Eating in the Raw
We’re trying something new… new year, new habits, new ideas… it’s a good time for that kind of thing. I figure since the world is apparently ending in a little less than a year, it’s time to make some (good) things happen, right?
A few months ago, my Loverly Husband decided that he wanted to do this ‘forage’ style meal plan. It’s not a full-on ‘raw foods‘ or vegan/vegetarian thing, but similar – more low-key than that, really. It’s more about simplicity than it is about buying into the ‘lifestyle’ that is usually (albeit stereotypically) associated with such a diet. His idea includes no meal planning, just having fresh foods on-hand to consume quickly and as easily as possible whenever hunger strikes.
Now, if you know anything about me from reading here, I can imagine that one of the things that jumps out at you is my penchant for planning all things with zero moderation. My Loverly Husband, who has known me since Kindergarten, could not possibly have failed to notice this trait, and yet somehow thought that I would be just dandy with it. Not.
Well, that was a few months ago, and I have to admit that the idea has grown on me. We’ve always kept kid-friendly foods on hand and the boys have been fixing their own breakfast most of the time for years now. To carry this trend over into lunch and dinner isn’t that much of a stretch, practically speaking. Admittedly, this laissez-faire, go-with-the-flow attitude might have something to do with my current/new-again-as-of-yesterday medication, which has blessedly made my previously over-stressed state a thing of that past, but whatever the reason, I really have gotten on-board with the whole idea.
I admit that the simplistic aspect appeals, but so does the idea that such a diet would lend aid towards health and weight-loss endeavors. As we launch into a new year, I once again have all these aspirations of weight loss and exercise; maybe putting a diet/lifestyle into place that supports those goals will create a whirlpool of success? In any case, I put on my Optimism Hat and tried to figure out how I can satisfy my own need to over-plan and still follow this simple idea.
Upon scavenging Pinterest for ideas, I discovered that there are literally hundreds of recipes out there for raw/vegan approximations of foods we normally eat (minus the meat and cooking, of course). Since we’re not going all out vegan, I think that small changes here and there with an eye towards that as a goal will be easier to accomplish and less traumatic, gastronomically speaking. Following a recipe does require some planning though, so I think it’s possible to satisfy my need to plan while still meeting the raw/vegetarian-ish goals.
And so it was that I decided that starting today, when I go grocery shopping this afternoon, it will be with the following goals in mind:
- stay in the produce section as much as possible
- plan on whatever actual cooking to be done is vegan-ish (with the exception of perpetual soup/bone broth which is going on to cook this afternoon)
- to refrain from being tempted by processed foods and junk
- keep the basket filled with only what can be consumed by the four of us in the course of a few days (this will be a challenge because I am used to planning and shopping for two weeks at a time)
We start school again next week. Wish me luck!
Warmly,
~h
P.S. It occurs to me after looking over my list that it’s not terribly ‘vegan/vegetarian’. But considering that virtually every meal for the past.. all of eternity has revolved around whatever meat-main-course and my current shopping list contains ’2 whole chickens’ instead of 10-12 meats for four, I’m calling that progress.
P.P.S. And in case you were wondering, I am not one of those ‘save the animals’ PETA people. I fall more on the ‘meat is tasty murder’ side of the fence, supported by the presence of both canine teeth (for ripping, shredding) and molars (for grinding and mashing) in humans, which (to me) indicate that humans are omnivores and therefore are designed to consume flesh.
Just DO it.
If you’re unfamiliar with our schedule this year, we have school for four weeks, then take a week-long break, all year long (with a couple extra weeks in December, between the end of one school year and the beginning of the next, which is on Jan 1).
This week, thank all that is sacred in that which was, is and ever shall be, is our off week. We had kind of a wonky schedule over the summer, with a lighter workload and more days off than I’d originally planned. As is wont to happen, I started feeling like things were sliding, so in a fabulous (but misguided) flurry of organization and determination, I announced that we would henceforth be putting our noses to the grindstone and get back on track. Somehow, in my blaze of glory, I decided that the best way to accomplish this was to skip the last break, which put us at 6 weeks straight of school.
Oh, silly young Padawan… there is still much to learn.
The funny thing is, I already knew that this was a mistake. Our schedule last year was 6 weeks on, one off. We only had school 4 days a week, but I realized towards the end of the year that 6 weeks was too long. We all get burned out, and consistently, by the end of week 6, I was seriously struggling to get schoolwork organized and the kids were lollygagging about, doing any and everything but schoolwork. After 5 weeks, max, we all needed a break! This just goes to remind me that, even as a somewhat more experienced homeschooling mom (now that I’m almost through our 2nd year), that lingering ‘school’ mentality still exists.
So, in an effort to maybe have these things sink in (AGAIN), I give you my list of reminders why homeschooling is awesome:
- City ISD school year calendar and State Education Association list of skills by grade: these are not the schedules you’re looking for.
- There WILL BE gaps in their education. No matter where they go to school, or in what style they’re educated, or how many days and weeks they spend learning, there is always MORE to know. No two ideals of what is ‘core knowledge’ will match up, so stop trying to please everyone else! Teach them how to learn, and to love learning that they will be
FINEAMAZING. - For the love of Pete, stop trying to ‘catch up’. Education is a marathon, not a race. They’re going to be ahead in some things and behind in others. That’s okay… they’ll get there when they need to.
- Remember the fun stuff! Education is not just about book learnin’. There are arts and crafts and gluing macaroni and cotton balls to construction paper. It’s creating seed mosaics and painting with food dyes, exploring the world, doing it themselves, and learning at the knee of a seasoned professional with knowledge to share. Revel in the fact that you have freedom from the established norm – the amazing opportunity – to collect these types of learning experiences for your children. Be willing to go out and MAKE them happen for them!
- Breaks are essential to balance. Being parent and teacher is an extremely stressful job. It’s easy – too easy sometimes – to get caught up in the constant pressure and demand for educational excellence that homeschooling parents deal with. It comes from within and from outside – but it cannot rule your relationship with your kids. Take breaks often and enjoy them fully. Laze about and relax!
~h
Lazy Summer Days
This is undoubtedly something that we just don’t get enough of around here. Take, for example, this week… we’re out of school (it’s one of our regularly scheduled week-long breaks in our year-round school schedule) and so far, we’ve been go-go-go, and will continue to be so until at least Thursday. So that really only leaves us with 2 days of ‘break’ and 2 days of weekend.
Don’t get e wrong, I generally love having a busy schedule, but there are times when I look at my calendar and end up wanting to chuck it out the window. To be fair, sometimes I do shed the plans in favor of relaxing family fun, but sadly, this week will not be one of those times.
I started the week with bad news/good news. My eyes have been hurting a lot lately - very light sensitive (photophobic, almost) and almost like dry eyes but not quite… I know why; it’s because I wear disposable contacts that I don’t dispose of when I’m supposed to. I wear and wear and wear them until I can’t anymore and that’s lead to what amounts to scratches on my corneas and an incredible amount of irritation and swelling. We started off yesterday morning with a trip to the optometrist. So the bad news is that contact lenses are, for the foreseeable future, verboten. Furthermore, my future as a contact lens candidate is questionable. I’m currently on a ‘take these eye drops for a week and then come back and we’ll see’. It’s also been 7 years since my glasses prescription has been updated, so they have been woefully out of date for sometime now. I’ve been squinting through them for a while now, and I was informed that I’d fail a driving test with the current pair. The good news is that I got new glasses and rx sunglasses out of the deal.
Also, same-day service = Yay!
The rest of the week consists of trying to fit in painting my bedroom a lovely blue called ‘daring indigo’ in amongst playgroup (vegan/vegetarian & fermented foods luncheon rescheduled due to the first forecasted rainstorm in 8 months), summer reading club plans (bug cooking and eating today, a NASA presentation tomorrow) and visiting our lovely friend SFK, whom we haven’t seen for 2 whole weeks.
