How Do I Get My Kid Excited for Homeschooling?

Our plan is to homeschool our kids.  Sly is only three and a half, so I haven't started anything formal with him yet.  But he's at the age where he's starting to become aware of this mysterious thing called "school":

- We see school buses on the roads, and he always asks about where the kids are going, and why.
- Certain books and shows that he's read/seen depict kids in school.
- People at the supermarket often ask him questions about whether he's excited to go to school when he gets bigger.
- Some of his second cousins who are a little older than him stop home for a lunch break from school while we're visiting.

So to Sly, school is this great thing that "big kids" get to do, and he assumes that like the other kids he sees, he'll be going there soon as well.  He's even said a few times, "when I get big, I'm gonna go to school!".  I've tried to gently suggest that there might be alternatives.  I've said things like, "well, Sly...I think we're going to learn things at home instead.  It'll be fun - we can do things that you wouldn't be able to do at school."  But he just gets upset, and insists that he will go to school.

I still have some time, so what can I do to help him get on board with our decision? 

Maybe I should ask my cousin who homeschools (her nine kids, with another on the way!!) if we can come hang out with them more :-)

***

On a related note, if you haven't seen it yet, check out Homeschool Barbie (no, it's not real!).  This hilariously hits on many of the stereotypes of homeschoolers.

Buying a House

So....we're in the process of buying a house...!

Some people (Tom, my parents, etc.) have been saying "we bought a house", and I keep correcting them.  We haven't officially bought it yet.  I can't let myself get too confident!  But the process is underway.  As long as the mortgage application goes through and the inspection doesn't turn up anything crazy, we will be homeowners in early March! 

...with a baby due March 25th.  Ha! 

Since there will be some overlap between closing on the new house and the end of our rental agreement at our current place, we will have the choice to move either right before the baby is born, or shortly after. 

At this point, I'm thinking after the baby is born would be best.  Trying to pack and move while I'm 8+ months pregnant sounds very unappealing.  I already feel so huge and cumbersome as it is.  And I don't think I'd have the energy to do much unpacking in the new place during those last weeks of pregnancy, which would just make my "nesting" instincts go crazy, and get me very stressed out.  I'd rather not bring a new baby home to a huge mess!  But I figure if we wait until mid-April to move, it would give us some time to fix up a few things at the new place before we get any furniture in there.  When the baby is born, I can bring him home to our sparse (since hopefully some of our stuff would be packed already) yet still liveable rental house, have a week or two to settle into life with a newborn, and then move.

Has anyone moved right before or after having a baby?  Which would you recommend?

Monday Musings (in my own style)

This post loosely follows the pattern of Patch O'Dirt Farm's Monday Musings, but I made up my own categories since I just had random unconnected things to blather about.  Sorry to be a rebel today!

In the past week...
We had some friends over for dinner - a newly-married couple who are expecting their first baby.  They seemed to get a big kick out of our children, and I was happy to provide them with a little preview of what they might be able to expect their home to look like in a few years.  At one point during normal dinner conversation, Sly butted in excitedly to say, "One time! When we were at the lake! There was a dead fish!  And then a seagull came and ate him all up!  And then a turkey vulture came and ate what was left!!"  Our guests were very tickled.

Last night, I was walking down our front steps while bearing my much-increased pregnancy weight and carrying Stella in my arms and the (wooden) stair broke under me and I crashed down on my bum.  Thankfully, Stella was fine.  But I twisted my ankle, and it's not been pleasant trying to get around today.  The stair below cracked as well, so we can't use that entrance anymore.  I left a sign on the stair for the mailman, and I'm hoping he will somehow avoid getting hurt by the stairs but still manage to get our mail up into the mailbox! The landlord has been notified, and I hope it's fixed soon.


Today...
We had an unseasonably warm day for January - jacket weather!  So I decided to stop being a lazy mom and actually take my kids to a playground.  Sly couldn't stop telling me what a great time he had.  It made me feel like a real champ.

 

 Until Stella started freaking out on the swing, and we had to go home... :-)

Tom is taking our car in to get detailed tonight, in preparation for selling it.  Our growing family won't be able to fit into it in a few months, so we're looking to upsize.  I bought the car - the only one I've ever owned - when I started my first real job, teaching high school.  It's been with me for a long time, and it's going to be a little sad letting it go.  It also makes me sad to think that we're finally making it shiny and clean again, just so we can sell it to someone else!  I've wanted to have the car detailed for ages, but Tom always said it was a waste of money (and I know he's right, since it would have taken the kids about five seconds to spill something new all over the seats).


What I'm reading...



Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. This is a short little book, but full of thoughtful and beautiful reflections about life, womanhood, and being human.  It could make an excellent discussion piece for a short bookgroup, or a couple of girlfriends over coffee.  It's written by the wife of famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh.  Worth picking up!



