It's Raining in Dublin...

Should definitely be the name of an Irish song - if it isn't already. When the woman at the sports shop asked me if I wanted the waterproof pants to go along with the coat - I should absolutely have said yes. Alas I did not, but at least I was wise enough to buy fantastic waterproof jackets which are keeping us completely dry everywhere they cover - leaving us dry enough to enjoy ourselves despite the rain.

We have been in Dublin two days now and we have done so much it is hard to believe. We have manged to have a wonderful time in spite of the rain. We have seen wonderful sites, experienced history in ways we never have before and enjoyed more fresh Guinness than I have ever had! We've walked the streets of Dublin in all sorts of weather, have enough of a feel for the city that we are growing comfortable and have enjoyed this special time away from our children and celebrating our marriage and time just for the two of us.

Our journey began with the typically long European flights. With three connections running through New Jersey, Amsterdam and finally landing in Ireland - it was a long day. When we arrived to pick up our car we had been up 26 hours straight for neither of us were able to sleep on the airplanes. I enjoyed the flights (though by the end I was uncomfortable). I have not flown without children in 8 years so it was actually enjoyable and much easier than what I was used to. In fact the quiet time alone to do simply whatever I wanted was a refreshing change, even if it was in cramped quarters. I finished knitting a pair of socks and began another, read a novel, brushed up on some Irish history, journaled, and even watched a few movies I had been wanting to see but never got around to. Also KLM had great customer service, including lots of meal and snack service and all beverages of choice were free for the whole flight. Serona and I enjoyed some quiet companionship next to one another but doing what we were interested in at the time. It almost felt indulgent, plus I was of course anticipating our arrival here.


Our arrival into Ireland was uneventful. We were thankful to see our luggage just where it should be and everything arrived without incident and on time, answered prayer. Our car was ready for us, and that is when things became interesting. We began our Dublin experience with a harrowing drive from the airport to our hotel. Serona was handling the driving - which I could not.

He was driving a stick shift on the other side of the car on the other side of the road through narrow Dublin lanes. Oh did I mention he has never done this before and it was after being up for 26 hours straight without any sleep? Yeahhhhh. On top of that we did not have written out directions to our hotel. Instead the rental car company handed us a programmed GPS without a lesson in how to use it. My sleep deprived mind could not figure out how to get it off the map that showed where we were and gave us only about 100 meters notice for any turns (about a short city block). Also forgot to mention all the roundabouts instead of lights, great when you have no idea how to navigate them or where you are going. Thankfully our GPS system did adapt to our errors and eventually we found our way to the hotel, with Serona's wonderful driving. I must say I was proud of Serona, he managed wonderfully even though it was scary and challenging. I can not begin to say how thankful I am that this was not (nor will be at any time we are here) my responsibility.


The hotel we are staying at is FANTASTIC! The doorman greeted us, took all our luggage and parked our car. We went up to our rooms, showered and collapsed for a few hours. The room is great by European standards and is very comfortable and nice. We recommend the Conrad Dublin. It is centrally located to everything, comfortable and very accomodating. They also serve a full Irish breakfast, have a full service restuarant, 24 hour room service and an on site pub.

After a three hour nap we were refreshed and ready to explore Dublin. It was raining and much of the Tourist, historical sites were closed (it appears everything closes at 5pm but the restaurants and pubs - a bit different than in the states). So we headed out to the Temple Bar area and to explore Dublin in the rain. We had giant golf umbrellas, our raincoats and good excited attitudes as we approached the Dublin rain. Which at times simply opened up and down poured, then moved to a light drizzle, to a brief respite and back into a downpour. It was interesting to observe how people approached rain and you quickly realize it is simply a part of life that you adapt to and continue on through here. Umbrellas are the norm and people are polite with them, raincoats are ESSENTIAL as is good footwear. As for the bottom of your pants - well I think you just grow to accept that you will be wet. People find the sheltered places to stand and wait and keep their distances from curbs so as not to get splashed on by passing cars. Still everything about life continues on throughout the changing weather, so we of course just went with it.


We walked in the rain for about two hours taking in sites and growing familiar with the area as well as seeking out vegetarian food options. We found a great pub O'Neills with great atmosphere, good food and plenty of Guinness. We shared our first of many Guinness in the country, a nice vegetarian meal and time to observe locals and tourists interacting in the bar. It was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary dinner. Hard to believe I was sitting in a pub in Dublin. They are wonderful, it is difficult to put my finger on what makes them so different from American pubs - besides the Guinness which really does taste better, they are less polished, more comfy and homey, more quiet corners all mixed together. People do not hesitate to share small corners of tables and move chairs around as needed. There is a less structured feel to them, multi-floored, multi-roomed, tons of conversations going on and a general friendliness, they are really wonderful and I will miss them when we head back to the United States.


After drying off and a wonderful relaxing dinner we headed to the Temple Bar area, a main bar area that is quite a mix of tourists and locals. It reminds me in some ways of the French Quarter of New Orleans yet with a uniquely Dublin feel. Filled with
restaurants, pubs, clubs, shops and other little places to go it is lively. It seems there is always something unique going on in Dublin. Groups of people were wearing Dublin Night 2007 shirts and in different costumes, mostly these were women but there were occasionally groups of men dressed up as well. One group was wearing pink cowboy hats and feather boas, another grass skirts, another nurses outfits, another dressed as various superheroes. All moving through the crowds as if this happens every night, perhaps it does - it has both weekend nights we have been there so far, as well as last winter when Serona spent time there. There are street performers and spontaneous gatherings of people in the streets, great music and of course good beer. It is also a great place for people watching.


We went in and out of 5 pubs that evening Oliver St. John Gogarty's, the Auld Dubliner, O'Sullivans (in honor of certain family members) and two I can not recall the name of. They were loud, crowded and full of interesting people. It was fun to me to try to guess who is from Ireland and who is not. Over time you realize there is an Irish look that some people have that is very easy to tell. Perhaps it was easy for me to pick out because my family all has that look. Serona says it is in the combination of our eyes, nose and cheeks, mostly I can tell it when people smile (which they do a lot of at the pubs). The song When Irish eyes are Smiling has something to it! An easy mix of people goes on at the pubs and everyone is friendly and accomodating to one another. They are also very polite, especially when dealing with moving through crowded rooms, etiquette on the stairs and general kindness
to one another. Even as the night progresses and people are clearly dealing with the results of having drank too much they are in general respectful of one another. I have never had so many men step aside, wait for me or defer to me in bars as I did that first night in Dublin.


One thing that truly surprised me about the pubs - they play bad American music. Nearly all of the ones we went into were playing American music over the PA, and older sing along music - the crowds were into it and singing loudly together which was fun. still hearing songs like Thriller, Born in the USA, Barbara Ann, Sweet Home Alabama and many others along those lines was surprising to me. At first I thought it was just the pubs we choose in the area but as we walked past many and stopped to listen inside that is what we heard consistently. We eventually discovered that most of these pubs have upstairs rooms with live music, much of it traditional Irish music. These are the places we sought out and tried to spend most of our time. We settled for the evening at the Auld Dubliner - a great pub we returned to the following evening. Live traditional Irish music performers, we even purchased a CD for one we enjoyed. We were lucky to get a great booth where we could see the musicians, enjoy the music and be comfortably seated. Great atmosphere, good music and reliably smooth Guinness made up our evening until we returned to our hotel somewhere around 2am.

We walk everywhere in Dublin and I really enjoy that. My feet are sometimes tired at the end of the day but it feels good to be walking so much. I do enjoy that aspect of urban life and Dublin is an easy city to get around on foot. It feels very safe even throughout the late hours of night because it is so well traveled (at least the areas we are in), there are many police walking around and mostly you need to learn how to navigate around people who have had a bit too much to drink and look the other way as many of the men just relieve themselves on the side of the road, against a building or near a bush. It is rare for me to feel so comfortable in a city especially in the evening but Dublin is very welcoming, easy to navigate, nice and has a safe feel to it. Overall a very enjoyable city.


We walk several times a day through St. Stephen's Green which is lovely (though it is locked in the evenings - note the rain in the picture), through Grafton Street (filled with many stores that shoppers will love and fun street performers providing various entertainment) and through some of the other parts of town that are nearby.

We stroll through small neighborhood blocks to get a feel for the areas and went over the Ha'Penny bridge to get a feel for the other side of the Liffey.
We are starting to recognize our way around places and they have wonderful signs for tourists pointing you with regularity to the most common sites which also helps with learning navigation around the city. Overall it has been a great city to explore even in the constant rain we have experienced.

A Boy and a Frog...

Here is a familiar sight for our day today - an image of a Leopard Frog jumping away into water. We took a nature walk today with grandma and Ciaran was quite focused on finding frogs - now I know you are surprised.

