I am starting to feel like I haven't really done justice to this 10-day challenge to share about how we homeschool as this week has found us not doing much schooling, and instead walking through life together... and maybe that is the point.
Today I actually woke up before any of the children (which is a goal and huge accomplishment), however it was not because I put forth any effort, it was because the dryer repairman called to say he would be at my house in 20 minutes. All the children promptly woke up when the repairman rang the doorbell because of the greeting from my two mini-dogs, Mocha and Cinnamon, barking like crazy to protect us from this intruder. The dryer can be fixed. The parts will be here in a week. I took a deep breath and calculated that I will have at least three more Mondays before I get my dryer back. That realization drove me to make coffee.
The kids had breakfast and we talked about our plans for the day... go up the street for Bible study, home to lunch, then to the park for a play date. Elliott was going to meet me at the park to take the kids home so I could go visit my friend in the hospital who had a baby on Wednesday and then go to coffee with a friend. On the books it looked like it would be one of the more simple of our week to this point. And then my phone rang...
My friend who had her baby on Wednesday was on the phone telling that she had experienced a setback in her recovery that morning and wanted me to contact a few people from church for prayer and to let the folks from Sunday School class know. We chatted for a while, the children were playing loudly in the hallway so I went and hid in my bathroom for the phone call. We reminded each other of God's providence and sovereignty as I held back tears and choked back others. The kids were wandering in trying to find out when we were leaving for Bible study, and we did eventually leave but I was in a fog and making more phone calls.
The older kids were tasked with helping keep the youngest kids occupied during the Women's Bible study and we only had a few escapees during the whole two hours, so I consider that a success. I was tending to many texts about my friend as we discussed the topics we would be covering in the coming weeks. I was (and am) really excited about digging into God's Word together, though I was thoroughly distracted about my friend. At the end of Bible study, as we were all gathering children to head home, I got a text that my friend was having more trouble. A gasp and tears escaped me, composing myself enough to drive home, I was praying through every breath.
Lunch I threw in a bag to take to the park. Some days, in the moments of uncertainty, just keeping moving is the best thing. I already knew that I was going to be able to go to the hospital in a few hours, and that other friends were going to be there in the gap, so I felt I needed to keep this commitment for my children. The time at the park was fun for the children, and I had a precious time with the mom. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the park was a perfect break in the day.
Right before Elliott came to pick up the children, so I could go to the hospital, my friend called and I was so happy to hear her voice. She filled me in on the events of the morning and I took her order for coffee that I would soon be delivering. Kids finished playing. Friends said goodbyes. And dad took the kids home for dinner, and Bible time, and bed (from the heaps of laundry on the bathroom floor I am assuming there were also baths).
I had the opportunity to sit with my friend, too sick to hold her baby, and love on her little one. I felt honored to share these early moments with her, and I spent time in silent prayer thanking the Lord for her friendship. I got to feed the baby, change the baby, cuddle the baby; it was a sweet time of fellowship as I stood in the gap until her husband was able to come for the evening.
I checked in at home via text as I left the hospital. All well at home, I moved on to my evening plans of coffee with a friend. I had already rescheduled last week when I thought I was sick (and was actually just crazy exhausted), and was glad to hear she was willing to wait for me. We shared about our days, our weeks, our successes and our struggles. The time was such a blessing, iron sharpening iron, encouraging each other, and remembering the mighty works of the Lord. We got kicked out of Starbucks and shivered in the parking lot for a while before finally parting, though we probably could have filled a few more hours.
And now home, the day's events still swirling in my mind, recalling the many ways that the Lord showed Himself in the details of the day. In the midst of a week that was already reminding me that while man plans his steps, the Lord directs his paths, today was the exclamation point. I am going to bed praying for my friend, and thanking Him for His protection of her.
Friday, January 18, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Day eight...
No formal schooling was done today. And it was perfect. It was busy, but the busyness was profitable and would have been impossible without our choice to homeschool.
At 5:45am I welcome my friends and their two children to come in. My dear, sweet friend is having her 3rd child (via a c-section) this morning and I asked to keep the kids so that both moms can be there to be grandmas instead of babysitters. We chat a few minutes, then I usher them out for their drive to the hospital, get their two littles tucked in on the couch and go snuggle back in bed for an hour.
