Mt. Hope Academy @ The Live and Learn Studio ~ February 2012

Breathe in {Truth}, Breathe out {Grace}

::  From Beauty for Truth's Sake: On the Re-enchantment of Education by Stratford Caldecott (much more where this came from, but that will have to be a post in itself…):

No wonder students come to a college education expecting nothing more than a set of paper qualifications that will enable them to earn a decent salary. The idea that they might be there to grow as human beings, to be inducted into an ancient culture, to become somehow more than they are already, is alien to them. They expect instant answers, but they have no deep questions...The process of education requires us to become open, receptive, curious, and humble in the face of what we do not know. The world is a fabric woven of mysteries, and a mystery is a provocation to our humanity that cannot be dissolved by googling a few more bits of information.

::  Why Homeschooling is a Boon to a Liberal Society @ The Atlantic:

There is value in the public education system. Lots of intelligent, informed people have helped to shape its curriculum and norms. Consider their model with an open mind, and depart from it only after taking their claims seriously. And if you reach an informed conclusion that a different model is better, if that is your strong conviction, go out and be the change you want to see in the world. It may happen that you're right or wrong, but society as a whole requires people who challenge the prevailing system if it is to identify the few who can offer new insights.

::  Perspectives on Raising Servants (Part 1): The Service of Leadership by Tucker Teague @ Classical Conversations:

Many of our popular stories are of individuals faced with the call to leadership and their struggle to accept that responsibility. It is our nature to seek and need leaders. What we often fail to see is that true leadership is, fundamentally, about service and sacrifice, not about position, power, or even education. In other words, true leaders are something other than mere figureheads or those giving commands. One does not need to command armies to be a leader, but one cannot be a leader without first being a servant.

::  CiRCE Institute FB status:

From the apprenticeship: 5 faculties the successful teacher cultivates: 1. Attentive perception 2. Recollection (the ability to go into your mind and get what you are looking for) 3. Contemplation (the ability to compare) 4. Re-presentation (depends on skills cultivated without which a person cannot re-present the truth) 5. Imagination (that which fulfills the skills learned).

::  Parker J. Palmer on teaching well (HT: Mental multivitamin):

Good teachers possess a capacity for connectedness. They are able to weave a complex web of connections among themselves, their subjects, and their students so that students can learn to weave a world for themselves. The methods used by these weavers vary widely: Socratic dialogues, laboratory experiments, collaborative problem solving, creative chaos. The connections made by good teachers are not in their methods but in their hearts -- meaning heart in its ancient sense, as the place where intellect and emotion and spirit and will converge in the human self.

 

::  This is an excellent video of Andrew Kern (of CiRCE Institute) speaking on teaching literature. Some of my favorite take-aways:

‘Every single story by its nature is a morality tale. It is about someone who does something to overcome a problem. And the moral of the story is always contained in the ultimate final decision that the character makes to overcome that problem. So the question that opens up any story, whether it be a fable or James Joyce or Homer or whatever, the question to explore is, “Should he have done that?”’

 

Play with the frog, don’t pin it to the table.

 

Five topics of literature discussion:

What is that? What do you mean by that? What kind of thing is that? Topic of definition.
How is that similar? How is different? Topic of comparison.
What was happening at the time? (Topic of context?)
Is it probable? Is it possible? (If it’s not possible, should he try anyway?)  Topic of relations. Cause and effect.
Topic of authority. Witnesses and judges. (First-hand accounts and experts.)

 

Two threats to homeschooling: moralizing and anxiety. Make homeschooling winsome not fearsome.

 

Teach from a state of rest.

 

::  Boy, howdy. That’s a challenge. But it brings to mind another quote from Beauty for Truth’s Sake (just this one last quote until I can do a full review post):

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…"

::  Speaking again of Beauty for Truth’s Sake, did you listen to the conversation between Leigh Bortins and Andrew Kern that I linked last month? That interview left me hungry for more and ultimately led me to purchase the book by Stratford Caldecott, which was a delicious feast. My book is underlined and marked throughout. Both relate to the quadrivium: arithmetic (pure number), geometry (number in space), music (number in time), and astronomy (number in both space and time (or motion)), and then how those subjects reflect the nature of God. I don’t want to give away any more of the book as I will be reviewing it in a post of its own, but I did want to share a link to a second conversation between Leigh Bortins and James D. Nickel, author of Mathematics: Is God Silent? which addresses many of the same concepts.

:: Following the rabbit trail of the beauty of mathematics (there are three humorous, quirky videos in the series):

::  Okay, just for laughs, one more link @ The Risk of Education:

Lines from The Princess Bride that Double as Comments on Freshman Composition Papers

 

I know the links and quotes are a great deal to digest, and I’m not sure if anyone is interested in taking advantage of them, but it is handy to have a record of the information here for my own reference.

Classical Conversations (Cycle 3) Weeks 17-19 (One morning each week; includes social time and public speaking.)

Faith:
CC Memorizing John 1:1-7 (in Latin and English)
The Children’s Illustrated Bible (reading together)
Telling God's Story
(Luke: weekly hymns on piano)

Math:
Teaching Textbooks
The Critical Thinking Co. math workbooks
Khan Academy videos and practice
Math-Whizz (online math)
CC weekly memory work (skip counting/formulas/laws)

Science:
Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (Read lessons 7-12 with oral review)  
CC weekly science memory work (chemistry)
CC weekly science projects and experiments
Borax crystals

P.E.:
Swim Team practices (Levi), Swim Lessons (Luke and Leif)

Fine Arts:
CC weekly famous artists and art projects
Monthly Fine Arts Study (O’Keeffe, Holst, William Carlos Williams)
A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant
William Carlos Williams (documentary video on YouTube)
Georgia Rises: A Day in the Life of Georgia O’Keeffe by Kathryn Lasky
My Name is Georgia: A Portrait by Jeanette Winter
Georgia O’Keefffe: The “Wideness and Wonder” of Her World by Beverly Gherman (117 pp, Levi-IR)
Great Women Artists: Georgia O’Keeffe (DVD)

 

O'Keeffe's The Lawrence Tree, 1929 from Smarthistory Videos on Vimeo.

