the gift of an ordinary moment

in my head, i'm quite the domestic goddess around the house, an organized martha stewart, if you will, and a healthy version of paula deen in the kitchen.  like i said, in my head.  my head doesn't always play out in real life.  life is messy.  i've mentioned that a time or twenty.

truthfully, i try.  but i tire of spinning so many plates.  a few of them, self-inflicted, i'm sure.  so much to do, so little of me to go around.  that's where i stand in this season of motherhood.  chances are, you know where i'm coming from.

a friend of mine asked my soon-to-be-thirteen-year-old (excuse me whilst i have an i'm-not-ready-for-my-girls-to-grow-up-tantrum) what we did over spring break.  my sweet girl told my friend that we cleaned.  and did schoolwork.

nice.

laughing, i walked up and reminded her that we only had theater and schoolwork this past week.  evenings were completely free for playtime since all dance classes & piano/voice was cancelled.

maybe we could take more breaks if we were not involved in theater, dance lessons, competition, piano/voice lessons, music guild, etc.  but the girls really don't want to give up any of their passions; therefore, some schoolwork must be seized during hours our public school friends might be on break.

i'm so glad mama is here to remind them how much fun they get to have each week. ;)

oh, i kid.  when asked, the girls will tell you that they love us.
and we have fun. 

sometimes, when distracted with my many spinning plates, i need a gentle nudge...
to just breath
and take in the moment.
i'm sharing one of those tissue-inducing nudges with you here...

after wiping my teary eyes, mama closed up shop.  reading could wait till the afternoon on this particular day.  

making a spontaneously-fun moment would come first.  they grow up so quickly.

getting our studies in is certainly important.
absolutely.
but not more important than appreciating life with those we love. 

to prove how dedicated i was, i even left the nikon at home.
this was truly about quality time, not quality of pix.
sometimes, the iphone captures the best moments.

(we called this our tree in the trail. ;)

may you and your family collect more fun-filled memories,
and guilt-free-parenting-plate-spinning.
because... well... life happens.
yo.

did we mention what we did this summer?

willy wonka, of course.
we may have mentioned it a time or 20.

i'm still in recovery mode.

recovery includes homeschooling a 5th and 7th grader, finding my way through piles of laundry, a new theater production, preparing for an upcoming piano recital, and a new 3 day a week dance schedule.  this mama is tired.  but i'm sure you guessed that. 

mama has been busy chasing our beautiful lil' lives, which has left little time to document it.  i really don't like that... because i tend to forget some of the details.  (nope, i'm not losing my memory.  or suffering with denial)  

thank heaven for instagram.  that's all i'm saying. ;)

nearly every day, i shuttled my oompa-loompas to theater.

they simply couldn't get enough.

as a young person, musical theater gives such a wonderful outlet for creative expression.  they are assigned their roles, then allowed to fill their character with fun personality.  creativity is essential for personal growth.  when kiddos learn to trust their creative instincts, they increase in confidence, self-esteem, public speaking, their ability to work well within a group... and even how to deal with disappointment.

this is why i signed up for the insanity; otherwise, mama would love to catch up on some r and r.  keepin' it honest. ;)

besides, who would want to be responsible for breaking up this friendly group?

this is how it looks backstage.  cozy, yes?  the kids were warming up, saying good-bye to themselves, and putting on their character.  too cute.  see my sweet lil' oompa? ;)

gracie's other character, veruca, is not so sweet, while having a tantrum.  bad nut. ;)

nator played the ever-too-nurturing-with-food ms. gloop.  she was a fluffy sweetheart, with her lil' german accent.  

