FYI, DIY, WTF!

First, I need to mention that this post is sponsored. Sponsored by my mother-in-law who took the three middle kids over night. And to the beach. Fed them ice cream and treated them to a breakfast on the patio in the morning. And apparently took them shopping because I do not recognize Malachi's shirt here. Thank you. I'd also like to thank Fiona for taking a timely nap, right now, and my brother-in-law who is taking Cyril to some store to look for parts for the outboard motor he is refurbishing. So quiet time = brain space and maybe a post. It also means I have only myself to blame if this all goes South. Or North, if you live in the southern hemisphere. Do they say that? I don't' know.

But to today's topic. I've always been, or thought of myself, or pretended to be a bit of a hacker. Not computer hacker. Although sometimes I can get mine to turn the screen a real pretty blue for a long time. I don't know how to make it go away so its kind of a one-way trick and not one that impresses anyone that needed to use said computer. Soon. But that is what Shane is for. Among other things.

No, I'm more of a life with kids hacker. And mostly out of necessity. Need to keep the kids in the yard? grab those garbage cans, your neighbors too, and a rope, maybe some plywood for good measure and you won't have to check on the kids for hours. Neighbors and spouse might not be thrilled, but  children make everything worthwhile. If you live in a neighborhood with and HOA, this one will not work. E-mail me for some other options. Or have your husband build a fence. Though using this  hack  has shown to have the added benefit of hastening things to that end. If a real fence is what you're after.

I get my skills from my dad. He can make pretty much anything out of anything else and has always been a bit of a visionary. Water conserving toilets? Saw it coming. He was putting bricks in the tanks of our toilets 30 years ago. Sure we had to flush an extra 5 times but that brick make all the difference on the water bill. Sometimes we would come up with workarounds to his hacks and then,

"Hey, who took the brick out of the toilet?!"

And reminding us with each flush.

"Hey!! Stop that. You know water doesn't grow on trees!!"

Also, if he says 'a real pretty blue' you can hear his light accent from growing up in Hungary. Maybe he was foretelling my future  of blue screens. Visionary, I tell you.

So now you know where I get it from. Though I don't do welding or build log cabins or plumbing or wiring and a host of other things Shane has implored me not to so while he's at work. I'm kind of limited to objects I can move myself and duct tape. Or  taping two objects I can move myself together. With duct tape.

But it has been a quiet time in project land for me lately so I was thrilled when I found a small project the other day which  allowed me  to learn some new skills as well.  Shane? Oh, he'll get over it.

We have been having some unusually nice weather here the past couple weeks. As in, I am wearing shorts. In June. In Seattle. This never happens. I'm thrilled. However, Kateri's window had somehow developed a tear in the screen so I told her to keep it closed to keep the bugs out. Which is impossible at night after and 80 degree day.

I know you can get new screens at the hardware store, but that requires a trip to the store, and  probably with multiple children so why not just fix it yourself?

My first thought was my old go-to, duct tape. But I must have been doing a lot of projects lately because we were out. Even the kids' fancy Christmas rolls of it were empty.

So I thought of other patching material we might have around the house. Or yard. I remembered the $.99 strainer I picked up at the thrift store for the kids outside play. It would be perfect!

 Now I just needed a way to attach it, without the help of my favorite tape. Then I remembered the dark grey speck of something someone had accidentally gotten on an often used light switch. Three months ago. That was some pretty strong stuff. And I knew where to go to get some. I called my supplier.

                                       "Cyril, will you go in the garage and get me some J.B.Weld?"

Cyril mixed it up for me and we played with some different patching layouts for a bit. Then smothered the weld on and put the hand-cut custom made patches on top. But first we put down a layer of aluminum foil (have you ever heard a British person say aluminum? Is sounds like it comes from  something magical. Like a unicorn or something. FYI IMHO). The foil kept the screen from fusing to the table and interfering with  future card games, drawing, or sewing projects which Kateri currently uses her workspace for. We are responsible workers.

Then, since the screen and the patch were bent in different directions, we decided to use some books we found on Kateri's shelf to weight them down while the patch dried. Which takes a few hours. But will last a lifetime. Just ask to see the light switch sometime. Also, make sure to put more foil on top of the patch or you will have a book blocking your view. For a lifetime.

The next day, we  trimmed the patch a little and replaced the screen and, Ta-Dahhhh!

No more bugs.

I called Shane in to witness our work. He outwardly pretended to be nonplussed. But really he was SO plussed he was speechless.

