SCHOOL @ HOME

September 24, 2003

This morning the kids worked on several things. They each did a file folder game: our daughter worked on counting money matching the coins to the corresponding number, and our son worked on pattern matching found in this butterfly file folder game. Then they worked on puzzles for awhile. Our daughter wrote a thank you card to a friend and practiced her handwriting skills and our son worked on his numbers on a leap pad while I nursed the baby.

We had a bible study lesson with a verse memorization. Today we worked on Proverbs 15:1 "A soft answer turns away wrath" our daughter memorized it and we read a story that showed this principle in practice. Then we talked about the story, the verse and how she can apply it in her life. She repeated the verse several times and we talked about it until it became apparent that she understood what she was memorizing.

Then the kids picked up a Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme Book and asked to work on their rhymes. We practiced reciting several rhymes (the two year old was able to repeat and recite some while the four year old worked on her memorization and pronunciation) including:

Itsy Bitsy Spider
There Was an Old Woman
Jack Sprat
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Old MacDonald
Pease Porridge Hot
One, Two Buckle my Shoe
little Miss Muffet
Little Miss Tucket
Little Bo-Peep
Rain, Rain Go Away
Old King Cole
Here We Go Around the Mulberry Bush
The Purple Cow
Mary Had a Little Lamb
Humpty Dumpty
The Cat and the Fiddle

After our nursery rhyme work than we made lunch and it will soon be naptime (which today for me is clean the house time) and then we will make a library run this afternoon after our groceries are delivered (I love online grocers!) and put away. Hope you are having a great day.

Peace,
Tenn

September 23, 2003

In case you were curious what we eat over here I thought I would post our meal plan for the next two weeks or so (leftovers usually make it go further). This is not the order we will eat it. I just plan two weeks and pick that day what I want to make.

Sloppy Joes
Bowties with Tempeh and Mushrooms
Miso Soup with Tofu and Baby Spinach
Veggie Dogs, French Fries and Edamame
Tuscany Style Pasta with Garbanzo Beans
Red Lentil Fettucini
Cuban Black Beans
barbecued Tempeh with Sweet Peppers
Tempeh, Tomato and Sauerkraut Grillers
Black Bean Sweet Potato Enchiladas
Stuffed Winter Squash
Chili and Cornbread
Hummus, Pita, Capers, Olives with Roasted Tomatoes
Baked Seitan with Potatoes
Fajitas

Well there you have our meals and now you know what one vegan family eats.

Peace,
Tenn

Check out my post on why Breast is Still Best for infants (despite the recent research of increased chemicals in breastmilk) over at CyberEcology.

Peace,
Tenn

Today we rode bikes, collected more fall objects, played hopscotch (the course was drawn by our 4 year old), played with the dog (our faithful Australian Shepherd), traveled to a variety of imaginary worlds, and pretended to be neighbors, kings and queens, shoppers, dogs, and something like a dungeon keeper (not real sure where that one came from). This was all before 10am.

The rest of the day was spent cleaning the house and playing while we cleaned. The kids are very good at incorporating their play into their chores. Our daughter's favorite is the obvious Cinderella link (she loves princesses) and lately they have been quoting lines from the court jester as well (daddy let them watch this movie) "Why walk when you can leap" and then they leap around the house while they clean.

We of course had storytime throughout the day. A few we read today were:

The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle
The Mouse, the very ripe strawberry and the hungry bear by Don and Audrey Wood
Aslan - adapted from the Chronicles of Narnia
Cinderella and the Ugly Stepsisters

They had some computer free time today as well and they played Reader Rabbit together for a long time. They also played with our big wooden busy box for a long time, playing tic tac toe together and trying to organize the balls into colors. We had care for little sister time and some free art time with our easel and some scissors and paper.

They played lego's, yahtzee (toy story version), and a memory match game all together with me. We sang songs and our daughter put on a performance of Irish step dancing which nicely doubled as her practice time. We organized some of our homeschool supplies and went back outside to play more.

We had baked apples for dessert and apples for a snack this morning. We kept up with our apple theme for the week and sang "Two Little Apples" . That seems to be all I can recall at the moment. It was a nice laid back catch up day. It was nice to let the kids choose what they wanted to do almost all day long.

I hope by tomorrow that blogger.com will have figured out their archive problem and the site will be working again. I apologize for anyone trying to use my archives (Blogger assures me they are working on it).

Peace,
Tenn

I am sorry to inform you that we are experiencing technical difficulties with our archive pages. I am working on the problem and hope to have them up and running soon. Thanks for your patience.

Peace,
Tenn

We are trying to establish routines here in our household which I must admit is hard for a person like me (I'm not a huge fan of schedules) but I'm atleast admitting now that it would help us all. I am trying to get everyone up, dressed, fed and ready for the day (chores, day preparation, etc)by 8am. Then we have quiet time and then large muscle activity (usually running around or riding around the yard) and then we have some formal lesson time, free time, lunchtime, chore time, nap/quiet time and our afternoons vary based on what we may have scheduled (field trip, co-op, various classes, errands). Then dinner prep and another routine for the evening which concludes with laying out the next days clothes, packing my bag for the day and a quick general pickup of the house.

Why you might ask am I writing about this on a homeschooling sight? Two reasons. First, without routines (of some sort), organization and cleanliness (I still have three under 5) and some level of structure ours days tend to be more chaotic and unhappy. We seem to always be playing catch up or unable to focus on what we want as we deal with the ever present "tyranny of the urgent". However, when the house is picked up and we know what to expect and when and we know there is a time for everything than we are more free to do what we want. It's a concept I never really understood until I experienced it - but for our family atleast we are truly happier when things run more smoothly and they run more smooth when I plan better (and follow through) than when I just kind of go with the flow (my personality).

The second reason is because I am "schooling" them during this time. They are learning how to help a family and household and school function. They are learning invaluable life lessons that they will use throughout their lives to help them and perhaps someday their families be more productive and happy people. They are disciplining and training themselves to do the things that need to be done even when they may not want to and hopefully some of the things will just become second nature to them so they don't seem like a big deal (like housework always did to me). We all have routines even if we don't call them that, sometimes we don't like to think of them as routines though. I am trying to change our bad habits (laziness, procrastination, half-stepping and denial) into more positive habits through the use of routines.

Also besides the inherent lessons found in establishing and carrying out routines there are all the lessons one learns through housework, the value of quiet time and mealtimes together. I also find my kids are often more teachable in these moments and lessons over baking cookies stick in better than all the math sheets we do. Shopping at the grocery store has done more for color recognition than flash cards and playing red light green light has taught them to mind me better. So I try to remind myself of these benefits as I struggle with finding a balance in my life.

Peace,
Tenn

September 22, 2003

Today did not go at all how I had planned it to. Today was supposed to be Spanish lessons in our cooperative. However the scheduled teacher's son was sick and we called the day's class off instead. Our daughter was once again sad (we had to miss last Friday's co-op pottery class because I had a blinding headache) to miss her class. She really enjoys the cooperatives. She enjoys playing and learning with all the kids and is developing relationships with all the members of the families. She also seems to really enjoy her lessons and is particularly excited to learn Spanish. So I knew we needed to do something outside of our house.

We started the morning with some outdoor playtime. This time was spent mostly bike riding and swinging in the hammock. They also walked around our yard and a neighbor's collecting fall items (leaves, acorns, pinecones, etc) and placed them in a basket to use at a later date for a fall project. We played imaginary games and I listened to their creative play and participated in various supporting roles.

Then it was off to run some errands - not typically my idea of fun with three little ones in tow - but it went better than I expected, we managed to learn and have fun along the way. In the car we finished listening to Little House on the Prairie on tape (for the second time) and then we sang some songs together from the Wee Sing Bible Songs and talked about various bible stories. Lately we have been talking about the story of David and Goliath quite a bit.

This past weekend we had a challenging discussion about the Story of David and Goliath, Star Wars and inappropriate play. Our four year old daughter started pretending to play with guns (she was building one out of lego's" and then pretended to "kill" her brother and was saying some not so nice things to him. I went to help alleviate the situation, offer appropriate discipline and help to the younger child. What came next I was not fully prepared for. I started to talk about how it is inappropriate to hurt one another and how we need to be kind to one another. I was thrown my first fast ball with "But people in Star Wars teach me that it is okay - they use guns and kill people" I managed to foul tip that ball with a late swing about the difference between reality and fantasy and how sometimes people do things that are not good (both in reality and in fantasy or pretend).

