Speaking silence

Every parent of young children knows how terrfying silence can be. I was reminded recently of the 'dangers' of silence...

Was it just yesterday? I was feeling exhausted and had a blazing headache. Both boys were also tired -- both had been up relatively late the night before and both had gotten up ridiculously early. All three of us needed naps. The boys agreed to go lie down and, being ever hopeful, I went into my room to do the same. Curled up on my bed, cats all around me, I was just drifting off to sleep when I heard:

Giggles, giggles, giggles.
Thud, pad, pad, pad.
'My kitty doesn't love me anymore!' (Jason)
'Don't worry, Bah bah, I'll get her.' (Xander)
Thud, patter, patter,patter.
Thump, Thump.
'I gotter, bah bah. Capture complete.'
Thump.
Thump.
Giggles, giggles. More giggles.
Thud patter, patter, patter.
'Go getter Boo!' (Jason)
'I'm going Bah bah'
Thump thud thud thud
Grunt.
'Bah bah...'
'I'm coming, Boo'
Grunt
'You'd better take her front end, Bah bah.'
Giggles,giggles.
THUD!

Fossils, Fossils everywhere!

Oh how quickly time passes and how good intentions fail! Life has run over me like a steam roller and all my good intentions about keeping up this blog were left in the dust. It is not that there weren't great stories to tell. There have been any number. But life has a habit of getting away from me -- two small boys can run me off my feet and out of town faster than a sheriff's posse could round up bad guys.

Enough with the excuses, however. Let us get to the stories.

The first one occurred relatively early in August. Chris, the little boy that I sometimes watch, was with us everyday then. And one day, I packed all three little boys into the car, along with a cooler of food and plenty of 'Hank the Cowdog' CDs (And added one grandfather for interest) and we set off, over the mountains to the Eastern side to go see Mammoths. Ummm... yes, it appears that Eastern Washington is a mecca for beasties. A desert now, it was once the site of a gigantic Icewall meltdown. In the case of the place to which we were going, it was home to Mammoths -- not the Woolly Mammoth that most people think of but the other, larger Columbia River Mammoth. The trip took three hours driving -- with one rest stop. All in all, the boys were wonderful, though Chris --who tends to overheat easily -- complained bitterly about having to take his turn sitting in the farthest back seat.

The Mammoth Dig sits on the side of a hill, on a private farm. The beast was discovered when someone, driving a bulldozer and digging ground for a road, slammed the dozer's plow into the Femur of the creature. Great excitement ensued and Western Washington University sent a team to investigate. Using computer tomography, they scanned the area and discovered what appears to be an almost completely intact Mammoth skeleton. Even greater excitement arose when a 'purposeful flake' was found -- potentially an indication of human presence on the site.

We arrived in a swirl of dust. The boys unloaded with Chris roaring, in his inimitable way, "ITS HOT!" Hmmm... sorta what one expects in a desert, isn't it? We trudged over to the sign and Jason, who'd been given my Sony camera for use that day, took a few photographs.

Then off into the visitors' tent -- a relatively high comfort affair, we were assured by the resident archeologist. Here is where the stories start to get funny. The young man, an

archeologist post grad out of WWU, asked the assembly 'Does anyone know what a paleontologist is?' Jason said 'A paleontologist is a scientist who studies the oldest fossil remains, before the coming of man.' The archeologist blinked. 'That is the best definition I have heard in a long time. Okay, can you tell me what an archeologist does?' Jason, ever ready to oblige, smiled and said ' Archeologists study the human past and ancient cities before the beginning of written history.' The archeologist stared at him with increasing interest 'You know a lot!' he commented. Jason smiled again 'Indiana Jones is my favorite archeologist.' At that, the young man's face split into a grin. 'Mine too! Dya know -- I was about your age when the movie first came out and that is why I became an archeologist! But' he added solemnly, 'all of us here have tee-shirts that say 'Indiana Jones LIED to us!' because archeological work is dirty and hot and hard, not as easy as he made it look!' They smiled at each other in agreement and then the discussions about the site began.

Creative responses

Okay, so... we have a rule in this family: if someone says stop (specifically to tickling) then we stop. So last night, boys are in the tub and I am running around, trying to get everything set up for the night and the next morning. Suddenly I hear 'NO! NO! STOP!' and then a burst of giggles. I rush back and guess what I find: Jason is saying 'armpit!' and Xander is... tickling himself in the armpit! Hmmm... seems we have found a solution to the whole 'no tickling' thing. I leave. A short while later I hear: 'Bah bah, you can NEVER say 'armpit' again!' then more giggles.

So... who says creativity is dead?

Making God Laugh

If you want to make God laugh, just try and make plans for the future.
- Ron Litzler


This quote is so right on the mark! Yesterday, I planned. I planned with great care and forethought. I knew that I was going to take little boys to a park near a river so I bought them rubber boots. But I planned without remembering the nature of little boys.

We arrived at the park. The boys were all set, rubber boots tramping away. Xander was even wearing his beloved Fire Marshal rain coat. Down to the rushing Cedar River.

"Now you can walk in the river," I said, "But not too deep. There is a strong current. And don't go into..." Too late, in they plunged, water well up over the top of their boots.

Christopher, our visiting friend, looked at me in indignation. 'THERE IS WATER IN MY BOOTS!!!' he roared. Xander grinned. 'Mine TOO!' he shrieked in delight.

"Okay" I said, " Come out of the river. Sit, SIT, SIT!!! down on the bench' (This as they both attempted to stand one legged in the river to remove the boots.) Pull off your boots and...'

Christopher yelled even louder 'MY SOCKS ARE WET!' I looked at him for a long moment. 'Yes," I agreed,'that is what happens when you get water in your boots." "I can't wear WET SOCKS!' he told me. 'So, take off the socks and the boots, put the socks in the boots...' 'BUT THE BOOTS ARE FULL OF WATER!' I sighed. 'Dump the water out first, then put the socks in the boots.' "BUT THE SOCKS ARE WET!" I looked at him, sighed deeply and said 'The boots won't mind. They are wet too.' 'OH.' he thought about that a moment. Then I said 'You can go into the river barefoot.' 'YEA!' all three boys were for this and off came the boots and socks in a fury of wet.

'Roll up your pants legs' I said in a last stab at hope. They did and charged back into the water. Christopher, having gotten out knee deep shrieked 'THE WATER IS COLD!' and then looking down at his pants "AND NOW MY PANTS ARE WET!' I grinned a little. 'Yes, the water is cold. You could put your boots back on... without wet socks. And your pants were already wet...' Xander, who had been bending over to examine a rock, leaned back in an impossible position and somehow managed to get his entire backside soaked... without soaking his front. Jason, meanwhile, was happily clomping around in the 'COLD' water, soaked to his hips and examining the bottom.

Christopher came out, intent on collecting his boots. At the shore, he discovered mud and spent several minutes squishing it between his toes before rinsing his feet off. Then up to the table to collect his boots only 'MY FEET ARE DIRTY!' Sigh. "Carry your boots down to the shore. Rinse your feet in the water then put on the boots.' He did and clomped out again... 'MY BOOTS ARE FULL OF WATER!' Sigh and double sigh.

Xander had been watching this and collected his boots. He took them down and washed THEM, then washed his feet, then debated how best to put on the boots. He got them on, clomped out, got them FULL of water and with a delighted shriek, slogged over to a log. There he climbed up and, standing on the log, took off his boots, dumped the water ('Did you SEE? MOMMY? I gave the water back to the RIVER!') and, replacing his boots, climbed down off the log to go examine river rocks. This repeated and repeated. Meanwhile, Chris kept getting his boots full of water, shrieking that they were full, climbing onto the shore, dumping water, squishing mud, rinsing feet and replacing boots. Through all this, Jason serenely waded about, almost entirely soaked, now and then wearing boots full of water and thoroughly pleased with himself.

Christopher has fixated on his wet pants. 'Iwant to take my pants OFF!' he announces. I tell him, 'When we get back to the car, you can take off your pants but it is not allowed to take them off in a public place.' 'But they are WET!' he points out. I agree. 'Yes, they are wet. That is what happens when you wade deep into a river.' He humphs at me but is disinclined to leave the river.

