Under pressure (cue the music)

Mm ba ba de
Um bum ba de
Um bu bu bum da de

(Yeah, I had to look the "Mm bas" up. If you don't know what I'm talking about, listen to Under Pressure on iTunes.)

As I'm trying hard to rally the troops (and myself) for a strong winter/spring of homeschooling, I find myself overwhelmed. I'm overwhelmed by the weather (brrr...) and the curriculum and the self-imposed need to get it right, because this is my daughter's education we're talking about. After literal hours of poring over expensive curricula and fancy worksheets that those mom's create, I'm done.

If Eleanor were returning to school after a lengthy Christmas break/snow days, I wouldn't criticize her teacher or the possibly crappy, possibly quality worksheets or lesson planning. I would just let it be. The tweets and Facebook posts from my public teacher friends remind me that this is a difficult time for all teachers. Everyone wants to hibernate for a few months. And, dear Lord, public school will be in session until July at this rate.

Press on we will.

I ordered some more early readers and phonics work books. I put some good books on hold at the library. (Have you ever read the classic Winnie the Pooh tales by A.A. Milne? They make me happy.) I downloaded some free games on TeachersPayTeachers (because I'd rather read my own books in the evening than create cute graphics.) I cut our math lessons to minimize frustration. We'll get through until spring. Everyone is on daffodil watch around here ;)

(P.S. I really do like winter. I like the slowness and the darkness and the coziness. I'm just not super motivated to achieve.)

(P.P.S: Go Panthers! Go Chargers! <--- believe="" blech.="" br="" can="" i="" just="" t="" that.="" typed="">

Bookish ideas

Well, the Kansas City Chiefs just broke my heart after they threw away an amazing first half and sizable lead to the Indianapolis Colts (what the heck happened?!?), so I figure my neglected blog and books will be a nice distraction.

I read some books in 2013. Thirty-three to be exact. You can track me down on GoodReads, if you're interested in exactly what I read. Among my favorites were (Forgive the lack of links. You can search http://www.indiebound.org to find books locally and support local book sellers, or you can find all of these on Amazon):

Non-fiction:
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Zealot by Reza Aslan
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Fiction:
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis (sci-fi)
In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez (historical fiction)
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (mystery/page turner)

Honorable mention:
Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (young adult)

LEAST Favorite:
Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Favorite kid's book:
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty MacDonald

MOST Favorite:
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Alloway Files by E.J. Roller (full disclosure: my good friend authored this book. I'm almost finished, but not quite. I love it on many levels. It's great AND I know the author AND I have a signed copy. Favorite all around!)

I read SOME of the books on my 2013 reading list, but not nearly as many as I would have liked. I am a sucker for classics, and 2013 was lacking in that department. Moving from the 2013 to the 2014 list are: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I'd like to add some Russian lit, Graham Greene, and some Evelyn Waugh in 2014. I also see G.K. Chesterton popping up on some of my favorite Catholic blogs. I'll see what I can fit in!

I really enjoyed non-fiction and I want to make room for it in my future lists. Parenting books and education books are pretty applicable to my life at the moment, and I'm lacking biographies. Biographies seem like a must for a well-read person, right? Oh, and poetry. I'm so intrigued, but  overwhelmed. Where does one start with poetry? Helpful comments appreciated.

Wrapping up the Game of Thrones series is high on priority list, too.

A succinct list of what I want to read in 2014 is proving difficult. I can't hold myself to a list this year. Too many good books and whims pop up. Just this morning I opened an email from my competitive father proclaiming that he will read more that I will read this year. It's possible, but I like a good a challenge! We will see where the libraries take me. :)

Happy Reading in 2014.

2013 in Review

It always takes me a little bit to register a new year. I don't think there is anything magical about a day on a calendar, but once the holiday hub-bub has cleared, it's nice to remember and reflect on good and bad things from the previous year.

