--I just spent all morning at Panera sipping coffee and writing in lesson, class, rehearsal, concert and carpool schedules in my new planner
--it is an immense relief to have all those dates in one place instead of swirling around on my desk and elsewhere
--I am still short one dance teacher for theater classes which begin in 10 days
--but I got a lead today!
--I also got the news that my sister-in-law Summer had her baby this morning!!
--Blondechick16 decided, on Friday of her first week at the private Christian high school, that she really likes it there
--she really likes the other kids, especially, and already feels like she belongs
--praise God!!
--Bantam14 likes his math and art teachers a lot
--he is getting faster at his math homework
--praise God! (I am worrying about how he is ever going to have time for any other subjects)
--Bantam18 and Chicklet6 both start school on Tuesday
--Chicklet has been impatiently waiting for this day for the last two weeks
--we get to meet her teacher Monday night and put all her supplies in her desk
--it's going to be interesting getting everybody off in the mornings!
--I got an iPhone and loved it
--I had to return it because AT&T's network has got big problems in our area
--I tried everything to make it work, but 10-11 hours spent in cell phone stores later, I had to switch networks and get a new phone
--my new Blackberry Storm is going to serve me well, but it's not as easy to use
--I am setting alarms for all my recurring appoints: carpool drop off/pick up, piano, tap, ballet/guitar (same place and time), theater classes
--I only forgot to pick up Blondechick once this past week, before I set up alarms
--hopefully that will help me remember
--we had a baptism last Sunday--the child of friends who were leaving for seminary the next day
--we had cake with the whole church and a picnic lunch with our friends afterward
--it was a good day!
--we are trying to decide if we should go camping one more time before we start having musical rehearsals every weekend
--Labor Day weekend weather doesn't look good, though
--we've only used our camper twice the last two summers and we are starting to wonder if we should sell it, since storage and maintenance are expensive
--so are private schools!
--it's interesting that I would start a job at the same time my kids start in private schools--God's provision?
--I still need to write teacher notes and aide notes for our teacher meeting on Tuesday
--and stuff folders for each one
--and make checklists for my two homeschooled boys
--first I need to settle on exactly what I am going to expect from them daily and weekly
--blogging may continue to be light for another week or two!
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Am I A Homeschool Dropout?
Well, Blondechick15 is not the only one switching schools this year. Chicklet6.95, who was homeschooled for kindergarten last year, is going to the local elementary school for first grade! I just got her enrolled last week. It's been a mad frenzy of educational decisions around here lately, and I still have to plan what we're doing with the homeschooled kids this year.
One at a time...
But I feel like a wimp of a homeschooling mom. I will only have Bantam10 and Bantam14 at home for 5th and 8th grades this year, and B14 is taking Pre-Algebra and Art at the private Christian school where Blondechick is going. Bantam4 will be hanging out with us too, of course.
I have been so ambivalent about sending Chicklet6 this year. But I do have my reasons:
--she's BEGGING to go, and it's not because she knows anyone there except a 3rd grade neighbor. The idea of it just has great appeal to her. She's a school-y girl.
--I am starting a new job, you may remember, being a part-time administrator for our Christian youth theater group.
--I have never enjoyed teaching 1st grade. Of all the grades, it requires the most patience, and I confess that I am often so short of that.
--My hope is that if someone else is teaching her the academic stuff, I can spend more time with her doing the fun stuff. She wants me to teach her to cook and to sew, and she loves to play games and be read to.
--I have often bemoaned the fact that my homeschooled kids don't have a better work ethic, and it's not for lack of trying everything under the sun (except maybe chaining myself and them to the kitchen table). I have often wondered, if they'd had a few years of school under their belt, if they would appreciate the freedoms of homeschooling more? I've jokingly said that I think the ideal thing would be to let someone else teach them all the basics, and then give them back to me once they are equipped for learning more independently, and maybe a little burned out from the long days of school followed by more homework at night. Then they might really be motivated to work hard in the mornings and be done by noon. So, I may finally be trying that experiment, with one, at least!
