Dec. 2, 2009 Thanksgiving Day at Grandma's House
In order to use the two ovens, DH and I stayed in our kitchen while K napped, and the boys went over to my Mom's house to play board games once she got the turkey in the oven (and grill, she used up the last bit of gas in her tank).
Once K woke up and the apple pie was done, we traveled over with the gravy for it's finish of drippings, and the cranberry sauce. It was like a date!
K imitated Grandma in playing with the leftover containors, Mom said, "Oh well, I need to put them in a stronger shoe box anyway.
  We needed a peaceful day. I'm thankful we had it. |
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Nov. 25, 2009 Thankful through the Blog Year
I am doing this as an exercise: because this week I am tired out and cranky. But I know that I have much to thank the Lord for tomorrow, so I'm mining the blog to find out what that all is again. I sure don't remember right now.
I'm thankful for this blog, and the wonderful bloggers who's lives I enter slightly to commiserate, inspire and fellowship with, quicker than pen pals. I even got to host a Carnival of Homeschooling this year. And for comments, I love comments!
I'm thankful that sometimes we get outside and the kids appreciate creation (and burn off their wild energy!) That K likes being outside.
That we managed to give B a birthday party this year without undue stress.
That M is beginning to understand mathematics, at least to verbalize and apply concepts. And Hop scotch them. And talk about them at odd moments.
For days when both advances and discouragements happen.
For New England leaves, and kind, visiting friends.
For B's skills as a sibling entertainer and reader. In 4th grade, it looked like it would NEVER happen, until I went to China, and while I was gone, B read the first 4 Harry Potter books. Before that it was easy readers with lots of white space around the print.
That K knows where food comes from.
And (sort of) how to pick it.
For DH and my extended family that help me find good curriculum, and make tools. For teachers from my past who's lessons I remember. For DH, again, who took care of me, and had the grace to tell me he didn't know how I do it, when I was off my feet for foot surgery. And that we got to say goodbye so nicely to Uncle P and Aunt B before they headed back to Brazil. That we live near my Mom. That DH gave me time to sew. And my inspirational mother in law. And DH again, who gave me a night out. Alone. Without children. That we do Christmas decorations at my Mom's house, where K can't eat them. For the quilts my Mother in Law made for the boys. That my Mom teaches B his Latin - I just couldn't add one more subject for me to learn along with the kids, my brain would have exploded.
For funny K, my cuddly, sleepless toddler, who loves to snuggle, nurse, and explore. She makes me laugh so much, I'm very rich to get to have a toddler again, I sort of thought I'd be done mothering little babies and toddlers by now, but I'm glad I'm not. And her cute love of shoes and purses.
That my foot surgery went well, and that consequently my back and hip feel better (the leg bone connected to the...)
That homeschooling gets me to read the books I didn't get to when I was my kid's age.
For my church, where we dedicated K to the Lord this year.
For the new sidewalk by our house, and the resulting week of big equipment entertainment.
For the discovery that I was more organized than I thought I was.
For progress on making our apartment into a tidy, neat, functional home.
For our big workshop room. That my flower garden is getting neater. That the boy's room has curtains (unlike my kitchen) For the transformation in our apartment due to our friend K's gift of 7 bookshelves. For the beautiful quilts My Mother in law made for the boys. That those shelves of K's fulfilled a "oh someday we will save up for these and what a difference it will make" dream.
For field trip days with my Wonderful Cousins in Cambridge.
For wonderful opportunities that fall into our laps. For the Boston Children's Museum. For finding out historical fellow homeschoolers.
For C, the amazing lady at co-op.
That I'm getting used to some of the strenuous aspects of co-op-ing, and learning from them. That the research class yielded good fruit for my students. For the Expo where the boys could celebrate their accomplishments.
For a wonderful time at Cousin B's wedding.
And staying at Aunt S and Uncle E's house on the way home.
That M's Jr FIRST Lego League club finished well. And they did enjoy themselves...sometimes.
That I managed to surprise DH this year at Valentines Day.
For good curriculum, like the Story of the World. And SWR. And ones that homeschoolers made up themselves and shared.
For used books.
That the "boring" time waiting for B to finish his flute lesson has become a time to hang out with M and K, playing outside and reading aloud.
That B's Lego Tournement went well. (They even got a trophy)
For the funny things M says. For the funny things DH says. For the funny things my kids and I do.
And finally, that the worst trouble my kids got into while I was compiling this list was that K took an (open?) jar of olives and made milk soup with them, while B and M read Hank the Cowdog aloud- it was supposed to be a few minutes while I took a bath, but I got carried away.
