Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything

It was a nice year. I raised a grown up. The other five conveniently remained needy. I deepened a lot of friendships. I finally came up with a great excuse for reading the classics. I began to understand my life in new ways.

Happy Birthday to me! I am no longer the answer to life the universe and everything, but you can only carry a responsibility like that for so long. :)

Saline or Ann Arbor?

I ran off on a romantic trip with my romantic man. We need a new house near his new job, and I needed a better idea of the lay of the land. He was more than happy to show me around especially without the kids. For us the choices are boiling down to lots of space, but a little out of the way--Saline, and less space, but nearly immediate access to globally appealing amenities--Ann Arbor. There's also smaller exemplary school system--Saline, and an enormous exemplary school system Pioneer.

We'll take it one house at a time.

And Away She Goes

Marguerite Eloise graduated yesterday. The ceremony was lovely, and we were all so proud of our kids. Mea was a Senior Scholar which means she graduated with highest honors. She plans on studying neuroscience at the University of Michigan. Watching her congratulate all of her friends and carry out all the rituals and traditions was encouraging because I know she will carry forward the energy into this next more demanding phase of life. 

Congratulations, Mea! I always knew you could do it and I knew you could do it well.

Cat Humans

A few years ago, Iris learned about catechumens in her religious education class at St. Mary's. Her imagination caught fire and we had cat-human pictures all over the house. Now, tonight, she is one, though not in the way she originally thought of it. Two of my babies will be baptized and enter the church tonight, though they'll step into the font to do it. Praise, God!

Rite of Election

Yesterday was a beautiful day as two of our girls signed The Book of the Elect and went to the cathedral to shake hands with the bishop in a beautiful ceremony. I'm still learning Catholic manners and traditions, so I'd failed to tell their sponsor she should be there. My friend Sara rushed to come with us on this special day. I felt so upheld all day long as person after person reached out with grace to help me overcome the stumble and to keep this sacred event positive for the girls. Thanks be to God!

Fat Tuesday

I'm thinking about giving up the Beatles for Lent. They were my first taste of cultural butter, and the purposes it serves. My life had been one recording of the Life Action Singers after another. Occasionally, Doug Oldham or someone like him would take some risks, but not very often. My sister, with her musical ear collected an impressive knowledge of popular music from elevators and grocery stores. I was more inclined to return home to the safety of the Gaithers. 

Susan came over and for the first time in my life I was left unsupervised in my own home. Susan's sanctity was never questioned, so I was surprised when she recommended we ransack the record collection for contraband. We found The Letterman and were quite pleased with them. They were nice, but musically little different from Life Action or the other groups. From then on, any chance to ransack the records was a naughty little pleasure. That probably would have been the end of things if we hadn't moved to a suburb of DC. 

The kids in my new world not only listened to current rock and roll, they had sex and experimented with drugs. I was so lost. I had my first diagnosis of depression, and Dad pulled out all the stops--he rented Help! Mother would have nothing to do with it. Her disapproval filled the house making it all the more exciting as Dad plugged it in. It was hilarious, and the music was so fresh to us. After that, whenever it was all too much we'd get Help!

I still love Help! I love the Beatles catalog. Giving them up for Lent might not seem like big deal to some, but maybe there's a circle coming my life. While I'm not interested in a return to Life Action, maybe it's time for dry toast because I can, because of Lent.

A Glorious Synthesis

God and art has long been one of my favorite intersections.  A few years ago I discovered Sister Wendy's videos and I am slowly becoming a Sister Wendy omnivore.  If you are a person of any kind of faith, you will find her uplifting. Her discussions of great art are very accessible which may be the best thing about her work.  Nowhere is this more obvious than in her book of prayers for children.  Each prayer grows out of a work of art.  The works chosen are the kind that reward prolonged study, and the prayers have the profundity of all things simple.  Get this book for the children you know.  It will be a blessing. 

Where I Come From

I have to admit as a homeschool mom I'm always hoping for a snow day so my older kids can stay home.  I miss them even though I know I've done the right thing sending them to school.  Tricky thing about snow days in Michigan, is living in Michigan.  We see a lot of snow.  It's always cold (try swimming in the lake in July).  We are tough and used to this, so school never seems to close.  Except for the last two days.  Wow, that's weather to make Alaskans shrug their shoulders enigmatically.  I don't care.  It meant two more days of having my big girls home.

