visited the animals!

I even have a classroom now! There's been continued truck work, and some random fun moments along the way.

Moving Along...

The Boy starts a stellar astronomy class next week, so we're shelving chemistry for now. The Girl has a new volunteer orientation coming up at the local wildlife rescue center, so fall will be spent studying and rehabilitating animals.

I start my new career next week! I have my first day planned, my syllabus written, and a few writing assignments designed/under design. And I start my own classes.

We'll start our full-on homeschooling after Labor Day. Our first read-aloud for literature will be Watership Down. For animal studies, The Girl will be reading various selections from our collection of vintage books, alongside numerous library books, and I think she and I will enjoy The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets. She and I will also work on turning our habitat plans into reality.

Hope your summers have been going well!

And Then the World Turned Upside Down...

My world turned upside down this week, though in a very good way! If you've read this blog for a while, you know how thrilled I was to be hired last fall by the local junior college (I love that place) as an Instructional Facilitator for the English department. And now things have gotten even better!

First, let me fill in some background here... I have been working on my Master's in English Education and Rhetoric forever. Well, forever since 2012. I only take one class a semester toward it because in addition, I work as a secretary, an instructional facilitator, a reader/grader, and a tutor. I know, crazy, right? And then I wonder why my house is always a mess. My goal, for years now, has been to teach at the local junior college. But, with the fact that my MA seemed ever elusive, and we needed money through lean years, that goal seemed impossible.

Until now.

Last week, I almost offhandedly applied for what is called a Teaching Associate position at the local university (where I am working ever so slowly on my MA). The Teaching Associate takes on one class section of English 100A/B—basically a remedial let's-get-you-up-to-college-English-class—for a year, with no more than sixteen students. I was late in applying. All my recommendation letters were actually directed at a career in teaching high school, which I was prepared to do through an intern program. I planned to work as a high school teacher until I could finish my MA, figuring a teaching credential and the classroom experience could only help in the long run. At the same time, I knew this wasn't what I wanted to do long term. My insides quaked a bit at the thought of teaching 4-6 classes a day, with 25-30+ students in each.

But....

I don't have to do the intern program. I don't have to teach in a high school just to teach. The university offered me the position! AND, the junior college wants to keep me on. And it looks like I may be tutoring a group of homeschoooled high-schoolers once a week in literature and writing! More on that later....

This means that: I will be giving notice as a secretary. I'll be writing a syllabus and choosing texts. I'll be working fewer hours total per week (and earning a little less money, but M has a good, solid income now, and we know all too well how to live on a budget). I'll be steadily moving forward to my dream career, and have a little more time with my own kids. The house might even get cleaned! I'll be a teacher this fall!!!

I'm also submitting my first article (a book review) for publication in an academic journal, so wish me luck with that!

Hope your week is as awesome as mine has started out to be!

Monday Musings... Kinetic Carnivale and More...

Out and About...
This weekend, we went to the 4th Annual Willits Kinetic Carnivale for some Steampunk fun! It was a decently sized event, under trees in a park, with plenty to see, hear, taste, and touch.

We had quite a lot of fun, but I will say that overall, the Wunderkammer event here in Sonoma County was even better, and we really, really hope they bring it back this fall or next. The weekend did re-inspire The Boy's love for Steampunk art, so he's been creating all weekend, in between homework for his machine class.

Education - Home & Otherwise...
Speaking of which, the first week of college is done! He loves both his classes, and--so far--doesn't mind the homework load. He read his text, took copious notes (which they are allowed to use on tests) and took an at-home safety test. He's also been working, on his own, on pen and ink sketching with library books: Pen & Ink Sketching: Step by Step, and Pen & Ink Sketching. Additonally, he's reading Animal Farm, alongside The Red Pyramid. Very busy boy!

The Girl's been reading a fair amount too, mainly nonfiction books, such as The Chameleon, Fossil Fish Found Alive, and Stingrays. And she's built an amazing fantasy world in Minecraft. We're going to start reading The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making this week.

