Mac died today. Mac is short for Judah Maccabee. He was the boys’ Hanukkah present in 2008. A leopard gecko who ate crickets when he was young and mealworms when he could no longer catch the crickets. He had been declining for quite a while now and it came as no surprise to find him cold and stiff this morning. Both boys were sad, but Zach took the loss in stride. (Remember his stoic reaction to the Lions movie?) Ezra... Read more
Several times this week, I heard myself telling someone that I love homeschooling. If you’ve been reading this blog since we began last September, you’re probably surprised to hear this. Not as surprised as I am to say it. Six weeks ago, I wrote that I actually like homeschooling. Now I’m here to say that I love it. Someone asked me last night what has changed to bring about this wholesale turnaround. I had a hard time answering because I... Read more
After hearing us talk today about the tornadoes that swept through the South yesterday, the boys wanted to see video of a tornado. Jeff pulled up a montage from The Times. After a few minutes, Ezra, who looked disappointed, said, “I want to see screaming, and people running for their lives.” I gasped and shouted, “Ezra!” I was going to go on to say that we never want to see people running for their lives. But then I realized that... Read more
Got up with the flu this morning. But I had to drag myself out of bed because Jeff had jury duty, the house cleaners were coming, and the house was cyclone-struck disaster. I started in our bedroom, where I rolled up the sleeping bag and camp mats that had been out since Zach and Ezra slept with us when we had guests. Then I headed to the boys’ room, where piles and piles of clothes had to be managed. Clean... Read more
Yesterday, I told the boys that one of their friends ran a mile – which was all they needed to hear. Today they both ran a mile for the first time. As part of our vigorous exercise program, they have been running once a week, working toward the goal of running a mile before the school-year ended. Before today, they had each run 3/4 of a mile. But they were losing their drive to make it to a mile. It’s... Read more
Sometimes the boys say the sweetest things. On the way home from his social skills group today, Zach showed me a book he made about his feelings. When he showed me a page about feeling nervous around new people, I said, “Yeah. I know it’s kind of hard for you to go to a house where you don’t know everybody.” Zach looked over at me, and smiled, and said, “Of course you know that, Mom. Because you know ME.” Which... Read more
What is it about a man in uniform? So sexy. At least that’s what I thought. Until I saw Jeff, after working hard to obtain the rank, raise his right hand, make the oath, and receive his badge. Maybe it was that he was becoming a Junior Ranger at Redwood National Park. Maybe it was that the next oldest Junior Ranger that day was twelve. Maybe it was because I had already seen him do this at two other National... Read more
I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. What parent doesn’t? Tonight, for the first time, the boys and I went out to drink beer, sing drinking songs, and eat peanuts at the local pub. So what if it was root beer, and the songs were from the 18th century, and the pub was a tourist attraction at Colonial Williamsburg. We came home at 10:30, which means we were having fun, right? If you are a bit zealous... Read more
On the way into Colonial Williamsburg today, I noticed that you could rent costumes for the day. “Guys, we can rent costumes! Who wants to get costumes tomorrow?” Ezra couldn’t wait for me to get the entire question out before he blurted out, “I do! I want one, Mom!” All three of the older boys declined. I was surprised. My costume-loving older son didn’t want to dress up and carry a musket? Later, when I asked who wanted to join... Read more
Every muscle, every fiber, every brain cell. They are all tired. My daddy came home today. The doctors need to wait for his kidney function to improve before he has a needed heart procedure. In the meantime, he is at home. Coming home is good. So, so good. But it’s a lot of lifting, and organizing, and assembling of wheelchairs. It’s a lot of prescriptions, and restrictions, and calling of relatives. And it’s exhausting. We also had a 71st birthday... Read more
The Homeschool Chronicles
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In