After about 1/2 an hour, all three boys were beginning to get cold and hungry so I suggested we go home. 'but our SOCKS AND BOOTS ARE WET!' Christopher roared. I smiled. 'You can walk barefoot and carry the boots but the rocks may be a bit sharp.' 'YEA!' yelled the boys and started out of the water. Jason, careful as always, collected his boots and (of course) filled them with the rocks that he had collected. Xander, seeing this, did the same. Chris, meanwhile, was screeching ahead, yelling 'I walk BAREFOOT on rocks ALL THE TIME!' Hmm...

So we start back. Sure enough, before too long I hear Chris 'THESE ROCKS ARE SHARP!' I look over at Jason who is walking tentatively across the rocks. 'Put your feet flat down instead of rolling your feet.' I suggest. 'It will be less pokey that way.' Xander, at the back of the pack, is struggling mightily to carry his rock laden boots while walking barefoot over rocks. I dropped back to take his boots from him. 'How're you doing?' I ask. He smiles sunnily at me and says, as if it were news 'I'm all wet and sandy.' Yes.

As we walk towards the parking lot, we see a man and woman approaching. They are smiling and pointing at the boys and talking. When we get close enough, I say 'I don't know why I bothered to get them rubber boots!' The man grinned and said 'Yeah, we were just discussing that.' Hmmmm....

Once back at the car, boots loaded in the trunk, the three boys strip down to underwear. I watch in amazement as they deposit half the river bed of mud on the ground near the car. 'You brought back half the river.' I gasp. Xander grins wickedly and says 'I like being wet and mostly naked. Can I stay this way?' Chris, ever proper, tells him firmly 'NO! When we get home you will get DRESSED!' Ah, to be 6 and to KNOW the way! Then he looks at me and says reproachfully, 'I am COLD!' Before I can say anything, Jason, who always seems to be the voice of moderation, smiles sunnily and says 'Once we are in and buckled, Mom will turn on the heat and we won't be cold anymore.' Marching orders given, all three boys load up, I do too, heater is turned on and we head home.... sigh... why did I bother with boots? Oh yes, they were needed to carry ROCKS!

poetry

I'd rather learn from one bird how to sing
than teach ten thousand stars how not to dance

--e.e. cummings
E. E. Cummings: Complete Poems, 1904-1962


Now usually I am more of a Don Marquis fan but this line... it is perfect. I guess any poet has his/her moments when words become magic in his grasp. For cummings, this was the moment. This whole poem 'Lie Down and Sleep' makes words music for the brief spell of reading.

Perhaps this line struck me because of what I am attempting to do: provide two little boys with a good and positive educational experience (some would accuse me of wrapping them in cotton or bubblewrap...) and in the process I 'learn from one bird (or in this case two!) how to sing':>

Learning moments are everywhere: for example, the other evening at dinner, my youngest son announced 'I am Mexican, after all.' ???? I am sure that is your response so I guess I should back up to the beginnng and let you in on the whole 'windy tale' (ala Hank the Cowdog).

But where to begin? As with so many encounters, this ending came from many beginnings. The most obvious thread to pull is the one called 'Skippy Jon Jones'. SJJ is a siamese 'kitty boy' who thinks he is a chihuahua. (Skippy Jon Jones (Skippyjon Jones))Xander LOVES the books, and they are rather funny, with SJJ as a super hero to the oppressed Chihuahua's of the world. And, of course, as a Chihuahua, SJJ eats beans and mice... Not my pun!

But that is only one thread. I fear that I supplied yet another in this particular weaving. That thread developed when Xander and Jason and I were having a morning discussion about food. Xander informed me that he had made a promise to the Aliens (which Aliens?) that he wouldn't eat meat (this was later amended to 'he wouldn't eat meat for breakfast'). I was explaining the importance of protein in the diet and we began brain storming alternative sources of protein -- peanut butter, cheese, and... of course, beans and rice! Ah ha!

The story then picks up when Xander tells me, at the grocery store, that he wants beans and rice for lunch. Somehow I had forgotten all the BR discussions to this point so I was startled. "Well" I said "Not lunch but we can have it for dinner." He subsided and again, I forgot until... at Tae Kwon Do, he began a discussion with Shannon, mother to Makayla, Cobin and Kyler, about dinner. Of course, Beans and Rice showed up... with a peanut butter and jelly chaser for good measure.

So we had Beans and Rice for dinner. Xander, munching happily away on beans, rice and tortillas, explained to his father that he "LOVES" beans and rice because "I am MEXICAN after all!" His father's face was priceless. (Choke, snort)

And what, you might be wondering, does this story -- silly though it be -- have to do with e.e. cummings' poem? Well, one might well argue that my sons are teaching me, slowly, so slowly, to sing rather than 'to teach a thousand stars how not to dance.' I am learning that, left in peace, my sons learn at a remarkable rate, that they hear and retain far more information than I could ever begin to imagine. I need simply provide a little structure and appropriate materials and they 'learn to sing' with all the joy and abandon that such an undertaking deserves.

DNA -- the next step

Another example of the power of words and books comes from our discussions of DNA. Yes, I know, who discusses DNA with 4 and 8 year olds? The answer is 'Me'. Where did that discussion start? With a book, of course, and with the fears of a four year old.

Xander has always been concerned with death and abandonment -- I am not sure why. Where his older brother is fairly calm, 'Death is not the end, it is just a change.' Xander is VERY concerned that death is an end -- an end of the company of those he loves. Every now and again, the subject rears its ugly head and he dissolves into tears at the thought that those he loves will go away from him. So I, in my infinite wisdom, explained to him that he could never truly 'lose' us as we were in his DNA. 'Everywhere you go, every day of your life and even after it, we will be with you. We are in your blood and bone.' I explained. This intrigued himself. After all, he is also the child who is fascinated with human anatomy. 'DNA?' he chirped. 'Is that 'Star Stuff?' This is a direct reference to a series of books by Jennifer Morgan about the birth of the Universe. The series begins with Born With a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story : Book 1 (Sharing Nature With Children Book). The three book series traces our human connection to the Universe and does so with both beauty and power. Edward Glenn, Astronaut, is quoted as saying that he felt the connection described in this book while returning from the moon to earth... and it was that power of connection, that sense of continuous belonging that drew me to this book. What better to reassure a small boy who was scared of death than to tell him that, in a sense, one never dies. We are all made of star stuff, connected now and to eternity.

But, of course, I couldn't leave it there. No. I had to get clever and tell young mister that, in a sense, he would never be shed of ANY of his family. "I am in your blood" I explained. "Through your DNA you are linked forever to all the members of your family, those now living, those long dead, those yet to be born." He looked at me, quiet for a moment, but it was his brother -- who, of course, had been listening intently as well, who asked the next, and obvious question: "What is DNA?"

So we went to the library and found a book with a brief explanation of DNA and pictures of the chain... and while driving in the car the next day, Xander, who'd been examining this book closely said with great delight 'DNA really DOES look like a ladder -- a ladder of Evolution!' He was thrilled to bits, my little Darwin:>

Of course, Jason had his own take on it... he began dissecting the DNA of Pokemon and wondering how that could be used to create new ones...Just think, he may have yet another career in store, as a molecular biologist!

But no, maybe not. He was talking very seriously about creating games and legos and I promised, rashly I suspect, that if he wanted to, I would help him compose and send letters to nintendo and Legos asking that they offer advice as to what sort of training and skills were needed to get jobs with them... And he is only 8! I must be sleep deprived.

Summer Time boys

The summer days are here and life with little boys continues to be adventurous... and enlightening...

Beware of what you say -- it will come back to haunt you in the most unexpected ways: I was at the grocery store the other morning, rushing because I needed to get the shopping done before my 'third boy' arrived with his mother. We had made it, finally, to the check out and I was rushing to unload things (Mom, remember what you tell me, says Jason, SLOW DOWN!). I grabbed a Vitamin Water and swung to put it on the conveyor belt when, oops, I released too soon. (Can you tell that I have been coaching baseball?) The bottle fair flew from my hand, hit the ground and exploded. Orange vitamin water EVERYWHERE! Red faced, I apologize to the very patient clerk. Once it had been cleaned up, I moved the cart forward and was set to finish the transaction when a small voice piped confidingly to the clerk: "My Mom is a bit of a klutz." The clerk choked and I glared at my helpful tyke. He looked at me sweetly, big brown eyes open VERY wide, 'You are, Mommy." Sigh.

