Thanksgiving

Each month that I am able to sit down and pay the bills - ALL the bills - I feel incredibly blessed. For that reason, I will share this Thanksgiving prayer. I know it has nothing to do with money but in this time of harvest I thought it was very appropriate.


A Prayer Of Thanksgiving ”
Written by Max Coots
Minister Emeritus of the Canton,N.Y
Unitarian Universalist Church

Let us give thanks...

For generous friends...with hearts as big as hubbards and smiles as bright as their blossoms;

For feisty friends as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us we had them;

For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn -- and the others -- as plain as potatoes, and so good for
you.

For funny friends, who are as silly as brussels sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes, and serious friends as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;

For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who -- like parsnips -- can be counted on to see you through the long winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around as like tendrils, and hold us despite our blights, wilts, and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past, that have been harvested - but who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter;

For all these we give thanks.

Amen.

Pet Peeve

Did you ever have a pet peeve and not even realize it?

We were not one of the first families to get online. In fact, we didn't get online until shortly before my youngest son was born. He will turn 5 in a little more than a week. In fact, he was born about 4 days into my oldest son's kindergarten year. When I started homeschooling I had a 5 year old, a 2 year old and a brand new baby.

I've been visiting homeschooling websites and bulletin boards since I first got online. Over the years, I've seen the same question posed a thousand and one times, "How do I keep my toddler/preschooler busy while we homeschool?" I will say that is has never occurred to me to ask this question. A quick Google search will give the average person more information than they could ever hope to use.

One of my favorite homeschool sites introduced me to Ziploc Bag Activities. I thought this was a great idea and I made a bunch of the activities to use with my toddler/preschooler over the years. We also played games, made puzzles, played outside, watched videos, read books, cleaned the house, cooked,danced, sang, napped, ate, nursed, folded laundry and just generally went about life.

I never found homeschooling with a baby, toddler or preschooler particularly difficult. Sure each stage had its challenges but I addressed them as a parent not as a teacher. We did seat work during naps or while baby sat in his highchair. We sometimes did seatwork at night or on the weekends. We taught my oldest to be independent and to do his work with his little brothers running around.

Because we are a HOMEschooling family I never considered sending them to preschool. Preschool, in fact, seems like a huge waste of time and money. So I'm always shocked when folks ask if they should send their child to preschool and a homeschooling mother says yes. Especially when she gives this as a reason -"Because he deserves a few hours a week just hanging out with kids his age and being surrounded with age-appropriate activities!"

You're kidding, right?

I guess it's because we view homeschooling as a lifestyle. It's not just what we DO, it's who we are and how we live.

Soccer

As the youngest of three brothers, Eric has a tendency to say, "I can't". He knows that he won't be as good as his brothers at playing soccer or basketball or baseball. He can't ride a bike as well and he's not as fast or as strong. It's hard for him to find his niche as his brothers are involved in so many activities and in Eric's eyes they are very good at what they do.

We kept encouraging him to play soccer even when he said, "I can't run or kick very well." My husband is the youngest of three brothers and understands Eric's plight.

Today was soccer tryouts. The younger kids don't actually try out but they do want to see their skills so they can divide the teams evenly. I wasn't there for tryouts but called by cellphone to see how they'd gone. Eric proudly told me, "I was the best at everything." Boastful perhaps, but it's good to see some pride in my youngest son.

I did make it in time to see some of Adam's tryouts. He's made a lot of progress. He wasn't out of control on the field or trying to fool around with his friends. He understood that today, of all days, he needed to do his best for the coaches so they could see his skills. We were proud of him and he was proud of himself.

We requested that Eric and Jared be placed on the same team as they are in the same age division this year. With games and practices, it's nice to be able to know that the two younger boys will be at the same time. Practices start next week and I'm doing my best to get geared up.

To the beach ...

Yesterday as the yellow school bus drove past our house, Adam was upstairs doing required reading while Jared and I sat at the table working through Explode the Code. Adam later tackled both grammar and the first exercise in Singapore Primary Mathematics 5A.

