in pursuit of wild things

The lunatic excitement that is Vacation Bible School began last Sunday and ended Thursday evening. All of my children had an absolutely wonderful time with friends old and new. Our new pastor chose to participate and in so doing he completely endeared himself to my children. Oldest was too old to participate in VBS this year so I “volunteered” him. He grumbled at me a little but absolutely enjoyed helping. He also was allowed to help in the sound booth at church and just fell head over heels with the sound equipment. He is hoping someone will teach him further on the use of the equipment. My boy of few words chatted to me over an hour about the sound system. I also deeply appreciate the man who has stepped

into a mentoring relationship with my son at church.

The younger three truly enjoyed VBS this week. I am especially proud of Sparkles. She struggled with another young girl whose silly antics drove her over the edge. After a couple of days Sparkles chose to befriend the young girl and now delights in her new-found friend. My Sparkles is growing up faster than I can keep up with…

My husband traveled a few days this week. His absence was sorely felt. The kids behaved wonderfully while he was gone and VBS helped to pass the time. I missed him terribly and felt unanchored without him. I volunteered at VBS while he was gone but I am not sure that I was much help. The first evening he was gone I untangled cross necklaces and failed miserably at holding back tears. Sparkles new friend came over and gave me a little hug and told me how she liked my “pretty silver hair”. She didn’t ask about the tears in my eyes. I’m quite certain that the adults get far more out of VBS than the children they are serving.

I also think some children are far wiser than their years permit…

Sparkles enjoyed her first sewing lessons with a lady from church. She is so excited! She is already dreaming about all the things she will make in the future and is excited about learning to use her machine. She is already dreaming about her first project week (more about that later).

This week I signed up the kids for classes in a local co-op. The kids are a bit nervous…we’ve always homeschooled on our own. I am nervous too and hope this will be a good fit for us. Littlest will have the hardest time. He insisted on Kindergarten classes. I don’t blame him after his preschool experience. I only signed my crew up for fun classes. Well…except for Oldest. He chose his classes. We are all anxiously awaiting the class list. Hopefully they all got their first picks. Oldest is looking forward to the

introductory Greek class. He has set a personal goal of reading the New Testament in the original language. Amazingly enough I won a Greek Alphabet book from Learning Tangent this week! God is so good to us!!! I shared a picture of Oldest reading the book and now there is a picture of him on their blog…kinda cool!

Tomorrow we begin our new school year. I’ll be teaching sixth grade, fourth grade and Kindergarten. I’m glad to return to our regular routine…the kids need their routine. But so does their mother…I need the routine of our days back. I need the comfort it provides far more than my children. A new academic year! New ideas and new directions for all of us! This year I’ve let go of what I want for my children. I’ve let go of the neo-classical model of education. I feel a bit adrift this year…leaning on my Lord to direct my children’s education and character development. I’ve always had a plan and goals set…but not this school year. This will be a transition year for all of us…but mostly for me. I’ve let

go of the reins and let God choose the direction we are going this year. I have our 3 R’s in place but everything else is all art, music and literature. Co-ops, music, literature rich academics, poetry, Shakespeare and messy art are way outside of my comfort zone! I think this will be a year of change for us…I feel the blossoming of something new. Change can be frightening but when it is God driven it is exciting…I’ve no idea where these changes are leading us but I know the unfolding wisdom to come is in God’s hands and time.

This weeks reads:

My favorite read this week is from Quill and Camera. Another thoughtful post that I have meditated on much of this week came from Rea Berg’s Book Blog. I pray my children will be beacons of light in this seemingly darkening world.

I’m still fascinated by Nikola Tesla. Science goes way over my head most of the time but I still like to attempt to read about things beyond my understanding.

Maps…I love looking over maps (left over from my childhood). Some of these maps are sad and all thoughtful. However the Russian made map over the break-up of the United States had me in stitches…there is more to this country than commerce lines and the North/South division still runs deep.

Fascinating study on the importance of music and improvisation. Middle Boy does this all the time on his own…I need to find a way to encourage all of my children.

Successful lives are not just built on the three R’s…success also comes with grit. I’ve found that reading articles targeted to business minded individuals to be helpful in my own little school especially with the topic of motivation. Articles for continuous improvement manages and engineers can be especially insightful.

I’ll be teaching my kids Shakespeare.

Posts I read as I prepared and planned for our first day of school…tomorrow! Amongst Lovely Things, The Habit of Rest, and another from Amongst Lovely Things.  The importance of reading aloud from Beautiful Feet Books Blog.

Linking up with: Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers

he is 15!!!

Middle Boy’s new desk. Made by my husband

piano practice

birthday girl

VBS

my Turkish lamp

13