Perhaps it is such moments that lead complete strangers to say to me (in this case at the public library) 'Mothers of small boys are saints.' I was in the midst of sheperding three small boys, all with books clutched in hand, towards the check out (Again?). I smiled, albeit weakly, and responded 'No, mostly we are just tired!' She laughed as did the older man who'd been watching the proceedings... well, at least we brought smiles to someone's day.

And then there was the shower incident: As I mentioned, I am watching a friend's child three days a week -- a challenge in many ways too numerous to list here. In a desperate attempt to take advantage of the warmer weather while maintaining peace, I had dressed the three Muskeeters in bathing trunks, set up a water slide and turned them out. They had a wonderful time and got thouroughly coated in grass. When our summer friend's father arrived, I ushered the boys in and told both Jason and Xander that I would take them to the bathroom and shower them off to get rid of the grass itch. Then I turned to speak with our friend's father for a moment. But moments are hours to the small folk, and Xander announced that he was going to shower himself 'in privacy!' I said, without really paying enough attention, 'No honey. Wait for me and I will help you.' "I want to shower myself... in PRIVACY!" I replied, with a bit of impatience, 'Wait and I will help you shower yourself.' At this point, Larry was smiling a bit. There was silence from the back room and I, mistaking silence for compliance, turned to tell Larry about the day. Suddenly a whoosh of water was heard. Larry started to grin and I, with a yelp, dived towards the bathroom. There in the doorway, with water running down his back, was Xander. Triumphant grin in place, he told me 'And I dried myself too!' Amazingly enough, there was only a small lake on the bathroom floor.

Of course, independence comes in many forms: Jason is now makes his own breakfast and lunch (if I am not quick enough), unbuckles his brother and unlocks the front door -- sometimes before I am ready for him to do so. He reads books to his little brother on a regular basis and the two of them go into hysterics. And then there is the creative urge. These days, I have only to mention something and he is off and running with it. For example...

One of our 'summer' projects is to work through The Dangerous Book for Boys(I am posting the program in my Public Blog http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/mapleshakes/ [Shakespeare Amongst the Maples]). As a part of the project, we have been working on creating 'The Explorers Club.' Loosely based on the Boy scout model, we are going to have badges and segments and achievements. Jason, fired up by the idea, sat down and began drawing badges and creating achievements. One of the badges that he created was 'NHFAW' -- the 'No Hitting for a week' badge -- specifically for his little brother. He was quick to tell our summer friend that EVERYONE had to work on this achievement -- not wanting his 'BOO BOO' to feel picked on, I expect.



And then there is the computer: Jason had tried repeatedly to create a user account on something called 'Peeron' -- a website that publishes old Lego building instructions. When he continued to fail at this objective, he decided to create his OWN website where he would publish HIS building instructions. (Smile) He has also started his own blog -- an online journal mostly. Though I am wary of too much computer time, having read the research on how this affects children's' brains, I cannot deny that this 'journal' of his does encourage writing -- as good a way as any to learn English grammar. And learning HTML is not a bad idea either... in this day and technological age, the more computer savy you are, the better. Which is why I have encouraged his work at Eastshore Unitarian Church... cataloging the Children's Library in the Excel Database.



Actually, whenever I sit down and start listing out the various subjects that the boys are studying, I get overwhelmed. There is just SO MUCH -- they, however, swim effortlessly through the material, absorbing and learning at the speed of light.



For one thing, Xander has fallen in love with numbers and addition. He is forever throwing out number equations. This morning it was 2+2=4, 4+4=8, 8+8=16... And his very favorite movie is Donald in Mathmagic Land . I have to admit, it is one of my favorites as well:> And whenever we go to the library, he immediately heads to the math section to select his 'school work' for the day.

Sunshine and Roses

Well, the sun is gone and the rain has returned. Seattlites are grateful -- 25 days with no rain was a bit much. The plants were all beginning to fade into that gray colour which is more characteristic of the Sonoran Desert than of the Emerald City.

As for the people? I have been laid low with allergies and both boys have been suffering consequently -- when Mom gets sick just by going out the door, the boys go out in the yard alone and that is just not satisfactory -- they would much rather have Mom there:>

But, as I said, the rains have returned so we have been out. My rose garden is exploding with color and scent these days and the job of dead heading seems endless. The Cherry trees are putting out fruit, though Tom has no doubts that the squirrels and birds will beat us to the ripened fruits. But the boys did beat the critters to a few treasures. On a recent walk around the neighborhood, they found a patch of wild Salmonberries and proceeded to clean the bush. The best moment was when Jason, his mouth full of Salmon berries, told me that we needed to pick them in order to make a pie. LOL. Silly child. I pointed at the bush and asked 'What berries?' He was surprised. ' Where'd they go?' I pointed at his mouth. Sigh.

And with the first day of summer comes the end of Baseball season, at least for the boys. I can't pretend that I am not grateful. The kids were fun to watch but coaching a motley collection of 4-6 year olds of varying skill and developmental levels through the wilds of baseball was demanding. Jason's final game was quite good. He got hits every time at bat, doubles and triples mostly. And even Xander did fairly well, though he did have a tendency to look at the airplanes as they went overhead rather than at the ball.... For some reason that completely escapes me, both of my sons want to be catchers. I really think that it must be the gear rather than the position. That is especially true for my youngest who is always careful to select his 'hat of the day.' No, I am not kidding. The child wakes up, takes a look at the clothes I have set out, decides whether they suit his mood. If they do, then he dresses and marches off to choose hat and shoes/boots. It is nearly impossible to predict what choices he will make on this so I just watch. Jason is so much easier in this: the only potential issue with him is textures and at this point, most of his clothes are cotton, his prefered fabric.

It is very strange, looking at the boys. They have grown so much and so fast. Jason is as tall as his dad's shoulder and Xander is at Jason's shoulder. When I look back at films of them as babies, something clenches in my heart. They have come so far. Ah, but occasionally I miss those baby days. Xander is torn about it. He wants to be bigger but... he dreads the day when everyone will be living in different places. Near tears the other night, he demanded to know whether his older brother would always live in the same state as he did. He is not one to let go easily. Jason soothed him and they both fell asleep fairly quickly.

They do well together, my sons, except when they are tired and then the usual sibling spats arise. Hmmm... Jason accused Xander of hitting him the other night and when I asked him if Xander (who denied having raised a hand) had actually hit him, Jason's response was 'He hit me with WORDS!' Argg...

Both boys are becoming frighteningly skilled with language. They are both very attentive to what is said and can nitpick statements with the best of them. And both have a large vocabulary -- picked up to a great extent fromt the books that they read/have read to them. Xander surprised his Nonna at the ball fields this past weekend when, having dragged her off on a treasure hunt (complete with a map that he had drawn himself), he responded to her question about getting lost with 'Don't worry Nonna, we will check the map periodically.' She asked me 'Periodically? Where does he get this?' Hmmm... really, that is not one of his bigger words.

And then there was his phone call to his gran in Arizona. He had asked me 'Do womens' butts stick together?' (This was a follow on question: he had commented that his penis tended to stick to his bottom in the mornings and was curious about whether such things happened with women. I said 'no' since women were missing one of the pieces in the equation...) I said 'That is a question you could ask your Grandma Pat.' Opps... Moms really should be careful what they say! He immediately marched off, grabbed the cell phone, called Gran and as soon as he heard her voice, asked the question. Grin. You should've heard her sputter!! I heard it from clear across the room, which was when I realized what had happened...

I guess that is where the expression 'out of the mouths of babes' comes from, hmmm? And Xander is not alone in the flabbergasting department. Jason has his moments as well: the most recent was when he decided to start laying out his life goals. He has done something similar every year since he could first talk -- first his decision to be an astronaut (after he'd been a professional athlete and scientist). His next 'Life Choice' was to become a lego designer -- and that one still peeks out occasionally. Recently, though, he has decided that there are two possible routes he would like to follow -- web designer (he is trying to create his own lego building web site where he plans to publish building instructions for his various creations. Xander, of course, wants to do what his brother is doing which gets challenging for Mom on occasion) and oceanographer. "I really love the ocean" he sighed the other night and began quizzing me on all the fields he would need to study in order to achieve this aim. Then 'So, when do I start High School?' popped out. I blinked, taken aback, and said 'Well, I don't know... there is no need to rush it.' He just shook his head. He is like me in that his interests are many and varied and he wants to study all of them NOW! Korean, Latin, Chess etc.