Grandma found the first two frogs and pointed them out. Very excited as these were the first frogs seen of the season - until now it has been toads and merely hearing frogs. These frogs leaped away before Ciaran could get anywhere near them. He quickly moved to all the sunny bits of the pond where they might be waiting and sunning themselves. Together they saw about a dozen frogs with nearly as many failed attempts at catching one.

Ciaran looked the part of a little boy on a frog hunt. He was wearing shorts and mud boots. The mud boots were a battle to get him to wear - he wanted to wear sandals - but mom withstood the power struggle anticipating what was to come. Mom was wise. Ciaran was covered in mud and muck all along his boots and legs and his hands where he stuck them in as he attempted to reach the frogs.

Anyone who has ever tried to catch a leopard frog knows it is challenging - they move quick, leap far and are very jumpy and slippery if you manage somehow to be lucky enough to catch one for a moment. It is entertaining and also a little heart breaking to watch Ciaran try to catch the frogs. He is so focused and determined and it is hard frustrating work as he moves through the brush, weeds and muck to follow the frogs. A mother's heart just desperately wants him to catch the frog for a payoff for all his hard work.

Thankfully today we had a brief moment of victory. Ciaran and Rhiannon were along the shore together and found a prime sunning spot - three leopard frogs. They approached each one and it jumped away immediately. The third one Ciaran decided on a different approach - he put himself in the water and the frog had no choice but to jump into the brush. Rhiannon was standing there and moved quickly towards it and the frog leaped towards the water and instead landed on Ciarans chest as his hands quickly went up and around the frog. Success! For a few shining moments he was able to hold the leopard frog - who quickly squirmed out of his hands and back into the safety of the water. But it was the moment he has been waiting for since October when they went into hibernation and the first frog encounter of the season. Whew!

Our nature walk also yielded many other fun things, most especially time with grandma. Sirah found a broad-winged hawk feather and really enjoyed the ducklings. Rhiannon loved finding a sumac tree filled with red admiral butterflies. It really was a beautiful site. I am so thankful for the time spent outside with my kids appreciating and enjoying nature. As I watch them grow in their outdoor skills and love of nature it makes me joy-filled. As Rhiannon correctly identifies a hawk and stands her ground even when I think she is wrong, or Ciaran finds a frog when everyone thinks there is no hope, or Sirah points out a bird she enjoys. Those are special moments that I treasure.

Sure there were some power struggles to get out the door with boots on, some tears from Sirah about walking by herself and definitely a muddy son who needed an immediate shower. But those costs are all worth the reward and the joys we had playing follow the leader, learning grandma's tidbits about different plants and animals, and just discovering nature together. Get out and enjoy God's creation with your children in simple and rewarding ways.

Peace,
Tenniel

Gifts From My Father

On Mother's Day I shared some of the life gifts and lessons my mother has taught me and shared with me. Here on Father's Day I thought I would take a moment to do the same for my dad and the gifts he has given me.

My father has taught me:

Unconditional love and giving others the benefit of the doubt.

That hard work and determination can payoff though the road can seem long, we can overcome our difficult circumstances.

To always see the best in my children no matter what the world sees or says.

How to never be afraid of computers and to use them to my advantage, starting my training when I was about 7.

That the Yankees are the best team in baseball :)

That kids sports and activities matter and dad showing up after work to cheer them on really is important and special.

There is something peaceful and amazing about walking along the ocean shore at sunrise or sunset any time of year.

The importance of family and keeping those bonds strong.

That a man can love a woman forever and together they will always love their children.

That a father's love and protection of his children never ends.

My father has given me:
My life, my education, the skills I needed to become who I am and continues to love me.

Thanks dad. Thank you for all you have given me and taught me over the years. For all you still continue to do for me and teach me as I try to teach my own children. As we pass these lessons on to our children (ok maybe not the Yankees) my appreciation for you and mom only grows stronger. Just as I told mom, though we are apart we are always together for I am made up of you both, not just in DNA but in who I am, who I have been and who I will become. Thank you for being who you are.

Love,
Tenniel

In Honor of Our Fathers

We are blessed in our lives with good father's and good men all around us. The lyrics to this song make me think of those good men. So on father's day I thought I would share them and say thanks to Serona, my dad, his dad and our grandfather's for being good men.

A Good Man by Emerson Drive

I don’t need a whole lot of money
But I wouldn’t turn a lottery down
I just need a little green in my pocket
So I can buy my buddies a round
All I want is a place to lay my head with the woman I love lyin’ in my bed
Kind of understated
My dreams aren’t that complicated…

I wanna be the one
When all is said and done
Who lived a good life, loved a good wife, and always helped someone in trouble
On the day they lay me down
I want everyone to gather ‘round
And say he was a father, brother, neighbour and a friend
He was a good man!

I used to dream of being a rock star
And seein’ the world in style
Used to dream of havin’ a fast car
And driving that miracle mile
But I’ve heard tales those streets aren’t paved in gold
They’re full of pot holes and empty souls
Who never learn…
Love is something you gotta earn

I wanna be the one
When all is said and done
Who lived a good life, loved a good wife, and always helped someone in trouble
On the day they lay me down
Want everyone to gather ‘round
And say he was a father, brother, neighbour and a friend
He was a good man!

When I’m gone, I wanna leave a legacy
Of love and laughs and honesty behind me
Behind me…

I wanna be the one
When all is said and done
Who lived a good life, loved a good wife, and always helped someone in trouble
On the day they lay me down
Want everyone to gather ‘round
And say he was a father, brother, neighbour and a friend
He was a good man…

Yaaaaa…I wanna be a good man…a father, a brother, a neighbour, and a friend
I wanna be a good man!

Summer Rhythms

Summer takes on a whole different rhythm here as we all slow down some. Our summer has been a bit different this year but it is still filled with water and ice cream which seem to be the two main ingredients to a great summer day for our kids. If they can spend time in water at a pool, beach, sprinkler, slip n slide, just under the hose, or flooding our entire playground they are content.

The other thing that brings great joy in the sheer increase in their ice cream and for us more usually custard intake. Several times a week it seems lately they have been enjoying that with glee. The eat so little of it through the rest of the year that I have no hesitation increasing it now, especially as they run, bike, swim and just move all the time.

Those push up ice pops - you know the kind kids sell for .25 and every mom is fully stocked - basically colored sugar water - what would summer be without them? Lemonade, moths, frogs, caterpillars, pools, barefeet, swings. Those are the words that make up our summer days right now. What great words? And my favorite (yes even during these 90 degree days) sunshine!!!! I will take it in abundance now and treasure the sun for as long as it shines here.

Hope you are enjoying your summer as well.

Ireland - Getting Excited

Well our 10 year anniversary trip to Ireland is coming up soon and we have been planning our trip and have as final of details as we can possibly manage. We will likely change plans but have a pretty flexible idea of what we want to see. After all, one never knows what this crazy clan will do.

Since we will be there for 6 days (one I fear quite sluggish due to my first experience ever with jet lag - any great recommendations on jet lag welcome)we are focusing our time in the areas we most want to see. There are so many wonderful things to see throughout all of Ireland and they are simply too far spread out to see at any one time. Serona has very graciously deferred to me to pick the things I most want to see and is willing to go along. His one request - that we not stick too tightly to a schedule that we can't relax and have downtime. There are many great things to see but not at the expense of pushing a clock and rushing through any of them, better to miss some than to rush through what precious time we have there. A healthy attitude I agree. So I have spent the past week and some time before that pouring through guidebooks, websites and other recommendations looking for what I most want to see and that we will enjoy the most together.

We will primarily be in Dublin. There are simply so many wonderful things to see there and so much to experience. I am looking forward to Trinity College and seeing the Book of Kells (Rhia wishes she was seeing this with us), having the pint at the Guinness Brewery, St. Patricks, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin Castle, Temple Bar, Grafton street and St. Stephens Green among all the other things we just happen to see and experience. Serona has been there before and done many of the things I desire to do already but is happy to experience them again. We will spend several days in the city. We also plan one, perhaps two day trips in the outskirts of Dublin.

One northern trip to see the historic and archaeological sites that predate the ancient Egyptian pyramids, as well as some monastery ruins and great crosses and hopefully the Hill of Tara. As best we can tell this should be a very full but do able daytrip to return to Dublin in the evening from. There are two sites I really would like to see and others we can see if we have time along the way back. That is the flexible part - so we are not rushing just to mark off locations.

The second day trip we might do (unless we decide we need another full day in Dublin) will be to the Wicklow Mountain area, just south of Dublin. To see the Powerscourt Gardens and waterfall, Glendalough, Bray and the Wicklow Mountains themselves. Another trip short enough to do and return to Dublin if we wish, but one we could skip if we are feeling rushed or over scheduled. Still the call of nature and the beauty of this area may be just what we need to slow down a bit.

