Let the Circle, be unbroken, by and by, Lord, by and by

Lest you think that failed 90s rap groups represent my only musical proficiency, I thought I'd throw a little bluegrass gospel into the mix....for flavor....and also because the "circle" may be the best metaphor for the most frustrating aspect of my day. In many ways, I failed my kids today by NOT breaking the circle of agitation that marked our morning and then bled across into our otherwise fun afternoon. I know, from countless prior experiences, that I am the keystone in their continuum of emotion. In other words, if I walk around in a state of aggravation, then you'd better believe I will soon have two aggravated little offspring stomping along my petty path. Conversely, if they begin the day with grimaces and I manage to meet their unhappiness with an even-keel brand of joy, they soon swing away from the dark side and begin to find the brighter edge of everything. Today, I just couldn't seem to get my circle-breaking legs underneath me. We would be well on the way to peace, I would turn my back briefly, chaos would erupt, and instead of returning their outbursts with calm positivity, I would launch into some bizarre lesson about kindness in barely-muted tones of frustration....completing the circle of stupidity instead of breaking it. Tomorrow my hope is that the bluegrass prayer will become my .....inverted....touchstone...... Let the circle be unbroken (unless it is a circle of stupidity, and then smash it, crush it, dash it to bits!), by and by, Lord, by and by.........although it messes up the meter and might throw our fiddle player off, I think my ammended rendition of the lyrics might just save the day!

Incidentally, one of the upshots that has come out of my foray into maternal mediocrity is a reminder that I thought I'd share with all 12 of my blog readers (2 of whom are, in fact, not blood relations!). We homeschooled Olivia last year and through the process discovered a number of online tools that really inspired me or increased her momentum by offering fun reinforcements of the concepts we were studying. My favorite, in the early literacy arena, is the starfall website. The kids played on starfall today while I took a shower, and I had forgotten what a smart and interesting site it is. If you have early readers or kids who are just learning to navigate the mouse/screen combination on your computer, take a minute to stop over at http://www.starfall.com/ to check out their stuff....terrific. They also sell hard copies of their materials for cheap (even by my nickel-choking standards). In short, it is the Mack Daddy of early literacy sites in my estimation (...and just in case you were beginning to doubt my 90s rap prowess....Kriss Kross'll make ya Jump! Jump!).

I'll try to post links to other helpful homeschool/early learning sites and blogs as our web surfing brings them to mind. I have found nearly everything I have used by linking to helpful sites on other people's blogs, so I hope to share the best of what I've gleaned with all (12) of you.

AND....as promised....I am including a correction: THIS, ladies and gentlement (WAY back at the top of this entry...because I don't know how to put it anywhere else) is Indiana Secretary of State TODD ROKITA....the undisputed nicest man in the whole wide world. Doesn't he look friendly? Well, he certainly is. You can learn more about him at www.in.gov/sos. I'm sure he would enjoy having you stop by the website. I know I enjoy having you stop by mine! If you didn't, my visitors would be limited to my mother, my brother Dave (because I gave him that Superhero name, I think), my Aunt Patti, and me...clicking back and forth from other websites to see if anyone has left a comment, shamelessly trying to jack up the number on my hit counter so that I look less and less pathetic every day (it's a dirty job....). That, ladies and gentlemAn, is my convoluted but sincere way of saying, thank you.

Now to the meat of my post: adoption news. There isn't any. Unfortunately, my dossier didn't arrive at CHSFS today (our adoption agency). It's been very bizarre to think that the timing in which our application is processed, down to the minute, will determine which baby is "referred" to us ("referral" is the adoption term for the photo and records provided for your perusal when the agency and the country think they have found a match for your family....it is not called a placement because, at least in international adoption, the adoptive parent/s can still refuse the referral and wait for another). In fact, I have corresponded with a woman who sent her dossier to our agency on the same day as I did (though I don't think she scarred the post office patrons quite as badly as I did when I flailed about....yes, I think I flailed...screaming "I forgot to sign the check!"....I may have even grabbed hold of someone....poor sweet woman.) It's strange to think that the speed and accuracy of our postal service will play such an integral part in the fabric of our family and our lives. If I thought the tenous web tying our lives together was random, I would be completely offput by this conglomeration of variables, but, as my Grandpa's favorite song puts it, "I know who holds tomorrow, and I know who holds my hand." He's right (the songwriter, and most generally, my grandfather), and thus we close with a nod to bluegrass gospel.....just like I planned it all along.....