School Plans: Chronicles of Narnia

I'm so excited about the upcoming school year. For the entire 10 years we've been homeschooling, I've used, at least to some degree, Sonlight. I love Sonlight. I love everything about it. Before I knew about Sonlight, I was going to write my own curriculum exactly like this—rich in excellent literature and full of history.

But we all need a break, especially after studying American History for three years. I never intended to spend so much time on American History, but I also didn't want to rush it. I used a combination of Sonlight and various supplements, resulting in Year 1 and Year 2 and, not yet posted, Year 3.

So starting in mid-August (which my Yankee self still balks at), we'll be embarking on a year of Narnia. I know! I'm so bold! My friends gasp when I tell them we aren't doing any history. But really, in the whole scheme of things, what is a year without studying dates and events, reading biographies, or sticking pins in maps? I feel quite confident that my kids aren't going to become academic rejects because they spent a year in a fantasy world. On the contrary, I think this year away will give them a chance to delight in a world with talking animals, Marshwiggles, and Dufflepuds.

We've read the books to them before when they were younger, and Duncan has listened to them all on audiotapes, but this year we'll spend about a month on each book. I actually bought Further Up and Further In, a whole year's unit study, many years ago. I'll be using that as well as various other sources that I find on the internet and in my own head. Of course we'll continue with all our other "regular" school: language arts, science, math, etc. But our "history" and literature will be largely Narnian. I also plan to add in The Princess and the Goblin and The Princess and Curdie, my two favorite George MacDonald books. I was happy to see that movie The Voyage of the Dawn Treader will be coming out in December, corresponding nicely with our reading schedule. And in case you were wondering, we are reading the books in the order in which Lewis wrote them. I'm a purist like that.

You know what else is exciting? My set from my childhood—just like the one in the picture— is so worn out, with so many missing pages, that we'll have to get a new one. I just hope I can find one that has The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as #1.

I can hardly wait to start writing out my lessons. But first I have to finish reading essays from the co-op class that I taught. Lesson planning is my reward. That's not warped, is it?

The Toilet

Yes, that is a toilet by my front door. All those hundreds of commuters driving by our house each day will surely be waiting for us to fill it with a pot of red geraniums. But you know what? I'm really happy that toilet is out there, because that means Dr. H. and his wonderful brother are making progress. Greg drove up this week just to help us take out our rotten bathroom floor (literally rotten) and put in a new one.

That Dr. H., who is so wonderful in every single way? He's not really very handy, although he's learning. But his brother is insanely skilled, and he has tools. Lots of them. He even knows how to take out a toilet and stuff the hole with newspaper so we don't inhale sewer gas. (I'm pretty sure that's how he explained it.)

I don't mind that I have to use the nasty upstairs toilet or brush my teeth in the kitchen sink or that there is a toilet in my front yard. In just a few days, I'll have a new bathroom floor, one that doesn't have black mold creeping across it. And that's a really, really good thing.

Linked up with Tuesdays Unwrapped on Chatting at the Sky, Wordless Wednesday, and 5 Minutes for Mom

True Confessions: In the Yard

I feel the need to come clean. Everyone is always commenting on my beautiful yard. You know, the one I show in photos on my blog, like here and here and here.


Wouldn't you just love to come sit on this bench and sip some pink lemonade with me? Or some good southern sweet tea?

So here's the thing: first of all, the only pink lemonade we have around here is the kind that comes from a little packet labeled "Kool-Aid." And I don't really know how to make sweet tea. I was raised in New York, remember?

And this pretty bench area is right out in the middle of an incredibly hot patch of the yard. I just cropped the rest of it out. If you look closely, you can see poison ivy peeping out from under the mulch and mosquitoes hanging in dense clouds.

