Things Worth Remembering The three habits that lead to success are: Patience, Application, and Vision.
Take care: The person who will tell others' faults to you - will tell yours to others.
It is always better to be underestimated.
There are three things that are better than riches: Health, Freedom, and Honor.
Think swiftly, speak softly, act wisely.
"The world is neither Scottish, English, nor Irish, neither French, Dutch, nor Chinese, but human, and each nation is only the partial development of a universal humanity." - James Grant on founding the National Association for the Vindication of Scottish Rights, 1862
All from: The Book of Celtic Wisdom
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“Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side. You have paid the price for your lack of vision.” – The Emperor, Star Wars VI: Return of the Jedi
Poor Padawan Learner. All these years he’s never had to learn to take proper notes from a book, but all that has changed.
With his move into high school classes and his interest in taking a whopper of a class next year (with Biology and/or Chemistry AND Algebra II as pre-requisites), I’m weaning him off the mom-directed manner that used to define how we homeschooled – you know, back before we were unschoolers. (Cue the maniacal laughter for the strangeness of the path PL has taken over the years.)
In past years, I drew up a daily to-do list with everything broken up into little bite-sized morsels of reading, math, and etc. In addition, we previously only used conversational assessment since I find test-taking so limited in its scope. It was easy for PL since he didn’t have to put any thought into how things were going to get completed, and it was lovely for me because I’m an uber planner. Different times require different methods though. As he becomes independent as a student – even making his own lunch the night before school without being reminded – I’m scheduling weekly- and chapter-based readings for the science, history and health-related books that he’s using. That means I’ll still be breaking his math and formal writing topics into 2-3 day chunks, since they require so much participation on my part ahead of time, but he’ll be setting the pace (to an extent) for his independent reading.
What about the note-taking though? Well, part of his independent reading task is taking good, detailed notes from the chapters read. I want to emphasize that: good, detailed notes. Yes, I’m being a stickler on these notes because this skill will be the foundation for any out-of-the house classes he’s bound to take in the future. PL is not enjoying this at present, but I didn’t expect that he would. He hates writing, mostly from lack of practice I do believe. The conversational manner of his education up to this point has been fantastic for comprehension and rationalization skills, but it has done so at the expense of his writing skills. I wrote up some good, quality notes from the introduction of his Art History book to show him an example of what to aim for, and explained that I knew it would take some time for him to get to that point.
I’ve also included section review sheets for his Biology and Physical Science books and will include chapter quizzes, a mid-term test, and a final exam. This is a completely new arena for both of us, but is the reality for the educational setting that he has chosen for the sciences. It would be a disservice to exclude them this year just because I find them so distasteful and limited in scope. We’ll also use the corrected section review sheets as a study guide for chapter quizzes and the larger tests to come. Ah, the skills one learns while taking traditional classes. They will serve him well.
Princess Leia: “Han!”
Han Solo: “Yes, Your Highnessness?”
Princess Leia: “I thought you decided to stay.”
Han Solo: “Well, the bounty hunter we ran into on Ord Mantell changed my mind.”
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
With apologies to the people who have already seen this on Facebook…
I did it. I signed Padawan Learner up for classes at a local high school last week.
Despite the fact that he had – for years – said that he never wanted to set foot inside a school again, PL decided that classes on environmental sustainability and Italian sounded too good not to attend. Despite the fact that he’s a confirmed night owl, he chose to take a class that starts at 7:55 am. Choice makes all the difference in the end, doesn’t it?
On days that he has school, his day will end at 2:15 pm - those will be every other school day – with a 2 hr study/lunch period in between the two classes. He also wanted to take an intro art class, but it had a waiting list of 40 students so he couldn’t add it this time – maybe next year. So I guess we’re about to join the ranks of tied-to-the-school-year families now. (We’ve even bought a few school supplies to get him through his first few days: a 1″ binder for each class, an insulated lunch box, a water bottle, and mechanical pencils. We already have a ton of paper and pens.)
About two hours after I signed him up, I had to point out the inconsistency of taking a class in environmental sustainability and leaving the deck slider door open when it is about a billion degrees outside and the AC is running.
