Dec. 2, 2009 I searched the archives
But I really didn't find too many hanging threads or Earth shattering changes. In mid Fall I have twice torn my hair out because I had to change my expectations of what we would accomplish, I am always having to re-calibrate the amount of time I think it should take for little boys to act on something I've said, God is always surprising me with kindness, and group projects work out way better than I fear they will. I'm also usually taking on too much in September through November, but enjoying the rest of the year.
I did try copy work, not as directed in one step removed Charlotte Mason books, but using Susan Wise Bauer's Writing with Ease. It helped B tremendously. I've gotten stronger on the twaddle front - I went so far as to remove the books we'd picked up cheaply at the library sales, birthday parties and boy's allowances, put them in a pile they could reclaim from if they loved it, and dropped it off at the Salvation Army.
Other than that, no big ideas longing for sequels jumped out at me.
So, I'm back to regular blogging. The 500th entry can just be a nice entry doing it's job. |
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Dec. 1, 2009 The Carnival of Homeschooling is up Nov. 21, 2009 All we have to do is crawl under the kitchen table
This week my dishwasher broke, and it turns out that I broke it (so don't be like me- rise or scrape your plates really well!) and so we paid the landlord for the new dishwasher. In addition to breaking the dish washer, the day he delivered it was the day I left the mess in the kitchen so we could visit the used kids clothing store/Target and grocery store before K's nap time, so he REALLY noticed the state of the kitchen floor while he was lying down installing the new dishwasher.
I've mentioned before that I hate criticism? Especially when I deserve it? Well, he was very kind, and I'm trying to be a grown up.
DH took the kids with him as he passed out invitations to church door to door, and I scrubbed the floor, then walked downtown to the hardware store to buy floor wax, a new mop head, and contact cement - the rubber toe kicks have come down from the kitchen cabinets. One has come loose again, so I'm going to try my hot glue from the crafts desk - not so stinky.
The first coat of wax is drying, K has not yet woken up. M was delighted to crawl under the displaced table to get his snack, and no one has left tracks.
Now if only my landlord would come by while it looks good.
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Nov. 18, 2009 I have Now Thrown a Birthday Party Again. Phew.
And I think I can do this sort of thing some more.
We had hide and go seek
 computers available in a public space
 Lots of Chinese Take out
 Parents and younger siblings hung out all over the apartment. We did "electronically sedate" them with the movie "UP" when they got really excited though
  That was not too bad. I haven't even tried a party since M was born. But now I know I have to do something like it in March for M. Somehow 7 year olds seem scarier than 12 year olds plus family...but that's quite a while away. |
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Nov. 13, 2009 I'd still Rather Get a Funny Story than a Perfect Event.
A friend whose sister was getting married once said to me, "When you plan a wedding, there is so much work because of course you want everything to work perfectly." I confidently replied that I hoped something WOULD go wrong at my wedding, because then I'd have a funny story. She was sure I'd grow out of that attitude.
Well, nothing really did go wrong at my wedding, so I didn't get to test her theory. But attempting to have a Surprise Birthday Party for B? Now that was funny.
Apparently, our voices sound alike on the phone. One of his friend's Mom phoned this week, and on hearing his greeting (the same one I use) began right away to ask about "B's Birthday party on Saturday," He was in a fix, because he wasn't sure how to interrupt an adult politely! Eventually he interjected, "Umm, I'm B."
He was excited because it was good news, and a party is a party, even if it isn't a surprise. And knowing why he had to help vacuum was easier today.
But our poor friend is so embarrassed. |
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Nov. 13, 2009 I Found My Camera! So here is the Halloween Costumes
 The Bat and Mr Spock knew all about Halloween, but K only knew that she didn't want to be left out of a walk with the guys. So M found his lion mask from Hong Kong, and she was all set. DH let her hold some candy, and she was content. |
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Oct. 22, 2009 Better site for Fantastic Contraptions
I love getting to give presents. In fact, DH and I almost get annoyed with each other when the other one buys us a present, because we'd have had more fun buying the other one something with that money. It's not only more blessed to give than to receive, it's easier.
But last week the dentist asked DH if he drank coffee with sugar, while examining some spots that need filling. DH decided to switch to tea in the afternoon, he drinks tea without sugar. Knowing that the coffee at his work is excellent, but the tea so - so, I decided that this was a moment were the dentist had given me a really great excuse!
So I bought DH a tea pot from 10,000 villiages, some tea from equal exchange, and a dinosaur tea infuser. M picked that one out. We paraded down the street to present DH with his kit once it all arrived from the UPS. It was like Christmas.
DH had fun too.
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Oct. 12, 2009 Mental Health Day
I decided this morning, that we had put in 5 good weeks (we were sick for one and a half, but still) it is Columbus Day, and I was nervous about my co-op class. So I declared that we were going to skip morning lessons, pick up the floors, (Oy, the magzine glacier near the boy's bunk bed, just waiting for someone to slip...) read fun books, and Mom was going to get her head on straight about Geography Class.
So, B ate his toast in bed and read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, M played an on-line game about engineering called Fantastic Contraption (it takes a while to load and has a lot of adds in the sidebar, with the usual metal bikini wearing warrior princesses, but what a fun puzzle!) And K wandered around playing with shoes - putting our shoes on us and trying to wear ours when she had taken them off again.
In a few minutes, when I am sure that my materials for class have printed, we will walk to the CVS to pick up my photos that I ordered yesterday.