We had the Symphony today, so we needed to be dressed, fed and out of the house by 8:15am at the latest. We had a few delays, people not wanting to sit where they were told to sit, so we finally began driving up the street at 8:20am. Traffic was unusually bad which was causing me a tad bit of stress because I coordinate our homeschool group's attendance at the Symphony, so I try to be there early enough to greet folks. We prayed for a good parking space, one that would save me from walking 8 children ages 11 to 3 across two major roads... God answered our prayers and we got a super close spot under the building we were needing to be in! The symphony was wonderful as always, the San Antonio Symphony does an amazing job with their Young People's Concert Series, we have been going for 10 years and I plan on taking my grandkids someday. No, really, I do. :)
Once we get back out onto the road I check in with my friend, and the baby has arrived and all are doing well! The name revealed, there are cheers and excitement is in the air. When I pull into the Zoo parking lot and announce a short trip in for a lovely picnic, there are more cheers. We eat, I laugh at how many strange looks I am getting and how I can see people actually counting up the children, no one dares to ask if they are all mine... funny, today I could have said no. Ha! We traipse through the Reptile House after we finish eating and load back into the car.
A couple of phone calls later, my friend hasn't made it into her own room yet, so I am keeping her kids a little while longer. Next stop, the grocery store... with 8 children... when I never even take all 6 of my own if I can help it. I give rather detailed instructions before we exit the vehicle, and I load one basket full of children who I would rather not trust to walk through the store and give Hannah my trust to steer them safely. I don't think I have ever shopped so fast, the kids are doing great but I keep noticing people counting the children and deciding to go down a different isle, I can't help but laugh. We pull up to check out and a chorus of "I need to go potty" begins, so I send the children off under the guide and protection of the oldest two (and I can see the doors from the checkout line). I chat with the cashier. I try to check out with the same person each week. I am trying to establish a testimony with her, I am praying about gospel opportunities... she is having a baby in the next few months, I think I am going to make her something and give it to her soon... how do you open the door to gospel conversations in a 2 minute window a week?
Back into the car, plans have been made for a hand-off of our loaned kids to a grandma and we proceed to the designated parking lot a few miles away. Once my friend's kids are snuggled into their grandma's car we head home. Thankfully I remember I need to go to the bank about 30 seconds before the exit, exit and make the deposit. Now, we really head home. The dogs are happy to see us, and the weather warming above 40F has found for many children happy to run outside while I put away groceries. Putting away groceries makes me realize how messy the panty has become. Noticing the mess makes me feel compelled to do something about it, so I begin pulling everything out of it and reorganizing. One look at the clock reminds me I have gotten off track and need to be making dinner so I can leave to meet with a friend for dinner.
Dinner preparations started... I question myself every time I decide to roast broccoli and cauliflower... it just takes forever to cut the little darlings up into bite-sized pieces... and then on to the salad... and finally remembering to start heating up the prepared beef tips I pulled out of the freezer. My phone rings and it is Elliott telling me an emergency meeting was called, he would be home late. My friend texts as the very same moment and asks if we are still on. A short text-a-thon ensues resulting in the rescheduling of our time and I lay down on the couch. It is at this very moment that I really feel the effects of my going the entire day without coffee. I am tempted to go to bed right then, but a 3yo and 5yo start jumping on me, and I decide to go finish making dinner out of self defense.
Kids played happily. Dinner was a success. I went out for a post-bedtime coffee with a friend. It was a crazy day, but it was a good day. Thinking ahead to the rest of the week, I think there is a small chance we will have a "normal" day Friday... tomorrow will we do our best to creatively get some schooling done... moment-by-moment...
At 5:45am I welcome my friends and their two children to come in. My dear, sweet friend is having her 3rd child (via a c-section) this morning and I asked to keep the kids so that both moms can be there to be grandmas instead of babysitters. We chat a few minutes, then I usher them out for their drive to the hospital, get their two littles tucked in on the couch and go snuggle back in bed for an hour.
We had the Symphony today, so we needed to be dressed, fed and out of the house by 8:15am at the latest. We had a few delays, people not wanting to sit where they were told to sit, so we finally began driving up the street at 8:20am. Traffic was unusually bad which was causing me a tad bit of stress because I coordinate our homeschool group's attendance at the Symphony, so I try to be there early enough to greet folks. We prayed for a good parking space, one that would save me from walking 8 children ages 11 to 3 across two major roads... God answered our prayers and we got a super close spot under the building we were needing to be in! The symphony was wonderful as always, the San Antonio Symphony does an amazing job with their Young People's Concert Series, we have been going for 10 years and I plan on taking my grandkids someday. No, really, I do. :)
Once we get back out onto the road I check in with my friend, and the baby has arrived and all are doing well! The name revealed, there are cheers and excitement is in the air. When I pull into the Zoo parking lot and announce a short trip in for a lovely picnic, there are more cheers. We eat, I laugh at how many strange looks I am getting and how I can see people actually counting up the children, no one dares to ask if they are all mine... funny, today I could have said no. Ha! We traipse through the Reptile House after we finish eating and load back into the car.
