Fall

As usual, time is flying by.  Baby Girl is running around all over and is so very, very busy!  It makes me happy.  I'm content to put all the cans back into the pantry several times a day, because I know this won't last forever, and it's been so much fun to live this part of the baby-days again.  She is rather, umm, assertive at times.  But again, her strength makes me happy and gives me hope - there is a need for strength these days, especially if you happen to be a bit counter-cultural, as is becoming more and more the situation.

The midterm crazies have finally subsided and moving quickly toward the big push into finals and end-of-semester projects.  There is a little time until then, but not much.  I don't mind, really.  There are some groups of students which you wish wouldn't go, some you won't mind when they go, and some you can't wait until they are gone.  Not saying which it is this semester, but since it's cold and dark already here, December may as well hurry up.

We are steadily racking up school days, and those hours are flying by as well.  I was nervous about how we would manage the goals I had for subjects and projects, but seem to be managing (we won't talk about that nasty shock I got when I actually looked at how many math lessons are in THIS year's math book.  Why would they change the overall number of lessons by such a significant number from year to year?  I guess summer school will be this year's math instead of next year's).

Speaking of cold and dark, the usual sense of futility is creeping back a bit, but I'm doing my best to struggle against it.  A lot of my daily life seems rather pointless - I will grade the paperwork but next week there will be the same stuff to grade again, I will make supper, but everyone will be hungry again in a few hours, I will clean the house but it will last for about five minutes...  But then I think of what would happen if I didn't do those things, and I suppose there would be rather substantial consequences if I didn't do the aforementioned stuff!

And then there is a lot of reminiscing, rejoicing, and re-living the events which took place a year ago.  This has been a year full of extreme gratefulness and joy, and I all the same swell up and overflow as we look back on those crazy, crazy three weeks.  It really doesn't seem as though it's been a year already, but then I look down and see her chasing all over the house and babbling away to her mamamama and dadadada and guh.  We are truly, truly grateful.

 Baby E and "Guh" (her name for her Big Brother)

 Wide open spaces to run at the airplane museum!

 She LOVES books!

 Fun in the leaves.

 Let's have noodles for supper.

 More books.  Daddy was reading his own book, so she brought him a stack of her books, and wouldn't let him be until she was read to.  And yes, she wanted to read about that little commie train.

 Also loves the vacuum cleaner.

 Super-duper box castle in the basement.  Be good or you will end up in the dungeon.

 All Saints Party - guess who?  Doctor Gianna, of course!  The Boy was Saint Paul the Apostle, but I never did get a photo of him.  He was far too busy playing the games and avoiding the camera.

 Here he is - at C.'s wedding.

 Contraction Surgery.  If he ever becomes a surgeon, don't go to him.  He doesn't believe in use of anesthetics.  Turns out this helped a bunch with spelling.  It was a bit gruesome, though.  

Did I mention she is into everything????

A Ripe Idiot Makes a Hollow Sound

Dear 66 percent of our state's citizens:

You are idiots.  You obviously think with other parts of your anatomy than your brains.  If brains were seeds, you would be seedless watermelons.  Speaking of cheap produce, your opinions can be bought like a huge box of watermelons at a Fourth of July sale, just waiting to be thumped and purchased for twenty cents a pound.

Disgusting.

The Next Person...

... Who asks, "Do I have to?"

Is going to get it.

So don't be that person.

A Week of the Crazies

It's been a zoo around here.  Dear Hubby is busy with extensions and the mid-term madness in academia is here.  We've been fighting off colds - first the baby, then me, then the baby again.  I'm feeling a little crazy, and this is just a sampling.

Sunday
It's "Grievous Sores Sunday"!  We have been chanting the antiphons for some time now, long enough that once a year an antiphon from the book of Job rolls around, and we sing about grievous sores.  I have an incredibly hard time not laughing hysterically while singing the phrase "grievous sores" and seeing Father very solemnly wearing his pom-pom hat.  I am going to spend a very long time in purgatory.

Monday
The Boy recited the entire list (correctly, and it's a long list) of measures on the ballot this year in our state, including how he was planning to vote on each.  Hubby asked him, "Do you know how old you have to be to vote?"  Reply - "Well, Dad, that's the one thing I haven't figured out yet.".

