April 14

Each of the kiddos is at a different stage of illness and so Spring Break has started earlier than originally planned.

January 31

January has been an eventful month. Things started off slowly and ended up with us on the go nearly every day. We finally made it to New York and had a blast as we always do. It was the first trip that the bigger kids were old enough to actually be out and about in the snow. We even got to walk in fresh fallen snow at the BBG. They were over it after a couple of days, lol. This trip, we did things that I enjoyed doing as a child in NYC. We went to the Sony Wonder Lab which I believe was the AT&T Lab when I was a kid. We also went to FAO Schwarz and waved to Eloise at the Plaza across the street. The kids participated in a community art project for Arty Facts at the Brooklyn Museum. I did Arty Facts as a kid and spent lots and lots of time at the museum so it was nice to be able to talk to them about that. Of course, they always find it hard to believe that such fun things existed back in the Dark Ages when I was a kid, heh.



Once we were back home, I felt the need to join a co-op after all. I saw my HS mentor/friend while in NYC and she unwittingly influenced me to do it. Plus, I kept seeing all these postings to local groups and finally just said, what the hell, why not? So, we are members of a small co-op now. I assist in one of the Kindergarten classes which means I get to cut, glue, and listen to little people while sitting in a tiny chair. No, it's fun. It is! The kiddos all enjoy their classes and I like that it provides a break from our normal routine. And we get to see Darcel and crew every week now! We had a really fun field trip last week to the Virginia Living Museum's Homeschool Day and I'm already looking forward to the next such local event. On the horizon for February are a couple of day trips and some changes/additions to our curriculum. If I've learned anything about homeschooling, it's that I will continue to tweak things to meet the needs of our kiddos as time goes by. L and I discussed what we will do for school next fall and we've decided to keep them at home. I'm still anxious about testing, but it's probably like everything else in that once I'm over the hump, I'll wonder what the big deal was.

December 20

On break for the holidays. Season's greetings!

October 17

I was up till 3 this morning cleaning house. For some reason, I really feel like I need the house to be perfectly spotless before we start homeschooling. As if a floor free of play-dough will somehow be the key to our academic success. I managed to tackle downstairs, and today I'll help the kids with their rooms. It's not just homeschooling that brought this on. With the holidays around the corner, I am trying to prepare for the deluge of toys that will inevitably enter our home in December. My children are the only grandchildren on both sides and are lucky enough to be loved by and receive gifts from quite a few people. On top of that, baby Lark will celebrate her first birthday two days after Christmas. So, yea, my house tends to look like a toy store at that time even though L and I buy almost nothing for them. This year, if anyone asks what they'd like, I'll recommend museum memberships and classes. Those won't have to be purged and I'm sure will provide many more awesome memories.

October 16

Perfectly fine. That's how our public school year was going so far. Sure, my kindergartner experienced some bullying, ate cheese balls at snack time more than once and got sick in the first two weeks of school, but other than that...everything was going o.k. One day this week, L came home early and so was able to help the children with their homework. He was astounded by what they didn't know. He felt they were memorizing things to be tested rather than learning information they would retain.

At that point, I knew I couldn't do it anymore. Our afternoons were always extremely stressful with me sometimes spending three to four hours on homework with Robin who is in fifth grade. I lost my patience, there were tears, lots of breaks, and always frustration. I didn't want to spend my evenings being the enforcer when I knew my kid should be outside playing after spending 6 hours in a classroom. I thought, if I am spending this much time on "homework", my kid could just be at home. The plan was always to homeschool, but when the time came for Robin to start formal schooling, I was too scared. So instead, I sent him to school and boy, did we have some experiences. He was given a half day of in school suspension for eating another child's snack (the principal's child) in the second grade. He was bullied in the fourth. I fought the schools and the staff. Sometimes, I did nothing.

Wren fared somewhat better, I guess. In first grade, her teacher asked me if we had any books at home. Then a classmate told my little six year old girl that she didn't like black people. When I told her we would be homeschooling, she cried. Said she would miss her very very nice teacher. I asked her what else she would miss about public school. "Events."

Finch has only been in school for six short weeks but has already been called names and was afraid to stand up for himself for fear of getting in trouble. He is one of the wittiest kids I know and I really worried about putting him in public school. I worried it would break his spirit. I don't think he's going to miss it much.

A few months ago, when I was certain I would not send them back this school year, I went to a homeschool park day and someone remarked that they'd heard that most people want to live in my neighborhood b/c of the good schools. I guess. But I can't shake the feeling that my kids are just being passed through. And that bugs me. Especially since I am raising children of color.

On Monday, I will be filing my Notice of Intent (to homeschool) and withdrawing them from public school. And so it begins...

September 7

Today is the first day of school. Nine months ago, I felt sure that school would take place at our dining room table come fall. However, due to the moderate postpartum depression I experienced after Lark's birth, L and I decided that for now, public school is the best place for them. There is almost nothing more important to us than their education.The mental health of their mother is paramount to them getting the best education. So, while I feel somewhat sad that things haven't turned out exactly the way I planned, I'm glad my children are learning in an environment that works for all of us.

September 2

Hurricane Earl is headed our way and though we probably won't be hit directly, we are expecting a lot of rain since we are on the coast. The kids are always thrilled but terrified whenever storms head our way. I remember being quite afraid of storms as a small child. I spent the early part of my childhood on an island and my older relatives would tell teasing stories about houses swapping roofs during hurricanes and such. I sneaked an episode or two of the twilight zone late at night too and somehow combined those two fears. I'm better now. I love even the most intense rain and generally enjoy weather most people consider gloomy. I find it the perfect time to stay inside and cuddle up with a good book and some knitting. I plan on doing that tonight.

September 1

This year, I swore I would not be scrambling a few days before school started to find all the school supplies. So, I bought everything back in July according to the lists that went out at year's end. I knew the teachers might change them a little, but I figured I had it covered. Cut to today, me in Target frantically searching for the right size, color, and type of each item still needed. There were about 3 items left on the school supply shelves. I came away with just a fraction of the things we still need. So, tomorrow, I get to hit up some more stores to make sure we have it all. I would gladly pay the school a supply fee for them to just have this stuff ready when the kids come in on the first day. Forget wrapping paper sales, school supplies could be the PTA's big money maker!

July 14

Meet Albert, Wren's pet rolly polly. He lives in the garden, is the eldest of 6 and his parents are frequently away. He enjoys mudwrestling and crawling.

July 13

July 10

My oldest child, Robin, turns 10 in three days. We have been traveling since school let out a few weeks ago and so I haven't really had the chance to put together a party like I wanted to. We are gifting him with an activity and a trip, but I still wanted to make some new decorations for him. The result of reading too many party blogs. Yesterday, after asking him for the millionth time about some minor detail, I realized he didn't care. I made him a birthday banner and crown years ago, and he has enjoyed both immensely ever since.



Why was I running myself ragged trying to make things just so when he is happy with what he has? Today, I am letting go. I am deleting projects from my delicious and email that I know I will never complete. Those include:

A super fancy mobile for the crib Lark barely sleeps in.
A handmade duvet for Wren who is content with the one that came from Ikea.
A beach blanket. I saw some cute ones at Target that will fit the bill.
A vegetable garden. Not going to happen this year. I finally have to admit, finding creepy crawly critters like snakes and salamanders had me a bit shaken, and so I'm leaving that alone for now.