tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83761051080931500092024-03-04T08:26:01.340-08:00Little PitchersBecky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.comBlogger1252125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-28765251999633479422022-06-29T20:51:00.003-07:002022-06-29T20:51:40.316-07:00Becky the Writer<div>A few months ago, I was asked, "What did you want to be when you grew up?"</div><div>"A writer," I said. </div><div>"Oh... are you a writer?"</div><div>I said, "YES."</div><div><br /></div><div>Am I? </div><div>I write, certainly. I write every day. </div><div>Journal entries, poems, very long text messages, even occasionally manuscripts for children's books. But it was hard to say, </div><div>"Yes, I am a writer," </div><div>because I very rarely get paid for all that writing. Working at <i>Seek Learning Magazine</i>, I felt a little more like a <i>real </i>writer. I was writing articles and publishing them! I was getting paid... a little. </div><div><br /></div><div>But sometimes, I look at my life and I think, There's nothing else I could have become. I had to be a writer. God made me a writer. My life formed me into a writer. Even if I never publish another book: I am a writer. </div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a timeline of my life. I think you will see, my career choices were limited:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Becky is Born:</i> </div><div>Finding that breastfeeding is extremely boring, Becky's mother passes time by reading the entire <i>Wheel of Time </i>series aloud to her newborn. A love of sci-fi is kindled in Becky's infant breast.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 3: </i></div><div>Becky dictates her first poem. It is about a toe named Moe. Becky's Dad declares her a poetic genius. Surely, she will grow up to be a poet! (This is agreeable to all.)</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 8: </i></div><div>Becky reads the <i>Chronicles of Narnia</i> for the first time. Here is a real conversation between Becky and her mother:</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Mother: You know, the first time that I read the Chronicles of Narnia, I stayed home sick all week so that I could finish the whole series.</i></div><div><i>Becky: I want to stay home and read the whole series!</i></div><div><i>Mother: Oh, but you can only stay home and read them if you're really sick. </i></div><div><i>Becky: I am! </i></div><div><i>Mother: I believe you. Go get back into bed and bring your books. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>Becky learns an important lesson. Books are more important than school. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 9:</i> </div><div>Becky begins writing extensive fan-fiction based on the <i>Redwall </i>series<i>. </i>She reads every Roald Dahl book she can get her hands on and also begins writing very gruesome poetry in the vein of <i>Dirty Beasts</i>.</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><i>Age 10: </i></div><div>Becky's 4th grade teacher reads <i>The Hobbit</i> aloud to Becky's class. Becky's eyes are opened. It is the beginning of a new world. </div><div>Becky also sets her sheets on fire, while trying to read under the covers. She pretends to sleep through the fire alarm, hoping that her parents don't notice that the sheets are smoking. </div><div>They do notice. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 11: </i></div><div>For Christmas, Becky receives the first three Harry Potter books. She reads them in 72 hours. Then she reads them again. And again. And again. It is the beginning of a life-long obsession. </div><div>Becky also reads <i>Anne of Green Gables. </i>She has found a bosom friend and kindred spirit in Anne Shirley. More than any other fictional character, Anne is Becky. Becky is Anne. They are two starry-eyed, dramatic chatterbox peas in a pod. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 12: </i></div><div>Becky learns that <i>The Hobbit</i> has sequels. She reads the<i> Lord of the Rings</i> for the first time. Her entire brain explodes. It is the greatest thing ever written. She spends an unholy amount of time trying to translate her own poetry into Elvish. </div><div>Becky's first poem is published in the local newspaper. It is neither gruesome nor Elvish. It is very patriotic. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 13: </i></div><div>Becky is accused of cheating when she gets 100% on a comprehension exam about the book<i> To Kill a Mockingbird.</i> She shouts at her teacher and tells him that she is smarter than he is. </div><div>She has extremely high self esteem and an extremely low tolerance for people that don't care about books as much as she does. </div><div>She also fights with a teacher who tells her that <i>favourite</i> does not have a U in it. Of course it does. <br />Becky <i>knows </i>it does. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 14: </i></div><div>Becky joins the school newspaper and yearbook. She starts a new hobby, which she never gives up: writing down conversations that she eavesdrops on. There is almost nothing quite as delightful as the strange "dialogue" that comes out of people's mouths when they don't know they're being spied on. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 15: </i></div><div>One day, driving down a dark and snowy road in the middle of nowhere, her Dad pulls the car over. They get out into the snowy forest and Becky's Dad recites <i>Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening </i>by Robert Frost. </div><div><i>"Whose woods these are, I think I know. His house is in the village though. He will not see me stopping here, to watch his woods fill up with snow."</i></div><div>Inspired, Becky decides to memorize a new poem every week. The first poem that she learns by heart is<i> I taste a liquor never brewed</i> by Emily Dickinson. She still knows it. She is still waiting patiently for someone to need it recited so that she can perform. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 16:</i> </div><div>Becky joins the Speech Team. She competes in "Storytelling," a category that requires the memorization of several folktales and a dramatic retelling in your own words. She rarely wins awards, but she has found a passion. She loves to retell stories in new ways. </div><div>Becky also discovers Mary Oliver. A different English teacher accuses her of cheating when she writes an impassioned essay about her poetry. Once again, Becky is scornful and unforgiving.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 17: </i></div><div>Becky starts her first writing group. She writes three very poor novels:</div><div>The first is a dystopian sci-fi that takes place in a future world where men have been eliminated and each woman helps maintain the human race by giving birth to her own clone. </div><div>The second is a portal fantasy, where a young girl escapes reality by falling down a trap door in her bedroom which leads to a magical wonderland. </div><div>The last is a true Anne Shirely masterpiece: When a poor girl falls in love with her best friend's wealthy brother, their friendship is over... also everyone dies. </div><div>Becky sends her stories to her friend. He tries to edit out all the romance. </div><div>He sends his stories to her. She tries to edit out all the sword fights. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 18: </i></div><div>Becky attends BYU on a writing scholarship. She decides that she should probably study English, because that is how she will get to read lots of books and write lots of poetry. </div><div>She brings all of her <i>Harry Potter</i> books and Extended <i>Lord of the Rings</i> DVDs to her dorm room, because she cannot be without them, even for one semester. Her roommate has a replica of Arwen's sword in her room. The bosom sisters spend the semester knitting while listening to <i>Harry Potter </i>audiobooks and reading aloud to each other. </div><div>They throw Harry Potter a birthday party on July 31st. Then, they throw him a party the next year. And the next. Forever. They make Harry treacle tarts, but he doesn't come. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 19:</i></div><div>Becky goes on a blind date with a man who insults James Barry and<i> Peter Pan </i>within minutes of the date beginning. She decides to never see him again. </div><div>Later, she changes her mind and marries him. But first, she makes him read all of the <i>Harry Potter </i>books. It is part of their courtship. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 20: </i></div><div>Becky writes her first novel that is not garbage. She has figured out how to write what she knows. It's a coming of age story, as all great stories are. </div><div><br /></div><div>Age 21: </div><div>Becky is pregnant with twins. She tries to name them Fred and George, but her husband disapproves. She starts a blog for a tech class and is soon one of the top Twin Mommy Bloggers in the country. She loves writing and writes a post every single day. Sometimes, she writes two or three posts a day. She makes friends from all over the world. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 22: </i></div><div>Overwhelmed by exhaustion and postpartum depression, Becky marches into a used bookstore and chooses the thickest, least expensive book on the shelf marked "Classics." She knows, books can heal her. </div><div>The book is <i>East of Eden.</i> </div><div>Once again, the world is made new. It is like nothing she has ever read.</div><div>She reads it again. Again. Again. </div><div>It changes her. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 23: </i></div><div>Becky reads <i>Lord of the Rings </i>aloud to her husband and small children. She will read it to them again. Again. Again. She wants to write books, but for now she is too tired. Instead, she writes a poem every day. They are much better than her Elvish poems. </div><div>Every day, she reads poems to her toddlers. A.A. Milne and Robert Frost. Mary Oliver and Jack Prelutsky. Walt Whitman and Edgar Allen Poe. </div><div>She contradicts herself. </div><div>She contains multitudes.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 24:</i></div><div>Becky is invited by a professor to attend a writing conference. She meets with an agent there and he says, "Please send me your novel!" He wants to help her publish it. </div><div>Becky goes home and considers sending her novel. She really does. </div><div>But she is so tired. She is pregnant again. </div><div>She never gets around to it. </div><div>She does not regret this. It wasn't the right time. </div><div>Someday, the time will be right. Her books will be published. </div><div>For now, she will read 100 picture books a day to a small and captive audience. This is called "market research."</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 25:</i></div><div>Becky has another baby. She tries very hard to name him Samwise, but again she is thwarted by her opinionated husband. Combating postpartum depression again, Becky reads the <i>Lord of the Rings</i> aloud to her infant who is not named Samwise.</div><div>She also begins reading classics to her big kids. <i>Robin Hood, the Hobbit, Peter Pan, Harry Potter, A Little Princess, Tuck Everlasting, A Wrinkle in Time, Little House in the Big Woods... </i>They are only 3 years old, but they love to snuggle close and listen. </div><div>They have many deep conversations about right and wrong, truth and lies, life and death, love and hatred. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 26:</i></div><div><div>One day, Becky is reading <i>Charlotte's Web </i>aloud. A warm breeze is blowing and all of Charlotte's children are calling "Goodbye! Goodbye!" as they float away from the barn. Becky is holding her children and weeping. They are weeping, too. She looks up, out the front window, and sees the neighbor kids walking home from the school bus. It is 4pm. He's been gone from home all day!</div><div>Becky makes a decision. </div><div>She is not sending her kids to school. </div><div>If her children attend school, who will she read books to all day?</div><div><div>If her children attend school, someone else will read books to them!</div></div><div>No. They will be homeschooled. </div><div>They will stay home and Becky will read books to them every single day. Hundreds of books. Thousands. </div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 27:</i></div><div>Becky prays, asking God for help raising her children. She receives a powerful answer. It is time to begin memorizing beautiful words again. </div><div>Every single morning, Becky recites a scripture verse and poem with her kids until they all have it memorized. Within a year, they have memorized over 50 verses of scripture and two dozen poems. </div><div>The first things they memorized were: <i>Nobody </i>by Emily Dickinson and "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."</div><div>Becky teaches her children to dictate their own poetry. Their poems include many "thees" and "thous."</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 28:</i></div><div>Another baby is born. She is named after her grandmother... and also, secretly, after Louisa Mae Alcott. Becky begins designing her own homeschool curriculums. </div><div>The word "Curriculum" is used here to describe long lists of books. </div><div>Books about seeds and mushrooms and honeybees. Books about the civil war, about Polynesian way finders, about medieval plagues. Books of Shakespeare. Caterpillars. Airplanes. The Cultural Revolution. </div><div>And Becky writes every day. </div><div>She always writes every day. </div><div>She reads and she writes and she just can't help it. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 29:</i></div><div>Becky splurges on a <i>Webster's 1828 Dictionary</i> at a curriculum fair. She spends literal hours reading the dictionary. She is in love with her dictionary. She recommends the dictionary to people on a weekly basis and makes her kids look up words in the dictionary on a daily basis. </div><div>This is probably not normal behavior. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 30:</i></div><div>Becky helps start a magazine for mothers who love God and love to homeschool. She writes and edits and designs and writes. It is a delight to create. </div><div>She also co-authors and self publishes her first book, <i>Christlike Attributes.</i> It is exciting, but it is not enough. </div><div>Her son tells her, "I want to write a real book. Not just a book for my mom, but a book that they have in libraries!" </div><div>That is also what Becky wants. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 31: </i></div><div>Becky discovers that she loves picture book biographies, perhaps more than any other genre. Well... not <i>more. </i>But very much. </div><div><div>The people in Becky's house drown under piles of books. The books are everywhere. </div><div>(This is where the books belong.)</div></div><div>Becky helps publish the second issue of her magazine. She writes articles about storytelling, poetry, memorization, and writing. She delights in motherhood and writes love letters to her life and her children every single day. </div><div>She also writes her first picture book manuscript. It is very long. It is trying to be a novel. </div><div>She writes another picture book. And another. <br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 32: </i></div><div>One day, Becky has a realization. Everyone is sleeping through the night. No one is breastfeeding. </div><div>Sometimes, Becky has entire stretches of time that are uninterrupted by children. </div><div>She opens up a note on her phone. It is called, "Books to Write."</div><div>It is a list of ideas.</div><div>Becky begins writing. </div><div>(She had never really stopped writing.)</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Age 33:</i></div><div>Becky comes of age in the shire. Hobbits, of course, aren't considered fully grown until they are 33 years old. </div><div>Now that Becky is fully grown, she is ready to get to work. She is ready to write like she means it. </div><div>She attends a writers conference. It feels like deja vu. A different book publisher reads her book and says the same thing that she heard so long ago. </div><div>"Send me your manuscript! Let's turn this into a book!"</div><div>This time, it's the right time. </div><div><br /></div><div>This time, when someone asks, "Are you a writer?"</div><div>Becky won't hesitate. </div><div>The answer is yes. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-62811883994585164432019-03-20T15:06:00.000-07:002019-03-20T15:18:35.105-07:00Homeschool Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: center;">Well, it has been one year since my last post.</span><br />
So I guess it's time to say something.<br />
I wanted to write a little about how we do school these days- mostly for my own sake, since I assume I will not remember in 6 months, let alone when Louise is 8 and I'm wondering what on earth we used to do for second graders.<br />
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We are eclectic homeschoolers- which means that I don't adhere to any specific philosophy of education. I love much of Charlotte Mason (like short lessons, nature study, narrations and copywork), but find a lot of it to be tedious or out of date. For example, I like letting my kids read fact-books and picture-books, although Ms. Mason disapproved of both.<br />
Classical Education doesn't generally sit well with me, although our favorite curriculum (Story of the World) is by Susan Wise Bauer- the classical education Queen.<br />
So anyway.<br />
Here's what we do.<br />
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Every morning we start with breakfast. Travis makes breakfast while I read from the Book of Mormon aloud. During breakfast we also do our current scripture memory verse, because I use a notecard with the verse on it as my bookmark in the Scriptures. We don't read a lot, maybe 10 verses most days. Then we talk about it or the schedule for the day.<br />
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After breakfast we move into Morning Tasks and Daily Devotional.<br />
The kids are in charge of completing their own <b>Morning Tasks.</b> For Grey and Micah (age 8) that includes:<br />
Getting Dressed<br />
Brushing Hair and Teeth<br />
Reading Scriptures (illustrated story, not the actual Word)<br />
Practicing Piano<br />
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August (age 5) is supposed to get dressed (he almost never does), brush his hair and teeth (he's middling at this), and help unload the dishwasher (he can do this, but usually it's so slow that Travis takes over.)<br />
I generally allow for about an hour for this to get done, during which time I look at our schedule and decide what needs to be done that day, clean up breakfast and read to August and Louise.<br />
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Then we start Daily Devotional and Second Breakfast. The kids usually all eat a bowl of cereal while we do DD.<br />
We start with our Hymn for the month, and a morning prayer (unless we already said it when Travis left for work).<br />
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<b>Daily Devotional includes the following:</b><br />
<u>Monthly Hymn.</u> Hymns don't usually last an actual month. We just start and stop when we are done with them. We sing the first verse every day for a week, and the first and second every day for the second week and so on. If the hymn has 4 verses, it does actually take us a month. I have a playlist of all the hymns we've learned and I play it on the kitchen speakers when it's time for everyone to gather for DD.<br />
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<u>New poem from our current poet of study</u>. Usually a poet lasts about 6 weeks. We don't analyze the poem. I just read it aloud while everyone closes their eyes, and then everyone has a turn telling how the poem made them feel or what they imagined happening. Our only goal is to be exposed to good poetry and delight in it.<br />
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<u>Recite our current memory-poem. </u>We either listen to a recording of the poem, recite it together, or I recite it line by line (and they repeat), depending on how well we know it. When everyone knows it without help, the poem moves into our Poetry Review folder and we start a new poem.<br />
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<u>Review 2-3 memory poems and 2-3 memory scriptures. </u>Grey and Micah take turns leading the poetry and leading the scriptures. The scriptures are on 5x8 notecards and the poetry is in a folder, and whoever is leading just reads the next few poems/scriptures aloud and the rest of us try to recite it along with him. This helps us retain what we've learned.<br />
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<u>Read a Fable. </u>I have a book of short animal fables. They're usually only a page long. I will read one, and then August tries to tell it back to me. One of the older boys will get to fill in any gaps that August missed, and then the other boy will tell me what he thinks the moral of the story is. I try not to correct them, even when their morals are totally wrong! I just let them form their own thoughts about it and discuss it with each other.<br />
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<u>Picture Study or Handwriting or Art Lesson: </u>We rotate through the following, usually doing a picture study on Monday/Wednesday and Handwriting Tuesday/Thursday (or so) and an art lesson on Friday.<br />
<u>Picture Study: </u>We have one artist that we study for a while (a month, six weeks?) and on Picture Study days we generally just look at and discuss of piece of his/her art. Sometimes I also read aloud a book or story about the artist.<br />
<u>Handwriting:</u> The kids have cursive workbooks which they love and they each do 2-3 pages, depending on how long it takes them to work. I read a book aloud while they do, either a fairy tale, a chapter from a read aloud, or a picture book from the library. They write for as long as I read.<br />
<u>Art Lesson: </u>We have a few art-lesson books, so generally I give a short instruction and then let them work until they're done.<br />
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On Friday's we have <b>Sweetened Condensed Daily Devotional</b>, which means that we generally do a Hymn, our current memory-poem and scripture and then art. Then the kids are free until our Nature Group meets in the afternoon. (So yes, we only "do school" 4 days a week.)<br />
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On Monday-Thursday the kids disperse again for about 15 minutes, and then we start school.<br />
I try to have them write something every day, do math, and narration. Then, usually 1-2 other "subjects" and after lunch we try to do something fun.<br />
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<b>Core Subjects:</b><br />
<b><u>Reading:</u> </b>We don't have any reading lessons or Language Arts, really. We do copywork, and discuss the grammar of the sentences they are copying, but we don't do spelling or anything. The kids read for pleasure all day and I read aloud to them constantly. So that's that. The best way to improve at reading when you're 8 is to enjoy it.<br />
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<u><b>Writing: </b></u>I mean physically writing, not creative writing. For this, I try to have them write 1-3 sentences a day. That's it! They usually do a science, history or scripture copywork. For example, on Monday they wrote "Clovis united all the barbarians into one tribe, the Franks." and today (Wednesday) they wrote, "He made a new set of laws, a new capital city, and made everyone be a Christian." And yesterday they wrote "Christ is like a mother hen that protects us underneath her wings." And they wrote Thank You cards for their birthday gifts.<br />
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<b><u>Math</u>: </b>We are really liking Miquon Math. It's fairly easy, but building steadily in difficulty. I usually have the kids do 2-3 pages in their workbooks and we discuss it and check their work. It takes less than 15 minutes, but they do a little every day.<br />
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<u><b>Narration: </b></u>"Narration" is a funny subject and everyone I talk to does it differently. I'm realizing it may be one of the most important things we do! Eventually the kids will type their own, but for now they dictate. The way we do it is this: The big boys each have a Google Doc called "Micah's Narration" and "Grey's Narration."<br />
Everyday they have to narrate two subjects to me. Their subjects are: personal scripture study, history, science, journal, and books. I just ask them to tell me what they want to remember about a given topic, and type down everything they say.<br />
They usually narrate their scripture story from the day, and one other thing. I'll ask them to do history or science the day after we study it together, or I'll ask for a journal entry after something exciting happens (like their recent baptisms) or a book entry if I know they just finished a book they enjoyed.<br />
They don't think of it as a test, but a record of the things they've learned. They love seeing how long their documents are getting. They're funny and insightful.<br />
I can't type as fast as they speak, so they'll stop and re-read what I've written while I catch up and then they'll tell me things they forgot.<br />
I ask them questions like, "What happened next?" "Do you remember what her name was?" or "Why do you think he did that?" which can help them think of what else to say, but I don't ask questions like "What were the four barbarian tribes called?"<br />
I want it to be more of a big-juicy conversation and less like a quiz.<br />
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Those are the subjects we study every day (that we have school)! These are the other things I put on our Weekly To-Do List (not all of these things go on the list every week. Just some combination of things.)<br />
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<b>History:</b><br />
<u>History Chapter-</u> I read a chapter aloud from our history curriculum, Story of the World. The kids know they're expected to narrate it back to me, so they pay attention- but they're usually working on a craft while I read.<br />
<u>History Copywork- </u>This is when they write 1-2 sentences and illustrate it, like I shared before.<br />
<u>History Craft-</u> I am pretty picky about crafts. For example, they need to be very open-ended, and require very little from me. So we aren't making salt-dough maps or something I have to prepare or supervise.<br />
But today the kids made gargoyles from air-dry clay (because we read about cathedrals). Other crafts we've done include making cardboard viking ships, bamboo Chinese scrolls, Japanese woodblocks (out of foam)<br />
<u>History Dinner- </u>About once a month the kids and I will plan a meal around what we are studying. Sushi, or figs, or roasted pig. I try not to be TOO crazy about it.<br />
<u>History Library Books- </u>Whatever our study unit is, I get about 30-50 books from the library on the topic. The kids read a lot of them on their own, but I also make an effort to read 1-2 aloud a week (like when they're doing handwriting)<br />
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OR<br />
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<b>Science:</b><br />
