Rainy days and thoughts about next year

We've had two rainy days in a row. They were both days we didn't have to go anywhere, we got so much accomplished! Unfortunately rain or not the rest of the week will be crazy-busy.

This morning in our Monday morning breakfast meeting, I was talking with the kids about how busy we have been this year and took a poll of how many thought we'd been too busy. Well all three boys felt we've been too busy but Hayley felt things have been just fine. For a quiet kid she sure likes to be out and running around. She LOVES shopping and just generally loves going places. Perhaps she will travel some day like I did in my young adult years.

One thing is for sure we need to be less busy next school year. We had a good balance at one point but this year we over did it. After a certain point it's not fun anymore. There are also the rising gas prices to consider, things are generally a 30-60 minute drive each way for us. I am hoping for an average of just over 2 days out a week. I say two because there will always be one or two weekend boy scout things a month that send us over but I think if we are out only 2 days most weeks then things will go a long better here at home. The kids will have to make some choices and I'm sure there won't be a consensus at first. We'll have to wait and see how this turns out.

I am starting to think about curriculum for next year. I can see that we have plenty of things already that I can use, our shelves are certainly not bare and our budget is non existant but there are so many fun learning items to tempt me, it's awful! I can see why so many have a curriculum addiction, I've been there myself in the past, it's all just so fun looking! Having said that some fun looking things never made it off the shelves here and some weren't fun at all when we tried them. I do need to get a couple things but I definitely need to think with my head before clicking place order not with that part of a homeschool Mom's heart that pounds when the new curriculum catalogs arrive in the spring! I also need to remember that I no longer have a young child, my baby is going into 6th grade! I have no need for those adorable preschool and early elementary learning toys!

So those are my rainy day thoughts. Tomorrow among the busyness we will celebrate Freeze, Hayley's Labrador dog's, birthday! Freeze is turning three. As I said on my FB when we researched dog breeds Hayley learned that Lab's "have an extended puppyhood of 3 years". Yes I can say that is true! Freeze is a lot calmer now but there is still a ton of puppy in that big dog! It's amazing we survived those three years!!

Freeze then- almost 3 months old:

Freeze now almost 3 years old:

Still cute just 100 pounds heavier!