Free Range

As a brand new homeschooler, I read book after book on different homeschooling and general educational philosophies. I still read about teaching and learning all the time.  I love the ideas behind a classical approach, and I love Charlotte Mason.  Over time, I realize how much more important it is to decide what works best for each child and for our family than to strictly adhere to one approach or another.

So, we're pretty eclectic about how we learn.  Mostly, we read lots of books.  We also do daily lessons and practice in Math and writing.  We have texts for poetry memorization, history and science, which we follow religiously at times and very loosely at others...

Down deep in my heart, though, I'm an unschooler.  I truly believe, from my own experience as well as from observing my family, that learning happens most thoroughly and permanently when the learner is following what interests him most at the time.  I will never turn my kids loose to do whatever strikes their fancy all day long (because they're kids, you know, and they need to learn to do chores), but if they come across a topic that thrills them and stirs their spirit and creativity, by all means I let them dig deep and explore. 

I have one child in particular who thrives on 'delight-based-learning,' as I've heard it called... 

A little Friday night rainbow looming...  on their fingers.

When he is interested in something, we read every book on the subject from not only our own local branch of the library, but every book we can get our hands on from any source.  He cruises the internet (with supervision, of course), searching to fill his mind and satisfy his curiosity.  He truly does best with a free range approach. 

Silhouette of a Snowy Owl over the Northern Lights

Sometimes, convincing him to sit down for a math lesson is a struggle.  With maturity, he does better and better at cooperating.  However, I never need to worry that his mind will be idle, left to his own devices. 

A couple of well-loved books.  Aunt Sara and Uncle Phil, your gift (on the right) is already well-used, as you can see...

For example, his current passion is birds of prey.  I believe it started with his reading this series.  From there, he began searching the library for any and every book on hawks, owls, eagles, etc.  Then, he began sketching.  And sketching.  And painting.  And writing.  At times, I think the number of papers sitting around our house may drive me insane, but when I see what he's done, I take heart that a bit of creative clutter is totally worth the joy he gets from learning, thinking, creating. 

And the rest of us learn, too!  Little sister has learned to draw kestrels:

And I've heard more about different varieties and habits of these creatures in the past 3 months than I had previously gleaned from 41+ years of existence on this planet. 

Frequently used in Baby's vocabulary is the phrase 'baby owls.'  And 'hawks.'  Funny to see him toddle after big brother saying these words, clearly wanting to be part of his world.  And they do sit together reading about birds, looking at pictures. 

The other kids follow their own paths... sports, an era in history, a ballet, a particular animal...  different things at different times.  And when they decide to investigate something on their own, the learning is meaningful and it sticks. 

Like I said, we have lessons and plans for every subject, but when left to freely follow a topic of interest, it's amazing what they can do. 


And just for fun, in light of the 10-day weather forecast, here's Kid118's 'Arctic Survival Guide.'  Funny.  Hope our power stays on! 

Have a great weekend!  Stay warm! 

One Man Demolition Crew

This is my baby.  We call him 'Baby.'  But, really, he's a solid toddler now. 

It took him a while to become steady on his feet, but now that he is... watch out!

 

 

 Unlocked cabinets, open drawers, piles of books and papers are all fair game for destruction! 

He LOVES books, and generally does a pretty good job of turning pages, but the ones we really don't want destroyed are in hiding.

 He leaves a trail of whatever he can get his hands on in his wake...

 His other talents include singing (his own songs), identifying owl and hawks, and 'playing' the piano.
His newest words are 'book,' 'chips,' 'soup,' 'wook-a-dat (look at that!),' 'wazzat (what is that?),'  'hoo-see (for his sister),' 'all done,' 'baby owl,' 'football,' 'pizza' and some others I can't remember right off hand.  He recognizes the Pittsburgh Steelers emblem and says, 'football.' 

Another thing he enjoys is fighting sleep.  Just when I think he's conked out for the night, he wiggles and wiggles until he's wide awake again.  He likes to stay up until midnight or 1am sometimes.  Daddy and I would be shoo-ins for the cast of 'Walking Dead' right about now...

