My husband was off work today because of Veteran's Day. He is employed by the Federal Government, so ergo, holiday for him today. He put on the teacher hat, and asked if he could assign the kids an essay. I had a brief moment where I wanted to say "No", not in our schedule for the day. But these once-in-a-while essays seem important to my husband. He's done this before, and, okay, I'm all for having my kids write and write and write.
So he asked Sarah and Jeremy to write an essay on "What is Veteran's Day?" and "Why do we celebrate it?" Reprinted below are their completed work, exactly as they wrote it:
by Jeremy
Veteran's Day is a holiday where we celebrate those who have given their lives for our country. Although quite a lot of soldiers died in the wars we won the battles that we fought. Many soldiers probably got an award for there deeds of fighting. Through the battles of World War I and World War II there were great losses in soldiers, but our soldiers came through and won. It must have been a terrible fight, but our soldiers kept fighting and resisted. And that is why we have this holiday, Veteran's Day.
by Sarah
Veterans' Day is a federal holiday when we recognize all soldiers who have served in the army. It is a great chance to show our appreciation for men and women who have fought for our country's freedom. War is a dirty business and I don't think it is very pleasant. What is the most amazing thing about soldiers? It is the fact that they sign-up for the army of their own freewill! They aren't drafted by the government, soldiers do it simply out of love for our sweet country and for our liberty.
So there you have it. I admit that I'm especially proud of Jeremy's. His writing has come a long way, and Tom and I both thought it was pretty darn good! And Sarah's......"War is a dirty business"....I mean, come on.....that's just priceless.
Tom posted these on his Facebook page, which tells you how proud he is. Just putting them out there, in all their unedited glory. I'm glad he did, and I'm proud to post them here.
P.S. I admit that I asked Tom if he thought their essays made me look like a good homeschooling Mama. He said Yes. Whew.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Trees
Jeremy got a perfect score on his math test this morning (as a side note, he was up just before 7 A.M. to get a jump on his schoolwork!). Yes, this is something to praise and he should certainly be proud. But, why blog about it? And what on earth does it have to do with "Trees"????
Be patient, Dear Reader; I'll make my case my blog's end.
I'm in my eighth year of homeschooling. Wow!!!! I've completed seven years of educating my kids at home. I say "Wow" not at all because I'm patting myself on my back for this. It's just that it seems like I just started yesterday......where has the time gone? And why don't I have more figured out with this homeschooling thing? One would think I'd be better at this.....but, alas, I've learned it doesn't quite work that way.
In fact, I would liken my homeschooling-mama journey with my Faith journey, my walk with Christ. These two things aren't at all like learning to ride a bike, or finishing a Sudoku puzzle. With the bike and the puzzle, there's a goal, an end in sight. With patience and perseverance (and, unfortunately perhaps, after many scrapes and tears), one soon is pedaling away down the street amidst cheers and applause from mom and dad; big grin ensues from child. Then that skill is with the child forever and ever. So, too, with the puzzle.....think hard, analyze, erase (perhaps), and lo and behold, you have the whole grid filled in with numbers and a sense of accomplishment follows. Task done. On to the next thing in your day.
Homeschooling and following Jesus??? Not so much.
We never "arrive" with homeschooling or our Faith-walk; they are never "done". They both are journeys with varying "goals", but we're always tweaking, we're always trying to do better. And, boy oh boy, could I do better with both!!!! I guess one could say that the end-goal with my homeschooling is to graduate my kids successfully. This is true (if I don't first enroll them in school in a fit of frustration!). :-) The process by which I help them receive their diploma is not clear-cut, though; there's not going to be an ah-ha moment where I get to then sit back and be done, and watch them learn. Always tweaking, always evolving.....And with my Faith? Well, perhaps that's better left for another blog post....
"Wait....what about those trees???"
Well, there's one thing I am certain of in this homeschooling thing. One key to success for any homeschooling Mama is to strike the right balance between the forest and the trees. Have I found the right balance??? HA!!! Surely you jest. Are you kidding? Heck no! And I probably won't EVER, even if I reach the "goal" of graduating my youngest (which will be in the year 2025....GASP!!!). What do I mean by the trees and forest metaphor, then?
