Musings of a Prairie Girl

 We had a delightful  day  yesterday.   It  was  a beautiful, peaceful kind of day.   My kind of day.

It started  very  early  as we  needed  to get  to town  by  8:30  for  Rocky’s  dr.s  appt.  The girls  had  haircuts  afterwards  but  we were able  to slip  in a visit  to the toy store.   We haven’t  been to  the toy store  for  a long time  (well,  a long time  by our standards) and  we found  some  wonderful new  treasures.

We  got home  after lunch and  spent  most  of the afternoon  watching  ‘The Wizard of Oz.’   This is Missy’s  favourite movie.   She was over the moon when  she found  it at the library.   I have  nasty  memories  of  The Wizard of Oz  when I was  a kid.   The Wicked Witch of the West  always  freaked  me out.  I wasn’t  able  to watch  the entire  movie  until  I was  well  placed  in my adult years.  It  surprises me  that my 9 yr. old  can  watch  it   without  diving  under  the  pillows.

After  movie-watching  came  piano  practise for everyone and  reading  ‘Pride  and Prejudice’  with Mia.   Rocky  asked  me to play  chess with  him then.   We were able  to get  two  chess games  at the toy store.  One  was a beginner’s  game  that  you could  switch  over  to a more advanced  game  and the other  was a solitaire  version of chess.   This game  is more of a logic  game  than a chess game  but  it is so much fun.   Rocky  decided  that  he would like  to play  this outside.   I am always  leary  of playing  games  outside  because  there are always  so many  variables  to consider:  the cats  getting  in our  way,  the dog  getting  in our  way,  the bugs  getting in our way  and  the wind.   But  last night,  the variables  were all at a minimum.    Rocky  and I played  a game  of chess,  then  Mia  played  with  Rocky  while  Missy played  on her  kid-sized  laptop.  

Missy  then decided  that  she  would like  to make  her fairy  garden  outside.   We got  this at the toy store, too.   It is a cute little kit  where you paint  the  dish,  toadstools  and fairy house.  There  are already  made  fairies  that  you  place  after  you have  your  things  planted.   You  are given  wheatgrass  seeds  as well as a cornucopia  of  bean seeds.    Missy  did  all of  her  painting  last night  while  I read  ‘Perrault’s  Fairy Tales  to her.   As  we  were doing  this,  the two  olders  were  playing  baseball.

It was such  a nice, quiet  night,  enjoying  family, warm weather  and  nature.   My kind of    night.

Tomorrow  is  Mother’s  Day  so  I have  been  thinking  alot about my mom.   We haven’t  been able  to  be together  for the last  13 years on Mother’s  Day  because my mom  lives  3,000  miles  away.   That makes  it hard.   

While  I have  been cleaning  house  and  cutting  grass  today,  I have  been thinking about my mom  and  giving  thanks  for her.   My mom  just  seems  to know  the  right thing to do  and  say.   Some  parents  have a hard  time  letting their  children  grow up.  They have  trouble  in letting  their kids  make their own decisions.  The cords  of control  are  ever  so thick  even  when  the child  is  closing  in on 50.   But  my mom  has  never had  that  problem   for which  I am  extremely thankful.

My mom  has always  been supportive  of  me  homeschooling  my children.    I’m not  sure if my mom is supportive  of homeschooling,  we have never talked  about  it.   From  some of the things  she has  said  to me in the past,  I think  she may not  be in favour  of it  but  she  has never  said  those words  out loud  to me.   She always  listens  to me  tell of my  joys  and  troubles  related  to teaching my children.  She  has  heard  about  so many different  curriculums  that  we have used in the past.   I know  she doesn’t  have  a clue  about what I am talking about  but  she  says  ‘Uh-huh’  in all the right  places.    She  also  asks  my children  continually  about  their school day  and how  their  learning  is going.  

 What is important  to me  is  that  regardless of what  she thinks  of homeschooling,  she  still supports  ME.  