Our major excursion out of Dublin will be a two day trip to the Aran Islands and Galway. At first we had ruled it out being on the opposite coast and a three hour drive. After reading many books and looking at so many pictures and websites though it was the Aran Islands that I felt I wanted to see and stay at. Galway while interesting and worth seeing if we are there I am not sure would have convinced me of the three hour drive each way.

But the islands and the ability to see some more traditional life, the home of the Aran sweater and the idea of renting a bicycle and staying at a bed and breakfast on the quiet islands - now that is appealing. Whether I will be brave enough to look over the edge of the 200 ft cliffs I am not sure of - but Serona will enjoy that view I am sure. There is much to see and just to have what I envision to be a peaceful time in a more traditional area of Ireland with Serona holds a lot of appeal to me. Then Galway itself and possibly the town of Claddagh before we head out of Ireland and back to the States.

If we do the things we tentatively have planned it is quite a mix of history, archeology, culture, nightlife, beautiful land, nature and the people of Ireland. The elements I most want to see. No, we will not go Kiss the Blarney Stone, can you honestly even begin to imagine how much wordy I might become with the "gift of gab?" Nor will we see the land where my ancestors come from, Giant's Causeway, Kilarnery, Waterford, Rock of Cashel or some of the other hot spots to see in Ireland. We are just fine with that, there is simply so many wonderful things to see and do and we are excited for the ones we have chosen.

Now just what to do for the three plane rides to get there? I have taken up knitting socks, playing suduko, have my journal and may read a good Irish history primer. We are bringing movies, computers and the standard occupy your time items. Anyone have any other good suggestions for passing the time on a long plane ride? Getting excited to go to the one place I have dreamed of going since I was a little girl!

The Fairy Chronicles Book Review

I received a free copy of The Fairy Chronicles: Marigold and the Feather of Hope,the Journey Begins by J.H. Sweet from Sourcebooks Inc. to review.

I was excited to read and review this book. As many know Rhiannon loves fairies and all things fairy related. So to find another fairy series geared towards her age group was interesting to me. I liked the concept of young girls turning into fairies by transforming into things that looked like ordinary objects such as a flowers, insects,and bugs. So with great anticipation I began my reading of the book.

Overall my review is positive. I recommend them to young girls who love fairies or want to take a journey into fairy land. They are short and simply written and, while not challenging to an advanced reader in the target age group, are very accessible to all levels. As the first of a series though I anticipate they will develop more depth over time as the writer settles into the storyline and world. They would be very good reads for those who also love the Disney Fairies series and Gail Carson Levine's Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg. As a parent you can feel comfortable with the underlying morals and messages promoted in this book.

Rhiannon will continue to read the series and love it. I will post her reviews here as well, as sometimes the review of a child is more effective at pinpointing what is enjoyable to a child. It is a series that I hope to see continue and growth in depth as the writer gains more experience with the characters and the plots develop with more detail and depth.

The book opens with simple characters to which a young girl can easily relate and will draw a her into the world. The first chapter ends by moving right into the heart of the story that this young lady is indeed a fairy. The story picks up here and the creativity of the author begins to shine. Beth's reaction to her aunt's revelation is believable and well written. The transition into the interesting world of fairies is seamless, well written and interesting to the reader.

Some real ingenuity on the part of the author comes through in these next few chapters as we enter the realm of fairies with a first time fairy as she learns it herself. The changing Fairy Handbook, the disguise of fairies as butterflies, flowers and bugs, the reasons for meeting under particular trees, brownies and a variety of other interesting elements draw the reader into the fairy land and make you want to keep reading. I can see that as a child my daughter will feel like she is entering this world herself, an excellent standard to judge any book by.

These middle chapters are well written and easily read. They are peppered with beautiful illustrations and some interesting variation in the text using italics and different fonts for the Fairy Handbook sections. These enhance the story and the overall experience of reading the book. In my opinion these are the best chapters of the book (Chapters 2-5) as they draw you into the world, introduce you to the variety of characters and provide the feel of an on going experience that Beth is just joining for the first time (just like you the reader).

The book moves into the climax of the book, Chapter 6, the rescue of the Feather of Hope. In my opinion this is the weakest part of the storyline. The plot is thin and not well developed. It moves quickly and without much tension or conflict. The fairies are seen working together and the teaching of teamwork is apparent but rushed and underdeveloped. It is nice to see the girls using different talents and abilities to resolve the conflict but there is little character or story development here and it is resolved just as quickly as it begins. For a book targeting 6-8 year olds this might be sufficient but to keep the interest of any older girls, including some of the mature readers in the 7-8 year old range the story needs more development. Alternately if there was no conflict but just the introduction to the fairy world this would have been better. Either to just introduce the world and concepts of fairies or to develop the book more to have more details and depth in the conflict and its resolution would have made it a stronger book. It almost feels as if the Feather of Hope chapters were thrown in as an afterthought rather than as a central part of the book.

The book concludes with the promise of more adventures to come between Beth/Marigold and her new found friends (each of which will have their own book coming out soon). The nut messages are clever and fun and again leave you with the magic and beauty and uniqueness of the fairy world that Sweet has begun creating in this book. The author leaves you with a taste of fairy land, and a desire to go back and experience the next adventures with these young fairies.

The subtle messages about the importance of hope, friendship, teamwork, being comfortable with our own uniqueness, not judging others by their appearances, and the inner strength within us are demonstrated throughout the book. The overt message stated at one point is:
"Life. In our search for meaning there are two important things to consider: how we treat other people, and what we teach to children."

These are messages I would guess will be themes throughout the series of books and good messages to share with young girls. Overall the author's messaging is positive. This is a fairy series that as a parent I feel comfortable with. It does not cross any lines or introduce children to real magic or new age concepts as many others in this genre can. It has nice moral messages, does not put children above adults, does not promote moral relativism, or encourage children to become older than they are. The book has clear mentor/student relationships, clear boundaries for young fairies, and restrictions on how much knowledge a person can and should have at any given age. These are morals and concepts that need to be promoted in children's literature at a time when so many are writing the exact opposite.

I applaud J.H. Sweet for writing with such underlying morals and outward behaviors in young girls. Encouraging them to be who they are but when the timing is right. The books do not rush girls but give them the freedom to explore and test what they can really accomplish in safe, guided and directed ways. As all children should experience growth and learning. I look forward to reading more from this series and more work that this author puts forward. Recommended.

Keep Your Brain Sharp

Here is a fun little test to look at your brain skills and to practice sharpening them - for young and old. Serona and I both enjoyed it - so far I have the record in our house with a score of 132, laser brightness level, but I am sure with more time and practice Serona will show me up. He will have to beef up his math skills though, as I have gotten 79 problems correct.

Don't let your brain atrophy, go try the Lumosity test.

There are Days...

when I felt like this. Mostly now I am just comfortable with being who we are and not trying to live up to the stereotypes people have of us because we are Christian homeschoolers.

Yes my 5 year old watches PG13 action hero movies with his dad and owns all those action figures. He was at a convention before he was one and at midnight openers. Yes I don't make bread, except for the occasional loaf I enjoy from my bread maker, certainly not hand kneeded. And yes our science books include some of "those evolution" texts.

But that's okay, you liked us before you knew all that hopefully you'll stick around even when we don't fit the image of a Christian homeschool family What is that stereotype anyway and who actually lives it?

Young Nature Explorers

We had our second meeting of our Young Nature Explorers Club and it was great! We meet at a nearby lake and walked the trail around it at a leisurely pace with the kids stopping to explore whatever interested them at the time. We had another good sized group with over 30 kids there ranging in age from infants in strollers to around 9, with a good number of moms to keep an eye on the kids.

We had perfect weather and a nice trail to walk. The kids kept different paces, some moving through quickly, others taking their time, some stopping to sketch or examine a bug that no one else was interested in. We had moms in the front and moms in the back to keep the kids together and then everyone else kind of floated in the middle answering kids questions and taking time to visit with other moms.

The kids found a lot of great things from damsel flies, dragonflies, lots of caterpillars, worms, moths, slugs, spiders, and a wide variety of bugs we were unsure of. We saw fish, ducks, birds and all the usual. One girl even found a beautiful hawk feather!

Ciaran was disappointed that we did not find any frogs at this time but seemed to enjoy himself overall as he loves being out in nature and was the insipiration for the group. Rhia was happy to spend time with her friends and very excited for the monarch caterpillar she found. Sirah was having a fussy day. Thankfully someone lent me a stroller and several moms and kids helped out with pushing her and keeping an eye on her when I was leading a group off down a dirt trail or trying to answer a question about what something was. Thank you ladies for your help!!!