“One day, I will become the greatest Jedi EVER. I will even learn how to stop people from dying.” – Anakin Skywalker, Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones
Special piece of wisdom that crawled into my brain while showering today:
You are the person you want to be.
If you are not the person you want to be, then you are working to change yourself into the person you want to be.
If you are not working to change yourself into the person you want to be, then you are indeed the person you want to be.
Just a few of the things I am, am becoming, and am not.
- I am a nightly retainer wearer.
- I am becoming a person who is dairy- and sugar-free (and maybe gluten-free).
- I am not a singer or music-maker.
- I am a clean house keeper, ok a kid-and-cats-live-here clean house keeper.
- I am becoming a bi-lingual English and Dutch speaker.
- I am not a fashionista (though I do love beautiful shoes).
- I am a voracious reader.
- I am becoming a regular exerciser.
- I am not a radical unschooler.
- I am a truster of my child and promoter of his wishes for his future.
- I am becoming a daily leg and underarm shaver.
- I am not a fabulous cook, instinctive decorator or natural hostess.
- I am a loving, and loved, wife.
How about you? What are you, what are you not, and what are you becoming?
Mace Windu: “I sense a plot to destroy the Jedi. The Dark Side of the Force surrounds the Chancellor.”
Ki-Adi-Mundi: “If he does not give up his emergency powers after the destruction of Grievous, he must be removed from office.”
Mace Windu: “The Jedi Council will have to take control of the Senate to ensure a peaceful transition.”
Yoda: “Hmm. To a dark place this line of thought will take us. Great care we must take.”
Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith
Around January a thought occurred to me, what if Padawan Learner and I are allergic to something we’re eating? You see, Padawan Learner and I have issues. Skin issues, to be specific – lots of very stubborn plantar warts (both of us), eczema on the palms of my hands, and a foul, dirty-hair type smell that just radiated out of PL. The warts were just something we’ve both had for years and assumed that it was something we were just going to have to live with, just part of who we were. I figured my eczema was the same. But there was just no way that PL’s smell was something that could be ignored. Granted, the kid was exercising for hours a a time at trampoline and gymnastics classes, but YEOZA, the smell was intense and no amount of hair washing or showering did anything about it. Within a half-hour of washing up, it was back. I aired his room out daily. We cranked the windows open in the car – even in winter. Something had to be done. Many people said, “Oh, that’s just how boy’s smell,” and suggested that it would go away once he became interested in dating and cared about his appearance/hygiene. Trust me, he cared. He washed.
I thought back to another person I knew that used to have a similar smell, a very sour dirty-body smell despite being more than adequate in all the usual hygiene behaviors – showering, using an anti-perspirant/deodorant, brushing teeth twice a day, etc. He was a hard-core, junk food & what-are-veggies carnivore. His rancid smell seemed to disappear when he moved in with a staunch vegetarian who then did the bulk of the cooking. His smell disappeared quickly. I thought about what PL ate. Our meals were healthy and well-rounded, but he did eat a significant amount of animal protein in the form of eggs and – especially – cheese. Nearly as much of a “dairy-atarian” as his non-meat-eating friend, Biggs.
I remembered hearing once that vegans don’t stink because they weren’t ingesting any animal protein. Not knowing any, I didn’t know if it was true or not. That was another venue to check out. Dad Windu and I talked it over, including PL as much as we could – despite this one and only refrain of NOOOOO – and decided that February (the shortest month) would be when we went temporarily vegan. Well, lo-and-behold the smell was gone within 4 days. Nothing, nada, niets. The first time he got in the car after one of his marathon trampoline classes and I didn’t have to roll the windows down was an eye-opener. He actually smelled fresh after his workout.
We allowed our systems to clear out for February and began adding foods in, beginning with dairy. A glass of milk, a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup for dinner. It took about 1 hour for the smell to begin creeping in and 2 days for it to hit it’s maximum again. He also developed a patch of hives along this upper back. Dairy was out. We added everything back in slowly, but nothing else triggered the smell like dairy did and does.
