I'm posting this a day early because I might be running from early morn until evening tomorrow.
I'm ashamed to say, I'm not feeling very grateful right now. I'm tired and my head is full of so many details. Our fall schedule is starting up and I'm desperately trying to harness a million scattered thoughts into some kind of serviceable order.
So what am I thankful for:
For the i m function on gmail. I got to chat with Will up at Berklee that way today. He sounds like he is doing okay, but he misses us.
For Phineas and Ferb, a really funny cartoon show that has kept my kids entertained during this very, very rainy week.
Speaking of rain, I'm grateful for a roof over my head!
And I'm grateful for phones too. Got to talk to Hannah today.
And now I have to go pick Josh from his CLC group at church.
So that's it!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Strewsday Tuesday - Unintentional Strewing
Sometimes strewing is unnecessary. I mean the parent doesn't have to do anything conscientiously. The child simply interacts with his world and, presto! He's off!
 |
| Sean loves this book! |
Way back when my 12 year old son was about 5, he must have learned about flip books. I remember once we went to the National Children's Museum in Washington D.C. and they had an exhibit on making flip books to simulate early animation in film. But he might have been too young for that field trip. Or maybe he saw something on TV or maybe it was a Klutz book(though I think he was already into this before we discovered that book). So, anyway, I really don't know how this all started. But when he was five, I started noticing my little yellow post it pads missing (I love those things!). My son at that time was really into gymnastics. Cartwheels, especially. He and his sister would do 100 cartwheels a day, no exaggeration! So I found these post note pads made into flip books of someone doing a cartwheel. He would draw a little stick figure on each of the pages. Very exactly and gradually, the little stick figure would turn a cartwheel as you flipped through the little pages. I was amazed at his patience and precision in making these little books. And I found many of them. I even went out and bought more post it pads. He would do this over and over again.
A few years later, maybe when he was 8 and 9, he discovered Pivot. I think he came home one day from a playdate and mentioned that his friend had this really cool program where you could make animations. Before this he had found some Line Rider download and liked to make those. So we got him Pivot for Christmas and he loved it (the link above says it is a free download but it seems to me we had to buy some computer equipment to really do it well.) He spent many, many hours, patiently (and not so patiently) focused on creating one animation after another.
He became a walking encyclopedia on animation. He knows so much about its history, the art of voice acting, what makes Japanese anime different from other styles, etc. He asks questions, like which style of American animation do you like best: Disney? Warner Bros? And somebody I can't remember right now. Then he can give you a run down of the the technical and production differences.
He asked for Animation magazine, which he reads from cover to cover every time it shows up in the mail.
For the last couple of years, he'd been begging us for Flash. Due to various circumstances, we couldn't deliver right away, but just as his older brother was leaving for college, this past week, we finally got Seano Flash. It was great timing because it is distracting him from missing his brother so much. He is completely in love with animating in Flash and has spent every single moment of free time, working away.He isn't a very good artist, but he's got his own style somehow anyway. He loves writing up little funny skits and pulling these little cartoons together. It is really beautiful to see.
And not one of these elements was intentionally strewed by me. It is all completely Seano.
So what's been going on in your home?
Monday, September 5, 2011
Math Monday - The Math Shark
I bought a Math Shark years ago. (Mine is purple and red not blue and yellow as in the picture; I wonder if that indicates just how old it is?).
Anyway, it proved to be a good investment. The kids played on it without any prompting. It goes through long periods where it gathers dust on a shelf, but then the kids rediscover it at some point and it is like a new toy all over again. It has gotten a lot of use and is still being used by my 12 and 10 year olds.
It is one of those items, that looking back over the years, I'm glad I plunked the money out for it. That statement can not be said for much of the educational stuff I threw money away on!
Check out other Math Monday posts here.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
David Copperfield - Book 40
Warning! Spoilers ahead!
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is an old friend of mine. I first read it in high school, then again when I was around college age. I reread it about ten years ago and now I just finished my 4th time. It started out as an all family read aloud (except for Hannah who was away at college) including even my husband. We started it the first day of Advent 2010. However, we were very inconsistent about how much or how often we read it. It was very hard getting all 5 people plus myself together for any length of time. And then, Rick was reading the Harry Potter series out loud to Becky and they had to fnish that before the final movie came out, so the spring was really dominated by that and David Copperfield was put on hold. Alas, I tried very hard to finish it before Will went away to college, but we couldn't quite make it. We have 4 chapters still left to read. We are hoping we can cram it into Thanksgiving vacation when he comes home again. However, I took it up to my room and finished reading it myself, so I could list it as my 40th book in 2011.