 

unless you try to melt her chocolatey augustus.... or mispronounce her name.  her name starts with gl, not p.  

after our current theater production, we plan to take a break during christmas.  you know, so we can make room for rest all of our holiday festivities. ;)

after christmas, we plan to meet back up with our homeschool theater group!  fun!

we are just *crossing fingers* that our dance competition schedule agrees with the theater and piano recital schedule.

my nerdy factory worker and i say good-bye... for now.

it's time to review script and watch the new orleans saints.  
sigh.  may the force be with them.


we hope the start of the new school year is treating you well!
hugs!!

once in a blue moon conversations

in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, there are many conversations that need documenting... for future reference.  this is one.

me: oh, we almost forgot to take a peek at the blue moon!
nator:  let me get my shoes!
me:  graaaaaaacieeeeee!  
gracie: {just getting settled in her loft bed}  yeeeees?
me:  come here.

{insert jeopardy music as nator and mom wait for gracie to climb down mt. everest}

gracie: {singing -with a cheesy grin- as she comes out of her room}  what do you want from me?  what do you want from me?
me:  how appropriate.
gracie:  what did y'all want?
nator and mama:  let's go look at the blue moon.
gracie:  oh.

me:  i'm sure it's not blue.  it's an expression used because we are having a full moon twice this month.

{walks outside the front door}

gracie:  it's not blue. 
me:  but it's a full moon.
nator:  it's so pretty.  i'm sure neil armstrong is enjoying it from somewhere up there.
me:  i bet you're right.

{clearly impressed, gracie walks back indoors, while mom and nator enjoy the glow of the moonlight a little longer}

nator:  i learned on brainpop that the next one will be in three years.
me:  and that will put you at how old?
{mom cringes and might be sporting a frowny face}
nator:  fifteen.
{we console each other embrace in a big hug, then slowly make our way indoors}
nator:  but i'll still love you.  i might just have a little attitude.
me:  {laughs to keep from crying} let's hope not.

i mean... attitudes in this sweet girlie only come once in a blue moon.  let's not mess with that statistic.

August 2012 ~ week 32 {Willy Wonk-y edition}

one would think that by the sheer number of miles we put on our mom-taxi that this mama actually enjoys the hustle and bustle.  truth is, this mama likes down-time.  quiet.  home.  time to think.  and reflect.

"introverts unite.  individually."  hahahaha... love that quote.

i know that we could slow down a tad, but truth is... how do we choose to eliminate something which enriches the lives of our littles?  that must be the key... if it's not building little lives, it doesn't make the cut.

piano each week?  keep.
theater, even when the schedule calls for multiple practices weekly?  are you kidding me?  the girls would call cps themselves if we tried to cut this. ;)
dance a few days a week?  you should see the look on gracie's face at the mere thought of cutting this.
the occasional field-trip?  okay, so long as it's occasional.



there are several other activities which we could get involved in that i know would enrich us in other ways... but we have to prioritize and choose those we are most passionate about.



co-ops?  not for us.
university art classes?  again, no.



christian scout groups?  this is something we participated in for 2 years, then cut - to make room for other passions.

outsourcing more subjects in various organizations?  no, thank you.

devoting time to too many busy tasks can make one a bit wonky.



wonky.  although fun at times, it's not my cup of tea.  i like hot tea.  i digress...



for the past 5 weeks, our girlies woke each morning, without complaint, for theater practices.   a few times, gracie even tried to wake me earlier than my alarm clock.  ummm, no thank you.  good thing she's so stinkin' cute.  they committed their summer to willy wonka.  {interpret as: by the end of the day, mama is usually left feeling like willy wonka, himself, beat mama with a candy cane.}

them: YAY!!  
me:  yeh.  

truthfully, i'm passionate about it because they are.  i love watching them perform and grow confidence.  it's priceless, really, and gives their father and me swollen heart syndrome.



being a great mom, and giving our girls a great-memory-filled-childhood, is my passion.

it gives me strength to deal with another mom that has truly tested my friendship and patience over the past 2 years.  that, alone, could fill another blog post.  *sigh*  people are just weird sometimes.



any time i'm tempted to feel weary in well-doing, i look at the faces of our girlies.  they truly inspire me.  that... and a picturesque sky, of course, but the girls are a tad more entertaining. ;) 

 

this wonk-y edition is brought to you by hmama, oompa #1, and oompa #3.   

we shall share more of our willy wonka performance pictures soon (we still have 8 more performances to go), but for now... i'm soaking up the quietness of these last 3 days in which we have had complete. quietness. in the house.  nothing on the schedule.  just reading... and a little school organizin' for mama.  you know... as i prepare for another year for living life on the edge of wonk-y.

holla.

