Slacklining Adventures

We had a blast this weekend hanging around the house. Jim set up a slackline, which we all tried out. Instead of a "tight" rope, it's a "slack" rope, which has a fair amount of give in it, bending with weight. Sam was having so much fun using his weight to bounce up and down, which he thought was much cooler than just trying to walk it.

A slackline is basically a piece of webbing, connected between to points--in our case, two trees. Jim had used some climbing webbing, 'biners and a come-along to set it up, but this time he was able to procure a tie-down used to secure gas canisters at work, which has a clamping device built in to the line. You can read more about the sport at Slackline Brothers. Slacklining is loads of fun and surprisingly difficult. I was amazed at how much my leg would wobble back and forth the instant I weighted it, making it nearly impossible to walk without holding onto someone. I was laughing so hard! Obviously, it ought to become easier with practice, but it's amazing that folks actually walk across canyons this way! Julia was really good at it, not surprisingly. Her balance and concentration are phenomenal!

We've been fighting off some kind of bug, though none of us has been out right sick, just a bit off-kilter. The girls have been playing with "paper dolls," coloring and cutting out historical figures from some of their Dover coloring books that we've picked up on our travels. They've been coloring in dresses from Colonial and Civil War eras, and even Sam's been getting in on the action.

We've also been watching several DVDs from the library. We've watched Little Women and Sherlock Holmes Mysteries, both of which have given us lots of opportunity to talk about those historical moments. The girls loved being able to watch Meg and Jo get ready for the dance in Little Women, comparing the dresses to those that were in their coloring books. They were outraged that the teacher hit Amy, and we all cheered when Marmy made her speech about keeping her home.

Sherlock Holmes was fun, though a bit on the scary side for the kids. We had seen Jackie Chan's Shanghai Knights first, which made all kinds of references to Sherlock Holmes, even portraying a character supposed to be the author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, showing "how" he became a knight. Pretty funny all of the connections, and we laughed about the tall-tale nature of Shanghai Knights.

We watched Master and Commander, which was an amazing movie, packed with historical information. The kids were fascinated by life on board a ship, and they really identified with the character Lord Blakeney, because he was so young. The Napoleonic Wars serve as the movie's backdrop, creating another Napoleonic dot for the kids, which began with the movie The Count of Monte Cristo, connecting to the apocryphal story of Napoleon shooting off the nose of the sphinx, connecting to this movie.

We tracked the journey of the ship on our world map, adding yet another journey to those of Pocohantas, Amelia Eerhart, our own and others. We talked about the birth of Natural History, represented by the doctor's fascination with the Galapogos Islands, and Lord Blakeney's desire to follow in his footsteps as a "fighting naturalist." This led to discussions of biology, evolution, Darwin, and much more. The next day, we found a bug in the house and were looking it up in our book, when Em found a picture of a bug that disguises itself as a thorn--just as Doctor Maturin showed. I love this!

After the movie, we visited the Master and Commander website, which is filled with interactive information. The site has even more information about life on a tall ship, a captain's log, a detailed map of the journey, specifics about the different ranks and responsibilities. It's just amazing what's available these days!

Of course, we've also been doing other things this week as well--lots of claywork with sculpey, lots of painting--including arms and faces! Yesterday, Sam and Julia pulled out all of our cardboard slated for recycling and began building. Julia made a really cool dollhouse while Sam worked on a castle. At one point, Emily pulled out a measuring stick the kids had been given at the local hardware store, and they all began measuring each other, how high the boxes were, etc. Two days ago, the weather was glorious, so we spent most of the day outside, soaking in the sunshine and listening to Harry Potter on CD, drawing and playing. Life is one grand learning adventure!

TV OR NOT TV, THAT IS THE QUESTION

We've had cable television for almost 2 years now; prior to that I was tv-free for nearly 10. And now, after 2 years of unlimited access to cable channels such as HGTV, Disney, The History Channel and Cartoon Network, my family--yes all of us!--have made the decision to give up cable. But what brought us to this point?

When I went to grad school, I made the decision not to have television in my life, the mountains of Central Pennsylvania and a graduate student salary aiding my decision. With so much work, I felt that I would carefully weigh the decision to watch a two hour movie in a way I would not turning on the tv. Thus began my blissful life without the "plug-in drug," causing me to miss the entire Seinfeld and Friends eras, shamefully unaware of the cultural references shared in the grad student offices. Did I miss out? Yes and no. My life was rich in other areas, and let's face it, I can now enjoy all those missed seasons of Friends on DVD--they're all new to me!

