7 Quick Takes, Vol. 3

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Rats!  Yes, we have rats coming into the garden.  There's a blackberry bush just outside of the garden that they seem to have tunnelled under, coming out in the evenings to forage in our garden.  We are trying to block them off, cover the plants, and we're trying a non-poison bait involving oatmeal and quick setting mortar powder to control them.  At this point we've lost all the peppers, all but one of the cucumbers, and about a third of the tomatoes.  Does it sound to you like we're winning?  The only bright point is that the remaining tomato plants seem to have gotten too big for the rats to chew off and drag away.

I kept thinking about the Rats of Nimh, and not in a "oh, there just little creatures who are trying to survive in this cruel world, maybe we should try to figure out how to coexist", but rather I keep thinking, "they are too smart for us, we're doomed!  We'll never get rid of them, we might as well give over the garden and the property to them right now!  We're doomed I say, we're doomed!"  The kids chopped out the blackberry bush - I was too squeamish too tired to tackle it - and I fully expected stolen Christmas lights, elevators, and libraries.  The two nesting areas and a few little tunnels were kind of a let down, actually.

--- 2 ---

And while I'm on the topic of the joys of country living, we had a rather exciting predator night last night.  First I heard what sounded like a cross between a hoarse bark and a strangled growl? shriek? I don't know, it was weird.  I pointed it out to my husband, who likes any excuse to use his super powerful flashlight was curious about the noise too and went to investigate.  He saw a small bobcat prowling around, and in the course of this morning's research he found that this is the sort of sound they make during courtship.  Then a few hours later we heard a full coyote pack chorus closer than we've ever heard them, probably on our property in the gully.  Then they moved off down towards the creek, yipping and howling and making their unearthly banshee noises. Thankfully we no longer have any animals, so I could listen to it all and cheer them on, mentally encouraging them to pick up a rat or two as they went about their business.

--- 3 ---

I had my first midwife appointment on Wednesday, and all is well.  I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which is always fun and reassuring.  I'm looking forward to working with this midwife again.  She is a great person to talk to and extremely knowledgable.  I'm slowly starting to feel better, but I'm still having some not so good days.  I'm at the frustrating stage where I am lively enough to notice how my house has deteriorated in the last month and a half or so, but not energetic enough to do much about it.  I am at least working with the kids to get them to be a little more thorough in their work and scrubbing an occasional sink or other trouble spot, but that's about all I can manage.

--- 4 ---

Matt and I went to see a movie in a movie theater last weekend.  Together!  Isn't that amazing?  It is the first time we've done that since Batman Begins came out.  Yes, that one.  In 2005.  Another big thank you to my mother-in-law, who took care of the kids while we went out!

--- 5 ---

We saw the new Star Trek movie, which we both really enjoyed.  My husband noticed that all of the original Star Trek episodes are available on Amazon Streaming, so we've watched a few of those this week too.  I watched many of the original episodes in late night reruns while I was in high school, and I am finding these darker and more suspenseful than I remember.  But then again I don't think I ever managed to catch these beginning episodes.  It is a different experience to be able to watch them sequentially, rather than in the random order the TV Station decides to air them in.

--- 6 ---

Here's a great breakfast recipe - Baked oatmeal with apples.  I made it this week and last week, and serve it with a choice of strawberries, blueberries, cream, and applesauce.  I do decrease the maple syrup to 1/2 cup and the honey to 2 T, just to make it a little less sweet, but still delicious.

--- 7 ---

Wow, third week in a row I've done this.  I'm strangely pleased with myself.  It is nice to find accomplishments where I can.  Even if they are meaningless blog posts...

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes, Vol. 2

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I felt almost surprised to be celebrating Pentecost last Sunday...  where did the Easter Season go?  We left for a week immediately after Easter, and then all the fatigue and pregnancy sickness kicked in a day or two after we got home.  I just started feeling a little more like myself about a week ago, which makes me feel like I sleepwalked through the entire Easter season.  Quite a change from last year, when we had special teas each week and lots of little Easter celebrations.  Oh well, growing a baby is certainly very important too.