Xander, of course, follows his brother faithfully. Since Jason is excited about starting up the new school year ('I really think we should do some school work this summer, Mommy," says Jason, 'I need to be ready for the fall!') Xander is equally concerned. "What grade will I be in, Mommy?' he demands. 'Kindergarten' I respond. 'Is that a HIGH grade?' he asks. 'What is a HIGH grade?' I query. 'As HIGH as Jason.' 'It is the right grade.' I parry. He thinks about that... then, when we stop at the library, he starts bringing me 'School' books -- 'We should read THIS ONE for school,' he tells me, handing me a book on Numbers and another on Volcanos.... and mind you, these books were taken from the adult non-fiction area. (We were there because Jason was looking for something.) I agree that we can read them and pluck a book on Plate Techtonics as well, since they'd been asking about earthquakes and volcanos.

Then, last night, in the car on the way home, Xander asks about printing his own money... oh, heavens! That, of course, led into an entire discussion about the Treasury and the government and the process of creating and controlling money which then devolved into a give and take on the issues of Inflation versus Recession etc etc etc. How much did either boy understand? I don't know for sure but I do know that it is going to come back at me sometime this week. It always does.

And now I must run. Boys will be waking soon and we have to take Jason to the church so that he can continue with his book cataloging job:>

Excitement and fear

Oh but the days run on!

The weather has turned hot -- 90+ degrees yesterday -- and the trees, especially the cottonwoods and the oaks, are having a WONDERFUL time. I know this two ways: one, I get an alert that lets me know which pollinator is hard at work and two, I have been sneezing and coughing for no better reason than that I breathe! This has added to my daily challenges in a simple but dramatic way -- because I have been out working in the yard daily, trying to clean up the weeds, trim back the bushes and general create an air of tidy contentment about the house.

Why? You may well ask this. What insane person would do such a thing when she KNOWS that it is going to result in sneezing, wheezing and runny eyes? The answer: A person who needs to get the house in order so that it can be listed to sell.

Have I stunned you into silence? Hmmm... perhaps not. But it is nonetheless true that we are going through the painful process of cleaning/packing etc so that this little house can go on the ***cold*** market. It does seem like an unlikely time to sell, except for two factors: (1)mortgage prices are quite low, though rising and (2)home prices are low. Fact of the matter is -- we have found the place that we want. We saw it yesterday. It is a wonderful place -- and we were greeted when we arrived by a small thin calico kitten who looked remarkably like a little girl cat that we recently lost in death... She charged up to us, purring and, when the boys sat down, climbed in and parked herself firmly on Jason's lap. When we walked about the yard, she galloped after us, demanding attention. I had to explain to the boys that I doubted that she would come with the house, that she belonged to the owners... Sigh.

The trick of it is: the house is a short-sale, set to go to auction in August. Somehow we need to get the funding and put in an offer. This little house has to be packed and cleaned and prepped for sale as well. That mightn't be so hard but with Tom now working two full time projects and one half time project at Boeing, I am left to do most of the work -- both outside and in. I have decided that the packing part can be a training tool for the boys. I will teach them how to box books etc and then Xander can color code the boxes (using a chart) and Jason can label them. The boys are also getting a first hand education in the mathematics of house buying/selling and prepping. We will be working up a budget here in a few days and they will be helping with that as well.

Suffice it to say, I am a bit stressed. I will be glad when baseball season is over as it eats up a lot of time in the evenings and on the weekends.

Precious moments

"The best teacher is the one who suggests rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself." -- Edward Bulwer-Lytton


There are times when all I can do is smile: When a little boy designates himself as 'The Earthworm Rescue Squad' and carries off all the little creatures to the compost area so that they can 'Make the world a better place' or when, at a School district surplus sale, a 4.5 year old finds an ENORMOUS Geography textbook and half drags/half carries it to me saying 'I want this book. It has maps. I want you to show me how to read this book!' These are the moments that make homeschooling worth it. These are those precious, never to be recaptured experiences that I selfishly want for myself and not for some nameless, faceless other who, burdened with dozens of children, does not always fully appreciate the wonder of the individual.

Yes, we went to a Surplus sale yesterday. We ended up with two big boxes of books -- not something that we needed since we are in the process of packing up our house but nonetheless, a worthwhile investment since, for 1$ per book we got texts that usually retail for 25$ and up. My sons had a field day. Maps, Books, Games and even -- HA -- a test tube rack. They were also the ones who, looking at the load that their mother was packing, decided that we should leave. In the words of my eldest 'Mom, if you can't carry anymore, maybe we should stop -- before the car can't carry anymore!' The haul included that HUGE geography text -- my 4.5 year old HAD to have it. He was enamoured of the maps and the illustrations and quite firmly stated his intention to learn to read it. I was agreeable as I am firmly of the conviction that we learn to read when we are motivated to do so, and the best motivation is insatiable curiousity. So we stood in line to buy our tons of books and an older lady behind me said 'How many of you here are Homeschoolers?' The woman in front of me raised her hand as did a number of folks around the room and I laughed 'I guess you could say 'a lot of us!'' She just shook her head.

We had fun and as we were lugging the load back to the car, Jason said to me -- 'Thanks for bringing us, Mom. I liked that.' Xander, arms wrapped firmly about his precious book, nodded and said 'Me too!' The hardest part of the whole trip was getting them strapped into their seats since they both wanted to read...


Having spent the morning immersed in books (we stopped at the library on our way home from the sale and the boys found a few more friends with whom to converse), we spent the bulk of the day outside, me on my knees, digging up sod and planting tulip bulbs, the boys in their underwear running through the sprinkler and hunting up bugs for their bug zoo. At one point, noticing how hot and muddy I was becoming, the boys went and found some styrafoam which they filled with water and rose petals. They then came out and got me and brought me back to my 'own personal washing up station.' Smiling, they indicated their makeshift sinks and told me, 'You can use that to wash up -- the water is cool and it smells nice.' Hmmm... I do love the creativity of their souls.

Learning something every day

You learn something every day if you pay attention. ~Ray LeBlond

And sometimes the world MAKES us pay attention: Such was the case this past Thursday. Xander and I went to what was supposed to be a make-up baseball game. Unfortunately, the coach for the other team had confused his times (He coaches two teams back to back and had given us the time slot in which his 3/4 team plays) and so there was no game. We 'rolled with the punchs' and divided our players into two teams. They scrimmaged against themselves. It was an interesting, and for me, a learning experience.

What happened? Well the first 'ah ha' moment occurred when Xander STRODE up to the plate. (We had recently watched a Video Biography of Babe Ruth. I hadn't thought that Xander had been paying much attention...) He took his stance ("NO MOMMY, DON'T CHECK MY STANCE! I'M GONNA DO IT MYSELF!!!") and, having made it quite clear that he wanted pitched balls, not the tee, got ready for action. The pitch came and by derned it, he STEPPED into his swing and swung with all his might -- Quite a bit of might, it turns out, because he spun completely around! Glowing with pride, he looked at the crowd and said 'Did you see THAT! I STEPPED INTO THE PITCH!' There was general agreement from the watchers. After several unsuccessful attempts at hitting the pitched ball (Funny thing, you gotta look AT the ball...) he slammed one off the tee. Now the hard part: Having hit the ball, what do you do next? He stood, staring at the ball while behind him the parents all roared 'RUN RUN RUN!!!' The hysteria was palpable. He looked over his shoulder, smiled sweetly and went trotting off to take his base, never any hurry about him. Sigh.

That should've been my cue. He tried to tell me later, when I asked what was going on (He declared that he didn't want to play), saying 'I can't run.' Now here is where I failed Parenting 101. Instead of asking 'why', I said 'Of course you can. You are faster than lightening!' Near tears he repeated 'I CAN'T RUN!' I was distracted, trying to coach 11 4/5/6 year olds so I didn't pay attention...

When the game was over, we began loading gear into the car. On the final trip back to the field to collect the batting tee, I noticed that Xander wasn't with me. I turned to yell and saw him struggling along manfully, his pants down around his ankles. I went back, 'Xander, what happened?' He looked up, smiled his brown eyed smile and said gently 'I tried to tell you. I can't run. When I run, my pants fall down.' Ah ha.