While you're sitting on the bench, sipping Kool-Aid, you can look off to your right and see the garden in all its summer glory:


Or you can turn you head to the left and see our pretty little shed that we were once going to make into a playhouse:


If you're tired of slapping mosquitoes off your legs, you can walk around to the ivy-covered woods in back. One of the things that attracted us to this house 10 years ago was all the pretty dogwoods and the English ivy, which gave the house a nice cottage-ish look:




Come around to the side of the house (watch out for those huge mole holes and the dog poop!), where you'll see the jasmine-covered arch, which is so lovely in the spring. This used to be a jungle of blackberry brambles, but we cleared it out one year. Like maybe eight years ago or so. I think there's a bench in there that you can sit on if you can find it:


From there you can see the side of the house there, the one that faces our retired neighbors who mow twice each week (with a very big riding mower) and use that thing called a "weed-eater" and even a "leaf blower" more than once a year. They have told us many times how much they enjoy this view of our house:


And from there you can come around to the front, where hundreds of commuters pass every day and admire our Curb Appeal:


So please, don't be so hard on yourselves about your own floundering flowerbeds. Because what you just saw, my friends, is the reality of In the Yard at SmallWorld. And why I will continue to crop out the thorns and focus on this:

Linked up on Outdoor Wednesday at a Southern Daydreamer

Summer Things to Do

For the past few weeks, the kids have had all kinds of activities to do: camp, VBS, a friend here each day. But starting next week, our days are blissfully blank for the most part. Since my youngest kids are 9 and 12, I have a tendency to let them do their own thing. The problem is that long, leisurely, empty days of summer with limited tech time lead to, "I don't know what to do." I find that it's good to be intentional about activities, even at this age.

So on our list of Things to Do:

1. Swim. We've been getting a pass to our local public pools for the past several years, and it is soooo worth it. I know some people are grossed out by the thought of public pools, but, well, I'm not. We have great pools, even if occasionally they have to close one because some kid pooped in it. Whatever.

2. Hike. We have a goal of heading to the mountains to hike and play in the river a couple of times each month. I'd like to say "weekly," but somehow that just doesn't always happen.

3. Arts & Crafts projects. I used to be so good about having all kinds of supplies and coming up with cool projects. I've slipped. My goal this summer is to have them each make a couple of Christmas presents for family.

4. Random science experiments. Duncan especially loves this. I have all kinds of experiment books and lots of supplies. Sometimes I just let him spread out the stuff, which might include everything from cotton balls to circuit systems, and let him do his own thing. Also, he loves to just mix stuff up: baking soda and vinegar, plus food coloring, dish soap, etc. Here’s a fun one: cover the bottom of a pie plate (preferably glass) with milk or cream (doesn’t work as well with skim milk). Put in a few drops of food coloring. Now, very carefully, add a few drops of dish detergent –and watch the kaleidoscope

5. Army guy/dinosaur rescue. Fill a plastic cup (preferably clear) with water, and drop in an army guy or other small plastic toy. Freeze until solid. Send the kids outside with a chisel or paint scraper (or other such tool) and let them chisel out the army guy. Duncan does this with a hammer and it only takes him a few minutes now, but when he was younger this would occupy a good 15 minutes.

6. Marshghettis: Give them a bunch of uncooked spaghetti (regular works better than thin) and mini-marshmallows and challenge them to build a bridge, an animal, a building, etc. They’ll get carried away with this one. You’ll even be able to write a blog, read a book, or—if you must—prepare dinner while they create. Also serves as snack time.

7. Games. Board games, card games, whatever. Inserting a game into the middle of the day breaks up the monotony. It doesn’t have to be a 2-hour game of Monopoly; even a 10-minute game of Crazy 8s somehow lightens up the Blahs. See my post on games for a few of our favorites.

8. Field Trips. It's hard to think of good places to go in the summer. My kids are a little too old for children's science centers, the zoo is too hot, museums seem too school-ish to them. I'm open to brilliant ideas for field trips!

9. Cleaning and organizing. I know that's weird, but my kids actually like to do this to a certain degree. This summer I've also engaged my 12-year-old in painting; in fact, she is painting our guest bathroom right now! I also have a plan to encourage them to find stuff to sell at an upcoming yard sale. Even Duncan enjoys doing this and thinking about the money he'll get.

