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Monday 12th- Thursday 15th February

MONDAY:

A difficult day. Rebel once more lived up to his name as far as math went. I decided it was a lunar thing, since all the ladies on one of my groups had the same issue with their 7 year olds.

Luckily an internet friend called me to tell me they were in town and asked if I would like a visit.

A short 20 minute clean, a bribe to Rebel that he would not be able to play with their kids and an uneaten lunch (kids were too excited) later; we were ready to receive them. Two hours of fun and laughter ensued, and we have plans to do it again, SOON! Shame we don’t live closer!

Monday also happened to be my 8th anniversary. Although Jacobite was caught at work for lunch and couldn’t meet my friends, we had planned on dinner out… an annual tradition for our family. The cheesecake factory was our planned destination and we went, a little surprised by the crowd there, even on a Monday night.

Jacobite had surprised me on his arrival home, with my present.

A 100 year old book, owned (complete with bookplate) by Annie Ware Winsor Allen… one of the contributing authors to the mother's book I mentioned back last month. I was thrilled. It was a Howard Pyle King Arthur series book… and I was really pleased because that is a keeper! Hopefully I will get to read it soon! Oh if only Sunday had not been spent ordering library books ;)

TUESDAY: went surprisingly well. We caught up on all the lessons missed the day before, and enjoyed our take-home cheesecakes from the previous night. Uneventful, and blessedly quiet.

WEDNESDAY: although Valentines Day, was more nightmarish. From the start, it was obvious Rebel was getting ill. He was lethargic and very hard to make respond. Fortunately the threat of being told he would get his work marked wrong made him actually work… and the idea of making Daddy a Valentine really struck him as a good idea. Unfortunately, by the time he had finished, the house was a mess and he was not exactly thrilled at the idea of tidying. The rest of the day was spent watching him get less and less responsive, until at bedtime we determined he had a fever.

THURSDAY: was good… I decided that if Rebel was still sick, he would take a day off… I can’t deal with all the fuss I have to make in order to get him moving. A lazy day has ensued and we are happier for it! Hopefully healthier too…

Monday 5th, Tuesday 6th and Wednesday 7th February

Monday… late start to the day. The cold is making everyone miserable and grumpy, but we perservere.

Lessons go more or less as planned, but Rebel doesn’t listen during two of the three stories I read. Never mind, he did manage a good narration of the third.

Good news… the new math books come!

Monday nights are library nights and so we venture off to the library to grab the books I pre-ordered.

Tuesday goes much better… the Latin call card drill is a success, he actually knows them now. Wednesday will be a new stack of cards to learn.

Today is history, a subject we all enjoy a LOT. A map page is done, a colouring page, then I start to make the monk’s robe for our “Monk’s Supper” tonight. It is soup night, and Jacobite has requested Bean Soup, so I put the beans in the crockpot and cook ALL day. I bake some bread, and serve up a hunk of cheese for the kids.

While we wait for the bread to proof, M'Lady and I make boxed cakes... she can do most of it herself, but I measure it out so she can pour. She falls asleep while the cakes cool, and I wake her up after 1/2 an hour to ice them. This is a great way to wake her up... less fuss, guaranteed to get her up well within the time limit before the nap takes away from her night's sleep.

Once the cakes are done, the bread is baked and as soon as Jacobite gets home, I serve the "Monk's Supper" up (idea courtesy of the Story of the World volume II book).

They LOVED it, and here are the photos to prove it :)

Rebel in his 'monk' outfit. OK there is no hood, but it doesn't matter.

A Slightly blurry picture of the monk's supper. I had to use this one because it was the only half decent one where the candlelight shows well. Yes, we went in for atmosphere too :)

This is a picture where you can see the "supper" laid out.

A nice fresh loaf of bread, hunk of cheese and the bean soup. Definitely just what the doctor ordered on a cold day... considering the temperatures never get above 30 degrees Fahrenheit (-1 degrees Celsius), it was definitely needed! When Jacobite came home mid-afternoon to take something back to work, he took a bowlful and ate it, and claims that it really cured his sinus headache. I say it was the cayenne I made him add... my favourite sinus remedy!