Together, the three of us are going to start studying the Renaissance period, with plans to head to the Norcal Renaissance Faire in October. I found this book -- The Time Traveler's Guide to Elizabethan England -- which looks both educational and amusing (always a good combination in our house!), so we will start with that. Over the next couple of weeks, we'll be adding in the other subjects (mainly math and writing).

Creating...
The Girl has been working with her clay again, creating unique little people (bottom right is the back of the sculpture on the left... she wanted you to see the polka dots!)...

And I realized I still have a gift certificate to a yarn shop, so I think some knitting is in short order. I also have been measuring windows, and searching out fabric, as Jessica's recent post has inspired me to make some new curtains as a quick and easy upgrade to our home. 

Around the House & Garden...

M has been removing all the dead plants from our yards, front and back. The drought has been rough on us! We spend a lot of time talking about what we will be doing with the yards later this fall, and we are hoping that current predictions of a wet winter are accurate.

We're also tackling some relatively minor home repairs before winter, and we're trying to work out the kinks in our new housecleaning plans.

On the Agenda...

I meet my students today! Well, one class's worth of them. We're still getting the hang of our new, very busy Mondays, but I am sure we will figure it all out. The Boy has fencing this week, and The Girl derby practice. I will likely be grading papers this week, and I start my class (on "Gothic British Commonwealth lit") too.

Have a good week!

The First...

First born, first off to junior college, first day of school...

He was very excited today, especially after downloading and reading the syllabus for his art class! They get to make a 3D model of a torso, insect, or animal out of aluminum flashing, and there are other, similar projects. The syllabus also states that the teacher values everyone's learning differences, and leaves a lot of room for creativity.

I've had butterflies in my stomach all day.

Speaking of butterflies...

They are all over our yard, darting about in twos and threes... when I go outside, I am surrounded by them! The middle picture is a freshly hatched one.

And I am off shortly to meet with one of the professors I hope to work with this semester.

Wow... Just Wow...

So you know I have worked as a reader for English teachers/professors in the past, which involves lugging home stacks of essays to read and grade, paid for by said teachers out of their own pocket. But this semester, I got a new offer... I was offered, through the local junior college itself, an Instructional Facilitator position. As such, I would work in the classroom occasionally with two teachers, I would of course continue lugging papers home to read and grade, and I would have some office hours to meet with students for tutoring!

I feel so grown up... me, with OFFICE HOURS AT A COLLEGE! All teacher-like...

I have talked with the kids and M extensively before even thinking of taking this on. M has agreed to take over much of the housework on a regular basis, and cooking on my long days. The kids have agreed to help out more around the house too. This is certainly one of those moments when I am truly grateful for the flexibility that homeschooling offers us!

And truthfully, the money will be more than helpful right now.

I am both very nervous, and very excited about this whole huge thing!

What a Weekend!...

Yes, that is a very large tree branch, ON MY HOUSE! Saturday afternoon, The Boy, The Girl, and I were over by the computer, checking out footage from The Boy's birthday gift camera (an older GoPro), when we heard a terrible, and very loud, wrenching sound, followed by cracking noises and a tremendous "swish", then an equally tremendous THUD! The only other thing I remember is yelling to the kids to "get down, get down!", throwing myself over The Girl, and seeing The Boy duck and cover his head with his arms. The Girl was screaming.

Then dead quiet. Until M came out of our room, where he was getting ready for work, yelling "What the %^$# was that?" He thought something had exploded... or ???

We saw branches pressed up against the window right next to us (the large window in the picture)... I am so thankful it didn't break all over us! The neighbor's elm branch hanging over our family room menacingly for the last several years had finally cracked off. We had been worried about this for a while, as we've had some smaller branches come down, and the neighbor was trying to work out a way (physically and financially) to remove the dangerous branch. At least we don't have to worry about it any more! And no real damage was done, and no one was hurt. PHEW! And the neighbor already got the mess cleaned up, and offered us the firewood.

In other news...

Outside My Window...
Cool, cloudy mornings. Today, the first day of June, was actually so damp out from the fog that I had to use the windshield wipers a bit this morning on my way in to work, and there were puddles gathering! I'm hoping that will counteract some of the drying out that is already happening around us in the 4th (or is it 5th?) year of drought.

