Thank God for Lazy friends!

A college girlfriend asked me a few weeks ago if I had any use for two new bookcases. It seems she purchased them from IKEA in the summer, and her husband has not taken the time to put them together. Having waited what she thought was more than patiently, she took his credit card to Ethan Allan and bought herself pre-made bookcases and had them delivered. Snarky girl!

She knew that I have rarely met a book I didn't like or want to keep and could easily whip the bad boys together myself, she offered. I jumped at them, and thanked her profusely! The timing is perfect, as I have a real need for them in my office.

My office, or rather, my corner of the dining room in our quaint Cape Cod, needs bookcases. I am someone who needs organization to function, and a place for all the lesson plans and ideas and books for homeschooling. With the co-op, I need a place to keep all that information as well. And while a file cabinet works for most of it, there is just no way to use one for the plethora of books I use and reference while teaching a class.

Imagine the dreamy way I can now picture my room, with everything in it's space, and no milk crates piled in front of the windows. I'll be able to see the quarter-sawn oak of my dining room table instead of multiple piles of files. DH, having given me cash for our anniversary to clothes shop, will not be surprised when I spend it on adorable organizing bins and boxes that I will stack and label to my heart's delight. I shall splurge on extras, for those future classes, so that as I come across articles or ideas, I can merely pop them into a box that I will one day open like a gift. I'm just giddy thinking about it.

Honeygirl, while not fully recovered, is dying to get out of the house. The hour car ride to my girlfriend's house will be great for her. Since she was unable to take off work to coordinate a visit, I don't have to worry about spreading germs. It even stopped raining so my new bookcases won't get wet.

How exicted I am, then, to get them home and built, and start the transition. Now, if I can only find a sound proofing device to block out television noise from the living room whenever I wish, I'd be estatic!

Through illnessComes an Unexpected Gift

Illness has been a real problem at the Hive for the last month. First we all had our annual fall sinus to chest cold. At the same time, poor Honey was having severe stomach issues, which we quickly diagnosed to a new lactose intolerance. We had just begun getting her dairy free diet on track with substitutions, which no small issue for the milk & butter girl that she has always been.

She found a nearby farm where we can buy goat's milk, and I've been substituting soy products when cooking. A nice side is that I am feeling a lot better, which is leading me to cut out more and more dairy for myself as well. We've been introducing food source calcium in foods such as pumpkin and other squash, and becoming creative with her favority broccoli.

So it really seemed unfair when she came down with the some flu-like symptoms last week. A trip to the doctor and a nasal swab later, she was diagnosed wtih H1-N1. She spend the weekend in bed, enjoying the luxury of limitless movie watching and sleeping, but her symptoms continued to get worse. We returned to the doctor Monday morning, and a throat swab later, we were told she also has strep throat. Holy Cow!

Now my girl is taking antibiotics and is doing her best to rest and recover. We're filling the week with low-key activities (puzzles, reading) in between lots of chicken soup and soft slippery foods . I am grateful to slow down a while, and just "BE" with her. We've had some great conversations, albeit her end sounds quite froggy. Between her naps, I have been also able to catch up with a few friends via telephone, a luxury I haven't had time for lately.

It was in one of these conversations with a dear friend that I received the unexpected gift. This woman is a wonderful person, HOneygirl's art teacher, and someone who has grown to be a good friend. She herself is dyslexic, and is such a great resource for me as I try to teach Honey. She is also a homeschooling mother, and always has such great insights.

In talking about our children's school year so far, I mentioned that it seems that Honey is not applying herself to her Algebra, and that we have been arguing a bit. She stopped me midstream. "I know your daughter, and I think you have forgotten how hard she works for everything. You are off base, and need to remember just how much her dyslexia effects her learning. "

It was like she shook me by my shoulders to set me straight. Honey has come so far that at times, I tend to think that her learning issues have disappeared. Yet each year, I find myself so rushed for time that I try to press her into my schedule. And then we both get frustrated when it isn't owrking. Sigh!