10. Sewing: This one is for my 12-year-old. I have all kinds of project possibilities for her. She has a quilt to finish and then various fun things we've seen online to make.

11. Jewelry-making: Again, this is for my 12-year old. We haven't gotten into making earrings yet, but it's on our list of things-to-do.


Got any more ideas? Please share!

Linked up at Kelly's Korner

Three Beautiful Things: Exercise, VBS, A/C

1. Exercising with friends. The past few weeks, I've been walking/running (couch to 5K program) with a group of friends 2-3 mornings each week. I've always been a solo exerciser, but doing this with other moms adds a whole new dimension! I love it so much that I even agreed when the group decided to move our meeting time from 9:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. to avoid the heat. Getting out and about at 8 a.m. is stretching things for me, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

Duncan at VBS. Thanks, Donna!

2. VBS. I love VBS week at church. I love it even more this year because I got the first three nights off! The first two nights, Dr. H. and I went to my parents' house to play cards—uninterrupted. One night Randy and I went out to dinner and then for ice-cream all by ourselves. Bliss. I am helping out the last couple of evenings at VBS, but that's pretty fun, too.

3. Air conditioning. And water. We've been in the mid-90s for about 2 weeks now. We are so blessed to be able to have a comfortable house and plenty of water to drink. Most of the world struggles to stay cool and hydrated; we live in unfathomable luxury.

What beautiful things are in your world today?

Linked up at Just for the Joy of It at Good, True & Beautiful

Wordless Wednesday: Bee Balm

"Bee Balm leaves and flowers and stems are used in alternative medicine as an antiseptic, carminative, diaphoretic, diuretic and stimulant. An infusion is medicinal used internally in the treatment of colds, catarrh, headaches, and gastric disorders, to reduce low fevers and soothe sore throat, to relieve flatulence, nausea, menstrual pain, and insomnia. Steam inhalation of the plant can be used for sore throats, and bronchial catarrh (inflammation of the mucus membrane, causing an increased flow of mucus). Externally, it is a medicinal application for skin eruptions and infections."

Wow! I was just so excited that, after being planted three years ago, it finally flowered this year! The weird thing is that it was red when I planted it the first year. My botanists have nothing to say about that.

Linked to Wordless Wednesday, Seven Clown Circus, and Five Minutes for Mom.

Early Mornings

Lately I've been getting up ridiculously early for me. I'm really a 7:15 a.m. person; but for the past week, I've been waking up at 6:20 on the dot. No alarm clock, of course. No early morning children, barking dog, or meowing cats. I just wake up.

It wasn't too long ago that I thought waking up at 7:15 was ridiculous, and yet I couldn't seem to sleep in any longer. It's hard to believe that I used to (many, many years ago) sleep in until 10 or 9 or even 8 a.m. I can even remember summer mornings as a teenager, waking up to the sound of motorboats and waves lapping the shore and the smell of lunch cooking at 11:30 a.m.

But I don't miss those days because mornings are so perfect. I love to have an hour or two all to myself. I love to smell the morning and to watch the sunrise over the flowerbeds and the mountains come into focus. I meet a group of friends at 8 a.m. two-three mornings each week for a run, and we're all back to our homes by 9:00. Other mornings I accomplish all kinds of virtual paperwork and even have leisurely time to read blogs and even comment.

Who would have imagined, all those years ago, that the mornings hold such joy?

Linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped on Chatting at the Sky and Outdoor Wednesday at Southern Daydreamer

Monday Memory: Little Sister, Little Brother

We have a screensaver on our kitchen computer that is a continuous slideshow of our life. Photos of the kids, friends, and family flash across the screen. Duncan is particularly fascinated with the old photos. He'll sit in the computer chair and comment on every one that passes by: "Aww, that's baby me." "Aww, look at that giant snowman that we made."

This one popped up today as I was getting breakfast ready for him, and we cracked up at his haircut. I can distinctly remember butchering his hair like that, and having to admit to someone at church, when she asked, "Did big sister give you a hair cut?" that um, no, it was his Mama. Hair cutting has never been one of my talents.