As a side bonus, his warts cleared up without our even noticing once he was off dairy (mine are still there but at least aren’t growing or spreading), his acne has greatly improved, and my eczema is clear so long as I don’t goof up and slip in some dairy unawares. PL and I are walking, talking dairy-detectors now. When there’s dairy in something we don’t expect, his smell will flare up and skin breaks out and my eczema starts up again. Not terribly, but enough to remind us to read our labels more carefully again.
I got to thinking about this again as I made yet another batch of Red Leader’s Soft Vegan Ginger Cookies (or as we call them, Soft Jedi Ginger Cookies) this morning. They’re very good. Even Dad Windu, who doesn’t much like ginger, liked these cookies. Red Leader says these are her go-to ginger cookies, despite the fact that they’re vegan.
Obi-Wan: “Sorry, Master, the water fried my weapon.”
Qui-Gon: “You forgot to turn your power off again, didn’t you?”
Obi-Wan nods sheepishly.
Qui-Gon: “It won’t take long to recharge, but this is a lesson I hope you’ve learned, my young Padawan.”
Obi-Wan : “Yes, Master.”
Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace
Still alive and still in the middle of the moving drama. Here’s the situation in a nutshell:
- House was put up on the market in mid-March
- Come to find out, the realtor’s assistant works for the devil, the Galactic Empire or some other evil monstrosity like Sprawl-Mart and did a major f*ck-up on the listing – 4 days late, crappy pictures, pathetic blurb, etc.
- Realtor’s assistant apparently does not know how to use voicemail as messages were never returned before 48 hours, if at all.
- Realtor did not check assistant’s “work” until after week two of the listing when we had not gotten a single showing.
- Realtor assistant has now been fired/’quit’.
- Price on house was dropped twice.
- House finally sold last Thursday – yeah – but we’re taking a major bath on the price – boo. I’m walking away getting less than I paid for the place 12 years ago – after spending 40K on home improvements these past couple of years. Double boo. I spent most of the 29th in tears.
- BUT it is sold and we’re finally going to be together again. Quadruple yeah!
- I’ve shed about 1/2 of our furniture and all of our yard/garden/garage items. House and garage look like they’ve been robbed. Apartment will still look like a furniture store exploded inside it. It’s all about perspective.
- We’re hoping to close by the end of the month.
- I told Padawan Learner tonight, as we had a Mom’s dinner out, that he has given me the best Mother’s Day present ever in the way he has been handling this topsy-turvy, split household, back and forth to see Dad Windu, emotional roller-coaster of a move.
If all goes well, I’ll be able to write again in complete sentences and whole paragraphs soon.
Boushh: “Just relax for a moment. You’re free of the carbonite.”
Boushh: “Shhh. You have hibernation sickness.”
Han Solo: “I can’t see.”
Boushh: “You eyesight will return in time.
Han Solo: “Where am I?”
Boushh: “Jabba’s palace.”
Han Solo: “Who are you?
Leia: “Someone who loves you.”
Han Solo: “Leia!”
I think most people have hibernation sickness these days, or have recently had it from all the spring-related posts I’m seeing lately. The warm air, the buds on the trees, kids taking to their bikes again (be still, my beating heart), talk of farmer’s markets opening soon here in the Great Frozen Midwest. Ah, it does a weary brain good.
Padawan Learner and I made a trek out to the eye doctor’s yesterday. He, as usual, has perfect vision and just needed a check up. I got a pretty sizable up-tick in my prescription, so I ordered a new set of contact lenses and a new pair of lenses – because they were just a few days off from being older than the sun. These new ones will be my fourth pair of glasses in over 27 years of wearing the bothersome things. Not too bad. Wearing contacts most days has a nice way of extending the life of a pair of frames I guess.
It was nice to take the day off – driving there and back, eating out, haunting a bookstore, watching the orange construction cones popping up here, there and everywhere. Admittedly, I’m a fan of road construction sites in general (they pay my bills), but I’m especially glad to see them popping up around here this year. Michigan’s roads are in such sorry shape because there’s been just no funding for (long, long) over-due repairs for several years running.
