Sometimes it's the littlest things that make a good homeschool room...

When I started homeschooling, I never would have thought that a pencil sharpener define my obsession for a time, but it has.  While in Topeka, we had an old-fashioned metal pencil sharpener that was attached to the wall in our pantry left by a previous owner.  We used it alot, but never really thought much of it.  Then we moved and the pencil sharpener was left in Topeka (by accident).  We had a little hand one that worked for a while, but was a real pain overall.  So, I bought a "heavy use" electric one to get the job done...we go though alot of regular and colored pencils around here and need a sharp tip.  Well, after 2 months of use by this family..the "heavy-use" sharpener had had enough.  Oh, I took it a part twice and used the opportunity to show the kids a small motor and how one gear made another gear turn that made another gear turn...you get the picture.  Each time, I thought I had fixed it only for it to break within a day.  After the third time, I had had enough.  So, after much complaining about the quality of products made today, I settled on an all metal one like we used when I was growing up.  Britt, ever the caring husband, picked just the right one  at the office supply store yesterday and it was mounted that very evening.  There were many smiling faces today when they wanted a sharp point on their pencils and that made a very happy mom and teacher.