Thank you Lord, your mercies endure forever.
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Oct. 20, 2009 This is the point where you say, "What would I do without you B?
Today he has watched K so I could take a shower, walked down to the 'Cumbie's' to pick up a dozen eggs and a loaf of bread, read several books to K and poured milk for M, until the milk bottle got light enough for M to pour it for himself.
Each time he reminded me, "This is the point where you say, "What would I do without you B?" and I did.
Just so long as he doesn't get all worried about us when it's time to leave for college!
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Sep. 25, 2009 And Some Day He'll Read to You
I wanted to bang out the menu and grocery list, DH had a sore throat (he's getting the cold now), so B took up the next chapter he's reading to M from a Hank the Cowdog book, and did the bed time story. This is what I dreamed about while reading all those books to him, and fighting though our phonics. Don't my guys look cozy?
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Sep. 7, 2009 Another Way DH made my life Easier
Aunt S recommended that I buy a Musikgarten course for M, to help his listening skills, and singing confidence. She even demonstrated his first lesson, wrote out the sol feg syllables for me, and explained the Gordon rhythm system. Uncle E and DH cut down an old broom handle so that I'd have lots and lots of rhythme sticks.
M is soaking up the adult attention and creativity.
 But the lesson prep and need to flip three cds smoothly were slowing me down.
DH figured out how to load the cds onto our hard drive, then set up a play list so that I just had to do a mouse click to get the next song, sound, poem or creative motion activity to play.
Now all I need to do is learn the songs I have sheet music for and am supposed to teach him, and we are gold.
Thanks Aunt S and DH! |
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Jul. 23, 2009 Blessings of Convalescanse: both expected and bizarre
Expected:
My foot is healing,
My achy hip is not forecasting the weather
My church is loving us (as M says, "Yummy Yummy Deaconess Food!" but also stopping by to run M and K around at the park so DH has a few moments to catch his breath or wash dishes.)
Bizarre
I'm caught up on sleep. (K is also sleeping more soundly at night, either because she's growing, or the "No Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers" is helping with it's earlier bedtime suggestion.)
I've read 3 library books since the surgery, well, seriously skimmed one, college has ruined me for reading things straight through.
K finds me on her level a lot (the futon is low) so she thinks of me as her dolly. Tonight she fed me bits of Savoy Cabbage from the CSA box, as well as alternate bites of broccoli. Sometimes she brings me toys. One morning I woke up to her stuffing a plum in my mouth. Where did she get it? DH says he didn't even know that we had had plums.
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Jun. 29, 2009 Last Saturday was a Gift
We've been trying to meet up with my cousins at the Boston Museum of Science for most of the Spring, but we managed to have most of us ill during that time, and didn't want to get their baby sick. But this Saturday, we pulled it off, and even got to see another cousin 'home' from college!
For once the sun shone a while (we've had 19/23 days cloudy and rainy this month so far, I must be off on the count though, it's the 26th). It felt so cheerful. We parked in Cambridge near their condominium, using their visitor's parking permit, then walked together the half mile or so to the museum. Cousin K called one of her friends on the cell phone to meet up with us later once her baby had finished his nap.
We had to see the cliff triceratops fossil first. Baby K was quite intimidated. She held my hand and didn't want to walk around the exhibit much. She pointed to the life sized T-Rex model (they definitely look bigger with muscles and skin on, bones are friendlier.) and asked, "Gog-gy?" one of the docents said, "No, Di-no-saur." K looked at me and asked again, "Gog-gy?" I said, "It was an animal, yes. It was called a dinosaur. " She seemed satisfied then, but did not want to let go my hand until we got to the now closed critter-cam exhibit, where we could see the cameras that were attached to animals for animal view filming. The one of a cat eating a mouse was, ugh, oddly interesting?
The Critter-Cam exhibit had a wrap-up review game where you could match the type of camera attachment to a stuffed animal, then check yourself with a laminated card.
 M and B tried to play seriously, but K just wanted to hug the "goggies," and play the "put things in and out of a container game." They were patient with her.
We took turns following K around and letting her 'have her head.' She was in an enclosed room, and there were 5 adults to the 2 kids, 1 toddler and 1 baby with an amazing grin.
 Visiting the museum with cousin K was so much more comfortable than other trips, because local knowlege is gold. She and her buddies bring their babies there in the winter to have a large interesting indoor place to walk around and visit. They all are members, so they can drop in and stay as long or short a time as they need to. She knew were all the bathrooms were, and that the x-ray exhibit was quiet, dark, and not frequented much; the perfect place to nurse the babies and toddler.