This really is an easy activity to organize for a group. Just pick an outdoor location and walk around it - letting the kids do the rest. They needed very little encouragement or direction. Occasionally one of us would point something out or ask a question to get them started but for the most part they did what they naturally want to do - explore. We encouraged families to bring their own supplies and some items that were used today were magnifying glasses, butterfly nets, bug vacuum, insect cages, nature notebooks and a sea scope. I chose not to bring my binoculars and I think that was wise this group moves too fast really for bird watching which requires more patience. We forgot our bug spray but another family was kind enough to share which my girls were thankfully for. Overall the group was great about sharing and taking turns with one another.

Our family really enjoyed ourselves and it seemed like everyone who came enjoyed themselves, especially the kids. We ended our walk at a nearby playground and several families also brought lunch so the kids played together for a bit before everyone headed home in time to get younger siblings home for naps. A great way to spend a cool summer morning.

A Lovely Tea Party

This afternoon I received an invitiation I could not refuse to a lovely tea party given in my honor by my wonderful hostess Sirah. She invited me into her home (her bedroom) where she was all dressed up in a beautiful blue fairy dress. She set the table with her fine china tea set and set me on one side and her on the other.

She amazed me with her memory reminding me that she got this tea set when she was in california at Grandma's birthday at the restuarant where her aunt and uncle gave her this for her birthday. And we think they don't remember - that was nearly a year ago right after she turned three.

Anyway back to our tea party. She washed all the dishes and filled the tea pot, she provided the tea in the proper order with cream and sugar. She told me when it was cool and provided lovely conversation throughout the tea time. Her manners were excellent, perhaps even better than my own. She spoke with a lovely gentile accent that I have no idea where she got in from and her wisdom seemed far beyond her years.

It was a lovely way to pass nearly an hour and a moment that nothing else could compare with. I am glad I set aside everything else to spend time doing that with her at her request. It is a moment I know I will remember forever. As the teatime ended (so we could pick up dad from work) she carefully "washed" all her dishes and returned our other guests (lamb and share bear) to their place on her bed and asked me to carry her to the car.

In full dress up fairy costume I carried her to the car - with such a mixture of emotion of how little and old she is at the same time. Today when I pushed her on the high swing and watched her work on pumping herself and listened to her count and point to her numbers or pretend she too was learning to read I realized just how much she has grown this year.

She has always been verbal beyond her years so sometimes that does not phase me the same way as seeing her doing new things and acting so mature. Something about the time we shared today in our tea party reminded me to cherish these hours and stop whatever I am doing to have a cup of tea with this fine hostess.

Tonight Serona has Rhia out on a date. They are going bowling and out for a special desert. Really what they are doing matters much less than the special time that they have set apart for each other to enjoy each other. I am going to take this moment to bring a big stack of storybooks into my bed and snuggle up with Sirah and Ciaran and enjoy some special snuggle story times.

Kiss and hug your babies and your big kids too!

Explode the Code

We have done Explode the Code book 3 and 4 this year for second grade. We also did Book 1 and part of Book 2 for Grade K with Ciaran. We chose to skip the 1/2 books and move right into the next level as theyhad no difficulty at all with level 3 and were ready to move onto the next levels.

We will begin next year with level 5 for Rhiannon and pick up Level 2 where we left off for Ciaran. Both children really enjoyed these books. We typically did a lesson a week and they were very independent in this subject. I would introduce the topic Rhia would be studying and then she worked through the lesson at her pace. Most frequently she would do the whole lesson on Monday because she enjoyed this text and found it pretty easy. The only topic she struggled with even remotely was syllables and even those were pretty easy for her once we reviewed the concept.

As for Ciaran I read the directions to him each day and he typically did 1-3 pages at a time depending how much handwriting was involved on the particular pages. In the beginning we worked on them together but by the end he was reading more independently and was working on them at his pace and on his own.

I recommend these resources as they are pretty cheap 5.00 a book and easy to do. Easy to give the child freedom with to do at their own pace. They are workbook format though so if your child or you hates workbook style they may not be the resource for you.

We find them useful mostly because Rhiannon did not continue with a formal phonics program once she was reading well and these books review some of the phonics concepts that we want to be sure she has a foundation in. As for Ciaran they are a nice review of concepts we are doing and provide simple worksheets that let him work on phonics rules, reading and handwriting all in one place.

The books are simple and easy enough that both my kids enjoy them at their level. They also like the feeling that they finish school quickly as each worksheet does not take much time to do. The writing starts gently and increases at the higher levels but there is still quite a few circle or x pages. A simple easy to use foundational book. We will continue with the series next year for both kids.

Second Grade Review

Well it is that time of year to review the resources we used this year for 2nd grade. Some of them are repeat resources from last year and others are brand new. I was surprised by a few things that I thought I would love that I did not and then a few things that I was pleasantly surprised with. I have decided rather than a single long post I will review each in its own post with links here (as I finish them).

Miquon Math blue book
Singapore Math 2A and 2B
First Language Lessons
Explode the Code 3 and 4
Handwriting Without Tears
Story of the World Vol 1.
Story of the World Vol 2.
Exploring Creation through Botany
Day by Day Bible and Devotional
Drawing with Children
Online Spelling Lists
Reading List

We had other resources we pulled from and used off and on but these were our main spines for the year and the resources I feel are worth reviewing from our work this year. Check back over the next few weeks as I update and complete each resources review. Of course these reviews are personal and biased based on what I liked and did not like for our family, they may not apply that much to you or your family. If you have any particular questions about a particular resource I am more than happy to answer email.

Also if you are a publisher or curriculum provider and would like me to review a book or material for you, please send me an email to tenniel.at.gmail.com.

Customer Service

I just finished a post about my great experience with T-Mobile Customer Service and it inspired me to share a post about my favorite places for customer service. Places that have earned my loyalty and my kudos and recommendation and the list is short.

1. LL Bean
Their products are superior, reasonably priced and they stand behind them, period. WE have only had to make one exchange and the new one was on its way to me before the old one was sent back, I received it within days - which was great since it was a winter coat for one of my children in the middle of a Minnesota January! They stand by their products without question, are wonderful on the phone and the quality can't be beat.

2. Lands End
Ditto on just about everything I said above. I am partial to LL beans products but Lands End is a very close second in my book and their customer service is also great.

3. Hammacher Schlemmer
This is the company we purchased Roomba from and I would not purchase a Roomba from anyone else. Their customer service, and return policy is not to be beaten. Because of this they have earned my loyalty when I need an item they have. They typically sell higher end and unusual items and they can be a bit overpriced but in my experience while the price tag may seem initially high the overall service and support you receive make those extra dollars much more valuable then what you can save elsewhere.

4. T-Mobile
Clearly commited to customer service. A joy to talk to and this is saying a lot in current telecommunications and computer trends who are outsourcing all help desk and customer service and frustrating many customers in the process. You can read about my experience with T-Mobile here.

5. Netflix
They almost did not make my list because we have received many scratched movies from them and that frustrates me. However, this is more the customers than the company, as individuals do not take care of the DVD's. Netflix will send an immediate replacement DVD and it does not take an extra slot in your queue. Also the brilliance of no late fees and all shipping paid is worth more than I can say. I have only ever dealt with email and online customer service but have been please with it.

I can honestly say in my experience that is it. But I am a tough sell. Anyone else have companies they think provide exceptional and noteworthy customer service? I am always looking for someone else to be loyal to who will treat us well.

Kudos T-Mobile!

I do not work for them or in any way (other than being a customer) am I affiliated with them. I just am actually pleased with them as they did something nice for me. For almost a year now I have been using a Blackberry 7105 and have enjoyed it. A few months ago I started having some problems with the trackball jamming up - I called customer service prepared to have the rep not understand me or not be very helpful. I was pleasantly suprised.

Not only was my rep extremely useful but offered to replace my phone free of charge because it was within the year warranty. However, they no longer carry the model of my phone so instead they sent me a Blackberry Pearl free of charge. This is a sweet phone and truly a wonderful upgrade! The people at T-Mobile made my day.

The new phone arrived today and I was having a hard time moving all my data from one phone to the next. I called customer service and again I had a wonderful representative who took 40 minutes to walk me through everything and make sure it worked the way I needed it to. She was patient with my questions and with the choas of small children who were annoyed mom was on the phone for 40 minutes in the middle of the day.

This evening I realized the browser function was not on my phone. I called back and spoke with another helpful representative who took time, was very pleasant and got my problem solved quickly and asked to help with any other questions he could.

