Well, some of us are. Levi’s been working solid days on his school work. Leif, however, slips away whenever possible. At least he leaves me updates on his whiteboard that he is supposed to be using for math…
I hate those projects that start with a mess and make a bigger mess.
We’re hoping to get our house and shop painted. Which means that all the junk on the porches (remember I said they were dumps?) and even more junk all around the shop needed to be dealt with so that Russ could pressure-wash everything. The reasonable thing was to dump it all in the front lawn and driveway. Um, ugh.
It was a long weekend, and Russ has been burning (like usual) both ends of the candle.
But we’ve got it mostly taken care of. The exterior of the house is clean, at least. And the lawn is free of debris. That’s something.
Now to clean the inside of my house so I’m not terribly embarrassed when 8 women (we’re missing more than half the group this month) arrive this evening to discuss Hamlet.
[I love my people. We’re spending 10 months (two per act) on Hamlet. For each act, we will be practicing one of Aristotle’s topics of invention (definition, comparison, relationship, circumstance, and testimony) as well as reading aloud within the group. Fun. Stuff.]
Tomorrow was scheduled to be Levi’s first day of Classical Conversations Challenge A (and it would have been a short week due to the holiday), but we were given a reprieve due to the tutor being ill. He’ll start next week, but we’ll continue with some of his work (math and geography in particular) so that we have some breathing room.
This gives us a few more days of prep and fun before the school excitement begins. (Whew! I wasn’t quite ready, and Russ has a few days off this week!)
So now… Levi starts CC Challenge A and Luke and Leif start their 5th year of CC Foundations (and 2nd year of Essentials for Luke) all on the 8th. I might be able to swing Book Detectives that week. We also have our charter school event on that Friday.
Swim team practice for all three starts the following week (on the 16th).
[We have options for weekend activities on the 13th and 20th, and I have my book clubs on the 18th and 25th.]
Choir and AWANA starts the week after that (on the 22nd and 24th).
We spent this past weekend at the Bend swim meet. It is an annual big event at a gorgeous park and facility. Most of the swim meet participants camp out in or near the park. This is the first year we’ve slept in tents rather than our trailer. Actually, it happens to be the first time our whole family has camped anywhere in a tent.
The first year we attended, when Lola was a year and a half, was a rough year. Last year was quite enjoyable despite the crazy storm that accosted us on our way over the pass and caused the pool to close several times over the course of the weekend. This year, well, not so fun.
A few things were easier: Lola is getting older and more independent. It was nice to have the tent and chairs near other friends and closer to the pool. The weather wasn’t hot. Leif is older and more independent. Levi and Luke don’t need quite as much parenting and micromanaging while swimming. The officials changed to a split format meet and only in the outdoor pool, so Russ wasn’t trying to swim indoors while the boys were swimming outdoors.
A few things were not so fun, but I’ll spare you the whiny details.
Lola and I spent the weekend together, just hanging out. Or, rather, waiting and waiting and waiting. It was torturous waiting for her chance to swim in the outdoor splash pool the second day. And then there was a major hysterical meltdown when it was time to get out (two minutes early because her mother was freezing cold and couldn’t stand another 120 seconds), and we endured the walk of shame all the way back to the tent.
I didn’t hang out much on deck due to limited space and I didn’t haul the camera around much, but I was able to watch each of the boys swim at least once and snap a couple pictures of Russ’s 100IM. His swim time has been almost non-existent in the past few months because of his work schedule and increased coaching duties, so he was brave to jump in and compete with all the young whippersnappers with endless energy. Ha!
In other news…
We’ve all been reading, reading, reading.
All four kids, hallelujah, spent three days at a VBS this week while I had a few moments alone, hallelujah. [Thank you, thank you, thank you, to Eastside for hosting 3 year olds as well as middle schoolers. I love you people.] It was my honest intention to get a bunch of stuff done, but I should have known better.
I spent some time Tuesday morning exercising my willingness to step outside my box and be brave (and waaaay out of my league).
An afternoon in a boat on the river with best friends was electrical-stormed-out Tuesday, so we just spent the time together eating pizza and chatting and playing and watching a movie.
We have Book Detectives this evening and a birthday party for Leif on Saturday.
One week left of summer, and then the rubber meets the road. I’m a little bit terrified. We’ve had such a lazy, oh, year (or 12), and I think this new schedule is going to be a shock to our systems (for at least two of us). We have only one week to ease into things.
Do you have any lasthurrahs planned for the end of summer, or has your school year already begun?
Today I am guest posting at my dear friend Misha’s new blog, The Offense of Joy. I met Misha online several years ago, and she is a beautiful kindred spirit. She is artistic and passionate, and I’m thrilled that she is writing (publically) again!
My favorite two posts so far are Joy Is A Gift (What’s So Offensive About Joy? - Part One Of Six) and The Ring. Please go read Misha’s words. I hope they move you. [Leave a comment and let Misha know I sent you!]
“I dreamed of children. Babies, yes, but mostly children. Children with names (oh, how I loved naming them) and personalities and passions.
I was a planner. A list-maker. So these children naturally showed up for years and years and years on reams of paper—perfectly plotted in journals or haphazardly doodled on church bulletins—with their sport, their instrument, their disposition, or whatever struck my imagination.
Sometimes there were six. Sometimes there were ten. Or even twelve. But never less than four…”
[ETA: There have been some questions about my depression story. Feel free to ask questions in the comments or email me, but I also shared some of the story here and here.]
[I’d like to think that it takes awe-inspiring skill to deftly tie in cows and books in one post. As a curator of randomness, it is a useful skill. And I know I split my infinitive, but putting “deftly” before “to” doesn’t pack the same punch.]
