Patchwork love

I do not consider myself a quilter. I don't think that following proper patterns and snipping thousands of little octagons and hand-piecing them together is really my thing.

 

 

 Using up what I have, making simple, pretty things, and borrowing on past successes is my thing.

 

 

Since making the patchwork Kindle case, I felt a new confidence to try my hand at patchworking again, though on a larger scale. I also had two other considerations to make:

1. I have a large bin full of scrap material that I have no interest in moving yet again. At least, I'd like to use as much as I can!
2. Anyone who knows me knows I make each of my new babies a blanket. Some have been crocheted, some knitted, and one rescued from the thrift store and given new life and service. This new wee babe needs her own blanket, just like the others.

 

I'm so pleased at the way this turned out. It's very forgiving, not showing just how crooked my seams are. It's also special, since every piece is a scrap of some other project. We've all enjoyed looking at the different pieces and remembering other things that were made or worn by and for others. "Hey, that's in Ellie's skirt!" "Remember that dress you made for Anna? That piece is from there!" Even the backing was once used as wall decoration in the previous house.

 

In spite of not really knowing what I'm doing and kind of making it up as I go along, something sweet, simple, and serviceable has been made. I'm looking forward to putting it into use.

 

 

 

A lovely, golden day

This past Saturday was so special, such a sweet blessing to me...

For more than a month, my phone calendar had "family day special" as an event for Saturday, though I had no idea what that meant, since Toby entered it and was determined to keep things a surprise.

We started the day by heading over to see the start of the annual hot air balloon race - it's a pretty popular event!

 

 

Folks line the streets all around the air field to get a glimpse of the action, clutching their venti lattes and sporting bed head (since it starts at 7am). We were a little late smart, so we just drove around to see things from different angles.

Afterwards, we came home for breakfast, did some chores and headed out again. I was intrigued as we headed across the river into Indiana, but said nothing - I actually like being surprised and didn't want to spoil it! As we neared our destination, Toby passed me a little card with kind words of thanks for keeping up with things this year and some spending money...to spend at a fiber festival!! Be still my heart...

It was so fun. There was plenty of stuff to look at - I could barely get the girls away from the looms - though not too big, which would have been overwhelming. After I'd taken a tour around, we went outside for a picnic...

...tried on some felted hats and had some faces painted...

 

  ...and made some purchases! There were several spinning wheels around, but as they're in the hundreds of dollars and we face an impending move, I didn't think that now would be the time to start an expensive, new hobby. A drop spindle, however, has been on my list for a long time, is of minimal expense and very portable. This new hobby I could make room for! I bought some beautiful roving to go along with it - I have no idea what I'll knit with it, but knit it I shall.

 

And how's this for a bonus - seeing a time machine on the way home! 

 Some intrepid soul made a bunch of people's day that afternoon - we were totally geeking out over an actual De Lorean from Back to the Future!

I couldn't make out if they had a proper flux capacitor inside the dash, but they still get full marks for the externals!

 All in all, a good day, indeed.

A Quiet Time Thought

Mark 6:1-6, v 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief

Marvel - to wonder at

Generally, Jesus is not surprised by the world and its workings. Usually others are marveling at Him - at His words, His power, His miracles, authority and preaching. This is, perhaps, in reference to the finite mind of man that cannot comprehend the mysteries of God. But when Jesus is marveling at the unbelief of those who have known him for years, this is no compliment. Is it comparable to when one of my children do something amazingly foolish, leaving me thinking, "Did that really just happen?" I'm often not "surprised" by their foolishness, but can experience incredulity as I witness certain actions. Is this how Jesus felt - amazed, though not surprised?

In the end, he left his hometown to minister elsewhere, because their unbelief hindered Him. Though Jesus is now raised on high, unhindered by all but his own patience, I want to be cautious about being a hindrance - I'd much rather the Lord work through me, rather than in spite of me. I'm sure I give him much foolishness to marvel at, but I pray that a habit of acting out of unbelief is not one of them.

Shake things up a little

Recently, I was finding that our daily school schedule was in need of a little shake up.

 

You know how, sometimes, the same old routine just isn't working for you all of a sudden? The schedule that worked so well for a while, now just ain't cutting it? Sometimes, the needs change; sometimes, we just need a change of routine - whatever the reason, it's time for something new.