Port Angeles Adventures

Memorial Day weekend, 2009

Tom and I took the boys off on adventure for the weekend -- though in some ways it turned out to be more of an adventure than we had planned:<

I was careful, I thought. I printed up the directions to the place we were going and, according to the directions, the drive would take 2.5 hours. We had a leisurely morning and left around 9 am, stopping briefly at a nearby mall to buy the boys new bathing suits. We stopped again, briefly, for lunch... we finally arrived at our destination at 4:30 pm. Does the math look odd to you? If so, it should. See, when we got the directions, there was no mention of the fact that the Hood Canal Bridge was closed... So we drove to within 4 miles of it, following the detour directions and then had to turn around and drive all the way back and then some. But the round about route was longer yet because one small town along the route was having a fair... so they backed traffic up for hours to allow the fair to progress. Tom was, of course, cool, calm and collected. He was so calm that I was afraid he might burst a blood vessel.

We did make it and the boys were quite delighted to find that the place we were staying had both a pool and a hot tub. After a short nap (for the parents' sake) we investigated and, as it was getting windy and later, spent most of our time in the hot tub. I do like hot tubs:>

The next day was better. Everyone slept and slept and when we awoke we decided to go to a place called 'Hurricaine Ridge'. It was close by and none of us had ever seen it. We drove up and up and up... and when we got to the ridge, there was snow! The boys were over the top thrilled. It was remarkable -- the air was warm and quite pleasant and yet, there was the snow. Tom took picture after picture, happily toting his tripod while the boys climbed and kicked and explored the snow. I took a few photos myself (deprecating smile). The boys also took a few photos -- we had bought them small digital cameras, palm sized. Jason took nature photos.. Xander? He took embarrassing people pictures. The kid has a future as a photo journalist for a yellow rag....

On the mountain we saw a wide variety of wildlife, not including little boys: we saw a raven, a rosy breasted finch, a chipmunk, a rabbit, quite a large number of deer and a bear. Actually, Tom was the only one who saw the bear and he decided that it was the better part of valor NOT to try to get close enough for a photo. Wise man.

When we finally came down from the mountain, we took another rest. The boys, of course, were not particularly interested in resting so they played and drew and read... My favorite moment came when Jason was busily playing his Didj, a handheld educational computer game. In this case, he was playing 'Indiana Jones' and had to solve math problems before he could proceed to the next level. He had been throwing out math equations for his father on a regular basis.. 'Dad, what is ... plus....?' Then came THE question: 'Dad, what is 64 - 7?' Before Tom could answer him, I heard a small voice pipe up '57'... seconds later, Tom, who had been working in Photoshop on his collection of pictures, tossed out '57' and that same small voice chirped triumphantly, 'I TOLD YOU SO!!! 57!" Hmmm...

Rest period finished, we took another dip in the pool and then headed off to the beach -- imagine, snow and beach all in the same day! The beach to which we went was a wildlife sanctuary. Xander was quite unhappy with his mom when she told him that he had to leave his shells behind but I made up for it by snapping a few photos -- told him that I would make him his own 'shell' book that he could share with other people. And while we were there, the boys discovered aliens! Myself, I think that the first one looks an awful lot like a carbon atom...

The next 'interesting' moment came the following day: Remember, Xander was thoroughly unhappy that he had not been able to keep his shells so on our journey home, we stopped at not one but two public beaches and BOY! Did we collect shells... and rocks... and, in the end, without meaning to do so, one small crab.

While we were wandering around the second beach, a beach made up primarily of razor clam shells, mussel shells and barnacles (talk about crunchy!), I heard Jason give a yell 'MOM! I HAVE FOUND AN EEL! COME, RESCUE IT!!' I sighed, straightened up and turned to go help. And what did I see? My youngest, the future world conqueror, happily crunching his way across the beach, holding something carefully between his fingers. His brother had seen it and wanted it rescued so Xander, being Xander, rescued it. We deposited the little critter into the water and it burrowed its way rapidly away. It was not an eel but some sort of long thin fish -- rather like the blennies that I used to see on the rocks in Hawaii.

That second beach was very interesting: as I said, it was composed of shells and more shells and... star fish. I was instantly reminded of an old story told me by a friend -- about walking along a beach and seeing a man throwing Star Fish seaward. When asked what he was doing, he responded simply 'Saving them.' When it was pointed out that he couldn't save them all, he said 'No, but I can save one at a time.'

""Good Morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
"All of them at once," said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain. ... "Good morning!" he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water." By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.
"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off.""
--JRR Tolkien, The Hobbit

I am reminded how much I loved this book. There is an elegance to the writing that one sees so rarely these days. I think perhaps I shall have to re-read it, when Jason is through with it, of course. He decided, and truth to tell, I am not sure why, that he wanted to read 'The Hobbit' and the Rings Trilogy. I am a little leery of this -- the books have some darkness to them and he is a creature of light but he is unconcerned. So I will, as Eliza says 'Save my breath to cool my porridge' and watch. I cannot complain, however, as regards the quality of his choice. If he must read, then reading something that is well written with graceful prose would seem to me to be the best way to go. I remember noticing, in grad school, that I often wrote in much the same style as the authors I was reading at the moment... osmosis, perhaps? It will be interesting to see how Tolkien affects Jason's writing/thinking.

Ah well, off to 'defend the day' -- may all of you have a wonderful one.

Shakespeare Redux

Okay, the truth will out. Shakespeare wrote for children -- or at least, he wrote his humor for the younger crowd. And, as Beatrice was wont to say 'And I am sunburned'

What? You don't understand? Let me explain. I told you earlier, I think, that we had been watching 'A Midsummer's Night's Dream' in the mornings. The boys loved it... though Xander, who for reasons unexplained became attached to Bottom, was a little worried that Tatianna might harm him. At any rate, the boys laughed and laughed through the movie. At the end of it, Xander, wicked imp, sparkle in his eye, looked at me and said 'And my Bottom's my ASS!' Chortling he went dancing off while I stood stunned. DO you know -- in all the years that I have read and watched the play, I never clicked on that particular pun? And it is not as if it were a subtle one either but no, it took a four year old to pick up on it... and pick up on it he did. He was absolutely delighted with all of the puns that poured like water from Bottom's mouth (YECK!).

Other deep insights from the play -- Xander decided that he prefered Tatianna to Kate(Taming of the Shrew) because, and I am quoting here 'Tatianna is stronger and I like strong women!' Jason was quite firm in his decision that Oberon was the baddest of the bad guys in Shakespeare to date -- and that includes Prince John. Quite a condemnation. Xander, after momentary thought, agreed with his brother. 'Oberon is just plain bad.' said the pint sized Socrates. Both boys felt great sympathy for Bottom, interestingly enough and worried how he would take waking from his fairy dream. They were relieved that he suffered no ill effects. They were not impressed at all with Hermia's father nor yet with the Duke, though they forgave him somewhat when he supported the lovers' marriages in the end.

It has been truly educational watching them watch and listen to Shakespeare. As I said, they are quicker to pick up on the puns -- and they laugh harder and longer at them than most adults. They also seem to have a clearer vision of the rights/wrongs/goods/bads of the whole thing. I am truly impressed -- and reminded, of course, that a great deal of the plays were written for the pit, not for the highbrows. It is only our warp understanding of the production of the plays that makes them something to be reserved for the 'highly educated.' It will be interesting to see what they make of Twelfth Night... LOL

Sunshine, Pussywillows, Soft Rain and Roses

The sun has returned to Seattle and not before times either! Everyone here in the Pacific Northwest was beginning to fuss and fret at the insanity of the weather. One day 70 degrees and sunny then weeks of hail, sleet and 40 degrees. Not pretty. As might be expected of such temperatures, illness has struck anew -- Jason, who is almost never ill these days, came down with a bad cold and Xander developed dueling ear infections. His cough was horrible -- is horrible -- a choking mess that denied him sleep unless I sat up (literally) holding him upright through out the night. That meant, of course, that I was denied sleep. Then inspiration struck. I checked and we had some Axid. Axis is a reflux medication. Last night I gave him Axid, along with lathering his feet in Vicks Baby Rub, and for the first time in several nights, he slept the whole night through with nary a cough. Hallelujah!

Today, well... today it is I who is the slug. I finally got around to checking the medication that the doctor gave me for my headaches. Turns out that the painkiller she proscribed is not to be used more than three times a week or it will create backlash headaches. Would've been nice if someone had told me that. So today I am suffering the headaches again. Good news is that I managed to get an appointment with a headache specialist for tomorrow. Maybe he can help. I do hope so. These headaches have been plaguing me for almost two months and everyone is suffering as a result. Even Tom commented that my energy levels have dropped markedly. Now is not the time for that!

