A Fly On My Homeschool Wall

A6 and I did not get to do school together until the sausage for dinner was on the stove.  It was just one of those days. I thought about skipping it, but I'm so very glad we didn't. We read the first chapter of Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Loebel.  We've read it before--as a fun read aloud by Mommy to the kids.  But having A6 read it to me was like hearing it for the first time . . . for both of us. She laughed. She laughed that belly-laugh that only the very young laugh. As she laughed I saw that her missing front teeth are about to be not missing anymore. It will soon be hard to categorize her as one of the very young.  I looked deep into her eyes.  I beheld their sparkle. I soaked up their delight. I basked in their youngness. And I tried not to ache that she is leaving her little girlhood; rather, I tried to look forward to the big girl that is coming. Oh, how I love her!

Yesterday was our science club meeting.  E13 and her friend B14 are aging out of this particular club.  This is their last year, and they get the chance to earn a special leadership patch.  Together they have to research and teach the group about two subjects of their own choice.  They chose Hine's Emerald Dragonfly--an endangered insect in our neck of the woods. They divvied up responsibilities--B14 was in charge of a science experiment about the water pollution that has led to the dragonflies' endangered status and a game illustrating how dragonflies feed; E13 was in charge of a craft, a puzzle teaching dragonfly morphology, and a coloring page about the dragonfly lifecycle.  They were each to prepare their own lecture to go along with their activities. They did great!!  The kids loved, loved, loved the dragonfly feeding game.  One set of kids were given plastic grocery sacks to open and run around with (this represented the dragonflies' legs...

It is Monday morning. I am documenting this day in order to link up with Tristan at Our Busy Homeschool. Sometime around 3 am I2 wakes up and comes into bed with Daddy and me.  It is a little bit unusual because he's been sleeping mostly through the night lately, but it is a lot unusual because he didn't fall immediately back to sleep.  He tosses and turns and says,"I hun-gee, Mama," more than once.  I don't want to feed him; he'd had a good dinner and Family Night treat the evening before, and there is no way I want to open the door to middle of the night snacks, but when he says, "I hun-gee, Mama.  P'ease, eat?" I think, "Who am I to judge?  Maybe he really needs to eat." Once I am up, I am up.  However, my husband can get up, be fully awake, and drop effortlessly back to sleep again.  I debate for several minutes whether I am being selfish or wise to ask for his help, and eventually decide that as he would get to sleep in the aft...

I cleaned the kitchen as the girls finished their colony reports.  They were all working right in the kitchen, so I was there to answer questions and offer guidance. It was rather a win-win situation. So is the fact that A6 reads to her younger siblings. I had to run errands this morning.  They were supposed to be done on Monday when my husband could have run them while I stayed home to run our school day, but the delivery day for my food co-op was changed to today which left me having to leave home at a critical time of day.  It was okay, though. A few kids stayed home--E13 (who did schoolwork), J10 (who also did schoolwork), and H4 and A6 who watched sign language videos and practiced with each other.  The ones who came with me fit their schoolwork into any gaps in the day that could be found. After the colony reports were done, I cancelled a formal science lesson in favor of preschool with the littles.  They made rainbows...

H4 came to me twice saying, "Look what I can do, Mom."  She then proceeded to sign, "My name is  (H4).  What's your name?"  After I responded appropriately, she threw her arms around me. E13 tried really, really hard to be mad at me when I assigned her a full week's worth of math review in one day.  (It took her 20 minutes to complete.  It really was review, and I knew she didn't need to spend a week on it.)  I made a silly face at her as she yelled, and she dissolved into laughter.  Then she got mad at me for making her laugh when she was trying to be mad.  She stomped off, but I could see that the corners of her mouth were quirking. S11 and M12 were spotlighted at the New Beginnings program at church last night.  They were welcomed so sweetly to the Young Women's program.  They will be much loved and will make true friends.  I'm so thankful! A6 read aloud a story from Mouse Tales for her "school reading."  Every ot...