In My Home and Kitchen...
We made a delicious roasted chicken this weekend (it was in the oven at the time of the tree crash), and last night I cooked pappardelle with alfredo sauce, broccoli, and leftover chicken. I plan to make stock this week as well, and Thursday (The Girl's late derby practice night), I think I might make Sopa Seca. Tonight we're planning on split pea soup after fencing. Yes, split pea soup in June, as the evenings are still very cool. I am doing better at planning meals ahead again, utilizing leftovers well, and a lot of homemade foods!

As far as the house, we're keeping things tidier these days, and have winnowed out a lot that we don't need.

In the Garden...
We had almost decided to not grow any veggies this year. Between the poor soil and the drought, we were a bit reluctant to plant. Then M came up with a lovely design for tiered boxes, using scrap wood we already have, and compost from our own garden. We're building the boxes/tiers this summer, and will put in a fall garden. In the meantime, we've got tomato plants, and I am planting more herbs. I've decided rather than a gravelled front yard (as I had mentioned here), to work on incorporating meadow grass and more native plants that attract bees, butterflies, birds, and moths... i.e. a meadow garden/native cottage garden. We've been enjoying the presence of butterflies and hummingbirds, and would like to see more!

And we have fruit coming on...

Fresh cherries ripening

Apple blossoms AND apples

We're talking about adding a Meyer lemon tree, a dwarf apricot, and maybe one other fruit tree to our "orchard".

In Our Homeschooling...
We've pretty much wrapped things up "officially" for this year. However, we are doing some light summer schooling, with the continuance of Life of Fred (math), reading about British history (Great Tales from English History) and bringing in movies as appropriate, and some good books over the summer. We also have plans, mostly with friends, to attend some library workshops for teens: 3D printing and Minecraft coding (The Boy), henna body art (The Girl), origami (both), duct tape crafts (both), etc. And we're hoping for beach days, river swimming, a few trips here and there... We also plan to read a children's version of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, as we will be going to see a production of it in July!

I am having fun daydreaming about/roughly planning out the first blocks of our Big History/Science and Big Fairy Tale projects for fall!

Reading and Watching...
We've started Great Tales from English History, and find it to be very enjoyable. We're still reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and have Through the Looking Glass at the ready. We might listen to The Hobbit on audiobook (since we only got a third of the way through it) after finishing The Last Olympian. What are you reading this summer?

We've finally gotten the kids interested in Star Trek! We've started with Enterprise, and then will watch the old series before moving on. We had a two movie weekend, with Total Recall and Daddy Day Care. It was a silly movie kind of weekend, and yes, I definitely consider parts of Total Recall to be silly. This upcoming Friday, I think we'll watch The Eagle to go with British history, and then on Saturday, something lighter.

On the Agenda...
I am down to the last week or two of one of my tutoring jobs, though the student's family has asked me to continue working with her for 11th and 12th grades, (she's in a public Waldorf school). The other student (homechooler) will be tutored right through the summer. I am also back to grading papers for a college English class this summer. Fencing and derby practices continue too. I have four weeks left at work, then am off for seven weeks! M is picking up more hours at his new job -- he's excelling there, and loves it. I love having him come home from work happy! Exhausted, but happy!

Have a good week, and Happy June! Do you have summer school plans?

image courtesy of hourglass-paperboats

Monday Musings...

First, I'll share a picture of my girl at halftime...

Isn't her new jersey awesome? All the girls on the team really loved them--a big move up from logo'd t-shirts! I think she looks tough too.

She only got in once in her first game, which turned out to be okay because the visiting team was brutal. We actually thought one broke someone's nose with a shoulder to the face, but thankfully the girl was okay. They were sending girls flying every which way by the second half. The Girl was a bit disappointed not to be on the track more, but she understood that it was her first game, and that's pretty common for that, and she appreciated that her coaches had concerns for her safety. Afterwards, she did get an awesome "Hey, that was your first game, right?" from another (really good) player, who then added "I'm glad to have you on the team." Really sweet, and it made The Girl feel really good.

