Yesterday Bohemian put a few more coats of paint on Sweetheart's twin beds that I found at a secondhand furniture store. After he was finished, I dragged him into town to peruse the very coolest shop in the county. My friend Stefanie has the shop I only need to dream of owning, and I think she's the only one who could pull of such a totally hip place. Stefanie finds stuff, either in salvage yards, yard sales, resale shops, whatever, and spruces them up and makes groupings that are SO cool. I bought a hot pink plant stand, a little end table full of drawers and two matching tables for the feet of Sweetheart and Baby's beds. I stole a lot of inspiration, too. :-)
Bohemian perused the music store while I was salivating at Stefanie's place. He really wants a nice acoustic guitar or a new pickup for the guitar he has. I'd love to find a way to get these things for him. I'll have to think on it. I suppose the best way would be to stop spending money on other things. :-/
Before I came up with that revelation, I also stopped at the store and bought a quilt for Sweetheart's bed, not a pricey one, just a Wal*Mart one. I picked up some greenery for the kitchen, too.
When we got home, I dry-brushed a cream color on top of the pink on the headboard and footboards, and some pink and cream on the end tables I got from Stefanie's. Bard used Handi-Tack to stick five little vintage dollies on the top shelf of Sweetheart's very cute Ethan Allen dresser/hutch that I found at a different used furniture place.
The final product (which actually isn't quite done yet) is so cute. I still need to find some vintage or vintage-style curtains, a few little rag rugs, and some artwork for the walls. There was a way cute vanity at Stefanie's that would fit in Sweetheart's room, too. It has a huge vintage mirror on the back. I'm not sure if I'll get it, but it's definitely appropriate.
We've been playing a lot of Phase 10 as a family, and on Friday night, we played Scatagories. Monet, who is 9, really likes to play and we let him look at the clues before we start the timer so he can get a head start. Bard is the one who really loves to play. :-) Edison isn't into it at all.
But Edison has been very into magic tricks. He, Monet and Sweetheart put on a show for us on Friday night, complete with dancing, magic tricks, juggling and public speaking. :-) It was a lot of fun.
Edison and Monet have been spending a lot of time playing Star Wars Gallactic Battlegrounds. Monet thinks it's a good game to play. Find out more on the next post. Also, they've been spending a lot of time playing Uno, and even including Sweetheart.
Until next time!
Sunday, August 01, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
::: volunteering :::
Our children belong to a local Roots & Shoots group. From the website:
Through that group, the kids have been able to do some interesting things and have had great opportunities to serve the community. Last night, they were able to serve again.
Georgia, the group leader, called us this week letting us know that she'd received a call from the local Humane Society, which is fairly new and still trying to raise money for a building. The Humane Society is having a yard sale at the fairgrounds today and they needed help setting up their things. Edison was able to do a lot of heavy lifting and general gophering. Bard was able to do organizing and pricing. I was able to do general organizing. I think it was an excellent opportunity to see what people get rid of, as well as see how many great clothes are available for a very inexpensive price! All of the clothing was priced at a quarter a piece. I was able to pick up some dresses for Sweetheart, as well as some Cat's Meow houses for above my kitchen doors. It was also a great opportunity to get to know some other people from the community.
Speaking of which, I was able to get a contact for one of the local 4H groups, which is made up entirely of homeschoolers. I asked Bard if she'd like to participate, and she seemed hopeful. Also, Georgia let me know that a local man is working on starting a theatre group here in our town! I'm excited about that, and I'm sure the kids will be, too. I hope to contact this man today, as well as the 4H lady.
I've been reading How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk and have been getting a lot out of it. I've been using some of the skills I'm learning, and they seem to work. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the book and hope to get Bohemian to read it, too. I may even have Bard read it. It's a helpful way to communicate, though some of it feels forced. We'll see how it works.
Monet is in the kitchen making smoothies. We didn't have the standard frozen blueberries, but we did have frozen grapes, so he decided to try that instead. They turned out really well! I'm enjoying a tasty frozen beverage right now. :-)
Roots & Shoots® engages and inspires youth through community service and service learning. Founded by Dr. Jane Goodall, this global program emphasizes the principle that knowledge leads to compassion, which inspires action. All Roots & Shoots groups show care and concern in three areas: the human community, animals, and the environment.
Through that group, the kids have been able to do some interesting things and have had great opportunities to serve the community. Last night, they were able to serve again.
Georgia, the group leader, called us this week letting us know that she'd received a call from the local Humane Society, which is fairly new and still trying to raise money for a building. The Humane Society is having a yard sale at the fairgrounds today and they needed help setting up their things. Edison was able to do a lot of heavy lifting and general gophering. Bard was able to do organizing and pricing. I was able to do general organizing. I think it was an excellent opportunity to see what people get rid of, as well as see how many great clothes are available for a very inexpensive price! All of the clothing was priced at a quarter a piece. I was able to pick up some dresses for Sweetheart, as well as some Cat's Meow houses for above my kitchen doors. It was also a great opportunity to get to know some other people from the community.
Speaking of which, I was able to get a contact for one of the local 4H groups, which is made up entirely of homeschoolers. I asked Bard if she'd like to participate, and she seemed hopeful. Also, Georgia let me know that a local man is working on starting a theatre group here in our town! I'm excited about that, and I'm sure the kids will be, too. I hope to contact this man today, as well as the 4H lady.
I've been reading How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk and have been getting a lot out of it. I've been using some of the skills I'm learning, and they seem to work. I'm about 1/4 of the way through the book and hope to get Bohemian to read it, too. I may even have Bard read it. It's a helpful way to communicate, though some of it feels forced. We'll see how it works.
Monet is in the kitchen making smoothies. We didn't have the standard frozen blueberries, but we did have frozen grapes, so he decided to try that instead. They turned out really well! I'm enjoying a tasty frozen beverage right now. :-)
Monday, July 26, 2004
::: frustrated :::
Today, I'm feeling frustrated. Nothing has worked out for me on the educational level today. My plan: get the children started on their Switched On Schoolhouse subjects, do a reading lesson with Sweetheart, have Bard and Edison make banana muffins, and finish the laundry. I don't think those are very lofty goals, but none of them have worked. First, I can't get Switched On Schoolhouse installed on either of the older kids' computers. Their systems are apparently too old. Secondly, Sweetheart is in a silly mood and doesn't want to do her reading lessons. Since I've been reading a discussion on coercion and how it "damages" children's reading, I've been thinking about how this philosophy works with producing children who are not completely and totally self-absorbed. Finally, I had Bard look up a recipe for banana sour cream bread to make with all of our very ripe bananas. One little problem. No eggs. This is frustrating, because we have a TON of chickens and have been feeding them a TON of chicken feed! But they apparently either haven't been laying, or someone else has been taking our eggs. :-/ So, no sour cream banana bread until I get to the store.
Some days, I feel like I spend just about the entire day running around. For example, I need to go to the store today because we're out of salt, mayonnaise, and now, apparently, I need eggs. I also need milk from Ralph's, which means I have to drive out of my way to get the milk. It's not that far from the store, and I should be very glad to be able to have access to raw milk, but I still feel like I'm running more than necessary.
And even though I've made smoothies, prepared the ingredients for banana sour cream bread, AND filled the crock pot with veggie soup, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything, and I have eaten nothing more than a S'mores Luna Bar!
Sigh.
Some days are just like this.
Some days, I feel like I spend just about the entire day running around. For example, I need to go to the store today because we're out of salt, mayonnaise, and now, apparently, I need eggs. I also need milk from Ralph's, which means I have to drive out of my way to get the milk. It's not that far from the store, and I should be very glad to be able to have access to raw milk, but I still feel like I'm running more than necessary.
And even though I've made smoothies, prepared the ingredients for banana sour cream bread, AND filled the crock pot with veggie soup, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything, and I have eaten nothing more than a S'mores Luna Bar!
Sigh.
Some days are just like this.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
::: a room for sweetheart :::
Yesterday, Bohemian and I got up early (early for us on a Saturday, anyway) and went to breakfast. The goal was to hit the used furniture store in a neighboring town and to hit a couple of yard sales that started Saturday morning. Also, Bard and I had seen a used four-string electric bass that Bohemian had wanted to check out.
After breakfast, we headed toward where I thought the furniture store would be, but I hadn't been there so I was counting on seeing a sign, but as we approached the center of town, we still hadn't seen the store. We stopped at the general store and asked an Amish teenager there, but he didn't know of anywhere. I went inside and asked the Amish cashier , but she didn't know of the place, either. I was about to give up, but an Amish customer knew right where it was, just a mile up the road on the main state route! I thought it was funny that the other two locals didn't know it, but I was glad that we were able to get directions.
The sign outside the shop said "Quality Used Furniture," and it was, indeed. Many of the items in there would have been considered antiques, and her prices were that of an antique store, too. Since I was there looking for a bargain, I was a bit disappointed. There were some great things there, but the prices were so strange. A single bookcase could be $195, while a whole bedroom suite was $350. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.
And then, as I turned down the last aisle, there it was. The sweetest chest of drawers with a hutch on the top. It was painted a cheery yellow, looked to be original paint and original knobs, and had white beadboard behind the hutch. The hutch had two cupboard doors and a shelf, and inside the cupboard doors were another shelf and a mirror on the door. Perfect for Sweetheart's room! It was a vintage Ethan Allen piece, and it was marked...$85! There was a sign above it that said "All hutches 15% off" and since this looked like a hutch as much as it looked like a chest or drawers, I asked. "Sure, I'll give you 15% off of that," the Amish woman said.
I wrote my check while Bohemian prepared to load the piece into the Jeep. He took out each of the mortised drawers and carried the HEAVY thing, which was in two pieces, out to the vehicle. I was already putting it into her room and decorating it with goodies in my mind before we even got it home!
But before we went home, we headed to the yard sales. At the second sale, I found five gorgeous little vintage dolls decked-out in crocheted dresses and hats. Mentally, I lined them up on top of Sweetheart's new hutch. I also found sweet hand-embroidered tea towels, a set of hand-embroidered "his" and "hers" pillowcases, two nice rag rugs in good colors, and a green bowl from a Prak-T-Kal vaporizer.
Saturday evening, we primed and painted Sweetheart's floor, a sweet, light pink called "Kissed by Juliet." Tonight, we primed the two twin beds I found at a different used furniture store and a long pegged shelf we've had for ages. They'll be painted pink and then cream and rubbed through to give an antiqued look.
I'm already mentally shopping for bedding at Target. :-)
After breakfast, we headed toward where I thought the furniture store would be, but I hadn't been there so I was counting on seeing a sign, but as we approached the center of town, we still hadn't seen the store. We stopped at the general store and asked an Amish teenager there, but he didn't know of anywhere. I went inside and asked the Amish cashier , but she didn't know of the place, either. I was about to give up, but an Amish customer knew right where it was, just a mile up the road on the main state route! I thought it was funny that the other two locals didn't know it, but I was glad that we were able to get directions.
The sign outside the shop said "Quality Used Furniture," and it was, indeed. Many of the items in there would have been considered antiques, and her prices were that of an antique store, too. Since I was there looking for a bargain, I was a bit disappointed. There were some great things there, but the prices were so strange. A single bookcase could be $195, while a whole bedroom suite was $350. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason.
And then, as I turned down the last aisle, there it was. The sweetest chest of drawers with a hutch on the top. It was painted a cheery yellow, looked to be original paint and original knobs, and had white beadboard behind the hutch. The hutch had two cupboard doors and a shelf, and inside the cupboard doors were another shelf and a mirror on the door. Perfect for Sweetheart's room! It was a vintage Ethan Allen piece, and it was marked...$85! There was a sign above it that said "All hutches 15% off" and since this looked like a hutch as much as it looked like a chest or drawers, I asked. "Sure, I'll give you 15% off of that," the Amish woman said.
I wrote my check while Bohemian prepared to load the piece into the Jeep. He took out each of the mortised drawers and carried the HEAVY thing, which was in two pieces, out to the vehicle. I was already putting it into her room and decorating it with goodies in my mind before we even got it home!
But before we went home, we headed to the yard sales. At the second sale, I found five gorgeous little vintage dolls decked-out in crocheted dresses and hats. Mentally, I lined them up on top of Sweetheart's new hutch. I also found sweet hand-embroidered tea towels, a set of hand-embroidered "his" and "hers" pillowcases, two nice rag rugs in good colors, and a green bowl from a Prak-T-Kal vaporizer.
Saturday evening, we primed and painted Sweetheart's floor, a sweet, light pink called "Kissed by Juliet." Tonight, we primed the two twin beds I found at a different used furniture store and a long pegged shelf we've had for ages. They'll be painted pink and then cream and rubbed through to give an antiqued look.
I'm already mentally shopping for bedding at Target. :-)
Friday, July 23, 2004
::: a day with bard :::
Today seemed like a good day to go yard-salin'. So I woke Bard, got dressed, said goodbye to my dad and the kids, and headed off to find some bargains.
My main goals were to look for a sofa, some end tables, a couple of night stands, some bookcases and a set of beds for Sweetheart and Baby.
The first stop was a Mennonite woman's home who homeschools. She had a lot of boxed curricula and I wasn't really interested in most of it. I did, however, find some good dress-up clothes and a train set which I think is called a Whittle Train or something like that. The tracks are a base that are in the shapes of large squares that hook together like puzzle pieces. There are also little pieces that are used to create little shops and buildings. Cute!
The other thing I found was something called Learning Seeds, which is a file box filled with all kinds of activity cards in different subject areas. The goal is to provide a springboard for learning when children can't think of anything to do, so that they can turn to this creative outlet as opposed to turning on the TV. I haven't given this a very in-depth look, but I'm going to check it out further. I do know that I found a source for it online, and while I paid $4.00 for a brand new box, the site lists the price at $39.95!
Bard found six hockey pucks, which they'll use for ice hockey this winter. Up until now, they've been using a street hockey ball. The woman who was having this sale forgot to ring up my Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing book by Sheila Kipley, so she gave it to me for free. :-)
I found an unused Wilson's black leather vest, with tags, for $2.00. A perfect accessory for Edison's magic shows. I need to find him a nice top hat and a pair of black dress pants.
Bard and I spent a lot of time laughing about Homestar Runner today. I have to admit that I now think it's pretty funny. I had to swallow my pride and admit that to Bard, which was good, because we then spent the rest of the afternoon making silly Homestar Runner references and cracking ourselves up.
I couldn't find any beds or other furniture at any of the sales, so I headed for one of the local used furniture stores, where I found a set of twin beds for Sweetheart and Baby. They'll need to be sanded, painted and gussied up, but they'll be really fun when they're done. We decided to spend this weekend finishing up Sweetheart's bedroom, which means painting the floor and possibly creating a fun pattern with the paint. I'll try to post photos.
