Nov. 9, 2009 - Struggling
Well, I guess I spoke too soon about being on the mend. I've had a rough couple of days. Yesterday I tried to do my normal morning routine and got extremely faint and dizzy, to the point of wondering if I actually would pass out. I also had another quite serious breathing episode. I had a breathing treatment, took a hot bath (with an older girl in attendance to make sure mommy was Ok) and went to bed. We briefly talked ER, but I'm thankful I didn't have to go as I'm sure ER's are CRAZY right now.
I am not sure what is wrong but will go to the Dr. today just to rule out pneumonia. My chest does hurt when I take a deep breath. Maybe I'm just achy and exhausted from this flue and need to take it easily. Kevin is taking off Monday through Wednesday for sure, and I have instructions to do almost nothing. I find when I am up and about things get bad fast, but when I rest I'm pretty much Ok.
This is driving me batty, but I guess there is a lesson to learn. I've always been focused on accomplishment. I have a strong work ethic, and while that is good sometimes, it can be carried too far. I realize that part of my problem is that I feel useless when I am not "doing stuff". Reality is, I am just as valuable in God's eyes and my family's eyes when I am flat on my back as when I am bustling around getting 35 things done before 10 a.m. That is one aspect of the gospel, isn't it? We all have value and worth regardless of our "works". I know that intellectually, but emotionally I'm tempted to feel like a worthless blob right now.
Oh, kid update. Naomi, Isaac, Joseph, and Miriam seem close to being Ok. Angela and Lydia still have some residual issues. Lydia's foot has been hurting for a couple of days. She probably sprained it, though we don't know when. If it doesn't improve in the next couple of days, we'll have to take HER into the Dr. A couple of years ago she broke a finger and didn't let us know; we figured it out a YEAR LATER. WE don't want to make that mistake again, but on the other hand it doesn't seem like she could have broken her foot.
Well, this too shall pass. Thank you all for your continued prayers.
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Nov. 6, 2009 - Over the Hump?
I'm hoping that the worst is over in our household. My asthma the last couple of days has been quite challenging, but I THINK I feel better this morning in the lung department. Probably the hardest part for me has been taking it easily! I haven't felt THAT bad, but when I have gotten too active, my asthma flared up. I also had a powerful backache and headache, and fatigue. Other than that, I felt great.
Words aren't enough to express how much I appreciate Kevin's care the last couple of days. I have a hard time resting, and he has been solicitous and firm about me staying in bed or on a chair instead of doing "just one more thing" around the house or with the kids. Thank you honey! The kids are more work than usual as they are still a bit sick, and I've mostly been out of commission.
There have been some good things about the last couple of days. I've spent quite a bit of time reading books and watching videos for homeschooling. I've gotten some additional rest. I've contemplated what a blessing a healthy set of lungs is. This is my first moderately serious asthmatic episode in 6 years, and I am grateful!
So, life goes on and we are managing. As Kevin says, it hasn't been a fun week. But we've avoided the hospital and are managing quite well. But I'm looking forward to all of us being completely healthy.
One thing I did yesterday was watch a DVD entitled "Drive Thru History", which we got from Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA). This has vignettes about 8 (?) prominent Americans who lived during our country's formative years. One was Dr. Benjamin Rush, a physician, who, among other things, stayed in Philadelphia during a Yellow Fever epidemic when almost all the other doctors fled. He and 2 other men were the only physicians for thousands of people. The Yellow Fever killed about 10% of its victims during the epidemic, and caused untold suffering.
Sadly, H1N1 has caused the death of quite a few people, many of them children. But it isn't nearly as deadly as Yellow Fever. I am impatient with more than week of moderately serious illness in our home. In other places even today, far more deadly diseases are at work and people are sick for weeks and months at a time. And of course, there are those in our country who are fighting cancer and are sick for weeks and months. I am grateful for a healthy family, and access to good medical care.
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Nov. 5, 2009 - The Mighty Has Fallen
Truthfully, I was feeling very pleased with myself. I've been caring for six children and didn't come down with H1N1. How is THAT for a tough immune system!
Yesterday afternoon I was bustling around doing chores, when I rather suddenly felt terrible. I was extremely tired, had a bad headache, and had my first (mild) asthma attack in years. I called Kevin and he came home promptly. I used Naomi's asthma inhaler. I went to bed very early and slept for 10 hours. I still have a headache. My body aches. I have a mildly sore throat. My lungs don't feel quite right. I have swine flue.