Yes, we now have cows in our field. And when we aren’t chasing escaped cows, we’re reading. (Okay, we’ve only had to chase a cow twice so far.) That, dear readers, is our exciting life.
I’d like you to meet Molly, Columbus, and Ferdinand, our new foster cows (they belong to a friend).
Ah, reading. We’ve been embracing the idea of leisure as contemplation (see article and quotes below), and grazing through books with brute pleasure.
Luke read a couple books by Patricia M. St. John (she was a missionary in Tangier, Morocco when my mom and grandparents were missionaries there, and they attended church together) and then he started in on the Harry Potter series. He is hooked and on book 6. I am right behind him (hurry up, Luke!!) at the beginning of book 5. It is killing Luke not to be able to share things with me (don’t ruin the surprise!).
“A true navigator must have the caution to read the sea, as well as the courage to dare the wind.”
Randolph Caldecott: The Man Who Could Not Stop Drawing. A biography of the famous children’s books illustrator and inspiration for the Caldecott Medal. (Rich, thick, ivory pages full of Caldecott’s illustrations are reminiscent of classic children’s books.)
The Boy Who Loved Words. “He was a collector of words. Selig loved everything about words—the sound of them in his ears (tintinnabulating!), the taste of them on his tongue (tantalizing!), the thought of them as they percolated in his brain (stirring!), and, most especially, the feel of them when they moved his heart (Mama!).”
Which reminds me of this unrelated celebration of words written by Robert Pirosh that I’ll share just for fun:
"I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady. I like solemn, angular, creaky words, such as straitlaced, cantankerous, pecunious, valedictory. I like spurious, black-is-white words, such as mortician, liquidate, tonsorial, demi-monde. I like suave “V” words, such as Svengali, svelte, bravura, verve. I like crunchy, brittle, crackly words, such as splinter, grapple, jostle, crusty. I like sullen, crabbed, scowling words, such as skulk, glower, scabby, churl. I like Oh-Heavens, my-gracious, land’s-sake words, such as tricksy, tucker, genteel, horrid. I like elegant, flowery words, such as estivate, peregrinate, elysium, halcyon. I like wormy, squirmy, mealy words, such as crawl, blubber, squeal, drip. I like sniggly, chuckling words, such as cowlick, gurgle, bubble and burp."
Papa Is a Poet: A Story About Robert Frost. A beautiful biography of Robert Frost told from the perspective of his oldest daughter. It includes more information, photographs, quotations, and poems at the end of the book in an Author’s Note.
Life
Other than cows and books, we’ve been soaking up leisure while attending a birthday party, a graduation party, a Father’s Day dinner with family, and the beginning of my sister’s Friday night potluck and volleyball summer gatherings with friends and family in the garden.
For Father’s Day, our family went to see How To Train Your Dragon 2 at the theater. It had been a very long time since we had gone to see a movie in a theater. *sticker shock* *gasp* *shudder*
Levi has been attending swim team practice, but Luke has had back-to-back strep or some virus and then a terrible ear infection. I’m praying he is finally on the mend.
And I’ll end this post with the best gift I have to offer you: the excellent words of other people.
As we have seen, the “Liberal” Arts are precisely not “Servile” Arts that can be justified in terms of their immediate practical purpose. “The ‘liberality’ or ‘freedom’ of the Liberal Arts consist in their not being disposable for purposes, that they do not need to be legitimated by a social function, by being ‘work.’” …At the heart of any culture worthy of the name is not work but leisure, schole in Greek, a word that lies at the root of the English word “school.” At its highest, leisure is contemplation. It is an activity that is its own justification, the pure expression of what it is to be human. It is what we do. The “purpose” of the quadrivium was to prepare us to contemplate God in an ordered fashion, to take delight in the source of all truth, beauty, and goodness…"
"Summer is not for the absence of work, but for work of a different order- not leisure in the sense of recreation, but leisure in the sense of re-creation. It’s for contemplation, reflection, delighting in, for the slow drinking in of great ideas and meaningful connections."
:: The Work of a Child by Andrew Pudewa @ Institute for Excellence in Writing (a beautiful, hope-filled story of his son’s struggle with dyslexia and his worry as a parent)
“We must know that we do not know. This is much harder than it sounds. I have spoken to my own children often about the power in the words, “I don’t know.” I have tried to practice this myself, but sometimes we deceive ourselves and when we do we have hampered our education and our soul."
Because living in community and fellowship with one another is a complicated, challenging task.
We want changes made. But we don’t like to change.
We want new and improved materials and resources. But we don’t want to pay for them.
We want authority as teachers/tutors/leaders/coaches. But we want control as parents (or individuals).
We don’t want to volunteer. But we don’t want to pay others for their contributions.
We don’t want anyone to work less than we do. But we are oblivious when others work more.
We expect others to show up and pay up (on time!) for commitments. But we want flexibility to bow out of ours.
We don’t want to follow. But we expect others to accept our leadership.
We don’t want to listen. But we sure like to talk.
We expect to receive grace for our humanness. But we struggle to give it to others.
We want passion and commitment. But we accuse others of “drinking the kool-aid.”
We want everyone (us) to be included in decision-making. But that doesn’t include the person sitting next to us who would make the opposite one.
(We want more support. We want more freedom. We want more science. We want more history. We want more discussion. We want more productivity. We want quality. We want quantity. We want rigorous. We want to slow down. We want depth. We want breadth. We want popcorn. Popcorn is for heathens. (That last one is for Pastor James.))
We avoid honest, grace-filled communication with our flesh-and-blood community. But we spew words at the faceless on social media.
We don’t like dialectic tension. We don’t like give and take.