A couple of phone calls later, my friend hasn't made it into her own room yet, so I am keeping her kids a little while longer. Next stop, the grocery store... with 8 children... when I never even take all 6 of my own if I can help it. I give rather detailed instructions before we exit the vehicle, and I load one basket full of children who I would rather not trust to walk through the store and give Hannah my trust to steer them safely. I don't think I have ever shopped so fast, the kids are doing great but I keep noticing people counting the children and deciding to go down a different isle, I can't help but laugh. We pull up to check out and a chorus of "I need to go potty" begins, so I send the children off under the guide and protection of the oldest two (and I can see the doors from the checkout line). I chat with the cashier. I try to check out with the same person each week. I am trying to establish a testimony with her, I am praying about gospel opportunities... she is having a baby in the next few months, I think I am going to make her something and give it to her soon... how do you open the door to gospel conversations in a 2 minute window a week?
Back into the car, plans have been made for a hand-off of our loaned kids to a grandma and we proceed to the designated parking lot a few miles away. Once my friend's kids are snuggled into their grandma's car we head home. Thankfully I remember I need to go to the bank about 30 seconds before the exit, exit and make the deposit. Now, we really head home. The dogs are happy to see us, and the weather warming above 40F has found for many children happy to run outside while I put away groceries. Putting away groceries makes me realize how messy the panty has become. Noticing the mess makes me feel compelled to do something about it, so I begin pulling everything out of it and reorganizing. One look at the clock reminds me I have gotten off track and need to be making dinner so I can leave to meet with a friend for dinner.
Dinner preparations started... I question myself every time I decide to roast broccoli and cauliflower... it just takes forever to cut the little darlings up into bite-sized pieces... and then on to the salad... and finally remembering to start heating up the prepared beef tips I pulled out of the freezer. My phone rings and it is Elliott telling me an emergency meeting was called, he would be home late. My friend texts as the very same moment and asks if we are still on. A short text-a-thon ensues resulting in the rescheduling of our time and I lay down on the couch. It is at this very moment that I really feel the effects of my going the entire day without coffee. I am tempted to go to bed right then, but a 3yo and 5yo start jumping on me, and I decide to go finish making dinner out of self defense.
Kids played happily. Dinner was a success. I went out for a post-bedtime coffee with a friend. It was a crazy day, but it was a good day. Thinking ahead to the rest of the week, I think there is a small chance we will have a "normal" day Friday... tomorrow will we do our best to creatively get some schooling done... moment-by-moment...
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Day seven...
Following the events of yesterday, I would have just loved to huddle up and stay home. However, when I had planned my week, I knew that Tuesday and Wednesday were going to be crazy busy. This morning began rather normally, with waking up kids, morning room chores, breakfast, a little picking up, family devotions and the older children starting their lessons.
Around 10:45am a friend stopped by to "borrow" my two youngest boys for a play date. My two boys were bouncing off the wall with excitement at the prospect and squealed with joy to see my friend's car pull in the driveway to whisk them away to a fun day at the farm. As soon as they left we settled back into our normal routine.
Noon brought a short visit from our neighbors, coffee for the moms and playing for the kids. It was a welcomed break from academic pursuits and the time went by too quickly. Lunch was made and eaten, then time to leave for the afternoon adventures. As I contemplated that the next couple of hours would be spent driving in the car, I was exceedingly grateful for my two littlest (and loudest) having an away play date.
The last six months our oldest two kiddos have been taking guitar lessons from a great young man from our old church. Until recently, our teacher has come to us (via his mom) but this week we started making the trek to his home for lessons. Today, I also had the added task of picking up my mom from the airport after coming home from a little vacation. In a perfect world, I would have been able to drop of the kids, drive to the airport, pick up my mom and drive back to get the kids. Airports aren't perfect however, so the twins and I made at least 10 laps around the airport... my mom having gotten rid of her cell phone, we just had to trust that she was eventually going to come out. Thankfully, she did, on lap number 11 or 12 or 13...
Since the twins and I were sufficiently chilled from our 40 minutes of circling the airport, we swung through the Starbucks drive-thru and then went to pick up the kids from guitar. The guy from the auto repair shop called me and while my car would be done today, it wouldn't be done until later... that perfect world scenario I mentioned earlier also included being able to have my mom drop me off at the car repair place to pick up my car. Since the timing on that didn't work out, I paid for my car over the phone and asked them to leave it in front of the shop with the keys locked inside.