Its nice to be able to show him all the clever things he never dreamed about me doing when we got married. But now I can show him and he is so thankful and realizes what a true gem of a wife he has.

I told him I would do it differently if I had to do it again. Learn as you go and all that. Shane complained of a mosquito bite the other day and I found another rip in a screen in the kitchen.

But we'll just keep that one closed for now. For some reason I can't find the JB Weld.

Bedtime? What Bedtime?

So a friend posted her daily routines with her two little girls. It all sounded very peaceful and civilized and like number three should be able to pick up the rhythm and get with the program when he arrives. I think it is great to get on some rough schedule, especially when a new one is coming to shake everything up. Then I reflected back on my attempts to do anything in a timely fashion when we had younger kids. Kids who did not like to sleep. Ever.

I am afraid it comes from my side. We've always been night owls and that was ok for my dad's job which  started at 11:00am . But not so handy when your husband gets up at 5:00am. Midnight is just not an acceptable bed time.

Our kids never nap past the age of 2, and I'd envy the mom with  a 3yr old that take a 2 hr nap and then goes to bed at 8:30. What? Even without naps bedtime was never smooth- unless they were sick and really needed the sleep. A lot of our evenings with Audrey , we'd get in the car and go for a ride. Usually to Dick's to get cheeseburgers and shakes. Not the best evening snack but we'd ride and talk and eventually she'd fall asleep. We still used it when Cyril hit the  'I don't need sleep anymore' stage. Two kids with one ride. We decided to give up the snack part and tell them we were going to 'Destination X' a really cool place they were going to love. They'd be excited getting into their car seats and Shane would hop on the free way- the less stops the better for sleeping kids.

The next morning they'd ask about our trip and I'd tell them they fell asleep, so we decided to just come home. But we could go another night. And they'd get excited.  Writing about it  now it seems kind of mean. But sleep-deprived parents are desperate and as I didn't get naps, and was probably expecting Kateri by then, anything that offered respite was welcome. Given the price of gas now it would be a really expensive bedtime routine.

Our new one is not so crazy, or maybe it is . And with us getting over various illnesses its been a little more hectic. For example, here was last night's routine.

10:00- Shane announces bedtime  is approaching and tells the kids to get a snack if they need one. Some of them head to the kitchen to feed themselves. I am already in bed because that is where I am spending my days right now.

 10:10  - Shane announces it is bed time and tells the kids to brush their teeth. Kateri asks if she can finish the load of laundry she put on- he says yes. Audrey starts getting ready and doesn't ask for anything but is probably planning on finishing up The Return of the King- or whichever book she is re-reading.

10:20 Cyril and Cyprian petition to sleep in our room, where they slept last night. Seeing it is the most expedient thing at the moment we say yes and Shane tells them to make 'nests' on our floor by  his side of the bed so I won't trip going to the bathroom. Which is very thoughtful.

10:30- Cyprian says he's hungry. Shane says he'll have to wait for breakfast. We hear Kateri working in the laundry room.

10:32- Cyprian says he's scared. Shane asks of what. Cyprian says he doesn't know. So Shane proclaims an expulsion for all things scary to Pippin and bans them from our room. Cyprian says he knows he is just saying that to make him not scared but it didn't work. Shane asks what would make him not scared. Pippin doesn't know. Shane says to let him know when he figures it out.

10:40- Cyprian says one thing is, is that when he sleeps in between two people, he doesn't get scared. Shane asks him what he is asking for. Pippin is reluctant to say. By this point Cyril, Shane, and I are all laughing, but Shane still waits for Pippin to ask.

10:45- Finally Cyprian asks to sleep in our bed. We say yes, but Shane stipulates that if Pippin needs to snuggle he has to snuggle Shane, not me, which is very sweet of him. Cyprian has not lost the baby habit of liking to pet arms- especially cold ones-even in his sleep. Pippin agrees and crawl into bed. I feel the bed shaking and ask Shane if he is laughing or was it the washing machine on spin cycle- it literally shakes the whole house. It was Shane laughing. I hear Kateri still doing something but know she'll put herself to bed when she is done, so I don't get up.

1:00am- everyone else is asleep. Pregnancy insomnia has set in and now I am getting hungry. Either that or I need to vomit. I decide to try for the former so I get up to get a glass of half-and-half and put the clothes in the dryer. Get back in bed and eventually fall asleep.

5:00am- Shane's alarm goes off. A couple times. He fumbles around his nightstand looking for the offending object. In the process he knocks over a water glass. Cyril pipes up,

"What is that?"

