Quiet day. Cleaned. Grocery shopped. Read from a couple books. Skipped school. Heard a joke:
How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?
Only one, but it has to really want to change.
I had a lot of fun during my weekend away, but after spending that much time with three other women I feel almost completely conversationed out. I'm sure it'll pass soon.
Monday, September 30, 2013
Friday, September 27, 2013
Quick Stuff
I really don't have much time today. I'm trying to...
Question: Are all teenage boys in denial when it comes to having to start shaving? Zach did it and I thought it was just him, but now Drew's doing it, too. We would say things to Zach like, "Hey, you know what? You need to start shaving. You're getting a gross little mustache," and his response was always something along the lines of, "What??? I am not!" We finally had to buy him an electric razor and threaten him to get him to use it. (He's fine now, by the way. He shaves on his own with no issue.) Now Drew is acting the same way. What's up with that?
Video of the kids being weirdos:
- get a regular day of school in
- clean the house
- make our usual big lunch
- pick up some last minute groceries
- pick Zach up from work (He didn't ride his bike today because of the rain this morning.)
- pack
Question: Are all teenage boys in denial when it comes to having to start shaving? Zach did it and I thought it was just him, but now Drew's doing it, too. We would say things to Zach like, "Hey, you know what? You need to start shaving. You're getting a gross little mustache," and his response was always something along the lines of, "What??? I am not!" We finally had to buy him an electric razor and threaten him to get him to use it. (He's fine now, by the way. He shaves on his own with no issue.) Now Drew is acting the same way. What's up with that?
Video of the kids being weirdos:
Thursday, September 26, 2013
50-Point Turn
I'm going away this weekend with three of my girlfriends. We're going to a cabin, where we'll eat, talk, laugh, rinse, repeat. I'm excited!
The SoR recently moved to a different part of town, where they have a much bigger, nicer, more practical-for-what-they-do building. There is (actually, was) only one problem: It had difficult parking. You see, you could only access the place by going down a one-way...not street exactly...more like drive...with an opening on each end and diagonal parking along the side. And because of the one-way flow of traffic, you had to back into the spaces. Here's the thing: I CANNOT back into a space diagonally. I just can't. I'm missing that part of the brain which allows people to do that. One time I tried it, and I looked like this:
Last time I went there, though, lo-and-behold the signs and the paint on the road and everything was changed! They completely redid it so that the one-way drive going right is now a one-way drive going left. LOL That tells me I wasn't the only mom who just couldn't make it happen.
The SoR recently moved to a different part of town, where they have a much bigger, nicer, more practical-for-what-they-do building. There is (actually, was) only one problem: It had difficult parking. You see, you could only access the place by going down a one-way...not street exactly...more like drive...with an opening on each end and diagonal parking along the side. And because of the one-way flow of traffic, you had to back into the spaces. Here's the thing: I CANNOT back into a space diagonally. I just can't. I'm missing that part of the brain which allows people to do that. One time I tried it, and I looked like this:
Last time I went there, though, lo-and-behold the signs and the paint on the road and everything was changed! They completely redid it so that the one-way drive going right is now a one-way drive going left. LOL That tells me I wasn't the only mom who just couldn't make it happen.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
They Did What?!
One of the books Baylee is reading for school is called The Oxford Illustrated Book of American Children's Poems. The poems are in chronological order, all the way from Native American pieces to things written in the 1960s. Today Baylee had to read "The Three Little Kittens." (Not all the poetry in the book is that babyish, by the way. I think the book was just going for a wide range of selections.) After she read it I remembered something I hadn't thought of in years and years, and I shared it with her as part of our lesson. Now I'll share it with you.
When my brother and I were really young we had one of those round toys with an arrow that you pointed at different things in order to hear the sounds they made. It was like this, only instead of a lever ours had a string:
And instead of animal sounds ours told nursery rhymes. As time went on, our toy became old and worn out, and it stopped working properly. None of the little rhymes sounded quite right anymore, but of all of them "The Three Little Kittens" was hit the worst. It went like this...
"Three little kittens!" (It started off deceptively normal and bright.)
"lost theeeiiiirrrr miiiitttteeeeeens..." (Unfortunately it quickly became lower and lower.)
"and theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyy beeeeeeeeeeeeeegaaaaaaaaaaan toooooooooo........" (And slower and slower.)
(Until finally, with one last horrible, guttural growl, it finished.) CROTCH-EEEEE-ROUWWWW!"
To be honest I like the poem better like that. It adds mystique.
When my brother and I were really young we had one of those round toys with an arrow that you pointed at different things in order to hear the sounds they made. It was like this, only instead of a lever ours had a string:
And instead of animal sounds ours told nursery rhymes. As time went on, our toy became old and worn out, and it stopped working properly. None of the little rhymes sounded quite right anymore, but of all of them "The Three Little Kittens" was hit the worst. It went like this...
"Three little kittens!" (It started off deceptively normal and bright.)
"lost theeeiiiirrrr miiiitttteeeeeens..." (Unfortunately it quickly became lower and lower.)
"and theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeyyyy beeeeeeeeeeeeeegaaaaaaaaaaan toooooooooo........" (And slower and slower.)