Piano practice and lessons (Luke)

Language Arts:
IEW Writing (Levi: Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales Writing Lessons)
MCT Caesar’s English (vocabulary)
MCT Practice Town (4 level sentence analysis + diagramming)
MCT Paragraph Town (finished reading through)
Writing With Ease (Luke and Levi)
CC grammar memory work
All About Spelling Level 2 (finished!) and Level 3 (began)
Handwriting Without Tears workbook (cursive-Levi)

Geography:
CC U.S. geography (states, capitals, mountains, rivers, lakes, features, and more)
Geography games (capitals, states, landscapes)
Place the State online game
Map drawing and 'blobbing' continents (CC)
The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller

History/Literature/Historical Fiction:
The Story of the World: Early Modern Times (chapters 29-37)
CC weekly history memory work (American history)
The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History (select pages, Luke)
The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (select pages, Levi)
DK Children's Encyclopedia of American History (select pages)
The American Story: 100 True Tales from American History by Jennifer Armstrong 
(Oliver Twist, North & South, DVDs, historical fiction, industrial revolution in England)
Midnight Is a Place by Joan Aiken (historical fiction, industrial revolution in England, 287 pp, Levi-IR)
The Bobbin Girl by Emily Arnold McCully (based on memoirs of a real mill girl of the 1830s)
The Trailblazing Life of Daniel Boone: How Early Americans Took to the Road by Cheryl Harness
Naya Nuki, Shoshoni Girl Who Ran by Kenneth Thomasma (Sacajawea, 175 pp, Levi-IR)
Sacagawea and the Bravest Deed by Stephen Krensky
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark: Explorers of the Louisiana Purchase by Richard Kozar
How We Crossed the West: The Adventures of Lewis & Clark by Rosalyn Schanzer
Lewis and Clark (In Their Own Words) by George Sullivan
A Picture Book of Lewis and Clark by David A. Adler 
Sacajawea: The Journey West (Drawing America) by Elaine Raphael and Don Bolognese
Lewis and Clark for Kids by Janis Herbert
America: The Story of Us (Westward, Netflix Instant Streaming)
Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (Ken Burns, Netflix Instant Streaming)
Mary Jemison, Indian Captive by Jeanne Lemonnier Gardner (historical account, 126 pp, Levi-IR)
Tecumseh: Shooting Star of the Shawnee by Dwight Jon Zimmerman (117 pp, Levi-IR)
Little House by Boston Bay (The Charlotte Years) by Melissa Wiley (historical fiction, 1814, 135 pp, Levi-IR)
On Tide Mill Lane (The Charlotte Years) by Melissa Wiley (historical fiction, 258 pp, Levi-IR)
Washington City is Burning by Harriette Gillem Robinet (historical fiction, War of 1812, 147 pp, Levi-IR)
By the Dawn’s Early Light: The Story of the Star-Spangled Banner by Steven Kroll
The Star-Spangled Banner illustrated by Peter Spier
The Star-Spangled Secret by K.M. Kimball (historical fiction, War of 1812, 234 pp, Levi-IR)
The Battle for St. Michaels by Emily Arnold McCully (War of 1812)
Sisters of Scituate Light by Stephen Krensky (War of 1812)
Napoleon: The Story of the Little Corporal by Robert Burleigh
The Importance of Napoleon Bonaparte by Bob Carroll
Simon Bolivar: The Liberator by Frank de Varona
On the Pampas by Maria Cristina Brusca (Argentina)
My Mama’s Little Ranch on the Pampas by Maria Cristina Brusca (Argentina)
Gauchada by C. Drew Lamm (Argentina)
Argentina, Peru, and Venezuela (Countries Around the World DVDs)
Dragons in the Waters by Madeleine L’Engle (fiction w/references to Simon Bolivar and Venezuela, 326 pp, Levi-IR)
African-Americans in the Thirteen Colonies by Deborah Kent
Amos Fortune: Free Man by Elizabeth Yates (historical account, 181 pp, Levi-IR)
Sojourner Truth (In Their Own Words) by Peter and Connie Roop (120 pp, Luke-IR)
Sojourner Truth: Ain’t I a Woman? by Patricia C. McKissack (164 pp, Levi-IR)
Words Set Me Free: The Story of Young Frederick Douglass by Lesa Cline-Ransome
A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl by Patricia C. McKissack (Dear America, historical fiction, Levi-IR)
Amistad: The Story of a Slave Ship by Patricia C. McKissack
Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom by Walter Dean Myers
A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky
Revolutionary Poet: A Story about Phillis Wheatley by Maryann N. Weidt
The Underground Railroad by Raymond Bial
Big Jabe by Jerdine Nolen
The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson
The Talking Eggs (DVD, Rabbit Ears Storybook Collection)
Amazing Grace (DVD)
Shaka: King of the Zulus by Diane Stanley and Peter Vennema
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove
Saba: Under the Hyena’s Foot by Jane Kurtz (historical fiction, Ethiopia-1846, 207 pp, Levi-IR)

Literature Study:
Book Detectives (literary analysis book club)
Oliver Twist (DVD)
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Levi-IR)
The Extraordinary Cases of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Levi-IR)
The Great Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Levi-IR)
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (Classic Starts) Retold from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle original (Luke-IR)

Levi’s Free Reading:
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley
The Medusa Plot by Gordon Korman (The 39 Clues, Cahills vs. Vespers, book 1)
A King’s Ransom by Jude Watson (The 39 Clues, Cahills vs. Vespers, book 2)
Lots of easy books and re-reads (and historical fiction, listed above)

Luke’s Free Reading:
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary
Mouse and the Motorcycle
Runaway Ralph
Lots of Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Henry and the Clubhouse by Beverly Cleary
Lots of re-reads

Leif’s Free Reading:
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey!
Lots of Magic Tree House and Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Flat Stanley books
The Magic Finger by Roald Dahl

Extras:
Flat Stanley project

Their Own Way

Sometimes it seems like parenthood is about constantly letting go. These children of ours have their own ideas, their own desires, and their own way.

It is a constant struggle for me to parent well, to do the training and teaching well, to nurture, but still let them be their own person.

My kids have started walking away the second they find their feet solidly underneath them. Now that there are four of them, every moment I feel as if I am either herding grasshoppers or racing snails. Sometimes both at the same time. I struggle to maintain order without being a control freak. If I give them an inch, they take a mile. And then we’re back to no freedoms.

I know that this parenting gig has incredible rewards. It wouldn’t be rewarding if it wasn’t so dang hard, I suppose. But sometimes, okay, most of the time, I sure wish there were a magic parenting pill. ‘Cause I could use one about now.

New Life

It had been so long since I had done a photo session. And I had never done a maternity session! But when Stephanie asked me if I would take pictures of her and her husband, I couldn’t refuse. Aren’t they just gorgeous?! This is baby girl #4 for them!

   

 

 

Book Detectives ~ Homer Price

We had our fifth meeting of the Book Detectives this evening. It was our first attempt at reading a chapter book at home and coming ready to discuss. (Last month we read and talked about the picture book Miss Rumphius. It was a great discussion, and I’ll try to post our notes from that meeting, as well.)

Rather than jumping straight into a full chapter book analysis, we chose to chart a single chapter. Homer Price by Robert McCloskey was a perfect book choice. Each chapter is also a stand-alone story. We read chapter 3, The Doughnuts. I first read Homer Price as an adult, but this chapter was a crazy deja vu moment for me. I distinctly remembered watching it as a movie during my childhood, and it made a strong impression on me! Lo, and behold, I was researching McCloskey on Wikipedia for some quick notes, and it turns out that that particular chapter (and only that chapter) was made into a short film in 1963! Not only that, but all hail YouTube, there it is. It is in three parts, and I’ll embed them at the end of this post for your viewing pleasure. The film follows the book very closely!