I've got to see the big picture, the forest, as I homeschool my kids. I've got to step back and remember the big goal here. I get to spend inordinate amounts of time with my precious gifts from God. While I do need a break often, and tons of coffee, I plain and simple enjoy my kids' company. As goofy as this sounds, I'd miss them if they were in school all day!!! And we wouldn't have gotten to enjoy all these great books together that we've read over these seven years. Not reading to my older two for a couple of hours every afternoon would make me sad. The big picture is discipling them at home, in addition to educating them and preparing them to contribute to society.
But seeing the bigger picture doesn't mean that I ignore the trees in our forest.
So here come the trees and what it has to do with Jeremy acing his math test. We recently took a step back with J's math. He was struggling. Not his best subject. He was getting way too many wrong on each lesson, and it was time to stop and review, and build a stronger math platform. That's my job. Making sure my kids get this stuff sufficiently. I HAD TO STOP AND SEE THIS PARTICULAR TREE IN OUR HOMESCHOOLING FOREST. THIS TREE WAS SAGGING AND IN DESPERATE NEED OF ATTENTION. But, I confess that it took me a bit too long to recognize this issue. I shouldn't have let him go that far with that many errors in his lessons.
So we went back about 20-odd lessons, and quite simply, J redid them. I retaught each concept, and we discussed problems with which he particularly struggles (story problems, for example). We're seeing the fruits of this methodical review. Case in point, this morning's math test. J's math "tree" is growing stronger, and more importantly, he is gaining math confidence. Awesome to witness!!! Fist-pumping as we correct his lessons is now a common occurrence! :-)
So we've come full circle (well, if I did my blog-writing job well, that is). I will always struggle with our family's forest and trees. Right now, I whine and rant and stomp about trees, and I am neglecting to remember the bigger picture. See???? I told you I didn't have this figured out. What I DO have figured out, though, is that God has called me to do this. And He won't forsake me in this. He will carry me, and He will forgive me when I make mistakes (and, boy, will there be many). And the Holy Spirit will convict me when either the forest gets or the trees get forgotten. I am thankful for that.
Be patient, Dear Reader; I'll make my case my blog's end.
I'm in my eighth year of homeschooling. Wow!!!! I've completed seven years of educating my kids at home. I say "Wow" not at all because I'm patting myself on my back for this. It's just that it seems like I just started yesterday......where has the time gone? And why don't I have more figured out with this homeschooling thing? One would think I'd be better at this.....but, alas, I've learned it doesn't quite work that way.
In fact, I would liken my homeschooling-mama journey with my Faith journey, my walk with Christ. These two things aren't at all like learning to ride a bike, or finishing a Sudoku puzzle. With the bike and the puzzle, there's a goal, an end in sight. With patience and perseverance (and, unfortunately perhaps, after many scrapes and tears), one soon is pedaling away down the street amidst cheers and applause from mom and dad; big grin ensues from child. Then that skill is with the child forever and ever. So, too, with the puzzle.....think hard, analyze, erase (perhaps), and lo and behold, you have the whole grid filled in with numbers and a sense of accomplishment follows. Task done. On to the next thing in your day.
Homeschooling and following Jesus??? Not so much.
We never "arrive" with homeschooling or our Faith-walk; they are never "done". They both are journeys with varying "goals", but we're always tweaking, we're always trying to do better. And, boy oh boy, could I do better with both!!!! I guess one could say that the end-goal with my homeschooling is to graduate my kids successfully. This is true (if I don't first enroll them in school in a fit of frustration!). :-) The process by which I help them receive their diploma is not clear-cut, though; there's not going to be an ah-ha moment where I get to then sit back and be done, and watch them learn. Always tweaking, always evolving.....And with my Faith? Well, perhaps that's better left for another blog post....
"Wait....what about those trees???"
Well, there's one thing I am certain of in this homeschooling thing. One key to success for any homeschooling Mama is to strike the right balance between the forest and the trees. Have I found the right balance??? HA!!! Surely you jest. Are you kidding? Heck no! And I probably won't EVER, even if I reach the "goal" of graduating my youngest (which will be in the year 2025....GASP!!!). What do I mean by the trees and forest metaphor, then?