Unlike wimpy Indiana where driving in such weather is illegal, Kurt went to work, and it really felt like the old days.  We slept in, but the big girls jumped in upping my homeschooling manpower so that we could finish the essential work in a couple hours.  It was fun, and I mean that non-homeschoolers.  It was really fun.  No such delight expected tomorrow.  We're back to the usual, well, as usual at it gets in a world where throwing boiling water out your back door is a science experiment.  If I didn't have such wonderful friends I'd be moving to Florida--then again, they didn't get a single day off.  

Hanging Up My Straight Jacket

There are things I've committed to doing in order to break free from the internal prison of fundamentalism.  

1.  I reserve my primary energy for my kids.

2.  I write both for my novel and for my personal blog.

3.  I take my friends wherever I find them.  I don't check ID, political affiliation, or theological preferences anymore.

4.  I make time and means for growing in my relationships, most importantly with my husband, but also on Shepherd's fish and in my local 3D life.

5.  I work on projects to make the world better, currently raising funds for St. Martin DePorres Orphanage in Tanzania.

6.  I read the Great Books for my own enrichment and to teach at the Homeschool Cooperative.

7.  Last but most important, I grow in my Catholic faith.

Musical Toothbrush

There is always that one cool toy you buy your kids, but wish Santa had bought one for you.  This toothbrush is my secret wish this year.   Sure two minutes seems like forever, but you don't notice as much when the music is going straight into your brain.  The things they have for kids these days.

See it here. 

Early Christmas Present

I am proud to announce my oldest daughter has been accepted by The University of Michigan, her first choice.  We are all so proud of her and her accomplishment.  She'd like to study neuroscience even though she is an amazing writer.  Whatever she does, she does well.

I Kissed Veritas Press

And I liked it, though I think they'd prefer I kiss dating goodbye. Veritas Press makes me so mad I border on apoplectic, and then they meet my needs so perfectly I can't help but be grateful.  It's a complicated relationship and has inspired many posts that were never posted--posts like "A Boy's Best Slave Is His Mother."  It started with the beautiful timeline cards they offer with their elementary level history program, but then there was day after day of racist and chauvinist content.  I was so glad to find Susan Wise Bauer and I promised myself I'd never look back.  Then there was the Omnibus.  Mea had finished The Story of the World Series, and I wanted her to take on something stronger but still classical.  Veritas had a beautiful book, the Omnibus with great readings and artwork, so I bought it.  It was a fine reading list and a beautiful book, but the racism and chauvinism pushed me to bench it on the bookshelf while we turned to The Great Courses for help interpreting the readings in a more balanced way.

I thought I was done with Veritas Press.  The very offensive catalogs had quit coming and I thought we were done.  Then I tried to teach Jimmy to read.  Our tried and true phonics program was a complete non-starter.  I had to find something else, and it had to have high interest and short work 
times.  I looked through many curriculums, and chose Teach Your Child To Read In 100 Easy Lessons.  I was afraid that might be too gimmicky and short on content, so I went back through everything, and realized I needed to look at Veritas Press again.  We spent a week this summer in Washington, DC going through many museums, and we had all enjoyed it.  The Phonics Museum recreates and uses the museum-going experience to ramp up the fun factor in learning how to read.  Instead of cartoony pictures of apples, master artworks by greats like Van Gogh and Degas are used for the ABC cards.  There's a great story about a knight and a little boy (I know) exploring a museum and finding the sounds, and a cardboard museum in which to hang the paintings and paper dolls to wander the museum.  It is perfect for Jimmy, and from the moment the box arrived in the mail, he has been excited about playing with it.  There are still moments when I step back and say, "Really?"  For example, the icon on the worksheets for man is a turn-of-the-last-century boxer--really, this is the sum of a man?  There are so many wonderful things about men that that icon leaves out, and there are so few things about boxers worth keeping in.

Nevertheless, long and the short of it.  I like the Phonics Museum, and more importantly, so does Jimmy.

Bunny Tree

When Kurt and I were pretty sure we were getting married, I gave him a teddy bear with huge feet.  The plan was to replace the bear with babies with big feet.  As the babies began to arrive their feet weren't fat and round, they were long and skinny--bunny feet.  Like all good moms, I collected stories to read to them that shored up their sense of unconditional love, Runaway Bunny was a natural addition. 

