That would be the headline for today. Since September, we've tried to go out on location somewhere, mostly with just the 5 of us, to anywhere that interests us on Thursday afternoons. We've gone to St. Jacobs after a conversation about the Amish, we've gone to pick plastic off of Van Wagner's beach after watching one of those depressing documentaries about the ocean gyres, we've gone to Dundurn castle with the free library pass and other places that strike our fancy that week. I got into watching Downton Abbey shortly after our Dundurn trip and when Anneke got out of bed for one thousand glasses of water she'd say " Are you watching Lady MacNab again?!" (The lady of the house at Dundurn ) Anyway, today was yet another cold day and 4 out of 5 of us had our pajamas on all day.
The morning started with 3 kids in my bed learning what 7 and 5 are along with Pippi Longstocking who went to school so she could get Christmas vacation like the other village children. This is our 3rd go-round with this book. So much fun. I have fond memories of my older sister reading it to me in my bed when I was little. The school chapter was double funny, in our current state of Villa Villekula-like education, with Pippi lamenting a tormented future for all those children who wouldn't have the answer if someone should stop them on the street and demand the capital of Portugal, and would have to write a letter directly to Lisbon to ask the answer. We just need to get ourselves a suitcase full of gold coins and become cannibal kings and queens.
After breakfast two more kids finished their math books and Tobin worked on a pluttification drill game on the computer. When piano and French were done we sat around the campfire (vent) and I challenged the kids to write 100 good things that they would count as gifts of grace in a journal. I explained a bit of the backstory behind Ann Voskamp's battle with anxiety and depression and how being awake to gratefulness transformed her outlook on life. Their interest was piqued. This family is not immune to anxiety and I'm praying that this exercise could have lifelong benefits in building a habit of thanksgiving, every day. PLUS, it gets them writing complete sentences that actually mean something. They only have to come up with at least three a day but they have to get to the target of 100. So far we've got snow on pine trees, backyard rinks, people to play with, Wednesday hikes...
Then we made bombs. Lots and lots of bombs. The boys figured out how to do those exploding popsicle stick triangles by watching "Rob's World" on Youtube. Rob is a physics student who does tutorials for little boyish, tricky things that actually abide by physical laws. We learned the concepts of potential energy and kinetic energy. All by accident. I was delighted and the kids tolerated my bringing up those terms in every conversation very well. I think it's duly branded into their memories by now. So while we read many chapters of "Ruby Holler" on the couches, the boys stockpiled weapons.
After supper we watched The Nature of Things about leatherback turtles and we remedied the fact that the kids didn't know who David Suzuki is. And now I'm done for the day and I'm going to watch Chuck with Ed.
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