The weather forecast was delightfully wrong! My older kids got through their core school subjects in the morning; I cleaned my bathroom; the little guys practiced sign language with their Signing Time videos and showed me what they know.  I cannot describe how cute their pudgy little hands are as they fingerspell their names.  It makes my heart squishy. My sister's family did come down to the zoo; we went to the zoo; we had a sweet and happy afternoon. I2 loved the polar bears so much that had we done nothing else that afternoon he'd have been happy.  Though he was momentarily distracted by the new penguin exhibit, he longed for the polar bears. H4 braved major personal fears and rode the carousel not once but twice.  She held the pole with an unbreakable grip and even managed to smile a couple of times.  A6 was in 7th heaven tagging along with a pack of "big girl" cousins.  The highlight of her day was the sea lion show.  The older girls a...

We celebrated Valentine's Day with our traditional scavenger hunt and sharing of homemade valentines. The scavenger hunt prize was an annual pass to our local zoo. Our really local zoo--less than 3 miles away! Later that day we had friends over.  Keeping friends.  A good way to spend Valentine's Day. That night Daddy had to work, so the kids and I kept our evening rituals of tidying up, family reading, prayers, and bed. Saturday was busy with cleaning and errands. Sunday held church and family night (we wrote letters to a cousin away at college). Now it is Monday.  I want to stay home and have school.  I want to stay warm and snuggle up with A6 while she reads and then paste horrible sugary, chemically cereal onto a paper rainbow outline for "R" is for rainbow day with H4.  I want to hold I2 on my lap in the rocking chair and read Katy and the Big Snow for the umpteenth time.  I want to help J10 with long division, counsel with E13 about her g...

After our science club meeting yesterday morning (which the littles did not attend because they needed a slow, quiet morning in the face of a busy afternoon) we went to a local craft store and bought a bunch of stuff.  Then we came home and spent over 3 hours making valentines for one another. No need for "formal" school on an afternoon like this.  A6 is working hard writing her messages of love. E13 said at the start that she was just going to make the same valentine for everyone, but slowly the spirit of the occasion seeped in to her heart and she spent a long time creating individual valentines for each person. Rats!  He looked away.  He'd been smiling a split second earlier. Though I signed his name for him, I2 took his writing very seriously. M11 and S11 particularly liked sewing beads onto their cards. I2 got tired and needed some animal crackers to keep him going.   I love H4's thoughtful con...

I got online during lunch to find an answer to a question a child asked.  I do not remember the question nor which child asked, because as my email inbox popped up I saw the title to an email from my sister. Her son has melanoma . And it's not in the early stages either.  It is rare enough in a youth (he's 14) that no one in their area is equipped to deal with it.  They've been sent to a cancer center for surgery and further lab work.  It's on his head.  One of the tasks ahead is to see if it has metastasized into his brain . It is terrifying. I counted my own children--sniffling from the illness that has plagued them for the past 2 weeks--and thanked God for their health.  Then I pleaded for my nephew to be healed.  Then I thought of all of the mothers who are dealing with serious illnesses in their children and I petitioned heaven on their behalf as well. And I wonder . . . what can I do to help?

I2 is better.  H4 is almost better--in the sleeping-constantly-while-recuperating stage. A6 is a mess.  Her fever is gone, but she's still coughing violently enough that she throws up (it is much like whooping cough but not enough like it to make me think that's what's going on--I remember all to vividly what that was like to miss it now), and she's been crying with ear pain for over 2 days now.  I treated the first ear with garlic-infused olive oil, and though it took many hours, she says that ear is better.  The other ear started hurting yesterday.  I've been treating it, and she has periods of time that are pain-free and make me think she's over it, but it keeps coming back. We may have to find a doctor and have her treated conventionally. I haven't done school with her or preschool with H4 in nearly a week.  They've just been too ill to work. I have done school with the older kids quite faithfully, though.  Our practice of independent work ...

I love being home! I love being home! I love being home! The snow began just as forecasted and fell all day long. Church activities were cancelled. We had our groceries. We had our craft supplies. Daddy didn't have to work. The world was silent, cocooned as the snow fell and fell and fell. No one even asked to go anywhere or complained about being "stuck at home" the way they usually do. We were content to be at home. We were lazy getting up. We did chores slowly. We ate breakfast rather late. We moved gently through our school day, accomplishing each item on our list with no thought to deadlines. We ate homemade bread, fresh from the oven, slathered with melting butter and honey. We cuddled our sick I2. We fed the fire. We read, read, read, read, read! We went to bed early. Now we are awake.  The energy in this house is electric!  The snow is thick!  Play clothes await! The sleds sit idle in the garage! They must be put to good use! Yes...