One of these days though, we’re going to have to take a blanket out to the woods and just laze about with books to read and tasty cool drinks to sip. We may through a couple of magnifying glasses and a pair of binoculars in the bag for good measure and do some exploring at the edges of the blanket or high in the trees. That sounds like a good plan to me.
Warmly,
~h
Back to the Daily Grind
I am happy to report that we survived Snowpocalypse 2011 completely intact. I know some of you were worried about us (at least I hope that some of you were). With extreme temperatures reaching into the 20′s, a couple of icicles and a hint of a suggestion of snow for about five whole minutes, it was touch and go for about 2 days, but now, as temps climb back up into the 60′s we’re pretty much back to normal this week… so far.
We don’t have central heating (we’re in Texas… it just doesn’t get that cold here) and with little insulation in our school room, which is where my main computer is, blogging takes an extreme backseat. We spent most of last week chillaxin’ in the nice warn gas-heater-heated living room with hot cocoa and movies. We managed to watch all of NatGeo’s ‘Walking with Monsters‘ and ‘Walking with Prehistoric Beasts‘ and a couple of the documentaries – one was an IMAX film on Beavers (Netflix.com) and how they change the landscape of an area permanently with their dams. It was pretty nifty.
We also spent quite a bit of time baking last week. We made chocolate chip cookies that were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and Smitten Kitchen’s homemade pop tarts with plum preserves that my granny made last year. They first batch was oh-so-tasty… the second batch, I forgot about and left in the oven slightly too long – so lesson learned – watch the clock when you’re backing pastries! They were really very good though – much better than store-bought pop tarts, and not terribly hard to make either. The boys thought it was fun putting them together.
This week, we’re exploring more of Ancient Egypt with a lapbook from Handle on the Arts, Ancient Egyptian Architecture. It’s a free download and seems to be very well-put together, as well as adaptable to whatever you’re learning about. We’re reading Story of the World, which doesn’t spend much time on Ancient Egypt, so we’re supplementing quite a bit.
We’re also looking forward to a visit to the Houston Health Museum – this will be our first visit, so I’m sure we’ll have pictures to share later this week. Hope all of you are staying toasty warm!
Warmly,
~h
When Life Gets in the Way of Homeschooling
One of the biggest benefits to homeschooling is that you can take breaks when you need them. One of the biggest drawbacks to homeschooling is that it is, at times, very easy to let life interfere with your good intentions.
This week, our normal school schedule has naturally been derailed by the death of my father-in-law. I am grateful that we’re able to adapt our schedule to what our family’s needs are without sacrificing our academic schedule. Because we can just pause, and then pick up where we left off, there won’t be a gap like there would be if we’d pulled the kids out of school for the remainder of this past week to deal with family issues. Another bonus: No ‘make-up’ work.
It’s been an odd situation as a parent/teacher. My FIL and I didn’t have the closest relationship and though there is no love lost between he and I, my children, and certainly my husband, feel the loss keenly. I am sad for them and sympathetic, but I am not as emotionally affected – at least not in the same ways, and so as a teacher and mother I am not sure how long to leave for the grieving process. I don’t want to rush the boys and I want to be respectful of their feelings and am feeling at a bit of a loss to know the ‘correct’ action here. This isn’t exactly a situation that Hallmark of Emily Post have addressed, “How to be appropriately sympathetic towards family members who are deeply affected by the loss of someone with whom your own relationship was strained”.
Both of my grandfathers died last year – within days of each other. Those deaths were expected, but still painful. We took time off from school, but not much. It felt better to me to get back into a normal routine after a few days. The boys are taking things really well; it’s hard to know with kids sometimes. They were close to their PawPaw, but kids are so resilient that it’s hard to gauge how much to address directly. We’ve so far explained to them what happened, explained to them what would happen at the service and offered them the option of seeing or not seeing his body at the service and just kinda opened the door to questions without being pushy. I feel like that’s all that needs to be done right now.
Loverly Husband went to work today, and I’d planned on working on school today – at least getting the kids’ work from earlier this week finished and graded, but we haven’t gotten to it yet. I’m feeling quite lazy, which is the con to the ‘flexibility’ point mentioned above – it would be completely easy to put school on the back burner for a while. We still have the ‘scattering of the ashes’ to be done; maybe this weekend, maybe next. That seems like the final ‘goodbye’, and it feels odd to get back to ‘normal’ until that is done, but realistically, I don’t think we can or need to take the next 2 weeks off (I guess we could… there’s just no need to).
We’ve taken this week off and I guess we’ll start back next week. Our homeschool co-op canceled for this month, so we actually aren’t missing anything school-wise. Next week, the boys have a class and I have one on Saturday, so it really will be back to normal. For today though, I think we’re about to get dressed and head to the library – in the rush of the weekend, I forgot about books that were due. Have a great weekend!
Warmly,
~h
Sunrise on the Beach
I took the kids out to SFK’s house to watch the eclipse on Monday night. We brought the kids’ bikes and sleeping bags with the intent of making a night of it, slumber party style. The kids roamed the neighborhood with bikes and flashlights (and I was happy to see that ours were not the only heathen children out and about at all hours, despite it being a ‘work night’) while we moms basked under the full moon, then we piled them all into cars and went down to the beach at midnight.
We unloaded the kids and a bunch of blankets and watched the earth’s shadow creep across the moon. It was absolutely magical – at least, it was until the kids started griping about being cold (and I admit, it was pretty windy, so sand was a factor as well), then piled back into cars and went back home. We actually had pretty good visibility; a few clouds here and there but overall we had a clear view while we were on the beach. Once we got back home though, the clouds had rolled in and we missed everything but the occasional glimpse of the red moon.
We put the kids down in sleeping bags in front of a movie at about 2:45AM, then we moms even sacked out about 3, with plans to rouse everyone at 6 to go greet the sun on the beach, however when it came time to get up, most of the kids were beyond waking, so the boys and I went by ourselves.
We drove out to the beach again and parked facing east. Sunrise was at 7:08AM, and we got there just in time. Unfortunately, it was very, very cloudy and I was afraid that we would miss it. But we waited, and as the sun came up we could see the colors change behind the clouds. There seemed to be a strip of cloud-free sky just above the horizon, and as we waited we caught the first glimpse of the new-born sun! It was so still and quiet and peaceful. we watched the sun climb over the clouds and then headed back to SFK’s for breakfast. What a great night!
Warmly,
~h
First Camping Trip!
Well, we made it… there and back again, safe and sound. In a possibly not-well-thought out, last minute plan, we (myself, SFK & PB&JMom) decided to take our heathen crew camping for 3 days/2 nights without the dads.
We all three endured much weeping and gnashing of teeth during the entire first half of the week over the fact that we were not scheduled to leave until Thursday. I must have listened to PeaGreen ask for ‘clarification’ on his dates (his words, not mine) at least 30 times.
My family used to go camping alsmot every weekend. My dad was an avid outdoorsman, so we were roughneck camping in the winter at the hunting lease, and on the lake in the summer (for fishing, skiing and other outdoors-y fun). My kids’ only experience with camping has thus far been in an emergency refugee from a hurricane situation. Loverly Husband and I did not enjoy that, but I guess to babies who barely remember it, it may have been fun…
This was much better all around.
We reserved two screened shelters (we opted FOR water and power) and brought tents as well. With 3 moms and 8 children, we needed the space to spread out. My kids each have their own tents – a bee and an elephant – that I found at Target when they were babes. We never expected that they’d see ‘real’ camping, but the elephant tent is well and truly indoctrinated into camping life by this point! LittleBoyBlue is a mama’s boy through and through, opting to sleep in the big tent with me, while PeaGreen and PuddleJumper shared the elephant tent. There were many complaints from our fellow campers about the noise level from that elephant in the wee hours of the morning… They had a most excellent time though, so it’s hard to complain too much!