We recently  decided  to  end  the children’s  piano  lessons  because  they  asked  to stop them.   They  did  the piano  lessons  because  I wanted  them to.  They  gave  it a year  and  decided  that  they didn’t  really want  to continue.   I thought  a great  deal about  this  before  we made  the decision.   I make  my kids  do school.   I make  them eat  healthy  foods.   I make  them go to bed  at a reasonable  hour.  There are certain  things  that I make  them  do.   I do not  think  that  when it comes  to extracurricular  activities,  I should  make  them  do  it.   That isn’t  the kind  of parent  I want  to be.   I do not  want  control    to be part  of  my parenting  style.

I know  that  there are a few people in my life  who will give me a hassle  about  this  decision  but  my mom,  bless her heart,  agreed with me  100 per cent.  It is so nice  to have  at least  one person  in your corner when making  the hard  decisions.  

Even though  my mom is so far away,  she  knows  my children.  I mean,  she really knows  them.   She knows  their likes  and dislikes.  She knows  what  books  they have  been reading,  what  movies  they have  watched during  the past  month  and    she knows  all about  their  friends.   She  knows  the names  of  all of their cats.   She  knows  everything  about my kids because  she talks  to them.  Often.   What  is more important,  she listens  to them.    

I  have lots more  to say  but it is getting late  so  I will end  with:

Thanks, Mom.

As of the last few months,  I have  been  focusing  on how to instill beauty, truth and goodness  into  my children’s academic  life.  In my musings  I have  realized  that  all 3 ideas  need to start in our everyday life.   Beauty, truth and goodness  needs  to be manifested  in how  we manage ourselves daily,  how  we converse  with those  around us,  how  we  even think about  the day  to  day   happenings.  It all boils  down  to beauty, truth  and goodness.

So I have  been thinking about  how I can instill beauty  in our homelife  on a practical basis.

Confession time:  I am not a good  housekeeper.  I would rather  spend  time with my kids  than  clean the house.   The house  is clean (yes,  I do clean it)  but  there is alot of clutter.   Clutter  is  my enemy.   I have  always  struggled  with  minimizing.   A minimalist  I am not. 

With  the  epiphanies  I  have  experienced  lately,  I also  had  some  realizations  that  I needed  to  put more  effort  into decluttering  and beautifying  my home.   This  does not  translate  into  big expense.   I am finding  that you can  add beauty into  your home  with relatively  inexpensive  ideas.

The last  two weeks  have  been spent  in  decluttering  and  adding  simple  touches  of beauty.  I am happy with the results (so far. )

It is  interesting  how  such simple things  like a bowl of fruit  can add  beauty  to a room.   I  am  focusing  on  keeping  the kitchen  clean  by  keeping  clutter  off of the  island  and the table.  Those  two areas  seem to be a catch all  for  everything  that  comes  into  the house.  So I am  diligently keeping  those  areas  object free  except  for  centerpieces.   It  makes  my heart  sing  to  see those  clean surfaces  as you come  into the house.

Another  thing  that I have  been doing  is  going  through  my storage spaces  and finding  objects  that I haven’t  used  in a while.  I have  been repurposing  these objects  by grouping  them  with  different  things  and it  adds a new sense of life  into  a room.    

 I have  also  been  burning  candles  on a daily basis.  Beauty  isn’t  only  for the sense  of sight.   Beauty  transcends  all senses.  There is nothing  better  than coming into the house  and  smelling  apples  (candle scent.)  That  just  gives me the warm  fuzzies.  

I have  had a red, round vase  sitting  in my bedroom for a few years now.  The vase  has  always  sat  empty.  I never took the time  to fill it  with anything.  Last week,  I found a tiny bouquet  of  fake  white  flowers  at WalMart.  I plopped  them in the vase.  And  voila!  even fake  can  be beautiful.   I like  stepping into  that room  and  seeing  the contrast  of the white  with the red.   It is so pretty.