I love all the characters in David Copperfield and all the little subplots. It is a warm and cozy book where all the bad people get their just comeuppance and the good people either die or are rewarded! The two themes I think that are the most identifiable are the exploration of what marriage should be and the sorrow that ensues when it doesn't measure up; and the idea that it is the heart that counts. Even the simple, like Mr. Dick or the silly like Dora Spelow or the foolish, like Mr. Micawber are all worthy and lovable and are even capable of wisdom at some level because of their good heartedness.
I think I'll go through all the marriages in the book and point out very, very briefly which ones were marriages between equals (for a good marriage takes 'disciplined hearts" between equals of mind.)
Clara Copperfield and Mr. Murdstone - Mr. Murdstone being far more intelligent and an evil predator to Clara's sweet innocence. We get the definite sense that David falls for Dora because she is so like his mother.
Peggotty and Barkis - In spite of Barkis' miserliness, he's a good fellow and he and Peggotty are a happy couple.
Dr. Strong and Annie - at first we fear this is not a marriage of equals and that Annie has an undisciplined heart and really loves her cousin Jack Maldon. But, to our great relief (for we love the good doctor so) we find that Annie was more than she appeared to be.
Wilkins Micawber and Emma Micawber - an hysterically funny couple, so caught up in the melodrama they've created by their own inability to balance their budget, they are in the end a very devoted couple who admire and respect each other passionately. As Mrs. Micawber says so often through out the book, whenever they are embroiled in yet another crisis: I never will leave Micawber. And she won't. You know it. She has complete faith in his abilities she knows are buried underneath all the hyperbole and posturing. He is kind and loving and true. And in the end she proves right to trust him.
Emily and Steerforth - well they never actually get married. Emily is the poster child, along with David, for having that undisciplined heart of youth. Even though she knows it is wrong and that she is hurting those who love her the most, she can not fight against her feelings for Steerforth and foolishly runs away with him, living in sin, until he grows tired of her and casts her off. Steerforth is a great character though, complex because even though he can't obey his better angels, at times he hears them, and he knows that he is not the great human being his doting, spoiling mother makes him out to be. He knows his shameful selfish side and runs from it.
Betsy Trotwood and her mysterious husband - this is just a minor mention in the book, but eccentric Aunt Betsy had a marriage to a man she loved in her youth, but who broke her heart with his unfaithfulness. In the end she reconciles with him just before he dies. The connection was never completely cut between them.
David and Dora - a touching, humorous and then very sad account of a marriage.
David and Agnes - we know they were meant to be together. The ending is very emotional and satisfying.
I wish I could post a picture of the book but I'm reduced to writing this on my ipad and I don't know how to do links or pictures!
To read more books go to www.read52booksin52week.com.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens is an old friend of mine. I first read it in high school, then again when I was around college age. I reread it about ten years ago and now I just finished my 4th time. It started out as an all family read aloud (except for Hannah who was away at college) including even my husband. We started it the first day of Advent 2010. However, we were very inconsistent about how much or how often we read it. It was very hard getting all 5 people plus myself together for any length of time. And then, Rick was reading the Harry Potter series out loud to Becky and they had to fnish that before the final movie came out, so the spring was really dominated by that and David Copperfield was put on hold. Alas, I tried very hard to finish it before Will went away to college, but we couldn't quite make it. We have 4 chapters still left to read. We are hoping we can cram it into Thanksgiving vacation when he comes home again. However, I took it up to my room and finished reading it myself, so I could list it as my 40th book in 2011.
I love all the characters in David Copperfield and all the little subplots. It is a warm and cozy book where all the bad people get their just comeuppance and the good people either die or are rewarded! The two themes I think that are the most identifiable are the exploration of what marriage should be and the sorrow that ensues when it doesn't measure up; and the idea that it is the heart that counts. Even the simple, like Mr. Dick or the silly like Dora Spelow or the foolish, like Mr. Micawber are all worthy and lovable and are even capable of wisdom at some level because of their good heartedness.
I think I'll go through all the marriages in the book and point out very, very briefly which ones were marriages between equals (for a good marriage takes 'disciplined hearts" between equals of mind.)