Once we got set up, PB&JMom took the kids to the swimming hole while SFK and I finished setting up and got the grill going. We had hobo packs for dinner and let the kids roast marshmallows over the grill. There was a fire ban in effect, so we didn’t get to have a nice big fire, but it was mostly acceptable. I’d have preferred a real fire, but the fines are heavy, so we opted for rule-obeying and safety.
Day 2 began early, as mentioned before, with noise from the elephant tent. We had breakfast and coffee, then the moms and I had some AM meditation and yoga-ish stretching before heading off for a long hike.
For the afternoons, we lunched, then headed out to the Nature Center with Ranger Stephanie, then biked through the Forest Trail. We should have done the Texas Nature Challenge mission that went with this park, but we were having too much fun elsewhere to focus overmuch on that. We’ll just have to go again in the future {wink}.
Saturday was a pretty relaxing morning with not much on the agenda. We all were pretty pooped by this point and decided to pack it in relatively early. I got home around 3PM Saturday and slept in Sunday in preparation for today’s ‘back to the grind’. We started M7 in truth today (the last 2 weeks have been a mish-mash of school and break) and are looking forward to getting back into our groove.
As a final note, I would like to say how much I enjoyed this weekend. For a spur of the moment plan, it worked out well, and I look forward to doing it again soon! You can read about PB&JMom and SFK’s account of this weekend on their blogs, Enlightened Life & The Adventures of a Domesticated Woman.
Warmly,
~h
What a week!
Have you missed me?
I’m sorry that I haven’t been updating this week. I’ve been distracted by the AMAZING weather we’ve had all week; hopefully you have too and as a result haven’t even noticed that I haven’t been around much. There are only a few days of truly good weather here and so when they strike I just can’t stay inside. The boys have been asking – asking - to go play outside, and have built 9,000 things in the yard this week (I’ll try to snag a picture of their self-built tree house at some point). We’ve also been biking and hiking every day, so computer time and desk-work has been all but void.
The kids are starting Latin and piano lessons… that’s been interesting. This is the first week of Latin pre-prep (more on that in the Lesson Planning post coming soon) and the second of piano lessons with my grandmother (their great-grandmother). She used to play at our church when I was little and they actually had a real piano. Now it’s all digital, but I remember going with her and sitting with Grandaddy while she went up to play. It’s so weird to think about how much things have changed since then. {/nostalgia}
This past Tuesday, we went with our homeschool group to the Big Thicket for hiking and fun at the Visitor’s Center. We walked the Sundew and Kirby trails – about 2 miles, total. That was a long hike for the kids; I think next time we’ll plan on taking our time a little more. There were a couple of places that we kinda rushed through. I’d like to go back and browse a bit more. It was a really fun day though. We have such a great group of moms – all of the trips we’ve been on since this school year started have been so much fun.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent primarily outside. I opened up the house and cleaned the living room – we’ve been watching ‘Hoarders’ and something about that show really motivates me to perform de-cluttering and deep cleaning, lol. I scrubbed the baseboards and moved all the furniture around and I have to say that despite the fact that it took nearly 3 hours to do the living room, I am extraordinarily pleased with how it looks and feels in there now. The kitchen is soon to be on my list…
After the cleaning sessions, we visited with my parents and took bike trips – much more realistic 1.5 mile trips as opposed to the 3 miles we did on Monday. That was over-doing it a bit, but fun nonetheless. It really made me take note of how much I’ve let myself slack since January, and overall over the past couple of years. About 4 years ago, I got with SparkPeople.com and lost 70lbs… I’ve since gained about 40 of that back (which blows…) so it’s time to start that again. Here’s my SparkPage - if you’re on there, drop by and we’ll keep each other motivated.
Today was Park Day for our homeschool group. We met with them for fun in the sun – the boys took their bikes and they rode the 2 mile track 3 or 4 times. I would LOVE to have that much energy, I tell ya. Afterwards, we came home and I collapsed into my chair with a book for a while, then we got crafty and made some Halloween- y glass candle decanters.
It’s just tissue paper Mod-Podged onto glass jars (these were super-sized Mario olive jars) with a big candle put inside. The kids made smaller versions (chipotle sauce jars) with tea lights put inside. I am going to get the battery-powered kind so they can have them in their room. Since its Oct. 1, we’ll be decorating the house soon… this time of year is always so much fun!
So that’s been our week. Next week doesn’t get any less busy, but I am hoping I’ll have a bit more time to post.
Warmly,
~h
Fall is in the Air!
Autumn is an elusive season in Texas. It usually goes from blistering hot to bone-chilling cold, without a lot of middle ground. But there are a couple of days in the ‘fall’ that are just beautiful – sweet relief from the sun.
Today is one such day. This morning when we came into the school room to begin for the day, one of the boys went to let the cat out and discovered the amazing day. In light of that, desk work has been put on the back burner in favor of enjoying the great outdoors.
We’re headed for a bike ride and a nature hike as soon as Mom gets her butt in gear! Hope that your Monday is equally as enjoyable.
Warmly,
~h
“And now, for something completely different”
You ever have one of those mornings, before you get out of bed, where you think it’s going to be a wonderful day… the sun is shining at the crack of 9, the children are in the other room doing something that’s not noisy, but not so quiet as to tingle your spidey senses, and you’ve slept profoundly well… only to get up and realize that the day has completely gone to utter shite the moment your foot hits the floor?
So that’s how my day started out. Le sigh.
Yesterday we had a field trip to some of the museums downtown, then everyone came back to my place for a little visiting fun. We didn’t accomplish much actual ‘school work’ (not to say that the kids didn’t learn anything – just not deskwork) other than reading and piano lessons (which my grandmother has decided that the boys ‘simply MUST learn to play’, and so she’s teaching them… which is really kinda cool). I really thought that today would go smoothly. I figured we’d sleep in a bit since we’ve been on the go so much over the last week, then after a leisurely breakfast, settle in to deskwork.
The morning started out fine, other than me being in a crappy mood. I made a pot of coffee, which helped.. a little, and had the kids do their reading first so I could get into the groove. They read for about 5 of the 20 minutes that is required and then started arguing over space… we have a 1600 square foot house. I am SURE that they could have found a comfy place to read in that was not in close proximity to the other one… but no. They wanted the EXACT SAME PLACE on their bed. Are you friggin’ KIDDING me?!? o_O
Fast forward to math and handwriting… math was wonderful. LittleBoyBlue and I did his math on the board and one our brand spankin’ new abacus (or ‘counting frame’ if you’re a sticker for accuracy). He excelled, I beamed – it was wonderful. PeaGreen hemmed and hawed on his writing, but did finish it with neatess and relative quickness, so how could I be displeased? We moved on to the first of our lessons on maps, in which we watched a couple of videos on the different types of maps and the kind of info you can find on one, then laid a world map on the floor and played ‘jump to X’. I called out a location (Pacific Ocean, Antarctica, North America, etc…) and they jumped to it. It was fun and they did great – but still the day was tinged with slight displays of irritation, on everyone’s part.
I called a break and decided a change of pace might do us all some good. So we went to the library, grocery shopping and the post office. Then we dropped off some stuff that’s been in the back of the van at Goodwill and brought back an aquarium that we bought not realizing that it was cracked. There’s something about dropping off stuff at Goodwill that always makes me feel lighter somehow. Getting the unnecessary crap out of our house that we’ve accumulated, especially since my grandfathers both died – one grandmother is cleaning out her house and the other has moved in with my aunt, necessitating downsizing – both have sent things my direction and my little house can’t hold it all! I also have baby stuff still from when the boys were small, so all that is gradually making its way out. It feels good – and our house is easier to keep clean with less stuff.
