FOR TODAY, October 5, 2009..1:53 p.m.

Outside my window...it is sunny, warm, and humid as summer is uttering its last gasp for the year this week.

I am thinking...that I will never be a dog whisperer, nor will I ever be able to figure out what is going on in my dear dog's mind, or how to keep his body "regular" and his doo-doo outside where it belongs...sigh...

I am thankful for...the fact that my children seem to have rounded a corner with the flu. Little Son's temp is staying below 100 today, after four days of fever, and Baby Girl, hopefully, is just behind him in her recovery.

From the learning rooms...Little Son is working through lesson 127 in Calvert fourth grade. He just received back his Test 120, and he did very well. He also wrote a terrific factual composition last week entitled "The Beautiful Butterfly". Baby Girl has a day off her lessons today due to her illness. She also just completed Test 140 and scored nearly perfect.

From the kitchen...For dinner today, I plan to make chicken breasts baked in apple cider and soy sauce, with red potatoes and broccoli.

I am wearing...my pink "Lake Placid" T-shirt, green shorts, and tennis shoes. I am quite a sight.

I am creating...nothing in particular right now. I am just trying to restore a peaceful environment of order and quietude in my home.

I am going...to stay put at home for several days so that we don't spread our germs to anybody. I love staying home for several days, I really do (unless I will be missing something special, like tonight's homeschool mom's night out....).

I am reading... When the Morning Comes, by Cindy Woodsmall. It is the second book in the series.

I am praying... for our family to get healthy again and stay healthy, and for our friend Raymond, who just got home after a heart transplant, for him and his family to stay healthy, too.

I am hearing... Baby Girl sniffling as she lies on the futon reading Little House on the Prairie to herself. She often stops reading to share funny details from the book with me.

Around the house... we did some grass cutting and some fence patching on Saturday. I need to tidy up, vacuum, and sanitize the house this afternoon.

One of my favorite things... the orange and gold colors of the golden rain trees in our area, the only trees that turn color in October here.

A few plans for the rest of the week: try to stay on track with the children's homeschool lessons so that we can earn a long break during the Christmas season.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...Gorge at Fall ~ Creek ~ Falls ~ State ~ Park, Tennessee

To participate in this meme, please visit The Simple Woman's Daybook here.