 

It's important to recognize that it's okay to make changes sometimes. There are times to press in when doing a hard thing, but generally how we do those hard things are fairly subjective. I still need to school my kids, keep the house fairly sanitary, and put food on the table, but how I go about those things is pretty much up to me. But since I do not exist in a bubble and how I structure our day impacts several other people, I took some steps:

 

1. I talked to the kids. My three big kids (generally known as "The Students") have the most work to do and need to work around the needs of their younger siblings. They are also able to do a certain amount of work independently of me, so I wanted to get their feedback on when they would like to do certain subjects and see how their desires would work for the family as a whole. For them (and me), it seemed like a good idea to modify our schedule so that they were doing most of their independent work in the morning, and we would do our "together" work when the little ones were down.
2. I sought to prefer my little guys. Ellie is Kindergarten - her school work takes about a half an hour. Dan is about the same - he loves his workbook (he's probably my only "enthusiastic" student!). With the old schedule, I was fitting in their work where I could, which often meant that it only happened a couple times a week. With the new schedule, they get my full attention for an hour while the big kids are doing their own work. They know that their school time is important to me, and it's not getting missed. Score!
3. I made note of my own needs. I'm generally a morning person, so it's good for me to give my attention and energy to needful projects in the morning. So now, for half an hour after breakfast, I get busy with my own to-do list, whether it's prepping dinner in the crock pot, chipping away at a larger project or just folding laundry. A half an hour isn't long, but it's more than I'd had before and I'm finding that spending time, little and often, on a job is better than waiting and whining for that 3 hour window of peace and quiet. When's that ever going to happen with 6 kids running around, anyway? 

So, that' s what we're doing. It's not perfect, but it's working for now. I'm fully aware that the time will come, probably sooner than I'd like, that we'll have to change things up again to make allowances for a new need. And that's fine, because in the end, whether the schedule is strict or flexible, it's there to serve me and my family (or you and yours), not the other way around.

 

Are you seeing any areas that need a shake up? Share your thoughts!

Respect for the Babysitters - Old and New

So, Abigail finished her Red Cross Babysitter Basics course, and passed with flying colors! She had to take a final exam, and they won't pass you unless you score an 80% or higher - she received 96%. I am so proud of her, not only that she passed so well, but that she worked diligently through the various lessons, and really took the whole thing rather seriously, rather than a glorified game.

She's now had several opportunities to serve some families at church as a Mother's Helper, going over for a few hours to play with kids and generally lend a hand in any way necessary so that Mom can get some things done. It's been wonderful - to see her serving in such a practical way, for gaining experience of looking after kiddos and how other families do things, and hearing the feedback of what a big help and great kid she is (I know this, of course, but it's so good to hear!).

If you're at all interested, I would highly recommend the Red Cross Online Babysitter Basics class. It's only $25, and since it's online, you can fit it in around your schedule. They also offer a group class, too, but it didn't seem necessary for us - most of what they would have you practice there (changing diapers, feeding little guys), she already has lots of opportunity to practice at home!

She's really looking forward to growing this new skill into a marketable business, but for now, she's content to take it all one step at a time, getting to know the ropes and working at being the best babysitter she can be. We have been so blessed to have so many wonderful babysitters over the years, she's had lots of models she can borrow from. The babysitters that have cared for and influenced my kids over the years now have the privilege of blessing others they will never even meet, simply because of how they have modeled what a great babysitter should be.

If you've ever watched my kids, thanks for the way you've cared for my family, and how you have influenced my kids to care for others.

A few things about cornhole

• Did you know there really is a game people actually play, called "cornhole"? The object of the game is to throw your corn-filled bags (your corn bags, if you will) through a hole cut into an inclined board. Corn. Hole. Corn Hole.
• Did you know that to be regulation weight, each corn bag must be one pound in weight?
• Did you know that when you've been using a corn hole bag over a number of years, the corn within begins to break down and turns to dust, which means your corn bag gets lighter and lighter?
• Did you know that when players are playing with bags that are not of equal weight, they will begin to fret, and even consider that they're not winning because there is something wrong with their bags?
• Did you know that when one man happens to mention that he'd be happy to bring the corn bags up to spec, the other players would get rather excited?
• Did you know that if you can run a sewing machine and mentioned that it should be no trouble to open a seem, refill the bags and close them up again, that you'd be doing that very thing within 48 hours (like, during the Super Bowl, for instance)?
• Did you know that once you began this little project, it would instantly become the most interesting thing your children have ever seen and they absolutely must help, until they've covered everything in corn dust?
• Did you know that when the job was done and the "one man" who began this project takes the corn hole bags back to the office, other men would drop everything (including a lesson, for instance) to come and try them out?
• Did you know that they would be so happy with their "new and improved" bags, it would be a little concerning?