So, I do have a plan! I have printed many copies of the Mystic Seaport map from their website. Most of my kids have probably gone there. I will pose questions like; you want to hear a lecture at 2PM at the Seamen's Friend Society. You are at the Schaefer's Tavern, and your little sister needs a diaper change. Your mom hands you the map and says she will catch up with you at the lecture, it is 1:50 and she doesn' t want to make you late. Which way do you go?
I'll have to come up with some other questions too. This map is oriented so that West is on top, so it would fit on an 8 1/2 by 11 page, I'll ask them about how to orient it, and when they need compass points and when they don't.
I've also printed some train schedules from the MBTA. I've met lots of adults that can't read them, so I think train schedules are fair game for the class. We'll figure out when we need to leave the Children's Museum to catch the commuter rail home on time, and stuff like that.
I'm also compiling lots of geographic terms, like isthmus, and fjord. Maybe I'll print out a bunch of blank maps and have the kids find examples? Perhaps the atlases would be good examples. I think for this quiz I'll bring a bag of candy - maybe pennies, no worries about allergies that way. My class needs an injection of fun.
This week, I don't want to be nervous and grouchy because I'm winging it!
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Sep. 29, 2009 We have Officially Become Band Parents
B's flute teacher asked me if I would mind if he joined the middle school band (they only had one flute) and so I've been expecting her to let us know it was time. So today we planned to walk B over to the middle school for band, push the buzzer by the main entrance, turn two rights to the "cafe-torium," then say goodbye in a supportive but non-embarrassing way to B, and we did, or so we thought. There were no instruments in the room. I asked the young man sorting balls, "Is this the Brennan cafe-torium?" He blinked at me.
The young woman organizing young kids turned to me and said, "No, It's the Studley cafeteria, Brennan is up the street."
Brennan turns out to be about half a block up the road, near the high school basketball court and soccer field, past the Jr varsity football field. We were only about 5 min late.
M and K had noticed a cool playground behind Studley, so we went back. I figured we'd been there about an hour, so we returned for B, who seemed happy to see us, and we tromped home.
The band director has me signed up as a substitute to help new students with instrument rental on Thursday night if her other volunteers can't make it. I'm official now. I have become a Band Parent. |
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Sep. 16, 2009 Carnival of Homeschooling is up Sep. 9, 2009 Carnival of Homeschooling
I especially liked this week's edition of the carnival of homeschooling, the Lego Ban article made me wish I was in charge of the Seattle school, and the digestion project article was cool too. I've bookmarked the geography with google maps for reference later, that could really help out my geography class.
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Sep. 2, 2009 Carnival of Homeschooling is up Aug. 26, 2009 Day in the Homeschool
I've never written one of the day in the life of our homeschool articles, but I plan to, just not in time to link to the roundup this week. I'm going to borrow B's MP3 player, and record my observations like a Mom-Spy. Then I'll edit it down and type it out.
But if you have one of these on blog, or can whip one up real fast, Darcy at Life with My Three Boybarians is collecting them. I liked the Thinking Mother's entry.
We are about to drive over to pick blueberries in Rehoboth, I want to bake another blueberry buckle this Summer, and I'm wondering how K will take to picking blueberries. Probably M and B will be the great harvesters, but the funny thing is, M finds blueberries more tangy than sweet, and doesn't like them (yet).
Blueberries are my favorite food, the best are the little wild ones. |
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Aug. 18, 2009 Carnival of Homeschooling is up Aug. 16, 2009 Happy Things I overheard
Child walking by on the sidewalk to her mother, "There is a bufferfy on the purple flow'r."
My budlea is roughly the size of Mr Snuffleupagus.
K, "Momma tickle?" |
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Aug. 12, 2009 Carnival of Homeschooling is Up Aug. 5, 2009 My Foot is "Dynamite!"
And that must be good, because my podiatrist was grinning when he said it. I'm allowed to wash it in the shower tomorrow, and wear shoes again when the swelling is really gone.
My Mom in law reminded me to be careful now, because this is when things can break open again, so I'm going to try not to get too stupidly ambitious: I'll just get the CSA box tomorrow and drive B to his flute lesson without instituting nap time...but there is an AC in the car, so the kids should be cheery...? |
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Aug. 4, 2009 Carnival of Homeschooling is Up Jul. 31, 2009 DH's Guest Blog
Today it is my (DH) turn to post an entry.
Chris needed surgery last week. The doctor put a Titanium Hemi toe-joint implant into her left foot. (Does that make my wife a " 'Borg" ?) I took vacation this week, as Chris is basically off her feet.
Now, I pride myself in being an active, participating Dad. Baby needs a diaper change? No problem. Kids need a bath? I'm on top of it. Dishes need washed? OK. So, I figured that this week would be no problem at all. Wrong!
First, the good: Here is a nice picture of a simple breakfast I prepared for DW, to eat in bed. Nice, simple, elegant. Yum....
Not bad... But let me pan out just a little here...oops.
I guess I will stick to the basics. If the kids are alive, fed, and somewhat clean I will deem the week a success. Here is K getting a plum... funny thing is, I am not sure where she got it from. DW must have purchased them before her surgery.
There were some home schooling moments this week. One morning, M asked me what "lavish" meant. Does it mean the same thing as "savor", he asked. I said, no - "lavish" means "a lot of good stuff", such as "He lavished his vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce". "Savor" means to take your time and enjoy something, such as "He savored his vanilla ice cream". M paused, thought, then told me "I am going to savor this lavish breakfast".
I really miss B, who is at camp this week. B would have been a big help around here, especially with his little sister, K.
Anyway, I will be REALLY glad when DW is on her feet again! I think I have a renewed respect for what she does around here.
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