The trials of friends

I love the fact that Katie is such a loyal friend, but when she gives that loyalty to a child that doesn't give back it just kills me to watch it.

This has been the case with a little girl named Mai, who was inseparable from Katie in Kindergarten but grew more and more distant as 1st grade wore on. She began to ignore Katie's invitations for playdates and to exclude her when playing with other girls. Katie clearly became the fall back friend.

I have had many conversations with Kate about how she should expect to be treated by friends, especially since she tries so hard to do right by others. In the case of Mai, this has always fallen on deaf ears.

So, I shouldn't have been surprised that when, after not hearing from Mai since September (Katie called several times as school started but Mai never returned the calls), Mai suddenly called last night to ask when Katie's birthday party would be. Katie immediately gave her all the details.

I do credit Kate with growth for at least asking Mai why she hadn't returned the calls, but she was so happy to hear from her that she accepted the "I forgot" excuse very readily. [OK, so the kid does have a promising future as a Bush political appointee, but still...]

Once again, I mentioned the hurt feelings and treatment she has received but Katie tells me that she still chooses to be friends with Mai (her exact words). Worse, I can't even talk to the mother because she doesn't speak English.

I know Katie has to walk through this herself and learn what she needs to learn from it but it really pisses me off!

Thank God for friends who let me vent over the phone after the kids went to bed! [Thank you Julie and Jennifer.] I know that the more I stick my nose in this relationship, the tighter Katie will hold onto it--can't imagine where she got that trait from!--but I will need to make lots of calls to friends in order to keep my mouth shut.

OK, thanks for hanging in there for that rant.

In other news:
Zack lost another tooth so now he has a blank on either side of his two front teeth. He has done everything to earn his Wolf Cub badge and he'll move onto Bears next year. He is very proud of fixing his Ravenclaw transformer all by himself, without the directions--a feat of engineering completely beyond my skill set.

Katie is in three dances in her recital this year. She has earned 8 Brownie Try-Its (badges), 3 patches and a few pins and she will be going camping for the first time this weekend--yes, rain is expected. She has a tooth holding on by the narrowest margin and I can't believe it's still in. She is creating artwork by the ream and has an interest in cooking and gardening and has been looking into both so she can do it herself.

More on math in another post, but we have made it through all that we need to do the CAT tests, which we will start up in the next couple of days. After that, our official school year is over, although our day-to-day lives won't seem much different.

Some of what we've done since my last post:
--The Boston trip:
*We got to spend a lot of time with our nephew/cousin Pascal Simon (pass-kal-see-moan), who is adorable at 10 months old and I couldn't believe how friendly he was, considering he didn't know us at all.
*We took the baby to Concord for the day, so his parents could finish packing for their move to Switzerland and got to talk about the Shot Heard Round the World, saw a cool cemetery and nice shops.
*Went up to Gloucester to a great restaurant called the White Rainbow to hear Mike Leggio play. I noted that the pianist curled his fingers just like their teacher keeps demonstrating. Late night for the kids but we all loved it. Nice when the food AND the music are both terrific.
*We spent a day at gma and gpas which had it's ups and downs but for the most part was a nice time for Katie and Zack and they got to show off their piano playing.
*We met with some friends for breakfast and walked around Boston Commons in the freezing cold for a while.
*We stopped in NYC for the afternoon to have lunch with more friends and to walk around my old neighborhood, which now sports cafes and boutique hotels, but I suspect you can still hear the shots from Chinatown and that there are still mice in the 5 floor walkup I used to live in and the intercom still doesn't work.

Katie and Zack still had Spanish class, Brownies, Cub Scouts, piano, swim, library, nature class, and Friday group.

We went to Riverbend park with the young Xplorers group, a Faerie festival--which was nice but too far away for me at 2 hours each way, a Heathen HSers meet up, and some other places I've forgotten about.

Also, Uncle Phil came through on his way down to SC. Everyone was very excited to see him and the kids showed off all their latest projects and favorite things.

I'll be working for a few weeks this month and again in July and so far it has blended in well with everything else, although I will be relieved when the testing is over and I can let the structure go for a while.

Well, now we're all caught up. More on Math later. ;-)

Come Out and Play

We suddenly live in a neighborhood where kids come to the door and ask if Kate and Zack can come out and play. I am so pleased with this! It seemed like people didn't let their kids outside anymore and I'm glad that they do still knock at the doors of their friends.

But it's also driving me out of my mind!

