Friday, September 26, 2008
The Substitute Teacher
So, what do you do when you get sick? It's an important question and one I thought I might have asked myself before now. However, it somehow escaped me. Today I was sick. I had a fever and chills, dizzy spells and was sweating. Not pretty. Instead of having to stick my kids in front of the TV, Baxter stepped in. He took them to the Botanical Gardens by our house, read a book on leaves and collected some specimens on a nature hike with the kids. How wonderful is that? So despite my still queasy stomach and loss of equilibrium, I wanted to dash off a few lines for Baxter, the father of my children and the best substitute teacher any homeschool mom could ask for. I thank God for him daily.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Raising a Little Cain of My Own
Well, I finished the book, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys, the other day. It was not very long but it took me a long time to read. I had to pause after each section and reflect. It's one of those books. I feel like my eyes have been opened. I feel like I can finally, truly, understand my son. What a blessing! It had been on my reading list for a long time - ever since I saw part of the PBS documentary based on the book way back when I was pregnant with Ford. I knew I wanted to read it eventually. I was under the impression that as long as I read it before he was 12, I'd be okay. I basically thought those parental pitfalls would occur later, not sooner. Now, I wish I had read it then, while I was pregnant, instead of East of Eden. I know there are things I do - have done - that are flawed. I expect different things from Ford than from Abby. Like the book suggests, I expect less of him and more of him (but not in the good ways). Let me explain. I expect him to be more aggressive and I chalk it up to "boy-ness" and view it as normal (lower expectations) while at the same time, I expect him to be tough when he's just a 3 year old (higher expectations).
I have been blessed with a son and a daughter. In many ways, this is ideal. We often quip that we have "one of each". But my children are not Happy Meal prizes to collect. They are different in many ways and to finally be able to recognize the real differences and put aside my own stereotypes is a very powerful thing. Baxter...wait for the drum roll...is reading it too. As much as I got out of it, I think he will gain far more insight.
After a frustrating time of misunderstanding Ford, now I feel equipped with the right set of tools for raising the man that he will someday become. If you have a son, or simply work with boys in a classroom or other setting, take a little time to read this wonderfully insightful book.
I have been blessed with a son and a daughter. In many ways, this is ideal. We often quip that we have "one of each". But my children are not Happy Meal prizes to collect. They are different in many ways and to finally be able to recognize the real differences and put aside my own stereotypes is a very powerful thing. Baxter...wait for the drum roll...is reading it too. As much as I got out of it, I think he will gain far more insight.
After a frustrating time of misunderstanding Ford, now I feel equipped with the right set of tools for raising the man that he will someday become. If you have a son, or simply work with boys in a classroom or other setting, take a little time to read this wonderfully insightful book.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Seven years
Seven is kind of a magic number. According to superstition, when you break a mirror, you have seven years of bad luck. There are seven days in the week, seven seals to the apocalypse (at least according to that 1980s Demi Moore horror movie) and according to another movie starring Marilyn Monroe, after seven years of marriage, you've got an itch.
No matter the scenario, seven years has a sort of ominous tone to it. I was very pregnant on our first anniversary and we spent it hiking all over Cumberland Island before settling down to a French Provincial picnic. Our subsequent anniversaries have been shared by our children and all have been very special. We always do our best to make it an intimate and sweet occasion, much like our wedding was. I'm looking forward to our 10th anniversary. I explained to Baxter that I'm expecting one of those "eternity" bands as well as dinner at The Dining Room and a night at the Ritz - just like our wedding night. In fact, a trip to Paris afterwards would be just about perfect. That Honeymoon was fabulous and I've wanted to go back ever since.
But not for the 7th. The 7th is just a strange number - too many years to be called newlyweds and too few to be called old-timers. So how are we commemorating that gorgeous September day seven years ago? I guess we'll have dinner, spend the evening talking, maybe look at our wedding or honeymoon albums - then scratch each other's itches.
No matter the scenario, seven years has a sort of ominous tone to it. I was very pregnant on our first anniversary and we spent it hiking all over Cumberland Island before settling down to a French Provincial picnic. Our subsequent anniversaries have been shared by our children and all have been very special. We always do our best to make it an intimate and sweet occasion, much like our wedding was. I'm looking forward to our 10th anniversary. I explained to Baxter that I'm expecting one of those "eternity" bands as well as dinner at The Dining Room and a night at the Ritz - just like our wedding night. In fact, a trip to Paris afterwards would be just about perfect. That Honeymoon was fabulous and I've wanted to go back ever since.
