Sometimes The Answer is So Easy

Today was one of those much needed days. We did Latin and math over breakfast. By the time we stopped, we were all giggling so hard it hurt. We read together for a very long time. Then we headed to the Marine Museum.

I'll blog another time about my fondness for memberships and the guilt-free spontaneity they provide, but for now, I'm just going to wallow in the wonder of remembering that occasionally it's OK to say, "Sure!" It's perfectly acceptable to tell your children, "Yes! Let's do it your way!" As a matter of fact, I think it's necessary, and good for all involved. It allows your children the opportunity to explore their world at their leisure and to feel your trust and interest in them from a different angle. It also allows you to glimpse a truly uninhibited peek at how they are designing and forming their inner spaces.

Sometimes it may reflect less-than-noble images, which, if taken with wisdom and grace, can be a guide for you to use in adjusting your own attitude and presentation of life's lessons. Other times you will see a shimmer of the incredible adult who is emerging before your eyes, and you will see it through the eyes of the incredible child who is here with you now, and who still needs you so very much. I saw it through three sets of eyes today, and I'm exhausted, but joyful.

Today I saw the absolutely ecstatic convulsions brought on when an 11-month old sees the floor-to-ceiling aquarium around the corner. I had no idea he was double jointed! We were also afraid he's pop a blood vessel before he could get to the wall to stand up and talk to the fish. His legs couldn't keep up as he flew across the floor uttering, "Oh! FFFFFF! FFFFFFF! Mama! FFFFFF!" Have you ever seen a child so excited he trembles? I love that.

We lunched at the otter pond with our Wonderful Neighbors and walked the nature trail twice. (That was one of the "yes" moments. Why can't we walk back the way we came? Let's go for it!) This trail will be one of our staples for science this year, I can tell.

Four puppet shows, two fossil identification cards and eight dinosaur drawings later, the boys wanted to drive home with the Wonderful Neighbor Girls. I was tempted to say no. Not for any particular reason other than habit. However, there wasn't any reason not to allow them to go along. (Wonderful NeighborMom didn't mind and it's not like she'd have to drive out of her way...) So a very happy, sleepy baby and I picked up some books I'd lent to a friend, visited briefly, and arrived home to two very happy, very "filled" children. They had been filled with attention, time, interest and trust. We topped off a splendid day with several hours of playtime when Zorak arrived home, dinner with the Wonderful Neighbors, and stories before bed.

We certainly got our RDA for family nutrition today, and you know, it was so easy...

How do you get your Family Nutrition intake?

Dy

Funnies from the Farm

John, this morning, said,

"Mom, I am a superhero. My name is Peter Pan... The Avenger"

Oh Goody-Goody!

Not only did we find The Hobbit, but we found an absolutely charming bookstore, as well. They've ordered two different copies of The Hobbit because we couldn't tell within the system (and, naturally, I'd forgotten the ISBN) which was the one we wanted. The owner said, "I'll order both in and you can pick the one you want."

My children plunked down quite happily as soon as we arrived, with a book between them, and James read aloud while the shop owner and I searched. Nobody glared. Nobody looked askance. Mmmmm, I love it.

So great was my joy in finding a helpful, kind, child-friendly bookstore that we headed to the children's area and picked out a few fun nuggets for the boys: Now We are Six (A.A. Milne), Blacky The Crow, Old Granny Fox (both Thornton W. Burgess books in the paperback Dover Children's Thrift Classics- $1.50 each!), Just So Stories (Kipling- the boys enjoyed reading them over and over, so we couldn't go wrong with our own copy), King Arthur Tales From the Round Table (Andrew Lang).

Now for the real Goody-Goody! We also picked up our very own copy of Redwall. This, in itself is fun, but the true excitement is in the fact that Brian Jacques will be HERE, at this very bookstore, on October 2nd. I can't wait!!!

Additionally, as if I have somehow garnered extreme favor from God Himself (or pity, but either way, I'll take it), it is only 74' outside right now. The humidity is still 85%, and it's raining, but after the absolute broiling moldy hell that has been the weather here the past month, this is sheer heaven! I have windows open! Could it mean that Autumn is coming to greet us with its cheerful sights and calming temps?

Dy

Is this Thursday?

Already? Hmmm. Wonder how that happened. Didn't get out of the house yesterday, as the fender flares didn't arrive until after two PM. *sigh* The boys made the best of the day and it was good. Also, did I tell y'all I'm down to only half a pot of coffee a day lately? It feels very odd. Yesterday I had none until eight PM, at which point I sucked down three cups in the hope of making that dreadful headache go away. (See? Personal Responsibility- I know the dangers and the risks. If I choose to make a bad decision, then, hey, I get to live with the consequences! This, my friends, is the stuff of life.)

