The last five days

Maybe you think because I haven't been writing blog posts that we haven't had much going on the last few days, but, in fact, we've had a lot going on; I just haven't been getting it recorded.

On Wednesday, I went up to Jeff's school for a little cooking class they were having. We made pizzas and learned lots of vocabulary and had a great time.

Making pizza dough

Homemade pizza, ready to eat

On Thursday, we spent some time at our favorite park, soaking up the gorgeous weather and enjoying various activities, from working out to playing in the forest to writing.

These boys love "their" forest!

Knocking out some pull-ups

A pretty amazing place to get some writing done

Jeff's school hosted an asado (BBQ) on Friday, and we had a great time hanging out with the staff and students, eating perfectly cooked meat and drinking a variety of wines and beers while visiting with friends from England, Australia, Argentina, and the U.S. in Spanish and English. Afterwards, we stopped at a tiny but very interesting playground made entirely of metal, which the younger boys loved. And later that evening, the boys voted to stay home and watch a movie while the rest of us went out to dinner at Cara & Ceca and coffee at Zeze.

Goodies on the grill

Enjoying the asado at Jeff's school

Loving the all-metal playground

Cara & Ceca

A fancy dinner for about $10

After-dinner macchiato 

We spent a large part of the day yesterday at our favorite plaza, Plaza Independencia. And then we decided to have an asado of our own, except our guests ended up not being able to come, so we just carried on and had our own little party.

The boys love this ground-level merry-go-round

On Saturdays, the "Art Lady" sets up a long
line of kid-sized easels and chairs for budding artists.
Clay just can't resist!

Asado time

The bougainvillea in our courtyard is so gorgeous! 

Today we joined a tour group and headed out to Potrerillos Lake, making a couple of stops along the way. The drive was really lovely, and the lake is absolutely beautiful. It reminded us a bit of Lake Louise in Banff with the mountains all around and the vibrant blue water.

The Mendoza River

Crossing the Mendoza River on
a shaky suspension bridge

Wild and free!

We stopped at the Potrerillos Hotel for coffee and great views.

Clay was thrilled that he stepped on a rainbow.

Master of the monkey bars

Beautiful view from the hotel of
Lake Potrerillos and the Staphyle Vineyard 

The other view from the hotel (of the Andes) isn't bad either!

And in addition to all this, we have all spent time this week working on things that are important to us and that make us happy. Some of those included: reading, writing, Scouts, Hidden Pictures, cooking, Spanish, making plans for the upcoming school year, sleeping in, and hanging out with each other. It's a good life!

Explore Russia

You know how Russia is always in the news lately for being...difficult? Well, I've been having my own personal struggle with Russia that has absolutely nothing to do with the Russians. My newest Geography Explorer book, Explore Russia, was set to be published in May, before our summer trip. In fact, I even submitted it for publication THREE TIMES, but it kept coming back with technical difficulties, which made it unpublishable. So, I decided to leave it alone over the summer and come back to it later. When we got back from our travels, I set to work trying to unravel the problem. Basically, I had to start over with parts of it. Finally, I got the technical issues worked out and ordered my proof. Unfortunately, it came back with some glaring mistakes, and I had try again. AND AGAIN! But, I am proud to announce that persistence does pay off and the book has finally, FINALLY been published. The truth is, even though it was a pain, it may be my favorite Geography Explorer book to date. If you have a kid in your life who likes to learn about far-away places, or if you would just like to read something positive about an amazing country, check out Explore Russia on Amazon.

Eric the Red

Today was our last day of CC for the year, and part of the festivities included the 4th, 5th, and 6th graders (Essentials students) presenting their big end-of-year research papers, which CC calls Faces of History. The assignment was to choose a real person from Medieval history, find at least three credible sources about that person from which to gather information, write a five-paragraph paper in the third person, and then turn the paper into a presentation, to be delivered in the first person and in costume. Finally, the kids were asked to provide a snack representative of the geographic region their characters were from to share at the reception that followed the presentations. Weston chose Eric the Red and worked for weeks completing the assignment, sometimes even during non-school hours--not because I required that of him, but because he was so excited about the project. He did a phenomenal job with the paper and the presentation, and we are so proud of him! (His paper follows the pictures, for those of you who might want to read it.)

