our little naturalists

Last summer we waited until frost to begin to carve a path out of the woods so we could more fully explore our woodlot. However, I've been very impatient to work on the project and have had to bribe children to come with me into the woods to hack and tie yellow flagging tape around trees. Charlie and Maggie have both refused to go with me again because of the ever-circling deerflies. They have never experienced blackfly season, so I'm a little nervous about how that will pan out, perhaps they will lock themselves in the house and refuse to go out the entire spring and summer. I guess it is a good thing they really like to play in the snow then.

We have seen our share of wildlife (other than bugs) this week. On my first run in almost a year, this morning I looked up and saw a hawk sitting on the electrical line right over my head. A large family of wild turkeys regularly stroll through the fields looking for bugs and berries to eat. Charlie even saw his first hummingbird and rescued it from certain death on Friday evening. He went in the new house to look for sawdust for his various dump trucks and tractors and came running out to the swingset, "I think there is a hummingbird in the house, it has a long beak and is really little!" Sure enough, there was a frantic bird beating himself against one of the windows in a desperate attempt to get through the glass. I quickly opened the window and gently shooed him outside. Since the builder won't return until Monday, the tiny creature would not have survived 2 days of brutal 90 degree heat without food or water. While we haven't seen any moose or bears in the woods (and likely never will), the children have spent more time outside among the wild creatures this week than they ever did in suburbia.

safe and sound

So far, out of the 10 or so drives we have made up to Maine for the summer, Monday’s journey was by far the best. We didn’t get into any traffic jams, it didn’t rain until we stopped for dinner just over the Maine state line, and I didn’t wreck the car. The children were all very good, sleeping off and on during the trip, which is understandable considering we pulled away from the Virginia house at 5am. We finally pulled into our driveway at about 9pm, having made such good time that en route we decided to cancel our hotel reservations in Massachusetts. Of course, once we arrived, the boys had to haul enough stuff inside to make it through the night and I had to make the beds before we could hit the hay.

Since then we have very full days bringing everything on the farm up to functional use, Tim mowed the edges of the fields all day on Tuesday so we can take walks and I started hoeing the garden so I could get my veggies planted. After a couple hours of mowing, Will started dismantling his old tree house and began building another in a huge oak tree near the garden.



Today I hoed some more and several children helped plant tomatoes and squash and many different seeds. Charlie and I worked on the woodland trail, but the mosquitoes and deer flies were too much for us to take, even with plenty of bug spray applied beforehand.

After only two days my back hurts, my hair is yanked back into an unfashionable ponytail, and my feet look like I’ve been down in a coal mine despite all my scrubbing. But I’m as happy as a clam being among the fields and flowers, the wild turkeys (2 enormous toms serenaded me this morning at 5:30), and the woods. I really can’t believe how blessed I am to be able to spend our summers in such a quiet and lovely place. The sign on interstate 95 is so true: “Maine, the Way Life Should Be.”

day 3 and we had pictures on the walls

268 boxes of stuff. Approximately 75 pieces of furniture. Here I sit on Sunday morning, 4 days after we drove up to the door at 2am, and only see 4 unpacked boxes. How on earth did this happen? Do I have any advice for other folks moving and just overwhelmed with the enormity of the task?

First, get up early. It was far easier to unpack from 4:30am until the children woke, for after I heard that first wail from Julia Ellen, the amount of paper and boxes I was able to toss into the garage dropped dramatically.

Second, enlist help. Will broke down boxes and stuffed paper into the big ones, sealing them with tape, for hour after hour on Thursday without complaint and handsomely earning an unexpected $20 from his daddy. The girls helped watch the baby, swapping out turns when they got tired of pulling her out of the doorway to the backyard.

Third, distract. When picking up groceries at Kroger on Wednesday morning at 6:30am, I spied a hard plastic pool and impulsively bought it. That pool has saved me countless hours I could have spent breaking up arguments and shooing cranky children out of the way. For the past several days they have happily splashed with the baby, grown a plastic snake their grandfather brought over, sprayed each other with the hose, and safely stayed out of my hair.

Fourth, pawn them off on a unsuspecting neighbor. Maggie has a new 5 year old friend next door with a large swing set. The new rule is that they are not to go next door without Hannah being home and playing outside. I have a feeling that, after this week, her mother is very grateful that she only has one child.

Fifth, a reward. I told myself we couldn't leave for Maine until everything was unpacked and with everyone chipping in, we are ready to pack our suitcases this afternoon and hit the road on Monday for our tiny apartment on the farm which only took 3 hours to make it fully functional when we moved in the first time. But we have the whole outdoors to enjoy, the house we are building to admire, and not a single box to unpack.

*note: I didn't unpack the toys, video tapes, puzzles, or games for obvious reasons, mostly that I would be spending my days putting away rather than unpacking.

organized to the hilt

Moving day has finally arrived, the packers will knock on the door in the morning and our family will be in camping mode for at least a week. Almost all our belongings that we need or don't want strangers to have access to is all down in the movie room. All the errands such as collecting doll clothes lent to Maggie's friend 3 months ago, closing our library account, and taking apart the quilting frame are completed.

All the schoolbooks we need in Maine to finish out this school year or begin the next in the fall are packed and labeled so they can just be put in the back of the pickup truck. The posters and maps are off the walls and it amazes me just how many school supplies we have: books, workbooks, charts, stacks of music, flashcards, manipulatives, and educational games. There are umpteen jigsaw puzzles and model rockets, erector sets and dry erase boards, computer games and 30 boxes of children's books that have been carefully boxed up so they don't all get dumped together, making a huge chore for me at the other end of this move.

I feel like a general on the eve of battle, all the preparations have been made and the only job I will have on the morrow is to shout, "Charge!" Likely I won't have time to write anything for about a week, but please say a quick Hail Mary for our family that nothing gets broken, no child gets lost, and I don't go stark raving mad before we pull into our driveway in Maine.

piano recital success

Yesterday we bypassed the traffic on the Beltway (thank you Tim for insisting we go the back way, otherwise we would have missed the entire performance) and attended the 3 older children's final piano recital in Maryland. Tim had to hold Julia Ellen in the back and scoot out the door constantly to keep her from babbling, but the little boys were very well behaved (they certainly have a lot of practice every Sunday during Mass).

Maggie was the first to play and I could see her talking with her teacher, "No, I don't need my music, I've got it down pat!" She exhibits no fear or nervousness, which is a stark contrast to Mary, who won't say boo to a goose without me holding her hand. Mary was in a trio next, the girls claim they didn't coordinate their outfits, but they were all wearing pink floral dresses, which made for a lovely scene. She was calm and poised when it was her turn to play alone, her long fingers just danced over the keys, but she was obviously glad to be finished. Will played Minuet in G very well, but if I'm threatening him that if I hear Jelly Bean Jump one more time I'm going to jump right out the window. I recall feeling the same way last year about another piece, but I made the mistake of mentioning it to Will and so now he still plays Ghost Ship every day to torture me (not exactly the same experience as being waterboarded, but...).

Afterwards we rewarded the children with dinner out and ice cream cones afterwards. We aren't quite finished with music here, the theory test is today and the children have one more lesson before the movers put our piano on the truck. They really have learned a great deal over the past 2 years and their recital last night proves it.

rank advancement

Last night was Will's last Boy Scout meeting in Maryland. We were thwarted in our effort last week to get his last requirement for 1st class, demonstrating water rescue techniques, but by the Scoutmaster's heroic effort he was able to complete it at the local pool Thursday afternoon. He was whisked through his Scoutmaster review and Board of Review and presented with his new patch during the closing ceremony. Many of the Scout leaders expressed their sorrow at Will's leaving the troop and said he was a model Scout. (Yeah, if they only saw him earlier at home when I had to ask him 8 times to mow the lawn and practice the piano)

Will proudly left his completed checklist in front of the coffeepot last night so his father could see it first thing in the morning. Here he models his uniform complete with 1st class patch, 'cause his handy mommy sewed it on first thing this morning (mostly so it doesn't get lost in the move).

miracle product

I have a lot of big furniture that has been handed down to me from various relatives. While it is beautiful and usually very useful (old dressers have much deeper drawers than modern stuff), it is stressful trying to keep the children from damaging it and dark finishes show such scratches very easily. So it was with scepticism that I purchased a bottle of Old English scratch cover for dark woods last week. Since then I have been a mad woman with a rag constantly in my hand, rubbing down my china cupboard, two sideboards, and 4 dressers.