Tuesday
Clinical day.  It devolved into a flu shot party, with needles flying all around.  As one who would be responsible for filling out the variances (two sets, one for the clinical agency and one for the university, neither of which are short forms), to ensure all affected parties completed the commensurate lab testing, and to hand over the tissues to dry the buckets of tears, the overall number of needles in shaky hands made me nervous.  I did take one for the team and am vaccinated against this year's influenza strains, at the shaky hands of a student (again, lots of purgatory time for me - "let's make them give a shot to the teacher").

Wednesday

Mirror, mirror in my hand / Who is the prettiest baby in the land?

Thursday
"Please stop eating your math book."
"Don't trip your sister while you are spelling your words."
"No, you cannot fill out my absentee ballot for me."
"No, you may not take a two-hour break."
"Baby, stop biting your brother's toes."
"I wonder what your sister is eating off the floor this time."
"Yes, you need to know how to add."
Just another usual day of school.

Friday
It's the most wonderful time of the year... Not!  Ah yes, the season of midterms has arrived.  This week has culminated in a perfect storm of midterm evaluations, papers, more papers, still more papers, and desperate last-minute pleas for extensions.  Ah students, do you not know the toll midterms take upon thine professors?  Hubby tells me at one point I was gesturing madly with a sheaf of papers in one hand and a cup of tea in the other (decaf, of course), staring wildly over the tops of my glasses, and ranting about the "Snap-y-Flash-y-Tweet-y-Book-y Thing" (because we are supposed to evaluate students on correct use of social media.  How???).

It's too late for me - I am old before my time.  Save yourselves while you can.
  

Saturday
We went to my cousin's wedding.  It was awesome (thanks for the great party, C. and J.).  We had a bit of fun (no alcohol was involved in this, I swear).  OK, a lot of fun.  Congrats, and we wish you the very best for the years to come.

2 wheels are up on the sidewalk, in case you can't see that part.  

They were also gifted with a pile of baby clothes throughout the course of the reception.

Cheers to all you married people out there, and here's to a boring week ahead for us all!

The Sage Returns to His Studies, Part 2

So here's the nitty-gritty of what we are doing for school this year - if interested.  (These are my personal, non-reimbursed opinions regarding any products mentioned.)

Classically Catholic Memorization (Ignatius Press) - this is the co-op in which we are participating.  He goes to class every other week, and his class is memorizing Religion, Latin, Math, and Great Words (poetry, famous sayings, etc.) facts/topics, with the opportunity to memorize additional things for extra credit.  I've been amazed by how quickly he can memorize things, and trying to learn some memory tricks of my own to stave off dementia.

Sing, Spell, Read, and Write (Hand-me-down) - We are almost done with this.  I think he has 8 or 9 steps left before he wins his trophy. His spelling skills really blossomed by the start of this year.  It's not heavy on repetition so I find us doing some review on our own, but I anticipate doing some formal review with Explode the Code later in the year.  He is reading pretty much anything and everything on his own (I take no credit for that one - it just happened) and I try to read to him daily - classic literature, historical fiction, biographies, etc.

Explode the Code (Rainbow Resource) - we will pick this up once we complete Sing, Spell, Read, and Write.  Also phonics-based, will reinforce and pick up where we left off.  Liked the price and it looks like it will appeal to my action-based boy.

Handwriting Without Tears - Printing Power (Rainbow Resource) - We desperately needed something to reinforce and practice correct handwriting techniques, without me constantly harping on drawing straight lines, etc.  This is a fun program, and he has already learned a couple simple tricks for holding his pencil, posture, and page placement that have made a big difference in his handwriting.  He just does a few minutes a day and already seeing improvements.

Story of the World - Book 1 (Rainbow Resource) - Book 1 covers the beginning of human history to the Romans (I think).  I purchased both the textbook, which is written in elementary-school friendly language, as well as the workbook.  I was pleased with the prices for both.  The workbook has suggestions for further reading (shortens my library search time significantly), coloring pages, maps, worksheets (just a few, and they are interesting!), and activities to go with each chapter.  So far The Boy has recorded oral family histories, made cave paintings, written with hieroglyphics and cuneiform, and made a model of the Nile River.  In not too much longer I believe we get to mummify a chicken - should be fun.  I'm appreciating the help with sequence (something I myself haven't been remembering particularly well) and how reasonable but doable the projects are.  The Boy asks if we can do History every day - by far his favorite subject this year, and I think at least in part due to this program.