Naturally, now that kids are coming to our door, Kate and Zack want to knock on their friends' doors too. Great, but what exactly is going on at these houses? Are parents at home? How long should they stay? Do all parents welcome knocks on their doors? This is a new world that I'm having to ramp up on quickly.

I also realized that even though I've talked to the kids about the dangers of smoking, I haven't said much about drinking and drugs. I also realized that even though I've talked about the dangers, I never said that these substances are STRICTLY NOT ALLOWED! So this week I took some time to ask the kids what they would do if they were offered a smoke or a pill--happily they said they would say no--and I said in no uncertain terms that they are not allowed to say yes to this. Whew!

Fine, but now they're off by themselves, with people I don't know very well beyond chit chat, doing who knows what!

I am breathing deeply and giving myself some time to get accustomed to this next step into independence. I miss them when they're off playing, but also like the chance to sit and read the newspaper. Will just take some getting used to.

And they are growing up too fast.

No need to rush

I feel like we haven't had a second to catch our breaths lately. What have we been up to? I know there's tons we HAVEN'T been getting done, so I guess it's a good time to figure out what we HAVE been getting done.

Our weekly schedule, despite my desire to keep it open, has filled up considerably.
Mondays--Spanish Class and Brownies
Tuesdays--Try for a field trip and Scouts
Wednesdays--I have yoga, kids have swim class and library
Thursdays--Nature class and dance for Katie
Fridays--Piano and HS group
Sundays--Sunday school

I couldn't resist the Nature class though. It's 10 weeks, cheap, nearby and very hands-on. I also get an hour and 1/2 to myself to run errands.

Last week I tried to take the kids to the Sully Plantation for a field trip but it turned out that they are closed on Tuesdays. We were able to walk the grounds though and we found there were hiking trails on the property. We had a great time. We were the only people on the place and the weather was cool but perfect for hiking around.

Again I had to say over and over to myself "don't rush them, let them move at their own pace." I have to repeat it like a mantra on most of our trips. I have no idea what this urge to rush is about.

I was mostly successful in letting the kids set the pace and the benefit was that they had time to play on a teeter-totter made of a plank over an old tree and they had a terrific time.

Since we didn't go on the tour, we had lunch in the car after our hike and then went a few feet down the road to the Udvar-Hazy Center to see the planes and space shuttle. There is always something new there, since it is very new and they are still putting together their exhibits. This trip there was a display on the current war and the planes being used and also a piece of the Pentagon and WTCs from the 9-11 attacks. The kids had some tough questions about why people would fly planes into buildings and especially since the attackers were also killed. I answered as best I could about bad guys and strong beliefs. I also told them that is was very hard to explain and understand. Told them I felt bad that they won't know a world where this never happened.

Zack has earned another cub scout belt loop in computers that we got at the Blue and Gold dinner. Looks like he will get a swim loop and pin, a Wolf badge and a couple of arrow points by the end of this season.

Next week we are off to Boston to see Pete's brother and family off to their new home in Switzerland. I'm also hoping we can do some of the Freedom Trail if the weather cooperates. We'll swing by NYC on our way back and hopefully hook up with some friends there too.

Today we're off back to Sully to do the tours and get another Time Travelers stamp, then it's math this afternoon and reading our chapter books.

Hopefully this week we can also get into the garden and pull some weeds and start up our Ivy Pull again.

TiVo

I love TiVo. We are able to watch Liberty's Kids again without commercials (when I sit there and skip them), don't miss ZOOM or Between the Lions anymore and one of the kids' favorite shows is now The Brady Bunch.

Now they can watch and I don't have to wonder what they'll be seeing--and in the case of the Brady Bunch, ofcourse there is always a valuable lesson ;-)

Brrr

Went to NC last week to spend some springtime with Grandma and Grandpa. Got to see the GPs but no spring weather to be had! It was chilly and blustery most of the time we were there, but we had a fine time anyway and it turned out to be a good week to be there.

Arrived on Sunday after dropping Pete off at the airport for his trip to SLC for the week. Got in late, so just had some dinner, put the kids to bed and vegged out.

Monday, Nanny complained she couldn't catch her breath and that began our week of getting her to the hospital and visiting her there. It looks like a matter of time now, but no telling exactly how much. She seems very tired of all this poking and prodding and so would I considering the doctors barely talk to her and don't even ask before they just grab her arm or leg to examine.

Meanwhile conflict struck at the ladies golf assoc. meeting with a little woman personally attacking the board of which my mom is the pres. She was snotty and snippy and basically a jerk and although my mom handled the attack gracefully, it was not at all what she needed this week.