Shane answers him, "Its nothing, Cyril. Go back to sleep."

"But what is it?" Cyril insists.

"I said its nothing. Just go back to sleep."

"Then why is my head wet?" Cyril asks.



6:00am I kiss him good bye, get another glass of half-and-half and come back to bed, where an hour or so later I am able to finally fall back asleep.

I know we have a lot to work on before new baby arrives. I am hoping once this first part passes I'll feel able to figure out a good routine and we can all get on it. Right now I feel in survival mode. Make it to the next meal, make it to the bed, make it to the toilet etc. But hopefully I'm getting there.

Seasons

It is definitely fall now. It came so suddenly I was caught without a jacket. Sunday was hot. We barbecued, played outside, had a bonfire and roasted marshmallows.   Monday morning was cloudy and I wore jeans for the first time in weeks. And eventually a fleece jacket as well. It was a very strange transition. We only started summer the second week of August this year. It was hot, but the light was already had a slant to it, and when the wind blew yellow leaves fell through the trees. But we could still pretend it was summer. Until Monday. Now they are predicting rain and we're trying to get one last lawn care day in before the eternal swamp that is our backyard sets in.

We had a slower transition into our school year. We started by doing our end of the year tests which we were too busy, or absent, to get done earlier. Not the best timing as being out of school mode and test taking makes for a rough test day. But we got them done, got the results filed away, and on to the next year.

I was pleasantly surprised with the kids first day of away from home classes. Shane has always had issue with the impressions the term 'homeschooling' conjures up for some people. Mostly people that have not done it.  Fortunately, when you home school, you can define it anyway you like. In the broadest sense, it means for us, we are overseeing all the details of our kids' education: picking and choosing each child's program. Deciding when, how, by whom, and at what pace according to each one's propensities, passions, and preferences. No, that does not mean if they don't like math they don't have to do it. But it does mean if they are better at story problems and mental math, and have a ton of energy, I am not going to chain them to a desk and make them write the multiplication chart 10 times.  It is a bit of detective work figuring out who needs what. And you  havie to adapt every teaching strategy for every child.

When Audrey was little, I thought I had it all figured out- I think most people make that mistake when they have a pleasantly tempered first born. Which is why we should all have at least two. Audrey could read when she was four. She loved books, writing, drawing and when math lessons started she could do read and do her lessons on her own. Piece of cake.

Enter Cyril. We tried reading/writing. Rather, we tried sitting in a chair for an extended period of time.  5 min tops. Still not a success. So I backed off and we waited 6 months and tried again. We waited another 6 months. Ans so it went until he was almost 8. I kept waiting for that 'thing' to click and everything would fall into place. It didn't.  For years. And then it did not so much as click as me holding and hammering it in place. But eventually, he got it. But it was a difficult and tear-laden adventure and I still wonder how I could have, and can do, better in the future.

Kateri is unique as well. She loves to write, is eager to be able to read, but not so much that she will sit and write phonograms patiently. She wants instant results and each lesson asks, 'when are you going to teach me to read?' I have not told her there are 76 phonograms to get through.. I had been considering some kind of therapy for her, but I am finding isolating and practicing the correct forms for making each sound seems to improve her speaking. And I know to sit on her good hearing side and am happy I can work around that and make her lessons work for her.

Pippin, for now, is happy to ride his bike at break-neck speeds. Which, after our attempted bike ride around Barra, more on Scotland later, I am even more impressed by. We did try some phonics lessons, but I think I'll wait another few months. He is enjoying his swim lessons, picked up some knee-boarding and rock climbing skills this summer, and seems on his way to being a very physically adept boy. But he does love mental math and I am always impressed when he comes up with arithmetic problems and answers on his own.

But back to 'homeschooling'.  My own definition has evolved over the years from' it means I have to do everything myself and as the parent I am the only one really qualified to do it' - yes, I realize how snobby that sounds- to 'someone else may have a lot to offer my kids and can do it better than I can'. Which is how we ended up taking art and drama classes at the nearby home school co-op. It was a no-brainer, when all my 'horses' looked like llamas, to find someone else to teach them. As for drama, I get enough of that already so am happy someone else can help them channel theirs, and then charge for tickets to see the results.

This year we added a writing class for Audrey and science for Cyril. As well as piano for them both. which I initially thought I would do myself. But not being a music major, or having a private studio and absolutely uninterrupted time, I was happy to hire someone else to do.