Getting ready to launch into a discussion about why "killing" play is unacceptable I got thrown a curve that I was completely surprised by (I was expecting another fast ball) but in the bible people kill one another. I know this is not an unusual connection for children to make (but I was surprised by my four year old) and I was in some ways prepared for it. I talked a bit about sin and how that can lead to people making poor choices that go against God's will. Then she threw a knuckleball that just took me off guard. Well what about David? Was he wrong? Didn't God help him kill Goliath? Was he going against God's will. I just thought to myself "Why do I find myself answering this question for a four year old? How did she learn to make those connections and realize the inconsistencies so quickly. The next thought was "I am in TROUBLE when she is a teenager" and the last thought was "HELP". So I called in Serona and we dealt with the issue together. I'm not sure she was satisfied with the answer or completely understood it but I think we were able to explain to her some of the concepts of sin, free will, fantasy and reality, acceptable and unacceptable play, and how play can still hurt people's feelings. They continued to play (this time building a castle) and we moved on but I thought how much innocence is gone now? Why do we have these talks with our children so young? It made me a little bit sad.

Back to today - we ran our errands and found the teachable moments within the day. Counting, naming and describing items we saw in the store. Helping pick out clothes for their baby sister and working on curbing whining, pestering and other challenging behaviors often seen in stores with children. We ran our errands, had a picnic lunch in the backseat of the van (not the healthiest I admit) and then headed home for naps. During nap time the phone repairman came to work on our phones and was here for awhile. Then daddy came home early and the kids got to run outside and play with him.

They had special time with dad tonight as I had to head out to a LLL meeting (with the baby of course) and then snuck into a bookstore for about a half hour for some me time. All in all it was a good day - though it was often chaotic and overwhelming. It is good to have days like this to remind you that your kids can still learn no matter what you do and often the most meaningful conversations happen on the floor over lego's or in the car headed between stores and how you handle those teachable moments will affect them and you for the rest of your lives.

Peace,
Tenn

September 21, 2003

Tonight at dinner we had another famous "Daddy, how do you..." questions. These questions spur great lessons in our house and are some of my favorite teachable moments. Some of you may remember the "Daddy how do you make soy milk?" question or the "Daddy what is that (dry ice)" question. Well today it was "Daddy how do you make apple cider?"

Some of you may recall that we went apple picking yesterday and had a grand time. Well today we had special apple pie oatmeal (recipe: oatmeal, apples and raisins coated in apple pie mix and a bit of sugar) and apple cider for dinner. Thus our daughter's ever creative juices started flowing. She asked and we of course started to give answers off the cuff until I got stuck trying to explain the difference between apple juice and apple cider and how they were made.

Serona points to our computer and says "Look it up in the answer box" and I laughed but realized that really was a good way to explain our computer and the way we generally use it. So I did a google search on how to make apple cider. The first site I went to was way to technical for my four and two year old. I realized they really did not need to know about "pommage" and the best temperature for fermentation. I stopped reading aloud and then surfed over to a great site for kids.

The Cider Mill has some great pictures and very brief explanation of the process. My four year old loved it and she could control the mouse enough to walk herself through the process a few times after we had done it together. She then showed her brother how it worked and explained it to him as she navigated through the process of making apple cider. I was so proud of her and glad that we went that extra step in really finding the answers to her questions.

Don't get me wrong we do not ALWAYS get this detailed in answering her endless four year old questions but I would say we do it more often than not. I have decided to grab hold of those teachable moments because those are the ones they remember - when they asked the question and you helped them find the best answer. My kids actually remember what sublimation is and can explain how you make soy milk and apple cider (well the older one can atleast) and it is because we took just a few minutes more and went to the "answer box" to find more specifics at their level. I hope to continue doing this throughout their lives and eventually to teach them to do the same for themselves

Peace,
Tenn

September 20, 2003

Ever curious what I am reading? Here is the rundown for the past two month's what I have read and what I am currently reading.

Books completed:

A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
Birth Book by William and Martha Sears
Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover
Evenings at Five by Gail Goodwin
No Spin Zone by Bill O'Reilly
So You're thinking about homeschooling by Lisa Whelchel

Book currently in progress:

LBJ: Master of the Senate by Robert Caro
Homefires by Donald Katz
Yawn: bedtime Reading for Insomniacs by Ellen Sue Stern
Creative Correction by Lisa Whelchel
Postnatal Exercise Book by Margie Polden
20 Teachable Virtues by Barbara C Unell and Jerry Wyckoff
Not So Big Solutions for Your Home by Susanka

And of course the tons of children's books that I read in a day. List for September coming soon.

Peace,
Tenn

"If you are a parent, recognize that it is the most important calling and rewarding challenge you have. What you can do every day, what you say and how you act, will do more to shape the future of America that any other factor."
-Marion Wright Edelman

We decided to go apple picking and we just started driving towards a popular orchard. We hit amazing traffic and couldn't figure out why, then we realized that the Renaissance Festival is going on in town. We sat in it for awhile and tried an alternate route (which everyone else thought of as well) and then just headed in the opposite direction and looked for one. We stopped at an apple house and got a snack of cider and apples and continued on in search of an apple orchard.

God is good, just as I was reaching my breaking point of time in the car (which I do love with my family - but it was a beautiful day and I wanted to be outside) we came upon a small orchard we had not known was where we were (because we were on a detour from a road we didn't know in the first place). But it ended up being perfect. It was actually a working farm and orchard that my home school group recently recommended and planned a field trip to that I could not attend.

There were chickens freely roaming and the kids got to hold baby chickens and feed a cow and goats. They really enjoyed their time with the animals and riding around the farm in a wagon. After thoroughly washing their hands we were off for apple picking. We picked Suite 16 (the kids sat and stood on dad's shoulders while the baby rode on the sling of course) and bought some honeycrisp and then picked out several pumpkins and a bunch of squash and of course some cider. We loaded it all into the van and headed home after a great family day (can't wait to get my pictures developed).

It was fun for everyone and I enjoyed having both the farm and the orchard experience in such a hands on way. We will do some follow-up this week on farm life and on apples and the fall season. Well I am off to make an apple crisp and oh yeah dinner as well (boca, squash and french fries).

Peace,
Tenn

Today we had our Irish step dancing lesson and our daughter was so excited. She really seems to enjoy the classes and is already beginning to do some simple steps that she wants to practice and demonstrate for us all. Serona took her to her class and I kept the older two busy at a park and grocery store.

I had a great time with our two year old - it was nice to have some special us time as the baby was asleep in the sling. We walked around the produce aisle of the grocery store and he pointed to things and I told him what they were or he told me the ones he knew. We talked about colors of different objects and he told me whether he liked them or not (garlic, onions and peppers were the big losers in this area). We actually had a conversation and it was amazing to me how much he talked when he was alone. It was wonderful and I truly enjoyed it.

We picked up a snack of dried cherries, garlic sesame sticks, carbonated lemon water and chocolate soy milk. We headed over to the nearest picnic bench and shared our snack. Then we ran around a big open field and smelled the flowers and watched the butterflies. He told me a story "The pig climbed up the tree, he fell down, he took a nap, the end" but it was cute to hear his story. He also sang Happy Birthday to a butterfly. We had fun.

Serona said he had a proud daddy moment and loved watching her dance. She enjoys it and seems to be picking up the steps so far. When she left class and saw me she was so excited she ran up to me telling me "she did it" with the biggest grin on her face. It was priceless.

Peace,
Tenn

September 19, 2003

No not me this time, not possible yet! But I have met two other women this week who have also suffered from this and my sympathy goes out to all of you who are suffering from it. Hang in there it will end and you will be your normal self again! Honest, I can testify to that as can my family. We are four weeks postpartum here and doing much better thanks for asking!

For those of you in the thick of it - try to sleep, take the sleeping pill without guilt if you need to (I, who barely am willing to take a tylenol when pregnant, had to take it for over three weeks daily!), consider the "therapeutic rest" if it is offered to you (my midwives decided it probably wouldn't help in my case), and go easy on yourself. You are not crazy, you are not alone and you will get better. Hopefully your active labor will go as quickly as mine did (3 hours from the first contraction to holding my baby) and you can move into it soon.

The other thing that really helped me was when I was told the baby was posterior then I had something I could do to help. We lived on a birth ball and hands and knees for over a week. Prodromal labor can often be caused by a posterior baby. The contractions are happening but they are not fully productive because the baby is not in the right position and things can start and then stall again. Talk to your midwife and see if this could be your situation or just be sure to spend twenty minutes a day on your hands and knees (do this three times a day) and sit on a birth ball instead of a soft couch. Read about my experience here. Remember I AM NOT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL, this is my experience only and based on my midwife, research and things I found helpful.

The other most useful thing I can say is try hard to distract yourself from the contractions. Try to find something you can do that can take your mind off them. When you are in need of going to the hospital or calling your midwife you will know. So try to relax and not think about it. Believe me I know you are saying "Yeah right whatever" I felt the same way and only out of sheer desperation and frustration with all the starts and stops I had was I able to try this and I found it did help some when I could maintain it for an hour or so. But they always came back again and it was harder to do than it is to say to do it. But it was helpful if you are the kind of person who excels at mind over matter (I am not) so I felt I should share it.