Elliott had an after-work meeting and the two littlest were being returned home, so we got home and began working on more school. The boys came home and the decibel level increased three fold, as well as the number of things that were being propelled through the air. It was entertaining to have them back. :)
Our evening consisted of getting back in the car and going across town to pick up my car from the shop, eating out, getting home and picking up. We have the San Antonio Symphony Young People's Concert Series performance to attend tomorrow, so I ushered the kids into bed a little early and asked Elliott to make bread so we could have sandwiches tomorrow. And now for bed...
Around 10:45am a friend stopped by to "borrow" my two youngest boys for a play date. My two boys were bouncing off the wall with excitement at the prospect and squealed with joy to see my friend's car pull in the driveway to whisk them away to a fun day at the farm. As soon as they left we settled back into our normal routine.
Noon brought a short visit from our neighbors, coffee for the moms and playing for the kids. It was a welcomed break from academic pursuits and the time went by too quickly. Lunch was made and eaten, then time to leave for the afternoon adventures. As I contemplated that the next couple of hours would be spent driving in the car, I was exceedingly grateful for my two littlest (and loudest) having an away play date.
The last six months our oldest two kiddos have been taking guitar lessons from a great young man from our old church. Until recently, our teacher has come to us (via his mom) but this week we started making the trek to his home for lessons. Today, I also had the added task of picking up my mom from the airport after coming home from a little vacation. In a perfect world, I would have been able to drop of the kids, drive to the airport, pick up my mom and drive back to get the kids. Airports aren't perfect however, so the twins and I made at least 10 laps around the airport... my mom having gotten rid of her cell phone, we just had to trust that she was eventually going to come out. Thankfully, she did, on lap number 11 or 12 or 13...
Since the twins and I were sufficiently chilled from our 40 minutes of circling the airport, we swung through the Starbucks drive-thru and then went to pick up the kids from guitar. The guy from the auto repair shop called me and while my car would be done today, it wouldn't be done until later... that perfect world scenario I mentioned earlier also included being able to have my mom drop me off at the car repair place to pick up my car. Since the timing on that didn't work out, I paid for my car over the phone and asked them to leave it in front of the shop with the keys locked inside.
Elliott had an after-work meeting and the two littlest were being returned home, so we got home and began working on more school. The boys came home and the decibel level increased three fold, as well as the number of things that were being propelled through the air. It was entertaining to have them back. :)
Our evening consisted of getting back in the car and going across town to pick up my car from the shop, eating out, getting home and picking up. We have the San Antonio Symphony Young People's Concert Series performance to attend tomorrow, so I ushered the kids into bed a little early and asked Elliott to make bread so we could have sandwiches tomorrow. And now for bed...
Day six...
Could it be? Another week of school begun?!?!? Where did the weekend go? Alas, our day began...
7:00am - I wake up and realize I have a cold toed 3yo crawling into my bed. I listen for a moment, no other stirring noises, not even the puppies... so I cuddle up with Mr. Ice Cube Feet and fall back asleep until...
7:15am - Why, oh why, did I think it was a good idea to set an alarm on my iPhone to "Wake UP!!!!!!" as it says? No worries, with one swipe of my index finger it was silenced. :)
8:00am - Micah (toes now warmed) has begun squirming but every time I look at him he squeezes his eyes shut and pretends to sleep. I am now sufficiently awake and check email on my phone before getting up... and I send the bouncy wee one up to dress and wake all his sleeping siblings.
8:30am - I have called upstairs a few times now to encourage (at varying levels of volume...) the children to do their morning responsibilities with a happy heart. They finally come down to breakfast, chocolate chip zucchini bread and oranges.
9:00am - I read aloud our poetry selection for today, some poems from William Wordsworth. My children think his name is clever... "My, his words must be expensive, being that his name is WordsWORTH"... there is much laughter as we are still in the knock-knock phase of jokes, and word play is a favorite activity. We enjoy his poem "The Sun Has Long Been Set" so much we read it three times, then I snap a photo of it and text it to our friend up the street to share with her kids. Table chores commence. Laundry is started.
9:30am - We begin to assemble in the living room for Family Devotions. Sing a hymn, go through Training Hearts, Training Minds, family Bible memory for the week (2 Timothy 3:16-17), family prayers for Missionary Monday (we have themed days for family prayer so I don't forget to pray for any major area...).
10:00am - School officially begins with my reading aloud from our Historical read aloud which the children do their quiet activities, the four oldest start on handwriting, and continue on with Explode the Code or Wordly Wise. I begin to question myself regarding asking the youngest two to play quietly with Duplos nearby. Is that possible? I will give them credit, they seemed to try very hard to make their car noises less loudly than normal.