She will be skating a lot more in an upcoming game in October. They couldn't find another junior team to play, so they are calling in all the juniors around here and splitting them into two teams for the night, which means the teams will be smaller. She's really looking forward to it already!

The Earthquake...
So at about 3:20 in the morning yesterday, we were rudely awakened by the earth heaving and rolling under us. Not a pleasant sensation. it woke everyone up, and The Boy told us afterwards that he literally leapt from his loft bed since the shaking freaked him out. There was a blinding flash in the sky (blown transformer? Earthquake lights?), and the power went out for a few seconds. It was the biggest earthquake we've had since 1989's Loma Prieta--which I remember all too clearly and which was much worse--and the first major quake my kids have felt. Thankfully there was no real damage around here, though the town of Napa sustained a fair amount of damage and will be cleaning up for a while.

Outside My Window...
Mornings have been cool and foggy/overcast for a few weeks now, though it clears off to warm and sunny afternoons, usually in the 80s. Everything is crisp, dried out, and golden brown, thanks to the continuing drought. We've had a spot or two of rain here and there, but it never is enough.

Around the House...
We're adjusting to having both M and I working outside the home again. He worked all weekend, and is off today through tomorrow. We'll get his new schedule tomorrow. I need to get my cleaning routine down a bit better, and I need to get rid of more books.

In the Kitchen...
I really need to try out freezer to slow cooker recipes in preparation for Mondays, generally our most tightly scheduled day, as I work until noon, have a class from 4-6:30, and The Boy has fencing at 7. Today I took the day off from work to take my dad in for a kidney scan, so I can cook ahead for tonight. I did make a shrimp & corn chowder recently that was awesome!

Plotting & Planning...
We'll be starting our new academic year in less than a week... if all goes as planned. The kids and I have been hard at work choosing resources, etc. to use for the year, and now I am just hoping all my books will come in on time (or maybe we'll have a later start)! I did get these yesterday, which look fantastic for our Sunday art lessons...

Watching & Reading...
We haven't been watching much besides Xena and Top Gear, but are more than halfway through our second trip through The Twenty One Balloons. I'm still working on my list of read-alouds for the upcoming year, trying to (when possible) alternate good historical fiction with other good fiction.

This Week's Happenings...
I have a class this afternoon. The Boy has fencing, The Girl has derby practice. there are two more doctor's appointments to take my dad to, and M's work schedule to work into all of this. Should be fun!

Have a good week!

So, I guess you want the...

that I promised earlier this week. Well, I'm not telling.

Just kidding! I wanted to wait until we were 100% sure this was happening, as we have had our hopes up before, only to be sorely disappointed. Any suspense yet? The big news is this... after two years of unemployment--only one of which was covered by state unemployment insurance--culinary training, a couple of temp jobs, too many resumes sent out, any number of job interviews, etc., M has a job!!!! He starts tomorrow. He'll be working in the kitchen of a large, snazzy hotel, which has a full restaurant and room service. It is technically "part-time" but that's normal in the culinary industry, and they told him that if he is willing, they offer a good amount of overtime. The pay is a tad on the lower side, but IT IS EMPLOYMENT, so we are not complaining about that! We are simply relieved at this point... we both feel like we can breathe a little easier.

Truthfully, the last year has been incredibly hard financially. We barely scraped by in paying our mortgage (thanks in part to a loan from my generous brother), we had to delay paying the fencing instructor (who allowed The Boy to fence for two months on the promise we'd pay eventually, and we've already paid more than half of that), and we're on both Medi-Cal and food stamps. I do expect the food stamps benefit to be greatly reduced or even eliminated at this point, but it was incredibly helpful in restocking the pantry and freezer.

I've lain awake nights, worrying, calculating, re-calculating. How little could I pay on x to make sure y was covered? Last night's sleep was so much more restful.Yes, our budget will still be tight. I can manage tight, just not nonexistent. So...

In other news, The Girl will be skating in her first official bout this weekend! She found at at last night's practice that she made the roster--I haven't been hugged that tightly in a while! Her coaches told me, while both grinning from ear to ear, that she's totally earned this. She never misses practice (except when we had the flu and she literally couldn't stand for more than a few minutes without getting ill), did a summer derby boot camp, and tries really hard. I am smiling even as I type this! She is proud of herself, as she should be, and I am over the moon for her. It is so rewarding when hard work pays off.