We don't usually do science and history the same week. Or month. Or semester.<br />
Usually we do History for 6 weeks, focusing on a period of time (obviously now we are learning about Medieval France) and then do science for 6 weeks, focusing on a subject like "Biomes" or "The Human Body." So we do all the same things for science as for history.<br />
Science Narrations, copywork, library books, crafts/ experiments and field trips.<br />
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In fairness, I think there is a lot of overlap in Science and history. While learning about the plague, we've been discussing germs and medicine. While learning about the solar system, we studied Galileo and Copernicus.<br />
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<b>Creative Writing:</b> Usually this is connected to what we are doing during the week, and I try to find opportunities to have the kids write stories or poems. Ballads when we read Beowulf, Haikus when we studied Japan, etc. (The purpose of Creative Writing IS NOT to teach grammar. It is to teach kids that what they think is valuable and worth sharing.)<br />
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<b>Mapmaking:</b> I really enjoyed Mapmaking with Children, which taught me that kids need to understand that maps represent places before they can actually understand world maps. So most of our mapmaking is actually just MAKING MAPS of our house (for treasure hunts), of the trip to Piano Lessons, or building things out of blocks and making a map of it to recreate.<br />
Occasionally we find places on the globe that we've discussed for history.<br />
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<b>Scriptures / Come, Follow Me:</b> On Saturday or Sunday, Travis and the kids play videogames or watch a movie together and I plan out 4-6 CFM lessons. We usually have one together during Sunday Dinner, one for Family Night on Monday and then the rest are part of our school week. The kids usually do 1-2 copywork sentences about it. I'll ask them "What do you want to say for Scripture Journal?" and they'll say "Jesus had twelve apostles to help him teach and heal" for example. I write that on a white board and they copy it into their Copywork Journals.<br />
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<b>Nature Study: </b>I am terrible at this. Mostly it's just identifying birds and trees on our hikes, but occasionally we do a lesson from Exploring Nature With Children or we track the moon or weather for the week.<br />
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<b>Poetry Teatime: </b>Easily our favorite thing to do every week, and my kids don't believe it's school! I sometimes make a treat, but I also often just slice apples and put out bowls of peanut butter for dipping. Everyone takes turns reading poems aloud that they like. August and Louise pick out poems they want us to read for them.<br />
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<b>Games: </b>I actually write games on our to-do list for the week, or we run out of time for games- but games are a great way to learn. We often play games on Friday or in the afternoons after the kids are done with school, but their friends aren't home yet.<br />
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Every morning while the kids do their Morning Tasks, I write down what I want to accomplish on a white board.<br />
Today, I wrote:<br />
<br />
Math<br />
Narration<br />
History Journal<br />
Laundry/Bathroom (boys jobs)<br />
Gargoyles / The Duke and the Peasant (the project we did, and the book I read aloud while they worked)<br />
Evergreens (nature study)<br />
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We finished the first three tasks and Daily Devotional by noon. We had lunch and I read a chapter of our family Read-Aloud book (just started Half-Magic). Then when Louise took a nap the kids made Gargoyles and I read a library book.<br />
Everyone was outside playing by 1pm.<br />
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They haven't finished their chores yet, but I think we'll do it tonight and we haven't studied Evergreens yet, but we are going to drive up into the Mountains for a half hour before dinner. (So right now, as soon as I finish this blogpost.)<br />
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School is ever-changing for us, and we've been really great about school for a few months. Our current routine is productive and yet really relaxed and provides lots of time to play and create.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCRPQvoTWEepWR1OyIya1HT7RZa_wspFp-fv5c688Qbhf6tscbe613nKVN03sB8soVrqTuWjt2AJuc1GM_ka93WnjWbdiRPgMKLsi9GiQ0FlsgumlWZyYCm9wZyR1BRTSvyMjTLTshQ88/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-03-20+at+4.16.15+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCRPQvoTWEepWR1OyIya1HT7RZa_wspFp-fv5c688Qbhf6tscbe613nKVN03sB8soVrqTuWjt2AJuc1GM_ka93WnjWbdiRPgMKLsi9GiQ0FlsgumlWZyYCm9wZyR1BRTSvyMjTLTshQ88/s640/Screen+Shot+2019-03-20+at+4.16.15+PM.png" width="640" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-78182179709483700172018-04-16T19:33:00.000-07:002018-04-16T19:33:05.317-07:00Hiking With Kids<i></i><br />
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Hey, remember me? I used to blog here every single day of the week.<br />
Well, here I am for my twice-yearly post.<br />
I shall post again in... November, if you're lucky.<br />
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About four years ago, another mom invited me to join her on a weekly "Mom and Kids Hike." They would meet at a trailhead and hike with their kids.<br />
I literally had a panic attack at the thought. Hiking. WITH KIDS? With no husbands? In the mountains where there is no cellphone service?!<br />
Was this woman actually insane?<br />
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But compare that to us last year! Last year we invited a few friends up to hike with us and one woman said, "I wish we hiked more, but it's just so much easier to go to the park instead."<br />
And I straight-up scorned her.<br />
<i>Hiking in the mountains is NOT harder than going to the park. To go to the park you have to pack sunscreen, waterbottles, and snacks. Going to the mountains requires all the same things. It is the same as going to the park.</i><br />
That's a big change of attitude in four years!<br />
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In fact, last summer the kids and I averaged about 3 hikes a week.<br />
Thrice a week! Hiking in the mountains! With kids and no husband!<br />
To be fair, I went from having 3 year old twins to having 6 year old twins, but I do have 2 more kids besides! Aaaand, to be double-fair, I use the phrase "hiking" broadly, as you might discover if you read on.<br />
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So if you find hiking with your kids is basically a nightmare or you're afraid to take kids hiking, here are some things that helped my kids fall in love with the mountains- and as we all know, if your kids love something, they're much more willing to do it without whining.<br />
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<b>1. Buy them good gear.</b><br />
This seems silly, I know. Your kids should be able to love the outdoors without hi-tech gizmos and gadgets. But they deserve the basics. Good shoes, a backpack, a water bottle.<br />
On many, <i>many</i> occasions friends have asked us, "Will you take us hiking with you?" They saw our pictures (which are phenomenally beautiful, if I do say so myself) and they thought, "I want to go there and I want my kids to experience that!"<br />
And they show up at the trailhead in flipflops!<br />
10 minutes into the hike, all the children are crying. Your kids are going to want to climb rocks, ford rivers, and sometimes even walk downhill on sandy ground! <i>Gasp!</i> They will slip, slide, get hurt, sore, and be angry if they don't have good shoes on.<br />
This is in no way an advertisement or even an affiliate link. Buy your kids Keens. They're sturdy, close-toed sandals that have grippy bottoms, can get wet, and will last through every single one of your children. And having gear (like a hiking backpack or a special waterbottle) is <i>more fun </i>for kids. They like having hiking gear. "Get your backpacks, we're going hiking!" and they know which bag is theirs, what fun things are inside (field guides, pocket knives, etc), and they like it.<br />
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<b>2. Make them carry everything. </b><br />
Hiking sucks for Moms because you're carrying all your whiny kids' crap. Stop doing that. Every single child should have a backpack on, and that backpack should have a waterbottle and 1 billion snacks (more about that in a minute).<br />
Yes. Your two year old should have a backpack.<br />
Maybe your two-year old's backpack is empty, but he is getting used to carrying it.<br />
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<b>3. It's not about the destination.</b><br />
It's not.<i> It's not. </i>You will not make it to your destination so stop even thinking about it.<br />
If you go on a grueling hike as an adult and you make it to the apex of the mountain, you feel a sense of accomplishment. Your child feels a sense of betrayal.<br />
You forced them to be miserable and all they got was an amazing view? For most children- that's not worth it.<br />
The hike itself needs to be fun. The hike needs to be fun, or you'll never make <i>any</i> destination. You will give up because everything is terrible. (Esp. your child.)<br />
On more than one occasion, we've gotten 3/4 of the way through a hike and my kids have announced that they were ready to turn around.<br />
Now that we have taught them to keep pushing forward, I sometimes say "No, let's power through, we are almost there!"<br />
But most of the time, I say "Okay! Let's turn around!" It drives my husband crazy. He wants that destination.<br />
But I don't want the kids to think of hiking as a chore. It's a treat! If you forced your child to eat an extra ice cream even though they didn't want it- it would fast become torture.<br />
Hiking is like ice cream. Leave them wanting more!<br />
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<b>4. Let your child choose their own adventure.</b><br />
Along the same note as above: The purpose of hiking with kids is not to get to the destination. It's not even to hike, really! It's to help your child fall in love with the outdoors.<br />
Hiking is a great opportunity to get outside, get moving, and go somewhere new. But when we "hike," we probably spend 1/2 -2/3 of the time- <i>not hiking. </i>Instead, the kids are exploring a pool in the river, climbing a big rock or tree by the side of the trail, or picking dandelions and blowing their seeds around.<br />
Sometimes we go "on a hike" and make it a quarter mile from the trailhead. Then the kids want to stop and build a fort.<br />
<i>Let them do that.</i> That's why you stuck a book in your backpack. (<i>Bonus Tip: Stick a book in your backpack.</i>) If you spend 3 hours in the mountains and you never made it past that first quarter mile, who cares? When your kids discover that they love to be outside and explore nature, it's a lot easier to say "Let's hike a little farther- I think there's a cool waterfall ahead!"<br />
When they love exploring nature, they'll want to see that waterfall- even if the climb is harder than a stroll around the block.<br />
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<b>5. Bring 1 Billion Snacks.</b><br />
This might be common sense to everyone but me- but when we first started hiking, I didn't bring anything but a spare diaper. I would think, "We are only going to be out for an hour. They wouldn't have a snack if we were at home."<br />
No. Bring snacks.<br />
First, it's a lot more tiring hiking than being at home. They will be hungry. Hungry kids are terrible kids.<br />
Second, snacks are amazing bribery. Every time my kids want to stop for a break, I say "Run ahead and find the perfect spot for us to stop for a snack." They usually go another eighth to quarter mile looking for just the right fallen log. Then everyone sits and has a 5 minute break, eats a snack, and is ready to go again.<br />
Third, hiking snacks are <i>special. </i>I don't generally let the kids eat fruit leathers, granola bars, applesauce pouches, or mini bags of chips at home. Those are hiking-only snacks. My kids are willing to put up with a lot in order to get those snacks.<br />
And saying "There's a chocolate chip cookie waiting in the car for every boy that gets to the top without whining!" is always helpful, too.<br />
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<b>6. Hike New Places. Hike Old Places.</b><br />
I think every other hike we go on is a new hike. We are blessed to live in an amazing place with lots of recreation areas around us. If you aren't in such a place- you just do what you have to do. But hiking familiar hikes has a lot of benefits and so does hiking a new trail.<br />
Hiking somewhere familiar helps your child form a bond and a friendship with a place. On certain beloved hikes, my kids spend the whole time yelling things like "Hurry, the magical trees that take you back in time are just ahead!" or "We've almost made it to Friendship Spring!" or "Let's run ahead and wait for Mom in the Secret Ninja Campout!"<br />
(Those are all actual places that they "discovered" and named.) It is fun to visit in different seasons and see familiar nature change. It is fun to bring friends and introduce them to the places we love.<br />
But new hikes and locations are an adventure! And they give us the chance to discover a new favorite Secret Copse of Trees.<br />
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<b>7. Get off the Sidewalk and Away From People. </b><br />
Sidewalks are boring.<br />
When you search on the internet for "Kid Friendly Hikes" everything that comes up is paved.<br />
I know why people think that's kid-friendly. It's so you can push strollers.<br />
That's boring for your kid and it sucks for you. If you can, leave your stroller at home and go somewhere terrible instead. Yes, that's right.<br />
Everything that you think is terrible about hiking is extremely fun for children. Climbing rocks? Wading through mud? Battling your way through vines?<br />
Sounds like a super fun adventure to a knight! Flat, gravel trails that attract trail-running and people with dogs are boring and crowded. Don't hike them. Hike somewhere where you're all alone and you're having an adventure.<br />
P.S. Another beautiful thing about being alone and in wilderness is that you never have to say things to your kid like, "Don't wave that stick around, you'll hit someone!" or "Please don't scream like a terrifying monster, you're making that small child cry." or "Stop throwing sand, that other mom is giving me the evil eye!"<br />
You can just say, "Go a little farther away from me before you start peeing on everything in sight."<br />
(I assume these are the sort of things that all mothers say all the time.)<br />
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<b>8. Stop Telling Them to Be Careful</b><br />
Sometimes when we hike with grandmothers or friends without kids, those adults spend a lot of their time shouting "BE CAREFUL! Get away from that ledge! Don't go near the water! That branch doesn't look strong enough! Don't eat that weird bug!"<br />
Yeah. Kids are stupid. They do dangerous things. And every mother has her own limits, but a good limit is this: Is my child going to die if he climbs that rock?<br />
Mostly likely, the worst that will happen is he'll get a concussion. The best that will happen is he will gain independence, improve his balance and problem solving skills, and experience immediate consequences for foolish actions. If you really can't stop yourself from warning your child, say things like "If you fall in the river, you'll have cold feet for the rest of the hike" or maybe even, "That rock looks a little slippery, what can you hold on to while you climb?"<br />
Then your kid will use his brain a little, but also he will keep adventuring.<br />
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<b>9. Learn about Where You Are (But Don't Overdo It)</b><br />
Get a couple of field guides about where you live, and stick one in everyone's backpack. It's fun to point out things, "This is a maple tree. Look at the way its leaf is shaped, can you find any more Maple Trees?" or maybe "Look at that cute little woodpecker, let's see if we can identify it!"<br />
Knowing the names of trees, flowers, birds, and rocks is fun. Seeing a bird in nature that you studied at home is like seeing an old friend unexpectedly.<br />
BUT, don't turn hiking into studying. We used to bring nature journals, and I would try to sit my kids down and make them write about things they identified.<br />
Guess what. They hated it. It was torture.<br />
They didn't have time to sit and draw when they could be catching lizards!<br />
Maybe your child loves to journal in nature. But if they don't? Who cares!<br />
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<b>10. Make Hiking a Given, not a Surprise</b><br />
We hike every single Tuesday and Thursday in the summertime. When they get up, they expect it. They're not surprised and horrified, "But today I wanted to jump on the tramp with Aurora!" They know it's coming so there is no fight.<br />
We also usually do a spontaneous hike or two each week, when I wake up and think "Get me to the mountains before I accidentally kill everyone!" and those are the hikes my kids sometimes fight. And those are the fights they sometimes win.<br />
Set an expectation, and then <i>stick to it. </i><br />
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<b>11. Hike With Friends</b><br />
My last tip for you is easy: Take your bestie.<br />
Hiking with many children is really hard. Everyone moves at a different pace, everyone has a different idea of where to stop, when to turn around, and whether or not it's fun pee on things outside.<br />
But hiking with a few friends is a must. Mom has someone to talk to, and keep her company. Someone to buckle the baby-carrier for her. Someone to go for help if you're bitten by a rattlesnake, etc.<br />
And kids have someone to show off for.<br />
Kids are much, much less whiny if there's someone else there with them. Especially if the other child is saying things like, "I heard a chickadee call!" or "Let's pretend we are Moccasins and hide and spy on our moms while they hike!"<br />
So find a child like that (may I recommend a homeschooled weirdo?).<br />
Then if you have a child that moves quickly and a child that wanders slowly behind you- they're easier to split up. Big kids can run ahead, little kids can dawdle. Moms can walk in the middle and say things like, "Does that sound like fun-screaming or hurt-screaming?"And they can just keep talking and wondering without going to rescue anyone, because one of the best parts of hiking with kids is just totally ignoring your kids for long periods of time.<br />
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Sigh. Hurry up and get here, Spring! I'm ready to get outside again!<br />
(Was this post an excuse to post a bunch of pictures of us hiking? Yes.)<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-53017757576496443402017-06-22T16:13:00.000-07:002017-06-22T16:13:06.648-07:00A Study in EyesLouise's eyes are definitely blue- and yet, they are distinctly different than the blue eyes of Grey and Micah. So I started trying to find pictures of all my kids eyes to compare... and of course I got carried away. So here you go.<br />
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GREY:</div>
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MICAH:<br />
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AUGUST:<br />
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LOUISE<br />
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Then I made this little collage, like a crazy person with lots of free time. (I don't have lots of free time and am also hopefully not crazy.)<br />
What do you think? I think Lu's eyes are shaped the most like Grey's eyes. August and Micah's eyes have a sorta downward slant on the outside, but are SUCH different colors, and Micah's eyes are so heavily lidded.<br />
This is apparently how I exert my mental energies, comparing my children's eyeballs.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-63931081382485512212017-05-25T15:19:00.000-07:002017-05-25T15:19:03.549-07:00Grey and Louise, a Love StoryGrey and Louise love each other. They love each other more than any of my other children love each other. I suspect they love each other more than either of them love their parents.<br />
I find, my feelings aren't hurt.<br />
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Grey was reading out loud to Louise, and I pulled out my camera. I love the natural evolution of pictures here.<br />
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As Grey read, he became distracted by Louise and started talking sweet to her and trying to make her smile. <br />
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He (obviously) was forced to abandon his book, and pay more attention to her. And give her kisses. <br />
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Also, as a bonus: I try to take pictures of my children and they try to be as annoyed by it as possible.<br />
Little do they know, I even love their annoyed faces.<br />
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How I love this young man boy!<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-84681280776173423172017-05-24T15:29:00.002-07:002017-05-24T15:29:28.846-07:00Dandelion Wishes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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Thank goodness we have a busy single mother and city council woman living next door! Besides being an awesome human being, she also has a fairly unkept yard- which keeps the Pitcher family from being the only slobs on the block.<br />
I think all the very tidy old people on our street use their hedge trimmers EVERY DAY.<br />
And we mow the lawn... well, almost never. Like, thrice a summer? Some of us have other things to do! Like keep children alive and be civically engaged! (We are not civically engaged. That would be our neighbor.)<br />
But a few weeks ago, I looked over the back fence and noticed a veritable dandelion paradise. As the sun was sinking, I herded my children over into the neighbor's yard to stage a photoshoot.<br />
Dandelions <i>are</i> good for something! (Also, they're good for bees. Also, I just kinda like them in general.)<br />
Well, I didn't herd everyone. Grey was resting on the couch with a newly broken leg! Which I was pretty convinced <i>wasn't </i>broken. Despite my pleading, he refused to hobble over and blow weed-seeds around the neighborhood with us. Looking back, I find I can forgive him. <i>facepalm</i><br />
Louise also went to bed. But I forced my other children to participate!<br />
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At first, it was just fun to run around and blow out dandelions. After about 15 minutes, I asked Micah, "What are you wishing for?"<br />
"What do you mean?"<br />
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They didn't know that you're supposed to make wishes when you blow out a dandelion! I guess I'm failing as a whimsy free-spirited mother.<br />
I explained about the wish-fulfilling abilities of dandelions. Micah promptly picked another dandelion and whispered, "I wish I could always be kind!" and August, ever the mimic, picked one and also said, "Be kind!"<br />
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They're really good human beings.<br />
I always wish for a million dollars or surprise thunderstorms, but I guess I've got a lot to learn.<br />
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<i><br /></i><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-48727598002918794652017-05-22T15:59:00.000-07:002017-05-25T15:21:15.670-07:00Five Months Old + A Baby BlessingLike magic, Louise continues to grow bigger. I recently was thinking: babies get cuter, smarter, funnier, more fun, easier, and better at everything as they get older.<br />
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And yet, those first few months are still somehow the best months of all. </div>
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I'm trying to not be a really giant drama queen every time Louise crashes through another milestone, but it's tough. </div>
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At five months old, she is <i>so happy. </i>I love these pictures, because I feel like they're so accurate to her personality. She is constantly smiling, chatting, and trying to get the attention of the people around her. She doesn't like being held facing me, she always wants to look <i>around! </i>She is definitely an extrovert, she gets excited and happy whenever we are with people. In Sunday School, our class sits in a circle and she sits on my lap. When she's awake, she spends the whole hour looking around the room, panting in excitement, and occasionally bursting into excited laughter. She's so happy to be surrounded by smiling people!</div>
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She laughs and giggles very easily, almost constantly- especially at her brothers. They can make her laugh much harder than Travis or I can. She loves her brothers and doesn't mind if they flop her around or are too rough or too noisy. She loves it all! Soon she'll be wrestling and crawling after them. </div>
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On a few occasions when she's been face to face with other babies her size, she gets so excited! She starts panting and trying frantically to grab on to them. I predict she'll be one of those girls who loves baby dolls.<br />
She is basically a baby doll, too. Everywhere we go, little girls come out of the walls and inch up to see her. "Oh! What a pretty baby! Can I hold her?" is something I hear every single time we leave the house. She has those big blue eyes and rosy cheeks that make her irresistible.</div>
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She still only has two teeth, and isn't mobile. She can sit up by herself, but gets tired or loses her balance within about 10 minutes. She can roll (and does instantly) when she's on her stomach, but hasn't figured out back to front yet. She doesn't like tummy time, and get frustrated with me very quickly (as pictured!) if I keep flipping her back over on to her stomach. </div>
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Louise is getting very good at grabbing things, and her favorite things to hold on to are her toes and our fingers - all of which go right into her mouth. She's not as drooly as my other kids, but she is just as anxious to eat as they are. She gets very offended if we <i>dare </i>to eat in front of her without handing over our food. </div>
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She chews on apple slices, watermelon, and bananas while we eat. The bananas are her favorite thing in the whole world- but slippery! So everytime she drops her banana, she SCREECHES. Also, she can scream SO loudly, and she does it when she is clearly not hurt, but angry. I'm a little worried about my ability to deal with future toddler-tantrums from this one!<br />
