A Snipit of a Year

Hello old friend.  You know when it has been a long time since you visited your blog?  When you have to go through the steps to reset the login and password because you have completely forgotten them.  I have a couple of standard logins and passwords, but since some merger of blogger a year or so ago I had to reset some things about the time I abandoned this blog.  Anything I don't use on a regular basis gets completely forgotten, as that is what happens when you get old.

I had lunch with one of the encouragers of my blog writing this past week.  I have been pondering my (noted-by-her) absence and thought I would open it up again and see what happens.  It has been over a year.  Wow.

What went on over the past year that did not lead me to capturing it with words on a screen?  One big reason?  Homeschooling three children.  Last fall was the most challenging and overwhelming season. Period.  I often said that it possibly eclipsed losing my sister to breast cancer.  I know. That is a pretty heavy statement.  However, her death was shrouded in HOPE.  There appeared to be no hope in my homeschooling. Several factors played into this spiraling of despair, the daily doom, the Krazy Town that existed up in the bonus room at Johnson Road, but listing them here sounds whining and pathetic. Admittedly, most were due to my own overscheduling, launching into a new program with out much understanding of it, and frankly, issues with controlling the behavioral chaos of my children.

My absence can also be contributed to this fact: As your children grow older there are less "cute and endearing" tidbits to capture and more "I want to lock my children in a closet and throw away the key" moments.  Hormones unleashed their ugliness in full effect in the Dumoulin house this year.  Had I written, I would have had entry after entry entitled, "Epic Eye-rolling" or "Why I Want to Run Away" or "Can I Find Something to Love About Them Today."  Lest I forget the day when Jay came home for lunch and found me one step away from lying in a fetal position on the floor in a pool of my own drool.  He dragged me into the bedroom and said, "You have GOT to pull yourself together! You are stronger and wiser than them.  What have they turned you into?" A hot mess, I tell ya.

Despite all of this, we did have some successes this year on the schooling front.  I can't write the entire year off to my own "personal growth."  Ultimately, Ethan's foray into homeschooling led him to say in April, "I love homeschooling.  I love my friends and where I am.  I want to homeschool all the way through high school."  I may have died a little inside at that moment, but hopefully, God will restore that part when I need it.  He made tremendous strides in expository writing and has a solid basic understanding of Latin, World Geography, and finished Pre-Algebra, among other subjects.  End of year test scores were their highest ever, so God-willing, we will continue down this track.  Someone told me that when hormones arrive that brain cells decline.  A story to illustrate this point:  One of the kids' swim coaches was suppose to leave around the first of the year.  The kids were all very sad because he was and still is a favorite.  It was about the time of his departure and Ethan asked me one morning, "Is this Morgan's last day? It is so sad he is leaving"  I wasn't so sure so I sent the coach a message.  The reply was that he would continue on through at least the remaining school year.  So relieved Ethan was.  Around lunch time Ethan made the statement, "Mom, it is such a shame Morgan is leaving."  I looked at him blankly and said, "Ethan. Remember?"  With a sheepish grin, Ethan replied, "Oh yeah."  Later that afternoon on the SAME DAY, when I DROPPED THE GIRLS OFF AT THE POOL, Ethan looked over from the front seat of the car and I KID YOU NOT said, "I hate that Morgan is leaving."  At this point, I threw my hands up in the air and just said, "Son!"  Ethan replied, "What?"  Honestly.

Lily Lou continues to extol the virtues of a math-driven life.  She has decided she wants to be a math teacher. That statement is so completely confounding to me it sounds like she is speaking a foreign language.  This is an interesting note to put in your back pocket in case this happens to anyone you know in the future:  Lily's first round of testing showed a 30-40% drop across the board in her scores.  Yes, I had a meltdown when they arrived.  I spoke with another testing source and she told me that the most common reason for this was that a child needed glasses.  DING! DING! DING!  Lily lost her glasses the week of our testing.  I know it seems so obvious and as my mom said, 'Well, I wouldn't have even let her take the test if she didn't have her glasses."  However, at the end of April, testing meant the year was basically over and nothing was going to stop me from reaching that milestone. Frankly, just getting them to the test on time for three days was heroic; I didn't have time to think about missing glasses.  Regardless, I had her retested a couple of weeks ago and we are back up to speed.  Whew! We often say that Lily just sort of floats through life, seemingly unaware of all that goes on around her.  I now know that word "seemingly" is false.  Her proctor explained that Lily is acutely cognizant of her environment. Basically, she picks up on everything we say and do which is a little frightening.  My never-ending concerns about her auditory processing, her inability to flourish in creative writing, and her apathy to reading anything without pictures will be my driving concerns, but comparatively speaking, she is ahead of the game.