I'll make sure to get some pictures at the bout!

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Ahead....

There is a road in front of me, a new one--at least for me it is new. After Monday, for the first time in many years, I have no job to go to. Not yet anyway. For the first time in many years, I get to just be... be a mom, be at home, be a wife. Not an employee. It's weird to think about. My last break from work was in 2006, when I took a buyout from Safeway to relocate my family.

So what's ahead?

I don't know, to be honest. I don't know how long I'll be unemployed. It could be a couple of weeks, a month, maybe two. I may get a new job very soon, I may get my old job back if the other secretary finds something else. I won't get a lot of money on unemployment, so it can't last too long. But in the meantime I do plan on enjoying my break, taking the time to refocus and rebuild, to figure out what my next step really should be.

I would like to:

Take the kids swimming

Use our (mostly) free family bowling passes

Read some good picture books to the kids

Work in the garden

Clean out more bookshelves

Go see fireworks

Go to the park

Attend some free craft sessions (for teens) at the library

Use the morning all-you-can-ride/play passes at the local mini golf course/entertainment center

Ride our bicycles

Make some smores

Head out to the coast for a day here and there

Do some activities from Family Math, Perfectly Perilous Math, and Totally Irresponsible Science

Rip out the carpeting in The Girl's room (there's a lovely hardwood floor underneath)

Start sanding all the interior doors (we've decided to take them down to the wood, and then stain them... I think I like Brazilian Rosewood). We're thinking about doing the same to the kitchen cabinets, as the old off-white they are now is so hard to keep looking clean, and we love dark-slightly-reddish-toned wood.

I think all that will keep me adequately busy! Maybe I'll do some baking with The Girl, and we really ought to get going on the kids' summer projects (a camera obscura and knitting). I'd like to help my mom finish curtains for the kids' rooms. Whether I have a lot of time off, or a little between jobs, I hope to get to much of what I have here. I'm used to juggling a lot of things at once, so I know I can at least make a dent in this list!

As an interesting bookend of sorts, I end my job Monday, and M starts (we hope it works out) a new one. He was told to come in to [Unnamed] Restaurant Monday morning, with id, social security number, and his Food Handler's card to report for his first day on the job! He'll be starting with prep cooking, and then they want to try him on the line. Let's hope it works out!

Have a good weekend!

A Wordy Wednesday... The Bad & the Good...

The Bad...
Yesterday was terrible. I felt like I had hit absolute rock bottom, and couldn't see any way out. Finances are, well... for lack of a more polite phraseology, absolutely screwed at the moment. We've scraped by the last couple of months, but won't be doing even that much longer. M has worked two temp jobs recently, but they were just that, temp jobs. The employment market is awful right now. Yesterday, I felt fearful, and resentful.

Today, although finances are certainly not improved, I am trying to feel more hopeful. A local restaurant is holding an open house/hiring fair with on-the-spot interviews, so M is going to that. I have applied for weekend (supplemental) work at grocery stores as a clerk. With 8 years experience in that field, I am hoping I can get in two good eight hour days a week, which will help ease things a bit.

I hate this.

Some people have suggested we relocate, but looking at rental prices and the cost of living elsewhere, I am not sure that would be a worthwhile option.

And I still don't know for sure what is going on with my current job. The woman trying not to take my job has an interview tomorrow, for a position she wants, so I am crossing fingers, ankles, anything and everything! If that fails, I have a job interview next week for a part-time secretarial position. Still nerve-wracking though.


The Good...
"Summer school" is off to a great start! I eased back on documentaries, after I had a complete duh moment, and realized we have all summer to get through them! In the meantime, we're enjoying each day... the kids went swimming with their Nonna and aunt on Monday. They're devouring The Dangerous Book for Boys and The Daring Book for Girls, picking out games to learn and activities to try.... Chinese jump rope, table football, Morse Code, 50 Latin phrases everyone should know, and so on, and so forth. I read a little aloud from one or the other each day. Cassia reads to me too. And they are loving The Four Story Mistake!