Hang in there and know that others have been there before you and can sympathize with you. The baby will come when s/he is ready even if that is way after you are ready. If all else fails and you have your midwife's blessing you could consider the castor oil induction - it worked for us.

Peace,
Tenn

Well so much for my planning. We ended up changing the whole plan and having a very different day. We never got moving that fast this morning and by the time we were done with outdoor playtime the baby was sleeping again and we wouldn't have enough time for errands so I decided to do impromptu school stuff (we are not "officially starting kindergarten until october 6th).

We went down to the basement and I set the kids each up with a puzzle while I got things organized. On one of my trips upstairs I noticed that the floor had muddy foot and pawprints all over it so I decided to mop it up quickly. Well what should have taken five minutes turned into a fiasco. I accidently bumped the bucket and water spilled everywhere. While I was frustrated and struggling to clean it up the kids are yelling from downstairs that they need me. I tell them to wait because I am busy and they come up to tell me there is a flood downstairs and it is raining from the ceiling! _Sigh_ what a way to discover that there is a leak in your ceiling. So I spend the next half hour or so cleaning up the mess.

By then the kids had their fill of puzzles and I had only limited time before the youngest woke up. My oldest wanting to practice with her sewing cards and I worked with our two year old on his shapes - he is tracing big wooden shapes and telling me what shape they are. My daughter got bored and did another puzzle and felt board kit on a lifecycle of a butterfly (follow-up from yesterday's science lesson).

Then we all did a felt board kit together "Making a Rainbow" a cute poem about different colored fruit and what they make when you stir them in a pot. The kids took turns adding the right items to the pot and talking about the colors. They actually both enjoyed it (though it probably too old for one and too young for the other) and they played well together and took turns nicely. I nursed the baby through this activity.

Then they each did a craft with cutting and gluing felt and scraps of paper and stick on foam letters. They both had a good time and I was able to supervise but hold the baby. Our son played with his leap imagination desk and worked on his numbers and my daughter cleaned up. I asked what else they wanted to do and of course they answered with read. So we read and then made lunch and laid down for naps (a bit early so we could be ready for our clay coop class).

I awoke when my two year old came in and realized we were going nowhere. I had a blinding headache (the kind that affects your vision and thought) and realized it was unsafe for me to drive and probably for me to even leave the house with the kids. I called last minute to cancel (and felt terrible about it) and then had to explain to our daughter why she couldn't go today (she was sad and disappointed) and then why I could not function the rest of the day and her and her brother would take turns picking movies so I could sleep with the baby until the headache went away.

The kids must have realized I was serious and could sense my pain and were on their best behavior. They complied and laid together on our futon and watched movies (taking turns picking the video) until I could function again. Meanwhile I took tylenol, drank water and laid down with the baby until I felt like I could stand up again. Getting up only to change the video when the last one ended.

The tylenol finally kicked in and I was able to get up and function. The kids wanted me to read them books so we all got in our rocking chairs (they each have a small one on either side of my glider) and I held the baby and tried reading. It actually hurt, I could not believe it hurt to read to my kids! But I kept going for a few stories as I felt so bad about making them watch movies all afternoon. I read until their father came home and took over.

So not a banner day here - but we did get some stuff done and you might as well know the bad with the good. I am feeling a bit better now, I am just back to the dull headache I have had for the past two weeks.

I probably won't blog much this weekend as we have several things going on (Irish step dancing lessons, apple picking and an apple festival to name a few). Hope you have a good weekend yourself.

Peace,
Tenn
We

This morning I am exhausted - I stayed up a bit too late last night and then of course we had a nursing marathon throughout the night. That is okay though I am still getting more sleep than I was when I was pregnant. People didn't believe me that life with a newborn would be more restful for me than pregnancy - well it is so far, even on the long nights! Atleast I don't have to get up for any reason than to change her (I was getting up all the time to go to the bathroom) and I actually don't have insomnia, I am tired and want to and can sleep!

What kept me up late last night was writing, blogging and reading other new and interesting blogs. Normally that would be fine, but then our baby had a restless night (she suffers from mild reflux) and the combination just got to me. I am trying to wake up and would use coffee to help stimulate me but it gives me terrible headaches and I am still suffering from a major hormonal post-partum headache so I shouldn't intensify it at all.

So I may be short on blogging today. Our plan is to let mommy rest a little longer, and then run some errands, have lunch and a nap and then head to our homeschool coop to continue working on our clay pots.

Peace,
Tenn

September 18, 2003

Today was our first science class at the local nature preserve. We had a good time though I must admit it was a bit chaotic. There were about 25 kids there for the program (age range 4-11) plus their younger siblings and parents. We had two naturalists who did a great job. First they asked the kids questions about insects and butterflies to see what they knew. As you can imagine the knowledge varied as the age range was so wide. The naturalists drew a picture of a butterfly as she discussed all the different parts of its body. Then the kids all went outside with big nets and tried to catch some butterflies. Unfortunately it had rained pretty hard today and was still cold and drizzly - so there were not many butterflies flying around. Which was too bad as this past week many painted lady butterflies hatched in the area so we were hopeful to see some.

The naturalist and one of the older children each caught a butterfly and the children caught a few other bugs we put in little plastic magnifying cases so the kids could look at all the bugs. They really had a good time being outside and walking around on the trails even with the bad weather and not being able to catch many butterflies, everyone was a good sport about it. Then we went back inside and the kids took turns looking at the butterflies in the terranium, the bugs in the magnifying cases and different part of a butterfly that were set up under the microscope.

Finally there was a nice slide show presentation on butterflies, their life cycle, habitats and the different kinds of butterflies and other interesting information. The kids enjoyed it and got involved in the presentation. The naturalists ended the day with a teaser for our next class on Native Americans and handed out homework for them to complete.

All in all it was a good time and my kids did better than I expected, the baby was in the sling and content the entire time, My son actually wanted to just hold my hand and be by my side most of the time. He loved watching the butterflies in the terranium and spent quite a bit of time building a tower of bugs out of the little plastic magnifying cases. My daughter loved it and had several of her friends there with her and made several new ones. She was disappointed that she didn't catch anything - but overall I think she was just content to be in a nature preserve with other children.

Then we left the class and sat in rush hour traffic while listening to Little House on the Prairie on tape. Our family really enjoys books on tape and both kids seem to really enjoy this story. We will likely finish it up tomorrow when we head home from our homeschool coop (again in rush hour traffic) so we will be looking for another story. Feel free to let me know any suggestions.

Peace,
Tenn

As their treat for cleaning up the yard in record time each child got to pick out one of the small 3.50 storybooks (which with our 20% homeschool discount and the buy three get one free special going on were even cheaper) so much better than candy in my mind and their too even!

My son picked out a Thomas the train book and my daughter picked out a book about a flower girl at a wedding. I picked up a book on dinosaurs for them and Baby Catcher by Peggy Vincent as a thank you for my midwife. Great read if you haven't read it before.

Then we headed over to another store to pick up a breast pump for the very rare time when I leave my child alone with dad for a whole hour - but he needs to have milk on hand just in case she needs it. I have tried the hand expression technique and though I can do it in a pinch I do find the pumps to be more time effective for my needs (I have a cheap 40 one) and use on occasion.

Now we are trying to get naps (realistically lay in bed time) done early so we can head off to our science class in two hours. Thought I would drop in a note during that time.

Peace,
Tenn

This morning we started at 6:30a.m. and it has been productive even if it takes longer. I was actually able to get a good quiet time, I am reading and journaling about the book of Hebrews now. The kids were awake but had to stay in their beds and red while I had my quiet time. Then it was up for breakfast, the ever exciting oatmeal (which they actually love) and then cleaning up the house. Then out in the yard for bike riding for about a half hour. Then yard pickup with a timer (if they beat the timer they get a treat - they did) and now inside to get ready to go out. First we made sure the house was picked up - again trying to beat a timer. Then I got 10 minutes of computer time (including now) while they read quietly in their rocking chairs. We are headed off to the store now and then to science class this afternoon at a nature preserve.

Peace,
Tenn

September 17, 2003

I found a great quote in Lisa Whelchel's book about this to. In response to that inevitable question I like Mary Beth Nelson's response. "We did tend to oversocialize when we first started homeschooling, but I think we have it under control now." This homeschooler who quoted Nelson goes on to say:

We spend so much time on the go between co-op classes, play rehearsals, volleyball practice, and other activities that I'm tempted to call what we do "minivan-schooling." The only problem with socialization is staying home enough to get the schooling done."