So, that's a monkey wrench. Kevin will probably need to stay home today. I'm going to go in to the doctor and ask for Tamiflu. My last serious respiratory illness was 6 years ago and I got VERY sick with serious breathing problems. I want to head that off.
We continue to welcome your prayers. Thank you!
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Nov. 4, 2009 - The Good News, and the Bad News
The good news is very good. All six of our children have contracted H1N1, and it looks like all will recover without serious complications. We are truly grateful to God for His goodness, and grateful to all our friends for their prayers. Angela was the last one to get it 2 days ago and she has spiked some moderate fevers but is not coughing -- at least not yet. All the other kids seem to be "over the hump."
The bad news is that I think we have a houseful of the grumpiest kids east of the Mississippi River. Of course, I'm typing that with a smile. It is always a privilege for me to be around our kids. But the truth is that they are a little weird right now. They don't feel well, and they are tired. Things that usually don't bother them much or at all, bother them in spades now. It doesn't help that I'm tired too as Angela has been up the last 2 nights with her fever. So I'm not at my most patient.
I have always been in awe at Jesus on the cross. Crucifixion is a terribly painful way to die, and He was coping with abandonment by God and man as well. In the midst of that horrific experience, Jesus was kind and gracious to everyone. He took time to care for his elderly mother, comforted the thief on the cross, and openly forgave those mocking him in the crowd.
I have been inspired by that example many times, and am trying to do so right now. Of course, my situation in no way compares! I'm just thinking again about how moderately difficult times can bring out the best in me or the worst in me. Only the Holy Spirit can give me the strength to be continually patient with the children, with Kevin, and with myself. There is NOTHING terrible going on, it is just wearying to be dealing with tantrums and arguments and a 2 year old who wants to be carried around much of the time.
Here are a couple cute vignettes from the last few days. Miriam, our 3 year old, loves soft, plush objects. She had a red dress last year that was soft and fuzzy, and she adored it to the point of wearing it whenever it was clean. (That was on my insistence; she would have been glad to wear it dirty.) Well, sadly she outgrew it. And Angela grew into it. So yesterday I put Angela in that dress. Miriam was feeling tired and out of sorts, and the dress was an old comfort object. So whenever she could, she would sidle up to Angela and clutch a fold of it in her hand. Angela, of course, was tired and out of sorts. So she didn't want her dress grabbed by Miriam. Yet more arguments to cope with, but I admit it was rather cute.
The red dress...
Joseph has been obsessive about spoons. I've been serving hot cocoa a lot the last few days, and he always wants a special spoon to stir the cocoa, and another spoon for eating. I've refused since we go through a million spoons anyway and can't afford to have every person using 2 spoons during a meal. That has caused much wailing and knashing of small teeth. At times he has refused to eat (temporarily). I make it a firm policy to NOT give in to whining so he's gone without his extra spoon. Thankfully, I've mostly found it funny more than anything else.
This illness, the older kids have gotten excited about a magnet building set that has been lying around for awhile. They've been super creative, which is fun. The only problem is that there aren't enough pieces for everyone to play at once. I've dealt with that by only letting 1 or 2 kids play with it at a time.
Here are the older girls working with the magnet set.
Here is a "necklace" for Miriam made out of the magnets.
Thanks again for your prayers for us.
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Nov. 2, 2009 - So far so good
The doctor says the lungs are clear so far, praise God!
He and I talked about breathing issues at length, so we have a plan for the girls who are prone to breathing problems.
Angela just got up from her nap, crying and with a fever of over 100. So she is coming down with it now.
I'm actually glad in some ways. I'd rather just have her get it so we can all move past this.
We're in survival mode, but surviving just fine.
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Nov. 2, 2009 - H1N1 Update
Well, the older 5 children now have H1N1. Angela is the lone holdout and we know she WANTS to get sick, just hasn't quite managed it yet. Seriously, she is bound to get it sometime.
Both Naomi and Miriam have had nasty coughs and we've done breathing treatments for both as Naomi also had one asthmatic episode a couple of years ago. Joseph also coughs a lot and sometimes seems to have troble catching his breath afterwards. This is one of those times when I almost wish I were a medical doctor, or at least had a medical doctor in the family! But I am SO grateful for available medical care and the financial resources to make frequent trips to the pediatrician (with a $20 copay per child per visit.)