SO, today we forage for a good book. I received all manner of wonderful recommendations on tracking down a great edition of The Hobbit (THANKS GUYS!) and will try to find it in one of the local B&M stores before resorting to purchasing online. (Yes, any excuse for a trip to the bookstore...)

Or perhaps I might finally convince Zorak that a trip to Annapolis is in order this weekend? Eight months is an awfully long time to live somewhere this close to a Trader Joe's and not have anything in the cupboards to show for it.

Hoping to meet up this week with a friend whose life seems to have taken on a life of its own. Sometimes you have to yank on those reins and make time for coffee, cakes, visiting with a friend, and the enjoying the fun of children playing together. ;-)

A knitting store is opening here this weekend, as well!! Oh fun! (Mind you, I can knit like a mad woman- not well, and not prettily, but by golly I can do it!) One of our Wonderful Neighbors is going to show me how to make a lovely baby hat, and I will make some to send to our midwives for the babies they attend. (James has put in a request for a brown scarf. He's five! Not rainbow, not green, not sparkly. Brown. *goofy grin* Yep, that one's mine.)

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and comments- I always enjoy hearing from those who come to have coffee with me. It's nice to hear your anecdotes and tips and thoughts. Keep 'em comin'! You're what makes a plain ol' blog into the "tea with friends" that is so enjoyable.

Have a truly lovely Thursday!

Dy

The Love Affair Has Ended

It's true. My three year love affair with Sonlight is over. The clarity of my misguided affections hit me last night like a bolt from Zeus.

For three years I have drooled over Sonlight's beautiful catalog, dreamed of seeing MY children eagerly opening the Big Box. I actually lobbied Zorak our first year of homeschooling to let me order from Sonlight. He, in his sage manner ("WHAT?!?! You've got to be kidding me! No.") felt we ought to peruse other options.

So, I deferred to his wisdom and went about our business, pining in secret for all those beautiful books. I also continued to cough up the five dollars for a catalog each ensuing year. Meanwhile, though, schooling continued. Language Arts, Mathematics, History, Science, Music, Foreign Language filled our days (and many harried evenings as I figured out what I was doing!) I love what we're doing. The boys love what we're doing. Zorak loves what we're doing. We've got a good thing going! Still, though, when someone would mention "Sonlight", I'd emit an audible sigh. I still really, really wanted to buy it.

Well, last night I was reading Tammy's review blog and saw her reminder that the Sonlight deadline for a quick delivery is fast approaching. I don't know what clicked or why, but there was no sigh. There was no winsome image bobbing about in my head. No more Sonlight envy!

Why? Because I wouldn't give up Math-U-See for their math. You couldn't pay me to stop using The Writing Road to Reading. I love, love, love The Story of the World. Charlotte Mason's approach to science for young ones is gentle, exploratory, efficient and enjoyable- not letting go of that one, either! Prima Latina is a fine, wonderful fit for us. What does that leave for Sonlight to offer us? It's a good curriculum for some, but it doesn't really offer us anything. Nothing but...

BOOKS! (This is the a-ha moment of clarity, folks.) I don't want the Sonlight curriculum at all! I just want to purchase $400 worth of BOOKS every year for the next fifteen years! Ha-ha! There you have it- the superego has been unveiled. All this time spent pining for something that wasn't the solution at all. How silly.

NOW, how to convince Zorak that this is a good idea...

Tuesday's Thoughts

Two down, one to go- the fender flares should arrive via FedEx tomorrow and then we're one step closer to being legit!

We have to return The Hobbit tomorrow. Actually, it was due back day before yesterday, but we haven't been to the library. I tried to renew it, but there was already another hold on it and no other copies are available, either. So, I promised James that tomorrow we would hit the bookstore and see if they have a copy in stock. I read at the WTM forums today that there is an unabridged illustrated version available- need to go ask for the details on that. I think he'd love it.

He's getting it, and it's really exciting! Tonight, the goblins abducted Bilbo and his companions from the cave in the mountains. When the torches in the caves went out and the smoke from the main fire turned blue, James jumped up and down on the bed and shouted, "I'll bet it's Gandalf! I'll bet that's him!" (It was, of course.) *grin* This is just too much fun!