So what does this all have to do with our Unschooling adventures? Well, what to do with that 20th century entertainment box is a perennial question for child development experts, educators and, by extension, Unschoolers. The big question becomes does television expand or limit one's world?

Over the past 2 years, we have all enjoyed free access to the channels and information brought to us by cable tv. We have enjoyed "Bloody Rome" week on The History Channel, "Landscape Challenge" on HGTV, and my children have discovered shows like "Kim Possible" and "Teen Titans." Cable television has expanded our interests and our world, even when I haven't always liked the ways in which it's been expanded. Even shows like "Ed, Ed and Eddy" and "The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy" have offered us insights and information.

Never once has television limited our world or our lives. Critics talk of the addictive or passive nature of television, but our experience has born out neither of those criticisms. There have been days when the kids have watched, enthralled, and other days when they have never turned on the tv. Always, the shows have fueled their imagination and curiosity, informing their play, their art, their questions.

Why then choose to cancel cable? The question for us has been one of economics. We now have the option for DSL instead of the cable modem, a switch which would cut our monthly bill by $70. The question for us was whether the shows we watched were worth $70 a month to us, the answer to which was ultimately no.

The children had just as much a say in that answer as we did. We talked over all of our options and decided to digitally record as many of their favorite programs as possible, nearly all of which are reruns any way, before cancelling cable. This way, they will have these shows available on DVD whenever they choose to watch. We also have joined Blockbuster online, which will allow us unlimited movie rentals each month, many of which offer their favorite characters. We decided that the difference between these options and cable was not worth the nearly $60 a month it would cost.

We will still enjoy our favorite shows, "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race." We will still get Fox and PBS. We will still have many options available, all of which enrich our lives. And, we will have an exta $60 a month that will make saving for our December trip to Disneyworld that much easier, eliminating the need to sacrifice little luxuries like gameboy games and chinese take-out. We will still have trust and freedom, but more than that, we all have had the power to decide what works best for us as a family.

We're getting crushed by a snow storm today--we probably have about 8 inches out there already. It's a wet, heavy snow, which you can see by the way it's coating my rose trellises and the birdhouses. The kids have been out playing and sledding, and the poor puppy has baseball size iceballs caked in her fur.

Just two days ago, we were outside enjoying the sun and warmer temperatures. The kids played spy/survivor out in the woods behind our home, running around the wetland streams and communicating on walkie-talkies. They played out there for the better part of an hour, having a blast with the independence. It's great now because the leaves are off the trees, so I can still keep an eye on them. I'm wondering what we'll do when the leaves come out, along with the poison ivy...

When they came in, Sam took a nice long tub to warm up, drained it, soaped up the tub and walls and proceeded to "ice skate" for an hour, assuring me he would hold onto the railing to stay safe, which he did and had a ball in the process!

The girls read through Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom together, which I'd read to Julia that morning. They were both going through, working it out and going through the lower case and capital letters. When they were through, they pulled out their "Survivor" jug, in which they keep slips of paper with names from present and past episodes. The girls sat on the couch and sounded out the names, with Em helping Julia with the different sounds. At one point, Em discovered that Julia had writen down all their names as well, and she was a bit indignant that she could now get voted off the island. ;)

When they were through, Sam and Julia played, while Emily made herself a pad of paper by stapling some scrap paper together. She asked if we could write some words together with me writing them in lowercase while she would write them in caps. We went through a series of about 8 or 10 words, playing around with rhyming sounds and word families.

The kids had a great day, which they topped off by playing with some Crayola model magic, creating a kind of currency with it, which they then used to play store. They put on their gis and practiced their karate moves for a while. They capped off a great day by camping out in the living room on the sofa cushions. Yes, life is good!

Yesterday morning, the kids played with Sculpey on the back deck, making coil pots and letters. We baked it with the windows wide open, and the kids painted their creations in the afternoon. The girls have been really into figuring out words, playing around with the magnetic poetry words on the fridge and sending emails. Email accounts and online games have been big motivation with the reading. It's interesting watching the girls learn together, with Emily, older, having the stronger skills, but Julia, younger, having the greater motivation--the same way they potty learned. Guess that shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

LIFE'S A MUSICAL AND OTHER MUSINGS

We've been to a couple of musical theater productions in the past few months, and we've rented some musicals to view at home over the past several months--The Sound of Music, Cats, West Side Story, Camelot--that compliment some we have at home, including Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Moulin Rouge (bits and pieces). Emily now spontaneously bursts into song wherever she goes. It's amazing to watch how she incorporates the lyrics and choreography into the things she's doing, like raking leaves with me or playing with one of her dolls. It's a wonderful reminder that even the most mundane parts of life are worth singing about!

