School Thoughts

I rearranged my entire schedule so that today would be a free day.  Free from cleaning, free from errands, and free from .  I put dinner in the crockpot and hunkered down at the dining room table for a few hours of school planning.  

This coming school year has me in a mixed state of excitement and nervousness.   I'm adding a student this year.  Going from two to three students two years ago was a big adjustment (though I also had a 11 month old and had just moved to a new house).  Benjamin is excited about starting kindergarten, but he is such an energetic little boy who rarely stays still for more than a few minutes.  The thoughts of keeping his attention while I teach him to read and do simple math, while also challenging the mind of my 6th grader who is moving into longer, more complicated school days gets my heart thumping.  

While I fight back my nerves, I'm also really enthused about some new things on tap for our year.  I ordered new art workbooks that I know my kids are going to love and we're studying mammals in science like Maddie requested over a year ago.  I'm designing copywork sheets for Owen that tie into our study of US geography, plus I found a cursive copywork joke book for Gavin at a used book sale  that I know will be right up his alley! 

I get all jittery again, though, when I consider how to accomplish all I want to do. I want to be the mom who accomplishes much without losing my joy. I've been praying desperately for wisdom, peace, and clarity as I begin to plan our year which begins the first week of August.   I was inspired and challenged by another homeschool mom who wrote On Teaching From a State of Rest and I kept her words in my mind as I sat down to work today. 

As it turns out, about mid-morning we got heavy downpours and Brian came home from work early.  I mentioned to him that I had hit an organizational rut.  In the school cabinet in our dining room, each of the kids keeps a backpack or tote bag with their personal school supplies and books.  This year Ben needs his own bag and Gavin's books are too big to fit in his old bag and there is no way it will all fit in the cabinet space.  I told Brian that there was surely a solution but that I couldn't find it. He promptly looked at the shelves, offered suggestions, arranged a few things, and began a thorough afternoon clean-out of the whole cabinet.  We threw out broken crayons, old papers, a torn backpack, dull scissors, and completed workbooks.We decided to have the kids start keeping their bags in their bedroom closets and reserve the school cabinet for art supplies and books we read or study together.

By dinner time, I was not nearly as far along in my planning as I had hoped, but my mind is less muddled which is a good thing. 

Are you facing any challenges in your coming school year?  A new student?  A new baby?  Uncertainty or lack of direction? Let's encourage each other! 

Mr. Darcy's Diary

{This post, like most of my posts that discuss books, contains affiliate links.}

During my week of rest, one of my goals was to spend more time reading in the evenings in an effort to finish a few books that have been on my to-read list for far too long.  As a result, I finished my fifth book for the Sisters Book Challenge.  This time I read Mr. Darcy's Diary: A Novel by Amanda Grange. 

I'll admit, I got majorly burned out on all things Jane Austen when I was in high school.  My friends and I watched a few too many Jane Austen movies, and I overdosed.  (Granted, we also had an Anne of Green Gables marathon where we watched the entirety of both movies--8 hours!--but I had a deeper affection for Anne to start with.)  Anyway, it took me many years...yes, years... to ease back into Jane Austen. 

About four years ago I was going through a dry spell in my reading.  I had four children under seven and not a lot of time or motivation to read.  Something made me attempt Pride and Prejudice, an interesting choice for a frazzled brain, but once I acclimated to the style of the dialogue, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It took me a month to complete, but who's counting?  I recognized much of the plot and conversation from the 2005 movie which I had tentatively watched (and also liked). 

Last year, I read Death Comes to Pemberley by P. D. James after reading a magazine review.  Set after Pride and Prejudice closes, it was a fun take on a murder mystery involving the characters from the original classic. 

Which brings me back to the beginning where I was talking about the book I read last week.  Mr. Darcy's Diary by Amanda Grange is another spin-off of the original classic, this time retelling the love story of Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett from Darcy's perspective.  It was a quick summer read-- not something I might have chosen on my own, but a book I enjoyed nonetheless.  

The fun part of this book challenge is that it has pushed me to read books out of my normal range.  I tend to get stuck in a reading rut and read the same genre and style every time.  This year, I have been challenged to read more historical fiction and sample of few more classics. 