Our fist day was a huge success and I think we will make lots of progress this year. As I took the kids to their classes and showed them where they needed to go for their next class, leaving them to navigate while I took the little kids to the playground- or eventually back to the car when the rain starts-I had a feeling that we are entering another phase with them. That getting through the previous years has allowed them to get to where they are: more independent, self motivating, and capable. Much like when I watched them take their first steps, it felt like the next part of the journey. And it seemed appropriate that the temperatures are changing and I feel ready to move on. When the kids came out of their classes they were both beaming. Audrey says she wishes she could do writing class every day- it is just once a week- and Cyril talked non-stop all the way home telling me about his science class and how he made a new friend and the funny nicknames the teacher gives the rowdy kids and how they learned about surface tension and all the experiments they got to do and he can't wait for the next class. And then he went through it all again when Shane got home.

And Audrey, to whom I offered to be an escort to all her classes but she nonchalantly said, 'just give me the room numbers and I'll find them.' I think of her, not even able to order from a waiter  and Cyril, crying every time he was away from us for years, and I started to really appreciate the space they/we are now in. Last night when turning off the lights, Cyril asked Shane if he could keep his on so he could finish the book he had started that afternoon. And I appreciated the teachers for the opportunities they are offering and the passion with which they do it and how wonderful it is to be able to give my kids an education they enjoy that doesn't kill their enthusiasm for knowledge but makes them excited and eager to learn more about life and the world.

Although I have not found a way to translate the same wonder and curiosity about the three sounds of A.

Little Chefs

The kids have been wanting to come to "cooking lessons" . Grandma Trudy and I have been taking a few here and there and its been really fun. But not necessarily geared towards kids. Of course I knew Kateri would love seeing the big kitchen and watching the chefs cook. And trying the wine. So we'd been looking for a good one and a pizza class came up. And of course the other kids were interested too. I left Pippin with Grandma and they went shopping and had lunch.

I"m not sure if Audrey is taking notes, or drawing a horse.

Before class we shopped. Cyril found a chef's hat, which was adjustable. Unfortuantely they only had adults shirts, but I'll have to keep looking, or just make one. He asked afterwards if he could come to more classes.

Finally a hat to accomodate ALL of Kateri's hair. I would have bought it just for that feature.

Audrey had to try on everything before settling on the apron.

And in the end Kateri did too. I thought it was a good choice.

The cooking class was a success. All the pizzas were meatless so it was nice to get you thinking of Lenten dishes. I really liked the pear and gorgonzola on whole wheat tortilla. Cyril liked the four cheese. But the broccoli pesto was great too.

The owner/chef and her husband, who runs the wine side, are really nice. It was a school day at 1:00 and she asked if the kids were on vacation. I told her we homeschooled. And today was our home ec class. She thought that was great. They are a really nice couple. And I'm not just saying that because they cook me yummy food and pour me wine.

Taking Down the Tree

I decided, last week, that it was finally time to take down the tree. Given that Lent is upon us, it just didn't seem right to mix the two seasons. The kids were very sad and the ones who did not approve didn't take part in the trimming of the branches. But Kateri and Pippin had fun.

It was a work day and it was a really big tree. So I did not feel comfortable with just hefting it out the back door intact. But I figured if we severed the big lower branches, it would be manageable. Of course I could not find the big clippers so had to use a hand saw instead. Kateri liked helping with that part.

Once I got it outside Kateri and Pippin dragged it off into the woods. Where the kids later made a fort with it.

Kateri was super excited to have so many needles to vacuum up. Cyprian enjoyed hand feeding them into the hose.

 For Christmas Kateri wanted two things: a new baby doll with a high chair, and a vacuum like Grandma's. (Was that three things?)

Grandma found this little vacuum for her and it is perfect. We decided her daily chore would be to keep  the kitchen and eating area "swept". She would run the batteries out every day-its rechargeable-and though its not as thorough as a broom, it gets most of the dirt and our floors are looking cleaner. Sometimes she is not in a cleaning mood. The other day Shane told her the stairs were needing some attention and suggested she clean them. She looked at him and said,

"Well, I told Mom she could use my vacuum whenever she wanted."

When we were all done, Kateri decided to try on the tree skirt. All she needs now it a star on top.

And now a reading from the book of Audrey

I was correcting Audrey's math and found a little story she had written. Cyril and I had been reading the story of Moses at the other end of the table. She was inspsired to write  this:

How Moses Died
....,then Moses saw a bush. It was burning. He heard a voice in it. He ran to save the person in the fire. But the fire killed him.