We're starting back slowly into our studies. By next week we'll have added in most of our subjects. I'm still trying to figure out how to work our schedule with 2 afternoons and 1 whole day out of the house. On Monday, Adam has Latin at 1:00. On Tuesdays, we'll have swimming from 1:00 - 2:30. On Thursday, we have Homeschool Resource Center from 10:30 - 2:00, piano from 3:30 - 4:00 and Scouts from 6:00 - 8:00. Just for fun, we'll have soccer practice thrown in on two nights and soccer games all day on Saturday. I'm not complaining - just trying to figure out how to get two days of science and history in when we're only home for 2 complete days a week.

It will work out. All shall be well.

Yesterday in celebration of the first day of school, we headed to the beach to meet other homeschooling friends. The weather could not possibly have been nicer and we stayed much longer than planned. By the time we picked up and rinsed off it was well after dinner time. Pleading hunger, the boys convinced me to drive through Burger King for dinner (a rare treat indeed). Halfway down the road after picking up our meals, Jared exclaimed, "Oooh, a pickle. And mustard!" Having ordered plain burgers, I was not happy with his findings. We turned around and I returned the not plain burger for the one I had ordered and we were happily on our way again. It was a great first day of school topped off by a great Red Sox victory last night.

Summer is ending

Summer is drawing to a close. Only a fool of a Yankee would allow the calendar to dictate the seasons. In New England we have four distinct seasons:

1. Fall. Fall runs from Labor Day through Thanksgiving. It is the best season in New England. The days are warm and the nights are cool. The harvest needs to be brought in before the first frost which, in my neck of the woods, is around the middle of September. There are apples to be picked and pumpkins to carve. There are hayrides and cornmazes. There are the most beautiful trees in the entire world whose leaves turn orange, yellow, brown and red. The kids go back to school, soccer season begins and ends, we celebrate Halloween, vote for president and celebrate Thanksgiving.

2. Winter. Winter funs from Thanksgiving through Easter. Though we don't have snow on the ground for that entire time, it is possible. The days are short. We follow weather reports and await snow. We celebrate Christmas, New Years Eve, and Valentine's Day. There is sledding and snowball fights. We drink hot cocoa and bake homemade cookies. We eat stew and roast chicken. We huddle inside and venture outside. We grow weary.

3. Spring. Spring runs from Easter through Memorial Day. Longer days return and the snow melts. We enter mud season. The tulips and daffodils bloom. The blackflies torture us. We get brief tastes of hot summer weather. Baseball season starts.

4. Summer. Summer runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Little League baseball ends and professional baseball runs its course. The kids are out of school. The days are long and hot and the nights are short and hot. There are lakes and beaches to visit. There are camps to attend and relatives to see. There are gardens to plant and lawns to mow. There are bug bites and sunburns and scraped knees. Blond hair turns blonder and white skin turns tanner. We see our neighbors out walking - pushing strollers or holding dog leashes. Kids on bikes cruise up and down the block. The children go from house to house playing and eating popsicles.

Here in New England summer is drawing to a close. The kids in our town return to school tomorrow.

Mud Pie Ice Cream Cake

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups chocolate graham crackers

6 tablespoons melted butter

1 quart chocolate ice cream

1/2 cup chocolate fudge topping

1 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup powdered chocolate of hot cocoa mix


1. To make the crust, place the graham crackers in a large sealable plastic bag, close it tightly, and crush the cookies with a rolling pin until they resemble dirt. Pour 2 cups of the crushed cookies into a 9-inch pie pan (save the remaining crumbs for the topping). Stir in the melted butter, then press into the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Freeze for 20 minutes.

2. Remove the chocolate ice cream from the freezer and soften for 10 minutes or microwave for 10 seconds. Spread half of it (2 cups) onto the bottom of the chilled crust. Next, dig potholes in the ice cream. Fill each with 1 tablespoon of fudge topping. Freeze for 10 minutes, or until the ice cream and fudge topping set.

3. Remove the pie from the freezer and spread the rest of the ice cream evenly over the top. Place the pie back in the freezer while you whip the cream.


4. To make the whipped cream, pour the heavy cream into a mixing bowl and beat with a hand-held mixer at high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cream starts to thicken. Add the chocolate milk mix and beat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the beater starts to leave swirls in the cream.

5. Remove the pie from the freezer and spread the whipped cream evenly over the top. Sprinkle the pie with the remaining cookie crumbs. Cover and freeze the pie for 3 to 4 hours. Tip: For a personalized pie, have the chef mark it with a B (or whatever his first initial is).

6. Once the pie has frozen solid, slice it into wedges and eat it right away.

Happy Birthday, Jared!