In other news, I have been busy interviewing and hiring and explaining how things work to six teachers for our fall session of theater classes. We have a voice teacher, two musical theater teachers and two drama teachers...but not a dance teacher in sight, yet. We over 40 kids enrolled, with two weeks until classes begin, so that is a great start. Just two weeks ago, I had ZERO teachers and about as many leads, so it has been awesome to see God provide a great staff. I am confident that He will send us a dance teacher too!
Blondechick and B14 start on Monday at their new school, and B18 and Chicklet6 start the week after that. We have spent over 4 hours and hundreds of dollars at Walmart in the last two days...buying school supplies, some fall clothes, and other sundries. I can't remember the last time I took all six kids shopping with me at once. We accomplished a lot in a short time, but I'm glad it's a once-a-year experience!
Next week:
--work out a carpool for the private school runs (I fear all the driving, but have faith that it's the right thing we've chosen)
--get Chicklet's immunizations (typical homeschool decision--not to worry about it last year when she "entered" kindergarten!)
--settle on curriculum/approach for B14 and B10's homeschooling (I own lots of options)
--check references on theater teachers
--plan party?/something for Chicklet's 7th birthday
--register B14 and B10 for enrichment classes
--plan writing class I'm teaching for 6-week enrichment session
Hmmm, maybe after everyone is finally in school, things will settle down a bit!
One at a time...
But I feel like a wimp of a homeschooling mom. I will only have Bantam10 and Bantam14 at home for 5th and 8th grades this year, and B14 is taking Pre-Algebra and Art at the private Christian school where Blondechick is going. Bantam4 will be hanging out with us too, of course.
I have been so ambivalent about sending Chicklet6 this year. But I do have my reasons:
--she's BEGGING to go, and it's not because she knows anyone there except a 3rd grade neighbor. The idea of it just has great appeal to her. She's a school-y girl.
--I am starting a new job, you may remember, being a part-time administrator for our Christian youth theater group.
--I have never enjoyed teaching 1st grade. Of all the grades, it requires the most patience, and I confess that I am often so short of that.
--My hope is that if someone else is teaching her the academic stuff, I can spend more time with her doing the fun stuff. She wants me to teach her to cook and to sew, and she loves to play games and be read to.
--I have often bemoaned the fact that my homeschooled kids don't have a better work ethic, and it's not for lack of trying everything under the sun (except maybe chaining myself and them to the kitchen table). I have often wondered, if they'd had a few years of school under their belt, if they would appreciate the freedoms of homeschooling more? I've jokingly said that I think the ideal thing would be to let someone else teach them all the basics, and then give them back to me once they are equipped for learning more independently, and maybe a little burned out from the long days of school followed by more homework at night. Then they might really be motivated to work hard in the mornings and be done by noon. So, I may finally be trying that experiment, with one, at least!
***
In other news, I have been busy interviewing and hiring and explaining how things work to six teachers for our fall session of theater classes. We have a voice teacher, two musical theater teachers and two drama teachers...but not a dance teacher in sight, yet. We over 40 kids enrolled, with two weeks until classes begin, so that is a great start. Just two weeks ago, I had ZERO teachers and about as many leads, so it has been awesome to see God provide a great staff. I am confident that He will send us a dance teacher too!
***
Blondechick and B14 start on Monday at their new school, and B18 and Chicklet6 start the week after that. We have spent over 4 hours and hundreds of dollars at Walmart in the last two days...buying school supplies, some fall clothes, and other sundries. I can't remember the last time I took all six kids shopping with me at once. We accomplished a lot in a short time, but I'm glad it's a once-a-year experience!
Next week:
--work out a carpool for the private school runs (I fear all the driving, but have faith that it's the right thing we've chosen)
--get Chicklet's immunizations (typical homeschool decision--not to worry about it last year when she "entered" kindergarten!)
