Renaissance Festival

Sparkling Floors

My kids could play upstairs all day long, and they often do. Upstairs is kid territory. There are books and games and toys galore. There is paper and a white board and all kinds of art supplies. There is a keyboard. There are even potties to splash in. But, for some reason, if I need to mop the floor and I send them up there, they hang around the landing yelling every 10 seconds or so, "Can we come down now?!" I kept them at bay as long as I could today, but inevitably, they made their way down to the freshly mopped floor. Not ten minutes after they arrived, Max knocked the trash can over and spilled all of its icky, sticky contents on the previously shiny floor. Fine. I clean up. We move on. And moving on for me was to go upstairs and put the boys laundry away. In the midst of this, I heard a strange banging sound, but no crying or whining followed, so I let it go. Then I heard another unfamiliar sound, which brought me to the landing. From my perch, I could see that the entire freshly mopped entry way was covered with water. I rushed downstairs for a closer look, asking as I came how the water got on the floor. Ruth suggested it might have come from the potty, but nothing looked amiss in the bathroom, and for the life of me I couldn't find a vessel that could have contained the spilled water, though I suspected she was probably right and was secretly thankful that I had just cleaned the toilet. Then, I noticed that the entire floor was sparkling--not in the same way it had been after I mopped, but with glitter. And then I surmised that Max had busted open a plastic snow globe he found in his sister's room earlier. And just as my blood was beginning to boil, Max came around the corner with a wet, glittery broom and wet, glittery pants to match. He was apparently coming back take another stab at cleaning up his mess. He had already delivered the broken snow globe to the foot of the trash can, dragging the broom behind him, and was now making his best effort to take care of the rest. My heart melted at the sight. He knew he had done wrong, but he was trying to do right. It was so sweet, I just couldn't be mad. And, technically, my floors are still sparkling.

What Little Boys Are Made Of

*Those are worms my boys are having so much fun with.

Birthday Season

Dear Faithful Blog Readers,

I am sorry I've been out of touch lately. It's not my stage fright that's keeping me away. It's just that we have officially entered one of our major birthday seasons, and I am using every spare minute (aka: when the kids are asleep or otherwise occupied) to get ready for one party in particular. (Jeff's birthday is a week from Sunday, but he is pretty much taking care of his own party, so I only need concern myself with Weston's). Weston has settled on a firetruck theme, and I'm having so much fun pulling it all together. This will be his first birthday party with friends, so we are doing it up right. I have been printing invitations (thank you DLKT), cutting and folding said invitations, adding all the relevant party information, reprinting invitations (due to a necessary change in party location), repeating steps two and three, buying party favors and supplies, reserving our neighborhood community room, communicating with a friend about setting up a special surprise, building a special surprise of my own, having a third surprise spiffied up a bit, talking to Weston about the menu and other party requirements, and trying to remember all the kids in Weston's preschool class. There is a lot to do, but it is oh-so-much fun!! I can't wait to fill you in on all the surprises, but I'm afraid that, for now, you will just have to wait. Can't take a chance on the cat getting out of the bag, you know. So that's what I've been up to. Thanks for checking in.

Yours devotedly,

Mandi

2nd Month of 2nd Grade

Grammar: Practiced capitalization rules, quotations, possessives, contractions and correct punctuation in sentences, thus finishing Unit 1 in the 3rd-grade Grammar book.

Spelling: Finished the 3rd Spelling workbook and began the 4th. Also, practice spelling tests for PSIA's (private school's answer to UIL) Spelling contest, which Ruth will be competing in in the Spring.

History: Studied about the rise and spread of Islam and the work of Muhammad. Read 1001 Arabian Nights, and made spoon puppets of the story of "Sinbad and the Valley of Snakes," as well as a swirling "snake" to hang from the ceiling. Learned about the great dynasties of China. Practiced some Chinese writing and made laquered bowls. Read a story in which a tangram had to be solved and attempted to solve it herself. Studied about medieval Japan and Korea, and made a traditional Japanese meal. Learned about the type of poetry called "haiku" and wrote one of her own. Attempted an origami cat.

Science: Learned about rocks, earthquakes, volcanoes, oceans, rivers and floods. Made her own volcano.

