Life and other sundries.

I keep meaning to post here. And then I don't.

Our weekend:
Saturday I battled wretched depression and spent most of my day in bed, staring at walls. Miserable for a thousand tiny reasons and no way to claw myself out of the funk. Yes, Saturday was no fun.

Sunday we cleaned and rearranged the living room. You can't tell from this picture (from today) but it really was clean. For about five minutes. I also fixed the rocking chair that was given to us when the Imp was a wee one. It's been missing screws and used as storage for years. Now everyone wants to sit it in. (Hey! I spy three out of eight cats! The ironic thing is that they're all still there and in mostly the same positions.)



At some point in and around the cleaning I dyed some of my handspun. It's all pretty thin (I'm getting much better at being consistent when I want to be) and strong enough not to drive me to ply it. My inner geek won out and I tried to replicate some of the colors in the classic Thundercats character Cheetara. Here's a peek at it before I re-skein it.



And B's sock. I was slamming away until after I turned the heel. Then I realized that I had to work the pattern on both sides and my momentum seriously faltered.



Other than that, the Elf and I have been plugging away at botany and history. I will sadly admit that Botany in a Day still doesn't make a great deal of sense to me. We tried to identify a plant I knew to be Cleavers. However, had I not, it would have been supremely difficult to figure it out using the method in the book. It's a struggle, but we're working on it.

Busy hands.

This is what I've been doing:


I finished embroidering a gnome. The Elf thinks it's amazing. I think it looks haphazard. I'm still not sure which gnomes I'll swap, which I'll put in my Etsy shop, and which I'll leave around for the kids.


The Beast's birthday is at the end of April. He's currently in love with My Litle Pony (don't laugh, okay - it isn't violent and actually sends a decent message most of the time). I'm using Linda's unicorn/pegasus pattern. This will eventually be Twilight Sparkle. If I can find suitable colors I know he'd like some of the other ponies as well.


A sock. Or, the toe of a sock. I'm trying a toe-up with a short row heel. Only.. it's way too big for the littles and probably too small for B or myself. So.. it may never be a sock. It may be frogged to become a better sized sock.


I was so excited about these gloves. I'm a huge BSG fan. So finding a pattern for dradis inspired gloves was magical. I used a gift certificate given to me at christmas to indulge in Malabrigo Rios yarn (way out of my normal budget). Sadly, after knitting one glove I can tell you that it doesn't fit well and my stripes seem extremely off center. The off-centerness seems to be just part of the pattern, though. I'll be frogging this glove. Perhaps when it's closer to cool weather again I'll give it another try in something more solid colored - and with a much smaller needle. (Ravelry notes here)

Aside from that I've been trying to eek out a science curriculum for the Elf. I was thinking about having him study the human body. But then I ran into the dilemma of if I should start with biology (with an extended visit to the human body). With that in mind, I guess I'm looking for a place to start. Cells, maybe.

We're also about to hit the crusades in history. I have a particular interest in the crusades. It was a bloody, horrible time. But it is *fascinating* to me. Maybe because I don't have anything that could be called religious fervor. Maybe because it's been romanticized and some of my favorite books and movies (and games!) relate to that time period in some way, shape, or form. I don't know. But I find it most enjoyable to research. I will admit that I'm unsure of how to relate it to a ten year old and even less sure of where to start and what to skip over. I will say that he's very mentally mature when it comes to this sort of thing and he already knows some basics. Also, a friend pointed out to me John Green's Crash Course World History. The Elf has been *asking* to watch these nonstop. Score!

Anyway, that's where my thoughts have been while my hands have been busy. Linking up with Nicole's Crafting On post.

Homeschool Woes

I don't know where to start this.

The Elf is ten. He's in fifth grade. I think. Ugh. That makes me sound like a totally negligent parent. We don't put a lot of stock in grades, we work at his level and at his pace. Which may well be the problem.

This is going to be a total ramble. I applaud you if you make it through this mess.

We don't use a curriculum. We can't afford one. Not even really parts of one. So I've been muddling through since kindergarten with him. We tried to unschool, but that didn't work for us. Not totally, anyway. He taught himself to read, mostly. But he doesn't have.. interests. I'd try to "strew" books from the library. He might have glanced at some of them but if he could classify it as "school" it was met with scorn. So I turned to ambleside and classical learning (minus all the religion). But it's literature intensive. And while he can read it - he isn't absorbing much of anything. At least not that we can tell.