But wait! This is a schooling blog is it not? So what about school? Well, let me see... Today Jason began learning Microsoft Excel. Yeah, I know. He is 8. Why is he learning Excel? Simple, really. He wanted to do something to help out at the Church we attend (and that is a whole OTHER story!) so I asked the Religious Education coordinator what jobs he might do. She answered promptly that there were two that she knew of right off: weeding around the buildings and organizing the library. Jason, ever the bibliofiend, volunteered immediately and vocally for the second. So yesterday, after Church, we went to meet with her. She explained that what she needed him to do was to log all the books into her Excel database. She wants to be able to search Author and Title when she needs a book. Jason was, of course, thrilled. Not only does he get to look through books but he gets to work on computers! As we were leaving he expounded on what he planned to do: Once he has mastered Excel he wants to learn computer programming with an aim to, what else?, creating computer games of his own! Myself, I think just mastering Excel will be enough of a challenge to keep him occupied for awhile. But then, I may be wrong. He certainly taught himself to read fast enough!

And speaking of reading, his reading these days is eclectic. He badgered his father until Tom dug up his old copy of 'The Hobbit' -- that is Jason's latest rabbit trail. In addition to the Hobbit, he is also reading through the "Horrible Histories" by Terry Deary as well as every Garfield, Peanuts, Asterix and Obelix comics books he can find. He reads voraciously and one of the most common refrains in our house these days is 'Jason, don't read while walking down steps' or 'Jason, please, close the book and eat' or 'Jason, mark your book and go to the restroom!' LOL.

Another recent, and to my mind hysterical, development is the 'adding' phenomenon. It began with Xander, really. One day, for no apparent reason, Xander started adding two to everything. Indeed, one day while we were in the grocery store I came in on the end of an apparent argument between the boys when Xander demanded of me 'MOMMY! Two plus Two IS FOUR, ISN'T IT?!' Puzzled I said 'Yes, I believe, under most circumstances it is.' Xander turned to Jason and said fiercely 'SEE!' Jason said 'I wasn't arguing.' Xander said 'And 1 + 1 +1 +1 = 4' and Jason responded 'and 3+1=4' and off they went, still coming up with ways to get to four. A woman walking past starred at them and then at me as if we had all sprouted horns. I just shrugged. A short time later, Jason came to me and said 'Mom, there sure are a lot of ways to get to 10, aren't there?' Uh, yeah? Jason has also picked up on his father's dreaming habits: he wakes up on occasion and spouts mathematical equations at me.

Then there is the zoo... I found an interesting book called 'How to build a miniature zoo' by Vinson Brown. The boys and I have been reading it and, of course, the boys are intrigued and ambitious. Now I admit, I sort of set this up. Months and months ago I introduced the boys to the writings of Gerald Durrell through his book 'My family and other animals.' The boys were delighted with that book and fascinated with Durrell's mini zoo of bugs and birds and beasties. Now here we have a 'how to' manual. It really is a nice book, I must say, and I am myself inclined to think that if we do end up in a place with sufficient space, a mini zoo of the type suggested by Brown would be a wonderful introduction to science.

So far as science goes, the boys' favorite subjects to date are: biology, astronomy, and chemistry. We haven't really done that much in the way of chemistry mostly because Mom has been lagging. The boys would be more than willing to do 'experiements' of all sorts if only I would let them... Again, space and my energy are the issues at hand.

Hmmm... what else? Well, soccer is over and done and baseball is upon us. I have found myself in the position of coaching Xander's tee ball team. That is interesting. I am rather frustrated with Jason's team and so do my best to stay far away for fear that I will open my mouth and make unwelcomed comments. I leave Tom to help out. He is, in this case, the more diplomatic of the two of us. I blame it all on these headaches.

Updates

Wow, it has been awhile since I wrote here. That seems to be my refrain these days... oh well.

We did go to Hawaii and the boys both fell in love with the place: Xander decided to become a professional shell collector and Jason decided that he was moving to Hawaii as soon as he was old enough to get a job... Grin. We all loved it. Then we came back. We were greeted by rain, snow and cold -- and everyone became ill. What a surprise:>

But the sun has finally returned to Maple Valley. Thank heavens. Yesterday we went for a long walk/hike at a place called 'Squak Mountain.' It was gorgeous -- a place where we had never been before. The boys raced about the trails, hunting and fishing for monsters while Tom and I took pictures. Xander found a variety of letter and number shapes in nature and the elders duly took pictures. One of these days I will actually put them together into a book!

Schooling proceeds at its usual stop and go pace. Things have been made more challenging by the presence of a third child, the son of a friend. We had him everyday for a week and have been collecting him from school since then. The drive out to collect him is about 1/2 an hour and when he is here, the whole dynamic is different. His passion/obsession is a video game -- it is all he talks about and all he wants to do. What a difference from Jason and Xander! They are literally bursting with creativity -- all over!

And they are constantly astonishing me: the other day, for example, Xander was wandering around adding 2 to everything -- and announcing the sums. His favorite target for these pronouncments was his brother who, of course, was attempting to read one of his novels. Finally, after having been pounced repeatedly by Xander's sums, Jason looked up and said 'Okay, so... what is two plus ten?' Xander was disgusted, as are most people when a pop quiz is tossed to them. He let it lay where it fell and went off to do something else:> A quick and effective way of stopping a brother from bothering you. Wonder why I never thought of it?

And then there is Jason: Always creating -- he is currently writing up the rules to a new card game that he is creating based on the book 'Around the world in 80 days.' (We have been reading the book at night. Xander was especially excited about the rescue of Aouda:>) One of these games may actually be marketable... Yesterday he built both the Space Needle and the Empire State building out of legos -- they were kits that he got for his birthday but they were both for ages older than he. Hmmm.... And last night, he talked himself to sleep figuring out the multiplication tables: "2 times 10 is twenty. 10 times 10 is one hundred. 3 times 10 is 30. 10 times 100 is 1000" If you ask me why, I don't know. He just started doing it...

The boys have also recently watched the Taylor/Burton version of Shakespeare's 'Taming of the Shrew.' Xander immediately fell in love with Taylor, of course. And Jason? Well, watching TOS set him off -- we ended up discussing the differences in the characters of that play and those of 'Much Ado about Nothing.' Jason decided that Benedict was the better person -- and listed the reasons and Xander asked me (after I had said that it seemed to me that Shakespeare always had a strong woman contrasted with a silly one -- Kate/Biana, Beatrice/Hero etc) 'Is that true of the men too?' Hmmm, good questions. So, when we went to the library the other day, nothing would do but we had to borrow the plays and as soon as we got home, I started reading TOS. I finally stopped despite my sons' protests because my throat was sore!

Flight to the Sun!!!

Yessir, the day approachth! Soon, oh so soon, we will be winging our way to the Islands. Tom, bless his soul, has even agreed to leave behind his work cell and computer and to actually make this a vacation -- the first one that he will have had since starting work at Boeing.

Meanwhile, until that time, life goes on. And there are developments:

Jason has fallen in love with an older girl in his class, Michaela. She is a lovely girl and has a brother Jason's age, Cobin, also in the class. She is amazing, actually -- seems to know all the right things to say. She laughs at Jason's jokes, tells him that he is funny, and asks to hear more. And yesterday... as we were leaving the Dojang, he leaned in against me and said in a bare whisper, cheeks pinkening, 'Michaela hugged me. We really ARE friends!' Oh child. Part of me aches for him. Part of me smiles. The other morning, he woke up all smiles and informed me that he'd had no bad dreams, only good ones because "I dreamed of Michaela." Sigh.

Now when I told my mother all this, she commented that 'Well, I guess we know who the lover is in your family.' Mr. Big Ears heard this, of course, and immediately announced 'HEY! I am a lover too! I love ALL pretty girls!' Grin. Yep, that'd be Xander. The man who does NOT discriminate about girls/women; he just loves 'em. So that led into a discussion of that Italian fellow, Casanova. I explained to Mom that Casanova had gotten a lot of bad press, mainly from husbands. His abiding fault, it turns out, was his inability to allow women to be abused, so he was constantly 'rescuing' them from abusive situations -- and, of course, that got around and women began seeking him out. Puts a whole different spin on the 'seducer', does it not? At any rate, I have no difficulty whatsoever, seeing my youngest following a similar path. He does, in fact, like women -- of all ages and sizes and colors and shapes. Even as a wee bit, he smiled preferentially at women whereas Jason just smiled at everyone.