I thought it was pretty funny.

Coffee Break II- and the way it really is

Today warranted another coffee break.

Kateri was still sick this morning and was heart broken when I told we'd have to skip ballet. It was a long painful recovery, somewhat hastened by the promise of making cookies after lunch.

Cyprian, I think, is truly getting sick too. Mostly evidenced by his super crabby outlook. And screaming.

I was talking with my older sister the other day about how you imagine what homeschooling is and should be and then set yourself up for  lots of frustration and hair pulling until you figure it all out. (Whenever that will be.)

You picture a nice Montessori-esque set up, with children eager to learn, because that is what children naturally do best. Sitting up straight, holding their pencil correctly, waiting for their thirst for knowledge to be quenched by   phonogram dictations and the multiplication chart.

And it works ok with the first child. The materials get used then put away, you have time to sit and make land formation books with them, study the parts of a flower. Do art. You even stretch it into the evening and cook dinner together. Sure it takes longer and is messier, but it is so rewarding.

Then number 2 comes along. And the home looks more like a daycare/war zone. Only no one came after the bombing to clean up and rebuild. They just bombed some more.

Knobless cylinders? They were used for torpedoes and one is stuck way under the fridge sot its kind of useless now.

The pink tower is a prop for a big earthquake and after someone gets hurt and the furniture and walls dented you realize they weren't really "getting" it anyway. So you toss it. Besides you can't have the tiny cube at the top around  because the baby will eat and choke on it.

Lunch mats? You're lucky you got a clean plate today.

 Art appreciation day? Well let's go look in the library. Number One went Number Two and then decided to smear it into the rug with a red crayon. Do you think it looks more like a Picasso or a Matisse? ( that was our old house, and we replaced the rug.)

Dinner? Seriously? You still want to eat after that?

Well this morning was kind of like that. But without the poop. Cyril decided he wasn't a sponge for enlightment as long as it  involved writing "ough" and saying "ah,oh,oo,uff,off,ow". Or if he could not start a "7" from the base line.

Kateri and Pippin were playing church and screaming

"He stole my Bible!"

So Cyril got involved and then it was,

"That's MY icon. Father gave it to me. Give it back."

Chasing, screaming, tackling ensued.

So I sort out the icons, prayer books, and Bibles. Send the little kids into the other room and sit with Cyril to finish our Bible story.

Cyprian and Kateri are good and quiet. So quiet I should have known. 

They had decided to do some transfer exercises. By "transferring" all of the recycle in the garage into the hall. Along with some styrofoam and other items they could carry. 

But we got all our work done. Cleaned up. Ate lunch. Made cookies. And because Pippin really is sick, they got to watch a movie. And I had coffee and cookies. Which is all very sensory. And Montessori.

Dear Tooth Fairy

Our Tooth Fairy has been a little lazy lately. And given how often teeth are falling out over here, there is much disappointment amongst the ranks. Audrey and Cyril each lost a tooth this week. After several nights of not showing up the kids finally wrote her letters. I found these on their pillows: (Audrey wrote both. I copied her spelling. Figured I'd have better chances that way).

Dear Tooth Fairy,
 I would like to keep my tooth. If you take it, I will get very sad. I didn't get to keep  my first molar and if I can't get that back, I would at least like to keep my second molar.
                                           God Bless,
                                                      Love,
                                                             Audrey

PS: You owe me $10 for all the days I've had to wait.

PPS: I have another loose tooth.If you don't come tonight I'm firing you.






Dear Tooth Fairy,

I lost my tooth. I accually lost  it lost it. It did fall our of my mouth but then, well, it got lost. Please leave the $ anyways.

Sincerely,
 Cyril Patton


PS: If you don't beleive me, look in my mouth. Or find the tooth.

PPS: You owe me $10 for making me wait so long.

Our Days

My mom went to Gettysburg a couple weeks ago and brought back bonnets for the girls. They were pretty excited to "Laura and Mary hats". Cyprian thought one was for him, but not too sad when I told him the hidden object cylinder was for him. But he still wore Kateri's hat all the way home.

I've been fighting off a cold for a couple days. With the aid of Zicam and chicken soup, I am doing well. And so far my efforts to keep it from the kids is working. I am so relieved and determined to stay vigilant in the war on bugs. We are leaving for Palau in a little over a week and I hate thought of the kids being sick, and I am sure Shane and I will be able to enjoy the wind and sun much better without head colds.