Just for something different, tonight it was Jacob who fell asleep at the supper table instead of John, who is our resident supper-time-narcoleptic. Poor sleepy baby. He slept from six until eleven thirty, woke to nurse and then *whammo* he's back out cold. Can you guess who had a busy day today? He climbed the stairs halfway up and only stopped because I was terrified he'd trip over the legs in his outfit and go tumbling pell mell like the Pokey Little Puppy. He was quite proud of himself, and just to prove it, he repeated his performance every chance he had!

John got up early this morning and requested bananas and a pb&j sandwich for breakfast. Traditions are meant to be made, right? We had a really nice time together just visiting. He is a very neat kid with a lot on his mind. I hope we have many more mornings together like this one.

After the Bon-Bon encounter this morning, the boys and I built a tent in the master bedroom and they played music on various instruments while I ironed Zorak's work shirts. Then we huddled together in the tent to read stories. (I insisted that we lift the sides so that Mommy wouldn't melt rapidly- four humans under a bedsheet with no ventilation produce a LOT of heat! They allowed for that, but promptly exiled me from the tent and put the sides back down as soon as the reading was complete.)

So tomorrow is going to be a day for the boys: to the park, to the library, and to the bookstore. (I'm hoping we can add "to 7-11 for a squishy" to the day, too!)

*AAAANNNNNNDDDDD, I blew it. Was going to hit the hay right after I blogged... then I decided to blog run before posting (b/c I'd told myself I would get offline right after I published)... and now it's after two. Ugh. Bad Dy. Bad, bad. But, OH, there are some wonderful articles in the blogosphere tonight! See Steph's blog for one and run w/ it from there. ;-)*

'Nite,
~Dy

Oh, that's just embarrassing!

So it's nearly ten thirty. Zorak opened the front door to find me perched at the desk, coffee in hand, WTM boards open, boys nowhere in sight... in my jammies. *groan*

Now, honestly, I am a grown woman, and I don't know why I suddenly felt like I was caught with my hand in the Bon-Bons carton, but I did. I jumped up and stuttered, "Er, uh, HI! I JUST sat down for a break! Just now. Not ten seconds ago!" (which was all true, but you wouldn't think it from the guilt that oozed from my body...)

Granted, what he didn't see when he walked in is the load of dishes that have been washed and put away, the books we've read this morning, the meal and snack that have been made, eaten and tidied up after, the four loads of wash that were gathered, sorted, washed, dried, and put away...

He couldn't see, from his vantage point at the front door, the two toilets that have been scrubbed this morning or the linens all switched out on the beds...

I did make him go upstairs to see the seasonal culling work I did on the boys' clothes for the impending Autumn weather (Sweaters!) and by chance he also noticed the thorough dusting all the upstairs furniture received this AM...

But still, sheesh, talk about bad timing!

~Dy, who probably ought to put in her muumuu order this morning, as well. *grin*

Whoo Boy

I've begun reading The Man Who Would Be King: The First American in Afghanistan by Ben MacIntyre. It is the biography of Josiah Harlan, a man who... who... well, I'm not sure I can do justice to any description of him in a quick before-bed blog. Half way through Chapter Two, I can only say that I cannot find the words to describe this man. "Ambitious" falls thinly and inadequately upon the ears. That he had certain body parts of pure brass comes a bit closer, but still no cigar. At any rate, the author, Ben MacIntyre, is a phenomenal story teller, capable of creating images and animating characters as he draws his reader into the mind of his subject. I won't say he's up there with Edmund Morris in my All-Star line up of Biographers, but perhaps. I'll let you know when I've finished the book. Have any of you read this book?

Today began well enough, then deteriorated, wallowed in the decay for a bit, and finally found redemption through the never-fail "day saver": read aloud time on Mommy & Daddy's bed. There is just something about calling a halt to the infighting, bickering, yelling, sassing, groaning and screeching by declaring that it's time to jump on the bed and read a silly book. Now if I could just remember that it's perfectly acceptable to do that as early as the day necessitates... it'd save a lot of wear and tear on all of us.

