A Little Howdy

Hi all!

Well, today went wonderfully. The boys have kicked into high gear and seem to enjoy the new routine.

John is reading. I mean, actually reading! This week he's read the first six lessons in McGuffey's First Whateveritis, and today he asked if he could write the phonograms for review all on his own. Starting with "the ones I know first, Mama," he wrote them out, including a few of the two-letter phonemes! He had fun "teaching" me what they say, and then wrote his name all on his own. He was so proud of himself! He even ran downstairs to drag James away from his game time to show him! (Thankfully, James was gracious, excited, and so encouraging of John.)

James is now writing exclusively in cursive. He did his spelling words this week in cursive, and they're all legible! Wow. He says it's his favorite subject, and asked if tomorrow he can write some letters to the family in cursive. I felt a little bad for taking the accolades he gave me when I said yes. Honestly, what else would I have said? Still, you'd have thought I gave him an early birthday gift, and I currently enjoy Most Favored Mommy status with the Childhood UN.

The new schedule leaves extra time for me to savor each boy, and I'm sure enjoying that. With all three so active and inquisitive, I was spread thin. Thin means cranky, and that's not good for anyone. We'll talk about it tomorrow, but I think they will agree that we are on a good path, and that this is more fun than how we've been doing things.

Zorak needs a little extra mommy time, too, I think. He's working hard and staying busy, and although he gets out of the house each day, it's not like he gets to go play at the beach while he's gone. He can't really talk about work much since I could be a threat to national security, so I'll just refer to any project as "The Project," and call it good. You now know about as much as I do. Anyway, I think The Project has him a little tense, and not being able to sort it out in the evenings seems to be leaving him in an awkward spot- a little lonely spot, I think. So, since I'm not the brightest wife in the world (having just caught on to this), but I'm the only one he's got, I'm blogging now rather than tonight and am going to give him some extra attention tonight. We'll fix a fun supper for the boys and then when they're tucked in, I'm going to try to knit my way through a Quentin Tarantino movie. It's one of Zorak's favorites, and I just can't... quite... *sigh* But maybe if I knit when I don't want to look, I can get through it? We'll see. Ah, the things we do for love, and it's all worth it.

Have a wonderful evening, all! Enjoy those families, and as always,
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Day Two

Data Sheet Re: New Schedule
Progress: yes
Fatalities: none
Hope: rising
Whining: nominal
Fits: zero
Status: go

That about sums it up. The boys did so well today, and actually both did much better on their school work for having the undivided attention. That was handy.

John did math as an Opera. Since I don't sing well, it was obviously a parody. We had a blast, though, and did it all orally. He's really quite good with music and lyrics. I couldn't have pulled off the cadence the way he did (I always have to squish extra syllables together or draw a couple out to make things fit- he, somehow, doesn't.)

James was having a great day until he ran upstairs and climbed in the laundry basket while Jacob was napping. I guess that wouldn't have been so bad, except that something compelled him to make whooping noises (in the hopes we could try to find him, perhaps?) and, of course, that woke Jacob. ARGH. So tomorrow we institute quiet reading time during Jacob's naptime. And here I thought I was being such a cool mom by playing with them downstairs while Smidge napped. *sigh* You win some, you lose some.

The day ended up nicely, though. Zorak arrived home quite unexpectedly. Wait, that doesn't sound right - we expect him home. We just didn't realize it was already that time of day. So there was a lull in the activity around my feet for a bit- I took advantage of it to finish supper... that was niiiiiice.

I also nailed a new favorite supper for the boys, too. It's nothing fancy, but they both ate seconds, so I'll fix it any time they want! Pork chops, rice pasta w/ stewed tomatoes and Italian seasoning, applesauce, and sliced cucumber. Yum! Easy! Very little mess! Sounds like a winner all the way around. And when the weather is nicer, we can do the meat outside, which will be even less messy!

Zorak is out getting starting fluid right now. The Mistress needs some lovin's, but until she gets that, she's getting starting fluid. I dare not voice the thought, but could it be... (shhh, don't say anything until it's already happened!)

PearBudget- I'd mentioned that Charlie (of Peace Hill Press fame) created this budget tracker. Well, I've since actually unzipped it and filled in the little pear colored (hence the name? perhaps!) squares and while I haven't entered February's items in yet, I can say that the flow is great, it's easy to follow. He uses Zorak's favorite little red boxes in the corner (you hover your mouse over one of those and get a great little pop-up hand-holding session!) I think this is going to work. It's going to take me a couple of months to get a feel for where our finances actually are, and then from there I will tweak the budget so that it balances like a double jointed acrobat! Check it out at the PearBudget Blog. Download it. Try it. And be sure to read the introduction and notes from Charlie.

And now, since it's fairly early (been getting sleep lately - that stuff is better than caffeine! Who knew! *wink*), I'm going to treat myself to catching up on blog reading and visiting my favorite boards. Have a wonderful day tomorrow.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

A New Schedule

I don't know what I was thinking!

Well, I do. I was thinking, "Gee, this might be fun." Evidently, I was thinking the sort of fun you get by pulling splinters from your eyelid and trying to move a waterbed by yourself. BUT, whatever my reasoning, I changed our daily lessons schedule around today. (Can you tell it went well?)

The brainstorm I had seemed simple: install the educational software we own onto the computer (novel already, isn't it?) and then (perhaps) allow the boys to use it for set periods of time during lessons (thus allowing one-on-one time for Mom to study with each child). It sounded like such a great idea! Why didn't it go well, then?

Well, let's recap, shall we? Child one is six and needs more advanced software than we currently have available. OK. We can fix that. Child two is four. 'Nuff said. Change? Bad. Within Reason? Evil phrase. Limits? All about the total imersion factor. I cannot even begin to touch the Toddler Effect on this whole process, but if you have a vivid imagination and read plenty of Erma Bombeck, I'm sure you can fill in the blanks.

So, we stepped back ~ a little too late in the day to salvage it, but early enough to prevent it from bleeding over into tomorrow. (I hope.) We talked about the changes to our schedule and the ideas Mommy had. Potential benefits, the newness of a change in routine, etc. I asked the boys to work with me on this new schedule for one week. At the end of the week we will all sit down and talk about it. I asked them to think about what they like, what they don't (keeping in mind that I'm not going to give them each eight hours a day of computer time and all the ice cream they can stand- house rules will still apply for the health and general sanity of all involved), and whether they would like to make changes at the end of that week, or if they would like to keep the current schedule.

We shall see what tomorrow holds.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

The Inquisition

Well, it's over. I didn't give anybody a heart attack and was on my best behavior. Oh, no, wait, I think I made some nice lady cry. But it wasn't intentional. She's just had a baby and she's all weepy already, so it's not like it took much to just plunk her right over the edge. SO, aside from making hormonal women cry, I didn't make any cracks about church history, and I was very, erm, upfront on the rest of the stuff.

One of the things the Session guys asked for was my "Testimony". Now, I'll be honest, that word makes me twitchy. For 20 years, my "testimony" was static: "I asked the Lord into my heart in Mrs. Herashap's K-5 class." Short, sweet, and theologically WAYYYYY off base. But who knew?

Fast forward to a few years back and the dawning understanding that our testimony is fluid. It changes as we change, it gets added to and made more intricate (or at least more interesting) with every passing year. I realized that Jesus has been with me this whole time. Yes, when my sister died; when my father(s) died (pick one, there were several, all passed away); when tragedy has struck us and when we've run headlong into tragedy of our own making. God was with me when we lost this baby, and yes, even twelve years ago when I wasn't walking anywhere near God's path (you just can't get a good tequila there, ya know) and the days I spent walking the earth (you know, like Cain, only I hadn't killed anybody and didn't have a tattoo).

Those experiences, from the ones of my youth over which I had no say, to the ones of my boy-I-wish-I-could-claim-that-was-my-youth, have all been used to allow me to serve God in later days, current days, and probably (hopefully) will continue to do so for the future. There was no one specific time that Christ suddenly started "looking out for me as one of His flock". There has been a flowing, continuous relationship there, beginning with when I was formed, increasing in depth and awareness of, or willingness to admit to, His reign over my life, and my (swallow hard, now) submission to His will. (Does anyone remember when I realized I had to stop praying, "God send us to Idaho!" and start praying, "God, send us where you need us to be... and make me OK with it!").

But not at any one point can I say I had it together enough to look around me and say, "Oh, no, this is far too decadent and pleasurable. Let's try for a more stoic approach to living." Nah. Didn't happen. Wouldn't happen on my own, and yet here we are- not only doing what we're called to do, but finding joy in it! Praise the Lord!! (and, ya know, I just can't say that w/o singing in a small, wee voice, "hallelujah!", but that's probably just me...)

But what kind of a testimony is that? As I opened my mouth to speak, I could just see the music guy passing out and the associate pastor slipping under the table out of embarrassment. But surprisingly, no. Nobody even got the vapors or needed a glass of water. *whew* I'm still not 100% certain what a certified "Testimony" is, and I won't ever have a "The Day I Got Saved" card in my wallet, but evidently I didn't completely blow it. Nobody yelled, "She's an armenianist spy! Get her!"

So, uh, well, we're members now. We're accountable, and we're pretty happy. Although John was mad that I hadn't taken him with me and said that he "would have enjoyed the long, boring meeting. Honest."

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

It's Finally Happened!

John is thoroughly engrossed in Huckleberry Finn!! Oh, I cannot tell you how exciting this is. He cried when Zorak said it was time for bed and they'd have to cut storytime short (James was squirrelly and Jacob was snuffling about for a blanket to bring down to me, so it was quite distracting for everyone).

Zorak brought me the Smidge and explained what happened. "I'm going back up to read more to him," he said, with a smile. I am so thankful that Zorak understands what a wonderful thing this is for John, too. What a cool family.

