Visitors' Day at Plantation Farm Camp & A WAY LATE Birthday Party

Finally getting around to posting some of the pictures from our afternoon visiting the kids at farm camp. They both did great: adjusting to life with a tent mate, meeting counselors from all over the world, and doing chores, chores, chores! Visitors' Day was back on June 30th, and Blondie went with us to see his big brother and big sister. He missed them a whole lot more than he let on.

We picked the kids up on the 11th, and on the 13th we had their joint, late, mini-golf birthday party. They had both wanted to wait till Vanesa was here from Argentina to celebrate their birthday, and they were willing to do a joint party to go easy on me. I was really impressed they were able to wait 3 months for their birthday parties. They are getting so mature and thoughtful.

Anyway, they decided a mini-golf party was something that both boys and girls would enjoy, so that's the theme we went with. We bought the favors on the 12th - their first day back home. They jumped right back into our family routine.

The party was a lot of fun and we were lucky it wasn't too hot at midday. We played "Never Have I Ever" while waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive. It's a great icebreaker that works for kids and adults. I had forgotten how funny that game is! {I lost because I've had many pets during my lifetime.}

Then they both showed off some mad golfing skills.

Cookie was in the game the whole time of course...

And then cake! This is supposed to be the green grass of a golf course with some tees and balls on it. Can you see that? The most awesome part was that it was one of those cupcake cakes so everyone just pulled out their own cupcake - no plates or forks or waiting to be served required.

Always a ham, Toto had to use the frosting as face paint!

So, yes, another year older and maybe, just a little bit wiser.

Bryan's Buckeyes - A Plantation Farm Camp recipe

Oh my goodness! My two big kids came home from Plantation Farm Camp yesterday and they seem so much more mature and helpful. I guess doing 2 hours of farm chores everyday will do that to you! [Clearly, they are not getting enough work to do at home regularly.]

Sweetpea came home all excited to share this camp recipe made by one of the counselors. So in honor of all the great Plantation Farm camp counselors that helped to give my children such a great first sleep away camp experience, Sweetpea preserves this recipe from Bryan:

Bryan's Buckeyes

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter
2 sticks of butter
5 1/3 cups of powdered sugar
1 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 12 oz. bag of milk chocolate chips

Method:

Mix butter, peanut butter, and powdered sugar in large mixing bowl. Roll into small balls and place on cookie sheet. Freeze until hard. (at least 1-2 hours ) Melt both bags of chocolate chips in double boiler while stirring. Dip peanut butter balls with toothpicks into chocolate and place back on pan. Place them back in the freezer, serve them straight from the
freezer or take out for softer version.

Enjoy!

Seven Quick Takes - More Books & No Kids

 

1

I'm still working my way through In This House of Brede. I still like it, but man is it a dense book. Definitely not light summer reading. I can't wait for our Book Club meeting to discuss it and see what others thought of it. 
Right now I'm about halfway through it and there's a lot of discussion amongst the nuns about if it is more difficult for Phillipa to have joined the novitiate after having lived the life of a successful single career woman for a long time. I have often wondered this about women like me who marry late after having had a demanding career. Is it easier to become a wife and mother if you haven't had so many years of living only for yourself? 

2

I started reading the Plan. So don't laugh. I need another diet book like I need a hole in the head. But I've got to do something. I am so tired of being fat and tired. Sweetpea will soon be a 'tween and I would like for her to have memories of her mother as an active and healthy person, not a sick and fat one. I'm hoping something will click in the next few weeks and I will start drinking water and exercising even a little bit. Then if I eat less and lose weight, bonus. 

3

Bill and I are going away today for a weekend alone together. I can't remember the last time we went away together - maybe 3 years? I think it was when my friend Maureen got married up in Sonoma. Yikes we need some quiet time alone. Our former au pair Vanesa who is visiting from Argentina (after her adventures in Calcutta with the sisters of Mother Teresa) will be taking care of Gordo and Cookie for us while the other two kids are at sleep away camp. 

4

Sweetpea and Toto have gone off to sleep away camp for 3 1/2 weeks. I know. Geez, that's a long time. But Sweetpea has been wanting to go to this camp for over two years and this summer she was finally old enough, we had the extra money, and we had the time to get her packed for it, all at the same time. I think I was working on that camp packing list for 3 weeks straight.