--settle on curriculum/approach for B14 and B10's homeschooling (I own lots of options)
--check references on theater teachers
--plan party?/something for Chicklet's 7th birthday
--register B14 and B10 for enrichment classes
--plan writing class I'm teaching for 6-week enrichment session
Hmmm, maybe after everyone is finally in school, things will settle down a bit!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
The Birthday Season Begins
And Papa Rooster kicks it off! After today, we have birthdays in September, November, our anniversary in December, two in January, two in February...and one in May, all by itself.
I am never prepared for any of them.
Papa Rooster bought his own gifts this year--photography equipment for the hobby he's been getting into--so that made my job easier. The kids have made him cards, and I bought him an ice cream cake--his favorite, and a special treat we don't buy for any other family member. (At $25 a cake, that would be $200 a year--just in birthday cake!--Bantam10 and I were figuring out as we drove it home.)
So we have cake, we have cards..but the birthday boy is stuck in an airport, hoping to get home before 10 p.m. What a way to spend one's birthday, huh?
But I am so grateful that my husband is there in that airport--so grateful for his job and for the commitment he has to providing for our family. He works so hard, carries so much weight in his division, and is so good at what he does. He is one of the best listeners and extemporaneous speakers you could ever meet, and that combination makes him a sales guy who isn't just hawking a product, but one who cares about the needs of his client and can knowledgeably explain how his company's services can help, and within what limitations. He is always honest. And for that, and his many other great qualities, he is well-respected and well-liked by both colleagues and clients.
In short, he's one fantastic man.
And I am lucky enough to be married to this guy, who you also may remember is a wonderful Christian priest--and a sensitive husband and a loving, caring father.
In short, just about perfect. Almost. You know.
Happy Birthday, dear. Though your age is no longer a prime number, there is another one just around the corner in 3 years. Did you know there are more prime numbers in the forties than in any other decade (past the teenage years) until you get to your seventies? It's a good decade.
I am never prepared for any of them.
Papa Rooster bought his own gifts this year--photography equipment for the hobby he's been getting into--so that made my job easier. The kids have made him cards, and I bought him an ice cream cake--his favorite, and a special treat we don't buy for any other family member. (At $25 a cake, that would be $200 a year--just in birthday cake!--Bantam10 and I were figuring out as we drove it home.)
So we have cake, we have cards..but the birthday boy is stuck in an airport, hoping to get home before 10 p.m. What a way to spend one's birthday, huh?
But I am so grateful that my husband is there in that airport--so grateful for his job and for the commitment he has to providing for our family. He works so hard, carries so much weight in his division, and is so good at what he does. He is one of the best listeners and extemporaneous speakers you could ever meet, and that combination makes him a sales guy who isn't just hawking a product, but one who cares about the needs of his client and can knowledgeably explain how his company's services can help, and within what limitations. He is always honest. And for that, and his many other great qualities, he is well-respected and well-liked by both colleagues and clients.
In short, he's one fantastic man.
And I am lucky enough to be married to this guy, who you also may remember is a wonderful Christian priest--and a sensitive husband and a loving, caring father.
In short, just about perfect. Almost. You know.
Happy Birthday, dear. Though your age is no longer a prime number, there is another one just around the corner in 3 years. Did you know there are more prime numbers in the forties than in any other decade (past the teenage years) until you get to your seventies? It's a good decade.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
God Works, Part Two
Those two days of waiting-- for the rest of the story--were unintentional on my part, but they are a perfect representation of the two weeks we spent waiting and praying while the kids were away at camp! No cell phones were allowed, just good old-fashioned pencil and paper, and we only received one brief letter from each while they were gone.
Blondechick16 and Bantam14 returned from Honey Rock camp with hearts reawakened. Both spoke of "going way deeper" in their relationship with the Lord, and in their desire to live the Christian life in a more committed way. Blondechick said that she "got it" about her non-Christian boyfriend (meaning she now shared our concern). You can just imagine our joy, as parents!
