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!

****
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.

****
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.

****
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.

****
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.

****
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.)

****
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!!!