You Have Arrived.

Colonial Williamsburg.

Jamestown Settlement and Powhatan Village.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

Traveling backward and forward in time as we visited living history museum after living history museum exhausted our feet and filled up our brains. We learned new things and reinforced previous understanding by walking the streets and encampments and engaged the people around us in conversation.

I think smoke was coming out of the boys' ears. And there might have been an incident or two of total breakdown and rolling on the floor.

It was time to stop. To decompress. To process through all the information of the past days. And there is no place better to unwind than at the beach.

So we plugged the address into my GPS and waited for that red target to appear and the voice to let us know, "You have arrived."

We not only arrived at an adorable purple cottage with a little slice of heaven just steps past the back door, we arrived at the perfect spot to just sit. To be together and to enjoy each other after days of pressure and agendas.

We arrived at a place where a kid doesn't have to worry if he is allowed to touch. Or to laugh too loudly. Or run.

The kids had arrived.

And at 40+ I've finally arrived at a place in my life where I don't care.

For the first time since the twins were born I put on my bikini.

And not the one with the cute retro high waisted bottoms.

I put on my bikini because I'm 6'1", dang it, and one pieces don't even fit me that well and I'm tired of picking my bathing suit out of my crack. I put on my bikini because tankinis kind of drive me nuts, the way they flutter up around my middle when I'm actually in the water.

I put on my bikini because I'm tired of believing that stretch marks, extra skin, and a "broken" belly button are things that need to be hidden. This is my body. And it is a body that stretched and grew 3 babies -- 2 at the same time, for goodness sake. And if I can't admit that 15 pounds of twins growing inside me might have stretched out the skin on my stomach and left me with an outtie rather than an innie, well, that's just dumb.

I put on my bikini because it's important for me to believe that my body is normal. That my body is nothing to be ashamed of. And it's important for my boys to know that, too. Normal is not what they will grow up seeing on TV and in the magazines. Normal comes in all shapes and sizes. Reality ages and gets stretched out.

This is what reality looks like. In a bikini.

I have arrived.

(But not quite at the place where I will be posting a photo of myself in a bikini online)

Another Wednesday...already

Time flies when you're having fun.

Or when you're just so freaking busy you can't see straight.

But it's all the same thing, right? I mean, this whole being an adult thing...it's mostly about being busy and hoping we can at least enjoy what it is we are busy with. 

I don't think I've had time to be bored in the past 10 years. And it just keeps getting busier. 

And so I woke up this morning and it was already Wednesday again. I actually had to stop and think about how it is we got here:

• Thursday was school and swim and soccer. 
• Friday was school again and frantic cleaning before the hubby got back from a business trip (and pretending that we had kept the house tidy all week without him)
• Saturday was soccer games stretched out across the whole stinking day with errands tossed in between.
• Sunday was Mother's Day.
• Monday was so much laundry and school and grouchiness/naughtiness/wild rumpus-ing all around. Mama said there'd be days like these.
• Tuesday was more school and a trip to Urgent Care and (thankfully) no stitches.
  

I guess we did manage to get back to Wednesday again. Like I said, time flies when you are being an adult.

So, What are we Dooooing?

Wednesday. Our day of life learning. Our adventure day. Our field trips. Our unschooling. Somehow it was feeling overwhelming this morning. Probably because I hadn't exactly planned anything and was in a scramble to figure something out.

Something that ideally still pertained to the Middle Ages, as we are just transitioning out of that time period and I hadn't looked ahead to see what is coming up next week.

Something nearby, as the minutes were ticking away already.

Something that didn't have to be an all-day commitment if I started feeling overwhelmed, as I have been known to do. Especially this week. I wanted to be able to bail out and come home to a glass of red wine at any moment.

Something that was relatively calm, as I really didn't want to have to re-glue/tape the split forehead that sent us to urgent care yesterday. He found the Skittles in the waiting room to be a comfort. I was longing for that above-mentioned glass of red.

So we headed downtown to Exploration Place. It's a lovely little science museum (hint, hint, all you out-of-town friends who - unbelievably - still haven't visited us in the Sunflower State), and we hadn't been in a long time. We watched the balls drop in the gravitron. We could probably watch this thing all day. It's like a miniature version of the one at the St. Louis Science Center. We could watch that one all day, too.

We built and built and built with Keva blocks. It's fun to be both an architect and a construction worker. We built a village complete with a monster, an apartment complex, and a skyscraper. Mr. W in the background there built the Lincoln Memorial.