But the most miraculous transformation has been our 100 year old upright piano we bought about 5 years ago. We decided to start piano lessons for Will and found a great deal, it just cost more to transport the piano than the purchase price. (a friend found out after one sharp turn that using a pickup truck to move an upright is NOT a smart move) The piece has missing patches of veneer, scratches all over, chipped keys (I went over them with an emery board to smooth them out), but plays beautifully (the tuner said it would last forever). Yesterday morning I went over the entire case with the special polish and it really does look like a different piano. So...if you have dark furniture and lots of sharp object wielding children, I highly recommend picking up a bottle of Old English polish and expect to be amazed.

(before and after)

The 231st edition of the Carnival of Homeschooling

At the end of May and beginning of June you can't miss being invited to a music or dance recital. The recital is the culmination of a year or decade of work in one of the arts and many homeschoolers are part of the crowd in the audience as well as the talent up on stage. Our children are in the midst of recital mania with the girl's ballet recital last week (actually 3 shows) and piano later this week.

For our 7 year old Maggie this is her first experience with recitals and I can easily compare her to a homeschool mom finishing up her first year teaching the kids at home. She is so excited that she reminds me of someone walking into her first homeschool conference seeing all the vendors hawking shiny new editions of workbooks in every subject, art videos, sheets of music, vintage books, fancy manipulatives, CDs for learning about the great composers, and more lesson plans than one person could use in a lifetime.

At Mary's first piano recital she was completely overwhelmed and wanted to walk out, but her teacher calmly took her by the hand and led her up to the stage. She sat and played her piece beautifully and has been confident at every performance since. During that first year of homeschooling we all felt a little intimidated by the sheer volume of options and the occasional worry that they were missing something. But sometime during the year we realized that something great was happening at home with our children and our confidence was restored.

Shalynne presents Homeschooling Criticism posted at Wonderfully Chaotic.

Amy gets her children ready for the new addition to the family Preparing for the DLM* posted at Hope Is the Word.

Jessica presents Blessings posted at Teachable Moments.

Krystal at Lips That Speak Knowledge shares that the freedom to school anywhere is one of the many benefits of homeschooling.

Fred Lee presents Art Helps To Relieve Anxiety From Asthma posted at Healthcare Hacks.

For the older girls (and boys) recitals are not quite old hat, but they know the drill: get ready, help the little kids, and perform with a 100 watt smile. The homeschooling moms I compare them to are the ones with a few years teaching under their belt. They know they can't do it all, they have found what method and materials work for each of their children. They give advice to the newer moms and shrug off the criticism of anti-homeschoolers such as, "your child will be unsocialized" or "you can't possibly teach your own kid enough to get into college.

Pamela presents Tar Pits posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.

Jenny gives us an invitation to join up with the Learning Never Stops photo challenge each Saturday at Home is Where You Start From.

The Legacy of Home reflects on family worship time.

Musical Mary's Musings shares with us some ideas on writing friendly letters.

Beyond Silver and Gold asks us to join in the discussion about the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling.

Lara shares some wonderful marine sights in Trip to the Coast posted at Texas Homesteader.

Dana worries and prays for one of her children in Parenting in the dark posted at Roscommon Acres.

Renae organizes her home with Chore Buster posted at The Curriculum Choice.

Linda presents Homeschooling Myth #3: Mom Needs to Be a Teacher posted at PARENT AT THE HELM.

The high school seniors who perform intricate dances in synchronicity that rivals an Olympic team or play classical musical pieces which sound like they should be played at Kennedy Center are the homeschool equivalent of the most experienced moms. They have graduated children from high school and college and know that homeschooling has served their children very well. They have a wisdom that only comes from many years of sitting at the kitchen table quizzing on the multiplication tables, helping diagram complex sentences, teaching how to write footnotes, making trigonometry easy to understand, and giving hints on how to remember the order of the elements. They could sit on Good Morning America and explain their philosophy of education without breaking a sweat.

Alejandra presents Teenagers Starting to Drive posted at A Guide to Raising Great Kids.

Beverly shares ideas for homeschool graduation at About Homeschooling.

Kris presents WUHS Top Picks: High School posted at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Arby presents a follow-up to last week’s post concerning homeschool criticism. This post invites more readers to respond. Educating Our Children: A Question for All Parents posted at Boarding in Bedlam.

For those with teens, Chrysalis shares her take on a book, Men are like Waffles, Women are like Spaghetti.

Barbara makes me laugh with Nobody Told Me Homeschooling Would Cause So Much Clutter.

Henry shares some more reasons to homeschool from Why Homeschool's blog archives.

Alasandra presents Public School is a lazy parent’s idea of education posted at Alasandra's Homeschool Blog.

ChristineMM presents Fall 2010 Homeschool Planning In Progress posted at The Thinking Mother.

And as a special tribute to all our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines on this day after Memorial Day, Jessica presents Empty Spot at Our Table posted at Teachable Moments.

With enough practice and perseverance our little dancers and musicians graduate from simply jumping around on stage in a tutu or playing Hot Cross Buns to performing in Swan Lake or playing Intermezzo, Op. 118 #2. With enough patience we moms can grow in experience and skill as well.

Happy recitals everyone!

final, no more, last DC field trip

I remember back 30 years to my childhood trip to the National Zoo so we decided to spend Saturday using up our Metro card money by saying goodbye to the elephants and tigers. There was a deja vu feeling when we strolled up to see the elephants just as the trainers came out to start the daily show, just like last time we were here.

However, that time we only had 5 children and I was enormously pregnant with Julia Ellen. It was obvious how much she enjoyed seeing the animals, pointing at the elephants, trying to communicate her interest, "Hey, look at those strange creatures!"

She liked seeing the orangutan swinging above our heads as we were eating, but her favorite animal of all was the mallard duck who came over to beg some peanut butter and jelly crusts off of the children. She waved and smiled and giggled and seemed like they were best friends forever, until Mrs. Mallard decided the pickings might be better off at the next table.

Julia Ellen didn't care, at least not when she saw the prairie dogs. You could see her mind working, "These guys are cutie pies AND they don't try to steal your lunch."

it's all a matter of perspective

To a van full of little kids seeing red lights flashing and the crossing gate going down is a reason to get excited and practice counting. For a baby boomer in a convertible, it is a reason to make a u-turn and find a way to get on the Beltway and go home.

"Look! It's a diesel! I love diesel engines." "What are in those cars Mommy?" "One, two, three...seventy six. That's a lot of box cars." "Bye-bye train."

carnival coming up

Next Tuesday I am again hosting the Carnival of Homeschooling. The Cate family at Why Homeschool have faithfully organized this weekly event for over 2 years now. The carnival gives us an opportunity to read about new ideas, news in the homeschooling world, and be exposed to fellow bloggers we haven't yet heard. I urge you to submit a post about what is going on in your homeschool by clicking on the submission link and sharing your blog title, blog url, post title, post url, and a short summary of your entry by Monday at 6 pm. I won't reveal the theme, but end-of-year event posts would be most appreciated!

May I have another please?

