Busy Days...

I have quite the busy week, so if you don't hear much from me, you'll at least know why.

Today is my only day with nothing on beside our normal school schedule. After we finish school (around 4 PM), I need to grade some papers for my Advanced Writing Class -- need to get those done this afternoon. The essays were written in-class, which means I have to deal with deciphering messy handwriting. Joy. Tonight I need to write up at least one if not two grammar tutorials for my friend Carmen's community college class. I'll at least get the one on adverbs done tonight, and hopefully get a good start on the conjunction/interjection/preposition one.

Tuesday I have my Lady Bereans Bible study at Lake Murray, so that's a 70-mile round trip, taking the two younger boys with me. I prepared the lesson on 2 Peter 1:12-21 yesterday, so at least that's all done. Kim asked me to finish the discussion for her as she has to leace for a doctor's appointment halfway through the class. I also need to stop by Henry's and pick up some spelt spaghetti noodles for Thursday. I will be home with J and B by 1 PM, eat lunch, and then get the school ball rolling with all the subjects we do together like language arts, Latin, Bible, vocabulary, spelling, history, literature, poetry, etc. They spend the morning doing their own math and other individual tasks whether they're with me (the two youngers) or at home (the two olders). Tuesday night is our town's monthly Writer's Workshop, and we'll be workshopping a short story by Dave. He's a great fiction writer, so I'm really looking forward to the experience. Unfortunately, I've been too busy to write much more than blog entries (if that) lately; someday I will have time to write! Perhaps if I said "no" once in a while to all the good opportunities that come my way.... Yes, I know. I read myself that lecture all too often. You don't have to. :)

On Wednesday after our own school, I have two students to tutor for an hour each on writing (2-4 PM), then I want to attend the Lenten Study in Alpine with the Anglicans. I've always wanted to read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, and I'd love to do so with Father Acker and the Anglican group, especially since we're doing it for Logos (our church's literary discussion group) in a month or two. I won't be home until about 8:30 PM, and I have Class Day to prepare for (and need to somehow, sometime grade the twelve essays for the Intermediate Class, too). And somehow also read the first five chapters of Screwtape before 6 PM....

Thursday -- Valentine's Day. It's also Class Day which means leaving the house with all four kids, their homework for their classes completed, their lunches (and mine) packed, all of us dressed according to the dress code, and with something for the dessert buffet that we're having at lunch to celebrate St. Valentine's Day. Oh, yes -- and the kids have to have their Valentines written up for their friends, too. After classes, I need to drop the kids off at my parents' home (at the beach, another 15+ miles from the 35 miles I'm already coming for Class Day) and then meet Keith somewhere for a romantic dinner. The kids and their cousins always spend V Day with my parents who make a wonderful spaghetti dinner (hence the need to pick up gluten-free noodles on Tuesday) and ice cream sundaes for dessert. The kids also make homemade Valentines for Keith and I after dinner. We'll get home at about 10 PM.

Friday morning is chapel with the Anglicans, so I have to leave the house with B (lunches packed) by 8:50 AM. After chapel, I have a chiropractic appointment, then head to Starbucks to do B's school with him, one-on-one. I'll also need to run to Trader Joe's. Then I'll pick up the other three kids from Keith's office after they meet with their math tutor and run any other errands we need to. We also have to go home and finish up a couple of hours of schoolwork. I'd also like to take E to see the U2 3D movie in Mira Mesa, which of course is at least a 100-mile round trip. I don't know if we'll have time, but I hope to.

And Saturday I get to rest. Finally. Laundry, housework, and perhaps time to read and write a bit. At least write in my journal if nowhere else.

So if I'm not around, at least you'll know why. Right?