Five Things:
A Little Randomness for Your Monday
I hope all of you mamas had a restful Mother's Day! That's the one thing I wanted most--a nap! One would think that, with the school year winding down, life would get a little bit slower and easier for us, but that hasn't been the case at all! Here's what we've been up to lately, along with a little randomness for your Monday.
{1} Shane Celebrates His 9th Birthday!
I know, I know. Whenever a child celebrates a birthday, every mom comments on how quickly the time has flown. But, at the risk of being repetitive, I will say this: I cannot believe our Shane is half-way to adulthood. I have such vivid memories of taking him for very long, sloooow walks around our slightly sketchy neighborhood. (Dan and I had not thought to check for sexual offenders in the area before buying our first home. Oops.) I let the sunshine fall on his dimpled arms and hands... not enough to let him burn, of course, but to ease away the jaundice that was yellowing his silky infant skin. How can that possibly be nine years ago?
We started Shane's big day with a pancake breakfast followed by gift opening. We celebrated with some of his buddies at a local indoor waterpark housed inside a Country Inn & Suites. Since Shane's birthday was on a Wednesday (and most kids are in school), we pretty much had the place to ourselves. As you can see from the picture below, Shane didn't have any fun at all.
Shane requested sushi for his birthday dinner, so we got some takeout from his favorite restaurant. Afterward, he and Conner painted some canvases at their Painting Picassos class. It was a very full and fun day.
{2) What I Wore {to the Farm}
Our family visited Mulberry Lane Farms last week for its opening weekend. We hoped to snuggle some baby animals, and our trip to the farm did not disappoint! The sun was shining, but it was a cold and windy day, so we dressed in lots of layers. Below is the outfit I wore, right before we chased some chickens and snuggled some kittens.
(1) I love this utility jacket. My overall style is very feminine (lace, ruffles, florals, etc.), so the military-inspired jacket balances many of my outfits and adds visual interest. (2) I ordered the open cardigan from Jane, one of my favorite boutiques. I usually try to stick with neutral colors when it comes to cardigans (I also own this in navy, black, and white), but the yellow was speaking to me. Even though it's not a neutral, I find myself plucking this sunshiney piece from my closet more than any of the others. (3) My very sweet friend Nicole gave me this adorable "Mascara & Coffee" tee, and I've been wearing it on repeat... for obvious reasons! I love it. Thank you, Nicole!!! (4) What are jeggings? If jeans and leggings were to have a weird clothing-baby, their offspring would be jeggings. They look like jeans, but they have lots of stretch like leggings... and are therefore super-comfortable! The rainboots and sunglasses are both old, but I'm pretty sure they're both from Target.
(1) Utility Jacket (Target) / (2) Yellow Open Cardigan (Jane) / (3) Mascara & Coffee Tee (Old Navy) /
(4) Gray Jeggings (Target) / Rain-boots (old) / Sunglasses (old)
{3} A Podcast Recommendation
Although my favorite podcast remains Young House Love Has a Podcast, my friend Melissa clued me in to another great podcast called What Should I Read Next? The podcast is hosted by Anne Bogel (of Modern Mrs. Darcy). In each episode, she interviews a guest about their taste in books and then recommends three books to them. It's so fun! I can only listen to this one occasionally, though, because I get so many great book recommendations, I can't keep up!
{4} Homeschool Music Program and Yep, We're Done
Shane and Conner recently participated in the spring concert for their homeschool music program. The concert's theme was "Broadway," and the boys, who both sing in the Children's Choir, sang a medley of songs from The Sound of Music. I am so thankful for this program for so many reasons. First, the choir director is a faith-filled woman whom I admire very much. She's obviously extremely talented herself, and she has an amazing talent for producing fabulous performances by her students. Second, I love how the program kindles a love of music in my children. There are few things more delightful than hearing my children spontaneously break into a "round" about a cuckoo bird while we're on our way to Costco. Third, this sprin's music selection introduced the boys to one of my all-time favorite musicals! When I first became aware of the songs they'd be singing, it seemed fitting that they should watch The Sounds of Music with Julie Andrews. I thought Shane (age 8 at the time) would be able to follow most of the story, and I thought maybe Conner (age 6) might enjoy some of it, but, goodness, was I surprised! They were both hooked and enjoyed the whole thing! (Well, except for "Climb Every Mountain," which I always fast-forward myself. Ahem.)