He's so cute, we don't mind too much, though.  Have a happy Tuesday!

50 Years

This handsome couple is my parents-in-law (parents-in-love is another term I like, but I'm sure my husband would cringe at its cheesiness). 

 On December 28, we all celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. 

They have 5 children - 5 sons - who have turned out OK.  Three are doctors, one a lawyer, and one priest.  All are steadfast in their Catholic faith. 

 They have 15 grandchildren and one granddaughter in heaven. 

Although I wasn't around to witness, I know they went through their fair share of ups and downs in the early part of their married life.  They lived around the world from family.  They both furthered their training and education in America while raising a household of active children. 

 Dad worked hard to establish a successful solo medical practice and serve his patients with dignity.  He has stood for life at all its precious stages and has swum against the tide whenever necessary to make the voice of the Church heard on various difficult issues. 

 Mom made sure her children were academically and spiritually prepared for life in their various chosen professions.  She taught them the value of putting family first and of doing their very best at every endeavor. 

 They love their grandchildren with their whole selves.  They embrace their daughters-in-law as their own. 

They are a shining light in a world where righteous living has become increasingly difficult. 

 So, we partied it up, joyfully honoring their marriage and the family they have created. 

 Family and friends gathered from India, Canada, and all over the US. 

These are my sweet parents.  They're not too far behind - 47 years! 

 We dined on Indian food...

...and ate mango ice cream.  It doesn't get much better than that!

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!  We love you and are so proud of you!! 

Frigid

This was Sunday...

 

 

And this was Monday...

And as the temperatures dropped to ridiculous lows (such as -20 degrees, -35 windchill), we moved indoors...

 to dissect owl pellets, of course!! 

And eat crackers...

 

And in one of my less intelligent moments, I took my good camera out in the snowstorm to play with my macro lens.... (snow=water=damage=duh!) 



 

My camera and all of us survived the storm and are doing fine in the extreme weather (because we have a nice warm house and no need to travel.  Daddy made it to and from work and is now home for a day.  We are grateful.)

 

Offering prayers for those who are without heat and/or shelter. 

 

Also praying for several friends and family members who are suffering.  Would you please join us?  For Mary Ellen, Joe, Gloria, Steve, Trevor... 

 

 

Thank you and stay safe, wherever you may be!!  

 

Happy Legs

Of all the important things I’ve learned from my mother, one nugget of wisdom stands apart as her signature:  layer up!  It’s a practice for keeping warm that she forced us to follow as children and to which she still religiously adheres to this day.  I have followed in her footsteps to a degree…  Although I’ll admit I sometimes find myself shivering at a football game or on a hike in the woods only to realize I should have listened to my mama.  When it comes to my kids,  I keep them in onesies under their outfits until potty training time.  After that, they’re on their own.  (just kidding – I tell them to put more clothes on, but if they choose to ignore my advice, it's the school of hard knocks.  And I’m more than happy to give them a little ‘I told you so…”)

 

Perhaps there’s good reason for my rebellion.  And here it is:

 

My mom made me wear tights.  All the time.  To church with dresses, of course, but also as an extra layer under pants.  And this was not just when we went out to play in the snow, but even to SCHOOL, if the temperatures were cold. 

 

So, what’s the big deal about that?  Well, let me tell you. 

 

These tights were sweater-like.  And itchy.  And, especially  if you were super-skinny and tall, tended to shimmy down your legs so the crotch ended up about mid-thigh and pulled your underwear down while they were at it.  

 

Pure misery.  And I have distinct memories of sitting in my second grade classroom sweltering in my tights-under-corduroys combo when the afternoon temps rose higher than expected.

 

Granted, not only did we face outdoor recess, but we also had a 1/3 mile lane to traverse when the bus dropped us off at home.  So, in theory, wearing those crazy devices of torture was a good idea. 