The other evening I was in my room putting on a DVD, and Em walked in and told me,

"I know there are 60 minutes in an hour. Because if a half hour is 30 minutes, then 30 plus 30 is 60! I knew that because 3 plus 3 is 6."

She figured out time for herself by extrapolating what she already knew and using her understanding of fractions and math. Pretty cool!

This weekend we've been participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count through Cornell Ornnithology Labs. It's such fun--I do love my birds! We were able to count the following birds during our observation hours:

Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
House Finch
American Goldfinch
Downy Woodpecker
Red Bellied Woodpecker
House Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Tufted Titmouse
Dark-eyed Junco
Blue Jay

and near the feeders:

Robin
Red-Shouldered Hawk
Turkey Vulture

Unfortunately, we didn't see some of the other species that occasionally visit our feeders such as the Northern Flicker, Eastern Bluebird, Mourning Dove and European Starling. We submitted our checklists for three of the four days and plan to participate in Project Feeder Watch throughout the year as soon as we receive our kit.

I'm sitting outside on my top deck typing this, enjoying the glorious weather we're having before the temperatures drop again. The sun is about 65 degrees warm on my face, I can hear the birds singing all around me, the delicate music of my waterfall flowing, and I see the antics of my silly chickens who are loving the warm weather almost as much as I. Julia is up early this morning and has several of her "animals" outside to soak in the sun. I've now had stuffed doggy and kitty kisses galore.

We had a lovely Valentine's Day. The kids were so excited and planned our celebration all weekend. At 4-H and throughout the week, we made Valentines to take to a local Senior Center, and with the scraps, the girls made confetti for their family celebration. Julia worked all week making special Valentines for everyone in her family, givign them to us and mailing them out.

Sunday night, Emily decided that she wanted to give gifts to her siblings. She worked so hard to fill two boxes she pulled from the recycling pile with gifts she thought her siblings would enjoy. She gave her the new bridesmaid outfit for her American Girl Samantha that she'd asked for this Christmas to Julia, who really loved it. She also gave her one of her tutus, her crown, a dress for Belle and one of her Teen Titan figures. For Sam, she put together a box with a new Winx Club DVD, her Teen Titan vehicle for Robin that he loves and some other small things. When she was satisfied with her gifts, she wrapped them and brought them upstairs for Sam and Julia to open Valentine's morning.

During the week Julia had made herself a fort out of a big box that we had in our recycling pile--the only large one there at the moment and one that Sam desperately wanted. For Valentine's Day, she made a Valentine heart that said "Love Sam," pasted it on the box and gave it to him as a gift. She couldn't figure out what to do for Emily, and it really didn't occur to her to give things she already had. Finally, she decided to make some special Valentine's for Em and to give her a rainbow unicorn she had drawn. Sam gave Emily one of his Rescue Hero animals Sunday night, because he couldn't wait another day.

When Monday morning came, the girls waited until Sam woke up, and then they spread their confetti and opened their gifts, and they were all so pleased. After opening her gift from Emily, Julia wanted to give some of her treasures to Em and Sam as well, so she ran to put together two more gifts. She gave Sam her William doll from Williamsburg and her spy wallet that she'd bought at the Franklin Institute that Sam had been wanting so badly and which she truly loved. For Emily, she gathered some of her Barbie's together to give.

It was so incredibly beautiful to watch the joy and generosity flowing out from their hearts for each other, like the beautiful story The Gift of the Magi in my very own home. It truly was the best gift of love I could have received for Valentine's Day!

At lunchtime we took our Valentine's over to the Senior Center where the children really brightened their day. We don't make a big production out of it, just pass them around the dining hall, wishing them well and stopping to chat with those who feel like it. It takes maybe 20 minutes of our time to do and gives so much to our lives and to the Senior's as well.

When we came home, I made Sam's Valentine gift--a Jedi cloak, which he adores. We made some Valentine sugar cookies and ran out of time in the day. I made the beginning of the girls' Valentine gifts yesterday morning--skirts for their Oriental outfits. The jackets I'll tackle this week, but the girls are thrilled with the skirts and wore them to bed last night. It's a real lesson against perfectionism for me: I look at the skirts and see all the mistakes but the girls see only the luxurious brocade beauty of them. Learning to see with the wonder and joy of children's eyes is a lesson from which we all could benefit immeasurably! How lucky I am to receive this lesson with an open heart from my beautiful children--the greatest teachers I have ever had!

Wednesday was Chinese New Year, which we celebrated with some friends at a local restaurant. The kids had a blast learning more about their Chinese sign, which element they were--earth, fire, water, wind or metal--and most of all, eating the buffet! One of the gals who organized it made sure that there were New Year party favors for all the kids, which they got to take home. The Chinese dragons were a huge hit, as were the snake dragons.