Pressing her entire plate against her face is Julia Ellen's method of telling us she wants another helping of food. It is an especially disgusting method of communication after she eats macaroni and cheese or pancakes with syrup. She also hasn't quite gotten the hang of raising her sippy cup up so she can drink, so instead of asking politely ('cause she can only say dada and yeah!), she holds her cup up high in the air to inform her royal servant (that would be her mother) that she needs a drink of milk.

the big show

Tonight is the girl's first ballet recital. I remember being in their shoes, feeling all jittery in my tummy for fear that I would forget my entire dance, lose a part of my costume, or get lost and not be able to perform. None of those things happened, though I was always a step ahead or behind the rest of the girls throughout the performance. The New York Performing Arts Company was certainly not knocking on my door the next day offering me an audition.

It is amusing that my girls seem nervous for different reasons, Mary is like me and has to be in the back so she can watch the other girls, while Maggie is only afraid that her friend Sierra won't remember the steps. I'm grateful that they both are wearing lovely costumes, some of the hip-hop gear is horrible with the worst costume featuring gold and purple lame and over sized baseball hats. None of the moves we saw at the two dress rehearsals were as bad as the ones in the You-tube video that surfaced last week showing 7 year old girls in bikini tops prancing around like they should be performing in an "gentlemen's club", the kind of club with no windows and advertised by billboards near the Navy base. I didn't want to overburden the children so we are taking the day off from school today to simply play games, paint, and read. Mary has two more shows on Saturday and then ballet class will be over for the year.

interruptions from every direction

Between contractors calling wanting me to pick their company to clean our carpets, the baby waking at the crack of dawn and not wanting to be put down ever since, the new property manager calling to bug me about the weeds in the flowerbeds, and the little boys requesting something every 30 seconds all day, "Can I have a Popsicle (2 minutes before lunch)?" "Can we set fire to something?" "Can I go play with the neighbors down the street?" "Can we watch a movie?" I am about to collapse in exhaustion and frustration.

What I don't need right now is the phone to ring again, another kid asking me for something, or to hear a single argument between siblings. What I really need is a extra large strawberry daiquiri with a tiny dab of whipped cream on the top.

Unfortunately I don't have any strawberries or rum.

Shucks.

turned the corner

Last week I was griping that we still had soooo much work to do in the school year, but this morning as I flipped through the kid's binders, I was startled at how much they have accomplished. Will is plowing through his book report on The Winged Watchman at amazing speed and Mary just finished reading Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal. Mary has only 6 subjects left and Will is going to match her once he takes his final test in history. Maggie is down to spelling and the last few pages of math and is racing through the CAT while Charlie is slowly plodding through his phonics book and only has 2 more catechism questions for the year.

Like a marathoner hitting that last mile or two, we know that the finish line is just over the next hill. Yes, they still have to churn out several more book reports each, but with the majority of their schoolwork for the year behind them, the freedom of summer will be gloriously sweet.

carnival of homeschooling

Under the Golden Apple Tree is hosting this week's carnival of homeschooling. Check it out!

attempted read aloud

The other night I decided to resume our big kid "storytime" after the little boys and the baby went to bed. I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time as a child and during packing I set it aside for Will. However, I only read 3 chapters aloud before he snuck the book off my nightstand and stayed up until 11pm to finish it. The next night I read to Mary while Will was in the shower and that night she took a hint from her brother, took the book to bed, and finished it before breakfast! Now they want me to swing by the library today and get the next volume in the series. I guess this is a good strategy to get Mary off of her Sisters Grimm, Lemony Snickett, and Shadow Children series kick. I wonder what I shall pick to entice them to finish next, perhaps Anne of Green Gables?

art class

Tim is wonderful at drawing. While on a deployment many years ago he sent Will and Mary their own letters with pictures of trains, boats, and cars every week. I managed to take art for 4 years in high school and was in a show featuring local students. But teaching art is more difficult and we have put lessons on hold for the past few months while trying to get the more academically rigorous subjects mastered. This past week we have turned our classroom into a little studio with the older children working on sketching and shading. Will was so proud of his apple that he taught me how to scan the drawing into the computer so I could blog about it!

maybe too good an eater?

Julia Ellen is such a delight at mealtime, especially after dealing with picky eaters for the past 10 years. I finally figured out (yes, a slow learner) that baby food is not good to feed babies. The rice mush and pureed veggies set up a train wreck down the road when they won't eat anything that has texture. Giving babies and toddlers a wide variety of foods cut in small pieces leads to much better eating habits down the road. Julia Ellen, despite only having 4 teeth, eats a plethora of foods, including cut up and steamed veggies, eggs, oatmeal with raisins, chili, and pizza. Unfortunately, having that last item for supper has kept her up at night the last two times we partook. My guess is that the salt content, even in homemade pizza, is so high that it makes her really thirsty and she started screaming at 10 pm. She drank about 2 cups of milk and after lots of cuddling and an attempt to have her sleep with me, finally settled down and slept at 11:30, way past my bedtime.

If I could time travel back to 1998 and was making that first bowl of food for baby Will to eat, I would throw away all the jars and boxes of baby mush and feed him pasta and peas, eggplant and pizza, for a few bleary night wakings doesn't begin to compare to the endless battles over getting five children to eat what is on their plates.

carnival of homeschooling

Apollos Academy is hosting this week's carnival with a gardening theme.

serious packing

With only about 3-4 weeks until we officially pack out, we are already up to our eyeballs in boxes and strapping tape. Over our many military moves I have learned that it is smart to pack all our books (all 15 bookcases worth), all my fabric, and all our various art, school, and beauty supplies well before the guys from the moving company actually arrive. With only a week to unpack at the other end before we hit the road to Maine, I like to know what is in each box and know that like things are with like. And if I'm going to organize every item, throw away the trash, and call the Purple Heart to pick up unwanted items, I might as well put it in the box and tape it up so the kids don't undo all my hard work.

I methodically separate all our school books that we will need come September and put those in a marked box and label my Landmark and Biography collections so I can assign a child to put them in the right bookcase in the new house. The problem now is that our rooms are starting to fill up with boxes,

leading to some creative temporary storage solutions. I could only fit about 1/2 of the boxes of Tim's books in the coat closet, but at least he can now get to his desk.

Recently we were reading one of the Little House books and I was so grateful that we weren't traveling by covered wagon to our new home because the horses wouldn't pull the load more than about 2 feet.

only 14 days of school here

Between orthodontist appointments to get Will and Mary's braces off, Mass on Ascension Thursday, and a doctor's appointment for Will's camp physical we only have 14 days of school in Maryland left. Somehow, despite starting school in September in Maine, taking only 2 snow days during the February blizzard, and working every day, we still have at least 6 weeks of work left in some subjects, 9 weeks left in others.

How did this happen? Yeah we stretched out the study time for some of the tests (especially the 6th grade religion tests so Will could memorize 15 specific catechism answers perfectly) and we took our share of field trips, but I can't figure out why we are still behind (being a relative term since we don't have a set deadline). Was it being in the co-op? Are Seton's lesson plans so jam packed that they would be impossible to finish in less than 200-220 days?

I don't really want to drag school out very long when we get up to Maine where the fields and woods are calling our names, but it looks like the children, especially the older ones, are going to be putting in an hour or so with the books between breakfast and exploring/building time. I don't want to cut into August trips to the pond, sailing and swimming lessons, and hikes so the next few weeks is the time to put our noses to the grindstone.

what a wonderful Mother's Day gift

Maggie made her First Holy Communion today and participated in the May Crowning. Afterwards the three familes involved had cake and cookies for everyone in the parish hall. Monsignor Hughes did a great job and Will got to hold the paten for his little sister. What I didn't think about beforehand was how Maggie, my pickiest eater, would respond to the taste of the host. She didn't think much of it and asked afterwards, "Do I have to have it again next week?" I'm sure she will get used to the appearances of Holy Eucharist, especially taste, and will stop screwing up her face after receiving.

abcd...