They are also working on supply lists for their summer projects.

I am still loosely, and all in my head at the moment, thinking out next year. Do I want to just do the what if approach and see what happens, or do block studies? The only thing I have planned is a calendar for next year! (Well, okay, two versions. Version 1) six week block, week off; six week block, week off;two-three week block, two-three weeks off; seven week block, week off; seven week block, week off; seven week block, week off; ten weeks off. Version 2) the same to start and then five weeks on, one week off after the winter holidays, with four blocks instead of three). Hmmmm.

We'll be doing a summer crash course in Shakespeare. This was unplanned, but then I found out about this event and decided to seize the moment! We'll be reading a story version of Romeo and Juliet first, to familiarize them with the story line. Then we'll watch a movie version, or two, and maybe read through some of the actual play.

And, I wrote on Monday, but then deleted (sorry, I chickened out) about my issues with food. I am currently following the Food Addicts Anonymous food plan, and have been for three days now. I am not weighing myself at the moment, though I did the first day (and no, it was not good) -- I'm trying to keep off the scale more than once a week. Yesterday, I physically felt very tired (maybe that's part of the problem?) and out of sorts. I feel a bit better today, so I am assuming though I ate a fairly clean diet before that I am detoxing a bit from sugar and flour. I think I'll see if I can talk The Girl and M into an evening bike ride while The Boy is at fencing.

So... wish us luck on the financial front, and I hope you are all having a good week!

Rough Waters...

 You may recall I got a layoff notice a couple of years ago, which was then rescinded just days before my "final" day.

So, it has happened again. And again it happened on the heels of a glowing review. After June 30, I may or may not be cut loose. Somewhere above me, a secretarial position was cut. That person is bumping someone else, who is then bumping me. Last time, the other person, a full-time employee, did not really want my job as it is part-time. This new one is a part-time employee, so I think the chances are far greater that I am being laid off.

With M's work still being somewhat unstable, and then this blow... well, we could use some good thoughts, some positive vibes, prayers, whatever you have. I am trying to stay positive, to think there is something better on the horizon, but truthfully, it's a little hard right now.

Everything else is going okay. We're healthy, we still have our home, the kids are learning in leaps and bounds. M has two interviews scheduled over the next two days.

I'm kind of at a point where even if they do rescind the notice, I don't think I want to keep going through this every other year. Maybe this is a sign that I should be looking elsewhere.

On the Chopping Block...

image courtesy of 123rf

M got laid off last year, after breaking an arm. I can't say it's been the easiest time in the world for either of us. Thankfully, financially, we're holding on, but when M's home, all the time, it interrupts the routine I had worked so long to get the kids following. And he's getting very, very bored. And frustrated.

image courtesy of enviromom

Prior to his layoff, he was a shipping/receiving clerk/warehouse manager (somewhere between the two titles). The outlook for this job right now is not fantastic. He's applied to every job he's found in this category, which unfortunately is not many, and hasn't had any good luck yet.

Before that, he worked as a line cook for an upscale burger joint, a job he found both challenging and enjoyable. But, that was about 8 years ago, not exactly current. And jobs for other things he's qualified for, like janitorial positions, aren't that easy to find either.

image courtesy of menucovermen

Sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it? But then, the other night, we were watching re-runs of Top Chef, and M said "I could do that, well, at least most of it. And I miss cooking." So off to the computer I went, to look at programs that qualify for re-training under unemployment benefit criteria. And guess what? A Culinary Certificate program at our local junior/community college does qualify! And, at least in our area, there is a decent demand for trained cooks.

We've now filled out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and a fee waiver for the college in question. He's slated to register for summer classes in another week, starting with
Sanitation & Safety, a Culinary Arts Survey, and Knife Skills. In the future, he'll be taking classes in pastry, professional cooking basics, and he'll have to work in the culinary cafe for part of his certificate.

I haven't seen him so excited about learning anything since... well, never. He realizes that while some of what they teach him will be review, he'll also be learning a lot of new skills. And for him, this would be a career, not just a job, if you know what I mean. The same reason I am going through grad school... I want a career, since I have to work. Not just a job.

