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?
Monday, August 03, 2009
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
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!
- 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!
Friday, July 03, 2009
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)
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.
Wednesday, July 01, 2009
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)
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.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
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.
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
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
Monday, June 22, 2009
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:>
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:>
Thursday, June 04, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
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.
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.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
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 chipmun
k, 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.
k, 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...
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.'
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.'
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