The challenge was to choose at least five books from the list of ten to complete during the year.  I've read five, officially completing the challenge, but since it is only July, I plan to keep going, though I'm not sure what to choose next.  I already downloaded The Scarlet Pimpernel for free for my Kindle, but I've heard that Bride of Thistleloch Castle is a can't-put-it-down kind of book!

What would you choose?  

Rest

I wrote my previous post on a Thursday evening with no intention of taking a ten day break.  It happened so suddenly that I never made an announcement.  I simply slipped away from my blog for a time. 

The day before that post, I got a running injury. More accurately, there was a muscle injury in my leg that I couldn't ignore any longer. For several weeks, I had been working on increasing my speed and had strained a muscle in my leg.   I've had sore muscles before, but this time it got worse and worse until I had pain when walking.  After a bit of Google research, I diagnosed myself with a common sprinting injury.  The best way to heal it?  Rest.  I knew I needed to stop running until it the pain was gone. After eleven day of rest, I can feel improvement and I'm hoping to return to running in another week. 

For two weeks, we had a busy social calendar with events and obligations that took us out of the house more than usual. I suddenly felt the need to rest, not just in my physical life (running), but in my mental life (blogging).  

I used my brain power instead to work on our coming school year.  I attended a small book fair with a friend on the weekend, did a bit of school book ordering after that, and spent many minutes in the car and at home organizing our coming year in my thoughts.  I've been feeling a tug to make a change to our homeschool days.  I'm not planning a major change, but I want to freshen things up a little.  I will have four students this year ranging from kindergarten through 6th grade, plus our little pre-schooler.  I see-saw between excitement and terror. I have yet to sketch a plan onto paper, but my mind has been whirling with the possibilities. 

While I rested physically and semi-mentally, our days were still full:

• Gavin, my oldest child, but also my fiercest homebody, attended a 1-day 4-H camp by his own choice and declared it, "The best day!"
• Owen made a chocolate cake that we snacked on all weekend, and Maddie and Owen made 4th of July cupcakes that took us through the rest of the week.  I love that my children are finding their places in the kitchen!
• A tornado warning was issued for our area and, though it never touched ground, the cloud went directly over our town.  The kids and I spent 20 minutes in a bedroom closet until the danger passed. It was hot, cramped, and occurred at dinner time.  Quite the adventure!
• We ate dinner as a family four days in a row, an unexpected treat during the spring/summer months of Brian's long working hours. 
• Even though Brian worked on the 4th, we attended a fireworks show together that evening as a family.  Five-sevenths of us loved it.  Our two youngest members held their ears, closed their eyes, and whimpered for the full thirty minutes.  
•  Everyone in our family finished at least one book! 

I plan to be back...and present... at my little blog spot this week, but if I disappear again, you know where I am.

Have You Gone Modern?

When eReaders and eBooks first came on the scene, I declared that I would never turn my back on traditional paper books.   

How can I cozy up with a hard thin piece of plastic?  I said.

Books on a screen are not nearly as appealing as books on a shelf, I said.

That was before my husband gave me a Kindle as a gift a little over a year ago.  It took me all of 5 seconds to get hooked on this new-to-me technology and decide that it had it merits. 

• It travels in my purse everywhere I go so I always a book (or two or three) at the ready when I find myself in need.  (Yes, I do sometimes need a book!) 
  
  
• When I finish a paper book unexpectedly and don't have time to run out to the library, I can check out an eBook from the library via my home computer...or I can peruse the books I've already downloaded to my Kindle library. 
  
  
• There is a little feature at the bottom of the screen that tells me  (based on my reading speed) how many minutes are left in my chapter and how many minutes are left in my book.  For someone with an obsessive personality (like me), that is an awesome perk. 

Sure, an eReader still has its drawbacks. I'm an intensely visual learner. When I'm reading a book and want to re-check something I've read, I can usually picture the side of the page and the placement on the page to find what I need quickly.  It doesn't work that easily with an eBook. And it really isn't as cozy to read with an electronic device as it is to hold and smell a paper book.  I'm content to see-saw between the two options and enjoy the best of both worlds. 