--- 2 ---

Just after putting the kids to bed tonight, I was startled to feel the bed shake and the window rattle.  Earthquake!  I called out to the kids to make sure they were feeling it, because none of them have ever felt an earthquake.  The few we've had up here have been too late at night for them to notice.  It ended up being a 5.7 magnitude earthquake located up near Lake Almanor.  I'm guessing it is around 100 miles away, as the crow flies.  The kids were pretty excited to finally get to feel an earthquake.

--- 3 ---

During Holy Week I decided to take the plunge and eliminate white flour from my diet.  I've had persistent aches and pains in my left hip for quite awhile now, and I kept seeing articles online suggesting that white flour (and refined sugar) could be acting as inflammatory agents in my body and causing these sorts of problems.  Frankly, I was rather skeptical, but I finally figured it was worth a try.  Well, it has been almost two months now, and I have been almost completely pain free.  Completely!  The only times I have had hip pain are the couple occasions when I did eat a quantity of white flour (like several pieces of pizza for dinner) and when I was at a party, drinking copious amounts of lemonade.  Interesting, don't you think?

--- 4 ---

Something else I've recently discovered is white whole wheat flour.  It makes an almost completely acceptable substitute for white flour, at least in muffins, pancakes, waffles, scones and the like.  I think I'd get complaints if I tried to make a cake or brownies with it, but for everyday baking, it is working quite well for us and everyone is happy eating it.  And I can eat it without any inflammatory issues, so it works well for the whole family.  Which is a good thing, because I just bought fifty pounds of white wheat berries!

--- 5 ---

Something else I've been experimenting with is making Thai food at home.  I can't say it is restaurant quality, but we've all been enjoying my creations.  And I've found that making spring rolls at home is really pretty easy!  I did some shopping at Amazon to get some basic ingredients (spring roll wrappers, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, rice noodles, curry paste, and red chile paste), and I was amazed at how much cheaper it was to do that then to buy the items locally.  For example, I can buy 7 oz. of hoisin sauce at my local store for $4.80, or I could buy 20 oz. at Amazon for about $5.80.  Ah, Amazon, what would I do without you?

--- 6 ---

I was reading a potty training discussion on the 4Real Forums recently and in it a woman was talking about potty training her 21 month old son.  It went really well for her, and she posted a two years later follow-up just recently saying that it continued to go well, and of all her sons he's the one with the fewest "potty issues".  I have a 20 month old son, and ever since I read that discussion I've looking at him in a new light.  I know a lot of it is likely going to involve training me to put him on the potty at regular intervals...  but still, with the diaper rash this kid keeps getting and with a new baby coming at the end of the year, the thought is tempting.  But I should probably wait until he can at least say "potty" don't you think?

--- 7 ---

Today I'm off to Costco, which is probably more than I can do at this point in time, but I'm going to do it anyway.  I really wish Costco wasn't 1 1/4 hours away!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

2012-2013 Hits and Misses

I've really enjoyed reading Jessica, Sarah, and Charlotte's hits and misses posts and I thought it would be fun to write my own.  Not that I'm in the same league or of the same caliber of a blogger as they are, but at least it might be a useful record for me down the road.  I think I'm going to focus more on our curricula in this post, and do a separate post with some of our hits and misses in the books we read.

So, without further ado...

Hits!

MEP Math - I am so pleased with this excellent math curriculum!  As Gregory (1st grade) has worked through the curriculum he's gotten lots and lots of practice with basic addition, but in a way that doesn't feel as stultifying as the endless pages of addition most math programs offer at this level.  Right now he's working on a set of problems where he is practicing basic addition, but instead of just writing the answer, he's having to color one part of the shape a certain color depending on if the answer is greater than or less than 12.  Then another part of the shape has to be colored depending on if the answer is even and odd.  Now isn't that much more interesting and engaging than a straight page of addition problems with maybe a few word problems thrown in at the end?  And I love how it also involves critical thinking and evaluation as well as addition practice.  And the program is free, which certainly is a plus as well.

