A Return to Homeschool

Yea!!! Homeschool again!!! After much thought, deliberation, doubt, hope, ideas and prayer we have decided to homeschool the kids for the rest of the year. If we were not moving I would not pull them out of school, but since we are moving and everything is in an upset anyway, we have decided to seize the opportunity to return to our sweet homeschool life. I am so excited.

We have several things going for us this time around: a dedicated classroom space (that is NOT in the middle of the kitchen and family room); a "co-op" of dearly loved fellow homeschoolers to do things with; my sister - we finally get to hoe this row together; a farm (thank you grandma and grandpa) for life and work lessons; and experience.

Some people might say: "Why are you trying this again, when it didn't work the first time?" To them I have the following replies:

:: In the immortal words of Batman's Alfred, "Why do we fall? So we can pick ourselves up."
:: Aside from loved ones, I have never missed a thing, a process, an experience so much in my entire life.
:: All that missing teaches me what was lost was valuable, and needs to be recovered and cherished, and not taken for granted.
:: Lastly, seeing how far and how fast my little ones have fallen since returning to public school, how can I help but wrap my arms around them and lift them up and bring them back to who they were beginning to be?

My resolution this time is to engage in a support group; the priority I should have had the first time around. So, if you are a homeschooler, please drop me a line. Let's figure out a way to get together, share resources, exchange ideas, and help each other (and our children) find the most in this wonderful adventure called homeschool.

An Outing to OMSI

Free passes, a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit, and the delight of spending a whole day with cousins lured us out of the house Saturday morning and off to OMSI. The day was full of fun things to do and unique experiences. The five oldest kids toured a submarine with their daddies ("no, thanks" for me and my sister), while the little girls played with hand-puppets for an hour in various parts of the museum (OMSI has some fabulous puppets - I have been looking for some great ones for home - I think I may have hit the jackpot).

We headed over to the "Turbine Hall" after lunch and took in a wide variety of hands-on science experiments. My favorite was watching the kids "catch" smoke. They shot water bottle rockets, climbed into a space shuttle, explored aviation design, computer fundamentals, and manipulated giant robot arms.

The most incredible part of the day, for me, was the da Vinci exhibit. I do not have any pictures as photography was forbidden in the hall. They had many models of machines that da Vinci designed and almost an entire floor devoted to the Mona Lisa. It is probably as close as I will ever get to the real thing, and it was awesome. I don't mean that in the slang, "cool" sense of the word, I mean that in the true "awe inspiring" sense of the word. It was incredible to stand in front of that work of art, with true colors restored after two years (or was it four?) of study and labor, and see the Mona Lisa as Leonardo da Vinci painted it 500 years ago. There is something about that mouth, although I have no idea what it is. I was also impressed by the beauty of her hands. I could not help but stand and stare. It was utterly peaceful and beautiful, and absolutely amazing. Now I want to go back and see it without kids pulling me through as fast as they can walk. Oh, and I think I'll fork over the four bucks for the self-guided tour phone. Maybe I'll even stop and read the explanation cards this time.

Blowing Art

For a fun art project today, I set the little ones up with three small bowls of watered down tempera paints, a rinse water bowl, an eye dropper, plenty of white copy paper, and two straws. I showed them how to use the eye dropper to make dots of paint on the paper, rinsing the dropper between each color change. Then I demonstrated what happens to the drops when you blow on them through a straw.

They had a great time. I think their favorite part was playing with the eye dropper. I would like to come up with some more activities where they can use the dropper. It got a little messy towards the end, but not bad. Dispensing the very thin paints with only an eyedropper seriously cut down on the volume of mess that could have been created. Paint smocks are a definite must, however. I used washable paints, so everything was a breeze for the kids to wipe up after they finished. Give it a try!

Someone's In the Kitchen With Mommy

My two youngest have become very interested in culinary delights of late (could it be the inspirational viewing of Ratatouille?). We have been making all kinds of yummy things. Here are a few pictures of Erik teaching Anna how to properly blend the stir-fry sauce.

You'll notice her little hand is on his, and his little hand is holding her's in place so that she can get a feel for the motion. Aren't they so cute?

