Okay, now *this* is actually a real time post. All of the others are imported from my previous blog. I have switched blogs because I have the option of more features here, such as greater sidebar freedom. I apparently crave sidebar freedom. Who knew? Ironically, in spite of the fact that we endured a category 2 hurricane (about which I will only say that I would not choose to go through the experience again, although a downed fence and a 56 hour loss of power is all we suffered, in marked contrast to so many others), we did not lose any school days. It was so considerate of Ike to come through on the weekend. Leave it to the Republican hurricanes.

I think that we are *finally* moving past the first mini unit of Tapestry of Grace. I don't feel bad about taking so long in Egypt, simply because we love studying Egypt. It will be interesting to move into Mesopotamia, though, since T has never even heard of that part of the world, much less studied it. One of the wonderful things about TOG is that she gets to read a version of the Epic of Gilgamesh, something most children don't even hear about until high school. (I normally don't digress into personal matters, but I have to mention that I am sitting beside an open window. In Houston. In September. Only Houstonians can truly appreciate what that means. For all those who are still without power after Ike, or without homes, for that matter, God truly is good to send such unseasonably gorgeous weather).

I have spent so much time transferring blog information (badly, too; I hate it when formatting gets lost) that I was not able to write about that which I truly intended: teenagers. I would maintain that "teenagers" as an official growth step on the way from childhood to adulthood is an artificial designation, one invented by (gasp of surprise) advertisers, to the detriment of society at large. I think that Principal may have a problem with my decision (I'll break it to him gently), but I have already decided that our children (I'll admit that I haven't thought beyond T) are not going to be teenagers. T will go from being a little girl to a young lady to a woman. I have to confess in retrospect that I can't think of much good that came from my being a teenager. I am always grateful for the fact that I essentially went from my father's house to my husband's house. I am often amused by articles in magazines that caution against such haste - after all, we wouldn't want to cheat ourselves out of life's experiences! As I muse reflectively, I wonder just what these experiences might be. Since I met my husband and got married, I have finished college, obtained a Master's degree and a Ph.D., held jobs, given birth to four children, and am currently homeschooling and freelance writing. Just what experiences have I missed? Men? I have the only one I want - the one that I know that God intended for me. Drinks with the girls? Marriage doesn't rule out friends or libations. Well, I begin to digress. I realize that some people are not ready to get married at a younger age, but I find the argument that one will somehow "miss out" if one gets married young spurious. I now return you to your regularly scheduled school day.