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Mea culpa?

A few years back, when we started homeschooling using The Well-Trained Mind approach, a friend warned me that kids will be kids and even if it's Latin, you've got to keep an eye on them. Yeah, ok, thanks for the head's up. (And I promptly forgot that part.)

Last week, we were in the car when I heard from the back seat a little squeak, followed by some giggles and John's giggly voice, "Mea farto!" The riotous laughter that ensued from the backseat was priceless.

Today, during Latin, James asked, "Since Latin nouns usually end in 'a', wouldn't it be 'mea farta'?" Most of our lesson was on mea/tua and the applications of words that can be both nouns and verbs. And there, ladies and gentlemen, you have a great study of Latin, as it applies when you are six and four.

I love our life.

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Things are going well here, in general. We're about due for a restructuring of "how things are done", as it's just plain time for one. This will be good. I've downloaded PearBudget, which the highly esteemed Charlie from Peace Hill Press created. I can't wait to play with it!!

I'd like to track our spending and just make sure the ship is as tight as it can be, that resources are being siphoned off in the right places. While we're doing well and are happy with how we've handled things, I don't think it ever hurts to audit yourself now and again, just to be sure.

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Tomorrow night I go in for the Inquisition at church. OK, it's just the Communicant Interviews to transfer membership to the church we've been attending. I look forward to the stability of it, the accountability of it, and to knowing that no matter what the plans are for our stay, we will have a church home. This step will be good.

We really like the congregation and the ministry, but I have to say they have no sense of humor! Pastor was trying fervently to allay my "fears" (or what fears he seemed to think I have about this process -- I guess he doesn't realize yet that I'm not one of those slated to inherit the earth) by explaining that the Session members who oversee the Interviews are all gentle, kind, Godly men. I said, "Oh, that's good. So they don't break out the red robes for this, then?" Silence. Stone cold silence. Finally, a somewhat unsettled, "Um, no."

Well, Zorak thought it was funny.

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Have a lovely week, and kiss those babies!
~Dy

Weekend Blog

Gosh, sorry I've been so quiet. Lots going on, but not much I can blog about. Makes for an interesting life, but a frighteningly dull bloglife. Hmm. Some weeks are just like that, I suppose.

OK, O'Brian fans, WHY didn't anyone give me a head's up about The Surgeon's Mate? Hmmm? Yeah, I spent the ENTIRE book suspecting Jagiello of something untoward... Anyhow, finished that one last week and The Ionian Mission over the weekend, so now it's time to get back to the library for the next two. These are so much fun.

The house has been in a bit of an uproar lately.
Mostly it's me.
And my need to move things around.
In a house with a floor plan that pretty much allows for only one setup.
Bah!

Found a home today for some fabric I'll never use in a gazillion years. It feels quite good not only to no longer need to find a place to hide it, but to know that we won't be moving it with us again when we move. Someday. If the good Lord's willing. And that creek thing, too.

K, math is done, house is great, weather today was gorgeous so I hung clothes on the line. Unfortunately, it just dawned on me that I don't know if I brought it all in or not. I better check.

Have a wonderful weekend! And if you travel this weekend, be safe.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Security and Stuff

Well, I'd planned a thorough blogrun and a fun little update tonight, but I've been installing security updates on our computer for the last three and a half hours! So much for a leisurely evening catching up with friends. We are, however, now ensconsed in an armadillo-like armor, from which I may never surface.

There's snow on the ground, and it's beautiful! When the boys saw it coming down this afternoon, John yelled, "It's SNOWING!" James said, "And you know what snow means? It means ICE!" Uhhh, well, yeah, here, I suppose it does. They cannot wait for the snow to ice over so they can break out the hammers again. Zorak said he saw pictures of the snow in Boston- YIKES!! I'm glad to say, sometimes it's nice to be snugged against the bay like this. We've had nothing of the sort here- just a dusting and some ice. *whew* Stay safe up North, guys!!

I will have to tell you about about Wonderful Gram in the morning. Right now, however, I have a video I need to format and send to her- wanted to send it before supper, but the first one we made was almost entirely black and you couldn't see a thing. So we redid it after supper and I'd like to get that off to her before bed.

Enjoy a lovely Friday, and as always,
Kiss those babies!!
~Dy

What Happened To Your Hair?

James awoke this morning and there was something... well, wrong, with his head. It was his hair, specifically. You see, normally, his hair looks like this (only not green- I don't know what I did wrong with the photo editing- he isn't this hue, really- but this photo is for the texture and lay of the hair, so look at that part):

See how nicely it all behaves?

But this morning, he had a fuzzy patch on it, right near the top. It was sort of felted and frizzed. It felt like carpet- like old, shag carpet. The rest of his hair didn't do this, just this one little island of fur that developed atop his head. It looks like this (he's not mad in this photo- he's trying to see his hair and also make his regularly scheduled silly photo face- the exertion did him in and we ended up with this expression):

Do you see the tuft at the top? It's a good half inch high!

Can you tell what happened?

It took me most of the day to finally piece together enough information to make a stunning Sherlock Holmes style discovery.

He was trying to make static electricity last night by rubbing his flannel sheet on his head!! I'm guessing he made quite a lot of electricity, but if he keeps this up he'll have dreds before he's seven! It's time to just give in and build a science lab somewhere in the house, I think.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Sweet Bedtimes

Our routines have changes as we've added each child, adjusted to meet the needs (and dynamics) of a growing family (not to mention the switch to zone defense of the escape routes once we were officially outnumbered and could no longer do the man on man defense!)

Some of it has stayed pretty much the same, though, and the general routine for bedtime is simple: bath, jammies, wrestle time, story time. Then to bed for eleven minutes of reading (Zorak just combined the older boys' ages and let that be the "official time", although we'll be in trouble when James actually has a clock in his room and realizes we often let them go longer, or that we cut it short if they're squirrelling and not reading!) So when the boys are in bed and reading, the Smidge comes downstairs for his quiet time. I love this time of night. Zorak sets him down and Smidge comes running (Muppet style- arms flailing) down the hallway to me.

Normally I'd pick him up and go snuggle on the couch, but lately he has his own process. He finds a blanket and brings it to me, setting it on my lap and talking animatedly the whole time. He then leads the way to the couch and pats the couch, indicating I need to spread out the blanket. When it's ready for him, he turns around and backs up to me to pick him up, all the while doing a happy little arm-flapping dance. I set him on the blanket and bundle him up with his little arms held high and waving back and forth, his whole body trembling in anticipation. As soon as the corner is tucked, he closes his eyes and lets out a deep little sigh.

We still snuggle a bit before he goes to his bed, and he still nurses regularly, both of which I am thankful for. These little ones move on to independence so quickly, and I have no desire to rush any of them out of the nest. I love this time with them, and I love knowing that they're content and safe- and that they know they're safe and loved.

Sweet Bedtimes are one of my favorite parts of the day.

And now, we are off to stock the pantry and enjoy this glorious (read: above freezing) day!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Deep Blogs - This Isn't One

Blogs are great in that they aren't static. A blog flows and changes along with its owner (master? blogger?) If you read a regular blogger long enough, you do get a good sense of that person's general personality, quirks, and joys. The picture won't ever be wholly accurate, nor necessarily concise, but odds are you'll get a good overall picture. (Like those aerial shots of towns that were so popular in the late 50's- you can, if you look at it long enough, find your favorite spots in town on them, but they may be a little fuzzy.)

Anyhow, this time of year seems to be a natural time for blogs to start running deep. Theology, ideology, obfuscatology*, it just goes on and on. Entries get longer, sentences more complex, and suddenly you find yourself thinking, "Should I be taking notes? Will there be a quiz later?" (Or, if you weren't publikly skoold, you'll take notes whether there's a quiz or not, but I, graduate of the Public School System, just wanna know if it's going to be on the test or not, alright?)

I'll admit this phenomena leaves me a bit intimidated. I haven't the fortitude to blog that deeply in the winter. I haven't the attention span to keep deep, thorough thoughts adrift long enough to get them all in the boat. Also, I just can't leave many comments this time of year. I left one for TulipGirl the other day and after hitting "post," I realized it was well past time to go to bed.

This time of year, if you're looking for thought-provoking posts, I fear this isn't the place. So, rather than allowing myself to not-blog out of a bashful awareness that I haven't much in that realm to blog about, I intend to continue on blogging about silly things and daily things, and I hope that you'll forgive me for not following the unofficial blog-calendar. :-)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

*Yes, I made that one up, but wouldn't it be a fun field of study?

Will garlic work on MLM folks, or just vampires?

Sometimes I just have to shake my head.

I have a dear friend who wandered into MLM (multi-level marketing) programs a few years back. It's been good for her in many ways: she's become amazingly optimistic, her vocabulary has increased, and she has learned to think "outside the box".

Sadly, some of this translates into not so positive points, as well: she can't admit when her schemes are falling stunningly short of success and a five-year plan that's ten years overdue is still her holy grail; I swear if she uses the word "paradigm" one. more. time. ARGH; box? What box? What rules of socialization? No doesn't mean "no". It means "rephrase it and try again, and again and again."

It's funny to see someone I've known for so long get sucked under what I consider to be the intellectual bus, but there's really no broaching the subject with her. And, to be honest, she is happy doing this, so there's no point in trying to talk her out of it. The friends she hasn't run off with her constant sales pitch are now happily selling under her, so hey, whatever works, right?

But sometimes, like I said, I just have to shake my head...

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Quick Morning Coffee

Hi guys! The boys are taking a quick break and so I thought I would, too.

