Mr. Spontaneity

I never know what Jeff will think of next. 

God knew that being spontaneous was not one of my natural gifts (ha!), so he blessed me with a man skilled in spontaneity, a man who would be able to bring out of me something that wasn't there to begin with.  I've changed so much because of Jeff, but I still don't hold a candle to him when it comes to spur-of-the-moment ideas.

Today, for example, one of the first things he did this morning was say, "Let's hang up this shelf.  Where do you want it?"  This shelf, by the way, was given to us months ago by my dad; it was a cast-off from his office, no longer needed because of his retirement.  Since Dad gave it to us, it's been hanging out in the back of Jeff's closet.  I haven't pressured Jeff to put it up; and in fact, I haven't even thought about it recently.  

Apparently, something made Jeff think about it, because he was all gung-ho about putting it up this morning.  I didn't complain.  :)

Jeff found the studs and screwed it in securely--it's a heavy shelf--and now it's a perfect place to display some of our books where they can visually tempt little hands to reach for them, pull them off the shelf, and peruse them.

We decided to hang it right under the big map in our upstairs hallway, which reminded me of this quote I read recently in an article by Jill Hardy in my oft-used and much-appreciated homeschool planner, The Well-Planned Day:   

Your personal preferences will dictate a lot of your storage and organizational methods.  I know many homeschoolers who bristle at the idea of leaving maps on the wall, or having desks in common living areas, and just as many who embrace home learning as a decorating style.

"Home learning as a decorating style"?  Yes, I'd say that sounds about right.  :)

The next thing Jeff did to surprise me today occurred when he returned to the house from taking some food scraps to the compost pile and feeding the animals.  He came in the kitchen from the porch; but instead of quickly closing the door to keep the heat inside, he held the door open and gave a short whistle.  In trotted Molly.  Dear, sweet Molly.  Our first dog, my favorite dog of the three we have now.  But in the house?  Our dogs are outdoor ones and always have been; they enjoy the room to run freely in our pasture, and I enjoy the fact that my house has no dog hair or dog smell in it!  :)  But The One Who Surprises Me decided that it would be fun to bring Molly down from the pasture and bring her in the house...

...and then take her for a walk with three eager boys.

It was fun, too; and if it wasn't for that little bit about the dog hair and smell, I would dearly love having Molly as an indoor dog.

As it is, we'll let her stay outside with her two dog buddies and two goat buddies; but I'm so glad Jeff thought to bring her inside for a little bit today.

That man!  He surely keeps me on my toes.

That's why I married him.  ;-)

Let Consequences Do the Talking

As part of our Sonlight curriculum that we're using in our homeschool this year, we're reading a wonderful book of Aesop's fables:  The Aesop for Children, with pictures by Milo Winter.  The boys love it; and even though Josiah has read the whole book himself (several times, I believe), he still eagerly listens each day; and when I finish the page I'm reading, he begs me to read another one.  "But I like this one," he says as he glances at the following page.  "That's what you say every day," I tell him.  "Well, I like them all!" is his response.  True, that.

The only thing that I don't like is that the book uses an old-fashioned word for donkey, a word that has three letters and starts with "a," a word which I won't type here because I don't want this post to attract strange Internet searches.  I don't mind the boys hearing that word in the proper context so I read the fables as written when we're reading them together, but I'd be glad for my sons to remain ignorant of the slang meaning for quite some time.  How long can we preserve their innocence?

One of the fables that we read some weeks ago comes back to my mind repeatedly as a lesson in wise parenting.  Here it is, with my only editorial change being the use of the word "donkey" instead of...well, you know.

The Donkey and the Load of Salt

A Merchant, driving his Donkey homeward from the seashore with a heavy load of salt, came to a river crossed by a shallow ford.  They had crossed this river many times before without accident, but this time the Donkey slipped and fell when halfway over.  And when the Merchant at last got him to his feet, much of the salt had melted away.  Delighted to find how much lighter his burden had become, the Donkey finished the journey very gayly.


Next day the Merchant went for another load of salt.  On the way home the Donkey, remembering what had happened at the ford, purposely let himself fall into the water, and again got rid of most of his burden.


The angry Merchant immediately turned about and drove the Donkey back to the seashore, where he loaded him with two great baskets of sponges.  At the ford the Donkey again tumbled over, but when he had scrambled to his feet, it was a very disconsolate Donkey that dragged himself homeward under a load ten times heavier than before.