We got back around dinner time and after a rousing meal of mac & cheese, I cleaned up the kitchen and then cozied up with another Nevada Barr mystery. They’re getting darker and darker as the series goes on. PL wrote about a spring-loaded mechanism he figured out, read some more about the 20th century, practiced the piano, and played around with a Mobius strip he found in his math book. All in all, not a bad day.
Last weekend, my neighbor and her sun had a “Minute to Win-It” party for the kids on the block, which looked to be great fun. They had kids from 2 to 14 participating in silly games – all to be completed in 60 seconds or less, of course – and even had the local news channel come out for a little “in the city” segment. I was busy cleaning the house for a weekend showing, but PL attended and represented the Jedi in fine style I am told.
What did you do yesterday or over the weekend?
“Offhand, I’d say this mission is past the negotiation stage.” – Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace
Because I know that you’ve all been losing sleep over the drama of my very exciting life, I’m happy to report that Dad Windu has received a job offer from a very good firm and will be starting within the month. Sadly, it will require a relocation several states away. Padawan Learner is, of course, taking this hardest as this is the only home he has ever known, but he is also being very understanding of the reason for this move. He has watched his dad do everything in his power to work a job search and keep us in the area, but he’s also aware that Michigan is just in a terrible state right now for DW’s line of work.
We’re trying to find all the different ways possible to keep PL in touch with his friends, and we have committed to traveling back to MI as often as practicable to see our friends and family. On FireFly Mom’s recommendation, we have given the task of hunting out interesting things to do and see in our new town to PL. I know he’ll do a wonderful job of it and is sure to find things that I would have never even thought twice about.
Initially, we’re going to be moving from a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1800 sq ft home to an 865 sq ft apartment. Have you stopped laughing yet? While DW works these last two weeks (he’s currently a contract employee for his old firm) getting things re-allocated to other staff members, tying up loose ends, and doing some last-minute training (and then coming home to do last minute home improvement projects), I’ve been culling the house for things that are not absolutely, positively necessary. Anyone interested in a 4-piece, king-size sleigh bed set with matching night stand, armoire, and dresser with tri-fold mirror? What’s that? Why, yes, they are all gigantic pieces! If only I could go back and have a talk with my younger self…
Han Solo: Hey, Your Worship, I’m only trying to help.
Princess Leia: Would you please stop calling me that?
Han Solo: Sure, Leia.
Princess Leia: You make it so difficult sometimes.
Han Solo: I do, I really do. You could be a little nicer, though. Come on, admit it. Sometimes you think I’m all right.
Princess Leia: Occasionally, maybe… when you aren’t acting like a scoundrel.
Han Solo: Scoundrel? Scoundrel? I like the sound of that.
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
My scoundrel is in his 4th hour of interviews, as I type. I – obviously – have the better end of the deal here.
- Vanilla latte. Check.
- Squishy chair. Check.
- Chocolate croissant. Check.
- Scrolling around the internet. Check.
- Free lunch with Dad Windu and corporate representative. Check.
- Not having to answer hard, uncomfortable, or annoying questions that will dictate my future bread-buying power. Double check.
Yesterday after the plane landed, we covered all the basics – rental car, hotel, and office building reconnoiter. After stalking finding the company’s location, we checked into a nearby apartment building – extremely cool and 3 times as expensive as my current mortage payment – and then got a very late lunch. May I just take a moment and tell you how much I love, love, love a plate of Pesto Chicken Pasta done well? Holy distended stomach, Bat Man, that stuff was divine!
Oops, running out of battery. Time to go retrieve the charging cord.
“Oh, excuse me. So sorry.” – TC-14, Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace
I’ve been riding the job search and homeschooling-in-the-midst-of-the-unknown rollar coaster with Dad Windu and Padawan Learner these past couple of months, and, while it’s been going pretty well, it’s had its ups and downs. That’s the biggest reason this place has been so quiet. I’m driving 6 white horses, coming around the mountain, and – what the song doesn’t mention - there’s this cliff on the other side of the path that’s making me hug the mountain more than I’m used to. So homeschooling is keeping on, keeping on and going well. Marriage is going well. Blogging (my release and often-times entertainment), not so much.
