Week 1: Starting Well

This week we began our academic cycle. How that works for us is predominately based on our Tapestry of Grace cycle. It is broken down into four, nine-week units, totaling 36 weeks of academics. Within that we cover Bible, history, geography, literature and writing.

The kids seemed quite ready to go back to a regular routine, so we did our best to fit in as much of the content that we have to cover. I am a big believer in pacing. In fact, I am beginning to think I may be an unschooler at heart, but cannot make the leap out of that ol' box. I don't think that school should be done for school's sake. I don't believe in checking boxes to just have them checked, I don't put any stock in "busy-work." That said, we do have one area that I have not figured out how to cover without a bit of busy-work, and that is in science. I think that next week I will need to make some adjustments.

In the meantime, we introduced Year 1 of Tapestry of Grace, the first module of Apologia General Science, continued writing, math, grammar, and spelling, and worked on some Geography review. Not bad for a first week!

Learning the sections of the OT books

Getting started in Science

Lego Star-Wars Pilot training...break time!

Oh, and P.S, we I have to add this, as it will be a major part of our school year...CrossFit!

I Have No Greater Joy...

Today's pool trip was a bust. We thought we would go to the USMC base pool for the afternoon. All summer long it has opened at 1:00 PM, so we showed up and were pleased to see that it was not crowded at all. Got up to the window to pay and was informed they were closed until 3:00 because school started back on base this week. Boo! So the kids and two of their friends and I spent a good 45 minutes in 95 traffic. Some might think that a waste of time, except for a couple of real gems in conversation that made me want to cry happy tears, laugh, do a dance or something!

I overheard a conversation about you-tube videos that the boys watch about modifying their nerf guns:

Friend: "I wanted to watch that one with (something something something) but I haven't seen it yet.
Son: "NO! Don't watch it. It's inappropriate and this guy "kills" his brother using special effects. I didn't like that. And its just...uh...inappropriate."

Later in conversation I was asking my son's friend if he planned to do a particular club or not. It came around that one of the reasons he didn't want to join was because they gossip about the kids who don't do as well, and he doesn't like to say bad things about people. :) Then he followed that up with, "I'm just not sure where God is leading me yet."

I am so enjoying this season where my kids now have friends that they have had for a long time. We have worked hard to cultivate these friendships and there is honesty and trust among them, though there have been times when we have needed to correct and admonish them concerning their friends. When I hear this kind of talk coming from my son and his very good friend, it gives me hope. I know they are sinners, but I see a desire in them to do the right thing--to do well. Today, I am encouraged.

A Warning About The Worry Trap

On Sunday I wrote this post about not feeling quite ready to begin the school year. As I went to sleep that night I was comforted by my son's words that he had just spoken to me when I went in to check on him before turning in. I talked to him about my feelings of ambivalence and how I didn't want to start, and he said with a smile, "We should just do it, Mom." That attitude showed through the whole next day in both of them, and they did their work with energy and a positive outlook. The dynamic was comfortable, natural, and something that can be sustained. It wasn't the high-intensity hyped-up start to the school year that we used to have--the ones where I thought the first day would set the tone for the year and make everything okay. It was more of a mood that said, "This is what we do--we've had a good break, now it's time to do work." (As I write that, I can hear the undertones of how much CrossFit has influenced our approach to many things in life.)

Two moments in particular delighted me, though there were quite a few throughout the day. The first was as I sat down with my daughter and opened one of her books, I realized she didn't know all the different parts of a book--title page, table of contents, index, etc. So I went over them with her. Then I asked her to read the first page. Up until the very end of last term she was a reluctant reader. She could and would read according to her ability, but would moan and groan about it, and be exhausted at the end of it. This time, however, she said, "Sure!" and proceeded to rattle off the whole first page without difficulty or hesitation. In the last week she has picked up one of her brother's Percy Jackson books and is reading it on her own because she wants to. So we made the leap from Inky the Indigo Fairy to Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief in one day.

