Dog Shirt

Junior doesn’t speak much.  He only has three or four vocal words that he uses with any clarity and regularity.  However, what he lacks in oral skills he makes up for with sign language.  This morning as I was dressing him he signed “dog shirt.”  Do you see why? . . . 

These were the first signs he’s put together on his own.  Did I ever mention how much I love Signing Time?

Treasures

Margie just came in from outside.  She had her left mitten pulled off and was holding something in her hand.  ”Mom,” she said, “I found some treasures!”  How does a mom handle this situation? . . . 

It took a lot of convincing to get her to throw her “treasures” back outside.  She pointed out that they’re special to her.  I pointed out that I didn’t want such things in our house.  She pointed out that she has a cup she can keep them in.  I pointed out that I didn’t want such things in our house.  In the end, they finally made it back out the door.

“Well, [sigh] I guess my treasures belonged outside.”

The Ballad of Big Bang

I’m taking a challenge from Randi over at I have to say . . .  It’s “Get-Real Monday” and today I’m getting real about my high-school days.  So here’s a picture of me in high school:

That’s it folks . . . move on by . . . nothing to see here . . . 

Oh, alright, alright it is Get REAL Monday . . . 

Once the laughter dies down I’ll give a little explanation . . . no, I wasn’t sick that day . . . no, I don’t have a dead animal on my head (I’ve heard that one before–very funny) . . . no, that’s not a mug shot . . . I’m not getting that real.  That’s a picture that was taken when I was Runner of the Week for my high school cross country team.  And it was published in the local paper.  There’s no date written on the back of the photo, but judging by the hairdo I’d say that’s a vintage 1989/Freshman Year snapshot.  That was the year of the Tilted Fan Bangs.  Sophomore Year was the year of the Big Bang Explosion in the Middle of My Forehead.  And then after that I finally figured out that my hair didn’t have to announce my arrival before I entered the room and I went bangless (which I’ve been for most of my life since then).

Here’s another one of me in full sail:

I’m crossing the finish line at the sectional cross country meet looking fresh and relaxed as always (actually, I’m probably about to widdle in my knickers–I was, after all, the president of the Pee Club).  You’d think my coach would have mentioned I might have shaved my racing time considerably by shaving my head.  Don’t you wonder how much drag that bouffant created?

This is all well and good, but if you really want to see the real me, you have to dig back a little farther than high school.  Say about 7th grade:

This was the year of Outstretched-Claw Bangs.  Before you slander my mom for letting me walk out of the house that way, I should tell you that she warned me many times.  In fact, she predicted exactly how I would feel this morning as I’m posting this picture on my blog (and nobody even knew what a blog was back then).  I missed school the day they handed out our seventh grade portraits, so to remind me to pick them up the school secretary posted mine in the window of the school office.  The window that was right next to the school entrance.  The window that anyone entering or exiting my school had to pass.  Yeah, that window.  If I close my eyes I can still see the jeering crowd.

I have a Monday morning challenge of my own: Think of one nice thing to say about that picture.  Now say it with a straight face.

On the subject of small-town newspapers . . .

The talk about reading police blotters got my sister and me talking about some of the classics from our hometown newspaper.  And this one definitely takes the cake:

-Wednesday, Nov. 19-

1:16 p.m.-Prairie Lake caller driving on CTH SS, three to four miles north of Chetek advised of a truck in front of him which is pulling a cattle trailer. The doors came open and a cow fell out. The driver had stopped, shut the trailer doors and left the cow in the roadway. The cow was injured, but on it’s feet. Caller followed the truck to the Barron Sales Barn. At 1:33 p.m., officer advised he has driven CTH SS from Cameron to Chetek and has not located the cow. At 4:10 p.m., a caller advised her son lost a cow on his way to Barron today and when he went back he couldn’t find the cow. Son was advised to backtrack where the cow fell out and if we are notified of any sightings, we will call.

6:05 p.m.-Prairie Lake 11-1/2 Avenue caller advised of a cow out on CTH SS. Officer advised, no locate and had to leave to respond to emergency call. The owner of the cow was contacted and she asked the resident to pen the cow up for the night. Resident told the cow’s owner he is unable to do that and she told him to just let the cow go. She was told by dispatch to come and get the cow before someone hits it. She informed there was no way they would be able to get the cow tonight. Town Chairman was contacted to pick the cow up, who advised us they have no means to round up the cow. Cow’s owner advised dispatch that anyone who rounds up the cow can have the cow. Officer advised, no locate on the cow.

-Thursday, Nov. 20-

7:29 a.m.-Prairie Lake 11-1/2 Avenue caller reported a cow in the woods on 22nd Street and CTH SS. The caller said he will try to pen the cow. Caller later reported there is no way he can get close enough to the cow to pen it up. The cow’s owner was contacted and told to remove this cow as it is a public safety problem. She is to call when the cow is removed. At 10:42 a.m., she reported they cannot catch the cow and someone has agreed to shoot the cow. At 10:54 a.m., it was reported the cow had been shot and taken to the butcher.

And another classic . . .

