Overheard on the 4th Day of Christmas

Bluejay and Chickadee to one another this morning several times this morning~

"Are you the innkeeper?"

"Yes"

"Do you have a room to rent?"

"I'm sorry, there's no room.  Well there's one place..."

"Anything will do as long as it has a roof"

"You can use my stable in the cave back there"

"Thank you!"

And then Chickadee said "Joseph and Mary went to the stable..."

These were not either of their roles in the Nativity play they performed before Christmas, but I guess they were memorizing them as well. Such busy little minds... Chickadee was the one who particularly remembered the exact lines and told Bluejay what to say, but they took turns being the Innkeeper and Joseph.

December Daybook

Outside my window... it is sunny and beautiful and now that we've had a few heavy rains, everything is starting to look green again, after a very very brown drought year.

I am wearing... maternity skinny jeans (the only maternity jeans I've ever had that actually stay up!), a white shirt with pretty details around the neckline and my favorite boat shoe crocs.

I am thankful for... Lots of things:

1) A lovely weekend of Christmas joy for our family, especially the little ones. Yesterday night was the Nativity Play we've been rehearsing for the last five weeks, and it was delightful. The children were terrific, and I think, greatly satisfied with the whole event, even despite the significant delay between getting into costume and actually performing the play.

2) A wonderful, comforting visit with my midwife this past week. Not that there were any reasons I needed the comfort, it's been a good pregnancy, just that I always feel happy and good after visiting with my sweet midwife.

3) Squeezing in a few precious minutes to chat and connect with my husband during these busy days, when it seems everyone's conversations take precedence over ours!

I am thinking about... keeping a list of books I read this year.  This is an exact repeat of my daybook from last January. So I'm guessing I won't do it :-) Last year, I know that I read lots of PG Wodehouse, some Wendell Berry, Driftless (a wonderful book my sister-in-law recommended), and The Brothers Karamazov (a re-read, but from a beautiful new translation so it feels like new) - I'm just at the end of this one, but haven't quite finished yet.  On my wishlist for next year is Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry, and maybe some Anthony Trollope. I'm also thinking about homeschooling plans for the New Year (not the new school year).

Learning all the time... For my own learning, I think I'll probably stick with some serious classical literature (finishing The Brothers Karamazov for starters and probably starting something new along that line after a brief break) and hopefully some good spiritual reading. There is finally a women's retreat planned by our church coming up, and I'd like to go to that, if I can figure out childcare. There is a second one later in the year, but it's an overnight retreat and I'll have a newborn by then, so that seems unlikely.

From the kitchen... planning our Christmas menu with my brother Gabe is on the to-do list for today. I know we are sticking with our traditional roast beef and yorkshire pudding (so yum!) but we need to discuss side dishes and dessert. Food is a (the?) KEY part of every holiday, on my side of the family. In the pre-Christmas fast period I've been more or less good at keeping home-cooked or partially homecooked food on the table... but fasting, nursing and pregnancy, and young people have been a bit challenging to navigate.

I am creating... not really anything at the moment. I was working on a craft for our sisterhood Christmas bazaar, which was a candy-cane with a mouse (a kit someone gave me) but Chickadee ripped one of the pieces and I haven't found time to get a replacement piece of fabric yet. Craftiness otherwise has been a batch or two of granola for our Christmas packages we recently mailed, and Christmas cookies with the kids which they decorated last night.

I am working on... not losing it. I think I had gotten in the habit of losing it lately, often because it has been extra hard to pick things up, my back has not been great this pregnancy, and I've gotten frustrated with the kids when things got crazy. But also because the huzz and I hadn't been making time to talk and connect when things got busy, and so I was holding everything in. Not a wise thing to do when the majority of your household and interactions are with the under 6 crowd.

I am going...  grocery shopping one more time before Christmas.  Then to Vespers for the Nativity and to Christmas liturgy on Christmas day in the morning!  I can hardly wait.

I am hoping... for a peaceful, joyous Christmas.

I am reading... The Brothers Karamazov. Such an amazing book. I almost never write in my books, I have a weird thing about it, but this time, I had my pencil at the ready. I'm at the very end of the trial, so almost done, but am taking it very slowly, as I want to be able to really grasp what is happening in one of the best novels ever written.

I am praying... prayers of praise and thanksgiving, I hope.