Bard was a joy with whom to share a day. She's clever, witty, and just generally funny. I'm really glad we got to spend the time together. We talked about books, what makes a book a classic, why some classics are so stupid (she recently read Catcher in the Rye and hated it) and whether or not her favorite books will be stupid when she's an adult.
Tonight, we filled the cracks in Sweetheart's floor and will prime and paint it in the morning, after I hit a couple more yard sales. The kids watched South Pacific on DVD and then watched a bunch of Homestar Runner shorts. Monet, of course, made a book of drawings of all of the characters. He's a very motivated artist! I'd love to get him plugged into a good class, if I could find a good teacher who would be willing to come to our home and wouldn't charge an arm and a leg. I know it's worth it, but I don't have it!
Tonight, Bohemian is teaching Bard and Edison how to play an electric bass. Edison started fiddle lessons about a year ago, but his teacher, who was also homeschooled, went to college at age 16, so we kinda lost out. Bummer. Bard seems to be picking up the bass very well, and has learned to tune using harmonics, which Bohemian taught using a short physics lesson. They're using a video called Ultimate Beginner's Series: Bass Basics. Bohemian is going through it with them step by step. They all seem to be enjoying it. :-)
I was able to contact a few local homeschoolers and find out about a support group here. There will be an informational meeting in about two weeks, and I think I'll attend, since it sounds like there are about 60 families who belong. I've been e-mailing with these ladies and hope to make some contacts that will lead to new friendships for the kids and me!
For now, I think it's time for bed. I'm hoping to get up early tomorrow morning, get breakfast down the street, and head for a couple more sales.
Thanks for a fun day, Bard!
My main goals were to look for a sofa, some end tables, a couple of night stands, some bookcases and a set of beds for Sweetheart and Baby.
The first stop was a Mennonite woman's home who homeschools. She had a lot of boxed curricula and I wasn't really interested in most of it. I did, however, find some good dress-up clothes and a train set which I think is called a Whittle Train or something like that. The tracks are a base that are in the shapes of large squares that hook together like puzzle pieces. There are also little pieces that are used to create little shops and buildings. Cute!
The other thing I found was something called Learning Seeds, which is a file box filled with all kinds of activity cards in different subject areas. The goal is to provide a springboard for learning when children can't think of anything to do, so that they can turn to this creative outlet as opposed to turning on the TV. I haven't given this a very in-depth look, but I'm going to check it out further. I do know that I found a source for it online, and while I paid $4.00 for a brand new box, the site lists the price at $39.95!
Bard found six hockey pucks, which they'll use for ice hockey this winter. Up until now, they've been using a street hockey ball. The woman who was having this sale forgot to ring up my Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing book by Sheila Kipley, so she gave it to me for free. :-)
I found an unused Wilson's black leather vest, with tags, for $2.00. A perfect accessory for Edison's magic shows. I need to find him a nice top hat and a pair of black dress pants.
Bard and I spent a lot of time laughing about Homestar Runner today. I have to admit that I now think it's pretty funny. I had to swallow my pride and admit that to Bard, which was good, because we then spent the rest of the afternoon making silly Homestar Runner references and cracking ourselves up.
I couldn't find any beds or other furniture at any of the sales, so I headed for one of the local used furniture stores, where I found a set of twin beds for Sweetheart and Baby. They'll need to be sanded, painted and gussied up, but they'll be really fun when they're done. We decided to spend this weekend finishing up Sweetheart's bedroom, which means painting the floor and possibly creating a fun pattern with the paint. I'll try to post photos.
Bard was a joy with whom to share a day. She's clever, witty, and just generally funny. I'm really glad we got to spend the time together. We talked about books, what makes a book a classic, why some classics are so stupid (she recently read Catcher in the Rye and hated it) and whether or not her favorite books will be stupid when she's an adult.
Tonight, we filled the cracks in Sweetheart's floor and will prime and paint it in the morning, after I hit a couple more yard sales. The kids watched South Pacific on DVD and then watched a bunch of Homestar Runner shorts. Monet, of course, made a book of drawings of all of the characters. He's a very motivated artist! I'd love to get him plugged into a good class, if I could find a good teacher who would be willing to come to our home and wouldn't charge an arm and a leg. I know it's worth it, but I don't have it!
Tonight, Bohemian is teaching Bard and Edison how to play an electric bass. Edison started fiddle lessons about a year ago, but his teacher, who was also homeschooled, went to college at age 16, so we kinda lost out. Bummer. Bard seems to be picking up the bass very well, and has learned to tune using harmonics, which Bohemian taught using a short physics lesson. They're using a video called Ultimate Beginner's Series: Bass Basics. Bohemian is going through it with them step by step. They all seem to be enjoying it. :-)
I was able to contact a few local homeschoolers and find out about a support group here. There will be an informational meeting in about two weeks, and I think I'll attend, since it sounds like there are about 60 families who belong. I've been e-mailing with these ladies and hope to make some contacts that will lead to new friendships for the kids and me!
For now, I think it's time for bed. I'm hoping to get up early tomorrow morning, get breakfast down the street, and head for a couple more sales.
Thanks for a fun day, Bard!
::: animated atlas: growth of a nation :::
Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation
This is a very cool animated and sound-enhanced site, an excellent tool for learning the history and geography of the United States.
From the website:
This ten minute presentation illustrates the growth of the United States from the original thirteen states in 1789.
This is a very cool animated and sound-enhanced site, an excellent tool for learning the history and geography of the United States.
From the website:
This ten minute presentation illustrates the growth of the United States from the original thirteen states in 1789.
::: what a trip, plus the nickel puzzle :::
Tonight we began discussing what we will do with the balance of our summer. I feel funny saying that, because with all of the rain we've had, it doesn't seem like summer has been here very long at all.
But it has, and now we are faced with making the most of it.
Because we've spent so much of our time working on the house, there hasn't been a lot of recreational time. Our down-time has consisted mostly of watching videos or actually eating dinner. Pretty sedate.
So tonight we started discussing options for making the summer a bit more active. The options ranged from going to the Indiana Dunes to heading to the local water parks. We'd particularly like to become more involved in biking on Rail Trails, something we did fairly often before the beginning of The House. Bohemian and I have both put on weight since we've moved here, which is a surprise, because I really thought a move to the country would solve our weight problems. Actually, we seem to drive more now, eat more (those doggone Amish cooks) and are less active. Plus, Bohemian has a desk job and spends about three hours a day commuting, not to mention all of the time he spends in his car for work-related errands. Very sedate.
In other news, I've been working on my notification letter for this year. I think I have it finished, but I'm nervous about sending it because I gave exactly what the Ohio regulations ask for, but I think it's less than the district wants, and since this is a new district for us, I'm not sure how homeschool-friendly they are. Also, the district instructs us to send notifications to a liason that "handles" homeschooling notifications, though regs say we only have to send them to the super. I suppose I'll send it in, and if it's inadequate to them, I'll contact the homeschool list I'm on and see what I should do.
And in still other news, we've been watching a lot of musicals lately. June 28th was the birthdate of Richard Charles Rodgers', of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame. We rented The Sound of Movies from Netflix, followed by Oklahoma!, both the 1999 stage play and the original movie. The Light Opera is performing South Pacific this month and next, so I hope to take one or several of the kids to see that. I just wish it weren't so expensive! We also watched Pirates of Penzance and Funny Girl. Oklahoma! has been the most popular so far, and everyone seems to agree that they like the stage production best. Do you have a favorite musical that's suitable for families? Post it in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.
Yesterday, we went to see a friend of ours playing music on the lawn of the Arts Center. We took a picnic and hung out for a while, followed it with a trip to the bookstore, then lunch at Subway, and, finally, a trip to Wal*Mart, where Bard helped Monet pick a few goodies with his "good job" change. I also picked up some more loot for the Quiet Time Box--a couple more Bionicles and Magnetix and a Hot Wheels car that has magnetic wheels.
Today, Monet was preparing a stage play of his own. He created puppets out of paper lunchbags, construction paper and yarn. He gave each a name and personality and wrote a script on the computer, asking Bard for spelling help. We had a bit of a meltdown because he couldn't figure out the logistics for the actual performance location, but he finally settled on using the porch.
Bard just finished the book The Westing Game and insists that it's a really great book, so I'm reading it now. So far, she's right. It's holding my interest, though by the end of the third chapter, I've figured out the first set of clues.
Edison and I went out to run errands today. We had to buy chicken feed, pay a bill and pick up some groceries. While we were at the store, he weighed the grapes that I bought, determined the total weight, divided it to determine the average weight per bunch, and determined the price per bunch based on the average weight of each bunch. He also calculated sale prices when we went to a local gift shop that's going out of business, determining the final price based on the original price and deducting the percentage off.
Bard and Edison have both been reading Math for Smarty Pants and The I Hate Mathematics Book. Bard presented me with the following riddle. I got it right...can you?
You're at a carnival game booth. The sign says "Pay a nickel to win a quarter! Increase your 5 cents by 500 percent!" At the booth you see three full sacks labeled as follows:
But it has, and now we are faced with making the most of it.
Because we've spent so much of our time working on the house, there hasn't been a lot of recreational time. Our down-time has consisted mostly of watching videos or actually eating dinner. Pretty sedate.
So tonight we started discussing options for making the summer a bit more active. The options ranged from going to the Indiana Dunes to heading to the local water parks. We'd particularly like to become more involved in biking on Rail Trails, something we did fairly often before the beginning of The House. Bohemian and I have both put on weight since we've moved here, which is a surprise, because I really thought a move to the country would solve our weight problems. Actually, we seem to drive more now, eat more (those doggone Amish cooks) and are less active. Plus, Bohemian has a desk job and spends about three hours a day commuting, not to mention all of the time he spends in his car for work-related errands. Very sedate.
In other news, I've been working on my notification letter for this year. I think I have it finished, but I'm nervous about sending it because I gave exactly what the Ohio regulations ask for, but I think it's less than the district wants, and since this is a new district for us, I'm not sure how homeschool-friendly they are. Also, the district instructs us to send notifications to a liason that "handles" homeschooling notifications, though regs say we only have to send them to the super. I suppose I'll send it in, and if it's inadequate to them, I'll contact the homeschool list I'm on and see what I should do.
And in still other news, we've been watching a lot of musicals lately. June 28th was the birthdate of Richard Charles Rodgers', of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame. We rented The Sound of Movies from Netflix, followed by Oklahoma!, both the 1999 stage play and the original movie. The Light Opera is performing South Pacific this month and next, so I hope to take one or several of the kids to see that. I just wish it weren't so expensive! We also watched Pirates of Penzance and Funny Girl. Oklahoma! has been the most popular so far, and everyone seems to agree that they like the stage production best. Do you have a favorite musical that's suitable for families? Post it in the comments. I'd love to hear about it.
Yesterday, we went to see a friend of ours playing music on the lawn of the Arts Center. We took a picnic and hung out for a while, followed it with a trip to the bookstore, then lunch at Subway, and, finally, a trip to Wal*Mart, where Bard helped Monet pick a few goodies with his "good job" change. I also picked up some more loot for the Quiet Time Box--a couple more Bionicles and Magnetix and a Hot Wheels car that has magnetic wheels.
Today, Monet was preparing a stage play of his own. He created puppets out of paper lunchbags, construction paper and yarn. He gave each a name and personality and wrote a script on the computer, asking Bard for spelling help. We had a bit of a meltdown because he couldn't figure out the logistics for the actual performance location, but he finally settled on using the porch.
Bard just finished the book The Westing Game and insists that it's a really great book, so I'm reading it now. So far, she's right. It's holding my interest, though by the end of the third chapter, I've figured out the first set of clues.
Edison and I went out to run errands today. We had to buy chicken feed, pay a bill and pick up some groceries. While we were at the store, he weighed the grapes that I bought, determined the total weight, divided it to determine the average weight per bunch, and determined the price per bunch based on the average weight of each bunch. He also calculated sale prices when we went to a local gift shop that's going out of business, determining the final price based on the original price and deducting the percentage off.
Bard and Edison have both been reading Math for Smarty Pants and The I Hate Mathematics Book. Bard presented me with the following riddle. I got it right...can you?
You're at a carnival game booth. The sign says "Pay a nickel to win a quarter! Increase your 5 cents by 500 percent!" At the booth you see three full sacks labeled as follows:
Quarters
The carnie explains that the bags are indeed full of coins and explains the game with the following rhyme.
Nickels
Quarters and Nickels
The carnie explains that the bags are indeed full of coins and explains the game with the following rhyme.
One sack has quarters; another has nickels;
The third sack, however, is really a tickle.
It's a mixture of both, a fair share of each;
finding which sack is which is within your reach.
The carnie also gives you these two clues: First of all, every sack is labeled wrong. Second, he'll reach into one sack and pull out a coin for you to see.
Which sack would you have him pull from?
Thursday, July 22, 2004
::: books: the best bad investment? :::
Used bookstores. I've known them intimately since I was a child. Imagine the excitement I felt finding this measure of financial freedom, discovering a way to sell something I no longer wanted to own something I really did want. On a regular basis, I would gather all of the books with which I could bear to part, wait for a family trip to the plaza where the used book store was waiting just for me, and sell my wares. I could sell a boring Nancy Drew and find an exciting Black Stallion, sell a ho-hum Hardy Boys Mystery and stumble upon The Black Stallion Returns. I could meet new books, consume them, build a relationship with them, and determine whether I wanted to continue that relationship, or if I just wanted to use it to acquire a new one.
Some would say that a used book store is just a paperback library. I suppose there's some validity to that. But there's something--something not-quite-explainable--that's different. The mystery of the hunt, the thrill of the find. And, too, the pressure is gone. I can take a book home, find that the relationship is too precious, and choose to keep that book! Mine! As a child, I would read each book carefully, never bending the cover, breaking the spine or dog-earing the pages, because the trade-in value would go down with every bend, break and dog-ear.
Library books...well, it just wasn't the same.
I hadn't been to a good used bookstore nearby since my childhood. There's an antique store with a fairly good selection, but it's not a used bookstore. There had been a pretty decent used bookstore downtown here, but from what the owners say, they were "chased out" by the conservative members of this community and simply couldn't make a living. Apparently the "conservative" contingent didn't like the Tarot, Gender Studies and Astrological selections. I don't know. I'm from the "conservative" contingent, I suppose, but I shopped there often and knew the owners by name. Ah, well.
Recently, I discovered another used bookstore while taking my kids into the "bigger" city (still small town) for the rehearsals for their roles in a musical there. Being a small town, everything closes by 5:00. But Books In Stock is open until 9:00, so I found it by necessity, the necessity of not spending another minute at Wal*Mart or McDonald's.