I've got to see the big picture, the forest, as I homeschool my kids. I've got to step back and remember the big goal here. I get to spend inordinate amounts of time with my precious gifts from God. While I do need a break often, and tons of coffee, I plain and simple enjoy my kids' company. As goofy as this sounds, I'd miss them if they were in school all day!!! And we wouldn't have gotten to enjoy all these great books together that we've read over these seven years. Not reading to my older two for a couple of hours every afternoon would make me sad. The big picture is discipling them at home, in addition to educating them and preparing them to contribute to society.
But seeing the bigger picture doesn't mean that I ignore the trees in our forest.
So here come the trees and what it has to do with Jeremy acing his math test. We recently took a step back with J's math. He was struggling. Not his best subject. He was getting way too many wrong on each lesson, and it was time to stop and review, and build a stronger math platform. That's my job. Making sure my kids get this stuff sufficiently. I HAD TO STOP AND SEE THIS PARTICULAR TREE IN OUR HOMESCHOOLING FOREST. THIS TREE WAS SAGGING AND IN DESPERATE NEED OF ATTENTION. But, I confess that it took me a bit too long to recognize this issue. I shouldn't have let him go that far with that many errors in his lessons.
So we went back about 20-odd lessons, and quite simply, J redid them. I retaught each concept, and we discussed problems with which he particularly struggles (story problems, for example). We're seeing the fruits of this methodical review. Case in point, this morning's math test. J's math "tree" is growing stronger, and more importantly, he is gaining math confidence. Awesome to witness!!! Fist-pumping as we correct his lessons is now a common occurrence! :-)
So we've come full circle (well, if I did my blog-writing job well, that is). I will always struggle with our family's forest and trees. Right now, I whine and rant and stomp about trees, and I am neglecting to remember the bigger picture. See???? I told you I didn't have this figured out. What I DO have figured out, though, is that God has called me to do this. And He won't forsake me in this. He will carry me, and He will forgive me when I make mistakes (and, boy, will there be many). And the Holy Spirit will convict me when either the forest gets or the trees get forgotten. I am thankful for that.
Friday, October 29, 2010
"Let's Give Her Something to Blog About"
(The above blog title should be sung to Bonnie Raitt's "Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About") :-)
I would like to be a blogger that blogs every day. However, a lot of the time, when I reflect upon our day, I am uninspired; nothing stands out as blog-worthy. Such was not the case yesterday! Several things occurred after which I thought, "Oh....I gotta blog about that."; it was a blog-worthy Thursday.
1) EARLY BIRD: When I staggered downstairs to get my much-needed morning coffee going, Jeremy, my 5th grader, was laying on the couch. When he saw me, he bounded up and said, "Mama, I got my math, my Rod & Staff (grammar), my Latin, my Roots of English and my critical thinking done." The clock said 8:15 am-ish!!! I asked him what time he got up. He said 7:15 am. I asked, "Why?" (wouldn't you if your adolescent voluntarily got up that early???). He said so that he could get his work done. Well, bless your little heart, Jeremy. I was proud of him. And I was amused because he was so proud of himself. Then my thoughts turned to Sarah, my not-so-perky-in-the- morning 7th grader. Why, oh why, does it take her one hour to complete ONE subject, and her "little" brother can complete almost his entire day of school in roughly that same amount of time?? *Deep breath* (see above blog post) I feel slightly ashamed, though, too. I think my kids are pretty sick of me ranting and raving (sometimes a little too loudly) about us not getting our work done every day.
2) A SIGN OF THE TIMES: I was making my bed, and picking up a pile of clothes my husband had left on the floor by his side of the bed (not an irritant to me; I do it too). I noticed that he had two different styles of socks that he'd worn the night before with his evening lounge clothes. I knew exactly why. *SIGH* It wasn't because he's a poor sock matcher. It's because he thought I was behind in washing whites; he felt compelled to grab whatever white socks were in his sock bin, regardless of their length (one was a sock that came to mid-calf, the other was a bootie-style of sock). I'm sure he was fearful of asking whether there were any clean socks around so that he could have a matching pair. He was fearful of me yelling, "No! So I'm behind in the wash? So sue me!!!" (or something like that) Oh, no, dear husband, I'm caught up on the WASHING, thank you very much. :-) I'm just not caught up on the sorting, folding and putting away of it all. Doesn't he know by now that when in doubt, look for a basket of clean laundry somewhere in the house, that you're sure to find what you're looking for??