The main drawback to this program is the amount of hands-on time it takes.  There is definitely more coaching required to help a child walk through the critical thinking aspects of the program.  And to a certain extent, isn't that what I'm here for?  Yes, handing my son a sheet of basic math problems would be a lot simpler, but in the long term I don't think it is nearly as effective.  However - and this is a big however - if I had a few younger kids who all were in MEP as well as some littles, I just don't think I could pull it off.  There's only so many hours in the day, and there's a lot of other work to be done as well!  When my oldest was this age I used Math-U-See, which isn't much more than a glorified "here's your page of math facts to fill out" program, albeit with a nice DVD and manipulatives.  And really, considering I had a toddler, a baby, and we were building a house, there's no way I could have done  anything more.  Did her development in abstract mathematical thought suffer?  Actually, yes, I think it did, and we're doing what we can to try and mitigate this.  Could I have done anything differently a few years ago?  No, really, I couldn't...  so I refuse to beat myself up about it!

Life of Fred - I started using this with my daughter last year when it was becoming quite apparent that Math-U-See was not helping my daughter develop her critical thinking and analytical abilities in math. The transition to Life of Fred was a little challenging because now she did have to think critically and try to figure out the problems, rather than just solving the problem plunked down in front of her...  but thankfully the story of Fred and his various dilemmas was engaging enough to make the struggle less frustrating.  She started with Fractions mid-way the last school year, completed that and is now about half way through Decimals.  She's still happy with it, I'm pleased at how she's improved in her ability to think through problems and all in all it is a great fit for her.  The main reason I didn't start Gregory in the Life of Fred books is the cost - it is still pretty teacher intensive, but there's a lot of books required and that all adds up pretty quickly.

CHC Little Stories for Little Folks - I have been extremely pleased with this reading program.  We liked the little books, the gentle progression of the stories, and the content of the stories.  My first grader finished the program a couple of weeks ago and is reading quite solidly now.  I'm looking forward to starting Nathan on the program next year.  The little book format is so much more interesting and appealing than the big book style program that I used for my daughter (I used 100 Easy Lessons with her, which I would not recommend for several reasons) and the stories were something you actually wanted to help your child read.

Misses

Apologia based science lab class - This one is specific to our area, but since it was a miss, and since I'm my main audience, I'll write about it anyway.  I didn't use the Apologia books for the class because I already had our own science planned by the time I heard about the class.  I initially wasn't going to participate because I don't particularly like the Apologia texts and because the class was aimed at families who have trouble doing hands-on science at home.  But when I was assured that the kids could participate in the labs even if they hadn't done the reading, I thought, well, it might be a good opportunity to give them some classroom-type experience as well as a little more hands-on science.  I was also trying to start a natural foods/gardening discussion group, and it seemed like the class time was a good time to also get some people together for this.  So, in the aim of two birds with one stone, I went for it.  Well, the discussion group was a total flop and the classes, in our opinion, were not that impressive.  I should have remembered two things I already knew - it is extremely difficult to start anything in this area, and I have a very high bar for what outside activities are worthwhile for my family.  Lesson learned...  (again)