• We all enjoyed the milestones from 4 1/2 months to 16 1/2 months with our sweet Eve. Rolling, sitting, crawling, walking, teeth -- it all happens SO fast. I savor the moments of her babyhood (now toddlerhood).
• 10 years! Since high school, that is. I had a blast reminiscing with classmates.
• We went to the beach as a family of 4 (plus my parents). We had so. much. fun. and the girls did great. We'll be headed back in 2014 for more fun in the sun.
• Eleanor played the piano. Lessons began in May, and it's been fun to watch the process of learning music.
• First trip to White Water. It was a hit. 
• We moved! ... across town. It was a whirlwind of boxes and late nights. We love our new house.
• Eleanor started school! She continues to wow us with her accomplishments. Math and geography are by far her favorites. We really like the Classical Conversations program.
• We officially became a homeschooling family. We talked about it for years (5, exactly). A better decision has never been made.
• Sisters! What a special relationship they have. I love watching them play and giggle and even their fussiness is funny (sometimes).
• The year of make believe! Eleanor loved to make believe - dragons, princesses, super heroes, waitresses, fairy tales - you name it, and it goes on around here. I don't see this ending any time soon.
• I made a few new friends and a few moved away. I'm happy to have the new ones, and so sad about the relocation of the old ones. Maybe we will have some fun places to visit in 2014!
• We end the year with a 5 1/2 year old (WHAT?!) and a 16 month old, 2 dogs, 1 cat and a partridge in a pear tree.

In 2013 we were most thankful for family and good health. I pray that 2014 will be a good year.

This moment ...

11.17.2013

We are gearing up for our first holiday season in our new home. Jon and I have been taking a critical look at our "traditions" to make sure they are in line with our family values and the memories we want to create for the girls. We are loving the fall weather. We spend the warmer and sunnier days outside in the back yard, but I secretly (or not?) look forward to the cold, rainy days when we can hunker down and wait for Jon to get home and start a fire. I. Love. Fires.  And these girls ...

Eleanor

• Eleanor has an obsession with this set of Dick and Jane books my mom gave her. Mom had originally bought them for her sister, Theresa, so the books are special to me, too. (Theresa passed away in November 2008.)  Imagine a 5-year-old reading "Run, run, run, Jane. Run Dick. Oh. Oh. Oh." In a very loud, very monotone voice. It melts my heart.
• She recently memorized The Crocodile by Lewis Carrol for a presentation. She randomly (and excitedly) spouts off with "How doth the little crocodile ...", and I love it. I see more poetry in her future. 
• We check out from the library and buy drawing books because she LOVES them. She spends hours trying to recreate a panda bear drawn with circles or a monkey, but in classic Eleanor form, it frustrates her to tears some days. She wants to draw as well as her daddy draws, and just doesn't understand why she can't.
• Audio books! Who knew? We've been subbing audio books for TV some, and she really enjoys it.
• The Dollar Tree is her new favorite place to be.

Eve

• 4 TEETH! Finally.
• Prefers to go without clothes most days. I'm not sure what we will do about that when it gets really cold.
• LOVES to wear her sister's shoes ... on her hands.
• Strikes a pose! Eve will snap into downward facing dog and peak at you between her legs. She giggles if you flip upside down, too.
• Screams to take a shower. I've not had a solo shower in weeks unless it's at nap time.
• Still insists on having a filled water cup within an arms reach at all times. 

I am loving this season of motherhood!

November notables

I'm sure y'all have been waiting with baited breath for an update from me, but we've been busy sucking every last drop of fall goodness out of November. NOVEMBER!

I had to sift back through my SD card and Instagram account to jog my memory of our recent family happenings. I may try to back track over the next few weeks and dedicate posts to certain events. Then again, I may not get back to it.

Some things we've been up to (and may appear as stand alone posts before long):

• A baby shower
• Enjoying fires in our fire place -- one of the upgrades at our new home!
• The theater, darling! The Little Mermaid Jr., the musical with friends
• A fire station tour with school friends
• A trip a local farm all decked out for Halloween/fall
• HALLOWEEN! Pumpkin carving, Halloween parties, and trick-or-treating with two little tigers
• A date with my man
• Very unprofessional photos (taken by us) of the girls
• And a few girls' days out for me

Homeschooling update:

I can't believe it's been over a month since the last update. Things are going well. VERY well. I'm so impressed with the Classical Conversations program and I'm impressed with Eleanor. My tenure as a babysitter to the sweetest little Avery Grace ended mid-October. We miss her, but we've also been able to add some fun things in like little projects and outings. I'm finding my stride as a homeschooling parent.