How I pretended our visit "tied in" with our core curriculum is the castle play area. King Peter and King Edmund sat on their thrones at Cair Paravel.

The three Wild Things Brave Knights built a cantilevered bridge to cross the moat and enter the castle, where they played a rousing game of tag.

Sir Shorty was outwitted by his older brothers and was captured and thrown into the stocks to be mocked publicly.

Then we rounded off our day with some burgers from Braum's and some play time at the playground next to the museum.

Most of today didn't line up with our curriculum, but it doesn't really matter. Learning is learning. Fun is fun. And a sunny day in May is made for Wild Things and knights.

Now I'm going to pour myself that glass of wine.

What are We Doing Wednesday?

It's Wednesday, so...

What are We Doing?

Back when we were in preschool and kindergarten/1st grade, we used to schedule Field Trip Fridays. You see, by the end of the week, my schedules and plans and dining room had become quite a mess. I needed a scheduled day each week to be unscheduled. To take the burden off and to just cut loose and have fun.

I am a fan of the idea of unschooling, you see. However, I can't really get my control-freak self to completely give in to it. So one day of field trips, of fun, of adventure...it was prefect. It was controlled unschooling once a week.

Then this past year, the twins moved up into second grade. Our core curriculum is Introduction to World History in One Year. 

Yikes.

Why does that seem so serious to me? It's like the rubber suddenly hit the road in our little homeschooling adventure.

And while it has been a great journey so far this year, we have had to make some adjustments. We aren't just doing topical studies each week based on children's story books and then some phonics on top. Every day we cover just about everything: history, geography, Bible, science, reading, language arts, handwriting, Spanish, art, and music.

Shorty has had the hardest time. And rightly so. After all, he's only in kindergarten. He can keep up just fine with the concepts, but he just can't make it to the end of a week with his sanity in tact. And if he has hit a brick wall of learning and turned into a tiny zombie, he manages to feast on his brothers' brains. Mine, too, if I'm honest. We were all exhausted and crazy by the end of our four days.

So our Field Trip Fridays weren't working out so well for us. By Friday we had work to catch up on. By Friday we were grumpy and burned out. By Friday all we wanted to do was sit in front of the television.

PBSkids was pretty much our sole adventure into unschooling. There was no more time or energy for exploration or for interest-led learning. No creative juices for experiments. As much as I love the zoo, how many times could I claim that it was a valid field trip during the year just because we had membership?

Something had to give.

And so, about midway through our year, I figured it out. (Yeah, I'm a quick study, I know.)

We needed to break up the days we were "on" and "off." We couldn't handle four days of sitting (mostly) still to learn.

We needed to move our Field Trip Fridays to mid week.

We needed a What are We Doing Wednesday?!

Eureka!

So, here we are, on a Wednesday, doing stuff. We are in the Middle Ages right now. Knights. Castles. The Black Plague. So...when you are in the middle of Kansas, what do you do on a Wednesday for a field trip related to your medieval curriculum?

You dress up in costumes and go to a castle, of course!

You keep a lookout from the highest tower, just in case there are any enemies (or ridiculously large groups of high schoolers apparently on their lunch hour) from whom you must protect the castle!

You practice shooting through the arrow slits at unseen enemies in the prairie grass

You eat your lunch in the cool of the great hall, well protected from the harsh Kansas winds.

You play a rousing game of "Rescue Princess Mommy" knight vs. woodsmen!

You learn that the castle itself dates only to 1936, but the location was probably visited by a Spanish conquistador looking for legendary cities of gold.

I've got to say, this excursion was a definite winner. I'm ready to dive back into book work tomorrow, and I think we will all sleep well tonight.

Now, the question is...What are We Doing (next) Wednesday?

Meg's Homeschool Day in the Life with a 6 year old and 8-year-old twins

Today I've linked up to the folks over at Simple Homeschool for their "Day in the Life" series of posts.

So, here's my "Day in the Life" with my 3 Wild Things, my 8-year-old twins, and their 6-year-old brother.

I like to try to keep things flowing and flexible. My active and silly boys keep me on my toes, and I want to allow them to explore what they love and to foster in them a love of learning.

 If something isn't working for us, we will change it. I'm not married to my routine. And we are movers and shakers who don't like to get stuck in a rut. We do school 4 days a week, usually taking Wednesday to be an adventure day.