Friday was Jared's 7th birthday. We had 4-H scheduled at our house that day and Jared liked sharing cupcakes with his friends. He even paid enough attention during the presentation to tell Daddy about the watershed that night at dinner.

Jared requested waffles for breakfast which went off without a hitch. He requested homemade pizza for dinner. I've made the exact same recipe for pizza dough for almost 10 years and I used the same recipe for dinner. Unfortunately, I pushed the wrong button and baked the dough instead of just kneading the dough. We ordered in pizza instead but Jared said the bread that resulted was pretty good.

He loved the Red Sox baseball cards he received as a gift. He also loved getting money from his grandparents. I brought him shopping and he bought himself a new baseball bat and a betta fish named Robin Jr. (Robin the original died after only 2 weeks). We also went to the bank to open a savings account in his name.

We had to cancel his birthday plans today for miniature golf and go-karts because of a huge thunderstorm that passed through. Tomorrow, Jeff will take the boys and one of Jared's friends for a fun filled time of mini golf and go-karts. Afterward, we'll have homemade pizza (for real), ice cream cake (I make the BEST), and maybe a swim at the lake if it's warm enough.

Letting go

On Tuesday we went on our annual family pilgrimage to Water Country. We join a large group of homeschoolers to get discounted fare. A small group of us congregate around some picnic tables. Kids and adults come and go throughout the day. There is always someone to go on a ride with or to share lunch with or to ask to hold your baby. We all look forward to it every year.



Later that night I had a committee meeting for Cub Scouts. As I sat there making plans for the upcoming year, I realized I can't do this anymore. I was serious when I wrote that I need to decrease the stress in my life. It's very hard for me to let things go - to give up control. I realized that this is one thing I really need to let go of. I called the Committee Chair this morning and resigned. I said I would stay on until November when Adam moves up to Boy Scouts but that even if they didn't have someone to replace me, I would step down then. Ah! Deep breath.

I also realized today that I need to step down as facilitator for our local homeschool support group. I am on the state homeschool coaltion, help to run a homeschool resource center and facilitate the local homeschool support group. Clearly I am overinvolved and I need to step down. If someone does not step up to take my place, I am comfortable with letting the group go. There are other local groups that people can join. I can't hold the group together myself.

On Monday, Jeff and I are going to start doing Pilates together. I am making a fresh start. Exercising with my cute husband in the morning is a great way to start the day. I will then shower, eat breakfast and start our new homeschool year. I'm looking forward to it.

Bill Martin Jr.

Bill Martin Jr. has died at the age of 88.

Adam's first book was Brown, Brown Bear, What Do You See? There weren't many board books out when Adam was born and so he got this book as a hardcover book. The pages got wrinkled and ripped and we fixed them with packing tape as best we could. I can't even begin to estimate how many times we've read that book in 10 years with 3 children. Luckily, it came out in board book format before Jared was born so he and Eric could tote the book around and read it to us.

With the unusually cold and damp weather, my mind turns to fall. I love fall. September and October are hands down my favorite months of the year. Autumn in New England is a glorious thing.

When I was young, I couldn't wait for the back-to-school issue of Seventeen magazine. Though I'm not much of a fashion queen, it was exciting to see what the new styles would be. Then I'd pick out an outfit or two and do my best to copy them. I remember once wearing a wool skirt and sweater to school on the first day even though the temperatures were in the 80s!

I spent time yesterday going through the Rubbermaid bins filled with clothes the boys have outgrown. I love seeing the clothes that Adam wore years ago that now fit Jared or Eric. I tried things on the little boys and made piles of things to keep and things to donate. They both ended up with a drawer full of good shirts and each had at least a couple of pairs of pants. All I'll really need to buy for them is new pants in October.

What we're reading

The book piles next to my bed just get higher and higher. In the summer, when I can get great books for $1 or less at yard sales, I tend to accumulate them near my bed until I decide what to do with them.

They're not all successes. Elizabeth Berg's Open House was formulaic. I read it in dribs and drabs over the summer. Truthfully, I didn't care what happened to the characters. I did finish it one day when I couldn't think of another book to start. Not surprisingly, everyone gets what they deserve in the end.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, on the other hand, was an amazing read. I feel truly grateful that I read this book. I know that people are all the same the world over but still I wonder what "they" think or worry about. This book showed how similar I am to the women in Tehran. Terrific book. Highly recommended.

