Painting class!

Many times over the last 2-3 years I have looked into various painting classes for Nadia. More and more new art studios have been popping up around us. I had looked into classes at three different studios in the past, and then recently I learned of another studio that opened just this year only fifteen minutes from us. One studio is run by a woman who had been a public school art teacher in Baltimore. The typical price is $20 per class, and that price includes supplies. Most of the classes are either 90 minutes or 2 hours long. The price had always been what stopped me in the past. The reason I decided to give this one a try was because I noticed she offered an art class for homeschoolers one Wednesday morning a month. She advertised the class in this way, "children will learn art history, color wheel, different types of art media, and much more." Nadia and Ian were the only two kids in the class today. They each created a 16x20" canvas of a monkey. 

I took Oliver to our church's playland during the class. I came back at 11:35 because I wanted to see the end of their class, but they were already done painting. They were sitting on a couch looking at picture books when I arrived. The class was supposed to go until noon, but it seems they didn't need that much time. From talking to the kids it didn't sound like there was any other instruction that went on aside from how to mix colors. The kids enjoyed the class and are proud of their paintings. Nadia said she did his 100% on her own, and she said the teacher helped Ian with his a little bit. She said Ian finished his before she did. The canvases are now displayed on their bedroom walls. It really is a nice addition to the decor of their rooms although the theme of monkeys actually matches Oliver's decor not theirs, but it's nice displaying their art work on the wall like that. I need to do more of that throughout the house!

I still think it's rather pricey. It was $40 for the two of them to have this one class. In contrast I will pay $40 for two of them to be in a 90 minute gym class for 6 weeks in April and May. She is offering art camps this summer, but they are also $10/hour ($250/week for a 5 day camp that meets 5 hours a day). Thankfully the painting and drawing camp I signed them up for at the children's museum is much cheaper ($117 for TWO kids to be in a 5 day camp that meets 3 hours a day), which comes to $3,90 per hour. I do not plan to make it a regular habit to take them to an art class every month, but it would be fun to take them to an art studio to paint a canvas maybe once or twice a year. 

After the art class I took them directly to the mall for a Mad Hatter Tea Party. It was nothing to write home about. I don't ever plan to take them to an event like that again. The mall had advertised there would be games, food, crafts, etc. They were allowed to pick one craft - either color a hat or put some stickers on a tiny foam teapot. Then they were each given a juice box and a tiny cupcake. The paper plate and napkin were Alice in Wonderland themed. That was it. There weren't any games. It wasn't worth the drive. I think it was a gimmick to get people to pay $$ to have their picture taken with the Easter bunny. The kids asked, but I declined. 

For dinner tonight we tried a recipe for our study of Iraq called potato and beef kebba. The kids and I all ate it pretty easily with ketchup. I'm not saying I want to make it again, but no one had any trouble eating it. That's a success considering it was a struggle to eat most of the African recipes. Paul asked me to skip choir rehearsal so he could stay later at work today. Since I will be in Maryland on Sunday I agreed although I was a little disappointed because I love the arrangement of "Were you there" that the choir is singing this Sunday and was looking forward to rehearsing it tonight. However not going to choir coupled with the time change meant that I was able to run four miles after taking the kids to AWANA. Yay for it not getting dark so early at night! It was the first time I was able to run this week. I ran a little faster and cut a minute off my mile compared to my pace last week.

Thankful Tuesday

 1. Paul's parents came up to watch the basketball games on Saturday, and they also treated us to lunch at McDonald's.

2.Ian finished the level 4 reading curriculum today, which meant we started watching "Return of the Jedi" this evening. He says he wants to start reading chapter books now.

3. Paul took Nadia to see the Christian school's production of "Beauty and the Beast" on Sunday afternoon. They enjoyed it. One of Nadia's basketball teammates was in the musical.

4. Ian enjoyed having pizza at his final basketball practice today, and Nadia enjoyed the basketball game that included the parents and kids playing together.

5. The weather was gorgeous last week! I walked over four miles and ran for twelve miles last week. Looking forward to when that becomes the norm.

