Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Honest. Quirky. Real. Practical tips, candid reviews, and stereotype-smashing humor for homeschooling families.

Weekly Wrap-Up: The one where the wrap-up got a makeover

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Happy Friday, y’all! I’ve got something a little different for you today. It’s a Weekly Wrap-Up makeover! Yep, after over 10 years, the Weekly Wrap-Up is getting a complete overhaul, and I’d love your feedback!

Weekly Wrap-Up

I’ve had people ask why my Weekly Wrap-Up doesn’t focus on homeschooling much these days. One word: teenagers.

Since my youngest is a high school junior who completes her schoolwork independently, I don’t have a lot of fun projects and activities to share.

And, it wouldn’t take long for y’all to get tired of seeing pictures of her sitting on her bed surrounded by school books. Not to mention the fact that I’d have to set my alarm for two or three in the morning to take those pictures.

But, I still enjoy writing the Weekly Wrap-Up and catching up with y’all on a personal level. And, I’m going to need a place to share those home remodel pictures. {grin} And, photos of all the creatures.

So, I thought I’d try a post layout that would allow me (and remind me!) to share little snippets of my life, along with fun and helpful finds from around the Internet. Let me know what you think!

What’s Happening in WUHS World

Our project coordinator called Tuesday. Oh, y’all. He feared that he overwhelmed me with information. Nope, he just got me so stinking excited! I just kept thinking, “Oh, wow. This is really happening!”

On Wednesday, Megan and I took a little road trip to Atlanta to pick her boyfriend up at the airport.

He flew in for a concert they attended Thursday night. Because they were general admission seating, Megan and Jake got to the venue there crazy early – and wound up right in front of the stage! They were second in line to get in, so they were literally standing right up front.

Megan was beyond excited.

Tonight’s plans include a bonfire and s’mores if the weather cooperates. Yeah, I’m totally crashing that part of the party. {grin}

Our big, fur-baby celebrated her 2nd birthday on Thursday. Because all our creatures are rescues, Belle is the only one whose actual birthday I know. And, I’ll always remember it because it’s the day after Halloween.

weekly wrap-up makeover

She loved the party hat. {grin}

I wish this photo hadn’t turned out so blurry. It’s my favorite.

Speaking of Halloween, this is the first year that none of my kids have gone trick-or-treating. {sniff} I mean, yeah, I know my youngest is 17, but still.

Because we don’t get trick-or-treaters where we live, Brian and I went out to dinner and our new favorite place, Lowe’s. The stores were like a ghost town. (See what I did there?)

We decided that we might have to make a tradition of Halloween shopping in the quiet, peaceful stores.

From the Archives

Do you and your family love card and board games? I updated an older post with some of our family’s favorite games. Check it out and see if any of yours are listed.

Can you believe it’s November already? If you’ve got preschoolers, check out this fun craft for retelling story of the first Thanksgiving.

Fun Finds

Here are a couple of great deals you don’t want to miss.

Udemy has their courses on sale up to 90% off. Josh and I enjoy the self-paced video classes. We snagged a couple for just $11.99. The sale ends 11/13/18.

Achieve Your EOY Goals: New Language? New Skill? Courses Now Starting at $11.99

MasterClass has added some new classes, including Tom Morello Teaches Electric Guitar. If you’ve got a music lover, this could be a fantastic Christmas gift. (And elective credit if you’re homeschooling high school.)

Surprisingly Social

Have you seen this video? I saw it on Facebook a while back, and it makes me laugh every single time I watch it. And, every time I watch it, I have to watch it over and over so I can keep my eye on a different cat each time.

It totally seems like something my dogs would do.

In Case You Missed It

If you didn’t catch yesterday’s post, What You Need to Know About Homeschooling Kids with OCD, from contributing writer Adrienne Bolton of The Mommy Mess, please take a minute to read it.

Adrienne and I have both dealt with mental health issues in our family, and we think it’s time to start some conversations. The stigma surrounding mental illness needs to end. Families need to understand that they’re not alone.

You’re not alone.