I am hearing... Sparrow getting frustrated with his backhoe/dump truck. It is not doing what he wants it to do. Chickadee is running another game in which Bluejay is her dog Patch, and Sparrow is her donkey Poula. Sweet Mr. Bluejay just fixed Sparrow's truck problem.

One of my favorite things... When these kids play together so nicely. How little Sparrow hardly needs me except for things like food and diaper changes, and important cuddle time when it's been a while.

A few plans for the rest of the week... My aunt arrives tomorrow, so dinner with her and my dad in the evening. Aaron is taking Christmas Eve off (hurray!) and two of my brothers (Gabe and family, and Marcus and his friend) arrive that day too. Then... Christmas! and Feasting! 

Some picture thought I am sharing with you...

  

The Shepherd (Bluejay) and the Innkeeper

The angels. That's Chickadee in the middle.

The boy and the cat.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Homeschooling Week 12 - 15

Week 12 is the last week of our first quarter already!  I can hardly believe it. I am reviewing the curriculum to see what we will be doing new next quarter. Much of it is things we are already doing, actually, Bluejay is really just doing naturally, without any forethought or prompting by me, such as seeing numbers and patterns in real life, counting things, etc.

Monday, week 12 ~
Prayer and circle time. Circle time was a free-for-all poetry extravaganza, in that I read every poem they asked me to in our current favorite poetry book A Child's Book of Poems illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa. 

I told a story for the number 9.  I made this one up, and I think it was one of my best so far... which included 3 rivers and 3 bags of gold at each river, completing in reaching the number 9. I got ideas from the curriculum for this.  Then we drew the story in our book.

Bluejay, as mentioned above, occupied himself counting the number of pictures in a collage Aaron had done some time ago. There were 121. He did not miss one, and he did this several times.  Then he practiced writing all his numbers on the chalk board. He needs help with 5 and 8.

Chickadee set up some of her animals for school, and some for bedtime. She sat in a chair in front of the school animals and taught them their lesson. Sparrow found a way to take part in everything, especially the counting, or if he saw me taking a picture. He really likes to be in all pictures.

Tuesday, week 12 ~
Prayer and circle time.  Sang "Over the River and Through the Woods" - talked about upcoming Thanksgiving. Finished writing number 9 in our books. Decorated book cover and back with the full alphabet and all the numbers. Read from the Red Fairy Tale book by Lang (Brother and Sister).

Wednesday, week 12~
My mom came over and led the kids in an exploration of the calendar. Reviewed the months what happens each month, as well as what season it is in. Further work with numbers in the afternoon.

Thursday, week 12~
Prayer and circle time. Talked about how, although it was still fall, the season was starting to change. Weather no longer matches When the Frost is on the Punkin'. Now it matches "Over the River and Through the Woods" more, some people have snow, we have rain. Did more focused work on the calendar. Poem "Thirty Days Hath November...".  Wrote out all the months, in order, with a different color for each season, so Bluejay could see how each season has 3 months.  Bluejay wrote in the number of days for each month as we sang the poem again.

Homeschool group music class.

Thanksgiving week ~
We did not do school per se this week. We did some circle time, poems and songs, practicing the children's lines for the Christmas play. We did lots of coloring and reading books and listening to music. By Wednesday, sweet Bluejay said to me "We didn't do school!" "Yes" I said, "we are taking a break for Thanksgiving. Do you want to do school?" He most certainly did. So we added a little more of the above activities, and called it School, and he was satisfied.

Monday, week 13~
Prayer, circle time. We talked about preparing for Christmas, the Advent season, and made beeswax holly leaves and berries. Sang Away in a Manger.

Told a story about a volcano, erupting and spewing hot lava and ash into a valley, where the villagers had to evacuate. Drew a picture of the valley in the shape of a V, with the volcano in the background.

Preschooler had a project to cut and glue pieces of her previous artwork to cover the box that will hold our in-process artwork.

Learned about pomegranates, and how to open one and find and eat the seeds. I did not appropriately think this through and put aprons and bibs on everyone and roll-up sleeves before hand! But they greatly enjoyed it, even though it took some convincing for Bluejay to try a seed.

Packed up our fall decorations from our school table, and began to decorate with Christmas decorations (pinecone trees and a Christmas candle for starters).

Tuesday, week 13~
Chickadee had ballet class. Bluejay practiced writing all the letters of the alphabet in a workbook.  Then he wrote Christmas letters freehand, with my spelling words for him.

