Day two

Today's school didn't seem to take as long but since I realized that I was late for an online session with the school administrator, I guess it was okay. I had a whole lot of trouble getting on to the session and by the time I figured out what I was doing, it should have been mostly over but they were having trouble too and they ended up rescheduling for next week. I think I am the only parent who actually made it onto the site. They really need to be more helpful in telling parents how to participate in things like that.
The kids are playing on line games again at PBS.Kids. They love it and it is educational. I got permission to take the kids to the fair and have it count for 2 hours of Science so we are going to the Fair on Thursday since kids get in free that day. YEAH!!!!! Meanwhile I have to figure out how to log in the hours we did yesterday and today. Ia m not sure how to categorize them.
The kids have done really well though. Kalista was up before 6:30 this morning so she will be good and tired at bedtime. I was up at 5:30 in order to make Doug breakfast. He doesn't want it everyday but maybe once a week I will get up early and make a nice breakfast. Eventually it may turn into an everyday thing but for now once a week is good for me. I was in bed by 9:30 last night. This school thing is sure changing our lives! AWANA starts next week, I think and that will change things too. Many changes this year. We haven't even gotten into the thick of school yet! YIKES! it is going to be busy.
Well take care everyone. I would love to hear how you all are doing!

First Day of School

Well, today we started school. I have no idea how it is going, to be honest. I haev gone over the lesson plans the teacher sent and I did a few extra activities of my own. We also went fora walk. the kids have had luncha nd then spent 30 minutes playing educational games on their school sites. Apparently this is acceptable. they are now having quiet time. I want to go to bed but supper needs to be made and the house needs to be cleaned. There are still a few things we need to do for today but I may wait for Doug as I can't get the kids to understand what I am asking of them. Actually the problem is that they are supposed to answer questions and then make up their own and they don't understand that. Maybe Doug can help.
Please be praying for us as we are all going to be adjusting. this week will be easier then the rest as they don't want to overwhelm the kids with a ton of work. We also don't have the real curriculum yet either. That should come this week. I hope so because I am lost.

Busy,Busy, Busy! Again!