Notable things:

• Eleanor LOVES math. She always wants to start our days with math, and I'm always surprised by it. 
• Eleanor is decoding words like a pro. She is forever trying to pick out words she knows and guessing on the words she doesn't -- even on my books. I may have to limit what I have out during the day. ;)
• We had to choose a poem to recite for our CC presentation. I enjoyed working with her to pick out and memorize a poem. We may add that into our repertoire somewhere. 

We are looking forward to a memorable Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas season. I especially enjoy looking through all of the photos from the year and reminiscing on all of the great memories! Happy fall, friends!

Homeschool update

OH me, OH my! Have I found myself with a few minutes of free time when I'm not too tired to do more than stare at the TV? I think I have! I even have a cup of tea beside me for this post.

I've been meaning to catch up on the home schooling front with the intention of updating the blog monthly on this topic. We'll see how it goes.

We have more than a month of home schooling under our belts. We decided to join the Classical Conversation (CC) group in our area. It covers history, grammar, Latin, geography, science, fine arts, Bible memory work, and some math.  We use the Math-U-See Primer for main our 'rithmetic curriculum, and we're still using Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (read Lessons, not Days, because I'm not that on top of it). I also supplement with BOB books, and I'm trying to incorporate some sight word work. Eleanor also takes piano lessons, and I consider that part of her musical education (for now).

Our home school days look something like this:

• Monday - We spend the morning at CC, read alouds in the afternoon, piano
• Tuesday - Review CC memory work, 1 math lesson, 1 reading lesson, handwriting practice, piano
• Wednesday - Review CC memory work, prep for CC presentation, reinforce Tuesday math, read aloud
• Thursday - Review CC memory work, practice presentation, 1 math lesson, 1 reading lesson, handwriting practice
• Friday - Friday FUN day. We try to wrap up anything we didn't get done during the week and we try to take some sort of field trip or do a family activity when Jon gets home. 
• Weekend - Piano and Presentation

Tuesday thru Thursday, if everything goes well, school takes us 2-3 hours. Right now we have another obligation that changes our school week quite a bit. In the next month, I'm hoping things will be more consistent.  If something doesn't get finished during the day, Jon or I will work with Eleanor after dinner. On more than one occasion, we've had to completely re-arrange the schedule when something comes up or babies decide to scream all day. It happens. We adjust.

How do I like it? I LOVE it. I feel like I'm doing a good job keeping her on task, and I feel like she's learning a lot. I'm blow away by CC and Eleanor's new-found knowledge. Admittedly, I'm not at a place where I can do a lot of cutsie/Pinteresty things with her, but she doesn't seem to mind. I did check out a slew of books about apples and Johnny Appleseed for September, and we visited an apple orchard with some friends. That's something!

For my Catholic friends reading, Happy Michaelmas (yesterday)! I hope you got in some 'angel'ic celebrations!

There is so much more I want to do with my smart girls, and there is really NEAT curriculum to peruse. Even if you don't home school, there are GREAT resources available to supplement with. Grandparents, if you're reading this, I have the Christmas lists all made out! Just ask :)

Happy Birthday, Eve!

No, I haven't forgotten about my blog. With so many balls in the air, I've had to let a few drop. I never learned to juggle. I did miss a few family milestones in the last 6 weeks with the most notable being Eve's birthday. I'm hoping to catch up and carry on with regular posts, because I think our fall will be worth documenting. Let's get to it.

Eve Theresa turned one on August 20. Her first year flew by. Despite a stretch where she preferred to nap in 15-minute increments, another where she wanted to be held every waking moment, and her current favorite "word" of "AHHHH" to express that she wants something or something isn't going her way, Eve has been a wonderful baby. I'm excited for her to grow up and experience her little life, but I'm so sad that my baby is not going to be a baby for much longer. No. Don't tell me she's a toddler. I do not want to hear it.