The steamy, delicious fruits (or should I say vegetables?) of their labors.

Blessings

:: library books
:: an empty house
:: knitting needles and an ample yarn supply
:: munchkins
:: clean laundry (even if it's not folded yet)
:: sunshine
:: sick kids (it forces me to slow down)
:: healthy kids (finally sleeping through the night again)
:: memories of Disneyland
:: a really, really, really good movie (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington)
:: watching my little ones paint
:: a quiet dinner with my husband (Subway, on the couch, 8:30pm)
:: talking and someone listening
:: making plans
:: finding solutions
:: feeling stress-free
:: naps
:: holding hands

Obituary

In Memorium: Striker Lightyear Hawkins 2008 (or 2007) - March 3, 2009.
Memorial and burial services were held Tuesday evening in the downstairs hall bathroom at the Hawkins' residence. Surviving family members include three siblings and two parents. Events of note include a dramatic tear-filled lifting of the water closet lid and the entire mourning party being shocked to laughter by the unexpected contents of the toilet bowl. The youngest family member proudly pointed to the white porcelain and announced, "Me do it!" With a simple flush the crying and burial "at sea" resumed. Surviving brother Erik sobbed and sobbed and required a significant amount of comfort by other members of the family. Striker will be most missed for his irridescent blue fins and his "waffle dance" whenever Dad made waffles on Sunday afternoon.

The "Fruit" of My Labors

Who doesn't love cherries and ladybugs? I have been going crazy without fabric (my sewing machine is in the garage, but my fabric is no longer on the premises) and my kitchen table. Last night I decided it was time to take action. I asked Sean to haul the kitchen table out of the garage and back into the house. By 10:00am my kitchen was a sewing room mess - iron, cords, thread, scissors, ironing board, sewing machine, pin cushions, measuring tape, rotary cutter, rulers, mats, etc.

I also went to the fabric store last night and found this adorable fabric. Since deciding to make all my Christmas gifts this year, I have been scanning ideas. For my niece, Rachel, I came across the idea of making a tablecloth/picnic blanket and coordinating napkins for a tea party. I decided to give it a trial run on Anna first. Here it is:

It is a reversible 44" square (I wanted to build in as much variety as possible) with rick-rack edging. The rick-rack was a teeny bit tricky and I had to tear out a section and adjust it. I decided to top-stitch it for sturdiness sake, but I don't think it looks as nice with the black straight stitch. I may forgo this step with the napkins, or use bias binding and make sure my thread matches perfectly. I was very anxious to get sewing and did not pre-wash my fabrics this morning. We'll see what happens after a spill and a wash.

All in all, I think it turned out nice for a little bit of sewing squeezed in on a Wednesday. Hopefully I will get to the napkins soon. Don't you just love the gingham? So, so cute. It should make a darling little set.

Missing Montessori

Man, oh, man! I really miss doing Montessori with my little ones. I can't wait for the new house, the new space. I miss the concentration and the ideas and the craftiness and the purpose in my daily life. I miss the organization and the thrill of watching my children discover new things that I prepared for them. Did I mention I love Montessori???

In case these pictures don't make sense, I will explain. The picture above is a counting activity that involves hand-eye coordination as the child ties the rods into bundles that correlate with the numbers on the cards (which the child places in order). Erik loved this activity.

I used the wooden three-dimensional shapes for Erik's geometry lessons. (All of these pictures are from last spring.) During an unrelated lesson with Erik, Anna found a space to herself, laid out her work mat (i.e. pretty pink blanket), pulled the shape basket off the shelf and began lining them up and touching each one, just like I had shown Erik - all by herself!

During this time I discovered my boy LOVES to paint. I would never have allowed "real" paint (I was a firm believer in only using water colors with small children) had it not been for my new-found desire to allow and encourage my children to explore their world with real materials (i.e. not "dumbed down" for kids, and not plastic, but actual objects that actually came directly from this earth without being melted down and mixed in with a bunch of chemicals before it was user-ready).

I love this picture. Erik set the entire table place setting by himself after a practical life lesson. He did an outstanding job. As a side note, we spent a lot of time working on setting a table properly and making it look lovely with flowers, table linens, and matching glasses for our lessons, but I don't expect it or do it in our daily life. Hmmm . . . I think I have some learning to do.