Thank goodness then, for the gift of a few words that remind me to take the time to teach my child, not according to my schedule, but hers. I may have to reevaluate and limit some of my outside commitments, which would probably be a good thing. We will spend the days of recovery moving into a slower pace, and a more joyful lifestyle will certainly result.

As much as I thought I'd love teaching history....

I have realized that I enjoy teaching literature and writing so much more. I love ancient history and find all if it fascinating, but the problem is that no matter how much I try, the kids just don't share that passion. I am having much more luck with my younger class, as we are doing a lot of mapwork and hands on activities (mock mummifications, cunniform tablets,etc).


But my high school class is a bit of a struggle. It seems that those very same students that were such prolific writers in my creative writing class last year are SORELY lacking in their expository writing skills. You can definitely tell those who have been writing essays and reports since they were young to those who are now 8/9th graders and have never done any writing that isn't for pleasure.

I'm having to rework the wheel, so to speak, and it it drudgery for me and those who can write a five-paragraph essay in their sleep. I'm having to spend all the class time I had set aside for fun activities to teach basic writing and research skills. The odd thing is how difficult it is for them to step away from the creative style. Their time-line essays are full of side notes and references to themselves. I remind them over and over that neither they nor I were around in ancient mesopotamia nor were part of building the pyramids, but they cannot grasp how to share information without creative opinion. SIgh....

Which is why I find myself working on lesson plans for next year's high school English class when I can't sleep. I cannot wait to do this literature and writing class on Science fiction and fantasy. I have already selected our six books: TIme Machine by H.G. Wells, Complete Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone, and The Princess Bride by William Goldman. While not all are true classics, they are perfect for teaching the various elements, and will be excellent springboards for the student's writing assignments.

However, until then, I shall return to working on timelines and teaching the essay. I feel such a duty to have all of these kids leave my class balanced writers, even if that means I will not have the time to nurture the love of history as I wished. Double sigh....

The Feathering the Nest...

There is something about autumn that focuses my natural rhythms toward nesting. I scheduled a day off work on Saturday just to really clean the bedrooms, doing the under and behind places where litters of dust puppies lie. Honey and I switched out the summer and winter closets and drawers, airing out the woolen and down. We also donated at car load of outdated or too small clothing that I have determined none of us will wear again.

The guys did nesting chores as well, cleaning and emptying the fireplace and ash pit. THey restacked firewood to prepare for the next load. They prepped the cars, refilling washer fluid and checking oil and batteries.

We all spent some time cleaning one assigned areas; this week it was the bedrooms. For years now, I have done the opposite of spring cleaning. It just makes sense to have a newly cleaned and organized home just before you are going to be spending so much more time inside. This week we will tackle the kitchen, dining and living rooms, and the kids will do the bathrooms. A friend is remodeling her office, and offered me her three-yr old IKEA furniture, so if I can make it fit, I will also be setting up a new office for myself.

Our big project will come the last week of October, when we tackle the basement. The need to have a family room again has become overwhelming with two teenagers. We are getting rid of the weight bench that is used only to air dry comforters of late, as well as excess office furniture from when my DH hasa large office at home. We've been saving up, and will hit Craigs list to shop for some used furniture, and get the kids set for winter as well.

To get all this done, of course, we are stepping away from field trips for a few weeks. We wake and focus on getting school and office work done at a leisurely pace during the day. We've taken to using the evenings to do errands, something we had gotten out of the habit of doing when the kids had nighttime activities. The dogs are even enjoying the change of scenery by walking at dusk, and we are sleeping better for the fresh evening air.

Life is good, and this hectic pace will slow down in November as we turn inward to home and hearth. Which is a very, very good thing!

Friends, Romans, Countrymen....

I am still entranced with the wonderful performance of Julius Caesar we saw yesterday at Willpower Shakespeare Festival at DeSales University. It challenged the senses, as the scenery was Roman, the speech was Elizabethian English, and the costumes were modern day business suits and military fatigues. The actors were professionals, and as such, did a fabulous job. (sorry folks, but I am a bit of a snob about most high schools attempting Shakespeare...the weak acting usually distracts one from Shakespeare's powerful use of words.)