Coming home, we put all the groceries away and right now, I am enjoying peace and quiet… one child is still at piano lessons and the other is sitting in the other room with his nose in a book. That is lovely to see. This whole week, I’ve been saying something I NEVER thought I’d get to say, especially to LittleBoyBlue: “Put the book DOWN and come do your chores!!”
It’s funny how much something as simple as a change of scenery can improve your outlook. Now, it’s off to make dinner and hopefully tomorrow we will begin anew with a better frame of mind.
Warmly,
~h
Summer Days…
As much as I wish I could wax poetic about the long days of summer slipping by, the truth is in Southeast Texas, we still have MONTHS of ‘summer’ to enjoy (if by ‘enjoy’ you mean ‘seek refuge from the soul-sucking humidity and glaring obscenity of brightness that used to be sunshine in the dark, cool confines of your home’). I am not even kidding.
While it’s true that some kids have gone back to school already, most of the local ISDs don’t start until Monday. Our homeschool group is having a “Not Back to School Park Day” to celebrate this blessed event, in which the libraries will once again return to the quiet haven we’ve known them to be, parks will be devoid of the 500 rowdy school aged children bogarting the swings, and museums once again get so little traffic that they’re over-helpful when homeschooling kiddos visit them… ahhhh.
Since here, many homeschooling families are involved in co-ops, and co-op groups likewise start next week (they usually follow the ISD’s schedule since many families have kids in both), we’re getting in quite a bit of last-minute visiting and play-dating with friends in. Today, we had lunch and spent the afternoon with my friend PB&JMom and her four kidlets.
The most amazing thing about visiting with this family for my kids is that they have BOYS. Almost all of my friends either have all girls, or have boys that are much older or much younger than mine. Not to say that the kids don’t all play well, they really do, but there is an entirely different dynamic at work when you have a group of boys similar in age.
For the majority of the day, the boys were neither seen nor heard from. They played legos, then video games for a bit, then went out to play in the yard, then set out down the road a ways to catch minnows and explore and just be boys…
The boys had a wonderful time… they were out, alone, exploring the world around them and quite happy to be masters of their own destiny, if only for an afternoon. So much fun was had that they were quite reluctant to leave – something that I never thought I would say I was glad to see (because when they were very small fry, a change in the status quo – like leaving a playdate – was call for a meltdown of epic proportions… now, it’s just a mild rumbling of dissent, but a realization that we’re seeing these same friends for two days in a row next week, so maybe the world will not, in fact, end, after all). They jumped into the van sweaty and muddy and hungry and content.
While they were gone, I started thinking about the whole ‘free range kids movement’ and became all annoyed again (as ever I do when I think about many of the extreme POVs found in that sector). This, to me, is what childhood should be about… freedom, but not at the expense of good sense. PB&JMom’s boys know their boundaries and are familiar with the area. There were four (actually 5 since a neighbor’s little boy joined them), so no one child was left alone – the buddy system in full effect. They actually did get scraped up a bit from scrambling down to get the bucket, yet no one came crying to mom about it – and let me just say that ALL of these children are ‘attached’ kids.
The assertions that ‘AP’ parents don’t let their kids experience anything really bug the crap out of me because it’s not true - at least in all cases. PB&JMom and I were enjoying our conversation in the house while the boys were out – for most of the afternoon. I sent them out with my camera (which is shatter-proof and waterproof; basically, it is kid-proof and one of the few things I consider ‘essential’ childcare equipment) to do as they will. Their only instruction today really was , ‘Don’t die.’
Generalizations are generally a bad thing, you know {wink}, and the generalization that AP automatically equals over-protective hovering is flat-out fallacious. I stand by what I said in my previous thoughts on free range kids post. I agree that kids need freedom to explore; I just don’t think that they need to be foisted into the world without a net, which is how it seems to me more often than not when I read FRK-style parenting blogs, which, ironically is another generalization – and one that I am sure makes ‘normal’ FRK moms pretty hacked off to read!
It’s not that I am opposed to the FRK movement overall. There are aspects of it that I wholeheartedly agree with. But so many factors will go into what is safe or right for each family; location is a big one – and I don’t think that any of us can truly judge another’s choices without being in their shoes… and even then, personal preference, personal philosophy and experience will still make those things different. I also happen to be of the opinion that the only way to be sure of what it is that I believe is to continually challenge myself on it… which is why I read things that might make me annoyed; it makes me think, and I do totally respect that. Anyway… enough philosophizing for one post, I think. {wink}
We had an awesome, fantastic, super-duper day and I want to end it on a high note. Tomorrow is Secular Thursday, so if you’re reading this and not currently a ST blogger, then I really encourage you to splash about in that puddle. Write about what secular homeschooling means to you and link back to Smrt Lernins Secular Thursday page with your post. The list there is growing and its so nice to have a great list of blogs to browse in the evening.
Warmly,
~h
Not All Fun and Games
We had a really crappy morning in school today. I don’t know why this surprises me. It happens every time we start back with desk work after a break. Yesterday was the more or less ‘official’ start of M5. We’re actually running about a week behind. That’s okay though; one of the supreme advantages of homeschooling is that it’s flexible enough to take breaks when you need them. PeaGreen’s birthday and ensuing celebratory activities, combined with the constant go-go-go of Summer Activities over the past few weeks, have us all drained. We needed a bit of an extended break, so we took one. That’s all well and good, but for some reason going from ‘break’ back to ‘routine’ is excruciatingly painful. Especially the first few days. It’s like running around trying to catch all of the raindrops from one storm in a cup – you’re constantly moving but making little progress.
Then there are the mulishly stubborn offspring to factor in.
Let’s hear it for the child who can take something as simple as 2 + 2 and come up with EVERY ANSWER BUT 4 and insist – insist – that 9,276 is a viable option. We spent almost an hour solving this riddle: ’I begin with /ch/. I rhyme with lamp. I am another word for winner. What am I?’ Keep in mind that his spelling words this week ALL begin with /sh/. His grammar for today was a worksheet focusing on the /sh/ and /ch/ sounds. His favorite song in the world is ‘We Are The CHAMPions’ by Queen…. suffice it to say that the boy KNEW the answer and was flat out REFUSING to say it. He danced all around it. ‘Tramp’ ‘camp’ were two offerings that stand out in particular as taunting Mom instead of just finishing it. We ended up putting it all on the chalkboard and he was left with no option but to write ‘champ’. Then he finished the last 2 riddles with virtually no problem.
I recounted this story to my BFF & SFK (both of whom came to a potluck/swim day event at our house this afternoon) and got the expected chuckles at my frustration… BFF asked PeaGreen why he wanted to torment Mom like that, and his response was his standard, “That’s the way how I roll” with a big fat grin. Who would’ve thought that a 7-year-old child could be that diabolical? It positively staggers the mind. It’s impressive when you’re removed from the situation, really. That he could hold out for that long on his little tangent before finally tiring of the game and deciding to finish up so he could go play with his friends says a lot for his future as a lawyer.
Then there’s the other one… 8 years old and already a champion procrastinator. If he applied one tenth of the effort that he put into avoiding doing his work into actually finishing it, he’d be the speediest student in history. His spelling assignment today was a cryptogram style worksheet where you have to figure out which number = which letter, then fill in the blanks with the right letters to match the numbers. It wasn’t difficult, just time-consuming. He piddled. He fidgeted. He went to the bathroom. He sharpened his pencil. He got the cat out of his basket (on his desk where we store school books). He got a drink of water from his water bottle and dropped the cap. It took 10 minutes to find it and four other things under his desk. He added a letter. The repeated the process. Frustrating!! We won’t talk about the language arts lesson. We just won’t.