Tom finally tracked down an inexpensive older copy of Mary Reed Newland's We and Our Children, and gave it to me for Christmas.  I had heard rumors that the new version (re-named How to Raise Good Catholic Children) was abridged to cut out some of the best passages relating to the old Mass (which we attend, so I wanted those parts included).  I've since found out that they once again re-published the original unabridged book (which I linked above).  Newland has lovely ideas about teaching the Faith to children, and I've been sharing many passages with Tom as I read.


What I'm making...

I'm still slowly cranking out a blanket for the new baby.  I *think* I should actually have it done by the end of March, when baby is due.  I'm just about halfway.  The nice part is, since the blanket is knit diagonally, each row is going to get shorter and shorter as I finish!


Something I'm dreading...
I really need to go through all my photos on the computer, and select the ones I want to print out.  I haven't done it in ages...ugh.  I always feel like this is one of the most tedious tasks ever.


Updates...
I mentioned last week that we wanted to try out Stella - not quite 17 months - in her new toddler bed, and see if she was ready for it yet.  She's been sleeping in it for both nighttime and naptimes since, and doing great!  For the most part, she doesn't even attempt to get out until it's "time."  I was worried the kids would be climbing into each others' beds and bugging each other all the time, but Sly knows better, and Stella has seem too interested in sleeping so...so far so good!

[and now since I've said this, I should probably expect a terrible night with Stella climbing out of bed constantly!]

How I Pack up Christmas Stuff, and Other Random Tidbits

Life has been fairly calm and un-blog-worthy recently.  Which isn't a bad thing, I suppose.  We've been rather more confined to the house, what with the cold weather, and my increasing tiredness in the mornings. 

The Christmas decorations are beginning to come down today, which is always a little bittersweet.  I don't like to say goodbye to this most wonderful time of year, but it always feels pretty nice to have a seemingly clutter-free and clean house just by virtue of removing the Christmas stuff.  I think I'll keep the nativity sets and the Christ child statue out for a bit, though...maybe until Candlemas (February 2nd) this year!

Oh - one piece of advice I wanted to share for those of you who might also be packing away decorations now.  Last year, I packed everything into three big bins.  One of them was labeled "Advent" and the other two were more for "Christmas."  It made it so much easier for me this December when I wanted to pull out certain things at certain times!  The Advent bins contained those items I would need access to earlier, and the Christmas bins had those things which I hoped to save for right before the big day.

Stuff in my Advent bin: Nativity sets, large manger and pile of "hay", Advent wreath/candles/prayers, leftover materials for Christmas cards and list (of who had sent them to us the year before), children's Christmas books, caroling lyrics, pine-scented candles (which make everything in the box smell amazing), outdoor lights, Jesse Tree stuff.

Stuff in my Christmas bins: all tree decor, indoor lights, garlands, Christmas linens/table runners/dishes, wall decorations, stockings and stocking holders.

 ***

I finished my quilt a week or so ago!  I'm pleased with how it turned out.  Stella loves her new quilt, and despite it being pretty huge for her, she's been sleeping with it folded in half over her each night.
 

Quilting isn't difficult, it just takes a lot of time...and there are a number of pieces of special equipment you need (about half of which I now own myself), and several specialized bits of knowledge that you need to have shown or explained to you.  I think I'm proficient enough now to begin another one on my own, though.  Which I'd like to do soon. 

When my mother-in-law saw my completed quilt, she started dropping many hints about how she's been wanting to replace their 17-year-old Amish-made bed quilt for a while now.  It would make a great Christmas gift the in-laws next year, if I can pull it off...but I think I'd really better start as soon as possible!  I don't have a good track record for finishing craft projects in a timely manner (see: cross stitch sampler)...plus I'm expecting a baby in a few months, and all.

 ***

My pregnancy is going well.  I'm finally in the third trimester now.  It's good, because it means I'm in the home stretch, but I can already feel the exhaustion creeping back in.  It has been hard to get out of bed each morning.

The midwives tell me I'm somewhat anemic.  I'm not surprised, as I'm always "on the edge", and usually dip into the "anemic zone" whenever I'm pregnant.  They prescribed some iron pills, which I've yet to pick up from the pharmacy (it's below 0° today - I'm definitely staying home!), but in my experience, they always make me throw up.  Sooo...just eat more red meat?

***


It's a little early yet, but in preparation for the new baby, Tom and I re-arranged the kids' room.  They'll all be sharing one room, assuming we're still in this house by the time baby arrives (which is looking likely at this point.  Though if the right house actually came on the market, I think I would be crazy enough to attempt a move right around my due date).  Sly and Stella will each have a toddler bed, with the new baby in the crib (after an initial month or so of sleeping in our room).  Stella's only 16 months old, so probably still too young to move into her big girl bed.  I think we're going to give her a try in it tonight and see what happens, though.  Just for fun :-)

using a spoon!