It was a year of many new things for Sadie, including a new Essentials class for writing and grammar, decreasing extra-curricular classes, and trying medication.  That last mention is a weighty weight issue with so much history and wrestling and struggling.  I could write volumes about it, but in the end when your child cries, begs, and says, "Why did God make me this way?" and you know there is something out there that would drastically change their existence in this world and you have tried every. single. other. option. and denied them this something based on fear, parental snobbery, and inaccurate biblical interpretation...I realized I WAS WRONG.  Life did change drastically halfway through the year because of this change.  We still struggle and still wrestle, but not quite to the level we did before.  The Himalayan Mountains and the Grand Canyon valleys of behaviors have transformed themselves to become the speed bumps and street side ditches.  It is a much smoother ride with such breaks in between the madness of it all that we, Sadie and I, have a bit more energy to tackle those peaks and valleys.  She moves through her school work with relatively ease, only protesting when it actually takes her time to complete it because it challenges her or  appears to be busy work.. Her latest scheme is to become a heart surgeon, because she wants to have enough money to have all the animals she wants.  No surprises there.  Although one wonders why she doesn't just desire to be a vet.

As far as me...well, I continue to play on a tennis team which didn't really work schedule-wise with homeschooling, but I insisted on making it happen. Some days the stress nearly pushed me over the edge, yet the work-out lowered the stress, so maybe it evened out in the end.  What I lost in days/weeks/years from the stress of this year was offset by the benefits of the exercise from tennis playing.  No gains - no losses.  I will take that as a win.

 Jay had another heart issue this February which landed him back in the hospital for another stent.  I write that like it was no big deal, which I guess it really wasn't since they did the procedure that morning and he came home the SAME DAY.  However, at the time, he couldn't walk up the stairs with out feeling chest pains. It took three days to see the doctor and schedule the procedure all the while I constantly was ready to spring into 911 action with my phone.  Just a little edgy week there. 

Many, many days I questioned why in the world was I homeschooling. Just like I am sure you are while reading this.  When I think back over this year and remember those Mondays when I would drop the kids off at LIFE classes and meet some friends for lunch it comes with such heaviness.  I would arrive at the restaurant beaten up, broken down, emotionally spent with a sprinkling of depression.  Yet, there was never a time when I doubted that this was what I was supposed to be doing. Strange, I know.  I shored myself up over Christmas, lightened our extra-activities load, revised our school schedule and marched forward.  I began to see more light-hearted moments and classic learning AHAs! that I now cherish from this year.  Holding closely to those memories and knowing without a doubt that THIS is where God has put me, I will plow forward next year,  prodding along my 8th, 6th, and 4th grader with me.

The truth...

We have spent the past week doing test preparation. Our test is not until May and our preparation is not driven by it. However, I have found that the test prep books are a good way to see where I might have dropped the ball on subjects covered. So far, I can say we are in great shape. I did notice Lily needs to learn the difference between fiction, non-fiction, and biography. She also needs to be taught where to find certain information - an encyclopedia, atlas, almanac, newspaper. Although I think using encyclopedia is a little dated considering Brittanica is no longer publishing theirs. Lily promptly answered, "The Internet," when I asked her where she would look to write a report about turtles.  Can I really argue with that?

Lily-isms

Lily came into the bathroom where I was getting ready for the day.  She had chosen an outfit that looked good and shoes that were cute, just not together.  I tried to explain to her that they didn't exactly match and why.  Visualize large purple and light blue dotted outfit and hot pink small polka dotted shoes.  Her response, "Mom, its not about the shoes, its about the attitude."  I let her wear what she wanted.