WOW! This past weekend was CRAZY!!!! It was supposed to be a slow weekend. the only one we are going to be home for this month however, I had to clean for a sleepover I was having, Doug helped, thank goodness. I also baked for the pot-luck at out church. Doug and I were scheduled to do Junior Church on Sunday so we had to come up with a craft and pictures to color and a snack. After we came up with our ideas for both the snack and craft, I had to do the shopping. once that was done, Doug had to do a small bit of work and then I put together small bags with the craft pieces in them. I did 35 units. I also put together the snack in the same way. I got in a walk that evening too. I also showered the kids. Sunday morning, I woke up with a sore throat and swollen glands. My Sunday was busier still. I was asked to sing for Sunday school. As you can imagine, swollen glands and a sore throat aren't condusive to singing. I didn't sleep good for the 4 hours that I did sleep and then I was up around 5 AM. I was able to doze in the chair for a while before the kids got up. I also made myself a cup of hot tea loaded with honey and lemon. I HATE THIS but it does wonders for a sore throat and by the time I got the kids up, I was able practice my song, although I couldn't sing loud. Because of the pot luck going on at church, I had been told that the adult sunday school class was going to be in the sanctuary. Since the Worship team usually practices before Sunday Schol I figured I would have to be at church extra early in order to go over my song. I got to church and found that Sunday School had been moved back to where it usually is in the Fellowship hall. I was still able to practice but I didn't need to be at church quite so early. this is okay though. I took a cup of my special tea with me to keep my throat in good condition. So I sang at the end of Sunday School. Because of the song, I decided that I wanted to sing out of sight of everyone so that they could focus on the words that were being sung, not the person singing them. This made it really nice. I think more Special music should be done this way. People wouldn't worry so much about how they looked and concentrate more on singing well and clearly. So, After Sunday School, I made juice to go along with our snakc and then wen to set up a room for Junior church. Junior church is also usually done in the Fellowship hall but was moved because of the pot-luck. this did not change. However the alternate place for Junior Church is usually the basement but because of resent flooding, the basement had been torn up and nothing was ready for us and 25 kids. So we took over a classroom. The kids were dismissed and we had a about 27 kids. It was a small room and this made it loud. As it turns out, not only was Danny there who has a hard time with loud noises. there was at least one other child with noise issues. I think he is Autistic too but I am not sure. I felt sorry for him. Danny made his prblem known and then dealt with it. this other child didn't deal with it quite so well. So we got through Junior Church without any major problems. Doug did the story. I did songs and we taught some of the signs for them songs as well. After Junior churhc was the pot-luck. I went through first and got the kids situated with their food and then got back in line for my own food. By this time, I was flagging, big time. After eating and visiting a little with the church family, I grabbed the kids and headed home. Doug had a meeting and then he was headed up to his father's church to preach for their evening service. Our church had an afternoon service, which we didn't stay for. I got home and put the kids down for quiet time and then took a two hour nap myself. I got up and started getting ready for the arrival of 6 girls who were sleeping over. I baked a few more pizza crusts so that my family could ahve pizza as well as the girls. I also made brownies and cleaned up the kitchen. The girls were all supposed to bring a favorite topping for the pizza, a snack to share and something to drink. I was going to provide the pizza crust, sauce and cheese. Well, I didn't have enough cheese. When Doug got home I sent him out to get more cheese and paper plates. One of the girls showed up a little after 7. The rest of the girls didn't get here until between 8:30 and 9 PM. The kids kept us entertained while we waited for the other girls to arrive. once they did, they made their pizzas and opened their snacks, which was mostly candy! We arranged the TV so it was visible to all and then started a movie. Movies was all the girls did all night. I went to bed at 2 AM, unable to keep my eyes open any longer. When Doug got up at 5 AM they were still up and watching a movie. They were kind enough to take care of an issue with Danny that came up in the middle of the night that I didn't hear.Some of the girls were picked up around 10:30. Thankfully they all got some breakfast before they left. The rest of the girls left around 11 AM. The rest of my Monday was spent in a daze as I was still so tired. Today the kids went to do school at Beth's. I worked on getting the computers ready for school. Doug finally got the computers hooked up to the internet. We ahd to log in before the enrollment process was finished so I did that this morning. Now I have to wait to hear from the children's online teacher who will walk me though the rest of everything in order to be ready for school by August 27. Which is this coming Monday. The down side of this is that the kids and I were supposed to go to Columbus on Thursday and stay until Saturday. Depending on when we hear from the teacher and I get everything ready for school, we sill still try and get a short visit in but I am going to be majorly stressed!!! Sunday Morning I am supposed to sing with the worship team so I will need to be at church early again. Hopefully it will be a more relaxed day.Our September is starting to shape up into a very busy month as well. On the 1st, I have a wedding to attend with my mother. The 8th is a personal shower for the bride of the wedding I am in. the 22nd is the Curtis Family reunion. You can pray for us on ths day as it will be a bitterseet day for us. My father is the one who reinstated these reunions. He wouldn't have been happy if we decided not to have one this year. Unfortunately it was hard to schedule this year so it is later in the year then usual. It was kind of nice though because, in order to get it scheduled, we had a lot of e-mail traffic from the family to figure things out and to plan for future reunions. I am scheduled to sing with the Worship team two Sundays in September and who knows what will land on our schedule between now and then end of September. Well, I think I have caught you all up on the goings on at our house.