This soup was courtesy of Cooks Illustrated. It was very tasty, especially with some french bread and butter, no we are obviously not doing the strict fast this lent. With little kids and Shane's exercise regimen, it just wasn't feasible this year. I am actually enjoying, and thinking of making more permanent, the no treats, no movies, no computer-for the kids-fast. Although i admit when I was first feeling coldish, the thought of resting on the couch while the kids watched Ratatouille sounded very tempting. But we persevered and got through it.

The recipe actually called for sauteing ground chicken, extracting all the flavor from the meat and vegetables for the stock, and then straining it and adding fresh chicken pieces and more vegetables. QFC was out of ground chicken so I just chopped up chicken legs and used those. Besides that way you can get some of the marrow and cartilage in the stock.

Kateri had to make something new and there just happened to be a recipe for blueberry muffins in Cooks Illustrated. Very Best Blueberry Muffins, to be exact. And as I had some frozen berries we picked out that recipe for Saturday morning. She was so excited she woke up early and got dressed by herself because of it.

She zested the lemon herself. We all thought they were yummy. She, apparently, liked the process more than the eating them. We haven't picked out our next recipe. I sort of stuck on the chicken soup.



The other day, I was doing something with the little kids, and I realized I had not seen or heard the big kids for over an hour. If it had been Pippin and Kateri I would have been worried. But I went upstairs just to see and found Audrey and Cyril in the middle of creating a doll house, complete with furniture,

a garbage can,

a desk with laptop and documents
,

a chandelier, bookshelves and books, and even stairs. The room on the left is Audrey's the one on the right, Cyril's. For some reason his room also has the stove and little frying pan cut out of cardboard and covered in duct tape. Audrey made a little safe and hid it in the underpart of her chair.

I'm thinking some of the financial states are getting through to them. Several of their books have titles like "Boom, Bills Are Dead" and "Bills, too Much Money". I didn't tell them the current news of the government aka taxpayers propping up the automotive industry. I wasn't sure if they could handle it.

I was really pleased they were being so creative and co-operative. This was a book I had when I was young. It was from the 'Bookshelf for Boys and Girls'. I actually found and bought my own set when I was 12 or 13, thinking someday I hope my kids can enjoy these. volume 5, I think, "Things to make and do" was my favorite. My brother Damien and I spend hours doing the art projects. But I loved making the doll furniture out of cupcake holders and match boxes. And cardborad boxes. It was satisfying to see the kids using boxes, ductape, sticks, and even champagne nets- on the chandlier. Who needs Plastics R Us.

Happy St Patrick's Day

This photo was from a couple weeks ago, but I thought the green would look nice for today. I went to check on Kateri after lights out, and found her asleep, wearing these. I'm not sure what they were all about, but I thought it was cute. Boys are so creative, especially when it comes to weapons. A stick becomes a sword, a pine cone a grenade, and in this case a toy pan, a rubber band, and pencil, become a "shooter" I especially liked the scope he made using my milk frother attachment.

This morning I came into the kitchen and found this. Audrey and Cyril had done his phonogram dictation and were moving on to his reading lesson. Cyril said he prefers Audrey's teaching methods.

"She knows how to calm me down. And I only got four wrong."

His reading time improved from 15 to 10 min as well. It was cute to see Audrey reading the manual and setting up the lessons. I think its good for her too to reinforce what she learned. And she likes teaching. Maybe I'll get her started on the younger kids soon too.

We had dinner at Shane's parents' house on Sunday. When it was time to leave we could not find Cyril's shoes anywhere. After 30 min I said we needed to leave. It was late and the kids needed to get to bed- Kateri had already fallen sleep under the dining room table-so we left without the shoes.

The next morning , while I was on the phone with Trudy, I interrogated Kateri. She was the only one unavailable for questioning the night before. She sat up in bed and looked like she was thinking, then said with an 'I'm not certain of this' look on her face,

"I think I saw someone put them in that thing. I don't know whats it called. You know that thing by the door?"

"You mean in the hall tree? The little lid you lift up?"

"No, not that. I mean like that little door. With the vacuum things. I think maybe they put them in there."

Trudy moved the boxes blocking the door and opened the front hall closet. And there were Cyril's shoes. I could just picture her carefully moving all the boxes, stashing the shoes, putting the boxes back, and going to lie under the table, where she fell asleep.

And then Kateri, realizing the shoe's had been found, revealed the true motive behind her master plan,

"Now we can go to Grandma's?"