The other moment was when I observed my son ripping pages out of his science notebook. This bothered me until I saw him diligently taping pages together, folding them a certain way, and putting them back in the notebook as he was instructed...he was...wait for it... following instructions on his own! And he didn't want any help from me! Yes, people it's true! They finally do become independent, but in our case it has taken much longer than I anticipated. Woo hoo! Can you see me doing a happy dance? (No...thank God you can't. Some things you just don't need to know.)

In the midst of all this, let me put things in perspective. When people told me way-back-when that I didn't need to worry too much, that eventually it "clicks" and kids just "get" how to read, I still stressed. I seemed to think I had spawned genetic mutants who would be decoding Peter Rabbit at age three and reading Shakespeare by age 8, but no, they are just basic, normally-developing kids who happen to be pretty smart. They just aren't geniuses. Hear me when I say this: Homeschooling does not make your kids more gifted than they are. It might help them to cultivate their gifts and develop them sooner than if they were not as closely tended, but it doesn't change who they are. Your attention to their natural learning styles, gifts and tendencies might help them to use all their talents and abilities more effectively, efficiently, fruitfully. But if your child is 6 and still does not like reading, it's really, really okay. really. Even if she is 7 or 8, it's still okay. (My dear friend whose girls are older than mine is reading this shaking her head.) Please understand that I just crawled out of that hole. Just. Shaking head, smacking forehead...I fell into the worry trap. Again. But now I'm out and trying to help you not fall into the same hole. See me? I'm standing in front of the hole, waving my hands and saying, "Don't go there! It really is going to be okay!"

So we had a good start. I hope the rest of the week continues in the same vein. I will update at the end and report how it went.

That Time Already?

I just tucked in my kiddos. I have picked tomorrow as the first week of the 36 weeks of our history curriculum, Tapestry of Grace. I prefer to start a couple of weeks ahead of the public schools so that we can have a longer winter break. The thing is, I feel really melancholy at the moment--not excited to start a new cycle of learning and discovering. I feel more like I'm going back to work. I don't think it should feel this way at all...

I want to sit quiet and alone to meditate and sort through my reservations and misgivings about what I have taken on. Some things I have taken on are so outside my comfort zone, perhaps I am bumping up against the discomfort. Anyway, time will tell. I trust the Lord to help me sort through this.

So I'm trying to Decide...

If I like camping or not. My family loves it. I have never been on a bona fide camping trip where you go to someplace in the woods, sleep in a tent, do something in nature and ward off critters in the middle of the night. I am a very black and white kind of person. I don't do well with mixed emotions about something. If there are mixed emotions about something, I tend to lump it in the "less than optimal" category, and chuck it. I reckon I have thrown out quite a few babies with the proverbial bathwater as a consequence. I am trying not to do that this time, as my family seems to really like camping. I, on the other hand, am on the fence.

We have just returned home from a two-day camping trip to the Shenandoah valley to have a last summer "hurrah" and enjoy nature in all its late-summer glory. It was a mixed experience and these are my thoughts...what do I do with this baby?

What I did enjoy:
1. frogs in the trees at night.
2. camp fires.
3. massive marshmallows the size of your fist roasted over said campfire.
4. tubing down the Shenandoah river, but it should be noted that one does not have to camp to have this experience.
5. watching my family enjoy the experience and hearing them go on and on about how much fun they were having.
6. seeing more stars in the deepest dark of the night than I have seen in many years. It was like white dust on a black background, encircled by a mist. I can't remember when I last saw that many stars or the Milky Way. Even saw a shooting star.
7. Seeing the kids learn new skills, like charcoal grilling, using a hatchet, building a fire. (Girlie learned how--the boy is an old pro--he prefers to light a fire with flint and magnesium.)

No wimpie girls in this family!

Just happened to have this hatchet in his bag...