Eve is curious and determined, but a little less ... particular than her sister. She has a sweet disposition, love love LOVES to eat and drink water, hates hair bows, and prefers to do most things on her own. She crawled on May 23rd, got her first two teeth on August 11th (almost a whole year of toothless grins!), and took her first steps on August 23rd. At her 1-year check-up she weighed 16 pounds and is in the 25th percentile for height and weight.

We learned with Eleanor that babies grow fast. Too fast. I try hard every day to enjoy the girls where they are and to not wish away their childhoods. Some days I'm better at this than others. Today, I'm thankful for Eve (affectionately known as Evie Bear or just Bear) and the joy she brings our family. I'm a few days late on the blog, but Happy Birthday to my baby.

Eve's birthday fell on a Tuesday. We celebrated with Jon's side of the family the weekend before, and had dinner and cake with my parents on her birthday.When I look back at the pictures of her first few days and months, I always wonder what happened to her beautiful, dark hair. Of course, we love her beautiful, blonde hair, too.

I love this girl!

This Moment...

07.14.2013

We are waiting on the final details on closing for our new home. I have terrible sciatic nerve pain that is holding me up on everything from exercise to housework. I even tried acupuncture to get some relief (it was a great experience). I'm far behind on my current book To Say Nothing of the Dog. I'm IN LOVE with the tv show New Girl. Those last two are directly related. Work is pouring in, and I desperately need to go to the grocery store, but uuuuuuugh. The grocery store? 

We are enjoying summer for all that it's worth. Sunshine and swimming and coffee on the patio is what it's worth.

Eleanor...

• is buzzing with excitement about VBS this week.
• MUST be a part of every conversation.
• is becoming an accomplished eaves dropper. She astounds us when she repeats entire conversations.
• loves loves LOVES make believe and pretend, especially make believe fighting, and of course, the damsel in distress.
• wants an iPhone for her 6th birthday.

Eve...

• crawls and walks around supported by furniture or whatever she can find. She's even stood on her own for a few seconds before plopping down on her fluffy, diapered bum.
• loves to eat. And, don't you dare put something in your mouth around her without also having something tasty to share. Forget those baby rice puffs.
•  is happiest being carried around on someone's hip, but is also content to rummage through low-sitting boxes, bins, and tubs, or to stalk her big sister.
• is serious about what consumption, and is currently the most hydrated member of the household. 
• 6 days until she's 11-months-old, and still no teeth. I'm not complaining.
• Long naps? Elusive.
• has only been waking once at night. Let's keep it up, baby girl!

Happy 4th!

July 4 is easily one of my favorite holidays. Someone I follow on Twitter aptly tweeted: Best holiday of the year, no obligations, no presents, only beer and explosions #america

Amen to that! Jon enjoyed a day off work to power wash the fence instead of kick back with a few cold ones, but we did make our way up to the Celebration of Freedom to run into a few friends (it's always fun to see who we run into, and to enjoy the fireworks display. It was phenomenal this year.

Eve surprised us by not screaming through the fireworks show. She actually liked all the booming and bright lights. Eleanor danced while the band played. No surprise there. 

I'm thankful the Bolivar Rotary Club organizes such a great event, and I'm always proud of my dad for being involved in such things. He's a real stand-up guy! :) And, can we stop a minute and talk about how AMAZING the weather was? Wow. I vividly recall last year being hot, humid, and miserable. Maybe it is burned in my memory because I was 8 months pregnant and rocking super sexy sweat stains. :)

Good bless America and Happy 4th to y'all!

FIVE years old!

My sweet, precocious, energetic, imaginative eldest daughter turned FIVE on June 30. All of those moms and grandmas with older children aren't lying when they say time FLIES.

We've been anxiously and not-so-patiently awaiting the birthday for months (since July 1, 2012). The birthday girl celebrated the day of her birthday with birthday pancakes in the shapes of butterflies and flowers, a family dinner with cookie cake decorated with blue frosting (it was super ugly), and presents presents presents.