The balancing act between guarding our families’ privacy and starting conversations is a delicate one, but we’re going to give it a shot.

Q&A

People often ask if we’re still using Trail Guide to Learning. We’re not, only because Geography Matters hasn’t completed the series through high school and my youngest is 17. We used Paths of Settlement and Paths of Progress. That was as far as the series went at the time.

However, we loved it and I highly recommend it!

Do you have any questions? Leave them in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them.

What Y’all Loved in October

This is where I’ll be sharing the top posts from my site each week or, like today, the month that just ended. These three posts are ALWAYS my top three:

Seriously. Always. So, I’m going to skip them when I share the top posts, so hopefully, we’ll have a little variety. So, besides those posts, the top posts in October were:

Now, I’m off to enjoy a fun weekend with family – all of my family. Brianna and Andrew are visiting, too! My mama’s heart is full

Don’t forget to let me know what you think about the new Weekly Wrap-Up layout. I’m open to suggestions and feedback!

How was your week? Post about it on your site and link up. If this is your first time to join us, read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines first. You can also grab the banner code while you’re there if you want it.

Remember: link directly to your Weekly Wrap-Up post so that others can find it easily when they visit your blog. And, post a link back here so that your readers can find the Wrap-Up and join in the fun.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: The one with succulents and play dates

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, y’all! Did you have a fantastic week? I can’t believe that this is already the last Friday in October. Where has the year gone?

Okay, I know it probably makes me sound crazy, but one of the highlights of my week was last Saturday. I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t do anything special. Nope. I spent the day at home alone. Cleaning.

Somebody else tell me that you understand how nice it is to be at home alone to clean sometimes. There’s no one there going behind you making more messes. Now that my kids are grown, that really isn’t much of a problem, but I still enjoyed sticking my Airpods in my ears and working at my own pace. And maybe singing really loudly to songs that only I could hear. Maybe.

I did go out for a little while. I dropped Brian and his dad off with a group taking a bus to watch the Tennessee-Alabama football game. They’re both big Bama fans.

On the way home, I stopped at a local garden center and picked out some adorable little succulents that I’ve been thinking about getting for a while. Poor things. I probably brought them home to die. I’m not exactly known for having a green thumb.

I did watch a video on caring from them, though, and I ordered some special potting soil for cacti and succulents. So far, so good.

We finally got everything finalized for our remodeling projects. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting until all the supplies come in and the team can get started on our projects. It’s supposed to be 6-8 weeks.

You know what that means, right? We’ll be remodeling during the holidays. I get a bathroom for Christmas.

We were given the option of waiting until after the first of the year, but I’m way too impatient for that. Plus, all the family events are hosted at other people’s houses, so I don’t have to worry about mine being a disaster. Other than the fact that the clutter will drive me crazy.

I do always get this irresistible urge to deep-clean right after Christmas, so maybe they’ll finish the bathroom in time for me to put that urge to good use.

I keep thinking that we should have remodeled the kids’ bathroom first. That way, we’d at least have a snazzy new bathroom when the four of us have to share for a month or two. That might make it less stressful. Maybe.

My adorable little succulents…while they’re still adorable

My niece came over for a playdate yesterday. I used to pick her up after daycare twice a week, but I haven’t since she started going to all-day preschool. Apparently, she’s been missing her Aunt Kris time.

Last week, she said, “Remember when you used to pick me up after school, Aunt Kris? We had so much fun.”

It was so sweet! Then, she started talking about spending the night at my house and I got a little scared. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone younger than a teenager sleep at my house. I’m not so much of a night owl anymore, but little kids get up early. So, I thought I’d better schedule an afternoon playdate, pronto.

On the school front, Megan is plugging away. I haven’t witnessed much schoolwork happening this week, but when I checked her assignment sheet, she had most of her work completed. She’s still a night owl, so she works in the wee hours of the morning when the house is quiet. It works for me as long as she gets her work done.

How was your week? Post about it on your site and link up. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: The one with the random tidbits

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, y’all! How has your week been? Mine has felt very unproductive. I don’t know if my schedule is off or I’m just not spending my time efficiently.