These are just some of the things I've learned about corn hole. I can only assume more lessons will come in due time... 

Kentucy Science Center

We had a free morning on Saturday, so we decided to make the most of some free passes to the Kentucky Science Center. It was good fun!

 A Gayner family top-tip: Whenever we go out together for the day, I take a "security" photo when we arrive. That way, if I lose anyone (and that hasn't happened yet!), I have an up-to-date photo of what they look like and what they are wearing. Clever, right?

 I think most places like this have the "kid in a bubble" display, but it never really gets old. Not for this crew, anyway. Everyone had a turn, though I don't think the bubble got higher than their knees.

 They had a great KidZone area, complete with "Baby Crater". There was also the obligatory wet area, which was, of course, a big hit. I think everyone's favorite, though, was watching a demonstration called the "Bubble Explosion", which involved throwing soapy water into liquid nitrogen. Who isn't going to get excited at the words "bubble" and "explosion" used together in a sentence? It was pretty cool!

They also had an interesting display of vintage hats. The hats were interesting on their own, but more interesting was the placement of the display - clearly they have a "eclectic" section, because the hats were in a room that also featured a mummy and her history, and a couple of polar bears. Why not, right?

 

Do the hard thing

Have you ever been faced with a decision, little or large, where you know what you ought to do but you don't really want to? I'm not referring to some great moral dilemma or anything, just really a niggling sense of needing to make a wise choice?

Recently, I had to make a decision about my phone. Since I've had a smart phone, I've always plugged it in at night on my night stand, where little fingers rarely came, where I could reach it for late night/early morning texts, use it as my alarm clock and general bedside amusement (autocorrects kill me). It's been great, but I've been noticing a trend in my phone use: alarm goes off, so I turn it off. The phone is now in my hand, so I can check email from under the covers. Then, I check to see if anything interesting has been posted on Facebook (seriously?), and maybe have a look at Pinterest. Perhaps a news story will catch my attention, so I'll take a quick look at that. At this point, I've blown at least a half an hour and have little time left for reading my Bible and praying before I hit the bike and shower.

In short, my phone has become a bedside distraction.

So, I have decided to evict my phone from my room. It now gets plugged in at my desk in the schoolroom at night, and I can pick it up in the morning. It takes some getting used to, but it's a lot easier to pick up my Bible in the morning now that my cheerful, little time-thief has been relegated to another room.

Sometimes, we just need to make the difficult decision, do the hard thing. What "ought-to" are you wrestling with right now? Whatever it is, get to it, while today is still called "today". It'll be worth it.

At present...

...I am enjoying the settled peace that descends upon a house where are children are asleep in their beds and a husband is out of town. Very soon, the quiet will be too quiet, lacking the noise of a man studying, but for now, it's nice.
...This evening had several of the PC wives and kiddos visit a local deli that is foolish enough to offer free kids' meals - we know how to make good use of that offer!
...I've been enjoying the leaves on the trees and the brilliant colors they turn, but that seems to be done now. Last Friday, the county sent some street sweepers around to collect any leaves we could blow into the street. We cleared the whole front yard of leaves - the kids worked hard, and it looked great. Now, the leaves are falling so thick and fast, you'd never have known we ever picked up a rake.
...Since we've been here, I have been using my phone as my alarm clock, as I'm sure most people do. I've been finding, though, that it acts as quite a distraction, sucking time from more noble reading pursuits. So, I've resurrected my old alarm clock and will relegate my phone charging to some other place, in the hopes of making better use of my time.
...For history, we are reading through a book called The Children of the Covered Wagon, about the emigrants who headed west in the mid-1800s. As we read, I am reminded afresh how thankful I am to live in the time and place we do, with plentiful medical care, easy travel, and flush toilets. It never ceases to amaze me what some of these incredible people were willing to endure - suffering loss after loss, yet pressing on with a perseverance I know little of.
...Last week, for history, we were learning about the Alamo, and the lesson plans included a suggestion for the children to watch the 1960 classic The Alamo, with John Wayne. I thought it sounded like a good idea, so without previewing it, we streamed it free through Amazon. The first 2 or so hours (stretched out over 3 days) was okay, though somewhat slow. When we finally got to the battle itself, I realized I'd made a major parenting fail - Ellie had her hands over her eyes and was squeaking, and the others were horrified! They were simply unprepared and rather upset to see these brave "characters" who they'd come to like, killed in battle, even though they knew how it all ended. The one redeeming factor in it came out when it occurred to me to mention that they men in the movie were not the actual men in the story, but actors - no one died in the making of that film. That helped quite a bit, but my lesson has been learned - always preview your movies, even in the curriculum company recommends it!

