This is our first weekly report of the school year. Why? Well, this is the firs week that we actually did something on consistent level. We actually did full days for the entire school week. Wahoo! It felt so good! I was thinking of continuing the survival mode of schooling that we have been doing since our little cancer bump but last weekend I had this overwhelming need to get back to life full tilt. So we did! We had an awesome week, too!
Math
We have been doing math for the past two months but it has been hit and miss. Mia is working on rounding numbers and applying this to division. Long division has been the thorn in our side as of late. It is hard for Mia to remember all of the steps as well as remembering when to multiply or subtract. Today, though, she did two sheets of her MUS book and she did them all on her own without pleads of help to me.
Rocky is still working with fractions but this week it has flowed over to time and money. He has done very well with this. I think our little foray into living math last week helped him in understanding what fractions were all about.
Missy is doing very well with math right now. I was a little concerned last year as she still didn't know her numbers. It wasn't for lack of teaching, either. She knows her numbers very well now as well her tens. I am doing the happy dance in my heart because I honestly didn't think she would ever get this. She is able to recognize the higher numbers as well. We did some adding this week with help from the abacus. We also played Swim to Ten, a Right Start game.
Language Arts
We had a major breakthrough with Mia's spelling this week. She wrote a story today about King Arthur. She wrote it on her own and did not ask for any spelling help. She was able to figure out the words by finger spelling, a strategy that is taught by Bartons Reading and Spelling. This program is worth a fortune but it is worth it! I have seen such progress in Mia's spelling and Rocky's reading. We have picked up Classical Writing again. I am enjoying this program. It is challenging but fun. This week our model was a fable by Joseph Jacobs. MIa diagrammed and marked sentences for parts of speech. She is doing very well with her diagramming. I think with more practise the marking will come along, too. We have finished Little Women this week. We had our 'end of the book' discussion today and talked about the themes of the book. I am very impressed with Mia's thought processes. She remarked that she thought Jo was a female version of Peter Pan because she didn't want to grow up. Mia also started a paper on the book. This is her first attempt at this sort of thing so I am giving lots of input to help guide her. The paper is simple enough, she is to discuss the characteristics of the four March girls. This is initiating her into writing an intro paragraph and how to support that paragraph.
We aren't doing grammar for awhile yet so Rocky didn't have too much work this week. He has started reading The Magic Tree House books. I am so proud of him. Last year at this time, he couldn't even read Level 1 readers and now he is able to read simple chapter books. What is even better is that he is proud of himself as well. He is on lesson 4 of Level 3 of Bartons and he is getting close to the teaching of the spelling rules. This will be a great challenge for him. Rocky is also doing more copywork. His writing is very sloppy so I have had him rub out the illegible letters and attempt them again. This has brought many tears and hissy fits this week. I think I have won the Mean Mom award of the week. If it means that I will have a son who can write so that you can read it, then I gladly accept the award.
We are still plugging along in teaching Missy the letter sounds. The problems she had with numbers last year are alive and well with her letters this year. We are moving very slowly. I am going to order a program that will, hopefully, help her with phonemic awareness but this program is so expensive and we just can't afford it right now. So we plug along with my feeble attempts.
History
We are now learning about King Arthur, Knights and Castles. Rocky loves this era so he is in his glory. We read about what makes a knight, what a knight wears and how they all came to be. The kids wrote narrations as well as stories about King Arthur. They also wrote Codes of Honour for themselves in true scroll-like fashion. We read some puzzle books on knights. My kids really like these Usborne books. We are also reading The Sword in the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff. I have never read this book before but I am thoroughly enjoying it. The kids are liking it, too, but it is a bit over the head of Missy. She doesn't have a clue what is going on, but she hides it well.
Morning Time
Missy is memorizing The Castle Builder by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Rocky's poem is Bed in Summer Robert Louis Stevenson and Missy completed Singing Time by Robert Louis Stevenson today. We are still in the middle of Hamlet for our Shakespeare reading. For Greek Myths, we read The Tale of Arachne (Missy), The Gorgon's Head--The Wnder Tales (Rocky) and Baucis and Philemon--Age of Fables (Mia.)
Read Alouds
Missy and I started Matilda by Roald Dahl this week. Missy and I both love Dahl books. Matilda is one of our favourites. Yes, I know that the parents are nasty and it is wrong for Matilda to get revenge on them but it makes my heart sing when Miss Honey comes to give Matilda the kind of life that she should have had with her parents. I feel the warm, fuzzies with this book.
I am still reading The Return to the Hundered Acres Wood with Rocky. Nothing or no one can replace A.A.Milne but this book does well, considering. Rocky doesn't care who writes it as long as it about Pooh.
Mia and I started The Christmas Carol by Dickens today. We aren't going to have book discussions for every book so this is our 'just enjoy it' book.
We have a new family read aloud. We finished The Magic Half by Annie Barrows on Wed. The Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder was next on our list. The kids and I have been able to have some good discussions on bitterness after reading about this book's Mrs. Brewster. That woman is the epitome of bitterness.
Miscellaneous
We bought Model Magic this week and the kids have had great fun in making all sorts of creations. This has been our art class as I am not ready to do anything formal yet. Mia also started her art class at the Art Gallery. She is making stamps for this class. She thoroughly enjoyed it. We were able to do some baking, exploring, nature walks and we saw the most amazing sunrise yesterday. There is nothing like a Saskatchewan sunrise (or sunset) to nudge you to give thanks to the Lord for his awesome creation.
