The night before the First Day

The other day we were reading in the book of Exodus, about Pharaoh and how he wouldn't release the people of Israel. Aiden said, "It's just like North Korea." My brain raced. I guessed and wondered if I was understanding why he said that. So I said with curiosity, "How is it like North Korea?" And he said, "The government won't let the people go." Oh my heart - you could have knocked me over with a feather. I can't even remember the last time we'd talked about North Korea. I know at some point in the murky past I had explained about some of the issues in that country and what the government was like. But that he would pull that out of his brain and make the analogy between that and Pharaoh...?! I was blown away. I LOVE seeing him make connections.

It was like a thesis statement or a topic for a Humanities essay. Ancient Egypt vs North Korea. Compare and contrast Pharaoh and Kim Jong Un.

Someone asked me recently why I'm going to homeschool. I have enjoyed my son through all of his first six years. It was pure magic seeing him for the first time. I was over the moon when he started to walk and talk. Watching him grow has been a joy. But we're just getting to the good part now. Now he's asking questions - good questions. He asked the other day why there was fighting going on in Israel. Talk about opening a geo-political can of worms... But the fun thing was I could answer him - to some degree. Six year old type answers, but answers. We're starting to scratch the surface of exploring the world, life, God, all this big stuff ... It thrills me like nothing else. THIS is why I'm going to homeschool. I get to be there when he makes these connections. I get to witness his life.

Yes, it will be hard. I have no illusions about that. We've spent the summer together, me trying to motivate him in several areas and that has been a challenge. I have stared at the stark ugliness of my own limitations as a parent. This kid certainly takes after me in the "I'm going to give up! This is too harrrrd!" department. I know I'm going to pull my hair out with him. I know. Baldness, here I come.

Maybe we won't always homeschool. Maybe someday he'll go to regular school. I am going into this with the mindset that every year is different. Who knows how circumstances and providences may change our situation in the future. Life is never the straight line you thought it would be. But right now, I have this chance. I get to be here, at the beginning with him- at the foundation. And I'm almost overwhelmed with the privilege, and the potential. I pray I don't blow it.

Blog...RESURRECTED!

In order to document a new phase of our family's life...namely...having three children...and homeschooling one of them... I hereby resurrect this blog.

We're about two weeks from the start of school. I started lesson planning for reals this afternoon after church, spreading out books, planner, phone etc along with the sometimes napping babe, on our bed. I haven't used my bed as a desk like that since college. It was fun and exciting. It was time consuming. It was a little overwhelming, bringing all these different ideas, books, resources together into a coherent plan. I wanted to have the whole MONTH of August mapped out a LONG time ago...but it just didn't happen. Having a new baby has trumped most other stuff recently. But we are getting to the point of sometimes sleeping through the night now, and so more things seem possible. I know it's going to take some tweaking, this whole homeschooling thing. I know it will be a fluid, dynamic thing, a work in progress, for years to come, perhaps. But I've been looking forward to this for so long... it feels GOOD to finally start DIVING IN. Almost. Two more weeks...

Big Brother... being nice.

I took Aiden and Willow to the doctor's office this morning for Willow's 9 month check-up. It was the usual long wait which threw off my schedule, feeding and otherwise. I don't know why I even try to HAVE a schedule on days like this - the world conspires against me. The nurse called us back to wait in our own little examining room after weighing Willow in ( and that is a tale all of its own as Willow is not gaining weight as she should- rrrgh - I felt like the most miserable failure of a mother) and we proceeded to wait, wait and wait some more. Aiden popped his head out of the open door and saw another little boy down the hall, doing the exact same thing. He struck up a conversation with this boy, who was about eight years old. It is so funny to watch Aiden interact with people - especially with strangers. He asked this boy all sorts of things, including what color his house was, and divulged strange trivia about his own life, such as the fact that "Brad put a fire in our fireplace." (BRAD?!) Later as we left, he said to his new friend, "See you next year!"

When the doctor came in and began to poke and prod Willow, of course she cried. I did my best to comfort her, but Aiden stepped in between me and the doctor, as if neither of us were doing our jobs right, put his hand on Willow and poured forth a stream of compassion that amazed me. He was saying things like, "It's okay, baby girl. Aiden's right here..."

Then the doctor sent us to a lab down the street, to take some blood from Willow. Oh. Great. I told Aiden what we were doing, and he said, "They have to take her blood? Oh that's so sad!" I quickly explained that they weren't taking ALL her blood - just a little bit to do some tests...but that it would probably hurt her. He was quite adamant that he wanted to stay in the car, because he didn't want to hear her cry. And then when we were in the lab, and the woman was getting ready to draw blood, he turned his face to the wall because he didn't want "to see the blood." He would have hid under the chair if I'd let him. Precious boy. It was a tough morning for all of us.

Aiden's report to Brad later was, "She had blood on her!"