Papa Rooster told me more about his talks with their counselors, on the day he arrived to pick them up. Both had many positive things to say, and both had the same suggestion for their continued spiritual growth: They need more Christian friends.
So our thoughts about sending them to the Christian school were confirmed. Yet when we brought the subject up again with Blondechick, she stuck to her position: She wanted to stay at the charter school, mainly because of her best friend.
The next day, the best friend said that actually, her mom had at one point wanted to send her to the Christian school, and she would ask to go there too! After that news and a tour of the high school, Blondechick became a lot more interested. Meanwhile, she also began a series of talks with her boyfriend in which they discussed her Christian faith in great depth.
After a couple more days of dialogue (and prayer on her parents' part), Blondechick sounded willing to be forced to transfer to the Christian high school, and within a day, she was owning the decision. The boyfriend was upset but quickly resigned himself. Her best friend isn't going to be able to go yet, but maybe second semester or next year.
We had to have placement testing and an interview before they were officially accepted, and for her writing sample, Blondechick wrote candidly about her transforming experience at camp. She and Bantam14 answered the principal's interview questions with surprising (to me) frankness and openness. It was clear that they are spiritually in a very good place!
Blondechick and her boyfriend decided they could still hang out and enjoy their good friendship until school starts, at least. They continue to talk about her faith in Christ. He came to church with her once before she went to camp, and he was visibly affected; he even said so. So who knows what seeds are being planted in this young man's heart and mind?
One thing that Blondechick thought she would have to give up if she went to the Christian high school was a musical production she already was cast in, through the Kenosha Unified School District's Fine Arts program. Actually, she was cast in two projects, but she knew she was going to have to back out of one (a one-act play) anyway. In the other, both she and her good friend from our church were cast as Doo-Wop Girls (a lead part) in Little Shop of Horrors, and it was a big disappointment to have to notify the director that she would no longer be in KUSD.
Imagine her delight, after she had resigned herself to giving up both opportunities, to learn from the director that even though she would be attending a private school, she could remain in the productions if she wished!
In so many ways, we have seen God working all things together for good, even in things that didn't immediately seem good, like the boyfriend and the doors closing to Africa. We have seen God "give back" what we had given up, like her role in the musical and Honey Rock instead of Africa. We have seen God give more than we could ask or imagine, like the life-changing experience that both kids had at camp. Praise Him!
Blondechick16 and Bantam14 returned from Honey Rock camp with hearts reawakened. Both spoke of "going way deeper" in their relationship with the Lord, and in their desire to live the Christian life in a more committed way. Blondechick said that she "got it" about her non-Christian boyfriend (meaning she now shared our concern). You can just imagine our joy, as parents!
Papa Rooster told me more about his talks with their counselors, on the day he arrived to pick them up. Both had many positive things to say, and both had the same suggestion for their continued spiritual growth: They need more Christian friends.
So our thoughts about sending them to the Christian school were confirmed. Yet when we brought the subject up again with Blondechick, she stuck to her position: She wanted to stay at the charter school, mainly because of her best friend.
The next day, the best friend said that actually, her mom had at one point wanted to send her to the Christian school, and she would ask to go there too! After that news and a tour of the high school, Blondechick became a lot more interested. Meanwhile, she also began a series of talks with her boyfriend in which they discussed her Christian faith in great depth.
After a couple more days of dialogue (and prayer on her parents' part), Blondechick sounded willing to be forced to transfer to the Christian high school, and within a day, she was owning the decision. The boyfriend was upset but quickly resigned himself. Her best friend isn't going to be able to go yet, but maybe second semester or next year.
We had to have placement testing and an interview before they were officially accepted, and for her writing sample, Blondechick wrote candidly about her transforming experience at camp. She and Bantam14 answered the principal's interview questions with surprising (to me) frankness and openness. It was clear that they are spiritually in a very good place!
