Running With Spears

Another Way

Hello there! Sorry It’s been awhile. We’ve been…I dunno, I’d say busy, but the past two days the majority of my time has been spent binge reading The Lunar Chronicles, and now I’m in withdrawals because I have to wait until November to read the final book in the series!!! Sometimes life is hard. 😉

But one thing we definitely haven’t been doing is “back to school.” We’ll probably “officially start school” in a few weeks. By which I mean, in a few weeks I’ll grab a blank poster board or something and take “1st Day of…” pics of my girls. And then we’ll “do school” which will look drastically different from our current schedule in that I’ll require Artist to do some math work at least a few times a week and Boo and I will spend some time working on reading and writing…possibly around an hour or two a week.

I know…you’re reading this and thinking we’ve lost it. Gone off the deep end. You’re possibly considering reporting me to CPS for not educating my children properly. But here’s the thing we pretty much “Unschool” and it’s working for us!

To give you an idea of what our eclectic form of learning looks like, this summer we’ve been “not doing school” at all. (At least according to Artist, who likes to have a set summer break.)

During that time, Artist has taken it upon herself to memorize the names of all 50 states and where each is located, along with most of their capitals. She then memorized the names and locations of all the countries of Africa, and is working on the countries of Europe.

She’s read at least 15 books this summer ranging from simple “Judy Moody” books and “American Girl Mysteries” to the unabridged “Anne of Green Gables” which turned out to be her favorite, though she’s officially going into 3rd grade this year and it’s listed as a 6th-8th grade level book. She also took a book test on “Anne of Green Gables” just for fun, and aced it. Then she aced a “3rd/4th grade Language Arts assessment” despite the fact that she’s never officially studied Language Arts.

We went to an aquarium and she told me all about tons of aquatic animals, including a “Skate” which I’d never even heard of. I also had no clue that clownfish are all born males but one of them will become female if the group’s female dies. What? Anyway, Artist is constantly getting on her computer and looking up all the information she can find about whatever random animal is on her mind that day. Yes, she also spends tons of time watching “Wild Kratts” and “Octonauts” but whatever.

We’ve played tons of games that hone her problem-solving skills, as well as math, reading, etc. Our favorite is “Small World” but she also loves more obviously educational games like “7 ate 9” and “UpWords.” We’ve read books out loud, done science experiments, memorized random facts about Texas, written stories, and learned about the hummingbirds that come to our feeder. She’s grown by leaps and bounds in her cooking skills, and she and Boo have now mastered baking a handful of items all by themselves.

Wow I’ve rambled, sorry!

My point is, for us, not using a set curriculum or even having a scheduled time every day where we sit down and do specific, pre-planned lessons works! At least for now. I’m definitely not tying to say it’s for everyone, and I have no idea how long we’ll continue like this, but it’s been working for us so far, and it’s pretty different than what I think most people picture when someone says they homeschool, so I thought I’d share. 🙂

My preparations for this “official school year” include purchasing a family subscription to Always Ice Cream, buying the girls each a science kit (this year artist requested this electronics kit, which should be exciting), and buying each of the girls a handful of books including “Emily of New Moon” by L. M. Montgomery, which I’m stoked about, because somehow I never realized that she wrote anything besides the “Anne of Green Gables” series. I’m also getting a few new games and puzzles, and restocking our art supplies.

Other than that, I have my eye on a new coffee mug. Because if we’re “officially starting school” it stands to reason that I should get something fun, too…right?

10 times Gilmore Girls’ Coffee Addiction Was Just The Best!

I’ve never used GIFs before. But it’s Monday. And there’s just not even enough coffee in the world right now. Plus I’ve been re-watching Gilmore Girls on Netflix since it’s so much easier than going through the trouble of putting on my Gilmore Girls DVDs. So here are my 10 favorite coffee moments. Maybe. I’m sure I’ve forgotten some. Whatever. I need more coffee.

1. “I can’t stop drinking the coffee, I stop drinking the coffee and I stop doing the standing and the walking and the words-putting-into-sentence-doing.”

I mean, right? Don’t stop drinking coffee.