I love Laurel's hair in braids like that. She didn't let me "do" her hair very often. And that little nightie that she's wearing! When she started wearing that it came to her ankles, and I believe she wore that until it came up to mid-thigh years later.

But what I really love is the looks on both their faces. She loved being a big sister to a baby brother, and he adored her. Now at nearly 13 and 9.5, they get along really very well for the most part. Every now and then Laurel will even play Legos with Duncan. But mostly they do their own thing, Laurel entering into the world of teen interests and Duncan still thoroughly immersed in boyhood.

Take a journey through some of your pictures and see what memories you'll find there. If you write a Monday Memory post, please leave me a comment so I can visit!

Show Us Your Life: Engagement Story

You can't really start here. You have to start here, with Our Love Story.

The engagement itself wasn't what he had planned. He planned to hike the Appalachian Trail, and at the very end—Mt. Katahdin in Maine—he was going to have me meet him there, and he would propose at the summit.

Except we didn't really want to wait that long. It takes 5 months to hike the AT at least, and you can't start until about April, and well, we didn't really want to wait that long.

We had already decided to get married. We had already decided that that evening, he would ask my Dad. For him the story is much more dramatic because all I had to do is sit at home with my Mom, reading a book or something. He was out "playing tennis" with my Dad, nervously awaiting the moment when he'd ask this man if he could marry his only daughter, his baby girl, the one with 4 older brothers.

He asked. My Dad said yes. They came home from playing tennis.

And then I was surprised. Because we'd already agreed that we wouldn't have an engagement ring. We already each had an engagement earring (yes, we did; he still wears his), so who needs a ring? Plus, we were flat broke and thought furniture would be better to have than a ring.

But he had bought me one anyway, the sneak. And he gave it to me right there at the dining room table in my parents' house, and I said yes, too, of course.

And that engagement day was nearly 22 years ago, in a house that is no longer in our family, on a cool September evening in upstate New York. And our oldest son is nearly the age that we were when we met, and people swear he looks just like his Dad. I'm just glad he acts like him, because that's a good kind of person to be.

What's your story?

Linked up to Show Us Your Life at Kelly's Korner

I Wasn't Listening…

So every now and then my 17-year-old and I will have some kind of discussion that goes something like this:
Me: So why didn't you tell me about…
Him: I did tell you! You were standing right there when we were talking about it!
Me: Um, but I wasn't really listening to you.

Or
Me: Wait, you did what?
Him: But you knew we were! I told you in the kitchen, remember? You were right there!
Me: Um, just because I was standing there and looking at you, that doesn't mean I was really absorbing what you were saying.

Yes. That is a problem. He thinks I am listening to every conversation that he and his friends have; the reality is that I have the ability to completely tune them out.

And here is why. Because he used to be a nine-year-old boy who had conversations like his brother had with a friend on the way home from camp today:

N: I'm bored. Bored bored bored bored bored.
D: Me too. We're bored, we're bored.
[Both begin singing in falsetto.}
D: I farted with my eye.
N: I farted with my eyebrow.
D: I farted with my ear.
N: I farted with my bottom, which is where you really fart.
D: I farted from my belly button.
N: I'm the super fart! I'm the super hero of farts!
[This line of talk continued for 5 minutes. I timed it, and then I tuned out. When I tuned back in, I heard…]
D: My fingers are a super Ninja.
N: Hey! I invented that! I invented the finger thing!
D: Yeah, so he doing splits now and he is like [arp…chchchch…arp]
N: Yeah, and then he is like [whaHEE--arp--ch-ch-arp]
D: Yeah, and then his head was like split open on the floor…
N: Yeah, and like his legs just like fell off…
D: Yeah, and then he was like [ARP--CH CH CH]
[And so this scene continued until we were back to…]
N: Let's slap fight.
D: Yeah [slap slap slap]
N: yeah
D: Yeah!

Is it really any wonder that I am trained to tune out conversations between boys? I mean, really, "I am super fart?" and "I can fart out my eyeballs?"

Please don't judge me for not listening. You drove me to it.