So, how about you? Have you gone modern?  Do you read from an eReader or do prefer traditional methods? 

: :: :: :: :: :: :: :

Want to catch up on what began as one reading question and has turned into an unofficial series? 

We've talked about our reading quirks. We discussed how we choose the books we read aloud to our kids.  We've talked about whether we quit books we hate or soldier on ,  whether we prefer fiction or non-fiction, and what specific genres are our favorites. We also discussed whether we prefer to borrow or buy our books and our criteria for keeping the books we do buy (versus donating them).

Summer Employment

This week in our School of Home Skills, Brian is teaching the kids how to take out the trash.  They've been helping with this task for years, but we want them to know how to handle the job-- from start to finish-- alone.  They need to know how to empty all the smaller trash cans into the larger one, how to remove the bag (without dumping trash all over the kitchen), how to sweep the stray crumbs that gather around the trash can, how to tie the filled bag, where to put the bag outside until Brian can take it to the dump, where we keep the roll of trash bags and how to put a new one in, and the importance of washing hands after handing the dirty job.  Neither of the kids is especially thrilled about this job, but they are rising to the task just as they did when I taught them how to thoroughly clean the car inside and out after we went to the beach last week.  

We've taken our summer training a step further.  Gavin began talking about saving all his money to put towards a  LEGO set.  He figured out how many weeks he would need to save his small weekly allowance and, with Brian's help, researched what website offered the best deal.  

We decided to give him the choice of reaching his goal more quickly by working for it.  Our gravel driveway has large patches of weeds that grow up between the stones.  Brian is able to spray it, but only if the weeds are under control (which they are not).  He trained Gavin how to pull the weeds up by the roots and fill a bucket.  He agreed to pay Gavin $1 per filled bucket. Gavin thought it sounded like a great deal, but he soon realized it was hard work! 

It was hot, and Brian had strict standards.  Gavin had to fill the bucket above the rim.  He had to clear one area before moving to another.  He had to pull all but the tiniest of weeds.   He was motivated enough to work at his task, though.  Each bucket took about 1 hour to fill.  Then he dumped it in the designated spot and started in again.  

We chose to set Friday as pay day.  Instead of paying him each dollar as it was earned, he was responsible for keeping a record and reporting his total on Thursday night as Brian did the bills.  

Gavin's employment was a success!  At the end of last week, he was able to purchase his desired LEGO set and is now enjoying the fruit of his labor. 

a muddy, wet June Saturday

No, it was not a rainy day.  In fact, it was hot and sunny--a very "second day of summer" kind of day. 

However, it was a wet day because today  we hosted our annual sleepover for my youngest sister, Bekah.   Two years ago, we set the standard when we created a deluxe water slide-- playground slide made slippery with a running garden hose.  Last year,  a water balloon pinata was the main attraction. 

This year we decided to do a slip-n-slide.  I saw directions on Facebook to make a homemade slide, but Brian scoured the sale ads and found a store-bought one for cheaper than the supplies to make our own.

Some were not brave enough to attempt sliding onto a piece of plastic on their bellies so they stuck with the pool.

The older kids, though, were up for the challenge. 

The girls developed a part-knees, part hips sliding technique. 

Gavin showed no fear.  He caught on and figured out how to slide all the way to the end. 

In my continued effort to conquer my fear of sweat, I stuck it out with them in the heat, dipping my feet when necessary.  (Ignore my glowing white legs!  I am a red head afterall.)

This is the point where my camera batteries died so I can't show you the hunks of the watermelon we all enjoyed as an afternoon snack and the drippy, sticky mouths and bellies. I can't show you the mud-streaked legs or movie night in the living room.  

I can't even show you the eleven baby frogs Maddie caught and let swim in the pool (after I got out!).  Bekah wouldn't touch them, but she did help give them names like Kati and Gracie and John. 

I can't even show you that though the clock now reads 10:20 pm,  there are still a few kids reading by book light. 

How did you spend your Saturday? Do you have any fun water ideas I can file away for next year's sleepover? 

