Misc.

:: We are in our final week of school here in the little yellow house. Gabriel and Bronwyn have finished all their books/objectives other than a couple more days of history. Jackson has 2 more pages of math (he has finished the entire Bob Jones 1st grade book in about 5 months), some Explode the Code (now that he's reading books like Danny and the Dinosaur, it seems kind of silly to have him doing page after page of words with the tch ending so we may just be done at the end of the week, regardless of how much is technically left undone), and a few pages of handwriting. The fact that we are so close to being finished with everything I'd hoped to accomplish feels like nothing less than a miracle, and I absolutely mean that. I seriously have no idea how this happened. My kids amaze me.

:: Elliot is finally napping almost every day, thanks to a swaddling blanket a friend lent me. He's also a bit less fussy now that he's got a decent sleeping routine at night, is nursing and growing better (last week he was 9lbs7oz and 22" long), and as long as I don't eat a lot of corn in one day. So although he isn't even remotely what I would call an easy-going baby, I'm finally able to snatch time here and there throughout the day to take a shower, do the laundry, cook [occasionally], weed the garden, etc. This makes life feel much more manageable.

:: The weather has been amazing. Absolutely amazing. Even yesterday's rain was welcomed as today the gardens are bursting afresh in size and color (along with the weeds, I'm afraid). The kids play outside endlessly once their chores and school are done-- and we've even done history outside most days so we can enjoy the sun during that time, too.

slip n' slide fun in the 89-degree heat on Sunday afternoon
 

:: I'm in my fourth week of trying to get out at least 3 mornings a week for a walk/run. Most days when I return after the 20-30 minutes I'm gone Elliot is crying (what can I say? the boy loves me!), so this is as much a commitment on Daniel's part as on mine. Some mornings I am so tired when I wake up that I come up with a million reasons why I shouldn't, but after I've made myself, I am so glad. It's not just the exercise that's so great-- it's also getting outdoors first thing and that brief time alone with Jesus. I love it.

:: We are incredibly close to getting into our upstairs bedroom. Daniel had set a deadline for himself of being done by the last weekend in May. Due to some emergency things that came up on several of his recent days off, the work is barely getting done in time-- but it's getting done! Elliot even cooperated the other night and let me pitch in for a couple hours of late-night painting following a full day at work/home and the boys' first baseball game of the season. As Daniel and I burned the midnight oil, we wondered how many hours we've clocked doing just that sort of thing together. It's actually become quite special in its own way.

the trim is painted and the oil is curing even as I type;
the room will be ready for furniture tomorrow evening

:: I have been making a plan of attack for best enjoying and most thoroughly taking advantage of summer's fresh produce. In early April, I signed us up for a full share from a local CSA (community supported agriculture) and we'll begin receiving weekly boxes of produce in June. Our own personal vegetable garden will mostly be filled with foods that I can preserve for the winter months, like lots and lots of tomatoes for canning, winter squash, etc. I'm hoping this is a good combination that ends up best facilitating a largely organic, vegetable-rich diet for us year-round. Time will tell.

:: With the conclusion of our 2011-2012 school year right before us, I have been trying to come up with a strategy for the summer months. As our family grows, so too does the reality that fun takes work/preparation/planning. We don't just have one or two sets of feet tracking in loose grass and dirt throughout the day. And at the end of the day, we have a good deal more than one or two children's sweaty, grass-stained clothes and bodies to deal with. (Don't even get me started on how long it takes to get ready for and then clean up from a swimming/beach outing!) I love, love, love the opportunities for fun that summer provides, but I must be ever armed with a plan for how to make the logistics of it all work-- logistics like laundry, keeping the house in some semblance of order, meal planning and preparation, and making sure everybody gets enough sleep. Any ideas/suggestions that you find helpful are gladly accepted over here!

 

from my kids

My kids are getting old enough that the cards and notes they give me reveal more and more personality and personal thoughts all the time. This year, my Mother's Day cards were just wonderful. As is fitting for the year and the past crazy 6 weeks we've shared with Elliot, they constructed these cards while I was in the shower getting ready for church yesterday morning-- nothing like flying by the seat of your pants! Somehow they didn't find the narrow time constraints at all difficult and managed to produce some priceless treasures anyway.

Claire's was, of course, just scribbles on a piece of construction paper on which Daniel had written, "MOM".

Aubrey drew a picture of me, complete with arms and legs protruding directly from a gigantic head. A classic 4-year-old portrait all the way.

Jack began by lovingly drawing a picture of a rainbow, only to somehow progress to a picture of the cross with lilies all around it-- on the back of the card wrote, "He is risea," which must have somehow seemed like the logical way to spell "He is risen" in his 6-year-old mind. I'm still not sure of the thought process that led him to such a card and sentiment for Mother's Day, but I love it anyway.

Bronwyn wrote a nice note for me, including, "You're the best mom in the whol world. I think you know why, I've seen lots of moms and you are the best mother of them all." I'm not sure we should be comparing, but I guess if she's going to, I appreciate that she still thinks I'm tops.