All decked out before the presentation

Presenting before an audience of peers, parents, siblings, and other invited guests

The Man on Fire

Could history ever forget a discoverer with fiery hair and a fiery spirit? Will Eric the Red’s legacy be remembered? Like everyone, Eric, the son of a Viking chief, was deeply influenced by his family. Sadly, as an adult, he was unable to restrain his temper and was therefore forced to flee his country. Making the most of this less than ideal situation, Eric became an explorer.

Everybody is profoundly impacted by their families. Eric was no exception. When he was still a young boy, Eric’s family left Norway and traveled to Iceland because his dad had become an outlaw. In his early adulthood, Eric married Thorhild, who was the daughter of a different chief. Together they had four kids, one of whom became the famous explorer Leif Ericsson. Clearly, parents have an enormous effect on their children.

Like his father, Eric had a terrible temper, which turned him into an outlaw as well. Eric’s slaves stupidly started a landslide, which demolished a neighbor’s home. Retaliating, the neighbor slayed the thralls. When Eric found out, his anger overtook him, and he killed his neighbor. As a result of his horrible temper, he was banished from Iceland.

Taking advantage of what seemed like a tragic situation, Eric sailed west because he had not explored that part of the world before. Finally, after about three months of traveling, Eric landed on a distant land covered in ice. He named it Ericsholm, which means “Eric’s Home.” After a while, Eric had a noticeably nifty notion and changed the name to Greenland in order to draw more settlers. The name worked, and twenty-five other ships embarked upon the six month journey. Sadly, only fourteen arrived in Greenland. Since there was no wood in this new land, the Vikings had to hunt whales and seals so that they could trade the skins for the wood they needed. After a life of exploring, Eric eventually settled down in a town in Greenland he called Eric’s Fjord.

It is clear that Eric’s family had a great influence on him. Tragically, this may have led to him becoming an outlaw. On the bright side, Eric finally had an opportunity to become a proficient explorer. Though he faced many struggles early in his life, Eric the Red managed to overcome them all and is now remembered as the founder of Greenland. Importantly, this legacy of exploration carried over to his son, Leif, who discovered an entirely new continent. The world will not soon forget the adventurer with the fiery hair and equally fiery spirit.

Eleven

Dear Weston,

It seems so odd to say that you are 11, but 11 you are. You have changed so much in the last year--in your physical appearance as well as your overall maturity--and I can truly tell you are starting to leave some of the trappings of childhood behind as you stretch towards manhood. You have grown taller and thinner in the last year, and you've decided to start wearing your hair longer, because you determined a buzz was a haircut for younger kids. On a recent grocery shopping trip, I spied a man out of the corner of my eye coming up the aisle beside me. I tried to ease out of his way, but when he kept coming toward me, I took a closer look and realized it was you all along. It was a shock to register my mistake because I still sometimes think of you as my little boy, as mothers are wont to do I suppose.

You loved our RTW trip and often talk about things you enjoyed or observed while we were traveling. You definitely have the travel bug and are willing to go just about anywhere...when it isn't football season! You even came up with the term "awaysick" to describe your wanderlust. We'll be doing some traveling in the U. S. next summer, and you are really looking forward to it and are already helping us plan some of our stops.

Speaking of football, that is still your overriding passion. You were fortunate to get onto a great team this fall, where you were encouraged to push yourself harder than you have before. But you were rewarded with the opportunity to play both defense and offense in every game, and you helped your team out with everything from sacking quarterbacks to scoring touchdowns. Not only was your team undefeated in the regular season, but it was also never even scored upon until the championship game, where you suffered a heartbreaking one-touchdown loss in overtime. You and your team worked so hard this season, and your progress as an athlete was observable even to my untrained eye. You are so excited that we now live in a place that has a spring football season as well as a fall season, and you are gearing up to play again in a couple of months.