Right Start Math - Continuing on with this - we have used it each year and very pleased with the hands-on aspects and pretty much daily incorporation of games.  This year emphasizes more written work and practice, but I think this is a good thing.  RSM emphasizes mental processes for solving problems, as well as frequent practice and review.  I think the cost of this program is a significant disadvantage, but appreciate having everything all in one package, and the daily lesson plans are a big help for me.

Espanol para los chiquitos (website) - I hesitate to list this one because we haven't been using it very consistently, but on the other hand, we have been enjoying it when we do use it.  It's intended for ages 4-7, but I think they are a little optimistic in that regard.  It's pretty vocabulary heavy, which I would expect for a program for these ages; unfortunately when they do incorporate conversational Spanish it's way too fast and mostly over his head.  But it has some games, exercises, and things we can use to review.

I Can Do All Things (Rainbow Resource) - I splurged on an art program this year since The Boy loves to sketch and paint.  My art skills are awful, so was looking for something a bit more structured and can help him acquire some basic art skills.  So far we are just on the introductory lessons, and he hasn't been crazy about them, but I think once we get farther in he will enjoy it more.  It has a set of DVDs, drawing/painting/coloring sheets, art supplies, and a large instruction book.  I thought it was maybe a little expensive, but we will probably use it for at least a few years, so that spreads the cost out a bit.

Religion/Catechism - this is the one area where I am putting together things on my own.  We are using the Baltimore Catechism, several books I have on hand already, and incorporating the Classically Catholic Memorization where appropriate.  We are also working on Sacrament preparation, and incorporating those materials.  We have been using several websites and resources such as Catholic Icing, A Shower of Roses, diocesan resources, etc.

Harcourt Science (Kolbe Academy) - Haven't started using this yet (we are going to do History for the first half of the year and Science the second half), but so far it looks good.  I'll be using it to help with sequence and scope, but probably doing a lot of adding in my own materials, books, and projects.  He is very interesting in electronics and has been helping Dad with electronics projects in the shop, as well as really likes the Snap Circuits set we got from Rainbow Resource.

Field trips - So far we are going to the fire station (again) and police station, but I am hoping to set up a visit to the NOAA weather station and potentially some area manufacturing companies.

The Sage Returns to His Studies, Part 1

So for the last couple months I have had "Kill Russian sage" on my to-do list.  Rather than committing homicide to deprive a Eurasian country of elucidation, we have an ugly, stinky, overgrown perennial at the corner of our house that needs to go.  But, speaking of sages, The Boy is back at school and, although not every day has been all that great, so far we are managing, and I daresay, even thriving just a bit.

I will be straight - this year of the three so far I have been the least enthusiastic about... um, we're being honest, dreading the return of our homeschool year.  Hubby and I agreed that we would take homeschooling on a year-by-year basis - re-evaluate whether it was good for him, working for our family, and what was the best educationally/socially/spiritually.  So far our decision each year has been that homeschool would be the best option, but I was so tired out and unmotivated at the end of last year, and throughout our little bit of summer school.  I have been suffering a bit from comparative guilt (they made a scale model of the solar system... I guess we're lucky he knows the name of our planet... I think).  And I was wondering if I was being fair to him by trying to combine part-time job and full-time homeschool.  After two years spent getting to know his learning styles and my teaching styles, I made the decision that I needed to expand our budget for homeschool materials and do more teaching from an organized system and less from a "make-your-own" approach.  Although it did work well to teach based on his interests, basic topics, and library resources (we spent most of last winter learning about the Revolutionary War based on those three criteria), I felt disorganized, and sadly, disorganization equals stress in my mind.  And as he progresses up in grades, I feel it important for him to start working into a slightly more organized, sequential method of learning.  It was also important for me to think through and plan our goals, topics, and weekly sequence for the year.  We have to work through the majority of his school work in the mornings and have also incorporated a co-op learning experience this year, so using our time well is important*.

*(See The Sage Returns... Part 2 for what we are doing this year, if you would like to be bored...)

He seems really happy with the return of school.  Although he complained about having to go back to a five day/week schedule, he has been thriving with the routine and expectations, and I've been impressed by how much he retained from last year.  His favorite subject so far is History, and the books we are working from have some terrific projects.  He also is working from a new chore chart this fall, with an increased allowance based on completion, and I have been impressed by his developing responsibility and willingness to help.  I'm so proud of my big, big boy.  It's crazy to think he is this far in school - how the time flies.

 First day of the school year!  Little Sister is impressed.