The day after we celebrated with friends and more family at Chuck E. Cheese. We are blessed to have a great group of friends who support our kids and celebrate with us. I think all the kids had a blast at ChuckEs.

A look at the interests of a five year old:

Favorite color: pink and purple and blue
Favorite animal: bunny
Favorite food: egg sandwich and bacon pizza
Best friend: Adelyn
Favorite book: This one was hard to pin down. She settled on The Gruffalo
Favorite activity: playing on the iPad and playing games
Favorite fruit: strawberries and grapes and oranges
Favorite movie: The new city of Atlantis and Hotel Transylvania
What do you want to be a grow up? A princess and live in a castle. Not a burned down castle.
What's your favorite thing to play outside: Do my new scooter
What's your favorite thing to sleep with: Grandma's bunny

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Father's Day

Father's Day didn't get mentioned on the actual day (on the blog), but that doesn't mean I forgot about it!

In this family, we are very blessed to have patient, thoughtful, and all-around wonderful father to celebrate on Father's Day. This was Jon's first Father's Day as father of two sweet little girls.

Little did we know that for Jon's unofficial Father's Day gift, we would get to see the house that we are currently under contract to buy. So, when you ask me what he got for Father's Day? A new house, of course. I planned it that way.

In honor of Father's Day, I asked Eleanor some questions about her daddy. She was not pleased that I interrupted her umpteenth viewing of the City of Atlantis on Netflix

Interview

What is your favorite thing about daddy? I like him when he listens to what I say. That's what I like him to do.

What is your favorite thing to with daddy? I like to go outside and play in my blow up swimming pool with him. It's huge. I like egg sandwiches, too. (what?)

What do you think daddy does at work? He works for money and he does me a favor when he comes home at 5. (We both agree on this)

Do you know the name of the place daddy works? Yes. Springfield.

Is you daddy handsome? Yes, he's going to marry me at 6 o'clock in Springfield when I grow 21.

How old do you think daddy is? 26 (He is 31.)

Is it fun sharing daddy with Evie? Yes. I like to hold my baby.

I think about daddy and putting him to sleep with me. I really like when he makes me egg sandwiches and lets me water flowers and do my new scooter without training wheels. I think that's about it.  Next, I'll be 6. (Note: I don't think Jon has ever made her an egg sandwich.)

Just a few photos of Jon the father. (The day/baby that made him a daddy, waiting for baby Eve, and Jon with his girls.)

 

 Happy Father's Day!

Homeschooling: How?

 I've had this blog post in draft form for about three weeks. My proverbial feet-dragging almost certainly stems from the fact that I'm not one hundred percent sure on how I'm going to homeschool. You might be saying, "But, Mari! Kindergarten starts in September!" I knooow.

Did you know there are different homeschooling methodologies? I didn't. In retrospect, of course there are different methodologies. Just as there are many different parenting styles, learning styles, etc., there are different homeschooling styles as well. Charlotte Mason, traditional school at home, Waldorf, UNschooling, classical education, on-line classes, unit studies, and literature-based learning are some of the more popular options, and most of them overlap into public/private/traditional schools as well. It's appealing to choose one method and just go with it, but I like things about each method, so until I've strengthened my home school muscles, we'll go with the eclectic method.

A friend of mine introduced me to a friend of hers who has home schooled SIX children. I'm sure she's a professional homeschooler, if there is such a thing. She clued me into a program called Classical Conversations. I was skeptical. The foundation of CC involves lots and lots of memorization. How boring does that sound? I want to foster Eleanor's love of learning, not squelch it, buuut then I visited a Classical Conversations meeting (they meet once a week for 2-12 week sessions.) While Classical Conversations is a Christian-based program (religion is not the main reason I've chosen to homeschool), I was impressed. I was impressed with the students, the parents, and their program. At the end-of-year presentations we were asked to participate in, I teared-up I was so impressed!