We are just starting out and I already feel that way. Our problem is not finding opportunities for our children but paring down to the best options and having to say no to other good options so that we have time at home.

Peace,
Tenn

I have been reading Lisa Whelchel's book So You're Thinking About Homeschooling I am enjoying the book it is a quick read and offers a variety of pictures of homeschooling.

I was struck by a great quote in the book where one of the families (a father who is homeschooling his kids) quoted Thomas Carlyle, a British historian. This is a quote to put on the door of the home library I one day dream of having:

"What we become depends on what we read after all the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is the collection of books."

I love books and my whole family seems to love books. Our neighbors were clearing out their basement and gave us a bag full of old children's books today (their kids are in their 40's now) and it was a treat! I am headed to the library tonight for my homeschool meeting and will surely pick up more.

Read on fellow friends, read on.

Peace,
Tenn

Tammy thanks for the link and for reading our site. Everyone check out Tammy's homeschool blog. She has alot to say and I enjoy reading it.

Peace,
Tenn

September 16, 2003

Serona and I have had many discussions about how cultural diversity and multicultaralism seems to be overtaking our public schools. Glad to know we are not the only ones noticing this and demanding a change. Fox news reports U.S. Students Need Better Civics Education, Experts Say and I believe it is true. We are replacing our lessons in civics and history with a focus on multicularalism and tolerance and diversity. Don't get me wrong I believe these are important things for students to be taught, but they are not the only things that need to be taught. Children need to be raised to be proud of being an American and with a solid understanding of what our country was founded on and the underlying values inherent in democracy if we intend to keep a democracy in this country.

From the article:

Last month, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation released a book titled, "Where Did Social Studies Go Wrong?," which lambasted the way social studies are taught in America's schools.

The volume criticizes university professors who steer future teachers in too liberal a direction. It attacks weak civics curricula and a misplaced focus on multiculturalism, and expresses particular indignation about the way the Sept. 11 attacks were handled by educators.

At the very time we most need our citizens and future citizens to learn what it means to be American and why America is worth defending ... the part of the school curriculum on which we must rely for help has turned into a hindrance. It’s not getting the job done. It’s wrongheaded. It may even be making matters worse," reads the book's introduction, written by Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Fordham Foundation.

This is just another reason we are beginning our children's formal education here at home so they can get the basics before the basics get diluted by the "social causes and issues" of the day. Our children will learn about diversity but they will also learn about civics, democracy and what it means to be a good citizen.

Peace,
Tenn

September 15, 2003

Sometimes in my excitement for the cerebral aspects of our lives I forget to mention and focus on the other aspects of it - like play time and physical achievements. Today I was really struck by the fact that I have not mentioned that both of our older children learned how to ride a bike this summer. Our son has finally mastered his tricycle by himself and can ride alone (with supervision of course) in the street and is all over our yard. Our daughter is completely self sufficient on a two wheeler already! I really was surprised, she is only 4 years old (as of July) and she does it all alone now (from putting the helmet on, to starting, stopping, turning and steering).

Today was our first big biking adventure. The children both were able to ride their bicycles to the park along our neighborhood streets with us right by their sides. Somehow that made them seem so much older to me, especially watching my daughter on a two wheeler. I think in many ways I was not ready to take the training wheels off her bicycle - but that is why she has two parents. Her father worked hard with her and it really paid off. She is so proud of herself and well she should be. She was determined and she was able to learn and now it is a skill she will always have.

Peace,
Tenn

In today's cooperative class the kids learned about fall leaves. The teacher read a book about fall leaves and how leaves change color. The children also had two worksheets related to the book she read, one focused on colors and reading comprehension, the other was about words that rhymed in the story. There was also a craft, each child made a fall leaf picture frame with magnets on the back to be used on the fridge. They came out cute and everyone enjoyed themselves. The rest of the time was free play time. This group of kids really seems to enjoy dress up and that tends to be their primary group play.

Last week at this coop, a different teacher taught the kids their colors in Spanish. While this was a review - it had been awhile and it took some time to remember the colors. The children then all played candyland in Spanish. At snack time they had to speak in Spanish (please, thank you, the colors of the snack they wanted). They are also beginning to work on the concept of asking for a translation in Spanish but using the proper Spanish terminology.

The feel of each of our cooperatives is different but I do enjoy them both. One is more formal in teaching and works on more advanced concepts - the other is more playful and unschoolish in its approach. But they are learning at both and enjoying their time there and the relationships they are developing: with their peers, siblings, peers siblings and the mothers. Here is to a good year.

Peace,
Tenn

September 13, 2003

Now as many of you know I am a big proponent of reading to your children and the value of reading in general. These past few weeks have really helped me realize just how much we all read in our family, it is a passion for all of us. Today was actually one of those days where I wonder to myself if it is possible to read to your children TOO much. Of course I realistically do not believe that to be possible - but today's reading list makes me question it sometimes. Now granted all of the books were different lengths and a few were short but several were long for a children's storybook. Here is our reading list for Saturday September 13, 2003:

ABC by Dr Suess
Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock by Eric A. Kimmel
Aslan adapted from CS Lewis Chronicles of Narnia
Butterfly Kisses by Bob and Brooke Carlisle
Corduroy by Don Freeman (translation Spanish)
Curious George's Dream by HA Rey
The Grouchy LadyBug by Eric Carle
Hop on Pop by Dr Suess
I Am Not Going To Get Up Today by Dr Suess
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Numeroff
Jamberry by Bruce Degen
Jesse Bear What Will You Wear by Nancy White Carlstrom
Marvin K Mooney Will You Please Go Now by Dr Suess
Playing Poohsticks by AA Milne
Polar Bear, Polar Bear What Do You Hear? by Bill Marin Jr
Praise You God by tyndale house
Touch and Feel Baby Animals by Dk Publishing

We also listened to Little House on the Prairie on cassete (a few chapters) and grandma read them a few books this morning. We skipped our usual chapter from Chronicles of Narnia (we are now on the Silver Chair) as I was a bit read out tonight as you can guess why as it was I who read them all those books listed (most over the last two hours)!

Anyway I thought you might be interested.

Peace,
Tenn

September 12, 2003

Several families from our homeschool support group decided to start a cooperative and asked our family to join. I was very excited at the possibility as I really like the parents involved and the children all seem to get along well. We have five families: 3 six year olds, 3 four year olds, 3 two year olds, 2 one year olds and soon we will add three infants (including our newborn). It is a great group of kids and I am glad to see the age diversity and the relationships that are beginning to develop. Already on our first day there was a sense of cooperation between parents as mothers comforted and cared for the children of the other mothers (even when their own mothers were nearby). As I rubbed the back of an injured boy another mother sprinkled "fairy dust" on him to help him feel better while his own mother was outside helping watch the other children. I picked up and comforted a one year old who was knocked down accidentally by a two year old, by the time we reached mom she was fine. My baby was passed from loving arms to loving arms and my four year old had her endless questions answered by some other mothers. It was refreshing and I think a good start to what I hope will be a great experience.

Today we worked on pottery. The teacher (a fellow homeschooling mother) read from a book on clay pottery and children and showed them pictures and discussed what we would be doing. Then they took pieces of clay and sat around the kitchen table and formed "pinch pots" and some made coasters while others started on another type of pot (the name is escaping me right now) - their names were written on their projects which were left on the table to dry. The siblings all played around on the floor. The other mothers tended to the younger children, assisted with the older kids when needed and had plenty of time to chat and get to know one another better. We will meet again next week to finish up and do another project - then we will fire the pots, take a field trip to show the kids how other pottery is made and purchase paints, we will paint and glaze the pots and hopefully they will be back to us by Christmas. In the process I am also learning about the process of pottery.

After the lesson the kids all went into the yard to play outside and have a snack. We mothers watched over them and chatted. We discussed the coop, homeschooling in general and just life. Many of us are still in a getting to know you phase and don't know each others life stories. It is fun because we all seem to get along so far and have much in common. The mothers range from their mid twenties to their mid thirties and all of us had children at a young age and have two or three kids already. We also seem to have similar parenting philosophies or approaches which does help in a situation like this.

Will keep you posted.

Peace,
Tenn

September 11, 2003

Okay so I have put together a work in progress for a curriculum for this fall. We did not go with a packaged one but we are not unschooling either. Serona feels it important to have a classical or traditional education especially in things like phonics and math and after reading both The Well Trained Mind and the Unschoolers Handbook and a variety of other resources I tend to agree. But this year the expense of a package such as Calvert was simply out of our range so I did a lot of research and put together something myself.

I began by researching guidelines or suggestions for what a child should learn by first grade (I examined several school districts goals and checklists as well as some homeschool guidelines) and combined them to come up with our years goals. Then going from them, I made a list for each subject, I created a curriculum and began looking for resources (cheap, free and second hand) to accomplish those goals in a fun and adaptable way.

