Homeschooling

"Homeschooling is the Silicon Valley of American Education. It's all about freedom, innovation, autonomy, self-organization, and creative collaboration." A really liked this opening to the book "Homeschooling: A Family's Journey." I realize that homeschooling may not be the choice for every family, but it is such a good fit for our family, I am thrilled that we are able to homeschool freely in California.

So, what has been going on in our lives the last week? Nothing spectacular....school, Community Bible Study, piano lessons, kids activities, doctor's appointments, reading books, cleaning house, feeding and changing James (funny how those go together), meeting with people, and on and on. A very nice, relaxing week, leading to a fairly low-key weekend.

Ken Home!

Ken got home safe and sound on Sunday night. How nice it is to have him back again. With him being gone about 11 days, it gives me a tiny bit of empathy for single parents. That didn't come out right....it gives me a tiny peek into how hard it must be for a single parent, and increased my empathy for them. So while he is back for now, he has a few more trips planned. In about three weeks he goes to Florida for a meeting with his organization, in four weeks he goes to Philadelphia to work a conference, in 8 weeks he has a conference to work in Fresno, and then nothing (at least that I know) until August, where he may be going overseas for about 6 weeks...but that is still in the planning stages. He mentioned to me this morning that I should plan a trip while he is gone....so my brain started ticking and we went to get a map of the USA. Maybe another cross-country road trip will be in the cards.

I just finished reading "Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love" by Myron Uhlberg. WOW. This book made me jealous that I wasn't brought up with American Sign Language (ASL) as my first language. The way Myron describe how his father signed and showed the words as three dimensional thoughts instead of flat and two dimensional was really remarkable. He also showed how hard it was to be a child with the responsibility of being a link for his parents to the outside world. I plan on sending this book off to my friends Shawn and Dee Collins who are currently working with WordSign (http://www.wordsign.org/) which is a Sign Language Animation Tools Project.

Ups and Downs

James has been teething. Poor guy. He is happy and then in pain and then back to being happy again. But, this too shall pass. I can now see and feel the tips of the two top teeth. I am hoping that once they erupt the intense pain will go away. At least until the next teeth decide to push their way out.

Maria got a new haircut on Tuesday and it looks great. I need to take a picture to show everyone. The highlights for Wednesday were Tim Miller being interviewed by the boys in writing class (need a snake taken care of...Tim's your man!) and having a wonderful meal delivered of Lumpia and Rice and Brownies by Tonya. Thanks...we all enjoyed it and had a few leftovers today. Today I went to lunch with Cindi at Sticky Chicken. I am so thankful for friendships that have withstood the test of time and circumstances and changes in seasons. Cindi is a real blessing in my life.

I finished a few books recently- The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan are ones I would recommend. March wasn't my favorite....it seemed to drag a bit in my opinion. I am glad that I am keeping track of the books I have read- it is neat to be able to look back at them.

Kids back from camp!

Maria and William are back safe and sound from camp. It sounds like they had a great time. I am so thankful that they have opportunities like this to learn and grow and to have fun too.

James has been out of it the last couple of days. I think it is due to his top two front teeth coming in. It sure makes me sad to hear him whimper and cry, even in his sleep. We have been doing a lot of cuddling and nursing and I have been giving him some ibuprofren for the pain. I have had teething tablets recommended to me, along with the stuff you rub onto the gums to numb them. I think I may be going shopping tomorrow to try to find these things. He slept horrible last night and tonight doesn't look to be much better.

I have been spending a lot of time at Panera Bread. Yesterday after church I went to a bookgroup meeting there in the morning and then this evening went to a Secret Pal revealing there. I had NO IDEA who my awesome secret pal was, so it sure was fun to find out who she was. One of the things she gave me this evening was a book called Hands of My Father: A Hearing Boy, His Deaf Parents, and the Language of Love by Myron Uhlberg. It looks so interesting....I can't wait to dig in! But, first I need to read some library books that are due soon!

Valentine's Day

Ken called me from London to wish me a Happy Valentine's Day. This was totally unexpected and very welcomed....hearing his voice was the best gift of all!

The other day our family went to Shepherd's Kitchen, the wonderful new Meditteranian restaurant in Brentwood and James tried Hummus and Falafel for the first time. He LOVED both of them. I went to visit my sister Annabelle in Mountain View today and her husband Ethan is a great cook. James ate some of the hummus that Ethan made and loved it too. It is fun experimenting with the various foods for James. We are quickly moving away from jarred baby food...we make our own and he is starting to eat food that the rest of us are eating. How quickly time flies.

Funny video

I got this off of another blog I follow and I couldn't stop giggling, so thought I would share. Plus, I figured out how to add a video from Youtube....another blogging milestone for me.

Saying goodbye to (most) of my family

Today Ken left for London for 10 days. Maria and William left for Winter Camp for 4 days. And James is in bed. It is quiet here. I don't mind being alone- there is always something to do. Like read a book. Eat dinner. Put away toys and laundry. Blog. What are my plans for the rest of the weekend while everyone is gone? Maybe visit my sister Annabelle. Go to church. Go to one of my bookclubs. Playgroup. So, while not as many people doing as many things, I still have a few things on my calendar. And, even though three people are gone from the house, there are still three people here- my dad, James, and myself.