Wednesday, week 13~ 
This was a nature study day. We spent much time immersed in rain, walking around our neighborhood, getting soaked, watching where the water went and what it did in deep areas and shallow areas, with the leaves, etc. We also spent a lot of time talking about animals of key interest - a huge topic with Bluejay lately. The primary focus these days is on Cheetahs.

Thursday, week 13~
Prayer and circle time. Worked on the number 10. Talked about how we have now learned each number symbol, and are starting a new series of numbers with 10. Talked about what 0 means and what it stands for in a number. Wrote the number 10 in our book, drew our two hands and numbered each finger.

Homeschool group music class. Afternoon work with modeling clay (especially our little preschooler Chickadee).

Monday, week 14~
Prayer, circle time. Practiced our lines for the Christmas play and read poems.

Made Christmas chains for decoration out of red and green construction paper.  The children practiced cutting along straight lines, and Bluejay learned how to staple to create the rings of the chain.  Also did drawings of Christmas trees, etc.

Tuesday, week 14~
Chickadee had tap/ballet class. Bluejay brought one of his favorite National Geographic books and we read about how different animals move: three-toed sloths who only hang and are not well equipped for walking, kangaroos and crickets who can jump much farther, body-length for body-length, than a person, and herds of wildebeests who travel great distances following storm clouds and thunder to find grazing pastures.

Bluejay practiced writing numbers.  He still needs lots of practice with this, although he has his letters (capitals) pretty much down.  Later my mom came over and she and Bluejay continued with learning to use a stapler, making books out of construction paper, in which he wrote numbers (numbered the pages, his idea) and drew Christmas trees.

Wednesday, week 14~
Prayer and circle time.  This week for circle time instead of singing 'O Heavenly King' we are singing the Christmas Troparion, and will probably do that until Christmas, so they can learn it.

Read the story of Christmas, poem from the Nativity episode of the 12 Great Feasts books for children.

Read The Golden Key (Grimm's).  Made guesses as to what was in the iron chest, that might start with K.  Drew a key that looked like a K in our book and colored it in.

Thursday, week 14~
This day was the day the big Northern California storm of the year hit. We were overjoyed to get some rain, and it was a staying in the house kind of day, as the roads around us weren't safe, but it felt different. So instead of regular school we had lots and lots of imaginative play. I'm going to try to upload a video of some of the action. I parked myself on the couch in our play room (converted garage) with The Brother's Karamazov, and read and kept them company for over two hours, while they just played - first they played with Mr and Mrs Potato head for a long time. Sparrow brought me trains and asked me to drive them over his head and down his tummy. Then they played with the train table. There was a raging inferno. They needed all hands to put it out. It was very exciting and intense. 

The rest of the day was spent in similar fashion, cooking and eating yummy food and hot tea, reading books and being cozy, with a little bit of very muddy outside time when the rain and wind was a less intense in the afternoon.

Monday, week 15~
Prayer and circle time - sang the Nativity Troparion. Sang the St. Herman song, as his feast day was Sunday - it is a modification of one of the Bruderhoff songs (Land of the Silver Birch). Read poems, mostly Christmas poems but others that appealed to our fancy as well, like 'How Doth the Little Crocodile', and The Eagle ("He clasps the crag with crooked hands" - I love this one). It thrills me how much my children love poetry.

Made a list of all of the letters we've done in our book so far. I told the story of the Three Bears, which, although they've heard many times, never ceases to be a fun one. Then we drew the Father Bear in the shape of a B in our book.  Chickadee also drew the Mama Bear, and practiced writing B's. She is starting to want to learn how to write the letters too.

Tuesday, week 15~
Chickadee's last tap/ballet class which we got to watch. She was very pleased with the whole thing.

Prayer and circle time, then Christmas crafts - made reindeer antlers out of cardboard and an old head band.  Read nature stories from Bluejay's National Geographic book about how animals move.  Made a Christmas gift (food) to give to our family members.

Wednesday and Thursday, week 15~
Well, I don't remember much of the last of this week.  We did more writing as we made more Christmas cards for family members far away and put them in packages. Bluejay is getting quite comfortable writing as I spell for him, although he does not line up his words quite accurately on the page, in his efforts to fit them all in. Chickadee just started, with this Christmas card business (and especially her notes to Santa - one in which she told him what she is giving HIM, and one in which she made her requests) to actually try to write out words that I spell. She has quite a few of the letters down, but makes up others and is very content in the knowledge that they are suitable for her purposes.