I got my free copy of the Teacher's Planner from Lakeshore Learning and wrote down the first months daily and weekly plan for both my kindergartener and my preschooler. Some resources I am using for kindergarten include Phonics Pathways, The Bob books, Spectrum Math Workbook - Grade K, Karyn Henley's Bible Storybook and Tell me the Story of Jesus as well as a bible verse book for children and MANY online resources.

For my preschooler we will continue to use the Sound Box books, and we will add Slow and Steady, Get me Ready as well as Letter of the Day and some other resources I have done. I will continue to do one letter or two a week and make a letter collage, keep a word list and our own sound box as well as activities and coloring sheets around the letter.

I have tried to keep the two children's lessons around some similar things (ie letter for phonics, writing and preschool letter of the day) so I can do some other themes together, like during the week we do A we will go apple picking, and so on. Many of the subjects I will teach them at the same time knowing their level of involvement and understanding will be different. I just figure if I can entertain my preschooler that is sufficient anything else he picks up is extra. His goals for the year include basic letter recognition, numbers, shapes, colors, animal sounds, life skills, basic preschool activities. If he picks up any of the science, history, music, art and so on I teach my daughter great. He still talks about sublimation and says it is a solid going directly to a gas. Do I think he understands it? Probably not, but he has the concept in his mind and sometime later it will be easier for him to understand as a part of him already experienced it (and it is fun to hear a two year old explain sublimation!) and will recall it in some way I believe.

Each day we will have 10 minutes of bible study, phonics, writing and math. Then I will alternate once a week science/technology, history/social studies, art/music/drama, physical education and health. This is my plan though I know the best laid plans often go astray and I am prepared and ready for that. I realize some days we will get little done and other days we will accomplish more. I hope over time it will all balance out.

I will still be working with those teachable moments and I believe I am an unschooler at heart, or as I once heard and did not understand at the time, a "Classical Unschooler" but we are just starting and I am sure we will each be a million things during our journey and that is the beauty and realistic nature of homeschooling. We have the freedom to self-identify, even in unusual combinations, and the ability to change our minds and become something different, even in mid gear.

Two things I am sure of. I will always read to them, picture books, story books, good literature, whatever I am reading (as long as it is not inappropriate) and simple phonics readers for them. We read so much in a day that sometimes it amazes me, I am so thankful my children seem to love reading so far. Both can be found picking up and burying their noses in a book throughout the day at different points. Even my two year old who is "go, go, go" loves to read himself and be read to.

The second thing I am sure of is I will find the teachable moments and utilize them. We will not hesitate to take advantage of their natural curiosity and those endless preschool and early school questions of why or what does this do or how do you? Some of our best moments have come from these questions. Where does soy milk come from? We proceeded to learn how to make it and to make it that very moment as a family. "What is a Toucan?" We read about it, hopped online and listened to them and learned about their habitat and habits and printed out coloring sheets and found colorful pictures of them to print that moment. And Serona's favorite, " What is that?" asking about the dry ice that came in our Simon Delivers (online grocer) order which led to the sublimation experiments. Or the simple insistence of doing math in a parking lot that leads to me add the concrete slabs on the sidewalk and subtract the rocks next to our car. Those are the moments I truly love teaching and they love learning.

I have made over 30 file folder games, created a dozen felt board sets and made sandpaper and felt letters. I have searched for and found good materials but I still love using the things we find in everyday life as we find them to be our lessons. I love the internet and all the great materials I find there and I admit it is the first place we start each answer to a question (often supplemented by a trip to the library and perhaps a field trip or experiment) and i hope that only continues.

Looking forward to this year and all the adventures sure to come with it.

Peace,
Tenn

September 10, 2003

Castor Oil, Prodromal labor and induction

I was very surprised to see how high I was listed on some google searches for pregnancy and castor oil as well as for prodromal labor. If anyone is visiting for these subjects please read about my birth experience. I will say this, in my opinion the castor oil was wonderful! Of course after three weeks of prodromal labor (early or prelabor contractions consistently for hours at a time every day - unsure if this time was "really" going to be it or not) I just wanted her out and was willing to try any non-medical form of induction that was safe and rumored to be true. We did, i drank more raspberry leaf tea than anyone should in a lifetime, took my daily evening primose oil, and walked until the neighbors thought I would deliver her on the street. We tried several other methods as well - but I do believe it was the castor oil that finally pushed us over.

I never really tasted it so I can't complain. I treated it like a bad shot of liquor and a chaser I have had in college. For those who are blessed to not have those memories or experiences, just try to take the whole shot down and some of the orange juice before you swallow so all you will taste is the orange juice. Of course this time it was castor oil and orange juice, but the approach was the same. As for the cramps I had a few but they really were nothing compared to the contractions that were to come. As for the diarreha well it was there and it was a bit uncomfortable but I only had a few bouts of it and then I was in labor and labor was very quick. Just three hours from the first contraction until she was delivered and in my arms.

So if you have the blessing of your medical professional I say go ahead and try it. Of course NOTE: I am NOT a medical professional at all and this is just my opinion and personal experience. Also my midwife did warn me that if the baby was not ready to come she would not and I would just have some cramps and diarreha, I have a friend this happened to, so it is always a risk I suppose.

But if you are a fellow sufferer of prodromal labor know you have my sympathies and I have been there for three REALLY long weeks. And nobody really understands what it is like if they have not experienced it. YES you are in "labor" for three weeks or however long you have been dealing with it and no they are not just "braxton hicks" and yes they hurt more than those do, it is just like early labor contractions. For those of you curious the first hour of my "labor" was the same as all those weeks of contractions I had, I then moved pretty quickly into transition and knew I needed to go to the hospital.

I can only hope that your labor progresses quickly and that you will soon find relief. I can share a few things that helped me, I found the research and help on this subject pretty weak actually. But I found out that prodromal labor can often be caused by a posterior baby, a sunny side up baby that needs to turn. So we spent a week on the birth ball and hands and knees and just changed my thoughts about how to sit, relax and sleep. She did turn by the way!

The two other things that helped me the most were distraction - doing things that I really enjoyed or that could keep my mind off the contractions. This was hard to do at first but became neccessary for survival. The other thing was getting help. I had two little ones at home and truly needed someone to care for them as I was often completely dysfunctional and unable to cope. I enlisted many friends to watch the kids, bring meals just relieve me for a short time and I never turned down offers of help. I opened up to my friends about how miserable and desperate I was and was amazed at the outpour of support I received from many. There were a few who I don't think understood or believed me or may have thought I was exagerrating it for attention or for pity. I wasn't! But thanks to all those who helped me and please get help yourself.

My midwife also prescribed Ambien and Vistaral to help me sleep through the contractions. This was absolutely neccessary. I am a person who avoids medicine in general and almost absolutely while pregnant and nursing but I did not have a choice here. This was the only way I could possibly sleep and it did help me get a few hours (about 4 a night) where I was getting none before.

Finally - go easy on yourself and talk about it - with your partner - with your doctor or midwife - with friends and family. Understand this is a time that will pass and be easy on yourself. I was not easy on myself and it made it far worse - the last week I finally gave in (or gave up) and was more accepting of it all and that was a far better week.

Prodromal labor made me a basketcase in many ways. I often did not recognize or like myself. I kept saying I was a different person and one I did not like. I felt like a terrible mother, a failure at home, a bad friend and just a selfish not so nice person all around. And I may have been all those things for a brief time when the hormones took over and kept putting all of me into "labor".

I read that one midwife treats her patients based on how long the fangs of herself and her family have grown. Well our whole family had fangs and mine were the worst of all. If you know our family this might surprise you as we are pretty even-keeled and patient (albeit loud) and of good temperaments. But it was short and my family survived and though I did not believe it possible I am back to myself and I've lost the prodromal labor fangs!

So hang in there, know you are not alone, you are not going crazy and you can and will survive! Drink castor oil to induce labor if your medical professional reccomends and know you will soon hold a beautiful child in your arms like the one who nurses as I type - who was causing me the same just a few weeks ago.

peace,
Tenn

September 9, 2003

This CNN articleoutlines in my mind another good reason to homeschool. The report concludes that American schools are failing to teach our children to value their country and their democracy, instead focusing too much on the country's failures. In an age where we no longer require the pledge of allegiance, when most Americans DO NOT exercise their right to vote and many people don't know who their representatives are this is truly sad to me.

While I agree with much of the article I think it does not go far enough. It is not just American schools that are failing our country, it is the American people and parents that are failing their children as they pass off total responsibility to the schools.