Grilling duties

What I could do without:
1. bugs.
2. waking up to everything feeling damp.
3. raccoons getting into our stuff and making me dream that bad guys were breaking into our possessions all. night. long. (I was super-jumpy after that--glad it wasn't a bear. I'd have been standing watch with my son's slingshot for the rest of the night!)
4. rummaging through the cooler and bin to prepare meals (need to organize the meals better).
5. not sleeping due to dogs barking, roosters crowing, cows mooing in the distance on a nearby farm, raccoons invading, other campers talking (until 2:00 a.m.!)... (I'm a light sleeper. No...I'm a non-sleeper in an unfamiliar environment.)
6. bathroom issues. just sayin'.
7. ashes all over everything.
8. a noisy camp neighbor who laughed like the bad guys in cartoons (mwahahahaha!) every couple of minutes--but that was his real laugh. Either that or something really awful was going down at that campsite. 

At first glance, the cons outweigh the pros so my gut reaction is TOSS IT, but the weight of the pros is much greater than the weight of the cons--except for the sleep thing, which is a biggie for me. Come next summer, who knows what we'll do? I'm sure the kids will want to go again.

For now, it is time to get a shower and some sleep to make up for that which the raccoons stole from me...

Thoughts of the Moment...

There are so many things on my mind. Here's a random treatise about it all. (Okay, not quite a treatise--it's a little shorter.)

Time Flies, Kids Grow

A Job Well Done

My son turned 12 on Friday. He knows this is significant, and we have spoken to him about the transition to manhood--we don't believe in "adolescence." You are a child, then you become a young man. Jesus was in his Father's house at 12, learning and becoming a man. You will learn to behave as a man should behave. That means start saving for your first car, your phone and any other thing you think you will need to get around and exercise some independence once we really start getting on your nerves. We will help you look for opportunities to work and earn money so that you can save for said items, because men don't ask their mommies for stuff. But don't worry, I'll still lie down with you and snuggle and chat when it all gets too overwhelming. I'm still your mom. You're still my little guy...

What Stresses Me Out
I may becoming agoraphobic. Or I may be an introvert. I may be some combination of the two, but there is also this: I really like being at home. I dislike traffic. I dislike most people until I meet them. Then I really like them and that stresses me out because then I feel like I'm making too many friends and won't have time for them all because...I really like being at home. Texting stresses me out because all those new friends text. a lot. But yay! New friends!

What Makes Me Happy

Hearing my children laugh and giggle makes me happy. Watching my daughter climb onto the lap of her dad or brother and snuggle her little nose into them and kiss them unabashedly makes my heart swell with joy. The fact that they really don't mind her doing this also pleases me greatly. I love it when the cat sits on my hand while I'm trying to type, like right now. I love it when I throw massive amounts of stuff away because it's all junk and stuff and doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. I love hearing my children pray...really pray. I love the way it feels to exercise really hard and feel like I can't go for another second or die. I love good, real food eaten with my family and good friends who also share this appreciation. I also like lining up the school books and laying out a really good plan for the year...even though I rarely end up following the plan exactly. Later on in the year it will make me happy to ditch the plan, so it all works out.

Our happy-clean school room...

Okay, and I have to say it...I love a clean house. That makes me really happy. It may seem shallow but it is important to me. That is all.

What Makes Me Sad
When my kids cry, I feel sad. I cannot bear to see them suffer...but even more in this season, I find that there are many people who are suffering far greater trials than we are. I have a friend whose vibrant little boy has been diagnosed with AML Leukemia and will be in the hospital for 6 months. My heart is breaking for them, and I am constantly in prayer for this family, though I have completely run out of words to say on their behalf. I have another friend whose daughter has been suffering from a devastating case of Lyme disease for a year and will have to endure a crazy amount of treatment. This is crushing...how do I pray? But I keep doing it, hoping that the noise we make in God's ears will move heaven to help her. I have to believe it will...When I think of all these things in perspective all the small stuff is just--small stuff. Things fall into place of their own accord--the lessons, the cleaning, the life, the list of to-dos. Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow because tomorrow has enough trouble of its own. Amen, and amen. It makes me sad when I worry and stress about things that just don't matter. Lord, help me keep it all in your eternal perspective.

As I prepare to start my 8th school term of educating my children, it is my prayer that I can humbly submit each day to the Lord and remember the "happy," prayerfully consider the sad, not dwell on the stress, and cherish each day with my children who are growing so quickly.

What gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil--this is God's gift to man. (Ecclesiastes 3:9-13)

typical...