July – What a Month!

July has been really challenging but we’re making it through.  We’ve had Fourth of July celebrations, softball drama and the eldest son’s 19th birthday.  The younger two both finished their math books for the year and they are working on their reading logs for prizes at the local library. 

We’re still doing violin lessons which are going well.  The youngest is getting used to her new full-size violin and bow.  After going from a 1/2 size to a full-size, it’s quite an adjustment. 

Our puppy, Zoe, is also doing well.  She’s five months old and finally getting the hang of being “housebroken.”  She is also very fluffy and in need of a haircut.  I’m not keen to take her to the groomers and I’m thinking about doing it myself but I don’t want to be that person who only gets half of the dog trimmed!

I’ve made lasagna for the youngest as a special request after her softball game.  It took me a while but I finally got to it!  The weather has been really humid today but it’s finally cooled down so I didn’t mind turning the oven on after all.

We went blueberry picking last Friday and have loads of delicious blueberries – and we’re planning on going again next Sunday.  This Friday, we’re heading to the eldest son’s college where his internship is finally over.  We’re picking him (and all his stuff) up from his apartment and bringing him home for 4 weeks before he moves back for the school year.  It will be so good to have him home and then so hard to have him gone until Thanksgiving/Christmas. 

Soccer is also starting up again soon.  Softball ends next Thursday, so 3 more games and soccer pretty much starts up on August 1st.  Although I think there are coaches’ meetings scheduled before then.  I can only remember so many events!

Now that I’m thinking of haircuts, we all need haircuts.  The boys are kind of shaggy and the youngest and I haven’t had a haircut since the end of last summer.  I should have gotten us hair appointments in May, when the boys’ had theirs, but there was so much going on. 

My 16 year old has been programming games and apps for his Android tablet.  He is very interested in theoretical physics and computer programming.  I’ve challenged him to make a million dollars before he goes to college and he doesn’t have to go if he doesn’t want to.  He is taking the challenge very seriously. 

The garden is looking pretty good.  We have, in addition to the watermelon plantation, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, lettuce and radishes.  It could use more water but the water bill can get pretty high so we just keep praying for rain!  It needs some weeding but for the moment, I’m letting the plants do “survival of the fittest.”

Last Day of June already!!

I  can hardly believe June is over – I still have bitter, cold memories of the winter that would never end.  We did finally break down and turn the air conditioning on yesterday.  Mostly because my mom was coming out and we didn’t want her to melt.  I think she appreciated it. 

We had a nice birthday celebration for my eldest, including cherry cobbler with frozen Greek yogurt and a dinner of steak with mushrooms, fries, and salad.  Our puppy and my mom’s dog believed they should be included in the feast and were dismayed to be put in “puppy jail” during dinner.

Today, my eldest is bouncing around the house, just happy to be home.  I love that he is happy to be with us and I wish he could be happy when he has to be away too.  It’s hard to be away from home for anyone, but for him, he feels a little bit off when he’s not with us. 

The kids are all watching Mythbusters on Netflix.  This is a special treat for them – which they insist is “educational.”  It is, but I don’t want them thinking it takes the place of their lessons.  It is a nice summer activity to not have to rush around to go anywhere or to be working on hard lessons, and they do learn a lot.  I checked out a book from the library filled with new experiments that we will be hoping to try – our own “trying this at home” version of science.  We won’t be getting any C-4!

We might head to the library later.  I think we have some reading prizes to pick up.  They like to count their reading time almost as much as the prizes.  I know we have some books on hold to pick up.  The youngest is still reading the Ga’Hoole series by Kathryn Lasky and I think she has a treat of having the last 4 books waiting for her.

 

Lovin’ Summer

We spent most of the day at soccer travel team tryouts for my youngest.  She isn’t that excited about being on the travel team per se, but she enjoyed playing soccer with her friends and having fun on a beautiful summer’s day.  I think if she wants to be on the travel team, I’ll find a way to make it work but I’m just as happy if she doesn’t want to join it.  One less thing!  Also, I’m not sure she will have made the team.  There were at least 16 girls trying out for the team and I don’t think they can take that many.

The World Cup continues on and most people seem confused by how it’s run.  Since the soccer tournaments are often run in a similar way, I kind of get the way it works, having seen it from the kid’s eye view.  However, it is a different sort of thing than American football playoffs or basketball tournaments or even baseball playoffs.

I think my 16 year old needs more physical activity.  He went from playing soccer 5 days a week to a break from all soccer this week.  I’m not sure what sort of sport or activity I can convince him to do but he is definitely in a funk, and I blame the lack of workout time.  I doubt he’s willing to do Zumba. . . .

We went to a local street fair yesterday and found an amazing booth.  It was more like a museum than an arts/crafts booth.  It was filled with butterflies and other insects mounted as artwork.  It was done in such a way as to look like a museum of natural history exhibit.  It also reminded us of the museum collections from Animal Crossing.    We also enjoyed some “authentic Hawaiian” shave ice.  It did seem very close to what we had when we visited Hawaii although I’m certain the shave ice we had in Honolulu was better!    And we purchased Hungarian strudel – also authentic – in cherry and apple.  Yum!