Friday

Well, we didn't get to the zoo yesterday. Linda called early to tell me that she had hurt her knee the day before and didn't want to spend the whole day walking on it. She had also gotten a call from her father to tell her that her mother was back in the hospital. Something about her gallbladder and water on her lungs. I got to talk to Grandma Wesner on the phone last night and she sounded good. She said there was a party going on in her hospital room because "EVERYONE" was there. She is loved, that is for sure. Linda is headed out to visit them the first week of September. She offered to let us come with her but I will have just started school with the kids and want a little more time to figure things out before I try to pack them up and do school on the go. The Lap top that Danny got has Wireless capabilities so as long as we can log into Kali's account from his laptop, we should be able to do school as we travel. I am praying that is the case. Doug can never take vacation during the summer so school time is now the only option we have.
Today is much cooler then yesterday and I have plans to take the kids out to play soon. I also need to finish up my laundry and do a little bit of cleaning up. We are headed to my mother's this evening for dinner. Doug was supposed to have a Photo gig but the person called and asked to postpone it for a week or two. It was going to happen at Mom's house and she was really excited to see us. So we are going to go anyway. Mom called me this morning. She has to make an appearance at a Picnic for the school in order to be introduced as new faculty. She will meet us at her home and we should be able to have the food ready for her when she gets there. She was also heading out for her walk with her new CD player. She was then going to go out and buy a new car, which she desperately needs and also go to a Piano show and possibly get a new piano. She is planning on setting up a Piano studio in what used to be the dining room. We are so Thankful that God has sent a Godly Financial advisor to her.

Pictures

This is a picture of the kids with their Aunt Bethie. The Zoo has a dinosaur exhibit right now and Kali was so excited about it. they are animatronic dinosaurs and they piped in the noise and stuff, which we had to explain to Daniel by showing him the speakers in the trees and tell him that the dinosaurs were just big toys. After that he was fine.
Yesterday the kids and I went up to Lake Erie to play at the beach and Aunt Bethie went with us. We went in the morning and the beach was basically empty. It was nice. The water was warm and there were big waves for us to play in. We also played int eh sand and fed the seagulls, which Kali loved!!!!!! I thought we were going to get attacked by the whole flock but it was fun to through bread int eh air and watch the birds catch it before it landed.
We didn't stay too long because Beth had to get home and get some work done. They are going on a trip this weekend and she needed to be ready.
While on our way home I talked to Doug's mother and asked if they wanted to go to the zoo with us today, since Linda is done working now that Sparkle has closed. Linda said she could go but that Dad couldn't. This morning she called to tell me that her knee was bothering her and she didn't think it would be a good idea to walk around on it all day so our plans are scratched for today. She also got a cal from her father in Michigan. Her mother is in the hospital. It sounds as if it is a gallbladder attack but they can't do anything right now because she has water on her lung or lungs, we aren't sure which. Linda is planning on going up to see them in a week or two. Please pray for them, and for Linda. Their names are Art and Irene Wesner.
Well, I will work on finding some more pictures from the zoo to post in a while. I was so mad at myself for not taking the camera with me yesterday up to the beach!!! It is water proof! Oh well. Hopefully we will get another chance to go before the water gets cold again!
Have a great Day!!!!!

