Gladitudes: Sun-Schooling Edition

We have 38 days of school left.  So says my handy dandy planner.  38 days.  I may be able to squwosh it down to 35, or even 30, since I'm having an affair with the principal.

Y'all, I have a major caseage of spring fever.  What I really want to do is pack up the school books, say "Pashaw" to the rest of the school year, play from morning to night in the sunshine, and lie to everyone I see by saying, "We homeschool.  We're done. We're exceptional."

But, since I have some sense of conscience (and because the principal hasn't completely lost his mind to my wiley female ways), we're still plugging along; ripping off a ring of our paper chain with what probably could be mistaken as too much joy each and every day.

Oh..and we're taking school outside.  A lot.  Because I the children need to be outside.   

Yesterday we had school on the back deck.  And today we headed down to our little community park.  Thus giving me some very Gladdie Moments.....

My Gladderific Gladdies About Gettin' Our School On In the Sunshine

1.  If you must do fractions, then doing fractions in the sun is at least a teensy bit pleasant.  Aw...who am I kidding?  I despise fractions in any kind of weather, but if the sun is shining, at least it's tolerable.

2.  It is much easier to bribe the middle child who hates anything school-related to do his schoolwork when a playset and a fresh yard of grass is staring him in the face.

3.  I HATE fixing lunch.  It is my least favorite meal to fix evuh.  But slapping together PB&J on a picnic blanket doesn't fall in the same category as lunch-fixin'.  So, technically, I got a day off of cookin' lunch.  Suhweet.

4.  Sunshine and playgrounds make the rascals tired.  And tired rascals equal quiet afternoons.  And quiet afternoons means mama gets her nap.  Score.

5.  I'm very glad that the neighborhood dogs didn't crash our party.  There's nothing fun about fighting an 80 lb. mutt with a John Deere collar for the last crumbs in the chip bag.  Nothing fun a'tall.

6.  The self-proclaimed "Community Constable" will come by and just want to know your business promise to keep an eye on things so that we can "enjoy the facilities in peace and safety."  What that really means is that he and his nosey wife wanted to know why there were kids out of school in the middle of the day....but I let him play his little game.  I did, however, get invited to a community Political Pie Rally, which sounds intriguing.  I'm not sure if the pies are for consumption or for throwing at the politicians, but I don't think you could go wrong with either option. 

7.  When I get out of my house, then the mess that is my house is non-existent.  Delusion is a great color for me.

8.  Calories don't count while consumed at a picnic. 

9.  My fear of my car being dead when we got ready to leave didn't come true.  The thought actually crossed my mind, and I was nervous about having to go find the constable and ask him for help...only fueling his ego for park-saveage. 

10.  I was able to cross off Day 39 in my planner.  With a bright pink colored pencil.  While I sunned myself.

That was the Gladdiest Gladdie of all.

Oh...and though this has NOTHING to do with sun-schooling, I have one more Gladdie:

GLEE STARTS BACK TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  WAHOO!!!!!!

My good buddy Gretchen is always super Gladdirific.  Go over and visit her!  She's the best.

Gladitudes

I'm playing Gretchen's Gladdie game this week, because I have so much to be gladdified for, and because I lurve me some fodder for bloggy block days such as these.

1.  I'm so very glad for the way that God brought us through the trenches that were last week with Sawyer.  I feel completely redundant and like a broken record, but I'm just so thankful for answered prayers and miracles and for so many people in our corner.

2.  I'm glad that baseball season is here.  Our family lives, breathes, and sleeps baseball, so it is always so much fun when the season finally arrives.  I love the smell of ballparks, the piles of dirty uniforms in my laundry room, and the endless hours of fence-climbing and voice-losing. 

3.  I'm exceptionally glad that Keaton was blessed with an amazing coach.  Most of the time, the husband coaches the boys' teams, but this year the timing didn't work out.  The husband is coaching Sawyer and Tate's team, but couldn't manage Keaton's, too.  We prayed many a prayer over his coach that he would be one that loved Jesus and loved the boys.  And we are so blessed to find out that Mr. Picture Perfect is Keaton's head coach!!  WAHOO!!!