Flower Power

I love ranunculus. It always makes me laugh when I am reading a gardening picture book with captions obviously not written by a gardener. I can't count the amount of times I have seen the name "rose" attached to this beautiful species of spring blooming corms (bulbs, essentially). I drool over these in every catalog (they are very inexpensive in their embryonic state). However I never buy them because funds are generally pretty tight in January (all that post-Christmas financial catch-up), and that's when you need to plant the corms. By the time they are blooming in garden centers across the Willamette Valley, the $6 price tag per plant seems a little steep for what is basically an annual in our climate (somebody please tell me I'm wrong about the annual part).

So what possessed me to buy the gorgeous beauties you see above (yes, I did take those photos)? The same thing that has possessed me to spend thousands of dollars re-carpeting and -countering our house - so that someone will buy it. Someone who probably doesn't even know the difference between a rose and ranunculus, or an annual and a perennial, will walk up to their future front door (currently ours) and say, "What lovely flowers. I think I'll buy this house."

In the meantime, the grape hyacinth will continue poking through the soil to provide a waiting audience for the daffodils and tulips when they finally decide to grace us with their presence (the daffodils in the front bed are notoriously late bloomers).

And the sunny pansies . . . who doesn't love a smile from one of these happy blossoms?

Erik's First

Last night marked a major mile-stone in any child's life. This time it was in Erik's life. Can you guess what it was?

You're right! He lost his first tooth. After church he walked up to me and said, "Look, my tooth is loose!" After a few hours of non-stop fiddling in his mouth - voila` - his very first lost tooth! When Djeryd get's a loose tooth is takes weeks for it to fall out because he refuses to touch it or eat with it (it drives Sean crazy). ;>

The Tooth Fairy brought him fifty cents (which he has decided to use on the purple plastic horse ride at Fred Meyer's). Until we make it to Freddy's, he is finding creative uses for his cash. I dig the glasses.

And here's Little Miss "Me Too!"

Blessings of Bare

There is a lot to be said for stripping your house down to the bare bones. We are all getting quite comfortable, and actually enjoying, our nightly tradition of hauling the living room table into the kitchen to serve as our dining table (we no longer eat in the dining room - one less floor to keep clean). We wind up all very close crammed around the little table. There is something about sitting directly on the linoleum that makes us all feel a little giddy - like we are breaking a rule and getting away with it.

Another perk of having a virtually empty house is that there is nothing to do. Consequently, we talk. We play tickle games, and one or two of the board games salvaged from the packing boxes to help us ride out these last few weeks. A trip to the library is monumental, providing bedtime reading material for a solid week, instead of library books being tossed and lost among all of the other books in the house within hours after bringing them in the door (we ALWAYS have at least 50 library books checked out - we have had to seriously cut back in order to keep the empty house looking empty - library books have never felt so precious).

The kids have a modest-sized toy box with a handful of toys in the family room. The result - they actually play with the toys! There is nothing else to do so my kids have dumped out the pillowcase full of blocks nearly everyday and then actually built something with them. It's amazing! They say blocks are one of those timeless toys that allow little imaginations to run wild. Before the extradition of all other toys in the house I would have said, "Yeah, right." But, no more. I am a believer in the power of blocks. My children produce castles, caves, parking garages, car ramps, race tracks, and compounds (complete with courtyard, main house and hidden sleeping quarters). The list goes on.

I have had the wonderful opportunity, now that the zoo-i-ness of "remodeling" is over, to get serious about being a great mom again. I am amazed at how easy it is to lose track of the good stuff and why I do it. This slight lull between transitions is turning into a blessing of peace and serenity in our lives. We can do nothing but wait on others at this point, but we are blessed to wait in a splendidly sweet manner.

Phase Two

Within hours of the new kitchen counters being installed (see above), the kitchen turned into . . .

ta-da! . . . the holding space for any furniture actually left in the house while the carpet people came in to do their magic. Meanwhile, Sean and I painted Anna's beautiful pink bedroom an incredibly boring white. As you can see, Anna is not too thrilled with the change.

