I need to step out of denial

I laughed earlier today when I thought, "I need to step out of denial" partly because it sounds like "I need to step out of da Nile." We just moved from Africa to Asia over the weekend in school (our "in-flight movie" was The Gods Must Be Crazy). The Nile is in Africa, not Asia so.... I really shouldn't be anywhere near the Nile. (Well, we are starting in the Middle East so that is pretty close to the Nile as far as Asia goes).

Anyway.... I am talking about denial, NOT da Nile. I think that I am in denial over the fact that I am moving in a little over a month. I really should be used to moving after doing it 16 times in the last 12 1/2 years but I'm not.

Today I made a "reality chain" to help me see how much longer I have here. There are only 38 links in it! Yikes! I must get packing, chucking, donating, selling! I made an agreement with myself as I made the chain that I would spend at least a pomodoro every day before I take the link for the day off. I have found pomodoros very helpful in getting those things done that really need to get done.

What do you find helpful in getting things done? What motivates you? Are you in denial about anything? Is there anything you really need to get done? Set a timer for 25 minutes and just do it.

Our Week in Pictures

Kids filling out their "passport applications"

Caleb studying his old passport

Hannah making an orange globe

no wonder map makers have such a hard time making a flat map of the world!

Lydia found a cricket in our Backyard Habitat

Caleb collected most of the worms in our science experiment

Funny bumper sticker we saw at the zoo

Momma Tiger and her triplets

The new baby Patas Monkey and the momma

the Pre-Hensile Skink

I am taking a break from my daily writing about our train trip to post pics from our week of school. This year we are using My Father's World Exploring Countries and Cultures and I think that we have done more fun stuff this week in school than we have in most months in previous years. We are really enjoying it! I decided I would take a picture or two every day to show what we did, both to share with Glenn as well as to post here for us to remember later. To finish off the week we decided to take a trip to the zoo to hopefully see the baby tigers. So many of the animals were out and active today! We were greeted upon arrival by the siamang monkeys out in the outside exhibit vocalizing very loudly which was really fun to see and hear. The penguins were full of energy, the momma and triplet baby tigers were out and active (so fun to watch!!), one of the red pandas was actually out, the spectacle bears were doing their loop, a lynx was walking around, one of the otters was swimming at the fish, the baby Patas monkey at not quite a month old is already starting to think that he should be independent of his mama. We love the zoo. We need to go there more often (oh, and I actually figured out how to get there today!! The zoo is in a strange part of town and I can never figure out how to get there but I discovered a great route today so I no longer have the "I'm not sure how to get there" excuse - yay!)

I'm thankful for a great first full week of school. I am so grateful for the chance to homeschool.