tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231947862024-03-13T06:35:36.574-04:00Flying on Wings Like EaglesKelseyAHarrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08951523466840739799noreply@blogger.comBlogger411125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-25455448929740041822023-01-15T21:13:00.000-05:002023-01-15T21:13:04.108-05:00Eight Years and Three MonthsToday is January 15, 2023. It has been a while. Eight years and three months since my last post. I don't even know where to begin. I don't think I can except to say that every. single. thing. about my life since the last entry has changed. Gone is that husband, the house, the homeschooling, and even having children at home. Nothing is the same. Many times I have thought about this KelseyAHarrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08951523466840739799noreply@blogger.com0North Carolina, USA35.7595731 -79.0192996999999917.4493392638211517 -114.17554969999999 64.06980693617885 -43.863049699999991tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-5961954197361800102014-05-24T14:38:00.000-04:002014-05-25T07:44:44.902-04:00Teaching from a State of Rest Four years of homeschooling and I am burnt out. I am tired of the planning, the workbooks, the memorized lists, the lack of motivation, the cheerleading to overcome the lack of motivation, the weight of the responsibility, the guilt when I know it hasn't been a great learning day, the comparison to others, the panic of the future, the test score freak-out, and did I mention the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-64733608686154496472013-09-16T21:36:00.001-04:002013-09-16T21:36:22.106-04:007I am in the middle of re-reading portions of the book, 7. Rocking my world with every word. Lest you be confused, this is not related to the Brad Pitt - dark and rainy during the entire thing - seven deadly sins - scarred me for life - wish I had never seen it movie by the same name. This book by Jan Hatmaker reads like every battle I have waged over the past year with where andAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-83986088588640126942013-09-16T21:27:00.003-04:002013-09-16T21:27:42.679-04:00Da da da da da da da....feeling lousyI received a text this week. It said, "Blog, please." I have been engrossed in too many things lately, none of which involved anything remotely with exercising one of my personal delights - writing. In fact, I had just about given it up to be honest. At one time, I felt stressed and burdened about continuing this thread of musings and memory documentation. Stress and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-30922337650974462502013-07-11T10:46:00.003-04:002013-07-11T19:03:16.005-04:00A Snipit of a YearHello old friend. You know when it has been a long time since you visited your blog? When you have to go through the steps to reset the login and password because you have completely forgotten them. I have a couple of standard logins and passwords, but since some merger of blogger a year or so ago I had to reset some things about the time I abandoned this blog. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-32111247249168740532012-05-02T07:46:00.001-04:002012-05-02T07:46:58.812-04:00The truth...We have spent the past week doing test preparation. Our test is not until May and our preparation is not driven by it. However, I have found that the test prep books are a good way to see where I might have dropped the ball on subjects covered. So far, I can say we are in great shape. I did notice Lily needs to learn the difference between fiction, non-fiction, and biography. She also needs Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-4099204341506894442012-05-02T07:44:00.001-04:002012-05-02T07:44:23.957-04:00Lily-ismsLily came into the bathroom where I was getting ready for the day. She had chosen an outfit that looked good and shoes that were cute, just not together. I tried to explain to her that they didn't exactly match and why. Visualize large purple and light blue dotted outfit and hot pink small polka dotted shoes. Her response, "Mom, its not about the shoes, its about the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-73055754931991030442012-04-17T17:00:00.000-04:002012-04-17T17:00:30.098-04:00Odds & EndsTwo times in as many days someone has referred to my Sadie as having a Tatum O'Neal look going. I believe one said the Paper Moon/Bad News Bears time period, not her adult cocaine days (whew!). I think it must be the reemergence of freckles on her face from being in the spring sun. I checked it out on google images and well, maybe it is her Doppelganger?
Lily is obsessed Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-62642843697143773922012-04-05T07:15:00.000-04:002012-04-05T07:15:42.095-04:00Springtime JoyIt is springtime which is the signal of many things in the Dumoulin house - the start of our garden, the collection of many critters who now reside in our "backporch zoo," late dinners due to outdoor play, a desire for our typical routine and schedule to change. I am antsy for the school year to end which makes it doubly hard to hunker down and complete our daily academic tasks.
Sadie's Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-42820097821023236892012-04-05T06:52:00.001-04:002012-04-05T06:54:21.998-04:00Chef SadieSadie made her first casserole, Chicken Divan, completely from scratch last night. After reviewing the recipe and instructions with her, I went out side to muck some chicken coops. After an appropriate length of time had passed, she announced that it was in the oven. After finishing up our "farm duties" we went inside to eat dinner. I have to say that it was the BEST casserole I have ever had.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-837255485809365672012-04-05T06:48:00.000-04:002012-04-05T06:48:25.522-04:00We made the leap into the poultry world in November. I have become...a chicken farmer. The idea was to get 4-5 hens and maybe one rooster to learn about life, responsibility and for a little fun. It is not surprising that Sadie was the initiator of this adventure. As I type this we have about 40 chickens in our backyard. Yes, 40! I came home one Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-77511903206947796612012-02-28T09:25:00.000-05:002012-02-28T09:25:11.853-05:00Our Typical Week...For those considering more seriously about homeschooling, here is an idea of how our week typically runs. We spend the core of our day doing our Language Arts and Math block, opting to tackle this first. The girls have learned that when that is completed, they are allowed a break. Then we reconvene to complete science, history, geography, and bible. After our "formal" Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-43673955817030735512012-02-17T08:48:00.005-05:002012-02-17T09:20:24.326-05:00Homeschool 101Lately, I have fielded an enormous amounts of inquiries regarding homeschooling. Understandably, it is that time of year when most private schools asks parents to make re-enrollment decisions. Other parents begin asking themselves if their child is in the best environment possible. It is my opinion that twice a year, parents should evaluate what their child is learning and Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-47343419990173778872012-01-01T22:20:00.002-05:002012-01-02T09:51:53.329-05:00Life lessons from my 30sI have had a couple of days to come down off my birthday project high. It has given me some time to reflect on two eventful days that nearly collide together each year, my birthday and the new year. It is all a little more monumental this year as I turned 40. Naturally with that comes surveying the landscape of my 30s.
