Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

We took a Spring Break the past two days, along with the rest of the county. Tomorrow and Friday, though, we are getting back to work!

Monday, March 5, 2012

JACK IS BACK!!!!

He and Annie have devoured loads of trivia along with some warm banana bread and now they are giddy about creative writing! They are using prompt books to do timed exercises and I must say, they are BOTH really good writers! The last think Jack read gave us goosebumps. Very creepy and suspenseful. I'm inspired by their enthusiasm!

Bryan is distracted by technical difficulties with a couple of videos he's completed and trying to post.

Also, he has started getting votes for his LandOMoms contest entry. Exciting stuff! Grand prize is a trip to NYC with vocal instruction and a few other things.

Later that same day.....

Bryan and Annie left for their voice lessons at 2:15, which gave me and Jack a couple of hours to be together and talk. He went with me to the grocery, and he was very talkative and pleasant and helpful. Imagine that! Three helpful, kind, considerate teenagers! Where DO we get this idea that teenagers are a different breed? They are not! It's all in how they are treated. Jack obviously has wonderful, loving parents, grandparents and key models in his life, as he is very gallant, sweet and very, very bright. And what a sense of humor! We are lucky he's with us.

When Jack and I returned home from the store, I started to prepare tonight's dinner in advance, as it is multi-stepped. He started to read me his middle school handbook, which prompted an in-depth discussion about school, methodology, pedagogy and what makes for the best conditions for learning. "Freedom." That's what we have discerned. Jack told me a couple of weeks ago that he doesn't like to read for pleasure. Today, he revised that statement. He likes to read, when not coerced to read something which doesn't hold his interest. WHY do we assume that kids need to be coerced, while adults get to pick and chose? If we are so hell bent on practice and success, why not let a kid practice the fine art of choosing?

We need not be fearful that letting kids choose means that they will not be exposed to a variety of things. That's where we come in. We can facilitate exposure. What me mustn't do is expect that every exposure will light a fire in another person. When Jamie and I took the kids to Monticello, for example, Annie wanted every scholarly book in the gift shop. That taught me a lot about marketing, because she was off the idea of poring over those books once we got home. A waste of money? I don't think so! She's hopefully got many years stretched out in front of her and can read about Jeffersonian policy and the love letters of Abigail and John when she is my age, or at any other time. Until then, those books are cherished memories of a lovely, family trip and are available to us all.

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Today, Annie, Bryan and Jamie are the YPPC theater helping to rip out the old seats, in order to make way for new, donated seats from another theater. Their upgrade is our upgrade! Nice, huh?

I am home, having a very quiet weekend, making spaghetti sauce, reading and tidying. It's been a chilly, drizzly weekend - perfect for such pursuits.

Jack is coming back to school this week! We are excited.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Today is a full and fun day of the week. We have physics class in Chapel Hill with "Science Jim" Mueller, then band practice. Annie is busily finishing up her physics homework right now. Bryan is filming.

Film, Physics and Band. Certainly enough to think about for one day! I'm so glad they don't have to stop what they are doing every 50 minutes and race to the next class and try to become interested in a new subject, just in time to race to a third one.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Hello, March!

This month, Annie will be 17! We will have a new niece or nephew! Big month!

If Wednesday are "dancey," than Thursdays are "drama days." Three hours of Homeschool Theater Class in Durham, which was followed by a dental cleaning today, then a two hour Master's Theater Class from 7:00-9:00 in the evening.

We still miss Jack, but the doctor in Raleigh wants to check his lungs daily for a while.

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Today was a dancey-dancey day.

Annie had her private ballet class with Elliot. They are working on her comedic Swan Lake dance that she is to perform with lots of little "swans," while she does the Fanny Brice/Funny Girl schtick.

Bryan worked on learning a part of a dance from "How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying." "A Brotherhood Of Man" is a song that Ann, Jamie and Bryan adore. And the dancing is great. Bryan is obsessed with being in a production of that play someday.

Then, I took Annie in the afternoon to tap class with Nicole Batalias. She used to be a Rockette (and not that long ago!) and she's a good, tough teacher. Annie likes her.

They took a break in the afternoon, while Annie wrote and Bryan drew.

Now, they are finishing up their Theater Dance Class in Durham with Susie Kless. They loved her and that class.

They just got back and Susie is going to let Bryan choreograph a number! He's excited!

We HOPE Jack will be with us again soon. Asthma is NO FUN!

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

Today has been a gorgeous day. Annie and Bryan are in the throes of "Look Homeward, Angel" and busily memorizing lines. Today was so lovely outside, they could go outdoors for long spells.

In geography news, we learned the Central and South American countries. Tomorrow, we will test ourselves on the US, Canada, Central and South America, and then move on to Mexico. It'll be cool to know our way around the globe. As we move to different regions, we keep testing ourselves on the previous ones, so as not to forget.

We are thinking of watching a documentary or classic film tonight.

More later!