Then there was the cold--not the weather, the virus! Gpa and Katie had it the week before. Zack was hit first, on Monday. By Wednesday, Gma got a double-whammy from gpa and Zack and felt terrible for most of the rest of the week. I got hit on Friday but luckily never came down with the fever and hacking cough.

But was the trip ruined? No way!

While getting some paperwork from Jonathan's girlfriend, we went to B'way at the Beach and got to see the fire-breathing dragon and squish a few pennies as souvenirs. We also went to lunch at UNOs where Katie was able to make her own pizza which they then baked up for her-YUM! We rented movies, watched TV and sat around! We did the next math unit, read books, played games, built legos and almost finished Harry Potter at bedtime. We tried to fly a kite at the most wind-less beach in history, but when the kite wouldn't fly, we inspected the dunes and found a big black snake (either a Black Snake or a NC Swamp Snake).

We also struck it lucky when the Museum of Coastal Carolina and the Ingram Planetarium held a homeschool day with lots of activities including a tour, touch tank and scavenger hunt. We walked away with learning sheets a book on sharks and a discounted book on insects. Nice! Also, the local newspaper was covering the event and we think Zack may get his picture in the paper (much to the envy of Katie). This event had a double value of taking care of school that day and getting us out of the house while gma tried to sleep off the virus.

I also got to make a few dinners, clean a few floors and basically help out which, since my mother is like a well-oiled machine, I hardly ever get to do. I was glad I was there that week to lend some support.

So, it wasn't the trip we planned in our heads, but it all worked out the way it was supposed to, ofcourse. Missed Pete though :-(

The Feel of the Sun!

What great weather the past 5 days! I feel so much better when I can feel the sun on my skin again. We're back to reality starting tomorrow, but this has been a nice break from coats and cold.

We've been pretty busy around here. We started piano lessons, finished with swim level 2 and have had time to spend together as a family.

I learned a lesson in humility and lack of control last week. Zack had an intestinal thing going for most of the week and I didn't feel very well (but not really sick either), so we spent most of our time near home and taking it easy. I gave up on curriculum and just let us do whatever came into our minds.

So here's what happens when I leave things alone:

Katie made a dress for her Cinderella doll--well, let's say more that she designed a dress and let me know what I needed to sew, drew pictures, did word searches which she started in the car (I leave puzzle books there for them to grab) and brought in the house to finish, decided she can read Junie B Jones books on her own, her first delving into chapter books, and proposed making a timeline of her life so far and plans for the future.

Zack read the new Disney magazines, read some Captain Underpants on his own, did some more and watched a show on taxidermy with me. All the while running to the bathroom every twenty minutes or so :-(

They both did some math on the computer, did puzzles, made up a game about the middle ages, played with a new program on the human body where they learned how to build an entire person inside and out, and we finished the postcard geo project.

All without me leading anything whatsoever.

On Friday our HS group met at the UU playground to enjoy the fabu weather. I even did some yoga with a fellow mom (although I then found playground mulch in my belly button when I got home!).

On Saturday, the weather was still great, but sadly, we had to spend the morning at the Springfield Mall for the district pinewood derby finals. Zack was up for a style award and got a winners patch which he is very proud of. He didn't win one of the trophies on Saturday, but he had a good time and afterwards we took a spin on the carousel in the middle of the mall.

But as soon as the event was over, I insisted we do something outside. Katie had the great idea to have a picnic, so we headed over to the new Whole Foods in Old Town Alexandria to pick out some tasty morsels and head down to the riverside for a picnic lunch. What a terrific way to spend the day.

Sunday was STILL nice out, so after church we spent a nice amount of time on the playground. Pete wanted to take it easy for the day because he had a show that night. Late Sunday night babysitters are impossible to get, so we decided that I'd bring the kids to the show. They went to bed, in their clothes, at 7:30pm and I woke them at 8:30ish to go to the club. They crashed at 10:30, so we got to see daddy play about 4 songs. They hated the earplugs I made them wear but we got lucky that the smoke was not bad at all in the club.

SO a really great week and I learn AGAIN that I don't need to try so bleeding hard to ram an education into these creative, smart, funny, fabulous, kids.

Spring coming

The shoots are starting to poke up in the garden and we'll need to start thinking about spring planting soon. Katie has wanted a vegetable garden forever. I'm hoping to borrow or rent a rototiller so we can do it up right for her.

We are still doing tea, though not every day. Katie likes to bake treats in her Easy Bake oven to share at tea time. This one is a yellow cake with chocolate frosting and crushed candy cane on top, which she did pretty much on her own.