We fail to see each other as individual souls made in the image of our Creator.
[“We” in this post describes me, but by God’s grace I will grow and learn and practice being in community.]
And everything always includes Lola. Of course. She and I spend a fair share of our time waiting on boys. And now I have a smart phone. This could be a dangerous combination. I love the pictures my Nikon takes, but I sure hate lugging it around…
No words can express my love for this little girl.
I should also be honest and say that the boys spend some time waiting on us. At exciting places like Costco. I apologize for the gently used “new” books.
I adore my boys.
Char, my dearest best friend of 25 years, knew that I would need a break from studying, so she planned an afternoon at a spa for both of us (a belated 40th birthday celebration), topped off with dinner and dessert at a fancy restaurant—and hours and hours of uninterrupted conversation. Bliss. Her husband agreed to watch all 6 of the kids (their 2 and my 4) until Russ got home that evening. AND he did the pile of horrific dishes in my sink. Seriously?!! I have the best friends, evah!!
I spent the rest of the week on a picnic blanket with this view:
Not only did I get some studying done, but my legs were not fluorescent white when I put on a skirt and stood to speak in front of a crowd. My dear, brave friend Cheris watched my kids for two days while I lay out in the sun worked like a crazy woman getting everything ready for practicum. She also snapped this picture while I was distracted:
The three days went very smoothly, considering it was the first Oregon practicum of the season. I found out just how much I could not fit into a morning’s presentation. You would think that in roughly 16 hours of content/discussion I would be able to cover everything I needed to cover. Nope. And you would think that weeks of prep would have meant that I didn’t have to go home after a full day of speaking and finish prep for the next day. Nope. So I had several nights of nowhere near enough sleep. And Tuesday evening/Wednesday, Levi and I were fighting off a bug that seemed to be making its rounds through the practicum. I crashed into bed as soon as we got home on Wednesday evening. And I’ve been there a lot ever since. Ha!
A HUGE shoutout to my husband who took three days off work to be at the practicum with me, handling all the technology and completely taking charge of my PowerPoint presentation (I didn’t have to touch the computer once—wahoo!!). All 4 of the kids were with us, so he helped parent as well. Levi attended Logic camp, Leif participated in Geodrawing camp, and Lola hung out in Play camp. Luke didn’t want to go to a learning camp, so he spent all 3 days in the main session. Most of that time he was in a corner reading, napping, or playing on electronics, but the trade-off was that he performed three speeches in front of the crowd—one each day: The Gettysburg Address, Marc Antony’s speech from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, and one of Shakespeare’s Henry V speeches. That kid is fearless.
Russ and the boys went camping with friends yesterday and today. Lola and I joined them for a few hours yesterday. The afternoon was gorgeous, and the boys (fishing and ATVing) were in heaven. I have more pictures to post coming up.
We have a bunch on the to-do list this week, including a 10th birthday (and I have NOTHING planned yet). Then Russ is out on a business trip. Then I’m out speaking at the Hillsboro practicum. Whew!
The last two weeks of April were a bear! Good stuff, but golly! This is more than you ever wanted to know…
We celebrated Easter and then turned around the following morning to head out for outdoor school with the boys for three days. (The above picture is of the worksheet the boys were asked to complete prior to outdoor school. Leif apparently decided it was above his grade level. Ha! That kid cracks me up. He has a ton of personality.) I picked Lola up from my parents’ house when we returned home on Wednesday, and she was feverish and not well at all.
Thursday Russ called and asked if I wanted to drive the family down (45 minutes south) for “bring your kids to work” day at his office. All four kids and I toured his office building for a little while that afternoon, then Russ took the boys to swim practice and I went shopping in Eugene with Lola.
Friday I decided I didn’t have enough on my plate (or had so much that I needed to be fueling my body well) and started a round of “paleo-ish.” (I’m now finishing day 13.) I should also mention that for the past eight weeks—ever since my Energy Begets Energy post—I’ve been consistently working out about two times each week. It isn’t as frequent as I’d like, but it is a tremendous step in the right direction. Friday is also the day we had to finish our writing work samples and get them mailed, without an hour to spare. (And swim practice.)
Saturday I was up early to help Russ and boys get ready for a morning swim meet. Then I had an online meeting. Then Lola and I went to the store to pick up some food. Then we went to watch the end of the swim meet and have a potluck lunch with the other families. We were invited out to the movies with another couple. It has been longer than I’d like to admit since Russ and I had been out without kids, and they offered their daughter as a babysitter, so I agreed. But the house was a disaster, so I ran home to tear through it with a rag and a garbage sack. My in-laws stopped by to visit. Then we went out for a quick meal and a movie. We arrived home to a son with the stomach flu. Not. Good. Timing.
Sunday was a true day of rest. Levi and Luke headed to church with my parents, but Russ and I stayed home with Lola (still nursing a lingering cold that appeared after her feverish day) and Leif. I did absolutely nothing.
Monday I finished editing some pictures and made a dessert. That evening was our end of the year celebration program for Classical Conversations.
Tuesday the boys and I took a scenic drive to Champoeg State Park (about an hour away) for a living history field trip with our charter school. It was a gorgeous, warm day.
That same evening I had a senior photo shoot for my nephew Daniel.
Wednesday morning the boys had a choir performance at a local assisted living facility (I did take pictures of the boys’ choir events, but I don’t like to share pictures of other kids without asking their parents first.) I spent the afternoon reading in the glorious sunshine. Then Leif had his end of the year program at AWANAS (picture above). (And swim practice for Russ and Levi and Luke.) I wasn’t feeling well that night so I left chores undone (and the house a disaster) and went to bed early at 10ish. I woke at 11 to the sound of puking (Levi). I’ll spare you the details, but it was a disaster that I spent a long time cleaning up. After which Levi spent the rest of the night in the bathroom and I couldn’t fall asleep until 4am—only to be awoken several times by children before I drug myself out of bed a few hours later.