3) A BURST OF CREATIVENESS: The kids and I played Matthew's I Spy Bingo game yesterday afternoon. Matthew knows his letters, and even the sounds they make. So, I'm trying to take him to the next level. We're working on writing his letters. We're even working on blending simple, short vowel words (bat, hat, sat, etc.). He needs work on recognizing beginning sounds, ending sounds, etc., so that's the twist I put on the game for Matthew. I drew a card and said, "I spy a letter that starts the word ______." And in order to be able to place the tile on that space, if his board showed that letter, he'd have to correctly tell me the letter that makes that beginning sound of the word I said. He did very well. What about for the older kids? They are WAY beyond letter sounds, etc. How do I make this game educational? Normally I'd sit there for a long time, pondering this. But an answer came to me right away. Sarah and Jeremy, in order to be able to cover up the letter on their board, had to give me a term from our history studies that begins with that letter. For example, when the letter "D" was drawn, Sarah blurted out "Diocletian", the Roman emperor that divided the Roman Empire in two when it got too big for just him to rule. So fun!!! I fudged on a few things; like the letter "X"......YOU try to come up with a historical term that starts with the letter X. Anyway, it was a good time, and a display of creativeness that is few and far between with me.
I would like to be a blogger that blogs every day. However, a lot of the time, when I reflect upon our day, I am uninspired; nothing stands out as blog-worthy. Such was not the case yesterday! Several things occurred after which I thought, "Oh....I gotta blog about that."; it was a blog-worthy Thursday.
1) EARLY BIRD: When I staggered downstairs to get my much-needed morning coffee going, Jeremy, my 5th grader, was laying on the couch. When he saw me, he bounded up and said, "Mama, I got my math, my Rod & Staff (grammar), my Latin, my Roots of English and my critical thinking done." The clock said 8:15 am-ish!!! I asked him what time he got up. He said 7:15 am. I asked, "Why?" (wouldn't you if your adolescent voluntarily got up that early???). He said so that he could get his work done. Well, bless your little heart, Jeremy. I was proud of him. And I was amused because he was so proud of himself. Then my thoughts turned to Sarah, my not-so-perky-in-the- morning 7th grader. Why, oh why, does it take her one hour to complete ONE subject, and her "little" brother can complete almost his entire day of school in roughly that same amount of time?? *Deep breath* (see above blog post) I feel slightly ashamed, though, too. I think my kids are pretty sick of me ranting and raving (sometimes a little too loudly) about us not getting our work done every day.
2) A SIGN OF THE TIMES: I was making my bed, and picking up a pile of clothes my husband had left on the floor by his side of the bed (not an irritant to me; I do it too). I noticed that he had two different styles of socks that he'd worn the night before with his evening lounge clothes. I knew exactly why. *SIGH* It wasn't because he's a poor sock matcher. It's because he thought I was behind in washing whites; he felt compelled to grab whatever white socks were in his sock bin, regardless of their length (one was a sock that came to mid-calf, the other was a bootie-style of sock). I'm sure he was fearful of asking whether there were any clean socks around so that he could have a matching pair. He was fearful of me yelling, "No! So I'm behind in the wash? So sue me!!!" (or something like that) Oh, no, dear husband, I'm caught up on the WASHING, thank you very much. :-) I'm just not caught up on the sorting, folding and putting away of it all. Doesn't he know by now that when in doubt, look for a basket of clean laundry somewhere in the house, that you're sure to find what you're looking for??