After the street fair, we drove to the college to pick up my eldest who has worked very hard in order to take the week off and  be home for his birthday.  We get him for 10 days through the July 4th weekend!  I do have to take him back for a meeting on Thursday, but that’s ok.  We’ll hit an awesome ice cream parlor as a reward/treat on the way back.  We won’t have to be back for softball because of the holiday so there will be no rush to get home. 

Tomorrow we are having a birthday celebration with my mom and that will be very special.   My eldest is turning 19!  He is an awesome and incredible young man, and I’m very proud to be his mom! 🙂

Winding Down for the Summer

Now that I’m finally starting to believe Winter is over and Summer is really here, our lessons are winding down.  (Yes, Winter really did feel that long!) We don’t ever stop lessons but it’s a shame to miss out on the wonderful weather and the chance to be outside and enjoy ourselves.

We are striving to finish the Saxon math books for each kid and we’re nearly done.  With over 120 lessons plus investigations, labs, tests and so on in each book, there’s more than a school year’s worth of lessons in each.  It makes the kids feel proud of themselves to totally finish the text book so we’re going to keep plugging along.

My youngest needs a new violin. She keeps growing even though I tell her not to.  She needs a full size so I will have to take her to the shop to try some violins out.  They will let us “loan” a few so we can take them home and see what our violin teacher thinks.  She could use my violin but then we wouldn’t be able to play together.

The eldest will be coming home from his internship for the week of his birthday (which is also Fourth of July weekend) so that will be a treat.  He’s halfway done with the internship.  He’ll be done at the end of July and then have 4 weeks before the Fall term starts up at college again.

I was considering doing a Summer Reading list like I’ve done in the past but the kids are already reading so much on their own and following their own interests that I don’t think it’s necessary.  The youngest is into the Kathryn Lasky Ga’Hoole series – she’s on Book 12.  The 16 year old is reading The Three Musketeers.  We just returned from the library and neither one of them checked any books out but I chose a few.  A Ramsay Campbell ghost story, a book on how to get published and a book filled with fun science experiments.

We’re heading to a street fair this week, which will be fun.  We might go to the beach on another day this week.  We also want to play Disc Golf (aka Frisbee golf) so I’ve been researching local courses. 

 

Back after a short hiatus

My old pc was retired, in large part due to the rootkit virus that overtook it.  It was a mess and I wasn’t able to get it off, so I used my savings and bought a shiny, brand-new pc.  I love it and I’m still getting used to Windows 8, but it’s ok. 

My mother also bought the family a puppy on Easter so we have been adjusting to having a new member added to the family.  She is a little Shih Tzu and is completely adorable.  We don’t know how we got on without her.

The boys were both confirmed at Easter, which was wonderful, and I couldn’t have been more proud of them.  They had me as their sponsor and it was a beautiful and spiritual experience for us all.

We have planted a nice garden.  It’s filled with watermelons so we call it the watermelon plantation.  Keeping up with the garden and the yard work has been a challenge.

The eldest is working hard at his internship at his college.  He’s doing botanical classifications and living in an apartment on campus.  It’s a good experience for him and he’s making good money with free housing.  He has a violin gig at a garden party on Saturday which is also pretty cool.

Soccer season has finally come to an end.  Coaching was great but I was getting a bit worn out from it all by the end.  However, the girls were awesome and we have a bowling/pizza party on Saturday to hand out the trophies.  We did win one game before the end so I am pleased they got to experience a win.

Softball is now going strong and my youngest is playing catcher and outfield.  She had a solid hit tonight and was very happy.  She is working well with one of the assistant coaches and improving each time.  They won their game, so I’ve promised to make homemade lasagna!

I still owe the 16 year old a shrimp dinner (homemade) for his soccer win too.  

Suzuki Violin, Book 3

My fifth grade daughter is studying Book 3 in Suzuki Violin.  So far, she finds the first 2 pieces to be boring and repetitive.  She enjoyed learning the first piece in one week but she has to spend more time on the Minuet because the part in the minor key is pretty hard to get in tune.  I know I have a really hard time with it.

Even harder now that my violin needs repair.  It was involved in a sad accident and lost its bridge.  The strings were in pretty bad shape, and the A string snapped as well.  So it needs new strings and it needs the A string fine tuner replaced.  Poor old violin!

I was practicing Witches’ Dance from Book 2 yesterday and it wasn’t sounded too great.  Technically, that was a review piece, but it’s one I never became adept at.

I do like watching people play the pieces on YouTube, and I find it helps me.   Practicing every day, even for a few minutes, seems to help my daughter the most, but I often struggle to find time.   We also like to listen to the accompanying CD every day.  It works well to start the day with math lessons while listening to the Suzuki violin.