The Suburban is now near-acceptable for Maryland's standards. *sigh* Just when I think we're getting ahead. We took the vehicle in last week for inspection (which you must have in order to get it registered here, and no, it's not even an emissions inspection, which I could understand to some extent). Anyway, we came out with three work orders to complete before the Inspector will sign off for us. 1) Replace windshield. Don't even get me started on this! *ugh* However, there is a special place in heaven for the man in the mobile unit who will come to your home and replace a windshield while your children play in the grassy front yard! Yesiree, that's service! $260.00 2) Fender flares. Or new tires. Pick one. The tires stick too far out for their taste (and no, we're not talking the illegal extended axle punkmobile tires you see on lowered Ford Escorts w/ ground effects- these are mud tires on a full-sized Suburban and in no way out of line). However, the state requires that we drill holes in the fender wells (can you say RUST?) and attach little wing-like appendages to our vehicle. These flares will not actually deflect water, dirt or rocks. They will not enhance the safety or performance of the vehicle. And yet, Big Brother says... *rolling eyes* So, those have been ordered and will be here tomorrow. $100.00 3) Replace one CV boot. Oh PUHLEEZE! Yes, it has a leak. It has a minor, minor leak, and to be perfectly honest, there is a huge enormous possibility that we'll have even MORE leaks after messing with this thing than we do now. But oh, no... no, gotta fix that. The joint is good. The axle is good. But the boot has a microscopic leak and SO, it must be replaced. $170.00 + the hassle of arguing w/ every service manager in St. Mary's County that I am NOT going to pull a perfectly good axle just because they don't want to do the work on the boot.

There ya go- $500+ later, we will then have the privilege to spend another heaven-only-knows how much more money to actually register the vehicle. It's not like... *snort* well, never mind.

On the up side, it's all good. We're ok. We have the money, and whether we'd prefer to spend it on things like this is moot, at least we can get it done. Right? And, it's good that we have the Suburban (which is, to be truthful, the best-running vehicle we've ever owned jointly... we would have had to just set our old Suburban on fire and call it even.)

John built an amazing Pirate Ship from PVC pipe tonight. It has wonderful sails, and even a "private entrance" for the Captain. He made up wonderful games around it, too.

James had a nice heart-to-heart with Zorak and told him that he really does like living in Maryland except for the laws and the humidity, but in general, he likes it ok and is happy here. He is so glad he learned to swim and asked me if we could add swimming to our regular schedule now. Wow!

Jacob is getting more and more brave with his cruising abilities. His balance is improving, too. He is also joining in on the family games in the afternoons, which is a blast and is wearing him out. He's moved his own bedtime up from 9:30 to 8:30. Too cute!

We're taking this week to rest up, rescue the house from six weeks of anti-routine add-on activities, and gather ourselves. Next week we'll begin back to lessons. I think we're all looking forward to that again.

~Dy

We're Home & I'm Thankful

We found our church home. After visiting for a month and sending the boys to VBS there, not to mention a ton of praying on it and discussing it, we have decided that this is where we need to be for our time in Maryland. *whew* That feels good. It's not 100% spot-on with what I believe, nor with what Zorak believes, either (I'll get to that in a moment), but it is close. Extremely close. It is also friendly, spirit-filled, academic (in that study of Scripture, history, tradition and language are all pursued and encouraged), and pretty much fills in every prayer request I sent up during the four years Zorak was in school.

That said...

Huge kudos go to Zorak. He is a gem among men, and I am so thankful for him. He is actively involved in choosing our church homes, in guiding the boys' spiritual upbringing, and in supervising the overall spiritual growth of our home and family. He encourages me to study the Bible and to follow the teachings of Christianity. He undertakes his role as the Head of our Household with great love and reverence. He listens to Biblical arguments for or against certain decisions. He holds hands around the supper table for prayer.

All that, and he is not a believer. He doesn't ken to the faith I do, and yet he puts that faith at the center of our home and family because he knows how deeply I cherish it (his description is that my faith is not something I do, but what I am~ which is more than a little humbling, to be honest), and that the boys will receive nothing but good from it. He is a strong man, and I appreciate all that he does for us, in more than the traditional ways of providing a roof over our heads and food in our pantry.

He is honest and upfront, as well. He doesn't sugar coat our situation- for me, or for anyone else. He doesn't buy it. He doesn't claim to have the answers, but he's relatively certain Christianity doesn't, either. He asks questions when something seems askew. He challenges my beliefs- not in an antagonistic manner, but in a logical, loving, curious manner. We actually sit down and discuss Faith, Religion, and Doctrine in depth, and our conversations are wonderful.

Yes, I know what the Bible says about being unequally yoked. I know the statistics on mixed faith marriages, as well. But truthfully, although I was not walking closely with the Lord when Zorak and I met, and I have come Home to Him more over the past six years than I had previously, I don't know how many husbands, believers or non, would handle that shift with the grace, love and unconditional support that Zorak has offered to me. I am truly, truly blessed.

So, we have a new church home, and I am once again more thankful than I have words to describe.

~Dy