This past week was rather busy. We were privileged to have our friends, Jeremy and Amanda Tyler, missionaries to Brazil, with us last Sunday. I was not so privileged, however, to have a cold while they were here. I was doped up on medication during their visit. I also had one of the most embarrassing “Lucy” moments ever this past week, which I will be sharing with you sometime in the distant future. Okay, I hope it won’t be too distant! 😉 I’ve also been making Christmas gifts for some people this week.

And did I mention homeschooling??? I didn’t think so.

I’ve been homeschooling this week, also. This is the week before Christmas. I have only bought gifts for one person so far! Can you believe that? Don’t panic, it will be okay……I hope.

I decided that I needed to use a lifeline.

You know, the lifelines from that game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire”? Yeah, that show.

It was just me and Regis:

“Okay, Valerie, here’s your next question, for $50,000. Are you ready?”
“Ready, Reege. Shoot.”
“You have Christmas shopping to do, gifts to make, laundry, four children to feed and clean up after, a husband, laundry, ironing, a home to manage, laundry, birthday cards to mail, laundry, and homeschooling to do.

How will you make it work?”

a. Curl up in the fetal position and stare into space
b. Scream
c. Beg your husband to save you from yourself
d. Do not sleep the entire week before Christmas

(That weird wavy noise is in the background. The audience is silent, waiting…waiting…)

“Reege…(big sigh) I don’t know. I need to use a lifeline.”

That’s what I’ve done. I’ve used a lifeline.

We began school a week earlier than the public schools in our area. We did this because we would be taking a week off in October for our Fall Revival meeting. We also managed to work ahead in Lauren’s Arithmetic, because the first ten lessons were review. Some of that review was unnecessary for her, so we skipped it. This put us one whole week ahead in Arithmetic.
This, my dear blogging friend, has been my lifeline. We did absolutely no Arithmetic for fourth grade this week. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. I think you get the idea.
Let me tell you, it’s been a load lifted.
I am not very good at Arithmetic. Not at all. I passed it, but only because I worked and scraped for every good grade. I perspired. It was serious work. And now, I get to work all over again and re-learn it all with my children. Really, it’s been good for me, in a character building sort of way.
I’m so thankful that I used a lifeline so that I could survive this very hectic week before Christmas.
I was planning to blog a lot the week of Christmas, but I don’t know if I will get to now. On Monday I will be cleaning and buying groceries. OnTuesday we have a wonderful, sacrificial lamb, I mean teenage girl, coming to babysit so we can finally buy Christmas gifts. On Wednesday we will be baking and wrapping gifts. Thursday is Christmas, and Friday I will be in bed all day. So, it’s just going to be a hectic week. Okay, I won’t be in bed all day Friday, but I will want to be, I’m sure.

I will do my best to have another chapter/post/installment of my love story up next week, for the three of you who enjoy reading it. Consider it my Christmas gift to you.

What?
That’s not what you wanted?

Ah-oh.