I am going to do something really nasty. This post has taken me way too long to write and it is past supper time so I am going to press SEND without editing. Please forgive me. I promise I won't make a habit of this but I can hear the herd rebelling up above me.
I met a friend in the library earlier this week. I haven't seen this friend in awhile. She knew all about our little cancer bump, through hearing it via mutual friends. She asked me how I was feeling then said the old familiar words:
"I was going to call you but, of course, I didn't. I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it."
I had two immediate thoughts: 1) she made that decision (about whether I wanted to talk or not) for me and 2) the more accurate statement would be that she did not want to talk about it.
This has been a very common experience for me the last two months. People that I thought were my friends have avoided me like the plague. Some have even walked by me without acknowledging my exixtence. I know why they are acting like this: they don't know what to say, their uncomfortableness suffocates them into inaction. I totally understand this as I used to be like this as well.
I have been thinking about this very hard the last few days (it is at this point that my husband would back away in fear, so proceed with extreme caution,) and God has given me insight into this whole thing. I initially was hurt by the library incident (and every similar incident that I have encountered in the last two months) but now I just feel sadness for my friend. By avoiding me, she is missing out on amazing stories about how God has worked in my life and my children's lives in the past two months. She is missing out on glimpses of God's Glory. There have been so many ways that God has ministered to me in the past little while; ways of miracles. In avoiding me, people miss out on being encouraged by stories of God's healing, His comfort, His strength, His peace, etc. I could go on and on. The short of it is, though, that they are just plain missing out. They do not get to see glimpses of God. This saddens me.
An elderly gentleman from our church is in the hospital right now. He wants so desperately to die and be with His Father. He is having a very difficult time, as is his wife. B. C. (Before Cancer) I would have prayed for this couple but I would not have called or visited because my comfort zone would have held me back. Last night I called this lovely woman. I would have liked to have visited her husband in the hospital but he is deaf and is in a hallucinative state, I didn't want my kids to see that., so I called. We talked for half an hour. This wonderful woman told me story after story about how God has answered prayer, not just in this situation, but in times of the past. These stories were so encouraging to me. I thought later that if I had chosen to avoid that phone call, I would have missed out on all of those stories that gave my glimpses of God's glory and power. Her stories encouraged me.
Isn't it funny how God works? We make an effort to help someone or to encourage them and we end up being helped or encouraged. If we hadn't made that effort, we would miss out on all of that and so much more.
Ever since MIssy joined our learning time, I have had the darnedest time to get everything done academically. Unfortunately, it seems to always be Missy that gets left in the dust. Due to reasons that I won't get into right now, Mia always goes first with doing school with me. Then it is Rocky's turn. By the time I get Rocky finished, it is lunch time and Missy's work hasn't even been touched. I like to keep the afternoons for the content subjects as I consider these the 'fun' subjects and we all need a bit of fun in our days. I always think "Well, we'll get to Missy tomorrow. We'll have more time tomorrow." Tomorrow has never arrived.
We have started doing more school this week. I decided it is time to address this issue. I can't keep sloughing Missy off. The girl needs to learn. I just don't know how to cram it all in. Every element of our morning is important and I don't want to give any of it up.
Our Morning Time usually takes an hour. Part of the problem is that we have been starting at 9:00 as I can't get the kitchen clean before that time (I like to have at least a clean kitchen before school starts.) By the time I get to Mia it is 10:00. Another problem is that I have chosen curriculums that are teacher-intensive. I can't just give my kid the book and say 'Go at it." I have to teach the lesson first. This was done on purpose. My feeling here is that this is why I homeschool; to teach. I do not want to give up these programs as they are working for us and I think they are excellent programs, but they take up a lot of time when you are teaching more than one child.
Getting back to our day: so I get Mia started on her math (if I don't have to walk her through the lesson then I, at least, have to stay close if she has any problems) now I might be able to do math with Rocky but I have to stay at the kitchen table close to Mia. After math, I do all of Mia's subjects (spelling and writing) then move on to Rocky's. While I am working with Rocky, Mia does her independent work. By the time I get finished with Rocky, it is time to get lunch started. I might have time to read to Missy but that doesn't even happen most days.
I have been giving this alot of thought. Here is what I have come up with so that MIssy can spend some learning time with her Mama. Even if it means starting school with a messy, jam-sticky kitchen, we will start our Morning Time at 8:30. Also, MIa will not always be going first when working with me. We will do this through cycling. Each day, one of them will take turns going first so that it won't always be Missy getting short changed. If it happens that Mia or Rocky do not get their work done in the morning, then we will have to carry on where we left off right after lunch. I don't like this as it makes our school day that much longer (we are already doing 5 1/2 hours) but I can't see any way out of this.
We tried this new plan yesterday and things worked out very well. We started as close as we could to 8:30. Missy went first in learning with her Mom. We were able to get every one done, but we havent' been doing Grammar this week. Once we add that in, we might topple over into the afternoon. Oh, well, a price you pay for having more than one child.
During the last few months, we have not done much with History or Science. We have done bits and pieces here and there but not anything of any consistent value. With the beginning of a new month, I decided that I wanted to start back with our original plans. In a perfect world, we would be starting Knights and Castles for the first two weeks then would be moving on to Shakespeare. So I decided to pretend that we were, indeed, in that perfect world and start with my original plans. We may not get very far or as deep as I had originally intended but at least we are doing something productive.