-Tuesday, May 7-

4:25 p.m.-Chetek officer called and advised someone stopped at the police department and requested a deputy stop on The Island for two residences that were burglarized and vandalized. Apparently, white paint was splattered in the driveway of one residence. Advised there is an eagle nest above the driveway, so that crime is solved. Other residence owner advised there was no problem either.

Yet another . . . 

10:15 p.m.-Village of Cameron caller advised there was a bear outside her door and she needed to go to work. Requested an officer to try to get it to move. Officer advised he “had a chat with the bear” and it was gone.

I’m not making these up . . . 

4:45 p.m.-Cell caller on USH 8 advised there is a bear standing by the road and subject was afraid to drive by it because the bear looks confused. Advised him to just drive by the bear. Caller said again that he was afraid to drive by the bear. Advised him to roll up the windows, lock the doors and drive by the bear. Caller advised he would try that.

8:10 p.m.-Cameron caller advised he has been gone for a week. A squirrel has moved into his house and has trashed the house. He is having trouble capturing the animal. Officer will assist.

Small Town Misfit

Those of you who live in a small town that has its own newpaper . . . admit it, you read the police log.  It’s good entertainment, that.  Now you can read the blot from small towns around the country:

Small Town Misfit

My Little Pharisees

Right now we have two basic rules that we require Margie and Baba to follow while they’re sitting at the table eating:

1. Sit still.
2. No playing.

Of course, those aren’t the only rules for sitting at the table, but they’re the ones we’re focusing on right now because those are the areas where the kids need the most work (all other rules are covered by “Children, obey your parents” .

Now that they’re both familiar with the rules, Margie and Baba compete with each other to see who can recite the rules first before each meal.  And I’ve noticed that the “loser” of this competition will try to regain his or her honor by making up and listing as many supplemental rules as possible.  The conversation goes something like this:

Baba: The rules for sitting at the table are “Sit still” and “No playing.”

Margie: Well, another rule is “Don’t leave the table until you ask to be excused.”

Baba: Well, another rule is “Don’t tell jokes at the table because that’s playing.”

Margie: Well, another rule is “Don’t hum at the table.”

And so on, and so on, and so on, and so on . . . 

The thing is, Daddy and I didn’t give them these rules.  We gave them two rules for sitting at the table (three, if you count the one about obeying).  All the others are ideas they’ve come up with on their own.  Some of them are based on their interpretation of the two rules we gave them (“Don’t tell jokes at the table because that’s playing.”)  Some of them are derived from requests we’ve made of one or both of them in the past (“Don’t leave the table until you ask to be excused.”).  Most of them are great ideas for proper behavior at the table.  But they’re not my rules and they’re not Daddy’s rules. 

Before I correct them for adding to my words, I think I’d better go remove the plank from my eye.

Questions

I’ve been blog-lazy lately, but that’s because things have been pretty ordinary around here.  Margie did make a statement this morning that has me a bit concerned ("Mom, tongues are great for wiping things because they’re wet!"), but other than that we haven’t had much excitement, for which we can be thankful.

I do have a couple questions for you parents out there (anyone else who might have answers, feel free to comment of course).  The first: Why is is that no matter how early a mom wakes in the morning, the baby will always wake earlier?  I’ve noticed this problem with every one of my children and it seems limited only to Mom’s waking time.  Daddy can be up at 6:00, shower, shave with an electric shaver, slam dresser drawers, walk up and down the stairs, check his email, eat breakfast and rev the engine on his truck on the way down the driveway, and the little one sleeps like . . . well a baby.  But let Mom try to get a jump on the morning by waking up at 6:00, and the baby who has been reliably sleeping until 7:00 will feel the need to be out of bed by 6:10.  It happens every time.  Mom can tiptoe directly downstairs and sit quietly reading in her stamping room two floors from where the children are sleeping, but it makes no difference.  Should Mom decide to sleep in on the weekend, Baby magically knows this as well and times his waking accordingly.  Why?  Why?  Why?

My second question is more likely to have an answer.  We have snack time built into our schedule twice during the day, and I’ve been looking for ideas for healthy (and especially high-protein) snacks.  Suggestions?

“Feeding My Baby”

To atone for the hideously boring post below, here’s a little video of Margie (3.6 Mb) that I’ve been saving for a special day:

TOG Questions Answered

DISCLAIMER: This will be tedious and uninteresting to anyone who doesn’t want to hear about our curriculum in detail.  Read at your own risk.  I cannot be responsible for damage done by drool if you venture any further and fall asleep at the keyboard.

The other day JJ left a comment here asking some questions about Tapestry of Grace (TOG), the curriculum we’ve been using for the bulk of schoolwork this year:

Say, how are you feeling about TOG at this point in the school year? Planning on sticking with it? What have been the challenges, if any, to overcome with it? What would you change, if anything, about the implementation of it over this past year?