When we got home, we popped in a documentary we had borrowed from the library on China, and the girls and I watched a bit of it, learning some things about the Revolution. But, it was kinda boring, so we turned it off after a while and put something else in. The kids played on my bed for hours with those snake dragons, making letters out of them and taking turns guessing what it was supposed to be.

Jim was out to dinner with a guest speaker from work, so he didn't get home until late. The kids and I had a liesurely dinner, and the girls made themselves oatmeal for the first time. It was so cute to watch them standing at the stove in their aprons. Em even had to put on her Colonial dress for the full effect. Too cute! Afterwards they made some chocolate milk, and then started playing a game in which their "mother" would not let them talk to each other, so they had to write notes. For the next 45 minutes, we all wrote notes back and forth to each other, using a combination of pictographs, squiggles and real words. They never cease to amaze me with the things they come up with!

Thursday, we spent a glorious morning outside at the Battle Creek Cypress Swamp with our 4-H Gardening club in preparation for the Great Backyard Bird Count, birdwatching and just enjoying the weather. Cypress trees send up "knees" from their roots that help the tree to breathe, a great shot of which I got in the morning sunshine. We saw several birds, mostly by the feeder at the Visitor's Center, but a few during our walk.

When we returned from our hike, we spent some time in the Visitor's Center reptile room, where we got to see several black snakes at various stages of growth, a copperhead and even got to hold a corn snake. There are so many things for the kids to explore and learn about in the little hands-on museum there, from paw print identification to a see-through beehive. It's a wonderful place to explore!

While Jim was away in San Diego, the kids and I made our own "litmus" paper from boiling red cabbage. Simply chop up the cabbage and boil it for a few minutes, and you have an instant home test for acids and basics. We tested all kinds of things from vinegar and lemon juice to baking soda. The colors turned an incredibly vivid color, and the kids had so much fun watching them change and trying to change them back again. Once we'd done all the tests, the kids decided to try to neutralize the results, turning the pinks and blues back to the neutral purply color. This was, of course, great fun as the acids and bases reacted, sending purple fizz everywhere!

After a week away, Jim was much missed, and the kids had great fun reconnecting with Papa. Elaborate wrestling games were the order of the day, as Jim donned the dragon costume and Sam, brave knight, rescued his princess sisters. The dog, of course, couldn't resist joining the fray, though it's hard to say what her role was supposed to be. I believe by the end of the game, she had taken on the part of Shrek's donkey.

This morning, we went to see Freedom Train , a Theatreworks musical about the Underground Railroad. The kids and I really enjoyed the production and felt it did a good job balancing the harshness of reality with humor.

When we got home, we pulled out a multi-media kit on the Underground RR that Emily had picked out about a year or so ago at the National Civil Rights Museum giftshop. We watched the video and listened to some songs, both traditional and more recent. Afterwards, we read biographies of Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth, from David Adler's Picture Book Biography Series. This is a great series for younger children--some good detail, but short enough to read in a single sitting.

The kids spent the afternoon playing underground railroad, and after dinner, Emily did an improv musical number. Just one more way Unschooling parents KNOW their children are learning:

I'm so tired from workin' all day,
Scrubbin' the floor and
Moppin' the floor.

No more doin' what Master say,
Oh Grandmother Moses,
Oh Grandma Moses,
Show us the way!

Just look toward the Northern Star,
Your only compass is the Northern Star,
You'll go through water,
Push through the bushes,
Grandmother Moses will be your guide.

Follow the Drinking Gourde!
God will find your way.
God will know you say
No more scrubbin' floors
No more dustin' ceilings.

Just follow the Drinking Gourde!
Just follow the Drinking Gourde!
Just follow the Drinking Gourde!
Now, you know what to do,
Just follow the Drinking Gourde!

It may look like a big spoon,
But it's the way to freedom.
Oh Moses! Oh Moses!

Oh Moses, please guide us to heaven.
Just guide us to freedom.
Just guide us to freedom, please,
You know what I'm talkin' about.

No more listenin' to Master say.
Send secret notes.
Say secret passages.

Go ahead and walk through streams
Carry your own young when they're so tired.
Go towards freedom.
Go or die.

No more words to say,
No more whips; no more cryin'.
Go on an Underground Railroad.
Go on an Underground Railroad.

It is a trail of houses,
Moses led more than 300 people to safety.
Women aren't weak!
Stand up whether you're black or white!

Just to be free!
That's what matters!
Now, you should know what I'm talkin' about:
Freedom!
Freedom!
Freedom!