I honestly don’t know what to do on days like this – where it’s just a battle of wills that apparently must (for some reason) occur in order to settle back into the daily grind. If we had not just had a 2 week break with zero schoolwork of any kind, I’d have just scratched school for today. The most annoying part about this is that normal tactics of logic and sympathy just don’t work. If they did, then I could simply empathize that yeah, it sucks to go from carefree playtime to recalling how math works, but we want to learn things and to some extent, this is how we do that*. But no matter what logic you throw at them, no matter how much you sympathize, they won’t have any of it.
Once I’m out of my funk and irritation, looking back I can pick out the parts of the scenario that I would admire if it involved another adult. My kids are tenacious and goal oriented – they know what they want (in this case, not to do school work) and are willing to go the extra mile to accomplish it. They do know when their rock meets a hard place and understand that sometimes giving in is the best course of action. I can never say that they didn’t give it their all – they tried everything they could think of to get out of doing work today. I’m not sure what lesson we all learned today (and I’m sure we’ll repeat this scenario again…) but I do know that I need to figure out how to work smarter, not harder – I need to brainstorm on how to motivate them better.
Oddly, I don’t get a lot of protesting with the actual work once they get past the mental block that they throw up when we start a new mod. I kind of wonder if the farther we settle into homeschooling the smaller these kinds of hurdles will be. With PeaGreen, especially, it seems like if we go even a day without reading something, he slips back into such a negative head space with reading that it’s really hard to pull him out of it. Even with as crappy as this morning was, we managed to overcome that negativity relatively quickly and move on to actually sounding out the letters and reading the words (instead of seeing a mass of words and freaking out because there are so many). LittleBoyBlue, once he realized that I was not, in fact, kidding about tacking on extra writing if he didn’t get on the ball, actually finished his work with a fairly decent attitude. It took a while, but they both completed the assignments given to them and we were able to visit with our friends and carry on with the afternoon with basically no conflict.
If we hold true to form, tomorrow will be awesome. Actually, this afternoon as pretty great. We had friends over to swim and managed an impressive 3 hours in the pool. The kids played well together (all 9 of them!) and we three moms got to chat for a bit without having to regulate too many kid disagreements. When we came back inside we pulled the watermelon that we popped in the freezer before we went out and had frozen watermelon slices – so yummy!
Incredibly, it didn’t seem like that many kids when we had them all running around.
‘This, too, shall pass‘ is an often tossed out phrase among the mothering groups and forums I frequent. When you think about it, that’s a phrase that almost never has anything good come from it. If things are bad, then you’re repeating it over and over again while simultaneously looking for solutions and strategies that work better than whatever you’re doing right now that isn’t working. When things are good, that phrase is a reminder that the days are slipping by quickly and to hold on to that moment.
As I write this, my kids are gone. When my sister came to pick up Fred to go home, the boys managed to get permission to spend the night over there since Fred’s coming back here in the morning. Loverly Husband and I have spent the evening in near silence, just reveling in the quiet. Strangely enough, I actually miss them. As awful as this morning was and much as I need the break, and though I am supremely grateful to my sister for taking the kids off my hands for the evening, I am very much looking forward to tomorrow’s lessons and a fresh start.
We’re headed to my other sister’s house in Jasper tomorrow, so we’re planning a little car-schooling. I’ll print out some of their work and we’ll take workbooks for the drive. We’re planning on hitting Martin Dies Jr. State Park either tomorrow or Friday for the TX Nature Challenge mission there. It’s been a while since we’ve done one so this should be fun. Or we might just laze around the house. Plans are in the ‘as yet undetermined’ state at this juncture.
Warmly,
~h
*No method debates here, please – we’re working hard to integrate three distinct learning styles here and to some extent, desk work will always play a part in our homeschooling. When I say ‘desk work’ it’s not necessarily ‘working at a desk’. I use that term to describe anything that is from a workbook, worksheets and assignments with lots of handwriting or written demonstration of lessons learned. Some homeschoolers opt not to keep track of progress with written work, others do. I choose to keep track this way for my own peace of mind, to show their dad and as a CYA-type thing if we ever get called to the carpet to prove what we’ve been doing with the kids’ education. Texas is easy to homeschool in now but it may not always be that way. Plus, even though writing may be drifting towards obsolete as technology becomes more and more integrated into daily life, that also may change one day. Just because we type more than we write doesn’t mean that writing shouldn’t be an integral part of education. My kids do an actual handwriting/penmanship lesson in addition to journaling and the written portions of whatever lesson we’re doing that requires writing. Boys, especially, seem to have a harder time with writing assignments so I try to keep writing assignments short, sweet and pretty narrowly focused. But however much they protest, write they most certainly will.
A Couple of Updates…
It occurs to me that over the past few months, I’ve made mention of things that I never followed up on. One such item was the ‘bring your bags’ reminder sticker from Conserving Now. I got mine in; this is what it looks like:
Another was the free water testing kit:
(we have soft water - the test strip was green, but the kids were playing with it before I snagged a picture and the pad got torn. Underneath it was the odd pink color – wonder what makes that happen?) I was unimpressed with this little kit – I was expecting something more… grand, I suppose. Something to test lead levels or toxins or something more impressive than ‘is your water too hard?’. Oh, well – the kit was free and the kids had fun ‘testing’ it so it was worth it in the end I suppose.
Something else I made mention of frequently in the past was the Creativity Boot Camp. {sigh} I am such a quitter. I didn’t finish it. I got through the weekend on it and just… lost interest. I think it was my medium. I think my expectation was (unconsciously) that the workshop was going to improve my skills in whatever medium I chose. That was unrealistic and I see in retrospect that the point of the workshop was to inspire, not necessarily hone skills one does not inherently possess. I chose drawing (pencil/charcoal) as my medium, and the bottom line is that I really suck at drawing. I am disappointed with myself for not finishing it, but that’s not going to motivate me to finish the workshop in that medium (if I’m being honest, which I am). I DO want to try again with a different medium – photography or writing, maybe.
I actually went today to a new writing group’s discussion meeting this afternoon, which is probably the first thing all summer that I’ve done exclusively for ME that required appropriating childcare. I am not really sure what I was expecting, but it was nice to talk with other people who are interested in writing as more than strictly a hobby. I started my first novel (an epic historical romance) when I was 16. I still have the manuscript. It’s gone from hand-written to digitalized – even bought software once upon a time to help me keep the massive family trees straight. I have since created many, many outlines and story concepts, but have completed very few of them. I have fantasies about being interviewed and talking about how it took ’20 years to write this book’, lol. Silly, I know – but fun to think about anyway.
School was supposed to start this week – M5, week 1. We’re… still on vacation, I think. We’ve been goinggoinggoing all summer long and it is really taking a toll on me. Trying to get desk-work and workbooks in for the last couple of weeks has been challenging, so we’re dropping all that for now with plans to pick it back up in a couple of weeks. This week though, I think we’re just vegging a little more. I may have to adjust my school year calendar for next year to allow a bit more of a mid-year break to keep from burning out. Maybe 2 weeks between mods during the summer? We shall see.
Somehow, it still surprises me that I have to make adjustments. I don’t know why that it, but it always manages to catch me by surprise. Part of it is fear of failure, I think. When things don’t work out how I envisioned them, I automatically file it under ‘fail’. I’m working on creating a new filing system – one that doesn’t affect me so negatively. I know I’ve talked about my youngest as being this deep well of negativity, and I know where he gets it from so I can’t really complain about it. I’m working on improving my own outlook so I can help my kiddo. Being a mom is a complex and often humbling job and it seems that they forget to include that in most manuals. Recognizing your own faults staring back at you from the innocent face of your child… that’s not an easy mirror to look into.