Of course, we had to sweeten the book club meeting by serving a heaping plate of mini doughnuts and a pitcher of milk!

 

AUTHORSHIP:

I showed everyone several other books written by Robert McCloskey: Lentil (his first book and one of my favorites), Blueberries for Sal, Make Way for Ducklings, One Morning in Maine, A Time of Wonder, and Burt Dow: Deep-Water Man. Not only did he write children’s books, but he was a fantastic illustrator, as well. His characters exude personality!!  McCloskey was married in 1940 to the daughter of children’s book author Ruth Sawyer (best known for Roller Skates but also the author of my childhood favorite, Maggie Rose: Her Birthday Christmas, and one of our favorite Christmas picture books, The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler’s Sons). McCloskey and his mother-in-law also collaborated on the picture book Journey Cake, Ho! He and his wife, Peggy, had two little girls named Jane and Sally. (Perfect names for the daughters of a 1940s children’s author, aren’t they?)

CONTEXT:

The book was published in 1943. We talked about the United States being involved in WWII at that time. We tried to imagine grandfathers or great-grandfathers as boys. I asked the kids how they felt when reading Homer Price. Was it sad? Mysterious? Scary? Adventurous? Everyone agreed that it made them smile and laugh. We discussed what kind of books kids might want to read during stressful or scary times. I said that the two words that came to my mind when reading Robert McCloskey’s books were ‘indomitable optimism.’ I looked up the word indomitable, it means ‘unconquerable, brave, determined, or impossible to defeat or frighten.’ We decided Robert McCloskey may have been very intentional about the message he was sending to kids!

The introduction to Homer Price states that it is set in Mid-Western America. Did the story take place in a real or imaginary world? We agreed that it was a real world (a quintessential mid-century, Mid-Western town with quintessential ‘citizens’), but the stories were sometimes a little hard to believe. The intro also states that the book contains ‘six preposterous tales.’ I explained that preposterous means ‘absurd, fanciful, nonsensical, unreal, or wild.’ Everyone seemed to agree that the stories were indeed wild.

EXPOSITION:

When, Where, Who? What were they like? What did they say and do?

Friday night in November. The town of Centerburg. The (up and coming) Lunch Room.

Mom and Aunt Agnes (at the Ladies Club)
Homer (boy, resourceful, cheerful, creative) (We had a little side discussion comparing Homer and Tom Sawyer.)
Uncle Ulysses (loves labor saving devices and frittering time talking and playing cards at the barber’s with the sheriff)
Mr. Gabby (customer, advertising man)
Rich Lady (jewelry, furs, and a chauffer named Charles, customer, not snobby)
Sheriff (always getting his words mixed up)
Citizens

The lady helps Homer make dough for doughnuts. Hinting at upcoming conflict: “It looks like an awful lot of batter…It’s about ten times as much as Uncle Ulysses ever makes.” pg 56

RISING ACTION:

What is the first sign of a problem?
The doughnut machine won’t turn off.

“Homer pushed the button marked ‘Stop’ and there was a little click, but nothing happened. The rings of batter kept right on dropping into the hot fat, and an automatic gadget kept right on turning them over, and another automatic gadget kept right on giving them a little push and the doughnuts kept right on rolling down the little chute, all ready to eat.” pg 58

What does Homer do first?
He tries another button. Then he calls Uncle Ulysses.

Why is this a problem?
There are more doughnuts than people will buy and eat!

“There are almost as many doughnuts as there are people in Centerburg, and I wonder how in tarnation Ulysses thinks he can sell all of ‘em!” pg 59

(The illustrations at this point are priceless!)

“The lunch room was a calamity of doughnuts!...And doughnuts still rolling down the little chute, just as regular as a clock can tick.” pg 62

What does Homer need? (our go-to conflict question)
He needs to sell those doughnuts!

Do you hope Homer succeeds? Yes. Is he racing against time? He needs to sell them before Aunt Aggy sees them!)

What two things happen to create more tension in the story?
The first idea (advertising a sale on doughnuts) doesn’t work.
The lady returns to look for her missing diamond bracelet. They realize it is in one of the doughnuts. Uncle Ulysses is distressed about the mess that will be made when all the doughnuts are broken to find the bracelet.

CLIMAX:

Looking back, when do we first know the problem is going to be solved? What is the turning point?
”Nope, said Homer. “We won’t have to break them up. I’ve got a plan.” pg 66

They advertise the doughnuts with a $100 reward for the person that finds the diamond bracelet inside!

DENOUEMENT:

What happens next?
”THEN…The doughnuts began to sell! Everybody wanted to buy doughnuts, dozens of doughnuts!” pg 67 (notice the author’s emphasis!)

All the citizens of Centerburg buy doughnuts and something to drink, too! Most of the doughnuts are sold by the time problem #2 is solved: the bracelet is found!

“When all but the last couple of hundred doughnuts had been sold, Rupert Black shouted, ‘I GAWT IT!!’ and sure enough…there was the diamond bracelet inside of his doughnut!” pg 76

(We talked about the fact that it was a black boy in worn clothing sitting at the counter of the lunch room that finds the reward. The adults discussed the fact that this book obviously wasn’t set in the south and wondered why the author named the boy Rupert Black.)

CONCLUSION:

Rupert (the needy boy) goes home with the reward money. The citizens go home with bellies full of doughnuts (their satisfaction apparently not diminished by the fact that they didn’t get the reward). The lady and her chauffer drive off with the recovered diamond bracelet. Homer goes home with his mother. The advertising man comments on the “neatest trick of merchandising I ever seen.” Uncle Ulysses brags about his labor saving device with a skeptical (but not furious) Aunt Aggy looking on.

CONFLICT:

Will Homer be able to sell all the doughnuts?

Man v. Society.

Homer has to convince the citizens that they want those doughnuts!

THEME:

What is this story about? What is the author really trying to tell us?
On the surface it is a story about supply and demand. Make the demand meet your supply!

“There are almost as many doughnuts as there are people in Centerburg [supply], and I wonder how in tarnation Ulysses thinks he can sell all of ‘em! [demand]” pg 59

We decided that the deeper meaning of this chapter (and the overarching theme of the whole book) is a celebration of creativity, resourcefulness, and ingenuity. Turn problems into opportunity!

The adults discussed the historical relevance of Homer Price and what the following decade held for America. We agreed that Robert McCloskey was involved in a bit of foreshadowing!

Homer Price continues his adventures in the book Centerburg Tales.

A Bonhoeffer Moment

A speech by biographer Eric Metaxas at the National Prayer Breakfast (@ minute 34)
A Bonhoeffer moment, indeed.

Lola and Poppy

Lola scored some snuggle time with Poppy the other morning. I think she covered him in cracker crumbs.

For the Love of Books

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Delightful.

Real.

