Upsides Down

I have a bad habit... I am constantly doubting myself. There is a continuous murmuring in my head: Was that the right thing to do? The best thing to do? How could it have been done differently? Would a change here/there have made this/that better? Arguing with that critical voice has been a theme in my life ever since I can remember but now... Now that I have made a choice that makes my decisions important to the lives and well being of others, now that I homeschool, that voice has become even more insistent. Knowing what the right choices are/were is hard since the truth of them won't be seen for years. And to make matters worse, I worry that I may have communicated this voice to my children, that they, like me have developed the voice that questions and challenges their decisions on a regular basis.


Now, to some degree, I suppose, a critical voice is important. To never question what one is doing is the surest road to error but I wish I could train myself and, more importantly, my children, that once a decision IS made, one must move forward. Previous possibilities are now moot and worrying about the 'What ifs' is a waste of time and energy. Human life, after all, is really very short. We none of us knows how long we have here. Surely it is wiser to spend the time ACCOMPLISHING the good than worrying about what might have been.  My question is... how is this training to be accomplished?

Now I am a fervent admirer of Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy. From everything I have read, she was a brilliant lady -- and one of the people that I would love to have met. She has, in her educational approach, something called 'Habit Training'. (For those of you interested, there is a wonderful blog called: Charlotte Mason Help which discusses implementing her strategies.  There is also a downloadable e-book called "Laying down the Rails: A Charlotte Mason Habits Handbook") For my purposes, it is her direction on how to form a habit, through the application of 'whole attention' that interests me here. Charlotte Mason said: We think, as we are accustomed to think; ideas come and go and carry on a ceaseless traffic in the rut––let us call it––you have made for them in the very nerve substance of the brain. You do not deliberately intend to think these thoughts; you may, indeed, object strongly to the line they are taking"  She then goes on to discuss the formation of habits, with the most important habit (to her way of thinking -- and it turns out, mine!) being that of attention. Of course, she is discussing the creation of habits in children, with the aim of making life 'easier' as well as better for everyone involved. But it occurs to me that her ideas might well be turned on adults and on the habits of the mind. Foremost of these approaches is taking on 'one habit at a time.' I'll admit, this is truly challenging for me. I want to multi-task. I always feel as if there is MORE I should be doing in the limited time that I have at my disposal. Charlotte Mason was right, however. To change/create a habit, one must FOCUS attention, complete attention, on that habit. If one does anything else, the mind will run away and wander off on rabbit trails -- and it is not just the child's mind that does this. Adults do it too hence the strictures of meditation that tell the individual "At first, our mind will be very busy, and we might even feel that the meditation is making our mind busier; but in reality we are just becoming more aware of how busy our mind actually is. There will be a great temptation to follow the different thoughts as they arise, but we should resist this and remain focused" 


So there it is. If I wish to change my habit of mind -- and in so doing, free my children of that same critical habit -- I need to devote my focused attention on doing so. Hmmm... now, what would Ms. Mason say? I suspect she would require a positive voice, as opposed to simply denying the negative. I therefore, and perhaps with the assistance of my children, need to create a dialogue to implement in place of the critical one. At the moment a decision is made, I should train myself, and my children, to say internally 'The decision is made. We move forward from here, taking as they come the results of that decision and not wasting energy on what might have been.' Sounds good. Now to implement it!

From my other blog: Shakespeare Amongst the Maples -- New Professions

(The following is taken from my other blogsite: Shakespeare Amongst the Maples . I am feeling a bit under the weather -- i.e. I am feeling blue -- so this is my lazy man's way of doing things!)