(Until finally, with one last horrible, guttural growl, it finished.) CROTCH-EEEEE-ROUWWWW!"
To be honest I like the poem better like that. It adds mystique.
Wednesday
Today I'm tired. I remember there being a transition period of dragginess when Mike started 3rd shift, and now it's happening again. It's probably dumb, but the problem is that I can't sleep very well (or sometimes at all) until I know he's home safe and sound. He gets home late, which means I fall asleep late...you get the picture. It'll all smooth out eventually, just like it did last time.
Okay, I feel like you guys NEED another chance to appreciate "Hangar 18." It's not complete cacophony! LOL Just listen to the same two guitar parts, this time played by the pros, and tell me if that changes your mind a little. Really! Tell me! I want to hear what you think. If you hate it, then okay. I won't try to convince you ever again that there's structure, excitement, and just something kinda interesting in this sort of music. Start at 4:15.
Okay, I feel like you guys NEED another chance to appreciate "Hangar 18." It's not complete cacophony! LOL Just listen to the same two guitar parts, this time played by the pros, and tell me if that changes your mind a little. Really! Tell me! I want to hear what you think. If you hate it, then okay. I won't try to convince you ever again that there's structure, excitement, and just something kinda interesting in this sort of music. Start at 4:15.
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Bullets
- I made homemade soup for lunch and had high hopes for it, but it was only so-so.
- Baylee and Rachel wrecked our coffee table the other day. Even though it was an accident, they were worried I was going to be mad, but...eh. All I said was, "Oh. Okay. I haven't liked that coffee table for a long time anyway." (It was probably the cold medication talking.) Now the table is on our back deck along with a couple other things I decided I don't like, waiting to be taken to the dump. Zach said it makes the backyard look "white trash."
- Today Baylee's history lesson was about what it was like when people first started colonizing America. One of the things we got a kick out of was the completely untrue advertising, written by investors, trying to get people to make the move.
- I've been feeling a little nervous about "Hangar 18," because the more I listen to it the more I realize how involved it is. Out of curiosity I looked on YouTube to see if I could find a different SoR that attempted it, and I found this. You know I've had bad experiences looking up SoR videos on YouTube in the past ("Giiiiiiiiiirl!"), but this is incredible. Those two boys on lead guitar, going back and forth like they do, gave me chills. Start it at 3:40 and watch to the end. PS: I realize that this music isn't probably very many people's favorite. It's not mine, either. I just appreciate the amount of time and work those boys must've put into it.
Monday, September 23, 2013
The Last of the Ropes Course Pics
More pics taken by John were put on FB. Here are some of my favorites. (Zach is in the grey sweatshirt, Drew's in the green t-shirt.)
The Fox
Have you guys seen this? It's really popular right now on YouTube. It's very ridiculous and more than a little stupid, but it's weirdly catchy.
PS: Drew was in the kitchen making macaroni and cheese when I played this video. He'd obviously heard it before...more than once...because he started bebopping around with a wooden spoon and singing along, "You're my guardian angel, hiding in the woods. What is your sound?"
PS: Drew was in the kitchen making macaroni and cheese when I played this video. He'd obviously heard it before...more than once...because he started bebopping around with a wooden spoon and singing along, "You're my guardian angel, hiding in the woods. What is your sound?"
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sick
I think I mentioned here that everyone in the family (except Mike) has been sick with really gross head colds. Well, yesterday mine went from "Man, I really don't feel that good" to "Holy cow, where is all this snot coming from? It's like I have a reservoir!" to "The Wrath of Khan called. They want their worm back."
Oh my goodness, it felt like my head was ready to explode with pressure and pain...and I had a fever. I think it's probably a sinus infection, but I'm taking Ibuprofen and Sudafed and I feel a lot better for it.
And here are some of the rest of the pics that include the boys. Zach went through the ropes course, too, but there are none of him up there.
Oh my goodness, it felt like my head was ready to explode with pressure and pain...and I had a fever. I think it's probably a sinus infection, but I'm taking Ibuprofen and Sudafed and I feel a lot better for it.
And here are some of the rest of the pics that include the boys. Zach went through the ropes course, too, but there are none of him up there.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
High Ropes Course
The boys got to do a high ropes course this morning with the youth group! John, a leader, took some great pictures. Here are the ones with the boys in them.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Lately at Lessons
Drew's been mentioning little things now and then about what it's like to have Woody as his new guitar teacher. He said that Woody plays an entire song for him, then says, "Okay, you got it?" LOL When Drew doesn't get it right away, Woody tells him that he'll email him the music, and that Drew needs to work on it over the week. This is what was emailed last week:
That's the first page of an eighteen page song. Drew forgot about it, then remembered the night before his lesson, panicked, and asked me to print it all out. That led to an irritated mom (me) and a lot of last minute cramming (him). That bit in the picture above? Here's what it sounds like:
This week Woody taught him a new technique called "sweep picking." It has to do with sweeping the pick up and down the strings.* It's what Drew needs to use to play parts of "Hangar 18." He's still trying to get the hang (haha) of it:
*I just checked Wikipedia for a better explanation. It says, "Sweep picking is a guitar playing technique in which a 'sweeping' motion of the pick is combined with a matching fret hand technique to produce a specific series of notes which are fast and fluid in sound. Despite being commonly known as sweep picking, both hands essentially perform an integral motion in unison to achieve the desired effect. It was invented and developed by jazz guitarists Chuck Wayne and Tal Farlow in the 1940s."