2. Max: How about coffee? You like coffee?
Lorelai: Only with my oxygen.

Yes, this. And, what kind of question is, “You like coffee?” anyway? Who doesn’t like coffee? (This question is rhetorical. If you don’t like coffee, I just don’t even want to know) 😉

3. Luke: I can get you herbal tea.
Lorelai: This is not a herbal tea morning, this is a coffee morning.
Luke: Every morning for you is a coffee morning.
Lorelai: This is a jumbo coffee morning. I need coffee in an I.V.

So much perfection here. And really, every morning IS a coffee morning…actually every morning is a jumbo coffee morning. So, yeah.

4. “I need coffee. Extra strong. Double-caff. Triple-caff. No, forget the calf. Throw in the whole cow…”

This may be the best thing ever. 🙂

5. Luke: So what’ll you have?
Lorelai: Coffee, in a vat.
Rory: I’ll have coffee also. And chili fries.

Why doesn’t coffee come in vats?

6. Lorelai [retrying the school coffee]: It… it just keeps getting worse.
Max: Well you know not drinking it is always an option.
Lorelai: Not in my world.

Truth. You just have to drink it. It’s not even on purpose; the cup is just there in your hand and muscle memory makes you put it to your mouth and take a drink. There’s nothing you can do. Or maybe that’s just me. And Lorelai. 😉

7. Rory: Mommy??
Lorelai: What do you mean it’s not ready? It’s 6:00 in the morning. Nothing says coffee like 6:00 in the morning.

The coffee’s not ready?!?! Just the worst!

8. Woman: Here we go. Three coffees.
Lorelai: Oh, no, I’m sorry. I only ordered one.
Woman: You said “Coffee, coffee, coffee”.
Lorelai: Haha, no, see, I said “coffee-coffee-coffee”.
Woman: Right.
Lorelai: As in I really need coffee-coffee-coffee. You know.
Woman: No.
Lorelai: Coffee-coffee-coffee is a saying, like an exaggeration. It’s a funny, desperate cry for caffeine. It’s just my thing. ‘Cause everybody knows I drink a lot of coffee, so the day can’t start until I’ve had my jolt. It’s a bit. My bit. It’s not a particularly funny bit unless you know me, then – you know what, three coffees would be great. What do I owe you?

You know what, when it comes right down to it, three coffees WOULD be great. So there’s that. 😉

9. “I’m gonna have to quit drinking coffee! And I love coffee! I really love coffee!”

This is me every time I’m pregnant. (I talk myself off the ledge…it’ll be okay, I can still drink some, just cut back, and fill in with decaf…I’ll survive) but just the thought of having to quit is enough to bring on all the tears. I really love coffee!

Yeah so this post is actually just my 9 favorite moments because my coffee cup is empty and I can’t let it stay that way. And oy with the poodles already, I know a bajillion other people have already basically made this exact post but I don’t even care because, coffee. And Gilmore Girls. Nuff said. 😉

Summer Bucket List for the Lazy Mom (As in, MY list).

I’ve never really made bucket lists. If I did, I’m pretty sure I’d forget about them, or procrastinate till it’s too late, or spill coffee all over the list and have to discard it. 😉

But I just realized it’s already mid-July, and we’ve hardly done anything summery. So, for the sake of childhood memories and whatnot I was thinking maybe I should make a point of doing some stuff. Nothing big or crazy, though, cause I just can’t even. But anyhoo…here’s my list:

1. Swim a lot. (We’ve been swimming some, it’s the one thing I’ve actually done, but nowhere near as much as my girls would like.) Preferably meet up with friends so it’s a 2-in-1 deal, I get adult conversation, kids get to ~~wear themselves out~~ have fun! Alternatively, swim at 8 p.m. when we don’t have to worry about applying sunscreen as this somehow always seems to take 15 minutes…plus apparently being in the water at dusk with the pool lights on is magical. The June Bugs that arrive in droves and land in my hair after dark are not so magical, blech…my goal is to leave just before they get bad, but still swim long enough that the kids are happy. Wish me luck.

2. Visit Bahama Bucks. Confession: I don’t really love snow cones. But they’re a quintessential summer treat and my girls adore Bahama Bucks…I’m not sure if it’s the actual taste, or the little umbrellas and color changing spoons, but either way I should take them at least once.

