Roadtrip

1 Reply

roadtripI am headed out to Rockport, MA with another homeschooling mama – 2 moms, 7 kids – sounds like a reality show! It is justajewelrygirl.com‘s hometown and she knows all the ins and outs. It will be cool to be a ‘local’ on vacation.

I’ve never tackled 5-6 hours of road time alone, so that will be a notch in my belt. I am also leaving Ethan and Dennis behind. Yesterday, Ethan asked if I was taking ‘the guys’ (Gavin & Mikey) on a trip. Yes. Sean too? Yes. Why? I told him some of the things we hope to do. I was wondering if he was a bit disappointed. He asked if he was staying home with Dennis. Yes.

“Yeah!!! Stay home, watch movies, eat wings!!” Probably. Guess he approves of the plan.

I like a vicarious roadtrip, and I hope you do too. Tune in for beautiful pictures of Rockport, especially of Motif #1. Bye-bye NJ. I don’t do this often enough.

Watch and Learn

2 Replies

When Gavin was 4, I picked him up from a children’s program and was met by ladies who were ranting about how smart he was and what a great job I was doing of homeschooling him. They explained how he had explained to the other children what photosynthesis was and how it worked. They were so impressed. ‘Keep up the good work’ they told me.

When we were safely in the car with the windows rolled up tight, I asked Gavin where he had learned these facts. Spongebob, he replied. Way to keep me humble.

I have noticed time and time again, that my kids know lots of facts and concepts that I have not presented to them in any formal manner. I love when Mikey relates something he’s experiencing, to something he has watched. He recently knew that the same force that kept the coin rolling and ‘sticking’ to the side of the cylindrical tube he donated it into was the same force that kept the motorcycle in the ‘circle of death’ up on the wall – centra, centro – centrifugal!! I don’t think that would ‘stick’ if he had not seen it in action.

Here are action and fact-packed shows to pack some science, physics, engineering, and other good stuff into their noggins.

Mythbusters 

Outrageous Acts of Science

Destroy, Build, Destroy

The Big Brain Theory

Brain Games

Make Me Superhuman

How Stuff Works

How It’s Made

We often watch a series for a while, and often all together as a family. It makes for good conversation and a nice shared experience.

Watch and learn, kids! Life is too short to watch boring stuff :)

Motherhood

2 Replies

Motherhood is a ruler. It’s a test. It’s a way of bringing to the surface fierceness that you did not know you possessed. It’s knowing that although your world was toppled by the news that your newborn has Down syndrome, you will rise above the sadness, doubt and fear into a confident, determined and even joyful mother. It is knowing that you will do everything for that child that he needs to grow into all he is meant to be. Motherhood lets you see all that child ‘can do’, not what he ‘can’t do’.

Motherhood lets you embrace the challenge of being charged with a child who will need more of you than you even knew existed at the age of 22. It is what gives credence to the voice that extolls the virtues of a child who is deemed less-than-perfect by the world – but created perfectly by God.

Motherhood is a whisper, a tiny voice that tells you that another baby is what you need. It is what prompts you to conceive a life within you, knowing that aches and pains, and all other manner of physical adversity will lead you to a flannel blanket-wrapped prize at the end.

Motherhood is what allows you to take a child, born to another woman, and make him your own. Motherhood doesn’t see skin color, or fear ‘birth history’, or medical issues. It allows a child that did not grow in your body, to grow in your heart. Motherhood is what makes it possible to choose your family.

Motherhood is what lets you see the ‘good’ when it’s hard and helps you find the silver lining. It is superhuman strength that laughs in the face of sleep deprivation and insists that a walk to the park is the cure for all that ails you.

Motherhood is what causes you to question the food you put on your table, what products you clean your house with, and how much life insurance really is enough.  

It’s a journey. It’s a mission. It is a gift from our creator.

I will leave four men behind on this planet, someday. They will have been raised by my hand and my heart. What I teach them and give them will live on. They, in turn, will do the same.

Motherhood is eternal. 

Weekends

Leave a reply

Weekends are full of unique opportunities aimed at kids – because most kids are out of school! Although the boys participate in roller hockey at Greenbrook Hockey Club, the commitment is so manageable (you should come check it out). Weekends also give us blocks of time, extra playmates and none of the weekday commitments.  It is a good opportunity to have individual time with separate kids, as I have Dennis around. I take full advantage of weekends to bring more information, experiences and fun to my family. Check out sites like this, this and this to get some good ideas.

DSC04115 (1) DSC04125 (1)Paper-making with cousins – who knew THAT’s what my new Vitamix would be used for!

DSC04128 (1)

Cousins – as engineering partners.

DSC04089 DSC04093Gavin at “Rutger’s Day”. If you missed it – put it on your calendar for next April – there is something for everyone and is a great way to introduce your kids to a state college.

Weekends. Use them wisely and funly (I know, I know…) Now excuse me, I have plans to make.

 

 

Mikey & Carrot

1 Reply

DSC04201

This is the best picture I could get without disturbing them. There were so many more poignant shots – but I guess they will just have to remain in my mind for posterity.

Mikey calls him ‘Carrot’ and they play basketball in the street. It started last summer when the man came from China to visit his family that lives across the street from us. It started with ‘ball’ and ‘net’ and ‘bounce’. This man knows virtually no English – but with gestures and the words ‘English, please’ – Mikey has become a little tutor.