Now, beyond their curious social developments, people may wonder how school is going -- indeed, I actually had a complete stranger ask if I didn't think that Xander was suffering by NOT being in preschool. Nope. As I answered the questioner, Xander learns what Jason learns. Last night, for example, he was cogitating on math: 1+1= 2, Mommy! he said and 1+2 =3! Yes, I agreed, and 1+2+3=6! He thought about that a moment and announced, in tones of deep satisfaction 'I am a MATHEMATICIAN!' Grin. Why all this excitement? Well, last night, as one of our bedtime books, we read 'Mathematicians are People Too', a collection of short biographies of famous mathematicians. We read about Thales -- and then I stopped. Jason wanted to continue, of course. He always does. So I promised to read more today. But apparently Thales was enough to spark Xander's ambition yet again. Now he is interested in being a Mathematician!

Similarly, I gave Jason a book to read called 'The Grapes of Math' -- it is a series of verbal Math riddles. Jason had a blast. The riddles require real thinking -- and the developing of methods for resolving the riddles, including multiplication. Jason now wants to 'do the math' in any book we read. Gotta love it. Most kids hate word problems. After I demonstrated to Jason how he could translate the words into equations, he became fascinated and spent a good morning working them out.

On other notes: Jason is creating a new Legos universe and he already has quite a backstory worked out:
Space Explorers is the name of his new Universe. The characters are Captain Pixel, First Mate Bits, Engineer Axle, Navigator Johnnie, Doctor Knowitall and Communications engineer Hullothere (an android). There is a crew of 1000 souls, including a monsterous creature created by Xander who is the designated scout (he is too big to fit on the main ship so he has his own)

The story: Captain Pixel and his crew are sent off in a hurry, on a refitted ship, to melt Mar's polar ice-caps. The water is needed to terraform the planet and there is some urgency in the operation. Unfortunately, the ship that they are given was originally created for a vastly different purpose and there is, on the command console, a special button -- a warp button -- that should never be used. Through some set of unspecified circumstances, the Captain accidentally HITS the warp button and the ship is thrown two MILLION lightyears away, directly into the path of a meteor shower. As might be expected, the ship is badly damaged and now is seeking food, fuel and repair materials in order to get home.

Jason has already created the mini figs for the the story and is working on the ship. Xander is creating the backdrop. I think I shall see if I can get Jason to illustrate his story as well as build it. It would make an interesting comix.

What is truly impressive to me is the fact that, as far as I know, this idea just came into his head. He announced to me yesterday morning that he wanted to create a 'new universe.' I said 'okay, tell me about it' and began asking him questions to help focus his thoughts. Within moments, he had laid out the bones of his ideas (as indicated above) and was happily building away. Wish I had the same ability!

Finally, after legos and math, we watched the Imax film "Space Station" and the boys decided that, in addition to being Paleontologists and archeologists, they are going to become astronauts. This led, of course, to a serious discussion as to what skills astronauts have/require and that in turn, led to a discussion about what the boys would need to do in order to be able to try to become astronauts. As I told Tom later that day, even if they don't become astronauts ('It is an extremely dangerous job' Tom muttered darkly), the skill sets that astronauts are required to have would stand the boys in good stead. So... we will see where this ends up. Their interests expand geometrically these days!

Last but not least, Xander has decided that he is in love with the Dentist's office. For one thing, they have a camera that takes pictures of your whole face -- and Xander got to see the X-rays of Jason's teeth (Teeth like rocks, according to the Dentist). Xander was in ecstacies. And then there were all the cool tools and a TV screen that can be moved all over... he can hardly wait for HIS appointment. Tom laughed when I told him and said 'I wonder how many times X-rays of teeth have enticed little boys into going willingly to the Dentist!' Don't know but it seems to have worked for Xander!

Paleontology Game

It is amazing what the boys can conceive. As you may be aware, they are both in love with Dinosaurs and fossils. Not a surprise. Most little boys love Dinos. But these two take it to the next step. Jason, having read a book about 'the serious game of Paleontology' decided that he wanted to create such a game. And yesterday we worked on it. He has decided to call it 'Paleontology: The Final Frontier.' It is a combination of monopoly and trivial pursuit meets paleontology. We are working to put it together and then he plans to test drive it on his scout troop. I have told him that if it does well, I will help him try to market it. Grin. Another lesson to learn for both of us if that happens! At any rate, it is a fun project and it should be interesting to see how it finally turns out.

Xander, meanwhile, continues with his 'Creature' Creations. We found a big bag of googley eyes at the Childrens' Learning Store the other day and bought it. He immediately wanted to come home and make boy and girl creatures. What is the difference between boys and girls? Girls have eye brows! Ummm... I have decided, as the creatures are multiplying at an enormous rate -- and they really are very cute -- that I shall have to start a 'creature' website for Xander, one where he can 'store' his creations in virtual space and see them whenever he wishes. Of course, I am well aware of where that might lead. Already his older brother wants to learn computer programming so that he can create computer games of his own. Xander will not be long behind. Sigh. So now I need to learn to teach computer programming! Luckily there is an MIT program taht offers a free basic computer programming language and training. The reviews are all good so again, what a chance to do something new!

Jason has also decided that he is going to study the human body and to learn how to 'fix it'. He is vitally aware of all those whom he loves who have serious illnesses and conditions and, being his father's son, is absolutely bound and determined to do something about it. Truth is, given his ability to focus, I suspect that if he does decide to pursue this, he will succeed. He and Xander share the ability to immerse themselves in their areas of interest. I am finding it easier and easier to understand how Alexander the Great conquered his world... LOL.

Belated Inaugural News

Hi,

Meant to write this down days ago but life caught me a bit off guard:>
Jason, Xander and I watch the Inauguration of Barack Obama, 44 th President of the United States and the hope of this nation. Xander, who once expressed the opinion that Presidents were nothing but a lot of noise and confusion, lost interest fairly quickly but Jason was riveted. Prior to the 'show' Jason recorded, on our voice recorder, his own 'Presidential campaign speech' and his own, graceful, acknowledgement of defeat. What was striking about that 'speech' was his campaign focus -- three main points: (1)Universal Health care, (2)lower taxes and (3)All rich people should be good people, not people who kill off Polar Bears in Alaska for their own selfish interests. Grin. That last one was quintessentially Jason, don't you think? I shall have to see if I can upload the speech, which he orated with great vigor, so that those who are interested can hear it.

On a different note, a Xander story which also reflects the spirit of the person. We were at the Dojang, waiting for Xander's TKD class to begin. Xander was already in the Dojang, playing when in charged Heath, another of the students. Heath is about 5, very active, and about a head taller -- and quite a bit wider -- than Xander. He charged over to Xander and they had an exchange which ended with Xander puffing out his chest like a Bantam rooster, standing tiptoe to toe with Heath and announcing 'I am bigger than you and don't you forget it!' What astounded me was... Heath BELIEVED him! As I watched in amazement, Heath wilted and backed off. There was no aggression between them following the encounter. Indeed, they seemed to be in perfect harmony but Heath was definately deferring to Xander. Gawk. The child is truly scary.

Amazing tales continue

The boys really do make me laugh -- and at the most unexpected moments. Take for example the other night: we were curled up in their bed, reading books. Jason, shifting to a more comfortable position, inadvertently pulled my hair. I yelped. He was very apologetic but I told him not to worry about it, it was just that my hair was getting too long. He looked at me thoughtfully and asked 'Why is it getting too long?'

I replied 'Well,right now, I have neither the time nor the money to get it cut.'

He mulled that over and then said, 'Well, I am too young right now but when I

am 8, I can stay home and watch Xander and you can take my piggy bank and

go get your hair cut!'

He really is amazing.

He was at Tae Kwon Do with his dad on Saturday and he and Malia, 8, the other green belt, were practicing their Poomse. Apparently they were able to get quite a bit of conversation in while they practiced ('We talked about geography and astronomy and other stuff' Jason reported) and discovered that they had a great deal in common. Jason was quite pleased. 'Malia and I are friends' he told me happily. And then 'I really like Michaela. She is such a nice girl.' Grin. He is right, of course. She is.