One step inside, and I was hooked. Hooked! It smells like my childhood! Like Black Stallion, Black Stallion Returns, The Secret in Miranda's Closet, The Red Badge of Courage, A Wrinkle in Time! Deep brown, worn-soft shelves are packed with paperbacks, hardbacks, books on CD and on cassette, categories indicated by hand-written signs suspended above each of the aisles. The bookcase ends hold photos of people traveling all over the world representing the store by sporting a shop t-shirt. "Books in Stock is known is Holland!" or "Books in Stock is known in Portugal!"
I wander from shelf to shelf, looking for old friends, new friends, maybe even avoiding a few enemies. It's a stroll through time. Look! There's Richard Bach! Oh, and the treasure of seeing Steven Cosgrove and Robin James in the children's section. Peace Like a River beckons from the fiction section, and I argue with myself--I should own it, even though I read and re-read the library copy. Yes! A bunch of Magic Treehouse books for Monet who has been devouring them like candy! And Bruce Coville and Diana Wynne-Jones books for Bard. There are loads of Dorling-Kindersley books, most for under $5. All of the paperbacks are half-priced or the prices are marked with pencil on the inside.
Still, I'm able to accumulate quite a bill, though not as high as any I've had at Border's or the local independent bookstore. Here I am again, I think, buying books when I have no money. Books or food? Well, beans and rice are pretty tasty.
Just out of curiosity, I grab a trade-in form at the counter. I've come to a place in my life that I really don't want to part with any of the books I own, though we have way, way, way too many books (Can one have "too many" books? Isn't that like having "too many" flowers or "too many" children?) Most of the storage facility we used while we were living in the cabin was filled with books, in addition to the ones that overflowed from the shelves at the cabin. Most of my storage problems now are from not having enough bookshelves. I use books as bookshelves. We have books stacked in bedrooms, the Creative Room, the fruit cellar, the laundry room, the kitchen. I like them. I adore almost every one of them. And if I don't like them, other people probably wouldn't either, so why get rid of them?
But Bard gets hold of the trade-in rules, and now she's going through her books, weeding out duplicates (She informs me that we have 65 copies of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) and counting the benefits and costs of trading in books she hasn't read in years. I see myself sitting there on her bedroom floor, evaluating each book, weighing its worth, dreaming of its value in trade, deciding in advance what books she'll be seeking.
In the end, I sort through some of mine, too. I toss in a book about the evils of Hallowe'en and its foundation in witchcraft and druidism, a book someone gave me on how to love my husband, and a Spanish copy of Your Fertility Signals, given to me by the author (a great book! I just don't know anyone who speaks Spanish and I have three copies of the English version already).
I let Bard handle the transaction. She writes her name and indicates that we'd like any unwanted books back. If we're staying for a while, the clerk informs us, she'll have our trade credit amount ready for us before we leave.
Of course we're staying for a while!
I find the I Hate Mathematics and Math for Smarty Pants books, the Book of Facts and Comparisons, Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk, several books in the Something Queer series (books I used to read while waiting in the doc's office as a kid, and whose star, Fletcher, could be our basset/beagle, Snoopy), a book of must-know magic tricks for Edison, and a few more Magic Treehouse books for Monet. Bard found a stack of her own.
I figured we'd been there long enough when I nursed The Baby to sleep, we'd borrowed the bathroom key four times, and Sweetheart had finished looking at every Golden Book on the rack. I had already tallied our total...over $50.00. But our trade-ins would take a big hunk out of that. Oh, the wonder of a used book store!
At the counter, after three of us have wrestled our stack onto the countertop, the clerk pushes my trade credit slip towards me. She points to the "fiction" total. $2.49! And for the nonfiction, a whopping $4.49. What??? I look towards the door where they have placed my bag of unwanted books. It's almost full, including The Davinci Code given to me by my brother-in-law and Making Your Children Mind without Losing Yours, which I bought there last week and disliked within the first chapter! I was banking on that one! I looked at my huge stack of potential purchases and told the clerk, in a mournful tone, that I'd like a few minutes alone. Bard and I took ten minutes to sort, to set aside the poor souls that couldn't come home with us, to think and rethink our choices, and, finally, to call the clerk back over.
My final total came to $35.64. I picked up the bag of books Iwe had brought for trade, the rejects that weren't wanted by the bookstore, and I felt depressed. How much had I paid for these books new? And now they weren't even worth a dollar at the used bookstore? Some of them I'd never even read! Excellent condition! I read the sign posted above the counter, the sign that read my mind. "Why Didn't We Want Your Books?" with several reasons listed. I deduced that "my" reason was "deemed not saleable." The clerk offered to dispose of the books for me. No, I thought. I'll take them home and give them a proper burial. Deep on a back of a bookshelf.
I'll probably try again next week. If I can afford it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go reheat my beans and rice.
Some would say that a used book store is just a paperback library. I suppose there's some validity to that. But there's something--something not-quite-explainable--that's different. The mystery of the hunt, the thrill of the find. And, too, the pressure is gone. I can take a book home, find that the relationship is too precious, and choose to keep that book! Mine! As a child, I would read each book carefully, never bending the cover, breaking the spine or dog-earing the pages, because the trade-in value would go down with every bend, break and dog-ear.
Library books...well, it just wasn't the same.
I hadn't been to a good used bookstore nearby since my childhood. There's an antique store with a fairly good selection, but it's not a used bookstore. There had been a pretty decent used bookstore downtown here, but from what the owners say, they were "chased out" by the conservative members of this community and simply couldn't make a living. Apparently the "conservative" contingent didn't like the Tarot, Gender Studies and Astrological selections. I don't know. I'm from the "conservative" contingent, I suppose, but I shopped there often and knew the owners by name. Ah, well.
Recently, I discovered another used bookstore while taking my kids into the "bigger" city (still small town) for the rehearsals for their roles in a musical there. Being a small town, everything closes by 5:00. But Books In Stock is open until 9:00, so I found it by necessity, the necessity of not spending another minute at Wal*Mart or McDonald's.
One step inside, and I was hooked. Hooked! It smells like my childhood! Like Black Stallion, Black Stallion Returns, The Secret in Miranda's Closet, The Red Badge of Courage, A Wrinkle in Time! Deep brown, worn-soft shelves are packed with paperbacks, hardbacks, books on CD and on cassette, categories indicated by hand-written signs suspended above each of the aisles. The bookcase ends hold photos of people traveling all over the world representing the store by sporting a shop t-shirt. "Books in Stock is known is Holland!" or "Books in Stock is known in Portugal!"
I wander from shelf to shelf, looking for old friends, new friends, maybe even avoiding a few enemies. It's a stroll through time. Look! There's Richard Bach! Oh, and the treasure of seeing Steven Cosgrove and Robin James in the children's section. Peace Like a River beckons from the fiction section, and I argue with myself--I should own it, even though I read and re-read the library copy. Yes! A bunch of Magic Treehouse books for Monet who has been devouring them like candy! And Bruce Coville and Diana Wynne-Jones books for Bard. There are loads of Dorling-Kindersley books, most for under $5. All of the paperbacks are half-priced or the prices are marked with pencil on the inside.
Still, I'm able to accumulate quite a bill, though not as high as any I've had at Border's or the local independent bookstore. Here I am again, I think, buying books when I have no money. Books or food? Well, beans and rice are pretty tasty.
Just out of curiosity, I grab a trade-in form at the counter. I've come to a place in my life that I really don't want to part with any of the books I own, though we have way, way, way too many books (Can one have "too many" books? Isn't that like having "too many" flowers or "too many" children?) Most of the storage facility we used while we were living in the cabin was filled with books, in addition to the ones that overflowed from the shelves at the cabin. Most of my storage problems now are from not having enough bookshelves. I use books as bookshelves. We have books stacked in bedrooms, the Creative Room, the fruit cellar, the laundry room, the kitchen. I like them. I adore almost every one of them. And if I don't like them, other people probably wouldn't either, so why get rid of them?
But Bard gets hold of the trade-in rules, and now she's going through her books, weeding out duplicates (She informs me that we have 65 copies of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe) and counting the benefits and costs of trading in books she hasn't read in years. I see myself sitting there on her bedroom floor, evaluating each book, weighing its worth, dreaming of its value in trade, deciding in advance what books she'll be seeking.
In the end, I sort through some of mine, too. I toss in a book about the evils of Hallowe'en and its foundation in witchcraft and druidism, a book someone gave me on how to love my husband, and a Spanish copy of Your Fertility Signals, given to me by the author (a great book! I just don't know anyone who speaks Spanish and I have three copies of the English version already).
I let Bard handle the transaction. She writes her name and indicates that we'd like any unwanted books back. If we're staying for a while, the clerk informs us, she'll have our trade credit amount ready for us before we leave.
Of course we're staying for a while!
I find the I Hate Mathematics and Math for Smarty Pants books, the Book of Facts and Comparisons, Talk So Your Kids Will Listen and Listen So Your Kids Will Talk, several books in the Something Queer series (books I used to read while waiting in the doc's office as a kid, and whose star, Fletcher, could be our basset/beagle, Snoopy), a book of must-know magic tricks for Edison, and a few more Magic Treehouse books for Monet. Bard found a stack of her own.
I figured we'd been there long enough when I nursed The Baby to sleep, we'd borrowed the bathroom key four times, and Sweetheart had finished looking at every Golden Book on the rack. I had already tallied our total...over $50.00. But our trade-ins would take a big hunk out of that. Oh, the wonder of a used book store!
At the counter, after three of us have wrestled our stack onto the countertop, the clerk pushes my trade credit slip towards me. She points to the "fiction" total. $2.49! And for the nonfiction, a whopping $4.49. What??? I look towards the door where they have placed my bag of unwanted books. It's almost full, including The Davinci Code given to me by my brother-in-law and Making Your Children Mind without Losing Yours, which I bought there last week and disliked within the first chapter! I was banking on that one! I looked at my huge stack of potential purchases and told the clerk, in a mournful tone, that I'd like a few minutes alone. Bard and I took ten minutes to sort, to set aside the poor souls that couldn't come home with us, to think and rethink our choices, and, finally, to call the clerk back over.
My final total came to $35.64. I picked up the bag of books Iwe had brought for trade, the rejects that weren't wanted by the bookstore, and I felt depressed. How much had I paid for these books new? And now they weren't even worth a dollar at the used bookstore? Some of them I'd never even read! Excellent condition! I read the sign posted above the counter, the sign that read my mind. "Why Didn't We Want Your Books?" with several reasons listed. I deduced that "my" reason was "deemed not saleable." The clerk offered to dispose of the books for me. No, I thought. I'll take them home and give them a proper burial. Deep on a back of a bookshelf.
I'll probably try again next week. If I can afford it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go reheat my beans and rice.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
::: at the end of the day, i wonder... :::
Sometimes when I get to the end of a day, I wonder if I actually did anything. Today is one of those days.
I got up earlier than I usually do because we were supposed to have guests, a woman I've never met from a homeschooling list to which I belong. She and a friend were going to be out my way, and I have a sewing machine she was going to teach me how to use (That's right. I actually can't sew. Think "We're the Homeschool Moms who Can't Do Everything" sung to the tune of "We're the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything") or at least teach me how to use the old Kenmore sewing machine my mother-in-law bought me at a yard sale. So I woke up early, took a shower, cleaned my room, and was on my way to clean up the rest of the house a bit when our would-be guest called to say she wouldn't be coming. I guess at that point, I went into relax mode.
But not really. I made lunch for the kids. Bard requested fried burritos, which is a new specialty of mine. It's actually very simple. Taco meat, cheese, flour tortillas and oil. Fill the flour tortilla with meat and cheese (you can add mexican rice and/or refried beans, too) and then fry it on one side in medium-hot oil until it's golden brown and then turn it over and do the same on the other side. Drain on a paper towel. I put sour cream sauce, lettuce, sour cream and homemade salsa on the top. Yum.
We spent some time giving each other quizzes from American Girl's The Quiz Book. One quiz asks you how well you know your parents, so I let each of the kids take a shot at seeing how well they knew me. I was surprised to find out that none of them knew who my best friend was (my husband...although they guessed Tina, who's my second-best friend) and my sons didn't know my middle name. I was also surprised to find out that I didn't even know the answer to some of them, like my favorite vacation spot (Vacation??? Who takes vacations?) or my favorite actor (I guess Hugh Grant is the best I could come up with).
We bought a hand-crank ice cream freezer a couple of weeks ago, so we've been experimenting with different ice cream recipes. We get whole, raw milk from a local farmer and have been skimming the cream off the top. Tonight we made banana ice cream using eggs, so it was like a cooked custard. It seemed to take a long time to freeze, and then when we packed it, it didn't freeze as well as I'd hoped. Darn. So now it's in the freezer where I hope it will harden better than it was doing in the ice cream freezer.
Sweetheart and I have been working on her reading lessons. I didn't start them last year like I had intended because she just wasn't ready. Now she's ready and she's doing very well. I really like the resource we use, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, because the lessons are short and teach the alphabet by phonics instead of by the names of the letters. She's moving right along, even with the letter writing, and each lesson takes us about 15 minutes. I used this book with my oldest, Bard, who didn't even need to finish it all and now reads constantly. I tried it with the next child, Edison, but now I realize that he just wasn't ready to read. I'll have to post that story later. I didn't even get around to starting the book with Monet because he was just naturally interested in reading, though he didn't start to read well independently until this year, and he's 9, which I think is totally normal and acceptable.
So, what did I accomplish today? I set up a playdate for Monet, I did a reading lesson with Sweetheart, I did quizzes with all of the kids, I made lunch, I made ice cream, and I went to the store. :-/ Oh, and I got my room clean. Mostly. And bickered with Edison about what he and I consider a "clean room" and how our definitions differ.
Oh, yeah. And I sent an e-mail to Strong Bad. My kids are WAY too big into Homestar Runner, so I sent an e-mail saying,
We'll see if I get an answer. :-)
I got up earlier than I usually do because we were supposed to have guests, a woman I've never met from a homeschooling list to which I belong. She and a friend were going to be out my way, and I have a sewing machine she was going to teach me how to use (That's right. I actually can't sew. Think "We're the Homeschool Moms who Can't Do Everything" sung to the tune of "We're the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything") or at least teach me how to use the old Kenmore sewing machine my mother-in-law bought me at a yard sale. So I woke up early, took a shower, cleaned my room, and was on my way to clean up the rest of the house a bit when our would-be guest called to say she wouldn't be coming. I guess at that point, I went into relax mode.
But not really. I made lunch for the kids. Bard requested fried burritos, which is a new specialty of mine. It's actually very simple. Taco meat, cheese, flour tortillas and oil. Fill the flour tortilla with meat and cheese (you can add mexican rice and/or refried beans, too) and then fry it on one side in medium-hot oil until it's golden brown and then turn it over and do the same on the other side. Drain on a paper towel. I put sour cream sauce, lettuce, sour cream and homemade salsa on the top. Yum.