I crept through Thursday at a snail’s pace. Now Luke and I were battling head colds. I managed to escape that evening and attend a much needed and quite lovely book club meeting. My sister Shannon had made paleo fudgesicles. Seriously? LOVE. MY. ChocLit Guild!!
Friday afternoon was choir dress rehearsal.
Saturday was a long swim meet (Russ coaching, Luke swimming in the morning, Levi swimming in the afternoon). Lola and I visited for part of the day.
Sunday was crazy. I really wasn’t feeling well. The swim meet continued. I had to juggle getting everything ready and packed for the day, transporting boys and trying to watch a couple events while keeping track of Lola, then heading a half hour north for a family bridal shower, and then leaving early to meet back at the pool with dress clothes for the boys to change into. Levi swam right after I arrived, they changed quickly, we grabbed a quick snack, and we headed straight to the church for the boys end of season choir concert. I was half dead by the end of the evening, but a bunch of friends were going out for frozen yogurt. Russ wanted to treat the boys. So we did. And then I crashed.
Monday my mom offered to take the kids. Yes. Please. I was shaky and weak and sick, so the disastrous house went unattended, but I used the time to read and study.
Tuesday my dear friend Cheris offered to take the kids. Yes. Please. And by now I was feeling a bit better so I cleaned up my office. It was impossible to think in that disaster. And then I spread the feast in the sunshine. Thank goodness for paleo-ish chocolate mug cake!
I apologize in advance to my husband who will graciously ignore the disaster of a house and pizza for dinner.
If you don’t hear from me for a while, you’ll know why.
(P.S. I purposefully do not keep our schedule like this on a regular basis. This was an unusual couple weeks. Thank goodness! Other than studying and speaking, our schedule for the rest of May and June is much lighter!)
(P.P.S. I have finally caved and subjected myself to a smart phone. So far, it is causing me to feel quite stupid. But I can now text. And post pictures from my phone to Facebook. Yes, I know my grandmother mastered those skills years ago.)
We had a lovely day at church and with family. I have a bunch of pictures in the queue to share, but we were also in the middle of packing for outdoor school with the boys so I didn’t have a chance to go through them and get them posted. Tomorrow.
We (Russ, the boys, and I) left for outdoor school Monday morning (Lola stayed with my parents). I have a bunch to share about that. Friday.
For now, I’ll just say Oregon in April is a great time to experience all sorts of weather. Sun. Rain. Snow (yep). Rain. Rain.
After two nights, we hiked back to the trail head at noon today.
Internet. Dr. Pepper. Hot shower. Dry clothes. Hallelujah.
Then I picked up my sick, feverish baby girl.
And now, on the docket:
Laundry. Laundry. Laundry.
Leif’s last night of AWANAS
Grocery shopping
Finish writing samples for charter school
Read book (ha!)
Book Club
Blogging with pictures
Online Meeting
Swim Meet
End of Year Program for Classical Conversations
Champoeg State Park field trip
Choir Performance at assisted living facility
End of Year Program for AWANAS
Choir Dress Rehearsal
Swim Meet
Bridal Shower
Evening Choir Performance
That will get us through Sunday of next week. And I’m PRAYING Lola gets better quickly and the boys don’t get sick.
Then, it’s nose to the grindstone for CC Practicum preparation. This year’s theme is Cultivating the Conversation: The Art of Rhetoric. Our Oregon practicum season begins in Salem, May 19-21. Will you join me?
Holly and I were the “Poncho Gnomes.” I’m the cute, stubby one.
I’m so impressed that we had birthday cakes this year. Shannon was born (Mom’s 3rd c-section) just a week or two before this next picture.
I’m fairly certain this next (terrifyingly large) picture was taken in second grade. The year I famously told my mom I did have a positive attitude. I was positive it would be terrible.
This is the log cabin playhouse my dad built for us…still in the construction phase. It had a sleeping loft and we spent whole summers in our own little cabin world.
brief interval of rest: a brief period of rest and recovery between periods of exertion or after something disagreeable
Facebook tells me it is National Siblings Day. I don’t really need an excuse to celebrate my sisters, but I figured this would be a good time to share the photo of my sisters and me (and Mom and Ilex and Rilla) on our girls’ day out that we spent together the day before my birthday.
And any day is a good day for Jane Austen.
“Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply...” ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
Speaking of much-needed respite, my dear friend Cheris offered to watch my kids for a few hours this afternoon after our Memory Master director proofs (congratulations to her daughter Chloe for passing her MM proof just before us!).
Russ has been in Washington D.C. the past few days, so I really appreciated the time alone. Like, really appreciated it.
(No, my choice of respite food was not healthy. But it was delicious.)
The above picture is one of my favorite family pictures. Levi was almost 4 and Luke was 1 and a half. This is the “no-hair” stage of our family.
Words, Questions, and Music
:: Blessings and Symbols by Andrew Kern @ CiRCE (Brilliant look into the nature of words. Be sure to read to the end.)
“I love the way another person can possess an amazing insight in his own soul and, by embodying it in a collection of sound-signs (what we call words), he can give me eyes to see the same thing: at least, if I am ready.”
“Using words we can bond and bless, or we can break apart and curse.”
“What have we been missing in all the debates about education reform? The question.”
I’ve been thinking much about asking questions. I am, by nature, a “formula” person rather than a “question” person. My husband and oldest son, on the other hand, question everything. Everything.
