A Big Hot Mess of Random Stuff

Hi.


I'm back.

I know you all missed me.  Ok, probably not so much.  I missed you!  I missed home!  I missed Chris and the Boy and my heat-seeking cats and my kitchen and working out and taking walks and reading just for fun and not for panic.

The conference is all over.  I think it was probably a rousing success.  My class for the adults was adequate...not my finest hour but not my worst either.  But I think the youth class went really well.  I hope I got them all fired up to read good literature.  I know my dear sister is beyond relieved to be ALL DONE (as the Boy would say) with this particular chapter in her life. 

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I was hoping to find one homeschooling ideology that I could adopt whole-heartedly in our home.  And yes, I was precisely that naive.  But I think Chris is probably right.  It's more like a buffet, than ordering straight off the menu.  You pick from a variety of ideologies that which suits your family best.

I went to several Charlotte Mason lectures.  The first day I was totally in love with it.  It would fit seamlessly into our already existing family structure.  And then the second day it just ran off the rails.  And I don't think it was part of the Charlotte Mason philosophy, but the woman lecturing was essentially advocating pretense with your children--if you're tired, pretend you're NOT!  If you're frustrated or discouraged, pretend you're NOT!  If you HATE vegetables or well, anything, PRETEND you don't so that you're children will love it!  I completely disagree.  A) Any form of pretense is by nature a LIE and I refuse to lie to my child.  Some days Mama is tired.  Sometimes she gets discouraged.  Also, she really doesn't enjoy doing mathematics and can happily leave Brussels sprouts at the store.  I think when you show your personality to your kid, it liberates them to have their own.  And frankly, it's ok if the Boy just doesn't like some things, it's ok for him to be tired and for him to have bad days too.  It's part of being human.  And I don't ever want him to feel like he can't be himself around me.  To say nothing of the fact that, even when we don't like something (like MATH) we still DO IT.  Sometimes you have to do things you don't like and I think that's a valuable life lesson, best taught in the home.

So, I suppose we're decided.  We'll be doing primarily classical education (courtesy of Susan Wise Bauer) with the nature studies aspect from Charlotte Mason. 

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We finally watched Harry Potter 7 part 1 and it was SO good.  I can't wait for part 2!

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I've been reading that biography of George Eliot, and it's so very good, but I am so exhausted from last week that I just can't face it.  George Eliot, I love thee, but thou art so smart that it requires a great deal of concentration to follow the bend of thy mind and my mind is currently mush.  And so I shall be abandoning thy life forthwith.  Please don't take it personal...it's not you, it's me.

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The Boy is sitting in a chair in nothing but his Thomas the Tank Engine underpants and a white t-shirt.  His face is smeared with peanut butter and he's munching a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie.  He's a very happy boy right now.

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I've got nothin' goin' on this week and let me just say, that makes me a very happy woman.  I've got to grocery shop one day this week, but otherwise I might just spend the week in pajama pants.  Ok, maybe sweats...I'm finally well, I need to get back to working out.  But after I work out, I'm totally putting on my pajamas again.

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I'm a little puzzled what to read now...if I abandon the George Eliot, I feel like I should wallow in something fun and relaxing for a little while and then attempt to refocus on something challenging.  What do you think?  Lord of the Rings?  Zippy?  Asher Lev?  Wives and Daughters (for the SIXTH time)?  I suppose I could also read some Jane Austen...I've been contemplating a rereading of Mansfield Park for a while...but I'm not sure I have the patience for Mrs. Norris right now.

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I've made about 20 jars of strawberry jam.  I made them when I was sick because I had strawberries that Chris had purchased that were slowly deteriorating in the fridge...I hated to see them go to waste, so I hefted myself off the couch and made some jam.  And now the sight of those cheery red jars in my freezer makes me happy.

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We had a family cuddle in Bed Sweet Bed yesterday.  Me and Chris and the Boy and both cats and I remarked to Chris that every time I think I want to get another cat (or dog), we should have a family cuddle because it's a forceful reminder that before we bring another mouth to feed into our house we really need a bigger bed.

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I literally ate nothing but chocolate chip cookies for dinner last night.  I would be embarassed, but they were homemade and delicious.

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I have such a hot mess of knitting projects that need finishing and I just have absolutely zero motivation to work on them.  I gave myself the deadline of Memorial Day weekend on one of them (a baby sweater for a new little Burns nephew), so that Chris could deliver it in person...I'm down to just the sleeves.  How long could the sleeves really take?  I'm seriously contemplating taking it to my Grandma with a big helping of desperate pleading to please just finish the thing.  I'm pretty sure she'd turn me down.  She loves me, but not that much.

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Well, that's basically my brain all spilled out in blog form.  Sorry for the chaos, but it's a realistic picture.  I'm going to try to put things in order in my house and in my mind this week and hopefully have some funny stories for you next week.  Or maybe not.  Who can tell...