Gosh, it just doesn't feel like winter! It's cold, don't get me wrong, but there's no snow. Strange for a January in Spokane.
I am thankful for...
a renewed zest for homeschooling, right about when burnout usually hits. I'm not sure where this surge of inspiration is coming from (though I suspect it has a little somethin' to do with that Andrew Pudewa talk I attended in November).
I am thinking about...
"If there's a lesson here it's: get busy copying. That's not a popular notion today, not when we are all instructed to find our own way, admonished to be original and find our own voice at all costs! But it's sound advice. Traveling the paths of greatness, even in someone else's footprints, is a vital mean to acquiring skill...
You should never worry that rote exercises aimed at developing skills will suffocate creativity."
From Twyla Tharp's The Creative Habit
Learning all the time...
We've spiffed up a few subjects that needed shaking up. P.A.C.E is awesome- we love it so far. I plan to post about our first virtue, Compassion, when we've finished it. For now, I'll just say that I am very impressed with the program.
We're also getting started with some materials from IEW. I got Teaching Writing: Structure & Style to use with the girls, and the plan is to start it next school year. Will I be able to wait that long? I don't know. I am so excited about using these materials! Linguistic Development through Poetry Memorization gets underway this week, as does Snap's Primary Arts of Language. (I admit it- I got a little click happy at IEW. I couldn't restrain myself!)
From the kitchen...
Would you think less of me if I told you what I fed my family last week? Yes, yes, I think you would. Next question, please.
I am creating...
ten little fingers, ten little toes. We're in the final home stretch and I cannot wait to meet this baby.
I am working on...
People over tasks. People over tasks. People over tasks. (I need to remind myself of this a lot lately, it seems. The people in my life are more important than the tasks I want done around here!)
I am going...
need you ask?
Nowhere. :)
I am hoping...
that the baby has turned, but I don't really think she has. I'm determined not to worry because mothers far more seasoned than I assure me that I'm still early and have lots of time. It's just that patience isn't exactly my strongest virtue. Sigh.
I am reading...
shockingly little in the way of books. I've been reading the introductory portions of all those new IEW materials, and I got bitten by another nesting bug (ha! right after I told you that I was The Laziest Pregnant Woman on the Planet). So... I've been scrubbing blinds and cupboards instead of reading. Don't worry, it's just a phase. I'll be buried under a happy pile of books, neglecting laundry, dishes and dust very soon, I'm sure. :)
I'm currently halfway into:
Peony in Love by Lisa See
The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding by La Leche League International
The Core by Leigh Bortins (I don't love it. I think I've discovered that when it comes to Classical Education, I am much more attracted to the methods and suggestions of Laura Berquist and Andrew Pudewa than, say, Classical Conversations or The Well-Trained Mind. This is, I think, a helpful discovery- if only to streamline my own reading and planning.)
I am praying for...
Colleen.
I am hearing...
the audio files that came with my IEW materials. Nurturing Competent Communicators is an excellent and inspiring lecture. My favorite so far.
Around the house...
I spent hours and hours yesterday washing blinds, wiping out a few window tracks, and scrubbing down the fridge (why is pregnancy nesting so random? As if having dust-free blinds or clean window tracks is going to make a shred of a difference when that baby arrives! Whatever. The urge overtook me. I didn't fight it.).
Unfortunately, we've been hit by another stomach bug here. Actually, it's probably just the same stomach bug that Prim got last week. At any rate, I did all the laundry on Friday, and yet today I found myself running 7 more loads. That should tell you what kind of stomach bug it was (a gross one, in case you're not following me). The kids are now all on the mend, but Andy and I haven't gotten sick yet. Oh please, oh please, oh please.
One of my favorite things...
Just Because We Can days. A friend reminded me that every once in a while, we need to have a fun and spontaneous day in the middle of the week, Just Because We Can. Last week I surprised the kids right after morning chores with a trip to the bowling alley and Dairy Queen Blizzards for lunch (yep- I'm that kind of responsible when it comes to feeding my kids). The kids were all giggles and squeals of delight. Note to self: do this more often. Just Because We Can.