 Making a model of the Nile River for history.  He is learning all about Ancient Egypt for History and the importance of the Nile for the development of the civilization.

 Flooding the Nile.

 Flourishing crops along the banks after the floods.

 We got a breadmaker!  Still learning how to make the recipes turn out well, but The Boy really likes helping bake bread - another responsibility he is enjoying.

 He is excelling at piano - almost done with Suzuki Book 1.  Baby Girl loves listening to him play, and I am constantly impressed by how well he can put the songs together.

 New shoes - his feet (and the rest of him) are growing like crazy.  Sadly, our local children's used clothing store only has shoe sizes up to 4.  I anticipate some increased cash outflow for footwear in the near future.

On an outing with Mom - we had fun!

Taking Steps

Fall starts this week and along with it all the usual fall hub-bub, plus Baby Girl's first fall!  The leaves turned yellow, it seemed overnight, and I'm excited for her to be able to play in the falling leaves soon.

Baby Girl is a highly motivated baby, and has been standing on her own as well as taking a few hesitant steps.  She loves walking and is constantly reaching up to us to hold her hands, and she then walks in circles all over the house.  (Or, as was the case this morning, screaming during Mass and getting taken out to the foyer where she walks and walks and walks.)  She doesn't seem as inclined to try all this walking stuff on her own, and gets an anxious look on her face when we tell her "take steps!".  That's really alright - although we are so happy she is right on track developmentally, I'm not quite ready for a running baby!

She finally cut her two front teeth and no longer looks like a little vampire.  That brings the total to eight bright shiny chompers.  She loves to eat.  Her latest favorites are pureed chicken and has been eating through the pile of apples from Papa's tree.  She goes to the cupboard several times a day to get out her snacks - Puffs and Cheerios are also favorites and she is quite the little pro at crunching them up quickly.

She is understanding a lot of words - bath, come here, eat, more, our names.  She and Big Brother have a silly game they play called "Don't Look at Me" where they basically crawl in circles around each other laughing hysterically the whole time.  She loves keeping him awake after bedtime by crawling to his room and growling at him.  Bathtime is the best time of the day and she loves splashing and sucking bathwater out of the washcloth (ick).  Big Brother recently brought the box of Duplos up for her and the two of them have been playing with them non-stop.

 Loves the dishwasher - especially climbing up on it, or trying to take out the dirty dishes.

 The "Stink Face".  She makes it all the time to get attention and to be silly.  It's typically accompanied by biting the spoon, toothbrush, etc.

 Getting out the snacks.

 Watching the rain.  She cries whenever it thunders, but likes watching rain.

 Baby Girl also loves the fridge - so many neat things to see (and pull out) in there.

 Baby Girl had her first extended illness beyond two-day sniffles.  She had a cold that lasted almost two weeks, and life was difficult for her.  Getting dressed one morning was just too much to ask.

But life is all better now!

Unicorns and Elvis

In certain social settings, I've discovered telling someone either "I was homeschooled" or even better, "Yes, we homeschool" is the conversational equivalent to adamantly declaring one's belief in the existence of unicorns, or the imminent return of Elvis, who by the way, was never dead (He's buried somewhere? Conspiracy bunk).  The above statements will either immediately shut down the topic or elongate  conversation to the point of exhaustion.

Example 1 - Nice, Friendly Person: "Where did you go to high school?"  Me: "I was homeschooled." N.F.P.: "What? Oh, that's nice," meanwhile displaying a slight drop of the eyes, and obviously thinking, "New topic, new topic quick!".

Example 2 - Nice, Friendly Person: "Where did you go to high school?"  Me: "I was homeschooled."  One hour later, I am still answering a bajillion questions and diatribing on whether only children should be homeschooled and the vast options for curriculum choices and what really is the role of the school system related to homeschool families and would I do it for my own children (answer: Yes, as in, not only do I believe Elvis is returning, but also every other dead rock star).

I loved being homeschooled.  I love homeschooling our son, and I hope to get the chance to homeschool our daughter.  Do I think homeschooling is perfect for everyone, or will guarantee the output of a perfect, knowledgeable, obedient child?  Of course not.  As Simcha Fisher very accurately put it recently, a perfect education is an illusion which will not be gotten anywhere, at least not for real people living real lives.  Does homeschooling work for us?  It did for the past two years and we're hoping for a third year.  We'll take it year by year, and so long as it lasts, I'll be professing unicorns and Elvis Lives.