 

Fast forward 30 plus years and here I am with a houseful of kiddos of my own.  Two days before Christmas, I made a mad dash to Kohl’s for last-minute wardrobe pieces for the 3 dressy events we needed to attend over the holidays.  Possibly because of my traumatic childhood experiences, I’m not great about keeping necessary leg-coverings on hand. 

 

But, let me tell you, what I discovered on the racks of that store is pure genius.  A new invention.  Lives of little girls all over the country, at least the Midwest, possibly all 50 states and maybe even the world, will be forever changed. 

I found….   Fleece-lined tights.  Microfiber fleece-line tights.  They’re warm!!  They’re comfortable!!  The elastic works!!  I bought 6 pairs!! 

 

When I came home and gleefully shared my good fortune, I was initially met with eye-rolling and skepticism…  (‘they’re tights, Mom, how good can they be?’) 

 

But let me tell you, me and my sweats-loving girls have never been so happy to get dressed up and put on tight leg-coverings in our entire lives. 

 

We might even start wearing them under our jeans….

 

 

 

So Long, 2013

For some odd reason, from the very get-go of last year, I wanted to call it 2014.  While I normally make the January mistake of writing checks with the previous year in the date line, this time I tended to skip ahead.  Strange.  Well, I'm glad I stuck around for 2013.  Like every year, we had our ups and downs.  But, overall, it was good.  Very good.

Here are my top 10 'ups' of  the last 12 months:

1). Big revelations in parenting of our adopted child.  We got some outside help to deal with a few things - good decision.  With prayer, time, and the guidance of some objective professionals, we've seen improved behavior. Thanks be to God.

2)Baby.  Such a joyful child.  From his first birthday to his first steps, he is such a bright spot in the life of our family.  Oh yes, and better not forget his crazy mullet to big boy haircut transition.  Momentous.  It might be time to update his blog name....

3)ballet.  Yes, our girls are dancers and have had a busy, sometimes grueling, year of participation in their art.  There have been both rewards and disappointments, and opportunities for Grace in both.  For me, after years of longing to do so, and with the help of my dear husband to make it work, I've returned to classes myself.  My feet complain a bit, but the rest of me is super happy.

4)Sacraments.  Kid118 made his First Holy Communion in May.  His Godparents were able to make the trip.  Grandma and Pada were out of the country, so we compensated by inviting lots of friends.   What a fun and happy day.  There is not much I love more than baptisms, first confessions, first communions.  And, of course, every opportunity to return to these sacraments is a gift.  Love my Catholic faith and sharing it with my kids.

5)Two family vacations in which we thoroughly enjoyed each others' company, avoided major catastrophe (unless you count horrible traffic jams), and brought home all our phone/device chargers. Success!!

6)homeschooling.  I am grateful we are free to educate our kids at home and am praying we may continue to enjoy this basic right.  Definitely had some some struggles with cooperation (of one particular child who shall remain nameless), but we finished strong.  It always makes me laugh when parents say,' I could never homeschool because my child wouldn't listen to me.'. Well, you could work through that.  Trust me.

7)Big van.  We made the leap to a 12 seater (minus 2 seats to make room for the wheelchair).  I love having the space for extra people and extra elbow room for our own kids, especially on long trips.  We have measured major reductions in the oh-so-pleasant phrase, 'stop touching me!'

8)Friends.  We are blessed.  We have dear friends near and far who make sacrifices to keep in touch and visit.  Always a pleasure and a reminder that God cares about the relationships we have in this life.

9)Family.  Parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins, all who go out of their way to show their support for us in so many ways.  We love all of you.  We are especially grateful to have celebrated my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary with family from all over the world.

10)Ok, this might seem lame, but the back room of our basement is organized!  My mom came over and helped me - thank you, Mom! - and every time I walk into that storage area, it makes me happy.

As we move into 2014, I pray you will find joy in the big and little events of your life, and that you will know God's love even more every day, regardless of the circumstances.  Happy New Year!