I'm sure CC is not for everyone, but it solves a few problems we were facing. 1) Eleanor WANTS to go to school (I think she really just wants to ride a school bus, but that's another story), and one day a week will give her a chance to know schoolmates and make friends. 2) I do not want to be an island in my home school journey. When I started contemplating home schooling, I knew no one else with young kids who even considered the idea. In fact, most of my friends think I've lost my marbles.  It gives me insta-support and an insta-community. 3) The curriculum is right up Eleanor's alley. She loves to memorize and she loves to sing songs. I think she will thrive in this setting.

CC does not cover reading and math, so we're still left with those subjects. We've been working on reading for some time now, and I will probably pick up some traditional language arts curriculum and some traditional math curriculum. I'm kicking around a program called Math-U-See and a program called SonLight for language arts, but Charlotte Mason and lap/note books really appeal to me, so I might incorporate those. At the end of the day, we're dealing with Kindergarten. This is a journey, I don't have all the answers, and we'll change as necessary. At this point I want school to be fun, just a little challenging, and a good experience for our family.

I might write another post about my educational philosophy and why I'm attracted to UNschooling, but too afraid to try it.

Here a few blogs I really like about homeschooling: Penelope Trunk, Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood, Rockabye Butterfly, and Simple Homeschool. If you know of any good ones, let me know! I'd like to find a good Charlotte Mason blogger.

Happy Birthday, Buddy!

Yesterday we celebrated Jon's birthday. Jon is much more subdued about his birthday celebrations. I trumpet my birthday for months ahead of time, declare 2-days of celebrations, and am probably a bit of a pill when putting in my order for a perfect birthday. He, on the other hand, is content to let it sneak up on everyone, and carry on the day as usual. His birthday did sneak up on me, but we did celebrate with a cook out and ToDieFor brownie sundaes. He even put off mowing our ridiculously long grass for another day.

Happy Birthday, Buddy! You may or may not read this, but I'm declaring to the whole internet (or just the 6 or so people who read this) that your girls love you. I hope you had a good 31st birthday! (No, 31 doesn't sound old to me, but neither does 75 these days!)

In a momentary lapse of judgment, I did not snap any photos of the day. A photo of Jon posing during a recent backpacking trip will have to do.

A Little R&R

I was unsure how vacationing with two children, one husband, and two parents would go. I'm sure they were all concerned about vacationing with an emotional and sleep-deprived Mari as well. Things went exceptionally well. I could not have asked for more relaxation, more fun, more quality time--more anything. It was TERRIFIC, as Eleanor would say.


Instead of gushing too much, I'll share a few shots for the memory books blog. It's worth noting we saw several instances of dangerous marine life during our stay. The stingrays were out and about on their annual mating tour. We saw dozens of them early in the morning and late in the evening. But, on the third day they vanished. I'm not sure where they went, but I wish them well. On the day the stingrays disappeared, we saw not just one, but TWO sharks. Yes, I'm positive they were sharks. The second shark cleared the water, and everyone on the beach made a big spectacle of following him down the coast. They weren't big sharks, but yikes! A few jellyfish also made an appearance, but they seem less noteworthy after the stingrays and sharks.

I'm already planning and anticipating our return to the beach next year!

Look closely. Can you spots the stingrays? 

Eleanor was too excited to hold still for mom to snap a pic.

Our little sand queen. What a trooper!

Our castle by the sea.

Another turning point...

....a fork stuck in the road  
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go 
So make the best of this test and don't ask why  
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
 
It's something unpredictable but in the end is right 
I hope you had the time of your life

Good Riddance by Green Day 

I love Green Day. This song always makes me nostalgic, and nostalgia seemed to be the theme of my weekend as I prepared for and celebrated my 10-year reunion with classmates. The Bolivar High School class of 2003 reunited for a fun evening of visiting and laughter. The atmosphere was casual and the wine flowed. I had a GREAT time, and I hope everyone else did, too.

 

I know I'm fortunate to have fond high school memories. Not everyone does, and for that, I'm sorry. It's easy to look back and see that we weren't as grown up as we thought we were. It's also easy to see that so many of moved on and grown up. I enjoyed visiting with people I didn't know well in high school. I really hope it's not another 10 years before I see these people again.

 

No, we didn't meet in high school, but I couldn't leave him at home!

