What to say......?

I don't even know what to say these days. I haven't really been overly busy. School is already planned for the first nine weeks. Although I did make another last minute change to curriculum. As I was talking to someone about school, I remembered the Handwriting Without Tears program. We had used Abeka handwriting practice workbooks last year because they just wrote them the way they had learned with HWT. Then I thought about the fact that Katie will be learning cursive this year, which she loves. That brought to mind the cursive instruction program that HWT has and how if I loved it so much with teaching print, then I would probably love it for cursive too, so now I am switching that and have two completely unused handwriting workbooks for sale, ha ha. The Abeka cursive program is sooooo fancy, it drives me crazy. I remember having to work so hard and making all those curls and tails just right, then as we all know, most people adapt their own version of it anyway, so it doesn't do much good. The HWT cursive program is much more simplified and realistic although theirs doesn't start till third grade. I'm going to get it anyway because it is the number one thing Katie has been excited about for this coming school year.

I got my preferred version of the first grade phonics/reading teacher's book from ebay this week. We got it for just $12 including shipping! Gotta love that better than $35 for the new version! I had a previous teacher's book that worked okay but it was the "school" edition and took quite a bit of planning to change what they said for an individual. It didn't matter much for Katie because she already knew all the stuff mostly, but for Noah I want a better plan. He is reading SO WELL so I think first grade won't be that difficult in that department either, but it was a great deal and will be nice to have.

I am restless and ready to start school already. But, we do have a few things planned to do during our time off. We plan on visiting the Chattanooga Zoo with some friends. And there are three movie theaters around us doing cheap/free movies during the weekday mornings.

Noah's birthday is later this month, so that will be fun. Instead of a party, he is choosing to go on a "shopping spree!" I know he will have a blast.

Then, in July, we are hopefully going to hit the road with Corey for some business trips. Philadelphia/New York, and Chicago are on the hope list for those. We actually hope to join the chattanooga zoo as members, so then we will get free admission to many zoos around the country, something we might could really take advantage of with the traveling we will be doing. If admission isn't free it is at least 50% off the rest of the zoos around the country, but mostly they are free. You actually get into more free with the chatt. zoo than with atlanta zoo membership! crazy!

OH! We also registered for the Southeast Homeschool Expo on July 30-31st in Atlanta. The last time we went was in.....2007, the summer before we started our first year of homeschooling. Katie was starting prek and noah prek also. It was a lot of fun, and we saw some really cool stuff, including the Handwriting Without Tears that we ended up using. I have been wanting to go again, and even though I already have everything we need for this coming year, we are going. They had a special offer that the first 1000 people to register get a free year membership in Homeschool Legal Advantage, which I have been meaning to do anyway. We probably won't go both days of the expo, but there are a few workshops I want to sit in on and there were so many cool freebies last time, like pencils, pens, magnets, etc, ha ha, I love freebies!

I gotta keep myself busy and I think we will be able to do that easily this summer!

If only I had a trip to Disney World on the calendar, then it would be perfect! ha ha!