We've had a full and exciting week! So much happening and so relaxing at the same time because it's all happened at HOME!

Our 4-H Gardening for Life club met at our house last Thursday to build bathouses. Each family measured and cut their own materials to assemble at the club meeting. The girls and I chose to build a Bat Attic, which we will place on the south side of our home. We talked all about different kinds of bats, what bats do for our gardens and what we need to do to attract bats to our yards. After building, we read Magic Schoolbus Going Batty and played an echolocation game in the yard. We really lucked out with the weather. It was beautiful and nearly 70 degrees out! Not for long, though...

Jim was home much of last week due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday and the Inauguration. The kids and I watched the Inaugural parade on the television and listened off and on to the different pundits and commentators. The best part was when Sam looked up at the military processional as the parade began and asked, wide-eyed, "Is President Bush going to war again?" The Washington Post ran a neat section on the Inauguration that included a spread on the best and worst quotations from past Inaugural Addresses. The kids and I read through the different quotes and talked a bit about them and their historical contexts. Emily's favorite president is still Abraham Lincoln, though she's coming to admire John Kennedy as well.

The other night, Emily made her own math "worksheet"--too funny! She drew pictures on the left and wrote out the equations next to the picture. So, 18 chocolate chip cookies minus 2 equals 16 chocolate chip cookies. 18 slices of cantaloupe plus 3 slices of cantaloupe equals 21 slices of cantaloupe. 1 flower plus 1 flower equals 2 flowers. 1 computer plus 2 computers equals 3 computers. And, 1 television plus 3 televisions equals 4 televisions. She's still writing her 3 backwards, but I'm guessing that will naturally work itself out as she begins to write more. As it is, she recognizes it when she reads it without a problem, so I'm not worried. Afterwards, she proceeded to ask her father for a page of double-digit calculations and worked through those.

Last night while we were snuggling in bed watching a movie (I was, not surprisingly, reading a book), Julia pulled out the Bob's Books and began reading out loud next to me. Before long Emily joined her and the two of them were cruising through the books, reading outloud simultaneously. It was quite the cacophony, but they seemed happy enough plowing through them on their own without any kind of audience, which surely did more towards furthering their reading than reading "for me" would have!

We read some wonderful Jataka tales together about the Quail King and cooperation and the Bull and kind speech. The girls are really enjoying the tales, though they are sometimes upsetting as bad things happen to the characters. Julia's favorite story is "Birdsnest," which is about a monk who likes to meditate in the top of a particular tree. He gains the reputation of being very wise so that the governor of the province undertakes a two-day journey to ask him what Buddha's most important teaching is. Birdsnest tells the governor that Buddha's most important teaching is "Always do good. Never do bad." The governor gets very angry at the simplicity of this advice, shouting that he knew this when he was only 3 years old. The monk replies, "Yes, even a 3 year old finds this very simple to understand, but the 80 year old man finds it very hard to do."

This week we watched the movie Seven Years in Tibet and talked about the history, politics and religion found in the movie. It became one more dot in our connect-the-dots learning about Nazi Germany, as the war serves as backdrop to the movie. We talked about Communism and Colonialism, Principles and Ethics, Geography and Technology. A very rich evening spent together. Earlier in the day, we'd watched a History Channel special on Ancient Egypt, another one of Emily's ongoing passions. It was cool because the beginning of the special talked all about Imhotep, architect of the step-pyramid and villian of the Warner Bros. cartoon, The Mummy: Quest for the Lost Scrolls. Which, in turn, connects to the new Yu-Gi-Oh movie we rented last week that is all about Egyptian God cards and Anubis.

Connections, connections, connections!

We went to the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore this weekend as part of our celebration of Julia's birthday. What an amazing place! This was, believe it or not, the first time we'd been there, and it was wonderful! The kids had so much fun, and dh might even have had more! The Rube Goldberg machine was great and right up Sam's alley--that's one of his favorite things. He must've sat there and watched it for a good 15 minutes solid.

The kids had a blast exploring the dinosaur room where they went on a dino dig, reconstructed a dinosaur skeleton, created a virtual timeline and measured different dino footprints. We compared carnivore and herbivore teeth and examined some fossils for evidence of dino feathers!

Here's Julia working out her upper body strength with a little help from a pulley system. Julia, especially, had a great time in the physics room, considering her recent scientific discovery at home. She had been trying to run across the room at home while balancing a bean bag on her head, which she got pretty good at. She continued to become frustrated, however, because once she stopped at the other side after successfully balancing the bean bag the entire way, it would suddenly and inexplicably fly off her head. Objects in motion, tend to stay in motion! So, exploring the momentum exhibit held special relevance to her.