6. I was able to cancel my doctor appointment for tomorrow because I am doing MUCH better than last week. Thankful!!!

7. Today I received an invitation to participate in a phone interview with Lock Haven University. I'm praying I will do my very best in that interview, and also I am still hoping for an interview invitation from Messiah College. Messiah would be the best in terms of geographical proximity to Paul's family's business. If I got the job at Lock Haven we probably wouldn't move because our current house is close to being in the middle in between Paul's job and Lock Haven.

13 hours!

Oliver slept at least 12 hours straight on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night last week as he got up between 8:20-8:45 those three mornings, and he goes to bed at 8:00 every night except for Wednesdays when it's a little later due to AWANA. Saturday night we put the kids to bed thirty minutes earlier than normal due to the fact we were going to lose an hour that night. Oliver woke up around 7:50 Sunday morning, which was 6:50 the old time - quite a bit earlier than he had awakened the three previous mornings. He didn't nap at all on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or today, but he has been doing well with playing in his room for a one hour "quiet time" each day. Last night we put the kids to be at their usual times (boys at 8:00 and Nadia at 8:30), and Oliver slept until 9:00 this morning! I don't ever recall him sleeping 13 hours straight before. I am rather impressed that he has that strong of a bladder. I certainly couldn't go 13 hours without using the bathroom. Not surprisingly, he wanted to use the bathroom right away when he got up this morning. Ian was the first child up this morning, and I did reading with him before Nadia or Oliver came down. Nadia likes to read from a chapter book in bed before she comes down for breakfast. She finished all of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books so now she is reading the Pippi Longstocking books.

Ian lost his first tooth!

This morning Ian decided he wanted his tooth out, and he asked Nadia to pull it out for him. She was very happy to help him out! She also wanted to be in charge of putting his $5 under his pillow tonight, but since I had already planned an outing to the mall this afternoon, I gave him the money during the day time and totally skipped the "tooth fairy" routine. I had planned a trip to the mall to use the rest of our free ice cream cone coupons for Friendly's (we had six and they were expiring in 5 days) and a $10 off coupon for JCPenney. I let Ian and Oliver each pick out one pair of pajamas. Ian picked Captain America and Oliver picked Mickey Mouse. I paid less than $5 total for both although the original prices would have totaled $66. Most of their clothes I buy at yard sales or consignment shops, but I prefer to buy socks, underwear, and pajamas brand new and JCP is usually the place to get the best bargains (and sometimes Sears). After they each ate a cup of cookies and cream ice cream, we headed to Target. Nadia had saved up a total of $22, and Ian had about $12. Ian bought a small Nexo Knights Lego set for $10 and Nadia bought another Anna doll. How many Frozen dolls does this girl own? This one is a plush one that sings.

I haven't focused on art as much as I would like to with the kids the last few months, but I have been trying to do more lately and plan to do even more from May through August. At right is a picture Ian drew this morning of birds. Nadia was better at coloring than Ian is at this age, but Ian has an easier time with drawing than she did. Nadia also has been doing keyboarding and Spanish lately which had been dropped for several months. I tend to err on the side of wanting them to have plenty of time to play and be kids rather than trying to cram in every possible subject in every week. I took my mom's advice and am having Nadia go back through all the songs in her two piano books again before we start the new books. She is doing great! She plays each song three times - once she sings the names of the notes while she plays it, the next time she sings the lyrics, and the third time she counts out the rhythm while playing the song.

While Nadia and Ian were in gym class Oliver and I went to a grocery store (not one we usually go to) before spending some time at the Well (indoor playland at church). Oliver loved having his own shopping car to push. He wanted me to put everything in his cart, but it was a little too small to hold everything. So cute! I was mostly buying things for our Jewish meal. Earlier in the week I had made challah bread (braided yeast bread), but today the kids had bagels (not something new but still something good to have when studying Israel) for lunch along with some matzo crackers. They really liked the crackers! Ian and Oliver liked the challah bread, but Nadia didn't. For our dinner I cooked tzimmes (features carrots and sweet potatoes), baked cheese sticks, chocolate macaroons (for dessert), and potato latkes. Not surprisingly, the cheese sticks were the most popular item.