{for those who've asked...  i'm not sure when the mom-taxi videos will be up again.  my former video camera died, and i haven't fallen in love with anything else since. *sigh*  my girls miss them, too.}

curriculum 2012-13 {7th and 5th}

consider this our list of homeschool goals for the year.  if we veer off the path a bit, it will be to enjoy a study of something else worthy of our time... even if to play.  that's important, too.  i should pencil that in more.



i really want the kids to enjoy being kids... for as long as possible, you know?  extra time for simple child's play.  american girl dolls are still cool.  yo.  especially when you dress 6 of them up as king henry viii's wives.

these girlies will be rounding that corner of maturity soon enough.  *sigh*

this year, my goal is to simp.li.fy.  of course, i may need to remind myself of this.  daily.  even after all this time, i'm still learning to not get distracted by new, bright, and shiny objects (aka, new curriculum with the shiniest of reviews). 

for the past two years, i've been trying to find a way to incorporate living books with what we're learning.  we love story of the world, but finding the recommended books has become quite the chore.  who has time to run between three libraries to find them?  not i.  so we are finally giving sonlight a go.  the organization of it all has me a tad giddy.  i've learned this mama really does best with a check-list.  aaand, they use story of the world, too.  win-win.

so here is our list, pulled together by shopping our own shelves, and splurging investing in new...

A-Nator, 7th grade

math:  she taught herself using saxon 7/6 last year.  you know, we had to give it a go since that's what everyone else seemed to use.  she did perfectly fine, and it gave me great comfort to hear her say, "oh, i remember that from teaching textbooks." ;) she really missed teaching textbooks.  she's been skimming right along in tt7 over the summer  to make sure she didn't miss anything important to this curriculum last year.  as soon as she's done, she'll move right into pre-algebra tt during 7th grade.

science:  apologia general science

history, geography, language arts, literature: sonlight, core f.  love having everything intertwined.  we're kind of excited about this core.  it centers around a group of people often found in the media, yet not covered by most curricula.  nator will also be using wordly wise, book 7.

Gracie, 5th grade

math:  teaching textbooks.
finishing up grade 5 and moving on to grade 6.

science: parts of apologia zoology 3, magic school bus, and misc books.

history, geography, language arts, literature: sonlight, core d.  in nator's spare time, we hope to have her join our american history discussions.  the girls have been looking forward to studying more american history... you know, since we've been talking about ancients and middle ages for the past two years.   although, middle ages has been our favorite, so far.  gracie will also use wordly wise, book 5. 

both girlies will use:

spelling

sequential spelling 
this has been collecting dust on our bookshelves.  it's just a matter of using what we already have, for now.

grammar

daily grams

easy grammar 6

we did the first half last year (loved it) and simply plan to continue right along with the other half this year.

art 
ARTistic pursuits
(other resources: how to teach art to children, lives of the artists, art treasury)  

foreign language

i'll be honest, y'all.  i struggle with this one.  if i'm looking to simplify, let's just focus on english, shall we? ;)  in all seriousness, i'm looking at rosetta stone with the french (gracie's choice) and spanish (nator's choice) in 10 minutes a day workbooks to supplement.  this will be the last thing we add.

we will also revisit typing (using mavis beacon and spongebob - again, don't judge), cursive, latin roots using vocabulary vine (not to be confused with the entire language), and maybe a lil' life of fred (beginning with fractions).  all of that, combined with a few shelves of resources from presidents to composers, and i think we are set.    

last, but not least:
our girls are passionate about a few things that have me running the mom-taxi a bit.  of course, if it were up to me, i'd have us all reading in bed together.  that just sounds relaxing, yes?  but i've come to realize that homeschool isn't always at home.  some seasons less than others.  i'm in that season now.  due to what our girls get out of their passions, i'm okay with that.  i think. ;)

1.) theater.  so far, the girls have performed in oliver, the best christmas padgeant ever, the sound of music, and (currently) willy wonka.
2.) teen dance classes.  yes, they are graduating on up with the teens.  *sigh*   nator in tap.  gracie in... everything; including competition.