But not for the 7th. The 7th is just a strange number - too many years to be called newlyweds and too few to be called old-timers. So how are we commemorating that gorgeous September day seven years ago? I guess we'll have dinner, spend the evening talking, maybe look at our wedding or honeymoon albums - then scratch each other's itches.
Baxter & Joy Crane
September 22, 2001
Saturday, September 20, 2008
My New Blog
Well, I may not have time for it - but I started a blog all about food. My buddy, Jennifer, has a food blog and I've wanted to start one for a while now. Today, I finally did it. I often think up great blog ideas related to food and one or two have made their way here. Now, I have a forum for just such topics. If you're interested, it's called Kissin' Don't Last, Cookin' Do and there's also a link to the left of my posts under "blogs of interest". I have several friends who read my blog but don't post comments, which is fine. If you find yourself browsing my food blog, I'd like to know what you like and don't like and what you'd like to see in the future. Whether you post comments to my blog or email me directly, I really value your feedback. I hope to really have fun with it and maybe make it a place to share recipes and food ideas with each other. As always, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Starting Over
Sometimes, you just have to start over. Have you ever met someone for the first time and made a terrible impression by saying or doing the wrong thing? How I have wished I could walk out of the room, walk back in again and start all over with the introductions. Sometimes, we are better off beginning again. The other day, I got terribly lost going to a birthday party in Bishop, GA. There are only about 6 streets in Bishop - so to explain how this happened would reveal me to be, perhaps, the biggest idiot in Northeast Georgia. I was terribly late, holding very vague directions Baxter had given me and I had no network coverage. Before I got myself into a real pickle, I came all the way back to the last place I was familiar with - and started over.
We all have days like that, where for one reason or another, plowing through is just not the answer. It is often better to close your eyes, take a deep breath, clear your head and start over again.
When you have small children, these days are common. They usually involve either having planned too much to do and falling way behind schedule - or planning too little to do and leaving yourself open to misbehavior and boredom. Very early on in my life as a parent, I felt the need to find a way to quickly get over mornings like this and I found an excellent solution - one that I want to share. Very simply, when I realize that one or all of us has gotten off on the wrong foot - I scramble up some cheese-eggs, pop in some frozen biscuits and fry up some bacon or sausage and we have breakfast for lunch. I always explain to the children that we are starting over and we're going to turn around our day. Inevitably, this always works to change everyone's mood - including my own.
Often, the days that we conquer are the ones we cherish the most. We have even had breakfast for dinner many times over the last few years. Just remember, it's never too late for biscuits and apple butter.
We all have days like that, where for one reason or another, plowing through is just not the answer. It is often better to close your eyes, take a deep breath, clear your head and start over again.
When you have small children, these days are common. They usually involve either having planned too much to do and falling way behind schedule - or planning too little to do and leaving yourself open to misbehavior and boredom. Very early on in my life as a parent, I felt the need to find a way to quickly get over mornings like this and I found an excellent solution - one that I want to share. Very simply, when I realize that one or all of us has gotten off on the wrong foot - I scramble up some cheese-eggs, pop in some frozen biscuits and fry up some bacon or sausage and we have breakfast for lunch. I always explain to the children that we are starting over and we're going to turn around our day. Inevitably, this always works to change everyone's mood - including my own.
Often, the days that we conquer are the ones we cherish the most. We have even had breakfast for dinner many times over the last few years. Just remember, it's never too late for biscuits and apple butter.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Down on the Farm
A look back at the weather...
Monday: Beautiful
Tuesday: Fair to partly cloudy
Wednesday: Thunderstorms all day
Thursday: Pleasant
Friday: Clear & sunny
As you can see, the week went mostly well for our little homeschool family. Wednesday was frustrating, but we have had days like that before homeschool. In fact, I think we had more of them before homeschool started. But, I won't drag you through the mud with me. Let's focus on the good times. Endless joy, right?
Monday was great. We started off our week going to a friend's farm. They are local growers of organic produce and their place is literally about 5 minutes from my house. That tells you just how out in the sticks I really am! We were invited to "help ourselves" to an overabundance of green beans and boy did we! We filled a small basket and had I brought a larger vessel - would have had no problem filling it up. I think we gathered that from two or three plants alone. Anyway, the kids were smitten with the idea of being on their friend's farm and asked a lot of questions about what it would be like to live on an actual farm. It was a great learning experience for us. Despite the fact that we wore jeans and long socks and heavy shoes, Abby still managed to find the ants we were forewarned about and suffered several nasty bites. Still, that didn't ruin our day and we snapped and enjoyed our beans with a roasted chicken and black eyed peas. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
The Lewis' have a nice little spread and I have to admit, I envy the lifestyle. Their kids have a vast wilderness to play on compared to our microscopic yard. Although easy to keep "tidy", I am becoming disenchanted with the idea of having to take my kids somewhere in order to really play outside. How nice it would be to open the door and send them out to get good and dirty before we begin our studies every day! I definitely think they wouldn't have much of a problem sitting still after a good romp in the grass, chasing locusts or butterflies. Abby still wants to milk a cow and we may have to work that into another week later in the year if we find a good place. But, thanks to Lisa and Geoff, we had a great start to our week of study.
