I seem to have had

an unusually good run of things followed by mysterious doldrums. I suppose this is the pattern of things. Sometimes we decide to rest without our permission.

I am finding this odd lack of sailing winds very curious. I think I'm finally old enough to understand the wisdom of just going with it rather than trying to understand or do anything about it. I'll just get out my oars and row. The sailing winds will return sooner or later.

(See? Reading what I thought looked to be an incredible bore, I gathered some wonderful sailing information that I can turn into metaphor and use for guidance.)

epic

Inconsistent Weekly Wrap-Up

Hello, people (if any of you are still out there).

Two things:
1) Lots of homeschooling moms do a nice, tidy, weekly wrap-up of what they learned for the week.
2) I find myself wanting to chat about what we've done, but I'm sure no one really wants to sit and listen to me ramble on about it.

So.

I now understand the motivation behind the weekly wrap-up, and vow to participate, however inconsistently. There is a good chance that I'll forget about this completely from time to time, then remember again and return with enthusiasm. Fair warning, I guess.

Here I go. (I am so excited to jabber about what we did, and if you don't want to read, you don't have to! Win-win!)

We are completing what I call "Science Week" today. We do "core" work for four weeks, then spend one week focusing on science and other fun stuff.

This year we're using Real-Science-4-Kids Biology text, and we finished the book this week by discussing ecosystems, a.k.a. "the big picture." We read about and discussed the water cycle (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, etc.), the air cycle (plants and people swap gases), and the food web. Being a "big picture" gal by nature, I love these sorts of topics because there's so much to tie together.

We borrowed four dvds from the library, all of which I recommend: All About Forest Ecosystems, All About Deserts and Grasslands, All About Water Ecosystems, and Bill Nye the Science Guy: Food Web.

Next up is art. While the boys have a weekly group art lesson with a bona fide art teacher, I (having a deep love of art myself) insist on talking about it at home, too. This week we cracked open our copy of 13 Artists Children Should Know, by Angela Wenzel. The title is a bit presumptuous (and there are a couple of glaring typos - ugh!), but the innards are valuable. It contains a general overview of the lives of 13 important artists, including color reproductions of their famous pieces. It's great as an introduction, and it's fun to place the artists into the history we've studied. Each kid chooses an artist each day, and we read/discuss. Now we need a trip to the art museum for an art hunt... (Previously, we have made our way through 13 Buildings Children Should Know, by Annette Roeder.)

I adore words as well, obviously, so this week we've been reviewing some simple word roots and learning a few new ones. This is a great set, if you're interested: English from the Roots Up, set of 100 Latin and Greek Root Word Cards. It sounds a little hoity-toity, but it's really not. I want the boys to understand that sometimes words are like codes to be cracked. They have a history, and when we learn about that history, it helps us understand our modern English language better. We studied roots like photos, biblios, phone, bios, pyro, duo, tele, aqua, etc. Pretty basic - lots of kids could probably guess the meanings anyway. After we review the roots, we play around and think of words to decipher. Okay.

Aaand, er, we finished up our read-aloud, Carry On, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham. Fabulous. A historical fiction novel about a navigation expert doesn't sound highly appealing, but this book delivers. The boys and I loved it as much as we loved Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes. If you are interested in sharing early American history with your kids via read-alouds, these are wonderful resources. Both were awarded Newberry Medals. Next on our list is Justin Morgan Had a Horse, by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis. Looking forward to it. Sonlight's book list rarely disappoints. (Click on the "Included Items" tab for the list.)

The boys finished their independent readers, The Cabin Faced West, by Jean Fritz, and Om-Kas-Toe, by Kenneth Thomasma. All of their readers are related to the early American history we're studying this year.

We continued with math, mostly reviewing what we'd learned the last four weeks. We use Singapore Math, and I also throw in Sylvan Super Math Success books. The Sylvan books have colorful, fun math activity applications for the topics we're studying. (Dos, in particular, enjoys a good math activity any day.)

On my wish list: The Institute for Excellence in Writing's "Teaching Writing: Structure and Style DVD Seminar." I've ordered the $10 overview dvd and hope I like it as much as I think I will. If I do, I'll order the whole enchilada. (Come on tax refund!)