Oliver did not nap at all today, but he slept in until 8:30 again. Wow! We shall see what happens with the time change this weekend. Usually this is the good time change for the kids, even though Paul hates to lose an hour. The other happy news of the day is that I slept better last night than I had in many days (although still some pain), but over the course of today I have felt remarkable improvement. Yahoo! I really didn't want to need an MRI or physical therapy or anything else the doctor mentioned as the next steps if the pain didn't go away. Hopefully in the near future I will be pain free and able to sleep on my sides again. We didn't go to a playground yesterday (because of the rain) or today (because of gym class and a trip to the mall), but I was able to run from 5;10-6:15. I left as soon as Paul got home from work. All in all I'd say we had a good day. It was a memorable day since it was the day Ian lost his very first tooth. My "babies" are growing up.

Changing seasons

Since the weather has been much warmer this week, I started the semi-annual process of switching out the kids' clothes. It's always a gradual process because there are months when the weather flip flops back and forth. I leave some long sleeve shirts in their drawers but put away the heavier sweaters and add some short sleeve shirts to their dressers. I also am sorting through the clothes that are being set aside to determine what might still fit next year or what should be passed on (Ian's clothes to Oliver) or given away/ sold (the things Nadia and Oliver have outgrown). I put some size 4T clothes on Oliver and not surprisingly, they fit him perfectly.

Ian is finally entering the season of life that involves losing teeth. He has his first wiggly tooth, and it is VERY wiggly. I think if he eats an apple that tooth will come right out. At first he was a little nervous about the prospect of losing a tooth (thinking it will be painful), but I told him if he waits until it's really wiggly it won't hurt when it comes up. I also reminded him that we give them $5 for the first tooth ($1

for all the other teeth), and the notion of getting $5 was very motivating for him. Nadia also has a loose tooth. She lost 2 teeth when she was 5, 4 teeth when she was 6, and has lost one so far at the age of 7. I think she'll lose it before she turns 8. Oliver wanted to get in on the action and tried to wiggle his teeth, but of course at 3 years old he will have to wait a couple of years.

When Oliver doesn't take a nap, he typically wakes up earlier than usual. Since he took a nap yesterday I thought he might get up later today, but I wasn't expecting him to sleep until 8:30! Wow! I knew he wouldn't nap today, but I tried to work with him on the concept of a quiet time in his room (he has books and stuffed animals in his room to keep him occupied). Today was the grand finale of Nadia and Ian's ten week ice skating class. All five of us skated (for free) and enjoyed a pizza party. The ice skating program provides the pizza and the parents bring the desserts, chips, drinks, fruit, veggies, jello, etc. On the way home Oliver fell asleep in the van. I guess the ice skating pooped

him out. Yesterday when he fell asleep in the afternoon in the van on the way home from the Children's Museum I let him continue to sleep in the van in the garage. I opened the doors of the vehicle, closed the garage door, and left the door between the garage and kitchen open so I could hear him when he woke up because he doesn't know how to unbuckle his seat belt. Since it was 6:40pm when we got home today, I was not about to let him keep sleeping in the van. He was NOT happy when I woke him up. The season of giving up one's afternoon nap can be a bit bumpy. 

One of my favorite musicals is "Fiddler on the Roof, " and I was thinking today of the song "Sunrise, Sunset." In particular I was thinking of the chorus - "Sunrise, sunset, 

Swiftly fly the years, 

One season following another, 

Laiden with happiness and tears." It's truly hard for me to believe that Nadia will be turning 8 years old in 3 months. It doesn't seem possible that many years have passed already. 