Katie and Zack made puppets in Sunday school and each made up a show on conflict resolution. Zack's (on the left) are the two super heroes that can show up when he's having angry or happy feelings. Katie made a puppet of Zack and herself (on the right) and did a play about the fight they'd had that very morning and how they resolved it.

I really appreciated the teacher letting me know what had gone on during class so we could talk about it on the way home. We all got a lot more enjoyment out of the puppets that way.

Here is our final Postcard Geography map with all the "postcards" attached.

About half come by email and I printed them out and attached them too. We looked all of the places up on Google Earth and then we found them on the big map. Most, as you can see, came from the east coast, but we did get some from Cali and one from Canada and from Australia.

Today we are having a curriculum-free day. Zack threw up last night :-( and was not quite back to normal today so it was a good day to do computer work. I broke out the Human Body game I've been holding onto for just such an occasion and it was a hit. We also got two Disney Adventure mags yesterday and they always want to dive into those right away. Right now, they're playing outside after I booted them out the door to enjoy the sun and mild weather while it lasts.

I really enjoy these low-impact days. We probably end up learning more on these days than when I'm feeling like we've got to work at it but I still need that feeling of Teaching in order to keep my anxieties down. I ordered the CAT tests yesterday and can look them over when they get here. I'm sure I'll calm down once the testing is over.

Tea Time

Katie has decided that we should have tea every day at 4pm. I've had to moved that to 3:30pm so everyone will still be hungry for dinner at 6:30.

So, every day that we can, we sit down as a family and have tea or hot milk (Zack doesn't like tea), some tea biscuits, maybe some fruit and cheese and spend a nice half hour eating, sipping and chatting. Katie heads up the effort, keeping track of the time and reminding Pete or me to put the water on to boil.

We especially like Marie biscuits, that absorb the liquid and then suddenly puff up. You have to time it just right to wait for the puff but retrieve it before it breaks up and sinks.

That time of day is a real challenge for me and to give myself permission to relax and refresh for a few minutes has made a big difference in my mental attitude. We also get to enjoy having Pete working from home. Often, he is downstairs in his office and we're upstairs or out and about without him but he's made an effort to make the time to join us for tea.

I can easily discount how important these family rituals are. Tea time has reminded me how much better we all do when we take time out to gather around the table all together.

Been making stuff

Well, no time for a proper post--again--I have seen the acupuncturist and am already feeling better and hopefully my mood will improve too! Here are some projects the kids have been working on:


Plates we made at our Friday group. Actually made these in December, but it took a while to get them back.


Katie has learned to weave lanyard, or boondoggle, so get ready for lots of keychains!


We got a lot of snow last week, which didn't last long but was the deepest snow the kids have seen in a very long time. A neighbor friend helped build the tunnel and adaptation on a design originally meant to be an igloo.


Zack BS troop is making things out of different materials to earn an Arrow Point, here's his Stegosaurus and vintage car models.


And, it's Pinewood Derby time! Actually it was supposed to be last week, but was delayed by the snow. Here's what it looked like before and after adding the tiger stripes. Dad helped a little ;-)

A Post

I've been neglecting this blog for a while and have to say I don't much feel like writing now but feel like I have to before it goes completely dark.

I've been suffering from almost daily headaches for the past month or so and they have been wiping me out and making it very difficult to organize our days. Things are going fine with the kids, but I'm wiped by the end of the day, often with a pounding head. Pete has had to step in to make dinner several times while I lay down. This is becoming very depressing and so at last I've decided to do something about it. I have the names of a few acupuncturists and will be making an appointment soon. I got about two year's relief the last time I saw one, so it is definitely time to try it out again.

Some quick updates--

Had a playdate with the aptly named Goodharts. Sadly, our schedules don't mesh very well, so it was fairly short but very nice. Both Zack and Nick like to play alone, so they say hi and then play next to each other for a while. Katie and Becca play very nicely together and include the boys when they feel like being part of the group. Christopher is still little and so just enjoys the hubbub of everone running around. I'm getting to know Angela better and it's relaxing to sit and chat over tea and cookies while the kids play. I've also been spoiled since she's been nice enough to have us to their house and I don't have to prep anything.

Spent Super Bowl Sunday at the Marts' and enjoyed cheap fun at the bowling alley's $1 shoes and game day. Good thing it was only a dollar if I was going to play that badly! Nanci put us all to shame, although none of us were up to LI levels. Nathan is great too, but we didn't get to see his true form with no bumpers. There's definitely Island blood in that kid though.