3.) music.  with 2 years under her belt, nator will continue piano, gearing up for her third guild.  gracie simply wants to take guitar from her daddy.

here's to another memory making school year!!

feel free to hop on over to the not back to school blog hop, hosted by the ihomeschool network!

composers and confessions

happy birthday, mr. william schuman!  wait?  you haven't heard of him?  i confess.  i hadn't learned of him either.  

*hangs head in shame*  

in an interview with bruce duffie, mr. schuman said, "One of the things I don't have to do is evaluate my work as a composer. I don't lack for people who do that."

*giggle*  can you relate to that?  i sure can.  although we can be our own worst critic, there's a bit of pressure from others, too. *sigh*

let's not beat ourselves up over what we've missed in our own educational journey.  we can learn it together!  my new motto.

so, without further ado, i give you a shaper of american music and musicians, mr. william schuman...

you might take comfort in knowing that, initially, mr. schuman was drawn to baseball and seen as a class prankster.  there is hope for our young {seemingly-distracted-from-serious-study} students.  i'm sure he would always be thankful to his mother for encouraging him to see arturo toscanini conduct the new york philharmonic orchestra.  that was his turning point.  between the ages of 16 to 21, he wrote over 100 songs.

gotta love those mamas!  and a father who didn't squelch his passion.

personally, i love that mr. schuman wasn't one to hoard his gifts, but had a passion to educate, as well. 

my upbringing was far from classical.  my music exposure was limited to 4 years of unsuccessful piano {the only song i remember how to play is "oh, how i love jesus"}, all-state choir, church choir, fine arts, a lil' theory in college, and worship team.  composers and symphonies?  not so much.

i'm hoping to change that a little for the littles.  it's important, y'all.

music study builds self-esteem, teaches patience, exercises thinking skills, encourages self-discipline, advances social development, and diligence. 

ummm... no pressure. 

we were lucky enough to take the girls to their first symphony recently.  this is the view from our $1 seats.  it twas high up there, y'all.  but oh-so-lovely.

my symphony experience would not have been complete had i not heard the symbols.  you know, the guys who sat motionless beside their instruments for 2 entire songs.  the anticipation left me in suspense.  

then i heard it... tchaikovsky - maybe you'd recognize that name more from composing the nutcracker ballet?  that caught gracie's attention.  our lil' dancerella, you know.  oh, my lil' dancer might also be interested to know that mr. schuman was president of juilliard from 1945-1962.

where was i?  oh, yes...

duuuuun-dun-dun-dun-duuuuuun-dun-dun-dun-duuuuuun...
then the *clash* of the symbols, which made us all jump in our seats.  be still, my heart.  *swoon* 

oh, and if you're in the nosebleed section at the symphony, take note that there might only be 4 stalls in the women's restroom.  but there might just be a comfy sofa for your wait.

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if a symphony is not within a reasonable driving distance, i especially encourage you to take advantage of the wealth of information that can be found online.

classics for kids is a wonderful source for introducing kids to classical music.  i've been known to play samples of music from their site while we paint.  sounds relaxing, yes?

new york philharmonic kidzone offers engaging information with online games.  kids have an opportunity to learn about the soloists with the orchestra and the conductor, including short biographies of how each person got involved in the the field of music.  children can also assemble their own instrument.  

for older kids, who don't mind less fluff, keepingscore.org has a unique presentation.  you are able to actually observe a video of the orchestra perform, as you watch the musical piece being played.

for education on the go, there's a plethora of musical apps.  if you're like me, free is the favored budget.  what do you think of the mso learn app?  this should give your student a beginner's knowledge in the collaboration of the beauty of the orchestra.  classics for kids also has an app {wguc public radio}.