Dorothy Sayers addresses in The Mind of the Maker the “formula” or “problem/solution” obsession that society seems to have.
“The detective problem summons us to the energetic exercise of our wits precisely in order that, when we have read the last page, we may sit back in our chairs and cease thinking. So does the cross-word. So does the chess-problem…The struggle is over and finished with and now we may legitimately, if we like, cease upon the midnight with no pain. The problem leaves us feeling like that because it is deliberately designed to do so. Because we can, in this world, achieve so little, and so little perfectly, we are prepared to pay good money in order to acquire a vicarious sensation of achievement. The detective-novelist knows this, and so do the setters of puzzles. And the schoolboy, triumphantly scoring a line beneath his finished homework, is thankful that he need not…inquire into the subsequent history of A, B, and C. But this is the measure, not of the likeness between problems in detection and problems in life, but of the unlikeness. For the converse is also true; when they are done with, they are dead.”
Convicted.
And so I am slowly learning to ask questions and accept the tension of the unknown.
In the aptly named book The Question, Leigh Bortins spends more than 200 pages on the topic of asking questions (complete with model questions). Questions of definition, comparison, relationship, circumstance, and testimony (Aristotle’s five common topics)—across all academic subjects. If one needs inspiration or direction to feed the spirit of inquiry, this book is a great start. It is thoroughly grounded in practical application, but here is a taste of the inspirational:
“Contentment in questions and mysteries seems to irk the world.”
“I wonder if it was because she had been trained to write down the correct answer and for some discussions there are no correct answers, only very interesting questions.”
“How do you know what questions to ask if there are not copious amounts of ideas in your head?”
“Humans long for relationship, and thinking together in an interesting way about hard things is very rewarding.”
“They limit the questions, so they limit the answers.”
“Here is the problem with teaching a populace to ask questions: they ask questions.”
“Remember, the trouble about learning to ask questions is that you’ll ask questions. No more accepting the status quo. No more doing what you are told. Know thyself, and be prepared for a life of conflict. C.S. Lewis called man “a glorious ruin.” The more questions we ask, the more ruins we will find in need of repair. But the entire adventure is glorious.”
[Another fantastic question resource for literature is the Teaching the Classics Seminar Syllabus, which includes pages of Socratic discussion questions.]
The boys have been learning about composers and the instruments of the orchestra in Classical Conversations during the past few weeks, and someone shared links to the following videos. The filming is fantastic, and we loved watching them, so I thought I would share.
[It makes absolutely no sense to combine these pictures and the following links, but that’s life, folks.]
Did you know that Russ and I both used to have hair? It was almost to my waist when we were married. Russ jokingly said that he would divorce me if I cut it. I did. He didn’t.
I had it short by my sister’s wedding the following year (‘97), had it longer again by 2001, and cut it super short right after Levi was born at the beginning of 2002. My hairdresser almost wouldn’t do it. She was afraid I was hormonal, and that my husband would be angry with her. I assured her that I was not attached to my hair, and she finally agreed.
Other than one failed attempt to grow it out the year I was pregnant with Leif, I’ve had it super short for the past 12 years. I’m afraid I’m doomed to an eternity of pixie hair because I now cannot stand the feeling of hair on my face. Sigh. At least it’s easy other than frequent hair cuts.
Russ and I have been married for 18 years now, despite the short hair. So it’s all good.
Stay tuned for more pictures taken some time between 1974 and 2001…
And on a completely unrelated note, I’ll share some food for thought that has been swirling around in my world the past few days. Because my life is not compartmentalized.
While I was browsing Dr. Mattson’s blog (he was unknown to me prior to this discussion), I came across his post on the Ham v. Nye debate. A little late to the party, but intelligent, worthy reading:
“Okay. So, I’ll cut to the chase: the question that ought to be debated is whether the cosmos is created or not created. There is a designer or there is not. There is metaphysics or just physics. There is an “on purpose” or there is an “accident.” That’s the divide, folks. That means the following topics are, well, off topic: the length of creation days, the age of the universe, the age of the earth, the historicity of Noah’s flood, when dinosaurs lived, and radiometric dating practices. Every minute of the debate talking about those things is, frankly, the waste of a good minute. I’m not saying they aren’t interesting questions in and of themselves that are worth thinking about. They surely are. But they are not the questions at issue when we are dealing with the question of whether the universe is a creation or something else.”
Pulling all of the above topics into a single, grace-filled interview:
“So I often say of great social issues—not that they are unimportant—this is not the setting in which I want to talk about it. If you want to discuss it, let’s sit around a table so that at the end of it, even if we disagree with one another, we can shake hands or give each other a hug and say truth will triumph in the end. But if I gave you an answer in this public setting, you’re not going to be able to counter it, you’re not going to be able to tell me what’s on your heart, and we’ll walk away creating a bigger wall between ourselves.”
And
“If a person tells me science is all that matters. I generally say to them, “Should the scientist be honest in giving us his or her findings?’ And they just stare at me. I say, “Is that a scientific question or a metaphysical question, that the scientist should be honest in giving me his or her findings? That’s not a scientific theory, that’s a moral theory. That’s a moral pronouncement we’re making.”
“You cannot have a scientific single vision in this world. There has to be a convergence of the great disciplines—of cosmology, of theology, of history, of epistemology. All of these disciplines have to come to bear to explain the undeniable reality in which we live.”
What have you been doing, reading, watching, or thinking about this week?
Yes, on this auspicious day, my fortieth birthday, I shall commence the forty-day parade down memory lane, beginning, fittingly, with a photo of my round self with my lovely grandmother (and my big sister, who hit 40 waaaaay before I did).