Other great moments - Abby strugging through and finishing Green Eggs and Ham, Abby learning to count by 10s, Ford helping me snap green beans, playing mummy on the playground with both of them and remembering just how truly sweet my kids are.
BTW - I promise to write something non-homeschool-related very soon! Sorry if you're bored!
Monday: Beautiful
Tuesday: Fair to partly cloudy
Wednesday: Thunderstorms all day
Thursday: Pleasant
Friday: Clear & sunny
As you can see, the week went mostly well for our little homeschool family. Wednesday was frustrating, but we have had days like that before homeschool. In fact, I think we had more of them before homeschool started. But, I won't drag you through the mud with me. Let's focus on the good times. Endless joy, right?
Monday was great. We started off our week going to a friend's farm. They are local growers of organic produce and their place is literally about 5 minutes from my house. That tells you just how out in the sticks I really am! We were invited to "help ourselves" to an overabundance of green beans and boy did we! We filled a small basket and had I brought a larger vessel - would have had no problem filling it up. I think we gathered that from two or three plants alone. Anyway, the kids were smitten with the idea of being on their friend's farm and asked a lot of questions about what it would be like to live on an actual farm. It was a great learning experience for us. Despite the fact that we wore jeans and long socks and heavy shoes, Abby still managed to find the ants we were forewarned about and suffered several nasty bites. Still, that didn't ruin our day and we snapped and enjoyed our beans with a roasted chicken and black eyed peas. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.
The Lewis' have a nice little spread and I have to admit, I envy the lifestyle. Their kids have a vast wilderness to play on compared to our microscopic yard. Although easy to keep "tidy", I am becoming disenchanted with the idea of having to take my kids somewhere in order to really play outside. How nice it would be to open the door and send them out to get good and dirty before we begin our studies every day! I definitely think they wouldn't have much of a problem sitting still after a good romp in the grass, chasing locusts or butterflies. Abby still wants to milk a cow and we may have to work that into another week later in the year if we find a good place. But, thanks to Lisa and Geoff, we had a great start to our week of study.
Other great moments - Abby strugging through and finishing Green Eggs and Ham, Abby learning to count by 10s, Ford helping me snap green beans, playing mummy on the playground with both of them and remembering just how truly sweet my kids are.
BTW - I promise to write something non-homeschool-related very soon! Sorry if you're bored!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Week One - Seriously Fabulous
I don't quite know what to say. Our first week has been extraordinary. I thought things would be tough and hard to manage. I imagined the two of us butting heads a lot and not getting much accomplished. Boy was I wrong!
Instead of butting heads, both kids were excited and eager for me to teach them. It felt a little like a game for them, I am sure. Still, the topics were interesting and the hardest thing about it was keeping up with their desire to learn!
Thursday, we took a trip to The High Museum of Atlanta. I used to love going there in High School and I hadn't been in an awfully long time. I have never taken a child there and I was a little worried that we were going to break something. I gave them a little talk before we climbed into the car and another one in the parking garage when we arrived and I made my expectations clear. They were both so good that if I had the money in my budget, I would have showered them with presents from the gift shop! Abby asked questions about various pieces and Ford played right along. They both paid attention to the things I pointed out to them and it was a really wonderful learning experience. I read a book to her Wednesday about the ancient Greeks and we discussed their pottery and urns. At the museum, she saw actual examples of the things pictured in the book. Talk about a learning experience!
Meanwhile, they never whined or complained they were hungry even as 1:00 passed us by! We got to enjoy the family gallery where kids can intereact with a wide-variety of objects and even create a little art themselves. We also did the special kids' project downstairs and brought home two great examples of "fringe" art like we saw in the modern art gallery. So, if you're ever near midtown with your kids, plan a trip to the High and I think you'll be pleasantly suprised at how much fun you all can have in a museum! Cost was reasonable - $18 for me and kids 5 and under are free! My only complaint - I forgot my camera. So, no great pictures to post along with this - sorry.
We've got another big tailgate to prepare for - even though I'm not going to the game :-(
We will have to be satisfied watching it on TV - Go Dogs!!