It's Tuesday (Tuesday? Yes, I think that's right.) There will be no house for auction on Thursday. The sale has been cancelled for this particular house, and while I'm sad that our plans for that house have been squashed, I'm also glad to know that another family was able to stave it off. I'm sure they are relieved, too. I do think, however, that I'm just not going to say anything until we return from the closing table on whatever house comes through. Far too many ups and downs, twists and turns. Makes me irritable and somewhat meanspirited, which neither you nor the boys need to put up with. :-)

Hey, for you knitters out there- Is there such a thing as "Knitter's Thumb", or am I just doing something terribly wrong? The scarf is looking quite recognizeable, though. And, while I'm begging for advice, is it possible to yarn over without realizing it? I'm not sure how it's happening, but every tenth row or so I find an extra stitch in there- just loose, but definitely "there" and I have to decrease. I can't figure out when it's happening, though, and it's driving me batty!

The boys are enjoying a short break before we start our next lessons- James is reading Junie B. Jones (which he says isn't bad, although she doesn't like broccoli, which he finds a little strange), and John is oohing over a Mindware catalog, begging for new puzzles. (Sorry, kiddo, but we're going to have to do more culling before we allow anything new into the house!) Smidge found James' bowl of peanut butter and chocolate chip oatmeal. ('Nuff said.)

In the mornings, before the day's activity begins, I've been reading Breaking Free by Beth Moore and completing the discussion with a group of online ladies. I seem to have doctrinal disagreements on nearly every page, but there are some good nuggets worth harvesting from it. The group is nice, although some are terribly quiet. I hope the discussion picks up soon- there's so much to be gleaned from one another, and that's what makes a study (online or in real life) so much fun.

Also reading The Surgeon's Mate, which is, as always, wonderful fiction for my quiet little nook. Hey- do you have a picture of your favorite spot to read? Maybe we should get Donna to do one of those now that everybody but, er, one nameless person, has showed their desks!

I'm going to go supervise the Latin practice before they start making up their own verbs and things go horribly awry. We don't want to leave Zorak out of the picture, either, so we'll save the word inventing for supper.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Weekend Hodgepodge

Did I spell that right?

Anyway, the weekend update goes something like this:

Saturday: wonderful day with the boys, cold-cold weather, embarrassing shopping trip for jeans for me while the guys stocked up on goods at BJ's. Love the new jeans! Zorak loves the new jeans. Gotta get another pair o' them thar jeans! Went for drinks w/ Zorak's co-workers- lovely folks, had a great time- then to the concert. Wasn't sure how that would be: totally worth the price! WOWSA! If you have the opportunity to hear The Iguanas play (they're out of New Orleans), RUN- don't walk- RUN to go see them. If you like John Hyatt, or Robert Earl Keen, but particularly if you are a fan of Flaco Jimenez' accordian playing (NOT to be confused w/ Weird Al's accordian playing... completely different levels of quality here!) you will love these guys! I danced a Corrida* like nobody's business -- right in the aisle! It was heavenly!

Sunday: did I mention it's cold? OK, just checking. Ice storm, followed by snow storm, topped off with more ice. The trees are gorgeous! A bit bowed under the weight of the ice, but just beautiful anyway. Revamped the family room (which has been un-usable since the Halloween Costume Fiasco er, Event) and enjoyed playing with the boys most of the day. Just fun!

Shouldn't have mentioned having to pull out the scarf. I had about 18" of scarf made when I realized it was far too wide to pull this off with one skein of yarn. (Yes, quite wide, I know.) SO, James got to pull it all out. He was sad to see his scarf disappear, but was thoroughly awed by the size of the ball it made! The scarf is now a manageable width and is back up to around 4" long. It may be done by Easter.

HOUSE-NEWS!!
We are going to an auction this week to check out the home auction scene. There is a lot to learn, but it's an avenue we haven't pursued yet, so it's worth taking a look. My prayer is the same one I've been praying (maybe it's time to switch tactics?): if we are meant to stay, then the right home (ie- one we can afford without needing our own live-in police officer) will come along. Mortgage guy said it's kind of like a crap shoot, but that he can get us financing regardless and wished us luck. (Gotta love a lender with a sense of the absurd!)

Everyone is healthy. Everyone is cold. I love flannel. I love wool. Rah! Rah! Rah!

Alrighty, and on that note, I am going to go tuck the covers over my babies, kiss their little noggins and curl up for a short winter's nap.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

* The dance, not the bullfight. You know, just for clarification.

Hammers and Baskets and Yarn, Oh My!

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Today the boys had a blast using hammers to break up the remaining two inches of ice in our back yard. Smidge stood in the doorway and tried to coax them back inside, where it is warm and they can be nearby. I swear sometimes he's like the family dog. He wants everyone together in the same room, and when we're spread out he wanders from room to room, checking on everyone.

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The boys made a dump run with Zorak while I cleaned the downstairs. And I mean I cleaned. The walls are spotless. The doors are lovely. The baseboard is shiny and white. The windows and sills look child-free. The bathroom still has a good inch of pinesol water soaking around the toilet. I'll get to that tomorrow. Or next month. Eventually. Donna's still not getting a picture of the desk, though. I ran out of steam, sorry.

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Yesterday, we finally bought baskets for library books, and that's been a big hit. Wal-Mart has these tiny little wicker baskets they're marketing as "hampers" -- which we all find hilarious, as they'd hold perhaps one day's clothing, tops -- but they are great for the boys to keep their books in order. And they make wonderful helmets for space boys, as well.

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The boys also picked up yarn for their scarves. (Yes, I know, winter is nearly over. Perhaps they can be more of a fashion statement over the summer?) James' primary criteria was that the yarn be purple. Glorious, magnificent purple! The wonderful lady at our Wal-Mart fabric section then showed him the wide array of yarns available and he immediately latched onto the concept of "soft 'n fuzzy". And Purple. John went for color. Sheer, stark, bold color. He picked a great variegated yarn in colors reminiscent of Rastafarian bands. Not as soft as the fuzzy purple stuff, but definitely a statement there.

Of course I don't have a pattern. Or rather, say it with me, I just modified one. hee hee. I asked the lady in the fabric department how much yarn I could expect to need to make a scarf for a boy "about their size," and she said, "One." WOOHOO! I can do this, and if I totally botch it, the boys can pull it out and I'll start over, right?

I did ask Zorak if James' scarf (which I'm having to knit because my Valiant Knight absconded with my large crochet hook) looked like a normal scarf or like something his blind, palsied mother made for him. Zorak laughed and said it's too soon to tell. *sigh* That's not a good sign.

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Tomorrow is a special Mommy, Daddy & Boys day. The plan is to let the boys take the lead and just spend the day enjoying them. So, you know, nothing new. But still so much fun! And tomorrow night, the boys are going to play with the Wonderful Neighbors while Daddy & Mommy go enjoy music at the Museum. Like grownups! (We'll probably be home in time for bedtime for the boys, but the idea is fun to think about, anyway.)

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Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Injured Blogger

Sorry for the sparse blogging this week. I injured my thumb. That may not sound like much, but 1) it's right on the tip of my thumb and it hurts! and 2) it was just plain weird. I cut it on a spoon! I keep picturing the Sheriff of Nottingham threatening to kill me with a spoon now, and you know, I'm thinking it's possible.

You just don't realize how often you use the tip of your thumb until you have a 3/4" slice across the top of it (think of a very deep paper cut- at an angle so things keep catching on it and yanking it back open- yeah, there ya go).

Anyway, I don't type properly, so my thumb keeps catching on the 'N' button on my keyboard and makes me whimper.

I'll blog more when I get band-aids. In the meantime, I got this from Sarah's blog- the wisdom of her sister- and thought it was wonderful!

Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Our Surprise Visit!

So, I haven't told y'all about meeting Janet, Donna's sister, while we were in Arizona! Yes, we were able to meet the lady without a blog. (And oh, does she need one! It would be wonderful!) As you know, our trip was a bit harried there near the end, and the day-long stop in the Valley I had planned on was scrapped so that we could stay an extra day in Prescott and help as much as we could. Just outside Rock Springs, I remembered Janet had sent me her phone number (we hadn't had internet access for four days at that point, so I wasn't able to email anyone ahead of time to say, "We're on our way!"), so I called Jess, who checked my mail and dug up the number for me. (Thank you, Jess!) We called Janet with a horribly short-notice proposal to meet us for an early supper when we hit the Valley. Her wonderful hubby and most of the clan were out enjoying the fine weather, but she and their precious Little One, L, were up for it. Yippee! I was so excited!

We decided to meet at the Cracker Barrel, as it's centrally located and easy to find. Er, well, all the others in the US are easy to find. This one, however, is easy to spot from a distance, but to actually arrive there, you really have to want it. We thought for sure she'd be there waiting for us, as we made our third lap around the Interstate and frontage road looking for the entrance. Fortunately, we arrived before we ran out of gas and were happily enjoying the rocking chairs and oversized checkers games when Janet called... wanting to know how to get *in* the parking lot. (See? It wasn't just us!)

Here we all are, after supper. Tired, but refreshed after a fun visit. James is telling Zorak "yes" in sign language. I guess he didn't want to ruin the smile.

We had such a nice visit! Janet is so kind and funny. She really does need to blog because she's got a store of wisdom and insight that the world truly needs to have. She's funny, too, and very gracious. Not to mention lovely. Zorak ran herd on the end of the table, so she and I were able to visit quite a bit. We got several uninterrupted sentences in! (Thanks, Honey!)

Her littlest one is absolutely darling, and is so sweet. She's got the same vibrant sparkle in her eyes that you can see in Donna's photos of Katie. (You can definitely tell they're cousins.) She and John got along famously and had a blast on the porch after supper, both yelling very loudly and then asking each other, "Did that hurt your ears?" I'm not sure what they thought was so hilarious, but they would both crack up and do it again. I wish we'd had more time. These kids would have had a blast at a park or a playplace. As it was, though, all four children were pretty good the entire time.