How it really is

I'd like to let you all in on a little secret: that homeschool family that seems to have it all together? They don't. Ask me how I know...
I think there is a simple truth that applies in almost every area of life - we only see what we are shown. To put it another way, we see what someone is willing to show us, and that's often the sweet, lovely, crafted, Photoshop-ped version of life. I do think, though, that there is a unique temptation within the homeschool community to idolize and hero-worship "that" family. Whether we actively homeschool or simply interact with homeschoolers, we need to be aware of this fact, because believing that the highlights (or gag reel) are the whole show does everyone a disservice. 
What am I talking about?

• The family who started school in July because the kids were so excited to get into their new books? Those kids still would probably rather ditch school to play in the dirt/leaves/snow/water, if given half the chance.
• The mom who taught her baby to sit quietly on her lap while she teaches her older kids? That baby still cries when she teethes, does horrendous diapers and wants to be held when there are no free hands.
• The oldest child who's a great help around the house? It took a lot of time, energy and dedication to train him, and that's still no guarantee that he will always do his best effort, every time, cheerfully.
• The husband who faithfully sends his wife out for a couple hours of alone time every week? He may still leave the toilet seat up, his socks on the couch, or forget their anniversary.
• That amazing lady who has a clean home, scrapbooks, serves in church and has great hair/nails/workouts? She works extremely hard to make it happen, probably gets help in some area, and doesn't do everything. Maybe she doesn't watch the latest TV shows, read a lot of books or get enough sleep. Anyway you slice it, she doesn't do something.

Why do I mention this? Because I think we are all so used to looking around and seeing our weaknesses and failures in someone else's strengths and successes, that we are unable to be grateful, we are unable to recognize God's working, and we are unable to bless.

Grateful - I might not scrapbook, but I'm sure thankful my mom does. She made me a scrapbook with all sorts of incredible family history in it. I couldn't have done it, and wouldn't have enjoyed it if I tried, but now I have this wonderful collection of family history to thank God for and show my children. I don't feel bad that I don't make a scrapbook for each of my children every year, but I'm grateful that my mom has those skills and passions.

God is working - Most of my kids are not self-starters and they often drive each other nuts, which makes it all the sweeter when one kid will read to the others, when one of them works extra hard at an assignment, or when one chooses to share with or encourage another. God is at work in their lives, even if it's not always obvious, because He loves them.

Be a blessing - When I've looked at my friends with eyes of envy, I've failed to notice where they may be in need. Maybe the hard work of child training is discouraging, maybe she's exhausted from another sleepless night, or maybe, just maybe, she's simply needing to hear how much God loves her and that you'll be praying for her. Wouldn't you like to hear that, too?

Rather than spending my time thinking about how someone else's life looks and how mine doesn't quite measure up, I want to spend more time thanking God for the grace in their lives, looking for the grace in my own family's life, and seeing how God would have us serve and bless those around us. Cause no one's got it all together this side of Glory, and I don't want to miss all He's doing right here, right now.

Living History

A couple weeks ago, we had an opportunity to visit Locus Grove, a local historical estate known to be a stopping place for the Lewis & Clark expedition. They had an 18th century battle reenactment and camp that was really interesting!

 They did their "pomp and circumstance" thing, where none of us really knew what was going on...

 ...got to see some old-time cooking and meet interesting people, including the local rat-catcher...

 ...smell some really delicious food...

 ...see how life in the camps was for those who travelled with the soldiers...

 ...and how even the most basic necessities had to be made. The best part of it all is that this isn't a job for the people involved, but it's something they did for fun - it was clear that they really enjoyed what they were doing and sharing it with others.

It was also clear that these people are the sort you want on your team if you're ever dropped in the middle of nowhere. There's not much they wouldn't be able to handle...

Kentucky Horse Park

 Last week we had a chance to visit the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, an hour away. Toby was even able to join us, and thanks to some free passes, it was very affordable!