3) A BURST OF CREATIVENESS: The kids and I played Matthew's I Spy Bingo game yesterday afternoon. Matthew knows his letters, and even the sounds they make. So, I'm trying to take him to the next level. We're working on writing his letters. We're even working on blending simple, short vowel words (bat, hat, sat, etc.). He needs work on recognizing beginning sounds, ending sounds, etc., so that's the twist I put on the game for Matthew. I drew a card and said, "I spy a letter that starts the word ______." And in order to be able to place the tile on that space, if his board showed that letter, he'd have to correctly tell me the letter that makes that beginning sound of the word I said. He did very well. What about for the older kids? They are WAY beyond letter sounds, etc. How do I make this game educational? Normally I'd sit there for a long time, pondering this. But an answer came to me right away. Sarah and Jeremy, in order to be able to cover up the letter on their board, had to give me a term from our history studies that begins with that letter. For example, when the letter "D" was drawn, Sarah blurted out "Diocletian", the Roman emperor that divided the Roman Empire in two when it got too big for just him to rule. So fun!!! I fudged on a few things; like the letter "X"......YOU try to come up with a historical term that starts with the letter X. Anyway, it was a good time, and a display of creativeness that is few and far between with me.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Take a Deep Breath
So we homeschool. People who don't homeschool seemed intent on making me out to be some super-patient, super-organized, super-"fill in the blank" Mama. My pat answer is to say that, yes, indeed, I do homeschool, but I don't ever claim to do it well. And as for patience......well, if only they were a fly on my wall!
So today we homeschooled. And I for sure won't claim that today went well. I surely can't claim that anything about this year is going particularly well.
What is the deal? What is wrong? Why, oh why, does it seem so hard this year, as if I were just embarking on this adventure? I flounder, I scramble, I fumble, I yell, I stagger, I search and search for things and papers. And now I'm asking why. And I'm trying to find my way out of this.
I recently talked about this very thing with a dear friend and homeschooling mentor who has graduated a child from her homeschool. She understood and appropriately sympathized. But she also told me not to lose sight of the bigger picture; she got me to see that it doesn't have to be perfect, that I just have to take this day-by-day, moment by moment. And through this conversation I remembered something another friend said about HER homeschooling efforts: she wanted to find the JOY again in what she did.
So here's the deal: I need to take a deep breath.....EVERY DAY.....every chance I get, really. I need to smile more, and enjoy this path we have taken as a family. I need to reflect on why I chose to respond to God's call to do this. I need to remember that I do, indeed, WANT to do this. This wasn't foisted upon me. I open my arms to this task. I embrace it, I cherish it. I am this.
*Deep breath*
So today we homeschooled. And I for sure won't claim that today went well. I surely can't claim that anything about this year is going particularly well.
What is the deal? What is wrong? Why, oh why, does it seem so hard this year, as if I were just embarking on this adventure? I flounder, I scramble, I fumble, I yell, I stagger, I search and search for things and papers. And now I'm asking why. And I'm trying to find my way out of this.
I recently talked about this very thing with a dear friend and homeschooling mentor who has graduated a child from her homeschool. She understood and appropriately sympathized. But she also told me not to lose sight of the bigger picture; she got me to see that it doesn't have to be perfect, that I just have to take this day-by-day, moment by moment. And through this conversation I remembered something another friend said about HER homeschooling efforts: she wanted to find the JOY again in what she did.
So here's the deal: I need to take a deep breath.....EVERY DAY.....every chance I get, really. I need to smile more, and enjoy this path we have taken as a family. I need to reflect on why I chose to respond to God's call to do this. I need to remember that I do, indeed, WANT to do this. This wasn't foisted upon me. I open my arms to this task. I embrace it, I cherish it. I am this.
*Deep breath*
Monday, August 16, 2010
Read-Aloud
We finished The Swiss Family Robinson last night (finally!). We started this book last winter as a fun read-aloud, meaning one that did not link up at all with our history studies. And after many delays and much perseverance, it's done.
That fact is exciting and disappointing at the same time. It's exciting because I ALWAYS love the process of picking and starting a new book. That is a very exhilirating process for me (I'm a weirdo, I know). But, yet, I'm sad to be saying good-bye to the Robinson's.....Father, Mother, Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz. They have been a comforting presence these past months, albeit sometimes way in the background of our lives. They've been in the forefront a lot lately, though; in an effort to finish the book before our school year begins, we've been faithful in our visits with them.