Blondechick and her boyfriend decided they could still hang out and enjoy their good friendship until school starts, at least. They continue to talk about her faith in Christ. He came to church with her once before she went to camp, and he was visibly affected; he even said so. So who knows what seeds are being planted in this young man's heart and mind?
One thing that Blondechick thought she would have to give up if she went to the Christian high school was a musical production she already was cast in, through the Kenosha Unified School District's Fine Arts program. Actually, she was cast in two projects, but she knew she was going to have to back out of one (a one-act play) anyway. In the other, both she and her good friend from our church were cast as Doo-Wop Girls (a lead part) in Little Shop of Horrors, and it was a big disappointment to have to notify the director that she would no longer be in KUSD.
Imagine her delight, after she had resigned herself to giving up both opportunities, to learn from the director that even though she would be attending a private school, she could remain in the productions if she wished!
In so many ways, we have seen God working all things together for good, even in things that didn't immediately seem good, like the boyfriend and the doors closing to Africa. We have seen God "give back" what we had given up, like her role in the musical and Honey Rock instead of Africa. We have seen God give more than we could ask or imagine, like the life-changing experience that both kids had at camp. Praise Him!
Thursday, August 13, 2009
God Works, Part One
I've been hinting at some educational rearrangements that might be in store...and now it's time to share a story of how God has worked in some amazing ways!
At the beginning of this summer, I met a couple, friends of mutual friends, who told me about their four kids' high school experiences, after being homeschooled through middle school. Their first two went to the public high school that Bantam18 goes to, "and they did fine. Only fine...they didn't really bloom spiritually until they went to Christian colleges." They decided to send their last two kids to a private Christian high school, "and they really bloomed in their faith during high school, while they were at that school."
That was how God awakened a desire in my heart, to see Blondechick16 "bloom" spiritually. She did "fine," and more than fine, at the charter school she attended last year. She stood up for her faith when she needed to, and she made a sweet Christian best friend. But among the rest of the student body, and it is a very small one, she didn't find other committed believers to be friends with. She tried several church youth groups, but didn't end up committing to one, and she only did one session with our Christian youth theater group last year. So, other than Sunday mornings, the year was spiritually a wasteland for her.
And it was beginning to show. The most disturbing thing was that at the end of the year, she developed a relationship with a non-Christian boy from her school that quickly became way too serious, in their own eyes at least.
Last summer, we had formed the idea that this summer, we would send Blondechick to Africa on a service mission that would give her some perspective beyond her own self-centered interests. Through Anglican connections, we knew of an orphanage in Rwanda that surely could use help with babies and toddlers, which she loves. We even knew people there in the same town. We had connections elsewhere in Africa too, if that didn't work out.
But when we began to knock on doors last spring, every one slammed shut. And we were grateful, because the Lord's answer was so clear! But what to do with Blondechick? We knew we couldn't let her just hang out with friends all summer. She looked, but couldn't find a job. We talked about sending her to an Anglo-Catholic conference for high school youth, with classes and lectures that sounded fascinating to us, but probably wouldn't have made a dent in Blondechick's psyche. And it was expensive, if you counted the airfare to get her to the East Coast.
In fact, for that amount of money, we could send both her AND Bantam14 (who also needed a better way to spend his time this summer) to Honey Rock, Wheaton College's Christian camp in the north woods of Wisconsin, for TWO WEEKS. And that's what we ended up doing.
A month or so before she left in late July, we planted the idea of maybe switching to the Christian high school for her last two years of high school, and unsurprisingly, she was adamantly against the idea. Her boyfriend and her best friend were both going back to Harborside--of course she was too!