Odds & Ends

Two times in as many days someone has referred to my Sadie as having a Tatum O'Neal look going.  I believe one said the Paper Moon/Bad News Bears time period, not her adult cocaine days (whew!).  I think it must be the reemergence of freckles on her face from being in the spring sun.  I checked it out on google images and well, maybe it is her Doppelganger? 

Lily is obsessed with caterpillars.  Always finding them, naming them, and trying to keep them alive while they inch along her arm, or leg, or even along her glasses.  They are her friends and anytime she finds one, she doesn't stop smiling.

I took the girls to an Anatomy seminar this morning.  It was very well done class conducted by a group of high school homeschoolers who had recently completed their Anatomy class.  I was quite impressed by their communication and presentation skills (just another notch in the homeschools are not anti-social column).  Sadie would not relent on her request to take a certain item home with her.  No one else in attendance requested anything, nor went home with any of the "props."  Actually, I should go ask her right now where the said item is...a pig's heart in a ziploc bag.  That is definitely one thing I don't want left in my car.  I have no idea what she is going to do with it.  Scary.

On a recent trip to Pawley's Island with friends, Ethan chose to dive into a hammock resting above a deck.  Not knowing the full measure of his strength, he overshot the entire hammock, landing full-force on his face.  Ouch!  Lovely scrape-type burn running form his forehead to below his mouth.  Other than that, it was a really delightful trip.  Well, Lily did run a fever for a couple of days.  I chalk that one up to my ridiculous kids who at 9 AM were chest-deep in the ocean. In the mid-Atlantic. In April.  Very cold.

Ethan is trying very hard to learn how to whistle.  Trying to teach someone to whistle ranks up there with teaching Passive English or Singing/Voice to those tone-deaf.  I keep trying to tell him where to place his tongue, where to position his teeth, cheeks, how to blow...and then, we heard it.  It was the slightest, faintest of chirps, but he did it.  His eyes grew about ten times, but he did not break the his mouth position.  Unfortunately, we did not hear it again on our ride home, but I am sure the practice has not ended.  He has wet his whistle!

Lily has been very funny with the one-liners lately.  For example, Ethan ended a little school relationship a couple of weeks ago.  When he announced it in the car, Lily piped up and went, "Womp, womp, womp.  Game over."  She is also getting very screechy and a little sassy, but that is for another blog entry.  She also loves playing with younger kids.  She does seem younger than her 7 years sometimes.  Academically, she is ahead of the game, but socially, she does not necessarily have street-smarts.  Of course, I shouldn't worry as she does have Sadie to teach her the ways.

Springtime Joy

It is springtime which is the signal of many things in the Dumoulin house - the start of our garden, the collection of many critters who now reside in our "backporch zoo," late dinners due to outdoor play, a desire for our typical routine and schedule to change. I am antsy for the school year to end which makes it doubly hard to hunker down and complete our daily academic tasks.
Sadie's make-shift reptile and insect zoo has come to life again, her various collection of old tupperware containers, aquarium tank, and even empty glass bottles scattered along the porch. Currently we have a worm snake, tadpoles, a large frog, and an Eastern Fence lizard.  Last night, I had to call her in from down the driveway.  She arrived red bucket in hand, muddy boots, her hair slightly matted to her head - a mixture of an earlier swim practice and sweat from her activity.  She arrived with a joy in her soul that there were an unbelievable amount of frogs and tadpoles down in the little water pools created from the recent rains.  How she loves to be in the world exploring.

For me the yard beckons to be tidied up from its winter doldrums.  The birds began chirping in early March and we have enjoyed watching and documenting the transient birds that make their way to our feeders and bird houses. Our little garden patch overgrown with weeds and a few leftovers from last season needs to be cleaned up and tilled.  I almost feel the outdoors whispering our names each day to abandon what keeps us inside and run carefree and wild in its offerings.  Hard to resist.