You are kind of obsessed with logic, having entered an early stage of dialectic learning, and you are enjoying doing logic puzzles and studying logical fallacies in school this year. You also love to point these fallacies out in discussions with those around you, and I'm pretty sure you would be willing to argue with a fence post. I'll admit, sometimes this is maddening for your parents and siblings, but it's also super cool to watch you learning how to use some great tools that will help you better process information and learn to make more of your own decisions. As far as other school subjects go, you still love and excel at math. You are even planning to participate in two different PSIA math contests in the spring. Probably the most surprising class you are enjoying is writing, as this has been your nemesis in the past. You are loving the structure of the IEW program we are using in our CC Essentials class and are especially enthralled with the awesome application of alliterations. (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Despite the proclivity to argue about just about anything, you are still a very sweet guy. You are always quick to give hugs, generous with compliments, and careful to show appreciation for gifts and kindnesses. You are thoughtful and sensitive and an all around nice guy. You also love to tell jokes and to make others laugh, which, combined with your sweet, fun-loving nature, makes you loads of fun to be around.

We happened to be at the ranch on your birthday, and you were beyond thrilled that you got to shoot both a turkey and a buck on your special day. Throughout the course of the weekend you also shot a couple of dove, a quail, and a skunk, though this last was not exactly a hunter's delight. You love being outdoors and certainly don't mind getting your hands (or shirt or anything else) dirty to stock the freezer. Clearly, Dad and I chose wisely when we decided to get you a grill for your birthday.

Weston, I am so very proud of you and the young man you are becoming. You are smart, sweet, funny, handsome, hardworking, and curious about the world around you. It is a joy to have you in our lives, and we are so thankful for you! May this next year be filled with millions of happy moments for you, and may you continue to grow into your awesomeness! I love you so much!

Love,
Mom

I Am

My friend Kathy posted an "I Am" poem challenge on her blog a few days ago, and I felt like this would be a good exercise for me, as a writer with a serious case of writer's block and as a person who has a tendency to bottle up her feelings.

I Am

I am a nomad and an adventurer.

I wonder where I will go next. 

I hear the world calling my name. 

I see beauty in every corner of the globe. 

I want the freedom to go and to keep on going. 

I am a nomad and an adventurer. 

I pretend I can leave on a whim. 

I feel enamored with locations I have never seen.

I touch the land, the sky, and the sea.

I worry about unchanging scenery. 

I cry when mundanity stretches before me. 

I am a nomad and an adventurer. 

I understand that travel changes me for the better. 

I say life's too short to be lived in one place. 

I dream of having new experiences.

I try to keep a trip on the calendar.

I hope to see more of this amazing world. 

I am a nomad and an adventurer. 

If you want to try your hand at introspection and self-expression, I am including the template for the poem below. I encourage you to think about putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard and explore the depths of who you are. Make it a family exercise and a topic for discussion around the dinner table. Try it multiple times, changing your roles each time. Play around with it, and have fun. Keep it private if you want, or be bold and share it in the comments here or in your own public space. 

Feel Good Friday: My Happy List

Ten Things I'm Happy About Today

1. Beautiful weather

2. Homemade chicken salad

3. On Guard oil in the diffuser

4. Kids who can entertain themselves

5. A cool science experiment

6. The opportunity to homeschool my kids

7. My wooden utensil collection

8. Date Night

9. Pumpkin Spice Martinis

10. A text from my SIL saying she's coming for a visit

{The truth is, today didn't really feel like the happiest of days. And, I was discouraged because I couldn't come up with a single meaningful thing to post for Feel Good Friday, which kind of felt like a failure and only served to make me feel worse. But then, I realized that the whole point of this weekly segment is to create happiness and positivity. So, I decided that I would take a break from thinking about all the things that could make me unhappy and focus only on the things that could make me HAPPY instead. I'll admit, it took some time to get started on my list. It took even more time to finish the list. It was an exercise in mindfulness, and I was forced to deliberately sift through the data in my brain, passing up the negative thoughts and picking out the positive ones. It wasn't exactly easy, but I'm really glad I did it. I wish I would have taken the time to make the list earlier in the day because I can now see how much I have to be happy about. Negative thoughts tend to build on one another inside my head and can quickly snowball out of control. Making a happy list (in writing!) takes away the momentum of the melancholy and allows my brain to reset. In my opinion, the harder it is to make the list, the more important it is to do it. Do you have a happy list? I would love for you share, if you're willing, because I think we could both benefit from it.} 

Feel Good Friday: Spreading love the old-fashioned way

My youngest child is so full of love, he just can't help but share it. He is a giver, and he always thinks of others. And, lately, with the development of his writing skills, his love has taken written form. Every other day or so, he comes to me with a pencil and a piece of paper and tells me he needs to write a letter to someone he cares about. He often starts with "I love you." He writes from his heart (while I help with spelling and punctuation) and draws a thoughtful picture to go along with his words. He eagerly takes his letters to the mailbox, never expecting anything in return. He is a true spreader of love and joy, and I want to be like him.