4.  I'm so glad that Spring finally decided to show her face.  As much as I love the winter, I was getting tired of the permanent goosebumps.  So ready to get this party started with suntans and flowers and green grass.

I could do without the bugs and the allergies, but I'm willing to overlook it for a bit.

5.  So very very glad that American Idol is finally on to the big stage.  I can tolerate the auditions and Hollywood week and the little stage for only so long...and then it's just time to get.on.with.it.

6.  Glad that the in-laws are coming to spend the weekend with us to celebrate Sawyer's birthday.  My house is a wreck and my schedule is packed this week, but I'm still teetering over on the edge of excited that they're coming! 

7.  So ecstatically glad that Jim-Dad is back from his trip to Israel and that he had a fabulous time.  You can read all about his journey here.  But have a tissue ready...just sayin'.

8.  Thrilled beyond glad that my husband isn't one that fusses about a messy house.  Don't get me wrong...I want so badly to provide a clean and peaceful home for him to come home to, but am blessed that I don't feel stress when it's not.  I'm a lucky gal.  And right now, I'm a VERY lucky gal...if you catch my drift.

9.  Very glad for friends that do things that they don't have to do just because they want to. 

10.  So very very glad for certain pharmaceuticals that allow me to keep my sanity on days such as this when attempting to educate my children would most likely have ended in some sort of bodily harm had it not been for said drugs. 

What are you Gladdified about??  Tell me.  Tell me.

10 Very Gladdy Things

My good buddy, Meredith, hosts this super fun bloggy doo-dad every month, and my other good buddy, Gretchen, hosts this other super fun bloggy doo-dad every Tuesday. 

And I decided that I was just going to squish 'em together and do a little doo-dad mashup. 

So I give you....

10 Things That I'm Gladdy For On This GladiTuesday Which Happens To Be On the 10th

10.  I'm super gladdy that I'm homeschooling this year.  The last time I tried homeschooling the rascals, I had given it up by this time in the year.  The boys were back in traditional classrooms, and I was busy teaching grammar to a bunch of hooligans who cared less about diagramming sentences.  It definitely was the right decision for us at that particular stage in our lives, but I'm just tickled pink that God is allowing this year to go by so smoothly.  Fourth grade math is kicking my tail, but we all are still breathing, smiling, and waking up the next morning to do it all again. 

9.  I'm very gladdy that it is the holiday season...finally.  Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite times of the year, and I'm so gladdy that we're elbow deep in all things holiday-ie.  Christmas music, decorations, yummy food, family visits, shopping, really hunkering down and focusing on the Reason for the season.  LOVE IT.

8.  I'm amazingly gladdy that my trip to see my bloggy bestie Tiffani is only 3.5 weeks away.  I cannot wait to just sit and soak her up.  Precious.

7.  I'm very gladdy that my husband is a daddy who loves his kids.  He truly enjoys being with his babies and hanging out with them.  He never fusses about being the one to give up endless evenings to do practice after practice, and he never complains when they are underfoot helping him with his latest project.  It breaks my heart for children and wives that don't have supportive or eager fathers/husbands.  I'm so blessed.

6.  I'm really very gladdy that my corduroy pants still fit me from last year.  Nothing says fall like slipping on my cords and a snugly sweater.  It was touch and go there for a bit...but we are all good in the fittage department.  Whew.

5.  I'm very gladdy that it has finally stopped raining around here.  October in Arkansas brought like 25 or 26 days of rain out of the 31.  Ridiculous.  The sunshine is a happy place for me, and I don't think I have ever been so happy to see it.

4.  I'm very very gladdy about the homemade chicken noodle soup that is simmering away in my crockpot.  It smells divine.  And I can't wait to eat it.

