Monday, December 19, 2011

More Keva

By request, here are several more shots of Keva structures done by the boys:
 A basic tower in a very messy bedroom.  I'm so glad we decluttered again!
Baseball stadium, which they had room to build because we got rid of so much junk in the bedroom.
 An earlier baseball stadium (2009).
 A locomotive (2007).
 Their earliest towers (2007).
 A Major Battlement (2008).
 Side View of Battlement (2008).
 Aerial Shot of Battlement (2008).
 Castle Towers and Entrance Gate (2008).
 Tall Tower (2008).
Other Buildings (2010)

Things I Learned in 2011

That my ability to forgive is stronger than I thought.
That I can have compassion toward people that I thought would never deserve it from me.
That knowing that someone loves you means something.
That good friends are a treasure.
That I need to stop holding everyone - including myself - to impossibly high standards.
That I need to let go and stop worrying about other people's problems.
That not only can I not change people, but wanting them to change won't make it happen either.
That I have the right to stop hearing about situations that people only want to complain about but refuse to change.
That I can change, that my husband can change, and that all the change is wonderful.
That my boys can take care of themselves pretty darn well.
That they still need me.

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Fun With Keva

I take photos of KEVA structures on a regular basis, but most of them stay on my phone until there isn't room or the boys say they can be deleted, as often we are just taking a photo to show Papa. However, since Shelley of Along the Crooked Path posted some KEVA photos I thought I'd look on my computer and see what I could find.
 This is a fairly recent structure as T-Guy is in his own (somewhat messy) bedroom. His face is so much leaner here than in the final photo; it isn't weight loss since he is perpetually skinny. It's just part of the process of becoming a young man.
 This is a coliseum of sorts, with a Lego Mini Figure battle taking place. I believe that is a homebuilt Lego dragon up top.
This is a tower that the homeschool group kids built; they were going for height. The photos was taken almost exactly one year ago, and wow, all three of these boys have grown since then. T-Guy is so much taller and is face is far more angular now.

Thanks for the inspiration, Shelley!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Popping In ...

I really didn't intend my blog silence to go on this long, but my laptop stopped working so I couldn't post.

We really haven't been doing much that is exciting in terms of lesson work. For math we are doing a fraction review block.  We've also started with the Vimala alphabet, and we're fitting in crafting when we can. We have one more week of PE before the winter break.

December is a great month for experiencing performing arts. So far we've seen The Nutcracker, a holiday choral concert, and a dramatic reading (with music and sound effects) of Truman Capote's A Christmas Memory.

Saturday I took the boys to the San Diego Natural History Museum; we watched a movie about prehistoric marine animals (Sea-Rex) and took in many of the permanent exhibits; however, our main focus was a limited time exhibition of All That Glitters: The Splendor and Science of Gems and Minerals. It was a wonderful exhibit of both cut gems and gems and minerals in their natural state, and touched on crystal forms, hardness, mining, and even semi-precious "gems" that come from living matter such as pearls, jet, amber, and coral. Some of the jewelry pieces were breathtaking!
J-Baby was beyond delighted to touch a real iron meteorite, something he said he never thought he'd ever do. I didn't realize he'd ever thought about it.

So mostly this month is pretty relaxed, which is often when the best learning occurs. We don't get to the math or handwriting everyday, but we do do something each day that brings learning.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Blog Silence

I'm giving myself a break, a real break. I don't plan to blog the rest of this block or through the holidays. I'm not saying that I won't post, but it won't be my focus. I'd like to slow down and turn inward as we approach the solstice and the return of the sun. I'm actually planning a bit of a computer break as well; there are a few books that I have been meaning/wanting to read that I haven't gotten to. So other than keeping up with people that I know via Facebook or email and moderating over at Homespun Waldorf I am going to make a real effort to turn off the computer.