More Bio and a Sad Day

Sad news first:  our sicky Mamma guinea pig passed away.  She looked calm and relaxed, as though she died in her sleep, rather than in pain.  She had over a full month of extra love, baths, water therapy, delicious favorite foods, pats & cuddles.  When she first became ill, she was a skittish, shy creature.  With all of the extra love and attention, she became a loving pet, purring when we touched her.  Even yesterday she was still squeaking for treats.  We don’t know in the end what was wrong with her, but it seemed to be some sort of cancer or a series of tumors along her side, affecting her ability to walk and move.  We are just so sad to see her go, and it has been a hard day.

Even so, we are trying to get some lessons done.  The 10th grader has been working on Biology and doing quite a bit of housework.  The 5th grader has been glued to the tablet, helped out with chores, folding laundry, sweeping, and played chess as well as listening to her violin cd.

I’ve been frustrated in dealing with this weird virus that plays crackling snippets of commercials on my computer, even when no other programs are open or seemingly running.  I’m hoping I’m all clear of it now after several hours of research and scanning.

Biology et cetera

We started a new chapter in Biology.  My 10th grader was fed up with the “humans are destroying the planet” agenda.  There are also some opinions in his text which are stated as though they are fact.

I told him that part of his education is questioning things like that, and resesarching further to determine, if he can, the truth from the falsehoods.

It is interesting that the textbook professes to teach students how to question and analyze data but often brushes over the facts.  I guess it’s kind of typical of established academia to state they want students to draw conclusions using critical thought as long as the conclusions are what the academics want and expect.

Humans in the biosphere is the subject we are currently studying.  It sounds fancier than “people” or “people on Earth.”

I found a cute thing called Alphabetlife which has a word for each letter of the alphabet relating to biology.  Sciencekids also has some biology lessons to add more to the hands-on inquiry-based science lessons.  Serendip has some other activities including Alcoholic Fermentation in Yeast,  Moldy Jello and Investigating Osmosis.

Fifth grade science also focuses on teaching scientific inquiry.  The science is usually lighter, easier to understand and features more hands-on activities.  For fifth grade, it’s more about what living things need in order to survive.  They begin with habitats and move to biomes and then extend into ecosystems.  Going outside and exploring is a large part of fifth grade science study.

Dissecting a gall is an example of a hands-on activity for fifth grade science.  Most kids don’t know what a gall is.  I know we have discussed them before, but I don’t think my fifth grader was paying attention so it will be good to go over again.

One of the things I like best about teaching elementary science is that we can cover lots of different subjects, from life science to astronomy, from physics to chemistry.

Biology in April

April is the cruellest month . . . .according to T.S. Eliot

The Waste Land

April is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.

I was fascinated with this poem when I first read it in college.  I loved reading T.S. Eliot.  Now, after a long winter and a stuttering start to Spring and April, I think of April as the cruelest month.  March was a terrible month, no doubt about it.  But April wins the crown for cruelest.

The part in Greek I especially loved:

Nam Sibyllam quidem Cumis ego ipse oculis meis vidi in ampulla pendere, et cum illi pueri dicerent: Sibylla ti theleis; respondebat illa: apothanein thelo.

[I have seen with my own eyes the Sibyl hanging in a jar, and when the boys asked her “What do you want?” She answered,“I want to die.”]

—Petronius, Satyricon

[Cumaean Sibyl was the most famous of the Sibyls, the prophetic old women of Greek mythology; she guided Aeneas through Hades in the Aeneid. She had been granted immortality by Apollo, but because she forgot to ask for perpetual youth, she shrank into withered old age and her authority declined.]

The translation I learned in college was: We saw the Sibyl hanging in the tree and we asked her, “Sibyl, what do you want?” and the Sibyl replied, “I want to die.”  The image of the Sibyl hanging in a tree is reminscent of Christ dying on the cross made of wood, i.e. a tree, and the Hanged Man from tarot cards.

Oh, April . . . . sacrifice and rebirth are hard.

Meanwhile we still have Geometry and Biology, with soccer starting up again.  Also, the fifth grader has math and violin and all her extra activities too.  The weather is still cold although the snow seems to be gone for at least six more months – we hope. We had planned on going camping this weekend, but with our sickly little guinea pig, we decided to stay home and care for her in her guinea pig hospice.

Math and More Math

Life continues to be busy and always interesting.  Interesting as in the Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.”

Our mamma guinea pig continues to get a little worse every day but she is still eating and interacting with us.  Her tumors seem worse.  She is very sweet and we are keeping her as happy as possible.  We bring her daughter piggy up to visit and they communicate with nose touches and squeaks.

The weather is finally turning nice, making us long to ditch lessons and enjoy the chilly spring sunshine.  A little fresh air is a good thing.  I think everyone needs new bikes and I’m not sure that’s in the budget at the moment.

We are continuing to do well in math for both the 10th grader and the 5th grader.  My son needs a new calculator so I am looking for bargains on those.  The momentum has slowed considerably, but they are both quite a bit ahead so that’s ok.

We had considered going camping this weekend with the scout troop but we are worried about leaving our mamma guinea pig home alone for 3 days and 2 nights.  It really isn’t possible for her to survive that long untended, so we will just skip this event and look forward to the next one.