Because if I don’t just post them, it will never happen…
The (postponed) Christmas choir concert was still held last week despite the continued snowy and icy conditions which made it all the more festive. I can’t express how much I’ve appreciated this opportunity for the boys. All three of them have enjoyed the experience (Levi most of all), and we are looking forward to continuing with the next term. The instructor is excellent, the music selection is wonderful, and the music theory homework is perfect for our needs. The above photo was taken at their performance for the elderly at a local assisted living facility.
School closures continued through the week (our CC week 12 was cancelled on Monday along with swimming and archery), and Wednesday brought freezing fog. Every surface was covered with lacy ice. It was gorgeous!
Even though the freezing fog made roads a bit slippery (in addition to all the snow and ice), we were feeling a bit of cabin fever and decided to brave a field trip to Christmas Storybook Land and then out for hot chocolate with our friends. (Leif stayed home with Russ because he chose not to go and Russ has been working mostly from home for the past couple weeks, which has been nice.)
I think the weather made it more exciting.
In case you wondered, snow bibs double as an excellent puppy carrier. (And, people, everyone should have a Lola in his or her life.)
More sledding. Dad joined in when it was almost dark.
On Thursday I made cookies and we ran a bunch of errands in town before heading over to our best friends’ house to celebrate a belated St. Nicholas Day. This is our ninth annual Christmas tradition. It has changed a bit over the years, but we always make marzipan (the kids would never let us get away with skipping it—I think it’s their favorite Christmas activity) and find gold (chocolate) coins in our shoes. The only picture I took was of the cookies before we left (my new favorite Christmas cookie!!), because we simply enjoyed the most wonderful, relaxing, special time together at their house. After pizza, Christmas gifts, and marzipan-making, the kids headed outside to build a snow fort until the rain brought them in, soaked, and ready for snuggles, Christmas books, and a movie. I can’t tell you how much I value our friendship and how much I needed that afternoon together!
My grandparents just came to spend Christmas with us. They arrived by plane on Thursday and will stay until the first of the year. My grandmother is going through more chemo treatments for her cancer, and we are so thrilled to be able to have them here in between treatments. I haven’t spent Christmas with them since I was a kid!
Friday was Saint Lucia Day, so my sister planned an impromptu party in honor of my grandmother’s Swedish heritage. Luckily all I had to do was get Lola dressed. Mom’s house was lovely and decorated, Ivy cut boxwood and Ilex made wreaths, and Holly made cookies. (I was reminiscing about Lola’s first year as Saint Lucia.)
As we were leaving to go to Bambi’s house, Lola (who can’t say her r’s) said “You will have to cawy me. I tan't walk on da wocks in my pwetty pwincess shoes. It has to be an *inside* pawty not an *outside* pawty, mom."
[Aaaaand, my truck broke down on me on the way home (luckily just as I was pulling in the driveway). Sigh.]
Saturday I met up with friends at the local coffee shop for some inspirational chatting about education, and then Russ and I headed to a Christmas party (yay for prime rib and lobster!!) while Ilex took the kids to “A Walk Through Bethlehem” (a hands-on, Holy Land encounter for the whole family - walk the streets of Bethlehem, visit the marketplace, taste, smell and experience the wonders of the First Christmas in Bethlehem) at a local church.
Today I might actually get some Christmas decorating done, and tomorrow we go on a trolley ride with friends to look at Christmas lights and sing Christmas carols—another one of our favorite Christmas traditions!
I think that brings us up to speed! I’ll post more advent books and links shortly.
46 And Mary said “My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. 50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Michelangelo’s Pieta at Saint Peter’s Cathedral (Art History at Khan Academy):
Four degrees this morning. The last time it was this cold was December of 1972. I wasn’t yet born. Just south of us hit -10 degrees. East of the mountains in Bend, it was -20.
In other news, water—we’ve had none today. Frozen, burst pipes and a day of repairs for my husband. He met our neighbor at Home Depot early this morning. Also buying plumbing supplies. 16 hours of (my husband’s along with my father’s and father-in-law’s) labor later… I think we’ve got it.
I’ve been house-bound since Friday. The boys’ Christmas choir concert was rescheduled (and I hope will happen this next week). My husband had to drive to Portland (where there was no snow) for work on Friday. He was fine coming home until he hit Salem and chains were required on I-5. I don’t ever remember that happening before between Salem and Albany! It took him an hour and a half on back roads instead of the usual 20ish minutes.
Church was cancelled. All local schools are closed tomorrow. We are just not equipped to handle these icy conditions here in the mild Willamette Valley.