Charlie is the first of our children not to go away for preschool and with baby Julia Ellen born last year, we didn't do anything at home either. Of course we read lots of stories every day, went on field trips, and he listened to the older children do school, but we didn't work on learning the letters or writing his name. This year he started kindergarten and we have already finished 3 math workbooks and are almost finished with his catechism book. While he knows all the 10 Commandments by heart and can add and subtract, the child can't identify letters, much less sound out any words. I know that one day soon something will click in his head and he will wonder, "Why did I think this was so hard?" but for right now we are both frustrated. Every morning we work on a letter and the sound it makes and it is obvious the next day that he can't remember any of it.

Charlie is such a bright boy and thoughtful toward his siblings and friends. There isn't anything wrong with him and I have to remember this as I agonize over his lack of progress. All the memories (mostly repressed) of teaching Will the same concepts over and over again come flooding back. But that was years ago and after teaching two girls how to read I had almost forgotten how difficult it is sometimes for little boys to grasp phonics. At least my little boys, perhaps everyone else's are geniuses who teach themselves quantum physics while sitting on the potty at age 2. "Mommy, can you believe that it took Einstein 26 years to figure out the theory of relativity? It is soooo obvious!"

All I can do is keep plugging away with those letters and their sounds as well as reading lots of Curious George and Dr. Seuss. One day pretty soon he will be so envious of his big brother and sisters being able to fully understand a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip collection that he will force himself to figure out how to read. Of course I am a little nervous about exposing him to all of Calvin's antics as it will give him new ideas as to how to torment his mother.

missing Starbucks

Since I'm within 2 pounds of my pre-pregnancy weight (actually I have been for about a month with no downward progress) I have decided to cut out my daily chai latte addiction. I was drinking several of these a day so I wouldn't be tempted to have a Coca-cola, though they might not have fewer calories. Today is the 5th day with no hot and sweet beverage. With my desire to fit in my old size 6 jeans without the little muffin top look, I know I have to make some sacrifices. The problem is that despite cutting out at least 300-600 calories a day, I haven't lost a single pound!

carnival of homeschooling

Mrs. Mamma Hen is hosting this week's carnival with a marriage theme.

early adolescence

I finished reading Our Last Best Shot: Guiding Our Children Through Early Adolescence a few days ago and it made me feel both encouraged and depressed at the same time. Encouraged that I am doing a lot of good things for our older children in terms of who they associate with, what activities they participate in, and nurturing their ambitions for the future. Depressed because so many children don't have the same opportunities that my children do with poor schools, few good friends, and even fewer quality role models. So many adolescents are ruining their prospects by engaging in sex, drugs, violence, and topping it off by flunking out of school.

I see such a disconnect between the care and hyper vigilant parenting that goes on with babies and toddlers and the emotional neglect of older children. It seems that parents spend so much of their time and energy baby proofing every room in their home and taking toddlers to music lessons and Gymboree that they plum burn out by the time the child is ready for school and certainly before they are pre-teens. I have seen some bad behaviors that cause me to worry in my own children, but for the most part they are good kids who know who they are, gave good friends, are getting a quality education, and have other adults in their lives to help guide them.

1st confession

Maggie is making her First Holy Communion next week, but since our parish doesn't have daily Mass, she said her confession yesterday. Luckily they got to cut in line, because there were already 8 people waiting when we arrived at 7:35am. I don't want to hear anyone say that people don't go to Confession anymore, they just need to offer it before Mass and then there would be lines out the door. This was the first child I have prepped for any Sacrament, Will and Mary went to CCD and my only job was to make sure they had the Act of Contrition memorized and buy the clothes. Maggie did a great job and asked me to say her penance with her afterwards. She is very excited about next week and has been nagging me every day to buy some Nilla Wafers, m&m's, or oyster crackers (just for practice!).

RSVP

Yesterday Maggie was up at the crack of dawn in anticipation of an afternoon pool party. We made mini cupcakes with chocolate chips on top for the festivities and piled everyone in the car, only to find the driveway empty and no one answering the door. After sitting in the car for 10 minutes wondering where everyone was, the mom who was hosting came down the steps. "Did I get the date wrong?" I asked her. We quickly discovered that I had written down the date in April rather than May. All is well, we ate all the cupcakes after supper, but it shows how overscheduled I am trying to finish up school, pack, squeeze in doctor and orthodontist appointments, and get the kids prepared for their recitals before we move.

carnival of homeschooling

Dewey's Treehouse is hosting this week's carnival with a Superhero theme.

Cub Scouts targeting homeschoolers?

In the latest Scouting magazine, sent to all Scout leaders, there is an article entitled, "Plug Into the Network" explaining why homeschoolers and their parents make great additions to any Cub Scout or Boy Scout troop. The author stresses that homeschoolers are very involved parents and have the time to make badge requirements part of the school day. He does warn that homeschoolers tend to have larger families and can't be expected to all sign up as leaders.

We have found Cub/Boy Scouting to be a wholesome, educational part of Will's life and look forward to many more years of Scout meetings, long drives to camp, and helping out with service projects. We have saved all his old uniforms in the dress up bin and the little boys love to wear them around the house. Charlie starts as a Tiger Scout next year and I am sure that he will enjoy being a real Scout much more than just playing one.

a motrin please

The girls and I went up to visit the aunties this past weekend and I need a day to recover. My sister-in-law and her husband are turning their former farm into a private wooded park full of birds and wildlife. We walked on the grassy paths and walked down to the stream, where Maggie actually went swimming with the trout.

I love working outside in the quiet and after 8 months or so away from the farm, I wanted some quality time with a pair of pruners. I spent hours hacking at low hanging branches and brier bushes, resulting in scratches all over my hands and painful arm muscles. Later I scrubbed down in a really hot shower after finding, not one, not two, but three ticks crawling on me. Then I jumped at the chance to do it all again in the misty rain on Sunday afternoon (luckily no ticks that time around). Tomorrow we will go back to our regular schedule, but for today we decided to play hooky and not make Mommy do anything more strenuous than reading under the covers with a bag of chocolates.

an invitation

I love checking out the postings at American Thinker and am proud when occassionally I see my husband's name on the byline. I started reading there after the site was mentioned several times by Rush Limbaugh and found a great source of entertaining and provocative writing on the events of our time. I jump into the fray every so often and was surprised to find this in my email inbox this week:

As a long time moderator for Mr. Lifson's American Thinker comment section, I get very peeved with commenters who use gross generalizations and stereotying like I did with my silly comment about no fat people in China... but your comeback was good. I like it a lot. You've got a wonderful way of expressing yourself - smart and gritty. I was wondering if you'd be interested in giving our moderator team a whirl? ...I try to find people who have rock bottom common sense and who can express themselves with civility, as you do.

It sounds like an interesting proposition, but the snag is our summer in Maine with the dreadful slow dial-up internet connection. What do you think?

poor phone etiquette

Yesterday mid-morning I was reading aloud to Mary on my bed and the baby woke up. She desperately wanted to be up on the bed so I gave her the phone to play with so she wouldn't stray too close to the edge. I figured she would hit some buttons and keep herself entertained while we finished up our work. Apparently she hit 911. A few minutes later two officers appeared on the front porch and we marveled at how a baby who hasn't even said her first word keyed the correct sequence. They told me that it happens a lot, but I was so mortified that I decided to not give Julia Ellen access to the phone again until she is 14.