10:15am - The washing machine dings that it is finished. Our dryer decided to stop working yesterday, so I planned to run load of wet laundry to my mom's house every hour or two for drying (my mom lives around the corner). I flip through a couple of pages and decide to finish the chapter we are on.
10:25am - I am still reading our Historical read aloud and have discovered that what I thought was the end of the chapter was really just a break in the page with a picture, the end of the chapter is twenty pages away. I decide to stop reading as the olders have run out of quiet work and the youngers have ceased trying to be quiet. Time for a laundry run.
10:30am - I remember my car is in the shop and it is 40F and windy. So, I throw on my coat and tell the kids I will be right back, I am walking to my mom's to borrow her car to shuttle my clothes back and forth to her dryer. No one wanted to go, so I started up the street with my head buried in my coat walking fast. I turn at the sound of shrieking children to find the two littlest boys running up the street after me with no shoes or jackets on, apparently they are planning to join me after all... so we go back to the house to get them shoes and jackets and head out again. Wet load out and in a basket by the door while another load of laundry goes in.
10:45am - Finally make it to my mom's house and go to get the clothes out of the dryer that I threw in last night (after discovering my dryer had broken). Still wet. An audible groan escaped me as I remembered to be thankful in all circumstances. I decided to be thankful that they weren't as wet as when they went in. I reset the dryer and grabbed the keys to my mom's car to drive home.
10:50am - Car won't start.
10:50.30am - Car won't start. Say a silent prayer. Mind spinning as I consider having to carry a wet load of laundry up a block and a half and back seven more times today if this car doesn't start.
10:51am - Car won't start. I realize that the car sounds like it is going to start, and all the lights and radio come on, so I know the battery is fine. Then I remember that my mom left money for gas before she went on her trip, so I look at the gas gauge and see it is empty. Combined with the steep incline of my mom's driveway, I conclude that the gas probably can't get to the intake. Say another prayer because I decide to do something a little crazy.
10:51.30am - Car still not starting. I decided to back the car out of the driveway in hopes that on more level ground the fuel will reach the intake and start. I have no reason to believe anything major is wrong and I am hopeful enough to try it, though the idea of blocking the street if I am wrong crosses my mind and I choose to ignore it.
10:52am - I discover that the car drives differently when there is no power, I am suddenly concerned that stopping the car or turning the car to avoid hitting the car parked across the street is not going to happen easily without power steering and braking.
10:52.30am - Another prayer is said as the key is turned in the ignition while the car is stopped 2/3 of the way into the street. The car starts, I can now breathe again. I drive home.
10:53am - Return home. Text my neighbor who says I can use her drier since my mom's seems to be drying at a slower rate than my clothes seems to be washing.
11:00am - I check in with each of the older four and make sure they are on task. The younger boys settle in to playing and I run up the street to put the load a load of wet clothes into my friend's dryer. Short visit, they are also doing school, so I rush back out.
11:15am - Back home. Ground coffee beans, make french press, check school progress, calculate when the next load will be done washing. I text a friend quizzing her on Tapestry of Grace and she says she will call in a minute.
11:30am - Twins come with big smiles and their phonics books. One goes to read a chapter of the Amish readers we use. The other sits down and goes through her lesson with me. Switch. I am kind of distracted as I am thinking my phone will ring any minute. I ask Hannah to prep lunch (baked potatoes).
11:50am - My phone rings as we are driving out of the neighborhood, my long awaited phone call. We start chatting about large families and schooling and co-ops and curriculum and schedules.
11:55am - I pull into the gas station and break all the rules by continuing to talk on the phone while I pump gas.
12:05pm - Back to my mom's. Laundry is dry this time so I get it out and put in the new, wet load. Back in the car with clean, dry laundry and back home.
12:10pm - Still talking to my friend about co-ops, looking up prices on the internet. Calculating the costs of Classical Conversations for next year versus Tapestry of Grace and the ToG co-op. Stressing a little. A lot. My friend playing basketball in Turkey sends a text which vibrates loudly in my ear, so I answer on the iPad near by while I continue talking to my friend. At some point, our collective 15 children find where we have been hiding and need us, so we say our goodbyes.
12:30pm - My neighbor texts that her dryer has beeped and my laundry is dry. Yea! Our baked potatoes are done too, so I say I will be up in a few minutes and attend to the final lunch preparations.