Gabriel somehow wrote an entire poem for me in the brief 15 minutes he had. My budding writer.

Beaneath the stars you lay
staring at the moon
And the man in the moon is full with gloom
Because the stars had put on a wonderful show
And the moon has not.

How can I please this mother with six children tonight?
said the moon.
And one of the stars came over and said:
Come join us in our show.
Me? said the moon.
Yes you, said the star.
You're the brightest object at night.
OK, said the moon, but I might not get it right.
Sure you will, said the star.

Then down on the earth you gasp
for in the tracing of the stars it said,

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Curriculum

It's that time of year. We're in the countdown to wrapping up the 2011-2012 school year (9 math lessons, 4 pages of handwriting, 10 history lessons, etc.), which for me always means one thing: I am already looking at and dreaming about curriculum options for next year. I'm pretty sure that pouring over catalogs and websites and wishing that somehow we could do it all is a sure sign that I love homeschooling!

I haven't purchased anything yet so nothing is completely set in stone, but since it's helpful and inspiring and interesting to me to see what others are considering, I figure I'll share the plans that are rolling around in my head in case it's also helpful to you!

1. Bible

        

We have many wonderful children's Bibles and I love them all. But we've used and reused them quite a bit-- and we also come up short-handed (more kids than Bibles!) when I tell everyone to sit down first thing to do some personal Bible reading. I'm planning on buying the Old Testament and New Testament Story Bibles for Older Children by Anne DeVries for Gabriel to use, while I'll have Bronwyn continue reading out of Arthur Maxwell's 10-volume Bible Story set (which is what I read as a child) and Jackson continue reading out of The Early Reader's Bible (which is what both Gabriel and then Bronwyn started with). For family devotions, we love Mary Batchelor's The Children's Bible in 365 Stories.

2. Math

         

Math was probably the simplest decision for me this year. The math we used this past year proved to be a great fit for each child (and for me as the teacher), so that's what we're sticking with. Gabriel and Bronwyn will use Teaching Textbooks, grades 5 and 4, and Jackson and Aubrey will use Bob Jones, grades 2 and K5.

3. Early Reading/Phonics 

   

I've never used a phonics curriculum so I don't plan on using one with Aubrey either. This isn't because I'm against phonics programs, but simply because the "method" for teaching children to read that I first tried has worked exceptionally well for my kids so far. I guess I figure that as long as it's working and I am excited about it, we won't change anything. The foundation of the method I use is laid out in Ruth Beechick's A Home Start In Reading. Just like with the other children, I will begin Aubrey with that method and then add in Explode The Code's primer series, Get Ready for The Code, Get Set for The Code and Go for The Code, as a supplement. The A Beka readers that were passed on to me from my mom round out our reading program and are great at getting beginners reading "books" very quickly, making for some proud moments that I absolutely look forward to with each child!

I had been thinking up until about a week ago that I would continue with Explode The Code for Jackson, too (he is finishing up Book 4 right now), but reading "clicked" just in the past several days and immediately upon that happening, his excitement about these workbooks is diminishing. Now that he's starting to really and truly grasp reading, he is also feeling the repetition of the program (which is, I think, a positive for children who are not yet reading independently, but does potentially get boring for the child who is getting established in reading).

4. Handwriting

      

Back when Gabriel was in 1st grade and Bronwyn was in K, I started using Getty-Dubay's Italic Handwriting series. It isn't the way I first learned to write, so at the time I wasn't sure how I felt about it. As we've progressed through the program, though, I can see how perhaps it is a great way to teach penmanship for two reasons: 1. it flows into cursive more naturally, and 2. it seems more practical in a world that uses a hybrid of printing & cursive in adulthood. I have children in all different books in the series-- A, C, E, and F-- and am very pleased with my children's handwriting, which is I guess a good test of a handwriting curriculum.

This year I'm going to try a copywork series by Sandi Queen for Gabriel, Bronwyn, and Jackson. I've never seen it before so I have no idea how we'll like it, but I do love the descriptions-- and the cover art is enough to make it appealing to try!

We've not done formal grammar yet, but now that Gabriel is well established in a love for writing, I want to add in more study of the mechanics. This boy of mine writes and writes and writes-- I can see him becoming a well-written man someday if I can guide him without squashing his passion for it. With that in mind, I'm going to be using A Beka's Language 3, but we won't go overboard with it. I'll probably use it 2x/week at most and I'll continue to let his "free" writing (he loves to write books*-- he's on the 4th book in a series he's currently writing!) be just that: free. I may also include Bronwyn in this, though I haven't decided for sure.

*I keep our cupboard well stocked with blank white bound books from Bare Books. Homeschoolers do get the school/business shipping rate, too, which I think is awesome!

5. History

   

This fall we're going to put our Beautiful Feet Early American History study on hold in order to join with some other students in a study about the Titanic/1912/the Progressive Era/etc. I'm already having lots of fun finding resources, including a 1912 Paris fashion coloring book for Bronwyn, literature that was published at that time for reading, documentaries for watching, and museums for visiting (please, can we take a field trip or two, honey?), and I can't wait to dive in! All the kids will be involved in this since unit/family study/learning together is one of my very favorite things about homeschooling.

