Thirteen

Six months.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.


Eleven.


Twelve.




Thirteen.

Today my little girl becomes a teenager. I love everything about her. She truly fills my heart with joy. She is the person I want to be when I grow up. She's kind, encouraging, and loving—she's the kind of friend we all need. She's sweet but she's not a pushover. She does things she doesn't necessarily want to do because she knows she should; but she knows her own boundaries, for the most part, even at age 13. I truly am astounded that this person is my daughter. And very, very blessed.

Linked up with Tuesdays Unwrapped on Chatting at the Sky

Saturday Morning

Two Kid Schoolhouse says she woke up this morning without "a burden of things to do," and I feel exactly the same way. Last week we were doing hard things; this week I'm thinking that, although I have a few things to do, I don't have to be anywhere at any particular time.

I've had one cup of coffee and am about to go out for a run. A dozen girls are sleeping over at the apartment, crammed together across every inch of the floor. When they awaken, we'll have sausages and waffles (with whipped cream in the can, at the special request of the birthday girl).

Birthday shopping. Something delicious for dinner prepared by Dr. H. Anticipation of a quiet evening and maybe a Netflix movie arriving in the mail that we'll watch tonight. (What it is, I can't remember.)

There are dozens of shoulds: I should be doing lesson plans, preparing the upstairs for painting, cleaning, working in the yard. But today I'm just going to take things as they come.

What's your Saturday like? Link up at Two Kid Schoolhouse.

Weekly Wrap-Up: First Week Back

Phew. At the beginning of this week, I wasn't sure I'd make it through—not because we started school but because of taking our oldest to college. I was really in a funk but it started to clear out about Tuesday, and by Thursday I was probably pretty close to back to normal. It's so great to have texting capabilities! Definitely closes the mileage gap and eases this mother's heart.

So we began this school year on Monday, we three. Laurel is now in 8th grade and Duncan in 4th. In the morning we did our traditional measuring. Laurel grew a whopping 4 inches since last year, and Duncan grew his usual 2.5 inches. At 9 1/2, he is an inch taller than Jesse was at 10 1/2—and Jesse was not short! I'm still predicting that Duncan will be the tallest in the family, and I'm betting on 6'2". Laurel is now just an inch shorter than I am, and I think she'll end up being an inch taller than I ultimately.

We also did our annual "all about me" page. We vary this between being a book (Enchanted Learning has some great ones) and just a sheet of paper with a photo that lists things like favorite foods, activities, movies, books, as well as height and weight. I keep all these in a big box called appropriately, "The Big Box of Books." The box also includes lapbooks and various other books they've made throughout the years. Tons of fun to look through each year.

On Monday our co-op high school classes began, and that included Laurel's yearbook class at 2 p.m. She had a great time, but I was still at the "please don't ask me how I'm doing or I'll get all weepy" stage. I was glad to get back home so I could be depressed some more.

The rest of the week we added all of our subjects back in. We did spelling evaluations, a few math drills, began grammar and handwriting books, and read lots of Narnia. To get in the Narnian spirit, we made Turkish Delight (a dismal failure) and a jelly roll for afternoon tea. The jelly roll was just okay. We all thought chocolate would have made a better filling.

This year for science we're going through a book called Focus on Scientists. It has biographies of dozens of different scientists in various fields and includes a couple of pages of experiments or other activities to go along with each one. My plan is that I will do the introductory lesson with the kids, and either my Dad or Randy, who are both biologists, will do the follow up experiments/activities with them.


On Wednesday the kids and I went down to my parents' house, and Dad and the kids took apart a couple of old watches and discussed gears and other things. We had read about Benjamin Banneker, an African American mathematician and astronomer. In the mid 1700s, Banneker constructed a working clock without ever having seen a clock.

I'm not sure what we'll be doing for art this year. I just haven't found the perfect thing, although last year I used Focus on Artists for awhile (until it was due at the library) and really liked it. I may have to break down and purchase that.

All in all, it was an excellent first week, in spite of my melancholy. Jesse is doing great at college. One thing that really strikes me is how absolutely delighted he is with his classes. He loves learning, and for me, that was a huge reason to homeschool: to foster a love of learning.

And so we continue.

Linked up at the Weekly Wrap-up at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers

A Day in the Life

If you're feeling stressed out because you're reading all kinds of amazing schedules at the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter, you've come to the right place. You can relax here or probably feel better about yourself because you'll be thinking, "Wow! Even I have more time slots than this lady does!" I am, in general, a member of the relaxed schooling society. At least for K-8th. And so…

(What you are about to read may or may not have ever happened.)