We spent some time giving each other quizzes from American Girl's The Quiz Book. One quiz asks you how well you know your parents, so I let each of the kids take a shot at seeing how well they knew me. I was surprised to find out that none of them knew who my best friend was (my husband...although they guessed Tina, who's my second-best friend) and my sons didn't know my middle name. I was also surprised to find out that I didn't even know the answer to some of them, like my favorite vacation spot (Vacation??? Who takes vacations?) or my favorite actor (I guess Hugh Grant is the best I could come up with).
We bought a hand-crank ice cream freezer a couple of weeks ago, so we've been experimenting with different ice cream recipes. We get whole, raw milk from a local farmer and have been skimming the cream off the top. Tonight we made banana ice cream using eggs, so it was like a cooked custard. It seemed to take a long time to freeze, and then when we packed it, it didn't freeze as well as I'd hoped. Darn. So now it's in the freezer where I hope it will harden better than it was doing in the ice cream freezer.
Sweetheart and I have been working on her reading lessons. I didn't start them last year like I had intended because she just wasn't ready. Now she's ready and she's doing very well. I really like the resource we use, Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, because the lessons are short and teach the alphabet by phonics instead of by the names of the letters. She's moving right along, even with the letter writing, and each lesson takes us about 15 minutes. I used this book with my oldest, Bard, who didn't even need to finish it all and now reads constantly. I tried it with the next child, Edison, but now I realize that he just wasn't ready to read. I'll have to post that story later. I didn't even get around to starting the book with Monet because he was just naturally interested in reading, though he didn't start to read well independently until this year, and he's 9, which I think is totally normal and acceptable.
So, what did I accomplish today? I set up a playdate for Monet, I did a reading lesson with Sweetheart, I did quizzes with all of the kids, I made lunch, I made ice cream, and I went to the store. :-/ Oh, and I got my room clean. Mostly. And bickered with Edison about what he and I consider a "clean room" and how our definitions differ.
Oh, yeah. And I sent an e-mail to Strong Bad. My kids are WAY too big into Homestar Runner, so I sent an e-mail saying,
Dear Strong Bad,
My kids love you. Do you have any suggestions to remedy this?
Sincerely (No, I really am sincere about this),
My kids' mom
We'll see if I get an answer. :-)
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
::: top ten things not to say :::
Top 10 Things NOT to say when asked "What?! No school today?"
And the number one answer we should NEVER give to the question: "What? No school today?"
- 10. Well normally yes, but this time of year I need help with the plantin' and plowin'.
- 9. Goodness, no!!! I graduated 18 years ago, but thanks for the compliment!
- 8. No, we homeschool. We're just out to pick up a bag of pork rinds and some Mountain Dew, then we gotta hurry home to catch our soaps.
- 7. What?! Where did you guys come from?! Oh my gosh! I thought I told you kids to stay at school! I'm sorry. This happens all the time. (sigh)
- 6. There isn't? Why, you'd think we would have seen more kids out then, don't you?
- 5. We're on a field trip studying human nature's intrusive and assumptive tactics of displaying ignorance and implied superiority. Thanks for the peek!
- 4. On our planet we have different methods of education. (Shhh! No, I didn't give it away... keep your antennae down!)
- 3. Oh my goodness! I thought that today was Saturday...come on kids, hurry!
- 2. Noooooope.Me 'n Bubba jes' learns 'em at home. Werks reel good!
And the number one answer we should NEVER give to the question: "What? No school today?"
- 1. "What? No Bingo today?"
::: home eating a threat to public kitchens? :::
Homeschool Position Papers Page: Home Eating a Threat to Public Kitchens? by Angela Paul
Home Eating a Threat to Public Kitchens?
State Allows Growing Trend of Eating at Home
A Parody by Angela Paul
April 13, 2099
Reunited Press
After much heated debate on the house floor, legislation was passed today to allow a growing number of families to cook meals for their families in their homes. The children must have annual physical examinations to assure proper growth and weight gain. Attempts to require weekly meal plans and monthly kitchen inspections were voted down.
A spokesperson from the National Association of Nutritionists (NANs) condemns this decision. "These children are being denied the rich socialization and diversity that is an essential part of the eating process. Without the proper nutritional background, it is impossible for the average person to feed their own children. We, as child advocates, see this as a step backwards and speak out for the sake of the children who cannot speak for themselves."
Homecooking parents say the benefits of eating at home include increased family unity and the ability to tailor a diet to a particular need. Elizabeth Crocker, a home cook, states, "We started cooking and eating at home when we realized that my son had a severe allergy to eggs. The public kitchens required him to take numerous medications that had serious side effects in order to counteract his allergy. We found that eliminating eggs was a simpler method and our son has thrived since we began doing so."
After this experience, the Crockers decided to home cook for all of their children, and converted their media room into a kitchen. Elizabeth says, "We have experienced so much closeness as we have explored recipes and spent time cooking together and eating together. We have a dining circle with other families where we sometimes share ideas and meals together."
The Crocker children have done well physically under their mother's care, weighing in at optimum weights for their ages and having health records far above average. It should be noted that Mrs. Crocker, while not a professional nutritionist, has a family history rich with nutritionists and home economists. "Surely the success of the Crocker children is due to the background of their mother," responded the spokesman from NANs. "The results they have achieved should not be viewed as normative." Mrs. Crocker counters that her background was actually a hindrance to the nutritional principles she follows. "Our paternal great-grandmother was a home economist, but she prepared most meal from pre-made mixes. In our homecooking we try not to duplicate public-kitchen meals, but to tailor our meals to the needs and preferences of our children."
In a related issue, legislation is in committee that would provide oversight for the emerging homecooking movement. Says the Home Eating Legal Defense Association (HELDA): "We want to provide umbrella kitchens to aid parents in the complicated tasks of feeding their children. Many families lack the expertise of the Crocker family, yet desire to eat at home. As we have seen, the umbrella kitchens meet the needs of all concerned. We are happy to provide this service."
Copyright © Angela Paul, 1999 - 2008. Used with permission.
Home Eating a Threat to Public Kitchens?
State Allows Growing Trend of Eating at Home
A Parody by Angela Paul
April 13, 2099
Reunited Press
After much heated debate on the house floor, legislation was passed today to allow a growing number of families to cook meals for their families in their homes. The children must have annual physical examinations to assure proper growth and weight gain. Attempts to require weekly meal plans and monthly kitchen inspections were voted down.
A spokesperson from the National Association of Nutritionists (NANs) condemns this decision. "These children are being denied the rich socialization and diversity that is an essential part of the eating process. Without the proper nutritional background, it is impossible for the average person to feed their own children. We, as child advocates, see this as a step backwards and speak out for the sake of the children who cannot speak for themselves."
Homecooking parents say the benefits of eating at home include increased family unity and the ability to tailor a diet to a particular need. Elizabeth Crocker, a home cook, states, "We started cooking and eating at home when we realized that my son had a severe allergy to eggs. The public kitchens required him to take numerous medications that had serious side effects in order to counteract his allergy. We found that eliminating eggs was a simpler method and our son has thrived since we began doing so."
After this experience, the Crockers decided to home cook for all of their children, and converted their media room into a kitchen. Elizabeth says, "We have experienced so much closeness as we have explored recipes and spent time cooking together and eating together. We have a dining circle with other families where we sometimes share ideas and meals together."
The Crocker children have done well physically under their mother's care, weighing in at optimum weights for their ages and having health records far above average. It should be noted that Mrs. Crocker, while not a professional nutritionist, has a family history rich with nutritionists and home economists. "Surely the success of the Crocker children is due to the background of their mother," responded the spokesman from NANs. "The results they have achieved should not be viewed as normative." Mrs. Crocker counters that her background was actually a hindrance to the nutritional principles she follows. "Our paternal great-grandmother was a home economist, but she prepared most meal from pre-made mixes. In our homecooking we try not to duplicate public-kitchen meals, but to tailor our meals to the needs and preferences of our children."
In a related issue, legislation is in committee that would provide oversight for the emerging homecooking movement. Says the Home Eating Legal Defense Association (HELDA): "We want to provide umbrella kitchens to aid parents in the complicated tasks of feeding their children. Many families lack the expertise of the Crocker family, yet desire to eat at home. As we have seen, the umbrella kitchens meet the needs of all concerned. We are happy to provide this service."
Copyright © Angela Paul, 1999 - 2008. Used with permission.
::: assess your child's reading level :::
Reading Level Assessment - A to Z Home's Cool Homeschooling - 06/08/99
This page features a decoding exercise that you can do with your child to evaluate the child's reading level. Sometimes it's just nice to know. I was amazed to see how well my children did on the evaluation. It's nice to know when you're doing something right!
This page features a decoding exercise that you can do with your child to evaluate the child's reading level. Sometimes it's just nice to know. I was amazed to see how well my children did on the evaluation. It's nice to know when you're doing something right!
::: the greatest invention :::
Right now, I'm enjoying one of the greatest inventions ever.
Quiet Time.
I don't know why it took me this long to discover it, but I'm glad it didn't take me longer.
Like most great inventions, Quiet Time sprang from necessity. I find myself exhausted around 3:00 PM and absolutely NEED to rest. My mother-in-law says that I need glasses. My friend Penny says I need a nap. Naps are cheaper. I chose naps.
So, I decided that it was time for me to schedule an afternoon nap. This might sound simple for some people, but somehow, in my family, naps elude me.
Yes, I have to admit, there was a time that I had an aversion to napping, and I'm not just talking about when I was five and my mom would hang heavy blankets over the windows to block out any hope of natural light finding its way through. This fake night would not work for me, and I would lay there fighting against its insincerity.
That may have been the start of my aversion to naps, but even as an adult, I've been prejudiced against nappers. My philosophy has always been "What?? Take a nap? Do you have any IDEA what I could be missing???" And anyone who naps in my presence must not realize the value of my time. Who in their right mind would nap instead of partaking in my witty conversation and unending sea of knowledge, not to mention my sweet personality and deep brown eyes?
The answer, of course, is my husband.
For the first year that we were married, I think we argued more about sleeping that anything else. I could wager that we argued more about sleeping that any couple on the face of the earth...argues...about anything. He would come home from a long day at work carrying houses for other people, smelling like a hamster, and the first thing he'd want to do was to crash on the floor, dead asleep. This only further instilled in me the prejudice that nappers are losers.
And then I had a child. Naps certainly became necessary. But for them, not me. I still had too much to do, in spite of my mother-in-law's advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps." Give me abreak! Can you see my pile of laundry? Or the list of phone calls I have to make? Or the stack of bills on my kitchen table? Let the kid nap! I'm gonna seize the moment!
Yet with each child came a greater possibility that naps weren't such a bad idea. Still, I harbored this prejudice. Actually, I didn't even realize that I had such a prejudice, until I read Change Your Life Without Getting Out of Bed by Sark. It was then that I realized how important sleep was. It was then that I realized that I have a prejudice against napping. It was then that I laid off my husband about his napping. But I didn't take to cuddling up for a noontime siesta myself.
And then I turned 35.
I don't know if that's what did it, or if it was the comfort of a new house and the contentment that came along with it, or if it's just, very simply, exhaustion, but I finally decided that it was time to break down and become...
A lot of it, too, had to do with Penny's advice. She insisted that it was very important for me to nap. And I could take this advice from Penny, because she's one of the coolest people I know.
But how to get the kids to fall for this whole napping thing?
Ironically, most of my kids are too old for naps (what does that say about me?) so the only Nappers in the house are the baby and I. The other four actually need something to do to occupy their time while I nap, and so I created The Quiet Time Box.
The Quiet Time Box started out as a small basket with some coloring books and a box of Magnetix and a couple of other small things that could ONLY be played with during Quiet Time. It outgrew that basket and overflowed into a storage box when I discovered the wonder of the toy aisle at The Dollar Store. And now, since it houses Bionicles, Magnetix, two sets of giant playing cards, various coloring books and Mad Libs, a magnetic dartboard (and each child has a nail on the back of his door), The Dollar Store equivalent of My Pretty Pony, Mega Blox knights, play dough, small craft kits, and whatever else I can find that doesn't cost more than $5 and preferably costs $1 or less.
Normally, during quiet time, I can let each child choose three things from The Quiet Time Box, I set the alarm for an hour or an hour and a half, depending on my level of exhaustion, I turn off the phone, and send each of the kids to their own room.
The Rules:
No Trading.
Your door must stay closed.
No leaving your room, except to go to the bathroom.
No yelling to each other through the closed doors.
No asking when quiet time will be over.
The last one doesn't seem to be an issue most times. Actually, what usually happens is that I announce that Quiet Time is over, and it takes each child ten minutes or more to "finish" their Quiet Time.
The rules for myself are:
No doing laundry or other housecleaning.
No telephone calls or bills.
No e-mail.
TAKE A NAP.
Of course, as you can see, I have this weakness for Blogging, so while I'm not actually breaking a rule, I'm not napping, either.
I guess I haven't overcome that prejudice completely. ;-)
Quiet Time.
I don't know why it took me this long to discover it, but I'm glad it didn't take me longer.
Like most great inventions, Quiet Time sprang from necessity. I find myself exhausted around 3:00 PM and absolutely NEED to rest. My mother-in-law says that I need glasses. My friend Penny says I need a nap. Naps are cheaper. I chose naps.
So, I decided that it was time for me to schedule an afternoon nap. This might sound simple for some people, but somehow, in my family, naps elude me.
Yes, I have to admit, there was a time that I had an aversion to napping, and I'm not just talking about when I was five and my mom would hang heavy blankets over the windows to block out any hope of natural light finding its way through. This fake night would not work for me, and I would lay there fighting against its insincerity.
That may have been the start of my aversion to naps, but even as an adult, I've been prejudiced against nappers. My philosophy has always been "What?? Take a nap? Do you have any IDEA what I could be missing???" And anyone who naps in my presence must not realize the value of my time. Who in their right mind would nap instead of partaking in my witty conversation and unending sea of knowledge, not to mention my sweet personality and deep brown eyes?
The answer, of course, is my husband.
For the first year that we were married, I think we argued more about sleeping that anything else. I could wager that we argued more about sleeping that any couple on the face of the earth...argues...about anything. He would come home from a long day at work carrying houses for other people, smelling like a hamster, and the first thing he'd want to do was to crash on the floor, dead asleep. This only further instilled in me the prejudice that nappers are losers.