That's the first page of an eighteen page song. Drew forgot about it, then remembered the night before his lesson, panicked, and asked me to print it all out. That led to an irritated mom (me) and a lot of last minute cramming (him). That bit in the picture above? Here's what it sounds like:
This week Woody taught him a new technique called "sweep picking." It has to do with sweeping the pick up and down the strings.* It's what Drew needs to use to play parts of "Hangar 18." He's still trying to get the hang (haha) of it:
*I just checked Wikipedia for a better explanation. It says, "Sweep picking is a guitar playing technique in which a 'sweeping' motion of the pick is combined with a matching fret hand technique to produce a specific series of notes which are fast and fluid in sound. Despite being commonly known as sweep picking, both hands essentially perform an integral motion in unison to achieve the desired effect. It was invented and developed by jazz guitarists Chuck Wayne and Tal Farlow in the 1940s."
Friday
Zach has mentioned a couple times now that he's not loving Mike's new 2nd shift schedule, because it changed things in little ways for all of us. He doesn't like, for instance, the big meal at lunch we've been having. (We do it so that there's still one time every day that we all get to sit down and eat together as a family.) He said he used to spend the afternoon anticipating supper, and now he doesn't have anything to look forward to. lol He'll come around...or not. Either way we can't do anything about it; it's the way things are.
By the way, Zach is the same kid who, when he was four years old, woke up one morning, walked into the living room, and noticed that I had put a new decoration out on the coffee table. He loudly declared, "I don't want that there! Either it goes or we're moving!" He's never been big on change.
Remember I complained about that read-aloud for Baylee's school, Walk the World's Rim? We finished it yesterday. Whew! That was a slog! I kept with it, though, because I realized it actually taught a lot about native Americans and the Age of Exploration. It even had underlying moral themes having to do with slavery. Still, it wasn't my favorite. The funny thing is that Baylee really got into it, to the point where the death of one of the main characters made her cry. I looked up at her after finishing the last chapter and there she was, tears streaming down her face. I guess that's one of the great things about this curriculum, Sonlight. I never in a million years would've chosen that book if it were up to me, but it turned out to be a good story in Baylee's eyes.
That's about all I've got today. We're all sick with head colds and now it's time to rest.
By the way, Zach is the same kid who, when he was four years old, woke up one morning, walked into the living room, and noticed that I had put a new decoration out on the coffee table. He loudly declared, "I don't want that there! Either it goes or we're moving!" He's never been big on change.
Remember I complained about that read-aloud for Baylee's school, Walk the World's Rim? We finished it yesterday. Whew! That was a slog! I kept with it, though, because I realized it actually taught a lot about native Americans and the Age of Exploration. It even had underlying moral themes having to do with slavery. Still, it wasn't my favorite. The funny thing is that Baylee really got into it, to the point where the death of one of the main characters made her cry. I looked up at her after finishing the last chapter and there she was, tears streaming down her face. I guess that's one of the great things about this curriculum, Sonlight. I never in a million years would've chosen that book if it were up to me, but it turned out to be a good story in Baylee's eyes.
That's about all I've got today. We're all sick with head colds and now it's time to rest.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Tall
A friend of mine wrote a post on FB recently, talking about how tall her daughter is going to end up being. She thinks her little girl will be around 5'10" or so as an adult. It got me thinking about my own experience as a tall girl. I have so many memories, and they stand out in my mind like little pinpricks of cringiness and humor.
When I was 5 and in kindergarten I was still happy to be tall. One day my teacher had me stand back-to-back with the other tallest kid in the class, a boy, and he won by a hair. I was disappointed. But then somewhere along the way I figured out that being tall made me different, and I started hating it. In elementary school I actually prayed...long, beseeching entreaties...that God would make me shorter. Of course, it didn't work.
In junior high it was especially bad. I remember thinking one time as I walked down a school hallway amidst a sea of other students, "This is exactly what Saul must've felt like. I'm literally head and shoulders above every other person I see." It wasn't a good feeling. Not to mention how awkward I was around that time. My body, which I had superior control of in years past (I set a school record in the 6th grade high jump competition!), completely betrayed me. I was all arms and legs, and they swung around of their own accord.
By high school I realized I had a new problem: I didn't want to date anyone shorter than me. That narrowed the field by probably three-quarters. One time at a school dance I went out on the floor with one of the foreign exchange students, a little guy. I spent most of our time together imagining him saying stuff like, "I can hear the ocean in your belly button!"
Luckily things sort of evened out by late high school and into college. Guys in general became taller, and I found Mike, who had me beat by a couple glorious inches. Slowly it became less important. I even got to the point where I realized there are actual advantages to height. One of them is that my body is pretty forgiving when it comes to extra weight. Another is that tall women have easier pregnancies. (There's more room for the baby in there.) And a third is, of course, the whole reaching-high-shelves thing.