(Translated: every day is different.)

10 a.m.: Everyone is dressed and breakfasted. Some of us have exercised and had a second breakfast. We (here are my students) leave our house and take two steps out our back door to go into our apartment/schoolroom. (Here is where we do school.)

10-noon: The goal is always to do the harder stuff first thing in the morning, so we try to do math right away. If we don't do math first, we all regret it.
After math, we do grammar, writing, history and/or literature. We've always been avid Sonlight users (and will continue to be after this year), but this year, we're all about Narnia. Or we might do something like make a jelly roll for tea time later (we did that today), or go to my parents' house for a science lesson, like we did yesterday.

(That's my Dad teaching the kids all he knows about how a watch works. Mom had two old wind-up watches that the kids took apart and examined with a magnifying glass.)

noon-1 p.m.: Lunch. Or if I'm really hungry, we'll eat from 11:30-12:30. It's not good to have a grumpy Mom. Kids are allowed to have 30 minutes of tech time during lunch (no TV).

1-2:30 or something like that: we do all our other stuff. This includes anything we didn't finish in the morning, and anything I'm forgetting to mention above, like spelling, science, creative writing, art, etc. We also have "sustained private reading" during this time for about 20 minutes.

So that's a "normal" day, which would include Wednesdays and Fridays. On Mondays we have all-day co-op classes, and on Tuesdays, Laurel has dance and drama classes at another co-op in the afternoon. Duncan has his very own Oma and Opa (grandparents) time on that afternoon. On 2nd and 4th Thursdays, we have American Heritage Girls and Cub Scouts. On the 1st Thursday, we'll be going to the planetarium.

We're flexible and casual, but learning happens all the time around here, whether structured or unstructured. We get all the "biggies" done every day and add in the rest when we can. Or sometimes we ignore all the biggies and just do the rest. Next year I'll start another one in high school and we'll have to move things up a few notches; but for now, we're enjoying the luxury of a relaxed childhood.

Linked up on the Not-Back-to-School Blog Hop at Heart of the Matter

Wordless Wednesday: My Parents' Yard

Green fingers are the extension of a verdant heart.
~Russell Page

By the end of August, my own vegetable garden is nearly completely taken over by weeds. My flowers are still surviving (but not exactly thriving) for the most part, except a few pots that died in the endless string of 90+ degree days.

Yet just two blocks away, my parents' yard continues to flourish. Their vegetable garden is overflowing. They toss seeds in the ground which seems to turn into 6 inch flowers the next day. My father is currently cultivating roses and has a dozen or more thriving new ones from just one rose plant. The fence is lined on both sides with rows of sunflowers, roses, lilies, impatiens, marigolds, cosmos, 4 o'clocks, apple trees, and more. The peach tree is heavy with fruit.

I know. Right now my real garden consists of my own little family. But I sure am determined to someday have a late summer yard full of growing things.

Linked to Outdoor Wednesday, Wordless Wednesday, and Seven Clown Circus

Doing Hard Things

We took him to college this past weekend. It's funny, being behind your teenager as he drives. One of his best friends went with him. Good thing, too. It was early in the morning and I'm sure the conversation kept him awake.



I'm so happy for where he is. The campus is reminds me of my own college, so pretty. It seems small although with 5,000 students, it is much bigger than my college.



We got him all set up in his room. I like knowing where he's going to sleep, where he'll brush his teeth, where his sock drawer is. We found the laundry room and were happy to see explicit directions on each washer about how the washers work. We met his roommate and his RA, and both seemed easy to get along with.


We toured the campus again, went to the bookstore a few times, had lunch, drove to Staples. But eventually we had to leave. Really had to. I was strong for most of the day (that you to many friends who were praying!), but as the reality started to creep back in, I really had to leave before I totally melted down.

{Are we really old enough to have a child in college? Why did we let our son do high school in three years? Who sends their 17-year-old off to college, anyway? Will he make any friends? Will he eat? Will he get up in time for his 8 a.m. class? Will he brush his teeth? Will I crumble up and die of heartache?}

Yes, I am wearing sunglasses in the photo because I am weeping. We are all trying to hold ourselves together. And then we left quickly after the last hug, because you have to walk away.

Three days later. This is the first morning I've awakened without my stomach in knots. I think I might not weep today. It's the little things that get me teary. Making 8 cups of coffee instead of 10. Accidentally calling one if his siblings his name. Not having to worry about backing into his car when I pull out of the driveway. Seeing his other best friend, who is still in high school, at Boy Scouts. Seeing his stuffed lionfish in his room, his old pal Vinny. Folding a shirt that got left behind in the laundry. Starting back to school in our home with two students instead of three.