3.  I'm really gladdy that my venture into the land of "domesticky" continues.  I am going to have to chain myself to my washer and dryer for the rest of the evening, but I'm not really bummed about it.  So...I am still counting successes as I see 'em!

2.  I'm really saddy that I haven't started ANY Christmas shopping yet, but super gladdy that I have a couple of really great bloggy buddies that have fabulous ETSY shops that I will most likely be visiting come time to play Santa.  I'm not feeling the crafty love this year, so I'm thinking I'm going to let this girl and this girl do the work for me!! :)

1.  I'm so very gladdy that I may just be getting a quiet weekend all to myself.  I love the children and all, but I also love me some alone time.  So, I'm SO hoping that it all pans out for the children to head to grandma's this weekend while the husband heads out for opening weekend of deer season.  Lazing my Saturday away with Mr. Darcy, my blankie, and a cup of coffee would do my soul well.

Thanks again, Mer and Jewels, for hosting!!  And be sure to check out Mer's place here for lots of other fun, creative, and thinky 10 lists.

Have a GladiTuesday on this 10th!!

Gladitude Monday

Gladitude Monday (hosted by my good buddy, Gretchen, or as I like to call her, Jewels) couldn't have come along at a better time. This weekend was a bit of a tough one for me, so it is refreshing to shift gears and focus on all the gladdiness.

10. I'm so glad that it's Monday. Not often a sentence that erupts from my I-forgot-to-wear-lipstick-to-church-yesterday lips. But this Monday happens to be the LAST Monday of the 2008-2009 school year for me! Can I hear a big Woot Woot?! Five more days, and I'll be putting the khakis away, folks. I'll be gearing up for sun kissed cheeks, weeks spent with nothing but pulled-back hair, and tan lines on my feet from entirely WAY too much flip-flop usage. Oh, and there is that other part about getting to spend day-in and day-out with my three most favorite best friendsy rascals in the world....I heart those boys. And I think I heart them just a little bit more when we are in the sunshine, and they have those adorable tan lines on their backsides.

9. I'm so glad that the husband dragged me by my hair kicking and screaming cave man style and forced me to do P90X with him last night. Oh, how that over-zealous man (the P90X dude, not Kirk) peels the paint from the walls of my brain. But, none-the-less, my muscles ache. I wanted to throw up the 13 Airheads I had consumed for my dessert. And I sweated like a pig at a luau. But...wait for it....I actually enjoyed myself. And I may (or may not) feel better for having exercised. Oh, hush. Save all of your "I told you so"s. I've just decided that now I really want that trip to Mexico.

8. I'm glad that I have cute new glasses. Because not only do the make me very Danny Gokey-ish, but....well....I can't think of anything else. They're just cute. And I like them.

7. I'm glad that Arkansas has received four hundred and eleventy thousand feet of rain in the last few weeks. Really, I am. Aside from needing a boat to float to town, my laundry is done and my house is clean. All thanks to baseball fields being turned into ponds. No baseball = Life back.

6. I'm glad that I am now Twittering....or Tweeting...or Twitting. Or whatever it is. Because it is just one more way for me to be all up in everyone else's business. And I felt like I was missing out on a good party. And I don't like to miss a party.

5. I'm glad that things are better at work with that person. Turns out they have had some things happen in their personal life, and they just tend to be the kind of personality that can't multitask their emotions.

4. I'm glad that it is summer at my church. That sounds weird, but our church actually has summer. Our schedule shifts gears, everything slows down, and a lot of focus is put on fellowship. With two universities in our town, our community shrinks drastically come summer. And with a huge portion of our church made up of students, summers allow the core body of the church to spend some quality time building relationships. I love it. And I also love that our church recognizes the need for family time. And encourages spending time with your family as a way to worship the One who created family. Last night our church had no scheduled services or activities, so the rascals, the husband, and I just got to enjoy eachother. With no where to be. And no where to dress up for. Just do what we do best....be together.