What are your children interested in being when they grow up? My two started out predictably: as with most boys, they have a passion for Fossils, one that was fed when we were lucky enough to visit the T-Rex Museum in Tucson. The T-Rex Museum, which sadly is now out of business, was created and run by a retired Paleontologist. It was a small place, crammed to the gills with Fossils and hands on projects. It was, in the words of it's owner 'The sort of place I wish there had been when I was a kid.' Upon leaving it, after our first visit, my youngest said, decisively "When I grown up, I am going to be a Paleontologist." My eldest, ever insightful, responded "Xander, you don't have to grown up to be a Paleontologist. Just DIG!"
This budding passion morphed a bit for my eldest after we made a weekend trip to the Stone Rose Site in Republic Washington. At this site, a dry river bed, amateur paleontolgists can dig for their own fossils. The only caveats are (1)significant finds are kept and catalogued by the museum and (2)one can only take a certain number of fossils home per day.  This experience plus a hefty dose of reading (Please note: The link will take you to an Amazon list. You can then find the books/videos at your Library if you don't wish to purchase them) about the Prehistoric seas led my eldest to his new passion: Marine Paleontology.  In that vein, he decided that his focus in Boy Scouts would be, when he is old enough, a branch called 'Sea Scouts'. We are lucky in this respect: one of our closest family friends is a Sea Scouts Captain and, better yet, a Geologist by training.
But, of course, while boys like Dinosaurs, and while the passion for Fossils still animates my sons' souls, their ideas about what they 'want to do when I grow up' continue to change. The latest one caught even me by surprise: My youngest has decided that he wants to be a Blacksmith... now, hmm... he has informed me that he is going to (1)have his forge in the Barn (GULP!) (2)that he wants to be apprenticed to a working Blacksmith (Do they take six year olds, Mommy? I want to start NOW!) and (3) that he needs to 'build up' his muscles because Blacksmiths have to be 'strong.' (Grin. He started his 'weight training' program by manfully carrying our HEAVY library book bags to the care for me. He had been hefting them around the library and demonstrating his muscles to the bemused librarians.) And his older brother, the budding Marine Paleontologist? Well, he still wants to do that but now, as a complimentary position to his brother's blacksmithing, he has decided to learn how to be... a KNIGHT! Yep, complete training is required, Mom. And after all, he points out to me, there is no reason whatsoever that he is restricted to ONE ambition...
Sigh. Who knows where we will end up. Meanwhile, I need to start helping them to hunt down information about Knighthood and Blacksmithing. Wish me luck!

Glogster, take 2

I mentioned my new favorite tool in my last post. Here then is a link to a webinar on how to use Glogster and Netrekker:Glogster and Netrekker together Webinar

Meanwhile... with all the horrifying news coming out of Japan (10,000 missing, no tools/supplies to rescue those who are trapped, shortages of everything, not the least, energy, and now the threat of a nuclear disaster) people in our part of the world -- specifically the P.N.W. and Seattle, are looking at disaster preparedness. The scary part: there is a fault line that runs directly under the city, many of the buildings were built prior to the creation of an earthquake building code, much of the city is built on fill and is low lying enough to be innundated by Tsunami waters should a quake cause one... and, of course, a truly large and devastating quake is a distinct possibility. When the reporters were talking with the Mayor of Seattle, he made a cogent point: While individuals cannot do a lot about city preparedness, they can prepare themselves. To that end, the boys and I are going to work together on putting together a 'disaster' kit and we will be making a blog with links to information about Seattle, the risks facing the area and the tools available online for creating a disaster kit for individuals. Seems like a good time to study local geography, first aid skills and... Ham Radio operations. Yep, a new item to be added to our list of skills we want to learn. I will post a link to our Seattle Disaster and what you can do Glog once it is up and running. In the meanwhile... keep safe.

A new Educational toy

Have you heard? There is something called a 'glog'. "Glog" is short for graphical blog and boy, oh boy are they fun! I have created six so far -- collections of links for our studies. If you are curious, here is a list:

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/false/

Shakespeare Amongst the Maples: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/shakespeare-amongst-the-maples/

The Greek Myths Classroom: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/greek-myths-classroom/

Ancient History Classroom: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/ancient-hiatory-classroom/

Betwixt and Twain: http://kerri2.edu.glogster.com/betwixt-and-twain/

Now, I have been the one making these for my sons to use in their studies but a lot of folks with computer savvy kids have been having their KIDS use glogs as a way of presenting the information that they collect on a particular subject. There is even a way to set up a 'classroom' with student accounts so that EVERYONE in the family (or Co-op) can make blogs. Truly, this is a wonderful educational 'toy' and I highly recommend it.

One last note before I run off to 'school' -- there are two levels to this site: One can create 'free' glogs -- and those are great. Or, if you really get hooked, you can pay for a premium membership... but you don't need to do so. So... go ahead. Give the site a test drive -- and if you look at my glogs, please leave feedback. They are still works in progress.

Have a bright, sunny, and disasterless day!

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.