Yesterday was our first day on this subject. We read The Sword in the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff. This book is about Merlin and King Arthur. The kids have been making King Arthur's castle out of lego the past few days so this book will give them a great jumping off point for their play.
We did alot of reading yesterday about knights and just exactly who they were and what they did. I have a few Usborne books as well as a Kaleidoscope book on knights and castles that give us our information. I really like using Story of the World as our spine for these units but it doesn't have very much info on this part of history so I have needed to look elsehwere. Elsewhere isn't as well-written to garner outlines or narrations from. But we plod on.
Each child then did a narration about what we had read. This is where things went south. Missy's narration was fine because I write hers out but Rocky had great difficulty with his writing. He left out a few sentences so I made him do it over again. This did not sit well with him and a hissy fit followed. I gave him a break (aka sent him to his room) and we started again but it was very difficult for him to get those few sentences out. It hit me, yet again, that this boy needs consistency with his school work and he just hasn't been getting it the past little while. He needs to be writing every day for whatever reason. So this is my goal for the next few months: do copywork or writing narrations daily.
I had Mia write out a paragraph about how the knights and castles came to be. This was difficutl to do as the sources we used are not written very well. She managed, though, with alot of help from me. Her writing is pretty bad as well, so I guess consistency is needed with her, too.
Even with the few little bumps yesterday, it did feel good to be doing something other than math and reading. It felt very good indeed.
I quickly discovered two months ago that those people who have gone down the same path that I was embarking on were the ones who truly ''got it.' They understood perfectly the emotions, the rollercoaster ride that I was going through. There was a pure sense of empathy there that I was never given anywhere else.
An online friend, who traveled this path last year, understood my thoughts and emotions. She would offer words of encouragement and support that comforted me beyond words. I didn't have to justify what I was going through (as I seemed to have to do with everyone else) she just understood. I consider that a gift.
A gentleman at my church has recently gone down this path as well. He was just told that he does not have to have anymore radiation treatments, so his experiences are still fresh. When I told everybody at church that I had cancer, he made a beeline to me, with tears streaming down his face, gathering me in a very strong hug. Yesterday, he came to me as soon as church was over to see how I had made out at the cancer clinic. When I told of my emotional rollercoaster, he nodded and said he knew all about that ride. He knew all about the draining emotions and the emptiness you feel after it was all over. He got it.
Yesterday, a woman on my e-list asked for prayer for her 40 yr. old friend, a mother of 6, who had just discovered that she had cancer. I stared at the computer screen and started to cry, reliving all of those emotions, but this time it was for a total stranger. I do know now a little bit of what she is feeling right now. My heart hurts so deeply for her.
I guess that I have now been initiated into a strange sort of club, the Cancer Survivor's Club. We, at the club, have a sense of empathy that you cannot attain anywhere else until you go through the journey yourself. I pray that this membership into this club will enable me to help those in the future as those cancer survivors have helped me these past two months. It is also my prayer that God will never let me forget what I have gone through these past two months. I pray that this empathy will be alive and well inside of me for a long time to come.
I think I may have a penchant for dark and depressing stories. I have heard many people say that they disliked Frankenstein and Wuthering Heights because they are creepy and depressing. I loved both of these books! I got so much out of reading them. They gave me much food for thought for days after I read them. This is, to my way of thinking, a sign of a great book. If it can get you to think long after you have put the book back on the shelf then the author has done its job.
In Wuthering Heights, I have to agree that the darkness was a bit too much in parts. The way Heathcliff treated his son and Cathy was disheartening, to say the least. But there were a few things that this book said to me. 1) No person can derail the human spirit-- Heathcliff treated Cathy and Hareton abominably but after he was dead, they were able to attempt to have a 'normal' life. When Lockwood comes upon them at the end of the story, the two are teasing each other somewhat lightheartedly. This says a great deal about the perseverence of the human spirit.
2) If there is no repentance for a life of sin then that life is lived in torment. Heathcliff had many opportunities to make things right and repent but he chose to keep on his dastardly path. As a result, he lived a tormented life even up to the end.
I am sure there are many more things to say about this book but the above 2 were the things that jumped out at me. Now I need to find another dark book to sink my teeth into.
Okay, enough cancer talk. Let's move on with life, shall we?
I wanted to start having more literary discussions with Mia this year. I didn't want these discussions to be formal or complicated but I wanted us to start just talking about the books that we were reading. I had visions of introducing literary elements and just getting into the habit of discussing. Discussing is something that I am not good at. I am good at thinking, boy, I can think up a storm but talking about what I am thinking is a whole 'nother ball game. I was hoping that these book talks would help both Mia and myself.
It's hard to tell whether these are helping or not as we haven't been able to have consistency. We have been reading Little Women since the beginning of Sept. It has been slow going and our discussions have been a bit stilted but I have hopes that, in time, the stiltedness will disappear as we both become used to this format.
In a perfect world, Mia is to read her book on her own from Mon. to Thurs. That usually translates to a chapter a day. Then we get together on Fridays for our talk. I use Teaching the Classics as a jumping off point for our discussions. At the back of the syllabus, there are lists of questions for each of the literary elements. For Little Women, I am concentrating more on character as this is an easy book for that.
