Grumpy Kitty

The face only a Mother could love!

What a morning in the garden looks like

 

 

 

Harvesting and planning recipes...

Watering....EVERYTHING...

Organic Kid pest control methods...

Still enjoying the breakfast buckwheat porridge...

Waiting and watching birds...

Planting, still more planting...

 

Doing much of nothing

Spring Break means cleaning for me, but for the kids, well they do clean too, but mostly they are doing whatever they like. they still have lessons this week so we have gone to those, but besides one busy day, it's a bunch of nothing. It's made me think about a question posed to me recently about homeschooling kids and entitlement. This person was wondering why her kids acted entitled (they are PS kids) and all the homeschool kids she knew didn't. There was a bit more to the conversation, but I thought this part seemed interesting.

I think it's because my kids and lots of homeschooling kids do a whole lot of nothing. No, I don't mean we are shut ins and we don't "socalize." My kids take music and ballet and tennis lesson. they have playdates and LOTS of church functions with friends, but they also do a whole lot of nothing. Meaning I don't schedule lots of family activities and events. we do take field trips and visit museums and science centers. My kids have been to the beach more times than I had at their ages. But besides the rquired schoolwork I don't schedule their time. I let them do a whole lot of nothing. I challenge them to "get bored,"  they don't. I tell them to "go play." I make picnics for them to go outside and hang out with eachother. I say water the garden and they do, but also water themselves too. I have provide open-ended toys, some outdoor stuff, LOTS of books, instruments, dress-up, games and art supplies. They have grass and space and dirt, but most of all, they have freedom. They have freedom to get dirty, hurt, in trouble, and independent.

I'm glad that playing baseball with their Dad and Uncle are a highlight to their day. I'm glad that my kids get just excited about playing with a 3 yr old aas they do a 15 yr old. That they are interested in people of different races and economic backgrounds. That my girls play with girls and also boys and the boy, well he has to play with girls a lot;) does the same. I'm glad that just going to their Grandparents house makes them squeal with delight.

 

 

Spring Break

Spring Break started on Saturday for us coinciding with our Post Patty's Day Party. The previous week was rained out so we were fortunate to have a lovely day to replace it. The weather could not have been more lovely, the food was plentiful, the beer hearty, and the band soothed us with great renditions. There were LOTS of children running around playing football, dancing and devouring desserts. The women lounged on the grass talking and listening to the music and nursing babies, while the men contemplated serious corn hole strategies. Little girls danced and scattered blossoms around the band, dare I say it was idyllic?

How to raise dangerous boys

A few weeks ago I finished this book a friend had urged me to read so we could discuss it. Distracted by other things, I let it sit for a week or two and since it needed to be returned to the library I set aside a bit of Saturday to read it. Much of what Sax finds wrong with the way we are raising boys I was familiar and mostly agreed with, but I don't know if he sees the irony in how we are creating boys who are at the same time are more and less dangerous than their forefathers.

Sax states that boys are turning out to have little work ethic, interest in much of anything and well are mostly spoiled mama's boys dependent upon parents for everything. Quite a blow to a mother of boys or for me one boy, the Kitty. The factors in this demise range from the effects of ADHD medicine, schools catering to female DNA, to hormones in the water. These are mostly likely factors, but I think something more important is missing and that is parenting.

As a homeschool mom I parent 24/7. There are few and far between breaks. I feed 3 meals a day to my kids, plus snacks. We don't do sleepovers, or drop off playdates, or Mom's Morning Out. Grandparents aren't available when I feel the urge to scream. When my kids particpate in sports, music, or ballet lessons I'm there. My kids watch 2 movies per week and my son maybe gets a video game for a small amount of time on Sundays.

I'm not looking to brag or say I'm perfect or have it all figured out since I'm far from that. I do know that you have to be INVOLVED. You have to ENGAGE. You have SET REAL LIMITS when they are young with certain things. You have to be willing to learn new strategies for each kid and ADMIT YOU WERE WRONG and fix it.