Each of our school days around here looks a little bit different. There are a lot of variables, depending on whether we have swim class, speech therapy, or errands to run. Or if I just slept in and didn't get my stuff together until a few hours later than I like.

Amazingly, this day had no extras and I didn't hit snooze 15 times.

6.30 a.m. I am up doing dishes, laundry, tidying up the classroom, eating my breakfast, and having a little morning quiet time. As enticing as the snooze button is, I really don't feel centered without this time to myself every day. I'd like to get up even earlier and maybe work out a few times a week, but I can't seem to make that happen this year.

8.30 a.m. The green light comes on, indicating the the boys are allowed out of their room. No one is up just yet, though. My little guys are night owls and all 3 share a bedroom, so sleep doesn't always come easily. For that reason I try to encourage a late start to the day. We have one of those nifty clocks that changes from a yellow nightlight to a green light when it is an acceptable time to wake up.

8.45 a.m. Little bed-headed zombies begin stumbling out of bed, laden with blankets and stuffed animals. On days that I am not ready for them for one reason or another, They are allowed to watch some PBS Kids. Thank goodness for shows like Wild Kratts and Word Girl. Today, however, I am prepared. No TV.

9.00 a.m. The boys are settled at the table eating their breakfast and already starting shenanigans. After they finish eating, they clear the table, brush their teeth, get dressed, and "make" their beds. Some mornings I have an extra chore or two for them to do, but today it's just making sure their animals are all back in their room instead of strewn around the living room.

9.30 a.m. My goal is to start school by this time daily, but it doesn't always happen. Today is flowing smoothly so far, and I am able to ring the bell shortly after the half hour.

We begin our day with a short devotion and prayer. This helps to center my own heart as much as it does theirs. This morning I pray for extra patience and love, as I have been a bit on the grumpy side for the past few days. We also review the previous day's behavior and dole out any rewards or punishments earned.

We transition into our Bible lesson. We are working our way through the Old Testament this year and are currently wandering the wilderness with the Israelites.

It's important for my very active little men to get some of their energy out in order to focus. So we usually get up and MOVE next. What we do depends on the weather and the rest of our schedule. And how motivated I am. Today we roll balls around the room while singing "Carol of the Balls" & then have a drumming circle to the song "Haida." This is actually one of their favorites, and it's easy for me. Win-win.

Science is one of our favorite subjects, so they never complain when we move into it. We have just finished up a unit on zoology. Today we introduced anatomy and the human body. My 6 year old got so excited he immediately picked up a crayon and a piece of paper and decided he was going to make his very own pop-up book about the body. With that kid, each day has to involve a craft of one kind or another. It's just in his nature.

Math comes next these days. We have been struggling to find a place for this in our schedule that is consistently good. It's not that we struggle with the concepts, or even that we don't like it. It's that we struggle with the focus necessary to make it through. Sometimes we cruise through an entire lesson in no time flat. Sometimes I feel like I'm wading through tar and trying to drag the three of them along with me.

I usually make the older 2 get all the way through an entire "lesson." If one finishes before the other, we have a collection of books or quiet games or crafts he can do while he waits.

The boys are all close enough in age that we treat our core subjects like a one-room schoolhouse, so it's easier for me to wait for the straggler than to end up all staggered in what I need to teach. It's not always the same straggler, either. If it were, I might have to find another plan. Little brother sometimes gets cut some slack, and he only has to do a portion of a lesson if he is struggling to focus.

It's 11.00 a.m. and we are ready for History. Today I am reading a chapter from our History book about the Roman Empire and reading a fun fictional book set in Rome. My active men cannot always sit still for this reading, so if they feel they need help keeping their hands busy, they are allowed to choose an activity. Today one is knitting,

one is coloring, and one is cuddled up on the comfy chair with a blankie and some animal friends. Occasionally you might find the 6 year old standing on his head.

We also like to munch on some snacks at this time.

11.30 Our Spanish curriculum is on the computer for the time being, so this offers me a nice chance to catch up on photocopies or reheat my coffee.

When Spanish is finished, we grab our Handwriting books.

After they finish their handwriting pages for today, they are allowed to read a picture book, play a quiet game, or draw a picture while I prepare our lunch. Today the little one decided to draw a picture, Thing 1 watched a video to learn some sign language, and Thing 2 read some Judy Moody.

During lunch we listen to an audio book. Without something specific to watch, listen to, and think about, complete anarchy breaks out during meal time. We sit for over an hour while nobody eats, and I spend all my energy in correction and redirection. It's amazing how much a book helps. Right now we are enjoying Little Men by Louisa May Alcott.

