May is always really busy for us. Last week we had two major events!

Monday we had our last day of our homeschool co-op. The middle schoolers were having a little party afterwards, but we could not stay, as Czarina had a dress rehearsal at 5:30. We got home about 4, ate an early dinner, Czarina got dressed in her costume and she and I left at 5. Dress rehearsal went until after 9. Lots of things went wrong. I've learned from when Hoodie Girl used to be in the choir that a bad dress rehearsal is usually followed by a great performance.


Czarina was a flag girl who danced in with the American flag. Then all 6 girls danced onstage with the flags.



Czarina singing with the ensemble.
Czarina had a long speech about coming to America, seeing Ellis Island, and finally being free. She did great!
Tuesday night was the big performance. Czarina was really nervous, but she did great.

On Thursday, Space Cadet and Cornbread Muffin (formerly known as Fatso) graduated from high school! They were two of 9 students from our homeschool group that participated in the ceremony. Because we had only 9 students, we could devote time to each student's life.
Friday morning we all (well, except Prince Charming) slept in and then had a lazy day -- we needed it!

This week we have an orthodontist appointment, 2 dermatologist appointments (Cornbread Muffin and Hoodie Girl have been part of a 12 week study, and tomorrow they get paid!), a middle-school movie get together, Teen Library Council meeting, a choir party, another graduation (for Cornbread Muffin's friend), and a planning meeting for next year.

And hopefully, a job offer for Prince Charming. He had an interview last Wednesday, and he really wants this job. Looking at our checking account, I can see -- he NEEDS to get this job!

The Telephone Game

Remember the game “Telephone”? One person whispers a sentence to another, who whispers what he thought he heard to another, and so on down the line, until you get to the last person and everyone laughs at how much the message has changed.

I found out last night that there is a rumor going around our Homeschool co-op that Fatso has received a full ride scholarship to Yale. I had to chuckle because Fatso hasn’t applied to Yale. Fatso hasn’t applied anywhere yet, because paperwork is not my strong point and I need to finish getting his transcript together.

Space Cadet & Fatso have both received mail from all the Ivy League Universities, as well as lots of other colleges, starting when they first took the PSAT several years ago. The mail increases every time they take another test. Fatso has especially received a lot of mail from Stanford. Space Cadet received an application from either Harvard or Yale, I can’t remember which. She also received a scholarship for Trevecca Nazarene University for a few thousand dollars (can’t remember, doesn’t matter because at this point she is unable to be a full time student).

Anyway, somehow all of this translated into someone thinking Fatso has been accepted into many different colleges, with a full ride scholarship to Yale. As if Fatso would even consider going to a liberal university like Yale.

He hasn’t applied yet, but with Fatso’s GPA and test scores we don’t anticipate him having any difficulty getting accepted by Patrick Henry College in Virginia, where he plans to major in political science and hopes to eventually go on to law school. He is a finalist in The Home Depot Fund Scholarship, and we expect to hear soon if he is a winner.

Epiphany

May is usually a busy month for us, with end-of-school-year events and all. The week of May 18th will be especially busy for us this year. On Monday, we have our last day of our Homeschool co-op. Monday evening is dress rehearsal for the Joyful Praise Choir, which Czarina is a part of. In addition to singing with the choir, she will be dancing, carrying the American Flag, and giving a rather long speech about being an immigrant. OH – yesterday at rehearsal, the choir went through almost the entire musical. Some of the students still were using their scripts. Czarina’s part is near the end, and after she gave her speech – without her script – everyone in the choir applauded. This was almost two hours into the rehearsal, and they had not applauded anyone else.

Then on Thursday, Space Cadet and Cornbread Muffin (which is what Fatso now wants to be called) are graduating with seven other students from our co-op. After graduation is a group graduation party.

We have a plan for Cornbread Muffin. He plans to major in political science (surprise, surprise) at Patrick Henry College in Virginia. The first year or two he will be living at home and doing distance learning. (Way cheaper, he will still need regular orthodontist visits for awhile, and he doesn’t have to leave his cat.) Then he wants to go to law school, become a lawyer, and bring down Planned Parenthood for multiple instances of covering up statutory rape and botched abortions. In his spare time he will be helping the downtrodden.

We do NOT have a plan for Space Cadet, my beautiful girl who started reading when she was two, scores unbelievably high on standardized tests (as does her brother) yet is graduating from high school at the age of 20. Poor Space Cadet, she has a number of health issues. Also she is very frustrated with the effect of Asperger’s Syndrome on her life, and feeling like she is just not growing up fast enough. (I have heard that people with Asperger’s Syndrome are developmentally about 2/3 of their chronological age. That puts Space Cadet at around her younger sisters’ ages.)

People have asked what the plan for her is. I’ve been replying that right now, there is no plan. She is going through a medication change, she has been sick a lot, and we don’t know if her headaches are stress related, side effects, or what. We recently had her evaluated by a neuropsych so that she can remain eligible for our insurance although she will not be a full time student. (When we have insurance, that is. Prince Charming has a job interview on Monday!) She is interested in college, but she would not be able to handle it right now, and definitely not full time.

This morning I have an epiphany. We don’t have a plan for Space Cadet. BUT THERE IS A PLAN! God has a plan! He’s had a plan since before she was even born! A plan to prosper her, and give her a hope and a future! (See Jeremiah 29:11) There IS a plan, we just don’t know what it is yet! That gives her, and I, hope.