Enough waxing on the joys of motherhood, eh?
If you haven’t checked out Postcrossing, then this is yet another PSA from me to do so immediately! We’ve gotten cards from all over – Taiwan, Brazil and several US states, and have sent cards to all over as well. It’s so much fun getting mail! REAL mail – not bills or advertising for stuff you didn’t ask for that you don’t need and wouldn’t want.
So that’s a quick update on what’s been happening at mi casa. How ’bout you? Anything interesting popping up on your radar?
Warmly,
~h
Friday, Rainy Friday…
So our plans with friends to spend the afternoon in the pool got rained out… again. It stormed so hard that our lights went out for a while, so we decided to get dressed and go to the book store for a bit. Right about the time we were ready to leave, it started really pouring, and the lights came back on so we stayed home.
Changing plans that many time in such a short amount of time did not make for happy campers; in fact, PeaGreen has been downright grouchy for most of the day. As much as I sympathize, I do not control the weather and sometimes we simply must be flexible – whether we like it or not.
I did take advantage of a brief pause in the rain to weed the garden a bit – well, I say “garden” – it’s TINY, but growing! We have actual tomatoes now, which is awesome, especially if you remember what we started with in March.
Fortunately for the kids, it’s Super Science Concoctions to the rescue! If you haven’t checked this book out, you totally should. It’s SUPER cheap on Amazon – only one penny (plus shipping). Definitely adding this to our ever-growing library.
We spent half an hour making marshmalloids – tasty foam colloids, also known as marshmallows* – from gelatin, vanilla and sugar.
Just add 2 packets of unflavored gelatin to 1c. of boiling water, dissolve; then add 1c. sugar and 2tsp. vanilla and mix for about 20 minutes. Then cover and we refrigerated since it’s summertime and rather warm. After a half hour or so, they’re ready! We made some hot chocolate and topped them with homemade marshmallows.
*Do keep in mind that this is a kiddie experiment and not gourmet marshmallows. If you’re looking for that, try this recipe!
Now that it has stopped raining, I think we are going to go on out to the pool!
Warmly,
~h
Tricks of the Trade
I have seen several lists of “homeschooling rules”, and while I found them interesting, I have yet to come across a list that covers the points that *I* find relevant. So rather than continue to search, I decided to write my own. This isn’t necessarily a list of ‘rules’ to follow, but more tips and tricks that I think make homeschooling (no matter what your style) more successful – or at least a little bit easier.
Homeschooling Rules, Tips and Tricks of the Trade (by a bona fide homeschooling mom):
- Plan, plan, plan! Planning is key in making sure that you accomplish what you wanted to get done. That’s not to say that you can’t be flexible (allowing for fun or life’s little ‘extras’ that we all must factor in at times), but it does give you a clear starting point, place to stop and evaluate and a goal. That need not be anything ‘major’ – we’re not after little Einsteins with perfect moms or anything, but the last thing you want is to wake up 2 months from now and realize that you’re still in the first few lessons or pages of a workbook (or whatever your primary guide is). You’ll need a planner of some sort – preferably not a slip of paper, but something more substantial. They make planning books for teachers that you can adjust for your own use, or you can make one that you like. If your money or creativity are on a shoestring, even a plain spiral notebook can be used. Planning also allows you to keep track of special events dates (like holidays with special themed lessons, or field trips) and making sure that you set aside a specific time to plan your next (week? month? six-weeks?) will help you to use/try all those neat homeschooling resources that you bookmarked and never got back around to using.
- Establish a routine. They say it takes 20+ days to establish a new ‘habit’. I think it’s more of an individual thing. Whatever your daily grind is, make it simple and easy to remember (or follow at the very least). The cool thing about homeschooling is that you can include prayer/spiritual reflection/meditation/devotions in the morning or whenever it suits you – other things, too – literature readings, poetry – whatever strikes your fancy as being ‘important’ to you and your family. We have a weekly routine that includes some lessons on specific days (history on M&W, science on T&Th, tests on Th, library on W…) and activities on certain days (playgroup on Wednesday, for the summer, we’ll be doing the summer movie club at a couple of local theaters – can’t beat $1.00 tickets!!). That helps keep us on-task during the week, and breaks things up as we go.
- Keep ‘harder’ lessons in the early hours – interspersed liberally with out-of-seat activities. We normally start out with math or spelling, then english/reading and then centers (playtime), and then follow with math or spelling (whichever we didn’t do earlier) and history. No one wants to be trapped at a desk all morning. Doing something that keeps their minds engaged for a bit, then shifting gears so that their body is engaged for a while helps break up the tedium of desk-work (or couch-work as the case may be) and lets them get some energy out. The same rule applies for after lunch, too. You don’t want those full tummies inducing sleepiness when they’re supposed to be concentrating, so plenty of action and movement keeps their energy up and restless little bodies from driving you insane when they’re supposed to be paying attention!
- Just say ‘NO!’ – to people who want to infringe upon your homeschool day, that is. I’m not saying that special allowances can’t be made for special people or occasions. I’m talking about people who think that just because you’re ‘home’ all day means that you have time to do whatever it is that they want you to do. Most people don’t see that – all they see is a mom at home all day with kids underfoot, which for some reason in their minds, means that you’re available for errand-running, volunteering, and whatever else that they deem worthy of your time. Few people realize just how time-consuming and taxing homeschooling can be on a mama. Not only does she have to (on some level; peripherally though it may be) make sure that her kiddos are learning at a similar level (a bit behind, right on-target or a bit (or a lot) ahead), but she also has to familiarize herself with the material she’ll be helping her kids to understand, find said material (if she didn’t buy a boxed curriculum) and break it up into suitable lessons… for EACH SUBJECT – and for EACH CHILD if she has more than one and in separate grades! It’s no small task! So safeguard your homeschooling days/hours of the day. Your priority as a homeschooling parent is to provide/guide/enhance/facilitate your children’s education, not to be the neighborhood go-to girl.
- Play to your strengths as a homeschooling parent. Use what you have and don’t stress over the qualities that you don’t have – focus instead on the awesome qualities that make you (and your homeschooling environment) unique! Sure Janie may (seem to) have more patience, and Sarah is ever so much more organized, and Susan always finds the coolest things to do where ever they go – and it totally counts as “school”… some of that, you can cultivate, but if you’re not Miss Record Keeper 5000, then don’t stress about it! Your kids benefit in different ways from theirs. If it bothers you overmuch, ask your friend to plan a day with you to let you observe, and offer the reverse as well – chances are that the Super Mom you’re admiring is looking in your window with the same envies.
- Don’t be too rigid. Yes, I advocate planning and routines, but isn’t one of the reasons you chose to homeschool in the first place so that you could better LIVE your life, rather than be constantly at the mercy of arbitrary schedules and tasks? It was for us – being able to live OUR life and not the school administration’s was a huge plus. Being able to work our real-life happenings into our learning has been such an added bonus for us – and makes it more applicable for the kids. They see the correlation and it clicks for them. There’s no need to be strictly bound to plans or schedules. When the mood strikes (or tempers flare), taking the day off from planned lessons and exploring the world around you is a great way to re-focus and perhaps more importantly, to re-connect with your kids. I find that when things start feeling too “schoolish” around here, it’s definitely time for an unplanned outing.
- Make time in your schedule for extracurriculars and ‘fun stuff’ like art. Yes, this adds a significant additional time allowance, but it’s worth it! Most large-scale facilities offer group rates or special rates for homeschooling families. If you have a few friends (or even if they’re not ‘friends’ – if they’re willing to GO, then all you really need is bodies…) who can share the fun (and the discounted pricing), then go for it!