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A Chance to Win! 
*giveaway now closed*

maybe you have a hands-on learner?  i'd love to invite you to sign-up for the knowledge box central newsletter, then leave a comment letting me know that you'd like to win a lapbook on classical composers and instruments. i'm walking my girls through this very same lapbook!

*now the business side of this fun*  the winner will be chosen august 7th.  i will contact you, so please make sure i have your 411.  you'll have 48 hours to reply or another winner will have to be chosen.  *sigh*

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"If the student truly absorbs the concept of free inquiry in the field of music, unimpeded by blind adherence to doctrine and tradition, he will bring something of this approach not only to other fields of knowledge but to the conduct of his daily life."  ~William Howard Schuman, August 4, 1910 – February 15, 1992  

to read about other famous and fascinating birthdays in august, head over to iHomeschool Network.

july ~ week 28/29 {snuggling, symphony, sonlight}

hello, y'all.

things have wavered between busy, discouraging, and oh-so-absolutely-inspirational around here.

the mom-{driving-dad's-car}-taxi-service has been keeping busy between theater, piano... and all those miscellaneous tasks that leave you tired {but then you look around and wonder what was actually done}.

our current piano teacher and her husband team-teach.  she has degrees in vocal, taking the younger piano students, while he has degrees in music that sometimes call upon him to judge throughout the world. nator has been told that she now qualifies taking from her husband, to keep excelling.  it's bitter-sweet, really.

motherhood often has me tiredly whirling about from task to task, but taking in moments... truly taking them in, helps me to reprioritize.  that's a sweet way of saying that it holds my sanity together, yes?

listening to nator play piano, while gracie massaged my hand.  she drifted off for a quick power nap.  my heart swooned.

jazzy only wishes i would keep her away from the vet.  and let her go on more car rides.  me, too, jazzy.  me, too.

mama grabbed a few moments to window shop at hobby lobby, while waiting on mardel book store to open.  hobby lobby has pretty crosses, but not as pretty when they're not on sale.  i was more excited to purchase vocabulary workbooks on sale anyway.  did i just say that? #imahomeschoolmom ;)

thrift stores are fun when you send your girls in one changing room with a stack of clothes you've pre-picked... and let them 'have at it.'  only the strong survive.

a dentist visit...  that may have sent mama in a whirlwind of worry.  how are we going to afford needed braces for these two girlies?  if i think of future vehicles, collage, etc... you might just find me rocking in a corner.

snuggling with my littles... the best.  hahhh... that puts it back into perspective.

juicing... because my littles were a tad under the weather.  the theater kiddos could have not shared their sniffles, you know.  thankfully, juicing works wonders.

anyone else start cutting those plastic soda ring thingies after watching happy feet??

yummy meals were made.  and we survived when we ran out of paper-plates.  i think we spent more on water and electricity, running the on-its-last-leg-dishwasher.  yep.  that's our story. 

i only bring you the most exciting news around here, you know.

we made a rare-treat memory, attending the symphony in the big city.  and more every-day memories, tucking in lovable girlies for the night.  

grass weeds are outta control, y'all.  it's been raining.  grass threw a par-tay.

i know it's hard to see, but on the way home from piano, the girls and i saw the brightest white cloud in the midst of a sea of darkness.  we had to pull over so mama could snap a quick pic.  i'm sure there's a lesson in that.  

thankfully, {deep sigh of relief} some funds came through {white cloud} and we were able to order our sonlight curriculum.  our first box day!  the girls were SO excited that they couldn't wait for mom to get organized to start.  so our first day on the schedule is already done.

mama better get organized soon!  

story of my life.

