Random Thoughts...

I guess I haven't posted with previously noted fervor over the past two weeks due to illness and starting a new job. I've been either here or there, cleaning the kitchen or making dinner and the like. The new job is horseback riding lessons, which is fun and rewarding, but also a huge change in pace for me since I have been working from home for a while now. Plus, my brain is a little fried from doing so many lesson plans... I don't know how teachers and homeschoolers do it all!
Lesson plans for this week:

1. Private art lesson for rambunctious 7 year old that must include learning one of the elements of design while having fun
2. Private art lesson for calm, type A personality, artistically talented 4 year old that will include concepts and instructions that she can understand while having fun with art
3. Riding lesson for 5 y. o. boy on a horse that won't budge that must be safe, yet very fun
4. Riding lesson for 5 y. o. girl who's mother stands beside you the whole time and caused the last instructor to loose her job (oh, no, I'm not nervous at all...)
5. Riding lesson for 6 y. o. girl who's mother wants her to learn every possible element of horseback riding that will give her every advantage in the world before they move in one month
6. Hunt-Seat Riding lesson for teenage girl who has put me on this huge pedestal (I haven't ridden hunt-seat in about two years...). If I don't satisfy her English riding needs, the family may relocate to another barn, causing my barn to loose about 600.00 a month - no pressure!!!
7. Group Riding lesson for 3 girls, 11, 12 and 17 (the 17 y. o. has never ridden before - the other girls are way ahead!!!).
8. Riding lesson for girl I have never met and cannot pronounce her name
9. Overall curriculum for 5 day horse camp this summer that I will be running, to be presented to management ASAP
10. Whatever else might come up this week...

Please let me just say that of all these children I am currently teaching (except for 2 that I have not met yet), I truly have no complaints with them. They are all sweet and as obedient as children can be. I love kids and I love teaching. It's just coming up with all of these different plans, none of which have the same objectives or method of execution...

And also, we are still in the throws of negotiation with the little cottage house that we currently live in. It's beginning to get a little ridiculous, if you ask me. We are at the point were it is make or break and we have to consider that the house may not get another offer anytime soon at which we will have to rent it out - NOT at all what we want, but we can't keep paying two mortgages. Oh, and I was sick for about two weeks. I knew I was sick and probably needed some meds, but I had to go to work, which wore me out all the more. Plus, I felt it really was just a cold and my body needed to fight it off on my own. Had it not been for my dear, sweet husband buying Pride and Prejudice on DVD (the Colin Firth/ Jennifer Ehle edition) I may have not been inspired to move at all those two weeks and would have sunk into a bored stupor (we packed up all of our books for the move). Oh yeah, and we are renovating the Foursquare and packing up this house, too. Oh yeah, and I started up that business last summer...

But back to move exciting things like Pride and Prejudice, DVD.... It was great because if I did not want to watch all 6 hours of it (like the embarrassing mother scenes, Mr Collins painful proposal or bad Lydia) I could skip to my favorite ones, like Lizzy and Mr. Darcy's dance at Netherfield, Mr. Darcy's first proposal, Elizabeth first visits Pemberley, Lizzy plays Georgiana's piano at Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's renewal of his addresses, etc. etc. etc. I could even watch the same scene over and over and over again. If you like the book and DVD, this all needs no explanation. You know exactly how I feel...

And on sickness....I think my healing was largely due to "MeMe's Firecrackers." They are these crackers my MIL makes that have crushed red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper on them. It will clean out your sinuses in no time flat! Made me feel so much better. Also, I made myself some cheesy cauliflower soup. I had a meat aversion while sick (a food aversion in general) and this is, for the most part, a vegetarian soup. So yummy. Every time I eat it I feel like someone loves me... I guess it's a comfort soup of sorts.

Oh, and in further affirmation of my fried brain, I discovered this video. I made Sam watch it over and over last night. I was just cracking up and he sat there with a blank stare.

Anyway, you've probably already seen it, but it's funny.

All that to say, I'm caving on coming up with all of my own curriculum. Sam has to go to the local home improvement super store tonight and there is a book super store just a feet away. I buyin' some teachin' books so I can start learnin' some kids more better.