She also explained how to get the 'white noise' for K working: buy a nature CD and play it on continuous repeat. I'd tried the ceiling fan, but it doesn't cover the upstairs neighbor's coming home from the late shift and climbing stairs, the little girl upstairs falling out of bed, then running to her mom's room, or the loud refrigerator motor coming on in the kitchen. My little girl wakes up so easily (and specifically calls for Momma, although this morning she did ask, " 'ere iz 'ee?" and wanted DADDY, even though I was the one who had gotten up to find that out.) Any way, I bought a surf sound CD at the museum store (enjoying my nifty member discount) and tried it. This week she's had 3 nights where she only got me up once. And she does seem to sleep through the refrigerator too. I'd heard of buying white noise machines, and noisy fans, but that seemed goofy to me. Cousin K explained how to make it work using stuff I already had, and without making me feel dumb!
Cousin K's friend joined us for lunch. (cell phones are another tecky thing I just don't "get,' but I can see possibilities from watching cousin K) We pooled our resources and had chicken salad sandwiches, lunch meat sandwiches, chips, pretzles, gummy fruit snacks, apples, and straw-berry scones. The urbanites all had nifty water bottles, but we bought some orange juice and coffee from the cafeteria. We could watch cormorants diving and drying their wings on a bouy in the Charles River from the windows of the cafeteria.
We had to see the huge Vandergraf generator, the old computers, and the real skin suit space suit, like we'd seen on the internet site the Futures Channel. Cousin K and I kept the babies out of the electric show as their ear's are too young for indoor thunder(but that just meant more girl-time, my Mom joined us)
B wanted to see the baby exhibit, and watched all 4 birthing naration videos. He thought the new borns were so cute. I think B will make a wonderful Dad someday.
After walking home, we ordered take out from Muqueca, while my cousin B dressed in his wait clothes, and walked over to ask for hours at the restaurant he is beginning to work at. K played with Buddy the dog, and Cousin K set the table.
Diner was awesome: Muqueca is a fish over rice dish with a veggitable sause sort of like a not too spicy salsa from Brazil. We also had Shrimp Bobo, a shrimp on rice dish with a sweet/spicy manioc thickened coconut sause, and some really tender beef. The boys loved it, Baby K couldn't get enough black beans. For desert we had Edy's fruit bars. K took to begging licks. She got grape juice all over her top, but Cousin K had oxyclean, and I pre-treated it after changing her into her backup outfit. Everyone slept well that night, and my new orthodics are working great, because my feet didn't even hurt the next day, even with all that walking on concrete.
DH said it was a great father's day trip.
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Jan. 22, 2009 Gift: a Night Out. Thanks DH
Tuesday was actually lovely: the boy's last Christmas package arrived from Lego Shop at Home. I set the box where M could see it when he awoke from his nap. B was spending the afternoon at a friend's house. When M and K awoke, we joined B, bringing the unopened box for all the boys to explore together while my friend and I drank coffee while K and the dog played on the rug until we adults couldn't stand the way the puppy cleaned the baby's face (it didn't bother the baby at all) Then we had a mad scramble to get to flute lessons on time. Everyone behaved, everything went well, dinner was easy and yummy. But I still had the blues.
After dinner, DH told me, "we are out of TP, do you want me to go get it, or do you want to go get it?" I replied that I wanted to spend time alone with him at a bookshop with coffee and chocolate, but that we hadn't worked out a baby sitter. He looked at the clock, and suggested that I just go out by myself, picking up TP on my way back. So I did.
I played Ralph Vaughn Williams in the car, prayed a bit, and and did go to Borders, after picking up TP and date planner inserts at Target. I tried a red tea vanilla latte (I think I agree with Precious's assistant that black tea is yummier, in the No 1 Lady's Detective Agency books) and sat down next to a stitch and b knitting club! They eventually invited me to join them, and they were so pleasant! Most were school teachers, one was a homeschool parent. Even though they know someone already who had done it, they asked me the usual questions about certification, methods, accountability...but so innocently that I didn't take offense. In fact, when I told the Mary Pride illustration about how a classroom teacher vs a tutor is like a lion tamer vs a cat owner; everyone seemed understanding and pleased. They were respected, and also open to understanding me a bit. The other homeschool mom smiled approvingly at me, between changing yarn colors in her lace scarf with intriguing selvages moving up the other yarn neatly.
