White House Down

Last summer we bought a White House cookie kit at Trader Joe's. My plan was to spend a summer day reading many books about the history of the White House, and then maybe create lovely watercolor paintings of the White House, then maybe journal a little about the White House, and then, as the grande finale, the kids would work together in perfect harmony to build and frost and decorate their very own miniature cookie White House. Well, I did actually request a bunch of books from the library, and we did read those at some point over the summer. As for the portraits, and the journaling, well, that never happened. The kids would ask about the cookie house, but I kept finding reasons to say NOT TODAY. It seems like it was always someone's birthday, and we had a cake to eat, or some other holiday where everyone had gotten lots of candy. Every few weeks, one of the kids would see the box in the pantry and ask, "WHEN are we going to build our White House??" and the answer was always NOT TODAY. At some point, they all gave up. Last week, Hudson spied it in the very back of the cereal shelf and said, "I guess we might as well just throw away the White House since we are never EVER going to make it," and I surprised us all by saying, "TODAY! Let's make it today!"

It looked nothing like it did on the box. I deemed it White House: War of 1812 Edition. Harper added a gummy bear representing Dolly Madison running out with the portrait of George Washington, then Hudson added a roof-top hot tub on the portico, put a gummy bear reclining in it, and deemed it Donald Trump. Then it collapsed and we ate some of it. It tastes like cardboard, probably because it had an expiration date of September 2016.

My kids have this thing they do to each other when one of them is having a bad attitude. I can't really remember when it started--maybe 3? years ago. They sing this little song they made up, and the only words are, "LET'S BE HAPPY AND POSITIVE (ABOUT IT)!!" They will also sometimes shorten the admonition to "L.B.H.A.P.!" It is most often sung to the Hudson bear, and it NEVER EVER makes him happy or positive. It does not, however, create as much friction as the other Balm of Gilead sometimes employed. When things aren't going someone's way, for example, all of the leads from one's automatic pencil have just spilled out over the floor of the van, there is the Too Bad For You! chant. This is said in this sneery, nasally voice that my kids think is how teenagers talk. It is sometimes shortened to "T.B.F.Y.!" and sung. The tune is grating, and it never fails to trigger a reaction that makes all of us peevish.

To close, the yearly Narnia party is at school today. My two little soldiers, all suited up for the Last Battle. You probably didn't know Athena and Thor were in the Narnia books. It pretty much sums up what had been my mantra for most of this year: CLOSE ENOUGH.

Fleet of foot, Fair of Science

Harper had her last cross country event on Saturday. It was a 5K sponsored by Free the Captives, an organization working to end human trafficking. Hudson decided to run too, and is now the proud owner of a t-shirt with "Fighting Teen Sex Trafficking in Houston" emblazoned on the back. Wince with me, won't you. They both ran really well, even though it was a hot, muggy morning. Hudson's time was 31 minutes, which is terrific considering he didn't train at all except for running a single mile around our cul-de-sac few weeks ago. He was displeased with his performance, which is further evidence that he is my son. I think I was ten when I realized I was getting too old to be a prodigy at anything. I didn't handle the disappointment very well. We are hoping he is internalizing the reality that being really good at anything requires lots of hard work, and some people have to work harder than others.



I teared up when I saw Harper coming into the home stretch holding hands with the friend she has consistently run with in practice all year. They stayed together the entire race. Harper is so independent, sometimes to a fault, so this show of teamwork and mindfulness of the needs of others was beautiful to me.



Her beloved 3rd grade teacher, and current art teacher, Ms. Pf, dressed up as Stupendous Man from Calvin & Hobbes to honor the Super Hero race theme. We are so thankful for her.



Harper had her Science Fair on Monday. Her hypothesis was that male parakeets solve problems faster than female parakeets. She worked really hard (as did Hobbes, who proved her hypothesis correct) on her research, her written report, and her board. Other than a few minutes spent showing her how to use Word to type her report, I was completely uninvolved. I was so impressed with all of the experiments, and amazed at how much these fifth graders have grown, both physically and academically, this year.

 Now I need to go to the grocery store. My days alone are waning fast.

Bird eat bird. Also, Uranus.

A few weeks ago, we discovered this sharp-shinned hawk swooping around our neighborhood. He is very handsome, but we were troubled to find his diet consists primarily of small birds. We are just starting to get a wider variety of song birds to our feeders, including a pair of house finches, a pair of cardinals, and a little flock of waxwings. I wish the hawk would instead go hang out down the street in the Kroger parking lot and eat the grackles that keep stealing my suet. Sometimes I sit outside reading my newspaper, and when the grackles come I clap and clamor until they leave. One of our little neighbors was startled by this behavior and wanted to know why I was yelling at those black birds. I tried to explain to her why cardinals are better than grackles. It was an awkward conversation.