My parents, with Holly and me, traveled to Aruba to visit my grandparents. My grandparents spent many years on the island (twenty?) as missionaries. My grandfather ran a radio station there.
I was a very fat baby.
But my parents were glamorous.
And one more for this evening, before I run out to enjoy book club with my best lovelies. (It has been a busy weekend and Monday. I hope to have more time to post this week!)
P.S. I am the one in the red jumpsuit. Admit it: you’re intimidated by my fabulous style.
“Telling a story is like reaching into a granary full of wheat and drawing out a handful. There is always more to tell than can be told. As almost any barber can testify, there is also more than needs to be told, and more than anybody wants to hear.”
[Speaking of more than needs to be told, and more than anybody wants to hear, have I got a blog post for you… This is a couple weeks’ worth, as I won’t be able to post again for a while.]
Travels (and Education)
The familiar ebb tide of February has, this year, given way unexpectedly to a flood tide of activity in which I am having trouble coming up for a breath.
On Friday I had the distinct pleasure of driving to Eugene to sit in on a lunch discussion with Andrew Kern, Gutenberg College tutors, and a few others in various educational realms (charter schools, online schools/classes, and homeschooling). I was in over my head (speaking of flood tide) and out of my comfort zone, but listening to the conversation was an incredible experience. To give you a little taste, the following are short videos featuring a few of the tutors at Gutenberg. (I’m fitting a great deal of life and learning in this post, so be sure to scroll down to read the rest.)
Saturday brought a return trip to Eugene, this time with my sister and two friends. Again, we listened to Andrew Kern and others discuss classical education. I crave some time for contemplation and organization of my thoughts, but the most significant concept I came away with is the “liturgy of learning” or form of masterful teaching that was demonstrated for us on stage.
Liturgy of Learning with Andrew Kern: 1. Invitation (determine student's readiness) 2. Presentation (of particular types or instances, model) 3. Comparison (of student's attempt and model) 4. Definition (student expression of concept) 5. Embodiment (student produces artifact)
I am also mulling over the ideas of analogical thinking versus analytical thinking that Andrew talked about on Tuesday. In The Mind of the Maker, Dorothy Sayers writes, “The fact is, that all language about everything is analogical; we think in a series of metaphors. We can explain nothing in terms of itself, but only in terms of other things.” She goes on to compare the experience of a writer with the existence of the Trinity. I now have a much clearer idea of the Trinity (and of the writing process) than I’ve ever had before. Reading her analogical writing reminds me of Beauty for Truth's Sake wherein the reader is invited to think analogically of the Trinity and mathematics.
And I recently came across this excellent article about the analogical teaching of Jesus:
“…Jesus exercised a different kind of creativity. Faced with a needy but argumentative woman, he took a word-picture from the prophetic writings and used it to communicate both the original message, and something specific - something new.”
I must move on, or this will be the longest blog post in Mt. Hope Chronicles history.
Oh. my. goodness. Speaking of Mt. Hope Chronicles history, I totally missed my SEVEN YEAR blog anniversary this month!! Speaking of anniversaries, Russ and I also celebrated eighteen years of marriage yesterday. But I simply cannot fit everything into this post.
Really, I’m moving on. Where was I going? Oh, yes. Going. Travel.
Yesterday, Monday, was our full day of Classical Conversations and choir for the boys. Russ headed out early in the morning for a flight to San Francisco, so I am single-parenting this week…and we have a big week to tackle without him!
Today I left the house with the kids before 9 am and didn’t return home until 4:30. My sister took Leif and Lola to her house while I took Levi, Luke, and Ivy up to Portland. My best friend arranged a field trip to see The Oregon Symphony in concert at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall. Three moms and ten kids caravanned in three cars. The driving was somewhat stressful for me due to my inexperience at driving in downtown Portland, but the whole trip was a great success. The music selections were perfect, the narration lively, and the atmosphere exquisite.
After we returned to town and I had exchanged Ivy for Leif and Lola, I got my hair cut and ran several errands with the kids in tow.
And, now, I have one day (with kids underfoot) to do laundry, house cleaning, shopping, and packing for a trip south (while figuring in swim practice for all 3 boys and AWANAS). I need to be completely packed by tomorrow night so that we can be off before dawn the next morning for our 13+ hour drive sans Russ. We are caravanning with my dad. Ilex and Drake will be along to help us both, for which I am immensely grateful. Russ is renting a car and driving from San Francisco to meet up with us at my aunt and uncle’s house where we will be staying for a few days. We don’t have specific plans for a return date, but the boys have standardized testing next Thursday and a swim meet that weekend. Because life isn’t yet full enough. Ahem. (On a related note: the boys will be doing lessons in August. Sigh.)
The reason for our trip south? To celebrate the life of this woman:
My grandmother was an incredible woman who lived a full-to-the-brim life, and she deserves her own tribute post when I return. I will miss her terribly, but I cannot wait to see all the family that will be gathered for her funeral this weekend.
One request: I am not sure how my sensitive oldest son will handle her funeral. He has already been quite emotional the past few days. Could I request a few prayers on his behalf, that he would feel a sense of peace and encouragement? That would be greatly appreciated.
Last week was off-kilter with travel and illness, but I’ve been back at the early-rising and morning quiet time this week. It is still extremely difficult for me to get to bed at a decent hour. Argh! The 40 day challenge was technically finished this past weekend, and I’d call it a success. I’ve created a positive habit that I intend to continue.
40 Days of (Good) Food
Um. Well. [cough] I think I am going to have to repeat this challenge. Repeatedly. (The 40 day challenge is up this weekend, but I would only count it a partial success.)