Michelle Obama would not approve

The little boys lately have been stuffing their footed pajamas full of pillows or stuffed animals and saying, "I'm fat!" before bumping into each other and exploding into fits of giggles. I'm sure they got it from an out-of-print Richard Scarry Little Golden book called Just For Fun. Charlie zips up an entire pillow in his jammies, while Timmy puts Geraldine and Fluffy (his giraffe and dog that isn't fluffy anymore) around his waistline, making him resemble someone with a serious cellulite problem.

I, for one, am grateful that they picked this page out of the book to copy, they could have decided to replicate turning my kitchen chairs into a steam shovel or painting pictures on the walls.

carnival of homeschooling

Home Spun Juggling is hosting this week's carnival with a cartooning theme.

ballet gear

Both Mary and Maggie are taking ballet class this year and while I like the totes they sell at class, at $15 each they are too pricey for my budget. Instead I went to the thrift store and bought Maggie a pink backpack for her birthday (I filled it full of crayons and art supplies) to haul her tap and ballet shoes to class.

Mary asked for a special ballet bag last week so she didn't have to use the tote bags I use for carrying groceries and library books. There weren't any perfect ones at the thrift store so I bought her a pink twill purse with the intention of appliqueing a picture on the side. It only took about 30 minutes to draw, iron, and zigzag stitch the edges and Mary has a unique bag that she is proud to take to class.

surrounded by boxes

I have found over the many military moves we have made (6 in the past 12 years) that it makes for a smoother move if I prepack stuff such as books, fabric, and off season clothes. My basement has been a repository for empty boxes and as of Thursday all of them were filled, labeled, and sealed.

Yesterday during ballet class Mary and I tried to get some more from the liquor store (the absolute best source of heavy-duty boxes and the perfect size for packing books) but they said that they couldn't give me any until Monday. We did score about a dozen banana boxes from Safeway, but they have an unfortunate hole in both the top and bottom. Finally this morning, I asked the deli stocker at Giant if I could scrounge some flattened cardboard so I can patch up the holes. In one week I have packed all my fabric and about 1/2 of the children's books.

Over the next few weeks I'll try to collect dozens more free boxes and hopefully can cut down the packer's time. Standard military protocol is to feed whoever comes to pack out and I figure by working slowly one box at a time, I can save myself at least the cost of one lunch for 6 burly men.

saving the best for last

Yesterday was another beautiful day so the kids did a tiny bit of school, practiced the piano and I packed a picnic lunch before heading down the road to Annapolis. We squeezed our large van through the narrow streets, parked, bought tour tickets, and were escorted out the door in a very efficient manner (actually, before we even had time to go potty, but miraculously there were no accidents).

The children were very impressed by noon formation and asked lots of questions as the midshipmen paraded into lunch. As our tour progressed Will walked closer and closer to the guide to listen and ask his own questions about engineering courses and daily life at the Academy.

The little ones were a little on the hyper side, but they were quiet as mice inside the chapel and crypt. It was facinating to learn that it took many years to find John Paul Jones' grave in Paris and that he had been preserved so well that they could identify him visually.

We were disappointed that the usual Wednesday 4pm dress parade was a non-event, but we enjoyed the museum and visitor's center on campus, as well as wandering through the front of Bancroft Hall. Anyone interested in American naval history, the space program (52 astronauts are alumni), and French-style architecture would be impressed.

I relented in my usual mean-Mommy attitude toward gift shops and allowed them all to pick out 1 item and I bought Will and Mary each a shirt and a book. The Naval Academy Candidate Book explains how to prepare, get in, and survive. Will snuck it out of the bag last night after prayers and stayed up until 10pm reading it before I called, "Lights out!"

grocery shopping

Usually I like going to the commissary, the prices are good and they have good sales on after-Easter candy, but yesterday's visit was the pits. There were only a few bags of sugar, no high efficiency laundry detergent, and no sausage on the shelves. The contrast between the government run grocery and your average chain store is striking- the commissary features boxes down the middle of every aisle so you can't pick up items from the opposite shelves or get around anyone else's cart, I have had to throw away jugs of milk that weren't even close to the expiration date because they were sour, surly cashiers who don't swipe all the coupons, and foods in the most bizarre locations with frequent placement changes. For example, baking items such as spices, cocoa, flour, and chocolate chips are all on different aisles. The self check-out machines take twice as long because they require you to track down an employee to show your ID, weigh produce, and then tote up the total.

Think of shopping at "government foods" with the same efficiency and customer service as the Post Office, the DMV, and any public school system. I ask you to project into the future and see that Obamacare will turn the health care system into: long waits, limited services, and a bloated bureaucracy filled with people who have no incentive to be pleasant.

carnival of homeschooling

Christine at Our Curious Home is hosting this week's carnival complete with many pictures of their kids on field trips, playing, and learning.

the kid can dance

None of my children, thank goodness, have shown any interest in pop music, rolling up the window if some thug wanna-be with a pavement vibrating stereo pulls up next to us at the stop light. Will and Mary set their alarm clocks on the local classic music station and often ask me to play Beethoven's Wig CD set their Auntie Cheryl bought them for Christmas.

However, Mary and I had a blast standing in an aisle of Safeway the other night opening and closing the plethora of musical cards on display. Timmy received a Thomas the Tank engine card for Valentine's Day last year and drove us nuts playing it over and over for months, but we couldn't resist buying Julia Ellen one that might be an even bigger hit. For a mere $5 we get to see the baby bounce and smile her way through the old wedding hit, The Chicken Dance. Watching reminds me of the youtube video featuring a baby bouncing to Beyonce, but accordion music is about as cutting edge as we get around here.

the world's cutest baby

and the winner is...

speedy school

Today was our first day back with Mommy at the helm and the downstairs schoolroom activity went much faster than usual due to the girl's desire to play with their friends next door. Maggie and Mary were finished by 10:30am, and that included practicing the piano. I can only imagine how much free time we would have if there were other children ready to play with every day.

While the kids are going to miss both sets of neighbors here (only Will doesn't have someone next door his age), our new house apparently has 3 children next door (according to those little happy family stickers on the back window of their minivan). I'm sure between our new neighborhood, church, and homeschool groups, they will make many, many new friends.

so...do you still wanna homeschool?

Yesterday morning I called Tim to check up on the kids, especially Julia Ellen who apparently made it through her first night without Mommy without incident. In fact, she slept 12 hours straight for the first time in weeks. He interrupted our chat several times to bark orders to various children, "Take that laundry downstairs. Sweep the floor."

He seemed confident that they would get the schoolwork I left completed, the piano practiced, and everyone clean and fed. "Maybe after I retire, I should stay home and teach them and you can go out and work," he remarked. I didn't get a chance to ask if he still felt the same way after a day of keeping the little ones out of trouble and supervising and assisting the older ones, even though I didn't leave any time consuming writing assignments.

Homeschooling is hard work, and while Tim is my biggest supporter, it is easy to dismiss the workload unless you actually attempt it. There are many positives about the lifestyle though that make it "tolerable," such as no clock to punch, autonomy, and a chance to flop down on the bed every afternoon for a tiny, short rest.

ooooh, what a day

So, on Easter Sunday morning at 7:30 as we are heading to Mass, my phone rings and I wonder, Who could that be?" since the only person who calls my cell is sitting next to me in the van. Of course it is bad news, my grandmother is calling from 4 hours away and saying, "I can't move my legs, I can't get out of bed." Well, what on earth am I supposed to do? She has someone coming in less than 15 minutes and I pray for her all through Mass. Afterwards, after several phone calls to my aunties I finish packing and hit the road. Luckily nothing is wrong with Grandmother other than severe dehydration and a slight infection- no stroke of which, Sharon, the NICU nurse who comes every morning was suspicious. So, after a good dinner and few glasses of wine we are all settled in and getting ready for a cozy evening.