And then I had a child. Naps certainly became necessary. But for them, not me. I still had too much to do, in spite of my mother-in-law's advice to "sleep when the baby sleeps." Give me abreak! Can you see my pile of laundry? Or the list of phone calls I have to make? Or the stack of bills on my kitchen table? Let the kid nap! I'm gonna seize the moment!
Yet with each child came a greater possibility that naps weren't such a bad idea. Still, I harbored this prejudice. Actually, I didn't even realize that I had such a prejudice, until I read Change Your Life Without Getting Out of Bed by Sark. It was then that I realized how important sleep was. It was then that I realized that I have a prejudice against napping. It was then that I laid off my husband about his napping. But I didn't take to cuddling up for a noontime siesta myself.
And then I turned 35.
I don't know if that's what did it, or if it was the comfort of a new house and the contentment that came along with it, or if it's just, very simply, exhaustion, but I finally decided that it was time to break down and become...
A lot of it, too, had to do with Penny's advice. She insisted that it was very important for me to nap. And I could take this advice from Penny, because she's one of the coolest people I know.
But how to get the kids to fall for this whole napping thing?
Ironically, most of my kids are too old for naps (what does that say about me?) so the only Nappers in the house are the baby and I. The other four actually need something to do to occupy their time while I nap, and so I created The Quiet Time Box.
The Quiet Time Box started out as a small basket with some coloring books and a box of Magnetix and a couple of other small things that could ONLY be played with during Quiet Time. It outgrew that basket and overflowed into a storage box when I discovered the wonder of the toy aisle at The Dollar Store. And now, since it houses Bionicles, Magnetix, two sets of giant playing cards, various coloring books and Mad Libs, a magnetic dartboard (and each child has a nail on the back of his door), The Dollar Store equivalent of My Pretty Pony, Mega Blox knights, play dough, small craft kits, and whatever else I can find that doesn't cost more than $5 and preferably costs $1 or less.
Normally, during quiet time, I can let each child choose three things from The Quiet Time Box, I set the alarm for an hour or an hour and a half, depending on my level of exhaustion, I turn off the phone, and send each of the kids to their own room.
The Rules:
No Trading.
Your door must stay closed.
No leaving your room, except to go to the bathroom.
No yelling to each other through the closed doors.
No asking when quiet time will be over.
The last one doesn't seem to be an issue most times. Actually, what usually happens is that I announce that Quiet Time is over, and it takes each child ten minutes or more to "finish" their Quiet Time.
The rules for myself are:
No doing laundry or other housecleaning.
No telephone calls or bills.
No e-mail.
TAKE A NAP.
Of course, as you can see, I have this weakness for Blogging, so while I'm not actually breaking a rule, I'm not napping, either.
I guess I haven't overcome that prejudice completely. ;-)
Monday, July 19, 2004
::: fowl words, a spelling game :::
Fowl Words
We've found a cool spelling practice game that everyone in the family enjoys playing. Fowl Words is a game that features a bunch of chickens on their nests. Each wears a letter. By using all of the letters, the player is to make as many words as possible. The player earns points for each word and can advance to the next level by aquiring their goal.
We've found a cool spelling practice game that everyone in the family enjoys playing. Fowl Words is a game that features a bunch of chickens on their nests. Each wears a letter. By using all of the letters, the player is to make as many words as possible. The player earns points for each word and can advance to the next level by aquiring their goal.
::: finally in the new house :::
After a long hiatis, I was able to recover access to my blog. So, here I am. :-)
We are now in the new house. Amazing. At last writing, we had just broken ground, and I don't think our basement foundation had even been begun at that point. And now we're here, in this house, with all of its necessary maintenance, cleaning, and, most of all, house payments. We've never in our lives had a house payment. It's been over 15 years since I've had to pay rent! When that house payment statement comes, it's a shock. I still can't believe I write a check that big every month.
The lessons that building a house taught the family were and continue to be priceless. Many phases of the housebuilding, from the groundbreaking to the final coat of paint, were very hands-on. On any given day on the job site, you could see one of the kids helping out or showing magic tricks or climbing around on the roof. It was an exciting and amazing process.
We're still not done, even though we've been moved in since Christmas Eve, which was completely by accident. That's a completely different story.
Bohemian's on the phone, so I'm going to come back to this later!
We are now in the new house. Amazing. At last writing, we had just broken ground, and I don't think our basement foundation had even been begun at that point. And now we're here, in this house, with all of its necessary maintenance, cleaning, and, most of all, house payments. We've never in our lives had a house payment. It's been over 15 years since I've had to pay rent! When that house payment statement comes, it's a shock. I still can't believe I write a check that big every month.
The lessons that building a house taught the family were and continue to be priceless. Many phases of the housebuilding, from the groundbreaking to the final coat of paint, were very hands-on. On any given day on the job site, you could see one of the kids helping out or showing magic tricks or climbing around on the roof. It was an exciting and amazing process.
We're still not done, even though we've been moved in since Christmas Eve, which was completely by accident. That's a completely different story.
Bohemian's on the phone, so I'm going to come back to this later!
Friday, September 19, 2003
Three Stories Up.
The second floor and roof is on. I can't believe how those guys climbed around up there like monkeys. The guy in the picture walked around the edge of the house, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth while he worked, grabbing trusses off the huge hook that dangled above his head. In this picture, he's three stories off the ground. I watched from the ground, absolutely amazed. Has anyone noticed how often I use the word "amazed?"
Thursday, September 04, 2003
I can't really describe what it feels like to walk into the house with the first floor finished. It's an amazing thing. Where there was nothing before, nothing but a big hole in the ground, there is now a structure with floors and ceilings and stairs. I can begin to visualize where rooms will be, how they will look. I go back and forth between thinking the house is way too big and way too small. Every change seems monumental. Things seem to be going so quickly now, but Bohemian keeps reminding me that it will be months before we move in. I just can't wait that long!
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Monday, July 28, 2003
Acorn
I found this acorn near the trash. I don't know how it got here, as the closest oak tree is pretty far from the trash pile.
For many years, I have held onto the dream of building a house in the country, a place for the gathering of family, friends, good food and fine music. We've had many hopeful signs, and many devastating heartbreaks, but we held fast to our dream. Years of prayer often felt worthless. After all, many people have no home at all. How could I be so myopic as to believe that God would grant me a big house on a hill in the country somewhere? Yet it was a desire of my heart, and I continued to pray for God's will in my life. If there were a place for us, I would be willing to go, whether that was in the city or in the country. And then, a piece of inspiration came that I could not ignore...
During a concert in Wheaton, IL in July of 2001, one of my favorite musicians, David Wilcox, David shared this bit of inspiration:
You also have to understand that I'm a treehugger. I don't love all trees more than I love all people, but there are SOME trees that I love more than SOME people.
Finally, you have to understand that I have some family members who are *not* gardeners, or tree-lovers, or dreamers. As a matter of fact, a particular family member can be downright discouraging. If I didn't have people like my husband, and David, and other musicians, I would be pretty discouraged a lot of the time.
Usually, when some exciting dream comes into my life, it just bubbles out of me. I share it with those I love. Including my discouraging family member. And most often, this person fills my ears and my heart with discouragement.
But as David spoke that night in Wheaton, I closed my eyes and I saw...I mean it, I *saw* our house on the hill. I saw it as clearly as if it were right there, right there in front of me! I could *see* a room full of people, loving and enjoying music, in my home, up on my hill, in a beautiful country community. Music is a big part of my life (my husband and children are musicians...I'm just the groupie) and a coffeehouse is something I had dreamed of for a very long time, but never, NEVER before had I been given a true vision of it. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever had a clear vision about anything. I was smitten. And inspired.
That was the beginning of a realization of a dream.
After the house concert, I was able to speak with David for just a few minutes. I told him about my dream of a paramusic career, how his story inspired me, how clearly that vision of our future home came to my mind, and I handed him my journal to sign. Here's what he wrote:
I've held that dream, that little tree in a cup, close to my heart and shielded it from those who would discourage me and laugh at my fragile sprouted acorn. I've shared it with those, including my husband, who could say, "Yes! Let me help you water that! I know a place where you can plant it!"
Shortly thereafter, we were able to purchase a beautiful piece of property which included a gorgeous hilltop that commands quite a view. And, indeed, our little acorn has begun to grow. That's not to say there haven't been times of drought along the way, but all the roots grow deeper when it's dry, don't they?
The Sprouted Acorn has been my working title. I have even found the most amazing photograph by photographer Dan Suzio, of a sprouting acorn. It will hang in my living room as a reminder of that little dream and how it grew.
And the house on the hill...we are building it JUST as I envisioned it that night in Wheaton.
During a concert in Wheaton, IL in July of 2001, one of my favorite musicians, David Wilcox, David shared this bit of inspiration:
"Imagine an acorn planted in a paper cup. It's a seedling. You say to yourself, "It's an oak tree. It's the strongest of trees. It's an oak tree." And somebody looks at it and says, "Oh, come on! That's no oak tree! Look at that! That's an acorn with a sprout!" And you say, "Yeah, well. I'm...I'm taking care of it. It's gonna grow." "Oh, yeah. Where you gonna plant it? It's nothing but parking lot and broken glass! Have you looked outside? Have you seen this world?" And you say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah." You don't show it to everybody. Sometimes you keep the dream tucked inside your coat when it's cold. But's it there. And it's growing close to your heart. You find yourself a little garden. You call it a garden. It's a square foot of ground. It's a place to call home. The dream's gotta be planted. It's gotta have a place to dig in. And you clear a little more as you have time. A lot of time goes by and sure enough, the dream can grow. Grow right where you are. Right in your little town, in your little street, in your little home. And it grows. In those scorching hot summer days that used to feel like there was nothin' but pavement and broken glass, you got shade. What is that shade from? What is that great, green shade from? Oh, that's an acorn, in a paper cup. Well, and...time. Yeah. Take care of that dream. "You have to understand...I'm a gardener. I love anything that grows. Even as we speak, I'm trying to nurture a couple of hormworms that I found devouring my tomato plants. Most people kill them, but I learned that they turn into very cool and very interesting hummingbird moths, creatures that amaze me as they flutter from one brightly colored herb to another, helping to pollinate my garden.
You also have to understand that I'm a treehugger. I don't love all trees more than I love all people, but there are SOME trees that I love more than SOME people.
Finally, you have to understand that I have some family members who are *not* gardeners, or tree-lovers, or dreamers. As a matter of fact, a particular family member can be downright discouraging. If I didn't have people like my husband, and David, and other musicians, I would be pretty discouraged a lot of the time.
Usually, when some exciting dream comes into my life, it just bubbles out of me. I share it with those I love. Including my discouraging family member. And most often, this person fills my ears and my heart with discouragement.
But as David spoke that night in Wheaton, I closed my eyes and I saw...I mean it, I *saw* our house on the hill. I saw it as clearly as if it were right there, right there in front of me! I could *see* a room full of people, loving and enjoying music, in my home, up on my hill, in a beautiful country community. Music is a big part of my life (my husband and children are musicians...I'm just the groupie) and a coffeehouse is something I had dreamed of for a very long time, but never, NEVER before had I been given a true vision of it. Actually, I'm not sure I've ever had a clear vision about anything. I was smitten. And inspired.
That was the beginning of a realization of a dream.
After the house concert, I was able to speak with David for just a few minutes. I told him about my dream of a paramusic career, how his story inspired me, how clearly that vision of our future home came to my mind, and I handed him my journal to sign. Here's what he wrote:
To Denice:
It's an Oak Tree
(all it needs is a place to grow and time--
because all it needs to know is inside)
It's inevitable.
David Wilcox
It's an Oak Tree
(all it needs is a place to grow and time--
because all it needs to know is inside)
It's inevitable.
David Wilcox
I've held that dream, that little tree in a cup, close to my heart and shielded it from those who would discourage me and laugh at my fragile sprouted acorn. I've shared it with those, including my husband, who could say, "Yes! Let me help you water that! I know a place where you can plant it!"
Shortly thereafter, we were able to purchase a beautiful piece of property which included a gorgeous hilltop that commands quite a view. And, indeed, our little acorn has begun to grow. That's not to say there haven't been times of drought along the way, but all the roots grow deeper when it's dry, don't they?
The Sprouted Acorn has been my working title. I have even found the most amazing photograph by photographer Dan Suzio, of a sprouting acorn. It will hang in my living room as a reminder of that little dream and how it grew.
And the house on the hill...we are building it JUST as I envisioned it that night in Wheaton.
Friday, July 18, 2003
Sweetheart after walking around in the coal from the excavation
I'm anxiously awaiting the next phase of the building process, which is the building of our basement. It was actually supposed to start on Monday, but it looks like it won't be until the NEXT week. Sigh. But I'm glad that we're further ahead than we were!
Tuesday, July 15, 2003
Wow. It has been quite a long time since I've written in the blog. Like Bard would say, "Bad Blogger! Bad! Bad!"
We have taken a break from school in order to work on building our house. I'm excited...and quite scared. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this, even though I've been waiting for it forever. For the past thirteen and a half years, I've dreamed of the day when we could build a house of our own, and now the time is here. I don't know if I'm prepared for all of the decisions, but I'm trying not to get too hung up about it.
We'll begin lessons again on August 1st, which is a Friday.
About the house:
We had gone back and forth between having a house build and contracting it ourselves. Finally, Bohemian (dear husband) and I decided to sit down and draw out the elements of our "dream house." After much consideration and visiting several builders, we decided to have our "dream house" drawn up by an architect and see what would happen. The plan came out *great* and we decided to go for it.
The bank thing was amazing. We didn't think we were prepared at all to go into a bank and ask for money to build our own house, but we decided just to walk through open doors and God gave us the courage to just ask! And it worked!
So now we're in the process of actually building! The excavator, who is also our neighbor, finished his portion on Friday, and our dear friend JT came on Saturday to build the forms for the footers. Tomorrow, the footer forms will be finished and the concrete will be poured. Wow. I'm kind of in shock.
And to prove that I'm in shock, it's 2:00 AM and I've been spending the past two hours trying to find a virtual exterior design site so I can decide what colors of siding, shutters, brick, trim and doors to choose. I've all along wanted a white house with dark green shingles and dark green shutters. I also thought a classic red door would be good as well as red brick. I like simple as a kettle, and I think that does it. I hope I don't screw this up. I wish I had a mother-figure to help me!!
Photos soon to come...
We have taken a break from school in order to work on building our house. I'm excited...and quite scared. I'm not sure if I'm ready for this, even though I've been waiting for it forever. For the past thirteen and a half years, I've dreamed of the day when we could build a house of our own, and now the time is here. I don't know if I'm prepared for all of the decisions, but I'm trying not to get too hung up about it.
We'll begin lessons again on August 1st, which is a Friday.
