Domestic Adventures

Micah: “I’m not a hunk of meat — I’m a hunk of meat that’s ALIVE!!!!”

Summer was great and much needed, but I think we’re all pretty happy to have some structure to our days again. We started school on Monday, and the week has been great. After much indecision about curriculum, I finally decided on Adventures in My Father’s World and so far we’re loving it. We also added Spelling by Sound and Structure, and are continuing with Miquon Math. I’m particularly pleased that Adventures focuses on U.S. History and corresponds nicely with what we’re studying in co-op this year.
Micah is joining us at the table this year for Bible and he has his own workbook and activities. After about an hour with Emmie and I, he spends some time on the computer while Emmie and I work on history, reading, and math. We’re only one week in, but so far it’s going beautifully. Even Isaac is cooperating nicely. Of course it helps that I’m not pregnant, and no one’s doing major construction in the kitchen, and it’s not my first year. Perhaps starting that way last year has done a lot to make this beginning feel so smooth and easy.

According to Emmaline…

“First we start running around, and then we get in each other’s way. Then we start complaining at each other, and then we both start laughing. That’s how arguing goes when it’s people who love each other.”

Last week, Micah came down with a growly, icky cough. Being the totally responsible parents that we are, we’ve taught our children all about the evils of germs and the importance of washing your hands and covering your mouth when you cough.

So one day Emmie came running from her room nearly in tears. “Micah’s upset because I won’t play his game and so he coughed his germs all over me!”

Indeed, not two days later, Emmie came down with a growly, icky cough.

They’ve both been strictly forbidden from coughing anywhere near Isaac lest he get caught in the crossfire.

I love that my kids love the children’s illustrator exhibits the art museum hosts each summer. Last year’s featured artist was William Joyce, an author and illustrator we dearly love. This year’s artist, Jerry Pinkney, was new to me, though he has illustrated many classics such as Aesop’s Fables, The Ugly Duckling, and Rikki-Tikki-Tavi. We checked out an armload of his books this summer, and it was fun to watch the kids’ eyes light up as they recognized paintings from the different stories. Then we spent some time in the cosy reading area and the kids enjoyed finding the paintings from those books. Rikki-Tikki-Tavi has become a favorite in our house.
Also displayed were rough sketches and drafts. Emmie and I talked about how the drafts were different from the final versions and how the artist changed his ideas around as he went. We looked at the details in the paintings, noticing how in a painting of some mice, the mice looked so real, but when you looked closely you could see he used not just brown or gray paint, but also blue and orange in the fur. It’s fun to take time to notice the details with children.
Can’t wait to see who next year’s illustrator is. I wonder if they take suggestions. Who would you choose?

“Being upset with an imaginary something doesn’t do anyone any harm.”

FYI

Pictures turn out so much better when the picture-taking process is fun. Fed-up with studio experiences, we turned to Megan for our family portraits this time. She spent a couple of hours at our house Saturday taking photos. There wasn’t a lot of posing, just us being us (sometimes rather chaotically) with Megan snapping hundreds of photos along the way. To get pictures of Emmaline and Micah, she patiently sat in their room while they played, and looked for opportune moments.
Check out her blog where she’s already posted a sneek peek at the pictures.