Poor Tim is right now getting the boys in the bed, saying prayers with the older children and threatening them with violence if they don't turn off the light. I left one day's worth of schoolwork for him to complete with the older children, hopefully they won't give him too hard a time of it. Hopefully also Julia Ellen won't make a repeat of last night where she woke at 10pm demanding to be nursed. She is 13 months old and should be able to do without Mommy for a few nights, but...

Why is it that he can go away for weeks at a time and supposes that everything will proceed normally and I have been away from home for less than 12 hours and have to pray that the children will still have all their digits when I get back? Mommyhood is one big worry session and it doesn't stop when the children turn 18 or move out. I can see my grandmother looking at her two remaining daughters and see the concern on her face. It has finally hit me the truth of the quote by Elisabeth Stone, "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." For the rest of my life I am certain I will wish for this day, one in which all of my children are at home, safe, and healthy.

off to pick a house

I've cleaned the house, well, scrubbed the bathrooms and vacuumed the stairs at least. I cleaned the basement last week for the property manager to walk through and the next day the kids trashed it in their zeal to uncover all the Easter baskets and eggs. That's just how it is these days, I can't clean faster than they mess up.

I've almost packed my suitcase and picked up 4 bags of Otterbein's cookies (the thinnest and crispest sugar cookie on the planet) for my grandmother. I've looked at pictures of houses until the images all run together and whittled the list down to 12 rentals to pick from. I think we have taken buying a house off the table unless they all balk at the size of our family.

I have also weaned Julia Ellen so I didn't have to take her with me and listen to her holler all the way down in the truck and have to stay up every night shushing her because she won't sleep through the night in a strange place. It seems strange to not be pulling up my shirt for her 6 times a day, but she has adjusted very well to sippy cups of milk and eating more table food. Meals with her are such a treat, she eats mushroom soup, chicken and rice, and scarfs down broccoli like it is chocolate cake.

It will be strange to be without any children for a few days, but I'm sure that Tim can handle it and likely will have the household chores delegated and completed far better than I usually manage. Hopefully I can complete my house-hunting mission and be back before they even notice that Mommy is gone.

Mt. Vernon revisited

Is it a field trip if you don't bring your camera?

I realized just after we crossed the American Legion Bridge that I had wiped my memory card clean and checked the batteries, but promptly left the camera sitting next to the computer. But we did bring our annual passes and since Charlie was still under the age limit to get in free, we saw George Washington's farm for cheap. Yeah, we spent a goodly sum on ice cream and an ornament for our Christmas tree, but in all we got to enjoy the 80 F weather and immerse ourselves in 18th century farming.

It is always important to have every child go to the bathroom at the same time as we learned the hard way today. Mt. Vernon has a child-friendly room in the museum where they can dress up, do puzzles, fit together a pottery bowl... but they are very strict that all children (18 and below) must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Well, of course we had several urgent potty trips while we were there so I had to gather everyone up, make them take off the gear, go down the long crowded hall to the bathroom, wait for them to emerge, and attempt it again. Finally after the 3rd time that a little person said, "I have to go," I gave up and after a visit to the last public bathroom I want to see in a long time, we went to the gift shop and home.

Only 2 more field trips left on our list: a return to the National Zoo and the Naval Academy. I think on Wednesday afternoons there is a field parade at USNA starting next week, but for that trip I will triple check that my camera is in my purse.

good news

After 5 hours, Tim, Julia Ellen, and super-duper helper Will returned home from the ER. Julia Ellen definitely has a small round object in her tummy, where is is supposedly safe. The danger of these batteries is if they get lodged in the esophagus. I'm supposed to watch for it over the next few days and then breathe a huge sigh of relief.

On other fronts we are doing better, I sent a letter to the co-op head, thanking her for including us but stating that we would not be returning. We won't have orders in hand when I go house hunting on Monday, but we have been assured that they are 1 signature away from completed. A plan for fitting in several TAD assignments, packing out, getting us up to Maine, attending all the children's recitals and such is coming together, and we are still working on school every day. I'm waiting for the weather to cooperate so we can go on those last few field trips without having to pack coats and deal with cold children from wind whipping off the water on top of organizing diapers, spare clothes, stroller, and food.

My life right now seems like I'm on the whip ride at the fair, but soon the guy at the switch will realize I'm starting to feel a little nauseous and push the big red button to stop the ride. Soon we will be up in Maine with an entire summer stretching in front of us filled with trips to the beach, fun projects to work on, and nature to explore. I just have to make it through the next few months without losing my lunch in order to get there.

prayers please

Tim got home in time for my dentist appointment only to hear, "Julia Ellen swallowed a (tiny watch) battery!" He wasn't home 10 minutes before he took her to the Emergency Room.

palm sunday

If we went forward to the altar and received 7 palms from the priest, how did we end up with 20 by the time we got home? Charlie is like the little boy who brought his lunch to Jesus and ended up helping feed over 5000. Of course the palms now are too narrow to be made into crosses, but there are certainly a lot of them.

who will be wearing that stethoscope in the future?

An excellent article over at American Thinker about how difficult and expensive it is to become a doctor.

This was my comment:

An acquaintance was lauding the passage of Obamacare, "If doctors don't like getting paid less then they can find something else to do. My husband is a lawyer and he has 6 years of post-graduate training and we are barely making ends meet. Why should doctors get paid so much?"

I toted it up in my head that my husband has spent 14 years in post-graduate training and we are now facing what we can do if he can't find a job in medicine (after military retirement). I just can't fathom how people can begrudge someone a professional living when they have studied, trained, and worked for years to specialize in some branch of medicine that most people can't even spell. Can a lawyer, garbage man, or teacher replace your heart? Can a union auto worker diagnose your child with one of the myriad of types of lymphoma? Do you want a congressman standing there in scrubs if your husband gets shot at the mini-mart by a robber?

If we expect competence and expert skill then we must be prepared to pay for it. Right now there are fewer people going into medicine than ever before, many of the smart ones see the writing on the wall and are turning to some other way of pursing the American Dream. Medicine is no longer the route to a good life. It is instead the path to huge debt, crushing working hours, and the opportunity to be sued and lose everything at any moment.

moving on up

I'm so proud of Will today. Last night he went through his board of review and was given his 2nd class Boy Scout badge. While he doesn't always obey Mommy and Daddy at home, he certainly acts like a helpful and courteous Scout on Thursday nights. His Scoutmaster praised him to the skies and said he was a real asset to the troop. We told him that if he advances to 1st class before we move then he can pursue the shooting merit badge at camp this summer during the 2 weeks we are sending him. To prove his effort he got 3 items signed off toward that goal after the meeting. I would have preferred a little less enthusiasm as this meant we didn't get home until 10pm.

carnival of homeschooling

Homegrown Mommy is hosting this week's carnival.

flexibility is the key

Being a military family is a lot like a last-minute bargain traveler. We have the opportunity to travel and see many places in our country and around the world, but we sometimes must make a speedy decision, and the destination options might not be as broad as if we have gone to the travel agency months in advance. After getting all excited about returning to my hometown and researching the real estate market extensively, there are some issues that might prevent us from going to Portsmouth. We have a few other options, including staying here in DC or moving up to Great Lakes in Illinois.

The next few weeks will prove my competence as a military spouse, the ability to go with the flow and not get my heart set on any specific plan. There are benefits to going to Portsmouth, especially to spend more time with my grandmother, who is currently trying out an assisted living facility. But I certainly can't act like a spoiled child and insist that we go there, it might not be possible. Even staying here would be a pain as we have to move to another house with our lease expiring. Illinois would be an adventure since I've never been in that part of the country and relish the idea of trying out something new for a short spell.