Here they are, all hanging out. Only James seems to realize there's a camera. L and the Smidge are deeply engaged in conversation. Don't know what John's doing...

Zorak was very impressed with L. Not only was she just cute as a bug during supper (and don't believe a thing Janet says- this little girl was very well-behaved!) but on the way out, she dropped her candy cane and it broke, and she didn't cry. That touched him, and the boys each got her another one. The boys love to look at the pictures and ask when we'll get to visit with them again. I hope it's soon.

One more shot- this is the yelling and laughing game. It's L's turn to yell. So cute!




Yikes- I forgot to resize that last one. Be right back... Ahhh, much better. Nite!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

I think we wore them out.

It is 8:50pm. My home has been silent for the last twenty minutes. All three children are out cold! Wow, that's refreshing, yet creepy.

We got out of the house today. It wasn't much of an adventure for folks who are normally mobile; for us as of late, it was sheer decadence! We had many things to do, but time being of the essence, we had to prioritize: oil change, groceries, library run.

Yeah, you know it -- we hit the library.

I cannot tell you what that has done for my mood, as well as for the boys' need to spread their little angelic wings and run like the wind. (Preferably somewhere that isn't iced over.) And no, we didn't run in the library, but going to and from, it was a heavenly free-for-all.

The boys have a fresh stack of library books piled snugly atop their pillows. We have a couple of great new read alouds.

James found Roald Dahl in the Juvenile Fiction corner of the library. He nearly wiped them out of everything they have. That was a wonderful chance to talk with him about the tens of thousands of other children in our county who probably love Roald Dahl, as well, and that there are only a limited number of books at the library. I was able to model this behavior by not checking out the remaining fifteen O'Brian books, myself. Sometimes it's hard to be a good role model. he he

John actually picked something from an area other than the dinosaur section! He got a book on spiders. (Yes, he's branching out!) Oh, and a book on airplanes. He proudly hauled his booty around the library, anxious to sit down and read for a while. He actually whined when it was time to leave. That's a hard hill to die on, really. I didn't want to leave, either, but for now the Smidge reigns on our timing for Public Activity, and he was done. So we came home and soaked our parched little minds in fresh books. Ahhhhhh.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Sidebar Stuff

Y'all may notice some changes in the sidebar. I'm trying to clear out dead links, and streamline the process (make it rico y suave). Obviously, I'm still working on it.

I have deleted two blogs because I simply cannot ever get their pages to load. They're great blogs (and I spend HOURS there the once or twice a year that I can trick my computer into accessing the pages), but I just can't get there from here. So, Modus Operandi and Homeschooling 101, I miss you guys, and please know that taking you off the sidebar was nothing personal at all. If I could find a way to subscribe to your blogs and get them in email, I'd do it in a heartbeat. :-(

Dy

Wild Mondays

Normally, I don't care to share our less-than-perfect days because although we all have them, the few times I've dared to share that my children have normal fits and starts in their journey, just like every other non-lobotomized child on the planet, someone always feels the need to be a jerk about my children and ya know, that's just crappy. So, no comments on this one (If you want me, you know where to find me.)

Anyhow, Mondays can sometimes feel like a fresh start to a new week. Other times they have more of a wild-animal-loose-in-the-bathroom feel to them. Today was a little of both. I wrote this email at 11:30 this morning (edited slightly for public consumption):

The boys got up- they woke me up by assembling a glow-in-the-dark 3-d dinosaur puzzle on my head. "Mama, can you put the legs in?" I tried. I couldn't find a notch. I gave up. (This took all of two seconds.) "Mama, the legs aren't on." *mumble, mumble* Yes, I know. It's a legless dinosaur. That's why they're extinct. Jacob pounces on my head. James shoves his bony knee a little further into my right kidney. Ugh, what time is it? John says it's time to eat. James says it's 8:39. Crap, crap, and double crap. That means Zorak is gone and we're stranded again.

I tried to get up, but got clotheslined by the alarm clock cord. What the -- Oh. He tucked the alarm clock under his pillow so I wouldn't hear it. (In spite of repeated entreaties to believe me when I say I'd rather get up with him than sleep in and awaken to the Breakfast Brigade, Zorak still believes what I *really* want is to sleep in. It's sweet, just not first thing in the morning.)

Breakfast is nutritionally bereft cereal. They start in on one another. The usual bossy 6yo and the meanspirited retaliation that goes with siblings. Jacob coughs up a ton of mucous onto his breakfast. The boys are fascinated and completely grossed out. I take that opportunity to break up the posturing before they can really latch on to each other, redirect them, and then I clean up Jacob. No Latin, no Bible over breakfast.

While getting the kitchen tidy, Jacob escapes the high chair and does a Coyote Ugly on the tray. I remove him from the show and he begins screaming.

James decides he doesn't want to memorize this week's Bible verse b/c it's "too hard" (It's Luke 6:31- do unto others as you would have others do unto you- I'm thinking this is a psychological block) but he wants to make a flow chart of all the chapters in the Bible and how many verses are in each chapter. Somehow, *that* doesn't seem daunting at all!

John is booby trapping the dining room. I need to remember to ask for a map with all the traps marked. Some of them are painfully good.

Jacob has not quit screaming since I took him offstage.

OK, go get dressed. You have sweats on the ironing board in Mommy & Daddy's room. Fresh sweaters are in the closet. I tend to Smidge while they're "getting dressed". He stops yelling just long enough for me to realize... they're not getting dressed. They've been up there fifteen minutes. James comes flying down just about then, in his undies. "Mom, my sweats are nowhere up here." (Did I mention he went blind a few months ago? Totally blind. Can't differentiate color, shape, or texture at all. I don't know how he's kept from falling down the stairs.) So I go up, and sure enough, on top, just beside the red polka dotted snowsuit we force Jacob to wear (it's a girl's suit, but hey, everyone needs therapy for something, right?) are the coveted red sweats. And the grey ones. Oh, and look, the blue and yellow ones... "Ohhhhhh!" He says, "You mean *there*! OK!" (At least he's positive and upbeat about his disability. I guess that's something.)

I check on John. He's wearing James' church pants and (this is priceless) one of Jacob's pullover shirts! John is a solid size six. This thing is a size 18 mos. I don't know how he got in it, let alone didn't notice that it wasn't what you'd call "comfy"! The sleeves didn't even come to his elbows and the arms below the sleeve were turning blue. The body barely covered his chest, so his Buddha belly stuck out in all its glory! ROFLOL! So we got that sorted out. "Honey, sometimes the clothes get put on the wrong color hangers, but you can usually tell if it's a mistake." He laughed, "No, this was on a red hanger (one of Jacob's)! *giggle*" Yes, he's actually a very bright child. Usually.

Meanwhile, Smidge is halfway up the stairs and irate about something...

I just typed the whole thing with Jacob draped over me like a stole, refusing to go see the brothers. I finally gave him a lollipop to get him off me and he headed straight up the stairs to show the brothers. That was the last lollipop... Is this intuitive on their part???

You know what? We're watching a movie and eating chocolate until two. I am not even going to attempt math under these conditions!

And you know, we didn't do math. We didn't do Latin. We read Time Quest and Old Granny Fox. We played several games of Chinese Checkers. We identified birds and fixed supper together.

I took a lot of deep breaths. They got to run around and be silly, wonderful little boys. We had a snow day in honor of the ice rink on our back lawn. We had a really great day. The moral of the story is... well, I don't know what the moral is. I just know that today I was reminded that a day that starts off less-than-perfect can still end up as a wonderful day together, if you'll let it.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Repost from earlier tonight-

Maaannnnn (whine!)

We braced for a big storm! Weather watch, every warm body in town out buying foods they'll never eat if they survive this storm, hauling out the space heaters and wondering what to burn for heat if the power goes out...

And we got two measly inches of ice. It's like God's Sonic cup spilled in our back yard. Two inches of those little rabbit-turd sized ice chunks, which have since melted over into a nice, textured glaze. Admittedly, it was a little humorous to watch the birds land in the yard... and keep going when they hit the ice. However, we didn't put our own little birds out to scamper and brain themselves on the hard, frozen ground.

Eh, we played Charades, Medal of Honor (ok, I knitted, the guys played Medal of Honor), watched a movie. We had a wonderful dinner and played word games. I hoped somebody would nap (me) but that didn't pan out. The boys played with their gears (All Hail the Moving Parts!) I worked on math a bit (almost through Ch. 2!) and Zorak worked on a spreadsheet for his brother. It was a quiet, productive day. (But we'd have rathered to have gone sledding!)

Smidge is still not feeling up to par, but he does seem to be improving. Many gross details to indicate that, but I won't traumatize you with them. Suffice it to say the boys vacillated between laughing hysterically and gazing with awe. Ew.

Time to hand the keyboard over to Zorak, who is doing mathy things with sciency twists for the Nieces today. Fun! Fun! Oh yeah, and I have homework to do! Guess I ought to get to it!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Where's the Snow?

DRAT! Blogger told me it couldn't post it and then it DID.

So I re-posted. And then I had TWO.

So, erm, that would be Double-Drat, then, wouldn't it?

Ok, well, g'nite!

Dy

Photos for Y'all

Photos for y'all tonight. Photobucket has added this very nifty "Blog 'Em" feature, and aside from the fact that I truly appreciate any business that will actually use the word, "'Em", I also happen to appreciate this particular added feature! Go Photobucket!

This first picture is a milestone in several ways. It is our first attempt at using the timer feature on our new camera. (Notice the somewhat harried expression on my face- I was the fortunate soul chosen to run across the snow and ice in less than the alloted ten seconds. The camera is so far away because Zorak's "little brother" is six foot nine! We had to back waaayyyyy up!) It is also the first known photo of the Little Brother and his future Little Woman as an engaged couple! (We are so excited! He picked a good 'un!) It is also the first photo in a while that James isn't making an exceptionally estranged face... (we don't know who he's talking to, either...)