The idea was mentioned a few more times before she left, and she was worried. But we weren't sure. Papa Rooster wasn't certain at all that it was the right thing to do. I was eager to make the decision and move on with the rest of my planning for fall, because we were also discussing sending Bantam14 there for a class or two, if Blondechick went. If she didn't, then I wasn't sure about driving him there and back every day. But every time I prayed, asking for closure, God said, "Wait till she gets back from Honey Rock."
...to be continued!
(A perfect place to leave everyone hanging, as I was for 7 or 8 weeks!)
At the beginning of this summer, I met a couple, friends of mutual friends, who told me about their four kids' high school experiences, after being homeschooled through middle school. Their first two went to the public high school that Bantam18 goes to, "and they did fine. Only fine...they didn't really bloom spiritually until they went to Christian colleges." They decided to send their last two kids to a private Christian high school, "and they really bloomed in their faith during high school, while they were at that school."
That was how God awakened a desire in my heart, to see Blondechick16 "bloom" spiritually. She did "fine," and more than fine, at the charter school she attended last year. She stood up for her faith when she needed to, and she made a sweet Christian best friend. But among the rest of the student body, and it is a very small one, she didn't find other committed believers to be friends with. She tried several church youth groups, but didn't end up committing to one, and she only did one session with our Christian youth theater group last year. So, other than Sunday mornings, the year was spiritually a wasteland for her.
And it was beginning to show. The most disturbing thing was that at the end of the year, she developed a relationship with a non-Christian boy from her school that quickly became way too serious, in their own eyes at least.
Last summer, we had formed the idea that this summer, we would send Blondechick to Africa on a service mission that would give her some perspective beyond her own self-centered interests. Through Anglican connections, we knew of an orphanage in Rwanda that surely could use help with babies and toddlers, which she loves. We even knew people there in the same town. We had connections elsewhere in Africa too, if that didn't work out.
But when we began to knock on doors last spring, every one slammed shut. And we were grateful, because the Lord's answer was so clear! But what to do with Blondechick? We knew we couldn't let her just hang out with friends all summer. She looked, but couldn't find a job. We talked about sending her to an Anglo-Catholic conference for high school youth, with classes and lectures that sounded fascinating to us, but probably wouldn't have made a dent in Blondechick's psyche. And it was expensive, if you counted the airfare to get her to the East Coast.
In fact, for that amount of money, we could send both her AND Bantam14 (who also needed a better way to spend his time this summer) to Honey Rock, Wheaton College's Christian camp in the north woods of Wisconsin, for TWO WEEKS. And that's what we ended up doing.
A month or so before she left in late July, we planted the idea of maybe switching to the Christian high school for her last two years of high school, and unsurprisingly, she was adamantly against the idea. Her boyfriend and her best friend were both going back to Harborside--of course she was too!
The idea was mentioned a few more times before she left, and she was worried. But we weren't sure. Papa Rooster wasn't certain at all that it was the right thing to do. I was eager to make the decision and move on with the rest of my planning for fall, because we were also discussing sending Bantam14 there for a class or two, if Blondechick went. If she didn't, then I wasn't sure about driving him there and back every day. But every time I prayed, asking for closure, God said, "Wait till she gets back from Honey Rock."
...to be continued!
(A perfect place to leave everyone hanging, as I was for 7 or 8 weeks!)
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Unpacking
...Blondechick16 and Bantam14, home from camp (many of our prayers for them were answered--they had great experiences!)
...my bags, from the theater group retreat and the Willow Creek Leadership Summit
...my brain, from the theater group retreat and the Willow Creek Leadership Summit (so much information and perspective!)
...all the variables in various educational scenarios for our kids for the upcoming year
...resumes from potential drama, voice and dance teachers--and making phone calls and sending emails to them
Busy, busy!
Will write a real post soon.
...my bags, from the theater group retreat and the Willow Creek Leadership Summit
...my brain, from the theater group retreat and the Willow Creek Leadership Summit (so much information and perspective!)
...all the variables in various educational scenarios for our kids for the upcoming year
...resumes from potential drama, voice and dance teachers--and making phone calls and sending emails to them
Busy, busy!
