Colder than cold!!

I absolutely love living in "The Great White North", but it can get a little trying when it gets as cold as it has been the last week. The temperatures yesterday were so cold that the schools were all closed. But, with homeschooling, my kids still had to do schoolwork. Today, it has been above zero - believe it or not, I think that's almost warm! In any case, our home has been nice and warm.

I went to Houston last weekend for my college roommate's 40th birthday. It was a surprise for her that I was coming - and was she surprised!! I had a great time seeing her again. We went out and ate boiled crawfish (one of my favorite meals). Her husband had planned the entire weekend without her knowledge. There was a birthday party at a restaurant with his and her parents, friends, and some of her friends from high school. She knew about none of this! It was a blast!

Our family sat down last week and redid our chore lists for everyone. Previously, I had listed out what everyone needs to do and when. This didn't really seem to be working as well as I would have liked. So, this time, we worked together to list all the routine work that needs to be done and divided it up with each person volunteering for his/her favorite (or least offensive, at least) chores. I also have set it up so that one child helps me with the kitchen and the other with the laundry. We switch off who it is each month. Ideally, I would like to teach them to manage the laundry and to plan/cook/serve meals and clean up afterwards. Right now, I just want the basic housework to get done even if I'm not feeling well.

It has been a week and the kids seem to think that our system is working pretty well right now. I still have to remind the kids to get some stuff done. L was not too happy about having to help me with laundry because the basement is so cold right now. But, we're figuring it all out. I'm optimistic about it.

I got the kids signed up for dance for this semester. They love their classes, but I am having to drive to Point twice a week. L takes jazz (a new class for her) and tap on Monday and ballet on Tuesday. C takes jazz on Tuesday. Our carpoolling system for Tuesdays is a little complicated, but I think it will end up being OK. There are three families that are carpooling for Tuesdays.

P is taking a reading class this semester. It is a class to help him work with kids who may show up for his classes with poor reading skills. He is also glad to learn more about how kids learn to read, given C's dyslexia. But, P just got home from class, so I'm off to talk to him - he's been gone almost all day and evening! And, I'm going to sit in my rocker with my feet on my footwarmer and my hat on my head and be warm!!