Highlights of the week

I've sure been slacking on my weekly reports of our homeschooling, and yes, I'm slacking all around on my record-keeping, spoiled as I am by living in the great state of Texas, which requires NOTHING of us, as far as written records. Must ... get ... back ... on ... track ...

I thought I'd share a few of our favorite things from this past week, rather than drone on about how we did this math lesson or that Latin review. So here goes:

1. Discovering a hilarious CD at the library called Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies. Oh! The stitches! If you haven't heard this one, run, don't walk, to your local library or to Amazon for that matter, and check it out. It's full of zany, rhyming lyrics set to the music of Beethoven's symphonies, sonatas, etc.

2. Making twig weavings with the kids and their friend Isaac for our weekly science date. A few weeks ago, I reported some difficulty with getting the kids enthused about our science projects, so we took a break for a bit and just let the boys play. Lynn (Isaac's mom) helped me plant my fall garden -- sort of a Sisyphean attempt on my part to thumb my nose at our persistent drought. Anyway, I got this idea from the fabulous book Nature Smart, and OF COURSE the kids did not cleave to the directions, but they were happy with what they made and collected from around the yard, and that's the whole point.


3. Learning to play Made For Trade, a colonial-themed board game, with Ian and Tim last night. History! And Ian won, fair and square, so we didn't have any meltdowns to dampen the experience!

4. Reading more chapters of the delightful Johnny Texas on the San Antonio Road together, and watching Eliza burn through a Kumon phonics workbook I bought on clearance at Target. She's so pleased with herself, as if she'd been WAITING for me to buy her something like that. (Staving off guilt about shortchanging the middle child ...)

5. After kind of a tense, Mommy-needs-chocolate-NOW Friday afternoon, turning the car toward Mayfield Park instead of heading home, and spending an hour watching the peacocks, admiring the monarchs in the flower garden, and just doing everything sloooooowly. Until Caroline had an accident, stripped off her skirt, and started tearing around the place half-dressed. Then we left.

If you're new to reading my blog, you need to know that my weeks are not one long paper chain of blissful, harmonious, educational moments. We have our rough moments, our rough days, even. Blogging about the beauty we find, even hidden among the bumpier patches, is part of my coping strategy. Or should we call it gratitude therapy ...