These folks are, from L-R Zorak (strangling? John, in the blue), Me (gasping for air), James (in red, talking to the camera) Zorak's Mom (AKA- GRANNY!), Jacob (talking to GRANNY!) and being held by Uncle L, and The-Future-Aunt-M.  

This next one would be James, making his regularly scheduled photo expressions. We fought this for a year and finally realized someday he won't be a goofy little boy anymore and we will cherish these expressions so very much. Thankfully, he's given us plenty to cherish. :-)

Smidge and the run-away caramel spoon. He grabbed the spoon, headed out the kitchen door... and this is where he sat for half an hour, chewing on the rapidly cooling caramel and watching his socks freeze to the sidewalk. Tons of fun when you're one!

Our son, Grace... I have no idea how this happened. As you can see by his expression, though, it didn't damped his enthusiasm one bit.

OK, I also feel compelled to point out that we are playing in four or five inches of fresh snow and the boys are wearing only hooded sweatshirts for warmth. They are not waterproof. That is because in New Mexico, it's a "dry snow" (similar to the "dry heat" you hear so much about in Arizona...) It's just not that cold!

I will post photos of playing in the snow out here (if we get snow- right now we have two lovely inches of ice that seems to have escaped from a Sonic Drive-Thru. You know the kind- it looks exactly like that.) The attire is completely different. It's the strangest thing...

Kiss those babies, and enjoy their funny little ways!
~Dy

Photobucket

This is a test post from Photobucket.com

Cabin Fever

I figured it out! The grumpiness, the grouchiness, and the overall, "ARG-iness" of this week is probably due to a bad case of cabin fever! WOOHOO! I'm not losing my mind. Oh, the boys will be so relieved to hear that!

The older two boys are all healthy now. Smidge isn't getting any better. (But we're not giving up on him.) I need to find a new pediatrician, as we are currently without one. Our beloved ped was charged with child molestation a couple weeks ago. *sigh* That does make it a little awkward, ya know. Zorak is getting recommendations from the guys at work and we have to find a new one. In the meantime, Smidge is so tired and out of it that he has begun to look like Spicoli, which probably isn't good.

I steam cleaned our couch yesterday. That went well. Then I spot treated the carpets and... the carpet cleaner died. Ew! So right now, the living room reeks of a very strong chemical smell, and if you walk around in socks you'd think we're living with an angry cat.

However, there is hope on the horizon. Zorak is supposed to bring the Suburban to me in a little bit, so I can run all the errands that should have been run by Wednesday (at the latest!) And on Tuesday the temps are supposed to get above freezing at some point during the day! Yippee! We can sit on the porch and get some fresh air.

How do y'all combat cabin fever?

Kiss those babies! I'm off to snuggle my little sick monkey.
~Dy

Just When I'm About to Throw in the Towel...

I get this (see, Donna, I'm writing it down, too!):

James: Mom, did the Ancient Greeks really believe Athena was as big as the statue in the Parthenon?

Me: Yes, probably bigger.

James: Yeah? Well, our God is way bigger than that!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Happy Inauguration Day!

Today we're going to the Wonderful Neighbors to watch the Presidential Inauguration. The boys are excited, in the distracted way you get excited about events in your world when you're six and four. Smidge will be happy to run laps around their house. I am looking forward to witnessing history. (Yes, I know, we have one of these every four years, but we only have so many during one lifetime and I plan to enjoy each one since I'm no longer in that distracted stage, which, for me, lasted well past six years of age...)

Enjoy your day with your children, love on them and cherish them.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Game Reviews

We've begun our family time after supper again -- since supper has been ready earlier now that we're back in our groove.

Last night was Chinese Checkers, which was a huge hit with everyone (even Jacob had fun playing with the leftover balls). The boys woke this morning and immediately set up the board. That's a good sign.

We played Charades for Kids earlier in the week. It's a fun game, but honestly I wouldn't recommend spending the money on the Kids' version. Maybe it's us, but we prefer the all-out free-for-all, the ongoing guessing process, the working together, and the interaction of playing Charades more free-form. So, we kept the cards and ditched the game board (game board?? Yes, because there has to be one winner, doesn't there? Blech.) Much more fun our way, we think. *wink*

If you've never experienced a four year-old acting out phrases, and a six year-old trying to guess, you've got to come play Charades at our house! That's more fun than the game itself.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Combining The Well-Trained Mind and Robinson Curriculum

I get a few questions each month about how that's workin' for us. When my printer's working, the whole thing flows like a Class II river. Really. It's not that hard.

Now, I must add a caveat here: we eat sugar; I sit with my children; we do our things together. I answer questions. I don't know that Dr. Robinson would approve. (OK, I'm certain he wouldn't.) Do you know why we do things this way? Because I'm the Mommy. That's my job. We all like it this way, and are thankful for the enjoyment of learning together, living together and exploring together. (Not to mention the sheer joy of M&M's.) However, I'm not widowed, and not in a position where I have a need to make my children self-sufficient straight out of the gate. If something were to happen to me (like, say, a more permanent alien abduction), though, Zorak could sit down with the disks and, after a few pots of coffee and a new ink cartridge, pick right up with the boys and find a way to continue to give them a wonderful education.

Obviously, we aren't strict Well-Trained Minders, though, either. *sheepish grin* We use a combination of the two- and we love it. So, in light of receiving questions about this seemingly odd combination, I thought I'd write up our reasons for using both and how we make it work (and title it appropriately, so I can find it in the archives, unlike trying to track down the posts on "why we love Math-U-See", which has been, thus far, unfruitful.) So, here ya go-

I love the WTM because:
* it is rigorously structured, thorough, and produces the education Zorak and I most want for the boys. It goes deeper on content than any other program I've ever seen simply due to the four-year repeat cycle. Nothing is stale because each time you go deeper and broader, covering more and learning more. It's the education we wish we'd had. Having suffered through six full years of American History with no foundation in Western Civilization, I can say I know for certain that's not the way to develop competent citizens.
* The Well-Trained Mind does a better job of helping us prepare the boys for Citizenship and Statesmanship as adults than any other philosophy I've seen.
* I love the formal study of Logic, in all its forms. What a great way to corral a jr. high age child's natural tendency to question *everything*! That has a feel of, "Wow, God did that on purpose, didn't He?"
* Latin, which I don't consider optional in a Classical Education. Latin allows the brain to comprehend the logic and history in our culture. It opens the doors to the past in a way that translations do not. It creates a structure in the brain that I haven't seen replicated elsewhere, even in the harder engineering sciences. SO that's another point of TWTM that we love.

NOW, for what I love about RC! :-)

* The quality of literature for young minds, even for advanced young minds (or perhaps especially for them- as it's difficult to find higher level modern literature without delving into unsavory themes) is, for me, beyond value. The stories are phenomenal.
* The vocabulary is rich and varied.
* It's easy to follow and I love knowing that I can give the boys an RC book to read and not have to worry about them picking up sentence fragmentation (a la Magic Tree House), poor character emulation (a la most modern children's popular books), or encountering inappropriate content (such as premarital relations, dating- which isn't OK for a 6yo, anti-Christian themes... I could go on!)

*The science fits right in with how I prefer to "do" science for little guys. It's reading. They explore plenty on their own and don't need pre-made experiments right now. Right now they need exposure to the world around them, and RC's "science" books before the actual Physics book he recommends are exactly the kind of enjoyable, engaging, interesting stories that capture a child's imagination and open the door for discussion and exploration together after he's done reading. LOVE that aspect.

***And the biggie (this makes Zorak a bit twitchy to discuss, but if we're being honest here...) IF something should happen to me, RC would allow the boys to continue to be homeschooled. Admittedly, I'm the one who did all the legwork and research into homeschooling and curriculum preparation, so it's "my realm" by default. Zorak trusts me to make the best decision for our children that I can, and I did. But I don't know that he would have the resources available to teach three boys in the manner I've set up to do it. After all, I have all day, every day and thanks to his dedication and effort, I don't have to work. If I should die, he would have to take on my role as teacher, as well as picking up the slack everywhere else.

Since the boys are already familiar with RC, the transition wouldn't be that big for them. They would have to make some adjustment, because I just don't feel like they need to be quite as independent right now as Mr. Robinson does *wink* and I am admittedly a lot more involved, but at least it wouldn't be totally foreign. If they can read, Zorak can move them into RC. He could do it without having to learn all the ropes of the different programs. He can still give the boys a thorough, wonderful, academically rigorous education without me.

Finally, how we combine them!

We use Math-U-See for Math, Writing Road to Reading for Language Arts, Prima Latina for Latin, Plants Grown Up for Bible Study, SOTW for history. We use Robinson Curriculum for reading, science, vocabulary, and supplemental reading that corresponds to whatever else is going on.

Others may blend it differently. There is certainly room to maneuver without sacrificing the quality of education. It's a wonderful mix for our family and allows the perfect level of independent work and snuggle-time-work that I, personally, feel like we need. (The boys are 6, 4, and 1- as they get older, they will get more independent and will probably rely more heavily on the RC-style of independent study.)

I blend.

I print off and turn 'em loose.

Thanks for letting me put these thoughts in a more permanent place, so I don't have to re-type it so often. ;-) If you combine TWTM and RC, would you please share how you do it so that others can get more than one perspective?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Idiot Criminals (PG for language)

Normally I read about the "Stupid Criminal" stories and shake my head. Tonight I'm writing one and am ready to rip somebody's head off.

Last night I spent several hours online with Hewlett-Packard's customer service, trying to fix my grouchy printer. I have to say the customer service rep was very thorough, patient and eventually determined that it may be a cartridge problem. So, since the cartridge is brand new and therefore still under warranty, he arranged to send one to us. Yippee!