My Chemistry Program - Now this one is a little embarrassing to admit, but I'll do so anyway.  Over the summer I put together a program for my 5th grade daughter that was supposed to be an introduction to Chemistry and the Periodic Table.  My hands on books were Messing Around with Baking Chemistry and Fizz, Bubble & Flash.  I also used Mystery of the Periodic Table and a biography of Marie Curie called The Story of Madame Curie, as well as a gorgeous app called The Elements.  I used the experiments in Messing Around with Baking Chemistry as a way to introduce lab reports and the scientific method as well.  We started off well, but making the different cakes became repetitive...  especially when we weren't seeing much of a difference between them.  Then we got to the part where we were supposed to be experimenting with gas collection and the gases collected.  And even though I had ordered what I thought was the right equipment, we just couldn't get it to work correctly!  It was very frustrating, and eventually we gave up.  We were supposed to have started on Fizz, Bubble & Flash in March, but between some extra activities (Journey North Mystery Class, Papal Lapbook) it got pushed aside...  and then April and May have been very low effort months for me because of my horrible fatigue and pregnancy sickness.  And when I can't do much, science experiments is one of those things that doesn't get done.  But really, I don't expect great things from that book, because while the premise is interesting (experimenting your way through the Periodic Table) the implementation is somewhat lackluster.  And really, some parts of the Periodic Table do not lend themselves to easy home experimentation!  But it hasn't been all bad - Mystery of the Periodic Table was well received, and my daughter is really enjoying the biography about Marie Curie.  The Elements app has also gotten a lot of use and exploration, sparking a lot of good discussion and interest.  I think that while the hands-on chemistry part did not go particularly well, she has gotten a good introduction to the Periodic Table as well as how to go about setting up and writing about an experiment.  So perhaps not a complete flop, but not nearly the success I desired!

7 Quick Takes - Vol. 1

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We took the plunge and planted our garden last weekend.  Well, I sat in a chair and advised and everyone else planted, but at least I was out there!  We usually wait until June, since our foothills climate is notorious for sending us a sleet/hail/snowstorm after days and days of mild and beautiful weather, but since the weather has been so settled and pleasant we decided not to wait any longer. Since then we've lost six tomatoes, eight peppers, a cucumber, and a bunch of plants we put in the ground over a month ago.  The country always sounds like the perfect place to have a garden and maybe some livestock, but with the deer, rabbits, voles, rats, bobcats and bears it is awfully hard to keep anything alive for any period of time!  The problems this year seem to stem from voles and rats (although I think a rabbit got in last night) and the vole repellent, poison bait, and traps just aren't doing the trick.  I have no idea if we'll manage to have a garden this year or not.

This is the most depressing time of the gardening year.

--- 2 ---

I was never more pleased with my unfinished concrete floor than when I read Jennifer's #5 entry this morning.  Hooray for concrete!

--- 3 ---

I woke up this morning and my second thought (after why oh why does Justin have to wake up at 5:40??) was the realization that I only felt hungry, not nauseous.  Isn't that amazing?  And I read aloud to the kids today instead of taking a nap this afternoon!  Could this mean I'm turning a corner?

--- 4 ---

I have a Facebook account.  I know, I know.  I still find it rather confusing, and I haven't posted anything on my own page (or whatever it is called) but I am really enjoying the Mater Amabilis Facebook group.  There's something about the Facebook format that makes for livelier conversations than what I've found in Yahoo! groups or discussion forums.

--- 5 ---

Matt is taking the two older kids on an overnight backpacking trip this weekend.  Isn't that cool?  Someday I hope I can backpack again...  maybe when I'm 50.  Still, I'd rather have these little folks around than be able to go backpacking.  But I am glad my husband is willing to take the kids out by himself so they get to experience it!

--- 6 ---

I've made great strides on my homeschool planning.  I had the revelation that since history is the subject I'm most passionate about, I'm probably not going to find a curriculum that covers history to my satisfaction.  Once I gave myself permission to ignore the history part of Mater Amabilis, I realized I really like it.  (I feel I should add, not that there's anything wrong with it... it just isn't as complete or slow paced as I would like)  So I'm using almost all of it for the kids next year and that has really simplified my planning!  It also helps that this is my third time around planning a Charlotte Mason style curriculum for the kids.  It really does get so much easier with experience!

--- 7 ---

Could I please, someday soon, find someone who homeschools like I do?  I mean, really, I've lived up here for over five years already!  But then I try to figure out how I would go about trying to meet someone like me, and I realize that someone like me probably wouldn't leave the house much either which makes it awfully difficult.  I guess I need to get out more.  Humph.  