It's all good—it really is. He's exactly where he should be, and we all know from the moment they are born that this time will come eventually, right?

Texting and cell phones make the process easier. He is eating. He has found people to hang out with at least for now. He found the gym and ran on the treadmill ("You ran on the treadmill? You've never done that before!" ""Um, we don't have a treadmill at home." Oh yeah.) So far he's made it to most of the orientation events, and classes actually start tomorrow.

I had to ask: "Are you homesick?"
"No," he replied. "Sorry!"

That's exactly the answer I needed.

Linked up with Tuesdays Unwrapped on Chatting at the Sky

Monday Memory: To College

We took our oldest son to college this past weekend (an event that will have its own blog post, as soon as I can do that without weeping), and of course Dr. H. and I got to talking about our own first weekend in college. He remembers his parents bringing him to college, but I don't think it ever crossed our minds that my parents would bring me to college. My 4th brother was a junior in the same college my freshman year, and my 3rd brother and his wife were dorm parents at the college (not in my dorm). I guess I had enough surrogate parents to suffice.

Apparently we did, however, take my 2nd brother to college. I remember this very vaguely. I must have been 5, Stephen 7, and Peter 14 when John began his freshman year. I'm not sure why my grandparents were there with us. What kinds of things were going on in our family then? Stephen and I were so little. We were perhaps still after-thoughts in this already formed family. Maybe they were all still getting used to us being around. And looking at this picture, I realized that my Granddad must have died just a few months after this, or at least within a year.

The stories behind the pictures. That's one of the main reasons that I blog—so that my kids will know, to some extent, the stories behind the photos. And so that I'll remember these slices of life.

Do you have a Monday Memory? Leave a comment so I can check it out!

Soul-Full

I can't remember the first time we ever took Jesse camping, but he was just a little guy, maybe even a baby. When we lived in Iowa, we weren't exactly avid campers because, well, it's strange to sleep by a cornfield. Children of the Corn and all that. But in the past 10 years we've camped far too many times to count. So camping was the perfect way to spend our last weekend with our son before he goes to college.


Yes, he's texting while we camp. Don't judge us; you'll allow it, too, when you have a 17-year-old. We camped with about 15 other families for our annual Scouting Family Camp. I think he's texting his not-girlfriend (she's not allowed to date, so they're not-dating), wondering how long until she arrived.

This was a new find for us on this trip: Starbucks instant coffee. Um, yum! It was actually fantastic coffee! One of the downfalls of camping has now been eliminated for us. If we can figure out how to eliminate chiggars, life would be grand.

Duncan spent 98% of his time riding his bike and playing with his 15 or so buddies who were there. We really didn't see him except for meals and bed.

Laurel nearly finished her outdoor cooking and camping badges. She's getting ready to make pancakes here.

Camping is just plain good for the soul. I can't think of a better way to spend a few of the last days with our family before our first one flies away.

Linked up at Just for the Joy of It

Wordless Wednesday: Argiope

"They might bite if grabbed, but other than for defense they have no interest in biting humans."

That is reassuring, but man, those argiope spiders are big! We usually have one or two big ones that hang out for quite a long time in late summer. For me, they are a sign that fall is on its way. And just to confirm that, we are due to have our first day in two months that is under 90 degrees!

Linked to Wordless Wednesday, Five Minutes for Mom, and Outdoor Wednesday

My Students

Because this one…

who was homeschooled since second grade, is just days away from leaving the nest (wanna get weepy? read this), I am left with these two beautiful, amazing creations:

Duncan, our youngest, will be in 4th grade or thereabouts. At nine, he's taller than most of his 11-year-old friends. I am thinking he'll skip a grade eventually. But for now, he is all about Legos, video games (let's be honest), riding his bike, Cub Scouts, hiking, his grandparents, his family, and eating. He's an easy student, smart and mostly cooperative. I adore him.

And this beauty is my 8th-grade daughter. She takes my breath away, just as she has since the moment she was born. She is kind, generous, big-hearted, compassionate, and very funny. She is a wonderful friend to me and her many girlfriends, and I cherish each day with her. She's also well on her way to being a great cook. She is smart and a quick student, always precise in her work without being a perfectionist. I'm crazy about her.

This year, we're spending our days in Narnia. Because who wouldn't want to?

Linked up at the Not-Back-to-School-Hop at Heart of the Matter.