Before the show, however, our teens were treated to a variety of workshops given by the actors. HoneyGirl's group did one that focused on characterization through body movement. Her second workshop was called "Words before Blows: The Power of Persuasion" , and discussed how Shakespeare used tools of rhetoric and the actors used emphasis to stir the crowds. I was thrilled to have them teach these kids about pathos, ethos, and logos in arguments , and the kids all embraced it quickly. Other workshops offered were "Stage Combat: The Illusion of Violence" and "To Stir Men's Blood: Words as Weapons." The groups that took part in those were equally thrilled.

Best of all, we met up with old friends and new and were able to have a leisurely lunch on the beautiful campus . For the first time, Honey is actually considering what the college experience can offer beyond classes, and the idea of living on campus is met with a smile. Yes, it was raelly one of those golden days!

Psychology of a Healthy Homeschool

I've been working on a paper lately, that I hope to turn into a presentation for various homeschool conferences. I was initially very excited to work on the topic. I know that many parents get so locking into an idea of what homeschooling needs to be without looking at their child's needs , and hoped to use various Myers-Briggs models as the basis to expound on various concepts.

Another key issue I often advise on is the lack of direction toward future goals . There are some skills that are basic and should be worked through solidly (how to write a five paragraph essay; maths needed to balance a checkbook, figure interest,etc; etc). I want to incorporate those skills needed for success, working them within them into the various models as well.

I have a solid start ,but the more I write, the more I am wondering if I am missing the mark here. I know a great many homeschooling families, and one of the biggest challenges to success is the baggage the homeschooling parent is bringing into the homeschool from their own life.

We have all seen it, even in ourselves at times. We either follow the same unhealthy patterns from our own childhoods, or overcompensate for them to a negative degree. Or , many feel begin to regret the years given to child-rearing and homeschooling, and begin to step away from their children's true needs to pursue their own. (this is not to say that pursuing one's own needs is bad, only when one does it at the expense of the child. If you can't find time to teach them at home, then do the right thing and send them elsewhere for an education!)

The dilemna is not in identifying the ways in which we bring our own issues into the homeschool.
Those who struggled for friends fret and worry about their children, often pushing their child into every social opportunity that presents itself while dropping the ball on the teaching of the simplest of skills. Those who were high achievers misinterpret the artistic soul of their child as laziness. Those who are insecure in their ability to teach become so regimented that their homeschool is completely devoid of fun. Or those who enroll their children in every available academic opportunity all week long because they do not wish to be home with them to help create a learning lifestyle .

The problem is rather who to identify these archetypes and discuss them in a way that will encourage the listener to look at their homeschool objectively. I know women who fit each of these and more, yet I realize that they do not recognize what they are doing. I have had their children come to me (as their teacher) in frustration because they are never home long enough to do assignments, don't get any aid, or are being forced through algebra II in 7th grade but kept from the art classes they love. I know college bound high school juniors who cannot write a decent paragraph (let alone essay) with mothers is more worried about popularity, and others so stiffled that they have panic attacks.

With each of these cases, I am very limited to do more than make a suggestion here or there, as they have never come to me for advice. Most do not even recognize what is plain to others. I'm not sitting in judgment of them, and fear that given our relationship as parent/teacher, I would be perceived as doing so if I really pressed.

Yet I wonder if those who come to hear a speaker would possibly be able to gain anything from such a workshop. Homeschooling can be such a rewarding, dynamic experience where both parent and child will grow. We just need to find out what kind of nutrients we need, and add the right amount of sunlight and warmth. I know that for most of these women, their hearts are in the right place, but they need to pack their baggage at the door to make it a truly worthwhile experience.

I suppose I am asking before I go any further with this if you feel something like this would be helpful, or just piss you off. :) I'd love some feedback.