Mikey has a true gift with people. He has no reservations and no pretenses. He can talk to anyone, anywhere with sincerity that has brought tears to my eyes many times. He is extremely kind-hearted and holds no one in more esteem than another. He can speak with an elderly man as easily as a small child. He is never at a loss for words and can quickly find common ground with anyone. I have seen him squeeze himself onto a couch in an assisted living facility and chat up a group of ladies while Gavin and I struggled to make small talk. He once started a conversation with a man in a thrift store only to find out that the man’s son was a soldier in Afghanistan. When the man asked Mikey if he would remember to pray for his son – Mikey offered to do it right there and then, with the man, in the store. Like I said – no reservations.

During their basketball game tonight Mikey yelled ‘That’s good!’ It was repeated many times by his student until they were both satisfied that it was correct. Mikey and ‘Carrot’ soon settled down into the grass cross-legged for some more intense direction – ‘shirt’, ‘shorts’, ‘jacket’ and ‘sneakers’ were all identified. It was followed by a game of “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”.

Mikey informed me that now that the weather is nice and we are all outside again, and they can get back to it, he is going to teach his friend English. He said ‘He asked me, so I have to.’ Of course you do, Mike. Teach away.

Thank You Weather

Leave a reply

A sunny day, an outside venue and plenty to learn – ah! The days I love are slowly creeping back into our schedule.

The boys had the chance last week to spend some time in the park with Dan from Return to Nature.  He is a passionate, knowledgeable guy who shares valuable information about the world we live in. He carefully taught the children in the class how to identify plants such as Spring Beauty, Dandelion, Burdock, Violets, Chickweed and Onion Grass – and then how to eat them!

DSC04012 (1)DSC04010 (1)He explained why these wild edibles are good for your body and he connects the kids to nature in a very special way. I don’t know if my kids will ever be in a situation where they need or want to eat from our lawn, but I like that they understand that the earth really does produce what we need. Dan has a great energy about him that radiates to the children who swarm around him like bees. A class with Dan opens kids’ minds to the possibilities nature generously offers us.

Later in the week we made our way to Branch Brook Park in Newark, NJ. The park boasts the largest collection of flowering Japanese Cherry Blossoms Trees in any one location in the whole United States and was the first county park in the country opened for public use – Go NJ! The park was designed by Frederick L. Olmsted, whom my kids are now familiar with due to visits to several of his parks. It was a time-sensitive endeavor, as I knew the blossoms were already in full bloom.

DSC04044DSC04033DSC04061 DSC04034DSC04031We brought scooters and a skateboard and there is plenty to do in the park. There is a newly installed “Smartphone” Tour that gave us lots of info about the park at certain points of interest using QR codes on posted signs.

DSC04019Something that completely fascinated the boys was a very intense game of Bocce. We used my phone to look up the rules and origins and found it interesting what an intense game these first-generation, Italian men were running – complete with Italian swearing and the men talking ‘old man’ smack!

DSC04022DSC04026We read great books and watch cool shows, we write and we do math. But I know that the things the boys see, touch, smell, hear and experience is what pulls it all together, gives them context and solidifies concepts about the world in which we live. I love when they say, “Oh, you mean like that thing we saw or that place we went?”

Yep, just like that.

Rescuing Gabby

1 Reply

Last week, we met the cutest little cat at the Plainfield Area Humane Society. She was the cat that reached her paw through the bars to grab at the boys’ clothing. She brushed herself up against the bars of her cage as a request for scratching and petting. I have always been partial to gray cats and tabby’s are positively quintessential. Her markings are super-cool, part stipey-tiger and part spotty-leopard.

DSC03964 (1)It was noted by the staff at the shelter that she had a funny little grunt or wheeze that she occasionally made. We heard it too. They also mentioned that she had been treated for an upper respiratory infection, but that didn’t register as a problem to me. As the story goes, once we got home, whatever ‘bug’ that Gabby had contracted was getting the better of her. By Saturday night I had a cat that was snorting and breathing so heavily that she was keeping us up and making me VERY nervous.

I began to panic (what?!) that there was something really wrong with her and maybe we had made a bad decision. She was keeping me up at night and I don’t really take too kindly to kids that do that – and a cat, well, that’s just crossing some sort of line. I became concerned that we were going to start spending a ton of money on curing whatever it was ailing her and I could not believe we were at this point in under a week!

I was comforted by another homeschool mom and animal lover that she often has ‘buyers remorse’ shortly after adding a new pet to her family and any concerns quickly abate if I would just be patient and relax – and at least try to treat what was ailing the poor kitty. She was already winning us all over with her adorable antics, and extremely affectionate nature. Too late to turn around, right?!

DSC04076 (1)After a couple of phone calls and an email to the shelter, we were graciously offered treatment by Dr. Loomis at the Westfield Animal Hospital, as he had seen her before. I can really recommend him as a compassionate and competent vet. He was generous financially with his services due to the fact that she was a recently rescued shelter pet. He has put me at ease that the issue Gabby is having is probably the result of a bacteria in her sinuses. Probably. Oh, how I am hoping that it is!

So Gabby is here, knocking over stacks of library books, batting legos and matchbox cars across the wood floors at 2 a.m., snorting loud enough to wake me up, climbing in and out of the dishwasher and basking in the sun. And I am here giving a cat nose drops and antibiotics and procuring her apps for our iPad. What a difference a week makes :)