The boys have been sledding and just hanging out. I’ve felt completely and utterly nebulous. Nothing has been accomplished for days. No, that’s not accurate. I finished both Insurgent and Allegiant yesterday. So that’s something. Ha! After today, it looks as if a bomb went off in my kitchen. I guess it’s provident that we have no CC classes tomorrow. It will be house cleaning day instead.
While we were off kilter today, the whole family fed on junk food and cried our way through August Rush for the 37th time. (Russ wasn’t about to miss the ending, so he sat and watched the last 10 minutes while waiting for pipes to thaw.)
The Usborne Internet-Linked Encyclopedia Of World History (Contains a two-page spread about WWI with an illustration and description of troops in the trenches during the winter—Luke immediately remembered these pages when we read this day’s entry in our Advent reader.)
I shared my favorite Advent resources last week (and my favorite Christmas books here, here, and here), but now that we are a few days into Advent (because I couldn’t possibly plan ahead or anything—ha!), I am reminded that I wanted to gather lists of books, links, and videos that correspond to the daily topics in The Handel's Messiah Family Advent Reader.
[I am so very sorry that the title is out of print and only available used. I am also so very sorry that the used price is much higher during the Christmas season. If you are interested in purchasing the book, mark your calendar in the spring or summer to check on the availability and prices! But I know that many of you have already purchased the book, so this may be of interest to you. Or you can just enjoy the videos and book ideas regardless! I figured that I might as well post them if I will be gathering them for my own use anyway.]
The topics will be posted as soon as I compile the resources rather than on a particular schedule, but I’ll work through the days chronologically and post them with the tag “Advent.”
Handel’s Messiah
Classical Kids: Hallelujah Handel! (We love the Classical Kids recordings. They incorporate a radio-theater-style drama with music and details about the featured composer.)
Handel's Last Chance (A one-hour historical fiction movie introducing the life and music of Handel. I love this series for kids!)
Handel at the Court of Kings by Opal Wheeler (The composer biography series by Opal Wheeler is a delight. We have the audio book version which incorporates some of Handel’s music.)
The compete performance of “Messiah” -The Choir of King’s College, Cambridge:
“To refuse to see beauty—to call a green leaf grey—is to say that God is not good. Beauty is a kind of grace. It comes from outside and changes something on the inside, and it usually comes as a surprise when it does.”
"The words are pondered briefly in silence before the roaring begins."
:: 20 More SAT Words Quiz from Write at Home (I aced this one, but I wasn’t confident about a couple of my answers and changed them at the last minute. Sometimes multiple choice works in my favor…)
:: The Hunger Names @ Slate (Possible origins of the names in The Hunger Games—again quite fascinating, because I LOVE words and history and depth of meaning.)
"As the poem progressed, my kids laughed at the silliness of the words, but I could see their minds trying to grasp what was going on. What is a Jabberwocky? Is it dangerous? Was it like a dragon? Should the “son” have killed it? Should the father have celebrated this? They are used to stories about knights and dragons that need slaying, but they also know that sometimes dragons are Eustace in the midst of repenting."
“The professors felt a true urgency to communicate how critical essay skills are for college students. Writing well is a crucial determining factor in whether a student is excellent or just average.”
"In a 2011 survey of corporate recruiters by the Graduate Management Admission Council, the organization that administers the standardized test for business school, 86 percent said strong communication skills were a priority—well ahead of the next skill. (When recruiters were asked in a separate question what changes business schools should make to meet employers' needs, the recruiters overwhelmingly called for something different: practical experience.)"
“Frost believed deeply that we approach life with true meaning only through metaphor. What follows from this conviction is that we must teach metaphor, which in its highest form is poetry, but includes all the humanities. He insisted that science is metaphor: Freud’s, who was probably a fraud; Darwin’s, whose Voyage of the Beagle was one of his favorite books; Einstein’s, which Frost considered one of the great poetic insights in the history of human thought. Einstein, Frost knew, saw no gulf between religion and science because the duality of spirit and matter is the essence of the created order. How full of wonder the world is, when we accept its mysteries and even its contradictions!”
:: I’m working my way through The Question (a logic-stage follow-up to The Core) by Leigh Bortins. I’ll have more quotes later.
“Contentment in questions and mysteries seems to irk the world.”
“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.”
“The words stupor and stupid originate in the Latin verb stupere, ‘be stunned or benumbed’. (Incidentally, in some parts of Canada, and perhaps elsewhere, stunned is also a common colloqual word for ‘stupid’.) That became, still in Latin, the past tense form stupidus ‘stunned, numb’ and the noun stupor. So stupid is to stupor as torpid is to torpor (and, originally, horrid was to horror). And I suppose you could say stupid is as stupor does…”
“One reason we feel out of place in the universe is because we begin with the universe and not with ourselves. This is an odd thing to do since we are part of the universe. Clues to its nature are as likely to be found inside of us as they are to be found someplace else—actually more likely. But that possibility is denied by modern people. Our desires, our hopes, our fears, our dreams, all the taproots of humane society, are believed to have no real connection to the universe as it is in itself. But when we remove the most meaningful features of human interest from our study of the universe we find ourselves on the outside of everything. Is it any wonder that the world appears indifferent to us?”
