we did it!

This morning, we did it.  We kicked off our first day of the homeschool year.

"To the new school year!"

There were candles and smiles...

There were homemade cinnamon donuts.

There was apple cider.

And, of course, there were children.  What would homeschool be without children, after all?

Gabriel, tot school

Elise, preschool

Owen, kindergarten

Kyle, 3rd grade

Ben, 5th grade

Of course, there were other things.  Not-quite-so happy things...there was poop on the floor and there was interrupting.  There was an assignment that needed to be re-done, and there was (just a little) whining.

And of course, there was a toddler.  'Nough said about that.

But those are not the memories I want to carry away from this day.  So here is my back-to-school post, with the happy photos (you wouldn't want a picture of poop on the floor anyway, wouldya?), along with hopes for a happy, healthy, richly fulfilling school year.

Cheers!

for the love of a story

So you guys know about my fascination with "Les Miserables."  During the time that it came into full bloom (late December and January), my older boys became interested in the story, too.  We listened to the music a lot on Pandora radio, and the lads asked many questions about what this or that song was about.  In fact, my 7-year-old asked to read my copy of the adapted novel; he made it through the entire volume in a handful of days... and spent the next few weeks talking about it.  

The fervor waned a bit as the months went on, but we'd still listen to the music on Pandora, and later on the soundtrack CD I purchased (we always skipped "Lovely Ladies," though!).  The boys can sing pretty much all of the songs from the score.  My husband and I eventually viewed the film with them, from the security of our living room couch - where we could leave out the less savory parts.  They loved it.   

When I learned of a stage production of the glorious musical in the city in early August, I gave it a lot of thought.  Jeff and I talked it over and decided not to jump at it - tickets were not cheap, and there were no discounted child rates.    We didn't tell the boys about it...why get them excited if we didn't go, right?

But then one of them built this.

The barricade from "Les Miserables"

A few days later, his younger brother made this.

Bridge, site of Javert's suicide

How can a mama resist this kind of passion?  Jeff and I talked it over again and decided to make it work.  In the interest of the budget, it would be a mama date with my two biggest boys.  They were extremely excited when we told them!

And so, at last the day arrived.

The stage before Act 1

Kyle, myself, and Ben

Please forgive the poor quality of these photos; cell phones and theater lighting are not friends.  

The performance was wonderful!   Afterward, I wondered if they might be "Les Miz"ed-out, but when we got back into the car, I had a request to play the soundtrack...and after we got home, someone put the CD in our stereo to listen to it yet again.  I think it's safe to say it was an experience they will remember fondly for many years to come.

And I just may have loved it, too...

who's who? tigger edition *ANSWERS*

Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for!  The answers to Wednesday's Who's Who? Tigger Edition are as follows:

Top left: Ben
Top right: Kyle
Bottom left: Owen
Bottom right: Gabriel

I think everyone who guessed (both on Facebook and in the comments) got one or two right, but the only one to  correctly identify each of my boys?  Grandma L.  Way to go, Mama!  I'm so proud.

when my boy went to camp

A few noteworthy happenings while our oldest was at church camp this week:

• We sometimes had pancakes left over after breakfast. Amazing!
• I only took four children to Gabriel's 6 month check-up -- instead of five.
• Our family attended a fabulously fun church potluck and cake auction.  Ben would've loved it; it involved a delicious meal and cake-eating! (along with some other hilarity)
• We tried (and failed) to feed the baby his first spoon foods: soft boiled egg yolk and mashed banana.
• A brazen trip to the jeweler's shop without my biggest helper along.  (Don't worry, they were angels.  The worst that could be said about their behavior there was that they got fingerprints on the glass cases as they oohed and aahed over all the bling.)
• Lunch in the Living Room.  Times three.
• We took a week off school!
• Kyle spent most of Wednesday away from home (with a friend) and so I only had three children.  (Eerie!)
• A trip to the library which involved checking out an obscene number of books, followed by...
• A morning o' reading and cuddles.
• Mama on litterbox duty again.
• Mama on garbage duty.
• Mama on post-mealtime sweeping duty.
• Less fighting.
• Our friend and cousin dropped by, brought us berries, and had a fun lunchtime with us.
• I discovered a new favorite sandwich. 
• The batch of sourdough crackers I made on Tuesday actually made it to the weekend.  Unbelievable. 
• We missed him, and prayed for him each and every day!

happy together

(Just a few more photos from our time at the coast.)

delinquency

 Today my daughter sneaked out of the house for the first time...ever.  She ditched naptime, put on shoes, a jacket and a hat, and headed outside to ride bikes in the front with the big kids.  The young rascal was apprehended and hauled in by her oldest brother.  Thanks, Ben, I owe you!

Clearly it's time to up our security around here...

a new school year

Today marked the first day of our homeschooling year.