You can't depend on a pill. I know that we're parenting in a brave new world, but soma is not the answer. We are. God is. Slowing down and evaluating your life and what is a priority. Kids are not an accessory. I volley between being a planner and a fly by the seat of your pants gal. I like to let my kids have space, but I strew things for them to become engaged in. I guard them against certain things. I do not believe the mainstram is the river I'm diving into and I'm not the throw them into the water and see if they can swim parent either.

I think boys need the space and encouragement to be dangerous, to take risks, to believe and want to fight for something, or someone. Turning our boys hearts toward service and family and most importantly God will give them a mission in life, a purpose. I want to watch my son turn ino a strong man. We have taken so much from our men in an effort to raise up women, I wonder when we will see we are partners and not adversaries. We are not androgynous beings whose needs can be met in the same ways.

Boys Adrift is a book about boys who are lost and lack parents who are engaged in fighting against what the poplous thinks is "normal" for boys. It's anything BUT normal.

 

In the Winter garden

We've finally had some colder temps this past weekend, but I took these pics last week when it was still unseasonably warm. Across the country Winter has been scarcely found and I have read many reports of early blooms and worry of what a buggy summer we will likely endure.

As week ago I harvested a gallon bag of broccoli from a plant I planted in September!

Lettuce was still crisp and the cabbage was re-seeding.

Buds were forming everywhere.

Herbs were harvested.

Bees were still buzzing.

The Best Birthday Cake Ever.

The Professor is a Love Child ...born on Valentines Day. He also loves chocolate and beer. And he's Irish (5th gen).

Bring in the Guiness cake.

I hit on this months ago on Pinterest and promised he'd have it for his birthday.

I used amazing cocoa from Whole Foods that I bought during the holidays, bourbon vanilla and subbed a regional chocolate stout.

I never lick the batter. I just don't. I licked and licked and licked that bowl.

I've never called a cake batter complex.

Really, it was that good. This cake is a keeper. My professor was very happy.

 

 

Old school times tables

Once upon a time I was a third grader whose excitement overfloweth when I was able to take my little dime and buy a multiplication card in anticipation of hours of memorization. Big kids knew their times tables and I was determined to be a big kid.

These days it seems kids are having a hard time getting their tables down and many move on into higher grades and still do not know them. Butter began working on them in the late fall and is 80% competent, but a few were still giving her trouble. I realized she just neded to buckle down and memorize them before going much farther into divison so during school the other day I got busy typing them all out and laminating a couple of cards for home and car use. Butter loves them and got to work right away and mastered a couple that were giving her trouble.I'm all for conceptual understanding of multiplicatin, but good old fashioned memorizing also has its place!

 

 

 

 

Hobbits can cook

Mondays are always crazy, so cliche, but true. Getting back into schoolwork, cleaning up, 2 hours of ballet and a sundry of other things make the day feel more hectic than the others. This week was no different and at 1:30 I realized dinner was not planned and we had to eat it by 4. Hmm. I also have begun to not use the microwave again. I succeeded in not having one for many years and then even after marrying the Professor kept one out. Somehow it sneaked back in a few years ago and I have one that is built in now. Well a few weeks ago I just said no more. I have figured out how to defrost somethings fairly quickly and without a ton of hassle, especially my chicken stock.

It really is true that if you get kids in the kitchen they will be more excited about what they are eating. Plain old potato soup doesn't get my kids hoping at dinner, but when they peeled and cut potatoes for it they really do feel more ownership of the meal.  

Potato Leek is my favorite soup on a rainy day and this did fit the bill.

8 good size potatoes

2 leeks

garlic cloves

4 cup of chicken (or turkey) stock

sea salt

a bit of milk (optional)

This soup was ready by 3:30 and the kids did 1/2 the work. Even the Baby washed the potatoes once they were peeled.

Art and Craft

As I said before I want the kids and me to spend more time crafting.  Art plays a good part of this. They all love to color and draw and if I pull out a project they want to know how to do and love to join in. The Baby really likes to paint and play with our homemade play dough. She cleans up on her own and knows where all of her things are kept. Butter and I are participating in a handmade swap in a few weeks so there has been much planning and beginning of things. Here are bits of our crafting this week.