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

What Our School Days Look Like Now

Due to my astonishing lack of energy, our highly structured school days had to change.  I have shifted from a very Mason inspired structured day to a much looser and freeform checklist for Emma (11 - 5th grade) and Gregory (7 - 1st grade).  Lessons are definitely taking longer, as they no longer have the schedule and the momentum of the day keeping them moving reasonably smoothly through their various subjects.  The school day is also more scattered, a little school here, a little running around, a little more school, some time outside, and back to the schoolwork.  For the most part the work is being completed, although sometimes things bleed into the next day(s).  I have continued to leave Friday without a checklist (it used to be our Fine Arts and Nature Day, but that has gone by the wayside too) and we tend to take on a garden project, finish up lingering checklist items, and I do math and reading practice with Gregory.

The biggest difference in our school day is the lack of read-alouds.  For whatever reason, reading aloud makes me extremely nauseous.  I've never had this happen before, and I'm not sure how to adjust.  I'm making a supreme effort to still read Gregory's school assignments with him, but I'm not even able to do that twenty minutes or so every day.  We bought the kids inexpensive MP3 players so they could still hear good literature, but it has thrown a monkey-wrench in many of our family studies.  They generally listen to their players for awhile after lunch, and again in the evening as they are doing their after dinner chores.  We were in the midst of a number of good books together, and they have all been put aside for the last month and a half while I've been in the throes of the first trimester.  We've also had to stop our morning time, because if I do morning time with the kids, I then have to go back to bed and cannot help Gregory with his math or anything else.  Seriously.  Since I'm generally going to bed hours earlier than the kids, I'm no longer available for evening prayer either.   My husband is generally reading the kids a bedtime story, so at least they are getting a little bit of reading aloud around here!

Thankfully, it is spring and the kids are having a wonderful time with all their time available outside.  Now that I'm not reading out loud for about two hours a day and we're no longer involved in any outside activities, the hours out of doors, while never skimpy around here, are now vast.  They've built forts, planted seeds, fought the Hessians and the British (many times - they alternate between watching an episode of the Magic School Bus or Liberty's Kids during lunch), learned about new insects and plants, and just generally had a marvelous time running around.

My hope is that in another couple of weeks I'll be feeling stronger and less nauseous (please, Lord?) and we'll pick up morning time and our read alouds again.  The kids will largely be done with their other studies, but I think they'll enjoy spending an hour or so together in the morning and maybe another half an hour in the afternoon, reading, listening to music, and praying as a family.  I think it will   be nice to bring the kids together like that, even during the summer, and it will help relieve my conscience regarding my dereliction of duty this spring.

And moving forward?  Will I stay like this or go back to our daily schedules?  Really, I don't know.  I can't see myself going back to schedules until at least next spring.  I have a feeling I'll continue with checklists for the next school year and re-evaluate next summer.

First Trimester

I'm 10 weeks into this pregnancy and so far it has been a pretty rough first trimester.  I don't think I've had such a sick and fatiguing first trimester since my first pregnancy twelve years ago.  Even though this time is difficult, I'm struck by how much more humane my life is now, and how much easier it is to weather this time and not have everything (including me!) go to pieces.  Twelve years ago, I was getting great advice like, "even though you feel awful, it is still important that you are at work at the right time.  Throw up in your wastepaper basket if you have to."  And then there was this gem from my midwife, when I asked her if all my sickness, fatigue, and long hours at work would harm the baby.  "Well, it isn't like you have several children at home already and you're working all day in the fields.  You'll be fine."

Now I have bigger kids who can to help entertain the toddler, clean and tidy the house, and even help with the dishes.  My husband works from home, so I can go take a long nap while the toddler naps and I know there is another adult that can help the kids if something happens.  He can also step in to help with dinner prep if I'm at the point where I can't do anymore, as well as help in a myriad of other ways.  I'm older and at least a little wiser and more experienced, which makes focusing on meals and laundry less daunting than it used to be (and it is easier to recognize the absolute brilliance of that particular blog post!).  Sure, there are sacrifices involved - lost income, a perpetually unfinished house, (very) modest vacations, few outside activities - but I'm very grateful for where we are and the general livability of our family life.