- Take time for MOM (or DAD if you’re a daddy-shaped homeschool teacher). One of the drawbacks to homeschooling is that whoever the ‘teacher’ is rarely gets a break – and almost never one that is spontaneous. So take advantage of any and every minute that you can get to yourself. Yes, we all know how absolutely wonderful our little students are, but even full-time teachers get hours each day to re-charge, re-group and re-fresh. Just because you’re uber-committed to your children’s education doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to neglect your own interests.
- Let the kids help with house and yard-work; it’s called “home economics”. Another drawback to homeschooling is housekeeping. Trying to be mom and teacher and housekeeper makes for a long day. Let those little ones do their fair share. I noticed that once we were home more, there seemed to double (at least) the amount of housework that needed to happen every day. Once I lightened my load by letting the kids take over things that they were capable of doing (like sorting and folding and putting away their laundry, sharing dish-duty (which is also a great time for a one-on-one convo with the kid sharing this chore with me)… it made things a lot easier – and help my kids learn how to start taking care of their own things.
- I was going for an even ten, but my mind fizzled out… so you’re only getting nine. Feel free to chime into the comments section with your own best-loved rules!
Warmly,
~h
“… and the rain, rain, rain came down, down, down”
“… in rushing, rising riv’lets, til the river crept out of its bed and crept right into Piglet’s!” Awww, I love that song. And Winnie the Pooh. And Piglet and Tigger, too.
Anyway… so with our grand plans of yester’evening, we woke up to wet, wet, wet. Not pouring rain, but seeping rain. No big huge wet splatters – you can totally walk around and miss all the raindrops – but if you put a pot on the porch and come back 20 minutes later, there’s an inch of water in it. It’s THAT kind of rain. Persistent. And…wet.
After considering the many bits of advice and how-to stories I’ve found on sites like The Labyrinth Society and this video, which is totally awesome and time-lapsed, I decided that it might be a good idea to start small and maybe in chalk on the driveway to see how big and how much work (kinda) it was going to take. Unfortunately, chalk and rain do not mix well, so we opted for an indoor masking-tape labyrinth on the schoolroom floor. It’s not perfect, and it is small – very small for an adult to walk, but the kids love it, and truthfully, so do I.
I think when we built it outside, we’re going to make at least 7 circuits, and it will need to be much bigger than this – I would like to be able to sit in the middle. This one is 3 circuits, and is about 5 or 6 feet across.
I drew it out in dry-erase marker on the floor and then taped the lines out. It took about half an hour or 45 minutes – not bad, I think.
Despite the rain, I was itching to be outside. We donned our … well, nothing special actually – just flip-flops and play clothes, and gathered our gardening tools and started preparing our new veggie/flower bed. I have had these plastic “wrought iron” garden border fences for the longest time. I’ve occasionally toyed withe the idea of planting a flower bed and ended up not sticking with it (warning you now that it’s highly likely that this same scenario will play out again with this new gardening endeavor). I think I had alligator eyes before though and planned out way too much for such a novice. This time, we’re doing a small (SMALL) patch of ground right at our porch. Small enough for me and the boys to at least get our hands good and dirty – and boy, did we!
IN the slush and mud, we picked pokeys (sweet gum balls) out of our space. Our ground had a lot of clay in it, so I wanted to make a raised bed of sorts. I’m sure we’re going about this all wrong, but it’s done now. We marked off our space and filled with (mostly decayed/ing) leaves.
On top of that, we added a layer of newspaper to help hold the new soil we were laying. We added about 3 inches of soil (not deep enough, I know) and some coconut husk planter liners to start seeds in with an organic seed starting mix. I added some petunias and marigolds and started some tomatoes, bell peppers and green onions and the boys started pumpkins, carrots, watermelon, cantaloupe and radishes. I know, I know – too late to start some of that – it’s not like we expect this whole big eatery to bloom in our yard. But we’ll see what comes up! It will be fun to keep an eye on. I’ll add more soil to the bed and when we have sproutlings, we’ll transfer them to the main bed and start new seeds. Here’s a peek at what we accomplished (and you can’t see it, but it’s raining):
This was our science and history lesson for today. We’re still doing ancient history; talking about how people started farming and building settlements. I have a pattern for a tee-pee that uses PVC pipe (Butterick #B4251) (similar to this one:)
We’re going to do a re-make of the shelter we built last week and see if we can make it more stable and permanent. I have several pieces of trim that we’re NEVER going to put up in the house, so I may try to use those for the supports. I need to drag the sewing machine out anyway and work on those quilts!
Warmly,
~h
A Week in Review (with pictures!)
One of the best things about homeschooling is that when you wake up and KNOW that if you try to follow the prescribed plan for the day you will accomplish nothing, you can change the day’s plans on the fly and without a problem. Our Tuesday this week was one such day.
I chart my fertility cycles, so it is rare that something happens with my body that is unexpected. Yesterday, I woke up to a surprisingly unexpected visit from “aunt flo” if you know what I mean. In light of recent events (including a surprise pregnancy last April and tragic miscarriage last June, plans to TTC again put on hold due to gall bladder surgery and now unsuccessful TTCing for the past few months), this visit was not a pleasant event, and did not bode well for Mom’s patience and ability to focus on “doing school”…
So, we took our homeschooling selves on a field trip. Completely unplanned, and not really related to anything we’re studying right now, but that’s okay. I took the boys to the Texas Energy Museum and we learned all about how crude oil is manufactured into gasoline, and about the history and founding of our city. One of the coolest features about this museum is that they have mannequins at various places throughout, in period dress, outfitted with a holographic projector that makes it seem as if there is a person standing there talking to you, telling their story. It’s really, really neat and kinda disturbing at the same time.
This museum opened during the years I was homeschooled, and my mom organized a big homeschoolers field trip there. The holograms made a lasting impression, so I was keen on the idea of my boys seeing them. Unfortunately, all but one of them were non-functioning. Grr… Not a big deal, since we can go back anytime, but still.
We had lunch and went to Goodwill to scrounge through there books (I get a lot of books from there) and then made our way back home for some Wii entertainments. Overall, it was a much better day than I had anticipated, and I am very glad that we are in a position to adjust the day’s plans and activities to meet our needs.
Wednesday was more “on track”; we had a super early school day and then went to playgroup, lunch, the library and to visit some friends to welcome their new baby. Thursday was the last day of our school week, so we had spelling and math tests, art appreciation and a trip to the dentist in the afternoon for teeth-cleaning, and then to the grocery store.
Thursday evening, I spent cutting fabric for quilts for the boys’ beds – well, soon to be. we’re getting bunk beds and need decor. Unfortunately, it’s expensive and none of it seems to “grow” with them that we like, so I’m making bed-spread quilts for them both. I have made quilted blankets before, but this is my first (and second) real patchwork-pieced quilt. I’m excited about finishing them. I’m working on both of them simultaneously and have no idea how long it will take. So far, I have this:
I’ve also been working on some homeschooling-related sewing projects. One of the things I wanted to have was a wall chart with clear pockets for words and sentence construction (kinda like this one), but they’re expensive – $20 or more, depending on size. I found black nylon at Joann’s yesterday for $2.00 and got clear vinyl for $4.00 and made this:
I also wanted a place value chart like this one, but again, didn’t want to pay that much when I knew I could make one, so I did. This is made from leftover vinyl from the pocket chart and a scrap of fabric that I had lying around, and I made all of the cards from sentence strips and index cards.
In effect, for free! I truly enjoy making “stuff” more than clothing. I never could get into making clothes, especially for myself, but craft-sewing – I am all about craft sewing!
Warmly,
~h
Day 1
Well, we made it!