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Busy Busy Busy

Hey All,
We finally got both computers and Doug has them set up. We couldn't connect them to the internet though so I had to call and see what they told us to do. Doug figured we would have to get a router in order to connect all three computers to the internet. That is what the school told me but they don't provide that so we have to buy one. I think they should provide it since we only need it when we have the school computers but oh well.
Doug's birthday was very nice. The kids and I decorated the house and I cleaned all day last Monday. I cooked a nice meal and made Carrot cake, which Doug loves. When he came home from work, the kids hid under the table and when he opened the door, they yelled "SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" He was THRILLED with this reception. He had to run out to the DMV and renew not only his licence but also the tags on both cars. On Thursday we went to Doug's parents house for a birthday dinner with his family too. We had steak and potato casserole, green beans, corn on the cob, salad and I made a double chocolate Pumpkin cheesecake. The cheese cake took forever to make but it was worth it. It was better then I ever imagined, if I do say so myself.
I had invited Momma to come too but she had just gotten back from her vacation and was tired. She also had to unpack the car and return it to the rental place. When she got her car back she found that it needed to go into the garage. So, her plans for Friday, which had been to run a lot of errands and maybe come up here to see Grandma and Grandpa and us too fell through. I called her Friday morning and asked if we could come visit her since she couldn't come see us. She was thrilled to have us visit. When I got there I had her hop in the car and we went to the Market for lunch. (Ask if you don't know what I am talking about.) when we got home We read some e-mail about a project Mom is thinking about starting and then just kind of hung out for the afternoon. The kids played really well. I called Doug and he said we didn't have to rush home so we ate dinner with Mom and then headed home. I made a stop to see a friend's mother and chatted with her for a few minutes and then I had to stop to get gas. I also had to go the long way home since two roads that I usually take are closed for construction for a while. So I also stopped by the Johnson's to say Hi and say goodbye to their son who was headed back to Cedarville for the school year. I stayed for a while and visited with them too.
The kids and I got home around 8 PM. I got them ready for bed and then we did devotions and put them down. After they were in bed, I decided to go out for a walk. On my walk I met up with family friends and chatted with them for a while. It was a nice evening. Until I remembered that I had to go and buy a birthday gift for a party that the kids and I were going to on Saturday morning. while at Walmart I ran into a lady from church who is moving tomorrow and we talked for about 40 minutes in the parking lot. I was home late!!! I had to stay up even later to wrap the gift and get things ready for Saturday. Not only was there a birthday party but our church was having a picnic that we were going to go to as well.
the kids and I went to the party and we had a good time. It was at Lake County Metro Parks Farmpark which is basically a large farm. They have tons of animals and PONY RIDES!!1 The kids were excited about this. I didn't think that Danny would want to get on the pony but he climbed right on and rode around without any fear. I think it helped to see a lot of other kids doing it first. We got home from the birthday party at 1:45. I insisted on a quiet time and while the kids were "napping" I cleaned the house. I decided not to go to the church picnic. It would have been too much for us. After the kids "nap" I put in a movie and finished cleaning. Once the movie was over and I was done getting the house in order, I grabbed a bag of old bread an the kids and I walked over to the fair grounds and fed the fish int he Natural resource area pond. then we walked over to another pond near by and looked for frogs and fed a duck. The kids had fun but I was tired. I had been on my feet a lot throughout the day. So we went home and Daddy was home from the church picnic. I made supper and then I gave the kids hair cuts and showered them. After the shower they watched a short video and then went to bed. Once the kids were in bed, I decided to try and go for another walk. I walked for a while but was ready to get off my feet by the time I was done. I went home and get breakfast ready for Sunday morning and got ready for bed. I slept really well that night and so did the kids. I had to get up early for Sunday because I had to be at church by 9 AM. I had breakfast ready on time and the kids and I were ready before Doug which is rare. We got to church in plenty of time. Danny was in a great mood. He actually wanted to go to Sunday school. That doesn't happen much. He usually tells us that he doesn't want to go and that he is scared. We know that there is nothing to be afraid of and he never has any real problems so we were thrilled when he wanted to go. The rest of the day was pretty normal. Today I had some work to do on the computer and I need to straighten up the house and catch up on things. Later on this week I am having about6 girls over for a sleep over. Two of them are leaving for Israel and I wanted to do something for them with their friends. I wish I could fit more girls in my apartment but as it is, it may be a little cramped. I have personal pizza crusts all made for them and they are going to bring toppings and drinks and chips. They are going to watch Jane Austen movies all night so something like that. I will enjoy being with them as I can pretend I am young again. Well, that is all my news for now. I know I talked a lot didn't I? Oh well. I would love to hear from you all! I will post some pictures from this weekend as soon as I can.

Today is Doug's birthday!!!!!

click on the images if you want to see them a little better

Here are some pics of the kids swimming last Wednesday. I tried to get some underwater pictures of Kali but I couldn't see and so I couldn't aim the camera right. I also found out later that I Was way too close to get a good picture. I do have a ocuple interesting pictures where you can see her mouth wide open and bubbles coming out of her mouth and nose but even then, it is only half of her head.

Well, we got the lap top last Friday, almost two weeks before they said it would come. We still haven't gotten the desk top for Kali though. If it doesn't come today, I will call them and ask about it.

It seems to be muggy today. It is supposed to get up around 88 today but I am hoping that the cloud cover will keep that from happening. It supposedly feels like it is 81 already even though it is only 77 degrees.

I need to do house work today and I might just turn the air on for a while this morning while I work and hopefully it will stay cool and take the humidity out of the house. I hate working when it is hot and muggy but I hate having my house a mess too.