After the museum, we went over to Pizzeria UNO to celebrate Julia's birthday, and oh! how she was shining when the wait staff came out to sing especially to her! My sweet, sweet six year old!

Today, we finished making our Earth Tree--a re-dedication of our Christmas tree. Last week, after climbing, we collected pine cones to make peanut butter and birdseed decorations for the tree. This morning we popped corn, and the girls and I strung pop corn and cranberry garland. It looked so lovely, and we were quite pleased with ourselves. By dark, the dog had knocked it over and devoured every single ornament! Grrrr! Ah well, best laid plans and all. We still enjoyed our time together making the ornaments and talking about all the ways the earth nourishes and touches our lives everyday.

This week, the kids have been playing Age of Mythology with their father quite a bit. It's definitely the new favorite for all the gang, but especially Sam and dh. The girls have been playing Where on Earth is Carmen SanDiego? , and Em's been working more on her reading skills, considering she hasn't been asking me to read the clue notes. Another new game they've been enjoying is Cluefinders in Egypt, which they need help deciphering but enjoy it once I've broken the steps down for them.

Yesterday, they rediscovered their karate gees after we read some from Scooby-Doo's Karate Caper, and they all dressed up and practiced their moves together for about an hour. We've been finding fun things to do despite all the rain we've been getting recently. It's been making it hard to find energy burners, but we keep getting beautiful days interspersed with the rainy ones, so...it all balances.

Julia celebrated her sixth birthday this Tuesday! It's hard to believe that my sweet little Julia is already 6! I know, I know, parents always say that, but it's just so hard to grasp the speed with which time passes. She invited her siblings and one special friend to Build-A-Bear for her birthday party, where they had a fun time choosing and stuffing and choosing and dressing.

The girls all chose dolls from the Friends 2B Made collection, while Sam chose another Bear and a basketball uniform to go with the basketball net that he'd bought last time we were there. Emily and Julia both built boy dolls to go with some earlier girl dolls that they had built, and the both had saved some money to buy another girls' outfit to take home to their girls. Julia was thrilled to pick out another special outfit from her gramma and one from her birthday guest, so she had quite a day!

After Build-A-Bear, we went down to the food court, where we had a special white pizza--Julia's favorite. Then, we had an extra-special surprise for the birthday girl: a cookie cake from The Great American Cookie Company. Julia had such a great day and felt like such a big girl to be having her birthday party at the mall. Too funny!

The new year brings many resolutions and my continuing pursuit of Buddist learning and practice. I have been reaping many personal benefits from meditation practice and can feel the calm deep in my being, but mostly, I am amazed at the ripples through family life. The children are enjoying occasional meditation and thinking about different concepts such as compassion and concentration. We purchased some wonderful new books, the most beautiful of which in terms of story and illustration is Mordicai Gerstein's The Mountains of Tibet . It's a lovely story about life, death, choice and the amazing expansiveness of the Universe. The kids have asked to read it over and over again! We're also enjoying A Pebble for Your Pocket by Thich Nhat Hanh and Kindness Sarah Conover.

The first day of the new year was absolutely gorgeous--over 65 degrees out and sunny. What a wonderful treat! Dh went bouldering while the kids, dog and I went on a quest for the Carderocks Letterbox. What a beautiful hike to a part of the park we'd never seen--thanks Wolfpack! We followed the clues, counted our paces, talked about what "triple" was and the other related words, worked on directionality--left and right, north, east, south and west. We had a glorious adventure, then hiked back over to the rocks to find Jim. The kids bouldered around a bit before we headed home for a tasty New Year's meal.

New Year's Eve we had spent with some friends, enjoying a bonfire and potluck dinner. The kids had a great time exploring in the woods, playing fusball, lighting sparklers, making party hats and wish coins, and bringing in the New Year with a bang (at about 7:00!). Sam loved the sparklers and especially enjoyed this new kind of sword fighting. What a guy! The kids had so much fun at the party, even it was eventually a bit overwhelming. We all came home and settled down to watch the new extended version of Return of the King for the first time. I was the only one awake at midnight and ended up staying up until about 1:30 to finish the movie. What was I thinking?

We had a wonderful Christmas, and the kids had a total blast. They enjoyed absolutely everything they received, but I think the best line was when Emily got to the Lil' Bratz Skating Rink and proclaimed in confusion, "We didn't order this." I'm not sure if she was just surprised or if she was afraid she might have to return it since it wasn't on her Wish List.

