zing☼day

Second Chance Horse Ranch

It's such a beautiful and emotional moment when kids connect with the world around them, especially when it comes to developing relationships with the natural world and admiring the special gifts of animals.

This week we had the extreme pleasure of meeting orphaned horses at Second Chance Horse, through an invitation from our awesome homeschool group (my goodness they enrich our lives.)

Second Chance Horse Ranch is an amazing heart-filled non-profit that adopts and cares for thoroughbreads, that after years of racing and physical wariness of competition and decomposition, they eventually become broken, unwanted, unprofitable.

But still in this place they remain wanted, loved, appreciated and valued.

We had a chance to groom these beauties, to feed them and even ride them.  By the older kids at least.  Declan still has reservations about meeting these gentle giants and would prefer climbing the bars and petting the docile old ranch dog who's always waiting for a treat or a good rub.

 

I'd like you to meet Erin, he's four years old and after a short career as a racing horse has just been operated on all four ankles and fortunately because of lots of tender loving care he's recuperating well and ready to grow some more. He's quite friendly by the way, and is always hoping you're holding a special treat for him in your hand.

 We all are wanting to return and visit these dear horses soon.  And there is a tiny fantastical dream of maybe one day of bringing one home with us one day, but of course, that remains in my far future dreams.

equinely yours,

Christine

 

Back to Nisqually

After a couple of weeks in the thirties, the upper forties feel balmy. Well, not quite balmy. But thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing.  Oh to be back in God's Creation.  Nothing feels more serene.

City Kids Meet Ice

The weekend hike with the cousins was planned.

We had attended Saturday evening service.  Sunday was free for the first hike of the year.

Two batches of popcorn had been popped and poured into a large Trader Joe's paper bag, eight PB&J sandwiches prepared, fruit and some lollilops were also packed to be enjoyed on the way home after the scheduled three hour hike.

The cars were filled up with gas and the GPS was set.

Ah, finally ready to go and only seven minutes behind schedule. It's not always easy getting eight people out the door, is it?!

We left a foggy city behind, a fog that hasn't lifted in over three days. 

We left the city stresses and the bad moods there in the fog too.

On our trip eastward, we found the sun again. The blue skies opened and welcomed us and we got to see Mt. Rainier again.  Oh how refreshing and breathtaking is that Mountain. It is zing for the soul.

And in those corners where the sun didn't hit, the douglas firs were decorated with a heavy flaky frost. We were entering a white wonderland.

Inside our car (the boys went with Joe while the girls went in my car) we played twenty-one questions (which can be quite challenging when playing with a six year old who doesn't quite understand all of her geography yet!), listened to gypsy jazz and talked high school with my growing niece.

We parked our two cars and the eight of us tumbled out into a frigid cold we haven't had in the city for quite some time.

The kids quickly amused themselves with a patch of ice right by the front of the cars. Oh they were giddy with excitement. And I was so thrilled to see them having a good time with each other and enjoying the outdoors. This is why we're here. This is why parents try so hard to get these city kids outdoors.

"Kids, don't step on the ice." I reminded them, "If you get wet, we won't be able to go on our hike."

It was feeling really cold and I felt the urgency to get moving quickly so Joe and I busied ourselves putting gloves on the toddler, harnessing the backpack and reviewing the map and organizing our sense of direction to find the entrance to the trail which I admit can take a lot of mental effort and preoccupation on my part!

"Let's head this way." we directed the kids.

At this moment, we looked back and walking towards us comes one very very wet kid. His pants are wet up to his pockets and his jeans are so saturated they're hugging his legs.

"What happened?" we say.

"The ice was thinner than I thought when I stepped on it." he says.

"We need to go back home." Joe and I announce simultaneously.

"It'll dry." he says.

"Water doesn't dry here, it freezes." I inform him.

I can tell he's embarassed and disappointed. They're all disappointed and a little shocked, after all they're completely silent. The only exception and objection comes from Declan, my three year old, who is pushing both Mommy and Daddy back towards the trail.

He sits down on icy grass and rings out the water from his socks.

A lesson is learned here without words. A lesson he is learning on his own.

This isn't the time for rebuke nor is it the time for "I told you so's."

And so we tell him with a chuckle in hopes of lightening the mood, "This will be a day to remember for sure. Can you imagine years from now, when you have kids of your own? What will you tell them when they're standing on ice in the middle of nowhere?"

He chuckles in return.

We returned home a little earlier than expected so I got to put a delicious meal on the oven to simmer for a couple of hours and then napped with my littlest guy.

It was still all good!