Zack and Kate are now at the Red Cross level 3 swimming class and doing nicely in the deep end. Wish I had a picture of Zack's proud face when he finished doing laps in the 12' end. Katie has never had any fear in the water but now she has the skills to back up the confidence.

I got a new math curriculum called Math U See and so far I'm loving it. It's the first curriculum I could actually understand. (Most times curricula make me feel like I've walked into the middle of a conversation and have missed the crucial information on what everyone's talking about.) The kids like the manipulatives (blocks) and I like the way the lessons are organized.

We got to see the baby Panda again on Tuesday and he was in great form. Very visible and doing tons of cute baby-animal things. As a matter of fact, we got lucky all over the zoo. A huge orangutan came right up to the window to snack and the kids got to explore the reptile discovery room, which we have never seen open. It was a terrific day made all the better because our friends the McKinleys were able to join us.

Went on a nice field trip to the DC Aquarium where a class had been arranged for the kids. It's a tiny aquarium but nice and we were able to walk over to the Nat. History museum to see the new mammal exhibit again and take more time this time. Thanks go to Laurel for setting up the trip and for sharing some of her shark teeth with the kids.

Katie made a neat invention call The Drinker, which serves up water and cups to the thirsty masses. The tricky part was the lock, but she came up with a kind of buttonhole idea and I contributed an arrow-shaped tab to slip through.


It's hard to see it, but the tab is in Zack's hand and the hole for it is in the left side of the box. There are cups attached at the other side to grab and fill and extra cups and H2O inside.

That's all I can think of. Let us know what you're up to too. xoxoxoxo

Friday--already?

How did it get to be Friday again? The week, once again, flew.

This week was a bit more focused on academics and group meetings. I wanted to up the math and get back to more like our September schedule. The sked didn't exactly work out, but they did do a lot more math-related activities this week. They do amaze me with how far they come in-between "formal" lessons. They are getting the hang of carrying the one and Zack did very well with fractions in the math program. Katie is flying through the program again too. They both have a horror of making mistakes though. So, I've been insisting that they at least guess at an answer before I step in to help. Half they time they ending up telling me they don't need me after all.

For outings, we headed to church on Monday to celebrate MLK day. There was a combined service with our church, and Catholic and Baptist churches. The kids had spent the night with friends and were too tired to sit for the whole thing, but I'm glad they got to see some of it.

The zoo is our new regular Tuesday morning outing. This time we started at the top of the zoo and spent the morning in the bird house. We rarely go to the bird house and it was nice to take the time to do only that. After that, we got cold and hungry and went home for lunch.

Wednesday I headed to yoga, leaving the kids with Pete then they had swim. Instead of heading to the library we snuggled in bed and read books to each other until I came down with a grinding headache and had to have some sleep. While I slept, Kate and Zack read and played with his new slot car set, care of the Marts (thanks, it's great!). Katie has also been covered in sweet-smelling perfume which also came from the Marts (p-u?).
Zack's newest Lego creation:


Thursday we met with a newly forming game group with hopes that the kids would hone their chess playing skills, however, they were both too timid to play with anyone and bickered so much playing each other that it was hardly worth it. It was nice to meet the other two families but not sure what we'll do in the future if the kids won't play.

Thursday has also become Ivy-Pull Day! I'm LOVING my new hedge clippers, which make it a do-able job now. It's going pretty well. I think we'll be able to get the front-side of the house done by spring which will be a good time to plant in the grassy stuff and bulbs I want to put in its place and also give the azalea a chance to bloom without being strangled.
Here's our progress so far:


Today was our regular Arlington group. We now meet at a firehouse and the captain was nice enough to do a presentation for the kids. He put on all his gear, answered the many questions asked and showed us the firetruck. The kids got to sit inside the truck and once again I did not have my camera. Typical me.

In other news--they will start taking Spanish class over at the school starting next week. It seemed expensive at first glance and then I started to see prices of other classes go by and this one got very attractive. Found a lot of good science experiments to try on the ZOOM Web site and found a nice multiplication lesson plan site which we'll begin late next month.

Currently, Katie's working on the math program and Zack is tackling a clean up of the basement. I'll be sending them outside soon though, too gorgeous out to waste away indoors.

A week

I had a tough week of teacher anxiety. It wasn't helped by Pete being away and me not getting to bed at a decent hour.

So, let's see, what did we do this week? Maybe I'll feel better if I see it all written down:

Mon--
Pete left for San Diego.
We went to see a children's singer at Jammin Java. Great place, Pete's old band used to play there a lot. The kids danced a lot and really had a great time.
After that, we came home and did--what? Cozied up in bed and read books to each other. Katie had Brownies after dinner and Zack and I played chess while she was gone.