It is my job to keep your opinion of me balanced. Consider this post the other side of the pendulum.

We did no school today. (Other than the second half of the math lesson Levi was supposed to have completed yesterday. Which had something to do with the above note. I’m such a tyrant.)

The kids were running around outside playing while I huddled on the couch feeling miserable. Luke came in. I told him I was feeling really sick. He sweetly rubbed my cheek and said, ‘Could you work up a picnic for us? And then you could lay back down.’

I put Lola in the bathtub and added some bubbles. She cried. Those things are terrifying, don’t you know?

And then I spent most of afternoon on facebook. And reading Homeschool Ryan Gosling. And laughing. And crying. Especially about the math one. And the 30 minutes of school one. And then I had to re-visit The Well-Trained Mind Forums to re-read this thread. And then I had to make my own contribution (‘cause Ryan Gosling isn’t my cup of tea) instead of making dinner.

And now you know my real world. Some of you may never visit again.

ETA: And then we ate Little Caesars pizza, put the kids to bed early, and watched Cowboys and Aliens. The end.

Mt. Hope Academy @ The Live and Learn Studio ~ January 2012

 
Wisdom does not mean ‘being really smart.’
It refers to an intimacy with God that allows your life,
in every sense, to reflect something of the character of God.

~Peter Enns (Telling God’s Story)

:: Consider these thoughts by Michael Clay Thompson (emphasis mine):

There are times when memorization is out of favor in education. Some might say that “rote memorization” is not appropriate as a teaching strategy. “Rote memorization,” however, is loaded language, biased against the discipline and effort required to learn things permanently. There is nothing wrong with challenge. We must remember that the alternative to remembering is forgetting, and when we teach something as important as grammar, that will be needed for one’s entire life, the ban on memorization makes little sense. There are areas of knowledge that should be memorized, and in the past, there was a better term for it: to learn by heart.

:: Don’t miss this incredible conversation about Classical Education between Leigh Bortins (of The Core and Classical Conversations) and Andrew Kern (of the CiRCE Institute). It is an hour well spent. The seven liberal arts as a means to freedom. Bringing the eternal and timely together. Really seeing into the heart of reality. Finding harmony in the universe. Good stuff. Seriously, I had goosebumps. And if that talk doesn’t make you want to embrace the joy of learning, I don’t know what will. {grin} I need to re-listen to it monthly.

 

:: I’m in the middle of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. What an astounding picture of education, theology, character, history, and the destiny of a man ‘for such as time as this.’ There are so many quotable passages, but this one has been on my mind (pg. 248):

They had pushed away from the ‘world’ too much, had pushed away the very best of culture and education in a way that he didn’t feel was right. Christ must be brought into every square inch of the world and the culture, but one’s faith must be shining and bright and pure and robust. It must be free of cant and ‘phraseology’ and mere religiosity, or the Christ whom one was bringing into the world and the culture was not Christ at all, but a tawdry man-made counterfeit.

(This book prompted a fantabulous discussion at my book club. One of the best meetings we’ve had in 8 years!)

We’re wrapping up another month here at Mt. Hope Academy.

Classical Conversations (Cycle 3) Weeks 13-16 (One morning each week; includes social time and public speaking.)

Faith:
CC Memorizing John 1:1-7 (in Latin and English)
Memorizing The Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-6, first verse in Hebrew)
The Children’s Illustrated Bible (reading together)
Telling God's Story
(Luke: weekly hymns on piano)

Math:
Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra by David A. Adler
Algebra & Geometry: Anything But Square! (Basher Science) by Dan Green
Teaching Textbooks
Singapore CD-ROM math games and online math games
The Critical Thinking Co. math workbooks
Life of Fred
CC weekly memory work (skip counting/formulas/laws)
Math Workshop with PDLP teacher

Science:
Human Body: A Book With Guts! (Basher Science) by Dan Green
Biology: Life as We Know It (Basher Science) by Dan Green
Several Bill Nye DVDs including Measurement
Christian Kids Explore Chemistry (re-read chapters 1-6 with oral review) 
Created a Lithium atom model
Exploring the World of Chemistry by John Hudson Tiner (Levi-IR)
CC weekly science memory work (chemistry)
CC weekly science projects and experiments

 

 

P.E.:
Swim Team practices and meet (Levi), Swim Lessons (Luke and Leif)
(mini trampoline and outdoor play)

Fine Arts:
CC weekly famous artists and art projects
Monthly Fine Arts Study (Grandma Moses, Kipling, and Puccini)
13 Buildings Children Should Know by Prestel
Piano practice and lessons (Luke)

Language Arts:
IEW Writing (Levi: Fables, Myths, and Fairy Tales Writing Lessons)
MCT Caesar’s English (vocabulary)
MCT Grammar Town (finished reading book)
MCT Practice Town (4 level sentence analysis + diagramming)
MCT Paragraph Town (began)
Writing With Ease (Luke)
CC grammar memory work
All About Spelling Level 2
Handwriting Without Tears custom worksheets (vocabulary from MCT) 

Latin:
Prima Latina (review with DVDs) 
CC Latin memory work

Geography:
The Scrambled States of America DVD
CC U.S. geography (states, capitals, mountains, rivers, lakes, features, and more)
Geography games (capitals, states, landscapes)
Place the State online game
States games
Map drawing and 'blobbing' continents (CC) 

