Nov. 27, 2009 - History and Science
I have said before that we have been simplifying things in the last little while. This simplifying is encompassing our school subjects as well. I have always been a big planner with the content subjects. I spend alot of time finding various ideas and books that all fall under the umbrella of the topic that we are learning. Now, my plans don't always materialize but I have fun doing all of the planning.
Those days are long gone. The thought of spending all of my time in planning mode makes me hyperventilate. I am no longer a planning girl, at least not for now. I thought that if I ever stopped planning that there would be a big hole in my day (life; you can substitute the word of your choice, depending on how dramatic you are .) I have been mistaken. There is no hole, just relief. The simple life is giving me much relief.
This simplicity is alive and well in how we are doing history and science. I haven't had much energy in the last few months to do any fancy curriculum so we have just been going to the library and looking up books on the topics that interest the children. Science has been very fun this way. A few weeks ago I found some Janice VanCleave experiment books. These experiments/projects span the four areas of science. Mia decided that she would like to focus on the chemistry experiments. For the last two weeks, we have been going through the book finding the experiments that we have the supplies for and have been trying them out. This has been alot of fun. The experiments haven't always worked, but the enjoyment has been in the doing.
We have been also perusing our Usborne books on Chemistry, as well, to flesh out our topic. Earlier this week, when we were at the library, I found some books on atoms and molecules. I am having Mia read through the books and writing an outline of the book. This seems to be working out very well. In fact, our whole science time is working out well. The kids are really enjoying our time of discovery.
In the early part of our school year, I had a few history units planned. I had attempted to carry these out in the last few months but it just isn't working. Our heads just aren't in the game yet. So simple is being applied to history as well. We have been reading Sword in the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff for our unit on Knights and Castles. The kids and I are enjoying just reading this book. We are learning alot just from the reading. I have decided that this is what we are going to do for History--just read. If something else pops up as a result of the reading, then great, but if not, we will be happy with just the reading. I have been thinking that we will read books from various time eras and cover History in this way. After read the Sutcliff book, we will move on to Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. I have been wanting to read this book to the kids for awhile but just couldn't fit it in anywhere. We now have that time.
For the first time in a very long time I am feeling calm about our history and science plans. I am discovering that calmness usually is found in simple. For this season of our lives, simple is our life-saver.
Nov. 26, 2009 - A Fly on the Wall
You have heard the expression "I would love to be a fly on the wall in that house," well, this is your chance. I am inviting you to be that famous fly and come into our home to see its glorious state ysterday afternoon.
Are you ready? All flies enter through the back door, so as you come up through the back foyer and into the laundry room, you immediately see green. The tile floor has been stained green. It is obvious (even to a fly) that someone has tried to wipe up this green but was unsuccessful. This green has been wiped up on the cupboard doors as well and it has spread on the counter. There you see a 6 yr. old girl in her pyjaamas (it is 5:00 in the afternoon and she is still in her pyjamas? Silly humans!) trying to wash the green off of her hands. This girl has green on her feet and, as she turns around, you notice that she has green smudges on her face as well.
The green-covered girl turns off the water and goes into the kitchen. You follow her. This room is full of turmoil and action. There is so much to see you don't think you can do it all justice in a short period of time. You start with the kitchen table. One end of it has strewn word tiles. An older girl is sitting before these word tiles making words for her spelling program. Next to her, there is a discarded math book and a pile of papers. In the middle of the table there is a bowl covered with a paper towl. Emanating from that bowl is a foul odor. Ewww! What have they been doing here? Next to the bowl is a dish with a vinegar soaked paper towel (even a fly can tell what vinegar smells like) with 4 pennies lying on it. The pennies have a greenish tinge to it.
On the other end of the kitchen table, you can see many painted pictures waiting to dry. Some are so laden with paint that they are sticking to the table. Ahh! That must be what that green stuff is in the laundry room. Oh, there is that 6 yr. old girl again. What does she have? It is beads. She has a pile of beads on the corner of the table and she is stringing them on a plastic cord. She must be making a necklace.
You turn your attention to the kitchen island. This is the site of much activity gone by. There is an unopened bottle of vinegar, a jar of yeast and a table salt box. You can also see some spoons and measuring cup. Next to this paraphernalia is a black piece of construction paper with a messge written on it. The message is a bit strange as it is written in salt crystals. You wonder how they did that? On the kitchen counter are several pieces of green-soaked paper towels. The pieces are slowly moving into place.
As you start considering moving to another room, you hear the sound of something scattering all over the floor. There is that 6 yr. old girl again (she does get around, doesn't she?) bemoaning the fact that her necklace beads have scattered all over the floor. The older girl and the mom assist her with the mom lamenting the fact that the floor was covered in salt, paint and now beads.
You want to get out of that room fast so you travel to the living room. Chaos has lived in this room as well. You see discarded paper plates on the coffee table. These plates have been coloured different colours to show various fractions. You deduce these are for fractions as you see a book with said word on the cover. Next to the fractons is a compass set. A jar of crayons and a colouring book complete the coffee table ensemble.