{un}civilized classmates

our furry students are becoming quite accomplished 
in middle-aged culture, 
the mysteries of converting a percentage to a fraction, 
new vocabulary words, like 'garish', 
listening to summaries of harry potter,
american girl mysteries, 
theater script...





and manners.

does your homeschool have a furry pet?
if not, this is the part where i try to talk you into it.
i would invite you not to look at the pets,
but at the kids.
happy, happy.

ummm... did it work?
*spoken with big, brown puppy eyes*

april~week 16-17/366 {compliments of instagram}

i cannot begin to tell you how your recent comments {regarding this post}, messages, and emails touched my heart.  and, dare i say, swelled it to tears.  that's physically possible, right?   a teary-heart-swellin'-feel-good-feelin'.  i couldn't even bring myself to 'reply' to each one.  words escaped me.  if you will, please accept my hugs through the computer screen.  time and time again, hubs heard me say that my bloggy friends were going to make me cry... yes, you touched my heart.  deep.  thank you. 

apparently, it's been a few sunsets since i've blogged.  apparently, there have been some changes with picture collage sites.  change is sometimes hard, y'all.  apparently, i should go re-read my last post. ;)

i don't use iphoto on the ol' mac, so that limits my choices in making collages.  guess i need to break down and learn how to do this in photoshop?  excuse me while i go type "collage for dummies tutorial" in google.  this instagram feed will have to do for now...

are you ready for a quick highlight reel of two weeks??

homeschool consists of games. cooking up sentences anyone?

nator lost a molar.  tooth-fairy was late.  we've come to expect that around here.  starbucks dates with the girlies.  playing dollhouse - on the go!  beau has tongue and teeth issues.  we love him.  gluten-free waffles + nature's hollow honey + organic blackberries = nomnom.

hood-liner on your head. hood-liner on your head.  lookin' like a fool with your hood-liner on your head.  gold in your teeth.  hat on sideways... anyone know where this comes from?  i may have changed the lyrics a tad. ;)  #cheezy

nator is the chopstick princess.  she learned it from kung fu panda.  we're all about the educational shows here!

watching movies via ipod, while waiting on sis in dance lesson.  getting rained on... yes, in the car.  because, well... that's what happens when it's raining and you have your windows cracked.  long story short = we need a new mom-taxi.  hopefully, soon.

wax. ouch, but worth it.  brainstorming ideas to make the gas station in the back yard less visible. taking head-shots for about 64 kids.  attending a funeral.  12 year old deep in thought.  jasmine wondering how to continue following the sun spot on the floor when it lands on a chair... and being on furniture is a no-no.  gracie wearing her father's tie... and mom's shoes.  she sings, "the heels are alive with the sound of music..."  crack me up.

gracie giving mama an american girl questionnaire, while sis is in piano lesson.  gracie doodles on herself.  mama keeps friend's kids.  the girls call it a play-date.  we accomplish schoolwork.  the girls read their paragraph from the stairs... see her up there?  gracie's sweetness during spelling nearly had the power to grant her any wish she ever wanted.  oozing sweetness.  

mama had a pain in the neck.  no pun intended.  when day 3 came and i still had to turn my body to get the head to follow, it was chiropractor time.  therapy ensued.  the girls pretended to get treatments, too.  flattering pix, yes?

the mom-taxi has loads of character... and photo-bombers.  *giggle*  and we end these two weeks with a trip to the library.  complete with schoolhouse rock dvd.  gracie has decided they're not as cheezy as she once thought.  gracie also picks up harry potter.  i'm torn on that one... but it has sparked a renewed interest in reading.  nator sticks with american girl. ;)

history.  today, we finished chapter 27 in sotw.  the girls and i have really enjoyed a more relaxed-discussion style of learning.  relaxed is needed for such a barbaric time-period such as the dark ages.  we find the struggle for power in the middle ages between royal-blood-line-rulers quite fascinating... and heart-wrenching.

i digress.    

do you feel a lil' caught up now?  do you enjoy chiropractic therapy?  and agree that every mom should have those therapy gadgets within reach - at home?  is the tooth-fairy often late in your home, too?  are you a chop-stick wonder?  what's your favorite {everyone-should-read-it} book?  but more importantly, have you ever tried waxing? ;)