History/Literature/Historical Fiction:
The Story of the World: Early Modern Times (chapters 23-28)
CC weekly history memory work (American history)
The Usborne Encyclopedia of World History (select pages, Luke)
The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia (select pages, Levi)
DK Children's Encyclopedia of American History (select pages)
The Declaration of Independence: The Words That Made America illustrated and inscribed by Sam Fink
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz
Why Don’t You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? by Jean Fritz
A Picture Book of John and Abigail Adams by David A. Adler
Patience Wright: America’s First Sculptor and Revolutionary Spy by Pegi Deitz Shea
Alexander Hamilton, The Outsider by Jean Fritz (135 pgs, Levi-IR)
Colonial Voices: Hear Them Speak by Kay Winters
Everybody’s Revolution: A New Look at the People Who Won America’s Freedom by Thomas Fleming
Duel! Burr and Hamilton’s Deadly War of Words by Dennis Brindell Fradin
George vs. George: The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer
History Maker Bios: Paul Revere by Jane Sutcliffe
History Maker Bios: Thomas Jefferson by Victoria Sherrow
Thomas Jefferson by Cheryl Harness
What’s the Big Idea, Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz
The Many Lives of Benjamin Franklin by Aliki
The Amazing Mr. Franklin, or The Boy Who Read Everything by Ruth Ashby (103 pp, Levi-IR)
Benjamin Franklin, Young Printer (Childhood of Famous Americans series) (192 pp, Levi and Luke-IR)
Ben and Me by Robert Lawson (historical fiction, 114 pp, Levi and Luke-IR)
The 4th of July Story by Alice Dagliesh
John Adams Speaks for Freedom by Deborah Hopkinson
George Washington and the General’s Dog by Frank Murphy
George Washington’s Teeth by Chandra & Comora
…If You Grew Up With George Washington by Ruth Belov Gross
So You Want to Be President? by Judith St. George
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning by Rosalyn Schanzer
James Monroe (Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents) by Mike Venezia
James Monroe: Young Patriot by Rae Bains
If I Were President by Catherine Stier
We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States illustrated by David Catrow
The American Revolution for Kids by Janis Herbert (Levi)
The Story of the Declaration of Independence by R. Conrad Stein (Levi)
The Story of The Constitution by Marilyn Prolman (Levi)
Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz
Abigail Adams by Ruth Langland Holberg
A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy Maestro
The Eve of Revolution: The Colonial Adventures of Benjamin Wilcox (Levi)
U.S. Presidents (reviewed memorization)
George Washington (Getting to Know the U.S. Presidents) DVD
John Adams (“) DVD
Thomas Jefferson (“) DVD
Great Americans for Children: Revolutionary War Heroes DVD
National Treasure DVD (just for fun :)) 
America: The Story of US (Netflix streaming) (Rebels, Revolution
Liberty’s Kids and Uncle Sam Magoo (Netflix streaming), This is America, Charlie Brown (YouTube)
Stowaway by Karen Hesse (historical fiction, Captain Cook and the Endeavor-1768, 305 pp, Levi-IR)
The Mutiny on the Bounty by Patrick O’Brien
James Cook and the Exploration of the Pacific by Charles J. Shields
What if You Met a Pirate? by Jan Adkins
The Golden Age of Pirates: An Interactive History Adventure by Bob Temple
You Wouldn’t Want to Travel With Captain Cook! A Voyage You’d Rather Not Make by Mark Bergin
The Orange Trees of Versailles by Annie Pietri (historical fiction, France/Louis XIV, 137 pp, Levi-IR)
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy (historical fiction, French Revolution, Levi-IR)
Eli Whitney by Judith Alter
(Books on current history topics that Levi read previously, for my records: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham, The Story of Eli Whitney by Jean Lee Latham, Michael Farady: Father of Electronics by Charles Ludwig, and Robert Fulton: Boy Craftsman by Marguerite Henry)

Literature Study:
Charles Dickens: Scenes from an Extraordinary Life by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom (a great picture book biography!)
David Copperfield abridged for public reading by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Alan Marks (Levi-IR)
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (unabridged, Levi and I read independently, part of the MCT Time Trilogy Literature Study)
Book Detectives (parent-child literary analysis book club)

Levi’s ‘Free’ Reading:
Corby Flood by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Fergus Crane by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Hugo Pepper by Paul Steward and Chris Riddell
Comet in Moominland by Tove Jansson
A Knight’s Story: Lake of Skulls by Paul Steward and Chris Riddell
Joust of Honor by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan
Muddle Earth by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce
The Fire Eternal by Chris D’Lacey
How to Train Your Dragon: How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm by Cressida Cowell
Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell
Stormchaser (“)
Midnight Over Sanctaphrax (“)
The Curse of the Gloamglozer (“)
Vespers Rising (The 39 Clues, Book 11)

Luke’s ‘Free’ Reading:
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Pippi in the South Seas by Astrid Lindgren 
lots of re-reads and half books and books we didn’t keep track of
and a bunch of Magic Tree House and Geronimo Stilton books

Leif’s ‘Free’ Reading:
Thanksgiving on Thursday by Mary Pope Osborne
Summer of the Sea Serpent
Afternoon on the Amazon
and lots more

EXTRAS:
A.C. Gilbert Children’s Museum with new friends (Connie, I’m so glad we were able to get together!!)
(I spent the time chatting and chasing Lola around while the boys went in all directions, so I only have photos of Lola…)

18 Essential Books for 18 Years of Childhood

I think you all know how much I love books and lists. Put those together, and I simply cannot resist.

I’ve shared various book lists before, but just today I decide to create my own very short essential list. One fiction book for each year of childhood. (Yes, I cheated and listed a couple series or trilogies. I also left out plays, poetry, myths, and non-fiction.) I chose books that would be varied and rich in message, meaning, and ideas as well as delivery. These are the kind of stories that a reader could think about and mull over for years to come. Books that could stir up discussion and debate between child and parent or student and teacher.

Last time I shared an even shorter essential list, one reader commented that as fun as it is to make our short lists, aren’t we glad that our children in reality can read thousands of wonderful books before they leave childhood behind forever?! And that we have years of books ahead of us as reading adults?

Without further ado:

1. Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

2. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (or The Little House) by Virginia Lee Burton

3. Tales of Beatrix Potter

4. Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall

5. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

6. Babe: The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith

7. The Chronicles of Narnia (series) by C. S. Lewis

8. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

9. Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher

10. Little Britches and Man of the Family by Ralph Moody

11. Animal Farm by George Orwell

12. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

13. The Hunger Games (trilogy) by Suzanne Collins

14.  Watership Down by Richard Adams

15. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

16. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

17. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

18. Perelandra by C. S. Lewis

 

What books would be on your list, and why?

Seriously. We’d be glad to share.

But we’re homeschoolers, and we never waste an opportunity.

 

Do you think the pizza guy would deliver to a canoe?

We’re safe and dry. Our house is much higher. But we do have an awesome waterfall of water running under our house from the huge hill behind us. I guess I’m glad we don’t have a basement.

Anyone Want to Borrow Some Water?

We have plenty to share.

The boys are begging to launch the canoe. If this downpour continues, it’s the only way we’ll be able to get out of our driveway.

ETA: At 10pm now the water is covering the main road. Over six hours of solid rain since I took the above picture. If it continues to rain, we won’t be able to get out of the driveway…even with the Suburban. Guess Russ is working from home tomorrow…  A car in town was swept out of a grocery store parking lot and into a creek. A man and a child were rescued, but they are still searching for the second child. Prayers would be appreciated. Rain is in the forecast for the next two days.

A Day in the Life ~ Day 4

Okay, I didn’t really keep track of the ins and outs of our day for the fourth day in a row, nor did I take pictures. (Y’all might be getting sick of hearing about every little detail of my unexciting life, anyway.)

It was Saturday, and I was in the mood to do something—something we would all enjoy. I had NO IDEAS. Whenever I try to think of something everyone would enjoy the only thing I can think of is Disneyland, and that wasn’t really an option. The weather was cold and wet. I needed some inspiration, so I went to the obvious source: facebook.

I received some lovely, well-meaning suggestions. Have a camp-out in your front room. Let the boys make a fort. Let them nap in it. (Ha, ha, ha, ha!!!) Have some hot chocolate. Bake some cookies. Scavenger hunt.

Now, I’m sorry if this ruins your perception of me, but all of those sound like fun for the kids (except for the nap) and work for me. I’ve lost my childlike sense of wonder and excitement. That, and I wanted something out of the ordinary.

