Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Having a great week

Little Brother is on spring break this week, and I've been reminded how nice it is to just go out and have fun with the kids.

Monday we went to the zoo (with half of western Washington, it seemed). Surprisingly, even with a half million people piled into the Woodland Park Zoo, we somehow managed to run into a group of friends when we got there. We were about to join them when I realized that what the kids and I really wanted was to hang out just the three of us. Sometimes it's nice to do stuff like that with a big group, but doing our own thing was just what we needed. No regrets - we had a terrific day.

Tuesday I took the kids with me to our friends' house - Moms were lifting weights, kids were (supposed to be) playing outside and enjoying the sunny morning. We moms had a nice workout, and the kids mostly kept themselves occupied (Little Brother being the exception - he liked hanging out and exercising with the ladies). Afterwards we ran a couple errands, then came back to work in the yard. Big Sister is such a huge help in the garden this year! I can't believe what a difference a year makes. I can delegate tasks to her, and she can complete them with little to no interference/hovering from me. She planted a section of the front walkway with impatiens, while I dug up and transplanted six blueberry bushes to new locations (hopefully they'll produce better than in years past, unless they suffered too much shock). I also cheated and bought some broccoli starts. Slugs got to them before we did last year, so I'm on guard this time - they better watch out.

Today (Wednesday) we've had plans to participate in a tree planting event that's taking place for Arbor Day. We'll be meeting some other girls from Big Sister's girl scout troop there, along with moms and siblings. I'd figured I'd bust out some homeschooling this morning, since the tree planting won't be happening until late afternoon, but then I had another ingenious plan - swimming. I've been wanting to get the kids signed-up for swim lessons so they're ready to jump in the water this summer, but hadn't gotten around to making the necessary calls. This morning I called the community pool and found out they could assess the kids at the family swim if we wanted to come on down. We hopped in the car, went swimsuit shopping, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and headed to the pool. Little Brother had to take care of getting his suit on and showering by himself in the men's locker room, which was a little nerve-racking for me. He took forever in there, and eventually I went and stood outside the entrance to the pool and called for him. Same story when we finished up to head home. Turns out he was enjoying a relaxing shower. Anyway - I did get them signed up. Sister starts tomorrow evening, twice/week, and Brother will start in a few weeks.

Tomorrow's forecast calls for rain, so we're planning to go see the movie "Monsters vs. Aliens". The kids are really looking forward to it. We don't see many movies, so this is a real treat.

Friday we have LEGO club with our homeschool group. It's loud and crazy, but we don't like to miss this monthly gathering to free-build with thousands of LEGOs of all kinds, while hanging with friends. Blocks and buddies - how can you go wrong?

Next week it's back to the usual routine - not bad, just different. Prior to this year, when we didn't have an established routine, our weeks often looked like this one. While it was nice to drop everything and head to the zoo at the drop of a hat, I don't think we appreciated it as much as we have this week, nor did the outings stand out the way they have these past few days. There may be something to saving everything up for a crazy, fun-filled week here and there.

Friday, April 3, 2009

It's not my imagination

Our weather really has been cr*p. From the National Weather Service this morning:

IN SEATTLE...RECORD RAINFALL HAS BEEN RECORDED AT SEATTLE-TACOMA AIRPORT ON BOTH THE FIRST AND THE SECOND OF THE MONTH. TOTAL RAINFALL FOR THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THE MONTH WAS 1.31 INCHES WHICH IS OVER HALF THE MONTHLY NORMAL RAINFALL TOTAL OF 2.59 INCHES. THE ONLY TIME IN SEATTLE WEATHER RECORDS THAT MORE RAIN HAS BEEN RECORDED ON THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF APRIL WAS BACK IN 1915 WHEN 1.87 INCHES OF RAIN WAS RECORDED. RECORDS GO BACK TO 1891.

And we're supposed to brace ourselves for record lows Friday night/Saturday morning. It's nice that my laziness in the garden will be paying off!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Self-education and unit study prep...

I'm dabbling in geology, writing my own Rocks and Minerals unit study to do with the kids in another month or so. It's coming together nicely! I was inspired to get us going on Rocks after a family bike ride that took us across the Tolt River a few weeks ago. The four of us made our way out to a gravel bar that had formed, and spent close to an unplanned hour poking our way through all the fascinating rocks. We kept picking up new stones, exclaiming at their shapes and colors, and wondering what they were. I really want to go back with the kids and have some idea of what we're looking at, and how those rocks came to be. With the massive rainfall we've had since then, I'm not sure what we'll find next time we go. The river channel is in a constant state of flux out there in Carnation.

My knowledge of Geology is limited, to say the least. I never took "Rocks for Jocks" in college, never really having much more than a passing interest in earth science. I taught a Geology Hike back in my days working at the outdoor science school (BC "before children"), but remember very little. So what does one do when one wants to know more??? Well, first I went online and refreshed my memory on the Rock Cycle, which was also a great vocab refresher. I looked up a few course syllabi to see what the key features a survey of geology might include. Then I went to the library and checked out books about Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary rocks, as well as a book on experiments to do concerning rocks and the rock cycle. I've been reading, reading, reading, and paying special attention to the areas that always had me stumped before. Now I'm trying to piece it all together so I can teach the kids in a way that's structured enough to provide necessary information, and fluid enough that I won't try to resist the "rabbit trails" I know will pop up. Once it's done, I'll post it on the blog.

In the meantime - could you think sunny thoughts for us, so we can soon walk safely along the riverbank again without being washed away? We can't take much more of this liquid sunshine.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Boys are different...

In case you needed proof that boys really are different from girls, some gems from my 6-year old...

LB: "Mom, you know what chore is my favorite?"
Me: "No, which one?"
LB: "Putting away the silverware, cuz I get to put away all the sharp knives!"
Followed by a sinister laugh...

The other morning I was about to wake LB to get ready for school, when I heard quiet singing coming from his room. "Oh, how sweet!" I thought... then I stood outside the door listening, and this was the made up song that I heard:
"...soup cups, and teacups.
And the teacups each had a lasergun,
and I took one! And I pushed the button..."


Telling me about a girl from school:
"She makes me feel happy. I really like her, but so does my friend Alex. I'm going to let Alex marry her. I like her, but I don't want all that marriage stuff, like kids and everything, so he can have her. Plus, he's my friend, and I want to be nice." (LOL - you should see how all the little boys act when in this girl's company. She has the entire class of kindergarten boys wrapped around her finger. It's frightening, really.)