I must say I am impressed with T-Mobile's customer service and return/warranty policy. They scored some loyalty points with me today, unlike Verizon who had terrible customer service and has lost me as a customer forever because of it.

Customer Service is essential and important to me and today I was very pleased. We live in a world where customer service and support and less and less valued and the consumer is more and more frustrated. I made sure to take the time to speak with supervisors after my phone calls with support to complement the individual, those who train them and the company as a whole for what is an apparent effort in the area of customer service. T-Mobile is doing something right, and not just because they upgraded my phone but more importantly because they hire good reps, train them well and put a focus on pleasing the customer. I have spoken with enough reps in the past few weeks to know it is a trend within the company and not just the individual rep I spoke with at the time (though they were all excellent).

Now I get to enjoy a wonderful new phone with camera, music, email and everything all together. I will let you know how it is after I have been using it for awhile, so far it simply appears fantastic. I love the voice command function and the track ball is really nice, while I keep trying to use my side track wheel I think in no time I will transition to enjoy the ball more. The phone is slim and light and more powerful than the other. I am glad Serona turned me to Blackberry - I was at first resistant but I am no longer. I like having all my contacts, calendar, email, web browser right there I must admit. Better yet it is all for personal use as I do not have any job sending me emails on it - so when I get mail I actually want to read it, unlike so many who use it for work. YAY! Off to play...

Total Momsense

Tenniel and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day

We have bad days too and today was one! Coming off a great 4 day weekend filled with lots of dad time they simply crashed. Crabby, whiny, mean and unkind to one another. I am drained after a long day of heart and character work. I feel like I spent the whole day just correcting them and teaching. From one crisis and unkindness to the next, at times challenging to keep up with them.

We have a saying that "We don't speak whinese in our house." Unfortunately we can still be subjected to hearing it. My temper gets shorter and shorter the more the whining, fussing and complaining continues. I yell and get short and am just as crabby - then we get into an unhealthy cycle.

We tried lots of strategies today. They even got to do extra chores like weeding, washing windows and walls. Still it continued, naps did not work either, nor did outside time. You did not want to be a fly on our wall today that is for sure. It seems nothing works, so off to the library and pond, two places that calm everyones spirit. Something about new books, caterpillars, worms and ice cream cheers everyone up.

As I type this on my Blackberry I recognize we all need a day of adjustment that sometimes makes us crabby. Guess today was that for us. Here is to tomorrow being a better day. In an attempt to be optimistic (not a strength of mine) I will say the silver lining is you get to read about the bad too. I'll try not to think too much about the irony of this post following the previous post and remind myself that some days are just like this, even in Australia!

Tenniel

Perfect Summer Day

Today was a perfect summer day in every way. Third day of our long weekend and what has turned into a mini family vacation.

Recap of the weekend so far. Thursday night Serona and I kicked off the weekend with a late night viewing of the new Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Friday was spent planting trees, doing yard work and catching up on housework, the evening held a family movie night to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Star Wars. Saturday was spent enjoying our home and yard. Rhiannon and I played a long game of Rummy 500 and the kids entertained us with dances they created. We went for a 3 mile hike at the arboretum and enjoyed all the new flowers and shrubs in bloom. The evening held a kids movie while mom and dad had some time to play games on our own.

Today we slept in, Serona and Ciaran made a wonderful pancake breakfast with some fresh fruit on the side. We took our time enjoying breakfast and relaxing a bit afterwards. Today was a perfect temperature day with not a cloud in the sky and a gentle breeze but no real wind to speak of. We knew we wanted to spend the day outdoors but doing what we were not sure. We left the choice to Sirah who decided on a family bike ride. Serona pulled her in the trailer and the rest of us were on our own bikes. We started down a trail and just kept going until we arrived at a point that would be difficult to navigate without trail or sidewalk and two young bikers. It was perfect timing as Ciaran was starting to tire and we needed to go back the way we had already come. Everyone encouraged and supported each other on the way home and we arrived home with a feeling of accomplishment for what we knew was a good trek.

We got in our car to measure the distance we had travelled and discovered that round trip we had taken a 7.5 mile bike ride! The kids did great and we were proud of them. It was also our first long family bike ride of the year, so we will see how we all feel tomorrow. Everyone commented on how much shorter it seemed than our 8 mile hike of a few weeks ago. We decided to reward the kids with a treat. We headed to a local grocery store and each child got to pick one item to share with the family from the fresh produce aisle. We have very little restrictions, basically you have to be able to eat it as is (so no watermelon, pineapple, etc) but otherwise it is fair game. Ciaran chose cherries, Rhiannon blueberries, and Sirah grapes. We paid for the items and headed to a lake to enjoy our snack watching the boats and people go by.

It was a perfect location, perfect temperature, perfect food and perfect company. Everyone was in a great mood and getting along well. The snacks were enjoyed until they were gone and everyone was sufficiently serensified. We walked along the shoreline, climbed the rocks, talked about the boats, ran in the grass, pet dogs, rolled down hills and just enjoyed the abundant sunshine.

We arrived at a beach and watched the kids take off their shoes and roll up their pant legs to wade in the water. Serona and I exchanged looks and discussed the possibility of them actually jumping into the water. We quietly decided it was fine either way. We were not going to encourage it but if it happened that they decided to swim in their clothes we were not going to say no. I think Serona was secretly hoping they would decide to swim.

They slowly got braver and braver and had more and more fun exploring the water and just before we were getting ready to leave Ciaran said "I am going to get my whole body wet!" and he looked at us and we did not say anything. He did not ask, if he had we would have said ok but he was clearly waiting and looking for us to say no (expecting it really) when he did not get what he was expecting he looked mischievous and headed in, looking back one last time before getting his shirt wet then running out cold and encouraging Rhiannon to join him. She looked at us to make sure it was okay and headed in. She made it about halfway as far as him and headed back to shore. Ciaran however decided it was all or nothing and he sunk down to his shoulders than just started swimming in a long sleeve shirt and 3/4 shorts. Rhiannon decided it was fun and joined him in her full length pants and long sleeve shirt. They had a blast! Sirah waded by the shore careful not to get her own dress wet and content to make sand pies. After letting them enjoy the water some we headed back to the car with dripping but very happy kids in tow - clearly the beginning of summer for us. It really was a perfect fit to a perfect day.

We arrived home for an informal lunch, playtime in the yard for the kids and an afternoon of playing games for Serona and I. The kids chose to watch a movie and then we shared a dinner that Serona also cooked (yummy Sesame Udon Noodles) and then we read from our current family read aloud - a Bobbsey Twins book. We ended the evening with another short family walk, with the older two taking turns on Ciarans scooter and Sirah riding on Serona's back, and swinging her arms walking with us. Ciaran and Serona had a catch in the yard while Rhia rode her bike up and down the neighborhood as Sirah and I played house - she was the mom driving to bible study and getting me a babysitter because she had to take a two day airplane ride. It was a perfect cap to a perfect day. We headed inside right as the sun was setting and the mosquitoes were heading out. We ended with a call to my brother to sing Happy Birthday and a family prayer praising God for all the wonderful things we did today.

As we tucked the kids in tonight both Serona and I were overcome by how blessed we are and how great our family really is. We have great kids who love one another and encourage each other (course they can fight just as well when they want), a peace in our home and we enjoy spending time together. Tonight we talked about inviting others over and decided we just wanted to enjoy our family - that is what we have been doing all weekend and we did not even have to go away to do so - we have been enjoying each other here at our home and at some of our favorite places - a perfect way to start the summer. Days filled with being outdoors together, biking, walking, oreos, potato chips, ice cream, lemonade, grilling, yummy berries, sunshine and all the special things that set summer aside for us.

Summer is a time of "Yes!" for us, a time of enjoying the extras and the little special things. A time of drawing together and exploring God's creation, of being more athletic in all we do, of late bedtimes, flexibility and fun. If this weekend sets the tone for our summer I can say it will be a great one! Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend as much as we are!

Blessings,
Tenniel

30 Year Anniversary

The movie has been out for 30 years today. I can't say I recall anything from its release as I was just 2 years old. Now being the oldest with three younger brothers I am sure Star Wars crossed my path somewhere along the way but I do not recall it. For me the world of Star Wars came much later in life, when I met Serona. So for me this is my 12 year anniversary or so.

You might never know that if you came to our home and spent any time here, you would likely assume that it has been a lifelong passion of ours. I suppose it has been part of our family since the beginning. You see I had a very clear and easy choice to make when I got married. I could either embrace Star Wars or hate it for the rest of my life. I chose wisely.