6. Science

   

To go along with our Titanic inspired study, I'm leaning toward getting Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology 2: Swimming Creatures of the Fifth Day. My kids are fascinated by sea life and exploration, and I think they would really enjoy this.

We'll also continue with nature journaling (inspired by Keeping a Nature Journal). Last fall I purchased each of the three older children nice spiral bound sketchbooks that they are systematically adding to a bit at a time. These journals have drawings, poems, pressed leaves and flowers, etc. in them. Currently, the emphasis has been drawing birds, which is what Gabriel has been learning on Fridays in his art class and then comes home and teaches the others.

7. Art

Although I'm no artist (ha!), I do love art and my children love art, so if we have time we'll do a small study of famous pieces of art and artists using Usborne's The Children's Book of Art as our spring board. This is less essential since art is included at Friday School, which means that if the other elements of homeschooling are taking up all our time, we can shelve the idea for another time/year if need be.

8. Physical Education

No textbooks here! We cover health, hygiene, etc. in daily life with reminders ("Flush the toilet AND wash your hands, please!"), discussion, doctor's visits, treating sickness, talking about Aubrey's heart, caring for younger siblings, and more.

Exercise and activity looks like a lot of outdoor play, gym class at Friday School, basketball & baseball with church/community leagues for the boys, and ballet for the girls (Aubrey is already pretty determined that she wants to do ballet and not basketball, T-ball, gymnastics, or any other thing an older sibling might suggest). Bronwyn has started running with me now that I'm running again and Gabriel has started running with Daniel. Hopefully we'll be able to keep it up since they both love it.

 

And that's it in a nutshell. Again, pretty much nothing is set in stone and there's still more exploring to do, but I'm excited about the planning and dreaming! And I always take recommendations if you know of something that you think, after reading this, that I'll love! :)

 

small things

Last week Elliot had his 1 month check-up.

[Pause to realize that he's ONE MONTH OLD. Commence tears.]

I knew he probably wouldn't have a great weigh-in. It's been a fussy first month. He's not been an over-achiever when it comes to nursing habits-- he gets more frustrated about putting any effort in than he does about being hungry. He's not gotten beyond that scrawny newborn look.

But I won't lie: my heart sank as I watched the nurse shift the infant scale down... down... down.

Nobody said it. Probably nobody even thought it.

But I thought it: bad job, Brietta. Bad, bad job.

The doctor was altogether laid back, but when your newborn loses a pound his first month instead of gaining anything, she's not exactly jumping up and down for joy either.

"Increase your fat and calorie intake, make sure you're getting enough fluids, bring him back on Monday, and we'll go from there. It may be that he needs a supplement of some kind if he's still losing."

The next five days looked like this: nurse the baby, drink water, eat food, change the baby, nurse the baby, drink water, eat food. Oh, and did I mention that I held him for great lengths of time while he slept, too? Well, I did. Because he only sleeps for about 20 minutes on his own and if he gets too tired, that really messes with his efforts when it comes to nursing.

Fast forward to Monday and a weight gain of five ounces! The doctor's happy, I'm relieved. Like, so relieved.

Oh good, now we can get back to normal life, I think to myself.

One day later, I'd already taken on more than Elliot could handle. He ended up spending large portions of the day crying while I did things far less important than holding him. Every time he fell asleep, I'd lay him down and by late afternoon, he had barely slept since waking that morning. He was getting more and more fried and, of course, so was I.

9pm rolled around and Daniel came home to find me in tears, holding a baby who was also in tears.

"I'm so bad at this! I'm so, so, so bad at this! I push the limit and I push the baby and now he's starving but he won't eat and if he doesn't eat he won't gain weight and if he doesn't gain weight he won't develop properly and I am ruining him and I am ruining everything!"

Have I mentioned that I have the best husband? Well, I do.

He took the baby and said, "Hey, you're allowed at least one breakdown post-delivery. I'm here now so you can go for it."

And although it was many, many hours between feedings yesterday afternoon and the wee hours of the morning, Daniel got Elliot to sleep and I fell asleep after a good cry of my own and when the sun shone again, my small little boy was nursing contentedly and cooing happily and really smiling at me-- like over and over again smiling in response to my own smiles.

Today is a new day.

A day to laugh at myself, be thankful that this is a small thing in the big picture, hold the baby lots, and remind myself that the important thing is to find exactly the thing this moment calls for and do that thing.

Oh, it's also a day for having a couple college guys over who kept offering to spend some time in this, their senior week, helping Daniel around the house. They put in fence post holes and played with the kids and shared a meal with us and it was all really, really nice.
 

Daniel and Jake use the power auger to dig fence post holes
 

Ben pushes Aubrey on the swing
 

Elie pitches to Jackson
 

Elliot takes one on-his-own 20-minute nap today so I can make sour cherry cobbler with whipped cream. Yum.