We had a fun time at the last of our homeschool group music classes, 6th hour service and picnic lunch together on Thursday, and Friday evening was the final dress rehearsal for our Nativity play at church.  The play took place Saturday after Vespers and was just completely adorable. The kids were so so excited and the whole event was lovely, plus, St. Nicholas made a visit after the play and caroling.  

And, I think, that may be it for homeschooling this year!  We'll see though, I'm not sure Bluejay will let me get away with taking a two week break...

Do Less

Even as I draft this post, I wonder if I will have the courage to post it.  One of my primary philosophies as a parent (and as a wife, a co-leader of this little kingdom that is my family), is that doing too many things, no matter how good each individual thing is, is detrimental to a child's ability to grow and develop, as well as to family peace and harmony, and living a family life of Godliness. It is actually one of the primary reasons I have chosen to homeschool. The thought of the amount of "things" you have to do, once you start driving your child to school in the morning (and I mean paperwork, activities, unnecessary doctor's appointments, field trips, homework!) gives me the heeby jeebies.  And that is just for ONE person, one aspect of life, school.

We live a very small life right now. We hardly ever shop. We go to vespers on Saturday evening and Liturgy on Sunday morning. We go once a week to our little homeschool group music class, with other families from our church. If we add an extra activity into one of our days, I make sure that that is the ONLY activity that day (and this includes me going to work - when I go to work, there are not other places that the kids have to go as well). Other than that, we stay home. 

This is what we DO...

I turn down most birthday party invitations.  I say yes to, and actively seek out, one on one play dates with another family (or two). I do not sign them up for sports, unless it is a short term commitment (Chickadee will do a three week long ballet class, one class/week, next month, because she has asked so persistently). My children are 5, 3 and 1. They are TINY.  There will be so much time in their lives for "doing things". Everywhere the 5 year old goes, the 3 and 1 year old must come too, let alone their pregnant mama. I am amazed already at how much pressure there is to do more (at least I perceive it as pressure, even from other homeschoolers who generally have a similar philosophy to mine); to fit in several things at once. 

Also this: they just got married. They are wearing plastic washers for rings. All Chickadee's idea.

Our church is doing a Christmas play, and my children are thrilled to be involved. They talk about going to practice all week, and they work on their lines (one sweet little line each) every day with enthusiasm. But I struggle with how much is added on to these activities.  Rehearsal starts 2 hours before vespers - first a craft, then time rehearsing, then a snack, then play time, then an hour of vespers.  And while the age range obviously goes up a bit from my 3 and 5 year old, it doesn't go up by much, most of the children are under 7. So I have difficulty appreciating with the why and wherefore of these decisions. I wonder if it comes from a perceived need to make it "enough" for the kids. Sometimes I will bring them a little late, and inevitably, we miss some key part of the practice. Sometimes we skip vespers, which seems so counterintuitive to the whole point of this thing. What I'm saying is, I struggle. 

And we definitely do a lot of this. It's the lifeblood of our homeschooling routine.

I mean no judgment or disrespect to those who organize these activities. I see a real love for the children, and a true desire to offer them participation in the deeper meaning of God becoming man, and entering our world, each year, each Nativity season. I guess we will continue to find balance in ways that we can, and I trust that it will get easier, and I will become more confident in the judgment calls I make, as a wife and mother, on how best to incorporate these things into our family life. In the meantime, prayers are my answer. And I ask for forgiveness of the families whose parties and other activities we have not attended. We were probably already doing one other thing that day.

January Daybook

Outside my window... It is foggy!  I love the fog.  It reminds me that I am really home, the place where my roots were put down as a child.  Foggy, west coast, mist.

I am wearing... My pajamas.  The baby is still asleep and I am NOT about to go into the bedroom to get my clothes, put on my contacts, anything.

I am thankful for... A few moments to blog.  A very kind, respectful and helpful oldest son.  I've been marveling at how pleasant his personality is lately.  I will admit that he has a stubborn streak the size of a 12 lane LA freeway, however.

I am thinking about... Possibly keeping a list of books I read this year.  I have generally been bad at doing that.  It's like keeping a diary, a great idea but something I rarely manage with any consistency.  However, I've enjoyed reading people's "what I read this year" posts, so maybe I'll manage a little list.