I am struggling a bit with my attitude about this illness. My natural tendency is to minimize the likelihood of breathing problems and I've been unpleasantly surprised more than once when I found a child was in the middle of a serious asthma attack, or had pneumonia, or whatever. I don't want to make that mistake, but also don't want to overtreat.
Well, in any case, I'm taking of the kids to the doctor in an hour for a lung check. So that'll give me more information about how they are doing in the breathing department.
Thanks for your prayers.
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Oct. 31, 2009 - Things Get Crazy
It's been a busy and challenging few days.
Wednesday evening:
Kevin was working outside near the chicken yard, when he noticed a very droopy chicken. More specifically, she was lying down on the grass in a quiet way that is atypical for a chicken during the day. He carried her into the coop and she perked up.
Thursday morning:
The chicken still looked unwell. She wasn't showing specific signs of illness, but she was very, very still. Mid morning, she lay down on the grass. A few minutes later, I looked out and she had fallen right over. I walked out. Yep, she was dead. Oh no! Our first chicken casualty for this batch of chickens.
Thursday afternoon:
Joseph got sick. He was very lethargic, started coughing slightly, and had a temperature of over 100. I told Kevin and he said I should take Joseph in to the pediatrician the next day.
I was reluctant to do that. He didn't look THAT sick and going to the doctor is a pain. I also have lingering issues about how doctors used to treat me like a hypochondriac because I was sick a lot as a child. Consequently, I sometimes don't take them in when I should. Well, it was a fine time to get over my issues and submit to my husband. I made the appointment.
Friday morning:
Isaac, who had been very difficult the day before, woke up with a fever of over 103 F. I felt better about taking them to the doctor as he was obviously sick. I made an appointment for him and took both boys in.
I discussed swine flue with the physician's assistant. By the time we got there, both boys were looking very perky thanks to acetimenophen. Their lungs were clear, their ears were clear. They looked great. However, I brought up our 3 yo daughter who is prone to severe asthma when she gets anything respiratory. The PA treated the situation very seriously, pulled her chart, discussed possibly scenarios, prescribed a preventative asthma medication, and sent the boys off to be tested for swine flue.
Friday afternoon:
Isaac spiked another high fever and lay around. The doctor's office called to say that the preliminary test showed that the boys were negative for swine flue. Hooray! However, they said the quick test was often wrong so they were going to run a more careful test. We figured we were safe since BOTH boys tested negative.
Saturday morning
Bad night's sleep for me, though not due to the kids. I made a mistake with the chickens when I let them out. Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words, so...
Yep, the chickens are OUTSIDE their enclosure. When I went into the enclosure, I didn't make sure the latch closed behind me. The door suddenly swung open and a horde of chickens escaped. Naomi, Lydia, and I spent a happy 20 minutes chasing them around in the cold wind. Several actually ventured beyond the fence, which required more chasing than usual. I got my expertise for the day.
Isaac still had a fever. I dutifully called the pediatrician to ask about the more accurate swine flue test. Surprise! Both boys were positive!
Since Miriam is at risk for serious complications from swine flue, the doctor prescribed Tamiflu for her as a preventative. So off I ran to the pharmacy to get Tamiflu.
Saturday afternoon:
Miriam and Lydia started coughing.
That brings us up to now. We have H1N1 running rampant. I am not particularly concerned. I believe we've made good plans for Miriam and the rest of us will weather it fine. It is just a challenging time. I don't like being out of routine. I don't like having sick kids. I don't like being behind on meals and cleaning and laundry. I am working on being patient with life as it is. I'm working to communicate well with Kevin and be wise about what I spend my time on.
Obviously I decided to update the blog, not a necessity. But I decided it was worth it to have a fun break.
God bless you all, and we appreciate your prayers.
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Oct. 29, 2009 - Organizational Woes Part 2: One Mom's Trash...
is a child's treasure.
In thinking more about the whole issue of organization, I keep being reminded that 7 other people live in our house, and I need to think about their desires and wants as well as my own.
As I said previously, I am not much of a pack rat. I do have a deep desire for order and neatness. I get frustrated about the amount of STUFF we own, and sometimes have an intense desire to throw things out or give them away.
But I have to remember that what seems like trash to me may be precious to someone else. Furthermore, if I take matters into my own hands and throw a bunch of stuff out, I may deprive our children in learning the skill of judiciously tossing items.