She is a pretty good sleeper- amazing during the day, usually taking 2 three-hour naps! At nigh she sleeps about 12 hours, but wakes up twice to nurse. Which means I'm still getting up every night at 1am and 4am. But she sleeps so well in between eating and goes to sleep without any help, so I can't let her cry it out or anything. She obviously knows how to self-soothe and is actually hungry!</div>
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A few weeks ago, she was finally blessed at church! Mormons traditionally do a baby blessing when babies are a few weeks or months old. Similar to a Christening, it's a public prayer given in front of our congregation- typically given by the baby's father. Travis gave a really sweet blessing, and our families were able to come and participate. </div>
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Some of the things Travis said in his prayer were that Louise would grow and develop normally and to be strong and happy. That she would develop spiritually, find her talents, desires and purpose in this life and use them to build the kingdom of God. He blessed her with a desire to serve and be aware of the needs of others around her, and to find joy doing so. To love the scriptures and rely on inspiration of the Spirit and the leaders of the Church. And to have a desire to make and keep covenants pertaining to the gospel and help with the building of the kingdom of God.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louise with her Dad and both Grandpas on her blessing day. </td></tr>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-49109178430542805052017-05-19T14:49:00.003-07:002017-05-19T14:49:40.344-07:00Education and Such: Validation I like to imagine that I don't care what people think, that I do what I want because I want to or because I think I'm doing the right thing, regardless of the naysayers.<br />And I do. <i>But, </i>I also would like to be validated.<br />
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I am homeschooling because I love it, because I think it's beneficial for my kids, because I believe that God has called me to do it, and for so many other reasons. And yet, when another mother questions me or expresses doubt in my abilities- I get all fired up. I am annoyed that she doesn't agree with me, I start to worry if I'm doing the right thing- despite the many times that I have been assured (both by my Heavenly Parents and by the fruits of my labor, as it were) that this is a good thing for us now.<br />
When I am questioned, I start thinking up defensive responses for <i>next time. </i>Next time someone says, "You should enroll August in preschool, he's not learning anything," I will just whip out this article about how delayed academics is better for little boy-brains. <i>That </i>will show them!<br />
And then, I start to feel panicky. Well, that might make this other mom feel guilty that she taught her 2-year old the ABCs.<br />
When obviously, with the exception of abuse or neglect- we should just assume that all mothers love their children and are doing what is best for their particular family. And none of us need to prove ourselves to each other.<br />
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I recently initiated my 6-year olds into "the grown up club."<br />
I wasn't sure if they were ready. They had to be clued in to a lot of "grown-up tricks and secrets," and they were warned, being a member of the grown up club isn't always fun. Usually it means <i>less </i>fun! But they decided they were ready for the responsibility.<br />
Some of the rules of membership in this highly exclusive club?<br />
Well, you have to take care of littler kids, stick up for people who need a defender, play with someone that looks like they need a friend. Let little kids have turns before you, share what you have, and try to be a peacemaker.<br />
These rules were fairly easy for my kids to accept. The most difficult rule was the rule that is actually difficult for almost every member of the grown-up club, even the actual grown-ups.<br />
It's the "Okay, Crazy" Rule.<br />
The rule is this: When someone disagrees with you, when someone says something that you don't believe or is offensive, you don't fight.<br />
You don't scream, "MY NAME ISN'T MEATBALL PANTS!" until they begin to call you by the right name.<br />
You shrug your shoulders and say (or think), "Okay, Crazy." And you move on.<br />
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Today, I forgot about the "Okay, Crazy" Rule. I didn't scream "I'M NOT A NEGLIGENT MOTHER" at anyone. I didn't even start Googling any statistics. I was, blissfully, interrupted by my horde of children and got to leave a conversation in the painful middle.<br />
But then I came home and sent out identical texts to several women, begging them for validation.<br />
"I'm not a negligent mother, right? I'm annoyed and I deserve to be, RIGHT?"<br />
And they all promptly responded and reassured me.<br />
For which I am appreciative.<br />
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But then, one of my friends sent me another reminder. She texted me a beautiful picture of a painting that she's working on, titled "She decided to ask up, not around."<br />
And I remembered.<br />
I don't care what other people think.<br />
Or, rather, I shouldn't.<br />
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I recently read <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teaching-Rest-Homeschoolers-Guide-Unshakable/dp/1600512879">Teaching from Rest</a>, which I would highly recommend to any Christian homeschooling mothers (it was more religious than I expected, but delightfully non-preachy).<br />
I don't have my copy in front of me, so I can't quote it. But there was a section that really touched me, where the author asked, Whose "Well done" are seeking? You cannot serve two masters, and God and the world want very different things from you. If you're seeking to please and be praised by one of them- the other will probably be disappointed in you. If you're trying to impress everybody, it's unlikely anyone will be impressed. If you want God to be pleased with you, then stop trying to impress your mother-in-law and neighbors and do what you know God wants you to do.<br />
(Note: My mother-in-law and most of my neighbors are actually fairly supportive and non- judgmental, so I'm intentionally singling out NO ONE.)<br />
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As we near the end of our first year of homeschooling, I am feeling really introspective about school and trying to evaluate what is next for us. Was this year everything I hoped it would be? Is this still the path that our family should take?<br />
I know the answers to those questions already.<br />
Yes. Yes.<br />
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This last year was amazing, it was hard and tiring, but it was also joyful and fun. We all learned and grew closer and I am excited to continue that for at least another year.<br />
As a friend recently told me, no one ever hands you a medal that says "You survived a Wicked Hard day as a mother!" (read that with a Boston accent).<br />
I want to be validated for doing what I think is right.<br />
But sometimes I just have to do it without the validation I think I deserve.<br />
And I suspect, as a homeschooling mother, I'm just going to have to get used to people thinking that what I'm doing is crazy.<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-75205704096991780382017-04-30T16:01:00.001-07:002017-04-30T16:01:34.161-07:00Education and Such: CurriculumYikes. I read through my last post and it was such rushed, train-of-thought style writing! This is what happens when I try to frantically record things in my free time.<br />
Ah, remember the days of naptimes for all?<br />
Those were the days when I could occasionally put together a well-worded sentence and crank out 5 blog posts a week. Although, maybe you noticed. This is my FIFTH blog post this week. Basically I haven't written in three years but I'm currently feeling motivated to write down things so I don't forget.<br />
Yesterday I took pictures of all of our school books, so I thought I would share them and what sort of work we do every day.<br />
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First, here is our loop schedule (and an example of our daily to-do list):<br />
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The every day tasks (at the top) are the things we do daily (duh).<br />
The tasks at the bottom are rotated through. We usually get through the whole list in about 4 days.<br />
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So, under The Arts, for example, I have listed Music Study, Shakespeare, and Picture Study<br />
That means, every time we get to The Arts in our rotation, we do whichever of those is next. We don't do Music one day, Shakespeare the next, etc. We usually study The Arts once or twice a week. (Like how I'm making <i>The Arts</i> a proper noun? Me too.) That means that, really, we're only doing each of those tasks about twice a month.<br />
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<b>Arts:</b><br />
For The Arts (now I'm just saying it to amuse myself!), we use <b><a href="https://www.costco.com/The-Shakespeare-Stories%3A-16-Book-Box-Set.product.100318896.html">Shakespeare Stories for kids</a></b> which are Shakespeare's plays written as children's novels to help them familiarize themselves with the names and stories, etc. We also read Shakespeare's poetry on occasion, but here's the real thing: I don't love Shakespeare, so I'm not that into reading his poems. We listen to the podcast <b><a href="https://www.classicsforkids.com/podcasts.asp">Classics for Kids</a></b> to learn about famous composers, and then listen to the music by said composer (thanks Amazon Prime Music) throughout the month. We read chapters about artists from the book <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vincents-Starry-Night-Other-Stories/dp/1780676158">Vincent's Starry Night</a></b> for artist study, and have ordered (but don't actually have yet) several picture study packets from <b><a href="https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/picture-study-portfolios/">Simply Charlotte Mason</a></b>.<br />
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<b>Geography: </b><br />
Earlier this year, Grey and Micah learned their address as part of "geography," and next year we will probably study more about different parts of the world- but as of right now, we are still trying to understand <i>maps. </i><br />
We checked out this book and workbook from the boys' school, called<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Leagues-Tardy-Goes-There/dp/1932168230"> Legends and Leagues</a></b>. It has been really fun and helpful for the boys to learn about maps.<br />
I have also ordered (but have not received and therefore cannot give a review of) these <b><a href="http://www.pinitmaps.com/">Pin it! Maps</a></b>. We also read SO MANY books, as you might have guessed. So whenever we read about a place besides where we live (so basically with all books- since very few take place in Utah), we look up the place on our globe.<br />
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<b>Storytelling:</b><br />
I have invented my own category of school work. Some other names for it might be <i>Creative Writing, </i>or (if you're Charlotte Mason) <i>Narration. </i>I like <i>Storytelling</i>, because I feel like it is more accurate to what we do. The boys aren't doing a lot of creative writing because their physical writing ability doesn't allow for much, but they do have a great desire to express themselves and tell stories. Charlotte Mason gives Narration great importance and I struggled to teach my kids to do what I thought Narration was: to summarize what they see or read.<br />
Guess who hates it? That's right. Five year old boys. Our conversations went like this:<br />
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Me: Okay, can you tell me what's happening, so I know you're understanding what we read?<br />
Grey: Louis is in the bathtub instead of a bed.<br />
Me: Okay. That's the last sentence that I read. What else has happened since you summarized.<br />
Grey: I don't know.<br />
Me: Louis got a job, right?<br />
Grey: Yes.<br />
Me: What's his job?<br />
Grey: Playing the trumpet.<br />
Me: Playing the trumpet <i>where?</i><br />
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And that would just go on and on and be terrible for all. So instead, I give the boys opportunities to tell stories without trying coax anything out of them. We might talk about it, which helps them remember various things, but there's no hinting, "And what kind of boat was it? And do you remember why that's important?" The greatest trick for my specific children has been to remove myself from the process. I give them my phone and ask them to record themselves telling a story and then bring it back to me. I then write down what they say in the video and they have a story that they "wrote."<br />
Currently, the boys are each compiling a book of Fairy Tales as told by them. We read a story together and complete an art project for it. They are responsible for writing down the title of the story and one line from the text. Then I transcribe their version for us to reread forever.<br />
This idea was taken from <b><a href="http://www.bravewriter.com/">Brave Writer</a></b>, which is not really a "curriculum," so much as a collection of ideas to teach your child how to express themselves. I really like it and have used many of her tips- however, I'm not sure that I would pay for it! We got it for free through the boys school.<br />
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<b>Poetry Teatime:</b><br />
This is another idea from Brave Writer, although something that we actually did occasionally before I read it in her book. About once a week (Tuesday Teatimes!) we try to have a poetry tea party. We gather a bunch of poetry books, snacks, and fancy hats and sit around and read poetry together while sipping (basically) sugar water.<br />
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<b>History: </b><br />
If you look closely at my loop schedule, you'll notice I don't have a History lesson on there. Currently, the extent of our History lesson is listening to the audiobooks for <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Story-World-History-Classical-Earliest/dp/1933339004">Story of the World</a></b>. We listen to it all the time in the car, and it's very interesting and even I am learning so much! The boys definitely absorb a lot, too. The book is read by an overly-enthusiastic narrator, who - let's be totally honest- sometimes sounds slightly drunk because he's being so dramatic in his storytelling. And it is, as the title suggests, the history of the world told in stories.<br />
Each chapter is a different topic in chronological order, including religious stories and folk tales of different parts of the world. We've currently been listening to the stories of Rome. Beginning with the legend of Romulus and Remus, past Julius Ceasar, Ceasar Augustus, Constantine, etc with a chapter focusing on Gladiators, another Chapter focusing on Rome Gods, and another on Roman architecture.<br />
We also have an accompanying activity book and if there is a topic of special interest to my kids, we will do an activity or color the maps for the chapter.<br />
I think it would be super boring and tedious to read aloud to the boys myself since we already read so many other books, so the audiobooks have totally been worth it to me.<br />
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<b>Handwriting:</b><br />
There are so many Handwriting curriculums out there, but we have liked these<b><a href="https://shopping.hwtears.com/product/LN/HWT"> Handwriting without Tears </a></b>books. They are great for learning the formation and pattern of writing letters. However, they're also just boring workbooks and my kids are not that interested in workbooks (nor are they generally helpful). So the things that they like best are when they write actual letters and send them in the mail. Even letters started to get too difficult, though. My kids want to say so much more than they have the actual patience to write. So Thank You cards! I bought a few packs of basic cards with envelopes for the boys and they write lots of little notes to people for their handwriting work. I also have them keep a journal or log where they are required to write a single sentence about something we did. For example, Grey wrote about our recent trip to Vernal, "We saw petroglyphs and dinosaur bones." That's all. But I try to incorporate handwriting into lots of other tasks (like copywork with their Fairy Tale Narrations as mentioned above.)<br />
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<b>Reading:</b><br />
When the boys were learning to read, we would do a chapter of <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1493593264&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+your+child+to+read+in+100+easy+lessons">Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons</a></b> a few times a week. It was awesome and totally worked! At about lesson 80, it clicked for my kids and we stopped using that book and started just reading. Now they read me a story every day for their reading work. Books like Frog and Toad or Mercy Watson are our favorites.<br />
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<b>Maths:</b><br />
For math we've been using the <b><a href="http://store.mathusee.com/catalog/math-u-see/">Math-U-See </a></b>program. I like it, since it's very hands-on and one-on-one. I loved math in school (to an extent) and I like the patterns of numbers and shapes, but it's very visual for me. I like quilting, because it's so mathematical! But if I am just handed abstract numbers, I flounder. I like the way that this program is set up to help kids identify the real-life attributes of numbers (as opposed to understanding them abstractly.) <br />
Below is a picture of the boys' box of math manipulatives and some example pages of work that they're currently doing.<br />
We also play lots of math games. We have <b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Resources-Sum-Swamp-Game/dp/B00004TDLD">Sum Swamp,</a></b> which my kids love and also play lots of dice and card games. We used our <b><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/OpenBox-Vidatoy-Classic-Hundred-Board-Montessori-Teaching-Aids-1-100-Consecutive-/152525642948?hash=item23833c9cc4:g:MdgAAOSwSypZAJpa">Montessori hundred number board</a></b> all the time earlier in the year when the boys were learning number recognition and patterns, but it hasn't been used in a while now. I have my eye on a few various games to learn about telling time and using money, but we're not quite there yet.<br />
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<b>Spelling: </b><br />
We actually haven't done any spelling work besides just reading a lot and learning some sight words, but I picked up these Explode the Code workbooks from the boys' school this week. So far, they're really into it and it's teaching them things that I never actually said like "AEIOU are vowels."<br />
Again, I don't love workbooks, but my kids sometimes like them. As long as it's not a chore for me to force them to sit down and fill out their busywork, I'm okay with it...<br />
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<b>Hands On:</b></div>
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The last topic on my loop schedule is called "Hands on," which is only because I couldn't think of another name for it. It includes things that I hate, like science experiments! Okay. They're not so bad. But my kids want to do a science experiment every dang day. Some, like dissecting owl pellets, take many hours! We seriously spent about 3 hours dissecting an owl pellet, cleaning the bones, identifying them, and rebuilding Vole skeletons. </div>
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Other "hands on" projects, like the sea shell set below, are much easier and don't actually include any work on my part. Pictured below is a Sea Creatures Discovery Kit that we checked out from the school. We checked out one about fossils last week, and it included plaster of paris and a small plastic dinosaur for us to make our own fossils. </div>
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<i>Nature Journaling</i> is also included in the hands-on section, because it's always a huge fight. My kids love nature and want to learn and record things about the world around them. But they, like their mother before them, are not that into trying to draw the things they see around them. The inevitable imperfections of such a task are really stressful. So we started just gluing in pictures from the internet and then writing down things that we learned! Now Nature Journaling is totally fun. It might not look as fancy or be a precious heirloom, but that's okay.<br />
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Whoa, you guys. I did not think I was going to be able to actually finish this super long post. But I did! And now I have a record of all the things that we do every day!<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-90702458612042311522017-04-27T20:25:00.001-07:002017-04-27T20:25:57.699-07:00Education and Such: Schedule, Routine, and all my Many ChartsAs we are nearing the end of our kindergarten and voyage home school year, I wanted to write a bit about what we did and didn't do over the past 9 months. Some things that worked, some books we've loved, the schedule we've fallen into, etc.<br />
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Last year at about this time, I was obsessively planning for this school year. This is, no joke, the actual schedule that I wrote down for the boys' kindergarten year:<br />
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<i>Daily Schedule:</i><br />
<i>7:30- 9, Breakfast, scriptures, memorization, Poetry</i><br />
<i>9-9:45 clean up breakfast, make beds, get dressed, etc (take turns doing yoga / individual reading time)</i><br />
<i>10-10:45 SCHOOL</i><br />
<i>10:45-11:15 snack/ free time</i><br />
<i>11:15-12 SCHOOL</i><br />
<i>12 Lunch</i><br />
<i>Afternoon, read aloud during snacks or at bedtime (Biographies/Lit)</i><br />
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<i>MW Math, Fairy Tales, Art, Journals/Thank you notes</i><br />
<i>TTH Science, Scriptures, Geography, Copy Work</i><br />
<i>Daily: History (biographies), Narration & Artwork, Reading practice</i><br />
<i>Mid Morning: Reading Practice, Math/Geography, Art/ Copy Work</i><br />
<i>Late Morning: Journals/Scriptures, Fairy Tales/Science, Narration & Art Work</i><br />
<i>Afternoon: Reading together (alternate biographies / lit)</i><br />
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Want to guess how long we followed that schedule for? LITERALLY NOT EVEN ONE DAY. </div>
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Just reading that schedule above makes me cringe. I invented that schedule based on lots of other homeschool moms' schedules, based on what I was pretty sure we were supposed to be doing, and based on my naive assumption that I could just have lesson plans constantly ready every single day. </div>
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Honestly, most of our year, the schedule looked like this:</div>
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<i>8am: breakfast, scriptures</i></div>
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<i>9am-7pm: reading books and running around</i></div>
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Okay. That's a slight exaggeration. We did some school-work, and most of the time when we were "running around" it was to science museums, aquariums, hikes, etc. which I consider pretty dang educational. But they are kindergarteners! People were constantly asking me, "How many hours a day do you <i>do school?" </i>Um. Like 15 minutes?</div>
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Really, throughout the year, we would "do school" (ie. work on math, writing, and reading) really well for a few weeks at a time, and then we would do really poorly for a few weeks at a time. The truth is, I actually feel totally fine about that. I predict we will continue that flow of doing a lot and then taking a break throughout the summer as well. It happens really naturally, and it's nice to be able to move at a pace that feels comfortable. And since we will be schooling through the summer, I'm not too worried about falling behind.</div>
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Then, inevitably, after not doing school for a few days or a week- we would all start to crave the routine of schoolwork again, and I would probably make a new chart. I love charts! No one is more falsely optimistic than me with a new school chart. </div>
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I made a chart where I listed each of the boys' school subjects with screen time rewards: Do one math assignment, earn 15 minutes of tv/video games. </div>
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That sort of worked, but also- they were earning too much tv some weeks (weeks when we did school) and then some weeks, Travis wanted to play video games with them, even though they hadn't earned their time and so they would play anyway. And obviously that totally undermined my system! They weren't motivated to do anything.</div>
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So I made a new chart, where the week was split into five days of schooling. One day might include reading, math, geography, science, and spelling. Or perhaps reading, math game, fairy tale narration, and nature journal. </div>
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Each morning the boys could choose which day they wanted to do, and needed to complete three full days a week or all five partial days in order to get a prize on Saturday (usually their prize of choice was a pack of gum.)</div>
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That chart worked for a month or so, but the truth is, we often felt overwhelmed. And many weeks we got four partial days done, and the kids were upset they didn't get to earn anything. </div>
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So on to the next chart. And so on. </div>
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The only thing that we consistently did every single day, through good school weeks and no-school weeks was Morning Time. During Morning Time, we eat breakfast, read scriptures together, recite the poem that we are learning, and talk about our plan for the day. </div>
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(My kids and I all love "the plan." Every day they ask, "What's the plan? Where are we going? Who's coming over?" It helps them to mentally prepare for the day, even if all I say is, "Today the plan is laundry and a walk after lunch.")</div>
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We also recently added a book about manners for children, and every morning after reading the scriptures we read a new topic from that book. Today we learned about handshakes. </div>
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We have done morning time five days a week, rarely missing a single day, for about a year. It changed our lives! That sounds dramatic, but it's true. Whether its the routine or the scriptures (a combination of both, I think), it sets our days off in a much better and more unified way. </div>