And then there is Xander...

Again, it was evening. Xander was hugging me and declaring his undying love:

"Mommy, I love you more than the Moon!"

I pretended shock, 'Wow, I didn't realize that the Moon loved me!'

He gifted me with that look that children have when parents are silly.

'Mommy, the Moon CAN'T love you! It is inanimate and besides, it

can't speak so it is dumb!!!'

Ahhh....

He is also learning at an incredible rate: Jason and I were doing mental math sums where I would call out a problem and Jason would try to solve it in his head. I mix the simple with the harder to keep the frustration level down. I called out 'So what is 3 plus 2?' and before Jason could get the answer out, Xander piped up 'Oh, that is 5, of course!' Hmmm...

Today the wind is blowing like nobody's business and Jason is still asleep. He woke in the middle of the night again and finally, after an hour and a half, went back to sleep. I am debating whether to wake him now that it is nearly 8 am. We have started going to the Eastshore Unitarian Universalist Church in Factoria and the boys have really been enjoying it. But the service we attend is at 9 am and it is a bit of a drive. Still, I hate to wake him.

Jason

Everytime I think I know my children, they surprise me. Yesterday, on our way home from Tae Kwon Do, Jason said, 'I think Micheala is lonely. I think she needs a friend.' I said 'I thought she had friends, Sklyer, for example?' 'Yes,' he agreed, 'Sklyer is her friend but Skyler and all her other friends are in a different class now.' I said 'I thought that you were her friend.' 'Yes,' he said thoughtfully (with Xander piping up 'I'll be her friend!!!') 'but I think maybe she wants a friend who is... well, her own age...' I asked, 'Why do you think what you think?' He explained that at water break, while everyone else is playing, Michaela stands on the side, looking sad. I thought about it and asked 'So, you have identified a problem now, what can you do?' We discussed it a bit more and he came up with a plan. At the next meeting, before the class, Jason will talk with his friend and fellow green belt, Malia. Then, at water break, he and Malia will ask Michaela -- who is a higher belt -- to help them with their poomse and balchugee.

Jason amazes me. He has a kindness and compassion that seem to extend well beyond the normal range. He has a gift for understanding people -- for example, he noticed, while at a playmate's house, that whenever the boy was angry with his parents, he took it out on the kids he had over. Jason had been hurt by this boy's behavior and I talked with him, trying to make sure that he understood that HE was not at fault (Jason tends to take responsibility for other peoples' emotions and behaviors, sigh.) and it was at that point that he explained about M's behavior and his theory of its cause. He was not approving of M's behavior but he felt compassion for him, for his frustration and his inability to handle it. We agreed that it can be hard when you are angry or frustrated with someone who is bigger or more powerful.

Xander, of course, was quite vocal about his opinion of the situations. He is MORE than willing to be Michaela's friend -- will she like me? Jason was reassuring. 'She already likes you.' And as for M -- Xander was all set to go punch him in the nose. Jason discouraged that saying, 'M. can be nice. He just gets angry sometimes. We all do.'

I worry sometimes. Jason is so sensitive and so willing to accept responsibility for other peoples' behavior and actions. It seems that a big part of his education will be how to differentiate between what is his responsibility and what he must let go.

On the other hand, he is better than most adults in the latter. He was very upset the other day -- don't remember why. I asked him 'Do you remember what the Buddha said that cause of suffering is?' He nodded 'Suffering comes from attachment.' He breathed in and out, a hiccoughing kind of breathing but calming nonetheless. He said to himself, 'I need to let go.' He breathed for a bit more and then took an extra deep breath. 'I'm okay now.' And, amazingly enough, he was.

The new year -- 2009

Wow! Hadn't realized that I hadn't posted in that long... ah well, life has a way of getting away from me!

What has happened since Thanksgiving? Let me think: Well, Tom and Jason took the belt promotion tests at Tae Kwon Do -- Tom is now High Green and Jason is Green. There was a lot of worry for awhile since Jason didn't have the stripes he needed to test but, bless Master Lewis, he went in the last Saturday before the test and Master Lewis, noticing the absence, asked about it. Jason explained that he hadn't had the oppurtunity to try for his stripes so right there, Master Lewis tested him on all of them. He approved the stripes, telling Jason only that he needed to 'get up higher with your back kick.' Jason was thrilled -- so was Xander. When he heard, he immediately sat down and made his big Bah Bah a congratulations card.

Hmmm... and what else? Well, Christmas, of course. And it snowed and it snowed and it snowed. Tom was sent off to Texas on the 19th (I think) and it had just started. Mom arrived on the 22nd -- and had trouble getting out of the airport (which had been closed due to weather and a severe lack of de-icer for the airplanes!) but thanks to Old John, was collected and taken home. Ice and snow everywhere for more than a week shut down a lot of things -- and then, after Mom left and Tom was home, the snow went away and it rained and rained and now there are flooding problems. On Thursday last, Tom found himself stuck in a two hour traffic jam as a result of flooding on Highway 169. The police shut it down and the traffic went via Petrovitsky. Problem is, Petrovitsky is a small road with lots of stop signs -- and the police never bothered to provide any traffic control! Sigh.

What else? Mind you, I am writing this is the dark of the morning. Everyone else is asleep though I shall have to wake Tom soon. (He is planning, poor man, to work this whole Sunday.) Haven't had coffee or a shower yet so my brain is not functioning at full capacity! (LOL)

Boy stories:

1) The other day, as we were rushing off to go on a field trip to the Enumclaw city hall, a small red and white dog appeared. No collar and looking rather nervous, it approached the car. It allowed me to pet it and pick it up but I could find no clue as to where its home might be. When I put it down again, it immediately headed for the car. Jason got out and talked with it and it answered him politely and shyly and... headed for the car again! I finally figured out that the person it was interested in was Xander! I didn't know what to do. We had to leave but I didn't want it to get hit by a car. I saw that our neighbor across the way had arrived home. They seem to know many of the folks in the area so I went over and asked him. He allowed as how, no, he hadn't seen the dog around but if we had to leave, he would be happy to see what he could do to help. Gratefully I left the dog with him. But still, I keep seeing that little red and white face looking hopefully at Xander... I think the Universe may be trying to tell us something here!

2)Jason has a crush. I noticed it Thursday at Tae Kwon Do. The kids came out for a water break, Jason right behind Micheala, the older sister of his friend, Cobin. With his chin tucked to his chest and a bit of a strut to his stride, he said (deepening his voice) 'HELLO Micheala' She looked at him and smiled 'Hello Jason' but as she started to say something else, he turned towards the wall and posed! (Grin). She gave him a puzzled, rather quizzical smile and got herself some water. When she returned to the Dojang, he followed on her heels, still in that posturing pose. Later, I asked him if he 'liked' her and he said 'yes.' Tom, who hadn't been there, said 'Well, of course he likes her. He likes lots of kids in his class.' Jason and I looked at each other and I said, 'Yeah, but I think maybe Micheala is special.' Jason agreed. A while later, Tom came to me, rather puzzled and said 'Isn't he a bit young?' I said 'No. This isn't what it will be when he is 15 but it is not that unusual to like someone older...' Grin.

3)Several evenings ago we were having a discussion with Jason about authority figures. Tom asked him, 'Who should you obey?' Jason said 'Well, Mommy. And Daddy...' And a small voice piped up 'And XANDER!' We all looked at him and he gave us the sweetest, most impish smile...

4)We are back to Dinosaurs again in our studies. We started with Darwin and Evolution -- mostly because the boys had been using the words re: Pokemon and I wanted to be sure that they understood what the word meant. (Please note, my youngest said to me, very firmly when I was fussing about this: 'Mommy! Pokemon is Make Believe! The same rules don't apply!') Jason was/is fascinated and we have been reading books and watching videos on the subject. We even had the oppurtunity to go see the Lucy exhibit at the Pacific Science Center. Well, I didn't see much of it, truthfully... the boys were eager to see 'the bones' and so skipped through much of the background. They did like 'the bones' though and Xander surprised one of the docents when, at the interactive skeleton, he proceeded to put all the bones in their right location! (grin, she should've seen what he did AFTER THAT!) Xander, though, while he likes the bones part, is not so interested. He likes FOSSILS! So we are doing Dinosaurs again.

People are starting to wake now so I will continue this later.