Day Sixty-Seven

I made pancakes for breakfast. Dominic requested that I make him a "5" and then said to me, "Mama, that looks a lot more like an 'S' than a '5'." Well...I can't argue. Another funny little thing that the boys enjoy -- when I make "tiny pancakes" (aka drips of batter on the griddle). It's these simple little things that make me smile.

Day Sixty-Six

Last week we learned about the Maori people from New Zealand. Today we decided to paint faces and really get into the role of a Maori warrior. Aidan tried to look tough.

The boys did their best rendition of the Maori welcome when JJ came home from work. Epic.

Day Sixty-Five

Today we took down the crib and Simeon moved to a "big boy bed." I want to rejoice and bawl my eyes out at the same time. He's pretty proud. He pranced around the house while JJ dismantled the crib, sharing his excitement with us all. "I get a big boy bed, Dominic!" "I get a big boy bed, Aidan!" "No more crib!"

Day Sixty-Four

Another day off from school!! JJ also had the day off from work and we drove to see Dad and Mom Arthur in Portland. Yes...that's TWO trips to Portland in two days. Had we planned better, we would have stayed the night up there.

We came back in time to bundle up and head to the Christmas parade in downtown Corvallis. The boys loved it. Once again, as I was watching the line of Christmas float pass by, I was reminded that while we'll never have a parade like New York city, we have a great community here. I'm thankful for this town. And I'm thankful for my three little boys...for the joy it brings to me when I watch their excited eyes sparkle at the lights and hoopla of a parade that many deem "hokey".

Cheers to Corvallis!

Day Sixty-Three

The day started for me with a long run in the woods with my running buddies. What better way to start the day than with a run up Bald Hill? The trees were still covered in snow, the run was invigorating, and the company...well...they're a great bunch.

After that, we finished up some baking and headed to Wilsonville to see our family there. Dylan, Deb, Kellen, and Norah...we love you all!

My heart is full of gladness and the list of things I"m thankful for is quite long.

Day Sixty-Two

Today we had a rather easy day with schooling as the teacher was doing some Thanksgiving Day baking. The Yoder kids came over in the afternoon while Aunt Jodi did a few errands. The kids had a good time playing and of course I had a great time holding baby Lily and pretending that I had a girl for the afternoon. She rode around on my hip and helped me make pumpkin mousse tart. Her favorite part was the whipped cream. All that said, she was glad to have her mama back.

Day Sixty-One

Yes, even homeschoolers have snow days. Since it snowed a whole inch in Corvallis last night, the schools were cancelled. We had a great day playing in the snow, reading books, listening to Bing Crosby and just being together with no agenda. It was quite relaxing. To top it all off, I shared a special memory with the boys. I remember when I was a little girl, my mom and dad let us make "snow ice cream" when it snowed. This consists of filling a bowl with snow and pouring cream over it, then topping it with Hershey's Syrup. I told the boys that I was sharing my memories and that together we were making memories.

Cheers to good memories (and chocolate sauce)!

And thanks to my parents for giving me such great memories.

Day Sixty

It was a good day today. Dominic said to me, "I'm excited for school today!" He and I did some basic math and our reading lessons. Then he and Aidan built a train track together during our break time. We counted how many pieces it took to build this track and I learned from this little exercise that he can count a lot better than he usually lets me know. Imagine that! He can be a stubborn little bugger.

Day Fifty-Nine

Today was a day for me. No school, a few hours away from being a mom, a time to do something else that I love...a time to run a race!

I ran the EWEB Run to Stay Warm 1/2 Marathon in Eugene. It was a brisk morning, temperatures in the low 40's, and perfect weather for a nice long run. Just the night before, the projected forecast for the race time was 80% chance of rain and windy. Ugh. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see the sun peek out and the clouds to clear. A big group from Corvallis piled into my friend Gerhard's van and we made the trip to Eugene together, which is always a fun way to travel.

Some people say that I'm amazing for getting up at 4:30 during the week to run. Others say I'm crazy. But, here's the thing: it brings me a sense of satisfaction and joy. I love to do it. And when you love to do something, it isn't hard to make yourself get up at 4:30 in the morning (okay...some mornings it is). I know that running is a gift. It's a gift from God and I'm thankful that He has blessed me with a healthy body. And yet, I know that it can all be gone in an instant. So, I give thanks.

I'm thankful for my running buddies, those men and women that challenge me, support me, and run many a mile by my side.

I'm thankful for my husband who watches the boys so that I can get out and do something that I love. And not only that, a husband who drives miles to cheer for me.

I'm thankful that in running, I can see metaphors for my walk with Christ.

The picture above was taken after the race, as we all got together to recap how things went. High-fives were given, funny things shared, bagels eaten, and then we parted ways.

From left to right in the picture are me, Gerhard (with the bagel), Big Mike (with the little coffee cup), and Pat (who appears to be flipping you off, but is really just holding his gloves). I didn't get all the Corvallis runners in the picture. Maybe next time!