About the house:
We had gone back and forth between having a house build and contracting it ourselves. Finally, Bohemian (dear husband) and I decided to sit down and draw out the elements of our "dream house." After much consideration and visiting several builders, we decided to have our "dream house" drawn up by an architect and see what would happen. The plan came out *great* and we decided to go for it.
The bank thing was amazing. We didn't think we were prepared at all to go into a bank and ask for money to build our own house, but we decided just to walk through open doors and God gave us the courage to just ask! And it worked!
So now we're in the process of actually building! The excavator, who is also our neighbor, finished his portion on Friday, and our dear friend JT came on Saturday to build the forms for the footers. Tomorrow, the footer forms will be finished and the concrete will be poured. Wow. I'm kind of in shock.
And to prove that I'm in shock, it's 2:00 AM and I've been spending the past two hours trying to find a virtual exterior design site so I can decide what colors of siding, shutters, brick, trim and doors to choose. I've all along wanted a white house with dark green shingles and dark green shutters. I also thought a classic red door would be good as well as red brick. I like simple as a kettle, and I think that does it. I hope I don't screw this up. I wish I had a mother-figure to help me!!
Photos soon to come...
Sunday, July 06, 2003
There's still a hole on the hill. Kenny, our neighbor and excavator, finished most of it on Friday morning and then took the weekend off. He still has to dig the footer trenches and some other minor things. Our dear friend John will be pouring the footers and building the basement. He's supposed to come on Friday and spend the weekend, bringing his little boy Joey with him. Sweetheart LOVES Joey, so it will be a good weekend. John's a great guy. I think Bohemian said it will take him a week to get the foundation finished. After that...well...we're still looking for a framer.
Thursday, July 03, 2003
We have actually started the process of building our house. Wow. It's kinda wild. The hill has this great big hole in it. I won't believe it until I see it done. I just keep thinking that *something* is going to happen. Like Bohemian's going to fall out of the treehouse, or lose his job, or a meteor's going to hit the earth (this may sound hilarious, but I actually *worry* about this!), or something else catastrophic. Aren't I selfish? I've just wanted this for SO long, and I just can't believe it's going to happen! We've wanted a bigger house, so we can have house concerts, raise service dogs, maybe even adopt or have more children. I just keep thinking that *something* isn't going to go right, and it will all go down the drain. But so far, so good.We drew the plan ourselves. I really wanted to go solar, or at least all natural gas (we have free gas here) but we just couldn't make it work financially. There are currently 8 of us living in a 16 x 24 cabin with no indoor bath or toilet. I have a teenaged daughter and a preteen son, and they really are in need of their own space, as am I. We've lived in a small house for 13 years. We've been living in the cabin for two years. It's a wonderful life, it truly is. But it will be so much more wonderful when I can do what I've always wanted to do...invite people into my home. When this is all done, we'll have FIVE bedrooms, a walkout basement, a country kitchen, a living room AND family room AND a homelearning room! I'm so very jazzed about that. The homelearning room has a set of French doors that open onto the wraparound porch. I just imagine doing lessons with the doors wide open, letting in the sun...IF a meteorite doesn't destroy the earth, that is. ;-)
Saturday, June 28, 2003
Groundbreaking
On June 28th, 2003, we held a groundbreaking for our new home. We wouldn't officially start the excavation until Monday morning, but Bard would be in Italy, so we did it on Saturday. We had a cool little cake that had Tonka trucks on it, one for each member of the family to keep. Each of us dug a shovelful of dirt and put it in a glass jar to keep, starting with the oldest member of the family and working down to the youngest. The kids then gave pony rides to our guests and we had a cookout on the hill in the evening.
Friday, June 27, 2003
Bo's trying to find some subs for our septic system and for our framing. Ack. The framer (our neighbor Aden, actually) who was *going* to do our house now says he doesn't have the time. Ugh. So we either have to find another one or wait for him. That was one of the things I thought was "all wrapped up." Ah, well. It all happens for a reason. We closed on the home loan on Wednesday afternoon. We are supposed to start digging on Monday, or at least sometime next week.
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
Monday, June 02, 2003
Hoping for some more good news about our soon-to-be built house, "Habitat for the *****" or "The House that Music Built." We met with our cabinet maker on Saturday and he gave us very great news about our cabinets. He'll be able to make them for about $1,000 less than we have in the budget. Yes! The big challenge we're facing now is flooring. We're planning to install the wood floors ourselves, and we're putting in quite a bit of wood. So we'll be looking for material and attempting to decide which rooms will be wood, tile, carpet and linoleum. It's a tough decision, and it's all about MONEY, baby! Ah, well. Soon (in about nine months) it will be all over but the crying. Oh, and the house payment. ;-)
Monday, May 26, 2003
I'm a little shell-shocked right now...we got a preliminary loan approval this morning. It was really bizarre and surreal and I'm not sure yet that I'm not going to wake up. Yikes. We won't be going ANYWHERE for the next thirty years. I just can't believe it.
We have a couple of things that have to be finalized. First, because of the dollar amount, they have to get two other loan officers to approve the loan. The underwriter approved the loan, and had it been $5,000 less, that would have been the final approval. Ah, well. One more day, it sounds like, and we'll be on our way. This is such an astronomically big deal to me. I just can't, can't, can't believe it.
I'm bigtime nervous. The loan approval was much too easy. We were expecting a very big deal and a lot of bleeding, but it was very painless. I think God led us to this exact place. First of all, it turns out that I went to school from Kindergarten through graduation with the underwriter's brother-in-law. No way. We rode the school bus together every day (give or take a few, of course) for 13 years. Amazing. Secondly, the underwriter lives an hour away, even though he works right in our town. His water pump was struck by lightning a couple of years ago and he called Bo's company to come out. They were out the next day, pulled the pump and he was a happy customer. He had called Bo a couple of years ago to look into costs for drilling a well. Bo pulled out his laptop, punched in the guy's name, and up came the estimate. Was that ever impressive! Here's a guy asking for a loan to build his own house, and the biggest question is "How organized can you be?" And he whips out his laptop and BOOM, he proves to this loan underwriter how organized he can be! There was NO WAY he could have been prepared for that!
Amazing.
We have a couple of things that have to be finalized. First, because of the dollar amount, they have to get two other loan officers to approve the loan. The underwriter approved the loan, and had it been $5,000 less, that would have been the final approval. Ah, well. One more day, it sounds like, and we'll be on our way. This is such an astronomically big deal to me. I just can't, can't, can't believe it.
I'm bigtime nervous. The loan approval was much too easy. We were expecting a very big deal and a lot of bleeding, but it was very painless. I think God led us to this exact place. First of all, it turns out that I went to school from Kindergarten through graduation with the underwriter's brother-in-law. No way. We rode the school bus together every day (give or take a few, of course) for 13 years. Amazing. Secondly, the underwriter lives an hour away, even though he works right in our town. His water pump was struck by lightning a couple of years ago and he called Bo's company to come out. They were out the next day, pulled the pump and he was a happy customer. He had called Bo a couple of years ago to look into costs for drilling a well. Bo pulled out his laptop, punched in the guy's name, and up came the estimate. Was that ever impressive! Here's a guy asking for a loan to build his own house, and the biggest question is "How organized can you be?" And he whips out his laptop and BOOM, he proves to this loan underwriter how organized he can be! There was NO WAY he could have been prepared for that!
Amazing.
Sunday, May 18, 2003
We're in the process of designing our new kitchen and preparing to build the new house. We hope to begin digging in about four weeks. The bank has approved our loan, and now we just have to get the final plans for finish work before they will let us begin. It will be time consuming, I'm sure, but it will be a lot of fun, too!
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
We received a loan approval for our house, so Habitat for the ***** is just around the corner! I'm in the process of choosing my kitchen cabinets, flooring, bathroom layout, etc. I'm excited and nervous! Hopefully we'll be into our completed home by April 2004. We should be able to move in before winter, but it won't be completely finished. We're in the process of trying to determine whether we should put in a wood floor on the first floor or put in linoleum in the kitchen and dining room and carpet in the family room and living room.
Wednesday, May 07, 2003
We've decided to go with our original plan. We had chosen a different plan through a builder, but what we discovered is that after we made some of the necessary modifications for the things we really wanted, it ended up being the same price as the one we designed, so we're staying with our original plan. Our bank is allowing Bo to be the general contractor, which should save us money. It's what we've always wanted to do, so I hope it works out well for us.
Thursday, April 24, 2003
I am always and forever amazed by the wealth of information on the web. There are so many quality learning materials and cool things to do, I just don't know what I'd do without them all. I think I'd give up my indoor plumbing before I'd give up my internet connection. While I was exploring the First Grade Backpack, I found a link to author/illustrator Jan Brett's page. Wow! She has a ton of printable activities on her site! The site says that there are 2, 007 pages of activities, artwork and projects. There are alphabet flashcards, math flashcards, lesson planners, doorway borders, recipe books, printable notecards with envelopes. I'm so impressed, that I'm actually going to buy her books online, though I don't own a single one now. Anyone who puts that much effort into knowledge and literacy deserves my cash. Go check it out!
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Whew! Everyone completed their goals for the day! It was actually a fairly good day, with the exception of Monet's hyper attititude, my messy cabin, and the fact that I got a note from the library telling me that I have a $24.00 fine and several overdue books. I'm kinda frustrated about that because I can't renew my books online anymore, which I used to be able to do. I'll have to see what I can do to get that fixed.
I messed around with the SOS a bit. Very cool! I think this will be quite helpful for our school program. The only challenge I see arising is that we only have one computer. There could be some fights and logistics problems.
Especially since I found so many cool websites today that will be fantastic learning tools as well as buffers in between lessons (and during Mama's potty breaks!) that I'll gladly share with you.
One of the fantastic sites I found was Our First Grade Backpack Very impressive! I found it while looking for simple online stories that Monet can read instead of me running to the library (and paying outrageous fines!!!) for books that he can read. I was especially impressed with the reading page. I found some great stuff like a realplayer reading of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day read by the author. There are a bunch of cute stories that children can follow along with while they are read to (I know the rules...but I don't feel like restructuring that sentence right now!) if you go to the Cbeebies site--stories like Jack and the Beanstalk starring Noddy or The Lion and the Mouse starring Angelmouse. There were so many stories and so many links on Our First Grade Backpack, I haven't even begun to explore them all. I hope to put several good ones in a folder for Monet and Sweetheart to enjoy while I'm doing other things during the day.
One great site that I discovered on Our First Grade Backpack is Learning to Read at Starfall. It's a free online phonics program that uses interactive games, animated stories and short movies to teach children to read. The site also provides free journaling page and worksheet downloads for each lesson. Very useful! Much better than spending hundreds of dollars on a phonics program. I may try it with Sweetheart. We've always used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (hokey title, good book) but only get about half-way through it before the kid catches on and we don't need to continue with the lessons. This may be just the little program we need to get Sweetheart started reading! Bard began reading at 3 years old and is now an incredible reader...voracious, I would say. Edison didn't really start reading until recently. Monet just started to learn to read in October and is now quite adept! He's very excited about joining choir because the two requirements were to learn to read and to be in second grade. He meets both requirements! He's very excited.
Bard babysat for the first time tonight. Read her blog to find out how it went.
Ah! And Edison won his scrimmage! Good for you, Edison!
And while we're talking baseball, yesterday Monet was at baseball practice and got hit right on the tip of the nose by a baseball. I wasn't there, but I was told that he bled like a stuck pig. But he didn't cry! Now I call him my "baseball hero." He's pretty proud of the blood on his glove. ;-)
I messed around with the SOS a bit. Very cool! I think this will be quite helpful for our school program. The only challenge I see arising is that we only have one computer. There could be some fights and logistics problems.
Especially since I found so many cool websites today that will be fantastic learning tools as well as buffers in between lessons (and during Mama's potty breaks!) that I'll gladly share with you.
One of the fantastic sites I found was Our First Grade Backpack Very impressive! I found it while looking for simple online stories that Monet can read instead of me running to the library (and paying outrageous fines!!!) for books that he can read. I was especially impressed with the reading page. I found some great stuff like a realplayer reading of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day read by the author. There are a bunch of cute stories that children can follow along with while they are read to (I know the rules...but I don't feel like restructuring that sentence right now!) if you go to the Cbeebies site--stories like Jack and the Beanstalk starring Noddy or The Lion and the Mouse starring Angelmouse. There were so many stories and so many links on Our First Grade Backpack, I haven't even begun to explore them all. I hope to put several good ones in a folder for Monet and Sweetheart to enjoy while I'm doing other things during the day.
One great site that I discovered on Our First Grade Backpack is Learning to Read at Starfall. It's a free online phonics program that uses interactive games, animated stories and short movies to teach children to read. The site also provides free journaling page and worksheet downloads for each lesson. Very useful! Much better than spending hundreds of dollars on a phonics program. I may try it with Sweetheart. We've always used Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (hokey title, good book) but only get about half-way through it before the kid catches on and we don't need to continue with the lessons. This may be just the little program we need to get Sweetheart started reading! Bard began reading at 3 years old and is now an incredible reader...voracious, I would say. Edison didn't really start reading until recently. Monet just started to learn to read in October and is now quite adept! He's very excited about joining choir because the two requirements were to learn to read and to be in second grade. He meets both requirements! He's very excited.
Bard babysat for the first time tonight. Read her blog to find out how it went.
Ah! And Edison won his scrimmage! Good for you, Edison!
And while we're talking baseball, yesterday Monet was at baseball practice and got hit right on the tip of the nose by a baseball. I wasn't there, but I was told that he bled like a stuck pig. But he didn't cry! Now I call him my "baseball hero." He's pretty proud of the blood on his glove. ;-)
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Monet and I just finished our History lessons...sheesh, was that a chore. We talked about Self Government as it relates to our own lives and as was illustrated by Leif Erikson. It seems that Monet takes everything so personally. When I would talk about a person being self-governed in contrast to being disciplined or governed externally, he would say, "Stop talking about me!" Is that a guilty conscience??? I finally had to say, "LOOK! You can choose to be the kind of person people like or the kind of person people don't like. Which one do you want to be? You can be the kind of person that makes people angry, or the kind that makes people happy. Which would you like to be? If you are self-governed, you get priviliges. You get special treatment. You get promotions. If you have to be governed by someone else, you may be demoted, punished, or simply overlooked. Which do you want to be? Self-governed or governed by someone else?" He said self-governed. Since the discussion, he's been saying things like, "I'm going to put this away. That's being self-governed." I guess sometimes the behavior just needs to be given a name in order for a child to accomplish it.
We're working on Saxon Math right now. I like it, though I wish I could find a way to work through it a bit faster. Some of the things we're working on are a bit too elementary for the kids. The Switched On Schoolhouse stuff should help that, though.
Lots of chicken eggs today! Three blue ones and one brown. Cool!
