busy, busy, busy...

I know that it is just awful that I am not keeping things up to date here, but I just can't seem to get back on track!

I have to recommend taking vacations for a full week! This was the first time we have ever done this and it was absolutely wonderful. We rented a cabin (which I fell in love with), and basically took it easy for the full week. We did go to a couple of museums, picked fresh strawberries, ate German food, and a few other things, but mostly we lounged around! My husband even liked the cabin, which surprised me a bit. It had a living room, fully stocked kitchen, bedroom, loft, and a bathroom. My girls thoroughly enjoyed the loft and stayed up there most of the time. I though it was pretty neat as well. The owner of the cabin added a blowup bed for my boys in the living area(there was plenty of room) and she stocked the kitchen with continental breakfast items. The cabin was definitely a blessing from God! The owner gave us a great discount since we were staying six nights. And all the extras were an added bonus.

I have a funny story to tell, and I think that most home school parents will understand why this was such a great thing for my kids. When we went to meet the owner of the cabin, we noticed a black angus cow that was slowly inching its way over a fence to get the "greener" grass on the other side. We mentioned to the owner that a cow had gotten loose and she asked the kids if they would like to "herd" the cow back into its pen. Of course, they yelled "yes"! So we followed her back to where the cow was and the kids got to help her and another young man put the cow back where it belonged. They had such a fun time. It was very exciting watching them! I was so glad they learned this little lesson.

Also, later that evening when my dad called to talk to the kids, my youngest informed him that they got to put the "bull back in its cage"! I just died laughing! If you knew my dad, that would not be the best thing to say to him because he is such a worry wart! I just knew he was saying, "You did WHAT?"

Okay, the place we stayed at was call "The Spotted Pony Ranch" in Fredericksburg, Texas and I recommend it highly if you are ever in that area. I will try really hard to get some pics on soon.
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House Update:

We are just about there! You walk in and the kitchen actually looks like a kitchen! With running water and everything. We will finish the texturing in the kitchen and kid's bathroom tomorrow, Lord willing, and then we can get them painted. After that, there is a bit more for the bathrooms, putting the floor down, and then we can start moving in!! Yeahhh! We will still have to finish the porch, but I figure we can do that as we move in. God is Good!
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Homeschooling note:

I would love to hear from anyone else who homeschools and if there is a big enough difference between your children that you have to use a different curriculum for one or more of them. I have run into a unique thing in that one of my daughters is very bored and requests more work! I am going to try to put her on her own curriculum which will be more strict than the unit studies I do with the other ones. We will see how this goes! Any helpful ideas would be greatly appreciated!
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Have a great day and God Bless!