So I've cobbled together this and that over the years. I don't think it's working. If something cataclysmic happened and he had to attend school tomorrow, it would be bad. And that's just speaking academically. B tells me that I focus on the negative. I do. I know that. But let me run down this list for you, just because. The Elf doesn't know the days of the week in order (he's getting better), the months of the year (or how many there are), our phone numbers, the continents (and sometimes the difference between a continent, country, and city), the alphabet in order. And on and on. No amount of memorization practice has improved things. It's not the end of the world, I know. But it might give you some insight into my turmoil. He's a great calculator (despite not knowing his times tables, either) but has no idea *why* he's doing what he's doing. Told, step by step, what to do - no problem. Asked to find the percent of a number and I'm met with grunts, groans, and half-started words.

Science is laughable. We tried using Botany in a Day and various websites. That worked for a little while, but neither of us is terribly sure how to identify anything we find (it doesn't help that none of the resources are specific to the American Southeast - and it was winter). I've gotten a book from the local forestry people about native trees. So I have that to try out. We've tried using Herbal Roots Zine but can't find many of the plants locally and can't afford to buy all the supplies and things (or the zine itself anymore). But "real" science? Not a clue.

Getting random books from the library isn't helping because I don't know where to start or what to do. He's not interested in anything remotely scientific. He doesn't care how or why things work. And science curriculum options are so out of our budget that it isn't even funny any more. We have a bunch of books full of experiments. We've done some of them, but he'll admit that he doesn't know why we did or why they work - which makes it a failure as a learning tool.

We use The Story of the World for history. I've bought the books and activity books (which is about as far as we go financially). I supplement with things from the internet and books from the library. So I think I've got history at least mostly covered. It's the only thing I'm remotely okay with (it helps that I'm a history person). But he's never written a report, researched anything. I'm lost on how to teach him those things. When I was young we used an actual card catalog at the library and had to write everything ourselves. With the internet - Google, Wikipedia - is it even worth trying to teach it anymore? Of course it is, but do you see my despair?

I've spent most of my time consoling myself with the fact that we're teaching the practical, actually useful things. But what if he wants to go to college? Take the SATs? It would be a nightmare. There are gaps big enough to get lost in.

I'm overwhelmed by the extent of human knowledge. I don't know where to start. Curling up into a ball in a dark corner and weeping sounds good except that I know it won't actually accomplish anything. Top all of this with the fact that I need to start officially teaching the Imp in two years (and wanted to try and include the Beast with him since they're only about 1.5 years apart in age) and it's a miracle that I haven't gone completely nuts yet.

So is this a rant? A cry for help? Brain vomit? Probably. All of the above. Sigh. If you do comment, please be kind. This was very hard for me to write, to admit to the world. I'm feeling insanely vulnerable.

Yarn Along

Joining up with Ginny for the Yarn Along.

Here's the thing. I took this picture about 24 hours ago. I wanted to be prepared. To get ahead. Yeah. Because that was really likely to work out. I'm knitting an Odette hoodie for the Imp. I've now finished both sleeves and am working on the yoke. Bottom-up construction baffles me. Also, the yarn is blue. Very blue. My lighting just sucks.

For fun I'm still reading Dresden books by Jim Butcher. But mostly I've been cramming for the Elf's homeschooling. We started late this year - which doesn't matter, right? That's one of the reasons we homeschool. At the end of last year we were in medieval Japan, I think (using Story of the World). The Elf fought me every step of the way with history (and everything else, but especially with history). No matter what I tried, he hated it. Enter video games. Yep. This is why I don't speak out in any of the Waldorf communities I belong to online. My husband plays Assassin's Creed - I watch. So does the Elf. The third game came out at the end of last month and is about the American revolutionary war. So we've jumped right in. And let me tell you, I haven't had a single complaint about history at all. Not one. He seems to really enjoy seeing the semi-fictional take on the things he's learning.

But this leaves me studying American history every day just to prepare for the following day. In addition I've been searching out botany websites and lessons. Can I just tell you for a minute how amazing it is to hear my stubborn ten year tell me that he's enjoying the things that I'm teaching him?

At any rate, I'm exhausted. The kids are all in bed and I think I'll go lose myself in that just-for-fun book now.