It's been hitting me so much recently that Stella is really *not* a baby anymore.  She's so big now!  I can't  bring myself to call her a "toddler" yet, but I know as soon as the new baby comes, it will be fully obvious.

***

We're finally getting back into the groove of a Family Rosary each night.  Tom has been working with Sly to help him learn the prayers and participate.  Right now, he has to say two decades (verrry slowly) with us.  It makes me so proud to see how well he pays attention, and to hear him reciting all the prayers with us.  He wouldn't be able to say them by himself, but he does know all the words when we pray together!  God Bless my husband and his patience in helping this to happen.

***

Did anyone else watch Downton Abbey on Sunday?  The double-episode didn't have too many thrilling moments or shockers, but I'm happy to see that the quality of the show is still up to its high standards.  I'm looking forward to the rest of the season.

The Best Laid Christmas Plans...

We've been enjoying a pretty nice Christmas this year.  Luckily, we learned from last year's insanity, and managed to keep the kids' behavior manageable this year: we spoke to the grandparents several times throughout the year about the importance of them giving our kids a *reasonable* (i.e. small) number of Christmas gifts, we prioritized naptimes every day, and we tried to get "real food" into the kids at each meal before we set them loose at the family parties where every relative would inevitably feed them junk.

But still, the week of Christmas, we had four parties, four gift-opening sessions, four overnight guests, plus a visit from the in-laws which included trips to restaurants and museums!  A lot of things keeping us busy (and keeping me away from the computer). 

Sadly, I have very few photos to share of it all.  I've been so disappointed in my camera and the sub-par pictures it always takes, that I haven't bothered to use it much.  Tom's iPhone takes much nicer photos than my "real" camera, which just doesn't seem right!

Anyways, here's a tiny peek at what's been going on around here.

Before the annual cookie exchange party, Tom and I kept talking about how we wished we could have a 1800's-style Dickensian-type party (think festive carols, dancing...Fezziwig).  Anyways, a few hours before the party started, here's what my husband transformed himself into...

Oh my.  No words for this.

We forced some friends to join us for a dance party to these awesome tunes.

Our tree finally got all decked out.  I was overall happy with it, but next year I want to do more lights (which aren't turned on in this photo) and more tinsel.  I really do like somewhat gaudy and over-the-top trees :-)

Also, I'm thinking of sewing a new tree skirt for next year, since ours is just too small.  Does anyone know of a free pattern for this?

Stella wore an adorable Christmas dress, but all the photos of her in it came out blurry, except this one where you can't really see it.  Story of my life...

eating her billionth cookie of the day

 We did take the kids to see Santa on Christmas Eve morning....as you can see, they both had an excellent time.

On Christmas morning, Tom and I woke up before the kids (rare!), and realized that the house was freeeeeezing cold.  The furnace had turned off.  And it was 19° outside.  I doubt it got quite that cold indoors, but we could definitely see our breath. 

Tom tried everything he could think of to get it working, but the pilot light just would not light again.  So Christmas morning was kind of a bust.  We had hoped to have a nice relaxing morning opening gifts with the kids before Mass at 11.  But here's what happened instead: We all bundled in several layers, winter coats, hats, etc.  Tom spent most of the morning in the basement fussing with the furnace/on the phone with the landlord or his dad (who is good at handyman stuff).  Stella screamed her head off for two hours straight (we assumed at the time that she must be sick, but in retrospect think maybe she was just really cold) and refused to eat or drink anything.  Sly also showed very little interest in opening gifts or doing anything, and occasionally burst into tears, saying, "I'm cooooooold!".  So.  No gifts were opened, no breakfast was eaten, and my morning was basically spent shivering in the kitchen listening to the kids cry and whine, and waiting for status reports from Tom (Which were all some variation of "still not working").

We almost decided to have Tom and Stella just stay home while I took Sly alone to Christmas Mass.  At the last minute, we decided we should all just go.  At least it would be warm in the church.  This was a good decision, as it did seem to lift our spirits a bit. 

When we got home, we all opened a few gifts and the kids actually ate some lunch.  We put Stella down for a nap wearing her winter coat, a hat, and about five blankets.  Our landlord - who is pretty awesome - dropped by with a few space-heaters, and a bottle of champagne!  And later that evening, while we were at a party with the extended family, his contractor brother stopped over and got the furnace working!  So things ended up being alright.

Our house is mostly back to order after the inevitable Christmas-time disaster that always strikes.  Tom and I have been setting up the three wise men in funny spots around the house each night after the kids are in bed.  Sly seems to enjoy finding them each morning, but he always tells me, "I don't like them here" and then puts them back on the dining room table.

