Symphonic interpretation

Today we were listening to a classical music station while driving to pick up Jonathan from school. Thomas commented "Mom, it sounds like a very scary polar bear. In the snow, running!"

This is what he was was hearing - his comment came toward the end, around minute 9.

Auditory learning

As I look back over last year, and the long process of finding what worked for Jonathan's education, one thing stands out as a shining, glorious success. We discovered that Jonathan is an auditory learner, and that he loves audio books. We are lucky to have access to the huge Los Angeles County library system, which includes free requests from any library in the system. That has been a tremendous opportunity to expand Jonathan's education, far further and in far different ways that I had been expecting.

We started out with stories of all kinds, read by Jim Weiss. He's a fabulous reader, giving interesting (and consistent!) voices to each character in the story. There are so many options - Arabian Nights, Greek Myths, Animal Tales, Shakespeare, the list goes on and on.

Jim Weiss is also the reader for Susan Wise Bauer's The Story of the World. He doesn't do as many neat voices, but it is easy to listen to, and most importantly Jonathan loves it. We made it a habit to listen in the car last year, as we drove around town on errands, or to CHEP classes, or to church. Even this fall, he still requests to listen to it in the car on the way to and from school.

Speaking of the car - some of our long car trips (to visit family) have been made far more bearable by audio books. A favorite memory for me is the time we listened to the entirety of the Narnia Chronicles on the way to and from my parents' house!

At home, Jonathan listens to stories during his daily quiet time and as he's falling asleep at night. Some of his favorites from the last year include Little Britches, Beatrix Potter stories, Cheaper by the Dozen, and The Wind in the Willows. Currently he's listening to the original Winnie the Pooh, read by the truly brilliant Peter Dennis.

These stories are jewels just as they are, never mind the "learning" that comes with them. And yet there is learning, and a lot of it! Jonathan's vocabulary has expanded at an incredible rate this past year. And it isn't just the vocabulary itself, but the way in which he's learning to use it. He often surprises us with an unexpected turn of phrase that is exactly right for the occasion, and sounds like something that Pooh Bear would have said. :) (Of course, once I caught him saying something entirely NOT appropriate for the occasion, and we had quite the conversation when he protested "but the dad in Cheaper by the Dozen says it!")

Then there is philosophy in Wind in the Willows, and theology in Narnia, and what it means to grow into manhood in Little Britches. Humor in Cheaper by the Dozen and Beatrix Potter, and...everything? in Winnie the Pooh.

All children love stories, but Jonathan seems to be wired with a special ability to absorb (and then recite!) them. I'm grateful for the writers who gave us stories with such depth, and goodness, and humor and joy. And I'm grateful for the readers and publishers who gave them to us in audio form. Because while I can't read to him for 3-4 hours every day...the cd player can!

{I also want to mention a few lovely audio books for the younger crowd. Bedtime for Frances is perfectly sweet and has really captured our little boys' interest. And Arnold Lobel reads his own Frog and Toad stories with delightful voices and humor!}

One World Birth

This is a movement that I've been keeping an eye on, and I'm very excited to see their "launch video". The editing is clean and watchable, and the content (people interviewed, really) is comprehensive. Take a look today, and then go back tomorrow to see what their finished site looks like!

First day of 1st grade!

Or "real school" as Jonathan insists upon calling it. :) He's attending a private Lutheran school this year, and I think it is going to be a really good fit for him.


{please excuse the messy floor - we were trying to get out the door on time!}

The other boys didn't want to be left out of the picture taking:



Jonathan had a hard time with me leaving, so the little boys and I came to opening chapel and sat right behind the first graders. I was so proud of Thomas and Siah - they were not expecting to have to sit quietly in church, but they did SO well. Right before the end of the service I whispered "Bye, Jonathan" and took the other boys out. We sat in the parking lot for a moment and I watched Jonathan filing back to his classroom with the other kids - just like he'd done it every day of his life. Yay Jonathan!