Weekending.

Or Sunday, at least.



Can I tell you how much I love that the Imp can entertain himself sometimes? The legos all over the floor, not so much. But the moments of quiet are pure bliss.



I'm waiting for the sunshine to hit my front window today. Shop update coming soon!



The Elf and I have been reviewing his history (Story of the World: Volume 1) by filling in a timeline. It is *slow* going. There's a lot he's forgotten. And yet he amazes me with how much he remembers (sometimes with a little prompting). We're somewhere near Cyrus the Great right now. The fall of Rome seems so very far away.

Oh! And how could I forget? I have a birthday massage on Thursday! Okay, pre-birthday. It was the closest I could get. Do you have any idea how much I'm looking forward to this? B bullied me into making the appointment, assuring me that he'd find me the money for it. Here's hoping I can enjoy it without feeling too guilty!

Weekending!

Oh! This weekend was packed. With knitting!

This is what I have to show for it:



The pattern is written by the amazing Emily of Yarn Miracle. I cannot tell you how much fun I had knitting this guy. And my Beast *adores* him. He played with each and every piece (well, except for the body) prior to them being sewn together. His eyes lit up when I handed him the toy all completed. This cat has seen a lot of action and he's only a couple of days old.

Of course, the pattern is written for bulky yarn. I used worsted. Which got me thinking. And plotting. So Saturday on the way to my youngest niece's birthday party we swung by the yarn store where I pictured up some lace weight yarn. I've never knit with such fine yarn before. It's.. interesting. I clearly need better lighting and eyesight for this sort of work.

Regardless, now I have this to show for it (I did say that it was taking me longer):



I'm most of the way through a book that keeps getting more interesting. It's called The Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness. Someone had posted about it, but of course now I can't recall who (does this prove that I read too many blogs?). In any case, I'm really enjoying it.

Hmm. What else? I made yummy pizza and the Elf is reading books again with little grumbling. His Singapore books (I bought them used from a yahoo group) arrived today. I've been putting off working on his curriculum, but I'm going to have to tackle once I'm done with this cat. Oh! And he officially passed third grade - he had his evaluation on Friday.

And now a baby has awoken from his nap! Whee!

Calling homeschoolers!

Help!

Okay. Short version: B has said that with three kids, we could conceivably afford to purchase a curriculum package each year with the intention of keeping it to use for the younger kids (yes, we would have to go back and order the earlier grades that the Elf has already done). We can't afford it Right Now. But it's a good time to start looking, right? Maybe with all this looking we'll decide not to purchase a packaged deal. Who knows.

The help I need is this: what do you use? What works for you and your kids? What have you tried and disliked?

My heart loves Waldorf. But my head acknowledges that we aren't those people. We don't sing, we don't rise with the sun and put our kids to bed at 6pm. We don't have baking days. I cannot make myself joyful about all of our daily tasks (scooping cat litter is not something I can do with a smile on my face). I don't have the time (or capacity at this point) to memorize stories to tell to the extent that it would seem I need to. So I don't think I can do a pure Waldorf curriculum. That seems to rule out Live Ed and A Little Garden Flower.

We are not Christian. So I don't want anything religious (it seems silly to pay for a package that I need to ditch half of). I'm not entirely sure what that rules out.

I love the idea of a nature-based curriculum. Summers here are intense and it's often hard to go outside. Think deep winter in some places, only hot instead. And winter? Not so much. Yes, it gets cold. But my kids don't really understand what snow is.

The Elf (since I can't yet speak for the younger two) isn't all about the worksheets - at least not an endless stream of them though he does enjoy some. He also isn't enthused about reading straight texts. He reads above his "level" but is.. picky.. about what he wants to read. He's stubborn and willful and.. well, almost nine. But he's extremely smart. He asks the most amazing questions. At the same time, he doesn't always know the days of the week in order. He can't tell the difference between cities, states, and countries. He gets confused about the difference between months and seasons. I'm still not sure he knows the alphabet in order completely.

I'm looking at Ambleside Online because it was suggested to me by the lovely Wool and Chocolate. It's a lot to look through, so I haven't made much of a dent yet.

I'm open to any and all suggestions. B ideally wants to buy whatever we buy used (or extremely cheaply). I just want to make the right decision.

Thanks in advance! I'm positively drowning in uncertainties.