Haven’t done one of these in a while. But my friend, Susie, inspired me. Just like she unknowingly inspired me to post Jackie & Andrew’s engagement session last week. (She’d bought that sweater Jackie has the same day without having seen my blog.)
1. And speaking of Susie’s inspiration, I feel inspired to do this with her. Isn’t that such a great idea? I love getting real mail but I rarely send any.
2. Have you seen the movie, Bright Star? (Isn’t the website cool, too?) It’s been a while since a movie enchanted me the way a this movie has. The first time we watched it, the visual aesthetics had me so transfixed, I wasn’t even really paying attention to the story. Though the story is beautiful, as well. It features the romance between poet, John Keats, and Fannie Brawne. It’s a great date movie, I think. Here’s the trailer from youtube:
3. Incidentally, we’re studying poetry this month for English. But Keats is beyond the girls, I think. It’s beyond me! So we’re reading limericks and Robert Louis Stevenson’s poetry, instead. They’re a bit more accessible for us. Even David loves reading them out loud and laughing in his belly-shaking, quiet way.
4. We’re really enjoying homeschooling. We’re still constantly tweaking the way we do things – adding and removing activities, as we learn what works for us. But we like the freedom of slowing down on certain subjects and speeding up where needed. What I love most is that when Kealoha is asked about her favorite part about school, she says, “Being with Mommy all day.” Awww. It’s worth the dollar I paid her! 
5. Keilah wants to learn photography. She said, “I want to learn the technical things first so I can make things look good!” Whoa. I think I’m more intimidated about teaching photography than anything else. Did I mention I am *not* a teacher? When I get asked to teach someone, I usually tell them to read their camera manual, read the book, Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson and practice, practice, practice.
6. So, how do I homeschool my kids if I’m not a teacher? By employing the same idea as above. We read a lot. And we play a lot. The girls build a circuit with their dad when we’re learning about electricity and collect rocks when we’re learning earth science. We sometimes watch Animaniacs and Schoolhouse Rock!
7. Oh, and we google things a lot. We couldn’t do what we do without the internet. It sure would be a lot more difficult.
8. We meet with a certified teacher once a month who makes sure the kids are learning. She makes sure we are, at minimum, covering California standards.
9. I have to admit homeschooling was something I never thought I’d be able to do. But I’m so glad we are. Don’t get me wrong; I don’t think it’s for everyone. I certainly don’t think everyone should homeschool. We all have different circumstances, and we all need to do what’s best for our families. But for us, at the very least, it removes some of the guilt when I’m working on the weekends. They have enough mommy time during the week.
9. We must have been over-working our oven. It went kaput yesterday, and I had to go to my friend’s house to finish baking the quiche and loaves of bread I’d already prepared. Thanks, Jen!
10. An owl has been serenading us every evening from behind our house. We haven’t seen it, yet. I love going to sleep to its sound. I wonder if Tigger and Piglet are with him?
Feel free to share your random thoughts this Tuesday, or whenever you may be reading this, in the comments section!
I love the lines at the aviary enclosure.
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