'Roberts and Roberts (2008) make a powerful case that our current school culture, which allows savvy students to get dece...nt grades for minimal effort, cultivates surface reading. They argue that the prolific use of quizzes and other kinds of objective tests encourages "surface learning based in... short-term memorization for a day or two... rather than deep learning that is transformative of one's perspective and involves long-term comprehension" (p. 127). Moreover, they argue, many students don't value a course's "big ideas" because deep learning isn't needed for cumulating a high GPA.’
…'In the jargon of reading theorists, students do not have access to the cultural codes of the text-background information, allusions, common knowledge that the author assumed that the reading audience would know. Knowledge of cultural codes is often essential to making meaning of the text. So significant is this cause that E. D. Hirsch has tried to create a national movement promoting "cultural literacy," lack of which he claims is a prime source of students' reading difficulties in college.'
:: Biosensors to monitor students' attentiveness @ The Chicago Tribune (Is it possible to boil down effective teaching to an algorithm? Do spikes in teenagers' emotional arousal necessarily correspond to learning? Do we as a people have "measurement mania"? Is it because we think science and math can teach us everything we need to know? Is there no room left for heart?)
“OK, I’m calm. But seriously, this is nuts. Parenting is hard enough as it is. We don’t have to turn every movement, every choice, every strategy, into a battlefield, where the bruised and bloodied bodies of unsuspecting parents are strewn about; beaten and defeated by the barbarian hordes who descended upon hearing news that some stranger was raising their kid in a way that doesn’t align with the beliefs and perspectives of every other person on the globe.”
:: How not to say the wrong thing @ The Los Angeles Times (Do you know someone in a crisis? This is a revolutionary way to think about relationships and what to say (and to whom) when someone is going through a crisis.)
(I usually link all of these articles and whatnot on my facebook page and then go through them to list here at the end of the month. This month there were a ton of fun Myers-Briggs personality charts. Star Wars, Harry Potter, Downton Abbey. I’d link them all here, but I’m tired of linking. You’ll just have to friend me on facebook. {grin})
Lists and Lessons
Classical Conversations (Cycle 2) Weeks 5-7 Foundations classes (includes public speaking). Essentials: (Levi and Luke)
Math: Teaching Textbooks (Levi—level 6, Luke—level 5 (finished!!), Leif—level 4) Life of Fred (Kidneys, Liver, Mineshaft, Fractions, Decimals and Percents, Elementary Physics, Pre-Algebra with Biology) Math work samples for charter school Timed drill worksheets Mathtacular 4 (Word Problems) (DVD)
Logic:
Science: CC memory work CC weekly science experiments and projects
P.E.: Swim team practice and meets (Levi and Luke), Swim lessons (Leif) Archery 4-H (all 3 boys)
Fine Arts: CC Drawing, Tin Whistle and music theory Joyful Noise Choir (weekly rehearsals + music theory homework) From Mud Huts to Skyscrapers: Architecture for Children (lovely!) (library)
Language Arts: CC memory work (pronouns) Vocabulary Cartoons: SAT Word Power MCT Grammar Island (with Leif) Essentials (Levi and Luke) grammar IEW Medieval history-themed writing All About Spelling (Levi and Luke: level 4, step 18-; Leif: level 2, step 10-) Read Theory (online reading comprehension quizzes, Luke)
Latin: CC memory work (conjugations) Song School Latin DVD (Leif) First Form Latin DVD lessons (Luke and Levi (Levi completing workbook lessons), lesson 8)
Spanish:
Geography: CC memory work Daily map tracing and “blobbing”
The boys are working their way through this list of Top 100 Children’s Novels. Levi had already read about 55 of them. (We’re skipping The Golden Compass and books by Judy Blume. Harry Potter is on our list for this coming year. Does anyone have any opinions about City of Ember and The Dark is Rising series? Or any other books on the list?)
As my boys get older, I feel the increasing need to respect their ‘personhood’ online as well as protect their privacy. For those reasons, you may see a little less of Levi in this space. I’d love to share more about him (as I did Luke), but maybe that wouldn’t be entirely appropriate. Instead, I’m going to quote (extensively) my favorite Myers-Briggs personality/parenting book, Nurture by Nature: Understand Your Child's Personality Type - And Become a Better Parent. Not all kids have distinct personalities at a young age (at least not distinguishable MB types), but Levi, well, there’s never been a doubt in my mind that he is an ENFP. No doubt.