Today was a short day, so I picked him up at lunch time. On the way home I asked him what he did, and he told me that they read a book, and had snacktime, and chapel, and made "welcome back" visors. Apparently the book is quite interesting, and Mr. Rader will continue reading it tomorrow, and this is all very exciting. :)

While Jonathan was at school, Thomas and Siah and I had our own preschool time. Siah elected to paint (of course! this is all he ever wants to do!)



and Thomas chose an ABC workbook. I'm excited about preschool with them this year. Preschool is all the fun of homeschooling with none of the pressure. :)



I think that this is going to be a good year.

Renovating my wardrobe

Remember all the work I've been doing in my closet? One of the pieces that landed in my "hmm..." pile was a simple purple cotton dress from the clearance rack at Target. It has a faux-wrap bodice that is really cute, but as designed it gave an (ahem!) quite amazing view. When I first bought it, I tacked the wrap together in an attempt to fix that little problem, but it just wasn't possible to tack it high enough without messing up the bodice lines. Almost high enough, yes, but not quite!

My friend Elizabeth is quite a seamstress, and she convinced me that it would be "easy!" to add a little lace insert. And she was right! The result not only fixes the low-cut problem, but also makes the whole dress look nicer!



I think this dress now belongs in the "keep" pile. :)

Josiah counting

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seventy, eighteen, nineteen, one hundred! Yippee!"

On a completely unrelated note, here is the budding artist:



Love the tongue. And all the colors! His painting is getting a lot more complex and purposeful.

Snuggles

This morning I woke up to a small face, inches away from my nose, and the request: "Mommy, can I snuggle with you?" I doubt there is a nicer way to wake up.

I was reminded of my gentle wake up when I read Bethany's post this afternoon, entitled Waking Up Natural. Click over there and enjoy her sweet perspective on mothering, sleep, and the choices we make.

In fairness to the cat.

He only gives us the evil eye when we give him a bath. :) Most of the time, he's the sweetest kitty you've ever met. He hasn't torn up our furniture, he hasn't bitten or scratched anyone, and he puts up with the boys (oh-so-loving!) manhandling!



All the boys enjoy Raskol, but Thomas seems to have a special love for him. If he could, I think he'd carry Raskol around with him all day.

I still have some allergic reactions to him, but even so? Adopting Raskol was a really good decision.

Here, kitty kitty...

We gave Raskol a bath on Sunday afternoon. I think Gabe kind of enjoyed it.



Raskol, not so much. You've just never seen "pathetic" until you've seen a cat in a bath tub.



Ooh, if looks could kill!

a Reasonably Clean welcome!

Rosie (daughter of the wonderful Auntie Leila) is hosting a link-up for the Reasonably Clean welcome areas of our homes. If you've read much of Auntie Leila, I'm sure you know that "Reasonably Clean" is one of her themes. (after all, if you aim for perfectly clean, you don't have time to read that novel...)

Last time the challenge was to make our kitchen sink pretty. This time, to make our entry welcoming. Not only for friends, but also for ourselves!

Anyway, Rosie's post inspired me to get up off my duff and DO something about the mess that has been depressing me all day. I took "before" pictures for contrast and motivation:


The front garden, completely ignored. Daisies gone to seed in the back, mint gone to seed in the front. Ugh.


The toys...well, there's not a lot I can do about those. I hope that they say "children live here, and yours are welcome too!" :)


The entryway, full of random stuff. I've been tripping over it for two days - time to move it out!


This counter is my nemesis. Somehow everything collects on it! I think it has magnetic powers.


The table top has magnetic powers, too. This is remarkably clean, actually.


Amazingly, there is no laundry on the couches!


The general mess on the floor needs to go, though!

So those are the "before" pictures. And now...the "after"!


That looks welcoming!


The garden has been entirely fixed up. Dead plants cut back, dead leaves raked and deposited in the worm bin, daisy seeds and sweet peas planted in hopes of a secondary summer growth (we can do that in sunny socal!) And everything covered with beautiful rich dark worm dirt.