Writing: Two personal letters, a paper describing a picture of Mary Poppins, a how-to paper on making a sandwich, and several practice papers for the Creative Writing contest for PSIA.

Math: Memorized first 15 prime numbers and squares up to 40, while continuing to work on facts and mental math tricks.

Music: Learned G7 chord, dotted half notes, F Major chord, how to use the damper pedal, what a broken chord is and how to play it, what an eighth note is, the fermata symbol, dotted quarter notes and several new songs, such as: "When the Saints Go Marching In, two versions of "Skip To My Lou," and the first line of both "Silent Night" and "Here Comes The Bride."

Portuguese: Finished Level 2 on the software and began Level 3. Also, some written vocabulary practice.

Super Friday: Continues to be a source of enjoyment.

Animal Farm

In her free time, and for her own enjoyment, Ruth (who is 7, let me just remind you) is reading Animal Farm by George Orwell. She is about half-way through now. Yesterday afternoon, she paid a visit to her dad's office (in our bedroom), and they began to discuss the book. Jeff asked her what she thought of the pigs. To which she replied, ""Well, the pigs told everyone that they couldn't sleep between sheets, but then they went in the farmhouse and slept between blankets." Jeff asked her if she thought this was following the rules or not. She answered, "Not really, because they didn't want anyone to sleep in a bed, and they were just making an excuse for why they could sleep in a bed." Then, totally on her own and completely unprompted, she offered up this little jewel: "They remind me of the dictators we studied in history, because they just wanted to make rules for everyone but not follow them themselves."

Now, some of you, like myself, may have read this book in Jr. High or High School and spent weeks discussing it in class and analyzing it for all it was worth and writing brilliant papers all about it and what it meant. And in the end, the point was exactly what Ruth took away from it, without all the hullabaloo. It just made sense to her and she was able to connect it with the other things in her head to make it make sense. I'm biased, but I might just call her a genius. And certainly her retired English teacher grandmother will be thrilled to know that she got that gene.

**You'll find on this blog we are not ashamed to brag on our kids, and this instance is no exception. We are extremely proud of all of our kids and want the whole world to know it.**

Smashing Good Time

I was awakened this morning to the sound of breaking glass. Knowing this could not be good, I groggily made my way to the kitchen, from which the sound emanated. There I found my two oldest children, one with a gleam in his eye and one with a look of complete disbelief in hers. Before I could even ask what happened, Ruth began to explain in appalled tones: "Mom, Weston grabbed that bottle off the counter, and I told him to be careful with it because it was breakable, and then, then, he just threw it down on the floor!" I then turned to my son and asked him if that was what happened. He replied in the affirmative. And when I asked why he would do that, he answered, "It was in my hand, so I had to break it."

I have read and have heard other mothers say that, around the age of four, some little boys have a surge in testosterone, which makes them more aggressive and a bit moody. I was never really sure if I believed this. But I believe it now. In the past few weeks I have seen this aggression and moodiness creep into my sweet little Weston's life like dust creeps into a home--not all at once and not covering every surface, but there nonetheless, and showing up in places you might not expect. One minute he can be hugging me and telling me how much he loves me or politely thanking me for doing something for him, and the next he can be pushing his brother down or yelling about whatever is making him angry at the moment or smashing glass bottles on the floor or just completely melting down over the smallest little thing. It's' weird. Especially for my passive, ultra-agreeable little Weston.

Don't get me wrong, Weston is still one of the sweetest little kids I've ever known, and this Mr. Hyde version of him is certainly not around all the time. And he only gets glowing reports from preschool, so I assume he isn't transforming in this way when he is there. That he has these swings at all is just so bizarre to me.

So what I want to know is: Have you experienced moms out there seen this happen with your boys? How did you (are you) weather(ing) the storm? Is it time to enroll the kid in karate to channel the aggression? Or should I just lock him in his room for the foreseeable future?