Even if we aren't all writers, perhaps we would all do well to think about starting with "I love you."

Happiness on both ends of the mailbox!

Explore China

A couple of months ago, I was hit with the inspiration to write a series of children's geography workbooks. Since that time, I have been working very hard to put together the first book of the Geography Explorer series, "Explore China," and I am excited to announce that it is finally finished and live on Amazon. I think it is perfect for students looking for supplemental material for an existing geography program, young travelers preparing for a trip, and kids interested in expanding their knowledge of the world. In the book, kids are invited to explore China in a variety of ways, including map exercises, recipes, book recommendations, craft projects, and other fun, interactive activities. 

I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to combine my passions for travel and education, and to celebrate the marriage of the two, I'd like to give away a copy of Explore China to one of you. To be eligible to win, all you have to do is leave a comment on this blog post (Facebook comments won't count for the drawing), telling me your favorite Chinese food. (If you don't like Chinese food, or if you've never tried it, don't despair. You will still be eligible if you simply leave a comment.) A winner will be randomly selected on May 17, which means he or she should have a copy in hand by June 1, which is Children's Day in China. So perfect, right?!

Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a free copy of Explore China

To Max, my favorite seven-year-old

Well, Max, you're seven! And, you are such an amazing seven-year-old, it makes me glad you and I both survived your infant and toddler years, so we could live to appreciate this day! I have really seen you change a lot in the last year, and I'm thankful for and proud of all the ways you are learning and growing and maturing!

In our household, seven brings two very special things: getting to watch the Star Wars movies for the first time and learning how to do your own laundry. We spent the weekend watching the movies, which you were thrilled to finally get to see, since you've heard your older siblings reference them so often. Tomorrow, you will get your first laundry lesson and will be well on your way to becoming even more self-sufficient than you already are. (You have already been helping with sorting and putting away, but now you will have the opportunity to go through the whole process.)

Speaking of self-sufficiency, you made your own birthday cake this year (with a little help and supervision from me), and it was wonderful! You love to help cook meals and do so regularly. You also often volunteer to help with other things around the house, and, when asked to something you didn't volunteer for, you will usually do it these days without too much arguing or complaining. And, on your new year's review/resolutions page, you said one of the things you learned in 2014 was to "not fight." Dad and I can tell you are really learning to master your emotions, rather than being mastered by them. This is something that proves you are really growing up.

You are (and always have been) a great collector of things--rocks, shells, pieces of paper, boxes, bags, and a million other things that have true significance to you, but that, admittedly, leave me shaking my head with a lack of understanding. Your greatest treasure has long been your bottle collection. In fact, that was almost a deal-breaker for you with our RTW trip. When we first told you about the trip, you were thrilled, particularly in regard to the possibility of going to international festivals. (We don't know if you really even understood what a festival is, but somehow that word piqued your interest and you grinned from ear to ear on hearing it). But, when we told you that meant selling our house and getting rid of many of our possessions, you broke down in tears, unable to bear the thought of parting with your precious bottles. We finally convinced you that we wouldn't have to get rid of everything we own, and that if the bottles were that important to you, you could certainly keep them. That dried up the waterworks, and then, you were completely on-board. Later, Ruth helped you cull the expansive collection a bit, so that it would be a bit more manageable for eventually boxing up.

As far as the trip goes, you are really excited about it. You are particularly looking forward to seeing Stonehenge and some of the places you've learned about in History. You are always up for an adventure, so I know you will love every minute! You've been interested in putting together your bag and have really taken ownership of it and its contents. And, even though you are all about the thrill of adventure, you also take the parts seriously that need to be taken seriously. You listen carefully to our safety talks and pay close attention when we talk about the logistics of getting from point A to point B. Before we went to Canada last month, we set up a mock airport in the kitchen, so we could show all of you what it was like to go through security. You took the exercise very seriously, and that night prayed, "Lord, please help me to obey all the airport officers and not get in trouble."