How could you tell this? Well it might be the decorations in our family room, wall to wall star wars posters, it might be in the replica lightsabers that many come over to play with, it might be the many star wars toys my son plays with, the several collections of star wars dvds and cds on our shelf (yes I believe we own every version), perhaps it is the collectors Star wars figures that hang up as decoration in my master bedroom, or the two huge tubs of Star Wars toys and collectables that no one is allowed to touch. It could be the entire 4 shelves of bookshelf space dedicated to Star Wars novels.

Really though I think there is no doubt anymore when you see the photos. There is no hiding from fandom when you see our entire clan outfitted in hand sewn authentic costumes made by Serona. When you see us in front of an Xwing taken on our Walt Disney World vacation (yes of course we went Star Wars weekend) or the family portrait taken the night of the opening of Episode 3. But in case there is any doubt there is undeniable proof of pictures of our daughter on the star wars website, images of our family caught in star wars documentaries and the numerous news clips we have been part of at conventions and opening nights.

So now you know our dark side, we are deep star wars fans. Tonight we will be have a home screening of A New Hope, possibly with our neighbors, which version we are watching I do not know yet - that is Serona's call. So yes we are celebrating a movie that came out when I was 2 years old but it has become a large part of our lives. I am thankful that I have embraced Star Wars, it is a part of who we are, and a fun part at that. We enjoy it and over the years I can almost compete with Serona at Star Wars trivia pursuit. Note: I said compete - not beat - and he still has to answer an entire card to win the game and I still lose, but at least I get some chips now.

Amazing to me that a simple movie has touched so many lives and affected so many people in the ways that it has. Of course it is a saga and more than a movie to many people, for us it is good family fun and a way to pass on part of Serona's childhood to our children and to have good family fun together. If you have never seen the movies why not start with one tonight.

Blessings,
Tenniel

Handwriting Without Tears Review

Rhiannon was interested in learning cursive this year so I agreed. Having read and heard wonderful reviews of Handwriting without Tears we purchased the Grade 3 Cursive books. I purchased the teachers edition which I would not do again as it really is unneccesary and not very useful other than for a few word lists which you could easily create on your own.

Two things about this program as described that we found inaccurate. First the name lies, there are still tears, at least for us there were. The first few times there were tears and general unhappiness. I pulled back for awhile and then started again and still the tears - I was ready to throw in the towel and then I tried a different approach. I stopped doing what they recommended - I stopped trying to teach it on a board and with all the steps and showed her once in her book and then left her alone to do it herself (which they recommend to not do), reviewed it with her and then she stopped crying and started enjoying it - go figure.

So all in all it was a great program for us once we adapted it to fit Rhia's learning style better. The structure of the letters is different than a traditional cursive program and that takes getting used to and you still need to help your child understand the letters in traditional cursive even if they do not write it so they can read it. This adds in an extra step I suppose but it is worth it. I like the style of HWT and the letters are easier to understand and look more like their print counterparts, they are also easier to write.

Nearly the whole program focuses on lower case letters with just the last few lessons bringing in capitol letters. We did this program thorugh the whole year but at a pretty slow pace and I would recommend it. Rhia misses the curly and prettiness of the traditional letters but likes the way she writes these.

So as long as you don't expect this to be a magic pill, of handwriting without any tears, and don't mind the different style of lettering this is a great program. We will continue using the next level for her next year and bringing Ciaran into this program in 1st grade. We have heard it is especially useful for lefties which he is, so we will look forward to evaluating that.

Miquon Math Review

We began the year with Miquon Blue book for the start of second grade math. Rhiannon really enjoyed the orange and red book last year but this year was a different story. We were moving along just fine and suddenly she started to hate math. Now math has truthfully never been her favorite subject even though she does fine in it. Soon it became a fight and tears and all the things homeschool is not supposed to be. So we switched programs and moved over to Singapore math in the middle of the first semester - she did about 3/4 of the blue book before abandoning it.

Strengths of Miquon: It introduces multiple skills in logical ways. Multiplication and Division do not seem so hard because they are logical flows out of other concepts. Fractions are especially easy to understand with the cuisennaire rods. The amount of work on each concept is just right, not too few problems not too much busy work. Lessons are cyclical so you will come back quickly to other topics you already covered. The connections between math concepts is very easily understood with this program.

Weaknesses of Miquon: The program introduces older and more difficult math concepts pretty early on. The final breaking straw for us when we she was faced with multiplying and dividing fractions in second grade. While we could have just skipped that section because it was too advanced and continued with the other elements in the program we chose not to. She felt discouraged and bad about her abilities when faced with this math book. The book is also less visually stimulating then some others. When asked to describe what she did not like about the program Rhiannon will respond with "Everything. It was boring and too hard!" So there you have it.

The other weakness that moved us away from this math program is the lack of word problems. There are none until you get until the very end of third grade. After using Singapore which is heavy with word problems I really see the strength and importance of word problems as we are most often faced with real life math in a word problem format even when we work the answers out in equation format.

Overall Opinion: I still like Miquon math and have started Ciaran using it with the orange book in kindergarten this past year. I think the program is strong and logical and a good foundation for math.

However, it is not right for Rhiannon who needs success in between her challenges. She has a bit more of a perfectionist tendency and Miquon I do not feel is good for this kind of child as it pushes them farther and farther until they reach their point or past their point and then moves back to an easier concept.

I love the rods and the way Miquon introduces concepts and is not afraid to present more challenging things in a simplified and natural way. For the right child (maybe a gifted math child or one who loves challenges and being pushed) this math program can make the challenges fun. It will be interesting to see how Ciaran approaches this when he gets to this level in the series. I recommend the red and orange book with no hesitation at all. While the blue book was not a good fit for us I believe in the program and given the right child I think this a good advanced math second grade book - though you would likely need to supplement with word problems if you value those in math education at this level.

Smart PSA

This makes sense to me. I have seen a few of these stickers on paper towel dispensers already and it does make people think. It is also a great teaching tool for parents and a reminder to us all. Keep it Simple.

First Language Lessons Review

We have spent the past two years using First Language Lessons by Jessie Wise. We used this for first and second grade English. We loved it for first grade and lost interest in second grade. We skipped a lot of sections and found it too repetitive in second grade.

The strengths of the book are the poetry memorization, the gentleness with which the concepts are introduced and the narrative style of lessons. The lessons are short and interesting to young children and there is little to no prep work. The material is classical styled and a good beginning for the English language. It is easy to modify the work as needed for the level of the child doing the work and you could teach more than one child at a time. It is a non-consumable which is always nice and we enjoyed the picture studies as well. Rhia was very excited for this book her first grade year and by the end of second grade really did not care for it at all.

The weaknesses of the book are the repitition. In the beginning it is good but then it goes on and on in second grade. We found many of the lessons unneccesary and simply skipped them once she got the concept. Perhaps for some children the repition is neccessary, but for Rhia it became tedious. By the end we simply worked on definition memorization and once she had the concept down and definition memorized we moved on. The poems were not as interesting to memorize for second grade and the book spends A LOT of time on prepositions.

Overall I am glad we used the book and I will use it with future children. I am not sure there is enough to make this into a complete two year program and may not do that again. The book is a great style for first grade but a bit tedious and young for second grade. I think I will keep it for first grade in the future and use parts of it for second grade along with another program.

All in all it is worth the price and a useful tool for teaching young children the English language in a classical style.

Appreciating Trees

This year Rhiannon studied Botany all year. At first I was not too sure and at times I did not think any of us could take learning any more about plants. We even registered for a series of classes at the arboretum. We had a great time learning about plants and I have a whole new appreciation especially for trees. Learning how to identify trees, learning about their structure and all the different parts has given us all a new appreication for trees.

Rhia will mention the inner bark or the heartwood of a tree on a walk when she notices it or we discuss the leaf arrangement of a particular tree. We compare different trees and really enjoy collecting leaves and comparing them, as well as sketching the different trees. It was a good year of science and we all enjoyed it. Though we did supplement with a few other things as I could not bring myself to just study Botany, though that was by far the majority of what we did.

I have also noticed how much trees calm me. As I drive and the kids are fighting or squabbling in the back and I feel my blood pressure rising I have taken to looking at the trees and thinking about them, to see the calming shades of green and think how peaceful they are and how much trees bless our lives and how plentiful they are here and now.

I have always loved trees and hiking and I think it no coincidence that so much of our world is blue and green which are such soothing colors for our eyes and spirits. I love that for mothers day this year we have planted trees. We are very interested in our tree field guide this year as well. Enjoy trees and learn a bit more about them, you may find it more interesting than you thought it could be, I know I did.

Alexandria Library

Another one for the "One never knows what this crazy clan will do"...This morning we were headed to church and after a series of events realized we would be quite late - we were on the road there and realized it would be nearly halfway over before we arrived so we made the decision to keep driving and have a family service.