I’ve struggled a bit with school. You know a couple of weeks ago when I was so excited that Megan was so self-motivated? Well, that’s over, and I’ve been the nagging homeschool mom this week. Maybe it’s something in the air since I’ve been so unproductive, too.

She did tell me that she couldn’t sleep Wednesday night, so she got a bunch of school done. That made me feel better. I’m glad she chose school over Fortnite. Well, that one time anyway.

I can’t believe how big my boys are getting. Oliver is solid and muscular, compared to his rather scrawny brother.

We are finally getting going on our remodeling project. Our home improvement loan was delayed for two weeks waiting on an appraiser to come take a picture of our house. I offered to take one with my phone and text it over. {Grrrr!}

So, we’re now finally ready to get things going with our contractor. It’s supposed to take several weeks before they get started. I’m thinking my beautiful new bathroom is probably going to be my Christmas present. I guess my beautiful new kitchen will be my Easter present if there is such a thing.

I’m trying not to be too impatient because I know it’s not going to be fun during the renovations either, but we’re going to love it when it’s all done.

I’ve still been picking up goodies here and there. I got this gorgeous, antique Coke crate this week.

I love to hear the stories behind the antiques I purchase. This lady said that their house was 100-years-old and the crate was one of many things that had been stored in the attic for decades.

I also snagged a beautiful antique washboard. I haven’t gotten any pictures yet, but I’ll share when I do. I want to get a vintage wooden ladder and make shelves from the rungs. It will go in the downstairs bathroom, complete with the washboard, for towels, toilet paper, and such.

Okay, so this is completely random, but I thought it was funny, and I bet you will, too. This past Sunday at church, the other lady who helps in the nursery every week looked over at me and said, “So, did you get any new pets this week?”

Oh, y’all. My reputation is well-earned because I had to admit that, although we didn’t get a new pet, it wasn’t for lack of trying. There was a dog at the local animal shelter that was so gorgeous. I really should quit following the shelter on Facebook.

I did talk Brian into going to see him Wednesday, but he wasn’t the dog for us. See? I do have some self-control. Well, a little. Okay, a smidge. Although the one dog wasn’t the one for us, there was another one that caught my eye. It’s a sickness, y’all. I wish I had a few acres of land.

How was your week? Post about it on your site and link up. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

Remember to link directly to your Weekly Wrap-Up post so that others can find it easily when they visit your blog. And, post a link back here so that your readers can find the Wrap-Up and join us.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: The one with ferrets and butter crocks

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, y’all! I hope you’ve all had a fantastic week. It’s finally starting to feel a teeny bit like fall here.

Of course, the cooler temps didn’t arrive in time for the outdoor festival we attended when we went to see Brianna last weekend. It’s hard to enjoy a fall-themed festival when you’re pouring sweat because it’s nearly 90° in October. {sigh}

Life in the south, y’all.

Are there any other ferret owners out there? If so, heads up, because I’m about to share something that may change your ferret-owning life. Okay, so I never wanted ferrets because they stink. And, then we kept Brianna’s ferret, Dobby (named after the elf in Harry Potter because both like to steal socks) for a week.

He didn’t stink if I cleaned up after him regularly, and he was so much fun and had such a great personality, that we decided to get our ferret, Sophie.

Then, Brianna and Andrew moved into a new apartment. Because of  the pricy pet fee and the fact that they’re worried he might damage the carpet, we have Dobby again. Probably permanently.

Y’all, I was doing pretty good cleaning up after one ferret, but two of them were kicking my butt. We were about ready to try to rehome Dobby because the smell was so bad. Then, last week, I came across a video on YouTube (completely by accident because I was there for something else) on keeping a ferret cage clean.

This lady is brilliant, y’all. Last Friday, Brian and I went out and bought the supplies that she recommended that we didn’t already have. Then, Sunday afternoon, we put the ferrets in their pet playpen (yes, for real) so we could tackle the room. Brian steam cleaned the carpet while I took their pen outside and scrubbed it down.