In a nutshell, my thirties were a time of great upheaval, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-73512833506124714162011-12-31T09:58:00.002-05:002011-12-31T15:16:14.133-05:00The Birthday ProjectMy birth date, December 30th, has long been riddled with problems my entire life. If you have a birthday between Christmas and New Year's then you know what I am saying. Expectations are always set for a great day, but they never seem to materialize. People forget, gifts are combined with Christmas, no one is in town, the plans of New Year's Eve the next night supersede any Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-70843645780552282442011-12-05T09:09:00.000-05:002011-12-05T09:09:10.640-05:00Well, hello there little blog. It has been a while, my friend. No documenting of our lives has occurred in nearly three months and that just has to be ok with me. A quick list of things that have happened in the last few months that should have warranted some mention, but just haven't:
1. Lily had eye surgery to correct her accommodating esotropia in November. The muscle Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-86754342166645366242011-09-22T20:52:00.001-04:002011-09-23T11:39:17.765-04:00A Day in the Life...and it is killing me.You know when you have a day where it seems every minute is planned? I had one of those days today. In fact, every day since school began has been those days. I wanted to document just one day in order to remember when I am old, the kids are gone, and I am retired and I declare to my now adult children, "I am so busy!"
4:45 am Alarm goes off. I lie there for a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-17599841005331141352011-09-20T16:08:00.000-04:002011-09-20T16:08:18.436-04:00This is how life is rolling these days at the Dumoulin house...
Last week, I went to 7 doctors appointments. One for Ethan, one for Lily and 5, yes, 5 for me.
Ethan's appointment was to confirm no additional complications from a marathon viral infection that lastest 12 days, missing 6 days of school. This week he is finally recovering some of his energy he lost from a constant fever for that Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-15739153570157150942011-09-15T08:07:00.000-04:002011-09-15T08:07:19.647-04:00There are times in your life, moments really, when you know what you are experiencing can only be the work of God. I am in one of those moments. There have been four of these clear touches over the last two weeks. It has left me stunned.
I had been struggling with several situations over the past month or so. I could not let the emotions of the situations go. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-37043903338439085642011-09-11T21:42:00.000-04:002011-09-11T21:42:30.341-04:00Where Was I?I was seven months pregnant and had an early morning ob-gyn appointment. I left the appointment and headed to my job as an Account Manager for a publication serving the home furnishings industry. As I pulled into the parking lot, I remember distinctly, the radio dj announcing that a "small plane, like a cessna" had hit one of the World Trade Towers. At that point,Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-52124438239089475322011-09-10T15:57:00.003-04:002011-09-12T07:50:40.277-04:00Things I Find Fantastic1. Fishing
2. Kettle Chips
3. Alone time with my family of five
4. Teaching History
5. Chicken Curry dish at Saffron India Restaurant
6. Researching chickens- as in raising them
7. Homemade French Toast with real french toast
8. Decorative edge paper punches
9. Duck Tape crafts
10. Foreign language films, particularly the run of Dutch ones Jay has played every nightAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-62498948439932917522011-09-06T10:40:00.001-04:002011-09-06T20:36:02.279-04:00Not Today.I am hiding in my room. Yes, hiding. For the moment I cannot deal with my middle child, my stomping, slinging, irritated, grumpy, frustrated middle child. All of this energetic display over...long division. She knows how to do it, but just doesn't want to do it. Can I blame her? I hated it. Yet, the workbook pages are there, empty, waiting. Not onlyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-55087345385770825802011-08-31T19:30:00.000-04:002011-08-31T19:30:47.155-04:00Two Lessons from an Eleven Year OldHaving faith like a child. It has been more than that from my oldest. He has become the teacher. It has caused me to think deeply about many of my positions and statements. It has been humbling.
This year, the eldest has taken a vested interested, rather, determined to be friends with everyone in his class, from the quasi-bully to the meek to the semi-irritating. This is a trait he exhibitedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-27332163488934406432011-08-28T15:12:00.000-04:002011-08-28T15:12:55.052-04:00End of School Year ReviewSchool ended. It ended nearly 2 months ago and I let it slip by with nary a mention. Ideas for this blog come and go as I go about my days, but they don't find their way onto this screen. My picture taking is down, my scrapbooking nonexistent, documentation of the little things is dwindling.
As I type this, I am sitting in the car heading home from our week at Ocracoke Island. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23194786.post-49335306548826535932011-08-28T10:28:00.001-04:002011-08-28T15:27:54.846-04:00If you could understand the motives of my heart.
If you could understand the depth of my concern and love for you.
If you could understand that seeing your world start to crumble is nearly as painful for me as it is you.
If you could understand that I am willing to damage and possibly sacrifice my relationship with you for you.
If you could understand that I was coming from a place of Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0