Music Man

Around here

The children have been posing:

I've been wishing, oh wishing!, that I had spoken, from the start, with distinciOn with the kids.  Spelling seriously would be so much easier.  Sapatoz.  Oy.

I cannot sing.  Well, I cannot sing well.  And, although my singing friends disagree, I don't believe that it's that I don't know how, but really that I can't.  Anyways, during school time, we sing, and I like to begin with Do-Re-Mi.  But, my voice cannot sing Do-Re-Mi.  Then, it hit me... genius!  G's annoying recorder!  Now, everyday, I play the scale on the recorder as the kids sing along SO well.  Their musicality won't be destroyed by me after all!

God is still blessing me with the amaryllis' beauty:

Just when I think that I certainly canNOT handle playing another game of Cinta, in which G and I roll a tape roll back and forth, I tell myself that he is not going to want to play Cinta with me forever and then I am able to agree rather happily.  Thank you, God, for now.

And, when I just can't take it anymore, we play Burrito BebE.  :)

Praise, wafting up from the basement...

... and filling the house.  Thank you, God.  This life is a fight, for sure, and we have chosen to call in some reinforcements and to step it up and fight back with Your words, Your works, Your promises, Your everything.  You're everything.  You.

What a morning!

This early morning was rough and so I decided to skip "school."   I made a cup of Easy Now Tea, wishing that I had a gallon of it, instead of just one last tea bag, and I told the kids to get ready to go outside.  They needed to "run the stink off," as a friend says.

The doorbell rang.  Yay!  Perfect timing.  A persimmon tree, another kiwi vine, three currant bushes and a Fuki plant had been delivered, almost in time for Earth Day.  And then to make the treat even better, there were two blueberry bushes in the box!  I had ordered them last fall and had figured that the order had been long lost, but here they were.  I'm making a Blueberry Hill, because of my memories watching Happy Days where the orange-haired boy whose name I've forgotten used to sing, "I've found my thri-ill, o-on Blueberry Hi-ill."

So, we headed outside.  Girumy suggested that I plant the new arrivals before working on his Nature Journal page.  "Great idea, Son."  I happily set to work, whilst the kids played.  Finally it was time to do G's lesson:

After, I decided to water in a few more of the plants when I saw:

Oh, uh-uh.  Two dark little eyes were watching me from that hole and I knew that there were many more under there.  (We had just read a book about conejos this morning and here we had a conejera in our own back yard!)  I grabbed a stick and a bucket and prodded out the first little Nibbler of Lettuce.  And yes, there were more.  I freaked.  Thankfully, my Knight in Blue Cotton was out, a few yards over, so I called to Sir Ron to rescue me and my greenery.  In the end, we caught four, one having escaped under the fence to another yard.  Sir Ron said that he'd take the bucketful of Diagonal Chompers "for a ride."  I didn't ask and I don't care.

I know I seem harsh.  Maybe if I had a bit more than a postage stamp size of a yard, I'd be more generous to the Destroyers of Cambium and their Friends and Relations.  Maybe not.

(Oh yes, his name was Richie.  Richie Cunningham.)

Thus end the morning adventures in the garden.  Not bad, huh?  The kids ran around as kids should, fruit plants were added to our growing orchard, Girumy did a Nature Observation in the rays of the energizing sun, my garden was protected (for now) and the kids saw a real conejera, lined in fur and everything.  Not bad.  Now if only I had some more of that tea!

À l’école

Numbers 6 and 7 are still a problem for some reason.

For both of the twins, the names of colors aren't sticking; at least, however, I can see by this activity that it isn't because they are color-blind.

Making stick shapes and working on their names

Girumy has been randomly spouting off math facts for a while now.  For example, at lunch, he will just, out of the blue, say, "Tres y seis son nueve."  Interestingly, he didn't enjoy this activity.  I guess that he wants to do math on his own terms.

Remembering to count by fives, instead of tens, for the minutes is tough right now.

Seat work.  No, that coffee isn't G's... although he would totally drink it if I offered it to him!

A new favorite snack

Pickled garlic scapes... Mmmm!

The yarden!

A huge sigh.  Oh!  Do I feel better!  The clothes are drying in the fresh air, green is popping up everywhere.  Another huge sigh.