12:45pm - Lunch. I try to ask for the children to eat quietly for a while before talking to one another which only seem to result in sparking a rather lengthy discussion about how long they should eat before talking, all the while not eating so the topic could be discussed. I am mentally checked out because I am busy trying to remember where the laundry is supposed to go. The repair folks call and schedule for my dryer to be looked at on Thursday.
1:00pm - The washer buzzes. I am done eating so I get up to make another laundry run to my neighbor's house. The youngest flings himself from the table to join me, covered in baked potato remnants. I make mention of his messiness and start to suggest he wash his hands when he quickly rubs his hands up and down his pants and declares himself clean. Sounds good to me. I request that the last load of the day be started as I head out the door.
1:15pm - Short visit with my friend as I gather my laundry and put in a new load of laundry to dry. We make reference to needing to have a coffee together once the kids finish school, I figure a good time will be about the time the new load is finished drying. Back home.
1:30pm - I realize that the children appeared to be working diligently today on their school work but I have no idea what they have done. I call to check on my car, the auto shop hasn't looked at it yet. I start crunching numbers on our co-op choices for next year... freak out again as the totals for CC begin to equal a large car payment. While Tapestry of Grace has intimidated me for several years, I begin to reflect on the fact that my two close friends with similarly aged children both use ToG, while my close friends with 3 of fewer kids use Classical Conversations... then, my ToG friend texts to tell me their may be a mid-semester opening at their co-op, I could possibly try it out for a 9-week term before next year, very enticing.
2:00pm - Where has the day gone?!?!? It is time to go to the farm. We don't have time to stay and work, but I need to return something to my friend and talk about changing the schedule a little. The washer buzzes, last load washed... I wrangle the kids out of the house, stop by my mom's to get the load from the dryer, and put a new load in... head to the farm and start to think of calling to cancel but then remember I need to return that thing.
2:45pm - My friend is surprised to see us, probably because no one is dressed for farm work in 50F weather, so we just go inside for a little visit. I don't think the kids have ever been in his home except to use the bathroom (we usually work the gardens, feed the stock, milk the cow, chase the chickens, etc.), so they were having a great time as he told them stories about his artifacts from all over the world. We work out a new schedule for coming to help at the farm.
3:30pm - Leaving the farm I realize we were gone long enough that the laundry at my mom's should be dry and my neighbor texted that my load finished at her house. I get excited at the thought that all my laundry will be done. I stop first at my mom's house only to discover that the load isn't fully dry, so I start the dryer again and head to my friend's. I gather my laundry and start to invite them for coffee when I realize that her husband is already home, coffee will have to wait until tomorrow.
3:45pm - Kids settle back in and are finishing up school work, I chat with the auto repair shop and learn my car will be ready tomorrow. I catch a glimpse of my couch loaded down with five baskets of unfolded laundry and call the children in to fold clothes while I read aloud from our Literature read aloud, Little Town on the Prairie.
4:40pm - I am still reading, the kids still folding. Micah has fallen asleep on the floor. Elliott is texting me that he will be home late. We work out a way for me to leave for my meeting. I go back to reading to the kids.
These nights are rare, but they happen... I left for errands before a meeting I had and Elliott came home a few minutes later. We didn't get to visit or catch up until I got home at 10pm. I also didn't get dinner until then. And then I sat down to reflect on my day. I should go grade school work, but I don't really want to. I will do it in the morning.
How was your Monday?
Saturday, January 12, 2013
A bird in the hand...
There is the old saying, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush", but seriously, that saying is way off, holding a bird in your hands is simply AMAZING!
Our Young Birder's Club met today at the Guadalupe River State Park, this month the theme of the meeting was "A Bird in the Hand". We learned the process for banding birds (you must have a very special license to do this) and were able to participate in holding them after they were taken out of the whisper nets, and then after they were banded, the kids were able to release them back into the wild. The bird banding is completely safe for the birds, and the information that is captured is very helpful to Ornithologists who keep tabs on them.
Here are two photos I was able to snap with my iPhone of a Black Crested Titmouse and a Northern Cardinal that I had the opportunity to hold...
And here are a couple of photos I was able to take on my Nikon...
And a special treat after our meeting, "The Eagle Lady" gave a presentation about birds of prey and brought two of her owls to show us and teach us appreciation for some of God's precious creation.
Who wouldn't want to become a birder with a face like that to look into?!?!?!?
Our Young Birder's Club met today at the Guadalupe River State Park, this month the theme of the meeting was "A Bird in the Hand". We learned the process for banding birds (you must have a very special license to do this) and were able to participate in holding them after they were taken out of the whisper nets, and then after they were banded, the kids were able to release them back into the wild. The bird banding is completely safe for the birds, and the information that is captured is very helpful to Ornithologists who keep tabs on them.