Summer

Three cheers for summer!  There is never enough of it, but we soak it up while it's here.  I'm so sad it's August already, but will continue to enjoy every warm day.

The Boy had golf lessons and swimming lessons.  He enjoyed both, perhaps the swimming a bit more.  He needs another year in his level, but I feel he learned and progressed more than he has in previous years.  He had a really good teacher who pushed him and taught him a lot.  His legs are so long that he can stand up in a lot of the pool, so it's hard for him to keep kicking when he can just put his feet down.  He has mastered riding his bike without training wheels and likes to ride every day.  Taking corners is still a little hard for him.  Unfortunately he has inherited my lack of coordination so some of the physical skills are a little slow in coming, but he is trying hard and making great strides.

Won a reserve champion at the fair for his artwork!

 My handsome boy

 Science project - volcanoes are popular around here.

He is such a character... still.  Lately he wants to be an inventor when he grows up.  He is obsessed with flying machines and hopes to build a flying car.  He has generously offered to give me one for a reduced price once he invents it.  He spends a good portion of his mornings building Legos and listening to Adventures in Odyssey in his room.  Baby Girl has learned where his room is and frequently goes to find him, also in hopes of snagging a few Legos for herself.  The Boy did the summer reading program, and this year, did the majority of reading to himself.  I still read to him a lot but he is able to hold his own nicely.  We have spent a lot of time at the library stocking and re-stocking our book selections.  Our library also sponsored an adult summer reading program.  It's been hard for me to focus my attention on pretty much anything (since about October or so... I wonder why...), but I tried to exercise those neurons on something other than English literature (Sayers, Austen... my comfort blankies).  I made it through some Steinbeck and had to force my way through Absalom, Absalom (Faulkner).  That one was challenging but also very rewarding, gave me a lot to think about.  Now back to my English friends.

 My big boy!  New shirt from Grandpa fits just right.

 An accomplished pianist - he played for Festival, an achievement program, and a recital - all this spring.

What a character!

We had a quick but fun visit out West with my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces.  Thanks for hosting us and for the great visit!  We really enjoyed getting to meet some of their neighbors and friends at their country church, and an evening camp-fire, s'mores, and the new swingset.  Their garden was especially impressive!  Baby Girl and Cousin M. played together well - they passed drooly toys back and forth happily.

 Cute cousins!

 Fun on the rocking horse.

  More cousin fun.  It was really hard to capture four little ones in constant motion.

Last month we used our airplane tickets (third try - long story) to visit Grandpa and Grammy down south.  It was Baby Girl's first big trip and she did very well.  She did cry on the descents for the two flights going there because her ears hurt.  But on the way home she didn't cry at all - just slept and played - good girl!  She had a lot of fun in the airports standing at the windows and watching the airplanes and airport workers.  Of course we think she is the cutest baby ever, but other people think she is terribly cute, too - so many random people stopped to admire her all throughout our travels.  Grandpa and Grammy spoiled the kids the entire week, and of course the kids loved that!  We so very much appreciated all their kindness and hospitality - it was a wonderful visit.  We drove up through the Ozarks, visited Eureka Springs and Branson, and saw so many beautiful sights along the way.  Baby Girl got to meet her southern aunts, uncles, and cousins - fun!

 Having fun with Grandpa!

 Beautiful ladies!

 Grandpa loves Baby loves Grandpa

 Kids on a plane!

Baby at the airport

Our beautiful baby girl is growing and thriving.  She can crawl very quickly now and pulls herself up on everything - dishwasher, mom's legs, benches, chairs, bookshelves.  She just cut her sixth tooth and is much happier now that it is through.  She loves to eat and likes most of the fruits and veggies.  She is interested in everything - books, pictures, outside, swinging, anything and everything The Boy is doing, helping me work, and growling contests with Daddy.  She sang along with me today when I was painting her toenails and singing her songs - her favorite song by far is "You are My Sunshine".  She is a very motivated little girl and I have a feeling walking will not be far-off - she already likes to take steps when we hold her hands.  Even though she is busy she still has time to snuggle - best part of my day.  

 Happy Girl!

 Cruising around under the table

 Helping with the hairstyling - her hair is so long now it needs to be up or it hangs in her eyes.  She has the cutest curls around her ears and neck.

 Stayin' cool

 Stuck.

 Happy girls!

 Going for a stroll on the deck

Yay!