Tues--
The zoo. All day. Really nice weather and no one else there. I let the kids play on the big pizza at the farm for a very long time, until too many little ones came to play. We didn't have to be anywhere else so I tried very hard to tame (heh heh) my habit of rushing us around and let the kids take their time. We didn't get to see everything but we did get to see the handlers feed the octopus, which made it come out from the corner its usually tucked into and also got to see a couple of deer just outside the Think Tank windows. We were able to get up very close to them from inside and we sat on the floor and watched them for a good long while. Man, they chew their food. It seemed like they worked on the same mouthful for the entire time we watched.

In the afternoon, we watched the next installment in the Private Life of Plant series we've been working our way through. Only one more of these to go, I think, then we'll start on something about evolution if I can find something good.

Tuesday night Zack had scouts and Katie and I played games.


Wed--
Incredibly busy day of running from one thing to the next.

I didn't want to skip my yoga class, so I packed up the kids and the portable DVD player and they sat outside the door while I got a nice dose of serenity. The teacher, John Giunta, played a bamboo flute during meditation and I asked him after class if the kids could take a look at it. He was very nice about it and took a few minutes to explain a bit about how it was made, how it's played and how/why the sound changes when you cover the holes. I want the kids to ask people about the things they like to do, so I appreciated John taking the time to chat.

Home for a few minutes and then off to swim class. This class is great! It turns out that Kate and Zack are the only two in the class, so it's like getting private lessons for cheap. The kids and I like the teacher too. She's involved in scouting and is very willing to fill out the forms to help the kids get their sports badges.

Next, home again and then off to the library for Miss Ginny's ready readers program and to take our time picking out new books to bring home.

Thurs--
It was nice out and we had no plans, so it was time to start in on the ivy-pull I've been trying to get done for about two years now. I talked about invasive vs. native plants and explained that even though it seemed strange, pulling the ivy actually helps our garden. After the explanation, they felt better about pulling and decided to act as anti-invasive ivy super heroes and they did a nice job clearing out a patch of the yard. I am LOVING my hedge trimmer, which I'm using to get through the ivy roots and shoots. I don't think we could get it done entirely by hand and don't want to use the very strong herbicide except where absolutely necessary.

After that, we washed up and Zack went to work on some legos and Katie worked on something, but I don't remember what....

Katie had dance in the late afternoon and Zack and I hung out in the playroom.

Fri--
In the morning we had a chat about the ones, tens and hundreds place AGAIN and it is still taking time to sink in. This time I tried it with pennies and dimes to see if that would help. I'd like to move them on to two-digit addition with numbers adding to more than ten but without the ones and tens place, I can't figure out how to get them to pick up carrying the one. I had worksheets I was going to have them do in the afternoon to follow up, but decided it would be better if I let the morning's lesson sink in for the weekend and see what stuck on Monday.

Experience tells me that this will come with time, but math is just kicking my ass in the wee hours of the morning. I hate when that happens because I know that the following day I have this air of desperation about me when we go over the work.

Later in the morning we had a meet up with the Arlington HS group at our new location. I like the room a lot and the kids had a good time. I'm so glad we found this group. I enjoy all the moms and their kids too.

The afternoon was devoted to getting the house straightened out so Pete didn't pass out when he got home. Actually, the house wasn't all that bad just a lot of clutter.

Pete got in on Friday night in time to say goodbye to Katie as we were heading her over to a Brownie sleepover. She was nervous about going, but as soon as she got there she was fine and eager to see me off. It was weird having Zack in bed here and not Katie.

Pete and Zack worked on Zack's pinebox derby car design because...

Saturday--
...there was a workshop for building pbd cars. Zack's is looking great, just needs paint and wheels and something about a weight that I'm glad Pete is handling.

I went to pick up Katie from the sleepover and we went out for a mom/daughter breakfast, then hung out at home for an hour before FINALLY taking everything off the Christmas tree and putting all the decorations away.


OK, I do feel better about the week. It all flies by so quickly it can feel like we didn't really do anything. I am still worried about math. They've both gone through the computer program twice and don't want to do it again, but I know they need more practice on the skills. Multiplication is also looming near and they have to learn the tables before I can move them to that section of the program. Guess I need to do a bit of research on introducing times tables so that I feel like I have some guidance. Also need to get to bed by 10 more often so I can get my head cleared of worry and be able to plan out the work ahead. It's always something.

The hugs and smiles are still worth it. :-)

Normal?