There have certainly been many twists and turns in Paul's life in terms of jobs he's held and schooling. As I look back, I realize I probably shouldn't have been so shell shocked in August when he told me he was abandoning the field of chemistry in favor of the job he had told me for 18.5 years he never wanted to have. When we met in 1997 he had recently just come back to work for his dad. Prior to that he had been a painter and a welder in New Mexico, and prior to that he had a few different jobs in PA (including working for his dad). I was surprised when he told me he was going to Penn State to earn his BS. Since I knew he didn't want to own the family business, I thought it was wise for him to go to school so I supported his decision although I knew it would mean we would have to wait to get married. We dated for 4.5 years because he lived near PSU (a couple of hours from where I lived), which is longer than usual to date considering we were in our mid to late 20's when we met. I had wished he would have picked a closer college (which would have meant cheaper tuition and cheaper room/board and also we could have gotten married sooner). Years later (after he took a couple of classes at Kutztown and Bloomsburg), he told me he wished he had followed my advice because he liked taking classes better at those schools than PSU (and also realized he would have brought less debt into our marriage). I assumed though that if he was going to school for 4 years that when he graduated he would look for a job that used his new degree in mathematics, so I was surprised that he opted to work for his dad again, but I was the primary breadwinner and we didn't have kids, so his decision didn't really effect me. I was surprised again a few years later when he wanted to get a master's degree in chemistry, but I eventually came around although I didn't think he would enjoy teaching (and he has also mentioned recently that he remembers me saying that). Then it went from a master's to a doctorate, and this was harder for me to accept because I was pregnant with Nadia when he was applying for doctoral programs, and I had planned to be a SAHM. But he assured me he would be able to get an even better job and make more money for the family if he got his PhD so I finally came around and supported that decision and continued to work outside the home - went back when Nadia was 8 weeks old.

It basically has felt like I've been on a boomerang with him bouncing back and forth between working for his dad and going to school and back to working for his dad and back to school, etc. In the last 19 years he was a FT student for 10.5 of those years (also was a PT student some of the time he was working for his dad), worked for his dad for 5.5 of those years, and has been teaching chemistry for almost 3 years. Two years ago he toyed with giving up the field of chemistry (after having been in it for less than a year). He declined three interview invitations (two were for tenure track positions) two years ago, so I guess in hind sight I should have "seen this coming," but I didn't. I was totally and completely shell shocked in August. I can't think of any time in my life when I was more shell shocked than I was that night. 

I made so many decisions over the past 3.5 years on the assumption that he was going to stay in the field of chemistry and in a few years make the same salary I had been making at Bloomsburg when I resigned. I feel so much regret over the fact that I resigned from my job. If I had known this was the path he was going to take, I never would have quit my job, but I can't have my job back now. I also wish that when he asked me 2 years ago to trade places with him (he be the SAHD and I be a professor again) that I had agreed because I find that option more appealing than the current plan. He held that position (of wanting to trade places) for about 18 months, but he also changed his view on that in August and is no longer interested in that option. I can't change the past, so I can only try to learn from it. For one thing, I am trying now to realize that Paul might continue to make career changes in the future as he has his whole adult life. He's never stayed in one job for very long. I'm sure he won't be going back to school though. Hopefully this realization will make it easier for me to accept the next time he wants to switch gears. The only other job he's mentioned he might pursue is driving a garbage truck so maybe that will be his next choice. Who knows. I also have come to the understanding that he makes unilateral decisions. I need to accept the fact that my opinions don't carry any weight with him. Maybe it will be easier to accept future decisions he makes if I realize from the outset I don't have any say in the matter.I really want to come to terms with this major transition, and I also don't want to get this upset again if something like this happens again in the future. It's been really hard on me emotionally. I realize there are much bigger needs out there (such as my mother's cancer), but if you are a praying person, I would still covet your prayers that I can bounce back emotionally and adjust to this new season of life we will be entering in 2 months. It still just makes me want to cry. Some of his decisions I have really liked. For example, he was the one who had the idea to homeschool. I love it! He was the one who wanted to do IVF. Boy was he right and boy was I wrong to pursue adoption instead at first. Hopefully in time I will think this decision was the right one albeit it's really hard for me to picture that right now.

Like Medicine

 I know the saying is that "laughter is the best medicine" (based on Proverbs 17:22), and I do agree that laughter can really be uplifting, but I think there is also a case to be made that sunshine is also a great medicine. I know we get vitamin D from sunshine, which I'm sure is beneficial, but it seems to go beyond that for me at least. There is just something about being outside in the fresh air (I prefer it to be at least in the 60's) when the skies are blue and the sun is shining. Today it got at least as warm as 79 degrees! I know the temps won't stay this high quite yet, but we are enjoying a gorgeous week in the 60's and 70's. Additionally, it feels good to get some exercise.  Next winter I need to find an exercise to do inside the house during the winter months OR I need to eat less food during those months because I gained back a lot of what I lost last summer. I hadn't been weighing myself, which was foolish on my part. I was weighed at the doctor yesterday and they said I had lost weight, but I know I had actually gained weight over the past three months. I thought since my jeans were still fitting that I hadn't gained much weight. I was wrong. Well this week I have gotten back on track to start shedding those pounds yet again. I walked to the playground on Monday and Tuesday and ran four miles this evening. If I exercise, go back to eating oatmeal for breakfast, and cut back on cookies, ice cream, etc. I know I can lose the weight again. Here's to hoping that more time outside in the fresh air and getting more exercise can be a boost to my spirits as I really want to feel "myself" again which certainly hasn't been the case for the past 6 1/2 months.