It's that time when good bunnies get ready to run.  I am watching as each one gathers up tools, and ideas, and love to use as they face the world.  My job is to stay out of the way and to refrain from locking them in any closets.  I've decided I'm the bunny tree, and I will wait for them to fly home--when they're ready.

Baby Blue

We took Mea on her last college visit to her most likely school, The University of Michigan.  We enjoyed the talk and tour, as they stirred up many memories for Kurt who is a loyal alum.  I wished, again, that I'd defied parental guidance and joined Kurt there, but then the loss of my scholarship would have been expensive.  College these days is too expensive.  Minds need to be fed, no matter their income.  I guess with that problem you start with preschool and work your way up.  

In any case I was proud of our girl.  The Wolverines will be very lucky to have her.

Mummy

This is our third trip through the ancients.  Mummifying a chicken has been on the activity list every time.  My older girls are more squeamish, and they vetoed it both times.  My younger three are more adventuresome, so we are mummifying a chicken.  I am thrilled because anything that brings history to life so vividly is my idea of good teaching.  This also is major bragging right as we'll be working on The Book of the Dead.  Learning the curse for the spirit that swallowed an ass is worth the price of admission right there.  Homeschooling is the best.

Day and Night

Yesterday, I woke up late and had to start at a run.  It never stopped until I went back to bed.  Today will be just the same.  

This is the best homeschool year yet.  Three seems like a very balanced number of students.  We get so much done together that I won't be changing anything on our lesson plans.  The trouble is I don't even get lunch.  In previous years, there has been a half an hour or so when I supervised but didn't instruct.  This year I'm working with someone from 9:30-3:00.  To get a workout and the elevated endorphins that go with it, I treadmill over lunch. 

We have two major "social" activities each week.  Religious Education at St. Mary's is one of my favorites because it is so easy and the content elevates our hearts.  The LMHSC Muskegon Homeschooling Co-op is also terrific.  My kids enjoy the classes and have a chance to practice useful skills like raising their hand, walking in lines, and changing rooms.  I have the pleasure of teaching subjects I love. For us it is a win-win.  This year co-op has expanded into the afternoon with a 

stronger emphasis on academics, and all the classes co-ordinate around ancient history.  We have Aristotle Leads the Way about ancient scientists.  We have Ancient History-based Writing Lessons, and I am team teaching History through Art and Literature, taking the literature part.

I am up to my armpits in work and people that I love, but I'm going to have to hope I get through lesson prep, reading a Shakespeare play and the Lamb version every week.  I'm also going to be reading and rereading important works of the ancients.  I have to prepare good content after the reading, and there is the physical toll of being present everywhere I'm needed, never mind the housework.  I don't know if I can do all this, but I can try.  It's only everything I ever wanted to do. 

It's my cylinder seal. 

The Other Christmas

If you homeschool, preparing for school is a lot like getting ready for Christmas.  Secrets abound, rooms are off limits, lengthy discussions occur about what's festive and what's crazy.  I love it every year.  This year is the best year.

Studying the ancients takes one on a whirlwind tour through cultures and places.  Last year all we needed was a ship for the Age of Exploration, but for the ancients, we needed a Tardis.  Kurt and I had such a good time putting this together for the kids.  It's a huge hit with my most reluctant student asking me to start school half an hour early.

They had 3D Tardis, but it wasn't bigger on the inside. :)

The Dalek is there for motivation.  Motivation he happily supplies

These are the Tardis controls.  We collected them from thrift stores, antique stores, and whatever wasn't currently in use around the house.  Most items are non-functioning.  The drum set works.  Simon works.  We bought a weather station because we are studying weather first trimester.  We attached a holder for the iPad too.

My friend Janet Tyson helped create our Tardis interior.  I told her I wanted it to look like a theremin sounds.  She certainly succeeded.  We attached inflatable planets to the ceiling, but we can't keep the sun inflated.

This is the back of the Tardis controls.  It is also an arts and crafts depot.  My kids are growing up and can be trusted with paint and markers.  Hallelujah!

The time out chair and the Dalek's original home, but I thought it might be overkill.

The bulletin boards/portholes are supposed to have Mesopotamian items on them, but I can't find the timeline I was going to cut them from.  I guess the Tardis portholes are on the fritz until Egypt.