1.00 Phonics/LA The twins are busy writing sentences with their spelling and vocabulary words for this week. Little brother is reading his phonics reader to me and answering comprehension questions.

1.30 We like to make Geography fun. We sing songs to help us remember countries in different regions and try to locate them on the map. Then we read about different cultures and people groups and spend some time praying for them.

Piano is our last subject of the day. I don't push them too hard in this, but we do spend a little time learning notes and rhythms and practicing some simple songs.

2.30 We are finished for the day. Time to play, craft, run errands, etc. I believe that a lot of learning at this age is done through play and exploration, and I try to make sure that each day has plenty of time for them to develop in ways that can't happen in a structured setting.

On days that we don't do music, we do art. Well, we are pretty much always creating something around here regardless of the day's lesson plans, but we have a focused art project once or twice a week. 

My men are all quite artistic, but the little one is in a constant state of creating. He's the main reason I have to spend so much time cleaning up the classroom every morning. 

Let's keep it real, people. Creativity is intense. Imagination is messy.

Those are legitimate paper and foam Hot Wheels tracks they created and played with the rest of the day. They are counting the seconds until I let them work with wood and metal.

Gross Motor isn't always Gross

One thing about homeschooling is that you don't have to take a snow day if you don't want to. So, while the rest of the country is having an extended holiday, our school is back in session, undaunted by the weather. In fact, it makes for short but effective recess when you can send the kids out to play in the snow.

As much as they love it, after 30 minutes, they are more than ready to come in and warm up with some cocoa and math facts.

I've spent some time talking about the more precious moments of homeschooling my 3 little men, as well as some of the difficult lessons we have learned along the way. I've even admitted to some ugly days we've had already this school year.

I'm hoping to have a little more fun as I attempt to describe what recess and P.E. have been like for my little group of rowdy boys. I have to say, one of the best parts about teaching them at home is being able to adapt to their needs. If I can tell that a lesson just isn't working, if I sense that one or more of us is getting tired of sitting and politely discussing whatever lesson we are on, I can declare that it is time for recess or P.E. It really is amazing what 30 minutes or so of physical activity will do for my boys' ability to concentrate. Granted, it might take us another 15 to slow down again, but it is well worth the time.

A lot of times, our physical education looks an awful lot like that of kids in school. We learn how to play sports like baseball and soccer. Shorty likes to sit in his official chair and be the "whistleblower" for his brothers, since he sometimes gets frustrated that he can't keep up with them.

 Or we hit the playground for some fun and exercise. A favorite game is for one brother to sit at the edge of the merry-go-round while another brother runs laps trying to catch him. It's rather like a dog chasing his tail.

There are times when I am not their teacher. They all love taking gymnastics at the local YMCA. Shorty is here, surrounded by girly girls, showing off his athletic skills (ahem). At least he is listening in this picture. He often says his job is to make people laugh, so...you can imagine.

 We are also regulars at the Y's swim sessions. I knew from early on that 3 littles this close in age would give me a heart attack in the pool if I didn't make them learn from somebody other than me. Now I fight the crowds of moms in the observation room, not daring to actually go work out or read. I know that as soon as I did, not one, but 3 little men would need help in the restroom. Ugh. But, hey, 2 out of 3 are turning into great little swimmers. Number 3, well, he likes to make people laugh. Especially sweet little girls who are next to him in the water.

 Sometimes we get to take advantage of the fact that a great little children's museum is just a few blocks up the street. It can be a nice change of pace to go spend some time playing there. The pint-size village complete with costumes is a big hit for my little men. We love imaginative play.

Also within a few blocks of our house we have some fabulous bike trails. When the weather is nice, there's not much better than learning how to ride on the straight stretch by the house or taking a little jog or nature hike. 

There are times, though, that our gross motor development takes a turn for the crazy. In my family, stair sliding is an essential skill. I know that some would argue that it is useless or juvenile, but I would have to question the kids' genetics if they weren't enthusiastic about giving it a go. Here the twins are perfecting their head-first belly slide. Thing 2 was bringing up the rear in the race because of the tactical mistake of putting his hands down onto the steps rather than elevating them to maximize his potential. As they get older, and if we locate an appropriately steep staircase, they will need to perfect the art of the backside slide. I will enlist the help of my cousin, who is the reigning stairslide champion of the entire known universe.