Rhiannon read from her bible and we took a Psalm of the bible apart verse by verse and talked about it, which was wonderful and useful. Then we played and sang praise songs as we drove on. We just kept driving and driving with no real purpose in mind, a rather often habit of ours. After a few hours Serona saw a sign for Alexandria and decided we should go to the library at Alexandria to say we had been there. We talked about the great library and what happened to it.

To my surprise Rhiannon remembered quite a bit about it and was wondering how we would drive there without a boat and wouldn't it take quite long to get to Africa? Then when she realized what we were doing she added "Wouldn't it technically be lying to say we had been to the library at Alexandria when in fact we had not?" We continued on and had some purpose in mind now (even if it was random to begin with). We arrived, took photos and discovered it was closed so we headed home.

On the way home we stopped at a store and let each child pick out one item to eat and share with the family for the drive home and it would constitute lunch (loosely defined I guess). We ended up with rolls and cheese, pretzels, Cheetos, powdered donuts and chocolate pop tarts along. We picked up Gatorade and some coloring books for the kids, a new Casting Crowns cd to listen to and headed back into the car for a peaceful and enjoyable long car ride home.

We had a great Sunday even as we redefine the meaning of Sunday drive with a roundtrip 7 hour car excursion to see the library at Alexandria - which became our destination by random association. What did you do with your Sunday?

Care Package for Soldiers

Today the kids and I put together a care package for a soldier from our church. One of the Sunday school classes at church has been sending bi-weekly packages to two soldiers from our class, one a member and one the brother of a member, and today was our turn.

The kids and I enjoyed shopping together and working off the list we were given. The kids colored pictures and made a comic strip and paper airplane for them as well. I am working on a cd and a collage of pictures of the kids as we gathered items for the box. It was a really nice time together as a family and provided good opportunity for us to talk a bit about what the soldiers are doing and why. We talked about why they might want the things on the list and what other ideas they had to help the soldiers. We talked about what the climate was like in Iraq and why things like a glow in the dark Frisbee were important (because it is generally too hot to do anything before it is dark). I let the kids read and pick the items they wanted off the list.

This is an easy service project to do with your family and to bless someone who is fighting for you, irregardless of your political beliefs or position on the troops being in Iraq or wherever you choose to send.

We had a particular soldier to send to but there are many soldiers who do not receive care packages and you can link up with them through the Any Soldier website. Here you can get lists of what the soldiers need and a list of soldiers to send packages to with the confidence that your package will be passed on to those in need of some care from back home.

The items our family chose to send to our soldier were:
o Ziplock Baggies (qt. & gal. Zip lock)
o Small envelopes, pens
o CD's,
o Chapstick
o Crystal Light, (individual packets only)
o Card's (Thank you, Birthday, Anniversary, etc.)
o Frisbee that lights up when thrown
o Hot Chocolate, Cider or hot soup mix (individual packets only)
o Chips (single servings and Pringles is best)
o Candy, anything that will not melt
o Microwave popcorn
o Sunflower seeds
o Gum
o Band Aids, all sizes
o Q-tips
o Glide dental floss
o Altoids
o Books and magazines
o Pictures that kids have drawn and colored, written letter and picture collage (I took pictures of the kids as they colored and purchased items to make into a photo collage).

You could include so many different things, tailoring your items to the soldiers needs or being a generalist of items they usually need. The post office provides a free box and shipping is a flat fee for the box no matter how heavy of just under 9.00. You could do this as frequently as you want or even just once.

Another thing we do to bless our soldiers is when we see them in uniform in our country at a store or gas station we will offer to purchase their gas or items as a thank you for their service for us and our country. We have had mixed reactions to this, never negative though. Some do not want to accept as they feel they are just doing their job and do not need the extra thanks and others are glad to accept and are clearly touched by the offer.

We want to teach our kids to value those who serve for us, especially those willing to risk their lives for our country and to protect us here. Showing respect and simple thanks is important and if we can help out in other small ways we are happy to do so. Take a moment to consider if sending a care package or acknowledging a soldier is something you and your family might want to do. If so take the time to contact your church to find out about a soldier who might need help, or a soldiers family back here while they are serving away, or just click on through.

Locks of Love

Today Rhiannon donated 10 inches of hair to Locks of Love which provide real hair wigs for children who need them. These pictures are from the receipient gallery of the website.

Rhia had been thinking about it for awhile and today made the final decision to do it. There were a few tears this morning but we encouraged her that we supported whichever decision she made and this was completely her decision to make. She decided to do it and was happy with her decision.

Outside of the salon the kids and I gathered together and prayed for Rhiannon and prayed over her hair that it would bless the child who received the wig from her hair. It was a lovely prayer all of us together and then we went inside and took pictures through the whole proccess.

Rhia thankfully loves her haircut. So not only did she do something to help out a fellow child but she enjoyed the way it turned out. She is thankful that her hair will be less knotty, easier to care for and cooler for the summer as well. I was very proud of her. This decision was made entirely on her own and while she had some concerns about cutting her hair and how it would turn out she really wanted to do it to serve someone else and decided to and feels great about the result.

It is always encouraging when kids find ways to serve others themselves.

Ice Bulb Science Project

Now this one looks like fun and has made our "Sure to do this summer" list. Looks easy, cheap, and will likely provide hours of entertainment and good conversation starters.



How To Make An Amazing Glowing Ice Bulb - video powered by Metacafe

Read more about it at Instructables. As an added bonus you can learn how to make Han Solo in Carbonite, oh I mean Chocolate.

Lessons from my Other Mothers

Yesterday you read my post about my own mother and the many ways she has blessed me - I have a few other "mothers" that I would like to thank and share some of what they have given me. For we all are blessed with one mother who births us and for many of us raises and loves us. Still we are also often blessed with other motherly women who help make us into who we become. This post is about a few of them for me.

Mom-in-Love
I call her mom but I made it clear that she is not my mother in law but my mother in love because it was my love for her son and then his whole family that brought us together as family. I am blessed with a very special mom-in-love and we have a great relationship. A few of the gifts and lessons she has passed on to me

My wonderful husband trained to be a godly husband and father

An example of how to be a godly wife and mother

The conversation that passed on the wisdom to let God choose my friends instead of me

The freedom of her love and acceptance of who I am and how we live our lives and raise our kids even if she might disagrees (I've never known it if she has)

The strength to accept my flaws for what they are and strive to improve them

Her daily prayers since Serona was a child (a truly cherished gift)



Grandmothers
My grandmothers were also a blessing to me through my life. From the two of them I learned many important lessons and life skills.

A strong faith that trusts in God even when times are tough.

A willingness to persevere and be a strong woman even when alone.

A love and appreciation for culture and fine arts.

A safe place to come to no matter my circumstances and open arms to love me.

A generation of family to love me and care for me

Holidays, traditions and an important sense of family ties.

My aunt-mothers
Many of us have aunts, some we know more than others, some we spend more time with than others. I was raised with aunts who were and are an important part of my life. Even though we live far apart and the time between seeing each other grows I know they are always there for me and we pick up as natural as can be when we are together. Growing up I spent a lot of time with my aunts and they blessed me in many ways.

The gift of many arms to hug me, ears to listen to me, and mouths to offer wisdom to me.

The variety of experiences and different life choices and the wisdom that comes from seeing love for family lived out in so many different ways.

The commitment to family and tradition and the glue that binds us together.

Regular time together that built trust, love and as I grew older friendship.

Many cousins to extend my sibling circle as we spent so much time together. Without sisters I especially enjoyed my girl cousins and the time we shared together.

An acceptance of me for who I am whether or not that has agreed with them. The ability to tease in love but encourage and support one another in our dreams no matter if they intersect.

Forgiveness for moving so far away and starting a mass exodus of sorts of other family members. Still loving me though I don't move back to NY.


These women have taught me so many things and I have become who I am today in part because of each of them and the way they love and cherish me, the lessons I have learned from them, and the gifts they have granted me.

When you look at me today you would certainly see a strong reflection of my own mother and the many influences she has had on my life. But you will also see pieces of these women as well and of the many other people who I have learned from, men and women alike. Thank you to each of you who has been a part of my life and helped me become the woman I am today and the woman I will one day become.

Many thanks and blessings,
Tenniel

Gifts and Lessons from my Mother

My mom has been with me from the beginning and seen me through so much and I love and appreciate her far more than a simple blog post can say, but I thought I would post just a few of the things that my mother has given me. Gifts and personality traits, life lessons that have made me into the person I am today. Just a few of the highlights.

My mother has taught me:

To be bold no matter what the world thinks

To give my children wide and unusual experiences

To love my children unconditionally

To rise above the circumstances even when odds are against you

To love, support, encourage, help, and thank my friends

To be generous and giving with my time, money, and talents

To stand up and fight for what I believe in

To give my kids the freedom to become who they are designed and want to be

My mother has given me:
My life, my education, the skills I needed to become who I am and continues to love me.