Pretty much at the last second, Toto said he wanted to go too. So we signed him up as well. I was really worried about him being too young to go, but he seemed to get excited once the date got closer. It helped that his big sister went with him.

It's funny, the Moms who protest the loudest that they could never homeschool because they couldn't be around their kids so much are also the ones who are shocked that I would let my kids go away to sleep away camp for so long. 

Maybe because I do homeschool my kids I do know them better and trust their judgment more? I miss them, but I also don't think they are going to crumble without me for 3 weeks. I'm actually excited for them and I expect that they will be even more mature and level headed when they get back.

Here's a picture of Sweetpea in her tent on her sleeping mat the day we dropped her off. She looks nervous but excited.

5

So where are my big kids? They are at Plantation Farm Camp about 4 1/2 hrs north of here. I first heard of the camp from a Waldorf mom at their preschool years ago. It seemed right up our alley. Sweetpea was excited to do farm chores everyday. Toto was not - well, except for getting to use an ax to chop firewood to heat water for his shower. He thought getting to wield an ax would be pretty cool. Definitely not something Mom would let him do at home.

Here is a link to a short video about the camp: Plantation Farm Camp

We haven't gotten any letters from camp yet, and I'm anxiously awaiting news on how they are doing. We plan to go up with Gordo on Parent's Day to visit them and I'm sure they'll have plenty of stories to tell. I did get a phone call from the nurse within the first 24 hours telling me that Sweetpea's wire from her braces had popped off, but it wasn't interfering with her eating or playing so I guess she's doing okay.

6

I really do need to finish packing for San Diego. Bill will be here to pick me up and take me to the airport in less than 90 minutes and I have not packed a single thing. I haven't had to just pack for myself in so long that I am completely dizzy from having so many choices to pick from and the extra time has not materialized into more thoughtful or efficient packing I'm afraid.

7

Guess who turned 2 yesterday???

Oh my he is cute! He had a quiet but nice birthday at home with just one big brother to celebrate with him. He got a Spiderman balloon and a burnt almond cake from Dick's Bakery. He was so excited to blow out the candles that he almost ate one! For presents he got a Mail carrier costume (he's really into getting the mail for me every day) and some play fruits and vegetables for his play kitchen. Now we just need to keep them away from the dog....because they look so realistic and he has already slathered them in butter to make them more enticing to her. I'm going to miss him this weekend! Before we left for the weekend, he got all dressed up to greet our mailman. I don't know who was more excited, Cookie or the mailman! They had a chat and sorted some mail together before the mail carrier had to continue on his route. Such a sweetheart!

Catch the rest of the 7 Quick Takes over at www.conversiondiary.com

7 Quick Takes - The Bookish Edition

When I'm not feeling well, I spend more time {in bed} reading. I love to read, so this is not a hardship. I sometimes feign illness so I can read more. I'm not proud of it. But sometimes I've just got to get my book fix. These past couple of months I've been loading up on books; quotes from books, books about books, making books, and videos of authors reading books. It has been a very bookish spring. Though now that I've been feeling much stronger for a while, I need to put the books down and go outside and enjoy the sunshine.

--- 1 ---

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet. I have not been a regular reader of Sophie's blog, but the subject and the title both sound so appealing to me. And when it started popping up on my Facebook feed from some of my favorite Southern ladies, I knew I had to buy it! I can't wait for it to get here and jump on in. 

I also recently joined a local Catholic Homeschooling Mothers' Book Club. Our first selection is In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. It is a mighty big book, it makes me feel very literary and collegiate just carrying it around. It's hefty, I tell you. It's going to take me a while to get through a book this big, so I've got to keep at it. Book club is only a month away. I really hope this group discusses the book and doesn't just devolve into a wine and cheese club. (though I love wine and cheese as much as the next gal.) 

The book is about a highly successful, professional woman who leaves her London lifestyle to join a cloistered Benedictine convent. I have always had a romantic notion of life as a religious as a life of great peace and joy and silence. {And some days the thought of running away from my family and joining a convent sounds very appealing.}

But when I'm not reading about convent life, I'm reading Teaching in Your Tiara, a homeschooling book for the rest of us, because I'm schizophrenic that way. Run away to a convent or stay at home all day with my kids and homeschool - these are the options that appeal to me. 