I am also using the suggestions in The Well Educated Mind (Susan Wise Bauer) to teach Mia how to read a book well. For this year, I am having her write out narrations for each chapter. I am stressing to Mia to just write out the main happening or idea in each chapter as she is notorious for telling each and every detail a la Charlotte Mason. I don't want detail for this exercise, I want main idea.
I have been thinking about what I want her to do at the end of our reading. I want to start having her write out papers for each book. When I say papers I mean a paragraph about the book. I don't want her to write a standard book report (I like this book because....) as I think these are useless but I do want her to write about some element in the story and to be able to back up her words. I am only expecting a paragraph for this year. I think that for LIttle Women I will have her write a paragraph about a character of her choice. I just want her to describe that character and use examples from the book that back up her thoughts.
Even though this book is going slower than I had anticpated, I am happy with how things are going. This is a good test run for both of us. If slow and steady wins the race then I think we are in a good place right now. I think if we continue on with the discussion, it will become easier for both of us. Consistency is key.
We have 3 more chapters to read in LIttle Women, then I think we will move on to The Christmas Carol by Dickens. I don't want every book we read to be up for literary discussion. I want us to be able to enjoy some of those books without analyzing them to death. So our more formal book talks will be for every other book. We will just read The Christmas Carol for enjoyment. I am sure discussion will come up on its own but there will be no formal discussion. I haven't decided what book we will use for our next book talk, though. I am thinking either Prince and the Pauper by Twain or Oliver Twist by Dickens. I have a few weeks (at the rate we are going it might be a few months) before I decide.
We are doing the happy dance here today.
We went to the cancer clinic yesterday. The verdict is that I do not have to any further treatment. Wahoo! (Where is the dancing smiley man when you need him?) We are exremely relieved here on the Prairie.
My form of cancer is extremely rare and it has a high recurrance rate so I will need to have a check-up every 3 months with my dr. for a little while. I also need to be very diligent in checking my body for suspicious markings and lumps.
I am battling ambivalent feelings today. I am so happy about the prognosis. I am praising God for His mercy and grace to our family. God is, indeed, good. He has carried us through this. In amongst the happy feelings, though, are feelings of weariness and sadness. We have been through a rollercoaster of emotions the past 3 months. This week is a perfect example. I was told on Tues. that I might have to leave my children for a week at a time for 6 weeks if I needed radiation. I knew that this would be extremely hard on my kids, especially after the last few weeks. I tried to prepare myself for this possiblity. Then the next day we are told "Oh, everything is fine now, It's all over." Oh, the ups and downs of it all. Even though we have good news, you can't just shut those emotions off. They are still rampant. I feel battered and bruised right now. I know that in time these feelings will recede. I just have to give it time.
The kids need this time as well. Time to heal. Time to just be with mom, to just be. That sounds so good right now.
I had everything planned out for this week. I wanted to start getting back into the saddle of our learning time. I was hoping to get into more of a routine this week. i knew that Mon. (Rocky's orthodontist appt.) and Wed. (my appt at the cancer clinic) would be a write off but I had high hopes for the other three days. We are going to be staying home for thoese days so I had plans of getting to some of the subjects that we hadn't had much interaction with as of late (like grammar and writing.) I have been reminded, though, that my plans are not of God's.
It all started with the kids asking to go outside to play. It had rained most of the night and then had changed to snow when the kids woke up. I didn't want to say no because when the cold weather hits the kids aren't outside much. I want to take advantage of 'good' weather while I can. They went out at 8:30 and I knew they would be out for an hour or so but, no worries, we would start with our learning time whenever they came in.
Then at 9:30 I received a phone call from the cancer clinic. The day went downhill from there. How do I explain this phone call? I have ambivalent feelings about it. The good side of the phone call is that the woman told me everything that would be happening tomorrow on my visit to the clinic. I was very appreciative of that as I didn't have a clue as to what to expect. She also told me that the clinic would follow me for a pre-determined amount of time with check-ups, etc. to make sure that the cancer does not come back. They will then remind my family dr. to do yearly check-ups afterwards just as a precaution. I am very thankful for this. This gives me peace of mind.
The clinic lady then proceeded to tell me what would happen if I needed further treatment. This is where I got lost. Lost in emotion. I have been telling myself that I won't need treatment, that this is just a formality. Yes, that still might be true, but this woman's words made treatment a reality. Her words are making me think of what we will do if I do, indeed, have to have treatment. I don't want to think about that. I want to stay in my little cocoon of denial. My little cocoon in which tomorrow afternoon will be the end of our cancer experience.
The clinic lady told me that if I do indeed have to have treatment, it will be radiation. The treatment will take place at the clinic which is 3 hours away. I will have to have radiation 5 days a week. The dr. will determine how many weeks I will need. (I would think it wouldn't be for too many weeks but, as I am learning throughout all of this, What do I know about cancer?) This means that I will have to stay in Regina during the week and then come home on the weekends. This also means more upheaval. sigh
Again, I know that I will probably not need all of this (maybe if I say this over and over it will come true.) but those words dug me out of my denial and is making me think of the possbilities. Those possibilities put a halt on any plans that I had for the day.
After talking to that very nice lady, who had no idea that she just ruined my day, I had no desire to do school. Yet again, a change in plans. Thankfully, though, I didn't follow my inclination to go back to bed and bury myself under the covers. I decided to do some math fun with the kids. At least they got some learning in (those words are going around my brain as well.)