If I had my scanner handy, I'd share a very similar picture that was taken ten years ago. We have all changed a lot in ten years, but we're still good friends. I love these ladies with all my heart. (Emily, me, Kendra, Lindsey)

 

 I didn't go to high school with Katie, either, BUT she married someone I went to high school and she was at my wedding (which makes it really easy to know how long we've been friends). She helped arranged this great event, and I think she's pretty neat, too.

 

Classmates + significant others

 

A little perspective

I'm a little behind in the blogging department--story of my life. Although I'm nearly two weeks late on mentioning anything at all, I didn't want to let my first Mother's Day as a mom of two go unmentioned.

This year was the first year Eleanor could really participate in Mother's Day. She signed cards for her grandmas and she was adamant that she and Jon make me breakfast in bed.  She told me she loved me a dozen times. It was all very sweet.

I get the perspective of writing this days after the devastating Oklahoma tornadoes. I got to hug my children on Mother's Day, and those Mom's did, too. But some of them won't get to next year, and that breaks my heart. After having kids, I feel like I'm part of the Moms Club. Moms have a connection with other mothers everywhere. We all say we can't imagine the pain those mothers are going through, but we can imagine it, and that's what makes it so real. So vivid. So devastating. Maybe I can't feel the entirety of their pain (because I don't want to pretend I know what they're going through), but I can imagine losing my girls. I try not to imagine it, though.

I know we all hugged our families a little closer this week after such a tragedy.

Today, I am heartbroken for the mothers without their babies, for the babies without their mothers, and for the families who lost loved ones.

To homeschool or not to homeschool

To homeschool or not to homeschool has been a topic of conversation in our home since Eleanor was born in 2008. The inclination to homeschool has been on my heart even before that, but I figured the notion would be fleeting. I planned to work full-time, and neither Jon nor I were homeschooled. But, the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray, as the saying goes. The more I have seriously considered and lived with the idea of homeschooling, the more comfortable I am with our decision and the more I know it is the right decision for us.

Eleanor has always been a little crazy about her books and how they are organized. And OH! that pacifier. There was never a child who loved a pacifier more than Eleanor.

We have met some resistance from friends and family, but I think it's important to follow in the direction that we feel is best for our family. We've also had a lot of support from some, and that has been truly appreciated.

Why are we homeschooling, you might ask? We have several reasons, but those reasons do not include general dissatisfaction with public schools. My degree is in secondary education, and by all accounts, I should be teaching science. Jon and I also had very memorable public educations and harbor no ill-will toward it. Some of my best memories were made in school. I value school teachers. I value school as an institution. I happily support the public school system by paying my property taxes with a giving heart. We are not homeschooling because we are afraid. Given the current climate of school shootings and school violence, I think student safety is in the back of everyone's mind, but I refuse to make a choice to homeschool based on fear.

Instead, we are homeschooling because I want to personalize Eleanor's (and her siblings') education. I want to learn with her and help her develop her strengths and her interests. I also want to spend my days with my kids. I enjoy my kids as people (so far), and don't want the best of their days spent away from me. I am also drawn to the flexibility. I get to plan and dictate our days. We can take Fridays off, learn through the summer, visit a park or museum--whatever works best for us. And, I guess that's the bottom line. It's about what works best for us. I like that. If, at any point, it stops working for us, we will re-evaluate. It's that easy.

Her fuzzy head makes me a bit weepy. I loved her hair, and her intensity for anything new and exciting. She was a challenging toddler.

The biggest argument against homeschooling I hear is "what about socialization?" What about it? Those who ask that question really must not think much of our parenting, or know much about our schedule.  Teaching Eleanor social graces and making sure she has proper outlets to develop relationships with peers is always at the forefront of our parenting decisions. The beauty of homeschooling is I have a little more control over with whom and WHERE she socializes at this young and tender age. Even before school has started, Eleanor is involved. It's just her personality. She plays with kids her own age, she is involved in age-appropriate activities, and she is social. If you're comparing her or us to some idea of a stereotyped homeschooled child, I ask you to re-examine your stereotype and become more informed about homeschooling. If you still can't see that it really will be OK, that's fine. We can agree to disagree.

