Barefoot Homeschooling

I bought a spiral-bound calendar for my purse. I'm really going to need it because this fall is going to be, for us, very hectic. Yesterday I got my McWane schedule, the library event publication, several print-offs from local homeschooling groups, Liam's tae Kwon Do schedule, and a few other items and spread out over my new dining-room table (which I am still enjoying immensely) to try and plug events into my calendar. I've gotten a good bit scheduled out but still have several things to go over. There's so much to choose from, so many homeschool groups offering trips and activities. Plus the classes that we'll having going on like Liam's Tae Kwon Do and Maggie's horseback riding lessons. It's a good problem to have- so much variety to wade through!

I am loving my Hindi classes. Leela, one of the other adults taking the classes, speaks English and Telugu. Telugu has an identical vowel and consonant setup as Hindi, but with a different alphabet and different vocabulary. So Leela was able to show me a couple of ways to organize the 12 vowels in Hindi in such a way that they make more sense and are easier to study. There are enough adults in the class that the teacher is going to work with us before the kids' class so we can work at a faster pace and more adult level. I don't know if this is a good thing or bad thing, LOL, I kind of felt comfortable with the pace for a 6 year old. But it'll be good to be challenged, so I'm all for it.

Liam is still loving his Tae Kwon Do and works hard in his classes. He loves to listen to the instructor and do his best. It's great to see him so focused and responsive- Liam has a tendency to be impulsive and headstrong (don't know where he gets the headstrong from, wink wink) and I'm hoping that this'll help him settle a little bit.

Maggie's riding lessons start next Wednesday. I finally called to make sure I wasn't missing anything and they've got her down for the right start date and time. She is beyond excited and has been wearing her riding boots everywhere we go. I can't wait to see her on a horse!

I've been writing stories for Liam to help him practice his reading. I used to do the same thing with Maggie. I write a very simple but very silly story and draw pictures to illustrate each page after Liam reads it. It works really well to motivate him to read because I draw like an idiot, LOL. We usually get to giggling over my attempts at illustration and it makes it a lot of fun. Plus I make the stories as goofy as I can. Yesterday's story was about a crab named Sam who was mad at his claw and ends up putting it in a variety of things, including a pie. What can I say, it's silly fun and Liam loves that he has 'his' books that he can read us.

I finally have nailed down my dates for Portland. I'm going with my dad and we're leaving on Friday the 29th and returning Oct. 3rd. I am so excited- I love to travel. I would say that after having a family, travel is my highest priority in life. Of course, Portland is hardly an exotic and unexplored destination, but for my budget and time frame it's just fine. Plus I'll be spending some quality time with my dad and seeing my brother and getting a 5 day 4 night mini-vacation so I am just thrilled. I've never been away from my family for so long, I am both excited and apprehensive about going. Shan and the kids are going to have a blast, though. Shan especially is really excited because he is going to take some time off of work and stay home with the kids and play stay at home dad. He is going to get to sleep past 6am for a change, and be able to cook, watch movies with the kids, take them out to do fun stuff, and generally just have a good time. It's a nice change as we all need it. I am going to miss them like crazy, though.

Last Friday I took the kids to a local Parent-Teacher store and we picked out project boards- the kind you use for science fairs. I told the kids that they are doing a project, and it can be about anything they want. This week we're going to pick a topic and next week we're going to start doing research on it. So far Liam has wanted to do volcanoes and outer space, but hasn't settled on anything specific. Maggie wants to do something about W.I.T.C.H., which is apparently a cartoon about 5 girls and their magical powers. Maggie's seen the TV show maybe once or twice, but what got her pulled into it was the graphic novels. She owns and has read them all and is fascinated with them. It'll be interesting to see how she approaches that in a project form, though in true unschooling fashion I imagine it'll take her in unexpected directions. We shall see.

The bento boxes have arrived. Packing Shan a lunch is ridiculously easy now- I just pop leftovers into his containers and stash in the fridge. He heats them up before leaving in the morning and he has a piping hot lunch 6 hours later. Yesterday was a couple of curries and an egg and rice dish. Today it's crab fried rice, udon with chicken, and dumplings with seaweed furikake seasoning over the top. Yum.

I'm reading:

Nothing, because I need to go to the library.

I'm listening:

Punjabifm.net

I am *so* over the 90+ degree temperatures, the 90% or better humidity, and the overall lack of rain. I am an Autumn person through and through and it's taking *forever* for it to roll around. I am ready to throw my windows wide and feel the cool breezes, to watch for migrating birds, to want coffee in the mornings (it's too hot for coffee now). I want it to cool off enough for me to work in the garden without getting heat stroke, darn it! Autumn can't get here soon enough.

I am a bad blogger. What's it been, three weeks? Too long. Where did I leave off? Our weekend in Atlanta was fun, the kids enjoyed the hotel immensely. We didn't get to try the pool due to thunderstorms, but it was otherwise great. Ikea was insanely crowded but we got Maggie's new loft bed, which she loves, plus desks and bookshelves.

Liam has started his Tae Kwon Do classes and absolutely adores them. The system that they have set up keeps the kids engaged and interested, and every 2-3 classes they earn a new stripe. After 3 stripes you move up a belt, and after I think 6 belts you graduate to the older kids' class. Liam is so focused and involved in his class and is eager to learn to count in Korean. He was counting to himself in the tub last night- he's so cute! Watching his class of 4 and 5 year olds practice is a bit like watching drunken monkeys practice- someone falls over about every third move, someone else ends up upside-down at some point in the proceedings, and the jumping jacks are truly something to behold. I love watching Liam and his class- the cute factor is through the roof and I am enchanted with the way they are all trying so seriously to get the moves down, and how excited they are when they succeed.