Here are two photos I was able to snap with my iPhone of a Black Crested Titmouse and a Northern Cardinal that I had the opportunity to hold...
And here are a couple of photos I was able to take on my Nikon...
And a special treat after our meeting, "The Eagle Lady" gave a presentation about birds of prey and brought two of her owls to show us and teach us appreciation for some of God's precious creation.
Who wouldn't want to become a birder with a face like that to look into?!?!?!?
Friday, January 11, 2013
Day five...
After going to bed before 10pm last night and waking up this morning at 8am, I felt like a new person! I definitely had overdone it the last couple of weeks and my late nights caught up with me... sigh. Once again, humbled by my age and need for more regular sleep, we started our little day.
For the last four months our Fridays have been spent hosting a little co-op at our home. We typically spent the mornings picking up and setting up the 30 chairs upstairs for choir, then I would finish my preparations for the art and handicrafts class I taught, and the kids would rush about to finish their homework for the book club one of my friends led. The last few weeks we haven't had that, so this morning everyone seemed to meander about aimlessly.
I was half tempted to do school today... and maybe we ought to have, but I was feeling grumpy and wanted to get out of the house. I decided to run some errands, then come home and have lunch and spend the afternoon listening to a new audio book and working on handicrafts. The errands went well, lunch was easy, Micah actually napped and the rest of us gathered in the living room.
Hannah was knitting a bear for one of my friends having a baby next week, Grace started crocheting a little cat, Faith was reluctant to work on anything she knew how to do because what she really wanted to do was whittle like Noah and Caleb. Since the girls have quite a few handicraft skills (crocheting, knitting, embroidery, hand sewing) and the boys don't, I made a decision to not let the girls whittle, at least for awhile. This hasn't been the most popular of decisions from the girls' point of view, but I feel for the boys not having many masculine "quiet activities" and have decided to save this one for them. Of course there is wood working, but that can be a tad loud for read aloud times, not to mention, power tools need supervision and probably aren't the best fit for a 9yo and 5yo. Once it was accepted that I was not budging, and that everyone needed to do something they could do without my help (because I actually wanted to crochet too), we had an enjoyable time listening to the unabridged Winnie the Pooh and working.
Laundry was finished and put away. Dishes were loaded and unloaded throughout the day. The hallway bathroom was cleaned due to the discovery of a mysterious yellow liquid on the floor. We ate dinner and then welcomed a surprise visit from friends looking to buy a house in our neighborhood (and just around the corner). The adults had lattes, the kids all played and later asked to put in a documentary about birds and volcanoes. They are looking at a home that has the same floorplan as our home, so we gave a tour and answered questions about construction.
We finished up the night with a little cleaning up (messes discovered during the tour), vitamins, family worship and discussions of plans for tomorrow morning's birding trip. Overall, we had a nice week, though I feel a burden to be better prepared for next week. This week we stayed on our "ideal" schedule one day. Maybe next week we will have two "normal" days. Ha! We'll see...
For the last four months our Fridays have been spent hosting a little co-op at our home. We typically spent the mornings picking up and setting up the 30 chairs upstairs for choir, then I would finish my preparations for the art and handicrafts class I taught, and the kids would rush about to finish their homework for the book club one of my friends led. The last few weeks we haven't had that, so this morning everyone seemed to meander about aimlessly.
I was half tempted to do school today... and maybe we ought to have, but I was feeling grumpy and wanted to get out of the house. I decided to run some errands, then come home and have lunch and spend the afternoon listening to a new audio book and working on handicrafts. The errands went well, lunch was easy, Micah actually napped and the rest of us gathered in the living room.
Hannah was knitting a bear for one of my friends having a baby next week, Grace started crocheting a little cat, Faith was reluctant to work on anything she knew how to do because what she really wanted to do was whittle like Noah and Caleb. Since the girls have quite a few handicraft skills (crocheting, knitting, embroidery, hand sewing) and the boys don't, I made a decision to not let the girls whittle, at least for awhile. This hasn't been the most popular of decisions from the girls' point of view, but I feel for the boys not having many masculine "quiet activities" and have decided to save this one for them. Of course there is wood working, but that can be a tad loud for read aloud times, not to mention, power tools need supervision and probably aren't the best fit for a 9yo and 5yo. Once it was accepted that I was not budging, and that everyone needed to do something they could do without my help (because I actually wanted to crochet too), we had an enjoyable time listening to the unabridged Winnie the Pooh and working.