 

 Noah, Ellie, and Dan had a great time riding the ponies...

 ...whereas Abi and Anna ventured out on a 45-minute trail ride - their first time!

 

Caleb made do with a little bronze donkey - it was more his speed.

 

There was a trolley tour that took you all over the park that was actually rather helpful... 

 

 

...and a fun Kids' Barn, where the kids even got to brush one of the horses (for those who felt brave enough).

 This is Ollie, a Norweigen Fjord horse. He's pretty, and he's got seriously cool hair.

They even had, on display, some of the jumps that they've used in shows and competition. These two chairs would hold one of the jumps (it took some explaining that not even the horses could jump over the chairs!

In one of the museums (there are a few, and they are thorough!), they had a blue screen where you could pretend to ride some show horses...

My cowboys.

Avian neighbors

For at least two days this week, we've had a beautiful red shouldered hawk perch on the trampoline behind our house (no, the children don't use this trampoline. It's not actually belonging to our house, and I believe some of the neighbors have affectionately nicknamed it "The Death Trap"). Right around dinnertime, he turns up and just sits there, presumably working on catching some dinner of his own. Clearly, to a house full of people who fancy themselves amateur "twitchers", this is very exciting.

 I spotted him the first time, noticing him out the dining room window. I snuck outside and grabbed these photos as I slowly crept up on him. Not that I would somehow go unnoticed or something - he could probably hear my heartbeat from inside the house.

The second time was even better - Abi spotted him from her bedroom window while changing Caleb's diaper (yay for helpful older children!). She can dashing through the house, almost-naked baby on her hip, muttering to herself. Evidently she was looking for binoculars.

It's always nice to get to know your neighbors. I hope this one sticks around for a while.

Make your life easier

I don't know anyone who doesn't want to make life a little easier on themselves. How we go about it tend to differ from person to person, though. Here are a few things I've found to help smooth our family's wrinkles:

• Don't snack. I have a confession to make - I am a professional snack-er (it's a shame I don't get paid for it). I could eat all. day. long. For real. However, my metabolism isn't what it was 20 years ago and my waist (or current lack thereof) can't cope with the extra food. Then, of course, there's the six little people who call me "mom" - they inherited my love of food and my habits. I was finding it positively stressful to keep them in food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus at least 2 snacks a day! Then I remembered this book I read earlier this year and how the French don't really snack, and I thought, "If a whole country of people can live without snacks, I think we probably can, too." And you know, it's worked! We all eat better at our meals because we're hungrier for them, and there are less food-breaks in the day, which means less food prep, less clean up, and less money at the store! Hopefully, it'll eventually mean less numbers on the scale, too...
• Meal plan. I know most people know that they should plan dinners and do so, but recently I've been planning our breakfasts and lunches, too. It's a rolling plan - every Monday lunch is this kind of sandwich, Wednesday is soup day, etc. It means less money at the store (again) because you don't need to rely on cereal and lunch meat everyday, and it fosters a little creativity in the kitchen. I know my family appreciates that.
• Know when to multi-task and when not to. I know there's a lot said about how multitasking is bad for us (like here and here and here), and I know that it's a concept that many of us are somewhat addicted to. So, here's my thought - know when you can spare the mental space to multitask, and when to be fully "in the moment". I've recently been spending 20 - 30 minutes on the exercise bike every morning, so I've been reading on the Kindle while I cycle. It's been a good time for me to get some regular exercise and get some reading in - and I'm more faithful to workout when I've got a book I'm into. That's a good time to multitask. A good time to be fully in the moment is when my child is talking to me. Heaven help me, this isn't easy for me. I have to often stop what I'm doing and look at them. This is especially helpful for me, as I struggle to hear them when there is a lot of background noise, so making eye contact when they are speaking really helps me to tune into what they're saying. Trying to continue typing at the computer while my son is showing me his Lego creation would not be fully engaging and a poor attempt to multitask. Ahem.

What is something you do to make your life a little easier?