Admittedly, I sometimes do go through bins of toys and get rid of things when the kids aren't watching. But I also need to take the time to work WITH the children in evaluating their toys and possessions. I have not done a fabulous job of this, and need to do better.
With our older girls, we have a couple of places where they can store "precious items". We have a box for each girl that lives under their bunk bed. They can keep things here that they don't want to share with their siblings.
Here is one girl's box. There are possessions here that I think entirely useless, but I firmly refrain from tossing things from this box. I do remember working with Lydia about throwing out empty toilet paper rolls. She said she wanted to save them for possible crafts. I pointed out that we generate many empty toilet paper rolls, and that her box was at that point bursting at the seams with stuff. So she threw them out.
The girls also have a big closet with a shelf for each girl.
This area is a MESS right now. The girls and I really need to work on these shelves. Probably the best thing to do is provide some small sterilite tubs to conveniently group items that are now just shoved up there.
So I'm pondering the truth that teaching organizational skills is part of our job as parents. We have many different personalities in this house, and each person has his/her own way of looking at the world and possessions. My way isn't the right way, but I certainly have more experience than my children. I hope Kevin and I can pass on some healthy views about possessions without dictating exactly which possessions are worth saving.
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Oct. 26, 2009 - In Praise of Sleep
Once a month, our church holds an evening service and last Sunday was the night. Some of you may recall that on our way to September's service, our van window blew in when a piece of metal catapulted through it. We are nothing if not intrepid, so this weekend we headed out again. This time, we got to the service safe and sound. Our time there was wonderful and blessed and long; the result was that we got home after 9 p.m., and the kids were in bed by 10 p.m.
I am on the compulsive side where bedtime is concerned. As a morning person, I am not at my best in the evening. By the time 7 p.m. rolls around, I am ready for the children to be in bed so I can rest and spend some time with Kevin. They are NOT in bed at that point, but we start doing baths and night chores and night snacks, and usually everyone is in his/her bedroom by 8:30 p.m. Our older girls read until 9:15 p.m. and then turn off the lights and talk until 9:30 p.m. The younger ones usually are asleep earlier, except for Angela; she still takes a nap and can occasionally be heard babbling at 9:30 p.m. but at least she is resting and in the right place for sleeping.
What does sleep have to do with homeschooling? Well, I would argue A LOT. Yesterday was a very rough day around here after a short night of sleep. I had hoped they would sleep in but mostly they did not. The children were tired and crabby. Our 2 and 3 year old girls are by nature argumentative, and when they are tired, they are argumentative squared. I'm not technically homeschooling the younger ones, but when they are crabby, I'm more stressed. There is more noise. Everything is a struggle.
I'm glad we went to church, but I'm glad we don't often go out at night. I think it is a valuable thing for every family (homeschooling or not) to ponder sleep issues occasionally. Are the children getting enough sleep? Are we?
One of the blessings of homeschooling is that we can choose our schedules, and indeed sleeping in can be a fine thing. I know of families where the children stay up late so they can spend time with their father who works odd hours. That is great, so long as the kids can also sleep in in the morning.
But many families in our culture are pushing the sleep envelope. They are so busy with all the activities and opportunities, that they don't make sleep a priority. Sleep seems like an "optional" thing, and in my younger days I made the mistake of not getting enough. Somewhere along the line I learned that a super tired woman is not as able to be the wife, mother, and friend that God wants her to be. And chronically tired children may suffer from more illness and less patience to cope with the challenges of life.
So let's get enough sleep!
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Oct. 24, 2009 - Organizational Woes: Part 1
I’ve been on a painfully slow organizing frenzy for close to a month now. By that I mean that I have been seized with fervor to organize our lives better, but have been hindered and flummoxed in my ability to do so quickly and thoroughly.
I’m going to try to blog a bit about organization, including comments about my challenges and my triumphs.
But let me start with Woe #1.
We have too much STUFF.
Ok, no huge surprise there. I’m guessing most Americans have too much stuff. It is a cultural problem.
In many ways, we are very blessed because we have a big house with lots of storage. So it isn’t like piles of stuff are littering the floor. If they were, I probably would do something about them. My sweet mother wasn’t the tidiest of housekeepers growing up, but she always had a clear floor so I am used to a clear floor.
I’m not really a pack rat either, except where books are concerned. My parents moved often during my childhood and always unloaded a lot for each move, so I learned to throw things out.