In adding  beauty  to the home,  it is all in the baby steps.  If  you tried  to everything  in one fell swoop,  it is  too overwhelming.  In taking  tiny steps,   it allows  you to enjoy  each of those  steps.  Enjoyment  is  one of the keys  to beauty.   If  you can’t  enjoy it then what  is  the purpose  of doing it?

Baby kittens are born!   Yes,  we have  baby kittens  here  on the Prairie!   We have been very excited  with this discovery.  This example  of  birth and awakening  came  at a very good time.  It also  was an example  for my kids of  the circle of life.

Last week,  the kids and I were  looking  for  gardening tools.   We were  searching  for them in the pool building (a giant building housing  an unused pool.)   Mia  was going  around the extremity of the building, looking  for anything  that  remotely looked  like  a garden shovel  when  she  screamed  out in horror.  She  had  found  our  2 day missing  cat, Comet,  in the  pool.  He had  drowned  in the little  bit of water  that  was left in the pool.   It  saddens  me  that  she  now  has  that  image imprinted  on her brain. 

 I have discovered  through  this  situation  that  Missy  is not one that  you want  around  when you are going  through  a difficult  time.  Her  words  of solace  to her sister  went along  the lines  of this:

“Look at the bright side,  Mia,  Comet  is now  up in heaven  with  Jesus  and  they are having  hot  cocoa.   When you die,  you can  go up  there  with them  and have hot  cocoa,  too.”

This  wasn’t  very comforting  to Mia.

But  baby kittens  were.

She  found them  the day after  she found  Comet.   It  was the best kind  of medicine  for a hurting heart.   We now  have  5 new  mouths  to feed. 

Oh Yippie-Ai-Ay!

Now comes  the  naming process.

It’s  always  something.

When we first started homeschooling,  I had visions  of  reading  great literature  with  my kids.   These visions included  sitting  together on the couch,  reading  for  a long period of time,  discussing  joyfully the merits  of  the book and  sipping  some  sort of beverage  with a plate of cookies  nearby.   Sounds   kind  of Pollyanna-ish,  doesn’t  it?

I have  waited  7 years  but  my vision  has finally become a  reality.  Everything  is  just  as  I had envisioned  it.  Even up to the plate of cookies.  Oh  joy!  Oh bliss!

Mia  and I  are  reading  through  Pride and Prejudice.  It was supposed  to be for the summer  but, as usual,  I couldn’t  wait (I am so  my father’s  daughter)  so we broke out  the books last week  and have  been happily transplanted  to Austenland  ever since.

What  a joy  this book has been!   I read it once  when I was in my 20″s.  I liked the book  but  I didn’t  fully appreciate  the writing  and  the humour involved.  Thankfully,  Mia  is enjoying  the humour.   She and  I  giggle  our way  through  the  book  thanks  to Mr.  and Mrs.  Bennet.   Mr. Collins  has also  been the recipient  of a few  chuckles, as well.

I was able  to  attain  a few  annotated  versions  of  Pride and Prejudice.  I have never used annotations  before.   They are quite helpful.  The  added information  on  the  sides  gives us a better view  of the culture  in the early 1800′s  as well as  helps  us figure  things  out  in its literary sense.   In the future,  I will try  to go  with  annotated  versions  of our  readings,  if possible.

Our  readings  take place  in the afternoons.    We make  a cup  of tea or hot chocolate  for ourselves and  accompany it  with  a plate of cookies  then head  on  into the living  room  to enjoy  a great book.   We usually cover  two chapters a day complete  with  discussion of the characters and the plot.  This is a much enjoyable  addition to our afternoon.   It  makes  me happy  that Mia  enjoys  our time  together  with  the Bennet’s  just as much  as I do.

I can  see  more  visits  to  Austenland  in our  future.   Oh joy!  Oh bliss!