36

I am now a 36 year old. Riveting.
My birthday on Friday was a nice, low key kind of day. The kids were moderately disappointed, though not really surprised, to find that Teacher's birthday does not equate to a day off. I never claimed to be the fun parent.
We did establish a cut off time for schoolwork, though, and then headed out for pizza for dinner. A fun little place called BoomBozz, with great pizza and a waiter that will never "turn pro". Afterward, we did some exploring. We headed out to one of the local malls to see what was there. After driving all around the St Matthews Mall to find the main entrance, we settled for entering through Forever 21 (it was either that or Victoria's Secret. ahem). I think Toby held his breath the whole way through the store - we're not exactly department store, and this was not exactly a department store...still. I think it's safe to say that we are no longer "forever 21".
They did have some other good stores - I was excited to see a J.Jill and Godiva chocolate. :) I'm looking forward to going back another time, preferably without children that play in the fountains.
On Saturday Abigail spent some time in the kitchen, baking some delicious key lime cupcakes that made up my birthday cake. She did it all herself, from beginning to end. I was very grateful - she did a great job, I got a birthday cake that I didn't bake myself, and I'm seeing more and more independence in the kitchen, which is really exciting. If only there was as much enthusiasm to clean up after the mess...
36 used to seem terribly old to me. Now, of course, I still feel like a girl playing at being grown up. Never mind that I have 6 children, one of whom is now a "tween" - I'm still feel like a kid. Except when I wake up at 6am. Then I feel like I'm every inch of 36...
One thing that hasn't changed is seeing God's kindness and faithfulness to me over each of my 36 years. It's God's grace that brought me to the Gospel, kindness that enabled me to meet my husband, and faithfulness that has carried me through 2 countries, 4 houses, and 6 children. It's this grace, kindness and faithfulness that will continue to meet the needs of the year ahead and, Lord willing, the next 36, wherever they may take me.

A Few New Things

I know I shared the overall plan of what we're doing for school this year, I've also started a few new things that have helped this past week or just made our school time a little more fun:

• They have cool subject binder covers.
  

This may not be that popular with high school students, but for elementary and middle school students, having something fun that you can decorate yourself is a big deal.

• We have an "I wonder..." board. You know all those interesting/random questions your kids ask you that deserves an answer but not in the middle of a math lesson? Well, we set up a cork board, provided some slips of paper, and now when there is a question, they write it down and pin it to the board. During some down time, one of the older kids or myself can choose a question, Google it, and voila - one of the perks of homeschooling has been recognized without derailing a whole hour of work.
• The little guys have a duplo challenge. I constructed some fairly simple duplo creations, took pictures of them, printed and laminated them. Then I loaded up some baskets with the photos and the duplos needed to replicate what's in the photos. Dan is getting really good at studying the cards and working to build the exact picture on the card! I know it's teaching him some good skills, but mainly I'm happy that it keeps him constructively occupied for a few minutes.
• I work with them. While the big girls are growing in independence (and it's about time, too!), I'm choosing to work along side them in certain areas. I practice the Latin prayers, read the musical biographies, and try to draw the pictures. Modeling being a learner, I hope, will take some of the fear out of being learners themselves.

What fun things are you doing to make this school year fun?

School - Better late than never

I know most schools, even homeschools, got back in business the week of Labor Day, and some even sooner than that. What with our moving, and all, we decided to postpone the start of school to coincide with Toby's first day - September 16. With one week of school under our belts, I figured I was past due to share what is in store for my kiddos this year.

Bible, History & Literature are all brought to us by Veritas Press. We used Veritas for these subjects last year and I was really happy with how it all went. For Bible, we're covering Acts to Revelation, History is 1815 to Present, and all three kids are reading from their grade specific reading lists. Abi's 6th grade list includes Around the World in 80 Days, Farenheit 451, and The Lord of the Rings. Anna's 5th grade reading list has Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, and Where the Red Fern Grows. Noah, the 2nd grader, will be reading Owls in the Family, Baby Island, and Encyclopedia Brown.

For math, we'll continue with Math U See. We've been using this program for 6 years - since it ain't broke, we'll not waste time trying to fix it. We're now using Beta, Epsilon, and Zeta.

For science, we're doing a couple of things. Abi is using the God's Design for Science: The Human Body. It's largely independent (needful for me, at this point), with some good experiments/hands on options, which she loves. Anna and Noah are both using the Christian Liberty Press Nature readers. Anna reads her chapter from Volume 5 and answers questions, whereas Noah reads and narrates, as there are no questions in Volume 1. We're doing science twice a week, and so far, so good.

The sleeper success has been Latin. It took months to decide on whether or not to do it, so we had already ordered everything else for the year by the time we agreed to give it a shot. On a recommendation, we bought Latina Christiana I from Memoria Press for the two big girls. We originally planned on doing it 3 days a week, but they enjoyed it so much(!) that we might end up doing it 5 days. They would probably benefit from more drills/games, but I don't want to overdo it, either.