We took a break to eat cherries and finish up a couple of fun projects (which had been sitting on the counter!)


Hey, we can walk without tripping now! All the way through!




And my counter is gloriously clean. A mug of pens, a basket of fruit, and a plate of cookies are the only things on it!

Frankly, I feel fantastic now. :) I hope this post and all the others have inspired you to go make your entry a welcoming place!

Lollypops, anyone?

Today is National Lollypop Day! (Doesn't that just make you wonder...why is it National Lollypop Day, and whose idea was it, anyway?)

That aside, See's Candy is celebrating by giving a free lollypop (chocolate, butterscotch, or rootbeer) to every person who comes to their stores. I know for a fact that the store in the Whittwood Mall is participating - Josiah and Thomas and I were just there. :)

If you're out doing errands today, a quick stop might make for some very happy kids!

Meet Raskol

He's home and recovering nicely after his surgery. He's doing his darndest to scratch his bandage off, though. I think the healing must be itchy.



It looks like the vet cut his head off and then sewed it back on, doesn't it?

I still kind of wish that Raskol was Hermione, but boy or girl, this is one sweet kitten. I'm still in love. I'm so in love that I'm not even complaining about the fact that he has to stay inside until his stitches come out. Sure am sneezing a lot, though!



He is a little rascal.

Oh, and the name? Gabe came up with it (of course). Any guesses as to where it comes from? :)

Jesus' daughters

Betsy Barber has written a beautifully edifying post over at The Good Book Blog. It is the sort that you should save until nap time, and then read slowly and prayerfully; savor it.

Role playing

We have a dress up bin that the boys play with regularly. Usually they are knights, or star wars characters, or policemen, or firefighters. But this time? This time they recreated church! Jonathan dressed himself up as a priest, complete with vestments.



He arranged our table bench and piano bench into pews and an altar rail, invited the younger boys to come to church, and served them "communion" (crackers and water).



He was actually very good at it, too!

Thomas started out playing Josiah's Dad, keeping him in line on the pew! Later he switched roles, retrieved a bath toy boat, and installed himself as the boat boy. :)



In real life, Jonathan is scheduled to serve for the first time as an acolyte (in the position of boat boy!) on the first two Sundays of August. He is very excited.

Pretend play is a kind of practice for reality, a trying on of roles and experimenting with your place in the story of life. I love that the boys are exploring this role along with the others.

Clothing, fashions, and too-full closets

I've been working on a project for the past few weeks. I'm decluttering my clothing. This has been the result of a variety of things: reading The 100 Thing Challenge, turning 30, feeling frumpy (jeans and t-shirts every day will do that to you), getting tired of feeling frumpy, and then stumbling across a couple of blog posts on "Mommy Fashion" and Cate MacDonald's interesting Twenty Pieces project.

What I finally realized is this: it is not helpful to have a closet full of clothes that I don't like, don't fit into, and don't wear.

I've had too much in my closet for a long time. Much of the problem started when I had children - instead of having one "teacher wardrobe" with a few pairs of play clothes for my days off, I had maternity clothes. And then "just had a baby" clothes. Nursing tops. Of course I kept all the "skinny" clothes, because I was certainly going to fit into them again! Multiply all this times three children, with different starting sizes each time.

Frugality (perhaps misplaced?) also played a large role here. I didn't want to get rid of anything, because I didn't want to have to re-buy it later when I either lost weight or got pregnant or quit nursing or, or, or. And because I knew that any given item was only going to fit me for a limited period of time, I tended to purchase the cheapest clearance bargains that I could find, regardless of whether I actually loved the piece, or even liked how I looked in it.

I had boxes and boxes of clothes, and too many pieces in my closet, and frankly, too many days when walking into the closet produced tears instead of a cute outfit. When you're staring at 50+ pieces, and you can't find anything that matches, fits, and makes you feel pretty, it is time for something to change.