It took about 3 hours to get everything cleaned and set up based on the suggestions from the video, but it has been so worth the effort! The smell is completely under control. Even Megan has said so and she was the most vocal about how bad it was. (Maybe because the room where we keep the ferrets is right next to her room. {ahem})

So, if you have ferrets and you’re having trouble with the odor, or you’ve considered getting a ferret but that’s what’s holding you back, check out the video. It was a lifesaver – particularly since Dobby is apparently a very smart ferret. As soon as we started talking about rehoming him, he became the most loving, playful ferret ever. Well, except for Sophie. She’s the sweetest. {grin}

It was seriously as if he were saying, “No. Don’t send me away. Look how cute and sweet and fun and loveable I am!”

My to-be-read pile: Fellowship of the Ring and A Man Called Ove

I mentioned a while back that, as part of our remodeling project (which is taking forever to get underway), I’ve been scouring antique stores looking for rustic décor. I’m trying to be careful about what I buy because I love so much of it, but I don’t want to get so much that the house just becomes junky-looking.

Well, last week, I found a gorgeous piece that I’ve been purposely looking for – an old butter crock. I found it on Facebook Marketplace. (I so did not need to know that they have an entire antiques and collectibles category.) Because it was from an individual rather than an antique store, the price was much more reasonable than others I’d seen, and it was in much better shape.

I love it! Today, I’m meeting someone to buy a fantastic old Coke crate that I plan to use as a spice rack. And, Brianna is visiting this weekend, so we may go wander around the antique store a bit. I’m on the prowl for a vintage wooden ladder that I can turn into some shelves for the bathroom.

What’s going on with you? Is it feeling like fall where you live? What sanity-saving tip did you discover this week? What are you reading? Fellow moms of teens, what’s going on in your life since we can’t really share what’s going on in theirs?

How was your week? Post about it on your site and link up. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

Remember to link directly to your Weekly Wrap-Up post so that others can find it easily when they visit your blog. And, post a link back here so that your readers can find the Wrap-Up and join us.

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Weekly Wrap-Up: The Sweltering One

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy Friday, y’all! I hope you’ve all had an amazing week. We’ve had a hot week. Our air unit was not a simple fix. Lucky us. We got to buy a whole new heat and air unit. {sigh}

We got some recommendations and had some folks out to give us estimates. The company (a father-son team) we decided to go with (who came highly recommended from several friends) told us on Tuesday that they were several weeks out in their scheduling, but they would try to do some shuffling since we had no air at all.

These boys have enjoyed a lot more time outside this week since I’ve had the deck doors open so much.

They called Wednesday morning and said they could get it installed on Thursday if that would be okay. Yes, please! When I got up Thursday morning, before 8 a.m. it was already 83° in the house – and 69° outside!

After I started opening doors and windows that we’d had to shut for the night and got a few fans running, it dropped to 81°. I was extremely thankful to see the guys show up to work on our unit!

I’ve also been extremely thankful for the portable air conditioner we borrowed. We’re going to move it to Josh’s room now that we have air again. Despite being in the basement, his room stays pretty hot. If the air conditioner helps, we’ll probably buy it from Brianna and Andrew.

Brian hates it because it’s really loud. To me, it’s just a good white noise machine. I always wake up and think it’s raining. It will be perfect for Josh since he works third shift.

On the school front, the kid I know and love so well is back. Translation: I’ve had to nag her all week about schoolwork. Oh, well. At least there are little spurts of self-motivation. They give me hope.

I’d like to give a shout-0ut to HomeEducator.com, a new website with some fantastic resources for homeschoolers.  Plus, they’ve got a fun giveaway to celebrate the launch of their site.

Now, I’m off to enjoy my weekend – in air-conditioned comfort once again! Have a great one, y’all!

How was your week? Post about it on your site and link up. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

Remember to link directly to your Weekly Wrap-Up post so that others can find it easily when they visit your blog. And, post a link back here so that your readers can find the Wrap-Up and join us.

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