Sam had decided that instead of writing a Wish List to Santa, he would give Santa a gift. So, he wrote Santa a thank-you note instead of a Wish List, thanking Santa for bringing gifts to children. What a sweetheart he is! Well, my sweet boy got the only thing he had asked for--his Hot Wheels Slimecano, despite the terrible reviews it has over at Amazon. He was so happy! And didn't mind the chintzy construction one bit. Though, once his grandparents arrived with Cyborg Assault, that quickly became the favorite gift (a much better deal/toy, imo).

One of the kids' favorite gifts was a Smithsonian Chemistry Set, though we have some kinks to work out with regards to using it. Dh tried to put together an experiment with them but had a hard time holding the kids' attention long enough for them to see the results, which were rather anti-climactic. The set itself is cool, but the experiments are not terribly dramatic, and that's what really grabs the kids' attention at this age. We're going to try to figure out a way to have the feel of the Chemistry set but without the, shall we say, drudgery of following the given experiments as they're laid out in the booklet. I have dh working on that one.

Perhaps the most fun, however, was the visit from the kids' grandparents, aunt and cousin, who came down the day after Christmas. We had lots of fun playing, collecting eggs and running around at the park. Of course, the time together is never quite enough, but we're very lucky to live close enough to see each other as often as we do. All the kids have such a wonderful time together!

What a busy week! We enjoyed the first snow storm of the season this week, and the kids had a blast. It began snowing around 6:00 pm, and by 7:00 we had about a quarter to a half inch. The kids immediately wanted to go outside after dinner, so they donned their snow clothes and went out to play. They had a wonderful snowball fight with dh and the dog, made snow angels and miniature snowmen before coming in to hot chocolate and some homemade cookies. We were all so grateful for the early snow and counted it as a Christmas present for Southern Maryland. Knowing that the snow would likely melt by early the next day, we felt very lucky to have had such a magical time that evening, as snowflakes fell against the dark sky, illuminated by the warm glow of the holiday lights adorning our home.

We've truly had a wonderful week of giving, for which I feel very grateful.

I felt very lucky to be able to welcome a friend's baby this week, visiting them in John's Hopkins Hospital. He was born at a whopping 11 pounds, and needed to be hospitalized because of some breathing complications. We took snacks and Christmas decorations to brighten her holiday season as she spends her days and nights with him until he finishes a round of antibiotics due to some fluid in his lungs. They are both in good health otherwise, and we're very hopeful that they will be home before Christmas Day. I have been helping to cook for her family of three boys at home as she spends her time in the hospital, and my dh generously donated his labor to help roof their new addition last weekend.

This week, too, I have been cooking for my friend who is in the midst of a monumental struggle against non-hodgkin's lymphoma, and I was able to spend about a half an hour visiting with her for the first time since her ordeal began. She looks amazingly strong and has been maintaining such a positive outlook that I feel very hopeful for her and her family. She will be enjoying the holiday alone with her husband and two beautiful children before she heads back to the hospital for her third round of chemotherapy. Please, hold her and her family in your thoughts for a moment.

Yesterday, the kids and I delivered Christmas cards that we had made in our 4-H Club to the County Nursing Center. We found extra holiday cards and recycled used cards by cutting the front off and gluing it onto new card stock. The kids signed their names and drew some pictures, making it a wonderfully personalized way to give something to our community. My family was the only one able to deliver the cards, but Emily, Julia and Sam all had such fun hand-delivering them to the residents in the dining room. My heart was truly shining for the gift they were giving and receiving. After we left, they all asked to do it again next year!

This Monday, we went rock climbing over at Carderocks. It's been very wet here lately, so we left the rope at home and bouldered around. Jim was excited to show us some of the boulder problems he's discovered while climbing on his lunch hour, and I was psyched to be out climbing again after my sprained ankle a couple months ago. I was a bit shaky on the rock at first, but managed several solid traverses by the end of the day.

The kids had a great time bouldering and exploring the rock, and our puppy, Boo, has become quite the rock dog, opting for the class 3 descent rather than taking the long way down. Funny thing is, she knew exactly which route to take down from the top of the cliff. Instinct is impressive! We enjoyed meeting and hanging with a couple of other fellows out bouldering, topping the day off perfectly.

Tuesday, we saw A Christmas Carol put on by Theatreworks USA. The kids enjoyed the production, which included a lot of singing and dancing, toning down the scary parts quite a bit. We enjoyed a lovely lunch out afterwards, and the kids had a blast all evening dressing up and putting on shows of their own.

We've been listening to Dragonrider by Cornelia Funke this week on CD, and we've been having such fun! I have to admit that I feel a bit guilty because I'm not reading it--this is the first time we've listened to a book and it seems like a guilty pleasure. The narrator is wonderful, which makes all the difference in the world. I've tried to listen to some books on tape before whose narrators were terrible and it really turned me off.