The same measures will not suit all circumstances.

What wisdom!  I'm especially impressed by how the merchant dealt with the situation, finding a way for the donkey to learn his lesson without long speeches from the merchant or harsh beatings.  He let consequences do the talking:  a very effective method of teaching.

I long to do better in this area.

I remember when I was in college, I had a certain professor, and the word spoken among students was that his young children were unruly because he tried to reason with them, and everybody knows you can't reason with a two-year-old.  But how many times do I find myself using an overabundance of words with Tobin when, in reality, the wisest approach would be to get my tongue out of the way and let consequences teach him important lessons.  I don't want to suggest that two-year-olds (or older children, or younger, for that matter) are incapable of receiving verbal instruction and so should not be taught in words.  Of course not!  But I do long for clear thinking so that I will be able to quickly discover ways to teach my sons the lessons that will prepare them for success in the future.

And just like the "Donkey" in this fable found out, many times, natural consequences are hands-down the best teacher.  May I have the wisdom to let them speak!

Watching, Pondering, Grieving, Celebrating

Today, one of my 30-something friends watched her 70-something dad get married, 18 years after his first wife died.  Today, one of my 70-something friends buried her daughter, a victim of cancer's vicious teeth and long, reaching arms.  Today, I ponder the mysteries of the inexorable circle of life.

Today, I observe my boys, watching them closely, noticing their accomplishments, seeing what brings them delight, what causes them frustration, what makes them sad, what causes laughter to well up in their souls.  I see Shav...

...so proud of himself because he can line up small metal trains and connect them magnetically to each other.

I've no pictures of this, but I remember how last evening, while I was down on the floor with him, I saw him for the first time ever, get up on his hands and knees and actually crawl.  He only moved a centimeter or two, but still, what an accomplishment for our Scooter!  And then came a milestone I'm a little embarrassed to write about:  from that hands-and-knees position, Shav maneuvered his feet and legs around in such a way that he could sit down.  That's the first time I've ever seen him get himself into a sitting position from lying down.  And all the childrearing books say he should have hit that milestone months (and months and MONTHS) ago!  But Shav has his own timetable; and for him, it's just right.

Today, I remember how Tobin fell asleep last night at the supper table.

Some days, he resists his afternoon naps so fiercely!  He stays in his room and plays {mostly} quietly, which is good preparation for when he graduates to Josiah and David's status of having quiet time in the afternoons.  But on the days that he doesn't sleep in the afternoon, he gets so very tired by evening.

In the fairy tales, the princess is always the one asleep; but I think in my real-life fairy tale, he's my little sleeping prince.

Today I celebrate David's accomplishment of finishing all 100 lessons in his reading book!  Yesterday morning as we did some school work, he did Lesson 96...but he didn't stop there.  He asked if we could continue, so I said "Sure!" :)  and we spent the first part of his quiet time, sitting on the little couch together by the woodstove with a Christmas bear blanket wrapped around us (he had just gone out to feed the animals before this, so he was a little chilly--but I enjoyed the blanket, too!) and his reading book spread on our laps.  

Lesson 97...Lesson 98...Lesson 99...and then finally...

...Lesson 100!  His good reading skills and excitement about reading have been one of the great surprises of my homeschooling career!  :)

Today I anticipate Josiah's debut...

...with the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir!!!  (pictures from Monday's rehearsal...that's why all the seats are empty!)  :)

At long last, the day is here.  He will walk on stage in that well-known uniform, take his place in the front row, second from the right, and sing his little heart out.  I can't wait.  

If you see me tonight standing in the back with a tear in my eye, you can smile and nod sympathetically.  You'll know what I'm thinking:

That's my boy up there, y'all.  That's my boy!  And I'm so exceedingly proud of him.

Of all of them, really.  The dressed-up singer.  The eager reader.  The adorable sleeper.  The excited train-assembler.  As the circle of life spins around, I couldn't be happier that God put those boys here, at this time, in this space, in my family.  No matter how long or short our spin is, I will treasure them...

...today.

I Try Not to Let Schooling Get in the Way of Learning

It's hard sometimes.  My I'm-Trying-to-Be-Super-Homeschool-Mom-and-Check-off-All-the-Boxes-in-Our Curriculum Self squirms at times when things don't go according to schedule.  Take this morning, for example...