I found some neat ideas for math activities from the MathWire site. I really like this site. There are oodles of ideas for teaching math to your kids. The site is directed towards public school but the activitties are do-able for homeschooling as well. They have a number of seasonal ideas to keep math fun for the younger ones. Today we played a pumpkin game where you rolled a dice to see which shape you had to put on the face of a pumpkin. They also had a tally sheet where you could keep track of the frequency of dice rolls you had before you completed the face.
We also played a Pumpkin Farm game. Each child had a grid with number coordinates on the side and letter coordinates along the bottom. The child puts 12 pumpkins on the squares of their choice. Somebody yells out a coordinate and if the pumpkin is on that square then they get a point. My kids loved this game. It helps teach them graphing as well as score keeping. These games were mostly for Missy's benefit but the two older ones had fun right along with her.
We, then, played a fraction game for Rocky. We had made strips of paper and cut them in various fractions--1/2, 1/4, 1/8. We used RightStart fraction cards to draw which fraction we would use to fill up a strip of paper that was a whole. So if I had drawn a card that said a 1/2 on it. I would put my 1/2 strip over the whole strip. I would then need some version of a half (another 1/2, 2 1/4s, 4 1/8s) to win the game. This helps Rocky see what the various combinations are for a whole.
After our game playing we then read a chapter of Winnie the Pooh. I think everyone dealing with cancer should read Winnie the Pooh. The Bear of Very LIttle Brain is just so comforting to read during such a time as this.
I had plans to watch a video on Comets with the kids and then move on to Little Women, but I just didn't have the gusto to do even that. So they played for the rest of the afternoon and I did nothing. That was comforting, too, in its strange little way.
I am such a jellyfish! I have no spine for consistency. Even though I know that something is going to work, I still vacillate back and forth and then go back to the safe side of the issue. I like safe. I think that safe will work better than unconventional. Not always, though, is that the case.
Safe, in this instance, is a formal math program. Unconventional is learning math via living math. I have discovered that mixing up the two is the best way to teach math to all three of my children. I use the math book as my guide, then I use the living math approach to flesh it all out for the child, to make it more understandable and, yes, fun ( I know, learning is not supposed to be fun but I can't help myself.)
This is how it is all supposed to work out but I just can't seem to stick with it. It is easier to just stick with the math program. Just do the next thing. I like that. Easy and safe is a good thing. But easy and safe does not always work. Sometimes, for learning to take place, you have to try new unchartered territories and plug in the hard work.
Math has always been easy for Rocky. He is good at computational skills. He can add and subtract very well. His multiplication facts are coming along qutie well also. He is having problems with the abstract part of math, though. We are stuck on fractions right now. Rocky can't seem to understand what a half and a quarter is. He knows what it means to fold something in half but when you ask him what is a half of 9, he doesn't even know how to figure that out. He doesn't understand that 1/2 is half of a whole or that 2/4 is the same as 1/2. I have been at a loss as to how to explain this. The light came on this weekend and I realized that he needs more living math in this area. So I hauled out my books and have an arsenal of activities and games to help Rocky become more familiar with fractions.
While I was looking at all of my books, I realized that I had fallen down on the job with Missy as well. We were doing more math things by the book now rather than taking the living math approach with her. I have been convicted by this and will return to living math for Missy as well.
Doing math this way is more work for me as I need to scope the activities out and, in some instances, make the games and activities. In the long run, though, it works out better this way as my children are learning to do math in a logical and common sense manner rather than in a robotic manner as the textbooks teach.
Now I just have to figure out how to teach long division to Mia with the living math approach. I don't even know if that is possible.
Book #44--American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. I combined two books together for this post because I don't have much to say about this book. I decided to combine a post so it looks like I have more to say than I actually do. American Wife is good for learnng how to skim read. That is about it. I did not like this book at all. It was over 500 pages of skimming. This book did not have to be this long. She could have said what she wanted to in a much shorter book.
Book #45--The Film Club by David Gilmour. Thank goodness I read this book after the above clinker. This book is the opposite of American Wife in every possible way. This book is tiny and only has about 250 pages. This book has a purpose (education comes in many different forms.) This book gives you the warm fuzzies. I loved this book!
David Gilmour agrees to let his 15 yr. son quit school on the following conditions: he does not do drugs and he has to watch three films a week with his dad. That's it. The book is a commentary on the movies that they watch and how they intertwine with Jesse's real life. The language is rough but if you can skim over that part (skimming a few words is easier than skimming 500 pages) you will find a gem amongst the pages.
This book got me so excited about watching movies again that I actually watched Crimes and Misdemeanors on the weekend. I dislike Woody Allen very much, so much that I have never watched any of his movies. After reading Gilmour's critique of this movie and other Allen movies, I decided to bite the bullet. I was shocked to discover that I really liked this movie. It was quite deep. Who knew?
I have been reading the Greek Myths to my kids for a very long time, right along with the fairy tales. Actually, my kids are probably more familiar with the myths than they are the fairy tales. Now that I am reading more of the classics, I see many references to the myths and their characters. Mia loves the Greek myths. I have been reading the myths to her since she was in Grade 1. I have a schedule of sorts of which book I read in which grade. I have kept this schedlue with the other two as well. We read a different book each year to help them become familiar with the gods and other characters.
This year I have 3 different readings going on at the same time because I have 3 children to teach, all in different grades. We only read the myths one day a week but that reading can become very long with reading passages from 3 different books.