Will write a real post soon.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Packed
Well, I enjoyed my few unstructured days...
We got to the beach.
I thought, a bit, about educational decisions.
B10 and I deep-cleaned the room that he shares with the absent B14.
I bought new beach towels.
No mending was accomplished, nor were any piles shifted about.
Oh well.
And then came our busy weekend, which I enjoyed even more!
First we spent the day on Friday at Six Flags Great America. It seems a shame to live so close and never take advantage! And we had three free passes from a reading program, which were about to expire, plus our friends with season passes were free and eager to go with us--so off we went. Papa Rooster and I hadn't been there in 20 years.
And we had so much fun, we didn't leave until it closed, at 10 p.m.! It was a long day, but such a good time. Papa Rooster took pictures, of course, and I think he should post some for me later this week.
The next day, we cleaned house and then went to the Pike River Rendezvous, a historical reenactment of the days of fur trader/Native American/pirate/French soldier relations on Kenosha's Simmons Island. (Did you know Kenosha has an island?)
We learned about quill-pen making, animal skinning, fur tanning, and charcoal making. We sat inside a teepee and a wigwam and learned how both were made. In the wigwam, we talked at length with a fascinating Native American man who quietly, patiently answered all the kids' questions about his wigwam and his other possessions.
While we were there, our expected overnight guests called to say they were running late and probably wouldn't arrive before 10:00.
Oh! we thought to ourselves. Oh, oh, we can still go see the Opera a la Carte production that so many of our friends are in!
We had planned to see scenes from The Fairy Queen and Pirates of Penzance on Friday night, and then, when the only day we could go to Great America was Friday, we had been forced to acknowledge that one can't do everything.
Still, we knew the choreographer, the costumers, and quite a few of the performers, and we really wanted to go. So we pulled everybody together--quick, quick!--and arrived just in time for a wonderful, colorful production that married opera and ballet, accompanied by a live pit orchestra and performer/pianist. Even our self-proclaimed opera hater (B18) enjoyed it.
B4, when asked on the way home if he liked the pirates, replied, "No--just the girls." (Well, the pirates were the bad guys!)
Our friends, meanwhile, arrived at our home, early!, and managed to get all their kids put to bed in a strange house without the assistance of their absent hosts. When we arrived, there was nothing to do but build a fire in the fire pit and talk way too late into the night for a couple of priests--and priests' wives--who had a service in the morning.
After church, we came home and continued the catching up and mutual encouragement session over lunch, a trip to the beach, and pizza, ending with a benediction of prayer in our driveway just before they drove off. Colorado is soooo far away!!
All these lovely happenings, and Blondechick and B14 missing them all, off at camp. We haven't heard from them, so we can only assume they are having a fabulous time. It's been quiet without them.
You might think it's pretty cold of us to go to Great America without them, but the truth is, they wouldn't have wanted to walk around with us anyway--they're at that age and state of cool-ness--and it was really delightful to have just the agreeable children with us!
Blondechick's already been, anyway, and B14 has said all along that he's going with his buddy.
I was sorry they missed the opera. But it was just as well that they missed the Rendezvous, because B18, B10 and Chicklet6 took their time looking at everything there, just like homeschooled kids are supposed to do.
But they're coming home on Friday, and I am looking forward to hearing all about camp! It is also the day I return from my Tuesday-to-Friday leadership training sessions, which I have to pack for tomorrow. I'll have wireless in the dorm where I'm staying, but I'm unsure, amid all the training and socializing, if there will be time for blogging.
It may depend on when?/whether? my inner introvert cries "Uncle"!
Believe it or not, blogging is an introverted activity for me. It restores me--to ramble on, perusing my word choices, riding the rhythm of dashes, commas, end marks and parentheses. The rattle of the train of thought is such a soothing one. It's nice to take a little joy-riding jaunt tonight!
We got to the beach.