If you think homeschooling will make my kids weird, I ask you to consider that they might have been weird before we decided to homeschool :) I mean, most of my readers have met me. I'm a little weird. Jon is a little weird. It is only fitting that our children would be a bit weird regardless of where they go to school.

So, this is the why. More on the how I plan to implement homeschooling for our family to follow. 

My sweet, sweet girl.

Fill-you-in #14

On this last and beautiful day of April, I've carved out a piece of time type up a blog post. Blogging has been a rarity lately because I was working furiously to finish up a marketing project, and then last week, when things should have slowed down, pneumonia hit Eleanor hard. In between caring for my sweet, sick girl, and trying to keep my other sweet girl healthy, it just didn't happen.

This week is another busy one, but it's full of fun. We have three soccer games this week to make up for last week's never-ending rain storm, three "lessons" for Eleanor, two book clubs, a hair cut and dinner with a friend, and a partridge in a pear tree a full hummingbird feeder. Yesterday, we had a few "firsts". I went to the SHEM (homeschool) convention in Springfield last weekend, we visited a homeschooling group for the first time, and Eleanor had her first piano lesson. Both went well, and I might write more on homeschooling later.

I've read lots of good books lately, and have a reviews coming for Beautiful Ruins and The Bell Jar. I've been notified by the library that The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars are waiting for me. When it rains, it pours! And, I'm starting to notice that the library's wait list NEVER takes as long as anticipated.

We wrapped up Game of Thrones Season 2, and oohhh was it good. I'm all geared up to read book #4 as soon as I can work it in. Rarely does a tv series or movie meet my expectations after I've read the book, but GoT does an excellent job. I don't even tell Jon he needs to read the book instead of watch the show :) I've been wanting to pick back up with Mad Men, too. I'm only on season 2.

Here's to a good week, friends! We're off to enjoy the weather before it gets COLD!

Fill-You-In #13

I might as well start calling these posts "Insta-XX". I stopped hauling around the real camera, and have been snapping my entire life with Instagram. It's just so convenient and filters make everything prettier.

Wehad a great week. We weathered the cold and rain at the beginning of the week with tumbling and soccer practice. The end of the week gave way to visits with grandmas (on both sides), a coffee date with a good friend for me, an early morning soccer game followed by a monster-breakfast at Smith's Restaurant, and a joint birthday party for two brothers (Calvin and Nolan). I slowed things down today to nap, play outside, work a little marketing magic, read, run, and get ice cream cones at "old McDonald's". The quiet spring rain seems like fitting way to end the day. A BIG thumbs down to the impending rain and (relative) cold. The week in pictures (from Instagram):

You might have noticed that Eleanor has been flashing us some very awkward smiles and poses. Getting her to look right at the camera is a tall order. I have no patience for it, and the awkwardness is reminiscent of her phase.

Books: I finished Where'd You Go, Bernadette and Watership Down this week.. Both books were great! Watership is easily one of my favorite books. It was sooo good. If you haven't read it, go read it. It's an adventure that just happens to be an adventure of bunnies, but it's so much more than a book about bunnies. I may never look at rabbits the same, though. Reviews coming soon. I just started Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walters.

No TV, no crafts. Just work.

Memorable moments: Eve stuffing her feet in her mouth melts my heart. She's still trying sooo hard to crawl.

Watching Eleanor struggle to climb a tree with her twiggy arms (pun intended) in a dress cracked me and the neighbors up. On a less heart warming note, I nearly blinded Eleanor today. She was peacefully watching TV and the mood struck to rough her up a bit (I think I get this mood from my father). I intended to throw a small toy at her to get her to howl. Throw I did. The toy landed right under her left eye. It left a little scratch and caused instantaneous bawling. Mom of the year award right here! If you see Eleanor this week, ask her what happened to her eye. I'm sure she'll make me look great ;) I am very thankful that her wound is just a scratch and not a lost eye. I nearly bawled along with her. New commandment: Mom shalt not throw toys. I've always had terrible aim. Thank God children are forgiving.

Peace be with you!
Mari