We are reading Age of Fable by Bullfinch for Mia. We were supposed to read the first part of this book last year but I dropped the Greek ball, so to speak, and we didn't read the myths that year. So we are catching up this year. I love this book! Bullfinch writes about the well-known myths and also gives space to the not-so-well-known characters and their trials. Mia is enjoying this book as well.
I was reading Mary Pope Osborne's Greek Mythology to Rocky earlier this school year. We finished it last week and we are now starting The Wonder Tales by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This is a step up for Rocky and I don't think he likes it very much but we will persevere.
Missy has stepped into the ranks of mythology reading with the Usborne book on Greek Myths. I like this book as a beginner book. The stories are short and the pictures are quite colorful. I was a bit surprised (I don't really know why, though) when we started reading the book and Missy proceeded tell me of various other myths that she apparently picked up from listening to her brother and sister's reading. I am learning how much she has picked up from being a fly on the wall while I am teaching her siblings. You think they aren't paying attention but they are all ears and are soaking it all up like a sponge. When Missy finishes the Usborne book then we will move on to Aesop.
When I started this year's reading challenge--Reading 52 Books in 52 Weeks--I had visions of grandeur. I started dreaming of all of the books that I would read--fluff, classics, non-fiction, Christian classics, autobiographies, etc. Oh, the list was full of thought-provoking literary works. Then reality set in and the vision went Poof!
I quickly realized that if I were to read all of the literary greats that were on my list, I wouldn't get to Book 52 by the end of December. The reason being that most classics take a bit more reading power than modern fiction. They also take up more time. Every time I would have a classic in my hand, frustration settled in because it took more time than the allotted week to finish one of these beauties. It didn't take me long to ascertain that fluff books can be easily read in a week. Hence, contemporary fiction appeared more often than the literary greats of the past.
Don't get me wrong. There are some real gems in amongst contemporary fiction. I have read some very well-written books this year. There are quite a few books that are on my "I have read' list, that will be my favourite books of all time. The thing is, though, that the purpose of this challenge was to read those books that I have wanted to read for eons but have never read. They weren't read this year, either, because they would take longer to read than a week.
Here comes my decision: I have decided that next year, starting in Jan. I will not do another Read 52 Books in 52 Weeks Book Challenge. Nor will I do a Seasonal Book Challenge. The same with Reading Books that Start with the Letter S Book Challenge (there isn't such a challenge, at least not to my knowledge, but give it time.)
Oh, yeah, my decision. Well, the decision is that I am going to do my own, personal challenge all by myself. This challenge will be to read the books on AO's Yr. 7 book list (MIa will be doing this list in two years so I need to be prepared) as well as the books in my basement that have never been read. Books like The Count of Monte Cristo, Moll Flanders, Blink, The Great Gatsby. Oh, I am getting dizzy just thinking about them. I need to get these books read. I have wasted too much time. I am sure that I will continue to read the fluff books (I have a list just full of them) but I just don't want to read only of that genre. I want more variety and I think the only way to attain that variety is to take away the element of pressure. That is what I will be doing at the beginning of January.
I received a Get Well card earlier this week from the wife of my dad's ex-boss. I was touched that she took the time to send me her best wishes. What touched me most was the passage that she wrote out on the back of the card. The passage was written by John Ruskin. It took my breath away
In our whole life melody, the music is broken off here and there by rests and we think we have come to the end of time. God sends a time of forced leisure, a time of sickness and disappointed plans and makes a sudden pause in the hymns of our lives and we lament that our voice must be silent and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of our Creator. Not without design does God write the music of our lives. Be it ours to learn the time and not be dismayed at the rests. If we look up, God will beat the time for us. -- John Ruskin
I have been pondering some things lately. Things that have caused me to wonder why--why are people like this. Most people would tell me to forget about it, it's not worth stewing about, but I can't forget it because I am afraid that if I don't figure out the meaning of all of this, my feelings will turn to bitterness. I don't need that right now.
I have decided to write this all out to help me figure it out. I hesitate to do this as I don't want my words and thoughts to be construed as criticism. I am purely trying to figure out why this is happening. I guess this where I confess that I have been guilty of the same behaviour so I have no business casting stones. I just want to understand why so I can turn things around for me, although I think the experience that I have had in the last two months have caused a change already.
Okay, getting on to my thoughts. I have been a bit taken aback by the lack of support from my church during my cancer situation. Sure, I have received prayer support. People are quite willing to tell me that they have been praying for me but that has been the extent of their contact with me. Three women from my church have called me to ask how I have been doing and how my surgery went. No one else has called. Now, when I say support I mean emotional support--calling me to see how things went. I got very little of that. Actually, my Pastor never contacted me either until two and a half weeks after my sugery.. I went to church on Sunday and the older women talked to me and asked me how I was doing but the younger ones ignored me. They didn't even talk to me.
I have been wondering why this is. As usual I initially thought that they are angry with me because I haven't been going to church regularly this past year. I have had a rough year and I needed time to sort things out, so I pulled out of my church obligations and have only been attending church once or twice a month. So I thought that these women might be upset that I wasn't holding up my part of the church. But for six years before, I went to church every week and was involved in many programs so I hope they weren't begrudging me a bad year. On further thought, I don't think that is the reason for their avoidance.
I was talking to a dear friend yesterday. Her father died two weeks ago and she said she has experienced the same thing in her church. No one has acknowledged her father's death. We were comparing notes and trying to figure out why this happens. I noted that the women who did contact me were older women. Our thoughts on this was that the older women have experienced more in their lives and that experience has given them empathy to understand what is going on in other's lives.
