Sorry, Elsa, the cold is starting to bother me after all

Poppy was supposed to start soccer two weeks ago, but we’ve been living in an avant garde Icecapades performance and so she has yet to have practice. The kids haven’t had history or drama for two weeks, either. The public schools have been either closed or on a delay for something like 9 or the last 10 school days. I’m pretty sure we’re all done with winter now, so go ahead and bring on the sunshine Weather Man.

Despite all the ice and snow, my little homeschoolers haven’t gotten a single snow day. We have been operating on a two-hour delay, though, because I haven’t been setting my alarm. Here’s a bit of what we’ve done over the last couple of weeks.

  • We rebooted our Geography study. I’m using “Cantering the Country” and “Trail Guide to US Geography,” and we’re taking it quite slowly.
  • Poppy was having some trouble figuring out the mechanics of multiplying two-digit numbers. She found this video pretty helpful:
  • Poppy finished “Harriet the Spy” and the accompanying literature study, and today we’re watching the movie.
  • Pete is reading a comic-book-style book about the Wright Brothers.
  • Poppy tested for and received her blue belt in tae kwon do.
  • And there was a good deal more, too, but I somehow managed to erase all of the notes I’d made and the computer won’t let me have them back.

    How’ve you been lately?

    Wanna read more about homeschooling? Check out the Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers weekly linky thing!

    Menu Plan Tuesday, because I forgot to post this yesterday.

    Monday: Chicken and black bean enchiladas
    I was supposed to have a co-op meeting to go to last night, so I put these together yesterday afternoon. The meeting was canceled — hooray for canceled meetings! — and dinner was very simple to make.
    Tuesday: Side-dish-apalooza
    OK, fine, it’s just a box of potatoes and some frozen vegetables.
    Wednesday: Baked mahi-mahi
    I couldn’t find any tuna last week. Instead, I took a chance on some frozen mahi-mahi, and it was excellent. We’re having it again this week.
    Thursday: Pizza
    Friday: Fettuccine Alfredo
    Poppy loves fettuccine alfredo, so I’m going to teach her how to make it.

    I’m linking this up with OrgJunkie.com’s weekly Menu Plan Monday thing.

    eShakti’s custom-clothing service delivers

    Disclaimer: eShakti.com provided me with a dress to review.

    eshaktiI have a short torso, short legs and various rounder-than-average bits, all of which add up to most of the clothing in the retail world not fitting me all that well. I usually leave feeling lumpy and grumpy, neither of which is conducive to a pleasant afternoon. So I do most of my clothes shopping online. The clothes still don’t always fit, but at least I don’t have to take my pants off in public to try them on.

    What with all my angst about sizing and shortness and lumps, I was intrigued by the idea behind online retailer eShakti. The company has roughly 13,739 dresses and other garments on their website. Once you find the one you like, you send them your measurements and they make it to your specifications. You can also customize the length, neckline and sleeves. It sounded like magic, and I was excited to try it out when they offered the opportunity.

    I ordered the “split neck mixed media dress” and then sat back to wait. It took awhile to arrive, which is understandable if they’re making everything to order, but it got here in time for our anniversary. And you guys? It fit. It didn’t make me feel weird or short-torsoed of lumpy. And it has pockets. Pockets!

    eShakti’s dresses are a bit more expensive than my usual budget. It was such a simple process, though, and it was so much more enjoyable than going to the mall. I would absolutely buy something from eShakti again.

    Want to try them out? Use promo code butterscotchsundae for 10 percent off your order through Feb. 27!

    SO! After I posted this, I learned that my friend Monica got her wedding dress from eShakti. How cool is that? And how lovely does she look?

    Justin Kelley photo
    Justin Kelley photo

    I love the idea of an eShakti wedding dress, and they have a lot of beautiful options. Here are a few of my favorites:

  • The floral-embellished georgette A-line would be lovely for a casual wedding.
  • This sequined number is a lot of fun.
  • The very lacy Virginia dress is extremely sweet and girly.
  • If this knit maxi dress came in white or cream, it would be the world’s most comfortable wedding dress.