You started losing your teeth about a month ago and have already lost three since then--one of which mysteriously disappeared from your mouth in the middle of the night last night. We are hoping you didn't swallow it and are thankful you didn't choke on it. Dad teased you this morning, saying not all seven-year-olds are tough enough to eat teeth for breakfast.

Your little body is just full of energy, which sometimes you truly seem unable to control. I often send you outside to run laps around the house, when I see that it is becoming difficult for you to rein in all that energy. This is not a punishment, as you absolutely love to run and recognize it as a need that you have. This is an exercise that keeps us both sane. Running was, once again, your favorite part of the flag football season, though you did actually enjoy the game in its own right a bit more this year than last year. You would really like to try soccer, which we hope you can experience while we are overseas. You are also very interested in learning how to play golf, which is a bit surprising, since it's kind of the anti-running sport. But, you've been interested in golf for a long time, and I think your desire is genuine.

Academically, you are doing an amazing job, especially since you've adopted your "no fighting" initiative! You are already partway through your 3rd grade Math book, even though, by age, you are only "supposed" to be in 1st grade. You pick up concepts quickly and can truly do anything you put your mind to. Your reading is wonderful, and you are reading a lot just for fun these days, in addition to your scheduled reading during the school day. You have recently been enjoying the Cam Jansen books. You do a great job at writing, and you often carry around a notebook on which to make lists or write little notes to people. Whenever we stay in a hotel, the first thing you do is find the notepad and start jotting down whatever comes to your mind. You are still very much enamored with robots, and you spent some time this summer watching a great many TED talks on that subject. You also thoroughly enjoyed the robot room at the science museum we visited in Tampa and stayed until they were literally closing the doors. Additionally, you have a very good grasp on basic Spanish and were thrilled to discover you understood some words on the radio recently. With your combination of brains and leadership qualities, I believe you will go far in life!

Max, I'm so proud to be your mom. You make the days at our house fun and interesting and special. I love your hugs and your snaggletoothed grins. I admire your passion for life and your many and varied abilities. You are, by far, my favorite seven-year-old! I love you so very much! Happy birthday!

Love,
Mom

Gotta brag

Ok, people. This is a brag post. I'm not even gonna try to candy-coat it: my children are absolutely brilliant and completely amazing. Let's go youngest to oldest, shall we?

Clay is starting to speak in sentences. Clear, understandable, grammatically incorrect, adorable sentences. He can yammer on about almost anything. He has also recently starting pretending, and he has an imaginary friend named Jibba. And, he is learning (by listening to his older siblings practice their CC memory work) several conjugations of Latin noun endings, his favorite being Imperfect Tense.

Max is doing a great job in all his school subjects, and he knows most of the first six weeks worth of CC memory work (which includes skip counting through the 12s, European geography, Latin conjugations, different types of pronouns, 42 timeline cards, Science (Ecology) facts and some Medieval History facts). He is using some of his free time to learn the U.S. presidents and to work on some inventions, because he hopes "to be a famous inventor, like Da Vinci, someday." And, today at CC, he really wanted to carry the soccer ball in from outside, but offered it to a younger child instead, without being prompted.

Weston is on track to finish his 3rd Grade Math book by the end of the semester (even though he's just in 2nd Grade). He is reading really long chapter books, like Hardy Boys, in just a day or two. And, he has the CC memory work down pat. Today, he was also nominated as one of CC's kids of the week, for his "willingness to work with a cheerful heart and his enthusiasm for the material." This was his second time to be nominated this semester!

Ruth is excelling in her CC Challenge class and is ahead in most subjects. We are having to come up with new challenges for her, and, better yet, she is coming up with some for herself. Having finished the Challenge writing assignment early, she came up with her own assignment today, which was a very logically and clearly written critique of a non-fiction book she is reading for Challenge. It was clear she had given it a great deal of thought and that it was a subject she was fairly passionate about. And, for music class today, she finished composing a waltz she has been working on. She did this, not while sitting at her keyboard experimenting with different sounds, but while sitting in the silence of the library. She said she just heard the music in her head and knew which notes would make it sound right. She couldn't wait to get home to play it for Jeff and me. And, I'd be lying if I told you my jaw didn't drop. I'm still completely in awe! She calls it "The Waltz Fantasy," and I may be biased, but I think it's absolutely beautiful!