The younger women have busy lives. They have families to take care of, jobs to attend to and life is buzzing around them. They don't have time to contact those that are hurting, other than praying for them. Please don't misunderstand me, prayer is important but tangible support is just as important (when I say tangible I mean human contact.) I think another reason for the avoidance is that they just don't know what to say. How do you talk to a person whose life just was turned upside down by life's happenings. How can these women possibly know what I have been going through if they haven't been through it? How can they know the depth of emotion if it has never visited them before?
I have been thinking lots about this as I was like this as well. When I heard that people were going through a rough time, I would either a) avoid them or b) tell them that I was praying for them but then go on my merry way. My reasons for doing this was because I had no emotional knowledge of what it was like to experience these kinds of situations. I had no idea of the depth of emotion one goes through during these times. I know now. I have been convicted by this throughout my own situation. God has given me empathy for those who are being tossed around by life's waves. I pray that that empathy will not fade as time goes on.
I recently read the book Tha Actor and the Housewife by Shannon Hale. This book was pure fluff but I came away from it with a great idea. The main character in the book would always make three pies once a week. The first pie was for her own family. The other two pies were to be given away to someone who needed some encouragement, someone who needed to know that they were being thought of and prayed for. Becky (the character) would ask God to bring someone to mind who needed a pie. Every week God would bring people to her thoughts who needed her kindness. I really liked that idea. So I made two pies yesterday, one for my family and the other for my friend. I think that I will make that idea a part of my life.
It has helped to write this all out. The thoughts were making my brain hurt. It has helped to crowd out the bitterness in thinking why these things are happening and to recognize that I am guilty of the same things. The time for thinking and pondering is over, now it is time for action, for doing.
Latest news on the cancer front: my pathology report came back last week and the cancer is officially gone. 
We are so relieved and thankful here on the Prairie. My stitches came out as well. I am now able to walk minus the Granny Grunt Shuffle. My range of motion has increased quite a bit as well. Even though I have been discouraged by how quickly recovery has been, according to those who are wiser in the ways of surgery, I am healing very nicely.
We were sideswiped, though, with some unexpected news. At the beginning of this whole situation, the surgeon told me very emphatically that I would not need further treatment after the surgery. He told me this a few times. I relayed this information on to my children. The surgery became our goal as to getting back to life as we once knew it. This was our focus: get through surgery then we can put this all behind us.
It seems that they have moved the goal posts on us. I am now being referred to the cancer clinic in Regina to see if I do indeed need further treatment. Before you start telling your computer screen that this is all just routine (as many people have told me the past few days,) let me assure you that I am aware of this. I understand why they are doing this and I appreciate it. Even though I do not relish seeing another doctor ( who will probably not have the same sparkling personality as my 'good doctor.') I am relieved that follow up will be done.
I am not the one who is having a problem with all of this; it is my children. Right now, when they need the game plan to stay exactly the way that it was relayed to them, they feel a bit shellshocked because this whole thing is not over. There are more drs, maybe more tests, more everything. They don't want more. They want over. They need over. They thirst for over.
Rocky is especially having a hard time with all of this. He overheard me talking to the surgeon's receptionist about the referral. When I told him that I would have to see another doctor, his first question to me, accompanied with a look of dread was, "Is the cancer back?" I assured him that it was not. I told him that the doctor just wants to see if I will need medicine to make sure that the cancer does not come back. Again, the look of dread, but this time fear was mingled in with it. "Will you lose your hair?" I told him that I didn't think they would use that kind of medicine.
The floodgates were opened then and the tears flowed. It broke my heart. I cried along with him. I held him tight and prayed that God would give me the words to comfort his heart. The words didn't come. I don;t think they exist.
The tears have been ongoing all weekend. The clarifying questions have been alternated with requests to play cards wtih me or just to cuddle. He just needs to be with his Mama, in case she disappears.
I keep hearing people tell me that this is all routine. How do you explain routine to an 8 yr. old boy? In his world there is nothing routine about cancer. Actually, there is nothing routine about it in my world either.
A neighbour phoned me the other night to inquire about my surgery. She asked me if I had been doing school with the kids during the whole cancer thing. I told her that we weren't doing the full schedule but we were doing a lighter version of it.
There was silence.
I knew what she was thinking. How are those kids going to learn on a lighter version of school? I considered telling her what I considered 'lite school' but I decided I didn't need to defend myself to anyone. I knew that, even though the kids weren't getting every subject, they were getting the ones that mattered.
I think if I had listed all of the things that we do for school now, she would have ended her silence on her own. Now, we don't cover everything every day. If I am having a rough day (recovering from surgery has taken longer than I had initially anticpated. Doesn't it always?) then we may skip school altogether. But most days we have been covering math, reading, latin, Shakespeare (the real thing,) poetry, Greek Mythology and many other read alouds. I think we have done very well... considering.
When I first read The Well Trained Mind and came to the section on outlining, I quickly came to the conclusion that this was one area that we would skip over entirely. I have a deep loathing for outlining. I don't really know why. It just doesn't make sense to me. Maybe it requires too many brain cells for me to make sense of it. I'm not sure. I do know that when I was in college, I would always write my paper first then fill out the required outline afterwards. I could never do it the other way around. I guess I made up the outline mentally and was not able to carry that out on paper. Because of that, I consider outlining a bunch of gobbledy-gook.