Conquering My Fear of Sweat

Sweat makes me cranky.  Sweat makes me feel icky and it zaps my energy and my good attitude.  Though I love the relaxed pace of summer, I often spend most of it in the house, out of the sweat-inducing weather.

Running has slowly been pulling me out of my comfort zone.  I started running last year on the last day of September.  I had printed out the Couch to 5K plan sometime in July, but I didn't consider starting until I  was convinced that summer temperatures were finally behind us.  I ran comfortably though December, but when January arrived, I had to learn to power through the cold wind and icy air to run through the winter.  Spring brought a new obstacle-- a warmer but stronger wind-- and I learned to adjust to that, too. 

My goal for this summer is to conquer my fear of sweat-- to get outside and put up with the discomfort, not only as I run, but in an effort to make memories with my kids. 

I thought my first test would be a few weeks ago as we planned to attend a National Get Outdoors Day event as a family.  The forecast was a warm day with high humidity.  I braced myself for heat and I reminded myself not to complain, but instead the air stayed cool and we were caught in a torrential downpour while walking through the woods to the archery display.  I hadn't prepared myself for that!

I assumed my second test would be on Wednesday as we went to the beach.  It's no secret that I'm not a beach girl.  I dislike sand.  I dislike sunscreen.  Oh, and I dislike sweat.  My kids love the beach, though, and I told myself I would live in the moment and not complain this year.  On Tuesday,  I was reminded twice in the same day of the words of Jim Elliot: "Wherever you are, be all there! Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."  Timely. Can that apply to taking my kids to the beach?  I think so. 

Anyway, we packed up and headed to the beach.  I got into the van with a good attitude and I prepared myself for a little discomfort. The kids had a great time building in the sand, digging holes, and splashing, but it was pleasantly cool and cloudy, and instead of sweat, we had to deal with blue lips. 

As it turns out, my biggest challenge so far this year has been my morning run. The extreme humidity is a killer.  The damp air means that sweat can't evaporate efficiently so by the time I'm done, I literally have sweat dripping off of my elbows.  I've been attempting to maintain my running schedule by getting up early to run 3 mornings a week.  When I ran on Tuesday morning this week, the humidity was at 87% as I left the house.  Even thought the air was still mild, I returned home drenched.  That is terribly out of my comfort zone, but I'm learning to embrace it...at least long enough to walk in the house to the shower!

Conquering a fear often means facing it head-on. To this end, I have almost convinced myself to sign up for a race on the morning before my 33rd birthday in August!  {You mean, I am choosing to sweat? And I'm choosing to do this a treat for my birthday?! I'm not even sure I recognize myself.}

Of course, this morning when I left for my run, it was only 51 degrees, and though there was still 93% humidity, I didn't sweat as much as I would on an 80 degree morning.  We still have another day at the beach coming up, though.  Somehow I know that an afternoon in the heart of July will deliver the heat and will push me a bit closer to conquering my fear. 

After the Book is Done

My unofficial blog series on reading is turning into an "official" series, I think.  We've talked about our reading quirks and how we choose the books we read aloud to our kids.  We've talked about whether we quit books we hate or soldier on , whether we prefer fiction or non-fiction, and what specific genres are our favorites. We also discussed whether we prefer to borrow or buy our books. 

So today I'm wondering...

If you decide to buy a book, what do you do with it after you finish reading it?  Does it automatically go on your bookshelf?  What about if you didn't like it? 

After I read a book, I ask myself 2 questions:

• Will I read this again?
• Will I recommend this to someone? 

If I can answer yes to either question, I give it a home on the bookshelf.  If not, out it goes!

It's trickier with kids' books because I have a few hoarders among my children (and it drives their very un-hoarder-ish mother crazy!).  If I pick up a book that we've never read and I'm not sure if I'll love enough to keep, I'll put it with the borrowed books in our library basket.  That way, I can read it once and if I don't like it or can't imagine myself reading it over and over, I "return" it to the library as a donation and the kids are none the wiser. 

The School of Home Skills

{This post, like most of my posts that discuss books, contains affiliate links. However, I was in no other way compensated for the honest mention of this book.}

One of my goals I listed for 2013 was to "work with the kids on responsibility and finishing tasks to completion."  I mentioned in my May goal check-in that we were making some progress, but I've been kind of discouraged that I was having to make constant reminders about a chore routine we've been working on since August!  