Exhibit A:
Josiah's latest self-guided project is writing the Bible.  Well, let me clarify:  copying it. By hand.  In a small 5x7 notebook with shiny red hearts on the front.  Is he adorable, or what?  :)  He started yesterday, and so far he's up to Genesis 1:11--only 31,162 verses to go!  I love his heart and determination, and I'm glad that he's gaining a new appreciation for the countless scribes throughout history who have taken it upon themselves to laboriously, painstakingly write by hand each word of the holy text.  We may not remember their names, but we can never forget their contribution.

My point in this post, however, is to record how, while Josiah was bent over his task at the school desk in the living room, I was thinking, "OK, it's time for me to tell him to stop because we need to do a lesson from First Language Lessons."   Hello?  Schoolmarm Fisher?  Anybody at home in your head?  WHY would you ask him to stop?  After all, he's writing--happily (something he doesn't always do), he's reading, he's learning grammar and sentence structure, he's reinforcing capitalization and punctuation rules, and it's the Bible!  Don't let your lesson plan get in the way of real learning!

Exhibit B:
A big yellow tractor was camped out in our neighbor's side yard, digging a hole in the ground.  We weren't sure why, but David wanted to be a detective and go outside to watch and find out.  Should I let him sit under our maple tree to observe, or should I make him stay inside and read a book about...oh, I don't know...maple trees, or tractors, or holes in the ground?  Duh.  The answer is obvious.  But what about the science books we're supposed to be reading??

Exhibit C:
Grandma was outside hanging laundry on her clothesline.  One of the boys spotted her, and the cry went up, "Grandma's outside!  Can we go down and play on her playground?"   Sure, why not?  Who needs dodgeball in P.E. class when you can swing and slide and climb a ladder and grab hold of a rope to see if you can hold your weight above the ground (probably to keep yourself safe from the vicious crocodiles on the ground all around or the lava that's flowing from a fiery volcano)?  And then our friend Ronnie, who is laying tile in my dad's old office in preparation for my parents moving into it, came out of the office and over to where my mom and three sons were.  Shortly, I saw a procession of legs walking into the office to see the progress.  Sunshine, fresh air, time with Grandma, watching a real live floor-layer in action, seeing the work that goes into putting down tile, seeing what a floor looks like under the floor--such good stuff.  But wait, I should have called them to come inside because we didn't read our Aesop's Fable for the day!  Right??

Don't get me wrong:  we are not unschoolers, we do have (loose) lesson plans (and I love our Sonlight curriculum for the flexibility it gives!), I do strive to make sure we cover all the bases so there aren't huge gaps in my children's education, and we do spend a lot of time on the couch reading books.  But I'm learning--and it's a process--that when opportunities come along for real-life education, it's time to throw the schedule out the window, and just live.

And learn.  Because that's what this homeschooling stuff is all about.

Yes, This Is a Commercial

No, I'm not getting paid for this.

Every time I leave a performance of the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir, I am in awe.  Actually, I feel the same way just from hearing one of their rehearsals!  I am amazed at the beauty of the sound they produce, the level of discipline they demonstrate, and the extremely high amount of musical knowledge they possess.  I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E.  I am thrilled that Josiah is in his fourth year of involvement with the SVCC; the benefits to him have been numerous, and I am frequently shocked by his musical abilities (which are much higher than mine were at his age!).  Not too long ago, he took a piece that he had originally learned on violin in the key of A (he had learned it completely by ear, mind you; that's the Suzuki way, so he had never read the notes written on the staff), transposed it into the key of C, played it on the piano, and then wrote it out--perfectly--on staff paper.  Oh my word.  Where did he learn how to do that??  In large part, the musical training of the SVCC is to thank for that.  (You can click here for a great list of what young people learn from choir.)

I went to one of their concerts tonight; and I left there, as I always do, ready to gush.  So I'm gushing.  I can't help it.  Besides the excellence of the musical side of things, I just love the people who make it happen:  the Brubakers who have volunteered to be "choir parents" for Josiah's choir, Yvette, Ms. White, and dear Mrs. Anderson who is beloved by my boys.  It is an all-around outstanding organization, and we are incredibly blessed to have it in our community.  