So what’s the problem? I’ve been pondering that. I think the problem is that throwing things out, donating them, and organizing them, takes thought power and energy and time. And I feel short on all three
Because really, a great deal of our ‘excess stuff’ is in decent shape, and I don’t want to just throw it out. I’d like to bless someone else with it by finding a friend in need, or giving it to the Salvation Army, or something like that.
But you know how it is to open boxes and burrow through them, or go through bins of clothing – for awhile, the mess gets worse instead of better, and I have to evaluate everything. Furthermore, I am surrounded by small and active children who would like nothing better than to snatch something out of a box and take off running.
So, I’ve made progress this month, but it is slow progress. One thing I did manage to do was thin out my clothing collection for the young ones by giving items to friends who needed them. That was emotionally taxing to some degree as it was a physical sign of relinquishing hopes for another baby. But I really felt strongly that the Lord would have me bless others in this way. (And you know, if we do ever have another baby, there are thrift stores where we can buy more clothes as needed.)
So, how do you find time to get rid up stuff? When do you do it? Do you have your children help? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
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Oct. 23, 2009 - 20 eggs from 20 chickens
Yesterday was truly a red letter day. Every last one of our sweet chickens laid an egg!
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Oct. 22, 2009 - Warm Autumn Day
After a cold fortnight, we're enjoying warmer temperatures and sunny skies this week.
Two days ago, the younger children and I went for a walk in our back 3 acres. Kevin cut a walking path around the edge, but other than that, it is thoroughly wild.
I haven't been back there in several months, which I know sounds ridiculous. But the last two times I went for a walk, I was accosted by bugs when I got to the back. They buzzed me, threatened me, and upset me. I ended up running all the way back up to avoid them, which was good exercise but not conducive to enjoying the scenery. I also had to check for ticks after my walks, because the back 3 acres are tick infested.
Tuesday's walk was delightful. The recent frosts apparently killed both bugs and ticks. The weather was beautiful, and we had at least one cat accompanying us.
Here's a picture of our house from the back. The landscape is filled with the browns and gray-greens of fall.
These berries have taken over the edges of our property. Kevin says they are poisonous and very common, but couldn't remember their name.
Lydia wandered off by herself in search of a cat.
The 4 younger ones finished up their walk by swinging for a time. Well, the 3 littles swung, and Isaac did gymnastics.
P.S. Sorry that pictures are small. For some reason, I can't copy the bigger images today.
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Oct. 20, 2009 - A New Decade
Tomorrow will be crazy busy as I am working and then Kevin and I are going to a Bible study tomorrow. So I will write today about tomorrow, which is rather a momentous day for me.
Tomorrow is my birthday. And it isn't just any birthday, it is one of the big ones -- the big FORTY!
Yes, tomorrow I will be 40 years old. I am sure it is normal to feel a little strange at turning 40. And there is no harm at all, and probably much good, in doing a little contemplation about my life.
Mostly, I feel very grateful for my life. When I look back at previous decades, I think I can say with truth that I am a more joyful and content person at age 40 than I was during any of the previous decades.
At age 10 I was in the jungles of Bolivia where my parents were missionaries. There were great things about living in Bolivia, but some challenging things happened too.
At age 20, I was a junior working on an undergraduate degree in metallurgical engineering in "snow country" (Houghton, Michigan.) I was an exemplary and successful student, but not a peaceful person at that time. And while I knew Christ as Lord and Savior, I didn't really know Him as my Friend.
At age 30, life seemed somewhat simple! We had just moved down from Michigan, where Kevin had recently completed his Ph.D. at the University of Michigan in Materials Science and Engineering. When I turned 30, I was very pregnant with our first child. How simple that life seems now! I had no children in the home, just one in the womb. My primary focus was getting out house unpacked and getting ready for being a mom. I really can hardly BELIEVE that I have six children now. I never would have imagined that we would be so blessed to have 6 children in 8 years!
And now I am 40. Life seems busy, crazy, and stressful at times. But it also is a delightful life, a blessed life, a joyful life. I am privileged to be married to the best man in the world for me. I adore my children with all their quirkiness. I am growing in my maturity as a child of God, as a wife, and as a mother. I have a long way to go, but have faith that God will grow and teach me as the days and years go on.
I would say the one rather sad thing about turning 40 is that I'd love another baby, and it seems likely we're done with six. But six, wow, SIX! We are so blessed to have six sweethearts. I am grateful for them and need to be peaceful with moving into a new phase in life. And who knows, maybe in 11 or 15 or 18 years, we'll have a grandchild or two.