I'm partly to blame.  I've become a crutch for them.  They forget to do something and so I remind them...which means now they wait for me to remind them instead of doing what they know they need to do!  Clearly, we need a change.

Cleaning House: A Mom's Twelve-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement by Kay Wills Wyma is changing our summer.  In the book, Kay realizes that her five children (ages 4-14) believe life revolves around them so they expect her to do for them what they feel they can't do for themselves.  She begins a one-year experiment, choosing a different area to focus on each month.  Bedrooms and clutter come first.  She requires each child to make their bed and keep their bedroom and bathroom area tidy without reminder every day or face monetary consequence.  Next she moves on to cooking, where she has each child take over preparing dinner one evening a week.  Her goal for their year was to 1) equip her children with skills that they could use to perform tasks confidently and well,  and 2) help her family learn a life of service to others.

Before I finished the book (probably before I even finished the second chapter), I was figuring how I could apply some of Kay's ideas in our home.  In their defense, my kids already do a lot to help around the house.  They unload the dishwasher, feed and walk the dog, make their beds, set and clear the table, put away laundry, dust and vacuum their rooms, and help gather trash.  They are diligent workers (after they are reminded!), but they tend to view work an interference to their play, instead of a necessary part of life and family.

I wasn't looking for a year-long project so I decided to scale down and teach them a new skill each week of the summer.   We began with laundry.  I called it Laundry School and on Monday morning, I gathered the three oldest kids (ages 10, 8, and 6) into the laundry room and taught them the basics of sorting, how to choose what temperature to wash different items, how to measure detergent, and how to use the controls on both the washer and dryer. 

 

At the beginning, I walked them through all the steps each time we did laundry.  Once they caught on (which was rather quickly),  I sent them to do the laundry as a group.  If one child forgot a step, another child was sure to remember.  I expected a lot of hesitation, but instead every one of them was enthused.  One day, Gavin lifted the lid of the washer to add another item and saw the water level rising.  He yelled for Owen to join him so they could watch together!

fascinated as they watch the basin fill with water

For their final exam at Laundry School,  each child was given full responsibility of the laundry for one day.  One son asked, "What would happen if I flunked my test?  Would that mean I wouldn't have to do laundry anymore?"  My answer?  "No.  It means you have to start laundry school all over again."  He passed his test, as did his siblings. 

Over the next few months, we intend to teach them about:

• cleaning and vacuuming the van
• gathering the trash, taking it out to the shed, and replacing the bag
• loading the dishwasher
• hand washing and drying dishes
• pumping gas
• putting away groceries and finding things in the cabinets
• sweeping and scrubbing non-carpeted floors
• learning the use of all the vacuum cleaner attachments
• changing a lightbulb
• inserting batteries properly
• chopping fruit and vegetables with a knife
• following basic recipes
• using the outside hose

I don't intend to transfer all the work of our household over to them, but I want them to know how things work and to have  knowledge and confidence as they grow into young adults who will need these skills to run their own homes.  

"Old People" Routine

Around here, we keep our weekends busy, but I have a little secret.  The rest of the week, we are like old people.  We have a fiercely protected "old people" routine.  Every night, almost without fail, we put the kids to bed and sit down together on the couch with a snack. Brian watches TV and I browse the internet or blog.  Neither of us can read much at night, because, like old people, we'd both fall asleep. Most the time, we finish up with the 11 o'clock news before going to bed.  Like old people, we can't miss the weather forecast (though since Brian works outside, knowing details of the weather does serve a purpose). 

I use the term "old people" with the greatest of respect!  We love our routine and our quiet evenings. 

I'm looking forward to our "old people" weekend, too.  Tomorrow is a Saturday with no appointments (or races or events) and no company expected. Instead, the day will be full of errands, outside projects, a little Father's Day cooking, and probably a few games of UNO.   (It's the first unscheduled Saturday in weeks that has been this way and probably the last one like this for weeks to come!) 

What about you?  Do you love old people routines or do you prefer a little variety during the week?