How to Know When to Move On, or The Value of Fill-in-the-Blanks

So ... we are a bunch of very relaxed ecclectic charlottemason unschoolers that sometimes purchase dumb fill in the blank books so that something looks like it is getting done type homeschoolers. 

I sat down this afternoon to actually take a look at my youngest son's Abeka Language workbook (don't ask too much ... it really seemed like a good idea at the time because I could assign a bunch of pages and then go off and play Zuma or talk on the phone).  I wish I was kidding.

Anyway, before I even really read the assignment he had completed I found myself writing "fun!" on the page in a slanted real teacher sort of way.  Then I had a novel thought ... maybe it would be nice if I didn't just do everything orally and took some time to read what he wrote.  I hope you enjoy this slice of Campbell pie because it sums us up pretty well.

ACTUAL STUDENT WORK (no children were harmed in the making of this post)

          While travelling   throughout, I met an interesting gentleman in a brown suitcase.  I asked him to tell me about himself.  His story was most unusual.  As a child, he grew up underneath a trailer and never went to the bathroom.  He was the last on his mother's side.  His father worked as a taxidriver and his mother made extra money at the shoestore.  In a barrel, he decided he should earn a living, too.  A man who worked at a toilet store offered to teach him his trade.  Up until then, he wanted a change of trade.  He then devoted his life to constipation.  He wrote a book about it.  After that, I learned the value of fibre. 

Tuesday Timecapsule

If you would prefer the "all-in-one" style of vacation-recapping, then I suggest you visit the wonderful blog of my husband anotherblogonthefire .  He did his whole post up last night because we found out yesterday that he has pneumonia.  No wonder he kept coughing and was not feeling up to snuff while we were adventuring.  Poor guy.  He has to stay home from work for three days, and I get to sort of enjoy his company - whatever company he can be when he is not in bed sleeping!

Last Tuesday, we went to hear a wonderful speaker, Clayton Narveson, tell us about WWll and the Depression.  I found the whole thing very fascinating, and would have gladly listened for longer.  I was even impressed with the amount of American history questions I could answer.  My kids knew quite a lot as well.

Most impressive to me was the number of people who actually showed up to hear Mr. Narveson.  Over 120 Neal counted.  If someone had put that on for this area, I would be embarrassed at the lack of interest (guess it explains why things like that aren't attempted outside of the Public Schools (and only for Remembrance Day).  You can see that some people even had to stand!  Another reason to brag about homeschooling ... in Blount County ...

Monday Memory

As I look back on the week we spent in TN with some people that we supposedly did not know I can only explain the way I feel by saying that I just knew that it was going to be a great thing.  I have some mixed thoughts as I wade my way through the pictures.  I can hardly believe we won't see the Smalls any more than I can believe we really had to drive almost 10 hours for the experience.  Arriving around supper (convenient) Sunday night, we sat in their living room and had some great conversation.  Monday was a quiet day as drhibiscus was at work and Sarah had Monday Fun Day classes, so Neal and I sat drinking hot tea in the garden, enjoying the heat and wondering how we came to be so blessed ...



OK ... so I see a plastic wrapper of some kind in behind the iris ... these people said they were environmentally concerned ... what is up with that?  I can tell you one thing, though ... I know just where I would be today with my cup of tea if I had a choice.  The reality is that we have school to finish up in just under 5 weeks, and the grass is half way up to my knees (and there is a lot of it), and it's laundry day and I live in Southwestern Ontario, so I need a jacket to go outside still.  As much as we have always wanted to stay in Tennessee (since our first stay as a couple, back in 1997) I think there is a tad more to consider than simply saying "let's move to Blount County", even if we've had encouragement from a few people we were priviledged to meet along the way ... brownsugar  jenig   sixredheads  Suzanne   partyoffive (fyftn)   QueenoftheHill  sharonkay weesma and blogless, lurking leigh.

you saw a beautiful woman in your backyard
because she was with her family
and her love for them shone through her eyes
and it caused her to notice things
she had, perhaps, never seen before
or had not taken the time to see
as beautiful, too
and she picked up a toad
even though she knew
she would get pee-ed on
for hands can be washed
but time will not stand still

the zoo

We arrived home to find our menagerie still alive and quite happy to see us.  The kitten had gotten into his food bag and (truly) seems larger to us than he did last week.  Even our older, cranky cat Louise came right up to my husband for some affection (highly unusual).  My only regret is not cleaning out the one fish tank before we left.  Not only is it totally gross to look at, but I cannot fathom (too bad it isn't that deep) how he is still living.  The tinier fish, Ace, is just fine ...  Just look at poor Lyall's living conditions...



We are also thinking that there is a possible co-relation between our kitten's apparent growth spurt and the ripped kitten food bag that we found.  I only purchased it on Thursday last and it looks like I will need to buy a new bag on the way home from Homeschool classes this coming Friday.

Pig.



 

Tomorrow I am going to post my first trip down memory lane from last week's adventure.  Today I felt like moping mostly ...