40 Days of Geography
Wahoo! I have exciting things to report! I’ve conquered Africa. And that is sayin’ something. I spent some time working through Africa on the Sheppard Software site, but what really lit a fire under me was this timed quiz. It gives you 12 minutes to type in the name of every country in the world. Which means you also have to be able to spell them. Kazakhstan. Azerbaijan. Liechtenstein. Mauritius. Cote d’Ivoire. Seriously, some of those gave me fits. But. BUT!! I can now type (and spell) the name of every country in the world except for 9 of the islands in Oceania in just 10 minutes! That is 187 out of 196 countries mastered!
I have a little over a week left to finish mastering Oceania and spend more time drawing maps.
I knew going into this one that it might fall through the cracks with all that has been going on around here. But it is sitting there, on my mind. And it made me get off my rear end on Friday and take a walk in the fresh air with my little independently-dressed pal. Which meant that I enjoyed the sunset in honor of my grandmother, who loved the sunshine.
40 Days of Memory Master
If I had had it all together, I would have posted a new 40 day challenge yesterday. The boys and I have about 40 days to prep for our Cycle 2 Classical Conversations Memory Master proofing. If I can pull this one off, I will be a Grand Memory Master with all 3 cycles of memory work under my belt. Whew!!
"C.S. Lewis called it the inconsolable secret. It’s the deep desire to be able to slow, to enter, to quench an ineffable thirst. It’s an ache in my chest, a wild need to hold on to the invisible source of the beauty before my eyes. It is my soul trying to swallow."
"As long as you have not written that article, that speech, that novel, it could still be good. Before you take to the keys, you are Proust and Oscar Wilde and George Orwell all rolled up into one delicious package.... By the time you’re finished, you’re more like one of those 1940’s pulp hacks who strung hundred-page paragraphs together with semicolons because it was too much effort to figure out where the sentence should end."
'Unfortunately, in your own work, you are confronted with every clunky paragraph, every labored metaphor and unending story that refuses to come to a point. “The reason we struggle with"insecurity,” says Pastor Steven Furtick, “is because we compare our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.”'
And this. Yes.
“Work finally begins,” says Alain de Botton, “when the fear of doing nothing exceeds the fear of doing it badly.”
"In the in-between, that place where we spend most our lives, we learn to recognize the temporal nature of life. Eventually, all waiting must end. And when it does, we are left with what we did with the time in between the beginning and the end."
“Being successful in whatever you are pursing in life is never going to magically happen one day and then it's done. It's an ongoing thing. You don't always feel it. It doesn't look the same in everyone's life. And another really weird thing about it is you don't always know it as it's happening. Like I said, choosing to be a failed actress is what led me to my current dream job. This was a successful move, but it sure didn't feel like it at the time. I felt anything but successful that year of my life. Don't be discouraged if you're not feeling successful this year. Keep going. Work hard. Play to your strengths. Take opportunities as they come. Be brave.”
My beloved grandmother, my heart and mind are filled with memories of you. You were life personified. Vivacious. Attentive. Interested. Enthusiastic. Energetic. Always up for a game, a party, or an adventure.
You were my cheerleader. My fan club. You always had a kind, encouraging word. You had a way of making your grandchildren feel like they were the most important people in the world.
I am so thankful that my children had the opportunity to meet you. I am so thankful that we were able to spend time with you this past summer and then again at Christmas. Levi will always treasure the fact that you came to his birthday party the day before you left to return home.
And then you went to your true home, of which this one is just a shadow.
I can imagine you singing with the angels. They are blessed to have you.
I’ve been a blogging slacker this week, and I’m not even sure where to begin. Whew.
Our snow stuck around for another day or two after we arrived home from vacation this past Sunday, causing our school week to go a little wonky. Area schools were cancelled on Monday, and our CC day was postponed until Tuesday. I was glad for an extra day to get caught up, but we paid for it later in the week. Wednesday and Thursday were fairly normal days, though no where near as productive as they should have been.
On Friday morning, we attended a home school movie day with a couple hundred other homeschoolers (there are so many in our area!). All four of the kids LOVED The LEGO Movie, and I thought it was fantastic. So hilarious. Such a great message. And all I’ve heard since then is…
If your children have seen the movie, then I’m guessing you know exactly what I mean. Ha! This review of the movie by Jeffrey Overstreet @ Patheos is excellent. (I realized that Jeffrey Overstreet wrote Auralia's Colors, which Levi read and loved thanks to the book recommendations over at The Rabbit Room.) If you don’t want to read the whole plot, skip to the end. He compares The LEGO Movie to the philosophy of Tolkien (yes, he does), and what he has to say works so perfectly into my year’s theme of story and creativity:
A flourishing world is a harmoniously creative world, not one in which a sub-creator stifles freedom and relationship. Individualism leads to anarchy, meaninglessness, and death. Life is meant to be symphonic, a community that balances improvisation and cooperation, under the guidance of a benevolent conductor.
This was how Tolkien designed his fictional cosmos. And he believed it reflected what human beings do with their imaginations in a world created by, and governed by, God. In exercising our own creative impulses we both reflect, glorify, and enter into intimacy with our creator. Madeleine L’Engle echoed this idea in what remains for me the most rewarding book on the subject of faith and art — Walking on Water — “God is constantly creating, in us, through us, with us, and to co-create with God is our human calling.”
We had unavoidable errands to run Friday afternoon, so we essentially had a very short school week this week!