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Concerning scheduling again:</div>
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Things took an immediate upswing when I discovered Loop Scheduling. Basically, Loop Scheduling consists of a to-do list that you just work through and then start over on. So now we have daily tasks (Reading, Math, Piano, Chores are on our daily list) and we have rotating subjects (creative writing, handwriting, science project, geography, music study, art study, poetry, nature journal, Shakespeare, fairy tales, history, spelling, etc)</div>
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Each of the boys has a spiral bound notebook in our morning basket (a basket next to the table that contains scriptures, Manners Kids Should Know, daily medicines, etc). Every evening I write a to-do list for the boys in their notebook. Their to-do list includes the daily tasks from the Loop Schedule, 2-3 chores, and 0-3 additional school tasks. </div>
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Today we were planning on going down to Grandma's house fairly early in the morning, so their lists were short:</div>
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Piano</div>
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Reading</div>
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Math</div>
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Put Away Clean Clothes</div>
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Unload Dishwasher</div>
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They had to do everything on the list before we could leave. Tomorrow's list is a little fuller. </div>
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Piano</div>
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Reading</div>
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Math</div>
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Fairy Tale Narration</div>
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Spelling</div>
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Clean Under Couch </div>
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Clean Bedroom Closet</div>
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They don't always get the same chores as each other, but they are going to work together at those jobs tomorrow because they're a little bigger. </div>
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Instead of holding to a strict schedule, (like 9:15-9:25: Spelling), we now hold to a <i>routine. </i>I'm all about that change! We actually things done now without feeling rushed or behind!</div>
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Our routine is this:</div>
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When everyone wakes up, we have morning time together. </div>
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After morning time, we all get dressed and clean up breakfast. The boys can start on their chores or piano if they want to or go play for a bit. (They usually choose to do some work here, because they are motivated by knowing what is expected of them for the day and knowing that they can't play with friends until piano and chores are done.)</div>
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At 9am, we start school. We do school until the work is done, OR until 11am. If we don't finish everything, I just don't check it off the loop and we continue it the next day. If they finish everything by 9:40, GREAT. They're done with school for the day. </div>
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I set the timer for each boy, too, and spend about a half-hour one-on-one. Usually, during this time they read to me for 15 minutes and then we work on anything else that they want or need special attention with. The other two brothers play together. This lets them all get a break in the midst of the "school day," too- which helps them concentrate when they need to. </div>
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(Also, I don't put this on their to-do list, but I do put it on mine: Reading aloud together. I read them so many books. In addition to picture-books, we also try to read a chapter or two of our current big-kid book sometime during the day. Currently we are reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. This doesn't go on their list because I don't want them to know that I consider it school. It is a treat for all. It usually happens during a lull in the afternoon or during lunch.)</div>
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On Mondays, they have piano lessons in the afternoon. On Tuesdays, we have a poetry teatime in the afternoon. On Wednesdays, the big boys attend school through a local charter school. They call it "project school," because they do so many fun things and never do any boring busy work. It's our favorite thing and the greatest find!</div>
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And, in fact, because of this school- my kids aren't technically considered home schooled! We don't have to file an affidavit with the state or anything. Instead, I meet with an Education Specialist once a month and the boys take Standardized Tests, etc. It's been a really great comfort to my husband, who is worried about us being held accountable to the nefarious "system."</div>
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And so! We are doing school! We do school almost every day!</div>
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On the days when we don't start off by working together until 11am, 4pm comes and we still haven't gotten anything done and are all crabby with each other. It's great way to have a routine and keep the house in order. I suspect we'll continue it throughout the summer. At the very least, we'll do it 3 days a week. Although- I guess we'll see how we feel when it comes to it!</div>
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I was going to add pictures and such, but it is now 9:20 pm and all my children are asleep. I better get to bed too, since my baby will undoubtedly wake me up in 3 hours. </div>
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Besides, I know exactly who reads this blog (hey guys! Thanks for sticking around. Casey, Josh, Alissa. Maybe my grandma.... ) and this is probably boring to all of you. I wrote it mostly for my own record. </div>
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But hopefully I will find time later this week to write another post about what we actually do during that 9-11am block, curriculums and such. </div>
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I'm telling you guys, this routine is making such a difference. I find myself with free time thinking, "I could write on my blog for a while," and that hasn't happened in YEARS! And yet, I wrote three blog posts THIS WEEK. Amazing. </div>
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Okay. Goodnight my friends!</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-56725328801449585412017-04-25T18:29:00.000-07:002017-04-25T18:29:08.496-07:00August is three!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A day before August's birthday, I was playing with my camera- trying out different settings, teaching myself how to use it. August was playing quietly by himself and I asked, "Will you sit in the window and read so I can take your picture?" He climbed right up into a window seat and was quickly absorbed in a book and oblivious to my camera. About a half hour later, he looked up and asked, "Can you come with me to the trampoline?" We got dressed and headed out- me with my camera again. And I love these pictures of my boy. </div>
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<br />
August is hard to describe.<br />
Travis summed it up nicely by saying, "He's kind, oblivious, determined, tough, and sweet."<br />
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He is a tornado of energy, constantly running, jumping, wrestling, screaming, climbing, swinging, singing, and always, always "fighting monsters." And yet, he is also so snuggly, cozy, and loving. "I want to snuggle with you! I love to sleep with you! You are my favorite! Let's read a book together!" he says.<br />
August is extremely difficult to understand. Sometimes his words leave us stumped. If we ask him, "What did you say? Tell me again!" he will speak very quietly, slowly, and with extra pauses in his words to help us understand- and that makes it even harder to understand! He picks up all these weird speech habits, almost like he's trying them out. For a week or two he will speak with his <i>Sss</i> drawn out, or spitting when he pronounces a B or P, but then he will stop. It's so funny! Grey and Micah are the best at understanding him and often correct me if I don't know what August is trying to say. But he has a lot to say, whether or not we can understand him! He is often chatting- or more often, singing.<br />
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August is extremely determined. He hasn't eaten any food in basically a year. If we don't feed him the food he wants, he just goes hungry- or he fends for himself when we aren't looking. I finid him regularly holding and eating contraband granola bars, fruit leathers, or other "snacky foods" that don't constitute a meal.<br />
He does what he wants, regardless of the obstacles. This hike is too hard? Not for August! The cake is on top of the fridge? Not anymore! That's a big kid scooter? An off-limits toy? A neighbor's dog? If he wants it, he gets it. This is extremely frustrating when he's escaping, breaking rules, or screaming for 40 minutes in a row- but most of the time, it's kind of inspiring! He's a rock climbing, no-fear, self-motivated little trail blazer.<br />
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He loves to play with his brothers and Travis (he honestly doesn't have many other friends) but is more often completely in his own little world. Daydreaming, playing pretend, building, and talking to himself. He is usually pretending to be Link from Zelda or a little puppy, "your <i>favorite </i>puppy," he says. If he gets absorbed in a book or game, he will play for an hour at a time before we see him again. Often, I find myself worried that he has escaped (again) and headed to the neighbor's house- only to find him tucked into a corner downstairs - lost in his own mind and deaf to me calling him.<br />
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August is also very thoughtful and kind, showing his big smile off, bringing treats to everyone, always checking on Louise. He is fairly conscious of other people's emotions. He is violent and impassioned- but feels instant remorse if people are hurt or upset and is (often) willing to sacrifice what he has to make someone feel better.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbquC3JcsVkOFpEaYY_3ztSAE81TDh9eecE60dztfJPzTJGoK1_RKoHXu7voDrZcz4gkM_c4xU4GQN4aPXBL5mkRte4-DrAWJ7DXHpUzsHWkFhAFq1R-DfTjYDc6I58IYlAjOi2eMaqRJP/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbquC3JcsVkOFpEaYY_3ztSAE81TDh9eecE60dztfJPzTJGoK1_RKoHXu7voDrZcz4gkM_c4xU4GQN4aPXBL5mkRte4-DrAWJ7DXHpUzsHWkFhAFq1R-DfTjYDc6I58IYlAjOi2eMaqRJP/s1600/2.jpg" /></a><br />
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August is also very musical, he can keep tunes, recognize music, and becomes very absorbed in instrumental music- not dancing, but sometimes karate-chopping to the beat. He loved the movie Moana and after seeing it twice, he could sing along to most of the songs and often requests that we listen to the music. He is almost always singing Primary songs that he learns at church, twinkle twinkle little star, or reciting nursery rhymes to a strong beat.<br />
His favorite songs are Peter and the Wolf, which he can almost recite- and the music to The Legend of Zelda, Skyward Sword.<br />
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He loves the Utah Jazz and had fun going with Travis to several games this season. He chants, "Go Go Jazz! Go Go Jazz!" and often requests that we play basketball together- or that Travis plays Zelda with him. He loves Zelda and is very invested in the story. He almost always has 2+ swords clutched in his hands, likes to be called "Zelda Link" and will agree to things more readily if we explain, "This is what Link does. Link loves to ... eat his potatoes, wear his pajamas, hold the baby."<br />
If only that worked with the potty! August is still adamantly insistent that he wear a diaper. He hates wearing it, but the idea of using the toilet is so stressful to him that he cries if I even get underwear out of his drawer. Ah well. I'm sure he'll be potty-trained by four, right?<br />
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Right?<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-51920895730544516882017-04-25T16:08:00.001-07:002017-04-25T16:08:09.020-07:00Louise Mae - Four Months OldI am feeling mom-guilt over the fact that Louise's milestones are not being recorded as obsessively as the boys' milestones (or, you know, at all.)<br />
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She is already four months old and I haven't told you anything about her!<br />
So here are some pictures that I took of her on Easter. She is such a cheerful, smiley baby! But like most babies, those smiles are replaced with concerned eyebrows when the big camera comes out.<br />
Louise at four months, she has rolled over a few times and can "sit up" for a few seconds at a time- though not as well as August could. She weighs about 15 pounds, and is in the 90th percentile for height, weight, and head size! (For proof, please observe those THIGHS.)<br />
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She is so drooly, and loves to have things in her mouth. She grabs things (like blankets, fingers, pacis) and then attacks them with the cutest little baby-lion noises and faces. She chews on things with ferocious glee! And no wonder- she already has TWO TEETH!<br />
The two teeth on the bottom came in at about 3 and a half months. I was so surprised- not only because she is so young, but because she exhibited no signs of discomfort. She wasn't fussy, up at night, or feverish. In fact, she slept better than usual the nights before each tooth popped in! I guess she was using up all her energy being happy while in pain, and needed extra rest.<br />
She is very quiet and observant, rarely fussy or sad. She watches us all the time, her little eyes following everything that we do. She makes all these funny little sounds and facial expressions like she's trying to copy us speaking. And I'm sure that she understands many things that I say, like when I ask: "Are you hungry?" and she starts to hyperventilate in excitement!<br />
When Louise is sad- she SCREAMS. She screams like it's on purpose and she's punishing us for letting her get hurt. She really only screams when she is in the backseat by herself, without any brothers to look at her, or when one of the boys accidentally hurts her- as has unfortunately happened several times.<br />
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She hates to be in the carseat, but if a big brother sits by her and hold her pacifier in, she calms down almost instantly and watches him until she falls asleep. She loves her brothers and they can get her to laugh more easily than Travis or I. She often squeals for joy at seeing them and instantly calms down if she is sad. As I am writing this, she woke up from her nap. I know that she is hungry and ready to eat, but instead of helping her- I sent Micah in to entertain her. I can hear giggles from both of them!<br />
Louise is still entirely breastfed. She's a good eater and eats every 3-5 hours, day or night. I'm ready for her to sleep through the night, but she's still so little and nice that I don't mind when she gets up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr-rxBcXXInVJCfudYDpv6VQ32m1s-aPOeRK7DidJ-piFppC-hMEOOMqU_xZ-i-ABJNReUGITtwr9ay5CNWd-6h7840Jgc8mjT43pMI2qlJbKO1V1nPE8Vf0ygOSjNLe7-B0sAfN82Ege/s1600/4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLr-rxBcXXInVJCfudYDpv6VQ32m1s-aPOeRK7DidJ-piFppC-hMEOOMqU_xZ-i-ABJNReUGITtwr9ay5CNWd-6h7840Jgc8mjT43pMI2qlJbKO1V1nPE8Vf0ygOSjNLe7-B0sAfN82Ege/s1600/4.jpg" /></a><br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-27697845756253395842017-04-21T15:51:00.001-07:002017-04-21T15:51:26.272-07:00Family ConversationsNope, you're not dreaming! It's a real blog post.<br />
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Louise was been losing her ever-loving mind for the ten minutes and August sprinted into our room, screaming "DONT CRY, LOUISE!"<br />
But as he neared the bed, he tripped over a pair of shoes and flew through the air and into the wall. So he started crying.<br />
I set Louise down and scooped him up and said, "Don't cry, August!" and he pulled back and glared at me and growled "I'm not a crying! Say, 'Don't cry, LOUISE.'"<br />
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Travis said the bedtime prayer and August started yelling "Bless Peter Puffin! Not robin! Peter Puffin!"<br />
Peter is his stuffed Puffin, who currently goes everywhere with August and needs his own silverware at the dinner table. Robin is Micah's stuffed bird of choice.<br />
We are into birds here. <br />
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We had our new furniture delivered when there was snow on the ground. One guy came with it, but another mover was supposed to meet him. So he was waiting in his truck. He came to the door and asked if he could do anything to help me. Maybe shovel the driveway?<br />
So he did. He was very sweet and young and cute.<br />
Micah watched him from the window, "Wow! He's so nice. He must really want to live with Heavenly Father again."<br />
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August loves fruit leathers- and regardless of where I hide them, he finds them and binge eats many in a row. I moved them into a new cupboard.<br />
August looked in the cupboard where they had been earlier and then turned to me sadly and said, "I'm sorry. We've lost them." <br />
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August really wants to sleep in bed with us, but every night we tell him, "You can't sleep in here, there isn't enough room."<br />
The other day, he climbed into bed and said, "There is enough room. Now you say it. There IS enough room." He refused to be satisfied until after I repeated "There is enough room."<br />
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Grey made his bed and he was standing next to it, saying "My bed is looking awesome. Repeat. My bed is looking awesome. Repeat. My bed is looking awesome."<br />
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Micah tried to distract Grey and called, "Oh look! A dying fish is behind you!"<br />
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Micah gave travis a "Good Job" sticker and said, "This is for you, because you have a good job."<br />
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Micah: I love it. It's gonna boil my mind right out of my head, I love it so much.<br />
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Travis: Ow! Hey! August just bit me on the chest!<br />
Grey: Just talking about that makes both of my right-heres hurt. My nipples, I mean. Did he bite your nipples?<br />
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Grey: What character will you be in my play about Link?<br />
Micah: Well, I have a beautiful face like Zelda, but i don't want to be a girl.<br />
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Micah: You should Google it!<br />
Me: Really? What does Google mean?<br />
Micah: I don't know. To bring something back to the store after you've bought it?<br />
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Grey: I love Jesus more than anyone else does!<br />
Me: That's not okay to say, honey. You love him very much, but you can't see inside other people's hearts.<br />
Grey: Well, Doctors can!<br />
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Me: You put Louise to sleep! Thank you!<br />
Grey: It's easy! All she needs is a little bouncing and something to chew on.<br />
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Grey: I do look a lot like Link.<br />
Micah: And when we use our imagination, you look EXACTLY like him!<br />
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Grey: Today when I was eating lunch, I pretended I was a hunter and I had shot an animal and was eating it's meat and other squishy parts.<br />
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Grey: Jesus is quite magical.<br />
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Micah: August is a little like Gollum, because he's tricky and likes to hurt us- but he doesn't try to eat us, and he can't sneak up on us like Gollum could.<br />
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Grey: This movie is getting sad. I'd like to invite you to join us in the living room.<br />
Me: No, thank you.<br />
Grey: Please? I'm a little worried.<br />
Me: No, thanks.<br />
Grey: Just one quick question then: does Wilbur get eaten?<br />
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Me: Who are your Grandmas?<br />
Grey: Grandma Pitcher, Grandma Polly, um...<br />
Micah: Grandma Joann?<br />
<i>(Note: The boys don't know anyone named Joann.)</i><br />
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Micah: How many sausages are left for you guys?<br />
Me: Well, there's only one and I'm going to eat it. So Daddy won't get any.<br />
Micah: Why?<br />
Me: Well, Dad loves me and he'd tell me to eat it anyway. So I'm going to.<br />
Micah: and THAT is why we love him the most.<br />
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Grey: Do you know why Harry Potter didn't die?<br />
Micah: He was famous.<br />
Grey: No, he was famous BECAUSE he didn't die. He didn't die because his mom loved him so much. Love is more powerful than bad magic.<br />
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Micah: Is this scorpion meat that we are eating?<br />
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Grey: Hey, Baby! Take THAT, Baby!<br />
August: No! I NOT Baby-Take-That.<br />
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Grey: What a fierce brother I have!<br />
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Me: What should we write in your letter to the senator?<br />
Micah: Hello, my name is Micah. My favorite color is blue. I think-<br />
Me: Wait. Do you remember what this letter is about? It's supposed to be about refugees.<br />
Micah: Oh, that's right. I'll say, "Hello, I am sorry to hear that Mr. Trump lets Satan tempt him." <br />
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August: August and Auggie are best friends.<br />
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Travis (helping August pray): And please bless Grey and Micah.<br />
August: Bless Grey, Micah- best friends.<br />
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Micah: When I go rock climbing, I need to wear this shirt because it's full of courage. It gives me courage to climb all the way to the top.<br />
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Micah: Knock knock.<br />
Noelle: Who's there?<br />
Micah: Robin<br />
Noelle: Robin Who?<br />
Micah: Can I peck your house to crumbs?<br />
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Grey: Even when my hair is crazy, my eyes are blue like diamonds. And even bluer than your eyes, of course.<br />
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August: I want to do yoga with me, Auggie.<br />
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Travis: There was a little boy running through the woods, as fast as he could. His name was-<br />
August: AUGGIE!<br />
Travis: And as Auggie was running through the trees, he suddenly found-<br />
August: a grocery store!<br />
Travis: So Auggie started looking for something. He looked all over, and then he saw it! It was-<br />
August: A treasure chest!<br />
Travis: Then the manager of the store came over, and he saw Auggie and the treasure chest and he said-<br />
August: "I want the gold!"<br />
Travis: Then he said, "Will you trade me this grocery store for the gold in your treasure chest?" Auggie thought about it, and then said-<br />
August: YES!<br />
Travis: So Auggie gave him the gold and became the King of the Grocery store.<br />
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Micah: she almost put all of her hands in my nose, because her hands are so tiny and my nose is SO BIG.<br />
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Grey: This marketplace is called a Bazaar, because everything they sell here is very strange.<br />
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Grey: What are those white birds called?<br />
Me: Um, pigeons?<br />
Micah: NO. Like they sacrifice at the temple!<br />
Me: Doves?<br />
Grey: Yes! Thank you.<br />
<i>(Note: Mormons do not sacrifice animals in their temples! Micah was referring to Biblical stories of temple sacrifice.) </i><br />
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August chatting to himself in the bathtub:<br />
"Oh, naughty ducky! You are in time out! YES, you stay in time out! Right NOW!"<br />
"What's a behind this door? Bikes! Bikes a-hind this door! Let's ride them!"<br />
"Louise and me eat a this! Nom nom nom! Yummy! Louise eat a this! It's yummy! Louise likes it!"<br />
"Where is it? Let's go find it! Auggie find it!"<br />
"No, Daddy! I need you, my daddy! You MINE Daddy!"<br />
"Shhh, I love you. Ni-night. Ni-night! Twinkle twinkle. Awaaaaaake! Oooh morning! Good morning!"<br />
"No! This is mine baby! That is yours baby!"<br />
<br />
Me: Ugh, what's that smell?<br />
Micah: Probably you. You never shower.<br />
<br />
Grey: Okay, someone didn't flush the toilet. You guys, it's disgusting! And this is the last time I'm going to talk to you about it. From now on, let's all agree to FLUSH.<br />
<br />
Me: Yucky, August! Don't eat your boogers!<br />
August: Boogers are boogers, Mama. Just boogers.<br />
<br />
August: Knock knock<br />
Me: Who's there?<br />
August: A ghost!<br />
Me: A ghost who?<br />
August: A ghost and a popsicle! BOO!<br />
<br />
Grey: Louise learned a new word! EGG!<br />
<br />
Grey: Who is Hitler?<br />
Me: You know who Hitler is, think about it and see if you can remember.<br />
Grey: Umm... Donald Trump?<br />
<br />
<i>(Grey knows that obviously, the smaller something is- the cuter it is.) </i><br />
Grey: You're even cuter than a crumb that's so small it's invisible! You're the cutest girl in the whole university!<br />
<br />
Grey: I wish I was a grown up when we went to Australia. Then I could buy my own submarine and explore the coral reef.<br />
<br />
Micah: Oh! A dollar! Now I don't have to earn one!<br />
<br />
Micah: We'll get baptized when we are eight, right?<br />
Me: Yes, you can if you want to.<br />
Micah: Of course I do! Otherwise they'll have to do a baptism for me at the temple after I'm dead.<br />
<br />
Grey: After this, let's play a game because I'm going to be filled with so much hyper.<br />
<br />
August; I'm a puppy. Your favorite puppy.<br />
<br />
Micah: I didn't have time to make any friends, but I did have time to put a lot of sand in my hair. So i did.<br />
<br />
Micah: Grey threw dirt at me, just because I threw dirt at Auggie!<br />
Me: Sounds like you threw dirt and it taught your brothers that you love to have dirt thrown, so they were doing it because you did it.<br />
Micah: NO. Grey did it because Dad told him to- to teach me a lesson.<br />
Me: And what did you learn?<br />
Micah: NOTHING. <br />