Yeah, until tonight at supper when the phone rings. And it's somebody wanting me, by first name, and completely failing miserably at pronouncing it. (Sometimes having a unique spelling does help weed out the solicitors, *grin*, but she mangled it so badly that I honestly didn't think it was a derivation of my name in any of its androgynous forms. She finally attempted the last name and got it close enough that I figured they were shooting for my name.) Supposedly she was calling from HP, they sent us a black ink cartridge, yeah, yeah, and???

"Well, we need to confirm your credit card number so we can get that out to you."

*snort* *sputter* *gag* Excuuuuuuuse me?

Shyah, ok, primer on the term "warranty" for ya. That indicates you're shipping it at your cost, not mine. You're not getting my credit card number. *snort* Thanks, though.

"We need it for security."

*literally laughing in this gal's face* Yeah, I'm sure you do, and security is exactly why I'm not giving it to you!

"OK, fine. Good-bye." And she hung up.

Jackass.

However, this little foray into the world of the intellectually hindered is a strong reminder that while the moron making the call may not be smart enough to walk her way out of an ampitheater, somebody was smart enough to hack something, somewhere. *sigh*

Of course, nobody at Verizon is available to help me track down the call. Nobody at Hewlett-Packard is available to field questions or concerns. Thanks, guys! (I know, not their fault. I'm grumpy.)

SO, just a friendly reminder- keep your passwords secure, don't give our pertinent information over the internet, or on the phone. And certainly never share information with someone who has phoned you!

ARGH. I'm going to play Chinese Checkers with the boys. I'll be back to blog a real blog later.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Snow Day

Another wonderful thing about homeschooling is that you don't have to cancel school just because it snows. This morning we enjoyed our lessons while keeping one eye on the tantalizing snow flurries as they grew and grew. By the time there was enough to play in, we'd done math, Latin, and spelling/phonics.

Then we played.

Now they're cold and wanting hot chocolate. Mmmm, I hear a story coming on! And we didn't have to get in the car, go out on the big-scary roads, keep one ear glued to the radio for closures and updates! What a wonderful way to spend the day.

How do you guys enjoy your unexpected snow days?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like This...

(Sing it with me, everyone!)
There'd be days like this, my Mama said.
*mama said, mama said, yeah!*

We'll start with the good...
Today was a good day academically- math, Latin, reading, reading. (We read quite a bit today.) The boys nearly imploded when I stopped reading Old Granny Fox (Burgess) just as Granny Fox was in Farmer Brown's Boy's sights. But I placated them (and the need to do some cooking) by asking them if they thought she would get out of the situation, then supplying the necessary very big paper and many crayons for them to draw the scenarios they pictured. The results were truly fantastic. I laughed and giggled and enjoyed them thoroughly.

James' art work is gaining great depth: he used a darker shade of red to show her farthest two legs shadowed by her body, her body is positioned so she is leaping at an angle to the paper, and he included "motion lines" behind her to indicate that she was leaping (in case anyone thought she was falling, I suppose).

John's art work is along the impressionistic side, leaving tons of room for interpretation. The stories he makes to go along with the drawings, however, are rich, detailed, and generally involve some Tragic Act of Nature and a helicopter. Farmer Brown and His Boy didn't fare well in John's narration.

Oh, and the house looks great! John mopped the kitchen floor today. The mop is twice his height, and it was a struggle, but he did it, and it was beautiful! Not perfect in Martha Stewart terms, but I think it just shines. I know he did when he finished.

That pretty well concludes the positive portion of today. Thanks for tuning in.

****

Then the bad...

I think the high today was 20'. Two of three children are now expelling mass crud from their bodies at alarmingly high velocities (the Grapefruit Seed Extract is working wonders on whatever had lodged in their lungs, though, and I'm thrilled to see it coming *out*!) This combination of factors pretty much ruled out the long overdue library excursion I had planned.

Jacob is showing a rather pointed preference not to be located in his crib. When he is wide awake, he will lay down on the couch, on our bed, on the floor and pass right out. Not a problem. You can wash him, change him, roll him over like a little steam roller and he'll sleep right through it. But even from a deep, comatose-like sleep he will leap to full alert mode when lowered into his crib.

I'm inclined to go with it (after all, who wants to sleep where we aren't comfortable), except for the fact that, well, between him pinning me down and Zorak's Elbow of Death (which I can generally avoid if not under a small child), I'm really tired.

So, I'm thinking it's time for a toddler bed. Could it be? Now? Already? *sigh* He may be ready, but I'm not. quite. there. yet. Could it be anything else? Really?

And finally, the UGLY...

Our local homeschool group is taking meals to a homeschooling family that's facing some medical issues right now. This week is my turn. Today I prepared a truly lovely meal. It was a wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free, peanut-free, low vitamin-K meal that promised to be succulent and tasty! But then... *insert lost stare* I don't have *any* idea what caused it, but the chicken exploded! I mean that in a very literal sense. Zorak went so far as to approach me and say, "Erm, may I inquire what the chicken did?" I couldn't take that over! So tomorrow morning I get to call, apologize profusely for detonating their food and arrange to bring fresh, non-volatile food to them in the afternoon. *sigh*

Ah, well, I am going to do some math. The boys are over at the Wonderful Neighbors house, watching a movie and enjoying their kerosene heater before bed. Heat pumps don't work extraordinarily well in this level of cold. I got to stay behind and put the Smidge to bed, and am sure wishing we had a nifty kerosene heater to warm our tootsies by tonight! (See, I can handle the Elbow of Death because Zorak's body temperature rises at night- so he gets in first, warms my spot, and I get to enjoy all the benefits of an electric blanket with none of the side effects or concerns! Definitely worth the occasional bruised temple, trust me.) Zorak is over at the Wonderful Neighbor's, "watching" the kids. (I think the adults are actually gabbing in the kitchen, but that's the nice thing about having kids like these four and parents who are all friends!)

So, I'm thinking do a little homework, get an early bedtime, perhaps an early start tomorrow, and hopefully we'll be hosting a much better sing-a-long tomorrow night!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Ch-ch-ch-chaaaannngggeesss!

Well, I had a deep, thought-provoking post about forgiveness and healing. But then I checked my email and I got this from Claudia, and well, this is so much better! (We'll talk about that other stuff tomorrow -- for tonight, enjoy!)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

GOOD BYE TO 2004!
I want to thank all of you who have taken the time and trouble to send me your chain letters over the past year. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy.

Because of your concern...
I no longer can drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans.

I no longer drink anything out of a can because I will get sick from the rat feces and urine.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a stupid number for which I will get the phone bill from hell with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan.

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer date the opposite sex because they will take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. (Jeeze, the Bible did *not* mention it works that way!)

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time).

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.

Yes, I want to thank all of you soooooooo much for looking out for me!

I will now return the favor. If you don't send this e-mail to it least 1200 people in the next 60 seconds, a large bird with diarrhea will crap on your head at 5:00 pm this afternoon and the fleas of a thousand camels will infest your armpits.

I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of a friend of a friend's neighbor's cousin twice removed.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

The Voting is Over

Well, guys, the 2005 Best of Blog Awards voting is over. I'd venture to say the campaign was a sucess. There was a great deal of interactive blogging, new blogs, new awareness of blogging and all it entails, raised from the whole thing. Thanks to everyone who voted, no matter who you voted for- just "Thank You" for being involved in your online blogging community and keeping it fun and informative.

I'd like to share the finalists from the Education/Homeschooling Blog category (although there were many, many great categories! Browse through them if you have some time. You won't be sorry.):

The Homeschooling Revolution, blogged by Izzy Lyman. Not only does she blog, but she writes, too!

Relaxed Homeskool, by Kim, a homeschooler with a flair for great photos who is in touch with the news, the camp, and the overall coolness of livin' the homeschool life!

Tulip Girl, a long-time Classic Adventures favorite read, filled with a little bit of everything- from what's happening in the Ukraine to the latest on Ezzo. She keeps a wealth of information, fellowship, and fun growing in her garden.

Hipteacher, this is a public school teacher with a love of kids and hope for the future. Her blog was new to Classic Adventures, since, well, we tend to hang out with other homeschoolers, just as I'm sure Hipteacher hangs out with other public school teachers. Her blog is an interesting, funny, and at times heartbreaking peek into what a teacher sees in her classroom.

The Quiet Life, ahhh, another Classic Adventures favorite! Our own Dear Donna, with her funny wisdom, kind words, awesome retro photos, and her annual "Show Me Your Household Apparatus" blog! If you haven't had morning coffee and toast with Donna yet, you really must go do it now. I'll wait.

Homeschool Buzz is a homeschool news-type blog. I admit I hadn't seen it before, but it's filled with homeschool news from all around the world (which is nice!), as well as a "Daily Manna" blurb in the upper left-hand corner, curriculum choices on the right-hand sidebar, and a huge, MONGO-sized selection of online homeschooling resources in her left-hand sidebar! Neat stuff.

Guilt-Free Homeschooling, blogged by Carolyn. She's wonderful! She is a homeschooling mom in the season of her life that allows her to look back and say, "Yeah, I wouldn't have worried quite so much about this," or "Step back, have a cup of tea, and try something different -- see? This isn't etched in stone." I know there are many out there who are in this position, but Carolyn is kind enough to actually do it for us! This is another blog we've known and loved here for a while, and it's always worthwhile to go spend a few minutes touching base with Carolyn.

Amy Loves Books, this is another public school teacher blogging her thoughts and experiences along the way. Amy's blog touches more on the personal journal side of things than some of the other ps teachers I've read. She has a great writing style and is very realistic, witty, and honest in her writing. Again, I enjoyed peering down the path we didn't choose and being reminded that they're just like us, learning to read one digraph at a time, hoping for a good day each morning.