So, happy birthday to me!
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Oct. 20, 2009 - Peanuts
Kevin experimented this year by growing some peanuts. I am astonished to realize how little I used to know about peanuts. Firstly, I had this vague idea that peanuts would not grow this far north. I knew they were grown by the ton in Georgia, so assumed it was a warm weather plant. Not true! They grew very well here though they were smaller than southern peanuts. But perhaps that was just the variety.
I also didn't realize that peanuts develop and grow underground. The leafy plant has no apparent fruit, which of course meant we didn't know whether the peanuts were growing at all and if so, how many peanuts grew. To our pleasure, we got quite a few peanuts from a few plants.
Once we had them, we had to figure out what to do with them. Kevin read up on how to bake peanuts and gave it a try.
Baking them turned out to be quite a process. He started with 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and they tasted awful. He kept trying more baking in 5 minute increments. He was just about ready to give up when he reached the 40 minute mark. And success! They tasted great.
Here is the finished product. The peanuts take time and effort to extract, so they are not the sort of thing you want to eat when you are starving. But for a light snack, they are wonderful. Perhaps we'll grow more next year, or perhaps Kevin will try something else moderately exotic.
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Oct. 18, 2009 - We bought (part of) a cow!
Around here, life gets quirky fast.
A couple of weeks ago, we got an email through our homeschooling group offering a piece of a cow. Not a piece of a cow in the sense of eating the cow, but a "milk share". See, here in
So, we decided to buy a "milk share" so that we can get raw milk. Yesterday, we went to visit her and took the pictures shown above. She has a name, but I've forgotten it. Alice, perhaps? Jenny? I'll have to ask.
Now truthfully, I'm a germophobe type of lady. Germs make me nervous, and I know there were reasons why pasteurization was introduced. It was and is easy for nasty microbes to make it into raw milk.
On the other hand, there is evidence that pasteurization and homogenization destroy some good things in milk. There are various enzymes that are destroyed in the pasteurization process, and the homogenization process changes the structure of the fat in possibly unhealthy ways. Oh, the milk is also completely free of any foreign hormones or other problematic additions.
An interesting study out of
The family milking "our" cow is super careful to keep the milk and associated utensil sterilized and clean. My gut instinct is that large herds of cows with a huge number of workers are more likely to have cleanliness issues than one careful family with one fat cow.
So, we're embarking on a raw milk journey. I do intend to learn more about making kefir, which is supposed to be wonderful stuff. I'm always intimidated by a learning curve and I don't know HOW to make kefir, but I can read directions. I'll figure it out.
For now, we’re just enjoying the raw milk as is. It tastes delightful.
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Oct. 18, 2009 - Ode To Winter
Well, I confess the title to this blog is made tongue in cheek. I don't really like winter, though there are good things about it. As you'll see.
But let me back up a bit. Last Tuesday, I went to a homeschool meeting where the speaker was Julie Bogart, author and creator of Brave Writer, a writing curriculum aimed at homeschoolers. She herself is mother to 5 homeschooled children, and is also a published author.
I think I can say without seeming boastful that I write quite well. Since I've lamented my struggles with sewing and art, you know I am aware of my weaknesses as well. But I've always loved writing.
It has therefore been a strange and upsetting thing that I've found TEACHING writing to be so very difficult. I have a curriculum, recommended by a dear friend and mentor, entitled "Understanding Writing" by Susan Bradrick. There are great things about this curriculum, especially the sections devoted to writing in a way that is pleasing to God.
But Understanding Writing requires a great deal of preparation time and I haven't found that time. So I've felt upset and concerned about how to teaching good writing skills to the children. In spite of that, Naomi has taken off as a writer. But I think it comes naturally to her, as it did to me.
Brave Writer was like a drink of cold water on a sunny day in the middle of the Sahara Desert. I haven't sprung for the expensive book yet "The Writer's Jungle" but I probably will. Julie's description of how to teach writing seems delightfully organic. It centers around the concept of freewriting.