<br />
Travis: August, am I your best friend?<br />
August: No.<br />
Travis: Who is your best friend?<br />
August: Micah!<br />
Travis: Micah?<br />
August: Grey and Micah and Jesus are my best friends!<br />
<br />
Grey: Mom! It's Saturday! It's your birthday! Not your real birthday, your present-birthday, which is even better!<br />
<br />
Micah: Dad is trying to get his hat, which I accidentally threw on the roof.<br />
<br />
Grey: Can I jump on the trampoline naked?<br />
<br />
August: I have clean hands!<br />
Me: And a pure heart?<br />
August: Clean hands, a pure heart, and a poopy diaper!<br />
<br />
Micah: You're beautiful! And you're even more beautiful when you smile.<br />
Me: Thank you!<br />
Micah: You liked that?<br />
Me: I did.<br />
Micah: Thank you for liking that.<br />
<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-67580623585868064662017-01-18T16:18:00.001-08:002017-01-18T16:18:25.000-08:00Family Conversations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
August is so tired and stressed from being sick and he keeps hitting us and then feeling really guilty about it. I wouldn't let him pour a gallon of milk down the sink (?!?) so he started yelling, "Mean Mommy! I punch you! I punch you, Mommy!" And he hit me. Then with tears streaming down his face, he went and confessed to Travis. "I hit Mommy a lot, Daddy. I hit Mommy." He has also hit Travis and the boys several times, and came and confessed in tears each time.<br />
<br />
On Christmas we got so much snow, August spent over an hour crawling in the snow pretending to be a puppy. A week later, he saw a picture of himself sitting on Travis' shoulders from that day in the snow.<br />
"Look Mommy!" he said, "Daddy and a Snow Puppy!"<br />
<br />
August has also been very concerned with Louise, and gets very upset when I burp her. ("No hit A-Wheeze, Mama! No hit!") He also likes to keep me informed on what she is doing all the time. "A-Wheeze sleeping! A-Wheeze crying!" And every time she burps, snorts, or spits up (sadly often), he yells in a panic, "A-Wheeze CHOKING,Mama!"<br />
The first time he saw her nursing, he watched for a minute and then asked, "A-Wheeze SO hungry, Mama? So hungry, she eat YOU?"<br />
<br />
Grey: Is King Arthur a true story?<br />
Me: I'm not sure. I think many parts of it are true.<br />
Grey: But wizards are extinct in these days, right?<br />
<br />
Micah: I don't think August is even cute, I think he just DOES cute things.<br />
<br />
Grey: The new star from Jesus' birth isn't new anymore, because Jesus was born a long time ago. Thirty years ago, I think!<br />
Travis: I was born thirty years ago.<br />
Grey: Wow! You must have had a lot of Halloweens.<br />
<br />
Grey: My compass says the temperature today is at 80%.<br />
<br />
Travis: Tomorrow, if you wake up early-<br />
Micah: We can sneak out and eat a cookie before you wake up.<br />
<br />
Grey: I can finish up these dishes for you.<br />
Me: Thanks, honey! You're such a hard worker.<br />
Grey: Well, I AM a Hufflepuff.<br />
<br />
Micah: My stomach isn't full of good food- my stomach is full of cheer! It's ready for Christmas!<br />
<br />
Micah: I know how Santa travels the whole world in one night! In the North Pole, the sun doesn't rise for months, so one night lasts for weeks and weeks.<br />
<br />
Grey: ...and please bless Elanor, that she will marry a good husband when she grows up.<br />
<br />
Grey: Please, August. Be calm! Building Lego Castles is a serious matter!<br />
<br />
Grey: I want to watch the Christmas Carol again today.<br />
Me: I thought you were scared of it.<br />
Grey: No. I like all the spirits. At first, I thought "Oh no. This is a Dark Power. He is yielding to death." But then I thought- "Oh, they're just silly ghosts. They're helping him learn about Christmas."<br />
<br />
Grey: Part of building is taking things apart and putting them back together in a different way. That's my favorite kind of experiment.<br />
<br />
Micah: (Holding Louise for the first time) Mom! She farted on me! It was so cute.<br />
<br />
Grey: People will see your big belly and ask "Are you still pregnant?" And you can say "No! Surprise! I had my baby!" and show them Louise.<br />
<br />
Grey: I think your breasts are full of liquid, because that one looks droopy and huge already.<br />
<br />
Grey: Ugh, get up already. Why are you acting like you're still pregnant?<br />
<br />
Grey: You always say no to everything.<br />
Me: When you said, "May I please have clam chowder?" I said YES.<br />
Grey: I didn't say that. I would never say that.<br />
Me: If you asked me, "May I please go to bed now?" I will say YES.<br />
Grey: You're the cruelest mother.<br />
Me: Thank you.<br />
Grey: ... I said CRUELEST.<br />
Me: I know.<br />
Grey: That means you're very, VERY bad. The worst and most unkind. Did you know that?<br />
<br />
Me: It's not even Lu's fault that I didn't get any sleep last night. I just keep falling asleep while I nursed and then we'd both wake up an hour later and have to finish nursing. Then I'd fall asleep again and have to nurse her again in an hour. Her belly never got filled, since we kept passing out.<br />
Travis: What a tired little girl!<br />
Grey: Dad called you a little girl!<br />
Me: I'm a tired big girl!<br />
Grey: You're a tired marriage-girl.<br />
<br />
Me: Today is Christmas Eve!<br />
Grey: Micah already told me. That means tomorrow is Christmas.<br />
Me: And tonight, Santa is coming!<br />
Grey: I never even realized that!<br />
<br />
Micah: There was a Santa Claus at the Jazz Game.<br />
Me: Wow, that's cool. Did he look like the real thing?<br />
Micah: I don't think so. He was just a man in a costume. There was no magic about him and he didn't even have spectacles.<br />
Grey: And his sleigh and reindeer weren't there. If he was the real Santa, his sleigh would be there. He was just a human helper.<br />
<br />
Micah: This headlamp is from Black Diamond! I wonder how Santa got it.<br />
Grey: I guess there must be a Black Diamond store in the North Pole.<br />
<br />
Me: Did you see all the new snow?<br />
Travis: Yes, did you?<br />
Me: I saw it in the night. I could tell there was new snow, because it was shining through the window with the luster of midday.<br />
Travis: What? The LUSTER of mid-day?<br />
Me: It was so bright, I was afraid you'd left the garage light on. So I looked out the window, and it was the moon on the breast of the new fallen snow.<br />
Travis: There was no moon last night.<br />
Me: When what to my wondering eyes should appear-<br />
Travis: Stop it now. Just stop.<br />
<br />
Grey: Sooo, now there are six of us. How many people do YOU think should live in this house, Mom?<br />
<br />
Travis: I need a brave, adventurous boy to go outside in the deep snow and collect eggs.<br />
Micah: I will do it. To feed my family, I will do whatever it takes!<br />
<br />
Grey: I don't want to walk outside, I'm too tired.<br />
Micah: Have a drink of this Cola! It gives you so much hyper-energy!<br />
<br />
Me: Please stop being so sassy.<br />
Micah: I'm not sure I AM being sassy. I think you're the one being a little sassy.<br />
<br />
August: I want a milk!<br />
Me: You do? Do you LOVE milk?<br />
August: No, Mama! I DRINK milk! I want a milk to drink!<br />
<br />
Me: If you wake August up, I'll be so angry- I'll have to beat you up.<br />
Micah: You're not strong enough to beat me up.<br />
Me: You're right, I won't beat you up. I'll just yell at you a little.<br />
Micah: Sounds like you're letting Satan tempt you.<br />
<br />
August: I NEED candy, Daddy. I NEED candy. I NEEEEEEED candy.<br />
Travis: You don't need candy, you WANT candy. Let's eat lunch instead.<br />
August: Candy for lunch? Okay! Let's go! Candy for lunch, all right?<br />
<br />
(Listening to the Zelda Soundtrack)<br />
Micah: This song is Grandma's favorite, but I don't like it. I don't like sweet songs, I like fighting songs!<br />
<br />
Micah: You are ruining my whole life!<br />
Me: What did I do?<br />
Micah: YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND!<br />
<br />
Me: Please go downstairs and get the bouncer for me.<br />
Grey: I don't want to go down, it's scary downstairs.<br />
Me: Maybe Micah can go with you.<br />
Micah: Grey, the ocean is scary. You want to explore the ocean, you better get used to scary things. Go down yourself.<br />
Grey: I'll explore the ocean and the basement when I'm 6.<br />
<br />
Micah (explaining potty-training to August): It's okay to fart in your pants. It's just stinky. But when you poop or pee in your pants, you need to change your clothes.<br />
<br />
Me: Micah, please give Louise her pacifier. She sounds so sad!<br />
Micah: I'm going to let her cry.<br />
Me: That's not very kind!<br />
Micah: Well, it's the only way she knows how to talk. I think maybe she's trying to tell me something.<br />
<br />
Micah: Grandma wanted to watch a church movie today, but I explained that on Sundays we usually play video games.<br />
<br />
Micah: I want to talk to you privately.<br />
Travis: Okay, its private now.<br />
Micah: No, Grey can hear.<br />
Grey: No, I can't!<br />
<br />
Micah: Mom, do you know why rivers live so long?<br />
Me: No, why?<br />
Micah: They always choose the smoothest course. Like a steady, beating drum.<br />
Me: So, did you watch Pocahontas at Grandma's house?<br />
Micah: Just three or four times!<div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-24212128990178095342017-01-13T15:05:00.000-08:002017-01-13T15:05:13.500-08:00Louise Mae (part 2 - Birth Story)(As you may notice, this says Part 2- that's because Louise's story started a year and a half ago, when we felt prompted that I should become pregnant. If you'd like to read that part of the story- scroll down to the post before this one. This post is the story of her birth.)<br />
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<br />
Louise is one month old, so here is her birth story.<br />
<br />
Months before Louise was born, I had decided to try and have her without drugs, and had read a lot about pain free, gentle, natural births. I also knew so many women with beautiful, gentle birth stories. I was (and am!) convinced that I had PTSD from the trauma of Grey and Micah's emergency c-section and that the fear and expectation of pain and trauma from that led me to an extra long and painful birth with August. My labor with him constantly shut-down, my contractions were terrible but I made no progress, I pushed for THREE HOURS. I am sure that my own fear and expectations made my body react in negative ways when I labored with him.<br />
<br />
So I spent most of my pregnancy with Louise trying to rid myself of the fear of that happening again and telling myself that birth was natural, beautiful- a gift to women and not a punishment. So when I began having contractions on Wednesday morning, I felt very hopeful. They were uncomfortable, but not painful. They mostly made me feel like I was constipated. I wondered if they were contractions at all, or just stomach cramps - since everyone in my house had a stomach bug! The boys were feeling poorly too, so we snuggled and watched A Muppet Christmas Carol and I tried not to time my "stomach cramps," since I'd been timing contractions for weeks and getting my hopes up only to have them dashed.<br />
At about 11 am, I asked to have some private time in my room. I went into my bed and listened to Iron and Wine and practiced breathing. I started timing my contractions and was disappointed that they were still fairly irregular 5-7 minutes apart. But they were also becoming very strong. I texted Travis at work and asked him to come home. I said, "I'm probably not really in labor, but I do feel very poorly. I wish you'd come home and give me a blessing either way."<br />
He got home around 12:30 and my contractions STILL were only 5-7 minutes apart, it even seemed like they were slowing down! I was disappointed and asked him to just lie down with me for a while. He instantly fell asleep, while I dozed for an hour or so.<br />
(Meanwhile, my wonderful mother and sister Katie were taking care of the boys, so they didn't bother us.) I had stopped timing my contractions again, but when I couldn't sleep through them anymore- I began timing them. There were still some gaps of 5 or 6 minutes between contractions, but most were coming 2-3 minutes apart! Since I still wasn't in pain and they weren't consistent, I was suspicious that my labor hadn't really started. But since I was two days past Louise's due date, I decided we should head to the hospital.<br />
We checked into the hospital at about 4pm. As I signed in, the nurse asked "Would you like to be medicated or unmedicated?"<br />
I said, "I'd like to be unmedicated, but I don't have high hopes that I can do it. I'm not sure I'm in even in labor."<br />
"Is this your first baby?" he asked, "And when is your due date?"<br />
"It's my fourth baby and my due date was two days ago!" I said. Geez! My fourth baby and I don't even know what labor feels like?<br />
They led me into the "unmedicated room," I could still get drugs if I needed them, but this room was equipped with a birthing ball, rocking chair, squat bar, jacuzzi tub and more! I settled into bed while they checked me. I asked not to be told what I was dilated to- only to be told if I was making progress and if it looked like I was "really in labor."<br />
Maybe being two days overdue had made me feel that I would be pregnant forever, but I was convinced that they'd send me home or I would be at the hospital for 20 hours before I delivered- like I was with August.<br />
(However, I did actually overhear my doctor say that I was at 4, which encouraged me. A 4 was progress!)<br />
They checked me, registered me with the hospital, and I was visited by my doctor -who said he was going home for dinner, but wanted to be constantly updated. I needed to be given an antibiotic because I'd tested positive for Group B Strep, so after three nurses failed to get an IV into me- they called down an anesthesiologist to prick my tiny veins. I was still feeling fairly good, my contractions weren't that painful or close (every 4 minutes or so) and I was easily distracted by teasing the anesthesiologist and talking to my nurse about her twin-grandbabies.<br />
I needed to be monitored constantly, because I was having a VBAC, so I stayed in bed watching my contractions being printed out on a chart.<br />
I got the antibiotic at 6, but it needed a double dose to be effective. So I was supposed to take it again at 10pm (4 hours later.)<br />
Then it was quiet for about two hours. Travis and I watched X Files on the iPad until about 8pm. At that time, my contractions had become so uncomfortable that I couldn't pay attention to our show. (Although still only 3 minutes apart). I asked Travis to turn off the iPad and turn on Iron and Wine again. I practiced breathing, reminding myself not to clench up my body when contracting. I held travis' hand and while I contracted I focused all my energy on taking deep breaths and NOT squeezing his hand. I was sure that if I could avoid clenching my teeth and fists, then my body would be relaxed enough that my contractions could do their job.<br />
The nurse asked me (again) if I would like the portable monitors, so I could walk around or rock in the rocking chair. I assured her that I would be staying in bed, where I was comfortable.<br />
"Oh, by the way," she said, as she left the room, "the portable monitor is waterproof. You could get into the tub if you wanted."<br />
WAIT. STOP. I was in the tub by about 8:30, and my contractions picked up in intensity (though not frequency) immediately after I got in. The nurse kept saying, "Well, sometimes they don't NEED to be close together to still do their job."But I was convinced that I wasn't making progress.<br />
<br />
Travis, meanwhile, was amazing. The nurse showed him how to apply counter pressure on my back while I contracted. The doctor had also made it extremely clear that if they were unable to consistently monitor the baby, I wouldn't be allowed to remain in the tub. The monitor only picked up Louise's heartbeat when I was leaning back in the tub, but that position was extremely painful when I was contracting. Travis watched me carefully and when a contraction started, he would help pull me forward on to my knees. With one arm, he applied pressure to my back and with his other arm, he held me up while I sagged against him. Then he would help lower me back into the tub. I suspect it was fairly straining to be picking up and setting down a 170 pound person every two minutes.<br />
I also had to get out of the tub five or six times to use the toilet- as my system emptied out. My awesome husband basically carried his wet, naked (pathetic) wife across the bathroom each time and rubbed my back and didn't say mean things about me.<br />
Fortunately for me, I don't think my nurse was a very good listener (to the doctor). As my contractions got more intense and very close together, I found it difficult to move backwards and forwards in between each one. She didn't insist.<br />
<br />
It was agreed that I would need to get out of the tub at 10, so they could check my progress and administer the second dose of IV. Somehow, I was still convinced that my labor wasn't progressing. I was so afraid that I would get out of the tub and the nurse would check me and tell me I was only dilated to a 5 or 6.<br />
I kept telling myself, "You just need to do this until 10. Then you'll get out of the tub, and they'll give you drugs." I had labored for so long with August- I knew I couldn't do that with Louise. I was so weak and tired from just the hour and a half of hard laboring I'd done in the tub. As 10 o'clock neared, I began to panic and cry.<br />
"I made mistake. I can't do this. Other women can have their babies like this, but I can't do it." I kept saying, "I need the drugs. When I get out, please give me the drugs. I made a mistake."<br />
It turns out- it WAS painful to have a baby after all! (Duh! Call me naive, but I totally believed all those pain free, drug free childbirth books!)<br />
At 10:05, the nurse told me it was time to move back to the bed.<br />
"I can't," I told her. "I'm too weak. My legs don't work anymore."<br />
She and Travis half-dragged me back to the bed. I curled up on my side as another contraction hit me hard. Travis was trying to towel me off, while the nurse reattached me to the non-mobile monitors. As another contraction came (they were now very close together), I found that I was pushing.<br />
Actually, I didn't even feel like I was pushing- I felt like Louise was pushing herself out!<br />
As the contraction ended, I gasped "I'm pushing!"<br />
I think there was a moment of panic while the nurse checked me! And indeed, I was ready to push!<br />
She called out into the hallway, and several other nurses and doctors rushed in. She paged my doctor- who was at home! He got to the hospital less than 8 minutes after they paged him- but he had missed it!<br />
But I didn't know what was happening at the time. After lying down in the bed, I hadn't opened my eyes a single time. I could vaguely hear the doctors trying to move, adjust, and instruct me- but I tuned everyone out. I was in my own zone and headspace.<br />
The ten minutes while I pushed were the most spiritual minutes of my life. I felt very tied into eternity. As my body strained, I literally felt that all I was was a body pushing. All I had ever been, all I would ever do was push. I had been pushing forever, and I would continue to push forever. I needed someone to say to me, "It's almost over, she's almost here," because I couldn't see the end. I knew I would push for the rest of eternity, because pushing was the only thing that existed. And yet, it also didn't feel like pushing. It felt like pulling. I have a very distinct memory and impression of grasping someone and pulling them through. I believe that spiritually I was pulling Louise through the veil.<br />
But first, I gave up. There were only two moments in those ten minutes when the words of the people in the room got through my haze. The first time was when someone said, "Her head is halfway out! Just a few more good pushes!"<br />
And I thought, "But I can't push anymore. I'm dying." But I felt slightly encouraged and refocused my breath on "breathing my baby down" (as they said in my misleading books.)<br />
Then an instant or eternity later (or perhaps a few minutes?), I heard the doctor say "The baby's heart rate is dropping."<br />
And in my mind, I very clearly heard the spirit say, "It is better for us to pass through sorrow," and I knew that this was the moment of sorrow, and in a minute- I would have my baby in my arms and it would be worth it. I regrasped Louise, and I yanked that girl into mortality with everything I had! It really didn't feel like I was pushing her out of my body, it felt like I was pulling her through deep water, up into my arms. My doctor rushed into the room, just as they set Louise on my chest. I opened my eyes for the first time in 15 minutes and was surprised to see a room full of people.<br />
Louise stayed fairly blue as her lungs were full of amniotic fluid and I was hemorrhaging blood. So I only held my gigantic baby for a few short moments before they rushed her away to towel her off and pump out her lungs a little. In the meantime, my doctor had arrived and he made me deliver my placenta and started stitching me up where I had torn.<br />
After a minute or two, Louise was brought back to me. She instantly lifted her big head up and looked around. The nurses kept saying, "We really need to hear her give one big cry!" But Lu was very calm and didn't give them the satisfaction. After a little while, she latched right on and began nursing.<br />
<br />
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<br />
She was born at 10:20. Only about 6 hours after I got to the hospital, after an hour and a half of hard labor and 15 minutes of pushing.<br />
She was 9 pounds, 1 ounce, 21.5 inches long.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-48855846467017683402017-01-13T14:45:00.000-08:002017-01-13T14:45:02.045-08:00Louise Mae (part 1- pregnancy)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF5spWPg5o04dq4hDuDUTr1qijtp4VoRK6qY7PYi6SVhca398IkbjteQHMEn2NuXUs_BFV4ZLyr3LY7iHOq762mbIVgevxZCHPBtQGVfQgO-iwSFkxZPsMVA-sj8mDgd9UgVY5BHqzcUp/s1600/belly.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVF5spWPg5o04dq4hDuDUTr1qijtp4VoRK6qY7PYi6SVhca398IkbjteQHMEn2NuXUs_BFV4ZLyr3LY7iHOq762mbIVgevxZCHPBtQGVfQgO-iwSFkxZPsMVA-sj8mDgd9UgVY5BHqzcUp/s640/belly.png" width="518" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first public "belly shot," at about 14 weeks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
After August's birth- I was a wreck. I had a rough labor and delivery and difficult recovery, which actually jumpstarted an autoimmune disease in my body. (They are usually brought on by stress or sickness.)<br />
In addition to the undiagnosed disease that I was fighting, I also was suffering from undiagnosed postpartum depression, which made me angry and irritable. I loved all my kids, but I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. I was physically and emotionally drained.<br />
I recognized my depression about 6 months after August was born, and was able to address it. And a little over a year after his birth, at the poorest health of my life, I was diagnosed with Celiacs Disease and was able to start healing physically.<br />
<br />
So it wasn't until August was about 15 months old that I felt like I had my own body and mind back.<br />
<br />
I wanted to have more children eventually, but the idea of having another baby any time soon sent me into a panic. The exhaustion, sickness, strain and pain of pregnancy was terrifying to me, as was the idea that it might take me years to recover from it. And I had two four year olds and an eighteen month old to take care of, too!<br />
<br />
We also had just bought a house, so in addition to taking care of me and our kids- Travis was faced with the financial strain of paying a mortgage and paying for lots of new medical bills. So Travis was even less interested in having babies than I was.<br />
<br />
In October of 2015, we started listening to General Conference (a two day world-wide broadcast by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), and having another baby was not even on our radar at all. We were not pondering or praying about it. We were not looking for inspiration as to whether or not we should try for more kids.<br />
<br />
Elder Nelson gave a talk called,<b><a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng"> A Plea to My Sisters</a></b>. As he spoke about the importance of women in the fight for good, I felt the spirit very strongly. Then he said, "We need women who have a bedrock understanding of the doctrine of Christ and who will use that understanding to teach and help raise a sin-resistant generation... <i>We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve.</i>"<br />
As he said these words, I felt a very strong spiritual impression.<br />
First, I heard in my mind the words of Mother Eve saying, "It is better for us to pass through sorrow."<br />
And I felt a very strong impression that I needed to begin preparing for another baby- and that it would be difficult and even heartbreaking.<br />
<br />
I almost laughed out loud. I was not interested in another baby! God knew this. And if he was trying to convince me that I should have another baby, why would he do it while telling me that this baby would bring me <i>sorrow</i>?<br />
<br />
Despite my annoyance at my Heavenly Parents for giving me such direct and unappealing instruction- I had felt the spirit very strongly. I knew what was expected of me. Over the next few days, I began (rather half-heartedly, I admit) to pray that I would feel a desire to be obedient. I did not ask, "Should we have another baby?" (I knew the answer already), instead I prayed - often saying things like, "I don't want another baby now. If I am supposed to have another child, help me feel a desire to do so."<br />
<br />
I prayed like this for about three months, and although I didn't realize it at the time, my heart was beginning to soften. I had told Travis of my impression- but since he didn't want another baby yet either, and since he had not received any such prompting, I believe that his prayers concerning the new baby were even more half-hearted than mine. Only occasionally in our prayers together did we mention the fact that we were supposed to be preparing for another baby. And I don't think I told him that this baby had been promised to come with <i>sorrow. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
In January of 2016, I was standing in my kitchen with several other women. One of my friends said, "I think I am ready to start trying for another baby."<br />
"So am I!" I said, surprising myself as I said it. And even more surprising, I realized as I spoke that I meant it. I was still very afraid to have another baby (or more specifically, to be pregnant again), but I finally felt like the difficulty of pregnancy would be worth another child.<br />
<br />
Now that I felt a desire to have another baby, Travis and I discussed the possibility again. He was still adamantly against having a baby. He wanted to wait another few years- after our home was a little less chaotic. I urged him to pray about it, and we visited the temple together several times and prayed about the baby. He still did not receive any promptings about the baby. Meanwhile, I started to feel an increasing desire to be obedient. I knew what was expected of me, God had given me time to prepare my heart- and now, I wasn't being obedient. I wasn't following instructions. It made me feel anxious and unhappy. God had answered my prayers- I wanted to obey!<br />
