Walnuts on My Windshield - Issue #10

Friday, August 13, 2004

I am so glad it's Friday! Friday is "off day" for the kids and me. We go full steam ahead all week, but on Friday, we crash and burn. For one thing, the girls and I choose to sleep in, and I have almost perfected that fine art. Today, I didn't open my eyes till 8:45 and didn't actually stand up till 9:30. Ah, the bliss! I've already done my Bible reading, watered the garden, and cleaned up the mess the boys made at breakfast.

One of the other things I really enjoy about off day is having uninterrupted time; time where no one says, "Mom." We are each doing our own thing, and everyone is happy. At that point, I can finally sit down at my desk and write "Walnuts" in peace. Once it's written, I email it to Katie, and she posts it on the web. So, this morning, I sat down at my desk and innocently decided to check my email first. Enter our ISP.

We don't like our ISP. The only reason we have kept it so long is that it offers server-side filtering, which is a high priority for us. It also provides live phone support 24/7, which is good, because we usually have to call for service at least once a week (sigh). We also became majorly disgusted with this company when it dropped its server-side filtering without telling anyone, thus permitting trash to be accessed in our house when we thought we were protected. We have remedied that problem, but we still don't like our ISP! I can't remember why we haven't changed providers. I'll have to ask Scott.

Anyway, this morning I tried to check my email. It shouldn't be such a difficult process, but today it was. We pay a flat fee per month to be able to call long distance to Branson free of charge. Our dial-up number is a Branson number. Today it has been continually busy. Hence, we had to call Springfield, which is long distance. However, we were able to have the computer dial the Springfield number using our calling card, which cost less, but was still pricey. Bottom line: I am frustrated today, but by the time you read this, I won't be!

This has been a week of major academic planning. I now have a pretty good idea of what each child should be working on in the near future. I spent a good part of Tuesday trying to figure out how to implement the Megawords curriculum with Josiah. I decided I'd better understand the plan before I try to explain it to him! I have ordered a handwriting program that I'm going to be using with both boys, at their various levels. Katie and I have formulated a plan for attacking Algebra II, and I'm hoping that by year's end she'll be ready to take the algebra CLEP test. Jessica is much more solid on her understanding of decimals and percents, and I think she can finish her current math text by Christmas. Katie will soon embark on a writing program, both to hone her cursive (which she hates) and as preparation for the essay portion of her next SAT. The only area I'm unsure of now is math for Josiah, but I intend to give that a lot of thought and research this week. The goal is for me to know before we leave for the beach what all they'll be doing when we get back from the beach. I do NOT want to be pondering academics while I'm on vacation!

Speaking of vacation, we are once again heading to the Gulf during hurricane season. Why do things in the normal way, when you can be wild and crazy? We are watching the weather daily and hoping to hit the beach at Gulf Shores, Alabama between hurricanes, in full sunshine, and at times when both seaweed and jellyfish are at their minimum. Scott's brother's family from south Florida will meet us there, and his mom will fly in from California, so it will be a mini family reunion.

We never travel light. As a concession to my disgust at having the van so packed with stuff that we can't move, Scott has agreed to rent a U-Haul trailer to pull the bikes, suitcases, lawn chairs, roller blades, towels, games, and other beach miscellany. The goal is to have in the van only pillows, toys, water bottles, munchies, the TV (Scott got this nifty thing that plugs into the TV and lets you play video games on it), all the CD and cassette walk-mans, batteries, books, Scott's laptop, backpacks, luggage for one night in a hotel, my train case, and six people. I am sure it will be an adventure!

Until next time,
Patty

From My Bookshelf:

The Raid, but I have forgotten the author's name. I listened to an abridgement of this book. I hate abridged books, but I didn't realize this one was until after I had heard it. It was about one incident in the Viet Nam War, in which US special forces raided the Son Tay prison, in order to rescue some 70 American POWs held there. However, due to botched or insufficient intelligence, the raiders landed in an empty prison, our men having been evacuated to Hanoi some months before! The Raid merits a 4.

All Kinds of Minds (kids' version) by Mel Levine was really good, about a 7. I have been wanting to read some things by Mel Levine, All Kinds of Minds and A Mind at a Time in particular. They both have to do with learning disabilities, including ADHD. Each of those books looked a little too meaty for me to attack right now, but while wandering the children's non-fiction stacks, I happened to find a version of All Kinds of Minds written for children who have "all kinds of minds!" I hoped that Josiah might read it, but figured he would not. However, I read it and learned some things. Specifically, at the end, Dr. Levine gives tips of things to remember about kids with each of these types of minds. One of the kids in the book was classic Josiah. I put the book back on the buffet, which is where all the library books stay (in theory!) when not in use. The next day, Josiah came to me all excited, because "one of the kids in that book, Mom, is JUST like me!" I was so pleased! I think it encouraged him to see the good in himself, as well as to realize that he must make extra effort in some areas, if he is to be successful.

Quote of the Week:

"I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn." ~ Albert Einstein

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