I saw a rabbit (I whispered, "Hello Peter. I see you.") and also two large frogs.
2. I have been wearing the same clothes for 4 days. Perhaps if you have been in my presence during this time, you are saying to yourself, "AHA! That explains The Smell," but I have been showering daily and also changing the underthings. It's just a little experiment. Like Einstein.
3. I am making some oatmeal muffins. The oatmeal is presently soaking in some buttermilk for one hour. I like baking in my new kitchen because of the quantity of counter space and also the shiny stove that actually IS the temperature I set it on.
4. Today I had beef empanadas at Escalantes. What can I say? It is a tiny pie full of meat and cheese. Not kosher or vegan or even nutritionally VALID in any way. Except Delicious.
5. Speaking of kosher, a little boy arrived at gymnastics today with his little fringes hanging out from under his soccer shirt, a woven yarmulke, and the beginnings of earlocks. The boys in The Chosen never mentioned what it was like to be orthodox at gymnastics class.
6. And speaking of gymnastics, Harper had her last class at the Houston Gymnastics Academy (where, when you walk in you see a huge banner proclaiming, "HOME OF OLYMPIAN SEAN TOWNSEND") today, and I sat and pondered whether or not it has been worth the hefty investment (partly supplemented by a generous Christmas donation from the Grandparents Pate) for her to perfect her cartwheel (and it is, I must say, rather impressive). I have lots of ideas about this modern-day phenomenon of Many Classes for the Very Young Children. Mostly I think it's all hogwash. This kid came in last week wearing his karate gi, which meant either his mother/ nanny person (this gym is in a part of town where even the stay-at-home moms have nanny people. So that they can do important things like work out at the gym with a personal trainer for many hours so that they look awesome in their Lululemon yoga pants. Is that too harsh? Perhaps.I'm leaving it though.) had forgotten that Monday was Gymnastics Day and not Karate Day or, more likely, this 5 year old had been in school all day, THEN had gone to karate, then had gone to gymnastics. Seriously. That is INSANE. Then today I noticed there was a three year old little boy waiting with his nanny person and he looked tired and his nanny person had given him a Kumon workbook (Kumon is one of those places where people pay to take their kids for the extra tutoring in math and reading that they think they aren't receiving in sufficient amounts during their 7 hours at school each day) that was titled UPPERCASE LETTERS and he was clutching it and staring at the big girls doing their round off back handspring layouts on the floor exercise. Do you know what that three year old probably wished he were doing? NOT learning a forward roll, or how to properly form Uppercase A. He probably wanted to be at home digging in the dirt in his own backyard while his parents talked to him about bugs. Which costs ZERO dollars.
Anyway, I guess I'm a hypocrite because I have decided that maybe the polished cartwheel has been worth the hefty investment. I do believe there are so many things that parents think (because everyone has told them so? Because it's just The Way it IS?) they can't teach their own children. The comment I probably get most often when people find out we homeschool is, "I could NEVER do that!" and I try to say, "Yes, you really could." Because it is true. If you know how to read or swim or do a cartwheel or pound a nail or sew a button or change the oil in the car or speak a different language or play the guitar or, or, or ad infinitum, you CAN teach your kids to do it too. That is really what they want. And if, on occasion, there is something special (like the real reason I ended up signing Harper up for the gymnastics class--I loved being in a real gym when I was her age. With bars and a beam and mats and a trampoline--all things I couldn't replicate at home) that your kid really seems to have an affinity for, (or even just unabashed enthusiasm with no particular affinity) it will be really special to be able to spring for those lessons.
The end of the rant.
7. I have decided whom I'm voting for for president. I'm going to write him in on my ballot. DONALD RUMSFELD. I have loved him for many years hence (the husband knows this and doesn't mind very much) and then I happened to catch an interview on Charlie Rose last night and I was smitten anew. The thing I've always admired about him is that he Does Not Suffer Fools Gladly. Which, of course, means that in this country, he could never actually be president. Because our president does very little BUT suffer fools gladly. During the interview, after a particularly asinine line of questioning, he actually said, firmly, "Charlie Rose! You KNOW.." and it was like a verbal spanking. Awesome. I even own a book that was published several years ago that took snippets of his various sparrings with the press (which made him sigh many deep and exasperated sighs) and put them in poem form. AWESOME. Donald Rumsfeld for president.You heard it here first.
Shall we end with a picture so I can go and finish my muffins? Helena asked if she could wear this tutu thing on her head to church on Sunday (she thinks it is Tres Elegante) and the husband and I looked at each other, shrugged, and said, "Sure." Maybe one day soon I'll write a post about the Douglas Wilson quote Mrs. S shared with me that I've been trying hard to live out: Have a single Tree of 'No' in your Garden of 'Yes.'
6 comments:
How very Jen Hatmaker about you. Although I'm pretty sure she stated she could never homeschool. And that "garden of yes, tree of no" quote has been kris' anthem this week and I've been enjoying it. I always say err on the side of too much Doug Wilson.
You are up very early Mrs. R! Observing some sacred silences perhaps? See you in a bit.
Oh, how I love you.
I love Donald Rumsfeld too - he seems like such a very honest and nice man, such a refreshing quality in politics!
And that tutu hair-accessory-or-is-it-a-hat? Very lovely indeed. Good for you to let her wear it! Did it stay on all through church?
It's funny you, of all people, should ask that, Zoe. It's a tutu, and it DID stay on for the entire service until the church we were visiting did a tribute for Memorial Day, during which 8 service men who attend church there came marching onto the stage, in uniform, holding the flag, while the drummer played this stirring cadence and I dissolved into a weeping mess, because that is what I tend to do when I am reminded of the sacrifice of incredible men (like your husband) and women who've given so much for our freedom. At that point, I used the tutu to mop my face, until the husband realized what was happening and handed me his handkerchief.
I covet your ability to walk to the grocery store and see wildlife. So, we made a decision to stay, except that every now and then we say, "Are we sure we don't want to move?" So, I suppose, we remain decidedly UNdecided.
Love, love, love Escalante's. And so many other rants in the post. But I suppose I should simply close.
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