That's all for now, folks. Have a great weekend!

more shape and texture

It was sunny and warm for a bit so we headed to the park. A huge pile of discarded Christmas trees caught my attention, and I was delighted by the many shades of green. (some artificial, of course)

And now we are

this:

The good news is if all goes well, he will be able to play the last few games of his (very first) basketball season.

going with the flow

This is how our first day back at school started:

Last night, during a family game of Scrabble, Dos decided to take a flying leap over the end of the loveseat. He caught his pinky on the couch as he approached for takeoff and landed with a whimper.

His pinky was dislocated and broken, which we found out after I zipped him to the ER. (We figured it was dislocated when we saw it sticking out sideways; it was the break we weren't sure about.)

Soooo, gone was my math planning time, my writing-details-in-the-planner time last night. And I've spent all morning running about town fetching prescriptions, etc.

The boys have spent time online doing math, and I'm hoping to do read-alouds after lunch. Before the orthopedic doctor appointment. Please pray he won't need surgery.

T.S.D.

I had a Totally Symbolic Dream last night.

Okay so I'm , like, resolved to stop acting like someone I'm not and instead just be my regular ol' self, right? Okay so this dream totally summed it all up. Dude.

My dream begins as I enter a shopping mall by myself. It's also sort of a university, I think, but whatever. Lots of people, lots of levels, lots of shops.

I fall into The Gap and try on an outfit: funky asymmetrically cut t-shirt (light blue) with a white cotton sweater on top. The weirdly cut hem of the t-shirt hangs out from the sweater. I put on a pair of regular jeans.

With my old clothes in my hands, I walk out of the store (without paying) and begin browsing the mall. I didn't want to keep the outfit - I just wanted to wear it awhile. I planned to go back to The Gap, put my old clothes back on, and leave the Gap outfit where it rightfully belonged. (This really isn't so subtle, is it?)

As I wandered around the mall, I set off a couple of alarms in different stores and awkwardly tried to explain that I hadn't stolen from them and that I was going to return the tag-ridden outfit to The Gap. (Even the name of the store plays into the meaning, doesn't it? Fabulous.)

But then. Something Bad happened. I realized shops would be closing soon, and I couldn't remember where The Gap was. By the time I asked around and found it (on a deep level I didn't remember visiting - oooooh), I had lost my old clothes. I stood in the store wanting to return the outfit, but I had nothing in which to change. The 1985 version of my mom, dad, and sister suddenly appeared. The store had called them to help me. They looked perplexed, as did I, then they disappeared.

Then hubby showed up. I explained what happened and asked him to help me. I wasn't sure for a moment if he would. He looked a bit put out. Also, he had veneers and his teeth looked longer than normal which I didn't like at all.

It became apparent that the only thing to do was for hubby to purchase the "stolen" outfit for me to wear, but I didn't want it - I really didn't want it. And my old clothes were gone. And the store was closing. There was no good solution.

Fade to black.

Actually, I woke up with a headache. Thank God there IS a good solution in real life! I love T.S.D.s because they remind me that the deep desires of our hearts are real and they matter. Even when noise from life sometimes threatens to drown them out.

Happy weekend to you! 

texture

I captured these images behind our yard at dusk. I tried to find interesting texture before I lost all the light.

*I've noticed that my images are sliced off a bit on the right side. How can I edit html to allow my photos to be larger? Where oh where is my computer nerd husband?

My New Year's resolution is to stop pretending that I care about countertops.

(photo @ countertopsguide.net)

alert: kind of lengthy

When I was in my 20's, I found myself baffled at the depth to which some of my peers could discuss things like kitchen countertops. Countertop materials, color, edges. The list and their scrutiny seemed to go on and on. I thought this was a ridiculous waste of time.

Then we moved to the suburbs.

I slowly became aware that there is a Suburban Countertop Yardstick upon which Formica laminate (which we have) doesn't rate very highly. I made the mistake, over the last decade or so, of believing this mattered.

I can't turn my new year resolution into a task, and it doesn't fit neatly into one word, so I've chosen to describe it in this post title. Lo, it speaks for so much more than countertops, doesn't it?

While I am finished pretending to care deeply about inanimate objects whose main purpose is to hold stuff, it's what drives my desire to care that wreaks havoc. See, ultimately, I live in a community where there is a subtle but pervasive belief that not only are countertops (etc.) very important, but they serve as a measure of one's value. One's contribution (did you make a lot of money?). One's usefulness (did you make a lot of money?). One's success as a person (did you make a lot of money?). I'm so sick of it I could vomit. It probably doesn't help that I grew up in this area and have been privy (lucky me) to this sort of thinking for over 30 years.