Katie and Zack as Wise People at the UUCA pageant

It's nice to get back to normal this week--whatever normal is around here. With luck, my brain might even start functioning by Friday. For the past two weeks I've barely been able to put together a coherent sentence. Feel like we have been pedal to the metal since Halloween, so I didn't make any plans beyond what was already on the calendar.

Tuesday we had our first food co-op pick up. It was funny to see how little I had ordered in comparison to everyone else. Some had entire van-loads of stuff. I'm sure we'll up our orders as I figure out what everything listed in the catalogue really is.

There was lots of mud in the yard where the pick up took place and Kate and Zack got pretty filthy but they had a good time and they wash up fairly easily.

Today I was back to yoga class with my old teacher and an hour and a half class. I really missed it. Wish I could fit in two days a week, but can't carve out the time yet. I'll keep it in my thoughts and something should come up eventually.

So, we're back to Brownies and Scouts, library, dance and a new swim class (was able to find a 12:30 class Wed afternoons for them), yoga and church babysitting for me, travel for Pete and a possible tae kwon do class for Zack (also an afternoon class). Mix in some math, reading and other stuff, field trips and HS community gathering and we are back off to the races.

[By the way, Zack seems to have learned the 2 times tables all on his own and is working through the 5s nicely too with a new Leap Frog game they got for Christmas.]

Still trying to weed out the best from all the good that's out there and make time to just hang at home on occasion.

2006. Bring it on.

Ho Ho Ho

Keeping busy leading into the holidays. Decided to skip the Zoo event last Saturday. Needed a day with nothing schedule, especially since Pete had to be in Provo all week :-(

Lots of stuff to take care of at home this week. Baked several dozen cookies and another apple pie (the rest of the apples will become apple sauce on Monday).

We also made animal keychains from a bead kit. Zack especially liked doing this, which was a big change from the past when he would complain about hand fatigue. It was a great activity for fine motor, design and following directions. Had to go over the directions several times with Katie before she would actually pay attention but she tuned in after she had to re-string the same strand twice over.




We also, after several days delay, made homemade clay ornaments. I mean that the clay was homemade too. Have had the recipe (corn starch and baking soda) for a very long time but never carved out a day to use it. It looks really cool when it heats up. It fizzes and bubbles then gets thick. Then it dries and looks a lot like cookie dough. I decided to dry them by placing on a cookie sheet and putting them in the oven on low. Didn't know it would be such a challenge to get them back off the cookie sheet!

We painted them up today:



Nice, huh?

There was also snow to play in, rain to slog in and a trip to a nature center for a presentation on how animals prepare for winter. The weather cooperated so it was a great day for it. Also, they didn't need all of the adults to hover and I was able to chat with some of the other parents. This is through a new HS group we've been doing things with. It's much smaller than the park group we had been attending and it's been good for all of us to see the same folks each week. There's more of a community feeling.

Have also joined a new food coop with a lot of these families. They offer bulk orders of the same stuff carried in Whole Foods, but at discounted prices. Email me if you want to know more.

Doubt I'll update this again before the holidays, so enjoy the season.

Down Under

We were able to see the show at Discovery Theatre and it was a very small crowd so all of our group got to participate in one way or another, which was nice. I was glad we went over the items in the teachers guide before we went, rather than after. Worked out better that way.

Today we went to the National Aquarium's new Australia exhibit. Pete was able to come too and we had a terrific time. It was smaller than I imagined it would be, considering how long it took to build, but it is a great exhibit. Plus, because this was a preview for members, we there were only 2 other people in there with us. We got to talk to all the docents, who pointed out that we should look up and around in addition to looking in the tanks. This was great advice, we would not have wanted to miss the large fruit bat, called a flyig fox to give you and idea of the size, hanging from the rafters! (My friend Julie is now saying to herself that SHE could easily have missed that!) There were also kookaburras and strange trees that drop seeds that look like candy corn into the water for the turtles to eat. It really was great.

The rest of the aquarium was also very empty. I'd say we saw maybe 6 other people. It's amazing how fast you can get through the whole building when no one is blocking your way!

On our way across the building we saw a man carrying a large didgeridoo, an native Australian horn-type instrument. Pete and I walked on by, but seconds later we heard the guy playing it and turned around to find Zack talking to the musician. We all thanked him for the demonstration. Kudos to Zack for stepping up to ask him. This is just what I want the kids--well, all of us really--to be doing. What better way to learn about something than from the people who love to do it?