             --- 2 ---

I'm slowly making my way through GK Chesterton's Common Sense 101 - Lessons from G.K. Chesterton

 

It's my bathroom book. (Admit it, you have one too.) Sometimes it's the only private time I get all day. It's the first thing I've read anything by Chesterton and I can't believe it's taken me this long to read his stuff. He is funny and brilliant!

One of my favorite quotes so far explains how our American Democracy is impossible without a belief in God. As Chesterton explains:

"The Declaration of Independence dogmatically

bases all rights on the fact that God created all men

equal; and it is right; for if they were not created equal, they...certainly evolved unequal. There is no basis for democracy except in a dogma about the divine origin of man."

I can read it over and over again; it makes sense of the science and the reason and the why of our government. Indeed, if all men evolved randomly we could *not* have evolved equally. To argue that our founders were not theists, as I have heard many try to do, is simply foolish. 

--- 3 ---

When I need book ideas for the children, or I need encouragement to persevere with the reading aloud, I re-read Jim Trelease's The Read Aloud Handbook. I think I have read this book every.single.summer before we start our homeschooling in the fall. This to me is a "basic text" of homeschooling. Everyone who is even thinking about homeschooling should read this book.

--- 4 ---

Whenever I get desperate for a new list of books for Sweetpea to read I head on over to Melissa Wiley's blog Here in the Bonny Glen to see what her family's been reading. She has it broken down by age and everything. Here is my most recent shopping list for Sweetpea: Melissa Wiley's recommendations for books for ten year olds.

--- 5 ---

Did you know that St. George's Day, April 23rd, is the day Catalonian women traditionally give the men in their lives a gift of a book? {I can't believe Barnes & Noble hasn't picked up on this holiday yet}. I'm putting this on the homeschool calendar for next year right now -  How to make a book for St. George's Day.

And for everyday bookmaking inspiration, no blog beats Susan Gaylord Kapinski's beautiful blog. Click on over to be inspired. Families making books- because one day I will make a book.

--- 6 ---

A plug for my friend Sue's latest children's book coming out from Golden Books in August. Cause I don't know that many authors in real life and I knew her before she was famous. :) It's another cute one from the Little Golden Books series. It's another one that my Cookie is sure to love; he ate right through her last one. :)

--- 7 ---

And just for fun, here is a link to A.A. Milne reading Winnie the Pooh, recorded back in 1929.   Piglet has an English accent. Enjoy!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Disclosure of Material Connection: The links to the books in the post above are “Amazon affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will be able to save up for a grande latte. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and that I believe have value to other homeschooling mothers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Joining in the fun this week because I had these adorable pictures to share!
{pretty}

Don't I look cool in Mommy's sunglasses?

{happy}

Sprinklers on a hot day make me happy.

{funny}

Daddy's little shutterbug

{real}

Do farm animals visit your dishwasher during unloading too?

See more photos of contentment over at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

How to Run Errands with Children (and making it count as Homeschooling, too!)

My method for training children to want to run errands is quite simple and takes only an afternoon or two.

The element of surprise combined with Mom's undivided attention.

I took them only one or two at a time at first, so either the nanny or my husband had to be home for this to work since I have four children aged ten and under. {A Grandma or helpful neighbor could help during "training" if you are lucky enough to have either.} Sometimes we were out grocery shopping at 8pm because Dad got home very late from work. Or we were out in the middle of the morning when the nanny could stay home with the sleeping baby. The ones who refused to run errands with me at first got left at home doing chores or whatnot.

My rules:

• I invite and expect at least one of them to accompany me each and every time I go out to run errands. 
• I do not create scavenger hunts or pack thematic snacks.
• I do not promise them ice cream afterwards - or buy them a treat from the store when they ask for one - ever.
• I do not promise them something fun to do after the errand.

My promises: 

• They will have 30 to 90 minutes of my (mostly) undivided attention 
• They can ask me all the crazy questions they want to once I am on the freeway.
• I will not take cell phone calls while driving so they can talk all they want without being interrupted.