Jeff and I are so very proud of all our kids! They constantly amaze us, and we feel so blessed to be here everyday to watch them learn and grow and discover! They have so much to teach us and we are trying to pay close attention so we don't miss anything.

Things I love

We just ordered this gorgeous bedroom set, and I cannot wait until it arrives!

In my seemingly endless battle with ants in the house, this has been my most effective weapon.
(Plus, the automatic trigger is really fun to use!)

A useful and stylish little device.

We are always listening to or singing this happy little song.
And, while this was the first Train song we fell in love with,
it certainly wasn't the last.

This dress from Loft might be the perfect LBD.
Super-comfy, great fit and can be dressed up or down.

This is the amazing writing program Ruth is doing in her Challenge class.
But, instead of just teaching writing, it actually teaches deep thinking.
I wish I would have been taught to write (and think) this way when I was Ruth's age!

A more calorie-conscious (and non-alcoholic) version of one of my favorite drinks.

Quite possibly our favorite vacation to date!

One of these opened in Marble Falls this summer,
and I think we have been at least once a week since that time.
(And, we still haven't tried all the different combinations of sandwiches!)
Everything is so tasty, and there are lots of healthy options.

I laugh until I cry. Every. Single. Time.

These lids are incredible and super cute!
(We have the sunflower and two banana leaves.)

My quest for the perfect set of sheets has been long and mostly unproductive.
Until now. These Tencel sheets are soft and cozy, don't pill and stay in place!

Spring Break

We did not take the week off from school and work, since we are planning to vacation during most of May and want to have have things wrapped up before that time. But we did have a break from most of our extracurricular activities, and we managed to work in some out-of-the-ordinary fun. Here's a run-down:

• Two lunch outings
• One dinner outing
• A viewing of the Pan-STARRS comet
• Disney vacation planning
• Delivery of a beautiful bouquet of tulips to me from my Sweetie
• The singing zoologist concert
• Donating no-longer-needed/wanted items from a closet cleaning project
• Pi Day
• Mom's Night Out
• Time with grandparents
• Several games of Checkers
• A story written for and about Max by his new favorite author: me
• Siting on the porch, enjoying the beautiful spring weather
• A much-needed pedicure
• Hanging out at Starbucks with friends
• Girls-only shopping trip
• Some driveway baseball
• A few games of War
• Windows open
• Video viewing 

And, tomorrow morning, we get to watch the implosion of the 281 Bridge in Marble Falls! What a great week! 

Trying to find my voice

With the new slate of the new year, I had grand ideas about what I would accomplish or attempt to accomplish. One of the things that was burning in my heart was a desire to write. I wanted to write more consistently on this blog. I wanted to write in pen and ink on paper. I wanted to write something meaningful. Or funny. Or useful. Or beautiful. I had even hoped that there might be something publishable that I could pull out of the fleeting words floating around in my addled head. I have heard that many people give up on their New Year's resolutions by March. And, though I don't want to give up, I just feel like I haven't quite found my voice. I'm intimidated by the many truly beautiful and wonderful words I read in books and other people's blogs. And, when I do try to write, I just feel like I completely lack focus, and my words come out stilted, like I'm trying too hard. My mind, like my house, is not a shrine to tidiness. The words are in there, but they are hard to find under all the clutter. They are harder yet to express when I do find them. And, sometimes it makes me tired even to try. So, I don't. But, I don't want to give up, which is why I'm writing this post. It is purely an act of will right now to sit and put words together into sentences. But, usually, before something can come easily and be done for pleasure, it has to come by force. I am redoubling my resolve to write, even if it I must make myself do it for now. I hope that in so doing, I will find my voice and it will speak for itself.

What's your secret?

Hey there, readers. I'm doing a little research for a writing project I'm thinking about taking on, and I need your help. What I want to know is this: What do you consider to be the secret(s) to a happy marriage? I don't care if you're young or old, male or female. And I don't care if you've been married 80 years or if you've never been married. I'm willing to bet everyone out there has some thoughts about this. Your answers can be silly or serious, have a story to go with them or just stand alone. Comment here on the blog, or on my Facebook page, but please comment. The more secrets I can collect, the better.