High School Insanity

On Thursday, Sierra and I finalized her course selections for her first semester with Calvert Virtual Academy. She's enrolled in their "Custom" program, which allows us to choose her curricula from a pretty wide selection of publishers.

We decided to go with APEX Learning Online, which is a completely internet-based program. {Should be perfect for her, considering she was enrolled in Jubilee Academy for years and loved it.}

The only real "bummer" about this is that--being a state funded program (read: public school)--she only has one semester to complete an entire school year's worth of lessons. {Gulp!}

Otherwise, it's summer school. {Insert weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth here.}

This "minor detail" isn't her fault, though. High school enrollment was closed at the time I enrolled Ethan & Abby, and they just now opened it up for second semester. Hence, the time crunch. {Sigh}

Thankfully, Sierra's a pretty determined young lady and when she sets her mind to something--look out! :o) She is ready to blow her monitoring teacher away! {LOL} And because she's so driven, she's allowed to take extra classes in order to fulfill her credit requirements ahead of schedule.

Without further ado, I present her course selections:

• English II - Critical Reading and Effective Writing
• Math Foundations II {Designed to get her math skills up to snuff so she can enroll in Pre-Algebra or Algebra 1 in the fall, followed by Geometry - which she has to pass in order to graduate. Yuck.}
• Biology {She's not looking forward to this one.}
• Psychology {This is the class she's looking forward to the most! No joke.}
• World History {See comments after 'Biology'.}
• Health {Plans to finish this one way early just to "get it done!"}
• Spanish I {She took this during junior high at Jubilee and was hoping to enroll in Spanish II. But since she can't remember how to conjugate a verb...we're starting over. :) }

One last thing, she's hoping to receive Honors credit for these courses (less the math) as well, provided her GPA is high enough. Whew! She'll be one busy little cupcake soon, that's for sure! :o] {And I have a sneaking suspicion I'm going to be busy with homework help, too. Eeek.}

PS: If you wouldn't mind praying for our sanity to remain intact, that would be great. Thanks!

Preparing for a Busy Weekend

We have some serious shopping and errand running to do tonight. I hate "big" shopping as the length of the receipt and the "grand total" always makes me feel a bit sick. But it has to be done because...

This Friday (just two short days from now), Dean will be flying to CA to visit his grandmother, Lyndy. She's been undergoing treatment for cancer and is now under hospice care. :(  He will leave around 5pm to make his 8pm flight. He won't return until Monday afternoon, which means I'll be all alone wallowing in self pity holding down the fort until then.

Also around that same 5 o'clock hour, my mother will be here to pick up my children and take them back to her place. Why? Because I'm going to review PNB's The Sleeping Beauty at 7:30pm in downtown Seattle.

I'm really looking forward to this performance. The Rose Adagio is one of my all-time favorites! And there's just something about hearing those first few notes of the Waltz that immediately puts me in my "happy place". :)  It's a lengthy ballet, too. I won't be home 'til after 11pm.

Then Saturday's church, provided my children are healthy enough by then. I can't have them coughing, sneezing and sputtering their germs all over the place.Yuck!

On Sunday I'm hosting a little jewelry party for our friends, Ken and Trish. (He's simply known as "Necklace Man" on Facebook! :) ) If you're in the area that day or need an excuse to get away from the Super Bowl, come on over! The party starts at 1pm. 

Now. Do you see why tonight's shopping trip is so imperative?

I'm just hoping and praying all goes well for Dean in CA. That and nothing major happens here while he's gone. I mean, aside from my usual "Woe is me, I'm all alone!!!" dramatics.

I may have to squeeze in some extra workouts to keep my mind occupied, as well as have a bunch of friends over to visit. Hey, if you're reading this, consider yourself invited! :)

Sierra -- Da Cake Boss!

Ain't it a beauty? Here's my baby girl's second official class cake! Although she made another one for the family (as well as many others over the years), this one is her latest creation through her Wilton 1 Cake Decorating class, and the one she's most proud of...so far. :)

(By the way, she made the most incredible homemade frosting EVER! That stuff is dangerously tempting and I for one, cannot resist its powerful, hypnotic pull.)

Due to her success, she's been since dubbed The Cake Boss of the family. She's now in charge of all birthday cakes from here on out! :)

Ethan's already got his request in for a Lord of the Rings cake for his 11th birthday in November. Sierra laughed and said she'll write, "Happy Birthday, my Precious!" across the top. Ha ha!

Mommy Bragging Moment!

Attention one 'n all! My girl, Sierra is an official "Instructor in Training" at tae-kwon-do!

Wooohooooooooo!!!!

She'll be working with the lower belts to help them achieve their booty-kickin' goals, M-F. In addition, she also hopes to test for her red belt next month.

Man, I've got the coolest kids....

Ok, I'm done bragging now. Carry on! :)

Mommy's a Runt! :)

Ladies and gentlemen...
I present Exhibits 1-8. The proof of my shrimpy existence! Enjoy... :) (And if you happen to have an old step stool you aren't using, I'd be glad to take it off your hands. Thanks!)

Feel free to double-click on the album for a larger view.

Fashion Show Divas!

Sierra's Brown Belt Test

Now, I can't say for sure if she earned her brown belt or not. However, going by past belt tests she more than likely did. My girl has a real knack for martial arts (or any other sport) and is progressing rapidly through the ranks!

Great job, Sierra! I'm so proud of you! (Now go kick some butt for Momma! Woohoo!) 

Oops! More Birthday Pics

Now that I've become OLD (the date of said happening coinciding with the day my oldest became an Official Teenager), I forgot to post the following birthday pics.

These are of Bear (who will always be known as Bear, despite the frosty look she gives me whenever I call her that in front of her friends) with her gifts from her grandparents; oodles of Neopets and a "Solid Gold Dancer" dress from my Mom, and a new iPod Nano (the big hurkin' 16GB one, not the little 8GB one she was begging for) from Papa Russ, Grandma Deb and Aunt Dyon.

Taekwondo Belt Ceremony

Practicing before class

Pretty girlie

Ethan receiving his green belt! Hooray!

Congratulations, buddy!

Sierra receiving her blue belt! Woohoo!

Great job, bear!