Baylee's tall. I'm not sure if it's because she's homeschooled or if it's just her personality, but so far she's completely fine with it. In fact, she's better than fine: She's proud. She enjoys being tall. The thought of being embarrassed by it has never crossed her mind. I love that! I hope she stays that way forever.
When I was 5 and in kindergarten I was still happy to be tall. One day my teacher had me stand back-to-back with the other tallest kid in the class, a boy, and he won by a hair. I was disappointed. But then somewhere along the way I figured out that being tall made me different, and I started hating it. In elementary school I actually prayed...long, beseeching entreaties...that God would make me shorter. Of course, it didn't work.
In junior high it was especially bad. I remember thinking one time as I walked down a school hallway amidst a sea of other students, "This is exactly what Saul must've felt like. I'm literally head and shoulders above every other person I see." It wasn't a good feeling. Not to mention how awkward I was around that time. My body, which I had superior control of in years past (I set a school record in the 6th grade high jump competition!), completely betrayed me. I was all arms and legs, and they swung around of their own accord.
By high school I realized I had a new problem: I didn't want to date anyone shorter than me. That narrowed the field by probably three-quarters. One time at a school dance I went out on the floor with one of the foreign exchange students, a little guy. I spent most of our time together imagining him saying stuff like, "I can hear the ocean in your belly button!"
Luckily things sort of evened out by late high school and into college. Guys in general became taller, and I found Mike, who had me beat by a couple glorious inches. Slowly it became less important. I even got to the point where I realized there are actual advantages to height. One of them is that my body is pretty forgiving when it comes to extra weight. Another is that tall women have easier pregnancies. (There's more room for the baby in there.) And a third is, of course, the whole reaching-high-shelves thing.
Baylee's tall. I'm not sure if it's because she's homeschooled or if it's just her personality, but so far she's completely fine with it. In fact, she's better than fine: She's proud. She enjoys being tall. The thought of being embarrassed by it has never crossed her mind. I love that! I hope she stays that way forever.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Random Bits of Life
Yesterday at lunch we were talking about hats for some reason, and Drew said that when we were sightseeing in downtown Leavenworth he saw a hat that he considered buying. "It had two brims," he explained, "and a funny caption about walking in two directions at the same time."
"What did it say?" I asked.
"It said, 'I go both ways.'"
(We had a talk. He's glad now he didn't buy that hat.)
Okay, I may have been premature in thinking this 2nd shift thing was going to be "a piece of cake." It's nice, for sure...I love having Mike here at night...but it's a bit much to have to do all the afternoon/evening running around without help. I have new respect for single moms.
Mike is incredibly helpful when he can be, though. Yesterday before he left for work he patiently explained how to read a non-digital micrometer to Drew. At first Drew was lost, but after about 15 minutes he was reading them like a pro. Thank goodness for Dad, because it was Greek to me.
The other day Zach and I were halfway to his Tang Soo Do class when suddenly he realized he wasn't wearing his karate belt. He was concerned about what his teacher might say, so I tried to give him a pep talk. I reminded him of the time he and Drew took a group guitar class and, of all things, some kid forgot his guitar. "At least you're not as bad as him!" I said. I don't think it helped.
I'm watching a show on Netflix called Revolution. It's about what might happen if, without warning, the world lost all power...electricity, battery, etc. I recommend it!
"What did it say?" I asked.
"It said, 'I go both ways.'"
(We had a talk. He's glad now he didn't buy that hat.)
Okay, I may have been premature in thinking this 2nd shift thing was going to be "a piece of cake." It's nice, for sure...I love having Mike here at night...but it's a bit much to have to do all the afternoon/evening running around without help. I have new respect for single moms.
Mike is incredibly helpful when he can be, though. Yesterday before he left for work he patiently explained how to read a non-digital micrometer to Drew. At first Drew was lost, but after about 15 minutes he was reading them like a pro. Thank goodness for Dad, because it was Greek to me.
The other day Zach and I were halfway to his Tang Soo Do class when suddenly he realized he wasn't wearing his karate belt. He was concerned about what his teacher might say, so I tried to give him a pep talk. I reminded him of the time he and Drew took a group guitar class and, of all things, some kid forgot his guitar. "At least you're not as bad as him!" I said. I don't think it helped.
I'm watching a show on Netflix called Revolution. It's about what might happen if, without warning, the world lost all power...electricity, battery, etc. I recommend it!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Rabbit Trails
Baylee and I were reading Matthew 9 as part of her Bible class today, and I casually mentioned to her that the woman who had been bleeding for twelve years may have had a serious menstrual problem of some sort.
"Wait a minute," Baylee said. "You mean women had periods way back in Bible days?"
"Yes, why wouldn't they?"
"But tampons and stuff weren't invented yet!"
I laughed. "Do you think that periods started because tampons were invented?"
"But...but...what did they use???"
That led to a whole different talk which had nothing to do with Matthew 9. Sometimes homeschooling is like that.
"Wait a minute," Baylee said. "You mean women had periods way back in Bible days?"
"Yes, why wouldn't they?"
"But tampons and stuff weren't invented yet!"
I laughed. "Do you think that periods started because tampons were invented?"