Throughout much of the day we were sequestered to the kitchen so as not to be in the way of carpeting. The kids amused themselves by playing Sorry! on the floor. It was pretty cute - though it did not last long. Oh, and did I mention we went without a kitchen sink for two-and-a-half days? How grateful I am this is not our normal state of being (Douhet and Kylee - you guys are crazy!) ;>

Under Construction

As we prepare for the sale of our current home, a certain level of deconstruction has become inevitable. We are installing new counter tops (the old ones were warped due to poor seaming by the previous installers). The new counter tops are almost black and the color of our kitchen WAS a dark blue-grey. Sean felt it would make for a very dark kitchen so, as you can see in the pictures above and below, today my beautiful designer kitchen was cheapened and turned into a boring, old, plain white, tract-house kitchen - an abomination, really.

With help from family we also managed to yank out quite a few carpets (brand new carpets are coming on Wednesday). Our bedroom is the only carpeted room to have survived the day unscathed. Consequently, it is serving as the family bedroom. It's kind of fun to be all squished together. It reminds me of staying in our hotel room at Disneyland, and that makes me so happy. I had a Jamba Juice today which also reminded me of many happy mornings heading through Downtown Disney to get my daily Jamba Juice and muffin (I only indulge in such things while vacationing). But I digress . . .

And lastly, if Anna looks like she is a glowing angel, that's because she is. (I so love braids and ribbons and pink dresses and little girls who adore having their picture taken - even if it is of the back of their head).

Disney Dreams

I just wanted you all to know I had my weekly Disneyland dream last night. I was getting worried as it had been about a 10-day interval between this one and the last one. That is not like me. In this one it cost $6,560 to get three day passes for my family of five (yet it only cost $90 per day if you paid on a per day basis - dreams are not supposed to make sense). The crazy part of it was that I was completely willing to pay the $6,560 to make sure we could get in for three days and not just one. Anything for a day in the Magic Kingdom!

A Break

Tonight was unusual in that we all walked in the door at the same time. Coincidentally we were all hungry, tired and cranky. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the house was messy (surprise, surprise). As we all stumbled into the living room, tripping over coats and backpacks and unfinished homework and mounds of Valentines and candy wrappers (does anyone else find the extent to which Valentines are carried these days absolutely ridiculous - remember when you only got candy on Halloween?), patience wore thin and frustration began running high. Everybody started to lose it - not a pretty sight.

I am an escapist. I learned the art form from close examination of my father when I was a child. As I have matured I have honed it into a skill that I employ from time to time when my coping abilities are stretched beyond comfortable levels. Usually this means I escape either before or after dinner to the library or the fabric store or just an empty parking lot down the road where I can hear myself think. Tonight I thought it best to bring Sean along for the ride. "Honey, let's call Jen to watch the kids, and go out to dinner."

I have never been thanked so much for spending money! It was just the break we needed. While we waited for our babysitter to arrive (she was still at school - after school), Sean calmly made dinner for the kids and the babysitter, and I calmly helped Djeryd with homework. Just knowing we were on our way out the door - escaping - helped us to calm down and deal with things in a loving, rational manner. We knew that by 6:30pm we would be the heck out of Dodge. So we could be cheerful and calm for the hour that we had left.

I don't think we give ourselves permission to take real breaks often enough. I know that sometimes in the middle of the day I will take a break, but I am not mindful of it, so I do not revel in the break. I do not emerge from 20 minutes of reading, or knitting, or staring out the window refreshed if I am not conscious of the desire to be refreshed, of enjoying my task thoroughly because I may not get another 20 minutes to do exactly what I want to do until tomorrow.

Sean and I were fully aware of tonight being a break. Our lives have felt so stressful lately for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is moving). We are stressed out with ourselves and our kids and circumstances and a house that has to be ready to show to perfect strangers at any time. We chose tonight to take a full, conscious break. We savored every moment of our escape (and the most amazing spinach and artichoke dip I have ever had!). And I feel refreshed. I feel ready for tomorrow, and excited to spend it with my children (and my sister - yea!!!!!!). And I am grateful to our dear little babysitter who squeezed us into her hectic schedule so we could take a break.