 

Mushrooming

I have to say, I'm still a little confused. Mushrooms grow in sterile spots even though some thrive in manure? And what's that word I just had to look up, vermiculite?  

I'm speaking fungi since our homeschool Nature Club went on a mushroom field trip to Provisions Mushroom Farm.  It's run by a hospitable and beautifully gentle couple who showered our chaotic group with so much grace allowing my city kids to explore every inch of their woodsy yard and to even chase their chickens until the poor dears hid under the porch crawlspace (to which Colin entered anyways which is one of the reasons I don't have any chicken photos, since I was busy teaching my son some boundaries!)

But back to our lovely hosts.

To make us more at ease, as it was in the thirties, with frost still covering the shady and sunny corners, they hooked up a propane heater for the Moms and kids alike to thaw out our burning extremities.  So thoughtful! I don't think I would have survived this two hour outdoor event without this added touch.

Oh, I just fell in love with this family. Not only for their hospitality but for their calmness and gentleness towards the children and for their passion of organic farming.  They're the kind of people you'd like to have more of in your life.

Steam heated straw covered with saw dust, spores and that funny word vermiculite.

Stuff bags full and poke holes for the mushrooms to grow out of.

Place in the growing room.

And voilá, mushrooms!

Yummy Enoki Mushrooms.

I'll be looking for some excuses to stop by again, real soon.

Thank you Provisions Mushroom Farm.

impressedly yours,

Term Accomplished

Aaah, this is an exhale for end of the Fall Term. Colin is subtracting four digit numbers and has memorized the Beatitudes (among other things) , Nene has finished her primer and can describe the anatomy of a leaf (among other things, too, of course!).

My third grader and my first grader have worked so hard on their schooling and my littlest guy has been patiently playing with trains and looking at books.  They all deserve, we all deserve, some hard playing time now.

So as we close up these chapters, we will head outside tomorrow rain or shine with no assignment at all.

Time for some rest and relaxation.  Aaah!

 

Nisqually Wildlife Refuge

Even in the slumbering month of December when the skies are grey and the abundant wildlife hibernate at the Nisqually Wildlife Refuge there are plenty of treasures to discover:

The fresh air, running children, climbing children, laughing children, a distant eagle and a brave not-so-distant great blue heron.

 The mallards are plenty and always beautiful to watch while even the ordinary gulls capture our attention as they impressively park themselves in the wind.

And then there are the rewards celebrated by all as we climb into a warm and dry car and then snuggle up with some hot tea with toast and honey upon our arrival home.

These wintry months are welcome in this place.

Seed Dispersal

"Has anyone here been to Florida? Raise your hand!  In Florida, there are lots of palm trees and coconuts."

Yes, that's my confident, capable public speaker.

Colin co-hosted a presentation with me on Seed Dispersals, our current topic of discussion in homeschool science. (We're using Apologia's Exploring Creation With Botany.) We spent the last week studying various types of seed dispersal, an appropriate subject since our gardens and fields are rich with seeds during this time of year.  During our trip to the park this week we were able to collect all methods of seed dispersals: wind, human, mechanical, animal and even water, minus the coconut example of course!

After our small dissertation amongst parents and peers we set off on a little experiment. We covered our shoes in old socks and went off to play in the meadow.  There was one dominant seed that stuck well and dominated all other seeds that we could see with the visible eye...burrs!  Those are sticky little buggers and I'm still removing them off their clothing.  But we kept them on our socks so we could plant them, socks included  in containers we brought from home.  The pots are now sitting by a sunny window in our home and we're anxiously awaiting new growth and the discovery of what exactly we brought back home with us. 

 

I think they'll always remember this fascinating lesson. And, I'll always remember that coconuts are dispersed by water, even reaching to far off continents, thanks to Colin!

Shakespeare in the Park

Last year, we read the Tempest and I was pleasantly surprised how Colin and Nene sat through the entire unabridged play on a cold and wet summer day in August.  Not only were they mesmerized with the play but they were also fan-struck with Caliban.  Fortunately for the cold night, we hardy and blanketed souls were one of five families in attendance so the kids got a chance to meet the actor who played Caliban and shake his hand.

This past year, we enjoyed A Midsummer Night's Dream by reading Bruce Colville's Book which is illustrated so beautifully and whose books are a great Shakespearean introduction for children. We also listened to Charles and Mary Lamb's Adaption on Librivox, watched the amazingly entertaining movie and of course acted out excerpts of the play.

As the grand finale to this year's Shakespearean play, we packed a picnic and took a Sunday trip up to Seattle's Volunteer Park where Green Stage performed a free production of the play.