"But...but...what did they use???"
That led to a whole different talk which had nothing to do with Matthew 9. Sometimes homeschooling is like that.
2nd
Mike started 2nd shift yesterday! In honor of that, I'm going to make a list of all the benefits of his new schedule.
Speaking of 2nd shift, I've got a story:
One time when I was in high school and my grandparents lived with us, my grandpa asked my mom what her work hours were that day. My mom said, "Three to eleven."
"What?" (My grandpa was, for all intents and purposes, as deaf as a doornail.)
"Three to eleven."
"Peter Pan???"
"Three to eleven!"
"Peter Pan?!"
I think my mom gave up after that.
- He's here at home most of the night!
- Eating our big meal together at lunchtime means that the evening is much freer. Once school is finished and the house is cleaned, all that's left is whatever activities the kids need to be shuttled to. That's a piece of cake.
Speaking of 2nd shift, I've got a story:
One time when I was in high school and my grandparents lived with us, my grandpa asked my mom what her work hours were that day. My mom said, "Three to eleven."
"What?" (My grandpa was, for all intents and purposes, as deaf as a doornail.)
"Three to eleven."
"Peter Pan???"
"Three to eleven!"
"Peter Pan?!"
I think my mom gave up after that.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Ruler of the World
If I were Ruler of the World the first thing I'd do is turn Monday into a transition day between the weekend and the work week. It would be a day to clean the house, do the grocery shopping, run errands, and generally get things in order before you really have to get serious.
Secondly, I'd make certain offenses punishable by time in a Relearning Center:
Secondly, I'd make certain offenses punishable by time in a Relearning Center:
- Chewing with your mouth open
- Not understanding the difference between "rein," "rain," and "reign"
- Wearing glasses that turn into sunglasses when you go outside
- Calling your pet a "fur baby"
- Ever, EVER farting under the covers
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Ollama
Baylee spent most of yesterday and then all of last night at her friend Molly's house. This isn't a new thing for her. She's actually spent a lot of time with them, as they're the ones she goes camping with for five days at a time every year. She's totally comfortable with them and vice versa. The fact that she's sort like one of their family is evident in the story she told me when she got home today.
She said that yesterday afternoon she, Molly, and Molly's older brother, Ethan (who's in 9th grade), walked to 7-11 for some candy. On the way home Molly and Baylee started singing "The Llama Song" to entertain themselves, but were interrupted by Ethan. "You guys need to stop saying 'Barack Ollama!' That's politically offensive! If someone heard you they might get angry!" The girls thought Ethan was being kinda silly and told him so in no uncertain terms, but ultimately they stopped.
Later in the day the family and Baylee went out to eat. In the car on the way home from the restaurant Baylee leaned over to Molly and said, "You should tell your mom about Barack Ollama."
"Hey, yeah!" Molly replied. "Mom, guess what Ethan did! He made us stop singing for a really dumb reason!" and she started to tell the story. That led to Ethan and Molly getting into a huge shouting match right there in the van, until finally their mom, my friend Christie, had enough. She pulled over to the side of the road and said, "Get out!" All three of them...Ethan, Molly, and Baylee...meekly filed out of the car. Christie told them to walk the rest of the way home, and she drove away. The kids felt chagrined, so they put their fight completely behind them and started walking. After only about ten minutes of slogging down the road, though, they saw a van parked up ahead. It was Christie, waiting for them. Gratefully they climbed back in and managed to behave themselves for the rest of the trip.
She said that yesterday afternoon she, Molly, and Molly's older brother, Ethan (who's in 9th grade), walked to 7-11 for some candy. On the way home Molly and Baylee started singing "The Llama Song" to entertain themselves, but were interrupted by Ethan. "You guys need to stop saying 'Barack Ollama!' That's politically offensive! If someone heard you they might get angry!" The girls thought Ethan was being kinda silly and told him so in no uncertain terms, but ultimately they stopped.
Later in the day the family and Baylee went out to eat. In the car on the way home from the restaurant Baylee leaned over to Molly and said, "You should tell your mom about Barack Ollama."
"Hey, yeah!" Molly replied. "Mom, guess what Ethan did! He made us stop singing for a really dumb reason!" and she started to tell the story. That led to Ethan and Molly getting into a huge shouting match right there in the van, until finally their mom, my friend Christie, had enough. She pulled over to the side of the road and said, "Get out!" All three of them...Ethan, Molly, and Baylee...meekly filed out of the car. Christie told them to walk the rest of the way home, and she drove away. The kids felt chagrined, so they put their fight completely behind them and started walking. After only about ten minutes of slogging down the road, though, they saw a van parked up ahead. It was Christie, waiting for them. Gratefully they climbed back in and managed to behave themselves for the rest of the trip.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Bullets
I shouldn't post today, since I did two yesterday, but I will. I'll do bullets.
- I woke up with a sinus headache, a usual occurrence with any weather change. It's been rainy in the mornings here lately, instead of the days and weeks of sunny skies we had before.
- It took me 4 tries to spell "occurrence" and I still couldn't get it right. Finally I gave up and used Google to figure it out.
