Comes in ships

The priest speaks.
Thirst is remembered.
Long dry wells run damp.
Oh for Noah's courage.

Thinking about tomorrow

As we sat enjoying a very nice meal it occurred to me that it is half past October and I have only the sketchiest of plans for Christmas. This is not good. Christmas is not the kind of occasion I can throw together at the last minute. Kurt was equally alarmed so we did some planning at the table, but there is only so much we can do without access to cookbooks and toy stores/websites and records of our family traditions. We hoped to get to Hallmark to get the children's ornaments for this year, but City of Ember was calling. (City of Ember is a fun, but unremarkable film.)
Once I sit down with some paper I should find it fairly simple to fill in the framework of tradition with some kind of theme--last year's was Noah's Ark. What I'd really like was a celebration that was firmly based in church and pulled from the broader tradition, but we are currently attending two churches. We've got twice the options and twice the force pulling us in different directions. I'm going to start a new series called "Living the Schism" about the challenges (and blessings) of celebrating both Catholic and Protestant varieties of the Christian faith. Christmas may be a good place to start, but right now I've got to figure out what's on the menu.

Date Night!

Tonight, tonight won't be just any night, tonight there will be no children to lug around. It's date night! We all love date night. One of the best features of this house is that Ashley lives next door. She is one of those people who are born knowing what to do with kids. When Ashley arrives little hands plant themselves firmly on my backside and push toward the door. They don't have to push too hard because it's such fun to have my husband to myself for an evening.
We tried a lot of different, creative ways to arrange for some face to face time without leaving the house. Some were more successful than others, but there really is no substitute for a good babysitter.
Tonight I'm hoping to enjoy the City of Ember. The only thing I know about it is the trailer which I enjoyed. To arrive with no expectations is a rare pleasure these days. I'll let the story speak for itself. I hope Kurt likes it too. It's about a dying generator. An engineer has to like that--right?

Finally Observed

To be stood under
Raises me to Heaven
It sets
Too much
To writes.

Quiet Week

This week I was too busy trying to recover from last week to push forward with school. This was our eighth week because I started early, and we all needed some margin in our work. It's taken this much time for it to sink in with the older girls that they need to work or they will be overwhelmed. Previously our oldest could just skate along, and our second can charm her way out of most things. This year the requirements and the schedule are wearing us all out, but at the same time it is forcing us to be more disciplined. The younger ones are delighting in beating their elders almost every day, but none of us was enjoying the lack of relaxation.
The week was a standstill for every subject but their required reading, mathematics and writing. They have the skills now to keep up, but they needed a chance to catch up. I needed a break too. I was beginning to dread waking up and the immediate necessity of ordering, begging and disciplining the kids to get the extensive demands met. Taking a step back let me reevaluate a number of things and make some decisions--as well as catch up some cleaning--that will hopefully lead to a happier home life for the rest of the year.

You can't be happy all the time.

It's Friday and I feel it in my bones. The day began with baby crying and is ending with me thinking about it. There are many things that could be said about me, but the one I know is true is that I give being a mother 100 percent. The discouraging thing is that sometimes it's really hard to see that it has accomplished very much.
Overall it was a good day. Co-op is so much fun. The kids get a chance to bond and stretch and use the things we're learning at home in new ways. Kurt came along, and neither of us could resist hunting up the kids and peeking in on their classes. I don't know why, but somehow by the end of classes a creeping ennui had me saying yes to a chocolate shake. I associate milkshakes with being sad. We went to the shoe store for the usual chaos of fitting everyone out in new sneakers. We did get them buy one get one half off, which for us is a great savings.
Tomorrow we'll be visiting with family from the east coast, so I won't be able to write. Once we'd unloaded the van, I took off to get my haircut. I made more of a production of it than usual adding the special tea treatment and getting it styled. I don't know why, but sometimes I just hate having all that hair. It's pretty short. After the haircut I went to Barnes and Noble with two goals--one, use up a gift card and two, write something. I failed at both objectives.
I edited the most recent bit I took to group. I counted the almost tens bits of manuscripts that need to typed. I despaired of getting the timeline for the New York trip in order. Then I faced the real issue. I don't think I've done enough to get my kids ready for the world. My childhood there was that heavy axe we all had to grind and as soon as you were old enough you picked it up and off you went. I'm not so clear as to what I want to give my kids. I want them to know God, but I'm not dogmatic about how. I want them to have some knowledge of the many ideas that are the basis of human culture, but it's hard for me to be sure which ones to include and which to ignore. I had hoped to ignite in them a passion for the treasures of literature that have enlivened generations of human beings. At this moment my only victory is an enjoyment of Chaucer.
The problem is probably more about the general weariness than it is about any actual failure, but I'm at the point of being fairly certain I'll send the kids to the local highschool when the time comes. They could use the opportunity to practice making friends and to learn how to navigate the culture that is so very different from our quiet life at home before they are thrown in the deep end in college. I hate the idea even though it's probably the best one. Highschool is when everything gets interesting. I guess I've just flunked myself as their teacher.

From Madam Blueberry to Cinderella

For the first time since my turbo-charged Nissan 200SX that could talk, I'm driving a Japanese car. Previously we've bought American, either Chevy or Ford. We wanted to continue, but neither offered a vehicle that can seat all of us at a price we can afford or a size our garage can accommodate. Originally we'd selected the Chevy Tahoe, but when we went to see the version that seats eight it had no cargo room and no leg room for the final row of seats. We've been driving two vehicles whenever we needed to go somewhere as a family, and the two tanks of gas at this time in history is awful.
We were very frustrated and just googled "seats eight." The Honda Odyssey was the best for us, but it has been hard to think of buying a foreign car. Owning the car is much easier. We took it out for a Sunday drive yesterday, and we all fell in love with our "Cinderella." She has great features including leather seats that have been covered with some kind of super stain resistance. It was nice to ride in the passenger seat and to chat as the countryside rolled by.
We will miss our "Madame Blueberry" but at least we know she is going to a good home. My sister-in-law and her husband have recently blended their families and they need a vehicle that seats all six of them. I hope they love her as much as we have.