Peace,
Tenn

September 7, 2003

Sick of all the bugging me to "buy" them something when we go into the store I took a new pre-emptive strategy. They could each pick out two "school items" one notebook (target has 70 page books for a quarter) and either crayons or colored pencils (.30-.50 a box). They were so excited and I spent less than two dollars! Added benefit, the excitement lasts and we really get our money worth as they now each have their own portable portfolio I keep with us to keep them busy when we go somewhere or times like now when I have to finish cleaning up I pull the books out for some free art time, each has their own supplies and they even share! Each has their special notebook and it is a self-contained portfolio for each of them.

Tonight that two dollars has already paid for itself. They both had a great time and our four year old has made several drawings and is practicing free writing of her letters and numbers. I was amazed at how well she was able to do them, of course they are very large and some are backwards but still she did a great job and our son is very artistic and his drawings were fun to look at.

Peace,
Tenn

Looking towards the fall...Well we are settling into life as a community of five and starting to look toward the adventures this fall will bring us. I truly believe my challenge with homeschooling is not finding opportunities for my kids but rather finding time to stay home while homeschooling, trying to choose the best options is hardest when there are so many available.

This fall it looks like we will be joining two cooperatives, returning to the one we started last year that meets weekly and joining a new one that will meet twice a month and focus on more in depth or meaty teaching. Both are smaller in size and that is the way we like it (one is three families and the other is four) still when you add in siblings we are up in the double digits!

In addition we will be doing a monthly science class at a local nature preserve and a drop in family music class designed to meet the needs of all my kids age groups. Our daughter will begin Irish step dance this fall and both kids still have their sunday school classes to attend. We could be doing something every day of the week if I would let us. However I am trying to limit it to two or three days a week so we have plenty of time at home and I don't want to overschedule the kids.

There are also many programs at our local libraries, museums and organized field trips with our home school support group to fill in the gaps. And I will be beginning a somewhat formal kindergarten curriculum for our daughter - based on classical education philosophy. Both will have a daily bible study and prayer time as part of our school time and I have created some basic lesson plans to keep my two year old engaged and learning.

Our youngest will receive lots of sling time and close time with mom while I help the older ones and I will try to get as much done before she starts crawling and walking around and my attention becomes more divided.

So sit back and read all about our adventures in this new endeavor.

Peace,
Tenn

September 4, 2003

This CNN article provided me with hope as its headline spoke of an increase in homeschooling in our country. However, a closer reading of the full article left me annoyed again. The article is peppered with unsubstantiated claims about the problems of homeschooling. It is almost as if the author can't decide what really bothers him/her about homeschooling and so decides to outline some of the ever repeated criticisms, without ever really making any true arguements. It seems to me that the writers are just throwing things out there to see what sticks if anything does.

As a homeschooling family I tried to keep an open mind but find statements like the following really bother me:

The National Education Association, which represents 2.7 million teachers and other school workers, says home schooling as a parent's choice 'cannot provide the student with a comprehensive education experience.'

and...

Her interest in the social scene speaks to another concern for the critics: that home-schooled children are not getting adequate exposure to other kids or the chance to develop social skills.

On the first subject - homeschooling not providing a comprehensive education experience. I truly am curious what the NEA considers a comprehensive education experience and if they have ever really sat down with homeschoolers to see what they learn. Of course Serona'a reaction was classic - 'If a comprehensive education includes metal detectors and being patted down for drugs in the morning for school - then the NEA is right about not getting that in a homeschool education. Homeschooling opens up the possibility's for a more comprehensive education experience in my opinion. The child's education can focus on their interests as well as the 'neccesary skills' - when my child gets interested in Greek Mythology - we can spend as much time as she wants on that and still get reading, writing, math and all her other subjects in - but enhance the areas she is interested in and work with rather than against her interests. In addition there are so many resources available to offer a child a 'classical' education if that is what works best for the family. I can not think of anything that my child can not learn at home that she can only get in school (oh wait I forgot bad values, negative influences, a political, social and cultural agenda I may not support, violence, and the myriad of other problems that plague our school systems.), what academic goals are impossible to teach at home?

The second criticism is one that drives me NUTS, because it is just false. Homeschooled children are not sheltered from all other kids and without social interaction - if anything the opposite tends to be true. Now I know there can always be exceptions, however they are not the rule. We have met quite a bit of homeschooling families and finding friends for their kids or opportunities for their children to interact with others is not the problem. Rather choosing between options and limiting your amount of outside activities seems to be harder.

This fall I had to make some tough choices and prioritize what was most important in our schedule, we could be out of our house every day and with many other children if that is what we chose. As it is my 4 year old will be around a group of children her own age and a range of ages around her between 3-5 times a week. The size of the group ranges from 6 children to about 30 depending on what we are doing. She is in two weekly groups: one a large playgroup with limited structured activity with about 20 other homeschool families with mixed ages of children from newborn to around 8 years of age, with many her own age. The other weekly group is a learning cooperative we started with two other families with structured lessons and freetime all together - there are 6 children involved in this with mixed ages. She also has her Sunday school class and a weekly dance class. In addition we will attend a music class, science class and field trip once a month with around 20-30 kids her age. She has several close relationships and many other kids she knows, plays with and interacts iwth on a regular basis. And I love that the groups are mixed in age.

An unexpected benefit of homeschooling we have experienced is the relationships our kids build with other adults in their lives. My kids have a very close relationship with several other mothers from our groups and they can and have gone to them with concerns or just for a hug. I look forward to seeing how this continues to develop.

Bottom line is it all depends. There can be really great homeschooled kids and really great public or private schooled kids. Children can learn and thrive in both environments, some will do better in each environment. So I find it foolish and unsubstantiated to make blanket statements about the problems of homeschooling and how this increasing trend is putting our kids at risk, which is what the article implies even when it doesn't directly state it.

To their defense CNN did outline some of the positives of homeschooling, the flexibility, the children's enjoyment of it, and some examples of smart homeschoolers (winning National Bees and so on). But the overall tone of the article is disappointing to me. And i sincerely hope people don't just buy the lines that are thrown out in this article.

Peace,
Tenn

September 1, 2003

I had been blessed with a gift in recent days, one that I can not recall the last time I received it, a gift many young mothers and many people for that matter crave and need - the gift of time.

I mean time to just be, time to relax, time to recouperate, time to recover, time to enjoy my newborn daughter and even enjoy my older two children as well. This gift was unexpected and is so appreciated.

My wonderful and amazing husband saved all his vacation time from work and is taking three blessed weeks off! We are starting the third week right now and I can not believe how refreshed I feel. Sure I am still a bit tired and my body is definately still recovering, but this time things have gone so much better than either time before, and the reason is the luxury of time I have had. I can and often do sleep in in the mornings until almost 11am! I take naps when and for how long I want and I could go to bed early, though remnants of my insomnia seem to still keep me awake. I have gotten more sleep in these two weeks than I can ever recall getting anytime after I have had kids.

But it is more than the sleep time (though that is definately a big plus) It is the luxury of not having anything immediate and pressing on my plate, everything else can and is waiting. My husband takes care of the house and meals (though many friends have also brought us meals) and meets the kids needs and even just their wants and everything else can wait. There is no tyranny of the urgent for me (for a change) and it is giving me more perspective and peace and a time of refocus.

I can and have been just laying in bed holding my daughter on my chest, or rocking in a rocking chair staring at her. Or cuddled up in bed with all three of my kids for hours (yes I said hours) on end just reading books to them. Today I actually asked my husband if he thought I was reading to my kids too much (an odd question I know) but we have spent alot of time reading lately. I am just enjoying all the time that I have to spend nursing and holding her. It looks like this little girl is much like her sister, a high-touch baby, she needs to be close and held by someone nearly all the time. Thankfully our family does not mind obliging her and we have the sling for the times when we need to be getting something else done.

I feared that this time I would not have any time to just enjoy the newborn days (my favorite stage in childhood so far) and that my older kids would feel left out. But in reality I have had more time this time and I feel so well connected with all the members of my family. It is such a peaceful and wonderful feeling and I have to send an extra special thank you to my husband who is making it all possible. And another thank you to a wise friend who is the mother of 5 and recommended having these early weeks just be our immediate family, with no outside help or guests. She was right, we decided to tryi it this way and I would recommend it to anyone.

Our family is helpful and they want to help. And yet these first few weeks have been so special with it just being the five of us to bond together, and we have no worries about entertaining or talking to anyone else and we don't carry if we eat PBJ and pancakes for every meal (the kids would actually probably prefer it) which frees us up the time to just bond together. A gift we can neer get back again.

I just woke up from an afternoon nap as I type this and all three of my kids are still sleeping (wonder if that will ever happen again) - my husband ran up to the hardware store to get parts for a household project he is finishing and the house seems so quiet and peaceful. I just became really aware of the luxury of time that I have, to just do whatever I want - to pick up my bible and read, to journal, to pray, to sleep, to eat, to play with my kids, to surf the web or blog here. It is a truley rare gift I intend to fully enjoy for one more week, one I wish for all of you.