We started listening in the car during our longer trips, but last week I brought it inside. We listened while playing with play-do and legos; then, on one of the beautiful days, I put it on the outside speakers and we listened while soaking in the sunshine on the upper deck. We're now on about day 4 or 5 of rain, so yesterday I had to run to the library to get some more books for my own sanity!

We're currently in the middle of listening to The Hobbit , which we had read about half of last year. Emily's been wishing that Jackson had made a movie of The Hobbit as well, so we put on The Fellowship of the Ring to watch the prelude where Bilbo finds the ring and to see the dwarf lords. We've had some incredible conversations about director's choices, narration, filming, camera angles, musical scores, etc. What fun!

We got our Christmas tree this weekend, which is always such fun. I love having a live tree in the house; it just smells so wonderful. The kids were psyched because the folks selling the trees were giving out mini candycanes, and Jim and I were just glad to get a tree after unsuccessfully going two other places first. We came home and put on some carols, set out some h'ors doevres and trimmed the tree. Jim held the kids up, so they could each have a turn topping the tree with our angel, but it was too high for Sam and Julia, so Emily got to do the topping this year.

Yesterday, we went on a 4-H fieldtrip to the US Botanic Garden and had a lovely time. The new holiday scavenger hunt for plants used in making holiday sweets was fun and very interesting for the moms! The kids really enjoyed exploring the desert and the prehistoric plant areas, and loved the train exhibit. My favorite exhibits were the orchid room and the medicinal plant room, which I could've spent much more time in if the kids had let me. That will be a trip in alone someday, I suppose. They offer wonderful seminars, and perhaps I should ask for one as a birthday present. Hmmmm... not a bad idea!

Afterwards, we went across the street to the new National Museum of the American Indian. We had lunch in the cafe, which offers native fare from all different parts of the Americas. Our friends stopped at the Southwestern stand, while I went straight for the Northern Woodlands and had a delicious lobster salad sandwhich. We wandered around the museum a little while, getting a feel for what it has to offer. The Windows on the Exhibits are interesting and offer an interactive computer description of the items behind the glass, allowing visitors to focus on one item, zoom into different parts and learn about the object, it's history and significance, construction, etc. We spent some time in the children's library section of the resource room and read some Navajo children's books that were written in both English and Navajo, and we explored a really neat buffalo box, constructed completely out of buffalo hide and filled with all the different parts of the buffalo used by the Plains Indians, from the fur and hide, to sinew, bone and bladder. All in all, quite a full and wonderful day! The best part for me was that I finally replaced my tape of R. Carlos Nakai, which is some of the most meditative, spiritual music I've heard. It was my favorite tape in college, and it's wonderful to fill my spirit with the peace of his flute music again.

The kids and dh made a really cool catapult together while I was at a one day conference for LLL. When I came home, they were so excited to show me what they had built. They reported how they had used a rubber band at first, but it had broken after just a couple shots. Dh then canibalized a bungee cord, which has great strength and elasticity. They can launch things pretty well with it. The big thing now is trying to launch food bits from the top deck all the way to the chicken run for the ladies to eat--about 100 feet or so. There hasn't been any success on that, so they're starting to think bigger. Oh no!

Our chickens finally began laying the day after Thanksgiving. The first was a beautiful blue-green egg from one of our Americauna hens. They are lovely, though the color is washed out here from the flash. You can see them compared to a store-bought egg in the upper right-hand corner, which is larger and whiter. When hens first begin laying, their eggs are smaller, but they will gradually get larger over time.

I bought some window markers during our visit to the Franklin Institute, and the kids had loads of fun with them. They're quite vibrant and wash off easily. Unfortunately, they also rub off easily, so there is a great temptation to scratch a bit off each time one walks by. Nothing will stay very long, I'm afraid, but the kids sure have fun during the process.

This Thursday, we went to the Goddard Space Flight Center with our 4-H Rock Hounds club. The kids had fun, with a few rough moments here and there. They watched a short video, showing a simulated landing of the Mars Rover, Spirit; then, they had a chance to build and launch pop rockets. Emily's, sadly, exploded at the launch pad twice, but went for a fabulous flight on the third try. The favorite part of the day, however, was the replica space pod. The kids played astronaut for a solid half-hour. I'm always impressed by how great these kids are together in our 4-H group. They all played, taking turns in the small space, with each child participating and creating a role to play. When Emily's rocket blew up, they were all so kind to her as she was crying (Em and Julia are the only girls in the group), rubbing her back, offering hugs, finding the pieces. There's a core of just super kids that we're really lucky to know.