I just finished reading My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith by Benyamin Cohen. This book was very well-written, humorous, and thought provoking. I would definitely recommend it. I find I really enjoy books written by a person who sets out for a year (or any other time period) to accomplish a certain goal. Such as reading the Encyclopedia Britannica. Or competing in professional scrabble tournaments. Or living Biblically for a year. And so on. I guess I like to live vicariously!

I just the link to be able to view the photos from Monday's session at JC Penney. If you would like to see more, let me know and I will send you the link. But, for those of you that don't need to see all 21, here are a few of the highlights. I love these pictures! The first one is my dad and all my kids- James is 9 months, Maria is 14 years old and William is 11 years old. The second one captures my dad and James!

Today is Tuesday?

Yesterday was jam-packed full of great things. First I went to the Delta First Five Center to sign up for free Baby Sign Language classes. I had never been there before and I was so incredibly impressed. Along with all the great free classes they provide, there is also a play area that the kids can be in every day from 9am-1pm. I felt like I discovered a hidden gem! James and I then went to Musical Storytime with Miss Jane at Barnes and Noble, something I remember doing with Maria and William when they were wee little ones. I then went to playgroup which is always great to catch up with the moms present. We then went to get photos taken with my dad and my kids at JC Penney's and we were sooo impressed with them. Plus, can't beat the price! James had his 9 month doctor's appointment, where he remained solidly in the 90-95% range for length and weighs a whopping 20 lbs 5 oz. For dinner, my dad took us to Texas Roadhouse in Tracy where we gorged ourselves on steak, ribs, loaded sweet potatoes, and rolls.

So, with yesterday being full of so many things, it didn't really feel like a Monday for some reason, so now my week is off a bit. I keep needing to remind myself that today is Tuesday, not Monday. There are also a lot of little things this week that need to be taken care of so I really need to be conscious of the time. Ken leaves for London on Friday and Maria and William leave for Winter Camp that same day. A lot of little loose ends to try to wrap up before everyone leaves....

What would you choose?

I just finished the book Still Alice by Lisa Genova. What a moving novel about a lady who discovers she has early-onset Alzheimer's disease and the journey this takes her on. It sure made me think about how easy it is to be complacent in my knowledge and abilities, and to realize that there really are no guarantees. In the novel Alice has three children, and as early-onset Alzheimer's disease is genetic, her children have the option to be tested. Two of them choose to be tested- one was positive and one was negative. The third choose not to find out. That made me ponder what I would choose....would I want to know, given there was a 50/50 chance of me having the disease, or would I prefer to go about life without knowing. Hmmm....not sure. That is a hard thing to consider. So, what would you choose- to know or not to know?

Bookclub, games, and fondue

We had every single member of the Ladies Book Club attend today. What a great time sharing our wedding stories and laughing together. We discussed Blue Heart Blessed by Susan Meissner. A nice, relatively easy read that made me stop and think along the way.

Then, home again just in time to see Maria before she went off to a babysitting job. She is doing more and more babysitting and is enjoying herself. It sure is neat to watch her grow into a young adult. While she was gone, Ken, William and I played S'Math, which is a Scrabble like game where you need to place equations. Ken beat both of us, hands down. We may tweak some of the rules next time. Then, we had a cheese fondue by candlelight, which was very nice. Not sure why we don't dine by candlelight more often. Maria came home and joined in at the end.

Circus Oz

Today the kids and I went to UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall to see Circus Oz perform. I highly recommend this group! You can see their 2008 promo video by clicking here. Since this was a Schooltime Performance it was an abbreviated show so we saw most but not all of the acts. But, since the price was also extremely abbreviated, that works. Zany, irreverent, alternative, live circus music, and more.

Tonight Ken and I went out on a date to The Shepherd's Kitchen, which was wonderful Mediterranean food. Ken and I ordered Falafel's to share as an appetizer. They were hot and delicious. Ken ordered the Shish Kabob plate and I had the Lamb Kabob plate with extra grilled tomatoes. Both of these dishes were yummy.

Excuse me?

Excuse me....is it February already? How did that happen? Guess I have fallen off the blogging wagon. What has been going on in our lives? Playgroup, church, visiting my sister, walks, storytime, Pampered Chef party, sleepovers, Superbowl parties, babysitting, Mom's Night Out, entertaining the Dwyers from North Carolina, bowling, walk with Mike Moran of East Bay Parks, PE, birthday lunches, and these are just the things that I actually have listed in my calendar since the last time I posted. I don't typically put in things such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, changing diapers, rolling on the floor and making James laugh, reading, sending out bizarre amounts of emails about various subjects, playing games, watching TV shows via the internet (House and 24), watching Danger Man (old 60's TV show..possible pre-cursor to The Prisoner), lending out books, giving away games, doing Bible study, grocery shopping, connecting various people to one another, answering homeschooling questions, and I am sure there are other things I do. So, I keep myself busy doing the things that are needed, the things that are wanted, and the things that aren't necessary (like playing Hearts by myself on the computer).