I'm also struggling through Graves' Disease: A Practical Guide. I've learned a lot and this is supposed to be the book on Graves' but it is boring and I don't understand at least half of it. I'll finish it though. It helps me to advocate for myself with my doctor.

I'm also reading Michael Gurian's The Good Son: Shaping the Moral Development of Our Boys and Young Men as I realize Adam is just a step away from adolesence.

Last night, while watching the Red Sox, I started a book my mother in law left here for me. Jacquelyn Mitchard's Twelve Times Blessed. It's an enjoyable summer time read. What makes it even better is that it is set in the town our family vacations in. My husbands family has been vacationing in this town for generations and it's always fun to read a story set in a familiar place.

Jeff is reading The Borrowers to the two litte boys. I remember loving this book as a child. Adam is reading The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, Book 3) which I read earlier in the summer while he was at camp. It's taking him forever to read this book. Reading takes a low priority with him in the summer. I also think the book is not nearly as good as the first and maybe he's not really enjoying it.

Catching up

I hadn't realized that it had been Wednesday since I last posted.

My baby niece, Devin, underwent surgery yesterday. They removed one lobe from her lung. Apparently her heart beat is much improved. I'm getting my information third hand, which is hard, so it's hard to be specific. My prayers remain with Devin and her parents. It's so hard to have your tiny newborn baby in the hospital.

I'm trying to find a way to manage stress effectively. The simplest thing seems to be denial. That of course only works for a short time. I can't handle much stress right now - my heartbeat races and I get sick to my stomach - so I'm trying to compartmentalize it. Baby Devin in one place. Nana and more legal troubles in another place. Money and bills in still another. So far, this seems to be working.

I had a great time yard saling today. I didn't buy anything super terrific but I bought lots of great books (as usual), an amazing Columbia winter coat for Adam (though it may not actually fit him until next winter), and a few other things.

The best part of the day was when I went to Gary's Guitars to pick up Adam's new guitar. We've promised him guitar lessons and he's been patiently waiting for three years. I've found him a local guitar teacher. All he needs now is a guitar. I asked my friend, Dave, to help me pick out a guitar for Adam. He called a few days later to tell me about this great used Seagull guitar. It's a beauty. We don't plan to give it to Adam until Christmas. Phew - that seems far away.

The Red Sox won tonight. Go Curt!

Prayers please

I just got a call from my father. My new niece - my brother B.J.'s 3 week old daughter - was taken by ambulance to the hospital today. Apparently she has a cyst on her lung that is pushing on her heart. They are planning to remove one lobe of the lung tomorrow at noon.

Her name is Devin Watson. She's just a bitty thing. She could really use your prayers.

Medical update

On Monday, I called my endocrinologist's office. I spoke with the nurse and told her that I'm feeling better than I've felt in a long time. I'm concerned about the dosage of the medication I'm taking because it is above the recommended maximum dose and I'm worried that it will have a negative effect on my liver and push my levels toward hypothyroidisim if I continue to take it at this dosage.

She was great and sent me for labwork. The labwork showed that my levels are all way down and one of them is in the normal range! Still, the doctor wanted me to continue at this dosage. I told the nurse that with all the research I've done into my illness I was not comfortable doing this. I let her know that I would be decreasing my medication and would prefer to do it in conjunction with the doctor.

The nurse called back last night to tell me to cut my dosage in half. She said that they wanted me to feel like I was in control of my treatment and was very nice about it. It's hard to find the balance between being a good advocate for myself and being a difficult patient. I will continue to do my research and will continue to advocate for what I think is best for me.

Today the nurse called back with even better news. They ran more tests on my blood and all my liver numbers look good. We had assumed that they were high because of my thyroid and it's great to see that as my thyroid calms down, my liver is doing better also. It's also a relief to know that the medication I'm taking is not hurting my liver.

For now, I'm going to take my medication, watch my diet (no soy or iodine), and try to reduce stress in my life (funny, huh??).

I have a plan

I've been wondering what to do with my middle son. When Adam was his age I was very enthusiastic about homeschooling. I had a 6 year old, a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Everything seemed brand new and full of possiblities. At that time I discovered Five in a Row. I loved the literature approach to learning and we quickly dove in.