I took the kids to the Children's Museum this morning for their "Homeschool Hangout." Since it was so pretty they had set up the activities outside. The theme today was camping out and included things like assembling a small first aid kit, making a flashlight (Nadia got frustrated but eventually got the wires working correctly), making animal prints with modeling clay, doing an experiment regarding purified water, creating a shelter using various materials they provided, etc. Nadia spent the most time making animal prints. Ian really enjoyed a board game called Camp. They also spent a little time inside the museum before we headed to the playground that is close to the museum. I was surprised at how crowded it was given we arrived at 1:30 in the afternoon on a Wednesday. I was thrilled to see Ian going down the fireman's pole of his own initiative as in the past he was unwilling to try it. He is getting braver and braver! In the past I have tried to hurry the kids back so we would get home by 1:00 for Oliver's nap, but I am trying to adjust my thinking since he hasn't been napping. He did actually fall asleep in the van when we were about half-way home. It was his first nap in several days. He and Ian both find it easy to fall asleep in a vehicle.

This evening we didn't have choir rehearsal, and that was perfect timing because I ended up having a massage at 6:30 (which is when choir rehearsal usually starts). I did sleep a little better last night, but I have still been in a lot of pain today and couldn't sleep on either side last night. So I splurged and paid $35 for a back/neck/arm massage, but if it leads to me getting more sleep and being in less pain during the day, it will be money well spent. It is much harder to show patience with the children when I am in constant pain.

While we were at the children's museum, I signed Nadia and Ian up for a painting/drawing "camp" in June. It will be from 10:00am-1:00pm M-F for one week. On Monday I will need to take Oliver somewhere else (like the playground if the weather is nice) because the museum isn't open on Mondays, but the other four days he can play in the museum while they have their class. Perfect! I also signed Nadia and Ian up for an art class for homeschoolers next Wednesday morning at an art studio much closer to our home. That class is pricier than the one at the Children's Museum, but I decided to try it once and see if it's worth the money or not.

Thankful Tuesday

1. We have been having absolutely gorgeous weather this week. It feels like spring! I am eagerly anticipating seeing the grass turn green, leaves on the trees, flowers, etc. I love spring! We walked to the playground yesterday without coats on, and today we were all sweating wearing long sleeve shirts when we walked to the playground again. Tomorrow we'll be wearing short sleeves! I am hoping to get back into the routine of running at least 12 miles a week starting tomorrow.

2. Oliver has given up his nap. I am still adjusting to this phenomenon because for 7.66 years, we've had at least one child napping in our house every day. Life without anyone taking a nap is not something I have fully wrapped my mind around yet. I am thankful that Oliver will stay in his bed for a quiet time every day (at least 50 minutes per day). Ian never mastered that skill. Praying for a not too difficult transition as he is definitely crankier in the evenings when he hasn't napped.

3. Oliver got a good report at the pulmonologist yesterday morning in terms of his lung function. The doctor did give him an antibiotic for an ear infection and sinus infection. Paul's parents were at the same hospital that the kids and I were at the same time yesterday morning while his mom had her monthly infusion. I am very thankful she has been SO much healthier over the past year.

4. Ian made three baskets during practice this evening! I am thrilled I was able to see his one basket in his game a couple of weeks ago. I'm hoping to see Nadia and/or Ian make another basket in their last two games this season.

5. Nadia and Ian's soccer practices mostly overlap this spring! Nadia's are from 5:30-7:00 on M/W, and Ian's are from 5:30-6;30 on M/W. I already told their coaches they will have to leave at 6:20 on Wednesdays for church. Last fall their practices were on different days of the week. This will be a lot more convenient.