PEDABLOGUE, blogged by Mike. I have no idea why this garnered as few votes as it did, because it's a g-r-e-a-t blog! I think, though, that his readership is too busy actually doing things to go vote. When the boys enter college, it is my hope and prayer that they each have at least one (preferably an entire cadre) of instructors and mentors like this guy.

And while this blog wasn't in the Education/Homeschool category, and it's definitely not a Mommy Blog (although I did see a cat picture there recently -- nearly fell out of my chair), it's a wonderful blog filled with a little bit of everything to get your brain working, pique your curiosity about things you haven't yet explored, and in my case, provide a wry smile to get me started on my day. Mental Multivitamin, hosted by Mrs. M-mv and the rest of the M-mv clan! Congrats on your strong showing in the BoB Awards!

What a fun experience!

And now, back to our regularly scheduled blogging.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

What to Blog?

It was Saturday. We're all still functioning around 60% capacity, so it's not like we pulled out all the stops today and had a high-blog-content day. Those days happen.

Slept til nine- all of us.
Panicked when we realized it was Saturday.
Got haircuts.
Had lunch.
Drove around to look for homes.
Didn't find any we could afford without selling a couple of kidneys.
Came home.
Didn't make the trash run.
Played in the living room.
Played in the dining room.
Played upstairs in the hallway.
WEEE! That was fun!

Tomorrow is church and we hope to hear from our realtor, who was going to look at two homes today and if either one lists and is in our range, he'll take us to see them tomorrow.

Hope you are all having a perfectly splendid weekend!!
Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Third Vow

Well, I tried to Google the term to find y'all something substantial, but the previous entry on it was pretty much the most I could find. So I'll just explain it here, but for an official stance on it, you can talk with your pastor and he will most likely be familiar with it.

The third vow in a marriage ceremony, as we understood it and incorporated it, is a vow taken by those attending the wedding, where they recognized that they witnessed the couple's vows to love, honor and cherish and that they, as witnesses, vowed to uphold that union, vowed to support it and not counsel unwisely or foolishly, vowed to do all in their power to not only just "not get in the way" (phrased much more eloquently in the actual ceremony), but to actively encourage good will and be a source of strength for the marriage and the family formed by that union.

Good stuff. Hope this helps.
~Dy

Continuing Education

A thread on the WTM forums asked us what we'd like to do or accomplish? The lists were great. Then Steph carried the theme over to her blog. And I, being the sheep I am, just had to jump on this one.

But first, a little backup is in order. Zorak is a math-man. I've mentioned before that he reveres certain mathematical figures the way MFS reveres our dear Mr. Shakespeare. Not only does he love it, but he's good at it.

His natural aptitude and inborn fortitude leave me feeling somewhat incompetent, to say the least, when it comes to all things Math. And I just don't like that feeling. Granted, it's been great fun to learn along with the boys (God bless Math-U-See, which has, I admit, cleared up a few confusing tidbits here and there), but I feel I ought to be more than just a step or two ahead of them on a regular basis.

Zorak is eager to teach them higher math, and he most likely will take over the bulk of the work at some point in this realm. However, just as I want the boys to feel comfortable coming to either of us with questions about history, science, literature, and life, I want them to feel comfortable coming to either of us about, yes, math.

So, I had two choices: keep whining about not knowing math very well, or quit whining and remedy the situation. In response, I began studying from Zorak's pre-calculus text this weekend. (Nothing like taking one's own advice to set an example, right?)

So far, so good. Of course, so far it's all review and I'm not about to show James that it's stuff he could be doing. Let's think of the first few chapters as the, erm, Confidence Boosting period before we get down to brass tax, shall we?

Zorak, meanwhile, is literally salivating at the thought of enlightening me in The Wonderful World of Math! Heaven help me, what have I started??

So, allow me to modify the original question: what would you like to will you learn or accomplish this year?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

I may have pictures for you!

I didn't get a chance to tell you all, with all the hullabaloo that's happened since we've been back, but we did have the opportunity to sneak in a quick visit with a surprise guest (and one of her beautiful children) while we were on vacation! I've emailed her for permission to post pictures, and will hold off on the whole tale until I hear back.

Stay tuned!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

What Shall We Do Now, Mother?

While I was fixing supper and the boys were doing projects in the dining room, our four year old, John, came to me and said, "Mom, Jacob has a mea culpa." This translates roughly to, "Jacob dumped something in the dining room and the mess is definitely his fault, not ours." Not bad for a first attempt at using a foreign language in daily discourse.

Today we did double duty on the house, hoping to recover from the mess that *other* family left in our foyer. For the first time in over a week, I am not twitchy over the condition of the house. The boys came first, and I'm not sorry for putting the house second in this case, but I am so Very Happy to have a tidy home once again.

The boys played and played. The weather was gorgeous (still is! This is sleeping-on-the-porch weather!) They rode bikes with the Wonderful Neighbors. They had ever so much fun. John is getting more comfortable getting on and off his bike. James may never get off training wheels, as he now rides at a slight angle, always leaning on one wheel. The image brings to mind the old Benny Hill sketches. Smidge was so happy to run and frolic like the little puppy he is at heart! Other Wonderful Neighbor came by with her little 9month old. Neighborly visiting, kids laughing, fresh coffee and nice weather. Today was downright Rockwellian.

The Suburban has been returned to us with a nifty, tight tranny. The Aamco guy solved the Mystery of the Vanishing Water for us. The water pump is on its way out. Naturally, the Aamco guy told Zorak he'd hook us up and "cut you a deal". Yeah, don't take it. $300 to replace the water pump, which may be the going rate, I don't know. What got us was his sales pitch: "That includes both the upper and lower radiator hoses. Yours need replacing." Do they, now? Funny, since one is less than a month old and the other one is less than a week old. It has a shiny, clean shield on it. It has sparkly new clamps. Yeah, we'll replace the water pump ourselves, thanks! The gall of some people is just stunning sometimes.

So, that's what Zorak did this afternoon, and now he's out zipping around town, "test driving". (He's actually getting Chinese food from Jerry's, but we can call it a test drive, right?)

This weekend we'll cruise town, trying to pick up chicks er, house listings. We've got a favorites list going, but haven't been able to reach the realtor to find out how long they've had contracts on them. That's our theme. Here is the typical conversation:
ooohhh, a house we can afford that's larger than 10 square feet!
Quick, call the realtor!
...K, thanks, anyway.
Contract?
Yup.
Crap.
Yeah.
Wish us luck and send us some happy house hunting vibes, if you don't mind! We could sure use them.

Oh, and Zorak is back from his hunting trip. He caught some sweet and sour chicken for me (it's rare to find sweet and sour chicken in-season like this, you know). I'm going to go enjoy a quiet evening with my Love.

Have a wonderful Friday, enjoy those wonderful children, and as always, Kiss those babies!
~Dy

If You Pour the Pine-Sol IN the Coffee...

Is that a sign that you need more coffee, less coffee, or just a break from cleaning?

The sad thing is, I didn't realize what I'd done until I looked and realized the coffee was the wrong color! I just thought, "Wow, the house is smelling so nice and clean!"

Today the weather is gorgeous, windows are open, doors flung wide. The coffee is brewing, dishes washing, laundry spinning, boys playing (in the laundry) and it feels so very good to be home.

I've been thinking today about marriages, particularly in today's climate, and how very fortunate I am for the friends we have in our life. When we married, we included the "third vow" in our ceremony. Marriage can be difficult enough to navigate, and it was important to us that the people in our life knew that we needed and expected their support through the ups and downs. We wanted those in our life to support our union. This is something we've kept in mind as the years have passed, and while many of the people in our life today may not have been present to take the third vow with the guests at the wedding, they're the kind of folks who would have taken it -- and meant it.

Over the years, I have learned from these friends to be a better wife; more supportive, more understanding. That's helped me to be a happier wife, and person in general, as well. What a wonderful gift! I'm still far (far, far, faaarrrrrr) from perfect, and it's an ongoing process. The process isn't always easy. Sometimes it's hard to take a deep breath and say, "Let's do what you need to do," when what Zorak needs to do isn't necessarily what I wanted to do. But I'm learning, and it's getting easier.

Sometimes we make decisions that are truly terrifying and I'm scared to pieces, but we do it together and it works out well, and I'm learning to remember that the next time a scary decision comes upon us.

Some days it's difficult to smile when Zorak walks in the door at the end of a long day (for both of us) and the first thing out of my mouth is some request (er, demand) like, "Did you get creamer?" Gee, he may have spoken with other people and done other things since that small email in the wee hours of the morning...

Yes, I am learning to remember those things. I don't always get it right, but I want to, and I strive to. And when I forget, I have beautiful friends to give me a gentle reminder that he might have had a busy day, too, out slaying dragons so that I can stay home...

with the boys...

caring for our family...

being the Mama and doing the Mama stuff...

and he brings me creamer, not because he has to...

but because he loves me.

Ask any parent who has uttered a word in traffic that they'd rather not have their children repeat -- your children are listening and watching. They will see that we aren't perfect- there's no getting around that- but will they also see that we love and strive and work together? Is that what we're showing them? It is. Moreso each day. We hope they will be able to say, when they are grown and discussing their ideas about marriage, that they've seen how well it can work when you work together, stick together, and surround yourselves with people who value your union and the strength of marriage, and that they've seen it through us.

Thank you so much, my friends, and my Zorak. What an education we're all getting!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Get Comfy- I have creamer!

Yes, I'm back to my 1200 calorie per day addiction. I'm good with it and Zorak doesn't seem to care. I suppose it's better than bon bons, right?