Mercer Arboretum

Facing myself in the face of death

Today, as I bought birthday party supplies for my four-year-old-to-be, another mom buried her four-year-old son, after he succombed to a brain tumor earlier this week. I don't know this woman personally--though I am friends with her cousin--but my heart breaks for her nonetheless. This isn't fair. And it isn't understandable. And there simply are no words. I can only pray that this family will draw the strength they need at this difficult time from the Lord and that He will sustain them in these dark days. For me, the effect of this child's death is to to examine my relationship with my own kids. How many times, just today, did I take them for granted? Or become unnecessarily exasperated with them? Were my harsh words more than my loving words? Did I hug them enough? Did I truly enjoy them? I will admit to you that in the past few weeks I have viewed my role as "Mom" as a burden of sorts, and I have failed to appreciate the blessing that it is to be in this position. A messy house, a screaming child, an interrupted thought, a life lacking in glitz and glamor: these are not burdens. These are the blessings of the everyday. I know Sondra would embrace any and all of these with joy today. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. Not for me, not for my kids, not for anyone. This moment is all I can claim. Please, Lord, help me to make the most of it.

My Lil Punkins

WWW.partyplanner

We have been talking a lot about birthdays around here lately. Weston attended his first-ever friend party a couple of weeks ago and has been excited about planning his party ever since. When you are turning four, one of the most important things is to pick a theme for your party. Weston changes his mind about every ten minutes, but there does seem to be a general direction towards transportation of some sort. During lunch today, he wanted to talk about his party and by the time we finished eating he had settled on boats. The following ensued.

Mom: What kind of boats do you like?

Weston: [blank look]

Mom: Sailboats? Speed boats? Fishing boats?

Weston: Definitely sailboats. I want a sailboat cake with RED icing.

Mom: O.k. Let's look at some pictures online, and you can tell me what you like.

Mom and Weston proceed to look at hundreds of pictures of boat cakes, none of them red enough, but many of them interesting--especially the 3D ones. After maybe ten minutes of this, Weston had something important to say.

Weston: Um. Actually, I think I would like to have a car cake.

Mom: A car? Really? Well, o.k. What kind of car?

Weston: [blank look]

Mom: A race car? Like on your backpack?

Weston: Um, actually, like on my lunch box. (This is the SAME car that's on his backpack).

Mom: O.k. Let's see what we can find.

Weston (after about five minutes): What I would really like is a truck...which is like a car.

Mom: What kind of truck? A firetruck...?

Weston (with eyes and mouth wide open): Ooh! A firetruck!! I definitely want a firetruck!

Mom: O.k. we'll look at a few pictures, but then we are going to stop and I will ask you again in a few days.

Later that same day.

Mom: Who do you want to invite to your party?

Weston: Oh, the people from across the street, the people from preschool, you guys and the young man who lives in the white house.

Mom: The "young man who lives in the white house?!" I don't think I know who that is. Can you tell me his name?

Weston (completely exasperated): You know. The young man who lives in the white house...with the roof. (Shapes his hands like a roof). I pointed him out to you the other day.

Mom (feeling very clever for having figured out the mystery by remembering that he pointed out his imaginary friend's house on the way to preschool the other day): Oh, you mean Jackry?

Weston (utterly indignant): No, Mom! The young man who lives in the white house. I'll show you.

Weston drags Mom out the front door and points to the white house just down the street, where a "young man" has never once been seen by Mom.

Mom: Do you know his name?

Weston: No. But I know I want him to come to my party.

Mom: Sorry, Son, but I think we are just going to stick to inviting people whose names we know.

We've still got a good month and a half until party time, and there is literally no telling how this birthday party will evolve. But, clearly, we will have a lot of laughs in the planning.

Stage Fright

Maybe you've noticed the infrequency of posts on this blog here of late. It could be that the mundanity of my life isn't worth writing about. And, frankly, that's a pretty good guess. Contrary to popular belief, it isn't all glitz and glamor around here all the time. But another thought worth exploring is that I have a type of stage fright. I write this blog mostly for my own benefit, and so the grandparents can see pictures of the kiddos. And I don't get many comments here, so I forget there is an audience out there. But recently, I've had several non-family members tell me that they read and enjoy this blog. And, I feel like I've kind of frozen up. I now feel like I need to be entertaining, and some days (a lot of days) I don't quite feel up to that challenge. I'm not sad that these people have given me compliments on the blog, and I don't want them to wish they had never said anything. I have been truly flattered. I just need to adjust to the spotlight, I guess. And I need to set your expectations that I'm not always entertaining. Sometimes, I'm downright boring. But, I like to write, and I like to get my (sometimes mundane) days down so that I won't forget what it was like to be us at this moment in time. Thank you so much for reading, and I do hope you'll visit often. I'll entertain you when I can.