Around this time, I also had the almost constant impression that I couldn't find my baby.<br />
I would wake up in the middle of the night, searching half-awake through my sheets and blankets for the baby that I was sure needed to nurse.<br />
When I buckled kids into the car, I was constantly counting, "Grey, Micah, August, and... where's the baby?" More than once, I rushed into the house, shouting to Travis, "We forgot her inside!" or "We're missing someone!"<br />
Only to find myself standing in the kitchen, realizing that I didn't actually have another baby yet. "Who are we missing?" I asked every day, on walks, at the playground, at the store. I kept feeling that one of my children had wandered off- and yet they were all there.<br />
<br />
I knew who we were missing.<br />
<br />
After a few weeks of this, I felt like I was going crazy. I wrote out a list of all the things I wanted to discuss with Travis, and we sat down together. (I needed a list, because I knew that I would begin crying and have a hard time making points unless I had all my thoughts written down.)<br />
<br />
And so we began. I explained that I felt a desire to be obedient. I explained that God wanted us to have another baby. I told him lots of things that were personal and heartbreaking, and I sobbed through the whole conversation.<br />
But the thing I said most often and empathetically was, "She is waiting. She's waiting and she's anxious. I can feel her waiting, and I want her here with us."<br />
<br />
Travis wasn't quite ready to agree to having another baby, but he did agree to pray and ponder whole-heartedly and not half-heartedly.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a GIRL!</td></tr>
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<br />
In April, 6 months after I received the impression to prepare myself for another baby- I was pregnant. It had taken Travis and I each about three months to accept the idea of having another child.<br />
<br />
My pregnancy was amazing. It was easy, and I felt good. I was able to hike, travel, take care of the boys, and didn't throw up a single time. I felt so blessed- but I also felt worried.<br />
What was this sorrow that I was supposed to prepare for? If the sorrow didn't lie in my pregnancy, then should I expect it in my daughter?<br />
Would be be disabled? Sickly? Would I lose her in childbirth?<br />
I felt panicked as I tried to remember exactly what I had felt when I was prompted with those words, "It is better for us to pass through sorrow."<br />
But over the months, I also felt peace.<br />
I felt reassured that whatever happened, was supposed to happen. God doesn't make mistakes. And if there was something "wrong," it would be better than if everything was "right." It would be what we needed, what was right for our family and our daughter.<br />
As I attended the temple, prayed, and read my scriptures looking for answers - I realized something.<br />
When Eve tells Adam, "It is better for us to pass through sorrow," she isn't talking about a specific event.<br />
She isn't referring to death, disability, or Cain killing Abel. She is talking about <i>life</i>. About mortality. Everything.<br />
It is better for us to be alive and have families, even if it's hard. It is worth any heartbreak.<br />
And I felt sure that God wasn't promising me a big, huge problem. He was promising me a baby.<br />
And babies are hard. Children come wrapped up in heartbreak, in sickness, in sleepless nights, and broken arms, and angry words, and growing up. And it's all worth it.<br />
The sorrow of having children is worth it, because babies also come with more joy than could be imagined by non-parents.<br />
Maybe God was referring to fear that I felt of pregnancy. I needed to overcome that sorrow.<br />
Maybe he meant the sorrow of wanting to be obedient and not being able to.<br />
Maybe he meant the difficulty and pain of childbirth, or the sleepless nights and acid reflux that we're dealing with now.<br />
Maybe there <b>is</b> something big, lurking around the corner. Maybe there is sickness, death, heartbreak and <i>sorrow </i>waiting to spring on us.<br />
But now that we have Louise, I know that he was right. It is better to pass through sorrow. She is worth it. She is worth the heartache that I've already endured for her- and all the heartache that will come, just as all my boys were and are.<br />
I am grateful that God knew what we needed better than we did. I am grateful that he told us to prepare our hearts and home for Louise, even though we were scared- even though it took a long time to find the desire.<br />
Because by the time she got here, we were all anxiously awaiting her. I don't think we could have lasted much longer.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Due Date!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
(A note: If you are not a member of <b><a href="https://www.mormon.org/">the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,</a></b> you might be confused by our beliefs about Eve. So let me sum them up.<br />
Unlike most other Christian religions, we don't believe that Eve made a great big mistake in the Garden of Eden all those years ago. We believe she made an important and brave decision.<br />
When God told Eve that she would die if she ate the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil- it wasn't a threat. It was an explanation.<br />
Eating the fruit of the tree wouldn't kill Eve, but it would make her mortal. It would introduce grief, pain, and death into the world- but it would also introduce <i>life. </i>Eve and Adam would be able to bear and raise children. Eve's decision to become a mother was brave and selfless- she gave up the ease and comfort of a painless and eternal life, and it allowed each of us to be born and live and die.<br />
Likewise, all women are able to follow in Eve's footsteps and bring children into mortality- giving everyone a chance to experience life and gain bodies. If you're interested in reading more about Eve, you can read the <b><a href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/pgp/moses/4?lang=eng">scriptural account in Moses 4 & 5 </a></b>- consider it an "extended edition" of Genesis. Or you can read <b><a href="http://mormonscholarstestify.org/1718/valerie-hudson-cassler">this article</a></b> about Eve, which is one of my favorite explanations of our beliefs.)<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-20054219033593900602016-11-14T08:51:00.002-08:002016-11-14T08:51:40.198-08:00Family ConversationsHeres the truth: I write blog posts in my brain all the time. I am nearly always writing them out, thinking of funny things I want to tell you or remember.<br />
But then I don't have any time.<br />
Or I remember that the last time that I wrote on my blog was in May and if I'm reopening the blog- shouldn't it be for something important?<br />
Then I think that I should finish updating you about our trip to Australia, or show you pictures from the Fourth of July, Halloween, and - by the way, I'm eight months pregnant.<br />
<br />
So I don't end up writing anything, I just give my Instagram pictures extra long captions and pretend that counts as documenting my family's life.<br />
<br />
But the file on my phone of funny things the boys have said is just getting TOO LONG!<br />
I have quotes and conversations on my phone from March and April that I have never been shared! The last time I shared funny things my kids have said, my kids were still four.<br />
Now they're kindergarteners who can read and count to 100, like tiny grown-ups.<br />
<br />
So here you go. Family Conversations and a picture to boot:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6rZTlZpJ5KZ7bwI8pu6a42Nt85SXLS2bAAyR_sq5A8_pW8b45zrSetGj2ibGNwUY3sEj61jM0d9T1OHMY3lCcmjmcv1EjG_BvkNtYXdxGxX_E5Z3abS7jqg7HfQRgxCJK67dc7i30d5A/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6rZTlZpJ5KZ7bwI8pu6a42Nt85SXLS2bAAyR_sq5A8_pW8b45zrSetGj2ibGNwUY3sEj61jM0d9T1OHMY3lCcmjmcv1EjG_BvkNtYXdxGxX_E5Z3abS7jqg7HfQRgxCJK67dc7i30d5A/s1600/1.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Grey loves his toy owl, and she goes everywhere with him. Her name is Katie (and Grey also named his chicken Aunt Katie!)When his uncle Jack asked why nothing was named after him, Grey said "But Jack- I LOVE Aunt Katie so much, more than anyone!"<br />
He was recently giving Micah instructions for babysitting Katie and said, "She's so easy to take care of, because she isn't messy. She doesn't even poop!" Then he carefully covered her "ears" and whispered, "She isn't really alive, but don't tell HER that!"<br />
Another time he was swinging Katie in the hammock and announced, "Katie carries no weight at all, she's just stuffed with fluff!"<br />
<br />
Grey: Where's Katie?<br />
Micah: What Katie?<br />
Grey: AUNT Katie.<br />
Micah: Which Aunt Katie? Aunt Katie the human or Aunt Katie the chicken? There are starting to be too many Katies! Katie your owl, Katie the mom, Aunt Katie the chicken, Aunt Katie the aunt, and YOU! When you pretend to be Katie!<br />
Grey: I am pretending to be Katie now!<br />
<br />
Grey drank a large cup of milk in one draught, slammed his cup on to the table, leaned back and sighed "Ah! Alcohol!"<br />
"Hey," I said, "What did you just say?"<br />
He immediately looked really embarrassed. "Nothing. I said 'alcohol,' but THIS isn't alcohol. I wasn't pretending to drink alcohol, I was just thinking about people who drink alcohol."<br />
<br />
Micah: His name is Skipper, he's a Fire Dog! That means, if you try to pet him- he gets so angry HE TURNS INTO FIRE. That's what 'Fire Dog' means.<br />
<br />
Grey: Mom, I'm snuggling you SO HARD RIGHT NOW.<br />
<br />
Grey: I see a face in the moon, I think it's the Moon Man!<br />
Me: Does it help you sleep well, knowing he's watching over you?<br />
Grey: It would, except how could he watch over me ALL night? Doesn't he ever sleep?<br />
Me: He sleeps during the day, of course.<br />
Grey: Oh, of course! Then yes!<br />
<br />
Grey: Someday I'm going to be a dad.<br />
Me: I know, and you're going to be amazing.<br />
Grey: I really am going to be a good dad.<br />
Me: What will you do to be a good dad?<br />
Grey: Well, when my kids want to watch a movie, we'll watch a movie together. And when they want to play video games, we will play video games. And if they want to watch a show, we'll watch a show.<br />
Me: Oh, so a good dad watches a lot of shows!<br />
Grey: When his kids want to.<br />
Me: What if your kids like to swim in a deep ocean?<br />
Grey: Then a good dad would take them swimming, so I will! And sometimes Dads need breaks for sleeping and eating.<br />
Me: True. What sort of things do good dads teach their kids?<br />
Grey: Important things! Like listening to Heavenly Father, mostly. And nothing else.<br />
<br />
Micah: I saw an American Indian by our house today.<br />
Me: He's our neighbor, he's very nice. I bet he likes a lot of the same things as you. You can go meet him.<br />
Travis: His name is Peyton.<br />
Grey: SATAN?!<br />
<br />
Grey: For the record, people should try NOT to drown.<br />
<br />
Grey: When I'm done with breakfast, may I have a smidgen of snack cereal?<br />
Me: No, you may not. But you did use the word smidgen correctly, so good job.<br />
Grey: Great! Thanks!<br />
<i>(He was more excited about the compliment than the cereal.) </i><br />
<br />
Micah: Mom! I saw a gnome in your garden!<br />
Me: A gnome! What did he look like?<br />
Micah: A king!<br />
Me: Was it a big king or a little king?<br />
Micah: He was a Mouse King!<br />
<br />
Grey (singing): I wish I had a body like Jesus and Heavenly Father! And I could wear the same clothes as they wear! I wiiiish I could be as BRIIIIGHT as them- it would be pretty good I think!<br />
Micah: They're as bright as the sun!<br />
Grey: They are!<br />
<br />
Micah: Mom, do you know what's another word for my penis?<br />
Me: No, what?<br />
Micah: I'm not telling, I'm asking!<br />
<br />
Micah: The only way I can go to sleep is to take sleep medicine. Then my eyes feel heavy until they drip closed.<br />
<br />
Micah: Hello, what do you need my help with sister?<br />
Me: Well, I brought down the dirty clothes, so I need you to start a load of laundry. And I'd like it if you could clean up the living room.<br />
Micah: Okay, female.<br />
<br />
Grey: I can share my handkerchief if I see someone crying, but not a stranger- just with pieces of our family.<br />
<br />
Grey: I see a brown man, Micah!<br />
Me: You know, it's not really important what color skin he has, honey.<br />
Grey: Oh, I know. He belongs here too.<br />
<br />
Grey: Your belly is getting fatter and fatter, Mom. I hope it's because you're growing a baby.<br />
<br />
Travis was flying a toy airplane over to August, "Here comes your airplane!"<br />
"Hey!" yelled Micah, "That's not his airplane! It's MY airplane!"<br />
"Yeah," said Grey. "it's his gum holder!"<br />
Travis flipped the plane over and discovered chewed gum stuck to the bottom.<br />
Later he clarified, "This is where I stick my gum at night, so I can chew it in the morning."<br />
<br />
Grey: This is my work-handkerchief. I use it when I'm working so hard that I need to wipe sweat off my face. Or if I need to wipe tears off my face because I'm sad that you're forcing me to work.<br />
<br />
Grey: Look! We are both wearing gray pants!<br />
Me: We must be twins!<br />
Grey: We are not. Micah is my twin, and my brother. You are my mom, and we are just wearing matching pants.<br />
<br />
Flight attendant: All boys?!<br />
Grey: AND A MOM!<br />
<br />
Micah: Grandpa Chris will take me fishing!<br />
Grey: Who is Grandpa Chris?<br />
Micah: You remember. He's married to Grandma Polly. He's the Grandpa like a bear!<br />
Grey: He's not a bear. He just has a beardy face, but the body of a human.<br />
<br />
Me: Micah, please leave August alone.<br />
Micah: I don't know why he's crying! He usually likes to play with my tongue, but right now he doesn't want to.<br />
<br />
Micah: Know what I see with my good eyesight? SO MANY CARS!<br />
Travis: How many? Count them!<br />
Micah: I think sixty.<br />
Grey: Maybe forty.<br />
Micah: No. Definitely sixty.<br />
<br />
Micah: Want to know a secret? If you say "concrete," babies cannot talk. Grandpa Chris told me that.<br />
Grey: He was trying to trick you. He's a trickster I think.<br />
<br />
Me: What do you think of the name Moses?<br />
Grey: Well, there's already a movie named Moses, so that could be confusing. People would say "Is that the baby Moses or the movie?"<br />
Me: What about Kurt?<br />
Grey: Again, that's a mans name already, so it would be confusing.<br />
Me: What about Elias?<br />
Grey: That sounds like a girls' name.<br />
Me: What about Elliot?<br />
Grey: Yeah! Elliot! That's a good one for a boy that no one has!<br />
<br />
Grey: We could name the baby Streetwalker!<br />
<i>(Like "Skywalker," I think- but for Earthlings.) </i><br />
<br />
Grey: We are beach people now, right?<br />
Me: Sure!<br />
Grey: Dad's a Beach Loser, but we are Beach Winners!<br />
<br />
Micah: Australia is very nice.<br />
Me: It is nice, isn't it?<br />
Micah: But you guys ARE NOT NICE.<br />
Me: Oh, thanks.<br />
Micah: No, I said not nice, Mom! I didn't say you were nice!<br />
<br />
Me: Will you make us milkshakes?<br />
Travis: I'm SO tired!<br />
Grey: Daddy, Mom does everything. She just made us dinner.<br />
Micah: You didn't even help her. You didn't do anything.<br />
<br />
Micah: Grey is being a bully to me. And he said my heart is filled with anger, but right now it's filled with sadness!<br />
<br />
Micah: Be careful in the ocean! I cannot live without my darling precious mother!<br />
<br />
Micah: I'm drawing a picture of my dear. Not a deer, like an animal with antlers that lives in the woods- but a dear like "I love you, my dear."<br />
<br />
Grey: We have to learn to skateboard so that we can skateboard on a skateboard!<br />
<br />
Grey: Did you know that I have puppies named Grey and Micah, Micah?<br />
Micah: Micah-Micah?<br />
Grey: What? No. Micah, Micah. Just Micah.<br />
Micah: Grey and Micah?<br />
Grey: Exactly.<br />
<br />
<i>(Grey finished eating and was playing on the couch, while Micah and August finished dinner.) </i><br />
Micah: Am I doing a fine job of eating?<br />
Me: Not really.<br />
Micah: I'm just too instructed! August is so cute, he's the cutest boy in the world. I can't stop looking at him, I'm so instructed.<br />
Me: Distracted.<br />
Micah: Yes. And I really miss Grey. I miss him when he's gone.<br />
Grey: I'm right here.<br />
Micah: But you're not at the table with me, so I cannot eat.<br />
<br />
Micah: This dinner is actually quite delicious!<br />
Grey: Yes, it's SCRUMPTIOUS! Wait. What does scrumptious mean?<br />
Me: Delicious to the taste.<br />
Grey: It is scrumptious then, I was right.<br />
<br />
Me: See how nice and clean your room is?<br />
Micah: Hmm, it IS clean. But I like it better messy.<br />
Me: I like it better clean! Then you can find all your toys and you have lots of room to spread out and play!<br />
Micah: But when it's messy, and your toys are lost, you get to DIG for them!<br />
<br />
Me: Tomorrow is Sunday.<br />
Micah: I think I'm going to be sick then.<br />
<br />
Grey: I'm writing in my book of remembrance, so I can never forget the things we say in Australia.<br />
<br />
Micah: If this baby is a boy, let's name him Bravery. Bravery Pitcher. Bravery DeCon Pitcher. That sounds pretty good and pretty brave!<br />
<br />
Grey: This is the scrumptiousest dinner I've ever eaten.<br />
<br />
Micah: Ugh, Grey. Look! Yuck! Did you know that the longer you look at poop- the ickier and ickier it gets. I'm learning that right now.<br />
<br />
Micah: Who wants to be a sugar burger girl?<br />
Me: I don't know what that means.<br />
Micah: It means you're a Sugar Queen in Witch Land and you love to eat sugar hamburgers!<br />
<br />
James: What's your favorite dinosaur?<br />
Grey: I don't like dinosaurs.<br />
James: Your favorite dinosaur is the eucephalus.<br />
Grey: Okay.<br />
James: What are you drawing?<br />
Grey: A treasure chest. And if you can guess what's inside, you'll get a prize!<br />
James: There's a quetzacoatlus inside!<br />
Grey: Um, yes. You win!<br />
James: Hurray! Your favorite dinosaur must be a quetzacoatlus!<br />
<br />
Me: Grey, be careful!<br />
Grey: You don't have to worry about me. I can do my own safetys.<br />
<br />
James: What dinosaur do you like most?<br />
Micah: I don't like any. I like little, gentle animals. Like kittens and small chickens.<br />
<br />
Micah: Do you know what James told me?! The long necked dinosaur likes to eat plants and not people!<br />
<br />
Micah: Mom, do you know what Dudley from Harry Potter knows?<br />
Me: No.<br />
Micah: He knows that if he pretends to cry his mother will give him anything.<br />
Me: That's true. Do I give you what you want when you cry?<br />
Me: No!<br />
Travis: That's because we don't want you to grow up and be like Dudley.<br />
Micah: No way! He beats people with his smelting stick!<br />
<br />
Me: Alright, Mr. Sassy Pants.<br />
Micah: I'm not Mr. Sassy Pants! You're Sister Breast-Pants!<br />
<br />
Grey: Do you know why I'm helping you so much?<br />
Me: Why?<br />
Grey: Because I hope it's a girl baby.<br />
Me: Oh, will you help me less if we find out it's a boy?<br />
Grey: Maybe, Mom. Maybe.... Maybe.... Yeah, I think if it's a boy, I'll help you just a little less.<br />
<br />
Grey: August is poopy.<br />
Me: Tell Daddy, he's outside with him.<br />
Grey: I think he must already know. It's a very powerful poopy smell.<br />
<br />
Grey: I can't find my California Brothers hat.<br />
Me: Minnesota Twins?<br />
Grey: Ah yes, that.<br />
<br />
Grey: Brr! Roll up the windows, I'm freezing!<br />
Me: No way! The fresh mountain air makes you stronger!<br />
Grey: I think there's enough air in here, that if we shut the windows the air would be trapped and we could keep getting stronger.<br />
<br />
Me: How's it going out there?<br />
Grey: We are having awfully, milliony fun.<br />
<br />
Grey: Ugh! There are bugs on me. I think they are females and they're trying to lay eggs on me!<br />
<br />
Grey: I would like forty billion, million-hundreds of cherries.<br />
<br />
Micah: How many Harry Potter books are there?<br />
Me: Seven.<br />
Micah: Does Harry kill Voldemort in number seven?<br />
Me: Yes.<br />
Micah: And then they have a party!<br />
<br />
Me: Your room is so messy!<br />
Micah: No, just a wee bit messy, I think.<br />
<br />
Micah: Elanor, you're so beautiful. I think you're even beautiful when you wear very dirty clothes, or even if you had no clothes! You'd still be beautiful naked.<br />
<br />
Grey: Elanor, when we are married, would you like to go fishing together?<br />
<br />
Me: How was camping?<br />
Micah: Good! It was as fun as being with Jesus!<br />
<br />
Grey: Leaving Max's house is as sad as not going rock climbing for two years!<br />
<br />
Micah: Get this harness off my temple!<br />
Me: What?<br />
Micah: My body is a temple.<br />
<br />
Me: We are going to a park.<br />
Grey: Have we been here before?<br />
Me: Yes, but not since you were three, so you won't remember it.<br />
Micah: I remember it!<br />
Grey: I remember everything!<br />
Micah: I remember those balloons!<br />
Grey: I remember everything!<br />
Micah: I remember that gray house!<br />
Grey: I remember everything!<br />
Micah: Why do you keep saying 'I remember everything?'<br />
Grey: Because I remember everything!<br />
Me: Okay! Here we are!<br />
Grey: Huh. I don't remember THIS park.<br />
<br />
Me: Micah, were you throwing mud at Milo?<br />
Micah: Um. He didn't tell me, "I don't WANT to be muddy."<br />
<br />
Grey: I wish I was a grown up so I could stay up as late as I want.<br />
Travis: I wish I was a kid so I could eat candy and have nothing to worry about it.<br />
Grey: Kids have lots of things to worry about.<br />
Travis: What are you worried about?<br />
Grey: Boy-eating foxes.<br />
<br />
Micah: Do you know what a person-bomb is?<br />
Me: No. What's a person-bomb?<br />
Micah: When you love someone so much that you explode.<br />
<br />
Travis: Do you have a crush on her?<br />
Micah: No, I just like her accent. I'm not CRUSHED on her. But if I see her, I might even marry her.<br />
Me: Do you know what it means to have a crush on someone?<br />
Micah: No.<br />
Me: It just means you like them, and think they're pretty and want to spend time with them.<br />
Micah: Oh, that's all? Yeah- I do have a little crush on that Australian girl, then.<br />
<br />
Micah: What are you thinking about, Mom? Harry Potter or how handsome Dad is? Which one?<br />
<br />
Me: Do you know what the difference is between boys and girls?<br />
Micah: Girls have the power to grow babies and boys have the priesthood power. And everyone has scripture power!<br />
Grey: Not EVERYONE.<br />
Micah: No. That's true. You only have scripture power if you read your scriptures. Also- girls have vaginas and boys have penises.<br />
Me: Nailed it.<br />
<br />
Me: I'm so proud of myself!<br />
Micah: That means you're stiffnecked!<br />
<br />
Grey: Can you even the heck see me?<br />
<br />
Micah: Wow, August! You look like you come from a land of cool magicians, where it's so bright- that you need to wear sunglasses in the fields. By the way, fields are very bright because there are not trees to make shade.<br />
<br />
Micah: We got to see real human blood today, but we didn't get to feel it.<br />
<br />
Grey: Do you wish you had a nice, fat husband?<br />
Me: Not really, I want your daddy as my husband- and he's not fat. So I want a skinny husband.<br />
Grey: Yeah, but don't you wish he was a little more... snuggly?<br />
<br />
Micah: Look, Mom! These two spiders are mating. And when they're done- the female will EAT the male! Awesome!<br />
<br />
Grey: Our room is swollen with toys!<br />
<br />
I tucked the boys into bed. Then less than a minute later, I went back into their room to grab something and Grey sighed "I'm just dropping off to sleep."<br />
<br />
Grey was so cute apple picking. He kept saying "These apples will keep all winter! How lucky for us to gather apples that can last us through the year!"<br />
<br />
The boys did my makeup and told me that I looked as beautiful as "a girl missionary" and the "painting artist Frida," and I looked like "a handsome baby."<br />
<br />
<i>The boys just did Rock Paper Scissors like this:</i><br />
Micah: Think of one.<br />
Grey: Okay. I have mine.<br />
Micah: Mine was scissors. So I guess I win! Scissors cuts paper.<br />
<i>•long pause• </i><br />
Grey: I chose... rock.<br />
Micah: What?<br />
Grey: Rock smashes scissors, so I guess I win.<br />
Micah: But... scissors cut paper.<br />
Grey: I didn't choose paper.<br />
Micah: You didn't choose paper?<br />
Grey: Rock wins. I win.<br />
Micah: Huh... I guess so.<br />
<br />
Grey: I think we should have two more babies after this, so we have six kids.<br />
Me: Maybe, but maybe just five.<br />
Travis: I'm going with four.<br />
Grey: Why don't you want more babies, Dad?<br />
Travis: Well, it's a lot of work and money to have so many kids.<br />
Micah: But babies make you happy, Dad. Don't you want our family to be more happy?<br />
<br />
Me: I'm sorry! Did I bump you with my big fat belly?<br />
Micah: You're not fat! Don't say that! You just have a growing baby inside of you and it makes your body huger. Hopefully the baby is fat for real, but you're not!<br />
Me: Haha, thanks Micah. I hope our baby is fat too.<br />
Micah: It would be so cute, if she's so fat with fat little cheeks and legs. But then, when she gets bigger- she'll probably be skinny like us.<br />
<br />
Dave: Thanks for cleaning that game up, Micah!<br />
Micah: When you are in the service of your fellow being, you're only in the service of your God.<br />
Dave: Wow, that's right! That scripture is from the Book of Mormon.<br />
Micah: Mosiah 2:17.<br />
<br />
Grey: Wow! Look at all the spots and lines on your stomach from stretching to grow your babies. Your body is so amazing. I wish I could grow babies, too.<br />
<br />
Grey: I want to open these tomatoes.<br />
Me: Let's wait, we are almost home.<br />
Grey: UGH! I just love tomatoes too much.<br />
Micah: He can't even help it! He needs to open those tomatoes!<br />
<br />
Micah: Well, I only felt the spirit ONCE at church today. So that was disappointing.<br />
<br />
Micah: Mom! Aurora doesn't like ONIONS.<br />
Me: What!? Only crazy people don't like onions!<br />
Micah: Well, I'm crazy and I DO like onions!<br />
<br />
Noelle: Well, I'm headed to the temple.<br />
Micah: To look for a husband?<br />
Noelle: No, but maybe I should, huh?<br />
Micah: (<i>Sigh</i>). Husbands are hard to find. There aren't many husbands around here, they don't like it because it gets too cold in the winter. You should go somewhere warmer, like Australia.<br />
<br />
Grey: When I'm a grown up, I think I will name my first son "August," after my cutest brother August. Then we'll have two Baby Augusts!<br />
Me: That is very nice, but when you're a grown up, August will be a grown up, too. So you will have a Baby August and an Uncle August.<br />
Grey: Oh yeah! I didn't even realize that. That's even better, because then we won't get confused!<br />