*****
First things first:
I've noticed some new faces here on the front porch, and wanted to give you all a proper welcome! I'm glad you've come to visit. The coffee's always hot (and a kettle is always on for tea), and you're welcome to come and visit. I look forward to getting to know y'all more. As you've probably noticed, we're terribly informal here: kick your shoes off, grab a cup, and curl up on the porch swing. Share your favorite stories and join right in!

*****
Friends:
Our Wonderful Neighbor offered a lift to the market tonight if we needed to pick up anything. After thinking it over (hmmm, cleaned out the fridge completely before leaving for vacation, made one run to the market for eggs and milk when we pulled in, yup we're out of e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g...), I took her up on the offer.

We had so much fun, just she, the Smidge and I! It's been a long time since grocery shopping wasn't an orchestrated event, timed for optimal blood sugar levels and nominal sleep deprivation in the wee ones. We laughed and joked. We perused! Man, I haven't perused in the market in years! I got out of there with twelve bags of groceries for $40, and it didn't feel like it took very long at all!

The boys will be thrilled to have fresh fruit with breakfast tomorrow, too.

*****
Hobbies:
Zorak has rediscovered an old hobby this week: he's carving. Earlier in the week, he carved a ball inside a hanging cage. He saw a picture once and figured it out from there. (I'm tellin' ya, I am RCA puppy! I have no clue how he can do that!) Tonight he's making a camel. It's beautiful.

He can also weld a truly beautiful bead and decorate the most delicate, ornate wedding cakes. He swears the two skills are connected and are linked directly to manual dexterity.

Whatever it is, I don't have it- I'm pretty much stuck with the blunt force hobbies such as cooking (ok, cooking the way *I* do it, but then I'm not known for my cooking), basic use of power tools, and the occasional (poorly played) round of racquetball.

*****
School:
Tomorrow is our Friday, as we use a four-day school week. It's been a great first week back, and we're having a lot of fun. We have a little tweaking to do. I need to encourage more activity in our routine. Not that I mind having children who sit still for lessons, but to be honest, I think they are just humoring me for some of it and I'd like to draw them into the lessons a bit. There's nothing etched in stone that says we can't compromise and find a blend that truly works well for all of us. Quite the opposite, actually. We're doing this our way so we can, well, do it our way! I just love that.

*****
That's about all for now. The guys at Aamco (which I cannot spell without saying the commercial in my head) have the tranny apart, but they don't know what they're going to do with it. I am praying we have it back by Friday, as we have an appointment with a lender on Friday. We'd kinda like to make that... I hope they figure it out soon!

I'm going to tidy up a bit and prepare for tomorrow. It's supposed to be a gorgeous day and around here, we nab 'em when they come! So we're schooling in the yard and taking some nature walks! Maybe we'll spend some time sketching, too, if the weather holds.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

The Daily Stuff

The Suburban is at the mechanics' now. They checked it out and sure enough, second gear is g-o-n-e. It's in pretty bad shape, and we were only a few days out from having a "drive in reverse only" vehicle. Again. So, fourth transmission coming up! I am SO thankful this one is under warranty! That $450 on the extended warranty was money well spent. Talk about opportunity cost!

This does, however, leave us with only The Mistress for getting around. Technically, only the Big People are now even remotely mobile. Zorak is the only driver in the house, since The Mistress and I haven't gotten to know one another yet. The boys aren't big enough that either of us would dare to plunk them on the back and trust that they'd hold on. *cringe* *shudder* Just the mere thought of what could happen makes me queasy.

I need creamer, and since it's cold out, I'm guessin' tonight's not the night.

Therefore, I'm drinking the coffee black, and while it does keep the headaches at bay, it does nothing for the mindset or the muse.

We had a great supper tonight. The boys helped make the split pea soup, then watched a video on the Humbolt Squid while the soup simmered. Something triggered The Giggles when we prayed, and from there it just built up and flowed right over. We joked and were just plain silly. Zorak made up his usual word-play riddles. The boys made up some of their own. They absolutely butchered their Latin and that made them explode in another fit of hysterical giggles.

Zorak and I couldn't have kept straight faces if we'd tried. The boys were laughing so hard. I thought John would asphyxiate and James had tears streaming down his face.

By bedtime, we were all exhausted. The boys passed right out during story time. Zorak took the Smidge upstairs over an hour ago and hasn't resurfaced, so I'm guessing he's out cold, too.

That leaves me, humming "So long, farewell..." to myself here in the living room. Eh, the children are tucked in, safe and warm. The house is recovering bit by bit. My muse is ignoring me. I believe I'll turn in, too.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

The Feel of Success

Today during Latin, the boys practiced their derivatives, sang Adeste Fidelis, and recited their prayers (The Sanctus and The Doxology). James usually hangs up on the fifth line of the Sanctus, and needs the quiet prodding of me whispering, "Benedictus" to get him going again.

Not today. Today he recited the whole thing without a stumble, without a hitch. It was beautifully done. I was so proud of him for sticking it out over the months, not giving up, not letting his attiude go sour. He did so well, and I thought I would burst.

But I didn't have the chance to congratulate him immediately. No sooner did he say the last "excelsis" than he leapt from his chair and spun around and around, leaping, jumping, mouth wide open, eyes sparkly but hidden behind high, happy cheeks.

"I did it! I did it and I didn't need any help! I did it all by myself!"

Way to go, Kiddo!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Slipping in just one quick blog!

Well, the rest of the day turned out so nicely. The boys opted to recreate the story of Theseus and the Minotaur before we moved on to the re-civilization of Greece. Smidge thought it was hilarious. I narrowly escaped being made to play the Minotaur. It was good stuff.

The evening brought a chill to the air, so clam chowder and homemade wheat-free hush puppies were the order of the day for supper. That hit the spot all around.

While Zorak and I fixed supper, the boys played upstairs. At one point, Zorak went up to check on them (playing happily, engrossed in pirate ships and gears). He asked John if his pirates are the ones that don't do anything. John said, "No, these are the pirates that do anything."

From around the corner, James piped up, "You mean they just go around randomly doing things?"

Zorak just about fell over laughing.

Life is good, isn't it?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

The Weather Makes a Great Motivator!

For me, anyway. After a week of nothing but cold, cold, cold, today is simply, gloriously beautiful!

So, it's one o'clock in the afternoon and we're done. Considering we did not wake up until after nine (that was James and he was first -- we've all been battling some crud since leaving Prescott), we've cruised through school this morning and are now heading outside to ride bikes and clean the Suburban. I tried to talk the boys into letting me ride one of their bikes, but that was a no-go. Ah, well, had to try.

What does our Spring term look like, you ask? (Or not, but I'm telling you anyway.)

John-
Math: Math-U-See Primer, starting with Lesson 12. He's shooting for mastery, although I'm not. Primer is designed for introduction and familiarity. He's loving it, though, so who am I to say, "No, you're doing too well. We must speed up!"
Reading: Writing Road to Reading, reviewed all the first phonograms, introduced the first four two-letter phonograms. Then he read the first three lessons in McGuffay's Primer. Major Gummy Bears for that one!

James-Math: Math-U-See Gamma, starting with reviewing Lesson 5. We've pretty much wandered about and created our own problems, focusing on word problem solving. He's not intimidated by them one bit, and that's what I've been hoping for!
Reading: Two chapters of Burgess' Old Granny Fox, four-letter phoneme review, spelling

Both-Latin: Review, review, review. We're somewhere near Lesson 7-ish. (They're young, we're informal, it's all good.) James does the workbook pages from Prima Latina. John does what he's up for, which is surprisingly quite a bit.
Bible: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made!"
History: We'll do history this afternoon, during snack. This week we're picking up with Chapter 22: The Greeks Get Civilized Again. I am hoping to make Eklek this week!

I've requested a catalog for education from the National Gallery, and am so thrilled about doing more experiential, hands-on Art learning!

OK, well, the natives are restless! I'm out of here. Just wanted to touch base today, as I plan to go to bed at a Decent Hour, and a Decent Hour falls long before the truly good Blogging Hour.

Kiss those babies! And don't forget, if you like what you see here, vote (link in the Best of Blog icon at the top). You can vote daily (which I didn't know until last night.)

~Dy

Back to School Days

I reminded the boys that lessons begin again tomorrow. John said, "Can we do math?" James said, "Oh, good!" Jacob slipped off silently, presumably to start hiding potential read-alouds.

The boys are excited about going back, discovering new things, and having new field trips. I am, too. The Fall was a good term for all of us. It was the first term we've schooled both boys and had a baby around. We had to find new footing, and although we've lost quite a bit of our normal reading to the screaming Babyzilla attacks, we've discovered new ways of integrating lessons into our everyday lives. I asked the boys what they, specifically, looked forward to. Some of their thoughts:

They missed doing Latin games.
They are excited about doing memory work again. (??? Well, ok...)
They've both missed doing math.
Oh, and they've really missed gummy worms and M&M's. (Which are an invaluable part of our daily lessons, of course.)

Those sales in August always sneak up on me, which is a strange sensation. As a child, I had an internal clock that told me they were coming. Or perhaps it was just that my shoes began getting tight and I knew we'd be buying "school clothes" right about then. January back-to-school always came with little fanfare, other than from parents. The children were stripped bare of their mental faculties by too much sugar and no actual structure. Going back to school wasn't quite the "fresh new experience" it had seemed in August.

Either way, the boys' "back to school" experiences are different, both by the nature of being spaced so many years after mine, as well as by the nature of homeschooling. I am glad for that. Yet some things are the same, and as I sat tonight, gathering materials and finishing the odds and ends of the Spring Term plans, I realized I am quite glad for that, too.

Our big project for this term will be art appreciation, to culminate with a fun-filled adventure to the Museum of Art in DC! I must get either a new ink cartridge or a new printer before I can pull this off properly!

Kiss those babies and share with us what your plans are for the Spring. What are you looking forward to?

~Dy