I have Maggie registered for her riding lessons, they've cashed my check, but I still don't have an equipment list or any other information yet. If I don't have something by Thursday I am going to call. Her first class will be on September 6th if I am understanding things, and I don't like leaving things till the last minute. If she needs specific things I need to know.

I finally found a Hindi language class that accepts adults. I knew the local Hindu temple had classes for kids, but it turns out that they will allow adults in as well. One of the moms in my co-op is a Hindu and attends the temple, and she told me about the classes and that she was enrolling her daughter and that she herself wanted to take classes. So we went and signed up last Sunday and had our first lessons. It's a hoot to take a class with a bunch of 5, 6 and 7 year olds- we grownups ended up sitting in the back so as not to disturb the kids (we were a bit of a novelty). There's another adult taking the class as well- she took Hindi as a second language in highschool but speaks Engligh and Telugu. She was really relieved not to be the only adult in class as well. So I am tickled pink to be able to learn it formally, because the book I have is pretty intimidating. Well, the whole thing is somewhat intimidating, because I'm having to learn a whole new alphabet with 12 vowels and 20 odd consonants. It's giving me a new respect for children that are learning to read- this stuff is hard!

I have also discovered bento boxes. Shan is really tired of cold foods and sandwiches and the like. After 7 months I would be, too! So I did a little digging and found an insulated bento box that will work perfectly for Shan's lunches. I want one, too, because we'll be pretty busy this fall and it'd be wonderful to be able to pack along good food rather than spend the extra money for buying junk out. So I ordered two Mr. Bento brand bento boxes from amazon, along with a set of extra inner bowls from Zojirushi to make packing lunches easier. Shan can take leftovers or I can whip something together relatively easily. I am loving the recipes and ideas at Cooking Cute - I'm geeking out on the idea of making anything that fun looking and yummy. I ordered some onigiri molds, too, so that there'll be more variety. We'll see how it goes.

Gosh, what else? I redid the guinea pig cage to make it easier to clean thoroughly, I finally uncovered the livingroom (it was our Ikea landing pad for all the stuff we bought), put together the kids desks and bookshelves, am in the process of reorganizing Maggie's bedroom, got the new table and it's in the diningroom (I LOVE IT!!!). A friend of mine hired the kids to cat-sit for her this week and they are having great fun doing that. They didn't know they were getting paid till they got there for their first day- they just thought it would be fun to do. So bonus surprise for them!

I'm still working on my weight loss and am down 35 pounds so far. I'm feeling great about it but still have a ways to go. It's getting to the point that I am going to need new clothes soon- I have two pairs of jeans and one denim capri that still fit, and all my shirts are very baggy but I'm managing. I'm doing a 2.5 mile Walk/Jog Walk Away the Pounds DVD 5 times a week and watching what I eat. So far, so good.

I will probably be heading to Portland, OR at the end of September to go see my brother. I haven't been up there in 6 years and am looking forwards to going. I'll be going solo, or maybe with my dad, but coming back with my brother. He's moving back to Alabama after 7 years out there. It'll be lovely to have him here. My kids love him and vice versa and they haven't had nearly enough time with him. He's a fun uncle to have.

I'm listening:

The soundtrack to Krrish

I'm reading:

Hindi Primer, vol. One

Well, we are headed to Atlanta tomorrow for a weekend of relaxation and a wee bit of shopping. I just finished baking a batch of pumpkin-oatmeal muffins to snack on for the trip (I added a few mini M&M's just for fun) and I'm making a lowfat chicken salad for rollups to munch on. I am so looking forwards to just hanging out with the family and swimming and relaxing.

Today we are going to go see Over the Hedge with the co-op, and perhaps afterwards visiting a Mexican grocery store. We may skip that part- I have a lot to do before we leave tomorrow. Not much housework got done this week- we were without A/C for so long and I will be darned if I'm going to mop or vaccum in 90 degree heat *inside* the house. Speaking of A/C, I added a new skill to my resume yesterday- I can now clean the coil on the unit *and* put it back together again, all in a crawlspace filled with dust and cobwebs, while unable to stand completely upright. The serviceman came out yesterday and informed me that the coil was covered in gunk and that's why it was freezing up. It's not covered by our handy-dandy home warranty and it's $250 for him to do it. I must have looked really pitiful when he said that because he was kind enough to show me how to do it myself and how to put the unit together again. So I got out of it for $55 and some really gross, sweaty work and a wrestling match with the unit's housing. My arms are still sore! So anyway I now have a ton of housework to do and sitting here blogging isn't getting it done any faster

Yesterday we made no less than 4 library runs (mostly to turn things in), ran errands, and went swimming at the rec center. I also got a *fantastic* deal on a new diningroom table! Ours is falling apart and I've needed a new one for ages but didn't want to spend a ton of money. I found a table almost exactly like this one (this may actually be it, but I'm not 100% sure):

at World Market for under $300 including tax! It was the last one they had, too. I am really happy with it- it is very solid, and is not a veneer. When I tried to shake it it wouldn't budge, so I know it's strong. This is the first piece of brand new furniture I've ever owned (other than my mattress) so I am really excited! Goofy, I know, but I guess little things are all it takes sometimes.

I'm reading:

Nothing again, because I forgot to get stuff for myself at the library

I'm listening:

Asha Bhonsle