Now we just have to jump all the little hurdles of the Employment Development Department... more paperwork, maybe a phone interview, and so forth. So wish us luck!

Cruisin' Along...

Feeling more settled today, after Thursday's news. After posting, I went and took a long, hot, and UNinterrupted bath (thank you so much to M and the kids for leaving me alone). Friday, I called in sick to work, taking a "personal necessity" day, and we spent the afternoon at park day, surrounded by friends. And thanks for the kind comments on that post!

M is encouraging me to go ahead and file for unemployment, something I have never done in the 26-27 years I've been working (really... I'll be 40 this year, and have been working since the age of 13). To take some time off between jobs, and just be a mom. We know that this would make finances even tighter, but M said he would see if he could pick up some extra hours and/or find some supplemental work. And yes, even with unemployment, I would continue looking for work... I'll admit in part because one has to. I guess I could look into other aid as well, if needed. The kids are already insured through Healthy Families, so we'll keep them on that.

In the meantime, since my raise is in place, and all that, I am going to stretch every dollar to its breaking point, and pinch every penny until it screams so that we can start July off in the best financial shape possible, whether I decide to immediately find work or not. No, I still am not going to clip coupons, or buy those weird big log-tube things of ground beef. The vegetable garden is increasing in size though! Thanks to Jessica, I have recipes for household cleaners. Thanks to my mom, I know how to cook from scratch, to mend, alter a little, and so forth.

I haven't decided what to do at this point. But, I do have two and a half months left to figure it out... well, maybe a month and a half, because I'd like to know before the end of June what I'll be doing next!

Life is a Roller Coaster...

And right now I'm plummeting down the incline. I got my six-month evaluation at work today... all good scores, excellent feedback, got my first raise, and was placed on regular (non-probationary) status.

Then I got all the air knocked out of me. My boss started crying a bit, and told me that due to cutbacks and layoffs, I am being "displaced" by a senior employee that was being laid off - her position was eliminated.

After June 30th, I am unemployed.

I am trying to keep in mind that when a door is closed, a window opens, and that there is SOME reason for this, even though I can't see it from where I am.

I was placed on regular status partly so that if anything similar opens up in the next 39 months, I am on the call list for the position. I can also get unemployment as a regular employee, not as probationary. My boss, and her boss, are writing me letters of recommendation as well.

I'm stunned. I am worried about money too, but somehow we'll work this out... we've always kept afloat before. M is going to try to pick up more hours at his job, or do some side work to help.

A quick Weekly Report... 9/26-9/30...

This has been an interesting week. We did get a good amount of work done, plus we are facing a big change in the way things work around here!

Language Arts
Cyrus began keeping his journal again this week, at long last. He read a lot, from several books-- The Sign of the Beaver, a couple from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and The Magician's Nephew; he worked in Intermediate Language Lessons, reading and analyzing poetry; and he asked me all week for spelling tips. I bought a Spectrum Spelling workbook for him to try out starting next week.

Cassia worked through 2 full lessons from Easy Lessons for Teaching Word Families. I wrote them on a white-board, using a different color of pen for the word family and beginning parts, so she could see the word family and not try to sound it out each time. She did "ap", "an", "at", and "ash" (on "ash" I also underlined the "sh" so she would remember that it was only one sound). This approach worked really, really well, and she read all four word lists with very little trouble! She also re-read a little from Hop on Pop. We're going to start using Explode the Code again on Monday. We'll also review the word families we covered (and do a few more), which I am going to have her copy down in a folded-paper booklet I made just for that purpose.

We read more in Tatterhood & Other Tales - I highly recommend this book! And we read a bit more of The Wind in the Willows.

Math
Still traveling through math with Teaching Textbooks. It did get a little more challenging this week for Cyrus, who learned about estimating, though he still scored 95-100% on each lesson. Cassia's hasn't gotten too much more challenging yet... she's working on the idea of a number plus itself, plus one more, or the whole thing as a subtraction problem. I have noticed that in the problem sets, TT seems to be more of a spiral approach than mastery, which I really think is beneficial, as it builds in constant review. We also reviewed unit prices at the grocery store, and fractions while cooking. many of Cassia's word problems have to do with cooking, which is rapidly becoming one of her favorite hobbies. I love it when the kids can see that math applies to real life!