My plan for this week is to research the area I know little about, perhaps look at some rental prices, call Seton for the names of some homeschoolers in the area, and roll the idea around a bit like a new food in my mouth and see if it is palatable.

a rethinking

It just seems like yesterday when I was at my breaking point and needed something (or more than one something) to get back on track academically and mentally. Only 2 months ago I was walking around the local Catholic school seriously contemplating enrolling the children. This past weekend was beautiful and warm (80F on Sunday) and we are doing 4th quarter work in some subjects, so we are seeing sunlight at the end of the tunnel.

However, the homeschool co-op I raved about in December is not working out as well as I would like, it seems like a hormonal froth of petty accusations every time we go, "Your child is out of control! She is eating too much sugar for breakfast!" "Your children were eating during the movie!" "Your child was where he wasn't supposed to be!" "Your child is not following the dress code!" (I didn't even know there was one) I don't get relief from duty like most of the moms and then somehow I'm supposed to be supervising in 3 places during lunch, all while hauling around a 20+ pound kid while everyone else sits back and chats in the lounge.

Part of me wants to send an email to the group saying, "Thanks for the help, but this isn't fun anymore," while the other part doesn't want to be a quitter with only 8 weeks left. I really do like some of the ladies and do provide a service watching the preschoolers in the nursery, but the day completely wears me out and I don't like the older ones being in a class where the teacher obviously has a grudge against them. I also want to squeeze in few more field trips before we packout, including returns to Mt. Vernon and the National Zoo, as well as seeing the US Naval Academy, my father's and grandfather's alma mater. So, I need to spend some time in prayer and decide what we are going to do for the last few months of the school year; stay home or finish out the co-op year.

pray, pray, pray

Pray that the House of Representatives will represent the will of the American people and not pass the Obamacare bill. If the forces of darkness are successful then we will have more abortions, more elderly bumped off, more taxes, and the federal government intruding into every aspect of our lives. Some faceless bureaucrat will decide who gets treatment (and who doesn't), who gets loans for college (and who doesn't), and who will be investigated for living a different lifestyle (meaning military, homeschooling, gun owners...).

We will have the government deciding what foods and additives are simply not acceptable (such as salt and transfats) and how much you can weigh. We will be subject to a dozen additional and new taxes and millions more will lose their jobs. Pray for strength, wisdom, and courage for those who dare to go against Pelosi and Obama. May God have mercy on our nation and defend it from all invaders, foreign and domestic.

real life rush hour game

Lately my life has turned into one giant logic puzzle. Saturday is a good example: Maggie had a birthday party from 12-3, Mary had piano makeup lesson at 1:45, Will's at 2:30 and Will volunteered to help the Cub Scout pack set up and judge their Pinewood Derby beginning at 12. All these activities were in opposite directions and at least 30 minutes drive apart. Add to the challenge a still nursing baby and that one vehicle only holds 3 people (and the brakes stick in wet weather). I felt like someone was holding a timer and a camera on me the whole day and my antics were going to be broadcast on some weird reality show. We had similar logistical headaches on Monday and Thursday, and tonight is planning on being another doozy. Maggie has ballet from 6-7pm and Mary has an American Heritage Girls dinner from 6:30-8, which should be fine except the place is 45 minutes away. I'm hoping we can squeeze in supper sometime in all this running around on back roads to avoid the famously snarled Washington, DC traffic.

Only another few months of events that require a social secretary to sort out and then we will be in Maine where the only decision that has to be made most days is, "Shall I walk around the fields first thing in the morning or work on the path through the woods?" Images of lazy days of swimming in the bay, hiking on untrampled paths at the state park, and arranging huge bouquets of child-picked wildflowers are sustaining me through the hectic and frantic state I now find myself in.

carnival of homeschooling

Beverly's Homeschool Blog is hosting this week's carnival with a theme of Celebrating Life.

reading bombs

I love to read and somehow, even with 6 children at home all day, I read about one book a day. The other night when I saw someone reading on their Kindle, I asked her, "Do you really like that? Don't you miss the feel of the paper, the weight of the book on your knees when you read in bed?" (or something similar, like, "How do you like that thing?") She said, "Oh, I've been reading so much more now. I've finished 4 books since Christmas!" But I can read really fast and grew up in a home where we spent as much time reading as sleeping, sometimes more. Other people didn't get that growing up and read much slower. They probably remember a lot more of what they read too, while I can't recall who actually 'did it' in the murder mystery I read last week. (but that can be beneficial as I can read it again and again and again)

Occasionally I get to peruse the stacks at the local library alone. There is time to read the inner flap and the author bio and take more than 30 seconds to decide if I want to stick it in my tote bag. Usually though, I am pulling books off the shelf and stuffing them in my bag with little more than the cover art to go on. I've read some good books this way and it doesn't cost me anymore than a sore shoulder at any rate. But lately I have brought home some really horrible books and since Tim was away I stayed up to late reading and didn't bother just dropping them on the floor and picking up another. Today I'm heading back with my tote full of duds and trying again.

I'm sharing the 4 worst books I checked out so if you happen to spy them on the library shelf you can steer clear and not waste your time. HGTV The Best of Designers' Challenge: if I was interested in $120,000 Tuscan inspired kitchen makeovers, or $40,000 bathroom redos featuring fireplaces and candles across the wall I might be more interested, but as I want to pick out wall colors for our new home, it is a little too over the top.

A Rogue of My Own: Yes, I occasionally read Regency romances, but this was cliched, predictable from page 2, and plumb stupid. I would have spent my time much better by rereading a Jane Austen for the 100th time. Much better.

The Working Poor, Invisible in America: all the poor in America are just beaten down by the system, in awful circumstances... and we have to fix it. We should pay more and more taxes to give these folks who have children at 14, use drugs, commit crime, and drop out of school a decent apartment, food, and teachers who are exceptional. There needs to be a safety net so wide to allow them to be comfortable while earning minimum wage. Now, I'm not a heartless witch, but there was little mention of personal responsibility in this book. Instead of making me feel sorry for the adults who found themselves in dire straits, I only felt pity for the poor children born to them.

The last dud book for the week was The Sweet By and By, a thinly veiled "Christian" novel which started without introducing the main characters so that I couldn't make heads or tails of it by page 5. After reading page 8 I gave up and was grateful that I didn't read another word.

So, here's to a better batch of books this week.

lost book

Why is it that in cleaning out the children's rooms in preparation for Tim getting back from a week in New England we unearthed an entire laundry basket full of books, but not one of them was the missing library book?


I've renewed Arthur's Great Big Valentine 3 times now, hoping it will turn up, which will likely surface the day after I pay for the darn thing. This brings up another query, why do the library books that end up lost always have to be fluff that I wouldn't want to keep? That's easy. We already own 90% of the classic, quality children's books on the market.

let's make noise!

A box of macaroni and cheese makes a very good maraca, though it isn't the best accompaniment to Bach's Minuet in G.

call your Congressman and say NO!

I highly recommend reading this entire piece by Ken Blackwell, but here is enough to make you pick up the phone and call your Rep. I recommend calling a local office rather than the Capitol number, the people tend to be nicer and you are more likely to get through.

It's all supposed to be voluntary, those "home visits" that are tucked into the mammoth ObamaCare bill. If you have a strong stomach, and stronger bottom, you can find home visitation on pages 568-595. That's Section 2951 of H.R. 3590, the Senate bill that Harry Reid brought down the chimney on Christmas Eve.

Is your family being "targeted" for such home visitations? Let's see if you fit into one of these very broad categories:

•Families where Mom is not yet 21.

•Families where someone is a tobacco user.

•Families where children have low student achievement, developmental delays, or disabilities.

•Families with individuals who are serving or formerly served in the armed forces, including such families that have members of the armed forces who have had multiple deployments outside the United States.

Who will sit atop the federal pyramid that runs this vast new invasion of family privacy? Why, it will be Sec. of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius.