Then it occurred to me: over the course of this past week I had been home with my children every day. They had outside classes on Monday and over an hour of free gym time with friends. They had hot breakfast every. single. morning—complete with hot chocolate with whipped cream. They had a picnic outside. They donned costumes and put on a play. They built a blanket fort in the front room. We baked cookies. They had book club with friends, including an hour of social play time afterward. They had been to the pool 2-3 times for lessons or team practice. They went to the library. They watched tv and movies. They played video games. They had lots of quiet reading time. They had special time with Dad. They had play time outside in the country where they could roam free.

By golly, it was time I did something for me. And I wanted to hang out with my husband sans children. Grandparents to the rescue. The kids had an evening with Bambi and Poppy. Russ and I went to a movie and out to dinner. That was fun. I think it had been almost a year since we went on a date—with a tag-along baby. It is high time we start scheduling some regular date nights. I’m making up a babysitter list and checking my calendar…

A Day in the Life ~ Day 3

2am Lola wakes up. It’s really cold in her room and I realize her heater isn’t on. I turn on the heat and cover her up with the blanket.

4:50 Russ is up for his day.

5:30 Leif has a nightmare and climbs into bed with me.

6:50 Lola squeals. Oh, please go back to sleep baby. She must, because I fall asleep again.

7:45 Lola is up. She goes in her playpen with Cheerios and I put in a Bill Nye DVD for Luke. Levi’s reading on his bed and Leif is still asleep. I check email, turn up the heat, open the shutters. Ahhh, the house is all nice and neat.

8:15 Levi joins Luke (and Lola) for a story DVD (John Henry). I hop in the shower. I’m down 1.5 pounds. Ha! I decide that cookies and soda are good for me. {grin}

8:40 I get Lola changed, Levi works on math (Lola helps), Luke empties dishwasher, Leif is finally up and gets dressed.

8:50 Breakfast. We play the one note samba: scrambled eggs, sausage, and hot chocolate with whipped cream. Hot chocolate gets spilled all over. I get meat out to thaw for dinner.

9:20 Clean up. Boys ready for the day. I work on miscellaneous paperwork. Luke practices piano…

10:20 The boys do some assigned reading while I put Lola down for a nap.

10:45 The boys watch This is America, Charlie Brown on YouTube. I cut up apples for their snack. I eat a banana with almond butter.

11:15 Lola still isn’t asleep so we snuggle again.

11:30 We finally make it down to the studio. Luke does math. Levi writes a letter. It's so nice and clean down here! The benefit of having company...

12:15 Luke does some writing. We review Bible memory. My command station:

12:30 Our favorite person, April, arrives to clean our house. I only scratched the surface yesterday, so now it will be really clean! (Minus the school room/office, which is currently the dumping ground.)

1:00 Geography-map drawing. I don’t feel like searching for the tracing paper, so I put Luke up on the windowsill to trace his map on the window. He thinks that is just awesome. Lola wakes up. We do a little bit of grammar.

2ish I round up the kids and we head to grab a bite to eat (shhhh) and then go to the library. Lola has a large playroom at her disposal and she goes straight for a computer keyboard. Daddy’s girl. I pick out a bunch of books for the kids. Levi reads a book he had on hold. Leif plays. Luke looks up a wii game and books on the computer and places holds.

4ish (I stopped keeping written notes.) We’re home. April and I chat for a while while the kids run amok.

5ish Dinner prep while the boys watch a DVD from the library.

5:30 Russ is home.

6:00 We sit down to dinner. Two nights in a row. Fabulous. BBQ bacon-wrapped beef filets, spiced and roasted cauliflower, sauteed onions and peppers, and spinach/fruit smoothies. YUM!

6:30 Russ plays Playmobil with the kids in the front room, while I put food away.

7:00 I escape to the grocery store and a couple other quick errands while Russ is hanging out with the kids. Listening to Bonhoeffer on the ipad. (I have such a hard time listening to audio books. It goes in one ear and out the other. And Bonhoeffer isn’t an easy book… And I hate having things in my ears. C’est la vie.)

8:00 The boys are still playing with Playmobil when I get home. Russ is watching How It’s Made. (That’s such an interesting show! I remember loving watching how things were made on Mr. Rogers when I was little. Did you ever watch that?) I feed Lola some yogurt. By the time I get her out of her highchair, it is apparent that she is waaay over-tired. She has a lovely screaming-crying fit while I get her jammies on and take her upstairs. She won’t let me snuggle with her, so I lay her down and leave.

8:30 The boys are in bed. Sorta. Lola continues to scream, so Daddy goes up to snuggle and she settles down and goes to sleep. I put away groceries, put in a load of laundry (it never ends!!!), and return a bunch of emails. The house that was so lovely just a few short hours ago is rather disastrous again and my back and neck are still hurting.

9:15 The boys are having a hard time settling down, so I go and snuggle for a few minutes with each one of them.

9:45 More laundry, computer stuff, record keeping, kitchen clean-up, house straightening, scheduling stuff (wow, did January and early February fill up!!), blogging, watching the last ten minutes of the movie I’ve been watching in ten-minute increments for the past two weeks while folding laundry…

12:00 Bed. (How did it get so late?!!!)

A Day in the Life ~ Day 2

In which you find out that no two days are alike at our house, some days aren’t very impressive ‘school days,’ we don’t have much of a routine, and it takes me all day to clean my house (I use that term loosely) when company is coming over. Oh, and I don’t move very quickly when I’m tired.

12:05 am Russ and I fall into bed.

2ish Luke crawls into bed next to me.

4:30ish I tell Luke to go get in his bed because I’m not getting much sleep.

4:45 Russ gets up for his day.

4:50 Russ tells me that Luke’s legs are hurting and he needs some Advil. I get up and take care of it.

5:00 Luke sneaks back into bed with me…in his Daddy’s spot.

6:45 Lola is up. I put her into her playpen with Cheerios and cartoons and go back to bed. I’m not going to win any awards today. I can’t fall back asleep, but I can’t make myself get out of my warm, cozy bed.

7ish Levi is awake and reading in his room.

7:45 Leif and Luke are up. Leif is eating yogurt.

8:00 I make myself take a shower. I weigh myself and I gained more than a pound. {sigh} I think I’ll have cookies and soda today.

8:30 I waste time on the computer.

8:45 Finally we get going. I open the shutters and let some light in, turn off the tv, change Lola, have the boys get dressed.
Luke empties the dishwasher and teaches Leif (I think he’s grooming Leif to take over his chores). Levi starts his math. Luke puts on the hot water for cocoa.

9:00 Breakfast prep. Mental note: need to go to the grocery store and the library tomorrow.

9:15 Breakfast. Repeat of yesterday. Luke makes hot chocolate with whipped cream for the boys.

9:30 I clean Lola up and get her dressed. We go up to her room and play, talk, and snuggle, then I put her down for a nap.