Clara Copperfield and Mr. Murdstone - Mr. Murdstone being far more intelligent and an evil predator to Clara's sweet innocence. We get the definite sense that David falls for Dora because she is so like his mother.
Peggotty and Barkis - In spite of Barkis' miserliness, he's a good fellow and he and Peggotty are a happy couple.
Dr. Strong and Annie - at first we fear this is not a marriage of equals and that Annie has an undisciplined heart and really loves her cousin Jack Maldon. But, to our great relief (for we love the good doctor so) we find that Annie was more than she appeared to be.
Wilkins Micawber and Emma Micawber - an hysterically funny couple, so caught up in the melodrama they've created by their own inability to balance their budget, they are in the end a very devoted couple who admire and respect each other passionately. As Mrs. Micawber says so often through out the book, whenever they are embroiled in yet another crisis: I never will leave Micawber. And she won't. You know it. She has complete faith in his abilities she knows are buried underneath all the hyperbole and posturing. He is kind and loving and true. And in the end she proves right to trust him.
Emily and Steerforth - well they never actually get married. Emily is the poster child, along with David, for having that undisciplined heart of youth. Even though she knows it is wrong and that she is hurting those who love her the most, she can not fight against her feelings for Steerforth and foolishly runs away with him, living in sin, until he grows tired of her and casts her off. Steerforth is a great character though, complex because even though he can't obey his better angels, at times he hears them, and he knows that he is not the great human being his doting, spoiling mother makes him out to be. He knows his shameful selfish side and runs from it.
Betsy Trotwood and her mysterious husband - this is just a minor mention in the book, but eccentric Aunt Betsy had a marriage to a man she loved in her youth, but who broke her heart with his unfaithfulness. In the end she reconciles with him just before he dies. The connection was never completely cut between them.
David and Dora - a touching, humorous and then very sad account of a marriage.
David and Agnes - we know they were meant to be together. The ending is very emotional and satisfying.
I wish I could post a picture of the book but I'm reduced to writing this on my ipad and I don't know how to do links or pictures!
To read more books go to www.read52booksin52week.com.
Friday, September 2, 2011
What we've been up to - 9/2/11
I have been ignoring the kids pretty much all week. I've been really consumed by getting our new Aquinas Learning Center up and running. Many phone calls, meetings, e-mails happened this week, even a crisis or two and still there is much more to do. Crazy!
This is Will's last week at home and I've barely seen him. I think he's tamping down his emotions and it is making him quiet and kind of retiring from us all. He's been sleeping in late and staying in his room to practice music. Plus he has lots of little odds and ends stuff to do before he leaves. We all went shopping in the middle of the week to get him clothes and a new razor. He shaved off his beard and got his hair cut on Monday! I think he's planning on letting the beard grow back and he's hoping it will grow in a little thicker. Vain teen-age boy! I grew up with all girls. I didn't know boys worry about their looks too! Today, we are doing laundry, packing and cleaning his room. Yep, we've procrastinated! Tonight we are all going out to dinner. Tomorrow morning he leaves us. Sob.
Josh has been great, trying to get into the swing of things, even though his regular classes haven't started He goes to his first Chemistry class this a.m. He's been working hard on his Psychology course which he seems to be really enjoying so far. He did some more math review and we did a tiny bit of Latin review, but we decided we were going to cram on Monday and Tuesday for those things, as we are too distracted by Will leaving and Aquinas Learning to focus as much as would be ideal. Josh has also continued to go jogging, I love that!
Sean - poor Seano, he is already very sad about Will leaving.. This is going to be tough. I'm still forcing him to finish reading Beorn the Proud. He's been fighting me but today is the last chapter! Next week we start Journey to the Center of the Earth! I do not feel unschoolish at all about this reading thing. It is a troublesome spot. Seano's been going on walks. He and Becky started writing a cartoon together that they are animating. I've got to go see what they are doing. I just hear them down in the basement, giggling, making all kinds of weird sounds and voices which erupt into loud squabbles when there is an artistic difference of opinion. The eruption cools down quickly and they continue on a bit later. Ah, siblings.
Tuesday I took my aunt into the Rehab hospital to get her prosthesis. That's put a new element into her routine. She's really not too happy with it, but she's game to keep trying. She's looked really tired to me this week and seems quieter. I feel like I've somehow neglected everyone this week. . . .