So I'm clearing out. I don't have a specific numerical goal in mind, like Cate, although I find her minimalistic ideal highly appealing. I'm just aiming for a closet of clothing that is simple, pretty, and that I actually enjoy wearing.

First concert

We took the boys to a concert last night: the five Brown siblings, all pianists, playing an outdoor concert that included Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals". This is one of the boys' favorite pieces of music. We have a cd and book that walks you through each part, and it has been an oft-requested piece during quiet time.

Tickets on the lawn at the top of the amphitheater were quite reasonable, and it really was a perfect introduction to live music for the kids. They could wiggle as much as they needed to on our picnic blanket, and I was pleased with how well they paid attention. Their favorite was definitely the Carnival, which brought home (to me) just how helpful it is to pre-expose kids to a piece of music before hearing it in concert. They were so pleased to recognize it! Jonathan could identify some of the movements by himself, and asked for help with the others. He wanted to know how certain sounds were made (Sarah, can you tell us how the jackass' signature sound is created on the violin?) and informed Gabe that the sounds of the "fossils" were meant to be "bones rattling, Daddy!"

Jonathan also really enjoyed watching the musicians. He was especially impressed with one of the girls, whom he pronounced "pretty" and "really good at the piano". He says he wants to learn to play like she does. Well then! Piano lessons, here we come. :)

We almost didn't bring Josiah, since he developed a fever a few hours before we left. But he did not want to be left behind, and to be honest, Gabe and I were really disappointed not to be able to go as a family. So at the last minute we decided to all go and hope for the best. Josiah spent the whole time in our arms, but it turns out that he had a great time. When the music ended, Gabe asked him, "what did you think, Josiah?"
"It was awesome!"
"So you liked it?"
"Yes I do!"

Thomas, as usual, didn't have much to say. But since he usually cares quite a lot about what music gets played at bedtime, I'm betting that he enjoyed himself.

I know that the kids will be tired and difficult today, but this was absolutely worth it. Live music, some of which they were familiar with, in a setting they could manage, played by engaging young people: it all added up to a pretty stellar first concert experience.

So much for having another girl in the family...

Hermione is a BOY. So says the veterinarian, anyway, but I don't believe her. I'm attached to my little girly kitten!

The vet also let us know that we got more than we bargained for in adopting her. I mean him. It turns out that the "scar" on her neck is actually a rubber band with skin growing over it. It is restricting her breathing, and the vet said that it is surprising how well she's doing under the circumstances. I am very, very angry with whomever had this cat before we did.

Fixing this mess is costing a lot of money. Far more than I'd ever pay for a cat! (Or a dog, or any pet for that matter!) But...we love this animal now and we can't exactly not help her. So please pray for successful surgery and a quick recovery for our very expensive new pet.

That's love...

Thomas: "I love you, Mom, all the way to North Africa."

Our newest addition

Isn't she sweet?



She showed up at our front door a few nights ago, and when we opened it to investigate, she walked right in. I'm allergic to cats, so (like an idiot) I spent the next 45 minutes cuddling her while talking to neighbors and trying to discover who she belonged to.



No one knew, of course, although most of us thought she was probably abandoned, because she has some icky scarring on her neck that looks like the result of abuse.



But she loved the kids, and we all loved her. And we just couldn't dump her back outside and go to bed. But...we can't keep a cat! I'm allergic to cats! (At least, I was expecting to get violently allergic...any minute now...) Eventually a cat-loving neighbor came home, and she agreed to keep the kitten for a couple of days until we could either find an owner or find a new home for her.



Well, we found a new home for her. She's living in our back yard, and apparently I'm only slightly allergic to her. The boys are thrilled with their new pet, and frankly, I'm a little bit in love.

What shall we name her?

Best sign EVER!

I found this at Hip2Save - she always posts a "Happy Friday" picture and this one was too good not to share!