3. Make homemade ice cream. We tried this last year, but I made the mistake of using those baggies that have a slider at the top to seal them, and they didn’t stay closed all the way and they leaked, so…yeah, it just didn’t work well. Oops.

4. Take sunflower pictures. Preferably soon before they’re withered and half dead.

5. Tie-Dye shirts. Because I keep saying we will and we never-ever have. And Artist wants to be a fashion designer so I’m sure she’d love it. This one definitely needs to take place on a weekend or evening when Misteris is home to keep Smiles out of the dye, though!

6. Make root beer floats. I have no idea why, but I don’t think I’ve ever made root beer floats for my kids! I LOVED them when I was little!

7. Make an epic indoor fort. We did this a couple times last summer, and my girls keep talking about it. One of these days I need to to pull out all our sheets and blankets and work together with them to make a splendiferous fort!

8. Make Homemade Popsicles. We have popsicle molds. I haven’t used them since last summer, and the kids never seem to like homemade popsicles much, but they might at least have fun helping make them, and I should really either try again to use the molds or get rid of them. Soo…yeah.

9. Put up a hummingbird feeder. We’ve been saying we’d do this since we moved in. We saw a hummingbird at the pool a few days ago, and it reminded me…we should really do this.

10. Drink iced coffee. Because…coffee.

And I think ten items are more than enough, so that’s my whole list! I might remember to post an update at the end of summer about whether or not we actually did any of these. 🙂

A SNICKER OF MAGIC

Felicity sees words everywhere — shining above strangers, tucked into church eves, and tangled up her dog’s floppy ears — but Midnight Gulch is the first place she’s ever seen the word “home.” And then there’s Jonah, a mysterious, spiky-haired do-gooder who shimmers with words Felicity’s never seen before, words that make Felicity’s heart beat a little faster. – blurb from Scholastic

Oh you guys!!! I just finished reading A Snicker of Magic to Artist & Boo. I’ve been reading books to them every night since they were born and this was our very favorite ever! They’d eagerly get into their jammies & brush their teeth extra early so we could have more time to read, & let me just say, compared to their normal EXTREME PROTESTS at bedtime, that in & of itself was sock-rocking awesome!

I loved it myself as much as they did, maybe more. There were several nights where it took soo much self-control to not keep reading it after I tucked them into bed! Reading it just made us all feel so happy. We couldn’t even help it, the words were practically magical & no matter how we were feeling before we started, by the time we finished a chapter we’d all be smiling!

We loved the “snickers” of magic the characters had. The very best one was of course the way Felicity would see words float around people’s heads, scuttle across walls, & dance in the sky! But there were so many other little magics, like playing music that made everyone dance, hope coming down in the form or a bird tattoo, & ice cream that didn’t melt!

Every page was filled with wonderful sentiments I want to hold on to forever, like “Believe is a powerful word to see and to say. But that morning, I felt it. And feeling it was the best of all. I knew something wonderful was about to happen to me. I didn’t know what, or why, or how. But I believed.” And, “I never wanted to forget all the ways we were connected that day: By our shadows and sunlight. By pounding hearts and a starry maybe.”

I bought this as an e-book but I need to get a physical copy too, so Artist can keep it on her bed with the books she reads over and over till they’re loved & worn, & I want to get extra copies to give to all my friends! I don’t know how Misteris would feel about me buying a hundred copies of a book, so we’ll see. But goodness, I just love this book so much…almost as much as I love coffee, so you guys know I’m not even kidding! 🙂

10 Best Dads in Children’s Books

It’s Father’s Day! We’re relaxing at home today cause the amazing father of my kids has shingles. Boo. 🙁

And I’m currently trapped here at my desk because Smiles is napping in my lap. I was perusing a few lists of “Best Literary Fathers” but none of them included all my favorites, so I decided to put together my own list. They all happen to be from “Children’s” books…by which I mean anything from board books for babies up through Young Adult, which for some crazy reason are all clumped together as “children’s.” Whatever.