We got off to a little bit later start than I had envisioned; of course, I had envisioned absolute perfection a la Donna Reed and though we managed our normal level of less-than-Reed-like controlled chaos, it was perfect in its own way.
I made breakfast and sent the boys off for teeth-brushing and clothing that was not pajamas and had them meet me for “school”. We started with handwriting and a fable, Aesop’s “The Wolf and The Kid”. Then, we did history/geography (Ambleside Online’s recommended “Paddle to the Sea“) complete with atlas lookups and discussions mid-chapter about animals, what the boy might be feeling and what Paddle might be feeling, and to discuss the pictures.
Next came some outside time, then back inside for science and math, then we took a break for lunch. We made taco soup and we must have done something right because both boys ate a lot! After lunch, we put shoes on and went for a walk with binoculars and journals for Nature Study, then back to the house for some time in the yard finishing up our drawings and notes from our walk.
After that, we did Spanish (Ella es mujer.) and copywork, which was a poem by Christina Rossetti and finally, we wrapped up the day’s lessons with making apple-cinnamon scones and Tuesday Tea. That’s a concept I have seen on several other sites to cover etiquette and formal manners and I really like it. I pulled out my “good china” and my boys were so careful with all of it. I really appreciate how much care they took when handling such delicate pieces.
All in all, I think the day went fantastically. What I learned:
We took too long. I tried to do too much, and though we accomplished everything on the list, I can see where I need to cut some things out. I also learned what my kids’ strengths are, and weaknesses in regard to learning ability. We had a lot of out-of-your-seat lessons, which was good for both of the boys. We also did work on the chalkboard and on clipboards in the yard as opposed to sitting at the desk and using plain paper. They were very focused for 90% of the time we were actively doing lessons – but still, I am cramming too much in.
I think that’s just “me” – I want perfection, and though I know we’ll never get there, I know that having no plan definitely won’t get you there. That said, I have tried to convince myself that unschooling simply will not work for me. After today, I am kinda re-thinking that. As much as I LOVE the philosophy, I can see how we can work towards that as an ideal, if not implement fully as a strategy. I am not quite ready to give up on our lesson plan, but I am more open to moving in that direction than I was before.
I did a slideshow with pictures taken from our day.
Tomorrow, we have the library and lunch with some friends. We’re part of SETXPlaygroup, and there is a “Meet-N-Greet” event that we’ll be going to – for socialization {wink}. Trying to fit that in with lessons will be a challenge, but taking into consideration what I learned from today, I think I am up to the task.
Warmly,
~h
Oh, The Many Things We Do!
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been busier than usual it seems. The last time I posted about what we were actually doing, we were making our Dr. Seuss Lapbook. Since then, we’ve gone on a
zillioncouple of field trips and wrapped up our group’s science fair, made some progress in karate (including getting yours truly involved), kicked off this year’s roller derby season and started (and completed!) a few more lapbooks, all topped off with copious amounts of coffee and conversation with good friends (homeschooling and non).We have had an influx of new members into our homeschooling group and as much as I lovelovelove our core families, I absolutely adore meeting new people who think like we do. Our group is pretty eclectic, and I always try to make sure that anyone coming into our group knows that we have an amazing and diverse mix of people, ideals, philosophies and lifestyles in our group. I think that’s an awesome boon to my kids; you’d be surprised (or maybe not) how many people see that as a threat. Oh well, their loss – but the newbies in our group seem to see such diversity as a bene and are fitting in seamlessly.
Field trips over the last few weeks have been wicked fun. We celebrated Women’s History Month with a trip to our local art museum. The director of education met us with a wonderful program about female artists, including the amazing Mary McCleary, and the kids got to make a collage of their own.
Our science fair was a mix of highs and lows. Most of the participants backed out at the last minute, which sucked, but on the plus side the boys took first and second place! We had a really great time putting the boys’ projects together. PeaGreen made a solar powered desalinator, which interestingly enough, was featured on Mythbusters episode ‘Sticky SOS’ a couple of weeks after the Science Fair, and LBB’s experiment was on fingerprint patterns. We ended up running all over town to take fingerprints from willing friends and family!
We also hit the Spindletop/Gladys City Museum, which one might call the ‘birthplace’ of the Southeast Texas economy. The kids learned about oil drilling and salt domes and the history of our fair city – things they’ve learned about many times before, but seeing it all in ‘village format’ is always a new and interesting experience.
We also hit Gator Country. If you’ve ever seen the CMT show ‘Gator 911′, it’s the same place. Gator Country has been around for a long time, so we’ve been quite a few times, but seeing a bunch of gators up close and personal and being able to hold one is always fun. We made a new lapbook on ‘crocodilians’ to go with our visit. I was super proud of the boys – this was the first lapbook that is 99% their own writing. In the past, I’ve written things while they narrated, or given them small things to write; this time I gave them research papers to read and get answers from and they did it themselves.
The next week, we met up to take the kids to play glow-in-the-dark mini golf. We originally planned on ‘moms against kids’ teams, but by the fifth hole, the kids pretty much decided to goof off and the only girl in attendance decided to come play with the moms. The pictures were dark, but this is kinda what it looked like:
In addition to fantastic mini-golf fun, last week we too an impromptu trip out to Johnson’s Bayou in Cameron, LA to stroll the beach. We ended up finding tons of collectibles in the beach detritus - dolphin vertebrae, fish vertebrae and skull bones, lots of water-logged but smoothed out bits of wood (good for carving and pyrography) and everyone’s favorite: seashells.
Photo by Gretchen
We’ve also been getting plenty of exercise with karate. The boys started in January (including Loverly Husband) and I started about a month ago. It’s hard, sweaty work, but I am really enjoying it so far. The kids did their first belt test a few weeks ago and will have their belt ceremony this week.
One thing about karate; gi’s (karate uniforms) are definitely made for tall, straight, thin people – definitely not short, round people with hips and a booty. I had to get one that was about 2 sizes too big for most of me to fit my hips and then start cutting and sewing. I ended up with a still-large-but-decently-fitting gi, but wow, what a bunch of work! I had to cut about 6 inches off the sleeves and legs, and took up a seam in the waist that brought the bottom of the jacket up about 6 inches so that the waist ties were in the correct place. The shoulders still swallow me, but it’s very roomy!
Aaannnnd last but not least, we kicked off this year’s roller derby season with Spindletop Rollergirls! I’m an NSO this year, which means ‘non-skating official‘. I get to stand in the middle of the track with a clipboard and look important. I love it! I also get a nifty derby name, ‘Tricksy Stixx’, without all the worry over being graceful on skates. If you’ve never been to a derby game before, go! And take the kids! It’s a lot of fun and the women who play derby are amazing. Better yet, if you have the opportunity to play or volunteer, do that! People like to sensationalize the hard-core aspect of derby, but it truly is a sport – these women are athletes and they train – HARD – for it. They’re committed, and it’s a family affair; most of them (us) form a close bond with their ‘derby families’.
Photo by Rodney Cole
That pretty much brings up up-to-date! I have some additional updating to do; hopefully this week. I’ll add links to the new lapbooks we’ve completed and a couple we’ve started (one on rocks and minerals, one on the Titanic, and the Story of the World II that are on-going). I am also planning on updating our curriculum page for the summer months – we’re almost through this ‘grade’! The pool is also clean and as soon as the water temp rises above 60 degrees, you can expect some pool shots, too. {wink}
Oh, and our garden – wait till you see that – we have peppers!
Hope your spring is off to a running start, too!
Warmly,
~h
April 23, 2012 | Categories: All About Me, Daily Review, Day in the Life, Field Trip, History, Rambling Thoughts, Socialization | Tags: balance, commentary, Field Trip, going with the flow, homeschoolers are busy, homeschooling, raising responsible adults, school on the go, socialization | Leave A Comment »