9:45 I’m on the computer again.

10:00 Levi still hasn’t completed his math. I threaten consequences. We both have a meltdown. He finishes. Luke and Leif play while I clean up the kitchen, make some tea, and switch the laundry. I succumb to the mini marshmallows on the counter. (Who didn’t put them away yesterday?!!!)

10:45 Lola squeals. That was a short nap. The boys escape outside without permission. I hunt them down and threaten consequences. Luke goes back to reading. Leif plays upstairs with Lola.

11:15 Levi switches places with Leif and hangs out with Lola. Leif pounds out Mary Had a Little Lamb on the piano. Repeatedly. I start facing the fact that company is coming this evening, and the house is a disaster. I go through STACKS of papers on every surface. A pizza ad catches my eye. I decide to fix an early lunch to avoid whining.

11:30 Grilled cheese and veggies for the boys. Leftover spaghetti for me. Levi reads at the table.

11:45 Clean up. More laundry.

12:00 Clean Lola up and change her diaper. The boys are playing. Levi has the Dangerous Book for Boys and is making paper airplanes. I’m still trying to clean up the house.

 

12:30 We need an outing. And I need a Dr. Pepper. We work on memory review in the truck. I pick up a ready-to-bake pizza for dinner. I’m ready for low-stress.

1:00 We’re back home. The boys play outside. Lola plays inside. I do MORE laundry and bake cookies. I snitch. A lot. I do more house tasks.

2:00 Boys are in for quiet assigned reading. Lola goes down for a nap.

2:30 The boys get on the computer to play geography quiz games. I do more cleaning and organizing in the kitchen. Dishes. Sweep. Mop.

3:15 The boys clean up their room while I clean the bathroom

3:45 Lola’s up. She goes in her playpen with a snack. Luke practices his piano. Levi and Leif head outside to pick up stuff in the yard.

4:15 Pizza’s in the oven. The boys watch a Bill Nye DVD.

4:30 Russ is home. Lola squeals and goes running to him with her arms in the air. Pizza’s done.

4:35 We sit down to eat as a family. It’s only pizza, but no one is complaining. Russ feeds Lola and cleans her up.

4:50 I clean up the kitchen (again) while the boys wash up and finish their Bill Nye DVD.

5:15 I head down to the studio to clean. Russ loads up all four kids and takes them to the pool. Luke and Leif have swimming lessons. Levi has swim practice. Lola is along for the ride. (thank you, thank you, thank you)

6:15 I finish up the cleaning in the studio and am feeling great. I think it was the Dr. Pepper and chocolate chip cookies. And not cooking dinner. And the fact that I’ve been all by myself for an hour. And my house is kinda clean. I get the last few things ready for our parent-child book club.

6:40 My niece arrives to help. We take the cookies down to the studio.

6:50 My sister arrives and we go over our discussion material. (Nothing like the last minute.)

7:00 Everyone arrives, including Levi and Luke. Russ takes Leif and Lola up to the house to play. One of the moms brings her phenomenal caramel corn. Well, if today is a cheating day, I’m going to make the most of it. We have a fabulous book discussion with our wonderful families. The book turns out to be even more wonderful than we thought!

8:15 The kids are turned loose to play. Some in the studio. Some out in the dark and cold. The moms have a lovely time of chatting. Russ brings Leif and Lola down to play while he gets some computer work done.

9:20 I head up to the house to feed Lola some yogurt and crackers. The boys get ready for bed.

9:45 I put Lola in her crib after giggles and snuggles.

9:55 I give the boys snuggles and tuck them in.

10:00 My house is quiet. And clean. Ahhhhh. I run the dishwasher, check my email…

10:45 Both Russ and I get to bed at a decent hour. My stomach is grumbling and I can’t stop thinking about the leftover pizza in the fridge, but I’m too cozy and tired to get up and get it. It’s a good thing I’m going to fall asleep in about two seconds…

A Day in the Life ~ January 2012

A day in the life of Heidi, with three boys (10, 7, and 5) and a fifteen-month-old girl.

I’ve spent some time thinking about the different kinds of days we have over the course of weeks, months, even years. There are general reality days. A few lovely days. The dreaded fail days. And the once-in-a-blue-moon utopia days. Most days are a mixed-bag.

I want to post a series of a day in the life—posts that will give a better over-all idea of what life is like around here. Some days will sound really productive, but that isn’t necessarily indicative of what we accomplish on a daily basis. This series is sorta tied into my theme for the year—which I sadly haven’t even posted about yet. More about that later.

I woke up this morning feeling like this could be IT. One of those days when we are humming along, doing it ‘right,’ living in the moment, getting things done…and make it to bed feeling like ‘this is the life.’ I had stayed up late last night getting the house in order, the studio in order, our lessons in order. Lola slept all. night. long. Which is astounding considering she is working on getting four molars and her nights have been rough. I woke up ready to seize the day. Okay, that’s a lie. I NEVER wake up ready to seize the day. I could happily sleep in until 10 am every morning. It’s probably more accurate to say I got out of bed determined.

Well, I’ll let you decide what kind of day it was. Here’s the unedited version:

6:35 I’m up. (Russ left for work long ago.) Check email. Turn up heater. Turn on lights.

6:40 Wake up boys. Hop in shower and get dressed.

7:00 Luke empties dishwasher. Levi works on math. Leif is still asleep.

7:15 I start breakfast prep. Levi isn’t making much progress, so I set the timer. Lola wakes up. I put her in her playpen with Cheerios and Little Einsteins.

7:30 Luke and Leif join Lola. I boil some water for tea.

7:45 We sit down to breakfast: scrambled eggs and chicken apple sausage. I’m trying to eat Paleo again (whaaaa!!). I’m on day 9 sans Dr. Pepper, sugar, and grains. Levi makes himself an egg sandwich. Levi and Leif have OJ. Luke and I have green tea. I feed Lola a big bowl of yogurt.

8:00 The boys clear their plates, get dressed, and brush their teeth. I do a few dishes, put poison oak cream on Luke’s face (when will he learn?!), clean Lola up, change her diaper, get her dressed, comb her hair.

8:15 I set Lola loose in the front room and give the boys some assigned reading while I finish getting ready.

8:35 We grab water bottles and walk down to the studio. It’s a frosty cold morning. The boys say ‘oro et laboro’ as we walk in. (‘Pray and work.’ It’s a silly little tradition, but they get a big kick out of it for some reason.) Lola goes in the playpen. The boys sit on the couch. We sing a hymn, pray, read a lesson from Telling God’s Story, and read a story from the Children’s Illustrated Bible.

9:00 The boys do a little independent Bible reading. We listen to our Bible memory CD.

9:30 Lola’s ready for a nap already, so I put on a DVD lesson for Latin and take Lola up to the house for a nap. Leif comes up with us to use the bathroom. Lola and I snuggle for a few minutes, then I put her down. I put in a load of laundry, check my email, and grab bags of pretzels and goldfish to take down for the boys.