Laundry was finished and put away. Dishes were loaded and unloaded throughout the day. The hallway bathroom was cleaned due to the discovery of a mysterious yellow liquid on the floor. We ate dinner and then welcomed a surprise visit from friends looking to buy a house in our neighborhood (and just around the corner). The adults had lattes, the kids all played and later asked to put in a documentary about birds and volcanoes. They are looking at a home that has the same floorplan as our home, so we gave a tour and answered questions about construction.
We finished up the night with a little cleaning up (messes discovered during the tour), vitamins, family worship and discussions of plans for tomorrow morning's birding trip. Overall, we had a nice week, though I feel a burden to be better prepared for next week. This week we stayed on our "ideal" schedule one day. Maybe next week we will have two "normal" days. Ha! We'll see...
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Day four...
So, I have this problem. The colloquialism that best describes my bad habit is, "burning the candle at both ends". And every once in a while, when I have been experiencing an extended season of late nights and busy days, I hit a wall, and sometimes the wall falls on me. So, good news is, I am not sick and I have been reminded of the weakness of my flesh (I might also be realizing that wasn't a great idea the last two weeks to stay up until 2am each day to catch up on Downton Abbey episodes on Amazon Prime so I could be ready for the season 3 premier this past week... just maybe...).
All that to say, I have no idea what time my children got up this morning or what they did. Elliott worked from home so I could sleep in and try to recoup and/or decide if I needed to go to the doctor. I woke up a little before noon to breakfast (and lunch) in bed, served with a piping hot Cinnamon Roll Latte made by my husband and children. I still felt super sluggish and would have probably tried to go back to sleep if it were not for the loud dispute over whose turn it was to work on the Math Rider game on my laptop. I decided I should probably get up and moving, so I took a shower.
When I finally came out I asked if everyone had done their school work, I was pretty sure the answer would be "no" and it was. The children had shocked looks on their faces when I insisted they get their books out, I think they were looking for a free pass from lessons. I never had checked their work for the week up to this point, so I started working on that, calling children over when explanation was needed or to reteach some concept that was not understood. The two littlest boys, who are our biggest distraction from completing our normal schedule were happily playing on the floor in the living room, now if they could only do that when I was trying to read aloud history or science, or trying to teach phonics. :)
Children randomly finished their studies and meandered off, the afternoon found us out in the front yard with the neighbors and enjoying the warm weather (bright and clear and in the 60's), especially since Sunday we will dip back down into the 30's and 40's. At one point it seemed like the whole neighborhood turned out, parents dotting the driveways and visiting with each other. It was nice and nostalgic. We keep praying for opportunities with our neighbors, and being outside as we laugh at our children's wild bike and scooter riding antics is an answer to prayer.
I wish I had more details of my day, but it sort of blurred past and I am counting the moments until I can fall back into bed. I am hoping that I perk up after another good night's sleep. Tomorrow may find us on a little field trip, trying to soak up the good weather before it nose-dives down over the weekend, we shall see how I wake up.
All that to say, I have no idea what time my children got up this morning or what they did. Elliott worked from home so I could sleep in and try to recoup and/or decide if I needed to go to the doctor. I woke up a little before noon to breakfast (and lunch) in bed, served with a piping hot Cinnamon Roll Latte made by my husband and children. I still felt super sluggish and would have probably tried to go back to sleep if it were not for the loud dispute over whose turn it was to work on the Math Rider game on my laptop. I decided I should probably get up and moving, so I took a shower.
When I finally came out I asked if everyone had done their school work, I was pretty sure the answer would be "no" and it was. The children had shocked looks on their faces when I insisted they get their books out, I think they were looking for a free pass from lessons. I never had checked their work for the week up to this point, so I started working on that, calling children over when explanation was needed or to reteach some concept that was not understood. The two littlest boys, who are our biggest distraction from completing our normal schedule were happily playing on the floor in the living room, now if they could only do that when I was trying to read aloud history or science, or trying to teach phonics. :)
Children randomly finished their studies and meandered off, the afternoon found us out in the front yard with the neighbors and enjoying the warm weather (bright and clear and in the 60's), especially since Sunday we will dip back down into the 30's and 40's. At one point it seemed like the whole neighborhood turned out, parents dotting the driveways and visiting with each other. It was nice and nostalgic. We keep praying for opportunities with our neighbors, and being outside as we laugh at our children's wild bike and scooter riding antics is an answer to prayer.
I wish I had more details of my day, but it sort of blurred past and I am counting the moments until I can fall back into bed. I am hoping that I perk up after another good night's sleep. Tomorrow may find us on a little field trip, trying to soak up the good weather before it nose-dives down over the weekend, we shall see how I wake up.
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