I can't do all of Julie's ideas justice at this point, and indeed I don't know them all. You can check out her website bravewriter.com, if you like. But let me just briefly comment on freewriting. She says that children need to practice writing without worrying about spelling and syntax and grammar and punctuation. She says that good writers write about what they are truly interested in, so giving a topic is generally ill advised. She suggested doing an 8 week experiment where we set the timer one day a week for 5 or 10 minutes, and just WRITE. Then the kids will take one of those attempts and we'll do some polishing. But for that first 8 week period, we won't be grading anything, we won't be analyzing anything, we'll just be writing. We especially won't worry about SPELLING.
So we started on Thursday. I've decided that I'll freewrite with them. So here is my "Ode to Winter".
Well, here it is, the 16th of October. What is good about cold, wet days, anyway? I love spring and summer and fall is Ok, but winter is too cold and too barren and too gray for my taste.
So what is good about winter? Well, I like cozy times in front of a kerosene heater. I like winter fields covered with white snow. I like millions of snowflakes filling the outdoors as far as the eye can see.
I like a simpler life. We don’t go many places in winter, which makes life more constricted but also less busy.
I even like having the pool closed. I love the pool, but when it is closed we can just focus on indoor stuff.
I am grateful that we have warm clothes and warm beds, insulation in our attic and a good roof over our heads, a 15 passenger van with plenty of heat!
I like that the earth sleeps in winter. The little animals are safe in their dens, and the ticks are DEAD!
There are places with no winter at all. I love heat, but such places also have many bugs.
So yes, there are good things about winter.
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It took effort, but I didn't edit that piece at all. I could and would change a lot in a revision. For one thing, the 16th of October isn't really winter, it is fall (though this week sure FELT like winter here in Ohio. It has been cold!) So, that's a good example of a very unpolished piece of writing that has some good themes and ideas, but could also use some work.
Well, that's enough blogging for now. One last caveat is that it was clear from the talk on Tuesday that Julie Bogart isn't quite as conservative as we are in some areas. She mentioned Pokemon, Harry Potter, and crushes on boys in 4th grade in a calm way, and we're down on all three of those things. So it is likely that "The Writer's Jungle" contains some stuff that I would want to edit out for my kids. But that's Ok...one of the things I am learning to do is take what is good out of a curriculum and drop anything that won't work well for our family.
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Oct. 15, 2009 - A Bad Day
Ok, I confess that I am having one of those "bad days" that are amusing in hindsight, but extremely annoying to live through.
1. I woke up this morning feeling agitated because of a vivid dream about losing my purse. It started the day on a sour note.
2. When I sent Naomi out to collect eggs, the chickens swarmed her again and we had another major chicken break. The chickens were more clever after their escape of 2 days ago, and it took longer to corner them and throw them back into the coop and yard. Did I mention that it was 42 degrees and drizzling?
3. We have mostly banned apple juice in our home, but we bought some this week so I decided to give the kids a treat of juice for lunch. Naturally, predictably, inevitably, Miriam dumped her entire cup of juice all over her seat and the floor.
4. Miriam and Angela are tired and CRABBY.
5. Lydia and Isaac were playing sword fight with something inappropriate and Isaac got whacked hard in the ear. That turned him into a whimpering mess, not surprisingly.
Lord, have mercy and grace on us during our bad days.
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Oct. 14, 2009 - Moving the Chicken Yard
As I said in the last blog, Kevin decided to move the chicken yard. This great event occurred on Monday.
Before
Kevin putting up the first section of fence, with Joseph as an admiring audience of one.
Putting in the fence posts was hard work. It'll be nice when our children are old and strong enough to help their Daddy with jobs like that.
Naomi helped Kevin with the boards at the bottom of the fence. These are necessary to discourage dogs from pushing under the fencing. We've had 2 strange dogs visit our yard this week, and we don't want a repeat of our spring tragedy when the previous set of chickens were killed by a neighbor dog.
The chickens were very confused during the construction.
"Why can't we come out?"
The last section is up!
Could anything be better? After weeks of coping with a muddy yard, the chickens now have fresh grass and a garden. They were ecstatic!
Interestingly, the chickens most enjoyed the old garden because of the dirt. It was nice, fresh dirt with plenty of worms and bugs and they have spent many happy hours scratching and pecking.
Now, for a story without pictures.
Kevin put up the fence on Monday as he had the day off.
Mornings are always busy in our house, and Tuesday morning was no exception. So as usual, I asked Naomi to let the chickens into their yard while I dealt with things in the house. Two minutes after she left, she came running back in in a flurry. The chickens are creatures of strong habit. The door that is now the OUTSIDE door to the coop used to be the door into the yard. And the chickens, well, they assume when that door is open, they should run through it! They stampeded poor Naomi, and 9 chickens, NINE chickens, escaped!