And something I'm really sad about. We will not be able to finish David Copperfield before Will leaves. We are almost at the end (92% through says Will's ipod) but the chapters are so long and we just don't hours to sit and listen. It can take a solid hour to read one chapter out loud! So we are almost done but it is unrealistic to try to finish before Will leaves on Saturday morning. Rick thinks we should finish it up at Thanksgiving, when Will is back again. I guess so.
This is Will's last week at home and I've barely seen him. I think he's tamping down his emotions and it is making him quiet and kind of retiring from us all. He's been sleeping in late and staying in his room to practice music. Plus he has lots of little odds and ends stuff to do before he leaves. We all went shopping in the middle of the week to get him clothes and a new razor. He shaved off his beard and got his hair cut on Monday! I think he's planning on letting the beard grow back and he's hoping it will grow in a little thicker. Vain teen-age boy! I grew up with all girls. I didn't know boys worry about their looks too! Today, we are doing laundry, packing and cleaning his room. Yep, we've procrastinated! Tonight we are all going out to dinner. Tomorrow morning he leaves us. Sob.
Josh has been great, trying to get into the swing of things, even though his regular classes haven't started He goes to his first Chemistry class this a.m. He's been working hard on his Psychology course which he seems to be really enjoying so far. He did some more math review and we did a tiny bit of Latin review, but we decided we were going to cram on Monday and Tuesday for those things, as we are too distracted by Will leaving and Aquinas Learning to focus as much as would be ideal. Josh has also continued to go jogging, I love that!
Sean - poor Seano, he is already very sad about Will leaving.. This is going to be tough. I'm still forcing him to finish reading Beorn the Proud. He's been fighting me but today is the last chapter! Next week we start Journey to the Center of the Earth! I do not feel unschoolish at all about this reading thing. It is a troublesome spot. Seano's been going on walks. He and Becky started writing a cartoon together that they are animating. I've got to go see what they are doing. I just hear them down in the basement, giggling, making all kinds of weird sounds and voices which erupt into loud squabbles when there is an artistic difference of opinion. The eruption cools down quickly and they continue on a bit later. Ah, siblings.
Tuesday I took my aunt into the Rehab hospital to get her prosthesis. That's put a new element into her routine. She's really not too happy with it, but she's game to keep trying. She's looked really tired to me this week and seems quieter. I feel like I've somehow neglected everyone this week. . . .
And something I'm really sad about. We will not be able to finish David Copperfield before Will leaves. We are almost at the end (92% through says Will's ipod) but the chapters are so long and we just don't hours to sit and listen. It can take a solid hour to read one chapter out loud! So we are almost done but it is unrealistic to try to finish before Will leaves on Saturday morning. Rick thinks we should finish it up at Thanksgiving, when Will is back again. I guess so.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Thankful Thursday - 9/1/11
Right now, I'm thankful to strong, intelligent, faithful people, like Father Walter Cizek, who wrote He Leadeth Me. I just started it and it is very inspirational. I need inspiration right now because I'm struggling against feeling overwhelmed. My little, little concerns, that can have that effect on me, show me just how weak I am! Almost laughably weak.
I'm very thankful to Liz, the woman who is helping me with setting up our Aquinas Learning Center. I honestly don't know where I'd be without her. She's a rock and so sweet!
I'm so thankful for my son, William Elijah. We call him Will, he wants to be called Eli. He leaves for Berklee on Saturday morning. Rick is taking him up to Boston. Will is eccentric, absented-minded, kind, funny, intelligent, ambitious, helpful, immensely talented, religious, innocent, and a joy to have for a son. We will miss him so much. He enlivens this house wonderfully and we will feel his absence. Especially Seano; they are very similar in taste, talent and wit, though they have very different temperaments. His leaving is pretty gut-wrenching.
I'm very thankful to Liz, the woman who is helping me with setting up our Aquinas Learning Center. I honestly don't know where I'd be without her. She's a rock and so sweet!
I'm so thankful for my son, William Elijah. We call him Will, he wants to be called Eli. He leaves for Berklee on Saturday morning. Rick is taking him up to Boston. Will is eccentric, absented-minded, kind, funny, intelligent, ambitious, helpful, immensely talented, religious, innocent, and a joy to have for a son. We will miss him so much. He enlivens this house wonderfully and we will feel his absence. Especially Seano; they are very similar in taste, talent and wit, though they have very different temperaments. His leaving is pretty gut-wrenching.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)