ENFP
Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Perceiving
“A Great Idea? I’ve Got a Million of ‘Em!”
“They need to mention each and every new impression they have or interesting thing they notice. Because they tend to think out loud, they frequently speak spontaneously or spout ideas they haven’t considered for even a second before expressing them.
“They are friendly and warm people, eager to meet new friends, and love the surprise of seeing people they weren’t expecting to see.
“They seem to be ever able to see possibilities others may not, and they aren’t easily discouraged from finding a way out of a dilemma. They need to bounce their ideas off other people and are very frustrated by people who either don’t take time to listen or stifle their enthusiasm with endless objections or criticism. They generally have vivid imaginations and love dramatic play, getting very involved in their role with accompanying costumes, props, and staging.
“ENFPs are usually sensitive, gentle, and kind. They take criticism personally and have deep affection for the people and causes they love. They have strong beliefs about the right way to treat others and often favor the underdog or befriend the social outcast. They may prefer to play with younger children or to interact with adults rather than their peers.
“When upset, they can act irrationally and have the tendency to become depressed and moody when they are overwhelmed with details or projects to finish.
“ENFPs are innately very curious, eager to understand why things are as they are. So they tend ask lots of questions and to push limits and conventions.
“Since they value the process well ahead of the product, they are easily distracted and don’t naturally have a strong sense of time. They value harmony in their relationships but place the highest importance on their own individuality, which they strive to express in everything they do.
“The key to understanding and appreciating ENFPs of any age is to remember that they are ruled by their highly developed sense of what is possible… Above all else, they think of themselves as idea people, but they are also deeply sensitive and need their feelings and values to be honored and understood.
“Because ENFPs rarely accept anything at face value and because they have such a remarkable ability to see alternatives, they naturally question most limits and rule.
“ENFPs think out loud and do not censor or edit their thoughts. They actually need to hear what they’ve said before they can apply any judgment to it.
“Because ENFPs are so energized by interacting with other people, they often become so wound up that they lose control of themselves. Their eagerness makes them attentive, engaging, and interesting children to be around, and they are often funny and entertaining as well.
“ENFPs are so good at bending rules that if there is any ambiguity in your message, they will find a way of continuing the action, but with a slight variation that wasn’t expressly prohibited. In general, the more you correct and limit, the less they pay attention.
“Life can be chaotic with an ENFP. They seem to create messes everywhere…Cleanup is almost always a battle. Mess represents activity and possibility to ENFPs, so they can live happily amid more disorder than most parents are comfortable with.
“ENFPs are strongly individualistic children. They sometimes have trouble striking a balance between their need for social acceptance and their desire to express themselves in original ways.
“ENFPs are happiest in a very casual and relaxed environment, where there are a minimum of rules and limitations. They like to keep all their options open as long as possible to be able to explore every alternative.
“Focus and concentration do not come easily to most ENFPs. It takes great effort to stay on task… The playful spirit of ENFPs is delightful and refreshing. But they also tend to lack self-discipline and often wait until the last possible moment to begin working on assignments and chores.
“They are easily embarrassed when their privacy is violated, and since they tend to perceive insensitivity as intentional meanness, they can wind up feeling emotionally abandoned when criticized. So gentle and positive are the important watchwords when guiding ENFPs.
“They may seem to get their feelings hurt “at the drop of a hat” and withdraw into their rooms to sulk or rage. Both boy and girl ENFPs tend to cry easily.
“Whereas the public ENFP is active, entertaining, clever, and playful, the private one can be worried, fearful, and morose. Accepting both sides of their personality is essential to fully understanding them. Accepting the child’s feelings as valid, no matter how odd or irrational they may seem, is critical. ENFPs often suffer self-blame and may express doubts about their worthiness or their ability to handle the tough stuff. With constant (even if it seems excessive) reassurance, self-doubting ENFPs will learn to comfort themselves…
“Because ENFPs, more so than many other types, are such individuals, they often become less conventional as they grow older. They like the whole mystique of being different…They feel a strong and unrelenting pull to figure out what makes them special, and they pursue a quest to understand themselves and the meaning of life.
“Many teen ENFPs like to cause a stir and get a reaction; they find shocking adults is fun and exciting. They usually respond best to being treated like adults, being invited into adult conversations, and having their views considered. But their natural ability to read between the lines may result in some heated discussion of necessary limits, or constant renegotiating of rules. They are almost incapable of accepting that there is no possibility of getting you to change your mind…
“Allow them to fantasize without accusing them of lying.
“When we parents can have the courage to turn our backs a bit on society’s conventions and instead stand by our ENFPs—in all their occasional quirkiness—we send a loud and clear message of unconditional love that lasts a lifetime.”