I thought, a bit, about educational decisions.
B10 and I deep-cleaned the room that he shares with the absent B14.
I bought new beach towels.
No mending was accomplished, nor were any piles shifted about.
Oh well.
And then came our busy weekend, which I enjoyed even more!
First we spent the day on Friday at Six Flags Great America. It seems a shame to live so close and never take advantage! And we had three free passes from a reading program, which were about to expire, plus our friends with season passes were free and eager to go with us--so off we went. Papa Rooster and I hadn't been there in 20 years.
And we had so much fun, we didn't leave until it closed, at 10 p.m.! It was a long day, but such a good time. Papa Rooster took pictures, of course, and I think he should post some for me later this week.
The next day, we cleaned house and then went to the Pike River Rendezvous, a historical reenactment of the days of fur trader/Native American/pirate/French soldier relations on Kenosha's Simmons Island. (Did you know Kenosha has an island?)
We learned about quill-pen making, animal skinning, fur tanning, and charcoal making. We sat inside a teepee and a wigwam and learned how both were made. In the wigwam, we talked at length with a fascinating Native American man who quietly, patiently answered all the kids' questions about his wigwam and his other possessions.
While we were there, our expected overnight guests called to say they were running late and probably wouldn't arrive before 10:00.
Oh! we thought to ourselves. Oh, oh, we can still go see the Opera a la Carte production that so many of our friends are in!
We had planned to see scenes from The Fairy Queen and Pirates of Penzance on Friday night, and then, when the only day we could go to Great America was Friday, we had been forced to acknowledge that one can't do everything.
Still, we knew the choreographer, the costumers, and quite a few of the performers, and we really wanted to go. So we pulled everybody together--quick, quick!--and arrived just in time for a wonderful, colorful production that married opera and ballet, accompanied by a live pit orchestra and performer/pianist. Even our self-proclaimed opera hater (B18) enjoyed it.
B4, when asked on the way home if he liked the pirates, replied, "No--just the girls." (Well, the pirates were the bad guys!)
Our friends, meanwhile, arrived at our home, early!, and managed to get all their kids put to bed in a strange house without the assistance of their absent hosts. When we arrived, there was nothing to do but build a fire in the fire pit and talk way too late into the night for a couple of priests--and priests' wives--who had a service in the morning.
After church, we came home and continued the catching up and mutual encouragement session over lunch, a trip to the beach, and pizza, ending with a benediction of prayer in our driveway just before they drove off. Colorado is soooo far away!!
All these lovely happenings, and Blondechick and B14 missing them all, off at camp. We haven't heard from them, so we can only assume they are having a fabulous time. It's been quiet without them.
You might think it's pretty cold of us to go to Great America without them, but the truth is, they wouldn't have wanted to walk around with us anyway--they're at that age and state of cool-ness--and it was really delightful to have just the agreeable children with us!
Blondechick's already been, anyway, and B14 has said all along that he's going with his buddy.
I was sorry they missed the opera. But it was just as well that they missed the Rendezvous, because B18, B10 and Chicklet6 took their time looking at everything there, just like homeschooled kids are supposed to do.
But they're coming home on Friday, and I am looking forward to hearing all about camp! It is also the day I return from my Tuesday-to-Friday leadership training sessions, which I have to pack for tomorrow. I'll have wireless in the dorm where I'm staying, but I'm unsure, amid all the training and socializing, if there will be time for blogging.
It may depend on when?/whether? my inner introvert cries "Uncle"!
Believe it or not, blogging is an introverted activity for me. It restores me--to ramble on, perusing my word choices, riding the rhythm of dashes, commas, end marks and parentheses. The rattle of the train of thought is such a soothing one. It's nice to take a little joy-riding jaunt tonight!
Saturday, August 01, 2009
On Doing Without
“We the willing, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, with so little, for so long, we are now qualified to do anything, with nothing.”
...for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
~The Apostle Paul
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