Holidays

We're going to a play at the Smithsonian Discovery Theatre tomorrow about all the winter holidays and I discovered a teacher's guide for it online. It had a good explanation of the solstice and several winter holidays such as Divali, a Hindu new year/harvest celebration; Kwaanza, an African American cultural holiday; Ramadan, Hanukkah and Christmas.

We made some Rangoli for Divali, these are decorative drawings to show the journey of the goddess and are symmetrical (Katie's has the hearts):


and Kwaanza mats, which have 7 lines for the 7 ethics the holiday celebrates and they are used to place under the candles lit for each night of the holiday (Zack's is on the left):

I think they'll get more out of the play--IF we get to see it tomorrow. It snowing fairly hard-for Virginia-and it's possible the city will shut down.

If so, we'll just have to study weather and build snow folks!

Pie

Mmmm...
Apple pie tastes even better when you've picked the apples yourself and made the pie at home to eat warm from the oven.

A fairly academic day. Leaf raking, piling, jumping and bagging this morning. The air is chilly. Good for yard work.

Off to the computer for math and the kitchen table for story writing. I'm trying to figure out how to get the stories up on this site. They are illustrated and I want you to be able to see them for yourself. Have to give that some thought.

Then apple pie-making. However, Zack got kicked off the project for not following directions and had to pull some laundry duty instead. We all got to eat the pie when it was baked though.

A very sweet day today. All had to go to Katie's dance class and afterwards we ran over to the Dairy Godmother (formerly the Del Ray Dreamery) for Brat Night, where we ate--what else?--Bratwurst and listened to--what else?--accordion music. After dinner we couldn't resist the great frozen custard the shop is really in business to sell. Katie made an instant friend who was just as friendly as she is and likes all the same things. A match made in Heaven.

Have a sweet day yourself.

Postcard Geography

Is so fun! The postcards have been coming in since September but I had trouble finding a laminated map. Needed it to be laminated so we could plot out all the small towns and easily hang the postcards along the sides.


As you can see, we are heavy on the east coast, but it's still very fun to read about all the towns and states. Plus, we're learning about geography, which I need more than anyone :-)

THANKS again to Nanci for lending us a couple of maps to use.

And he went wherever I did go...

There are fish in the fish tank! Yay!!!












We have started with four. We'll give them some time to get the tank going and then add four more later. Katie picked out two--Angel (the 2nd) and I think she settled on mermaid for the other. Zack picked Archie (the 2nd) and Spot.

They seem happy. We went to a real fish store this time, since the last time the fish from Walmart were so sick. These seemed to at least come from a healthy tank.

So happy to have pets again, even if they are just fish.

Saturday we went over to church to help bake bread for the Sunday Thanksgiving service. It was such fun. Here's kneading the dough and after the first rise:















Even though I know the dough will rise, I still am shocked when I see it.

We tasted a small loaf that day, but didn't get to try the ones we made until Sunday. It was so good. We really ought to make bread at home more often.


What did that title mean anyway?

Thank Goodnes for Girl Friends

I got great advice (and commiseration) from several good friends about the playground incident and of course, the solution lies with speaking to Katie and not the other kids. I talked to her yesterday about some choices she can make and let her know she deserves to receive nice treatment, etc. I wouldn't be surprised if we have to repeat this conversation, but if she hears it enough times, I hope it will sink in.

Special thanks to Allison, Julie and Ivanna for helping me get my head screwed back on right :-)

Our Friday playdate had to be re-scheduled at the last minute, which left us with the whole day. That worked out nicely, since there were lots of projects hanging out there that we hadn't gotten to.

Katie finished the math program! She is incredibly proud of herself, and should be--she worked hard. It took me a while to figure out how to control the difficulty level, so she was handling a lot of mixed fractions and shedding a lot of frustration tears before I could make it more on-level.

Zack is heading through the program for the second time and for him it's now getting very challenging. His was set up to stay at the easiest level for the whole game the first time through, so he breezed through it in two weeks. This time he's having to work at it and also work on his patience levels.

We made some nice votive holders, which we'll give as gifts on Thanksgiving. Crafts are still daunting to me, but this one was very easy and both kids liked it. Zack even announced that he enjoys crafts--news to me!

The one with the white streaks will dry to look like the frosted one on the right. Fun with white glue, stickers and glitter glue. Oh no!--Just realized I forgot to wash out those paintbrushes.

Oh well.

Also set up the fish tank. No fish yet, just getting the filter going. Pete was happy to notice that the filter is really quiet, since the tank is in the living room and basically just outside our bedroom door.

Cold weather is here, so I think the fish will make a nice indoor project for us.