No Pictures Today

For whatever reason, my computer does not want to recognize that I just inserted a memory card. So, although I did have some pictures they will have to wait until my tech support gets home from work.

We've been having a cozy fall and getting lots of indoor things done. Like laundry, and dishes, and all that fun stuff. And some school work here and there. I finally knuckled down and decided to have Cyril do more writing. He really didn't like it in the beginning and couldn't, for the life of him, see why it made any difference if he started an "O" at two o'clock or five o'clock. The list went on and coupled with his attention span of a squirrel, we decided to just focus on reading and mental math.

But after finishing the second set of Mac and Tab books, I decided we would give it another go. I had saved several of Audrey's previous math worksheets and started him on some of those. I have to read the directions and story problems to him, but other than that he can do all the work- and is cheerful about it too. He even brought me his papers today and ripped out some extra to take to Grandma's tomorrow. He often times corrects himself if he starts a number in the wrong spot and doesn't get offended if I gently correct him.

I think this was definitely the right time to start working with him and wonder if its a complete waste to try to do anything before they are ready. Here he is almost 8. Audrey could read when she was 4. But she seemed ready at the time and it was not the teeth pulling experience I had when I tried to sit Cyril down and make a row of nicely shaped ds- or any other letter. Hopefully, some of that was useful but I think in the future I will be more relaxed and less worried if they are not reading 'War and Peace' when they are 6. It is so nice to be in a place where I can see we are making progress and not just spinning our wheels and pencils. Maybe its like potty-training. When they are ready, they get it. When they are not and you try to force it , you have a lot of messes to clean up. I decided it wasn't worth it and Cyril wasn't fully potty trained until he was 4 1/2. Which, knowing the alternative, I was fine with. I always knew some day they not be nursing, illiterate, and sleeping in my bed, so I was ok taking thing a lot more slowly than the Ezzo time line. - Which I think is terrible anyway.

Speaking of bed, I've been working on getting Pippin to sleep with Audrey the past week. He usually wakes up and comes into our bed around 1:30. After 5 days I was debating giving it up and letting everyone get more sleep all around. But then thought, even though he didn't stay all night, it might be good to at least keep up the routine. Then this morning I woke up and he was not there. Of course I immediately thought maybe he had fallen off the bed and gotten trapped in her room or some other bad thing. But then I heard his voice in the hall as he opened our door, climbed up on the bed, and started tackling Papa, while gritting his teeth and growling. It was fun to have a morning cuddle and then we headed down to make breakfast. So I will be continuing the sleeping routine. Just goes to show, even as the parent, you never know when.

We have been doing some crafty, piratey, things as well. But its better with pictures, so I'll save those for later. I love Shane's three-day week-ends. Now Thursdays are so much more fun.

oh, and since there are not pictures and it would not be appropriate if there were, here is another story. Last night was the vigil for the feast of St John Chrysostom so we packed up the kids and headed out to evening Liturgy. I was feeling a little tired and silly and the kids decided to be especially entertaining. Cyril and Audrey were given permission to sit up front. It was not very crowded and I- and everyone in the congregation- could keep an eye on them. Cyril thought we might get worried so he kept us up-dated throughout the Liturgy by turning and giving us a knowing look and a thumbs up every so often. In his new camoflauge, fleece gloves. And if things were going really well, he stick both hands behind his head and give two thumbs up. I was just happy he was quiet. I thought things were going well. Until my sister, who was sitting back a few rows, came up and whispered to me that she could see Kateri's bum. I looked over and there was Kateri, standing on the kneeler with her hands in the back of her stretchy pants and princess panties waistband, which she was twisting and turning and stretching so as to inadvertantly expose half her backside to half the congregants. I got her covered and had to explain to Shane later why I was laughing in church.

Oh well, I suppose some day they won't be doing that either. Somedays, some day seems mythical.

Craft Day

We worked- We played-

Pippin is a "bun-rabbit".

And we made yummy muffins with the extra pimpkin-pecan waffle mis from William-Sonoma. I made some cream cheese maple frosting and we had them for a tea party with Tirzah and the kids.

We had a very crafty day yesterday. We've been better at getting our work done early- the other day we had finished math and reading by 9:15am-so we have had lots more time to play. Cyprian started it by asking to paint and he inspired all the kids to follow suit. Then when we finished that the kids went out to gather leaves and we did leaf rubbings. This one of Audrey's was my favorite.

I'm not sure where he got the idea but Cyril decided to to tornadoes. He offered to send it to work with Shane, after he adds a few more.