 Sometimes a kid just needs to run. And run. And run some more. The weather doesn't always cooperate, but a dining room table makes a perfect track. The kids are no more than a blur here as they speed around, counting their laps as they go. Needless to say, I am running with them...in my mind. That totally counts, doesn't it?

 Sometimes our physical education just involves being SUPER for a while. And why not?

Suddenly I feel like I need to get up off my hiney and move.

Oh, no you didn't...

Oh, yes I did!

I just became that mom.

The one who made a threat and followed through.

The one who took away nearly every single toy.

The week after Christmas. The day after we returned from our holiday travels. The very day that new toys made their unboxed debut.

We try to teach the boys gratitude and contentment. We do our best to drill into their brains that Christmas isn't about getting. They can tell you the Christmas story. They can tell you that we give because God gave; we love because God first loved us. They willingly give away boxes of toys every year to those in need. They agreed to spend Christmas money to buy animals for poverty-stricken families.

It's all in there. In their little heads.

It became apparent, however, that it was not a lesson that was fully in their little hearts.

Let's face it. It isn't a lesson that is in most of our little hearts. We are often bored with what we already have and look for the next thing to satisfy a deeper longing that we have.

As the great sage of our generation Don Draper once said, "What is happiness? It's a moment before you need more happiness."

The boys were very happy with their Christmas loot. They just thought they might be more happy with just a few more of this and one of those.

So I lost it. I started yelling. And throwing. It wasn't pretty. Not the best parenting moment of my 6-year history.

I left the room, caught my breath, and began to analyze what was happening.

I decided that my reaction was wrong. But not entirely so.

Back in the room, I explained to them that we all spend our lives wanting more. Satisfaction, contentment, and true gratitude are not things that come easily to most people. They had too many choices, too much stuff, distracting them from what is real and true in life. Distracting them from even being grateful for what they had been given.

So I took it.

Calmly, this time.

And boxed it up and took it to the basement.

All of it.

Or...nearly so. I left their books. I left the family games. And I left...the trains and tracks. They would have gone, too, except that the chest that holds the is too heavy for me to move.

In a further act of frustration, I decided that they were also too discontent with the food I put in front of them daily. So now we are eating rice and veggies for 2 of 3 meals every day.

We still struggle. We still have moments when we hope for "more" instead of being grateful for what we have. We still complain.

But I think we are learning. Learning that "contentment" isn't a dirty word that means we have given up on our quest for better. It is a beautiful word that means we can rest in the many blessings in our lives.

Advent Week 2

It's been another busy week around our house. On top of all the Christmassy fun you are about to see, we have been fighting off some nasty germs.

Day 8: Egg Nog, Popocorn, & The Muppets Christmas Carol

Shorty was sick that night and wisely chose to sleep it off. The rest of us thoroughly enjoyed Kermit & the Gang

 The Dynamic Duo have been singing this little number all week.



Their little brother might agree with the line "we specialized in causing pain..."

 



Day 9: Make Ornament Gifts

This one was earmarked especially for Daddy

Look out, family members! Some of these beauties might be headed your way!

 Day 10: Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! & Snowy Craft

My picture for this day will not load up. Boo.

We learned a favorite Christmas Carol & sang it over and over again while making blizzard pictures with crayon, paint, and "snow"

Since I can't show you what we did, I'll leave you with this instead.

 



Day 11: Hot Chocolate (with homemade whipped cream) & A Charlie Brown Christmas

I tried to capture a cute image on the TV, but didn't...and was too lazy to actually adjust things to make it show. Forgive me.

Just one of the many reasons we love the Peanuts Gang:

 



Day 12: Make & Send Christmas Cards

The boys picked out a few friends & family members they would like to send personal greetings to, and we got busy with cardstock, markers, and stickers!

There is something special about receiving a card in the mailbox.

Day 13: Read Luke 2:1-20 & Crafts

I thought if I made them keep paper plates underneath their crafts it would contain the glitter. If it worked, I would hate to see what the kitchen would have looked like without those plates.

Glitter...Sigh

 

Our glittery votive candle holders represent how the glory of God shone around the shepherds.

The glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

Our pinecone angels were among the host to appear an announce Jesus' birth to the shepherds

 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Day 14: Build a Snowman & Caroling

It snowed! We were so excited that we needed to include this in our day!

Meet PigPen, our dirty snowman

an awful lot of this happened during the building process

Then we went Christmas Caroling on Mainstreet with our favorite music teacher!
Here's a little business plug for her.



We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

Jingle Bells!