Oh, and I include some spoilers, so if you get to a book you haven’t read, proceed at your own risk. 😉

Anyway, here’s the list:

1. Arthur Weasley from Harry Potter.

I think this one’s pretty obvious. He may be eccentric, but he’s also loving & protective & sprightly…plus he fights against Voldemort & his goons as a member of “The Order of the Phoenix.” He also says things like, “What, exactly, is the function of a rubber duck?” What’s not to love? 🙂

2. Big Nutbrown Hare from Guess How Much I Love You.

Yeah, so BNH totally puts me to shame. The book starts, “Little Nutbrown Hare, who was going to bed, held on tight to Big Nutbrown Hare’s very long ears.” Did you catch that? Instead of going to bed, his kid is pulling on his ears!!! I’m pretty sure most nights I’d snap, “Hey, cut that out!” But instead, BNH plays along with an epic game of “who loves whom the most.” He even pretends to let LNH win, only to stick around till he’s asleep & whisper, “I love you right up to the moon — and back.”

3. Matthew Cuthbert from Anne of Green Gables.

I’m ashamed to say I haven’t read the book yet…though it’s at the top of my “to read” list. But based on watching the movie over and over as a kid, I just adore Matthew! He lets Marilla take the reins in raising Anne, but he’s unabashedly in Anne’s corner every step of the way, cheering her on, fighting for her, & stepping outside his comfort zone to do things like getting her a dress with puffed sleeves.

4. Charles Ingalls from the Little House Books.

I loved these books growing up. But reading “Little House in the Big Woods” to my girls last year made me realize how truly difficult and dangerous their lives were, and how hard Pa had to work to take care of his family. No matter how exhausted he was, Pa was always pulling his girls onto his knee and telling them stories, or playing his fiddle to help them fall asleep.

5. The Man in the Yellow Hat from Curious George.

True, he’s not actually George’s dad…and in the very first book The Man captures George from his jungle home and takes him to a zoo. It was more than a little disconcerting. However, in all the rest of the Curious George stories we own, The Man is the quintessence of kindness and understanding. Honestly I have no idea how he manages to never lose his temper at all of George’s crazy antics.

6. Myles of Olau from The Song of the Lioness Quartet.

I’m veering a bit away from mainstream books now & I know many of you may not be familiar with this series, but I love it! Alanna, the heroine, is brave and smart and strong and really the first awesome female protagonist I know of in a fantasy series. At first, she disguises herself as boy in order to become a knight, & Myles, her mentor, realizes she’s a girl but waits patiently for her to tell him when she’s ready. He helps her out on many occasions and eventually adopts her as his daughter, making her the heir to his estate.

7. Silas Heap from the Septimus Heap series.

Magyk, the first book in the series, opens with Silas finding an abandoned baby and sneaking her into the city to raise as his own. He was also once an apprentice to the ExtraOrdinary Wizard, a very prestigious job, but he gave it up to play a greater role in raising his family. I’ve not read the entire series yet, but in book one he gets to do more than fathers typically do in fantasy books where a kid is the main hero.

8. Frederick Chase from Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Okay, so he’s a super minor character in the series, but Annabeth’s Dad stands out as a pretty great guy. In The Titan’s Curse Frederick gives his car to a bunch of teenagers who say they’re searching for his daughter, then he flies his own plane into a battle against immortal monsters & shoots several of them down with special bullets he made. Supposedly he & Annabeth go looking for his nephew in The Sword of Summer, Rick Riordan’s new book coming out this fall…I have no idea if that’s true, but if it is, I’m sure it’ll be awesome!

9. Hans Hubermann from The Book Thief.

Liesel’s adoptive father, Hans, is my favorite character in the book. If the only thing he did was get up with her every single night when she has nightmares & secretly teach her to read, he’d have my heart, but of course he does so much more than that.

10. Sirus Black from Harry Potter.

I know, I already named a Harry Potter father, but I couldn’t leave out Sirius. He’s the first character whose death I can remember actually crying over. As his first act as godfather, he asks Harry to go live with him. Wouldn’t that have been awesome? But no. Anyway, Sirius does his best to be there for Harry from afar, then comes to Harry’s rescue & dies fighting for Harry and his friends.

What do you think? Did your favorite Children’s Book Dads make the list? If not, tell me who they are! 😀