I should start out by saying that the reason I chose TOG is because I believed it would be the best way to accomplish the following requirement I set for my curriculum: balance structure with freedom.  Last summer when I chose TOG as our curriculum for this year, I wrote a post explaining my decision further.  As we’re seeing the end of our first year approaching, I am satisfied that this curriculum did exactly what I hoped it would.  I’ve had the yearly and weekly outlines available to keep me disciplined (i.e. "This is what you’re studying this week"), but I’ve felt enough flexibility to be able to substitute my own books when desired, to take a week of school off when we need to, or to completely rearrange our schedule for a week to . . . oh, let’s say . . . dedicate an entire day to a Purim celebration.

Therefore, you might be completely surprised when I tell you that I don’t plan to continue with TOG next year.  Here’s why . . . the publisher of TOG is currently in the process of redesigning the curriculum and updating the recommended booklist.  She’s starting with Year 1 (what we’re using right now) and hopes to have the redesigned version available for purchase beginning this fall (2006).  Then she’ll begin Year 2, but at the present rate it won’t be available until Fall 2007.  So if we continue with TOG next year, we’ll always be one year behind the redesign.  This isn’t necessarily a problem, because we could just buy what is now being called "Classic TOG" and use that throughout the education of our children.  But because the redesign addresses and corrects some of the problems I had with Classic TOG and because we’re just beginning our education journey, I’d prefer to use the new TOG.  Another option is to continue with Classic TOG and purchase the Redesigned Year 1 when we begin the cycle over again in three years.  However, this means spending more money in order to buy two sets of what is essentially the same curriculum (although Lampstand Press has graciously offered a partial refund to those of us who have already purchased or will purchase portions of Classic TOG).

At this point, my plan for next fall is to take a year off TOG and pursue some of the things I keep telling myself we’ll do when we have "more time" . . . things like foreign language, music, and art . . . and then continue where we left off with Year 2 in the fall of 2007.  These plans are not set in stone–I may change my mind and decide to go ahead with TOG–but right now I’m leaning towards waiting for a year.

If you’d like more information about the TOG Redesign project, they’ve set up a page on their website devoted to answering questions.

As far as the challenges I’ve had to overcome this year . . . one of the things the publisher of TOG warns against frequently is the temptation to try to do everything suggested by the curriculum.  There are so many ideas available through TOG that it’s impossible for any family to do all of them.  If I tried I would burn out myself and my children very quickly.  So I’ve had to keep in mind that TOG is a buffet rather than a family-style meal.  I have to make decisions about what will work for our family and what I ought to leave out.  That can be challenging when I feel like I might be missing out on something interesting, fun or worthwhile (it helps for me to keep in mind that I’m going to be going through the TOG cycle three times with each child, so we’ll have a chance to cover everything again).  For instance, I started out the year trying to do the writing assignments that were recommended each week in TOG.  However, I found that they weren’t fitting with my philosophy of teaching writing nor was Baba much interested in them.  So I decided to skip the writing assignments altogether and instead teach grammar using First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind.  We’ll probably pick up with TOG writing in a few years when Baba will be better-equipped to do his own writing.

Are there things I would change about the way I’ve implemented TOG?  Definitely.  I wish I would have made better use of the Student Activity Pages (SAP).  I wish we would have taken more time to discuss the books we’ve read using the questions from the SAP.  I wish I would have started out the year with a better understanding of the story behind history so that I could have done a better job of tying together the threads.  However, these are mistakes from which I can learn . . . and, like I said, we’ll be covering this stuff again at least twice.

Hope that answers your questions, JJ.  Are you sorry you asked?

PS – One more thing I forgot to mention . . . I think it would have helped me very much to have someone experienced with TOG to guide me through the process.  Now that I have a year under my belt, I’m available to help if you need it.

Happy Purim!

The kids are watching their VeggieTales Esther video, so I’ll take the opportunity to post some pictures and report on our Purim celebration.  After chores this morning I took the Hamantaschen dough out of the refrigerator and realized that it was going to be more difficult to work with than I expected.  I had my suspicions yesterday when I mixed the dough that it was too wet, but the recipe called it “batter,” so I went along with the instructions from the recipe.  If anyone decides to try making Hamantaschen with the recipe I posted earlier, I suggest you add more flour than recommended.  As DH pointed out, if I was a Yiddish mama who’d been working with this stuff all my life and had been taught by a Yiddish mama who’d been working with it all her life . . . well, then I may have been slapping that dough around like an expert.  As it is, I’m a Swiss/German/Norwegian with very little baking experience or talent.  However, I did finally improvise a way (using a lot of extra flour) to approximate Purim cookies:

The two older kids had a great time making crowns for their costumes (with lots of help from Daddy before he left for work).  Baba decided to be King Xerxes and Margie was voted Queen Esther by default.  When I lined them up for pictures in their costumes, this is what I got from Margie:

She was wearing her ballet costume, so she thought that was an appropriate pose.  Here’s a slightly more queenly demeanor:

After the Hamantaschen finished baking, we sat down at the table to eat them, and I read the story of Esther from the Bible.  Whenever the villain Haman’s name is mentioned during Purim it is customary to make a lot of noise by stomping feet, booing, hissing and using noisemakers (called graggers).  We didn’t have any graggers of our own, so we made do with party noisemakers:

Poor Junior napped through the entire party, so we saved some Hamantaschen for him.  It’s been a fun day!