3. I'm glad for summer tv scheduling. Although it makes me sad to say goodbye to McDreamy and Idol and Dancing With the Stars until next year....I'm glad that my evenings are going to be freed up. I have DVR...but, I also have issues with all of you people telling me what happened before I get a chance to see for myself. So...I felt tremendous amounts of pressure to watch all my shows in real time. My summer tv will be sitting pretty with only The Bachelorette on the docket...and all of those trashy vH1 reality shows that lure me in like cake...nice.

2. I'm glad for a fixed air-conditioner. Luckily our AC decided to go out when it was still Springtime and relatively cool. Open windows have actually been nice for the past few weeks, but I will say...there is nothing like being chilled as a cucumber while you sleep at night with fresh sell-your-left-kidney-to-pay-for-it freon blowing atcha.

1. I'm so very glad for good friends. Compassionate friends. Beautiful friends. Funny friends. I feel like a broken record, but the girls in my life are amazing women. And I love them. My heart cries for them when I know that they are hurting. And my heart floods with joy when I know that they are happy. Blessings truly undeserved.

Go out and make it a great gladdie glad Monday.

Because just know....I'm oh so glad for you.

Gladitude Monday

I'm joining in Gretchen's fun Monday goodness. Because I like her. And I like being glad. And because I have so much to be glad about.

1) I'm so glad for this little guy.

He turned 5 today. And I can't believe how the time has flown by. It seems like just yesterday that I was badgering my doctor into inducing me early, so that I could meet my little fella. Doc must have got tired of my whining, so he admitted me. And early on May 4, 2004, my little guy became the 3rd rascal in this rascally family. Can't imagine life without our Tater Tot.

Happy Birthday, T!

2) I'm glad for great friends. I've been through seasons in my life when I have felt so alone. When I felt like there was no one that had my back. That everyone was just going through the motions of friendliness because that was the "Christian" thing to do. But, God has blessed me with this season of life. One in which I not only have real life friends that are tremendous women of God that love, care, and bring out the best in me, but that I also have friends in the blogosphere that have inspired me, encouraged me, and have made this big world so much smaller for me. I heart every one of you....big time.

3) I'm glad that summer is only 3 weeks away for our family (only 14 days of school to be exact!). Although I heart cozy sweaters and hiding my unexercised body behind layers in the fall and winter, I am a summer girl through and through. Sunshine makes my skin happy. Flip flops make my feet happy. And lazy days with nowhere to be but the pool make all of me crazy happy. Summer. Summer. Summer.

4) I'm glad that my church is a Jesus Lovin' church. That it is an honest church. That it is a real church. And that no one pretends to be anything that we're not. We had the Lord's Supper yesterday at church, and it did amazing things for my spirit. Because it wasn't about motions or rituals. It was about wholeness and Jesus. And it doesn't get better than that.

5) I'm glad that my husband is okay with eating pancakes for dinner. Just sayin'.

6) I'm glad that my house is clean. For this 5 minutes.

7) I'm glad that my passport came in the mail on Saturday. Because that means I'm all clear to head out on my big trip with the husband this summer. I still think it is crazy that I had to drop $100 on a passport to go to Canada, but I'm going to just be glad that I get to go. Because it will be fun. And relaxing. And much needed. And because now I'll have my passport all ready to go when the husband decides he needs to whisk me away to Jamaica. Or Barbados. Or Australia. Again. Just sayin'.

8) I'm glad that my parents are in love enough with my 3 rascals that they are actually willing to take them for a whole week while I go on my said trip. Bless my parents' hearts. I've already started praying for them.

9) I'm glad that Keaton doesn't have the Swine Flu. I kid...kinda. He is sick with some whacko virus, and I took him to see the Good Doctor today. Good Doc said we were all clear on the Swine Flu...but, I tend to hold my breath. Because it would be like our family to be the ones that would get something like that. Because that is usually how we roll.

10) I'm glad that my kids use words like "discombobulate" and "enamored" all wrong in sentences. Because I like to giggle.

Gladitude Monday....I'm glad for you.