At one point we thought we were going to be moving to almost the very northern-most tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. In case you don’t know where that is, it’s waaaay the h*ll up there (technical term) and surrounded by Lake Superior on three sides. Average high of 78 F (25C) in July and 16 F (-9C) in January. 208 inches (528 cm) of snow a year on average. I know! There are two seasons up there, if you ask a local - ”winter’s here and winter’s coming.”
Yes, we were pretty sure we were going to be moving there after DW met with the group leader in the company’s Detroit-area office. Couldn’t have asked for a more encouraging guy. The group leader in the UP though, not so encouraging. Not being ‘a local’ was apparently a big point against DW; the two interviewers spent most of the meeting basically trying to talk him OUT of wanting the job. “No shopping to speak of up here.” “Winters are long and hard, so you can’t try to just wait them out.” “Everything’s a long way from here, so traveling other places doesn’t happen very often.” “We don’t have furniture stores to speak of.” You get the picture.
Meanwhile, while he’s in his interview, I was scraping the local librarian’s brain clean about local homeschooling resources and groups and variety. I was getting more and more excited about the homeschooling opportunities in the immediate area. Oh, and have I mentioned that we found the cutest little house – with a cast-iron circular staircase connecting the main and upper floors – for $27,700? No, I didn’t leave a zero out. For approximately the same price of a new car, we could have owned a 2 bedroom, 2 bath home that was as cute as a button. (Just shoot me now). I was getting geared up and ready to go.
Just to make things interesting, of course, the reality of an impending move really hit Padawan Learner up there and … well, it wasn’t pretty. I’ll just leave it at that.
In the end, DW got a FOAD letter in the mail from the UP leader – as vague as can be, of course. The Detroit guy is disgusted. DW is confused and thinking, “WTF was that all about?” PL is feeling bad for DW but also guilty about feeling relieved that we’re not moving – yet. I’m exhausted about putting so much mental effort into finding ways to make sure this transition goes smoothly – for naught.
*deep breathing*
And now we’re hopping back on the maybe this is it train. Dad Windu and I are headed out into the heart of the great frozen midwest this weekend. (PL is staying with friends.) We’re quietly optimistic, but (truthbetold) we’re afraid to get our hopes up too high. There’s been a lot of “Oh, I’m just doing a little Internet surfing” digging by me. It’s what I do. The job appears to be a good fit for DW and the city looks like we’d be comfortable there.
So, happy thoughts everyone. *fairy dust, fairy dust* We’re going to need them.
Princess Leia: “I love you.”
Han Solo: ”I know.”
Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back
I’m going to apologize to each and every heart-shaped box full of waxy chocolate lover out there right now. I don’t like Valentine’s Day. There I said it; I admit it.
I think the whole entire thing is a waste of cocoa beans and card-stock. I should be an ardent admirer of the day, having a mother who still – even 40 years after first becoming a mother -makes Valentines a must-do event for all her kids and grandson. She gets her panties in a major twist if she can’t get those red boxes to each of us by the big day. It’s sweet that she does it, even though she knows I tend to forget that Valentine’s Day is even upon us again.
I was very relieved to find, early in our dating years, that Dad Windu is also a Valentine’s humbug. Padawan Learner, no doubt because of our ”yeah, whatever” response to the marketing buildup each February, is equally blase’ about the day. (My apologies to his future spouse.)
I love Dad Windu and Padawan Learner with every fiber of my being, every beat of my heart. I don’t want a heart-shaped diamond necklace or even an over-sized card in a red envelope each February 14th as proof of their love for me. The hand massage when my knuckles hurt showed me that. The hug and kiss before going to bed reminds me of that. Going vegan for a month because I asked you to, more than speaks to your devotion my beloved carnivores. The dishwasher unloaded without me having to ask, gives me proof of your affection.
Here’s to you, DW and PL. No red box. No sparkly bauble. No glitter. Just love forever more.
That said, if you’re an ardent Valentine’s Day fan, I say more power to you. Live the dream. Eat the chocolate. Tear up over the handmade or store bought card. I hope it’s all you ever imaged it to be. And I promise to understand if you’re not as crazy about Halloween as I.
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Secular Homeschoolers Unite!
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