Lots of chicken eggs today! Three blue ones and one brown. Cool!
We're trying something a bit different today. I'm assigning the lessons the kids have to do with me to certain times of the day, just like (duh) a traditional classroom. So far, we're behind today. Ack.
Monet is quite a challenge today. What the heck? He won't do his lessons quietly. He just keeps talking and asking silly questions and chattering and singing and playing...I can't get things done with a clear head! Back to math lessons...
Oh! And the Switched On Schoolhouse materials came. I hope to set those up after Edison's baseball scrimmage.
Monet is quite a challenge today. What the heck? He won't do his lessons quietly. He just keeps talking and asking silly questions and chattering and singing and playing...I can't get things done with a clear head! Back to math lessons...
Oh! And the Switched On Schoolhouse materials came. I hope to set those up after Edison's baseball scrimmage.
Friday, April 18, 2003
A storm is brewing, yet the birds are singing. It's a beautiful day anyway.
I was so exhausted last night. It seems I'm exhausted every night. Around 8:30 P.M. I was so very ready to head for bed. Instead, I headed for the local coffeehouse to enjoy music by Boheme and a friend of ours. They got started much too late, and only played for an hour, but I think they enjoyed it.
I awoke this morning thinking about how I was going to structure my day. While evaluating my daily goals, I have realized that there are a couple of areas of our routine that need a bit of help...
Every day, I present each of the kids with their own daily goals sheet.
dailygoals.pdf
If you look at the pdf link (which comes up a little funky for some reason. If you know why, e-mail me and tell me how to fix it!), you will see the actual sheet Bard was given to complete yesterday. The first thing they have to do each morning is, of course, their morning goals. Usually they do alright with this, though Monet drags his feet and whines quite a bit, it takes a while for Edison to get started, and Bard usually isn't even UP in the morning. Still, they get it done without much "encouraging" from me. This has taken many, many, many months of practice to get it to this stage in the routine.
Next is Household Goals. While I try to have the kids do their goals in order, household goals are the exception. I have decided that it's much more important to get their academics done than to clean house. Do I like it that way? Absolutely not. It's very frustrating for me because we have so many neighbors without phones, so they will just stop by on a whim, and then I have to clear papers, boxes, projects, etc. off of the table so we have a place to sit and chat (because my living room is my kitchen is my bedroom, is my dining room...). My hope, however, is to get our generous porch to a state where we can sit and chat there and people will never need to enter my cabin.
If I don't do the Household Goals that way, it will be afternoon before we get to academics. I know, I know...we should just get up earlier. That is SO hard for me! While, most mornings, I'm up by 7:30, it's the only time of the day I have to write, think, and prepare. So I don't wake the children most days...I let them awake on their own schedule. The benefits and banes of homeschooling...
Another thing I notice is that there are a few things every day that simply don't get done. I'm embarrassed to admit what they are. But, looking at Bard's Daily Goals, I see everything but the following checked...
"Spend time over tea or something discussing with Mom what you've read so far."
"Discuss Self-Government with Mom."
"Discuss your Daily Goals with Mom."
Do you know who's not meeting their daily goals?
MOM!!!
It's just that I get so doggone busy doing the other things that need to be done...staining the deck, making or going out to pick up meals, feeding Baby, cleaning up spills and other can't-wait messes...How in the world can I add another hundred hours to my day???
The problem in this is that each of the children get to choose a reward for completing all of their daily goals. Now, they can work hard all day, complete everything within their power and learn an awful lot, but if they can't get their time in with Mom, their daily goals arent' reached and the goals aren't given. I'm trying to think of a way to hand out rewards on some kind of a scale.
Complete 5-7 goals, get a ten cent increase in your allowance this week.
Complete 8-15 goals, make a phone call to a friend.
Complete all of your goals, choose a new car, a pony,...etc. etc. etc...
I'll have to think on it...
I was so exhausted last night. It seems I'm exhausted every night. Around 8:30 P.M. I was so very ready to head for bed. Instead, I headed for the local coffeehouse to enjoy music by Boheme and a friend of ours. They got started much too late, and only played for an hour, but I think they enjoyed it.
I awoke this morning thinking about how I was going to structure my day. While evaluating my daily goals, I have realized that there are a couple of areas of our routine that need a bit of help...
Every day, I present each of the kids with their own daily goals sheet.
dailygoals.pdf
If you look at the pdf link (which comes up a little funky for some reason. If you know why, e-mail me and tell me how to fix it!), you will see the actual sheet Bard was given to complete yesterday. The first thing they have to do each morning is, of course, their morning goals. Usually they do alright with this, though Monet drags his feet and whines quite a bit, it takes a while for Edison to get started, and Bard usually isn't even UP in the morning. Still, they get it done without much "encouraging" from me. This has taken many, many, many months of practice to get it to this stage in the routine.
Next is Household Goals. While I try to have the kids do their goals in order, household goals are the exception. I have decided that it's much more important to get their academics done than to clean house. Do I like it that way? Absolutely not. It's very frustrating for me because we have so many neighbors without phones, so they will just stop by on a whim, and then I have to clear papers, boxes, projects, etc. off of the table so we have a place to sit and chat (because my living room is my kitchen is my bedroom, is my dining room...). My hope, however, is to get our generous porch to a state where we can sit and chat there and people will never need to enter my cabin.
If I don't do the Household Goals that way, it will be afternoon before we get to academics. I know, I know...we should just get up earlier. That is SO hard for me! While, most mornings, I'm up by 7:30, it's the only time of the day I have to write, think, and prepare. So I don't wake the children most days...I let them awake on their own schedule. The benefits and banes of homeschooling...
Another thing I notice is that there are a few things every day that simply don't get done. I'm embarrassed to admit what they are. But, looking at Bard's Daily Goals, I see everything but the following checked...
Do you know who's not meeting their daily goals?
MOM!!!
It's just that I get so doggone busy doing the other things that need to be done...staining the deck, making or going out to pick up meals, feeding Baby, cleaning up spills and other can't-wait messes...How in the world can I add another hundred hours to my day???
The problem in this is that each of the children get to choose a reward for completing all of their daily goals. Now, they can work hard all day, complete everything within their power and learn an awful lot, but if they can't get their time in with Mom, their daily goals arent' reached and the goals aren't given. I'm trying to think of a way to hand out rewards on some kind of a scale.
I'll have to think on it...
Thursday, April 17, 2003
While we didn't get up early (up too late taking a bath and getting ready for today) we did prepare for breakfast this morning. I got up at 7:00, and I messed around with blogs and with my daily journal. I kept telling myself, "I'll get the kids up at 7:30. Okay, I'll get them up at 8:00. I definitely want them up by 9:00." Well, it was 10:00 before they were all up and eating breakfast! We did Saxon math during breakfast. I can't wait to get the math curriculum for Bard. While I think this Saxon time is building her confidence (something much needed in the area of math) I don't think it's nearly challenging enough. We'll continue using it because it reinforces the basics, but it will be much nicer for her to do the Switched On Schoolhouse math, when it arrives. I got an e-mail yesterday saying that it was on the way, so we should have it soon. I'm so excited about how it will give her the ability to do a lot of her lessons independently.
The kids are doing their independent work right now. Bard is doing her spelling book, Edison his italic handwriting, and Monet is drawing faces on rocks--not an assignment. He seems to be having a problem staying with his work. Sigh.
Edison had a great idea for art. Check out Edison's Blog. I'm not sure if he has anything on it yet, but he should soon enough.
The kids are doing their independent work right now. Bard is doing her spelling book, Edison his italic handwriting, and Monet is drawing faces on rocks--not an assignment. He seems to be having a problem staying with his work. Sigh.
Edison had a great idea for art. Check out Edison's Blog. I'm not sure if he has anything on it yet, but he should soon enough.
Finally, a Shower!
Or
The Days of Washing My
Hair with a KitchenAid Mixing Bowl are Over
There are a lot of unconventional things about living here at Thicket Cottage. We don't have an indoor toilet. Our bedroom is our kitchen is our dining room is our schoolroom. We don't have a television. Most of these things are pretty easy to get used to, but one of the greatest challenges of living at the Thicket has been the lack of an indoor tub and shower.
Having an outside bathtub is truly magical. During the summer, baths are wonderful, day or night. During the daytime, the titmice and chickadees visit the feeder that hangs above the tub.
At night, the star luminaires and candle sconces throw a romantic glow on everything. When the kids take a bath at night, they say the feel like kings and queens. It's true!
Even in the winter, a bath in a tub of hot water feels deliciously rebellious when there is snow on the ground beside you and icicles hanging above you. Steam rises from the water and from every above-water body part.
One thing I have not liked about the tub has been the lack of a shower. I have a lot of hair. Thick, curly hair. It's a pain to comb, a pain to style, and definitely a pain to wash. For these past couple of years, I've been washing my hair by either dunking my head under the water (which results in a mass of tangles) or taking my KitchenAid mixing bowl out to the tubroom with me. That has served well, and has been reminiscent of a hillbilly japanese bath, but I never realized how nice a shower would be.
Until I got one!
Last night, Bohemian installed a removable shower head above the tub. It was a gift for my birthday, along with candles and bubble bath. I couldn't wait to try it. So, after I'd finished all of my days' activities and prepared for the next day, I ventured out to my tub. It was about 1:00 AM, and the moon was full. I lit every candle, took a book (The Dan Riley School for a Girl by Dan Riley), and indulged for an hour.
Life has never been so decadent.
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
It's nearing the end of the day. Bohemian has gone to pick up the boys from church. They insisted on going, and even though their goals weren't all met, I said they could go. Bard's doing the dishes and I'm thinking about the coming day. Today was alright...we got several things accomplished. Bard and I worked on her 12 times table, which is still hard for *me* to remember. We actually practiced them together. Monet surprised me in a big way. I got out the sight word flash cards to occupy him while I was waiting for one of the other kids to complete a goal. I really didn't think he'd know them, but I thought it would be good to practice them. He knew them *all*! Pretty impressive for a kid who says he can't even read. Very impressive for a kid who refused to even try to read as recently as October '02. So now he is old enough and meets the requirements for attending the Choral Society auditions. He's incredibly excited. Actually, I am, too. Really, we've just practiced reading together. I read to all of them when I can. I've used a method of spelling words that is actually pretty simple and very effective. I have printed out all of the Dolce sight words on 4x6 cards (there's a site with a printable table of the words at ). Each of the kids keeps their spelling words in an index card file box. Every day, they take out the cards and their spelling notebook, and they "study, cover and spell." Basically, they read the word aloud, then they trace it with their finger, then they turn the card over or cover it up. After that, they write the word in their spelling notebook. They check their word against the index card. If it's right, they get to write the date on the back of the card. If it's wrong, they correct it. After they've spelled the word correctly four times, they can put it in the back of their box. However, if they can't get it right during our weekly spelling bees, it comes back to the front. It's working well for Monet, but Edison, who would be diagnosed ADD in a more conventional setting, doesn't seem to be able to retain any rote memorization. We're working on better ways to approach such things with Edison.
Now it's time to go over their daily goals and get ready for tomorrow. I hope to have goal sheets printed out today and be ready for breakfast before I go to bed. I don't really like such rigid schedules and hyper-organizing, but I'll try it. It just may help.
Now it's time to go over their daily goals and get ready for tomorrow. I hope to have goal sheets printed out today and be ready for breakfast before I go to bed. I don't really like such rigid schedules and hyper-organizing, but I'll try it. It just may help.
I've been thinking about how we organize things as a family. So many times half the day slips by and we're just getting started with our academics. Here's a post from my lifejournal :
Our problem areas:
How to solve those problems:
I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be compassionate… to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.
--Leo Rosten
Our problem areas:
- Not enough Mom.
- Getting up too late (especially Bard)
- Taking too long to get breakfast and other
meals - Not getting meals on time and everyone being too
tired and grumpy - Too much housework each day
- Not enough storage space for school
materials - Not preparing for the school day in the evening
before
How to solve those problems:
- Find a way to involve Bohemian (dh).
- Getting to bed on time and getting up
earlier. - Have breakfast foods ready the night
before - Making sure to plan meals, like getting food in
the crockpot, etc. - Not sure how to solve the housework
problem. - Not sure how to solve the storage problem, except
to buy a small storage barn - Have an evening meeting before reading time to go
over what was completed and set goals for the next day. Keep notes from that
meeting on LifeJournal.
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Peace Like a River
Telegraph Education Keep it in the family
I just finished reading the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, a wonderfully compassionate book about an asthmatic boy whose older brother is a fugitive from the law and whose father is a conduit for the works of God. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Engers are a homeschooling family. Leif Enger left his job with Minnesota Public Radio to spend more time with his family, a point that didn't exactly encourage my dh, like I hoped it would. More about this in a later blog entry.
I don't care for a couple of points of this article. For instance, the author of the article refers to the problem of homeschooling children not being "socialized."
"The boys mix far less with their contemporaries than they would at school, and participation in team sports is also often difficult to arrange."
Also, the author says, "But the Engers are living proof that families do not have to be religious zealots or education obsessives to choose the home schooling option." Maybe Britain just isn't up on homeschooing yet, but I thought most people realized that homeschooling isn't just for "religious zealots" anymore. And even so, being a Christian is not a nasty disease.
This reminds me of a point a friend made to me recently about the concept of calling Christians judgemental.
"This is akin to your child saying that you're 'lecturing' him/her when you tell them the evils of drugs or staying out late or whatever. By labeling it 'lecturing,' then your words are made meaningless. By labeling your moral position on something as 'judgmental,' then your words are dismissed as invalid. This has become a characteristic of our culture--there are no absolutes anymore."
Anyway, while this is a tangential entry, it relates to the book because...um...it also follows a tangential flow. After all, it *is* written from the viewpoint of an 11-year-old boy. :-)
Telegraph Education Keep it in the family
I just finished reading the book Peace Like a River by Leif Enger, a wonderfully compassionate book about an asthmatic boy whose older brother is a fugitive from the law and whose father is a conduit for the works of God. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the Engers are a homeschooling family. Leif Enger left his job with Minnesota Public Radio to spend more time with his family, a point that didn't exactly encourage my dh, like I hoped it would. More about this in a later blog entry.
I don't care for a couple of points of this article. For instance, the author of the article refers to the problem of homeschooling children not being "socialized."
"The boys mix far less with their contemporaries than they would at school, and participation in team sports is also often difficult to arrange."
Also, the author says, "But the Engers are living proof that families do not have to be religious zealots or education obsessives to choose the home schooling option." Maybe Britain just isn't up on homeschooing yet, but I thought most people realized that homeschooling isn't just for "religious zealots" anymore. And even so, being a Christian is not a nasty disease.
This reminds me of a point a friend made to me recently about the concept of calling Christians judgemental.