Errands as Homeschooling
{It's carschooling without the clipboards and colored pencils.}

• Stuck at the dealership for 90 minutes while they diagnose the minivan's sliding door problem? Perfect time to discuss how to properly maintain your car and how to check the tire pressure.
• Need to go to the bank? Learn all about banking, checking accounts, wire transfers, ATM cards, and college savings accounts.
• Stand in line with me at the post office? You'll know how to address an envelope and understand why we have zip codes.
• Drive across town with me to buy our season passes since the park's website hasn't been working all day? You get to go on a few rides near closing time with no waiting.

How long does it take to train kids to *WANT* to go on errands cheerfully and willingly? 

One afternoon, two at the most. Come home with the ones who said yes and don't say a word about what you did.

They will take care of it for you. 

They will quickly learn that when Mom asks "who wants to go run an errand with me?" the correct answer is always Yes.

Homeschooling with a Chronic Illness - A Guest Post from Grace S.

Today I welcome another chronically ill homeschooling Mom here to the blog to share her experience and tips with us. I was lucky enough to meet Grace through our homeschooling group which has been meeting in the San Jose area for over 25 years. It is only recently that I learned that she also manages a chronic health condition while homeschooling. Grace S. is a homeschooling mother of four who lives in the Bay area of Northern California. Her oldest, a boy, is nine, followed by three younger daughters aged seven, five, and three. She and her husband have been "homeschooling since birth" she says!

Grace has to deal with chronic high blood pressure, even though she is a very fit and trim Mom. It's another one of those health problems that no one can "see" from the outside. She was diagnosed in her mid-20s with the high blood pressure and never gave it much thought prior to being married and having children. But now with four kids aged 9 and under, and being in her mid-40s, it is starting to be more of a factor for her and she has had to become more cautious about her daily health routines.

I asked Grace what her biggest challenge is as a chronically ill homeschooling mother, and she explained that staying on top of the kids' discipline and obedience, their schoolwork, and making sure they all get along while maintaining her own even and cool composure is the hardest part for her. Managing her own emotions is important for every mother, but even moreso for a homeschooling mother with high blood pressure.

During flare ups or when she has to go to doctor appointments, Grace has found some great ways to get herself some help. She hires teens or college students from the Homeschool group, her husband gives her breaks when he can, and she uses media (TV, computer) if and when necessary. Her most creative solution is the use of a drop-off kids babysitting service. In the Bay area there is one called Kidspark that lets you drop your kids off for a reasonable hourly fee and the sibling rates are quite steeply discounted.

Kidspark provides hourly, drop-in, licensed childcare at many locations around the US. I admit I only recently found out about Kidspark and just visited a nearby center in the last couple of weeks. As soon as my youngest is 2 years old, I plan to sign them all up so I can have it available for back up emergency care. I was glad to hear from Grace that she has used their service and found it helpful during the rough spots.

For her homeschooling curriculum, Grace is currently use Seton Home Study School, and though she is considering changes to their homeschooling in the future, she is currently quite happy to continue with Seton for her family. 

Grace offered me some helpful tips as well. Her number one recommendation:

1. Keep praying throughout the day, especially keeping close to, and dedicating yourself to, Our Blessed Mother Mary
2. Try to exercise 3 to 4 times a week
3. Enjoy your children, especially spending a little time alone with each one regularly
4. Rest!!

Among the many blessings that Grace's family has received from her homeschooling (because of her having to deal with her medical condition) the first she mentions is that her family has had to learn to cooperate and work together to keep her calm and happy. She has also noticed that her children have become and seem to be more concerned with others' well being and health. It has also made them more compassionate towards others in general. She has also noticed more mercy and forgiveness when they argue with each other!

----***----***----***----***----***----***----***----***----***----***----***----***

Things I'm pondering after reading about Grace's experience...

*am I remembering to pray all day long?

*how do I manage my own emotions, especially anger, to keep myself calm and composed?

*what could I do to keep myself closer to our Blessed Mother throughout my days and nights as a homeschooling mother?

*am I using the resources in my community enough to give myself needed rest time? . 

*am I letting myself get rest without feeling guilty about it?

*how can I find time to spend a little one on one time with each child?

Grace S., thank you for sharing a bit of your homeschooling with a chronic illness story here today. Thanks to you, I am reminded what a blessing it has been for my children to learn compassion for others right from the start.