Learning all the time... Ok people. It's time to get real with this.  I don't do New Year's Resolutions (I mean, not the real kind), but I did promise myself that after the holidays were over, I'd finally spend some focused time studying and thinking about what we will be doing with Mr. Bluejay, who will be five this summer (and by default, his younger siblings).  I'm leaning toward homeschooling until he is six.  I had a fortuitous run in with the teacher of a tiny Orthodox school, someone I've known since I was the student, at the grocery store this week.  My friend handed me her big book of homeschooling resources out of the blue when we stopped by the other day.  My sister-in-law sent me a link to a lovely kindergarten curriculum a month or two ago.  I feel like someone is tapping me on the shoulder saying "hey, time to pay attention".

From the kitchen... Cooking again!  Slowly.  Does anyone else find that all the staples are running low after Christmas?  We had some stomach bugs over the holidays and didn't eat much beyond yogurt, egg and rice bowls, and frozen pizza for the healthy ones.  Right now I have plans for some barbecue chicken (yes, I will light up the Webber in January, we live in Northern California) and artichokes, because Bluejay has been asking for artichokes and a fire.

I am creating... Still crocheting Sparrow's blanket.  It is my first time doing basketweave stitch.  I really like it.

I am working on... working.  I have several clients now.  It's a blessing to have work.  I'm enjoying doing it.  Aaron is working four ten hour days so that I can have one "full" work day each week.  And my dad has been terrific at helping me out lately.  I'm also going to be doing a child-care swap one day a week, a friend from church is also a work-at-home mama and will be bringing her adorable little girl over here so we can take turns shepherding the younglings and working.  I'm excited to see how it works out.

I am going... to the usual places only.  It's nice to have a routine again.  I need to have a place to "go" on Mondays.  I struggle with that first day alone with the children after having my husband home for three days.  

I am hoping... to get up north to visit my brother's family sometime in the next few months.

I am reading... P.G. Wodehouse.  I finished Leave it to Psmith and started on one of the Jeeves books: Joy in the Morning.  I do love old Pelham Grenville, and it turns out that I'm more of an Anglophile than I realized. I lived in the UK for 2+ years during high school.  I can't wait to travel there with my family when the kids are a little older.

I am praying for... The soul of my friend Alan, who died one year ago this coming Sunday.  My family.  All of the little children.

I am hearing... The "big" kids talking to little Sparrow, who just woke up.   Sparrow giggling.  I love how they can keep him happy for a bit now, so that I can finish something (like a blog post)!

One of my favorite things... New coffee cups we got for Christmas.  Hand-thrown and kilned (is that the terminology?) by Bluejay's preschool teacher's husband.  They are so nice to hold and look at.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Working. Preschool. Cooking. Cleaning, and most importantly, putting away all of the paraphernalia from Christmas.

A picture thought I am sharing with you... 

We all look so serious!  Eating is no time for joking around, people.

OH MY GOODNESS I JUST SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED AN ENTIRE BLOG POST!  YIPPEE!!

   

The Simple Woman's Daybook

And then there were three (or more accurately 5)!!

I'll start the New Year with our news... there is another little birdie on the way!! We are very excited.  This one is due to arrive right around Pascha, so I'm anticipating that it will be quite an interesting Holy Week (and Bright Week) in this here household!

And, to get me going on the new year of blogging, I'll start by joining in on another Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real with some fun from our December and Christmas joys.

{Pretty}

Excited children finding out what St. Nicholas left in their shoes.

Also, the two handsomest men ever.

{Happy}

Finally getting our Christmas tree.  We made those poor little birds wait days and days!!  I think it just added to the thrill of it all.

And finally decorating said tree!  This was definitely joy.  Note that 80% of the ornaments ended up at toddler height in the center front of the tree.  I didn't have to redistribute right away though, since most of them were removed to be "looked at" by the next day.  I just rounded them up and hung them in more even locations later.

Happy is also a refrigerator box house in the play area.  Oh, the fun that was had.

And happy is most definitely arriving at Uncle Gabe's for Christmas and finding out he has a REAL hard hat to wear while doing big work.

{Funny}

Funny is... this girl.  She cracks me up.  

{Real}

Cousins.

My brother surprised us be showing up on Christmas Eve, we thought he was still in Afghanistan for a few more weeks.  Here he is finally meeting his new nephew, the Wood Duckling.

Putting out cookies for Santa Claus.

 And Santa's work, after the littles were in bed.

Making Christmas breakfast with my siblings.

And the joy of new fireman helmets, penguins and baby doll strollers. Those joys have not ended.  I hope yours haven't either.  Happy Twelfth Day of Christmas!