The WTM encourages middle-schoolers to start outlining sections of their reading, preferably non-fiction. In this way they are analyzing how the pros do it and are learning for their own use. For some reason, I am having major difficulties with this. I just can't seem to figure out the supporting statements for each main idea. I know that this can be rectified by practise on my part but it is a bit daunting when I think I need to teach this to me kids.
I was a bit relieved, when reading WTM again recently, to see that for 10 yr. olds the first step in learning how to outline is just gathering the main idea in every paragraph. I can do this. I have been having Mia using Story of the World for this first step. She has been doing very well with this. Next year, we will have to move to the next step and that is when my angst will be thrust into full throttle.
Another easy baby step to teach outlining was suggested by a fellow elist member. When reading our stories (I will probably use the models from CW Homer) I will point out the beginning, middle and ending of the story. We will then show this in a simple outline:
I. Introduction
what happened first
II. Body (middle)
what was the core of the story
III. Conclusion (end)
how did the story end
Well, I can handle that. That is enough for us to handle for this year. I will worry about the next step next year. The procrastinator in me likes these baby steps. 
I read this post at Holy Experience the other day. It struck a chord with me. A deep chord. Since our little life bump last month, we have been letting things slide quite a bit. I guess it is understandable considering the potential 'huge-ness' of the situation but now that the worst is over, it is time to pick ourselves up and brush off the dust from bad habits. The problem was where to start? There were so many things that we had let go by the wayside, how do we gather everything back? Ann's post gave me some ideas of how to do just that.
Ann's post is about a day well lived and how to know if you have, indeed, done just that. She has 7 areas or rungs of a ladder, if you will, that, if you have these 7 areas present in your day, then you have lived the day well. I really like this idea. I also like her 7 rungs. I am going to shamelessly take these rungs and apply them to our own family so that we can get back into the game of life.
Here are the 7 rungs of a well-lived day:
1) Listening: did we start our day with listening to Jesus today? Did we spend time with Him and His Word? Did we take His Word and place them deep in our heart to have armor for the day?
2) Love: did we love Jesus by loving others? Were we kind to those around us or did we snap back with impatience?
3) Labor: Who did we serve today? A good day consists of hard work. What kind of work did we do today?
4) Loveliness: What did we see, what did we hear, what did we read that brought beauty to our souls?
5) Literature: What did we discover in good books today?
6) Language: How did we speak today?
7) Logic: How did we scaffold into new ideas and understanding today?
Ann goes into more detail with these rungs so I encourage you to pop over there and read the entire post.
I have been thinking about how to tie accountabiliy into these rungs. Since cancer sauntered into our lives, we haven't been having many meals together, especially since my surgery. I still can't sit on a chair, so meals at the table have gone by the wayside. I was thinking, though, that the key to all of this is to get back to the table and let this be the setting for our discussions about how our day went according to the 7 rungs. This could be the foundation for some really good discussions. This is something that we have been missing as of late.
I am comforted by these 7 rungs. All is not lost. We just need to keep climbing the ladder.
Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Candians! My family celebrated Thanksgiving with extended famly yesterday. I wasn't able to go as I knew my leg could not handle being up and around for any extended period of time. So I stayed home and did some school planning. The kids and I will celebrate today.
I thought, considering all that has happened to our family as of late, it would be helpful to have a 'thankful' list in honour of this day.
My Gratitude List
I am thankful for:
1) my beloved who works very hard to put food on the table, clothes on our back and books on our shelves. Due to his hard work, I am able to stay home and be with our children. I consider this a privilege.
2) Mia, my little drama queen. She is growing up so very fast, it is making me blink furiously. Her sense of humour and profound way of thinking makes it a joy to have conversations with her.
3) Rocky, our resident clown. His sense of humour is a breath of fresh air. It amazes me how quick he can throw out the one liners. Also, his sweet spirit makes my heart sing on many occasions.
4) Missy, ah Missy!....my complicated, sweet Missy. She keeps my on my toes with all of her thoughts and actions. As she blazes her own trail, she may get burned a few times along the way but I know that she will be just fine.
5) books. Books comfort me, inspire me, soothe me, strengthen me, teach me. Books are the foundation of me.
6) music. Music does the same things for me that books do. Music lifts me up and holds me together.
7) sunsets. There is no better place to see a sunset than on the Prairies. They take your breath away. They remind you every day that there is a God and all is right with the world because He is in control.
8) tea. I know, silly item. I am new to the fragrance of tea. I have discovered, though, that tea forces you to slow down. It makes you sit and just be. Tea is the foundation of simplicity. Of all things simple, there has to be tea.
9) nights. After everyone is in bed, I snuggle up with a book and a cup of tea while music plays softly is the background. This is my time to regroup. This is my time to contemplate, forgive and rethink. It is my time to be thankful for all of the days happenings--good and bad.
10) cancer. The apparance of cancer in my life has, thankfully, been a brief yet a profound one. This little, life-sucking disease has taught me many life lessons in a small period of time and for this I am thankful. One of the things it has taught me is that the simplest things in life are the richest. Things like a giggle, a cup of tea, a game of cards, a shared cookie. Oh, I love the simple things.
Even though He is not on the list, it is a given that He is the umbrella that covers all of these things. Without Christ, there would be no Beloved, no children, no sunsets, no simple things, no life lessons. Thank you, Lord, for all that you have brought into my life.