Instead of butting heads, both kids were excited and eager for me to teach them. It felt a little like a game for them, I am sure. Still, the topics were interesting and the hardest thing about it was keeping up with their desire to learn!
Thursday, we took a trip to The High Museum of Atlanta. I used to love going there in High School and I hadn't been in an awfully long time. I have never taken a child there and I was a little worried that we were going to break something. I gave them a little talk before we climbed into the car and another one in the parking garage when we arrived and I made my expectations clear. They were both so good that if I had the money in my budget, I would have showered them with presents from the gift shop! Abby asked questions about various pieces and Ford played right along. They both paid attention to the things I pointed out to them and it was a really wonderful learning experience. I read a book to her Wednesday about the ancient Greeks and we discussed their pottery and urns. At the museum, she saw actual examples of the things pictured in the book. Talk about a learning experience!
Meanwhile, they never whined or complained they were hungry even as 1:00 passed us by! We got to enjoy the family gallery where kids can intereact with a wide-variety of objects and even create a little art themselves. We also did the special kids' project downstairs and brought home two great examples of "fringe" art like we saw in the modern art gallery. So, if you're ever near midtown with your kids, plan a trip to the High and I think you'll be pleasantly suprised at how much fun you all can have in a museum! Cost was reasonable - $18 for me and kids 5 and under are free! My only complaint - I forgot my camera. So, no great pictures to post along with this - sorry.
We've got another big tailgate to prepare for - even though I'm not going to the game :-(
We will have to be satisfied watching it on TV - Go Dogs!!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Homeschool...Here We Come!
Two nights ago, Baxter and I made a decision that seems last minute; but was actually simmering long ago. We decided not to go ahead and send Ford back to preschool this year. Taking inspiration from Jen, Beth and others and adopting a "what's one more" approach, I realized that it was really the best thing. So, as we began our first official day as a homeschooling family, I had two at the dining room table.
What once seemed daunting and terrifying turned out to be absolutely wonderful. We were very successful today. We had already completed reviewing the phonics and math skills she acquired before this year. Today we set out to learn something new. We began with a devotional which was really more of a lesson on imagery than anything. Using a book I found called Images of God, I taught them about God as a light image (light of the world etc...) and then they made pictures of something they loved that they never wanted to be in darkness. Then we discussed the calendar and sang songs about the days of the week and months of the year and I had her copy the date from my dry erase board. Abby watched two videos on NatGeo online to introduce her to people of Ancient Civilizations. Next, we headed off to the library for storytime.
We had a nice time there. They are both very comfortable at the library and really enjoyed themselves. I picked up some books that we needed for the rest of the week and I allowed them each to pick out two books each. As soon as I got home to make lunch, Abby went straight to the bag and pulled out her new basic reader she picked out. She sat down on the sofa and started reading it. I know she couldn't read it all on her own but she was enjoying the book independently and without my suggestion ----SUCCESS!!!
Later, we read through a book about the Ancient Greeks to get ready for tomorrow and finished off her day with a letter to her pen-pal, Alex. Ford participated in most of the activities in his own way and enjoyed it too. When he couldn't do what she was doing, he played on their vtech notebook or with Mr. Potato Head. It was so much fun that I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow!
I love my kids!!!
What once seemed daunting and terrifying turned out to be absolutely wonderful. We were very successful today. We had already completed reviewing the phonics and math skills she acquired before this year. Today we set out to learn something new. We began with a devotional which was really more of a lesson on imagery than anything. Using a book I found called Images of God, I taught them about God as a light image (light of the world etc...) and then they made pictures of something they loved that they never wanted to be in darkness. Then we discussed the calendar and sang songs about the days of the week and months of the year and I had her copy the date from my dry erase board. Abby watched two videos on NatGeo online to introduce her to people of Ancient Civilizations. Next, we headed off to the library for storytime.
We had a nice time there. They are both very comfortable at the library and really enjoyed themselves. I picked up some books that we needed for the rest of the week and I allowed them each to pick out two books each. As soon as I got home to make lunch, Abby went straight to the bag and pulled out her new basic reader she picked out. She sat down on the sofa and started reading it. I know she couldn't read it all on her own but she was enjoying the book independently and without my suggestion ----SUCCESS!!!
Later, we read through a book about the Ancient Greeks to get ready for tomorrow and finished off her day with a letter to her pen-pal, Alex. Ford participated in most of the activities in his own way and enjoyed it too. When he couldn't do what she was doing, he played on their vtech notebook or with Mr. Potato Head. It was so much fun that I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow!
I love my kids!!!
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