Although their shipwreck at the beginning of the story was rather heartwrenching, the group quickly displayed their resourcefulness and faith in God as they pulled up their bootstraps and set about making for themselves a home on the island on which they found themselves.
**Started the above post a couple of months ago, with the intention of returning to it to finish it. Well, it's simply time to post this thing. I'll wrap it up by saying "The Swiss Family Robinson" will go down as one of my favorite books that I've read aloud to the kids.
Would I have been so thankful in similar circumstances??
That fact is exciting and disappointing at the same time. It's exciting because I ALWAYS love the process of picking and starting a new book. That is a very exhilirating process for me (I'm a weirdo, I know). But, yet, I'm sad to be saying good-bye to the Robinson's.....Father, Mother, Fritz, Ernest, Jack and Franz. They have been a comforting presence these past months, albeit sometimes way in the background of our lives. They've been in the forefront a lot lately, though; in an effort to finish the book before our school year begins, we've been faithful in our visits with them.
Although their shipwreck at the beginning of the story was rather heartwrenching, the group quickly displayed their resourcefulness and faith in God as they pulled up their bootstraps and set about making for themselves a home on the island on which they found themselves.
**Started the above post a couple of months ago, with the intention of returning to it to finish it. Well, it's simply time to post this thing. I'll wrap it up by saying "The Swiss Family Robinson" will go down as one of my favorite books that I've read aloud to the kids.
Would I have been so thankful in similar circumstances??
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Book sale
I went to a book sale at a local library recently. I haven't been to many of these before, although I always intend to when I see these sales advertised. I'm glad I acted this time and went.
The sale started at 5pm; I arrived at about 4:45pm, intending to browse the library's shelves while I waited for the sale opening. This library was across town, so it was not my usual haunt; I was looking forward to the newness of it all. Well, there was a line when I arrived. I at first was amazed. This is a simple, small library book sale after all. What did these people think they were going to find? But then, I thought, well, these people are like me...hoping to find just one treasure in there, amidst all the piles of library "discards". It made me happy to see other treasure-seeking book lovers, but I also felt a bit territorial. Nobody better grab MY treasure!!
The doors opened and we all filed in; didn't take very long....lots of anxious treasure-seekers. The energy when I first walked in was palpable. The hunt was on!!! Not much talking, lots of scurrying for an open spot to do our seeking. My first glance through a box of potential treasure ended in heart-sinking disappointment. I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to find diddly-squat!!! And then I thought, do I really want to pay $2 for a bag that is filled with two or three books??? But I persevered and tried to politely edge my way to the kids' section.
That's when I saw a book pirranha in human form. A woman had a stack of books in her arm that was about 18 inches high, and we're talking a stack of kids' books; i.e., THIN picture-book type books, so you get the picture of how many books she had snatched up. And boy was she still snatching!!! I was kind of close, but had no desire to get any closer. I was a bit put off by her borderline frantic grabbing from the boxes. There's no way she was being at all discerning as to WHAT she was grabbing. She simply wanted to grab for grab's sake. I inwardly shook my head, and thought, well, if she wants the stuff that bad, I won't get in her way. And she seemed to have a support system there, like she'd done this many times before. Others with her that took her stack when it got unbearable to handle. A serious library sale pro, I guess.
Well, I walked away with two bulging plastic bags of books, more books stuffed in these plastic bags than I ever thought possible! Imagine that! I was patient, kept an open-mind and methodically browsed almost every box (except for the video and non-fiction box, which seemed to be filled with how-to manuals mostly). And I surprisingly stumbled upon some good stuff. And whaddya know??? I even found a few kids books that the vulture left for us underlings, books that I thought Matthew would like.
I found a Dickens book ("The Pickwick Papers"), "Freckles" by Gene Stratton-Porter, Steinbeck's "Cannery Row", "The Master of Ballantrae" by Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few. All in all I was very pleased with the success of my venture.