I was thinking tonight as I listened to the gorgeous sounds of the choir (and the youth orchestra--I don't want to leave them out!), "Music is such a spiritual experience for me."  I know this is true for so many people.  There is just something about music that moves us in ways that very little else can do.  I had to laugh at myself as I sat there because I kept getting teary-eyed.  Why??  I wasn't feeling particularly emotional about anything at all, but play a few bars of the "Be Still, My Soul" section of Finlandia or sing the opening phrase of "Oh Freedom" and I'm having to swallow hard around the lump in my throat and blink fast to get rid of the tears before anyone notices!  :)

Tonight's concert was just a taste of how wonderful the Christmas concert will be.  I can hardly wait.  If you live in the area and are looking for a special way to celebrate, let me invite you to this:

It's going to be fantastic!

Besides, Josiah will, for the first time, have the honor of singing as a full-fledged performing member of the SVCC.  I can't wait to see him wearing this vest.  And you'd better believe I'm going to cry that night!  :)

OK, the commercial is over; but before I sign off, let me give a shout-out to a few people from tonight's concert:
~ Olivia from Treble Choir, I love your smile!  It was great to see you up there!
~ Evan, you bring such grace to both the choir and the orchestra.  Ever since I played percussion one summer at Camp of the Woods, I've had a soft spot for percussionists.  :)  (I was actually at that camp to play the piano, and I did--A LOT--but since I had to play an instrument in the orchestra, too, I got stuck in the percussion section.  It was a blast, especially the night I clanged the cymbals together so hard that one of them fell off its handle and crashed to the floor in the middle of a piece.  Oh yeah, that was fun.)
~ Caleb, you rock the handbells, and your male trio thing added a lot, too.  Next year I'm gonna miss seeing a McClay in the Concert Choir.

Have I mentioned recently that I love the SVCC?  ;-)

For the First Time Ever...

...we have a picture of our family of six, along with my parents and Jeff's mom.  All nine of us, together.  Sweet.

~ photo taken by our good friend Kathryn, who we fortuitously happened to run into during our field trip to Mt. Vernon today

Do you know how much energy it takes to go on an all-day field trip to Mt. Vernon with four little people (and five big ones)?  A LOT.  Do you know how much energy I have now?  NONE.

;-)

Around the World and Back in Time...

...that's where we traveled during our recent visit to the Frontier Culture Museum.  Can you believe that I almost convinced myself that I didn't need to take my camera??  "After all," I thought, "I already have SO MANY pictures that need to be sorted.  Do I need to add another hundred to that amount?"  And then I came to my senses and realized that, YES, I did need to take my camera and take a hundred (at least!) pictures.  :)

I've nearly run out of words for today, so although I would love to write lengthy captions for each photo and tell all the little details of our field trip, I won't.  KISS.  Keep It Simple, Stupid.  That's what the writers told us in college.  I try, but then I think of so many wonderful words that I'd like to use!  It's rough.  :)

I loved these carved doors in the West African village.

Shav didn't care that his hair was sticking up.  :)

It was a gloriously beautiful day; we wouldn't have wanted it to be any warmer or any colder.  It was just right.  But ack, this bright sun on David's face was terrible for portraits!

Josiah had two favorite parts of the day.  One of them was this noodle-making adventure; after he watched for a little while, the lady let him do the work and make the noodles, which he thought was great fun.

I like my boots.  :)

Bowling:  the way it used to be.

To prove I was there (since I'm never in pictures), I held out the camera and took this silly picture.  :)

Although we admired the simplicity of life back in the good old days, we came away grateful for some of the modern technology that makes our lives so easy these days...

...modern technology like a cell phone...which Jeff used throughout the day to take calls and make haircut appointments.  :)

Here's more proof that I was there:  Jeff had control of the camera while I went into this little log cabin.

He took a few pictures of me...

 ...if you can spot me.  :)

This was Josiah's other favorite part of the day: listening to an old-timey guitar and fiddle duo.  I wish I had been able to get the musicians in these pictures, but the angle was such that I couldn't do it.

I really love seeing the four of them lined up in a row like this.  :)

I still like my boots.  :)

At the end, we went into an old barn that reminded me so much of my grandparents' barn in Pennsylvania.  They are no longer living (on earth), and the farm has been sold; but my memories of adventures in that barn remain.

I liked looking into this haymow from outside (above) and from inside (below).

The sunshine coming through the cracks was so brilliant.

Definitely a nostalgic place for me.  I wanted to wander around and take pictures of all the little details in that barn:  grain bins, straw on the floor, old farming tools, etc...but it was time to say goodbye to the museum and head for home.  

It had been a very good day.