Video equipment for The Great Courses, the kid's books, binders and supplies, white board and storage,  drawers for copies and completed work in need of grading.

We bought this table when our oldest seemed too short for it.  We were right to buy it.  We'd never have seen it again and it cost us next-to-nothing.  We're doing Flannelgraph this year.  The Bible is ancient literature too.

All those book over all those years, they add up.  The planets continue across the ceiling.  My workstation is there in the corner.

Mea made this for the kids to get them to do their work within the time allotted. Everyone who does so gets a sticker to get them closer to the top.  With our fancy Tardis interior we are running out of wall space.

This is the most fun I've had in years.  The Tardis theme makes everything play and exploration.  What a wonderful gift from this other Christmas.

Not My Grandmother's Flannelgraph

Though it is her couch (long story involving six children, general destructiveness and fond memories).  Flannelgraph played an incalculable roll in my spiritual development.  The first time I heard the story of Christ's passion he was hanging from the cross on a deluxe flannel overlay background.  I made my first profession of faith the same day.  Given the choice of with Flannelgraph or without, even hardened teenagers opted for the charming cut out people in their inexplicable worlds and costumes.  Sunday School was the most frequent place for Flannelgraph use. My grandmother was an excellent teacher investing hours of time in her weekly opportunity to change hearts and minds.  She always used the church issued Flannelgraph that was actually flocked paper and sometimes she glued it down because she disliked the interruption to the story telling.

My mother had put off going through Grandmother's Sunday School materials because the items awakened such strong memories.  I came down to go through it with her.  It was inspiring.

My older girls had gone down with me, and on our way home we talked about our family's foray into Flannelgraph.  I bought a complete set of Betty Luken's Bible stories.  That is the crem de la crem of Flannelgraph.  If a woman was heading to the mission field, her friends would go in together to get a set as a parting gift.  The thing is die cut flocked paper is much easier to prep then cutting out hundreds of characters from felt.  The project ate three pairs of scissors before I gave up and let my dramatic personality make up for the lack of figures.

Grandmother's example has me giving it another try, this time with Mea's unexpected help.  We are having a great time trimming and conquering the sheets one herd of camels and many many Jesus' at a time.  I think Grandmother is very proud.

A Mother's Bucket List

A play friend was trying to convince me that being a girl was the worst.  He was getting very frustrated because I was too young to be unhappy about my gender.  Having exhausted all his arguments, he pulled out the big one, the dark secret of womanhood that sealed the horror of my fate. Making sure no grown ups were listening, he leaned in dramatically, "Girls grow up and have the babies."  I double-checked, and as soon as I was certain of what he was saying, I ran off in a rapture to ask Mother if it was true.  Blushing, rubbing her large belly with a loving hand, she confirmed it was true.  I was certain then, and I am certain now, women have the best deal.

I can see the end of my motherhood, and I want to finish strong.  Those childish daydreams of loving my babies deserve fulfillment, and I want my kids to have the deepest sense of being loved that I can provide.  With a project this important it helps to make a list.

1.  Keep the Creator/Redeemer first.  It's tempting to let him slide and the kids creep in, but I'll actually be the best mother with his balance and strength than I will without him.

2.  Love and take care of their dad, whether he likes it or not.  There's only one man in the world who can take full responsibility for my six, and they need him.

3.  Be certain that each one understands that they are so very special and unique.  Don't ever let a root of bitterness get planted between them.  Keep everyone safe and happy by loving each one equally, and teaching them to love one another dearly.

4.  Make cookies.  A little homemade love goes a long way.

5.  Have something else to do with yourself when it's time to release them into adulthood.

6.  Don't lighten up until the last one crosses the finish line.

7.  Be grateful as things get easier.  Don't cry about the right and inevitable events of parenting.

Conquering Crabs

It was another day of keeping Jimmy quiet.  We did pretty well, and so did his foot.  Our favorite maneuver was going to Charleston Crab House where Blue Crabs are in season.  We'd planned to get them in Maryland, but we had overestimated our ability to pack things in.  Finding crabs on the menu here was a great treat.  My children finally got to experience the sweet taste of Blue Crabs, and the intricacies of picking out the meat.  I'd hoped to do this in a backyard on a newspaper covered table, and to have them seasoned with Old Bay instead of garlic, but who cares about details. Mea's seventeen and nearly launched and this was her first experience with blue crab.  It was a delightful surprise in a long day.