I'm hoping to enjoy these remaining "six days of Christmas" spending more time with the kids while they play with their new gifts (and I secretly weed out some old toys to give away), happily eating up all the Christmas goodies in the pantry, and making some progress on my baby blanket.

Merry Christmas!

Preparations!

It just hit me last night how close it actually is until Christmas...less than a week! 

Our house is kinda in a shambles at the moment, with boxes of decorations all over the place, but it's slowly coming together.  Gifts are wrapped, and I've been enjoying Pandora's "classical Christmas" station while I work.

 We took the kids to see the seasonal sights Downtown.

And they got to decorate the little tree on their own (not bad for a 3-year old and a 1-year old!)

I'm slowly getting the big tree decked out (no ornaments yet).  And big it is - probably 10 feet this year!

Tom's been working on some super-secret project in the basement after the kids are in bed each night.  He strung up some sheets, and I'm not allowed to go back there...

And our "donation" bin is overflowing, since I've been pre-emptively purging some toys in preparation for the inevitable gift explosion that will descend on our kids next week (from the relatives, not us!)

 Tom and I have picked out our cookie recipes for Saturday's cookie exchange, and shopped for ingredients.  (One of my favorite parts of this exchange is that I get to cajole all the male guests into actually baking something once a year!)

On "Feeling Judged"

This year, so many of the Catholic blogs are talking about the "right way" to celebrate Advent and Christmas.  I've enjoyed the discussions going on because they are questions that I've been really pondering myself.  But in the past week or so, I've come across various comments around the web [do people say "the web" anymore?] that express extreme distaste over all this, and the belief that there's entirely too much "judging" going on. 

Some people also accused me of making them "feel judged" by my post about Christmas cards (and on reflection, I do understand why).  At first I got distressed about having unintentionally hurt people's feelings...but then I got pretty irritated.

"Why can't I express any opinion whatsoever without SOMEONE getting all up in arms and accusing me of making them "feel judged"?  Whatever that means," I vented to my husband.  "What the heck am I supposed to write about on my blog, if I can't share what I think about anything?!"

I've been reflecting on this issue a lot.  I want to say that ideally, when encountering someone's opinions which differ from your own, there would be two options:
1. You decide that their arguments are incorrect, and you still hold to your original opinion.  Since you believe the other party to be wrong, you don't really care whether or not they "judge you."
2. You think they may have some good points, and either change your mind or at least decide to think it over more.

But real life and real people often don't work this way. Especially when the conversation is happening over the lamentably deficient medium of the internet.

My intention when I share an opinion on my blog is not to belittle anyone who may think differently, but just to say "hey, I've been really consumed with this idea lately, and I've been having all these intriguing thoughts...maybe one of them will resonate with you, or you'll have something new to add!"  And my hope is that when I share an idea that someone disagrees with, they will respond, "well, based on this and this, I think your conclusion is incorrect" rather than "wow, you're being really judgmental." 

As far as discerning the proper way to celebrate Advent and Christmas - or any other issue related to the Faith - I fully believe that most of us are sincerely trying to figure out how best to please God.  And different families have different needs, and they may arrive at different conclusions as to what is right for them.  And I think this is great, and it's one reason I have gained so much from reading all the different blogs out there.  There are a lot of ways of living out the Faith, and someone somewhere will eventually share an approach that could be right for me as well.  Even if I don't always agree, I love hearing the thought-process behind different families' traditions and practices.

Still, I detest moral relativism.  The idea that "this is your truth, and this is my truth."  Truth is Truth.  There are some non-negotiables.  Those moral questions where I can firmly say "this is right" or "this is wrong."  But most of the things I touch on in this blog are going to be the lesser things.  The types where the most I can reliably say is "this seems to be a better way, given where I am, given what I know."

When I get interested in a new question, and eventually reach a conclusion, I often tend to carry it out "all the way."   For example, I developed a strong conviction that femininity was something important to embrace, and I began wearing skirts all the time.  I know that's not for everyone, and that's ok!  But it's hard for me to express my strong beliefs that it's a good thing to do without also making it sound as if I also think it's bad or wrong not to.

I'm sorry for anyone I have hurt by my insensitive expressions of thoughts on those "negotiable" issues.  I promise to work harder not to come off as "judging" ("whatever that means!"), and to keep in mind that what is right for me now may not be right for everyone.  And readers, I'd love if you could engage in the conversation when you disagree with me instead of assuming that I look down on you for doing things differently (and know that I am a sinner, and certainly haven't always or don't always live out my beliefs as I should).  I always love to hear different perspectives and to really work at understanding tough issues.

Thanks for reading this :-)
And thanks to the friends who still sent me their (lovely) photo Christmas cards, even if they feared they were going to be judged.
Blessed Advent to you all.