<br />
Grey: I went and spoke very kindly to a brown man. I said, "Hello, what are you doing?" He said, "We are fixing rain gutters." And I was like, "I don't even know what rain gutters are!" That's my story, Mom.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Me: What are you thinking about?</div>
<div>
August: Huh? Mountains, tunnels, and milk. Mountains and Milk. Milk Mountains! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Neighbor: How old are you?</div>
<div>
August: Um... August. </div>
<div>
Neighbor: Your name is August?</div>
<div>
August: Name is August. </div>
<div>
Neighbor: But how old are you? Two?</div>
<div>
August: Two, three, four- August. Yes. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
.</div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-35650912501061014432016-05-27T10:10:00.000-07:002016-11-14T10:11:31.745-08:00Australia 7 - To Perth!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUQ_VfKhSe3vA4Hu1R0F4DPmMOTLr9VjBJr-PAVylPmfs47LXS8WOoMnsjQ77IeZdd7JnLzUDOdZoCpK-SF5A9Es2lzMwNCBwXV89vArbnV5ov2fidNf37gspF8tQCG_CjoFDNwnH0uXm/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqUQ_VfKhSe3vA4Hu1R0F4DPmMOTLr9VjBJr-PAVylPmfs47LXS8WOoMnsjQ77IeZdd7JnLzUDOdZoCpK-SF5A9Es2lzMwNCBwXV89vArbnV5ov2fidNf37gspF8tQCG_CjoFDNwnH0uXm/s1600/2.jpg" /></a><br />
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I am proud to say that we made it to Perth! Travis had a really full day on day that we left, so I was left alone to finish packing, load up our things and children, drive the more-than-an-hour to the airport (through a foreign country I'm fairly unfamiliar with, remember!) return the rental car, take the shuttle to the airport (with three kids and 6 bags!) navigate the airport, get on to our flight, and survive the six hour late-night flight with a baby who wouldn't sleep.<br />
Aaaaand, I'm 12 weeks pregnant! So I want everyone to be very impressed with me.<br />
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Several people on the flight, including passengers and slight attendants, came over to compliment the boys on being so well behaved and to praise me for having such quiet, sweet children. I almost started crying every time someone said this to me, after the week I've had - being told what terrible demons my kids are and how awful I am at parenting.<br />
The big boys were so friendly and funny talking to the man they shared their row with, and he was really kind. He kept offering to help them with cutting their food, untangling headphones, etc. It was such a blessing to be next to someone like him. It made the flight so much smoother, because I really could focus on trying to take care of August.<br />
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We were so relieved and happy to see Aunt Camille at the airport terminal. Finally, we felt a little less out of place.<br />
The boys were hyper and excited the drive back to the Spencers, and practically hysterical with joy in the morning to find cousins ready to play, book shelves filled with books, a trunk of costumes and bins of toys!<br />
It's been hard to entertain ourselves for the last month, and I wasn't sure which they were more grateful for: toys or friends!<br />
Camille is the midst of a dance workshop in downtown Perth- so I was actually home with the boys (including Finn all day, and James when he wasn't in school) for the first few days- and it was actually really nice. It felt like getting home from a long vacation, to be in a house full of food and with a yard and driveway to play in. We got to rest and chill for a while before we dove back into being tourists.<br />
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The boys (while crazy and wild when all together), are getting along really well, especially when James is home! He's such a peacemaker. He's so gentle and inclusive that whenever he comes home from school, everyone suddenly gets along really well again, even if they'd been fighting and crazy for the entire day. </div>
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One of our first days in Perth, I decided to brave the park with the four boys. It was overcast and chilly, but I put everyone in sweatshirts with hoods- and figured we'd just come home if it got cold or started to rain. After a while, it started to drizzle a little- but the playground was under a canopy and everyone was still happy. The park emptied around us, and while it had been full when we got there - we were soon one of only two groups left. The sun started to shine again, and I was glad that we hadn't been fooled into going home to escape the weather.<br />
And then- KABOOM! Suddenly, the weather completely changed and BUCKETS of rain started pouring down. The wind was so strong that it whipped the water under the canopy and soaked all of us! I started trying to gather kids- instructing them to start running towards the car, but everyone was frantic and freaked out, and worried about leaving the buckets, dump trucks, and water bottles that we had now scattered across the park. So instead of running towards the car, they were mostly running in circles screaming! I kept trying to laugh and make jokes as I gathered them, hoping they'd see how funny and silly it was that we had to run to the car in such crazy weather- but the wind was so hard and loud, and the water was so cold that everyone was still hysterical. And my glasses were so wet that it was hard for me to even herd everyone effectively to the car.<br />
After a good ten minutes, I finally managed to get everyone into the car (soaking wet!), and then I had to leave them and run back to the playground in the rain to gather all our toys. Of course, by the time everyone was buckled in and ready to drive home, the sun had come out and was shining again!<br />
But then we were as wet as if we'd been wearing our clothes in the shower, so it was time to head home.<br />
We decided to spend much of the rest of the day making homemade muffins, snuggling, and watching some cozy movies. It's amazing how it really feels like late-autumn, early winter here while Coolum Beach was still so summery and warm.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-20385393523134082732016-05-23T14:42:00.000-07:002016-07-19T14:44:01.136-07:00Australia 6 - Goodbye Sunshine Coast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My favorite days (and Travis' LEAST favorite!) are the days when Joe calls in the morning and says "We don't need you until noon," and then he calls again at 11am and says "We don't need you until 4pm!"<br />
Those are the days we get to have Travis come adventuring with us!<br />
We are leaving Coolum tomorrow, so I was really excited to have Travis for the day on Saturday, and insisted we go back and visit Noosa Head together. (The national beach-forest that I took the boys to with such pathetic results.)<br />
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This time, we were hiking prepared. The boys had swimsuits under their shorts (they insisted on shorts) and we had lots of snacks, sunscreen, and a dad to carry sleepy babies.<br />
We only passed about two other families with children (we hardly see any kids on Sunshine Coast!) and several people commented on how impressed they were with the boys' hiking ability. We only hiked about 4 miles total- but one man even asked, "How did these kids get up here? Did you carry them?" No!<br />
Well... okay. August was carried a little.<br />
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The hike was so much more fun this time, and not just because there was no whining. Travis is much more adventuresome than I about leaving the path and exploring with the boys. He lead us down to a pretty little cove that was filled with fairy pools! They were tucked away, up on the rocks, but they were very deep and clear pools of water- full of tropical ocean fish, crabs, anemone and more. It was so beautiful!<br />
Unfortunately, my camera was slung around my back as we were standing on some cliffs- looking out at the water. When a huge wave came up, I turned around quickly to shepherd children back up to safety and got hit in the back with the water! The camera won't turn on, so hopefully it isn't ruined and all our pictures aren't lost! In the mean time, we are living mostly on iPhone pictures, anyway.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When we finally reached the top- it was too windy to take any pictures!</td></tr>
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It was a fun, busy Saturday. On Sunday, we decided to attend the other ward at the church building. They meet at 9am and we hadn't made it there yet. Now we are so disappointed that we didn't go there every week! It was full of kids and young families. Several moms asked if we could get together- including a woman pregnant with twins! A few women were from Salt Lake, and the boys' Primary teacher was from Park City. And with an ice-cream social afterwards? Well, what's not to love?<br />
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On the way home from Noosa on Saturday, we noticed the tire on the car was flat. We filled it up, but it was flat again on Sunday morning- and again after church! I felt pretty accomplished getting everyone to church by myself, filling up tires on the way! But I felt really nervous about taking everyone to the airport in that car.<br />
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Travis took the car today (Monday) to get replaced, so we spent the day "at home" in Coolum Beach, saying goodbye to the playgrounds and beaches that we've gotten to know so well in the last three weeks. And cleaning and packing up the apartment we've been in.<br />
It's been good to us- but we are excited for our next adventure!<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-59296468140667647652016-05-20T13:57:00.000-07:002016-07-19T13:57:41.510-07:00Australia 5 - More Beaches, Forever!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEHaGzRIICaxp1IjoCaNyZlPVjd7S_-cKGbuQPe5BCNVN3Mzgj4DZ0Nn0M9EAcOmuA7GUroOihimQfwMyeAj1JBj1llnQ03lHa9jDBDR0Pxz7qDCtTWUOAu6z64OdiCXBZTR8c5Zn3jgo/s1600/62.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWEHaGzRIICaxp1IjoCaNyZlPVjd7S_-cKGbuQPe5BCNVN3Mzgj4DZ0Nn0M9EAcOmuA7GUroOihimQfwMyeAj1JBj1llnQ03lHa9jDBDR0Pxz7qDCtTWUOAu6z64OdiCXBZTR8c5Zn3jgo/s1600/62.jpg" /></a><br />
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Very little has happened this week, we've spent a lot more time building with little Lego sets, coloring, and reading together- though! It's a great change from the iPad. Travis gave me a blessing (like a prayer for someone else), and in it he talked about what a good mother I am and that both he and Heavenly Father are proud of me and love me. Since then, I seriously feel a million times better.<br />
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Travis has also been making an effort to say encouraging and grateful things to me, like "You're so amazing and capable- I'm so grateful that you're raising the boys the way you are."<br />
It's silly that those little things make such a difference to me, but they really do!<br />
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We've been really lucky, too, because Travis doesn't have to start work most mornings until about 9:30 (Australians are... not hard workers. Which is super frustrating for Travis- but wonderful for me!)<br />
So most mornings, Travis gets up early and goes surfing by about 6 or 7. The boys and I eat breakfast and get ready and meet him down by the water around 8 and we all spend an hour or so together at the beach before the day starts! It really helps all of us to be on to a schedule that we can depend on. Travis has been surfing with Tyler Bingham most mornings (another American that he's been working with a lot.) and the other day he took some pictures of us. It's nice to have pictures with our whole family in them!<br />
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This morning after the beach, the boys and I headed out to the Maroochy Wetlands Sanctuary. Luckily, it was all a board walk path around a swamp- because somehow we ended up there without August's shoes!<br />
August was asleep when we pulled up, so I just put him in the stroller, and was going to push him along while we explored. However, we were only a few yards into the forest when I started getting tons of bug bites. I looked down at August and he had at least a dozen mozzies on him at once.<br />
The big boys had run ahead, so I started shouting at them, "COME BACK! COME BACK! We need to turn around, the bugs are too bad- they'll eat us alive!" and I turned with the stroller and sprinted back to the glaring heat and sunshine of the parking lot. I planned on brushing all the mosquitos off and reevaluating our plan.<br />
Unfortunately, my screaming and sprinting sent the boys into a panic. Micah totally collapsed and wouldn't run at all, because he was so scared- which meant that he was being attacked by bugs! Grey (crying) caught up with August and I a couple minutes after we got to the parking lot- so I left he and August together and went to rescue Micah!<br />
(We were the only people there, the parking lot was empty, and only a few hundred yards from the entrance of the forest.)<br />
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I was all for loading back into the car and going to buy bug spray- but there was a little forest-rangers office by the parking lot. The sign on the door said "CLOSED" but the door was open and I had seen a maintence man come in and out. I stuck my head into the office, planning on asking if there was bug spray for sale here. (There were a few guide books and t-shirts displayed in the window with price tags.)<br />
The office was completely empty of people, but there on the desk was a half-full bottle of bug spray- that I can only assume was used by the park rangers themselves. I gave the boys and I each a spritz of the repellent and we decided to tackle the forest again.<br />
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Once the mozzies weren't a problem, the forest was very fun to explore! It went in and out of very dark, cool areas with vines hanging and thick foliage and very hot, swampy areas where the plants all grew out of algae-covered, thick standing water.<br />
At the end of the "hike" was the river, with a dock out on to the water. We even saw a few boats pull up- but I was too nervous of my brave children falling into the water, so we didn't stay there long.<br />
Grey and Micah loved exploring in the woods and August loved chasing after them, even barefoot. I hardly got a single picture, because the boys were sprinting around so crazily- and I had to make sure no one fell in a swamp and was eating by a crocodile!<br />
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We stopped at a deserted playground on the way home to eat lunch- and the boys were so excited to be at a new park (they're getting sick of the Coolum Beach ones). Everyone slept on the way home, and we got back with three happy, worn out boys- ready to color together until dinner time.<br />
Basically, a perfect day. They're finally all acting like friends again.<br />And birds.<br />
They spend a lot of time "playing birds" and building nests out of every pillow in the apartment. Haha, I'll take it!<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-12683133782543342982016-05-17T11:34:00.001-07:002016-07-19T13:14:21.849-07:00Australia 4 - Motherhood and iPads<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfJKJvyC584oynX21y21QpbgDHk58E-ooGrMKKxr2Jf0a7ffas6iHVrqAsNl0LY5hNqGJN5Ip2eJ1yMTJXsy8Mj5YGPG_VkJe7zCK0P83v4KeM-24WeEsO6WmD9X8pmNZKyNnu30LeCyw/s1600/59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicfJKJvyC584oynX21y21QpbgDHk58E-ooGrMKKxr2Jf0a7ffas6iHVrqAsNl0LY5hNqGJN5Ip2eJ1yMTJXsy8Mj5YGPG_VkJe7zCK0P83v4KeM-24WeEsO6WmD9X8pmNZKyNnu30LeCyw/s1600/59.jpg" /></a><br />
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Today was really a struggle. The last few days, the boys have been increasingly naughty.<br />
Their inability to get their energy out (in the yard, or playing with toys, or even finding calm moments to look at books) has been killing us! Instead, we are either at the beach or hiking (or worse- in the car!) and they can play, run, and be noisy or we are in the apartment. We are usually here for about an hour in the morning, three hours in the afternoon while August naps, and then an hour before dinner until bedtime. So about six hours a day, we are in a yardless, bookless, toyless house. They can usually play and be happy for about half that time, August for less.<br />
Which means that for three or four (and sometimes MORE) hours a day, the boys are playing on the iPad or watching a movie.<br />
They are getting worse at listening and obeying me, they are getting quickly frustrated and angry with each other or circumstances, and they have all been screaming and throwing tantrums several times a day! I hate the lousy iPad!<br />
It doesn't help that we received a really unkind email from the woman that we stayed with for a few days at the beginning of our trip. She wrote to us (and AirBnB) about what terrible parents we are, raising monsters for children. She said that she feels bad for our kids that they have to be raised by such awful people. She claimed that we destroyed over $3,500 worth of her property and is insisting on payment! We are currently awaiting "mediation" from AirBnB.<br />
That email in addition to my pregnancy hormones, exhaustion from lack of sleep and jetlag, and three crazy boys bouncing off the wall is making me feel like a total failure in the mother department.<br />
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This morning, I loaded the boys up by about 8am and we went to Noosa National Park which has a really amazing coastal hike, with koala-filled rainforests on one side of the trail, and stunning ocean cliffs and steps down to beaches on the other.<br />
Unfortunately, I packed and dressed for "a hike through a national forest." I put the boys in jeans and t-shirts, when they should have been in swimsuits and sunscreen!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding hands as a punishment for punching each other... </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwCDPjafmCM-suvYzgbQZ_uqEVRrwgVUbYmQ4ZgmHgz4vEKONzdhewFiXgX-ROOziN__3eBmk8fwcgIEgqLPfNK34uHDq5Z2KBIuAkRmJ2gX0h_4tkSZtGGfrllT_RBBHJY0RnUriyHwv/s1600/55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOwCDPjafmCM-suvYzgbQZ_uqEVRrwgVUbYmQ4ZgmHgz4vEKONzdhewFiXgX-ROOziN__3eBmk8fwcgIEgqLPfNK34uHDq5Z2KBIuAkRmJ2gX0h_4tkSZtGGfrllT_RBBHJY0RnUriyHwv/s1600/55.jpg" /></a><br />
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About a half mile in, the boys were so whiny that we turned and walked back to the car. The boys changed into swimsuits in the car, I grabbed a towel and some extra supplies and we walked back to the best beach we had passed (about a half mile away). The beach was perfect and amazing! It was a sandy little cove with lots of rocks and boulders covered in snails and mollusks and filled with little pools of tadpoles. The boys has so much fun playing and exploring. Micah starting gathering large rocks and trying to build a dam, but when August wanted to participate and shifted some of the rocks Micah had placed, Micah pulled back his arm and punched August twice (EXTREMELY HARD) on the chest! He had already done the same thing earlier on the hike to Grey. We had to leave the beach immediately, because I was so angry and didn't know how else to react! August was crying the whole way back from the beach, and Micah was following a few feet behind me screaming like he was burning in a fire.<br />
An older woman smiled at me and said, "You're a good mom to even have brought them." And I wanted to scoff.<br />
Yeah right! A good mom doesn't have children that behave this way!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG8GZsVQTH27rAqEVOkEYd_Fd6VGZ3LJaXd09YI5Wl7J6fxRBOetWHXLRGhKlcNAQ46-T_pIuK_knml0aNFUBo2jA213qNjCg4RyO8dTLLUifB6wrh9c7wxItmo5Xnj9NqpsDPyF2L4Bi/s1600/54.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkG8GZsVQTH27rAqEVOkEYd_Fd6VGZ3LJaXd09YI5Wl7J6fxRBOetWHXLRGhKlcNAQ46-T_pIuK_knml0aNFUBo2jA213qNjCg4RyO8dTLLUifB6wrh9c7wxItmo5Xnj9NqpsDPyF2L4Bi/s1600/54.jpg" /></a><br />
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But seeing Micah react so horribly to his brothers is making me reevaluate our time here. I'm definitely cutting them off from the iPad for the rest of the day and hopefully longer. It's so difficult to cut them off from it completely here, because I know that if they have the iPad they'll all at least hold still and be quiet and stick together! They're not climbing and falling off the patio or trying to balance fragile dishes, or leaping from the kitchen table to the couch.<br />
They're so active and noisy that sometimes I feel it's my only option- especially if I want to get something else done! They'll listen to me read (we are reading Dr. Doolittle aloud right now), but August is too little and noisy and if I'm reading, I can't also be making dinner.<br />
So now I've forced everyone in to their beds for naps. It's noon, and luckily August fell asleep on the way home from the beach hike. Maybe we can all wake up a little kinder...<br />
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LATER:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OTaZCaQ6L3mKWZk76ZxZzHxAeOGnramVRTRtEwQEMuWoLMtfZd7KQ5rMAJlYtm83BBu3z5OWI83AlarIi98j3mhFoK342ZU8hPzkJwFC46C3d1q9odC06WWdW771J9LMcbUjl_ARwPCG/s1600/56.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0OTaZCaQ6L3mKWZk76ZxZzHxAeOGnramVRTRtEwQEMuWoLMtfZd7KQ5rMAJlYtm83BBu3z5OWI83AlarIi98j3mhFoK342ZU8hPzkJwFC46C3d1q9odC06WWdW771J9LMcbUjl_ARwPCG/s1600/56.jpg" /></a><br />
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Everyone woke up fairly happy, they colored and snacked for a couple hours before they started fighting again- but I wasn't having any of it.<br />
So we loaded up and walked to the beach. The boys claimed that they're sick of the beach and didn't need swimsuits! But we brought the sand toys and they played for a long time building, making sand-angels, and running back and forth from the shadows of the trees to the waves. The sun sets so early, that we have to start heading home by 5. And we had to run to escape all the mozzies! (Australia-speak for mosquitos).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3kXR8eTpIrj1HWbXCl6UBBlhKFoCbnMEpVhKo9tbSV5KunedkOQXhemCAukarZk5Le7rXHYsbpSXOZ4fPhl-wjq0j4VhOtOpP2_jrNBgkb8mOwOy3AYsuGSq8yXf7ZoTozwvUGvG1mCe/s1600/57.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3kXR8eTpIrj1HWbXCl6UBBlhKFoCbnMEpVhKo9tbSV5KunedkOQXhemCAukarZk5Le7rXHYsbpSXOZ4fPhl-wjq0j4VhOtOpP2_jrNBgkb8mOwOy3AYsuGSq8yXf7ZoTozwvUGvG1mCe/s640/57.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcka7GmUcvHbvTyAq1ZxohkX66v53c685fp8QQ1OUJBhABR0uGdKLCwpOSiHJoUM2l5zGsH71vgbPzdwz1B0gzGzefjxgbA7LOWoarhOveSCQ09hfQTdqOAMJqO6NyHFZ8rZkTD-yoD13g/s1600/58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcka7GmUcvHbvTyAq1ZxohkX66v53c685fp8QQ1OUJBhABR0uGdKLCwpOSiHJoUM2l5zGsH71vgbPzdwz1B0gzGzefjxgbA7LOWoarhOveSCQ09hfQTdqOAMJqO6NyHFZ8rZkTD-yoD13g/s1600/58.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsHHcO0Uqeahp_YKV-5rjztQk9EcOAAvjBoQFr9QTpzUseIUWggGYETraTlcgNoi8f7wujM0QybBtAGXUJyaQhSWZo4eNTFnm7fvu1ZO9lN6zRrOq888rPpi_IOuFxBnvO8tOQAeMg1Qk/s1600/60.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMsHHcO0Uqeahp_YKV-5rjztQk9EcOAAvjBoQFr9QTpzUseIUWggGYETraTlcgNoi8f7wujM0QybBtAGXUJyaQhSWZo4eNTFnm7fvu1ZO9lN6zRrOq888rPpi_IOuFxBnvO8tOQAeMg1Qk/s1600/60.jpg" /></a><br />
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We had corn on the cob and hamburgers for dinner, so everyone is in a really good mood. I even avoided the temptation to turn on an after-dinner movie while we wait for Travis and I made everyone color instead.<br />
I can do it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Aif6rh0biq04uXHiNesMt2m7tiLipLGAK0ApE_81DLGvXdX7mivOLe5tTlGxDKE8VWIyBVuEYwnGc31Ojtn3UEbaQyA0hBnBnvcNf0PSIEISt_nZEgxVNJjlXoae0kKfCZxAWxNUnFYb/s1600/61.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Aif6rh0biq04uXHiNesMt2m7tiLipLGAK0ApE_81DLGvXdX7mivOLe5tTlGxDKE8VWIyBVuEYwnGc31Ojtn3UEbaQyA0hBnBnvcNf0PSIEISt_nZEgxVNJjlXoae0kKfCZxAWxNUnFYb/s1600/61.jpg" /></a><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-78934767207543123222016-05-17T11:34:00.000-07:002016-07-19T11:38:48.179-07:00Australia 3 - Kangaroos and Koalas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7LZDdO7X3VLO6MS5z2fx3rOxaYF5s0aCNoyf-Z5qCV_cgyha8qCfZTItSS1QUrJD4V7CiK-HN7zfEAgOsISzYWekZv53ktg_9R30ikMRpd136YPcdkJmH9nsx-_QVwiyF38Bl97dm2Gz/s1600/38.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7LZDdO7X3VLO6MS5z2fx3rOxaYF5s0aCNoyf-Z5qCV_cgyha8qCfZTItSS1QUrJD4V7CiK-HN7zfEAgOsISzYWekZv53ktg_9R30ikMRpd136YPcdkJmH9nsx-_QVwiyF38Bl97dm2Gz/s1600/38.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the week or so since I've written, we've mostly spent our time at the beach, running around from park to park in town, or exploring Coolum Beach itself. So excuse the excess of beach pictures!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSmsJH01tsRKFu-l7vo8iTeoqf-gh5IzQ-2qv-99G92LruQdfUequfjwuMnFmM0MiTaT3gY5syE--sn3Mrjt4EVrtsT3b_65dnnNRJGROjgwC-9W1THfBCVcYYa6xrkOsFgv1X8yjOQnl/s1600/33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSmsJH01tsRKFu-l7vo8iTeoqf-gh5IzQ-2qv-99G92LruQdfUequfjwuMnFmM0MiTaT3gY5syE--sn3Mrjt4EVrtsT3b_65dnnNRJGROjgwC-9W1THfBCVcYYa6xrkOsFgv1X8yjOQnl/s1600/33.jpg" /></a></div>
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We bought Micah and Grey some goggles this week- to help them feel braver about putting their faces in the water... It hasn't really helped, but they love the goggles anyway. They keep them on SO TIGHT that they always look slightly bruised and abused after they take them off. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQku9iZg-xelbMbd3ZmxYINlp-hTWE4sHGSzvaxGt81kd-c9_YOLumeACRn2g9ZjxA30fsiNFpKccezjRQ-ZKnlFbNIdC-pDAG0N5v4MvzN5My2nKCEDpMHTXow_29EvLypewQCGYAQyI/s1600/39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQku9iZg-xelbMbd3ZmxYINlp-hTWE4sHGSzvaxGt81kd-c9_YOLumeACRn2g9ZjxA30fsiNFpKccezjRQ-ZKnlFbNIdC-pDAG0N5v4MvzN5My2nKCEDpMHTXow_29EvLypewQCGYAQyI/s1600/39.jpg" /></a></div>
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The crabs here process the sand as they remove it from their holes, rolling it in little balls to remove any of the flora they can eat- then they excavate it- making the beach look like it's covered in lace!</div>
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I woke up today feeling fairly sick. My head was pounding and my throat was sore and I am still suffering from a dreadful jet lag combination of insomnia and exhaustion from pregnancy.<br />
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I was so grateful when Travis said that he didn't have to work until noon! He came with us to the beach and surfed and played with the boys while I laid in the sunshine, and then- miraculously!- Joe called and said that their model for the day had fallen through. They were going to work on some smaller things and try to line up a new model, but didn't need Travis at all!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnPrWrY39uIC39ySbESbOcpcqMUsbtmo1RXwVV51ok7wdLoZKurUBwn9hWuEBrS3z49hNmooteqYFYz6SrBzBs1AbkN7eX5-cfa8siGicMvr8X9odjIZN03nd2tjOEqLqsh1iiP2-mcte/s1600/35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCnPrWrY39uIC39ySbESbOcpcqMUsbtmo1RXwVV51ok7wdLoZKurUBwn9hWuEBrS3z49hNmooteqYFYz6SrBzBs1AbkN7eX5-cfa8siGicMvr8X9odjIZN03nd2tjOEqLqsh1iiP2-mcte/s1600/35.jpg" /></a><br />