- Baylee is at a friend's house for an overnight. We'll get her back at church tomorrow. She's VERY excited to go to church, by the way, because instead of the service she gets to attend a special training for preteens and teens who are interested in working with the little ones. She's been looking forward to being able to help with the 3-5 age group for years.
- This school year is going to be very difficult in some ways for Zach, because unless things change (and they might. It's seasonal work.) he's at the bike shop 2 full school days a week. I'm not going to insist he change his schedule, because I think working there is outstanding for him, but dang. It's very hard to make up that time.
- Zach is thiiiiiiis close to being ready to take the knowledge portion of his driving test. I haven't talked about this here, but it's been quite a process for him to prepare for this. Here's the thing: I think we made a big parenting mistake by not having him take driver's ed. We heard about a few other families who waited until their child was 18 and just had them study for and then take the driving test, thus saving around $500, and that sounded great, but those kids didn't have dyslexia. You don't ask a dyslexic to read through a huge, incredibly detailed driving handbook and then take a test on it. It just doesn't work well. Despite knowing that, Zach and I have had multiple battles over it. Sigh. I'm mad at myself for the whole thing. Anyway...long story short...awhile back I discovered that there's something sold by the WA DMV called a "Cheat Sheet." It's like a Cliff Note version of that handbook. You have to pay for it (whereas the handbook is free), but whatever. Zach's been diligently studying this thing, and suddenly everything's coming together. I think he'll be ready sometime next week.
- I gotta get out of this Nextdoor group I mentioned the other day. It's terrible! At around midnight last night Mike and I were in bed talking, and my iPad, which was nearby, made the dinging sound it makes when I get an email. "Aww, come on!" I said in exasperation. "It's probably someone in the neighborhood again! They never quit!"
- The neighborhood is like that one friend everyone has who insists on forwarding jokes and political rants until finally you end up (secretly) telling your computer to classify them as spam.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Friday, Continued
Okay, I'm posting for the second time today, but I have a good excuse: I'm putting off housecleaning.
Today I was looking through our pictures to prove to Drew that I DID pay attention that time he grew a crystal...
Today I was looking through our pictures to prove to Drew that I DID pay attention that time he grew a crystal...
Ha! I rest my case.
...and in doing so I ran across a couple pics that I've never shown here (and a few I have, but feel like showing again).
One time when we lived in Michigan I looked out the front window and saw the neighbor guy across the street shoveling the sidewalk while wearing his wife's floppy pink hat. Of course, I took a picture from inside my house with the zoom lens.
One time when we lived in Shoreline Drew gave Baylee a ride on the back of his bike. Things didn't work out exactly as planned.
Once Zach dressed the cat up in a carrot shirt. The cat loved it.
I think Mike took this last time we were downtown.
Finally, there was the time that Baylee asked Zach to model the hat she made at camp in Duct Tape Crafts. He wore it well!
Friday
The bad thing about using a curriculum that includes read-alouds (books read to the child by the parent) is that once in awhile the book is just boring. Confession: I kinda hate Walk the World's Rim, the book Baylee and I are reading together right now. It's a loooooooooooooong, dull story about a native American boy and some Spanish explorers. Sigh. Today I read myself practically to sleep. On the bright side, we'll be finished with it in the next few days, and then we get to move on to The Witch of Blackbird Pond, which I know is great.
On a completely different note, I've said it before, but I"ll say it again: This is my favorite thing on YouTube.
On a completely different note, I've said it before, but I"ll say it again: This is my favorite thing on YouTube.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Pho and Geometry and Stuff
We finally had a really good homeschooling day that went without a hitch very many hitches! Woo hoo! I knew it would get easier. To celebrate I took the kids out for pho at lunchtime.
I might be saying this prematurely, but I really love the geometry program we're using. So far we've gotten all the way through chapter one and haven't done a single geometry problem. LOL Of course, those will be coming. The reason we haven't had them so far is because the author spends several lessons just talking through the concept of logic. In fact, he starts way back with the ancient Egyptians and discusses the history of both inductive and deductive reasoning. The boys ended up learning a ton and had a good time doing it. Now they have a great base for understanding things like postulates and theorems.
Drew had his lesson at the SofR today. Mike (who took him) said that Zeke came out and said, "Based on Drew's level of talent, I'd like to have him switch to a different teacher." Zeke went on to say that this other teacher, Woody, is a graduate of the Berkeley School of Music, and he would have a lot to offer Drew, more than Zeke himself, and would be a good fit for the "direction Drew is going." He also said that it was completely up to Drew, and if Drew wanted to stay under Zeke then that would be great, too.
I think this is a neat thing, but I'm sort of confused. First of all, Zeke never really gives out compliments, so for him to say anything like that is weird. The only way we have any indication of how Drew is doing is by the type of music they give him to learn. It's difficult, so we figure he must be doing okay. The other thing I don't get is the "direction Drew is going" comment. What does that mean? What direction? See, this is what happens when men talk to other men. No questions are asked, nothing is clarified, and then when the wives want to know what's going on, there are big holes in the explanation. Wives want to know everything! Details, people!