Our best friend's birthday party

Those of you who know us, know we LOVE Chuy's. And while having one nearby wasn't exactly a prerequisite for us moving here, it certainly didn't hurt anything. The Chuy's nearest us has been here exactly a year. And we certainly aren't ones to let a birthday slip by, especially when it's someone we care about so much. We found out about the party quite by accident, but we wouldn't have missed it. There was face-painting and birthday cake, and Chuy himself was even around for some dancing and picture taking. We had a blast, and of course, we had some fabulous Mexican food.

Everyone loves the new camera...

...Well, almost everyone.

Pile of Pigs

Seriously. You should see these kids eat. We went out on Tuesday night. All three kids scarfed down their kids' meals and began begging us to order them something else. They couldn't get enough. Yesterday, Max and I had some things to pick up at Sam's--a store that always has an abundance of free samples. Max snacked the whole time we were shopping. Then, as I was checking out, he snitched a pear from the shopping cart and devoured it quickly. I then went over to the little on-site cafe to buy us both some lunch. While I was getting our drinks, he snagged another pear and made it disappear. Then, he ate the hot dog I got for him and some of my pizza. Tonight, we had breakfast for dinner. The kids had pancakes, eggs and sausage. When they had all finished healthy portions and I had already eaten until I was stuffed, Ruth and Weston asked me to make more eggs. Ruth had a large second helping and Weston put a small helping onto a biscuit and added some cheese. I simply could not believe it! I guess it takes a lot of energy to grow up so quickly! But they do make an adorable little pile of pigs, don't you think?!

When I left the library...

The sky was dark, the wind was blowing and thunder was rumbling all around. I knew the rain was on the way. But, I had errands to run, so I decided to brave the storm. Not surprisingly, my first stop was Sonic. As I placed my order, the inevitable rain came, forcing me to speak up so the order-taker could hear me. Then, just as the credit card machine was telling me that my card had been approved, the power went out. I realized that I could no longer see the other side of the Sonic and that I was in for a bit of a wait. So, I rolled up my window--just as the back end of my van began to be pelted with dime/nickel-size hail. I waited and waited, wondering what to do. Finally after 20-30 minutes, I stepped out of my van to ask the manager if I could just have my money back. It tuned out that my Java Chiller was already ready but hadn't been delivered, because all work had completely ceased. Unfortunately, in all the chaos, the lid had not been put on tightly and I got a lap full of chocolaty whipped cream. By then, the rain seemed to be less intense and the hail had gone completely, so I decided to make a move. It was only when I pulled around the Sonic to exit that I noticed how bad things really were. There was a large branch laying in the way and what seemed like a whole tree sticking through the tin awning. This had all been going on just a few feet from where I was parked while the rain blocked my view. So very thankful I didn't park on that side! As I said, the rain seemed to be letting up, so I decided to run my other errands. Immediately I found that there weren't any working traffic lights. Soon after, I discovered that there were trees down all over the place, including across one lane of the road I was driving on. Firetrucks and police cars raced around in every direction, lights flashing and sirens blaring. I made my way oh-so-slowly up the debris-laden street, only to find when I arrived at my next destination that they are closed on Mondays. Unwilling to retrace my steps through the mess I'd just left behind, I chose a different route home. Just a few miles down the road, the sun was shining and just the merest sprinkles were falling from the sky. So, I made another quick stop. Back in the van, I found traffic for my back way home backed up for miles and a little fender bender being cleared off the road. And then the medical helicopter made a pass overhead. I finally made my way onto the back road and proceeded to drive five miles an hour for the next 5 miles or so. I continued to observe downed trees and to hear sirens in the distance. Finally, it became apparent what was causing everyone to drive so slowly. There were power lines stretched out all over a portion of the road, with no clear way around. I will tell you I held up traffic further while I debated whether to drive over them like everyone else. Finally, I just closed my eyes and went for it. There were more trees down and branches sitting on power lines, bowing them almost to the ground. When I finally arrived home, I was just so thankful to be alive. And Jeff was shocked to hear my tale of destruction. He said the electricity had only barely blinked off at our house (which isn't all that unusual) and that it had just rained for a short time. Later, we found out that lightening had stuck a house, setting it on fire, not far from the Sonic where I was camped out. Crazy, crazy times. And not exactly my idea of a peaceful afternoon out without the kids!

