Lahlum Homeschooling

For the first year, ever, I plan to begin our school year before Labor Day.  Baby is due mid-August and I don’t want to feel pressured during the year if it takes me a while to recover after delivery.  In addition, my track record on delivery is so sporadic, delivery could occur anytime between mid-August to the end of August.  I’d rather be doing something productive if I do go past my ‘due date’.  It’s better than just hang around waiting for the most exciting event of the Fall to start.

So, all the syllabi and materials are prepped and ready to go on August 6.  Dash will most likely start football practice on the 7th, so it will be an adjustment for him, especially.  Dash will be a sophomore, Angelina a 7th grader, Zeke a 4th grader and Graham a 1st grader. 

Louis is my busy toddler boy, but is entertained by tractors (hopefully we can all stand the noise that accompanies tractor play!).  I hope to have a few activity boxes set up for him, and Angelina will also be doing crafts with him throughout the year.

Our schoolroom has been rearranged a bit.  I brought in another cabinet for supply storage and that really helped me feel more organized.  The room also received a thorough cleaning…much needed!

Lessons for my pregnant self...

* An apron is a good idea when cooking because the belly seems to touch every messy, wet, gross thing in the kitchen.  I figured this out after opening the first (of six) 2lb thawed package of ground beef.

* Let some of that perfectionistic thinking go by the wayside.  This is especially true in summer because the number of tasks I would normally 'just do' without thinking about the heat and a less mobile body is an infinitely larger number than in the winter!  (This is my first time being pregnant through the whole summer.)

* The 'medicine' in Aspercreme (non-smelly equivalent to Ben-Gay) really does loose it's potency after the due date.  Learned this after waking up at night to a charlie horse, applying my remedy, and finding no relief forthcoming!

That's it for today.  I just want to remember...no idea if it will be of use to me in the future.

Teeth

Graham lost both bottom front teeth in May - within a week.  He lost the first at the Father/Son Camping trip.  The tooth fairy was a long time coming.  Apparently May was a VERY busy month for her!

As you can see, his permanent teeth are already well on their way into position.

Wordless Wednesday

In search of 'something'

I am reading 'Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart' by Father Jacques Phillippe.  It was first recommended by friend via facebook, then a speaker mentioned it at the MN Catholic Homeschool Conference this past June.  While trying to read a chapter whenever I'm able to sit down ...no easy task! ...I am finding much wisdom in the few chapters I've read (only four, so far). 

I've been on a quest, for what seems like years, to recover peace/joy that I used to feel and experience much more readily.  I admit, not very happily and with much humility, that my anger has been much quicker to surface, as has my critical and sarcastic side, in the last couple years.  There are a variety of reasons for this, but as an adult, I do expect better of myself!  I am, afterall, trying to set an example for the children entrusted into my care.

So, the passage I read today that really stuck with me was the author's reaction to this quote, by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli, "The Devil does his utmost to banish peace from one's heart, because he knows that God abides in peace and it is in peace that He accomplishes great things." 

The author responds by writing, "It would be well to keep this in mind, because, quite often in the daily unfolding of our Christian life it happens that we fight the wrong battle, if one may put it that way, because we orient our efforts in the wrong direction.  We fight on a terrain where the devil subtly drags us and can vanquish us, instead of fighting on the real battlefield, where, on the contrary, by the grace of God, we are always certain of victory."

Now, isn't that something to think about!  Am I fighting the real battle, or one contrived to drag me away from peace.  How does one determine this unless you've set aside time - daily or weekly - to discern God's will??  I've been trying to just trust, but maybe I'm starting to realize that's not enough...I need to give more of myself, my time, to just listen and respond in silence or prayer.

Later in the chapter the author summarizes that we should not strive always for that victory, but to stay the course in maintaining 'peace of heart' regardless of the outcome.  Just what I needed to read?  Yes, most definitely.

The POOL

We decided the kids would receive a pool for their birthdays this year.  They will each still receive a gift on the actual day, but this it the BIG one, if you know what I mean.

Last year, Angelina on down enjoyed the smaller 10’x3’ pool so much.  They were in it nearly every day.  Dash, however, didn’t enjoy it so much!  At over 6’, a 3’ deep pool doesn’t do a whole lot and then he takes up quite a bit of the diameter.  So, after much research and reading of reviews, we invested in an 18’x48” pool with sand filter and saltwater pump (self-chlorinator).  The following pics show our day-long site prep and set-up that began a couple days after Achievement Days ended..

Using the scraper to take off the grass and first layer of soil

More scraping, but shovels also used to take out some of the dirt on the south side to make it more level.

First couple loads of sand dumped in the area.  This was recommended to help in leveling and protecting the pool base.

Checking for levelness.  They did pretty good.  The south side is still a couple inches high, but it’ll work for this year.  We can improve on it for next year.  The sand area is lined with old bullet pavers.  Obviously this will be the ‘permanent’ site for the pool each summer.

Laying out the pool itself.

Putting the framework in the liner.

Checking all the connections and finishing up the framing.

And, it’s up!

Add a few inches of water, then the crew went in to smooth out any missed wrinkles in the liner.  We’ll be more diligent on this next year, too.

It took about a day to fill, but the kids were enjoying the water when it was only half full.  It was hot…and they deemed it necessary!  Louis’ pool is in the foreground.  However, he enjoys being in the big pool with a lifejacket & floating tube.

The second or third day we noticed the pool turning a little green.  Eric did a bit of research online, as did Dash, and learned more about our set-up.  They double checked everything and realized a filter was clogged with calcium.  After soaking the filter in vinegar and replacing it, the pool cleared overnight.  We chose to fill the pool with deep well water (no cost to us, as there would be with rural water), so I’m assuming we’ll have to clean this filter often during the first month or so of use.  Dash had to clean it again a couple days later. 

The hot weather has made the pool water quite warm; at least, the kids aren’t complaining.  They even went in the pool today and it was cool, cloudy and slightly windy.  They said the water felt warm.

So far, an excellent investment.