History
Cyrus read more in The Sign of the Beaver, which has led to all kinds of interest in herbalism, Native Americans, and survival skills. Cassia and I finished All of a Kind Family and started All of a Kind Family Downtown. She's fascinated by Jewish history now, and turn-of-the-century city life.

We watched a video on Columbus this week, from Schlessinger Films, and read the first two chapters in A First Book in American History. The kids loved the tone of the book, as did I, and they loved the little black-and-white illustrations on each page. We also discussed civil rights and Rosa Parks, after a discussion on Halloween costumes (Cassia wants to be a southern belle, and so we were talking about plantations and slavery, hence the civics discussion).

Science
We started our birding project with 4H today. We made sock feeders, and smeared a peanut butter mixture on pinecones. We learned about several common species of local birds, proper feeding setups and care, migration, etc. I am waiting for The Burgess Bird Book for Children to arrive in the mail - Cassia will like it even if Cyrus doesn't - and this weekend we are hoping to set up a bird station with feeders, the birdbath, and so forth. We plan to hang a pair of binoculars by the backdoor as well. And we dug out our copy of the Peterson First Guide to North American Birds.

Other
Cyrus decided to work his way through The Everything Book of Drawing, and he's been working more on computer animation. Cassia has been adding birds and bugs to her nature journal at all hours of the day and helping cook nearly every meal.

And the big news...
I am leaving my grocery store job, effective as of two weeks from now, one of which is an already-approved vacation week! In fact, I gave notice (written) last night. Why? Because, after two interviews and a lot of nail biting, I landed a part-time secretarial job at the local Office of Education! I'll be working regular, morning hours five days a week. The pay is a tiny bit higher too. This will make it easier for me to schedule other activities, for M to schedule his work hours since he'll no longer have to rush home to take over the kids so I can dash off to another late evening at work... I'll be home to cook dinners, and read bedtime stories more than twice a week. My mom has offered to care for the kids in the mornings, and we do better with homeschooling in the afternoons anyhow. I'll probably be starting in a week and a half, after our fun family vacation.

Next week, I only have three days of schooling planned, due to the aforementioned vacation weekend. I won't be posting a weekly report either, you'll just have to wait for all the vacation photos!

Guess that wasn't that "quick" of a weekly report either!

Moseying along...

While it may not seem we are up to much these days, we've been managing to do some pretty interesting things! For example, we had a field trip to the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. It was an awesome tour! We toured much of the facility, saw all the interesting lab equipment, looked at various objects through a high powered microscope, took a short hike up Mount Burdell (next time we'll make it to the top), made ice cream with liquid nitrogen, and best of all, the kids got to feed stem cells! Yes, they got to participate in actual scientific research... they donned sterile gloves, which were then further sterilized; sucked the old food (full of cell waste) out of the petri dishes; and injected fresh food into the dishes, all the while being careful to keep everything within the sterile feeding area. These cells will be made into brain cells for Parkinson's research. Totally cool!

We also finally saw the final Harry Potter movie. I am not ashamed to say there was more than one tear shed during the film. Now we are just waiting for October, when JK Rowling's Pottermore site will be up.

In addition, the kids have been on a painting spree, and there has been a lot of swimming. They have very distinct tan lines now. And park days, the most recent at the beach with M in attendance for once.

We decided to go ahead and wait until the 29th to officially start back up. I ordered a few more odds and ends, and am on vacation from work next week, so we want to really enjoy that week with all the summer fun we can have. I do have classes starting up that week, but only one morning.

In other news, I have actually started applying for jobs again... I do have one currently, but the variable hours and constant threats of layoffs are getting to us as a family. I have a very good lead on an excellent job that I would more than love to have, working with a former coworker. It is a secretarial position, with regular, part-time hours, no weekends, and a few weeks off in the summer. Oh, and good pay! I also have feelers out for a couple of similar positions just in case. We'll see where the world leads me next.