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Since we had Travis for the whole day (and it was a Tuesday, too! I hate going to busy places on weekends!) we decided to brave the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. It's in Brisbane, almost two hours away, and I haven't felt comfortable making the long drive alone- especially not feeling well, but since this might be our only chance to go with Travis- we seized it!<br />
The drive was really long, but thanks to the beach, the boys were already tired out and Grey and August slept almost the whole way- and so did I! Travis is the best!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3yHZToABMq-28oHAu8s8kU61uETc-11OPsL3hk8xZWn-bzy--vu4PSA-nqMsr3AouGfxBxlxQqziXD0bGppMIfF_iMpQgEV3i0tD6vJi78oV-to3mur_qnuUxWC7q4EB5rcCXpHN3M0-/s1600/41.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3yHZToABMq-28oHAu8s8kU61uETc-11OPsL3hk8xZWn-bzy--vu4PSA-nqMsr3AouGfxBxlxQqziXD0bGppMIfF_iMpQgEV3i0tD6vJi78oV-to3mur_qnuUxWC7q4EB5rcCXpHN3M0-/s1600/41.jpg" /></a><br />
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I also promised the boys that at the "Koala Zoo" they could each pick one special toy to remember our trip to Australia. Grey was quick to pick a fuzzy stuffed Koala that he named Koko. Micah debated between a stuffed kookaburra and a book about Australian animals- until he saw the boomerangs! He was so excited, he kept running out of the shop to show Travis before we paid. Afterward, he told me "Link (from Zelda) uses his boomerang to kill people, but I won't kill any people with this." He's been complaining for days that he doesn't feel safe without his toy gun here and he wishes I had let him bring it, but now he says that a boomerang is even better than a gun and when we get home, we can throw all the toy guns away!<br />
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There were a lot of really amazing animals at the zoo- we met several cockatoos that said "Hello," and "Bye bye!." And many, many other interesting birds. There are wild bush turkeys EVERYWHERE here, we see several a day and August loves them. They were running wild all over the zoo, too.<br />
The lorikeets were especially fun- although all the boys got bitten by them! (They were trying to pet them, so it's understandable!)<br />
They're little tropical birds with bright green backs and red-orange breasts. We got to visit the lorikeet feeding, where they essentially hand out plates full of the lorikeets' food to all the people and the birds come shrieking and twittering in from all over the park to land on people and eat their dinner. It was noisy and crazy, but very cool!<br />
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We saw the platypuses, which were so lively and swam all around their tanks, wriggling their little bodies. I was very surprised at how small the were. They were much smaller than ducks, about the size of a brand new puppy!<br />
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The dingos just looked like very pretty, lion-colored dogs. I thought they seemed bored and lonely. They're really just wild dogs- but raised in captivity, they're just dogs! They looked like they wanted to be pet and played with. I know at the Australia zoo, you can take them on walks!<br />
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The koalas were smaller than I expected too. They were everywhere, and their cages were all open, so they could climb out and around if they wanted to. We were excited to take a picture with the koala, since it was advertised that if you paid for the professional photo, then you could have a few minutes to pet and cuddle and take your own pictures. But that didn't seem to apply to children. The keepers seemed panicked about the boys, so we barely got to hold it pat the koala at all! They hurried us through, and the koala peed on me! He was kind of a let-down, but the boys still liked it.<br />
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Haha, this totally looks worth $20 doesn't it?<br />
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There were also lots of lizards everywhere! Very few (except crocodile-sized ones) were in cages or tanks, most were just wandering around. We saw a few very big ones running around on the paths and laughed when other tourists saw them and SCREAMED! Haha!<br />
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The wombats were another Australian animal that were very fun to see (rather more exciting than the small, sleeping crocodiles). Before we saw them, I tried to describe them to the boys. "Like a tiny pig-bear," I said. "Like a giant, fat bunny," said Travis. But after seeing them, I think they're more like tiny, fuzzy hippopotamuses!<br />
They ran around on short stubby legs and dug lots of holes trying to escape their pens.<br />
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The most fun animal at the sanctuary though, was the kangaroo! The "kangaroo enclosure" was really a huge fenced field with picnic tables and everything. We were able to go inside and for a few dollars- were able to buy bags of kangaroo food (like the pellets you feed goats at a petting zoo!)<br />
The kangaroos were friendly and small, and expected food- so they hopped right up to us! They let us pet them and hug them, they were so gentle and soft- much softer than I expected! They were like big, happy dogs- except that they didn't jump up on you. There were a few very large male kangaroos, but they weren't interested in us. They just lay stretched out sleeping in the sun.<br />
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Joe called partway through the day and asked "How are you feeling?"<br />
"Overwhelmed," said Travis, and I laughed! Here I was, thinking that the boys were being really good and the zoo was so easy with two adults instead of doing it by myself. I'm so used to outings with the boys that I don't usually think anything of it. Keeping track of everyone and feeding everyone and bring boys to the bathroom aren't a big deal, as long as no one is exhausted to the point of murder!<br />
But I think he was really just stressed that he should be working while we were playing. I know it was hard for him to feel the whole day was "wasted," but it was a blessing for us!<br />
The long ride home was hard after such a long day, even with snacks- so the boys watched Little Bear on the iPhones and we got home just in time to make scrambled eggs for dinner and send everyone to bed!<br />
<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-41293235418047246892016-05-11T10:08:00.000-07:002016-07-19T11:04:10.793-07:00Australia 2 - Exploring!Australians drive on the other side of the road than we do. So I was pretty terrified of driving anywhere alone. The entire drive from the airport to Coolum Beach (about an hour and a half) I was having a panic attack! I kept thinking Travis was driving into oncoming traffic, or going the wrong way on a roundabout! But by the second day, dreading being in our apartment, I decided to tackle driving. I had Travis sit with me while I drove to church, so he could say things like "Stay to the left," and "This is your exit."<br />
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He keeps me calm. The biggest annoyance is the blinker! It's on the other side of the steering wheel, too. So every time I meant to turn the turn signal on, I would turn on the windshield wipers instead! Finally, after two more days of driving- I am doing really well! I didn't get confused or panicked today at all, and I only accidentally wiped my windows once. Yesterday was chilly, so instead of heading to the beach, we decided to visit a national forest for a hike. We hiked Serenity Falls in Buderim Forest. It was so gorgeous and surreal. It really was a rainforest! The bird calls were so loud, varied, and bizarre that it seemed more like we were in a rainforest exhibit of a museum with a tape of animal noises playing!<br />
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Outside our window here there is a really strange sounding flock of birds. At sunrise and sunset they make the most amazing and terrific racket, and they sound just like monkeys! Grey ran into our room this morning and yelled "We just heard a monkey song, being sung by the monkeys outside!"<br />
The hike was advertised as being "moderately difficult," but only about 5 kilometers total! That's only 3 miles, so I knew the boys could do it. I guess all of our hiking at home has paid off, because the hike was so easy! Even August hiked the whole way himself. And it included lots of steps (often carved into the mountain!) and climbing over and up waterfalls and fording streams. Even when it was just trekking down dirt paths, the roots of so many trees crisscrossed on top of the path that the footing was slightly precarious.<br />
There were lots of vines in the jungle, too, that looked strong enough for Tarzan to swing from- so obviously the boys tried to swing over lots of rocks and rivers! I kept having to remind myself that we weren't in Africa or the Amazon. I wouldn't have been surprised if a panther had stalked out behind us.<br />
The hike was also about a half hour away- it was the first real trip I'd taken by myself with the boys. I didn't have my OZ phone yet, so I took Travis' just in case. I texted one of his employees a bit obsessively- just in case we got lost and needed to be rescued. I told her when we left, when we arrived, when we finished hiking and when we got back to the house. It was the first part of our trip that felt "foreign."<br />
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So far, Australia really is a lot like America. Everyone at the beach is blond and speaks English. The grocery store had everything on our list, including hotdogs, Heinz ketchup, corn flakes, salsa, and even gluten free bread and brownie mixes. The roads (besides driving on the other side) are just like American roads. Not like in Kenya or Hong Kong, where the roads are crowded and frantic.<br />
But the rainforest was SO different. Nothing like it in America! It was the first time that I thought, "This really was worth it- it's not just farther-distant-California here!"<br />
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After our trip into the jungle, we met Travis at the beach and played in the sand. The life guards announced that the waves were so strong that they didn't recommend anyone swimming, and if people insisted on swimming- they needed to stay with water at waist level. But there were still so many people swimming! Many people were surfing- I guess they like the rough weather! But we were happy collecting shells and chasing seagulls. The big boys built a giant "force shield" in the sand, which was a pit that they built the walls up around.<br />
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The overcast skies were perfect for us, they made for gorgeous pictures and an empty beach! We don't mind the "poor" weather as much as the locals.<br />
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When Travis met us he had good news! He found us a new apartment that wasn't much more expensive, was a close walk to the beach (about a mile down the coast from where we were). We moved in an hour later!<br />
It's awesome here! Besides being by ourselves (hurray!) we have three bedrooms, instead of all sharing one room. Two bathrooms, a washer and dryer, a porch and fenced back yard, even a community pool!<br />
I'm very excited about the pool- I'm going to try to teach Grey and Micah to swim while August naps!<br />
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This morning, everyone managed to sleep in until 6am (August has been getting up at 4:30!) and we had a leisurely morning, since we knew we weren't disturbing anyone as the boys shouted over breakfast. (They can't help it. They're noisy!)<br />
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We left around 8:00 and headed to the Maroochy Botanical Gardens (about a half hour away), and had fun exploring the forest and hiking trails there. There was a "lagoon walkabout" which was really just a hike around a large pond, and there was a sculpture garden, too. The boys loved the sculpture garden- the statues were all very cool and nestled into the trees around the path. It was the best way to view art with little boys!<br />
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They could run and shout from piece to piece and touch it (sometimes even climb it) when we got to it. They were really interested in the artists' descriptions of the pieces, and I was surprised that their favorites weren't the realistic ones of animals, but usually the more abstract and sort of "unformed" pieces. Grey especially loved several by the same artist that showed the woman's body. He told me, "Here are her breasts and hips. I love this one, because I love girls."<br />
We were told afterward that several koalas live in the sculpture garden and that they mostly just sleep in the tops of trees- but we hadn't looked for them and didn't see them. But one was named Grey! We did see lots of kookaburras, though- and we learned that those are the birds making all the racket outside our windows in the morning! That kookaburra laugh is no joke!<br />
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Even at home I feel very accomplished taking the kids all out by myself. Whether it's a hike, a visit to a zoo or museum, or just a park- we need to pack snacks, water, diapers, and often extra clothes! It's so much work getting everyone out and making them all enjoy themselves (and probably carrying someone half the time!)- but here I feel doubly accomplished! We are totally exploring this foreign country by ourselves!<br />
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Sure, there are websites listing hikes in the area, and I can use Siri to find GF Thai food with ease, but it's a start!<br />
Travis and I always talked about when we would be able to travel with him and expose our kids to the world. Australia feels like the perfect first international trip with kids (besides Canada, of course)- because things really are easy and possible here. Plus, we'll probably hug koalas later this week.<br />
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Oh, look! We also visited the library one day (between hikes and beaches!) and it was perfect and lovely, too. Thanks for being so good to us, Coolum!<br />
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-75056794718616925322016-05-09T09:34:00.000-07:002016-07-19T10:47:18.560-07:00Australia 1 - Getting to Coolum Beach<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We made it to Australia! The boys were so good on the flights. We flew first to LAX and then to Brisbane, which was about 16 hours total flying, but 24 hours in and out of airports! It was a looooong day. Luckily the boys slept for the majority of the flight to Brisbane. It was a 14 hour flight and I think they slept for the first 6 hours or so, then were awake for another 4, and then slept for 4. Since we got to Brisbane at 7am, it was perfect. They were ready for the day ahead!<br />
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Sweet August wasn't quite as ready, and finally passed out around 3 in the afternoon and was very hard to wake- impossible in fact! He slept through the rest of the evening and woke at 2am for a few hours before sleeping again from 4-6am. Since all our schedules were off, I was actually fine being awake with him, but the boys slept from 7pm to 6am- they're already on Australia time!<br />
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We are staying in Coolum Beach, a little beach town on the Sunshine Coast. It's very cute, and you can walk from our house to the beach, the grocery store, and a dozen little restaurants and tourist shops. We accidentally booked a place that is actually a shared home! It's been very difficult because the house is full of fragile picture frames and sentimental things, and people that want to sleep in past 5am!<br />
The woman who lives there is also a professional artist, so there are dozens of open paint bottles, brushes, and half-finished canvases everywhere.<br />
I am feeling really anxious about the boys, especially since we got here and within an hour- Micah leaped from the top-bunk to another bed and got hit in the forehead with a metal ceiling fan.<br />
It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. I walked into the room where Grey was sitting on the top bunk talking so calmly to Micah "That hit you right in the face, and it made the fan spin the other way like crazy!" I turned to see Micah lying face down in a ball, perfectly still, not making any noise or crying.<br />
"Micah?" I said, "What happened?" Still he didn't move!<br />
"Micah? Micah??" I rolled him over and his face was covered in blood and his mouth was open wide like he was screaming, but he was completely silent! For a minute I worried he was dead. I wanted to start screaming "TRAVIS! HELP! Call an ambulance!" But something (now that it is later, I suspect it was the Holy Ghost) told me, "Stay calm, if you panic- he will panic."<br />
So I very gently picked him up and said, "Let's get a towel on your face and go find Daddy right now."<br />
After the ordeal was over (Travis ended up taking Micah to a medical center and they super-glued his face shut!) - I laid in bed and bawled my head off for over a half hour.<br />
I think it was fear and relief, exhaustion, and anxiety at our living situation all coming out.<br />
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Our living situation has been hard, but it has also had benefits I didn't predict. Because it was so stressful being in a quiet home (with three inevitably screaming boys), we were out the door by 7am the first few days. I packed lunches in a rush, got everyone into swimsuits and out the door! Consequently, we were able to spend four or more hours at the beach before walking home to rest and nap, and then we still would have several hours of the afternoon to explore! We napped from 11-2 and then played again from 2-6 when Travis gets home! (The sun sets nice and early here at 5:30, and Travis can't film later that that. So he's been home early most days- it's almost like a regular work day!) It's been nice to have Travis home, but it also means that we can't play outside anymore.- so we are usually trapped inside for the evenings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-LLZ9MVWJmggN2T-lFntnjiivq27GKHrwa30L6Qsl50bYiLtQMsf7Yrpyw9dusvTQk88cIBpMLmo_Ys9LHB9cckQSIbNugQ3D9K_u1H1WhWo6gQJyqqbYk4ZwAwEbh9zRGjnPmB9imjH/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-LLZ9MVWJmggN2T-lFntnjiivq27GKHrwa30L6Qsl50bYiLtQMsf7Yrpyw9dusvTQk88cIBpMLmo_Ys9LHB9cckQSIbNugQ3D9K_u1H1WhWo6gQJyqqbYk4ZwAwEbh9zRGjnPmB9imjH/s1600/11.jpg" /></a><br />
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On Sunday we went to church, which was about a half hour away. The ward was very small, only about 20 families- and only one other young mom. August was one of only two kids in nursery. When we dropped him off, the woman said "I've never done this before. What do you think, do I let them just get out all the toys or should I lie them out for them? Did you bring lunches for your kids?"<br />
She was the only person that spoke to us the entire meeting! I was very disappointed, I had hoped to make friends, since we will be here for so long. The boys were very good, even though they complained and begged not to go. I think next week we might just attend sacrament and then leave, since Sunday is the only day of the week that we have Travis with us, and it will be a good opportunity to do some exploring!<br />
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The best part of the trip so far has been the beach! In the weeks leading up to the trip, I checked the weather in Coolum Beach constantly and every day it was raining! I packed raincoats and sweatshirts and tried to tell myself it didn't matter if we never got to go swimming. But the weather has been perfect. Australians keep saying, "It's so unseasonably warm! It's almost like summer again!" (It is late fall here now.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjem1ytHqtxph4hcvwgl4keRNDI2JbZ43zjPdSbBH9c8r90LuC_ABMDnecQEPMGxSt985ZcGEGH6mLxtcHs7wCoYybK8hkgkPexziOSx57fvLXH8YV6ivqK01kJosjORKj3dSAEgVYD1Geh/s1600/6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjem1ytHqtxph4hcvwgl4keRNDI2JbZ43zjPdSbBH9c8r90LuC_ABMDnecQEPMGxSt985ZcGEGH6mLxtcHs7wCoYybK8hkgkPexziOSx57fvLXH8YV6ivqK01kJosjORKj3dSAEgVYD1Geh/s1600/6.jpg" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr7qOvgcNZGzEbr8W5j2fjllLRuVMRqPcaGFskhoFbS8bs_TdVOYIuH2rNvJc43JN2pT4M9hSoMDpYAHF4s2yOUQWdEZbnCRNunsNfPtJ22vNwS0pTvaeAPZDNWXEJ0y781DXrzXHYuQ0/s1600/7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMr7qOvgcNZGzEbr8W5j2fjllLRuVMRqPcaGFskhoFbS8bs_TdVOYIuH2rNvJc43JN2pT4M9hSoMDpYAHF4s2yOUQWdEZbnCRNunsNfPtJ22vNwS0pTvaeAPZDNWXEJ0y781DXrzXHYuQ0/s1600/7.jpg" /></a><br />
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So we have spent a lot of time at the beach! There's a long, shallow sandy area before the water even begins to get deep, which is perfect for little boys! The waves are huge and there are always several surfers out in the water, but very few people on the beach. Because it's fall, the Aussie kids are all in school, and the adults don't seem to mind missing the beach when it is occasionally cloudy. But we don't mind! The water is fairly warm (warmer than California at least!), and there are a few little areas of rocks that fill with water when the tide comes up and are fun to explore and climb in! There's a board walk over the entire beach for about a mile, and the boys and I walked along it and explored the area. It's so beautiful and the water is perfectly turquoise and lovely.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivddLFrA9N8DazAFdpH08CnRuNihh8tnAQLSvBOc-WvMsvM5XaYbotmPWdEPq5N3praX7q5QGV8Qu05DgGh5Ow1AEqH5RmxJEZn_ljBqzbWwktbu7Y-KIBiCwceMpFI0lbQ_SVb4w1I6kh/s1600/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivddLFrA9N8DazAFdpH08CnRuNihh8tnAQLSvBOc-WvMsvM5XaYbotmPWdEPq5N3praX7q5QGV8Qu05DgGh5Ow1AEqH5RmxJEZn_ljBqzbWwktbu7Y-KIBiCwceMpFI0lbQ_SVb4w1I6kh/s640/9.jpg" width="426" /></a><br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8376105108093150009.post-79760325412496297032016-05-03T20:11:00.001-07:002016-05-03T20:15:45.245-07:00I think Bill Waterson wants me to Homeschool<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Reading books as a child (and an adult), I almost always connected to the protagonist very personally. I <i>am</i> Bilbo. I am Robin Hood. I am Harry Potter!<br />
I was also Calvin. Not Hobbes, not Suzie and certainly not Mom. (I am that mom now, I know that. We are amazingly similar in our parenting).<br />
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I hated school, I loved both snow and summer, I had <i>(ahem, past-tense, guys)</i> delusions of my own amazing importance. I wanted to stay snuggled up at home when it rained, hated the school bus, detested being forced to go fishing with my dad, was a very picky eater that mimed vomiting at the dinner table, and -quite often- tended to live in an imaginary world.<br />
And I have inherited some of those children myself. (As I recently told my mom, Micah is my comeuppance- Grey, however, is much more like Hobbes: chill, reasonable, appreciative of pretty girls, yet still ready to run, tackle, invent and explore for 20 hours a day).<br />
Yesterday as I mindlessly stirred a delicious bubbling strawberry rhubarb sauce, I thumbed through It's a Magical World.<br />
These two comics were placed one over another, and reading them I felt such a surge of surety. I want to homeschool!<br />
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The average elementary school student spends almost a thousand hours a year in school! I honestly would send my kids to school, if it were only about half the time - I wouldn't even mind some homework if that were the case.<br />
But as it is, I don't want my little boys cooped up inside for 7 hours a day. (In addition, of course, to being cooped up with their family for meals, sleeping, and the dreaded homework and worksheets that inevitably accompany school.) When do they get to disappear into the jungles of the backyard or hide away with a book that isn't "an assignment"? They need more time to be free!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzum97sMXWHflX9mwbd7WYRq45FqQatnGXn9nZrRbfH2g69Yz6jNTVBaE1hCkz5ZhW7V0IfgRdwPepNjerQFrZpBW3gXsiRtnwbIXOgrvsiw4MQveze57WGj9wq8Z_MLXXLVkUqUBNBox/s1600/calvinworld1-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzum97sMXWHflX9mwbd7WYRq45FqQatnGXn9nZrRbfH2g69Yz6jNTVBaE1hCkz5ZhW7V0IfgRdwPepNjerQFrZpBW3gXsiRtnwbIXOgrvsiw4MQveze57WGj9wq8Z_MLXXLVkUqUBNBox/s640/calvinworld1-1.png" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RxITD9lMnEJ5q48C-Bjueev_VZcKuzR0J3MghlI2WGx9dUHHSotaYrrh4ZQXYPiqAGFCpWsLdFAiqdO9QRArNNdMK3LLrok60VBIwVlQWoW-kaF4zBclXzRPSUCAV1t0kcKCNOEYmh1Y/s1600/tumblr_m8hymeQct91qzj1feo1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-RxITD9lMnEJ5q48C-Bjueev_VZcKuzR0J3MghlI2WGx9dUHHSotaYrrh4ZQXYPiqAGFCpWsLdFAiqdO9QRArNNdMK3LLrok60VBIwVlQWoW-kaF4zBclXzRPSUCAV1t0kcKCNOEYmh1Y/s640/tumblr_m8hymeQct91qzj1feo1_1280.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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As I continued to read through my Calvin and Hobbes books, I found dozens more comic strips that made me feel very validated and justified in homeschooling. And since I look for validation in comic strips from the 80s, this is reassuring. I wanted to share a few of my favorites, because everybody loves comics!<br />
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Obviously, these are all fairly snarky and exaggerated, but I feel like they make points that are still worth considering. Like this one:</div>
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I feel like this is the sort of legitimate question that my kids ask all the time, and it's nice for them to be home with me where I can answer! And when they ask a question thats outside of the "current subject matter" we can delve into it anyway.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">And with a classroom full of kids at different points (and, let's say, with different energy levels and attention spans) - it's hard to help everybody love and want to learn - especially cooped up all day mindlessly zoning out (as I spent most of school). </span></div>
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I feel like Waterson made his feelings about school fairly clear: it sucks away our desire to actually learn things and be curious about the world.<br />
As Calvin wisely said, "It's a magical world, Hobbes ol' buddy... Let's go exploring!"<br />
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And obviously, I certainly don't think that my family is better or more correct than anyone else. There are so many amazing schools out there, and my kids would honestly probably be fine in a classroom- but lately I just feel like I want my kids to get a chance to really <i>be little boys </i>for a while, and the friends that we have whose kids are only in kindergarten have so much homework and stress already!<br />
I'm just not ready. So for a while, we are going to boycott school and celebrate books, mountains, imagination, and being messy and creative little boys.<br />
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.<div class="blogger-post-footer">.</div>Becky Pitcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18125808612297417061noreply@blogger.com12