Chef Sadie

Sadie made her first casserole, Chicken Divan, completely from scratch last night. After reviewing the recipe and instructions with her, I went out side to muck some chicken coops. After an appropriate length of time had passed, she announced that it was in the oven. After finishing up our "farm duties" we went inside to eat dinner. I have to say that it was the BEST casserole I have ever had. I am not a huge fan of casseroles with all of their fatty creamy sauces.  Actually, I am a fan, but struggle knowing it is not often healthy.  Maybe I enjoyed the dinner because I did not have to cook it. Or, maybe it was that it came from Sadie's heart. 
She has always enjoyed messing around in the kitchen.  She easily whips up brownies, cookies, and cakes from mixes and can be found cooking eggs for her siblings on the weekends.  However, this was her first from scratch entree.  Boiling and cubing the chicken, cooking the broccoli, and mixing the remaining ingredients were part of this process.  She was pretty pleased at the way it turned out.  I enjoyed "discussing" the lessons learned while she cooked, like the fact that it seemed to have too much creamy goodness in it and how to remedy that.  I imagine it will not be the last dinner we enjoy by Chef Sadie.

We made the leap into the poultry world in November.  I have become...a chicken farmer.  The idea was to get 4-5 hens and maybe one rooster to learn about life, responsibility and for a little fun. It is not surprising that Sadie was the initiator of this adventure. As I type this we have about 40 chickens in our backyard.  Yes, 40!  I came home one Saturday afternoon in early January to the announcement by Jay and Sadie that we should expect 35 day-old chicks at the end of the month.  I was not a part of this decision, though I am certainly responsible for making sure they receive proper care.  I have learned not to be bitter about that fact. 

Honestly, it has been a great "hobby."  We have learned a tremendous amount about life - how it comes to be and how it can quickly and unexpectedly end, particularly with the loss of our sweet Iris.  We have learned a lot about how hard and time consuming farm life must be as we have only experienced it on a tiny level.  It takes about 2 hours to clean out and replenish the coops which we do weekly.  We also feed and water daily along with throwing out scraps, chicken grit, and occasional corn.  We have also learned about the intricacies of God's design in His creation. The process by which chicks are brought into this world is fascinating and it is amazing to me all of the pieces that come together to make it happen - daylight, temperature, timing.  Although this might sound a bit hokey, it is actually entertaining to watch the chickens when we have them free-ranging in the yard.  Some of them have distinct personalities like our group of Polish ladies who are always curious. Others, like our Silkies, who are sweet and docile, are not the smartest chickens on the block. It is pretty hilarious when one chicken finds a worm and all the rest go crazy trying to get it out of the mouth of the finder. 

Our current breed selection include:  Silkies (a chicken with black skin - google an image for a picture of the black skin.  It looks a little creepy), White and Silver-crested Polish chickens, Wyandottes, and Crevecoeurs.  We also have 4 Giants and 4 Red-Star Roosters.  We also have a "mystery" chicken that was sent to us as a bonus.  We think he is either a Americuana or a Buff-Laced Wyandotte.

We have names only for the Crevecoeurs (Bob and Brenda) because they were our first chickens and are endangered.  We also have a name for our Polish Rooster, Fred.  Fred has gone a little kooky since his original mate died and he had to be separated from Bob due to fighting.  His group of ladies are not quite old enough to be in his same coop, but I hope once they are, he will calm down.  Currently, he does a lot of prancing around and crowing and displays signs of haughtiness.  He still allows Sadie to pick him up and carry him around like a baby on his back, so at least no pecking has begun.
Lily likes to create these funny names for the chickens.  She has named one Mrs. High Places because she perched up on the highest corner of the coop.  Other chicken names include Florida and Dudlette Do-Wrong, Cooper (short for Coppernicus), and Bob Junior.

Only Brenda, our lone Crevecoeur, is laying.  The others should be ready in another month or so.  She lays about 1 a day.  We are letting her keep her eggs in hopes she will become broody and want to sit on them.  Time will tell.  Eventually, we should get about 20 or 30 eggs a day.  Our plan is to sell what we can and donate the rest to the Open Door Shelter.

On these warm spring evenings after Jay has returned home, we will get a drink and sit in some lawn chairs down by the coop watching our flock free-range around the yard.  There is a bizarre sense of peace down there amidst the clucking and cooing.  I never thought I would find contentment in that.

Images (top to bottom): Silver-crested Polish hen, White-crested Polish hen, Crevecoeur rooster, Silkies, Silver-laced Wyandotte