6. I have had some pain in my neck and shoulder for a week, but the last two days the pain was MUCH worse and was shooting down my right arm. I have not gotten much sleep the past two nights. I called the
doctor yesterday morning, but the soonest they could fit me in was 1:00 today. It was the first time the kids were with me for a doctor appointment for me. All six eyes were studying me very carefully as the nurse took my temperature, blood pressure, etc. The doctor said I have a pinched nerve and gave me prescriptions for steroids and a muscle relaxant. Hopefully I will get a lot more sleep tonight and the pain will go away soon.

7. My mom was also at the doctor on Monday. The cat scan showed the tumors had shrunk some in response to the chemo (yay!) but they are still producing fluid (they keep draining the fluid from below the one lung at home). Tomorrow she will have her third chemo and meet with the surgeon to find out if she qualifies for surgery or not. The surgery is necessary for her to ever be in remission. Please keep praying for her. We also are praying that she will get relief from the excess fluid in her abdomen and legs. Thankful that this time there was no mention of the "h" word (hospice). She would love to regain enough strength to be able to climb the stairs so she
can sleep in her own bed and take a shower.

8. A friend I met online 13 years ago has two boys (via IVF), and she found out yesterday that she is pregnant again (from her third fresh IVF transfer). PTL! I'm praying for a healthy pregnancy for her.

9. We got rid of our cable tv (again) in January, and we don't miss it. I am so thankful we can watch shows like I Love Lucy and Wild Kratts (without commercials) whenever we want via Amazon prime.

Room on the Broom

We left the house at 9:30 this morning and didn't come back until about 2:45. First we watched Ian's basketball game. He didn't make any baskets, but he was definitely more aggressive (in a good way) with trying to get the basketball (even was down on the floor trying to get it a couple of times!). He could do a better job at remembering to go to half court when the possession switches to the other team. Usual a coach or referee had to remind him. Oops! He played 4 of the 6 quarters. The other games this season he had played 2 or 3 of the 6 quarters each game. Once his game was over I took the boys to our church's indoor play land for about 30 minutes before returning for Nadia's 12:00 game. We all left once her game reached half-time because we had tickets for a 1:00 show at Bucknell. She usually plays 3 out of 6 quarters. The coach had her play 2 of the 3 in the first half since he knew she wouldn't be there during the second half. The kids enjoyed the 60 minute show at Bucknell about the story "Room on the Broom". There were four actors, and they also used three puppets in the show (dog, frog, and bird).

After the show was over we came home, and I put Oliver down for a late nap. He didn't go to sleep. He has been very erratic lately with his naps. Some days he doesn't nap, and then other days I have to wake him up because he has been napping for three hours. The good news is that he is like Nadia and doesn't mind having a quiet time in his bed (whereas Ian never had a quiet time once he gave up his nap). I usually have him stay in his bed for one hour with some stuffed animals if he doesn't nap. Because Nadia learned the last song in her piano book yesterday, we used Paul's gift card (thanks Mom and Dad!) for Bonanza for dinner this evening. Yum! After dinner we got our chores done (meaning Nadia helped me clean the bathrooms and Ian helped me dust) before watching one episode of Wild Kratts and one episode of I Love Lucy via Amazon Prime. I'd say we've all had a good day! Below is a video I took of Ian reading today. He had never seen those pages before. He didn't read it perfectly, but I think he's doing a great job considering he's in Kindergarten.

Sparks-a-Rama

I was never very athletic, but I really enjoyed participating in the AWANA Olympics when I was a child. Each week the kids play various relay races and other games at AWANA, and once a year different churches come together to compete playing those same games. The kids in Sparks (K-2nd) participate in an event called Sparks-a-Rama. Nadia didn't participate in it when she was in Kindergarten because it was held on a Saturday morning and conflicted with one of her basketball games, and since Paul was the coach of her team, it didn't seem like we could skip the game. Last year the kids participated in AWANA at our church, and they don't participate in this type of event. So tonight was the first time for both Nadia and Ian to participate. Grandma and Pop Pop came up to cheer for their team. Next year Nadia will be in T&T (group for grades 3-5) which means she would be participating in a different AWANA games event.