Like last year, tonight's play required jackets.  I think it just may be a Seattle tradition. However, there wasn't the looming threat of showers so there were about fifty people packed behind the "stage". 

The hearing was a bit difficult because of the planes that kept flying overhead but they did provide lots of entertainment for our littlest one.  Eventually, Daddy had to take him for a walk but Colin and Thalia managed to stay throughout the entire show with a squirm here and there from the both of them...I don't think Puck caught their attention as much as I had imagined he would have.  He lacked that famous impish quality and his humor wasn't fully appreciated by the younger audience.  The kissing did catch Nene's attention.  She kept asking me if they married?  I just love her innocence.

The fairy folks were clad in leather and lace in contrast to white worn by the human quartet of lovers.

My independent Nene wanting a closer view.

The troublesome fairy Puck waiting for his cue to return to the stage.

A standing ovation!

It was voted. The play was enjoyed by all.  I just may try to squeeze in another play before the summer is over.

 

Low-Tide Extravaganza

The tide was scheduled to be -3.9 on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge shores at 12:29 on June 5th. The lowest tide of the year.  

It should be a great day to find some hidden critters in the Puget Sound.  So let's go and meet some homeschool friends at Titlow Beach and explore together.  

Turns out the entire Tacoma Public School District had the same idea. Just look at the crowd! There must have been half a dozen school buses greeting us at the parking lot.

As I've grown older, I've also grown an aversion for crowds and once I saw this crowd the thought of returning home popped in my head but the kids, well they're like me when I was that age. They love crowds and they were ready to jump in and discover.

And find them we did! Turns out when there's a lot more hands there's a lot more good finds. 

 

 Talk about more hands find greater finds.  One of the Dads of a public school kid was a scuba diver. So he geared himself up and dove into the water with two huge nets and brought out some more critters we would have never seen on the shores.  Schwooop!! We all swarmed the poor guy as we goggled his treasures.  And his daughter, the one he did this all for, was no where in sight as he kept calling her to see his finds.  I think the crowd shoved her out as crowds have a tendency to do. And I, being part of the crowd started feeling a little guilty especially when the mother gave me a dirty look.  So sorry. I do get overly excited when it comes to wanting to show God's world to my children.  Really, so sorry. I hope we get a chance to do this again and I promise I'll be more sensitive! And this coming from someone who says she doesn't like crowds, right?! 

Check out what he brought of the Sound.

As the tide started rising the crowds made a mad exodus back to the school buses and us homeschoolers got to stay at the park.  One of the gems of homeschooling I say!

Finding Friends was the highlight for these two girls. After exploring the beach and playing at the park for over three hours the Mommies finally announced it was time to go, to which they lamented in response, "Aaah, can't we stay a little longer!  Can she come over to our house?"

Oh such a good day!

I'm so thankful for homeschool friends and other parents and teachers who made this day so educational and enjoyable.  We're all petered out now from a great day and I must get some sleep myself.  I'll do that just as soon as I find this cricket that's chirping inside my bedroom.

exploringly yours,

 

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

On Friday we were pretty booked with ballet practice and women's conference but since it was a glorious day without a cloud in the sky and wonderfully warm, we decided to pile more activities (all good of course!) into our day.  

The outdoors were beckoning.

In particular, the mountains were inviting.

Colin also felt a temptation.  A temptation for squatching.

Outdoors plus mountains plus squatching equals Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  And in case your interested in this little factoid Colin informed me of, it's a prime location for the squatch sitings. Exciting right?

Did I mention it's an hour and half drive (each way) to drive there from my home?  Going to the wooded park around the corner, where you can see both the Olympics and the Cascades would have made the day too easy I suppose!!

But I couldn't let my boy dow.

These are the things a Mommy loves to do for her son.

Below you'll find some instagram photos of our day.  I was a good organized girl and charged the battery to my phone and packed up my camera.  At the park, when I pulled the camera out I discovered I had left the battery at home.  I wasn't feeling very organized right then!  But I just had to chuckle because this wasn't the first time it happened nor will it be the last. 

Squatch Water Source: Check

Squatch Food Source: Check  No! My junior squatch wouldn't dare!

Squatch love of space and forest: Check

Squatch View of Mt Rainier: Check  Wait, where did it go? I swear when we were there we could see it!!!!  Blame it on Instagram or the absolute perfectly clear day where the glacier capped mountain just blended into the sky!

Squatch Playground: Check

Squatch Tree Hugger: Check!

yours, cryptically

Nature Journals

The weather has been sublime here lately and we're in for a rare treat this weekend. It's supposed to reach eighty degrees on Saturday.  I'm doing a little dance! Join me if you'd like!