Wednesday:

Start on time for the first time this week. Unfortunately, someone is not tempted by his new math books to work on them much. I extend the lesson 10 minutes to make him finish the page and move on.

The Latin drill goes better than hoped for, and we enjoy it... although the lesson extends into the break time, it is not by much. I make Rebel enjoy break.

Copywork is easily done when Rebel gets the sentence:
Those who lie down with dogs, rise up with fleas. Apparently he finds it hilarious!
Bible and religion goes fairly well, but Rebel does not listen to the First Miracle. I make him re-read it before narrating it to me. Making the narration page is a hit, and I leave off for the day.
M'Lady decides to go missing at lunch... I run around the house, panicking because I can't find her, only to run into her with sticky hands and face from the cakes she was eating under the table. I feel relieved and stupid... and very shakey!

Knitting Fun

This weekend I went to an antique show (as I already mentioned) and I was inspired by something I saw there. A pair of civil war era stockings, lovingly but painstakingly knitted in a cotton yarn, with a fan shaped eyelet lace pattern.
I didn't bring the stockings home, but did look at how they were made noting the way the heel was done and the pattern.
Later on at home, I just itched to begin knitting something of the sort, so I dug out some cotton from my stash, browsed through my knitting books for the pattern (which I did not find so I made one up) and started on my very own civil war era style stocking!
I started with a basic K2P2 rib... figuring my VERY small size 2 American needles (I think that is about a size 12 English and 2.75mm metric) and the small weight of the yarn, I cast on 120 stitches and started to work.


The original pair had a ribbed 'cuff' too... I couldn't remember what rib, but I do know that ribbing was popular during the 19th century :) My favourite rib is the K2 P2, which seems VERY elastic to me, and just right for stocking cuffs. Of course, garters kept the stockings up way back when...
After I got tired of the ribbing, and desperately wanted to try my newly made "unvented" lace pattern, I started a stocking stitch, before launching into the 'fan' pattern.


I haven't gotten very far as yet... I am still working on a new cardigan for myself, which I hope to finish soon... AND I am figuring out just how I will start the knee decreases for my stocking.
I found a website online to help with stocking basics and went from there...
Isn't it amazing what a little inspiration can do?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

Saturday was a special day… my daughter’s 3^rd birthday.
It doesn’t seem like 3 years. Every time I hold her, I am transported back to those baby moments of snuggling. She sleeps better now… and she can actually talk very well. I think she might cry and scream about the same amount though… everything is a big deal for her ;)

We got her a wagon for her birthday… an idea shamelessly stolen from my friend Brooke, who had wanted to get one for her son's birthday (he is exactly one day younger than M'Lady). We had spoken of a sandbox… but when we went looking, she decided on the wagon instead.

They were both up fairly early on Saturday, whereupon she opened her presents and sat playing VERY nicely with her brother.

I made some sausages and pancakes for breakfast, spoke to my Mum who had called to wish M’Lady happy birthday, then everyone ate breakfast. M’Lady did an impromptu fashion show so I could take photos of her in her new clothes before we all got dressed.

After we were showered and dressed, we put on our coats and went for a walk with the wagon.
This was a huge hit… M’Lady very graciously let Rebel ride with her, while Jacobite and I walked alongside, Jacobite pulling them along. A few threats every now and then to let them coast down some VERY steep hills, and the journey was over.

The rest of the day was spent in antique shows and department stores… until evening time. We asked M’Lady where she wanted to eat. It was a toss up between Cracker Barrel and Applebees… eventually the latter won out when we drove past in on the way to CB… following the pleas from the back, we turned around (luckily they are very close to each other) and went into Applebees… where M’Lady declared that her food was ‘delicious’ especially the blondie ;)

Back home to make more robots and watch some DVD’s and everyone was happy!

Friday 2nd February

8:30am… Jacobite leaves and Rebel is not up. I decide to wait to stave off battles about dressing first.

9:15am… Rebel is up, and FINALLY dressed. I head upstairs.