We went to the library a couple of weeks ago, and there were four large broods of Muscovy ducklings--probably 50 ducklings in all. They were adorable. We went back a few days later to visit them again, but there were just a few ducklings left, and several Muscovy mothers wandering around looking dazed and confused. We were puzzling over where all the darling babies had gotten off to when SUDDENLY, the biggest red-tailed hawk I've ever seen came swooping a couple of feet over my head and landed in a tree right next to us. The kids admired him for a minute, then I saw Harper realize what exactly was going on here, and she started yelling and chasing him off. He was a little sluggish, and flapped off very slowly, because he was FAT with ducklings. The natural world is brutal.


I finished another book this week. A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. It's a fictional story based on the real journey of one of the lost boys of Sudan. It is inspiring and convicting. Read it. Actually, go ahead and read anything by Linda Sue Park. I am also listening to Seven Women by Eric Metaxas. I just finished the chapter on Susannah Wesley. She was a marvel. When she needed a moment or two of escape from her NINETEEN children, she would sit down, pull her apron over her head, and pray. I think I am going to implement that strategy.

I want to remember that Harper asked to sit in my lap at church on Sunday. I love that she still does this. She is almost 5 feet tall, weighs just under 70 pounds, and her string bean legs dangle all the way to the floor. Sunrise, sunset...

Helena did a great job on her solar system presentation last Wednesday. She was well prepared this time, and her teacher told them beforehand in what order they would go. They were each assigned a particular planet to present, and she was Uranus. It never stopped being funny. I did manage to convince her not to start her presentation with, "I am Uranus!"  The Greek god that Uranus is named after is actually Ouranos. Why didn't they go with that spelling? Early astronomers had a scatological sense of humor, no doubt.

I finally started my Couch to 5K again this morning. I had to go all the way back to week 2, but my knee only hurt the tiniest bit, so I feel encouraged. That will have to be it for today. Two posts in a week, though!

Easter 2017: Burned Cross Buns

There is a patch of bluebonnets that pops up every year in front of the gym where our church meets. They were in full bloom about 3 weeks ago. We didn't get a family picture then, and we didn't get one yesterday. Thankfully, there are other ways to celebrate the resurrection.

We continued the hot cross buns tradition. I decided to make the real thing this year. YEAST IS SCARY. We made the dough Saturday night. The recipe told me I could refrigerate it overnight. Only the container I put it in apparently wasn't closed tightly enough, because when I got up early Sunday, there was a YEASTY DOUGH MONSTER oozing all over the middle tray of my refrigerator. I salvaged it, rolled out the dough, formed the rolls, let them rise AGAIN, and put them in the oven. AND set the timer for 30 minutes instead of 20. Sing with me?  Burned cross buns, burned cross buns, cuss cuss cuss cuss, cuss cuss cuss cuss, burned cross buns! Again, salvageable. When will I accomplish feats in the kitchen that don't necessitate words like "salvageable?" There's an Easter metaphor in there somewhere. The kids did their own icing crosses. I refrained from making any metaphorical speeches.

 Our church is going through lots of transition right now, and my friend Carrie still managed an egg hunt. Grandmother Pate made sure everyone had new finery.

 My friends Sarah and Emily used their patience and talent to prepare the kids for a sweet rendition of "Lamb of God." Their voices were accompanied by 8th grader Marco on violin, and 7th grader Daniel on cello. That's a hint of heaven, I am sure of it.

The husband made steaks and asparagus for lunch. He also cleaned up afterwards, while I took a little nap. These are the days, they really are.

Le pamplemousse! :What we've been reading, April 2017

The French word for grapefruit is PAMPLEMOUSSE! Isn't that delightful?? I discovered this during my morning labors translating classic French poetry. Hah! Not really. I use grapefruit spray to clean my kitchen counters, and apparently, this brand sells well amongst Le French.

I just finished a novel set during the German occupation of France in 1941: Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. It is a terrific story, well told, but it ends abruptly. Why? Because the author, before she finished it, was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she died. That is a punch to the gut, isn't it?

To lift my spirits, I next read The Magnolia Story by the ever-ebullient Chip and Joanna Gaines. They are just delightful, those two. It was inspiring to read about all the hard work that has led to their success.