Has it been that long?

I wish I could report that I had been off on a fabulous adventure, but I was lost amidst sneezes and coughs, hot tea and naps. Just as I thought the bug had left me, it decided to head south to my chest and linger another week. I had no mind to write anything coherent, let alone worthwhile.

I could have predicted that I would get a head and chest cold. You see, DH took a new job, and we had a two week window without health insurance. Of course I woke the first morning without insurance ill. Honey and I had a great many discussions on the health care situation, and just these two weeks reminded me how unfair many of the haves are being in their outright disdain for the have-nots. The stress of worry that it would turn into phnemonia was very real, and the monetary hit we would take was the biggest stresser of all.

I cannot tell you what a blessing it is to have an older daughter. Honey just took the lead and did most of her school on her own. I would lie down for a nap, to wake to a cup of hot tea. She picked up slack on chores and just let me rest through the worst of it.

Poor girl ended up getting the head cold too, so she spent a few days doing the resting and drinking the tea. We made fires and watched movies, which we haven't done in a while.
KingBee was out of town on business, which was a blessing as we just let everything go to just recouperate. Added plus is we did not have to suffer through any reality television as we do when he is here!

I managed to read two books, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown and Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon. I enjoyed the newest adventure of Robert Langdon a great deal, and would recommend it . I wish I could say the same of Jamie and Claire's latest saga, but the end of the book was so disjointed it seemed as if Gabaldon just tacked a half dozen cliffhangers on the end and stopped because she was bored with it all. A disappointment after two years wait since Breathe of Snow and Ashes.

Last week we were on the upswing, and tried very hard to get caught up. While my cough was ebbing, my mind was much slower in returning to a fully functioning state. I managed to give Honey a chapter test for the wrong chapter in Algebra. She and I were both disappointed with her 80%, and her claim that she didn't even recall learning the process for some of the problems worried us both. As I was entering the grade into the book, I realized that she was due test #4, not #7, and suddenly that 80% looks pretty good! Yikes!

The illness did make me realize a few things though, and as such a few changes have been instituted. Buzz flits in and out of here much like his nickname-sake, but leave behind more mess than honey. It's just not quite fair for the rest of us to be cleaning up after him, when most of his flitting about keeps him from contributing to the family as he used to do.

We discussed it ,and he oddly felt that one of the "womenfolk" should be picking up after him, since he takes the garbage out once a week and is, afterall, in college now. We laughed. Honey reminded him that he might be able to find a wife someday willing to agree to that arrangement, but it certainly would not be her. He is now in charge of his own dishes and cleaning one bathroom, as well as his laundry. I think this will take a lot of tension away between the siblings, and one time-stretched mother.

I finally got caught up on the blog-reader, and though I didn't comment much, it was great to see how everyone is doing. It is so good to be up and moving again!

A Week of Strengh through Sorrows...

I've been purposely absent, as this has been a week full of emotions . Our local homeschooling community was rattled when a mother of 8 passed away due to flu complications last weekend. While I was not close with her, I knew the family well enough to know how impossible this situation is to comprehend .

Beyond my own children's deaths, there is nothing that I fear more than my untimely passing, before we are doing homeschooling and they have begun to make their way in the world. I'm sure I am not alone in this. One begins thinking about all the contingencies, the unfinished business, the wisdom yet to be shared.

It has shaken up a number of the kids as well, including my own dear girl. In her matter of fact way, she has voiced the desire to spend a great deal of time working together to help her prepare for adulthood. I saw the haunted shadow in her eyes when she said "I will never be ready to lose you, but I must be ready to stand alone."

We both woke with head colds on Tuesday, and spent the next two days in a nestled state of napping between reading or movies. We doctored ourselves with soup and hot tea by the fire. And most of all, we truly gained strength in our sorrow from each other.

Our heads are clearing, and our hearts are full of the promise that each new day holds. We are chosing joy over negativity, adventure over apathy. We are off, not to waste on minute with regret.