We welcomed the 2011-12 year with our traditional 1st-day-of-school breakfast, including apple cider and homemade donuts.

I need to practice more often than once a year. Still, they were good.

Ben, 3rd grade

Kyle, 1st grade (halfway through)

Owen, goofball extraordinaire...Pre-school

Elise, pre-preschool.

Ben is 8!

My biggest boy turned 8 years old on Saturday! He is such a sweet, sensitive fellow. Such a fun-loving, re-purposing, soccer-playing, wrestling fellow.

Eight years ago, his arrival made me a mother. With Benjamin's birth, my world was changed forever. I will never be the same...and I am so grateful.

I love you, Ben! Happy Birthday!

cookie time!

Here we were in mid-December...and it was time again. Time for Christmas cookies.

I've gotta tell you (and yes, I know that I've told you before) that it is not always easy or comfortable to have my kids help me in the kitchen. I suppose it's a control thing. It's definitely related to the potential for mess. It's also a quality control issue. But I flatter myself that I'm getting better about this.

A little.

Besides, there are just times when you've got to just do it.



Now, Sally Fallon writes, in Nourishing Traditions, that her one exception to the "no white flour" rule is pie crust.

Personally, I choose sugar cookies.


I apologize for the blurriness!


Yes, all the frosting is yellow. That's the only food coloring I've been able to find locally, that I'm comfortable with using. But! Soon I want to order these food colors. I am so excited about them!

I used Wardeh's Basic Vanilla Frosting recipe, except that I substituted pastured butter for the coconut butter. The original recipe is amazing, but I found butter more convenient.

Color aside, our cookies turned out delish. I'm still using the Sugar-free "Sugar" Cookies recipe from My Year Without. So, so yummy, and no refined sugar at all!

Granted, there's refined flour. But once a year, I think it just may be worth it.

you'll get over it

As I overheard 5-year-old Kyle say to his older brother, "Hey, we should check on Furball!" I cringed. It was our very first caterpillar, and...well, he didn't make it. I'd read that when a caterpillar curls up and lies still for a day or so, one shouldn't worry...he's likely just gearing up for that cocoon. Sadly, that wasn't the case with Furball. I'd followed given him green plants, a damp sponge, a stick on which to climb, air circulation, and a familiar temperature. But somehow it wasn't enough. I guess his culinary tastes were a little more advanced than what I offered him.

It's a good thing we don't have a puppy.

And so, several weeks had passed since our dear Furball had gone to his reward (or, you know, whatever). Yet I hadn't found -or made- the time to tell my children. I vacillated between thinking "Oh, he's just a caterpillar, maybe they'll forget," and "He's the first 'creature' we've ever adopted, and they were excited about it!" ...and somehow, I just never told them. I know. I know. I'm such a bad mommy. When it comes to a real pet, I promise I won't keep its demise a secret. But in the case of the caterpillar, I suppose it was just a cross between dread and forgetfulness.

Today, though, he was remembered, and I knew without a doubt that I needed to 'fess up. They took the news reasonably well. Kyle blinked, gave a grin and a shrug, and said "Maybe we should've gotten a caterpillar kit after all." Thanks, kid. Let's chalk it up to my refusal to buy official supplies. That makes me feel a lot better...

...Ah, but Benjamin. Sweet, sensitive Benjamin. He got the jar, peered around until he found the pitiful little thing, and set it down. He came and stood by me, head bowed, eyes downcast. I gave him a hug. "I'm really sorry I didn't tell you before this, buddy. I just didn't know how to say it. Will you forgive me?" We shared a hug, and Kyle and I discussed more about how Furball's dietary needs exceeded what I'd give him. Ben was still looking sober, standing quietly by my side. Then -

"Mom?" he said. (Where oh where did Mama go? I miss it tremendously.) "I have something that I want to say to you."

Eyes locked on his, I assured my boy that I was all ears. I took a deep breath. Did he feel betrayed? Treated like a baby? Would he ever be able trust me again?

"Well," he began again, "I just wanted to say that...that...you know those Roman numerals I've been writing?"

"Sure, honey. What about them?"

"I think it would good if I could learn them on a Nintendo DS."


Yeah, I think he'll get over the caterpillar.

top ten reasons I'm glad my boys are back

10) Elise has someone to entertain her again!

9) Hearing my son's stories about all the missionaries he heard at Wi-Ne-Ma Christian Camp.

8) Listening to the songs they learned while they were away.

7) Their cries of utter delight when they discovered their newly re-organized playroom!

6) Hugs.

5) The sweet smell of their hair after they had baths last night.

4) Kisses.

3) A renewed sense of richness as I look around the table.

2) I'm now stretched beyond myself again, which allows me to grow in nurturing and love.

1) We're all together again, just as we should be!

brave, fierce, and strong

My heroes.