Theo was a dream during the concert. He sat contentedly on my lap for the entire two-hour performance. As I was watching these amazingly talented, confident children sing and play their instruments, I was so moved that part of me wanted to weep (especially during the medley from Les Miserables). I began to wonder, as I always do, if we are reeeeeally done having children.
However, I was blissfully unaware that my husband, whom I thought was seated on the other side of the row from me, was managing our three-year-old in the hallway outside, and he was not happy about missing more than half of the performance. On top of that, there was some miscommunication about where we were supposed to meet afterward. On the drive home, there were some irritable exchanges and bitter feelings, which were quickly resolved but still managed to put a damper on an otherwise lovely evening. I thought, Oh, yes, that's why we're done. We adore our little blessings and feel so privileged to care for them, but it will be nice to be able to go places and enjoy events without feeling stressed the entire time.
{5} Classical Conversations Memory Master: Sushi Edition
When I was pregnant with Theo, Dan and I decided that the 2016/2017 would be a "grace year" in terms of the boys' schooling. With Theo's birth this fall, we felt that meeting his and my needs were more important than pushing myself (and the boys) as much as usual. Now that the school year is over, I'm really surprised by how much we were able to accomplish, even after we factor in Theo's birth. If I did relax anything, though, it was probably my focus on our Classical Conversations memory work. (This was due to a combination of my missing six weeks worth of community days after Theo was born. When I was able to come back, Theo always seemed to "lose it" [he needed a diaper change, nursing, and to be placed in the baby carrier for his nap] around "New Grammar," so I wasn't really on top of the Cycle 2 material.)
Last year, Shane worked hard to become a Cycle 1 Memory Master. That means that he mastered the following material:
- 161 events and people in a chronological timeline
- 44 U.S. presidents (in order)
- 24 history sentences (Some of the "sentences" are actually paragraphs. I'm not sure I can share the exact words due to copyright, but there is one that talks about the Roman Republic fighting the Punic Wars and the Pax Romana. It also talks about when and why the empires divided, and how Germanic barbarians defeated the Western Empire in 476 AD. This is considered one "history sentence.")
- 120 locations and geographic features in Africa, Europe, and the Old World
- 24 science facts (including classifications of living things and each continent's highest mountain)
- 5 Latin noun ending and their singular and plural declensions
- English grammar facts (including lists of 53 prepositions, 23 helping verbs, and 12 linking verbs)
- Multiplication tables up to 15x15, common squares and cubes, as well as basic geometry formulas and unit conversions
To become a Memory Master, Shane first had to recite all of these facts to me (or Dan). When I was confident that Shane could do it without making any mistakes, he had to recite all of the facts to his tutor, again, without missing one. He then had to go through a final proof with the Foundations Director during which the material was spot-checked. Again, he could not make any mistakes. If he successfully completed all three proofs, he was declared a Cycle 1 Memory Master.
This school year, we were on Cycle 2, and he would be learning an entirely new set of material (with the exception of Math and Timeline, which repeats). Early on, I explained to Shane that this was our "grace year," so it was okay if he didn't want to try for Memory Master this year. He decided to pass. I did want him to motivate him to master a good deal of the memory work, so near the end of the school year I told him that for every subject he recited perfectly, he would earn a sushi roll. I expected him to choose two or three subjects, perhaps, but I underestimated how big of a motivator sushi actually is for this boy. He promptly declared he wanted to go for all SEVEN subjects. (My first thought was, Well, then why didn't you want to go for Memory Master?!, but I flashed a smile and said, "That's great, honey!") With only two days of studying with this goal in mind, Shane was able to master six of the seven subjects. (Why, oh, why can't I have just a bit of his memory?) So, with sushi at about $6/roll, we're going to be out a lot more money than the $9 cookie cake we got him last year for actually achieving Memory Master! Oops. Next time, I need be smarter about this and add some fine print about there being a limit. Or, better yet, I should go back to the $9 cookie cake!
Phfew! Do you see why I could use that nap? So, tell me... What randomness do you have going in your life?