Gymnastics!

 

E has his first EVER gymnastics meet! It was perfect. We arrived early; Level 4 was still on the floor. e drew a lot of pictures. E sat on my knee and watched. Eventually his teammates arrived and he went with them to begin stretches.

 

The most exhilarating moment was when Level 4 awards were over and Levels 5-7 were told to begin their warm-up rotations. The out-breath of the younger group finishing was in stark contrast to the in-breath of the older, bigger, stronger children that rushed the floor. They were eager to begin. Where before there was empty space was now filled with running, flipping, twisting, swinging bodies. On the floor, rings, high bar, mushroom, pommel horse, vault, and parallel bars boys in slick uniforms ran through their routines. Amazing routines.

 

My E was not nearly as nervous as I thought he'd be. Three weeks ago he was a wreck. But today, cool and collected.

This is a mushroom, folks. Prep for pommel horse. So levels 5 and 6 do routines on both pommel horse and mushroom to make up their pommel score.

E did awesome. He finished in the top 6 in all apparatus plus all-around for his age and level at his first meet! A great start to the season. His coaches are pleased. I'm happy for him and proud of him. He has worked so very hard! But most of all I'm proud that his achievement comes out of his own motivation. We don't tell him to practice or do better. This is ALL HIM. He eats, breathes, and sleeps gymnastics. So as I watch him, I think how amazing this boy of mine is and pray that I can be more patient and loving in other areas I tell him to focus on...like chores and sitting calmly at the table! One child can't do it all, right?

 

The End of the Beginning

e's story came to an end with the tale of 3 shepherds traveling to see the King of Kings born in a manger,

and the prince arriving home to his cat. His mother was so surprised to see him that she dropped her needle. He, in turn, displayed his new attitude towards life by picking up the needle for her. Next week e will do a few summary pages of writing. She's hoping to enjoy that. :)

E completed his last group of peoples: people of the desert. He does love to draw in this style!

Our current little read-aloud. It reminds me of Whinnie the Pooh, only funnier. It's a great exercise in roundabout logic! E will sometimes stop me so he can think one through.

By the fireplace you can see our spinning wheel- more on that later!

 

Project Linus

I have always wanted to do something charitable with the children, but never knew what. How to do something with purpose, yet shield them from coming face-to-face with the hurt and sadness in the world? A friend suggested Project Linus for Snowball Express. Fleece blankets for children whose parents were killed in action. Perfect.

 

My kids knew the blankets were to comfort children who had lost a parent in action...a very scary thought, but manageable because they had no visual of those children's reality- the empty spot at the table, the flag-draped coffin, the tears and gravesite. What my children could see and feel was what they were doing to help, rather than the tragedy itself. The softness and warmth of the fleece, the effort and love we were putting into the project.

We plan to do many more blankets for Project Linus in the coming years.

The rains and the winds are scattering leaves! So pretty. I love autumn.

But what I love even more is that E feels free to be himself. :)

 

Handwriting

 

I asked e if I could write the lyrics to her favorite fall song on her painting. She enthusiastically said yes. I began, and made it through the first verse before she stopped me.

 

"I want to do it," she said.

 

So over the course of two days, she did it. I love looking at her handwriting. It is hers, nobody else's. Over time, she will write out her favorite songs, her observations, her hopes and dreams and stories, in that very same handwriting. Her handwriting will change as she grows, but it will still be hers. All hers.

 

I am the Clay

e made G a hay dish. Unfortunately G enjoys chewing the dish, so she only gets to use it under supervision. It sits on my desk and stares at me. It got me thinking.

On Saturday a good friend interviewed me. She's doing a study on homeschoolers, and, well, I homeschool. Perfect. Why do we homeschool? What are the pros? The cons? What would public schools have to change in order for us to even consider enrolling? Who is my muse in this venture? What have I learned about my children? Myself?

That last question was the hardest to answer. Myself? Myself as a mother, myself as a woman? Every answer I gave kept coming back to my children. My identity right now revolves around my children. I am their mother, their teacher. Day in and day out, they are always in front of me, beside me, behind me, asking me to make sense of this big world in a manner that they can understand. I don't know that I gave my friend a coherent response then, but after staring at this clay today, I think I've got it.

 

I am the clay. Homeschooling has stretched me further than I ever knew I could be stretched. It has pushed, molded, cut, sliced, scraped, flattened, and smoothed me into something better than I was before. Way better.

 

I am more patient, more trusting, more flexible. I don't hold my children or myself to standards based on anything but current personal progress. I am more forgiving, and more consistent. More sure of myself and my ideas. My priorities and my faith have gained clarity. I know how to follow, and yet lead. I am healthier than I've ever been. I am a much better help-meet to my husband. I have a much larger knowledge base than ever before. I have purpose, and a mission.

 

It has been a rocky path, but not without beauty and light. I am thankful for my quirky, creative, curious E. He has blazed a trail we all benefit from.

 

Back to School

e and G are recovering, doctor and vet appointments seem to be over for the time being, so this week was devoted to getting back into a schooly, art project routine.

We finished E's weaving project he started in Alaska. He's pretty proud of his work.

The children opted to make balloon and tissue paper lanterns for Martinmas this year. We invited our friends to walk with us, and fun was had by all. 4 children ages 6 to 11 tromping through the woods with lanterns in the dark, with the youngest one singing I go outside with my lantern, my lantern goes with me... It was a lovely night.

Children with lanterns in a dark wood are never still!

We are slowly making progress on E's spinning wheel. My sweet, crafty friend in Alaska made E the kit for his birthday last March. We finally, finally painted it, bees waxed it, and bought the few remaining bits. We should be up and spinning by next week!

Our friends brought clay and tools yesterday. So much fun! We haven't done any modeling in a long time.

e's number adventure continued from this last month

 

To this, finishing the main lesson on Roman Numerals. Her writing and drawing is not what it was last month. Amazing how much a cast on the non-dominant arm impacts skills we generally attribute only to the ability to use the dominant hand.

E's lesson book page from a month ago,

And the page from this week. The Pacific Northwest speaks to him- that's our home.

Today at the zoo, e noticed a gigantic bush of rosemary. She took a small pinch off the back side of it and carried it all the way home to add to our dinner. It was delicious.

e spent two days on this painting. Beautiful, no? Come Little Leaves is her favorite song right now.

E's math program is really working memorization of the times tables right now, so we've done an extra amount of jumping, skipping, jumping rope, ball-bouncing, etc to help work the facts into his head.

It is all things fall right now! The leaves are turning, the squirrels are everywhere... It is most certainly my favorite season!

e drew the squirrel!

 

Roses in November

Isn't this beautiful? A rose blooming in November! I am loving fall in Virginia.

We had our chimney swept, and started our first fire yesterday. It doesn't radiate heat like a woodstove, but it raised the temperature of our house to 65! And let me tell you, 65 never felt so warm. 65 felt downright toasty! The kids were excited to see a real fire. They noted how it moved, the different colors, the warmth, the positioning of the log. Everything. That's science!

Guinea's been super snuggle-y today. Time to go cuddle the pig and appreciate she is still with us!