I became obsessed with finding all the out-of-print books and owning all of the books. We did extra activities and made lap books. We went on field trips and had a great time. I always added in extra math and phonics and thought this made for a very complete first grade experience.

I haven't been too excited about the idea of adding Jared into Adam's history lessons this year. Adam cherishes this time with me alone - he does almost all of his other work independently. I'm also not sure Jared is ready for the Middle Ages.

Instead, I'm going to return to Five in a Row. I've already sold most of my OOP books on ebay for very good money and I don't have the time to obsess anymore. Instead, we'll do the program as it was intended. We'll read the books and follow the manual. We'll do the occassional outing, field trip or extra activity. We'll continue with math and phonics. I can't wait to get started!

Baseball

Baseball is bad for my health. Seriously. If you are a Red Sox fan you understand. The Red Sox are one of the best baseball teams in baseball history and yet they just can't pull it together to win. They last won the World Series in 1918. 1918 Ugh! I thought this might be the year. I really did. But now I know it isn't.

Yesterday Tim Wakefield became the first pitcher since 1940 to allow 6 homeruns in a game. Those balls were just flying out of the park. I thought I'd die from heart failure. Unbelievably, the Red Sox answered with 4 homeruns of their own and won the game 11 - 9.

Super Freak

Rick James the legendary King of Punk Funk died today at the age of 56. He was a Superfreak Extraordinaire.

My boys love funk. Especially Jared. It started when Jeff made a compilation cd a few years back. All kinds of great funk. There was nothing funnier than seeing my fair faced, blond curly haired toddler singing "Play that Funky Music White Boy" or "Brick House". We play that cd often in the car and it is guaranteed to prevent fighting as the boys sing along.

Quizzila

I haven't done a quiz in a dog's age and found this one interesting.


You speak eloquently and have seemingly read every
book ever published. You are a fountain of
endless (sometimes useless) knowledge, and
never fail to impress at a party.
What people love: You can answer almost any
question people ask, and have thus been
nicknamed Jeeves.
What people hate: You constantly correct their
grammar and insult their paperbacks.


What Kind of Elitist Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Back to school shopping

Adam's best friend went back to school shopping yesterday and it gave Adam the shopping bug. He asked me last night if we could do some school shopping. He couldn't even think of anything he needed and I know we don't need more pencils or markers or rulers or anything school related. Finally, he said he wanted a new backpack. Well, he's had the same one for 5 years so it seemed like a reasonable request.

The boys and I all made the trip to the city today. We went to Target where Jared and Adam both picked out new backpacks. Adam was upset that I wouldn't let him get the pack he wanted but it was impractical and he wouldn't be able to use it for Scouts. He was able to find one he liked.

After Target we went to the mall to check out Old Navy. Adam is so tall and so skinny that it's hard to buy him pants. He needs to be with me to try them on. We were able to find three pairs of pants that actually fit him well that he liked. Yeah! He also found a backpack that he liked much more than the one from Target. We bought the Old Navy one and went back to Target to return the first one.

Only Eric got nothing new today. He's happy with Adam's old backpack and was satisfied at the mall by a big gumball out of the machine.

Life skills

Last night I started working with Adam on his Webelos Family Member Badge. It's a pretty simple badge and I thought it would be nice for us to work on it together.

He went through his cookbooks, like Emeril's There's a Chef in My Soup! Recipes for the Kid in Everyone and picked out recipes he'd like to try. We planned out a week's worth of meals. Next we need to write up a shopping list and do the shopping. Next week he'll do the meal planning and cook three evenings.

I like the help, mostly, and am glad that he likes to cook. This morning I taught him how to do laundry. I must state up front that I have "laundry issues". I don't like anyone to touch my laundry. Even when Jeff was in the hospital or when I was in the hospital giving birth, I wanted to do my own laundry. I like the way I fold my clothes and I'm sure to refold them if someone else does it. Nonetheless, I showed Adam how to turn on the water, and run the washing machine and dryer. I'll do the folding. Adam has added sorting and folding socks (one of my all time least favorite chores) to his list.

It is my goal for all my boys to leave my house knowing how to cook, do laundry, clean a bathroom, vacuum, sweep, make a bed and many other household skills. I know that I need to take the time to teach them these skills and I try to be enthusiastic about it but it's just so much easier to do it myself. I need to make more of an effort to include the boys in daily chores.