Homeschooling the Kids

The 2011-12 school year has started and Jamie and I have decided to home school the kids.

Rachel, who is entering grade 9, has been signed up with Connections Academy, a free on-line public school.

Caleb, who is entering 11th Grade has been signed up with Alpha Omega Academy, an on-line private school.

We have been considering this for sometime and the pending move to the Waxahachie area just made the decision easier.

Both curricula are highly rated and are accredited with the state. The kids can learn at their own pace and could graduate earlier than they could in public schools.

In other news: Continue to pray our house sells quickly so our family can be reunited soon.

2012 Presidential Candidates Update!

Apologies to those who could care less about politics, but for some reason the subject fascinates me. I am not an official member of any political party and I still believe that the problems we have as a nation cannot be blamed on any one political party, but squarely on "WE THE PEOPLE" who let our own elected officials do the things they do without holding them accountable. That said, here is a current update on who is officially running for President of the United States for 2012. (The two major parties only at this time.)

Democrats (1) -- President Barack Obama. No other Democrat has chosen to run against our sitting President to this point.

Republicans (10) -- Michele Bachmann (Current U.S. Rep. from Minnesota), Herman Cain (Former Federal Reserve Banker and Businessman from Georgia), Newt Gingrich (Former Speaker of the House and former Rep. from Georgia), Jon Huntsman, Jr. (Former Gov. of Utah and former U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and China), Gary Johnson (Former Gov. of New Mexico), Ron Paul (Current U.S. Rep. from Texas), Rick Perry (Current Governor of Texas), Buddy Roemer (Former Gov. of Louisiana), Mitt Romney (Former Gov. of Massachusetts) and Rick Santorum (Former Governor of Pennsylvania).

Please choose your candidates carefully!

NOTE: Shortly after this post was posted, Former Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty announced he was withdrawing from his campaign for President.

Happy Birthday Jamie!

Happy Birthday to my beloved bride, Jamie!

Always yours, Mark

My August So Far!

Good News -- We have an official offer on our home. Bad News -- They are in the negotiation phase and we may not be able to move before the start of the new school year. This means kids may start school here in Pine Tree and then transfer about a week into the school year. This also means I will have to wait to fill out applications to substitute until we move, so it will delay getting sub pay for a little while longer. Come on people, settle on an offer and let my family move.

Almost all of the packing is done for the house, with the exception of items we are currently using. I need to get a few more boxes lined up to throw things in the day before we move.

In case you haven't heard, we are in the middle of a heat wave here in Texas. Longview has set a new record for number of days over 100 degrees. Whew! I'm sweating just thinking about it.

Caleb (my 16 year old son) has officially obtained his driver's license. Just in time, as he may have to drive one of our cars to our new residence.

I am behind on writing more on my book...Maybe I can squeeze out another chapter before we move. I just have other things (like moving) on my mind.

I'm Tired of Getting Booted Out of My Own Home

My family and I are getting routinely booted out of our own home. Darn those people who want to look at house to see if they want to buy it. (Ha!)

Even though we are supposed to have 24 hour notice before someone looks at our home (it is for sell by the way), we are getting calls with less than 4 hours notice. At least we get notice.

It is frustrating when you are in the middle of trying to cook, or clean, or just take a nap, then you have to get up and get out of the house for an hour. What can you do in an hour?

Well here is what the kids and I do in an hour...

1. We read at Books-A-Million for a while.

2. We just walk around Wal-Mart and they try to keep me from impulse buying something.

3. We go to a local pet store called, Wet Pets and Critters, and pet the kitties, bunnies and puppies. Mainly the kitties.

4. We get a snow cone or maybe a frozen yogurt.

5. We go for a walk around the park or just sit in a neighbor's yard.

It is actually a good thing that we get kicked out for a while, because it means people are interested in looking at our house. It has been on sale for about a month. We, the family are ready to be reunited and start our new life in a new place.

How About Those Texas Rangers!

How About Those Texas Rangers?

My favorite baseball team, The Texas Rangers, have now won 11 games in a row. They now have a 4 game lead in their division and I am hoping they are on their way to another trip to the World Series.

I have been a Ranger fan since they first came to Arlington in 1972. I remember going to games with my dad, sneaking into a game to keep my ticket (just autographed by Rickey Henderson) from being torn in half, skipping college classes to watch Nolan Ryan pitch and going to games with my family.

Keep it going Rangers!