Hudson had a history project last week. He presented the life of William Wilberforce to his class (note to me: make him put his costume back on and GET A PICTURE!!) and he and I read a young adult biography out loud (William Wiberforce: Take Up the Fight by Janet and Geoff Benge) and I have also been listening to the Eric Metaxas biography, Amazing Grace: William Wiberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery in the car on the school commute. So, things have been WILBERFORCE-INTENSIVE. I think Hudson was a little overwhelmed with all the minutiae of British parliamentary procedure, and a little disappointed that Wilberforce's only weapon was his voice. I also scared the children by watching the movie with them and weeping through the entire ending scene. Bagpipes. Bravery. Jesus. Perseverance. Thanks for the encouragement, good sir. (sorry, children of mine, that I can't reign in the waterworks.)

We listened to Rascal by Sterling North on the school commute. It was really charming.The kids now want a baby pet raccoon. Sasha says NOPE, NOPE, and NOPE. We are finishing up Little Women, and while I am enjoying it, I don't like it nearly as much as Little Men. I am not sure what we will listen to next. Maybe The Incredible Journey?

We have not been consistent with reading at bedtime, which is why it is taking us a sweet forever to finish At the Back of the North Wind. I don't think any of us would be sad to abandon it actually. I want to love George MacDonald, but it is work.

In an effort to keep up with Harper, I read 2 YA books last week: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, and Listening For Lions by Gloria Whelan. TBWHtW is a true story of an amazingly inventive, tenacious Malawian boy who uses garbage to create a windmill that generates electricity. I loved it--such an incredibly hopeful story, though the chapters that describe famine are painful to process. LFL is also set in Africa. It's a novel, and the protagonist is the daughter of a missionary doctor and nurse who die during the flu outbreak of 1919. There is a birding sub-plot that didn't get as much attention as Harper and I would have liked, but we both enjoyed it. I am so thrilled that my friend Natasha, who leads Harper's book club, has been so intent on exposing the girls to quality books that introduce them to cultures so different from their own little microcosm. I see it shaping Harper's view of the world, and that is thrilling.

Helena and I are finishing up On the Banks of Plum Creek for school and THANK THE CREATOR, the grasshoppers have finally marched west, and we can finally pay off the boughten boards and real windows. Hudson just finished The Treasure Seekers, and the book party was last week. He dressed up as a bottle of Castilian Amoroso. To which I say bless our little classical education hearts. But sending a kid-sized bottle of sherry to a Christian school is a pretty SWEET moment, I can't lie.

I have also read a couple of self helpish/mothering books this month: Cleaning House: A Mom's 12 Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement, and I'm Happy For You: Finding Contentment in a Culture of Comparison, both by Kay Willis Wyma. The first one had some specific strategies I might try this summer. I bought Mere Motherhood: Morning Times, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey Toward Sanctification by Cindy Rollins at the Circe booth at the homeschool convention. I've only just started it, but I think it's going to be helpful. I also just started a book about de-cluttering, and I think we KNOW that is going to fix all my problems right up.

Okay, enough. We took a hike at Cullinan Park last Saturday. This is one of my favorite views. Just my guys, strolling along.

Spring Break 2017: DON'T POKE THE BEAR

The beach proved a smidge chilly for Spring Break last year, so this year we decided to camp at Garner State Park. It was a little damp and cold, and the Frio was, indeed frio, but we didn't let that get in the way of a good time. The bird watching was splendid. Here's the list:

1. Eastern phoebes (they started singing VERY early. Good morning FEE-bee)

2. Eastern bluebirds
3. Vermillion flycatcher (he was so handsome)

4. Carolina chickadees
5. Goldfinches
6. Carolina wren
7. Great horned owl!! (I saw this handsome fellow sitting on a fence post)
8. ladderbacked woodpecker
9. Golden-fronted woodpecker
10. Rio Grande turkeys
11. black crested titmice
12. tufted titmice
13. Great Blue heron (swooping across the Frio. It was HUGE--looked like a pterodactyl!)
14. Vesper sparrows
15. chipping sparrows
16. sedge wrens
17. kestrel
18. nighthawk
19. roadrunners!
20. cardinals (soo many)

The turkeys were hilarious. There were lots of females who would wander around in an utterly disinterested clump as these three males would spread their gorgeous tail feathers and strut nearby. There were also some juvenile males who would go full fan as long as the older toms weren't around, but as soon as the older toms came back the younger males (they are called 'jakes'--just looked it up)  would quickly skulk away with their feathers lowered, and start pecking under the feeders like they were just super cool and sulky, and not afraid. You'll get your turn next year, young jakes. The females will ignore you just as assiduously as they did those big toms.