A few plans for the rest of the week...
Not much. I'm hesitant to jump back into the world if we're still carrying around any germs. I think we'll hibernate and play with our new school stuff. Oh, and I have a doctor' appointment! I love appointments at my OB. :)
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...
 |
| Prim, bowling. |
Wondering if the stomach bug came before or after the bowling alley? Just curious because we got the flu after the bowling alley last Feb and I swore off bowling alleys forever! If only we could be spontaneous and fun and NOT get sick! ;-)
ReplyDeleteActually, the bug came first. Prim got it last weekend. We all felt a bit "icky" but no one else got sick. Then we had a perfectly normal week. It wasn't until Friday night that the second round hit- this time gettin Tulip and Snapdragon (poor Snapdragon got it the worst). Weird, huh? A whole week incubation period.
ReplyDelete(And I hear ya on the bowling germs- I made my kids promise not to touch their faces AT ALL while in the bowling alley, and I souped them up with anti-bacterial as soon as we were out the door!)
I am glad you are staying home when you are sick. Pet peeve of mine is sick people spreading germs everywhere. I love your Just Because We Can day. I need to do that. And last, feeling a little guilty because I don't do all the homeschool reading you do. I mostly go with my gut and change it when I need to. Perhaps I should be more structured about my approach like you are. Hmmmm.
ReplyDeleteThree of our kids caught The Midnight Virus last week after going to an indoor play center for Sunshine's birthday. Yes, we went on a Wednesday - Just Because We Could. And yes, midnight, a different child each night, and no they didn't make it to the bathroom in time. As a result, I am so short of sleep that my eye twitch is back.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, MODG and IEW are the roads we have been traveling. Takes a little bit of grunt work on Mom's end, but makes so much sense that very few programs allure me anymore. Oak Meadow a little, Trail Guides to Learning (Geography Matters) a little, but neither of these are Catholic infused so I suppose I will stick with the homeschooling road we chose to travel (and spice MODG up just a bit).
You've inspired me to attempt a list of the books I have read since 2006. I have no idea what I read (or if I read) anything in 2009-10. Total blank. But I did put a list for 2011 on my sidebar.
Scrubbing the floor on your hands & knees is great for baby positioning, btw, but you probably already know that. Happy nesting!
Sarah, don't worry...my little guy was laying completely sideways almost right up until the end of my pregnancy and turned in time. You still have plenty of time. : )
ReplyDeleteI love Twyla Tharp and now am thinking I need to get that book. I saw her speak a few years ago and she was great. And yes, rote exercises, I've found, foster creativity as opposed to stifling it. I hated my Hanon piano exercises but they made my fingers stronger and steadier, and more graceful, coordinated and confident in playing more complicated songs.
ReplyDeletePlease update about PAL once you get going. I bought, sold, bought, returned, and bought AGAIN. Loved it when we first started, but we couldn't find our groove with the pacing. I'm hoping third time's the charm!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your Because We Can day!!! I used to "babysit" a couple of my cousins, (on the step-side, it's about a 17-year age difference) and we would have sleep-overs, I would make them brownie-volcano's for breakfast! Other cousins I (only a 10-year age gap) I took to Burger King for breakfast once (where one of them spilled icing in the backseat of my car) and then on a 3 hour "field-trip" to a local store that had a fresh batch of beanie babies (when they were all the craze and hard to come by) we spent $10 in gumballs to win one beanie baby! They are memories we all carry with us!
ReplyDeletePrim with the bowling ball made me think of Grandpa Len! Again the memories... When D & I were little we spent many hours in the bowling alley day cares... Yes, bowling allies used to have day care centers... AND that was back when smoking was still permitted inside buildings in California!
Ahhh, memories!
But I think I need to dust off my bowling ball and shoes and get myself to a lane!!!
How did I miss this daybook?
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your Just Because We Can Days idea. I am totally going to do that. Genius.
xo to you