The floor is in similar disarray. Lying there is a pile of books. You get closer to see the titles as you are a literary fly. This is what is on the floor; Wizard of Oz, A Christmas Carol, Sword in the Circle, Among the Forest People, Jesus Freaks and a book of poetry. That is alot of books, even for a fly. On the other side of the couch, action figures are laying every which way. Someone had a good play time here, you deduce.
As you get ready to travel to the other rooms, you hear the sound of beads scattering again. sigh That 6 yr. old girl is a busy one, isn't she? You travel down a long hall but you don't see much action until you get to the end of the hall, where there is a light in one of the rooms. You zoom in and see a boy sitting at the computer playing Solitaire. He is totally engrossed in his game that he doesn't even notice you. I mean, it is the end of November. You don't see many flies at this time of the year.
You look around the rrom and see piles of dress-up clothes laying on the floor. It is chaos in this room as well but you notice something that you have noticed in the other rooms as well. Every room is untidy, yes, even to the point of being messy but, in the midst of the chaos, there is a feeling of happiness, of contentedness. Everyone is doing their own thing and they are content in doing it. There is a sense of joy as they are learning or in following their passion. You like this feeling.
You look at the clock and realize that you have been here way too long. You have so much more to do today that it is time to vacate for other frontiers. As you zip out the door, you have an acute feeling of relief that you are not the mother of this house and that you do not have to clean up this mess.
Nov. 26, 2009 - Grateful
For the beauty of the earth 
For the beauty of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies
Over and around us lies
Lord of all to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise
(Words from "For the Beauty of the Earth" by John Rutter)
Nov. 25, 2009 - In the Little Things
We went for our H1Ni vaccines yesterday. It was a long and torturous road to get there. That sounds so dramatic, doesn't it? It is the truth, though. I vascillated back and forth about whether we should get these vaccines or not. If the last few months had not existed for us, this wouldn't even be an issue. I do not see the purpose of getting vaccines for every sickness or medical concern. I give my children their baby vaccines but that is as far as I go. Due to our lifestyle, I didn't see the purpose of getting the vaccine.
Then cancer came into our lives and everything changed. I still didn't think there was a reason to get the vaccines but I was reading someone's blog and read their account of their experience with H1N1. I realized that if my kids contacted this flu, I wouldn't have the emotional strength to deal with it. I was pretty weary in dealing with the last few months, I didn't have the fortitude to deal with even more sickness, especially if the ones being sick were my kids. Also, I didn't want to put my kids through anymore drama. We have been through enough this year. So we decided to get the vaccine.
The flu clinic came to our small town yesterday. I had told the kids the day before what would be happening. Missy immediately stiffened with fear and started to do her little cricket imitation (it's a long story but she does this when she is scared.) I gave her all of the platitudes one gives when they want to stop fear ( or, in our case, the cricket thing.) It wasn't working. I then remembered that our dear friend, Mrs E. was doing the flu clinics this year. The problem was, though, that there were two vaccine teams going out to two different towns each day, so the chances of Mrs E being in our town was 50/50. I asked Missy if she would like Mrs E to give her the needle. I could see the fear start to dissolve from her face. I then told her that we would have to pray for this as Mrs E was one of many nurses who would be at the clinic and we might not get her, but we would give this to prayer. So we prayed.
We stepped into the hall, yesterday, where the clinic was taking place. Oh. my. word! The people! You would have thought it was Bingo day. There were about 60 people ahead of us. As we were waiting for our number, Rocky spied Mrs E at the back. Praise God! But she was one of 4 nurses giving the needles. The chances of her giving us our needles were slim, so I prayed again.
Finally our number came up and we all herded (there were 5 of us, it did feel like a herd) to the place where they were dispensing the needles. We waited for an opening of one of the stations. Mrs. E's station was open, she happened to look up and saw us standing there. Bless that woman! She raised her hands and yelled out "Hi, ___________ family (you can insert our last name in that blank if you know it) ! " She then waved to the number lady, "I can take all of that family." Whew! I have to say that I was relieved to see Mrs E as well. We all unceremoniously received our needles. Mrs E could tell that Missy was a little stressed and she 'booped' (the sound she made when the needle was over. For some reason that 'boop' comforted the kids. Oh, heck, it comforted me as well.) the stress away.
On the way home, we talked about how God had answered our prayers. It was a great life lesson for my kids. We have seen how God has taken care of us in the big life issues and it was equally comforting to see that God is in the little things as well.
Nov. 24, 2009 - Mangoes
November for us is all about Mangoes. We pick, pack, freeze, dehydrate and eat. In fact we've eaten so many mangoes over the last month we are nearly over them. (I know it is a terrible thing!!)
My favourite recipe for mangoes at the moment is a mango green smoothie:
1 orange
1 mango
1 handful of leafy greens - spinach, bokchoy etc
Blend, blend, blend till nice and smooth.
This has been breakfast nearly every day. Yum.