Peace,
Tenn

August 28, 2003

Serona and I parent in the way that we find most natural and the way we feel is best for our family. Many of our decisions can be classified under "Attachment Parenting" or "Natural Parenting" or some combination of the two. Dr. Sears has found a place in our home as we own much of his parenting library and as many of you know I am a LLL leader and our decision to breastfeed each of our children until they are ready to stop themselves (child led weaning) has also informed many of our parenting decisions. It is moments like this that remind me why I love parenting our kids the way we do.

For those of you who don't know us and are unfamiliar with the concepts of "Attachment Parenting" some of the decisions we have made include: extended breastfeeding (past the age of one or two), tandem nursing (nursing siblings who are not the same age - which includes nursing through a pregnancy), baby-wearing (most often in a sling), high-touch parenting (we are in physical contact with our kids especially when newborn and infants nearly all the time), co-sleeping, never letting our kids "cry it out", and staying with our kids until they fall asleep. As I type this I am nursing our newborn and sitting in the older kids room as they drift off into sleep.

Many people disagree with many of our choices, or atleast don't understand them. That is fine, parenting is very individualized and everyone makes the decisions that are best for their family. In our family these decisions have led to happy well adjusted kids. They have a desire to please us as parents and others around them, they are self-confident and feel very loved and supported. There is very little sibling rivalry or jealousy between them. They are compassionate, caring and kind kids who are very sensitive to other people's needs and have a desire to help people feel better. My older two are very different children in many ways and yet they share these charachterisitics and much of it I believe is from the environment in which they are raised. Despite having children very close in age we have kept an intensive way of parenting for each of them and they do not feel replaced or left out and my older kids are the first to tell me the baby needs to nurse or just be held. When someone is hurt they are right there to help in whatever way they can (prayer, hug, kiss, getting them mom's help,etc) and it is wonderful to watch.

Some people wonder how I can manage this and how I am not exhuated all the time. Well the truth is, I can mange because Serona is wonderful and supportive and very involved himself. But more importantly we feel we are following the way God would have us parent and he gives us what we need each day. In reality there are times we are both exhausted but for the most part I just think we have more realistic expectations. I don't expect to sleep for more than a few hours at a time or a night for that matter. I don't expect a newborn to follow my schedule (our two year old is better), and I plan on holding my kids alot (almost all the time in the beginning) and I recognize they need alot of attention and support these early years. So I adjust my desires, expectations and thoughts on what life should look like.

These years will pass by quickly but I am enjoying each moment and I have not felt like - the time flew by or dragged on.
I feel like it has gone just right (though I do wish the newborn days lasted longer) I have been pregnant and/or nursing for nearly 5 years now continously - I don't really remember what "sleeping through the night" is like, I average 4-6 hours a night, and I can certainly relate to the "touched out" feeling as I am almost always being touched by someone. But I gaze into my newborns eyes or cuddle with my two year old or watch my 4 year old comfort her sister and I know it is all worth it and I wouldn't change a thing!

You may think these decisions lead us to do nothing but spend time with our kids. Well we do spend quite a bit of time just with our family and that is some of our most special and meaningful times, but we both have many other interests and hobbies we find time for (though perhaps not as much as we would desire - would i ever stop reading?) and some are individual, some are couple and many become family interests as we pass them on to our kids. Now I grant you we have made other choices that free up our time to balance family/work and personal interests (NAMELY - NO TV!!!) but that is part of the beauty of our choices and we enjoy the things we do so much more than the things we don't and our quality of life is very good.

Serona manages to find time to act in two major performances a year (some recent ones include: Honk! The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (he was Aslan), Love Rides the Rails, and Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat) in addition he is working on writing a fantasy novel (he would like more time for this), blogs regularly at CyberEcology, reads avidly, occasionaly gets involved with local or national politics especially around campaign time, and co-teaches a bible study with me on Apologetics and Postmodernism.

As for me I am very involved with breastfeeding support through both LLL and some other community and national work I do. I help run a food buying club, a cooperative preschool, and homeschool our kids. I enjoy water aerobics, yoga and pilates (when I'm not pregnant) and am an avid reader as well. I am trying to get better about blogging, keep family journals for each of my kids and think about writing several different books. And of course research, which is a natural passion of mine (parenting, health, medicine, breastfeeding, current events, bible study, politics, homeschooling and vegetarianism to name a few). So I think we find a balance of the personal and the family.

Part of that balance comes from the way we do things, around our family. Oftentimes our kids (especially when it was just one) would go to watch dad's rehearsals, or listen to him as he practiced guitar. They have been read to from adult books since they were in uetero as we read aloud to them from whatever we were reading at the time )this is especially true during the early months of life). The kids watch us research and read and include them in most everything we do. When we got involved in local politics we did things as a family, sign waving, attending rallies and so on. Our kids have seen President Bush, First lady Laura Bush, Ralph Nader, Governor Pawlenty and Senator Coleman at rallies and speeches we brought them to. Our daughter could identify president bush by picture at age 3 and knew that Ralph Nader was an activist and presidential candidate. Our kids love to read and are very interested in the computer to gather information (note I did not say just to play games) and know it is a tool I use to get "school materials" for them. They have a desire to learn and to read and to do things just like Serona and I and I believe it is because that is what they see us doing and in many ways they want to be just like us.

To be sure they ask to watch videos like any normal kid does, they play computer games occasionaly and I think they are pretty normal kids in many ways. Yet they don't know who many "charachters" from children's tv shows are, have very little marketing influence from advertisers and know the star wars universe better than many adults I know. So it is just different, but it is a good fit for us. Anyway not sure what my point was when i started but now you know a bit more about our family and how we do things here.

Peace,
Tenn

I LOVE the newborn days! So many people may complain about these days and sleepless nights but in many ways they are my favorite part of parenting and some of my favorite days in my lifetime so far. The special bond that is created during this time is irreplaceable and these moments are fleeting and pass all too quickly.

This time, my third time around, I was concerned that I wouldn't have as much time for the baby and that I would be rushed through these days. However, thanks to the amazing generosity of Serona and our wise family decision to keep these early days just our immediate nuclear family with no long term guests or visitors for more than a half hour or so at a time, it has been the best early period yet. I find myself having more not less time to bond with my new daughter and to have a solid recovery time just focused on healing my body and nursing and cuddling with her.

Dad has had more time with the older kids and they are really enjoying that time. It is also helping them deal with the loss of my attention and time during these few days and weeks. Serona has been truly incredible, taking care of the kids, the household, the meals, and anything else that needs to be done. He also decided to repaint our kitchen cabinets and continue working on the kids bookshelves during this time. And as I type he is downstairs watching "The two towers" dvd and cuddling with the baby as I put the older two to sleep. He still has another week off of work next week and I am so thankful that he took all this time together and we have really been able to just be a family and I have had the stress relieved from me. Thanks Serona, you are the best!

Peace,
tenn

August 21, 2003

Well this has been an exciting week in our household, and we are now a community of five! Our newest daughter joined us on Tuesday night at 2:30 in the morning and weighed just over 8lbs - a nice change of pace from my other nine pounders! Her labor was very quick, well a quick four hours plus the three weeks of prodromal labor!

Okay so I admit it, I drank castor oil, and I would do it again if the circumstances were similar. Under the recommendation of my midwife we decided to try to gently encourage things along. I had heard how miserable it was and really I did not find it miserable at all, perhaps my perception is clouded by the misery of the three weeks that preceded it. But honestly I drank it so fast, two ounces of castor oil mixed with two ounces of orange juice and a chaser of just plain juice. I didn't stop to breathe until I was halfway through the chaser so I never tasted the castor oil or it's consistency. Then it was 8 hours before anything else happened, I was beginning to get disillusioned again. Then a half hour of unpleasant runs to the bathroom, that were not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Then the contractions began, within an hour we knew we were headed to the hospital. It was a rainy night and the drive took us about an hour. We walked into the maternity ward and I was clearly on my way.

Into the room for the dreaded "20 minute tape" that the hospital requires where they hooked me up to the machine to monitor the baby's heart rate and the strength of my contractions, which were quite strong as i had begun transition in the car I believe. I rolled around on a birth ball on the bed and couldn't believe how long it took to get into the tub, those twenty minutes seemed so much longer. Into the tub, I was dilated to an 8. My midwife went to check on another patient who was in labor and to call in help since she had two patients. After three amazing contractions in the tub I was telling Serona he needed to get someone NOW because I was feeling pushy. At first he didn't believe me, but soon headed out the door for the nurses station. The midwife came in, I had only been in the tub 10-15 minutes and she measured me and said "Okay, let's just have this baby right now, out of the tub!"