Oh...and I broke my previous PR and set a new one: 1:29:11.

:)

Day Fifty-Eight

We had a "stay home all day and read a lot" day today. It had been a pretty busy week, full of running around, so we all needed to relax a bit today. Dominic and I had reading lessons, we did a bit of math, and for the rest of the day, we played and read a ton of books. The boys also took every single blanket, pillow, and couch cushion that they could find in our home and made some sort of a castle/house/play fort in one corner of the living room. Lots of laughter. Good times.

Day Fifty-Seven

Almost every night, one of the boys helps me in the kitchen and we prepare dinner together. Simeon has learned how to use the pepper grinder, which makes him pretty proud. He pulled up his stool and asked "Can I put the pepper in?"

Day Fifty-Six

Just a little look at Aidan's scratch paper from math. Often, there are more than just mathematical equations when Aidan's involved. I love it.

Day Fifty-Five

Dominic's behavior and enthusiasm have both really improved in the past couple of weeks. I'm really concentrating this year on trying to figure him out and how I, as his teacher, can best teach him. It's not as if I'm always right. There's a lot of trial and error, but he's certainly been better the past two weeks. He and I have been working our way through the beginnings of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and he's even starting to ask me if we can do our reading lessons. Hooray!

Some other things that he enjoys are:

1. Anything that involves glue.
2. Anything that involves using tape.
3. Counting by 5's.

Day Fifty-Four

Since I couldn't get photos to upload for the week, I'm posting an entire week...starting with...

Monday.

We decided to attend the open house at our local Classical Conversations school in Albany. My sister Jodi and her kids are a part of it and we were happy to get the invitation. The boys seemed to enjoy it and it will be something that we consider for next year's schooling.

We didn't do much at home today in the way of schooling since we took that trip, followed by some shopping for much-needed clothing for the boys and a then a little stop at the Yoder's house to play.

However, in other news, Aidan has a new loose tooth.

Day Fifty-Three

Today we got to go on a grand adventure. Our friends Andy and Melissa took us to Newport to go crabbing in the bay. The boys LOVED it. Not only did they get to ride in a boat, but Melissa let them each take turns steering the boat. As they don't have kids of their own yet, Andy had a great time listening to all their questions and seeing their excitement and curiosity about everything involved with crabbing.

"What do crabs like to eat?"
"I like to watch when you pull the crab traps up, because if I see ONE crab, that usually means there are more." - Dominic
"Can I steer the boat?"
"Can we feed the seagulls yet?"
"Do boats run with gasoline? Diesel?"
"WOW! Look at THAT crab! He's missing a claw!"
"How do you tell if it's a male crab or a female crab?"
"Can we feed the seagulls yet?"
"Can I help throw the crab trap in?"
"What kind of metal is your boat made out of?"
Why is the steering wheel on the right side of the boat? In cars, it's on the left side!"

It was a GREAT time and I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't rain the entire time we were out. It only sprinkled for most of the time and then as we were headed in, it started to pour.

We came home with seven crabs and had a feast, though Simeon was the only one who really like it. In fact, he devoured it.

We only had one mishap when a feisty Red Rock crab attacked JJ's thumb, which lead to the question, "What DO you do when crab latches on to your thumb?"

Day Fifty-Two

"I believe in the imagination. What I cannot see is infinitely more important than what I can see.". **Duane Michals**

To some it may just be stacks of blocks, but when Dominic told the story of this castle and took me on a tour, I was brought into the world of his imagination. It is, in fact, a castle complete with three fireplaces, four bedrooms, a watch tower, and a special place to park the bus for "the visitors". There's an indoor pool that connects underground to the river that's just out the bedroom window. The swimming pool is heated...somehow. The garden out back is full of all the vegetables that he likes. And no tomatoes. Every block was placed with care.

One of the things I love most about homeschooling is being with my kids for these simple things; watching them build castles, eating lunch together, going for walks on sunny afternoons, and listening to their silly "made up stories" as we sit around the table or are flopped down on the living room floor. "Made up stories" in our house mean stories that you don't read from books. The boys love it when I tell them an original, fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants story. Usually I ask them to suggest some characters for me. Today it was a story about a whale, an anglerfish, a lion, and a seagull. I'll spare you the details, but the boys loved it.

I love being here for their greatest works. And that also means being here for their worst moments. But, we share a lot of life. And I wouldn't trade that for anything right now.

Day Fifty-One

In school today, we talked about what it means to be a veteran. We talked about war...and honor.

Though I hate war, we honor our veterans.

We talked about family members and friends who have served or are serving the country by way of the military. It was a good talk. It was a thoughtful talk with lots of questions...some of which I don't have the answers for.

To top it all off, we attended the Veterans Day parade in Albany, OR. I heard at least five times that it's the "LARGEST VETERANS DAY PARADE THIS SIDE OF THE MISSISSIPPI!" The boys really enjoyed it. I have to say, though I've lived here all my life, I have never been to the parade. It was a good experience and I'm sure we'll attend again.