Isaac and I dashed out into the cool October morning (in our bare feet) and spent the next 10 minutes chasing chickens. Some were relatively easy to catch, but the last one led us on a merry chase under and around and over anything she could find. I eventually, with much difficulty, cornered her and threw her firmly into the yard. Whew!
So for a few days, I'll let the chickens out and I will use the ULTIMATE weapon to keep them from rushing out. An umbrella. For some reason, our chickens fear and loathe opened umbrellas. I've found that if I bring an open umbrella and lay it on the mud in front of the door, they will cower back in fear. So we'll use the umbrella until they get used to the idea of not making a break for the coop door.
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Oct. 10, 2009 - Remembering the Chickens
An important part of my blogging duties is talking about our chickens, and its been awhile since I've mentioned them.
Firstly, and most importantly, they are healthy and happy. We've been getting 16 to 18 eggs a day, an impressive number. A few loyal customers are helping us by buying our eggs. Otherwise, the entire refrigerator would soon be full of eggs.
We have a minor problem, or perhaps problem isn't quite the word. But a couple of pictures will demonstrate.
Do you notice how the chicken yard is much browner than the normal yard?
And here is a close up. That brown stuff... well, its mud. The chickens have eaten almost every blade of grass in the chicken yard. We've had a lot of rain lately. Result, mud. Lost of wet, squishy mud. When we go in to retrieve the chicken pan, it is easy to slip. The chickens currently have very dirty feet, which makes for dirty eggs (though they wash fine.)
This is a long way from being a catastrophe and they may not mind at all, but Kevin has decided to move their yard to the other side of the coop.
The plan is to move the chicken yard to the area that used to have our garden. It is largely "done" for the year, but there is wonderful leftover vegatation that the chickens will enjoy eating. Kevin will probably purchase some extra fencing to make the yard bigger, too. Another advantage of the move is that the wind usually comes from the northwest, and the coop will now provide a windbreak for the chickens during the cold winter months.
Moving the yard will be a moderately time consuming project, but the children will enjoy watching and perhaps even helping a little.
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Oct. 8, 2009 - Math Musings
Last week, I purchased a CD-ROM with a series of math drills called Calculadder. This is a big deal for me and to explain why, I’ll have refer back to my own years in school.
I will be 40 this month, so I have to think back 33 years to the time when I sat in a 2nd grade public school classroom in a small town in the Thumb of Michigan. Like most of my contemporaries, I spent considerable time doing math worksheets. I’m sure you remember these; I had to solve 50 to 60 simple addition or subtraction problems in a short amount of time. I remember rather enjoying it and was good at it.
Math continued to be somewhat interesting through 6th grade. I attended a missionary school in the jungles of
We came back to
My 7th and 8th grade and my graduate level calculus experience considerably affected my teaching style in math. I have a strong desire to make math interesting for our children; I’ve also felt it far more important that they understand the concepts behind something then that they memorize a bunch of facts or formulas or methods.
In this I was reinforced by
The result of my experience and reading led me to focus on teaching concepts and disdain drills. I read articles and talked to friends who believed that children needed to memorize basic math facts so that they could work problems quickly, but I didn’t agree with them. Oh, I did buy a couple of math drill games like Quarter Mile Math and Timez Attack, but I didn’t consistently have the children use them.
My belief was that if we practiced enough interesting problems, the children would just “pick up” the basic math facts. I felt that math worksheets were boring and I didn’t want the kids bored, so we would just progress onto more interesting problems and pick up the math facts along the way.
This method worked fairly well with our eldest child, who did pick up math facts easily. I am guessing Timez Attack helped her with her multiplication tables considerably and she played it because she enjoyed it. She did NOT like Quarter Mile Math and I didn’t press it, but she knows her basic facts.
Our 3rd child and 1st son also remembers facts easily. (He also has a passion for Timez Attack, with the result that at age 6 he has largely memorized the times tables through 12 X 12.)
And then there is our 2nd child.
This whole issue reminded me again that I need to hold my homeschooling opinions somewhat lightly. I tend to be opinionated about how to teach certain areas. Sometimes I’m wrong. Sometimes what works well with our first child doesn’t work well with my second. I pray that God will grant me the wisdom to see when I’m wrong about something, and the wisdom to change course when it is necessary.
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