With all this sun (what a difference from last week) we haven't spent much time inside which means my house is a real mess and our homeschool schedule has been shortened considerably. 

On the other hand, we haven't been slacking off on our science/nature studies.  So in celebration of this amazing weather I broke out our new nature journals for the year. I should have done this at least a month ago but I'm rarely a person who's on time for anything except an airplane.

 

Normally, I get a few grunts and "I don't want to stop playing!" when I mention nature journaling to the kids.  So in hopes of getting them slightly excited about nature journaling and perhaps (just dreaming here) even inspiring a sense of pride for them, I bought some high quality sketch notebooks and drawing tools.  I went all out for them because children can appreciate the quality of tools, they're forever reaching for the real flashlight over their toy one, right?  So why not encourage them with a good long lasting set of supplies that makes their experience feel authentic.  Also, for fun, I covered (using clear transperancy rolls) them with some beautiful nature-y photos from our 2011 calendar.

I dare say, it worked.  

For today.

Because they're new.

I'll have to check up my sleeves for some more tricks.

Yours schemingly,

 

Mollusking

When we visited Penrose Point State Park a few weeks ago we saw an impressive abundance of oyster shells lying on the shores.  I don't think I had ever seen that many but what was more impressive to me was the dozen or so folks collecting and shucking them.  Forgive my shock and awe but I'm a grocery shelf collecting kind of girl.  I don't trust myself to know what is safe or not to eat in the wild but I'm willing and ready to learn and I think the kids would be a little curious as well. 

I  spoke with a kind gentleman dressed in waders sitting on a stool with opened shells scattered high around him.  He gave me a quick run through of the rules and the tools needed.  I asked him THE question, "is it safe to eat these oysters? I thought the Puget Sound was contaminated?"  According to this man, collecting oysters between Tacoma and Seattle isn't advisable but these waters were clean and safe.  In fact, he opened a shell right there in front of me and gobbled it up just to prove that he wouldn't be in harms way!

He then shucked one for me.

And I ate it!  Mmmm...chilly, slurpy, slimy, meaty and salty.  It just needed a dash of lime!

So I bought a license, examined the tide table, packed Joe's leather gloves, a claw hand rake, trowels and a lunch bag and me and the kids set off to try a little gathering of our own.

The beach was full of shells when we arrived, unfortunately on closer inspection most of them had been shucked already.  Since there's only one more week left in the season, I think most of the oysters have been harvested so finding unopened oysters were a challenge for me.  Colin on the other hand, was a successful little hunter and brought me six to shuck.  The limit is eighteen and the rule is you have to shuck them on the beach and leave the shells there.  This is Washington State's quantity control, for I certainly didn't have the muscle to break open any more than that for today!

Next on the menu was clamming.  So I followed everyone's example and started digging in the rocky sand and behold the treasures we found a couple of inches below the surface.

Only forty clams are allowed to be collected and they must all be one and a half inches long. That's where our math lesson came in for the day.  I think the kids can well envision the length of one inch right now!

So now what? My oysters are looking milky. Where did that lovely clear water go? Was I supposed to have brought a ice-filled cooler?  Can it sit in the sun like this?

Off to ask another stranger for advice.  I targeted a Korean family unloading these tall cylindrical tubes from their car and carrying it to the beach.  They must know what they're doing!

They told me my oysters were just fine but advised me to fill up my clam bowl with water and let them sit there for at least twenty four hours until most of the sand is cleaned out.  

Now I could have researched all this before I went shellfishing today but I seem to find it easier to simply ask strangers.  My husband doesn't understand that about me!

As the clams soaked we fried oysters for dinner served with lemon, cocktail sauce (for the kids) and pepper sauce (for the adults).  Nene was firm in her ruling of abstinence but between Joe and the boys I maybe got half of one.  

I can see us returning for more before mollusk season is over.

Oh Happy Day!

(This was a puddle on the playground. Colin said it looked like Landslide at Spirit Lake (caption 35).  I love the way his mind works.

I am Big-Foot!

I am Wind-in-His-Hair!

I am Leaps-A-Lot!

We are all feeling much better, the sun is out, out, out!!! and Daddy is home. Hallelujah! Praise God Almighty! Nuf said!

Nature Therapy

The rain, and my cold especially, have locked us indoors these past few days.  Some much needed outdoor therapy was needed today.  When I saw the break in the clouds at 9am,  I didn't even bother to fill up the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher nor start a load of laundry, I piled everyone into the car as fast as can be possible with three kids.