The hospital we were at does not allow under water births, so i complied. Onto the bed, first push my water broke and the head crowned, two or three pushes later and our daughter joined this world, three and a half hours after the first contraction of the night. It was so quick I did not really believe it was done. The birth was so beautiful and our recovery is going very well.

For obvious reasons things will be quiet here for a little while. Hope all is well with you and your families.

Peace,
Tenn

August 15, 2003

While technically not due until Monday, I feel VERY overdue as this prodromal labor has been carrying on now for three full weeks! Tonight seems especially hard as the baby has taken complete control over my body and is rolling and jumping and lots of other movements that make it impossible for me to sleep or relax! I've already taken my nightly sleeping pill (a doctor requirement for me - so I atleast get 4 hours of sleep a night) and it seems not to be working tonight. I am really uncomfortable, I feel like the 9 month train wreck has hit and I am not recovering.

Of course I know this is normal, and this is the end of the pregnancy and bottom line is she has to come out sometime, but is it wrong to want that time to come soon? I have been patient now for quite a while. Well it doesn't seem to matter much what I think, feel and want, she is simply not ready to come out yet and will not be persuaded to change her mind. Suppose I shouldn't be surprised to have a right minded and stubborn child huh?

So here I sit after an hour playing Tetris on Serona's handheld IPAC I gave up laying down and came to take my perch upon my big "birth ball" one of those rubber balls you use for yoga or exercise. You see for the past few days I have had to completely change my sitting/laying and movement methods as the midwives believe that the baby is posterior and that may be contributing to my prodromal labor and the contractions that are not having any cervial change effects. So I spend my days and evenings rolling around the house on this ball or crawling around on my hands and knees. Well noone will tell me I am not doing my part!

But tonight I have tried a variety of things and nothing seems to make either herself or me comfortable enough to get some sleep or even relax and lay peacefully in bed. Perhaps that will be good, perhaps she will feel cramped enough to want to come out! Here is to hope atleast.

Well thanks for listening to my tirade, I promise this will get better once everything settles down with the baby.

Peace,
Tenn

August 8, 2003

A trip to the park for a little while, greeting new neighbors on the walk there - welcoming them to the neighborhood. Playing on slides, climbing and pretending in the rocks and their favorite activity there today walking on the edge practicing their balance. I sat on a bench and cut out and glued colored file folder games while watching them play. We headed home a little early as there was a desperate need for the bathroom!

They came home and played nicely together in their bedroom with lego's for nearly a half hour! Then the battle over cleanup began, they could not come out until the lego's were cleaned up. Suddenly leaving there room didn't seem so appealing to them and they continued to play and find other things to keep themselves occupied in there. I continued finishing the file folder games and started cooking dinner, stir-fry with tempeh and rice. Now our son is playing with a police car and fire truck on the floor and our daughter in sitting quietly at the kitchen table sad that she can't play with my cell phone. Think this will be the last blog tonight, hope all is well with you.

Peace,
Tenn

I decided to get some laundry folded and pick up the house for a few minutes while they were stencling. Soon my son grew bored and headed off to the room to help me, again switching gears he started playing and rolling around on my big exercise ball, he was having a blast and getting a good workout and keeping me entertained as I folded laundry. Our daughter eventually grew bored of stenciling and headed to the kitchen for magnet play. We have a bunch of transportation wooden magnets, trucks, cars, air balloons, boats on our fridge and she made up games and played with them. At one point she said she was playing Stuart Little, perhaps with the boat or the airplane? Anyway it kept her happy. Then our son headed into their room and took out some board games, he played with Goodnight Moon, a basic matching game by himself for awhile and then took out Ravensburgers 4 first games, which he really likes the pieces for but cannot play by himself, and he scattered the pieces all around the room! Meanwhile it was our daughters turn on the big ball, where she proceeded to put on a show for me while my son cuddled and rested with me in my bed for a few minutes. Cleanup time and now we are headed to the playground to burn off energy and for me to perhaps finish the last of my file folder games.

Peace,
Tenn

Today is a lesson of following my kids patterns. I really wanted to take them to a county fair with a carnival, petting zoo and animal show - I never told them (in case I got too tired) but every time we have tried to get out the door something else has distracted and involved them, it is now after 3pm and it seems too late to go. Right now they are set up at the kitchen table using colored pencils to stencil. I was getting my youngest ready to go and the other one sat down and got her "art notebook" out and started free drawing, then she asked for some stencils and colored pencils, and of course he wanted to join in. It seems silly to me to force them to do something else when they are enjoying such an activity as stenciling! So we will follow their pattern and maybe just head up to the local playground when they get bored!

Peace,
Tenn

McDonald's just announced a campaign to end use of chemicals in their meat and stop the poor treatment of animals. I just blogged about it over at CyberEcology, tune in over there and read about consumer activism and true industry transformation.

Peace,
Tenn

Our son has a beautiful wooden Noah's Ark set that he enjoys playing with. As I sit here and type he asked for it and began taking out the pieces and counting them and saying what each animal is and what sounds they make. As a very active 2 year old he rarely wants to count or do things in a formal way. So it is very exciting when he just starts doing it by himself, I have to watch how much I get involved as he actually does better on his own, it is as if as soon as I get involved his perspective changes from a fun game to "work" of some sort. Even when I just try to play along, it is hard to get used to but works best is if I stay doing what I am and occasionally ask him a question or two or offer a suggestion for what he can do with them to try to lightly guide him, but he can't stand feeling directed i think. Sometimes he will let his sister sit down and play with him and she can help him figure things out. I just enjoy watching it and being a part from a distance, though at times I wish he would let me be more involved, it seems sad to me sometimes that he is so independent at 2!

Peace,
Tenn

Our daughter has taken to wearing a princess crown all the time and talking about her wedding when she will be a queen. Today we went to a bagel shop and I let her continue to wear it, some people gave odd looks but most just smiled. I love letting her live out her dreams and play with her imagination in the ways she wants to, and it makes for a more peaceful day. So what if she doesn't match - I still think she is cute and she is having a good time moving through her world this way!

Well we have spent a considerable amount of time considering this issue and have decided against one for the upcoming year. I looked into a variety including waldorf, montessori, charlotte mason, and classical and just feel that at this time it would be better to kind of make up my own as we go with the kids in mind. I think I will take a more structured approach to phonics and early reading skills, but beyond that take it as it comes. We are considering Phonics Pathways and Teach Your Child to read in 100 easy lessons for phonics. I was almost conviced by Calvert because it would be so nice to have an east to follow guided plan for each day of the year for my kids so I don't need to think with the baby and all, but we are going to just go ahead and try it with more of an unschooling approach.

Peace,
Tenn

August 7, 2003

We will soon be granted the best view of Mars in 60,000 years. According to CNN Mars will makes "Its closest pass will come on August 27 at 5:51 a.m. EDT (0951 GMT), when Mars will be less than 34.65 million miles (55.76 million km) away. "

Apparently it won't seem that much larger to the naked eye only brighter. But it still should be exciting for those backyard explorers. Be sure to get out that night, and take your kids too!

Peace,
Tenn

August 6, 2003

Today while taking a break I spent some time surfing other homeschool blogs and was truly impressed. There really are quite a few good ones out there and I feel quite novice! But that is okay, I am just starting out and keeping the log for my family, I am sure over time it will grow. But some of these sites really gave me inspiration and some things to shoot for myself. Check out Alma Mater and Linda's Homeschool Weblog as well as The Homeschooling Revolution.

Peace,
Tenn

August 5, 2003

Today we were running some errands and our 4 year old really wanted to do some math. So we counted the sidewalk squares for addition and then picked up rocks as counters to work on our subtraction. We only did this for a few minutes, but it really made her happy and took so little of our time. Just helped me remember how easy it is to learn along the walk of our daily lives. Thought I would share.

Peace,
Tenn

Well I am still puttering along, I am exhausted, drained and on an emotional roller coaster. Needless to say our days are mostly down to survival mode for the time being. The kids are hanging in there and being good sports. I have had friends come to my side to help give the kids playdates and me some much needed rest. Serona is our hero, as he is picking up all the slack and managing all our raging emotions.

I am averaging 5 hours of sleep a night (with the sleeping pill - none without) and trying to catch cat naps during the day. The contractions are still regular and consistent and driving me a little crazy. I continually wonder - is this it? Then they putter away after a few hours and a contemplation of will they be strong enough to head to the hospital?

I recognize I am only 38 weeks and this could continue for a few more weeks, but I am hopeful it will end soon - for everyone's sake. Needless to say things will be quiet here for a little while, though I am sure everyone can understand.

Off for storytime and hopefully naptime!

Peace,
Tenn