"This is akin to your child saying that you're 'lecturing' him/her when you tell them the evils of drugs or staying out late or whatever. By labeling it 'lecturing,' then your words are made meaningless. By labeling your moral position on something as 'judgmental,' then your words are dismissed as invalid. This has become a characteristic of our culture--there are no absolutes anymore."
Anyway, while this is a tangential entry, it relates to the book because...um...it also follows a tangential flow. After all, it *is* written from the viewpoint of an 11-year-old boy. :-)
Infection
Blogging.
It's amazing to me. I can see why people think it's the revolution of the writing trade. Basically, I can write an entire book--my memoirs--about my adventures in homeschooling, parenting, knitting, writing, birdwatching...whatever I want, and it's here for all the world to see. Published. When I was in high school, my journalism teacher said you can call yourself a "published" author if you've had anything submitted for mass human consumption. How many published authors there must be with the advent of the web! Has the definition of a published author changed?
Well, I will begin my life as a published author (according to my journalism teacher's definition) by writing my memoirs of my life as a homeschooling parent. And to begin, I'll start with some background.
I can't really tell you exactly why I decided to homeschool my children. What I do remember is that I read an article about a homeschooling family when I was in high school. I don't know who it was, but I do remember that they were being given a hard time and, if memory serves me correctly, actually had their children taken from them due to "truancy." This seemed to me very radical and unfair. After all, the parents seemed to be on the right track. They wanted to give their children an excellent education. They seemed intelligent, caring, attentive. They certainly didn't seem like the kind of parents who would just allow their children to permanently play hooky from school. I guess, upon the reading of that article, a seed was planted.
High school, to me, wasn't necessarily completely unpleasant. However, I did lack motivation in certain areas, mostly because the teachers in those areas also lacked motivation. I don't think it's a mistake that my most passionate teachers were my language arts teachers. Mrs. Wise had introduced some of the most fantastic literature to me in the fourth grade--The Red Badge of Courage, A Wrinkle in Time (which I listened to on a borrowed library phonograph record over and over every night), and so many others. In seventh grade, Mrs. Jones introduced me to Eleanor Rigby. I remember being fascinated that she kept her face in a jar by the door.Who was it for? My four favorite teachers in high school were Miss Gradwell (speech), Mrs. George (journalism and English), Mrs. Berry (English Lit) and Mrs. Hunt (Humanities), all language arts teachers. Years later, I would see Mrs. Hunt in the mall and swell with pride as she nodded approvingly at my homeschooled children. I had the chance to tell her just how much her love of literature had meant to me and how she had always inspired me to learn more. I would also have a chance to see Miss Gradwell again, watching in amazement as she received a writer's award at a seminar I had attended on just a whim. Judy Gradwell had endured and conquered breast cancer and decided to use her love for words to share her struggle with other people.
I'm not saying that I homeschooled because I loved language arts.
Necessarily.
What I am saying is that I recognized that a love of learning was contagious. It was contracted by those who also had a love of learning.
I wanted to infect my own children.
Blogging.
It's amazing to me. I can see why people think it's the revolution of the writing trade. Basically, I can write an entire book--my memoirs--about my adventures in homeschooling, parenting, knitting, writing, birdwatching...whatever I want, and it's here for all the world to see. Published. When I was in high school, my journalism teacher said you can call yourself a "published" author if you've had anything submitted for mass human consumption. How many published authors there must be with the advent of the web! Has the definition of a published author changed?
Well, I will begin my life as a published author (according to my journalism teacher's definition) by writing my memoirs of my life as a homeschooling parent. And to begin, I'll start with some background.
I can't really tell you exactly why I decided to homeschool my children. What I do remember is that I read an article about a homeschooling family when I was in high school. I don't know who it was, but I do remember that they were being given a hard time and, if memory serves me correctly, actually had their children taken from them due to "truancy." This seemed to me very radical and unfair. After all, the parents seemed to be on the right track. They wanted to give their children an excellent education. They seemed intelligent, caring, attentive. They certainly didn't seem like the kind of parents who would just allow their children to permanently play hooky from school. I guess, upon the reading of that article, a seed was planted.
High school, to me, wasn't necessarily completely unpleasant. However, I did lack motivation in certain areas, mostly because the teachers in those areas also lacked motivation. I don't think it's a mistake that my most passionate teachers were my language arts teachers. Mrs. Wise had introduced some of the most fantastic literature to me in the fourth grade--The Red Badge of Courage, A Wrinkle in Time (which I listened to on a borrowed library phonograph record over and over every night), and so many others. In seventh grade, Mrs. Jones introduced me to Eleanor Rigby. I remember being fascinated that she kept her face in a jar by the door.Who was it for? My four favorite teachers in high school were Miss Gradwell (speech), Mrs. George (journalism and English), Mrs. Berry (English Lit) and Mrs. Hunt (Humanities), all language arts teachers. Years later, I would see Mrs. Hunt in the mall and swell with pride as she nodded approvingly at my homeschooled children. I had the chance to tell her just how much her love of literature had meant to me and how she had always inspired me to learn more. I would also have a chance to see Miss Gradwell again, watching in amazement as she received a writer's award at a seminar I had attended on just a whim. Judy Gradwell had endured and conquered breast cancer and decided to use her love for words to share her struggle with other people.
I'm not saying that I homeschooled because I loved language arts.
Necessarily.
What I am saying is that I recognized that a love of learning was contagious. It was contracted by those who also had a love of learning.
I wanted to infect my own children.
I journal. I write. I homeschool. I love photography. Therefore, a homeschooling blog seemed like a darn good idea. So, here it is.
Let me tell you what's going on...give you a bit of an introduction. Forgive me if I don't indulge personal information...it's a crazy world, and I don't want mine to get much crazier. To you, I will call myself Tyler, since my favorite author is Anne Tyler, who just happened to be homeschooled.
I'm a mama, and I have five children. I'll call them Bard (13), Edison (11), Monet (7), Sweetheart (4) and Baby (baby). We've been homeschooling for many, many years. Since Bard was 3. We've tried a lot of different curricula, experimented quite a bit, and gone through some wonderful and not-so-wonderful adventures.
Ah, but Baby calls. More later,
Tyler
Let me tell you what's going on...give you a bit of an introduction. Forgive me if I don't indulge personal information...it's a crazy world, and I don't want mine to get much crazier. To you, I will call myself Tyler, since my favorite author is Anne Tyler, who just happened to be homeschooled.
I'm a mama, and I have five children. I'll call them Bard (13), Edison (11), Monet (7), Sweetheart (4) and Baby (baby). We've been homeschooling for many, many years. Since Bard was 3. We've tried a lot of different curricula, experimented quite a bit, and gone through some wonderful and not-so-wonderful adventures.
Ah, but Baby calls. More later,
Tyler
Wednesday, May 02, 2001
::: from the green book :::
What a gorgeous day! Went to Ken and Andrea's to give him a check. He was taking down pool to give to Rs. Monet played with goats. Ken took us to the barn to see baby horses. Put Monet on one and rode him around a little. Showed us chickens, too.
Made peanut butter cookies (Bard made dough!). We had a picnic under the apple tree. Wedding spread sandwiches, pineapple, mandarin oranges, almonds, bananas, kiwis, chips and lemonade.
Made peanut butter cookies (Bard made dough!). We had a picnic under the apple tree. Wedding spread sandwiches, pineapple, mandarin oranges, almonds, bananas, kiwis, chips and lemonade.
Monday, April 30, 2001
::: from the green book :::
Monday--tilled veggie garden w/Laura and Aden's tiller and had to leave to take kids to choir. Strawberries doing okay. Picking off blooms.
Sunday, April 29, 2001
::: from the green book :::
Last night, Bard and I went to see Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains, Left Behind) speak at B****n High School. The worship, with Jeff Deyo of Sonic Flood, was very good. It made me miss being in church. I've felt for so long that, because we had a good worship foundation when the kids were little, they'd absorb that. But last night, Bard said she barely remembers attending SFChurch. It makes me sad because I felt like we put a lot of work into SFC for the sake of our kids and now they don't even remember it. While Bard and I were there, I looked into church services at BCF and think we may visit there.
Yesterday:
*worked around cabin
*planted strawberry bed
*Bo mowed lawn
*went to an auction
*got three kitties (pussywillow, chloe and tasha)
(rest of page destroyed by water)
Today:
*Cleaned cupboards
*Cleaned windows
*Hung birdfeeders
*Bo moved tent to the barn
*Bo fixed the grill
*Ate hamburgers for dinner
*Watched the sunset
Ideas:
Guestbook
Bucket for dirty silverware
Bring down wardrobe (for clothes and fridge)
Make a little sign for the outhouse (instructions for use)
Make a checklist for cabin
Corkboard for inside cupboards
Chalkboard
Get Ken to move dirt, grind stumps
Pole barn for cars/workshop/freezer/washer
Cupboard around water heater and next to cupboards with bin for trash
Clean/stain cabin
Support beam
Shower w/3/4 wall on corner of cabin
S'mores basket
Eucalyptus wreath in outhouse
Yesterday:
*worked around cabin
*planted strawberry bed
*Bo mowed lawn
*went to an auction
*got three kitties (pussywillow, chloe and tasha)
(rest of page destroyed by water)
Today:
*Cleaned cupboards
*Cleaned windows
*Hung birdfeeders
*Bo moved tent to the barn
*Bo fixed the grill
*Ate hamburgers for dinner
*Watched the sunset
Ideas:
Guestbook
Bucket for dirty silverware
Bring down wardrobe (for clothes and fridge)
Make a little sign for the outhouse (instructions for use)
Make a checklist for cabin
Corkboard for inside cupboards
Chalkboard
Get Ken to move dirt, grind stumps
Pole barn for cars/workshop/freezer/washer
Cupboard around water heater and next to cupboards with bin for trash
Clean/stain cabin
Support beam
Shower w/3/4 wall on corner of cabin
S'mores basket
Eucalyptus wreath in outhouse
Saturday, April 28, 2001
::: from the green book :::
It's about 6:30 AM. I checked the outdoor thermometer at about 6:15 and it was 40F. Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day. Wanita spent the night last night and has to be back by 8:00 AM this morning. The neighbors down the street are having an auction at 10:00 AM, so we'll go down for that. The ladies from Laura's church are having a lunch stand.
Ken, or his helper, put an outlet box on our pole for us. Bo ran extension cords to the cabin and we're now using the small refrigerator my dad bought years ago but has never used. It was bittersweet bringing it here, because we are now officially "on the grid." I kind of feel like I've been defeated, or at least assimilated. I guess, somewhere in my idealistic mind, I was hoping to find a way around electricity. Maybe that as a tactile way of showing my independence.
(next paragraph destroyed: water damage to the green book)
I had a dream last night that J asked us when we were moving in. In my dream, I felt like it was a trap. I felt like he wanted me to stay in Akron but was issuing a challenge, like basically saying, "You said you'd move in when your lane was done and when you had a fridge. So, when are ya movin' in? Huh? Huh?" I was looking right at his face and his head was huge. I didn't know what to say. My answer, now that I think about it, should ahve been, "Every day. Little by little."
It's funny how I compartmentalize (is that a word? We need a dictionary here!) things. I have a fridge now. But it's not "big enough." It should be big enough to hold all the things that "should" go in fridges: milk, yogurt, butter, jelly, mustard, eggs, meat, fruits and veggies, on and on. But here, for 7 months, I've struggled with... (rest of paragraph destroyed by water damage).
Ken, or his helper, put an outlet box on our pole for us. Bo ran extension cords to the cabin and we're now using the small refrigerator my dad bought years ago but has never used. It was bittersweet bringing it here, because we are now officially "on the grid." I kind of feel like I've been defeated, or at least assimilated. I guess, somewhere in my idealistic mind, I was hoping to find a way around electricity. Maybe that as a tactile way of showing my independence.
(next paragraph destroyed: water damage to the green book)
I had a dream last night that J asked us when we were moving in. In my dream, I felt like it was a trap. I felt like he wanted me to stay in Akron but was issuing a challenge, like basically saying, "You said you'd move in when your lane was done and when you had a fridge. So, when are ya movin' in? Huh? Huh?" I was looking right at his face and his head was huge. I didn't know what to say. My answer, now that I think about it, should ahve been, "Every day. Little by little."
It's funny how I compartmentalize (is that a word? We need a dictionary here!) things. I have a fridge now. But it's not "big enough." It should be big enough to hold all the things that "should" go in fridges: milk, yogurt, butter, jelly, mustard, eggs, meat, fruits and veggies, on and on. But here, for 7 months, I've struggled with... (rest of paragraph destroyed by water damage).
Wednesday, April 25, 2001
::: from the green book :::
Jerren, Colin and Maggie were Saturday. Went to Inventure Place and came to cabin. New beds are in the cabin. Love the Mission bed!
Bo's mom came Sunday morning, left Sunday afternoon. Planted 9 fruit trees Sunday, April 22nd. Sprayed some of the existing apple trees with copper, left 2 1/2 unsprayed (maybe 3 1/2?).
Planted Red Sails and Grand Rapids lettuce with radishes in second deep bed. Soil tested "neutral."
Lane is almost done. It's been graded and now needs gravel.
Dad was here yesterday and today. Richard loaned us John Deere tractor with option to buy.
Replaced thermocouple in water heater. Having hamburgers for dinner.
Bo's mom came Sunday morning, left Sunday afternoon. Planted 9 fruit trees Sunday, April 22nd. Sprayed some of the existing apple trees with copper, left 2 1/2 unsprayed (maybe 3 1/2?).
Planted Red Sails and Grand Rapids lettuce with radishes in second deep bed. Soil tested "neutral."
Lane is almost done. It's been graded and now needs gravel.
Dad was here yesterday and today. Richard loaned us John Deere tractor with option to buy.
Replaced thermocouple in water heater. Having hamburgers for dinner.
Monday, April 16, 2001
::: from the green book :::
It looks clear and birds are singing. Temp was 40F @ 7:00 AM. Forecast called for high in the 30s with snow flurries. Planted peas, white onions, and radishes on Sunday, April 8th. Planted blueberries, asparagus and rhubarb on April 14th. Got a lot of rain on 15th. Trying to plant lettuce but ran out of gas for Mantis then it rained. Will try to plant tomorrow (Tuesday).
Saturday, April 14, 2001
::: from the green book :::
Kids worked at Richard and Penny's. It was beautiful! Became cooler towards noon with the wind picking up a bit.
Wednesday, April 04, 2001
::: from the green book :::
Beautiful day! Sunny and fairly warm. Long pants, long sleeves, no coats. Nighttime temp: 42F @ midnight, 45F @ 9:00 AM on the 5th. Lilacs are budding.
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