9:30am… the school day has NOT started… I am just getting out of the shower (I hate sitting ‘in my dirt’ as it were). I decide to put it off ½ an hour.

10am… a few battles later, math is started and Rebel is working. I think he is growing tired of the repetition at the end of the book… I hope that the new books will arrive soon.

10:20am… I head into the bedroom to mess with the computer in an attempt to print out some notebook pages for later. Rebel works on his derivatives in Latin. He does these really well and I am pleased.

10:30am… break time. I am trying to make some notebook pages, but Rebel is complaining. I download more pictures of birds in hope for something ‘better’.

10:40am… Copywork. Done in super fast time because of the bribe of choosing his notebook page. It turns out well and we are both pleased, but it took too long.

11:10am… we start nature study. I read two chapters from Burgess’ bird book while we watch the feeder… Rebel is identifying birds, until in an exhilarating 15 minute rush, we see more birds the feeder than ever, including some unusual visitors.

We do some work on the Burgess book pages, Rebel narrates on each bird.

12:30pm… it should be lunch. Somehow I am all mixed up, the place is a mess and the kids are playing. I tidy up.

1:30pm… I have made some cheese puffs for lunch. The house is much tidier, and the kids are experimenting with cars and a tube. Rebel has annoyed me all day by filming with his digital camera… but NOT getting any good bird shots. Oh well, I got him back by taking the picture of the kids with the tube… and getting no good bird shots :)

2pm… I sit back down, and read the kids some bird library books we got. As I read The Robins in Your Backyard, M’Lady keeps asking questions about the pictures. Luckily, I got a book with her in mind… made of mainly pictures and single sentence pages it is designed for the curious 3 year old. We enjoy it together before the last of the books I picked out. Jean Craighead George is a new favourite… she has a number of picture books in addition to her chapter ones, and we are reading One Day in the Woods, which has fantastic imagery. The kids are silent (or nearly anyway) while I read.

2:50pm… Jacobite calls in the middle of the story… we discuss some articles I sent him while he tells me he will not be home as early as we had hoped. I begin to get anxious about M’Lady’s birthday present.

3:20pm… I resume the book as we are interrupted on the phone by Jacobite’s boss.

3:50pm… I make Rebel finish his notebook pages. I start to plan next week, and set the kids up with a DVD to watch so I have some peace and quiet to work in. By 4:45pm I decide that it is time for me to ATTEMPT some online work. The internet is slow, and I get mad with it. Only Gmail seems to be fast. The library page is driving me nuts, and I have a long list of books to order. I decide to perservere though, because it frees up the weekend for fun stuff (although planning is fun, ordering books is not as I can only do it one at a time).

Luckily for me, Dawn’s post has given me a few new ideas, Story of the World has another cool activity and it is almost the weekend :)

Thursday 1st February

Late start today… I made the mistake of showering before Rebel was up, and we had a battle about getting dressed and starting school. I did manage to get the dishwasher and laundry rebooted before he got up though, and once we started school it went well.

Just after we started, I was startled by the local school buses arriving home… apparently the county just arbitrarily decided to close the system down on THREAT of bad weather. We have seen nothing as yet- and the schools have been closed 2 hours already. All I see are teenagers driving up and down the road in their pickup truck, with their buddies in the back.

The family over the street is smart though… their teenage son is loading up with firewood :).

Meanwhile Rebel is colouring and cutting and getting ready to dress up as a Celt… living history for us today!

While he works, I get on the computer, blog and download clip art for notebook pages. I have found Microsoft Publisher to be a Godsend as far as notebooking is concerned. LOVE it!! In the background, my computer updates and slows me down immensely…

Just as lunch approaches, we are finished with the updates and the Celt stuff… immediately the kids dress up. OK Rebel dresses up, M’Lady dresses up a little later once I realize that she really, really wanted to be part of it all :)

Here is Rebel, living up to his name, as a Celt. Note the spikey hair...

A little later, I was brought to realise that M'lady wanted to dress up too... and SHE had to have 'fikey hair' just like her brother.