And…it will be another strange week this week. After a morning of Classical Conversations tomorrow, Russ is taking over parenting duties and I’m headed down to Medford with my sister Holly, my cousin, and a friend for an overnight getaway. We will be listening to Andrew Kern speak about Assessment That Blesses and Teaching From a State of Rest. (You can listen to a free audio of Assessment That Blesses here.) You have no idea how excited I am. I had the privilege of listening to Andrew Kern in person a little over a year ago, and it was a phenomenal experience. Not only do I get to hear him speak all day on Tuesday (we are returning home that night), but I am planning to attend events closer to home (Eugene) on both Friday and Saturday. So, again, Wednesday and Thursday will be our main school days. Should be interesting…
If you want to enjoy some Andrew Kern while I’m gone, here is another video for you to watch:
This is the end of week 3 of my geography challenge. I’m doing well on all but Africa and Oceania. Both are big challenges! This past week, I’ve made good progress on Southern Africa, Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, and the islands. I’m still struggling with West Africa, and only half way through Central Africa.
This is the end of week 4 of my good food challenge.I did very poorly. Note to self: keep *nothing* tempting in the house during PMS week. I’ve had much better days yesterday and today. This week is going to be another off week. I might have to extend this challenge through next month…
This is the end of week 5 of my SPS challenge. I think I missed getting up early one weekday morning due to not feeling well, but overall I’m pleased. Note to self: It helps tremendously if I get clothes set out the night before and get to bed at a decent hour. Sigh.
This is the beginning of my movement challenge. I’m not sure how this is going to work with all the extra strangeness in my schedule coming up, but that’s why it’s called a challenge. Knowing it might be difficult to fit in exercise the next two days, I started early. It was finally not raining outside (it started raining on Monday and hadn’t stopped since, including major downpours and crazy wind—I can’t believe how long it took for the snow to go away despite the rain!), so I grabbed the kids and told them we needed some fresh air. Nothing fancy, just walking/jogging/racing up and down the driveway, but it felt wonderful. And the company was pretty lovely, too.
It is so, so wet outside. But what else would we expect in the Willamette Valley in February…
I need to write a separate post about what we’ve been reading and watching. The highlights:
The kids watched all 40 episodes of Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego? (mostly on our crazy drive to and from Great Wolf Lodge). It was a huge hit, and it was a blast to hear so many places, people, and events mentioned that the boys have learned in CC.
And, last but most importantly, my mom arrived in California today to be with my grandma. The treatment she has endured for the past year has not be able to rid her of her cancer, and she is not doing well. We may be taking a last-minute trip down soon. If you happen to remember her and my family in your prayers, it would be appreciated. I am so thankful we were able to spend time with her this past summer and at Christmas just a month and a half ago!
The next few weeks may be whirl-wind-ish around here. I’ll post as I am able!
December didn’t go quite as I had planned. If there is one skill I’ve needed to learn as a mother, it’s flexibility. I’m not naturally flexible or spontaneous, so it isn’t an easy lesson to learn. But I’ve had lots of practice.
Autumn brought two months of a never-ending cold (mostly sinus pressure and sore throat), ending in a nasty bought of the flu—fever, chills, serious aches, and a throat full of shards of glass.
Early December brought a week of crazy-cold weather. Snow, ice, rescheduled activities, burst pipes. It sure was beautiful, though!
My grandparents came to visit on December 12th. The morning of December 13th, Rilla was throwing up. We thought it was food-related and everyone got together that evening. Two days later Shannon, Ben, and my parents were very ill. And then Lola was sick. I was sure our whole family would get it considering how contagious the bug seemed to be, so we cancelled more special activities…and no one else got sick. (Miraculously, my grandparents were mostly spared. Their health could not have withstood the stomach flu.)
We attended a birthday party, had dinner with the in-laws, spent Christmas with my family. And then Levi got sick (two weeks after Rilla). Everyone was feeling well the next day, so we had dinner with another family. Then the next evening Leif was sick.
What to do. Levi’s birthday parties were two and three days later. Do we cancel? Or cross our fingers? (My sister, mother, and grandparents were leaving for California the day after Levi’s birthday.) Everyone was well two days later, so we went to another family’s house for a New Year’s Eve party and brought four teenagers home with us for an overnight computer gaming party with the boys. (How did I end up with four teenagers?!) We all got to bed at 2am (after singing Happy Birthday to Levi at 12:06), and I fed everyone a big breakfast of eggs, sausage, waffles, and hot chocolate the next morning before prepping for Levi’s big family and friends dinner birthday party. I wasn’t feeling so great by mid-afternoon, but I knew it could be sleep-deprivation.
The house was clean(ish). I’d put up a few Doctor Who decorations. Made blue suede cupcakes with sparkler candles. Everything was ready other than the last-minute prep. (Getting ready for a party is a huge amount of work for me. It felt like I had spent days, even though it wasn’t a particularly big or detailed party.) Russ had ordered a bunch of pizzas (I wanted dinner to be last minute in case we had to cancel) and was headed out to pick them up. And then I felt much worse.
What to do. I drank some miracle tea and lay down, realizing that someone else might have to do the last minute prep when they arrived. Then I felt better, got my second wind, and was able to finish everything up before anyone arrived.
We had a great time with family and friends, and Levi was grateful for the celebration.
But I was going downhill as the last of the party was leaving. And then I was sick. Luckily it wasn’t too bad, because Lola was up much of the night, as well. Argh!!! But I decided, even though I was feeling quite a bit better, to spend the entire next day in bed. Heaven.
And now, almost three days later, Luke is sick.
Seriously, this is the never-ending stomach flu. Not a terrible one, but how does an entire family cancel all activities for the entire month of December?! At the rate we’re going, Russ will be sick in a few days. Who knows? Maybe we’ll cycle through to Levi again. Sigh.
At any rate, I apologize to anyone we may have passed this bug on to.
And I’m ready for a fresh start to our new year…It may just be a little slower coming than I had hoped.