As I worked on making a photo book last night for the first time in three months I realized exactly how few pictures I had taken in that time frame. Hopefully I will take more this month because I was planning on ordering a photo book by the end of this month using some free codes from Shutterfly before they expire. I did take several videos today of the kids. I took one of Nadia playing one of the songs at the end of her piano book, and two of Oliver singing two songs. I also took two at the AWANA games this evening. The event shown that Ian was participating in (Sparks train) his team came in first, and the event shown that Nadia was participating in (stacking buckets) her team came in second place. Next I need to take one of Ian reading to show how much progress he has made!





 

Field trips and summer plans

There are many reasons why I love homeschooling, but one of my top ten reasons would definitely be that we can take far more field trips than kids in school typically attend in a year. I was known for taking kids on more field trips than usual when I was a teacher. My goal was about 8 field trips a year, and the biggest obstacle I had with that goal was getting enough parents to chaperone that many trips. Kindergarten teachers don't have that problem. Almost every child has a parent or grandparent who would like to attend the field trip, but with middle school it can be more of a challenge, especially as kids that age often don't like their peers to see them with a parent so sometimes the kids were telling their parents "don't volunteer" which is again not generally the case with younger children.

I have not done as many field trips this school year as usual for a variety of reasons, one of which is that I just emotionally have not been myself the past six months. The drastic reduction in the the number of photographs I have taken and the frequency of blog posts are evidence of a change. I usually love planning field trips and other special events, but that hasn't been the case lately. It also is more complicated when your house is on the market and you don't know where or when you will be relocating. The kids only went on one field trip in January and one in February prior to this week, but this week we had our second for February and by Saturday should have had our second for March already.

On Monday night I took the kids to an event at the public library about Leap Day.  After the librarian read a couple of books, the kids went to various stations to make an origami frog, see how far they could jump, and do an experiment to power a clock with apples, lemons, potatoes, milk, onions, or soda.

Tuesday morning we headed to a state park for a program on rocks and minerals. At the end of the program we worked in small groups to identify 14 different rocks (granite, mica, amethyst, etc.). Nadia enjoyed the part where she played the role of a volcano, which the naturalist named Mt. Nadia. This Saturday afternoon we plan to take the kids to a musical at Bucknell.

Since our house has not been shown for 2 months (we did turn down one showing when Oliver was in the hospital) it seems like our house won't be selling in the near future. Also, we have decided if I don't get a job we will stay here in this house one more year. Also we will stay here if I am offered a job at Lock Haven. We figure we can afford to live here one more year because Paul will receive a double salary for four months as he plans to start at KCI in May but will be paid by Bucknell through the end of August. That double pay can also pay for Nadia's braces. If I am offered a job at Messiah College, then we would move this summer, but we could wait until the end of July to do so.

Because of all the uncertainty, I held off on signing the kids up for camp although there was a financial incentive for doing so. However if we do it by March 15 we can still save $40 so I decided today that I will sign Nadia up this week. Now that we know the dates of the theatre production (she's excited that she'll be doing Little Mermaid Jr this summer), I let her pick which week of Girl's camp she wanted to attend. She picked the first week because it will have a Medieval theme. Ian at one point said he wanted to attend the 3 night camp like Nadia did last year, but he has changed his mind, which is fine with me. Nadia will be attending seven nights of camp this time around. I am planning on signing both of them up for a week of horse camp where they took horseback riding lessons two years ago. That camp is just during the day (M-F). Finally, I am planning to send them to one week of CEF's Good News Day Camp at a church near us. They've never done that before. I think doing these camps will be fun and help compensate for the fact we're not planning on going on a vacation this year (unless I get a job). I also have picked two dates to go to Knoebels and two dates to go to DelGrosso's. I also want to schedule one day at Sesame Place (we didn't go last year) and also a pirate ship cruise in Annapolis once in the summer. I am also planning to sign Nadia and Ian up for tennis lessons, if they offer them again this summer. I may not know for sure where we'll be living in September, whether the kids will be homeschooled or enrolled in a school next year, or whether I will be employed or a SAHM, but it's at least nice to start making plans for our summer. If I am not offered a job in the next couple of months, we will take our house off the market.