Perhaps I'll write more on my thoughts about it later....if I find the time.

Day Fifty

Today we took a trip to the library. This usually means coming home with somewhere around 50 books. I tried to keep it under that today as I tend to pay my fair share of late fees due to the fact that some of the books somehow disappear and others seem to wander off to other houses. How DOES that happen?

Dominic chose his favorite...Curious George and Dr. Seuss, Simeon found a few animal books, and Aidan filled his quota of chapter books for the week.

We spent a good deal of time reading aloud in the beautiful reading room. When the sun shines in the windows, I could stay in there for hours.

We came home happy...100%.

Day Forty-Nine

Another idea for active learners or kids who like to "learn outside the box"....dot to dot pages.

There are hundreds (or thousands) of free printable worksheets online. Dominic loves them. He can count well beyond twenty now and there are also alphabet dot to dots for letter recognition (and I ask him to work on sounds as well).

When kids aren't ready to write yet, this is a good way for them to learn to control a pen or pencil. For Dominic, it's much less frustrating than trying to form an actual letter and being disappointed with the result.

Day Forty-Eight

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are they days when we study history here. We use THE STORY OF THE WORLD , which is a great textbook. Part of our daily routine in classical education is the narration. Usually Aidan wants to recount every detail of the story to me and it's a difficult thing for him at times.

So, this is an exercise in getting to the point.

Today, he thought it might help if he wore the swim goggles.

Just so you get an idea of what this looks like for a second grader, here was his summary of the piece of history that we read.

"Yang Chien was a Chinese emperor who ruled when China was divided into two parts. He united the north and the south by invading the south. He was a cruel emperor. He forced the Chinese people to work for him and the people rebelled against him and killed him."

Day Forty-Seven

We had a great day of fall clean-up at the homestead today. JJ raked leaves and ran them over with the lawnmower to turn them into mulch for the area where our fruit trees will soon be. The boys played games, helped move dirt and leaves, and enjoyed the free time outside. We ordered pizza in the afternoon and enjoyed it immensely after all the hard work.

The Mama certainly got her workout today as she ran for 16 1/2 miles and then worked shoveling bark dust for a few hours.

In fact, a rare thing happened. She took a nap.

Cheers to hard work and Saturday naps!

Day Forty-Six

One of the benefits of homeschooling: the kids can blow bubbles in their milk at the lunch table. And on a good day, the teacher will even suggest it.

Day Forty-Five

Today was our homeschool play day with friends at the park. I can't even express how much I love and appreciate these women. We have a bond that I pray will grow even stronger in the months to come. There is so sense of competition (as far as I can tell), but there are a few sets of ears who are willing to listen when you're having hard time.

This week I was flooded with doubts: Am I good enough? Can I do this? Are my kids going to be okay? Am I making a huge mistake? What's better for my children?

An afternoon at the park where we shared struggles and watched our children romp in the mucky fallen leaves confirmed to me that I have peace in this....I feel refreshed...a burden shared with fellow homeschooling moms resulted in a burden being lifted.

Everyday grace....priceless.

I actually decided to leave my camera at home, so this photo was from the previous day. We continue to enjoy the leaves from our maple trees. :)

Day Forty-Four

The question that I probably get the most often from those who are skeptical of homeschooling is this: "What does Simeon do when you're busy with the other boys?"

Well...he joins in and listens for Bible and History, he tags along on every outing and field trip, and he sometimes fills in the blanks when one of the older boys pauses while reciting a poem or a passage of scripture. When Aidan and Dominic are busy coloring or writing, he sometimes asks me to color with him or play our favorite game, "Bears on Squares". And I usually do that.

There are days when he needs more attention. Those are the days I try to stop, take an early break, and read him a book or play a game of chase. He's always nearby and I don't think he feels unloved.

Right now his favorite color is pink and his favorite number is three. He's my baby and life at home wouldn't be the same without my Simeon Paxton, my peace child. I know I'm overprotective of him (sometimes to my fault)...it's really hard not to be at times. But that's for another day.

Day Forty-Three

After school today we worked hard at raking leaves. We also played hard while we were jumping in the piles of leaves that we had raked. Between the two maple trees that are deeply rooted in our property, we have no shortage of work...and enjoyment.

The fall season has been marvelous this year. The colors seem more brilliant than ever...but maybe that's just because I've forgotten the beauty of last year. One of the poems that the boys have memorized this year is by Emily Dickinson. She observes that in this season "The maple wears a gayer scarf"... and we've seen that to be true. I'm thankful for"our" maple trees.

The photo:

Me: "Hey boys! Smile!"

The Boys: You can see the result of that for yourselves.

Day Forty-Two

Aidan had his first official swimming lesson (without parents).

Dominic had his first official reading lesson in which he actually cooperated for the entire time!

Simeon learned that your fly is actually not a third pocket.

A lot more happened. This was a great moment. I laughed really hard (and that's good medicine...or so I've heard).

"Mama, will you please put my bunny in this pocket?"