Hudson got a pair of Carolina chickadees to follow him around by playing their call on the bird app on my phone, like a chickadee pied piper. With a smart phone. And a happier ending.

 I named these spider web beauties 'fairy hammocks.' Sometimes magical things happen when you wake up early.

The Daddy sprained his ankle on this hike. But we also saw road runners! So, worth it?

We hiked, we found a bat in a hole in a cave (headlamps=finding reclusive mammals in tight places),
we saw a baby porcupine! waddling around behind the bird blind, and we made s'mores.


The kids skipped rocks in the Frio, splashed in the Frio, dropped small boulders into the Frio, and generally delighted in river life, just like Rat and Mole and the gang.




Everyone got along pretty well, until the third day, when the Daddy was packing up, it was misting rain, and the sibling quibbles reached a fever pitch. One sibling in particular was being extremely prickly, so I said to the other siblings, in a loud and growly voice,"DON'T POKE THE BEAR!" and it broke the tension nicely. It has since become a reliable giggle-inducer when things get tense. Even The Bear laughs when it is invoked.

We also spent a few days with my parents, including an afternoon at the Stark Museum in Orange (the kids thought they might have an Iron Man sighting. Alas, wrong Stark), and an evening at the Nederland Heritage Festival. It was a good week all around.

I went to a homeschool conference and all I got was a book of Supreme Court paper dolls

Oh, Scalia. What would you MAKE of this?

Last weekend I attended my first ever homeschool conference, which is noteworthy, perhaps, because I have been homeschooling for six years now. I actually had attempted to try one back when we started, but got so overwhelmed and dismayed by the exhibit halls that I decided to leave. This conference had my husband in the exhibit hall, so I decided to stay. Also, we had taken the kids to my parents' house for 3 days, which meant I didn't have to think about feeding anyone other than myself for 72 glorious hours. Here are some thoughts on the whole experience:

1. I got to hear really great talks from what I am calling the Andrew Triumvirate: Pudewa, Peterson, and Kern.

2. I went to three different sessions with Sarah MacKenzie (Teaching From Rest, Read Aloud Revival) and while her first talk was basically a summary of her book, which I had already read, her second one ended with her having the whole 250 or so of us stand and sing the Doxology. Even in a bland conference hall, it was transcendent. I love it when there are all these crazy beautiful harmonies when a bunch of Jesus folk bust out the acapella. It's why I cry every time I watch one of those flash mob videos. And yes, indeed, I cried through the Doxology.

3. On a related note, Andrew Kern ends all his talks with this benediction: "May the Lord remember you in His Kingdom. Thank you." He also reminded me of this essential, excruciating truth: "Be what your child needs to imitate." He somehow manages to say hard, challenging things with an occasional line of deadpan humor that makes it all very encouraging.

4. There were kids everywhere, in all the sessions. My favorite brood sat in front of me on the floor while I listened to Pudewa warn me against The Four Deadly Errors of Teaching Writing. The 7 year old had a pile of fabric squares that she arranged and rearranged inside this wooden paperdoll template. Her little sister sat quietly beside her building castles out of dry sponges cut into geometric shapes (GENIUS. The mom told me how to make my own), and the littlest brother gave his mom kisses every few minutes while also sorting a deck of playing cards. The were completely silent, the entire hour. Take that, smart phones.

5. In what should have been #1, were this list in order of importance, my husband made all of this possible by standing in a booth, on a concrete floor, recruiting for his college, for 21 hours over three days. He is a good man.

6. I got to eat at Mi Cocina with a dear, long-time friend on Thursday night. We talked nonstop for almost 4 hours. It was so delightful that the husband and I went back and ate there again the next night, AND again the next. And I don't even technically LIKE Mexican food.

7. We got to spend a little time with S.D. Smith, author of The Green Ember, and his brothers. What a great bunch. The only regret is that the oldest brother, who is named HAMLET! was not there. The second brother, named Will Smith (father of 6, seller of Sea-doos) seemed to enjoy my joke about someone needing to keep things running in Denmark while the rest of them gallivanted with the homeschoolers.

That isn't everything, but it is all I have today. I came home from the weekend all excited and inspired and then promptly got a bad cold which brought me right on down from the mountaintop. Also, it has been raining and dreary. And Helena just brought home her solar system science project assignment. It seems like Hudson just did his maybe a month ago. Apparently it has been an entire year? Did I ever even post a picture? He got points off because I misread the thing and told him he didn't have to put Pluto in there. He is still a little upset with me about that.