Do you spank your children? You should know that HHS bureaucrats think you are an abuser. Do you support the Second Amendment? How would you like HHS bureaucrats asking your children if you maintain firearms in the home for family protection? Do you home school your kids? Take care. Members of Congress who have tried to abolish home schooling are big backers of this health care bill.

will the last kid left turn out the light?

Facing potential bankruptcy, the board that governs the once flush-with-cash Kansas City school district ... narrowly approved the plan to close 29 out of 61 schools Wednesday night at a meeting packed with angry parents.


...one woman asked the crowd, "Is anyone else ready to homeschool their children?"

Under the approved plan, buildings will be shuttered before the next school year. Teachers at six other low-performing schools will be required to reapply for their jobs, and the district will try to sell its downtown central office. It also is expected to cut about 700 of the district's 3,000 jobs, including about 285 teachers.

Superintendent John Covington has stressed that the district's buildings are only half-full as its population has plummeted amid political squabbling and chronically abysmal test scores. The district's enrollment of fewer than 18,000 students is about half of what the schools had a decade ago and just a quarter of its peak in the late 1960s. AP

My question is why would any parents fight so hard for their child to go to a failing school in a district filled with bickering bureaucrats? If this is the deciding factor for a parent to investigate homeschooling then I say, "Goody, goody gumdrops," because I doubt any parent could do worse teaching them at home than leaving them in the Kansas City school system.

carnival of homeschooling

Homeschool Bytes is hosting this week's carnival with a party theme. I am especially interested in the post about homeschooled Cub and Boy Scouts.

urban renewal

Due to liberal policies such as high taxation and a glut of overpaid union workers, Michigan is in terrible financial difficulties, especially the city of Detroit. But what is a horrible financial mess for some folks is opportunity for others. Foreclosed houses (1/5 of the standing buildings) in Detroit are selling for $1-$5000 cash, giving those who could not possibly afford a home a way to achieve the American Dream.

I saw this cycle firsthand in downtown Portsmouth where magnificent homes built between 1820-1860 were selling for $20,000 to anyone with enough guts and vision to see the future. Now those same homes sell for $400,000, even in today's depressed market. The first to move into a blighted area with cheap prices are the young artists, followed by the entrepreneurs who swoop in to fix up houses and sell once an area has been deemed trendy and on a safer financial footing. Finally, the masses jump on the bandwagon and home values soar. Instead of viewing the depopulation of Detroit as a crisis, folks who need a hand-up in today's economy should look at it as an way to escape their present circumstances.

But what is blight to some is proving an opportunity to remake parts of the city for others living there. The Old Redford part of Detroit has suffered its share of desolation. The police station, high school and community centre are closed. Yet the area is being revitalised, led by John George... They are pulling down housing that cannot be saved and creating community gardens with fresh vegetables free for anyone to pick.

"Detroit has some of the nicest housing stock in the country. Brick, marble, hardwood floors, leaded glass. These houses were built for kings," George added.

a must read

This is a fabulous article about the future of health care by Thomas Sowell, entitled Getting Out of Medicine, stating the obvious, that with increasing regulation and bureaucracy America will have fewer doctors.

"Paying doctors less and hassling them more may be some people’s idea of “lowering the cost of medical care,” but it is really just refusing to pay the costs — and taking the consequences."

lazy or cheap?

Having nursed 6 children for an average of 14 months I have spent much time wearing nursing bras and tanks. I really like Target's selection that allows me to keep my tummy covered while breastfeeding. However, the plastic snaps and strap adjusters have broken on several, leaving me to keep them together with safety pins. Since Julia Ellen is almost 12 months old, I really can't justify the $50 expense and hassle of shopping for new nursing gear since she likely will be weaned in the next few months. Perhaps if the last intact one breaks in the next few weeks I'll give in, but I'm hoping I can hold out until she learns to drink cow's milk and then throw the whole pile out in the trash.

what an exciting world out there!

Julia Ellen got a new car seat this week as her old infant bucket seat was breaking (just the handle to release it from the base) and her little legs were sticking out so far that they were jammed against the seat. These days it is much easier to purchase and install car seats without all that bulky packaging that Will was able to put it into the car all by himself.

On the way up to American Heritage Girls yesterday the baby was literally squealing she was so thrilled to see cars, trees, and her siblings while we were motoring along. The old seat is sitting beside the trash can outside and hopefully this is the last car seat/booster seat we will be purchasing, if I can remember correctly we have bought 8 in the last 12 years.

budget cut suggestion

The children's librarian was telling me yesterday that the county is slashing funding so much that she might not have a job much longer. I said that it was unfair that the politicians threaten the only services that the public really needs such as fire stations and libraries when they have so many unnecessary bureaucratic positions that could be eliminated. The public schools for example are full of paper pushers whose jobs description must include trying to make things more difficult for homeschoolers like this superintendent from Rhode Island who insisted on an

... illogical requirement that homeschoolers “go through the Central Office Complex for registration and follow the guidelines of policy JFAA for the Admission of Resident Students.” The school superintendent felt so strongly that homeschoolers should have to register in exactly the same way as public school students that he refused to budge. Instead, he appealed to the Rhode Island Department of Education.

On February 1, the Commissioner of Education sent a letter to the superintendent stating:

“It is my opinion that personal information related to the home schooled student and his/her parents is not subject to the same data collection protocols that apply to students enrolled in public school. … [T]he parents of homeschooled children are not required to provide you with the same ‘basic information’.” HSLDA

Private schools just do not have the quantity of administrative positions that the public schools do, why pay for four principals in a middle school when one will do? The same situation occurs in medicine, a county hospital will have a small building for the administration while the staff that does not come in contact with patients at Portsmouth Naval Hospital commandeers the entire original hospital for offices and conference rooms. When budgets are fixed, the private entity will reduce overhead while the government entity will cut basic positions that are supposedly the purpose of the enterprise such as teachers or nurses.

carnival of homeschooling

Homeschool Buzz is hosting this week's carnival with a Homeschool Oddities edition.

reasonable expectations

Our entire homeschooling experience has been fully enrolled with Seton Home Study School. They send all the books and lesson plans for each child along with tests, quizzes, and progress report forms to send and receive report cards. We have found through the years which subjects need more work than the they suggest and which ones need much more. Will is in 6th grade and we have found that the Seton tests for this grade are very difficult to pass without sufficient studying. Today we finished up the 2nd quarter religion test which Seton gives 4 days of study and 1 day to take the 4 page test. Instead, we took 3 weeks to review and test in smaller chunks. It wasn't the Bible history part that was so hard, but memorizing 15 catechism questions perfectly.

I guess we are "technically" behind now, but I use review and tests in religion, history, and science to continue to learn the material, not to trip them up. Unlike mathematics and phonics, which review the same concepts over and over, these other subjects are new material that doesn't really "stick" unless it is covered more than the one reading of the chapter. Yes, we do supplement with Story of the World and non-fiction books, but if we spend a month or more on the material than the lesson plans officially call for and spend more time in review then the children will be better off in the long run, even if their summer vacation is a tad bit shorter.

what was I thinking?

This morning Tim and I were trying to hash out this afternoon's logistical nightmare of trying to be in 3 places at the same time. Once upon a time I decided not to attempt more than one outing per day, but that doesn't work fitting in 6 children's activities. But I should have picked a different day to schedule a dentist appointment for myself than the busiest day of the week with co-op, piano, and ballet. I can barely remember where we have to be when and was actually 20 minutes late to piano last week after looking at my watch and saying, "We have to be there NOW!" and fighting with the horrible DC traffic.

It is too late to change my appointment, but hopefully I will recall this day next time I am on the phone with a doctor's office, "No, I can't do it that day, I can't lie still and watch 6 kids all at the same time."