When I came home, the boys were snuggled in their bunks listening to DH read the next few chapters of Swallows and Amazons, and though K started wailing when she heard my voice, everyone assured me that she'd been fine all night. Babies are like that. ;-)
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Jun. 24, 2008 Awww... they are so cute! Apr. 8, 2008 I"m so glad that's over with!
See how he suffered with the Chicken Pox? this was a voluntary nap. This kid was so patient and good - I may be biased as I'm his mother though. |
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Jan. 10, 2008 Thanksgiving
Yesterday I got caught in a sea of worry. I tried throwing my cares at the Lord, and mentioned a list of stuff I still hadn't bought for our little girl due to arrive next month: a stroller, carseat and comfortable baby carrier, preferably like the one my friend used in China, with back support. Then I wrote a long complaining e-mail to my friend from China.
When my husband came home from work, he told me that my Aunt Susan had phoned, her church had a swap, and someone had donated a carseat/stroller combination (the kind of baby bucket you haul around when the infant fell asleep in the car and maybe they keep on sleeping). I burst into tears. "Are these happy tears?" he asked sounding mystified.
At prayer meeting our friends volunteered to help us with our proposed moving days.
This morning my friend from China phoned to check up on me, and tell me to watch for a gift from her in the mail, a Guatimalan baby carrier like hers.
How kind God is to me, even when I throw a fit. |
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Dec. 11, 2007 How Good and Pleasant it is when Brothers Dwell together in Harmony
I am an only child. My husband is the oldest of 6 living children. My roommate in college had 5 siblings, and another dear friend had 8. Is the grass always greener on the other side of the fence? I used to think that people who had siblings wasted them by complaining and fighting with them all of the time - I thought most families that I knew could benefit from having each child spend the afternoon alone with a chore list and homework until their parents came home - so they'd appreciate the company like I was sure I would if I had siblings. (Note; until I was in 10th grade, my parents worked out an unusual work schedule so that my Mom came home only 45 min after I did, and until 4th grade, I spent that 45 min either playing outside at a safe park, or at a babysitter's house, so I didn't have all that much mandatory solitude either!)
One of the most attractive things about my husband when we met in High School Youth Group at church, was the way he routinely spoke respectfully of his siblings, and played sweetly with the youngest ones (I learned later that he was aware that his littlest brothers were cute and cuddly enough to be "chick magnets," but he played sweetly with them all the time, not just when he wanted to attract girls! He also had some really spectacular fist fights with his brothers who were his same age, but they were best friends other times.) My college friends also spoke kindly of their siblings. It was very endearing.
Right now my oldest boy is reading Calvin and Hobbes to my youngest boy. They've been taking breaks from the eldest's short lessons to play smash hockey too, or to build with plastico mobiloes. M has had the stomach flu today, so we are on sick day mode - get what we can accomplish done, but don't be too ambitious. I have had to pull M off B's head once or twice, and discipline him for hitting once when he was loosing a game - but over all, today, most days, they respect each other, they play nicely together, they make me think of the psalm of accents about the oil on Aaron's collar. I'm so thankful!
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Nov. 29, 2007 Another Day without Whining, Crying or Complaining, and the boys behaved well too.
Well, I thought about skipping today's entry, because everything went well, but then I remembered the sermon last week, thanksgiving should be a daily spiritual exercise, not an annual one, so here is today:
We did start off grouchy, we stayed up too late last night visiting with our friend K, I went to bed before the little boys, but DH told me this morning that K spent so much time explaining relativity to B, that I could count it as one hour of school.
I shortened B's chores, so he could start school by 9AM, and worked with M on "big boy school" we played "run around the clock" from SWR, reviewed his memory verses, practiced writing 1 and 0 on the new legal pad sized white board, sang the doxology, and prayed for everyone to work together well.
M had some questions about the new baby, so I pulled out our DK human body book and we looked at the human development chapter. It turns out M is NOT worried that we won't love him, or that he's being replaced, but he is worried that the baby will wreck his toys. He was relieved to know that new-borns can't walk(!) I showed him the special books and toys some of the homeschool ladies had given B when M himself was born, and told him that lots of people understand that new babies bring a fun but stressful time for their older siblings, and that he would be looked after, though not always by me!
After that I reviewed B's independent work from yesterday, gave him his new assignments, dictated his new spelling list, made up a handwriting practice sheet, worked on "clap, clap, clap your hands" on occarina, gave the boys their morning snack while I read them their next chapter of "Story of the World." and managed to send them outside to run around in the fog for their hour before lunch with Daddy.
I'm thankful too that my husband just brought home Chinese take out! |
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