I might be saying this prematurely, but I really love the geometry program we're using. So far we've gotten all the way through chapter one and haven't done a single geometry problem. LOL Of course, those will be coming. The reason we haven't had them so far is because the author spends several lessons just talking through the concept of logic. In fact, he starts way back with the ancient Egyptians and discusses the history of both inductive and deductive reasoning. The boys ended up learning a ton and had a good time doing it. Now they have a great base for understanding things like postulates and theorems.
Drew had his lesson at the SofR today. Mike (who took him) said that Zeke came out and said, "Based on Drew's level of talent, I'd like to have him switch to a different teacher." Zeke went on to say that this other teacher, Woody, is a graduate of the Berkeley School of Music, and he would have a lot to offer Drew, more than Zeke himself, and would be a good fit for the "direction Drew is going." He also said that it was completely up to Drew, and if Drew wanted to stay under Zeke then that would be great, too.
I think this is a neat thing, but I'm sort of confused. First of all, Zeke never really gives out compliments, so for him to say anything like that is weird. The only way we have any indication of how Drew is doing is by the type of music they give him to learn. It's difficult, so we figure he must be doing okay. The other thing I don't get is the "direction Drew is going" comment. What does that mean? What direction? See, this is what happens when men talk to other men. No questions are asked, nothing is clarified, and then when the wives want to know what's going on, there are big holes in the explanation. Wives want to know everything! Details, people!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tina's Tinys
I think Baylee's video makes it pretty clear that homeschooling, at least in our house, is actually kind of...well...a daily grind. lol We do have lots of fun moments and plenty of enjoyable subjects, but ultimately it's work. Everything she did there took about 5 hours, not including the breaks.
She did have lots of freedom and fun after the school day and the dog walking (and the room cleaning) were finished, though. Rachel came over and they messed around playing Minecraft. Then they joined several other neighborhood kids outside for their current favorite game: "Pretend We're on Dance Moms. " One of them always gets to be Abby, the mean dance teacher, and the rest are the students. The whole game basically consists of them making up dances and performing them, and Abby yelling a lot. (PS: Only the girls play this. When the boys of the neighborhood join them they always play Capture the Flag or Four Square.) Later in the evening Baylee disappeared into her bedroom and made a commercial.
Before I show this funny, oddball little commercial she made, I should give the back story. About a year ago Drew started eating ice cream out of (clean) medicine cups. You know those little plastic cups you get when you buy cough syrup? I don't know why, but he'd put ice cream in them. After awhile Baylee started doing it, too, and then one of them...I think Drew...came up with a name for it: Tina's Tinys. (No, there isn't actually a Tina. Yes, my kids are weird.) The name stuck, and Drew and Baylee have been eating "Tina's Tinys" ever since.
She did have lots of freedom and fun after the school day and the dog walking (and the room cleaning) were finished, though. Rachel came over and they messed around playing Minecraft. Then they joined several other neighborhood kids outside for their current favorite game: "Pretend We're on Dance Moms. " One of them always gets to be Abby, the mean dance teacher, and the rest are the students. The whole game basically consists of them making up dances and performing them, and Abby yelling a lot. (PS: Only the girls play this. When the boys of the neighborhood join them they always play Capture the Flag or Four Square.) Later in the evening Baylee disappeared into her bedroom and made a commercial.
Before I show this funny, oddball little commercial she made, I should give the back story. About a year ago Drew started eating ice cream out of (clean) medicine cups. You know those little plastic cups you get when you buy cough syrup? I don't know why, but he'd put ice cream in them. After awhile Baylee started doing it, too, and then one of them...I think Drew...came up with a name for it: Tina's Tinys. (No, there isn't actually a Tina. Yes, my kids are weird.) The name stuck, and Drew and Baylee have been eating "Tina's Tinys" ever since.
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Baylee's Point of View
Baylee decided to make a vlog (video log) of her school day. This is all her.
PS: It just occurred to me that she forgot to put in the part about her writing curriculum. I know she talked about it, too, because I overheard her. Basically, she does something called Writing Strands, which gives her projects to do...stories, different types of paragraphs, poems, reports, etc. Each one takes anywhere from one to two weeks, and between each she gets a week off.
PS: It just occurred to me that she forgot to put in the part about her writing curriculum. I know she talked about it, too, because I overheard her. Basically, she does something called Writing Strands, which gives her projects to do...stories, different types of paragraphs, poems, reports, etc. Each one takes anywhere from one to two weeks, and between each she gets a week off.
Monday, September 9, 2013
Monday
School beginnings are like Docksiders. Remember those shoes? They were all the rage when I was in Junior high. I had a pair, but all I really remember about them is that I had to rub some sort of goop into them on a regular basis, because they were leather. I think the goop was supposed to keep them supple or something. Anyway, where was I? School beginnings are like Docksiders, because when you first try them on they're stiff and they might give you a blister. With time, though, they become easier and more comfortable. All that to say, I'm in the stiff stage.