Thanks mom. Thanks for all you have given me, as I strive to pass those gifts and lessons on to my own children. Though I know we are apart today - we are always together. For I am made up of you and of Dad, not just in DNA but in who I am, who I have been and who I will become. Each day I see a little more of you in me. Thank you for all you have done for me and our family and for who you are. You are more special than you know.

All my love,

Happy Mother's Day

Happy mother's day to all the mothers out there. I hope you enjoyed your day.

Personally I was treated to a wonderful day. From sleeping in a bit later to an early morning Latte and scone for breakfast. We headed to church where Ciaran sang in the choir - a beautiful song about moms and about God and they played bells - it was precious and touching.

After church the family surprised me with my mother's day gift. They had decided together to purchase me a tree, a sugar maple tree. This is the perfect gift for me and so meaninful and touching. Perfect in so many ways. This year we have studied Botany and learned so much about trees and come to appreciate them more. One of my favorite places in the arboretum and we have just really been enjoying trees. They are also something that grows and get stronger with age just like love and children.

So today we went out to look at trees and found a nice sugar maple but decided it was rather tall to transport on a windy day in our car so we went to look for a slightly smaller one. We ended up coming across one of our family's favorite trees, the Eastern Redbud - pictured above. Serona suggested getting three and planting them together, one for each child. I loved that idea and that is what we did. Deciding that we will still likely get a sugar maple in the future as well for climbing and syruping.

Three beautiful trees for three beautiful children. Gives a new meaning to putting down roots. I have planted a tree before on my college campus but never in my own yard and never like this. It is very special to me and I can not think of a better mother's day gift then to watch these three trees grow just as I watch my own children grow. Makes me feel some commitment to our home and land, which for someone who has moved a lot is a new and interesting feeling as well.

My family was so giving and generous with me today and I so thankful for them. I am honored with the privelage of parenting my children and having the opportunity to love and raise and homeschool them. I am so thankful to have Serona on this journey with me as we navigate the waters of parenting together I could not ask for a better person to be with me.

I feel appreciated and loved and cared for. I am so very blessed.

Bless Her Heart

Precious Sirah. She is three years old and can alternate between being shy and a chatterbox. Today while serving at Feed My Starving Children she worked hard and did a great job with her task. We work for about an hour and half straight and she did a great job. When it was all done we decided to pray over the boxes that are going to the children. The woman who runs the operation asked for a volunteer to pray, I am guessing there were about 20 of us parents and children of all ages. Sirah spoke up that she wanted to pray. You could see the woman looking around to see where the voice came from and the surprise at the realization. Still it was Sirah who prayed.

It was a sweet and tender and heartfelt prayer and appropriate. She may not have said everything an adult would have but she had the tender heart of a child as she asked God to protect the boxes and thanked him. It was a touching moment and one of those times I am so thankful to be able to serve others side by side with my children even when they are very young. It is a joy to serve with my own children, their friends, and parents as we all work side by side. Watching Sirah and an 11 year old boy packing boxes together and watching her with another 10 year old boy who offered to help her sweep. Seeing Ciaran and a teenage girl working side by side and listening to little Sirah's prayers, what a day. I walked out with a tear in my eye and joy in my heart, and the knowledge that today we helped 23 children have food for a year.

Take opportunities to serve with your children. What a great way to grow closer to each other as well and continue to be surprised by them every day.

Confessions from a tired mamma

I have a confession to make. I fall asleep while reading aloud to the kids. I even fall asleep while they are reading aloud to me in the middle of the day. It is not occasionaly it has become more and more frequent. It is to the point where the kids point it and out and try to prevent it or bring me back to awake time.

The other day Ciaran was reading and I recall him asking me "What does this sound make?" and from what can only be a dream induced sleep I responded with a full explanation of DRM technology. To which he shook me awake and looked dumbfounded. He wanted to know what "br" says. I somehow in my brain saw DRM and thought my 6 year old son wanted to know about it and launched into a full explanation of it.

Another time he was reading aloud to me "Green Eggs and Ham" for the fourth time this week and he asked me if I could please keep my eyes open. To which I truthfully replied, "No. We have to finish this later when I wake up more fully." I feel bad because he is working so hard at it and has done a great job with reading lately and is so proud of it. But how can it come across to a child, that it is not him and his reading but rather me.

I think it is worse when I am the one reading aloud and I start to skip words unintentionally, reread words or speak gibberish. Apparently I have fully fallen asleep according to Rhiannon in the middle of a sentence. Maybe I need loads of caffeine when we read in the middle of the day - or to walk laps while we read - something to keep my brain awake when it wants to be asleep.

So yes I read aloud to my kids all the time. I hope they will forgive me and one day forget all the times I fell asleep while doing it in the middle of the day!

Resistance is Futile

We had a happy day here this morning. We have two days left to school and I was all set to have a solid day filled with schoolwork. Well you know all about the best laid plans and where they head.

A neighbor friend brought over a toad she had caught and there went our morning. This was the first one of the season and a much anticipated event for Ciaran. He has been almost sadder since he has heard them but not seen a frog or toad in the wild yet.

Our friend asked if the kids could come out and play with the toad - this all before our school day had even begun. I knew better than to resist, resistance is futile in this situation.

I mean really if I said no, like they would have worked? The joys of the flexibility of homeschooling - even when it is mom who has to be flexible. It was well worth it. They spent the entire morning out in a beautiful sunshiny day while it was still in the 70's and not yet the 80's.

Ciaran especially was excited. The kids spent the morning creating a habitat for the toad, gently holding him and watching the toad jump all around the lawn. They even collected worms, potato bugs and box elders for the toad to eat. The kids also took turns jumping on our neighbors new trampoline getting out some of that energy.

There were of course tears when it was time to go back inside and tears when the toad was released back into the wild. Though I am guessing we will likely see the same one again in the near future. There was resistance to coming back inside but this time the kids resistance was futile and they had to come inside for lunch, settle down and work.

The incentive of course is to be free of school after tomorrow, so that is a pretty big incentive to settle down and continue their work. The afternoon settled into a normal routine and all was going well until I had my next "resistance is futile" moment. This time from Serona.

I will concede that for whatever reason our house does not have the best cross ventilation and sometimes when I open the windows I am convinced it gets hotter or at least more humid. How long we can go before air conditioning is always a struggle in our home. I would like to make it until at least June or at least until it hits 90 but we seem to never make it.

During an instant message chat (the way Serona and I talk all day long) I got the "Well if you turn on the air conditoner I'll come hang out at home, otherwise I am going to a coffee shop." So once again "resistance is futile" and this year we made it until to 86 degrees and May 10th before the AC comes on.

Now I poke fun at Serona but I also concede that our whole family does benefit from the air conditioning so I will not tease him too much :) It just feels so weird to me to turn it on in May - when I just turned the heat off about 3 weeks ago.

So resistance is futile, no matter who you are. There is some circumstance where you concede to the other person involved for whatever reason. Today was my day for concession. You know what - it was a good day. I am sitting in a cool house and I have happy kids and a happy husband so not only is resistance futile but sometimes it could be foolish.

Are we Too Strict?

I would say on average our kids probably do less chores than most of the kids I know. One of the few things we make them do each day is make their beds. Recently the girls have taken to sleeping on top of their quilts and refusing to go under their quilts or sheets when they sleep. They each keep a throw fleece blanket on their bed that they use. So they sleep on top of their "made bed" never using their sheets or quilt and have their little blanket if they are cold. When I asked them why they were doing this it is because they no longer have to make their beds. So there you have it, well it is their bed they've made, let them lie in it I guess.

GPS Recommendation?

Anyone geocache? Anyone have a good recommendation for a GPS they love? Or what to look for in a simple family friendly GPS to use primarily for geocaching that will not break the bank? Thanks.

Finishing Up

Well it is May in Minnesota and one of the best months. Not just because of Mother's Day and my birthday but because May sees some of the best weather in this state. Perfect outdoors weather without the bugs and heat! Time to be outside hiking, biking and enjoying outdoor life. It is also the time we try to finish off school.

This year my target end of year date was May 18th but if we work hard it looks like we will finish up our main book work by this Friday the 11th! YAY!!!! Giving us a full 3 glorious weeks of May to enjoy being outside and having fun before the other students get out in the first or secod week of June. The kids are motivated and while our schedule is full it is not overly demanding or intense - with the possible exception of our remaining Botany work.

Needless to say blogging will be light this week as we focus on finishing up our time. Will post a full review of the year sometime in the next few weeks - probably on a rainy day when I am not catching up with housework.