Almost every year we make some kind of change to our language arts program - why should this year be any different? The Institute for Excellence in Writing not only has their writing curriculum (which we are using), but they've also put out a grammar curriculum for grades 3-12 called Fix-It! It's pretty straightforward and user-friendly, not to mention $30 for several years of grammar - can't beat that! It ties in well with their writing curriculum, and though you don't need to use the writing curriculum to use Fix-It!, there is some crossover.
We are, for the first time, doing IEW's writing curriculum in earnest, and we're continuing with The Phonetic Zoo for spelling. I know that the girls, at least, are a little old for handwriting as a subject, but we've got some penmanship issues that need attention, so we are giving A Reason for Handwriting a try. The first weeks' writing looks good, but I'm interested to see some of that nice work cross over into their everyday writing.

Since we knew that we were not going to be involved in a co-op this year, I wanted to make it a priority to cover a couple of subjects each week that would bless their hearts and keep school fun for them, namely music and art. Since we don't have a violin or piano at our new place, we'll be covering more composers. I've designed some sheets with boxes to record names, dates, feelings about the piece and interesting facts about the composer. That might sound kind of boring, but it's not when you listen to the kid-friendly versions of pieces on the Beethoven's Wig CDs. If you haven't listened to one of these CDs yet, you really must. You may even be able to find one at your library - our old library in Abingdon had at least the first 4 volumes!
For Art, we're going to do a variety of things. One week we'll look at a painter and some of his works, another week, we'll work on specific drawing techniques (we'll be using the Making Art Fun website for this one, as this mama can barely draw a straight line with a ruler). We'll also be doing some fun doodling and building an art journal. It must be said that although I'm not generally much into art, I am looking forward to doing art with the kids this year. I even did some of my own drawing with them this week!

That's it, for the most part. We'll be making time for weekly trips to the Y, visiting my favorite kids' typing website now and then, and I'm thinking about having Abigail take the Red Cross' online babysitting class. It's a tall order, and things rarely go as planned, but I'm excited for the school year ahead and all that we'll be learning. Together.

All the newness

I'd forgotten about the "newness", which is strange, since I was looking forward to the "newness", to some extent.

For quite a long time - almost 6 years, to be exact - my three girls have shared a room. A few months ago, when Caleb outgrew the bassinet (and I outgrew my need to have him in my room), he joined them. So, four kids in a room. It worked, but it wasn't without it's issues.

I was looking forward to the newness of dividing the girls & Caleb between two rooms.

Also, there was the fact that the old house was a split foyer. If you've never seen one of these, it means that when you open the front door, you are greeted with stairs up and stairs down, and you make a decision (not quite as dramatic as the red pill or the blue pill). For us, the main living areas (kitchen, living room, dining room) and the bedrooms were all upstairs. Factor in half a dozen noisy (and nosy) children and acoustics that carry sound all over the place...you get the picture.

I was looking forward to the newness of living in a house that had the traditional bedrooms-up-living-areas-down thing.

And don't get me wrong - I love those new things. But there are other new things that take getting used to...

• the oven is smaller - my larger cookie sheets no longer fit
• there is less counter space - I can no longer plate food from the kitchen quite so easily
• there is no fan in the bathroom to cope with a certain child's long hot showers
• the "squeaky step" has become a squeaky doorway. My doorway.

All these little things - and they are terribly minor - mean adjustments. Seeing the new normal. Adapting. Being thankful for the new blessings that come with a new place while appreciating again the things that worked so well in the old. So when I am tempted to compare the new with the nostalgia, I can remember that God Himself does new things - and each of His new things is a new adventure.

Visiting Reptiles

A few weeks ago, a pair of box turtles wandered across my kids' path. What an opportunity to learn something about these handsome creatures!

 Our main interest was in figuring out if we were looking at a "he" or a "she". Wikihow helped us out...

For most box turtles, males have red or orange irises, and the ladies have brown or yellow.

 

 Males tend to have a concave underside, whereas females have a convex shell (presumably a spot in which to safely carry their eggs).

There were a few more helpful determiners, but these few were enough to get us going.

As it happens, we realized we had both a male and a female, and the fact that they were found together probably meant that they were a "couple".

We named them (Fluffy and Speeder, I believe) and turned them loose to make many more baby turtles. Hopefully the next family who lives here will enjoy them, too!