No real treasure....no first editions or signed copies overlooked by the library that could've put me on "Antiques Roadshow" and allowed Tom and I to retire early, but truth be told, aren't all books treasures??
The sale started at 5pm; I arrived at about 4:45pm, intending to browse the library's shelves while I waited for the sale opening. This library was across town, so it was not my usual haunt; I was looking forward to the newness of it all. Well, there was a line when I arrived. I at first was amazed. This is a simple, small library book sale after all. What did these people think they were going to find? But then, I thought, well, these people are like me...hoping to find just one treasure in there, amidst all the piles of library "discards". It made me happy to see other treasure-seeking book lovers, but I also felt a bit territorial. Nobody better grab MY treasure!!
The doors opened and we all filed in; didn't take very long....lots of anxious treasure-seekers. The energy when I first walked in was palpable. The hunt was on!!! Not much talking, lots of scurrying for an open spot to do our seeking. My first glance through a box of potential treasure ended in heart-sinking disappointment. I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to find diddly-squat!!! And then I thought, do I really want to pay $2 for a bag that is filled with two or three books??? But I persevered and tried to politely edge my way to the kids' section.
That's when I saw a book pirranha in human form. A woman had a stack of books in her arm that was about 18 inches high, and we're talking a stack of kids' books; i.e., THIN picture-book type books, so you get the picture of how many books she had snatched up. And boy was she still snatching!!! I was kind of close, but had no desire to get any closer. I was a bit put off by her borderline frantic grabbing from the boxes. There's no way she was being at all discerning as to WHAT she was grabbing. She simply wanted to grab for grab's sake. I inwardly shook my head, and thought, well, if she wants the stuff that bad, I won't get in her way. And she seemed to have a support system there, like she'd done this many times before. Others with her that took her stack when it got unbearable to handle. A serious library sale pro, I guess.
Well, I walked away with two bulging plastic bags of books, more books stuffed in these plastic bags than I ever thought possible! Imagine that! I was patient, kept an open-mind and methodically browsed almost every box (except for the video and non-fiction box, which seemed to be filled with how-to manuals mostly). And I surprisingly stumbled upon some good stuff. And whaddya know??? I even found a few kids books that the vulture left for us underlings, books that I thought Matthew would like.
I found a Dickens book ("The Pickwick Papers"), "Freckles" by Gene Stratton-Porter, Steinbeck's "Cannery Row", "The Master of Ballantrae" by Robert Louis Stevenson, to name a few. All in all I was very pleased with the success of my venture.
No real treasure....no first editions or signed copies overlooked by the library that could've put me on "Antiques Roadshow" and allowed Tom and I to retire early, but truth be told, aren't all books treasures??
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Blog
Here is a blog of which I recently became aware:
www.storyformed.com
It is written/maintained by Sarah Clarkson, daughter of Clay and Sally Clarkson, homeschool and parenting authors and founders of Whole Heart Ministries.
I applaud Sarah for following AND sharing her passion for books. I'm envious. Envious because she's doing what I'd love to do. And thankful. Thankful because she's spreading far and wide how positively influential books are.
I always, always find it comforting to run across other people who are as passionate, dare I say obsessive, about books as I am. Literary kindred spirits.
Thank you, Sarah.
Enjoy!!
www.storyformed.com
It is written/maintained by Sarah Clarkson, daughter of Clay and Sally Clarkson, homeschool and parenting authors and founders of Whole Heart Ministries.
I applaud Sarah for following AND sharing her passion for books. I'm envious. Envious because she's doing what I'd love to do. And thankful. Thankful because she's spreading far and wide how positively influential books are.
I always, always find it comforting to run across other people who are as passionate, dare I say obsessive, about books as I am. Literary kindred spirits.
Thank you, Sarah.
Enjoy!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Welcome!
My second attempt at blogging about our homeschool journey! Hopefully I can customize this new blog to look the way I want, namely, the way I had my first one set up. I am determined to remain patient, and I ask the same of you, Reader. Each time you visit here it may look different as I play around with things (maybe my friend Jenny can enlighten me on how to use blogspot...*Hint*).
Anyway, enjoy and thanks for visiting!
Anyway, enjoy and thanks for visiting!
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