I went to a bridal shower yesterday for a girl that I wen to high school with. I am actually in her wedding in October. I didn't know very many people. Actually, other then the Bride and her mother, I only knew 4 people, but I had a good time and it was nice to meet the other bridal attendants. I heard one of them comment yesterday that it was nice that we all got along. I hadn't really thought about that since every wedding I have ever been in, the bridal party got along but I suppose it is a valid argument. Anyway, the Bride is Roman Catholic and so this will be a different experience for me. The shower was different then what I am used to as well. They had it at a catering place and had as much food as at a wedding reception. The whole bridal party sat at a table int eh front, facing the rest of the rest of the group. Since I haven't ever done that, it was good practice for me for the actual wedding. It will be the first wedding where I don't get to be with my husband. My first wedding where I HAVE to dance (with a complete stranger) and where there will be toasting and such. I am now nervous about dancing, since I have never really done it before except with my husband who isn't much of a dancer anyway.

Today is Doug's birthday. Because of this, I have decided to definitely turn the air on and work hard to get the house clean. I will also be baking a carrot cake, since that is his favorite and making a nice meal. I will have to hit the store but I shouldn't need to much. The kids want balloons and streamers so I may do that too. The family is getting together on Thursday for dinner at Doug's parents. We have a small gift for him and he got his gift from the kids last week for the White water rafting trip. He needed water shoes so the kids got him a pair. Not very exciting but it works. I might pick up a few new t shirts, since h always needs those. Maybe a pair of jeans too.

So that is life today. Hope you all have a great week!

Home schooling

Danny and Kali doing school work at their desks at Aunt Bethie's.

Well I got a call yesterday from OHDELA telling me that Danny qualified for a laptop. I have bene waiting for Kali's desktop to arrive since Tuesday. Kali's printer arrived on Monday. today we got a printer for Danny and we got a box with a power strip, a desk microphone and a USB 2 storage port. I expect that we should get the same for Kali too.

Doug has been getting more business for photography lately. He is doing a wedding reception for a family member of a friend of mine. He felt it would be very irresponsible to do this job without a back up camera. Since his camera broke at Ed and Tina's wedding he has been very worried about this. He made the decision to purchase a back up camera on Tuesday. He had it overnighted so it showed up this morning. Actually the old camera will be the back up. We talked a lot about this and prayed about it a lot. We weren't sure what to do for a while. This purchase was made with business money.

WOW!!! It has been a while!

I have to admit that I don't enjoy writing as much when I don't hear back from people. It seems like a waste of time. However, I will try to bring you all up to date on the happenings here in the Chandler house.
Since the 4th of July we have had several outings, one to the zoo. A couple to area parks. The kids have also continues with their school times with their Aunt Bethie. She has worked wonders in them this summer. Daniel started reading a couple weeks ago. We are so excited by this major hurdle that has been crossed. I am pretty sure that Kali wont be far behind, especially since she wants to keep up with Danny as much as possible.
In July, I went on a trip to PA with my Mom and sister and Aunt for a baby shower for Ed's wife, Tina. We are so excited to welcome little baby boy Curtis to this world. Not that his first name is Curtis. We wont know his first name until after he is born. While on this trip, the kids split their time between Aunt Bethie and their Dad. We have had play dates with friends from church and today, we are going swimming at a friends house.
We have plans to another trip to the zoo next week and I want to get the kids out as much as possible. A trip up to the beach would be fun too. Maybe an outing for our family to do int he evening. Maybe even bring along the grandparents. The kids would love that! I think they would too. I don't know how it would effect Dad's allergies though.
Momma is in Wisconsin visiting Marcus and Elizabeth and Hosanna this week and will go to Music College in Chicago next week.
Momma has been offered a job in a Christian School as a music teacher. It sounds to be exactly what she needs. It should fit her pretty well. She will hopefully be getting some health insurance too.
As I sit here typing this, the kids are eating breakfast. Anne of Green Gables is on the TV and I am getting ready to get dressed and do some exercise. I will need to figure out what to do with the morning with the kids. I have laundry to fold, but I want to work with them on their reading skills too. Maybe run some errands.
Well, I hope that you are all doing well.