It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here and I didn't
really have anything to do with it. Oh, perhaps you could say I had one teeny-tiny thing to do with it. You must not blink, though, or you just might miss it.
While I was scrubbing the bathroom floor (on a Sunday afternoon), I could hear my husband strum a guitar. He was playing some music while he waited. I didn't know he was waiting for me. He didn't know I was cleaning.
(I don't usually work at all on Sundays much less start deep-cleaning projects so why I felt compelled to get on my hands and knees to scour the bathroom tile is hard to say -- except that it was
WAY over due and that I had folks coming over on Monday. But, I didn't really remember that I had company coming before I started disinfecting. At some point the dirt simply screams to be eliminated and I oblige. But I digress.)
So, while I am scrubbing the bathroom tile, the Hubby finally comes to find me instead of just waiting. He asks if I want to set up the Christmas tree. I say, "Sure."
And that was the extent of my involvement. That is all I did. I said, "Sure."
This is a true statement.
The Hubby and Sweet Number Three -- who is nine -- brought all the boxes down from the attic. Then, while the Hubby and I were discussing where to displace the trunk that lives in the corner so that we could put the tree in the same spot as last year, the Youngest ran by us and said in a loud voice, "Don't look in the living room or the dining room."
Hmmmm. Could they really do this all by themselves? The Youngest came by again, delivering the same message, "Don't look in the living or dining room."
But the Hubby, who has always been in charge of setting up the tree, had had to modify the tree last year. He needed to go help. He couldn't just let them do it. (He is not, by the way, a control freak. He just wanted to prevent Disasters of Much Greater Harder Work for us later on.) He walked to the living room. The Twelve-Year-Old First Born Son said, "You made a diagram last year, dad. It's clear. I'm following your instructions."
They had moved the trunk from the corner. This capable young man, who builds
all-of-the-time, was doing just fine. They were all working together,
pleasantly. The Firstborn said, "We'll do this. Put your feet up. "
And so we did.
The Hubby made popcorn. I made hot cocoa. We sat down on the couch, drank cocoa, ate popcorn, and watched the children do
all the decorating, including the lights. After we sipped our last sip, we drifted off to a quick cat-nap.
I was thrilled because I had wanted a nap and I wasn't really up for decorating the house. (Though I had been up for scrubbing bathroom tile? As the Hubby said when he found me cleaning on a Sunday afternoon, "You are a strange creature.") But things are a-changing around here. The children really
are helpful and able to
do. And I was able to nap.
So on Sunday: The children set-up the tree, the nativity scene, the outdoor lights, and the various Christmas knick-knacks around the house. The Hubby strummed a little guitar. I removed the dirt from the bathroom and kitchen floor. (The kitchen floor mopping came after the Christmas decorations and before the movie.) The Hubby & I took naps. We all watched
Prince Caspian, which I had checked out from the library. (Which was another first, by the way, because usually the DVDs from the library are so scratched up they simply just do
NOT play.)
Life is changing around here. It's not all bad. Actually, it is quite good and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas, too.
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here and I didn't really have anything to do with it. Oh, perhaps you could say I had one teeny-tiny thing to do with it. You must not blink, though, or you just might miss it.
Spring flower offerings from my lovely offspring.
These posts resonated deeply within me and also the Carole Joy Seid conference that I attended two weeks ago. They have helped me to consider what I really want to be about. I've been thinking about how much time I really want to spend blogging. I've aspired to post 4-5 times per week. But that has never even remotely happened.
...and manage time at the computer, I'll be posting less than I was.
If you know me, call me and let's do coffee. Or come & over and we'll linger & laugh over a meal. And then just maybe, I'll post your picture here (as long as that's okay with you). Less time on the computer, more time face to face.
My new friend Hope, Carole Joy Seid & me
A chair at our dining room table is the place our students spend most of their time at our school.
The big windows in the dining room provide lots of natural light and a view of the stray cats and dogs from the neighborhood, some birds and butterflies, the mail carrier putting mail in the mailbox, the changing weather, and other children walking home from school.
The hard part about schooling at the dining room table is that this is also where we eat. At times it is a hassle to clear the table to eat and then start again. But to compensate I often read at lunch time before we've cleaned up the lunch mess.
When the kids are working independently, one or two will scoot off to their rooms or another area of the house so that "they can concentrate." And this is the evidence that is often left behind that readers have been here. We also read in the living room. And the highlight of the day is the evening book that Daddy reads in the living room. In the winter, everyone gets nice and cozy to listen up.
McGooger Academy will launch its 2010-2011 school year on August 23rd with the theme of Books, Books, and More Books. I loosely follow the 'Carole Joy Seid' method which combines the best of Charlotte Mason, Dorothy & Raymond Moore, and a little bit of classical methodology. This translates into math, nature exploration, chores, time to create, some writing and MUCH reading (i.e. on their own, read-alouds by mom, read-alouds by dad, and some group reading out loud to each other and to their youngest brother).
May 1 & 2: Flooding of Historic Proportions
May 4: Dance Recital
May 7: Visit with Friend from Croatia
May 9: Mother's Day with home-made cards & breakfast in bed
June 13: Piano Acquisition
Culmination of a Great Baseball Season (late February-mid June):
Friends who came to visit. June 19-20
Everyday drama & fun that happens at our house.
Jaeger Cousin Lollapalooza: June 24-30
Good readers make good story-tellers
Buddies!
Warriors!