OK... her hair is too long to spike up like Rebel's, but I put it in a little topknot (which she calls a 'spike', denouncing pineapple, fountain and numerous other names in favour of this moniker)
and off she went to play. The next time I see her, she is naked. Oh well... bath time!

Also wanted to mention: Dawn has parts two and three of her Lesson Planning up…

Daily Life... Monday through Wednesday

Monday 29^th January

Lessons as normal today… I did a little on St. Thomas Aquinas with Rebel… his own, typed narration caught me laughing though:

St. Thomas was a holly man because he listened to god. A woman came to see him and he threw a stick at her and she ran for her life.

Accurate in a way. I kept it anyway!

Then, mid afternoon brought on a migraine. I often get headaches, but not ones that seem to fit the classic definition of ‘migraine’. I considered the flashing lights in the corner of my eyes a dead giveaway.

By early evening, I felt too nauseous to finish cooking dinner… and by the time Jacobite came home, I was so sick he took over.

Rebel ended up with the same thing… both of us throwing up… he fell asleep, while I attempted to eat the soup Jacobite made me. It did not work… and after taking some medicine, I feel asleep.

A few hours later I woke up and stumbled up to bed, to sleep the rest of the night, thankfully to feel better on rising in the morning.

Tuesday 30^th January

Up and at ‘em early today… Rebel was up early because of going to sleep at 7pm last night. He was washed and dressed and raring to go, which meant I could get dressed at the usual time.

After Jacobite left, I quickly emptied the dishwasher, and rebooted the laundry… followed by a shower, and an opportunity to read some. I started school, which was awful because someone was WAY to ready to play. In the end math and copywork went by the wayside, and I skipped on over to Latin (the call card drills are fun) and history…

History was, and is always fun- although sometimes they just wont listen. Still, the story of Grendel and Beowulf piqued interest, and we got through it all. I forgot to do Geography, but no matter, we were just sick.

I make some ham and cheese muffins for lunch- which are a big hit.

The afternoon is peaceful enough- I call Jacobite to ask him to bring home a tube for the battle axe on Thursday, and finish a few library books for our weekly library trip (normally a Monday task).

After fixing dinner, (black bean soup and rolls) and allowing the kids to watch a DVD (for my own sanity) we eat and set off for the library. I have books on hold and books to look for lined up. We stop by Walmart quickly to get some coffee and take a look at the toys for M’Lady’s birthday. She asks for a jump rope, which surprises me… she will be three! How will a three year old jump rope? I sneak in a rubber duck since I threw out a mouldy one just today. We are back around 9, and the kids are off into bed leaving us in peace. More or less.

Wednesday 31^st January

Not so early today, but I still manage to reboot the laundry and dishwasher.

School goes better, with math actually being done, but we seem to be running ½ hour behind all this week. Wednesday is Bible Study day… and I coincided the saint study to be the same day. We learn about St. John Bosco, the saint of the day, Joshua bringing down the walls of Jericho and the call of the first disciples. Having managed to squeeze in two exercises of Latin, I am feeling good that we got so much accomplished.

The afternoon is not so good… the kids are manic and the weather too cold for me to watch them outside. We keep an eye on the birdfeeder, which has some new visitors today… two nuthatches, and a pair of red bellied woodpeckers.

I realize I forgot to take out the pot roast for dinner, so I hastily plan something else while serving up soup and sandwiches for lunch. Jacobite is home for lunch today and the kids act up! He tells me he has to go to the dump this evening, so I tell him it should be OK… I have planned on pancakes.

Later I call him with ideas for M’Lady’s birthday present, and we decide to go out to the toy shop to check on some ideas.

When he does come home, he does the dump run, then decides we should eat out. Not my favourite thing to do, but we really need to find a present for M’Lady by Saturday. She KNOWS it is her birthday and is really looking forward to it. She tells me she is especially excited about her jump rope. I wonder what I am in for.

We get back in time to eat our take out, bathe the babies and get them in bed… unfortunately M’Lady had a bit of a late nap and is resisting sleep. We give her an ‘Eye spy’ book to look at and she falls asleep in minutes. Got to love those things!