A month into second grade

I can't believe we have already been back in school a month! Time flies when you're having fun, I guess. I'd love to share with you what we've been doing.

In Grammar:

Ruth has practiced ABC order and dictionary skills. She has reviewed the different types of sentences and has learned how to diagram each type. And, she has learned to identify the simple subject and the simple predicate in a sentence.

In Spelling:

Ruth has continued working through her 3rd Spelling book. (She did the first, second and part of the third last year).

In Portuguese:

Ruth is continuing to work through the Level 2 lessons of the Portuguese software we have. (She finished Level 1 last year). She is gaining confidence in using the language and is perfecting her usage of it.

In History:

We have talked about the fall of Rome, the spread of Christianity to Britain, the Celts, the monks--both Christian and Buddhist, and Justinian and Theodora--rulers of the Byzantine Empire. We have read a novel about a Roman slave who proved her worth and purchased freedom for her family. We have read Celtic fairy tales. We have learned about how books used to be made by hand. We have tried our own hands at calligraphy and illumination. We have made a monk's dinner. Ruth has written her own laws. And, she has painted her own frescoes.

In Science:

Ruth and Jeff have studied about the layers of the earth, the solar system, the seasons, weather, and the water cycle. Ruth made a mobile of the solar system, an anemometer, a water guage and rain.

In Writing:

Ruth has been perfecting her cursive, while incorporating concepts from History and Reading and Grammar.

In Music:

Ruth has learned the notes, the scales, the melodic intervals, the harmonic intervals, what a sharp is and the C Major chord. She learned to play with both hands. And, she can play several songs: Aura Lee, Ode to Joy, Jingle Bells, Brother John and a few others.

In Math:

Ruth continues to work on her facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division). She is working on memorizing the prime numbers. She has learned the squares up to 25. And Jeff is teaching her some mental math tricks, such as are used in Number Sense competitions. She has also been reviewing time, money, temperature, measuring and some other basic concepts.

In Super Friday:

Ruth is really enjoying her Super Friday classes. She loves interacting with the other kids and teachers, and she is having fun with the material as well.

In my kitchen today...

• Juice was spilled. (In keeping with the daily ritual).
• Lunches were packed.
• Spelling assignments were finished.
• Ants were killed.
• Chai was sipped.
• Dishes were washed. (Because the pile couldn't possibly have gotten any bigger without becoming dangerous).
• Yellow mayo was removed from the fridge and tossed.
• Rain was made by Jeff and Ruth for science class.
• Hugs were given.
• Appointments were made.
• BLTs were enjoyed.
• Preparations were begun for tomorrow night's dinner party.
• Kisses were received.
• Milk was spilled. (And I do believe there was crying over that).
• Plaster was mixed.
• Frescoes were painted.
• Chocolate chip cookies were made for a group of Aggie students.
• (And yes, dough was sampled).
• A young boy, running like a speeding bullet, slipped on a rug and went sailing through the air. (Which led to a period of intense weeping and wailing).
• Ice was applied to a busted lip. (And not for the boy you are thinking of).
• Fast food burgers were eaten for dinner. (Because even warming up leftovers just seemed like too much effort).
• A smallish person fell completely off the chair during dinner. (Sending up a fantastic spray of French fries and ketchup).
• Presidents were discussed. (Prompting Ruth to ask about the job requirements, which then prompted her to very thoughtfully say that she might want to consider that as a job).

Miscellany

*Please See Below

We had a wonderful time in Dallas. Please check out the slide shows in the following three posts if you are interested in seeing pictures.