Oh my goodness, I think I made a big mistake. Awhile back we went to our neighborhood block party, and a couple people there were talking about how great a website called "Nextdoor" is. It's a place where you link up with other people in your neighborhood and keep up with the latest news. I was somewhat interested, so I tried to join. Okay, first of all, it's sort of hard to get into this thing. It's like a private club, and you have to prove you actually live at your address before you gain entrance. Second, once you're in you're bombarded with emails, and they're not fun emails, either. They're like, "Hey, everyone! I've got packing peanuts over at such-and-such address if anyone wants them!" Ack. I've gotten about ten of those types of messages just today. Pretty soon I'm going to reach my limit, and then there will be no way around it: We'll have to move to a different neighborhood.
Oh my goodness, I think I made a big mistake. Awhile back we went to our neighborhood block party, and a couple people there were talking about how great a website called "Nextdoor" is. It's a place where you link up with other people in your neighborhood and keep up with the latest news. I was somewhat interested, so I tried to join. Okay, first of all, it's sort of hard to get into this thing. It's like a private club, and you have to prove you actually live at your address before you gain entrance. Second, once you're in you're bombarded with emails, and they're not fun emails, either. They're like, "Hey, everyone! I've got packing peanuts over at such-and-such address if anyone wants them!" Ack. I've gotten about ten of those types of messages just today. Pretty soon I'm going to reach my limit, and then there will be no way around it: We'll have to move to a different neighborhood.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Balance
This has been The Weekend of Thwarted Schoolwork. Mike and Drew were gone all day Friday, getting home just in time for Drew's overnight guest and leaving no time for Drew to get any schoolwork done. Drew was pretty happy with that, but I was annoyed. Saturday was spent on the peninsula with Danny, which was fun, but no schoolwork was done again. Argh.
You know, sometimes life makes it really difficult to prioritize homeschooling. It just does. We have to go here; we have to go there. She needs this from us; he needs that. And when that happens I start feeling tense and concerned. On the other hand, there can be some great chances to learn in those "extra" things that come up. For instance, the hike in the mountains with Mike was wonderful for Drew. He's at a time in his life when he needs lots of his dad. Isn't that part of why I'm doing this? Don't I want to take advantage of opportunities?
It's a balancing act, I guess.
You know, sometimes life makes it really difficult to prioritize homeschooling. It just does. We have to go here; we have to go there. She needs this from us; he needs that. And when that happens I start feeling tense and concerned. On the other hand, there can be some great chances to learn in those "extra" things that come up. For instance, the hike in the mountains with Mike was wonderful for Drew. He's at a time in his life when he needs lots of his dad. Isn't that part of why I'm doing this? Don't I want to take advantage of opportunities?
It's a balancing act, I guess.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Lake Serene and Bridal Veil Falls
- It was 9 miles round trip and about 2500 vertical feet of climbing. (Mike wants me to mention that most of the vertical part was in the last 2 miles, so it was pretty strenuous.)
- They were higher than the clouds!
- They got to be right next to a pretty awesome waterfall.
- They went inside an old, abandoned mine shaft. (It was abandoned because it was a failure. There was no gold or silver or whatever they were mining to be found, so it only goes about 100 feet back.)
And a video of the waterfall...
Friday, September 6, 2013
Lots of First Days
I'm in my 8th year of writing this blog. Isn't that sort of amazing? I can't believe I didn't quit a long time ago. In those years we've had several first days of school.
2006 ~ This is the year Drew asked to go to school somewhere else, so we put him in a charter academy. That didn't exactly go very well, but that's a post all by itself (which I'll probably never write). On the plus side he had a cute little uniform!
2007 ~ By the beginning of this school year we lived in WA.
2008 ~ Remember when we had that little schoolroom in our old house? We didn't always use it, but when we did it was very cozy.
2009 ~ I think we chucked the schoolroom idea at some point during this year. We needed that space for a bedroom.
2010 ~ These were taken in our current home.
2011 ~ This is the year Zach started with South Ridge and Baylee did the BJU online school.
2012 ~ And this was just last year.
2013 ~ I won't post pics for this year, because I just did that the other day, but if I was going to sum up 2013 in one sentence, I'd say, "This is our last year with Zach as a student." That hasn't fully sunk in yet.
PS: A few of those pictures weren't technically of the first day of school, but they were pretty close.
2006 ~ This is the year Drew asked to go to school somewhere else, so we put him in a charter academy. That didn't exactly go very well, but that's a post all by itself (which I'll probably never write). On the plus side he had a cute little uniform!
5th grade
3rd grade
kindergarten
2007 ~ By the beginning of this school year we lived in WA.
6th, 4th, and 1st grades
2008 ~ Remember when we had that little schoolroom in our old house? We didn't always use it, but when we did it was very cozy.
7th grade
5th grade
2nd grade
2009 ~ I think we chucked the schoolroom idea at some point during this year. We needed that space for a bedroom.
8th grade
6th and 3rd grades
2010 ~ These were taken in our current home.
9th and 7th grades
4th grade
2011 ~ This is the year Zach started with South Ridge and Baylee did the BJU online school.
10th grade
8th grade
5th grade
2012 ~ And this was just last year.
11th grade
9th grade
6th grade
2013 ~ I won't post pics for this year, because I just did that the other day, but if I was going to sum up 2013 in one sentence, I'd say, "This is our last year with Zach as a student." That hasn't fully sunk in yet.
PS: A few of those pictures weren't technically of the first day of school, but they were pretty close.
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