Recently I found myself greeting each morning with a crying jag. Why? This took a bit of prayer to discover. I came to realize how utterly dead I felt inside and how utterly devoid my life was of evidence of the spirit I know I was born with. No creative outlet, no satisfying personal expression, no joy in the simple, beautiful things. In the last decade, I have, in a desperate (and disturbingly unconscious) attempt to fit in, shut off the most vital parts of myself, feeling that somehow they were a liability.

No one forced me to do this - I take complete ownership. And as such, I now take ownership of restoring myself according to original plans. I do not find countertops interesting, period. If I ever have to choose one, I will probably not discuss it with you, because who cares, really? I do not believe that shoes and belts need to match. I don't even believe that socks need to match. I believe that daily showering is overrated, and  I do not believe that Apple products impart special status on their owners. I don't care what kind of computer you have. Why should I?

You know what I care about? YOU. I care about how you are. I care about what you are going through. Not your countertops, or computer, or shoes, or pay level, or degree of teeth whiteness. If I'm your friend, I am friend to your God-given you, not your stuff.

I love nature and the incredible beauty to be found therein. I love the sound of trees in the wind and I love music. I love art, I love great writing, and I love wordplay. I love the absurd. I love puns. I love making interesting (and sometimes brilliant, if I may say so) connections. I love shedding new light. Seeing things in new and different ways. I forget things a lot. I can't stand getting ready in the morning because it takes too long and is boring. Which is why my hair doesn't get washed too often. I hate cooking.

Sometimes I find my thought processes far more interesting than the company of people. Sometimes I desperately need to be rescued from my thought processes by hanging out with friends. Unfortunately, I interrupt people when conversation seems to move too slowly. I'm always working on that. But I am also a great listener. I am more than happy to hear your problem and help you out. I am not detail oriented. At all.

I not only love but adore the big picture. It's where I am happiest. It's where I live. I love bringing my ideas to fruition. I hate being interrupted when I'm working. I love my kids beyond words. I am grateful beyond words for my husband. He is unbelievably precious.

Sometimes I experience taste as color. I see music as pictures. Sometimes I mix up red and yellow. Sometimes I completely lose track of what month or season we are in. When people don't "get" me, I have to remember they are traveling on a different highway system, and I graciously let them pass by. When I say "graciously," I mean graciously. Because sometimes people say rude, demeaning things when they don't understand. And I've learned that usually it's a waste of time to try and explain. And that their lack of understanding does not make them any less valuable.

I have always felt a bit different from "normal" people. Not screamingly so, but fundamentally somewhat different. I fell into the trap of fearing and resenting my differences, and I paid the price.

The truth is that God gave me my interesting contraption of a self for a reason. He knew I'd be able to appreciate it and operate it well. I owe Him an apology for harboring such disdain for the wonderfully unique self he entrusted to my care. I owe Him an apology for abusing my one-of-a-kind self with terrible, hateful thoughts. I will trust Him for acceptance, friendships, and belonging. I will trust Him.

So enough with countertops and on to the things that truly satisfy. Amen.

We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition, when infinite joy is offered us. Like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea, we are far too easily pleased.  -C.S. Lewis

New Year thoughts & photos

There's something exciting about the idea of the new year and resolutions.

I stopped making resolutions about 20 years ago when my record for not keeping them became painfully clear. I decided that I would take care of things as I needed to and not let a date be my guide. So that has worked out.

This year, though, I'm thinking of taking a soft approach to resolution-making. Perhaps I'll go with a concept rather than a goal - one intangible I'd like to work on throughout the year. Some people choose a word to remind them of the area on which they wish to focus. Joy. Yield. Breathe. Accept. Smile. Lots of options.

I'm not sure how this will all pan out, but meanwhile I will share some photos. We visited a state capital this week. I forgot my camera so I used my phone.

It was a breezy day.

A restful vignette.

A basement level in which one could easily become lost.

Shiny marble floors.

Pretty elevator detail.

House chambers with beautiful ceiling murals.

House seats.

Another of many huge murals.

Even the restrooms are fancy.

Another restful vignette.

Lush Senate chambers.

One of many lovely stairwells.

Happy 2012!