April 29th. Yes. It is STILL snowing here. The scenery has not changed much since the last time I used this photo. It's been a popular one with me this season. Okay, we do have some grass greening up now, and the trees are starting to bud, and I have seen a few bugs out. But it will be snowing, or at least raining, for the rest of the week. 

So we decided we would go do something that every other mom in our town is probably thinking of doing this week, too, and that is swimming at the local motel pool. We are hoping all the other moms are planning to take their kids later in the week, and we'll go today.  

So we drive the 1.1 miles to the motel and behold, disappointment! A sign on the door says the pool and hot tub are closed until further notice. Can you imagine being a ten year old, beside yourself with anticipation, and making this discovery? Life is cruel.

We are fortunate to have another motel 15 miles away, another one that has public swimming hours. But they open later. On the phone they don't sound nearly as friendly, but we'll sneak in there in a bit and get three good hours of swimming in before the federal school, lets out. 

News:  Betz is now wearing glasses, much to her discomfort. She is very cute in them, but you know how it is when you feel conspicuous. Amy is graduating this spring and even though I knew that, the event has kind of snuck up on me. I need to at least order some announcements. Emily has joined the Junior Master Gardener Program for our county. Not sure what that entails yet, but I hope it instills in her a love for growing things. I discovered, or maybe rediscovered, the Project Based Homeschool website and book. I always seem to come across these things in the spring, and then by the next fall I'll be back to ordering very "box"-conforming textbooks for school. I'm hoping that will change this year. It can change. I can change. I can, I can. Lord willing, I will change.

Time to go swimming. Hopefully the pool will be empty. :)

April 16th.  You just thought spring was here!

There are a few drafts in the works, but I will probably never get them written. Life happens. I am going to post one of them for the photos, if nothing else, because in about four years my girls will scroll thru my old blog posts again, and they will be greatly entertained.  

We've been to the history museum, gone to a play, dissected rabbits, shot a gun for the first time, collected maple sap for syrup, started walking (that was before we had mounds of spring snow), visited a lovely farm, baked cookies and muffins and that amazing whole wheat banana raisin bread, nearly slid off the road into the lake (that was today), and gone to a party for the 5th and 6th grade girls at our co-op.

I have taught math and English, reviewed algebra, read up on the terrible secret history of Lithuania/Latvia/Estonia/Finland under Stalin's regime, had a date with my husband, and invented succulent dishes for my family.

And today, after a long hiatus from reading all the weekly posts on the Carnival of Homeschooling, I was challenged again by other parents who are thinkers and movers and defenders of our privilege to teach our own children and to decide what that means. This post by Lori Pickert, at Project-Based Homeschooling, was particularly meaningful. Unfortunately for me, the timing was bad.  My reading of the post coincided with one daughter's bold insistence that this stuff we call "school" really doesn't matter in the long run and is therefore a complete waste of time. Other than my insufficient but standard response, "You need to be able to teach your kids this stuff, so they can teach their kids this stuff," I am out of arguments. She desperately wants a real job, to learn stuff of life the real way, and the PBH post backs her up nicely. I don't know what to do now. But I never really have known what to do, so I'm no worse off today than I was yesterday. :)  Lord, show me! ...I'll probably figure it out a week after I graduate child #4. And hopefully my realization will be accompanied by a sense of affirmation, not one of regrets.

I'll be back.

*     *    *

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; 

and what doth the LORD require of thee, 

but to do justly, and to love mercy, 

and to walk humbly with thy God?

Micah 6:8

(I didn't see anything about school in there. Did you?)

I broke my mini tablet a couple weeks ago. Three months ago I didn't have one and I didn't want one. But then Alison picked one up for me just because ♥. I got over the aggravating learning curve enough to get involved with "Scramble With Friends". And I practiced until I felt confident enough to play against a real online opponent. I won the first round! And then I dropped my tablet and smashed the glass thingie, whatever it's called. You know, the screen thing.

Sigh.

I kind of missed that aggravating thing.  

For a few days I wanted to replace it with a smart phone, or at least an iPod. I even went so far as to look for an iPod giveaway contest. (As if I'd win!)

But now that a few more days have gone by, I'm back to thinking like I did before I had my tablet.

I think I am.

But in the event that I am ever gifted with another one, that will probably make me happy.

I'm going to end up one of those old ladies who is still in the dark ages with her rotary telephone, without any friends or family because their friends and family are modern people and don't know how to connect with loved ones the old fashioned way.

But I'll still have my blog. :)