Cyprian and Kateri let off some extra energy with a friendly broom fight. Which I ended before there were any casualties.

And Cyril and Pippin had fun playing soldier with a toy drill and a bicycle pump for weapons. Very creative.

History Lesson

The kids and I had a tea party today. And yesterday. They were both relatively calm. We used to call them Boston Tea Parties. No one drank anything, and the goal seemed to be "spill the most tea." Well yesterday's was minimal in spills and today's was even better. Aside from Cyril's motor boat noises and Cyprian asking if we wanted to hear him burp, it felt civilized.



I think Pippin thought he won the gold medal.

We had a talk about the real Boston Tea Party, which led to a lesson on the revolution, which brought up the Star Spangled Banner, which led me to sing it for the kids, which brought on fits of laughter from all corners. Why couldn't they have come up with a melody we can all sing? The range is a bit far flung for the ordinary warbler. 'And the rockets red glare' really got them rolling. Well, I decided we will work on it as a group. No chance of becoming a von Trapp family, but it will be easier for some of us to hide our contributions in a group setting. I hope.

It is such a pretty song though. And not just the difficult tune. I was getting teary-eyed just reciting the words. So I picked out our next book to read together "Betsy Ross and the Flag". It is one of the books my mom gave me. Its from the 1950s and has a big "Discard" stamp from the library it belonged to. It really is too bad. I have several others that seem to be from the series- one on George Washington, one on Florence Nightengale, and another one I can't remember. It seems sad that a lot of our nation's history is not being passed on. So I've decided we'll spend some time studying our founding. The Greeks and Romans have been fine, but I think something a little closer to home might be easier to grasp. And besides there are wars and Indians and lots of exciting things. And we can have tea parties.


This morning, Shane was home for a bit in the morning and was treated to breakfast by the kids. Kateri and Pippin made scrambled egg whites with feta and tomatoes.
Audrey showed off her espresso making skills and whipped up an Americano. And Cyril ran out to grab the paper for Papa. It was cute to see them all so eager to take care of Papa. And of course Kateri did the dishes afterwards. And then asked to wash the toilets. Again.

Never Poke Your Uncle With A Fork

Never poke your uncle with a fork,
never kick your uncle in the shins,
never bop your uncle with a cork...
these are all unpardonable sins.
If you grab your uncle by the nose,
if you put potatoes on his lap,
if you drop spaghetti on his clothes,
he will make you go and take a nap.
When you're at the table, precious child,
if you start to mixbehave, and act
thoroughly undisciplined and wild,
he will gnash his teeth, and that's a fact.
If you jab your uncle with a spoon,
if you prod your uncle with a bone,
you will leave the table very soon,
and have to eat your dinner all alone.
-Jack Prelutsky


We have been working on manners, graces, and just decent behavior lately. My mom gave me a book called"Everyday Graces" filled with stories to illustrate various desireable traits. Audrey was thumbing through and came across the above poem during breakfast . She laughed, and laughed, and then read it out loud to us. Instead of having the intended reaction, she and Cyril talked about doing all the listed atrocities to Uncle Cameron. I think they have enough material to write their own poem.

Living Room- Take 503

So, I've still not quite settled on an arrangement for our living room. Every so often I get uncomfortable enough with it as to start moving furniture. It is sort of unique in that it has an angled wall and a hallway that I don't want to crowd. So for now I am liking the new set up, but I am thinking it might be better if I swapped the roll-back couch for two arm chairs. I don't like it when it feels too closed off or only has one entry point. Because then we never use it. And then I could always put the couch in the "formal" living room, which is still empty and is basically a big wrestling ring. But every time I think about it I think " where would the kids rough house or do ballet shows?" and I don't have an answer so the room just sits empty.
But with our "Ladies of Maderas" get togethers, its been inspiring to see the other homes decorated and get ideas of what I might like. Which is difficult becuase I'm not especially clever when it comes to decorating, and I actually don't know what I like and sometimes have to go through lots of arrangements and even couches until I find the right one. But so far I'm happy with this room. I went to load the pictures and couldn't find the camera. Kateri told me " It's in the cupboard. The one with the tracing paper" which is the art cupboard- not the camera cupboard. I found the following incriminting pictures on the card as well.
Evidence the kids were in the library without parental supervision- not ok.
The kids removing the couch cushions- also not ok.
To make a fort- which is ok. Just not with couch cushions.

And of course there is the fact she had the camera in the first place.