10:00 We work on memory work while snacking. I use all my will-power to stay out of the goldfish and have almonds and cranberries instead. They don’t taste as yummy as goldfish.

10:30 Lola still isn’t asleep. I snuggle with her for a few minutes and then put her back down. The boys and I spend some more time on memory work.

11:00 I put Levi and Luke on their computers to do geography quizzes while I watch Leif do his handwriting. I check on Lola. The boys dissolve into mayhem while I’m otherwise occupied. Everything comes to a screeching halt and I spend some time on character training for one of the boys. Arrrgh! (That reminds me of a sign I saw recently: ‘To err is human, to arr is pirate.’ Ha, ha!)

11:30 Leif plays educational games on his computer while I work on spelling with Levi and Luke.

11:50 We sit on the couch and read about Rudyard Kipling.

12:05 We break for lunch. The sun is shining, so I switch gears and tell the boys to go run around. Lola is up, so I put her in her swing outside. The boys take turns pushing her while I switch laundry and make a salad for myself. Leif comes busting in the house and says, ‘Mom, we’re putting on a play!’ I switch gears again and get a tray of food to take outside. It looks like it is another picnic day. The boys don their costumes. We eat and they do, indeed, put on a play.

1:00 Lola and I are cold so we come inside. I clean up and check email and facebook. I tell the boys to come inside.

1:30 Luke gets on the computer to work on math. Leif is watching Sid the Science Kid. (I think he has already watched every single episode on our DVR, but he just had to borrow a DVD from the library.) Levi is taking care of Lola. I’m pretty sure he has re-arranged her whole room upstairs, but I need the break so I’m trying not to think about it. I get derailed on the computer, and think about how nice it would be to take a nap. I fold some laundry and look longingly at the bed. I straighten up the house and wonder how it could possibly get so messy so quickly!

2:05 I lie down on the bed…just for a minute.

2:20 I muster every last bit of energy and get off the bed, gather everyone, and return to the studio. I don’t think Luke got much math done earlier, so I put him on another lesson. Levi is assigned a few pages in the history encyclopedia. An un-thrilled Lola gets placed in the playpen. Leif distracts everyone.

2:20 Luke, Levi, and I work on some sentence grammar analysis/diagramming. They are insanely distracted by Leif and Lola. Everyone is whining about being hungry.

3:00 We go up to the house. Again. I feed Lola while the boys have a free-for-all snack-fest. Luke picks dates with cream cheese, and I join him. But just one, I swear. I try to put Lola down for another nap (she was rubbing her eyes a little bit ago). Everything gets derailed again. Lola is not liking the nap idea.

4:00 I try to return to lessons. Leif works on a train track. I start reading a grammar lesson with Levi and Luke. Lola still isn’t asleep. We’re all distracted. I finally get Lola out of her crib. I put some spaghetti squash in the oven. I am so hungry and cranky. All I want is a batch of chocolate chip cookies and a 44 oz Dr. Pepper. And bed.

5:00 We re-group on the couch. Grammar (take 2) lasts about 5 minutes. The boys simply cannot pay any attention to the lesson when Lola is being so silly in the hallway. (I don’t blame them. She’s stinkin’ cute.) I start to lose my mind and fantasize about bedtime. We scratch the group lessons idea, and I have Levi play with Lola while Luke and I do a narration lesson on my bed with the door shut. That works.

5:35 Russ arrives home. Lola is ecstatic and attaches herself to him. She won’t be put down. He has to return a computer to a client, so he takes Lola and Leif with him. I am finally able to work on a writing lesson with both Levi and Luke.

6:00 I start some dinner prep and sneak a few almonds so I don’t lose it and attack the bag of mini marshmallows on the counter. Who left those there?!!! The boys build a blanket fort in the front room. I really want that batch of chocolate chip cookies. Instead I make meat spaghetti sauce with grated zucchini to go over the spaghetti squash and some noodles for the boys.

6:30 Dinner is ready, and Russ isn’t home yet. The boys and I are starving, so we eat willy-nilly. So much for the one evening we had available for a relaxed family dinner this week. This is the first time I’ve ever made spaghetti squash. It’s actually delicious in place of noodles. Who knew. (Well, lots of people, I’m sure, but I wasn’t one of them.) I do a little clean-up and put away laundry.

7:15 Russ arrives home with Leif and Lola. The second dinner shift begins. I get a bowl of spaghetti for Leif and feed Lola while Russ finishes off a bowl and heads back down to his office to work. The boys beg to sleep in their blanket fort tonight. I consent under duress. At least it gives me a little leverage. The boys get ready for bed and Luke practices the piano (or else).

7:45 I put Lola in the bathtub. I give her gas medicine, Advil, and Benedryl while she’s in the tub. I really want to sleep tonight. Between tummy issues, a weird rash on her torso, and four molars coming in, I hope this covers my bases. I slather prescription cream on Luke’s face of poison oak. I brush Leif’s teeth and slather his dry face with lotion. Levi comes to tell me that the light bulb from the lamp under their blanket fort broke. I obviously can’t deal with the broken glass while Lola’s in the bath, so I ask the boys to go to their room and not set foot in the front room. They don’t seem to understand the directions, so I tell them that they won’t be sleeping in their fort tonight. Wailing ensues. I get Lola out of the bath. She HATES getting out of the bath.

8pm Even though I told the boys repeatedly not to go in the front room, Luke sneaks in to get his bed stuff. I’m drying Lola off and getting her diapered in my bedroom and Luke comes in….bleeding. Not badly, but still. He asks for my help to get him bandaged. I tell him ‘tough luck, there’s only one of me and she’s busy.’ Lola has a diaper rash, and I realize the diaper ointment isn’t in the bedroom. I go searching through the house holding a naked baby. I finally find the ointment in the front room of chaos. I get an unhappy baby diapered and have nowhere to put her while I take care of Luke, since the front room is a hazard area and her playpen is part of the fort. I call Russ’s cell phone, but he doesn’t pick up. (The reception is bad in the studio.) I juggle Lola in the bathroom while getting Luke cleaned up and bandaged. I rescue a few blankets from the front room, tell the boys it’s lights-out time, and threaten them with certain pain if their heads come off their pillows or if a squeak is heard.

8:30 I finish getting Lola in her jammies and take her to her room to snuggle. She flails around and won’t settle down, so I just put her in her crib and leave.

8:40 I heave a sigh at the sight of the house. How can it be this disastrous? And I’m starving. I spend a few hours cleaning up (including the blanket fort and broken light bulb) and blogging (which admittedly takes me much longer than usual).

11:15 Lola is crying. I spend a few minutes trying to get her settled back down. We might be in for a long night. And I haven’t even seen Russ yet. He must still be working in his office…

11:45 To bed. Bed, sweet bed. And, you know what? This is the life.

And that, my friends, is way more than you ever wanted to know about a day in the life of Heidi.