Alas, when I opened the garage door it was cloudy again!!

But we went to the park anyways even with the loom of rain showers.  We're all that desperate to be outside.

We headed out to a local city park set in a wooded area with a man made pond.  I was happy to crochet for a little while, after wiping off the water drops from the bench of course, while the kids ran and climbed and did all those wonderful activities kids are supposed to do instead of being cooped up in a house with a sick Mommy.  Being outside and watching them pour out their energy, was elixir to my soul and hopefully theirs.

Nature Therapy...

 

 

Penrose Point Touch Tank

Penrose Point State Park is about a leisurely Grande White Mocha drive away from home but with about four, "are we there yet's?". 

During low tide, we can find a community of life under every rock, from the ever familiar sea star to the mysterious goo. So a rock turning we must go. But, ouch! Watch out for those barnacles. Let these two cuts in my hands remind us all to bring leather gloves on the next visit.

So back to rock hunting.

I followed Declan's lead as he shouted,  "Mom, Rock"

"Uhhh! Too big Declan! That's a Daddy rock!"

"Mom, Rock" He would command in his deep voice. "I can do this one!" Wow! the life we found.

These crabs cracked me up. They would flip over onto their backs to show off their pincers, as if to say, "beware, I am crab, I WILL PINCH" and pinch they did.  This one caught my boot. It took a couple of jerks to get him unpinched. 

But please don't worry. No harm came to the animals during the making of this blog post.

This one liked being petted.

Huh?

We saw a bunch of crabs in these little pools. Could they be laying eggs?

What is this goo?

And this?

Aaah! The ubiquitous sand dollar. I'm not feeling so ignorant now.

 

Another one of my favorite Declan sayings today, "Nene find sea star." She had to pick up every single one we found and demanded I take a picture of every single one of them. So if you think there's a lot of photos on this post today, please believe me when I say that I didn't upload close to half of them! 

What is this eel like thing? Colin asked me to make sure it didn't emit any electricity! Oh, so it's okay if Mommy gets shocked?!! I'm actually glad to do it for you my son.  No, no shock!  I think Colin was a little disappointed.

This was my favorite find of the day.  A red sea cucumber. What a glorious color!

Sea Vases. What an appropriate name!

Chiton (Black Katy perhaps?)

Turn it over for an orange surprise.

See the water squirting? I think those are either Razor Clams or Geoducks.  Whatever they were, they had some good fun with Colin and Nene. They got pretty wet with all their squirting although I think they enjoyed standing in their path!

Now, that's what I call a Science Class!

A Tulip Garden

The sun was out this morning and I knew it wouldn't last long. So, "quick kids! Everyone in the car! We're going to the park!"  It's a dream of mine to be able to say "quick kids, go play outside!" but since we live in the middle of the city on a quarter of an acre (and a quarter of that is on an unusable slope!), our outside time usually means a drive to a city park where the kids can run, explore and see the vivid signs of spring in bloom.

So today we visited the Rose Garden at Tacoma's Point Defiance Park.  

(We really didn't come to the Rose Garden to see roses though, after all it isn't rose season yet! Yes, I just recently learned that and yes, I was and still am horticulturally challenged.  I remember telling a dear forgiving friend in May how she needs to take better care of her daffodils, they're all dead!)

We did come to the Rose Garden in April to see the spectacular display of daffodils and tulips, though. Oh how lovely they were. Please enjoy them! And if you can imagine, think of a pretty robin chirping a lovely little tune for you. 

Too soon, it started to rain and my camera had to get tucked away in my raincoat.  Can you see the raindrops? Oh, the wetness! Why am I not surprised? April plus Seattle-land equals rain. But at least we made it out here and the soul was well, very well.

Have a joyous day!

 

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

My post, A Second Language, has been included in this month's Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.  The carnival is being hosted by North Laurel Home & School and features posts about how to incorporate Foreign Language into your homeschool curriculum.  Good Reading!

Lessons on Loving our Land

Today loving our land starts with a walk of full hearted appreciation and enjoyment for all this life and growth that surrounds.   We take moments to notice...

❀ the skunk cabbages in beautiful bloom. With a name like that you'd think they would have the fowlest smell in the world but I actually love its aroma...  it's woodsy and homey all at the same time. But not everyone agrees with me. A lot of people have call it skunk cabbage for a purpose!

❀  not just one but a prolific bouquet growing in the swamp...

❀ the stinging nettles popping out of their winter graves, nuisances that they are. Here in the Northwest we don't have to worry about poison ivy but we do have to be vigilant of this bothersome itchy plant.  Still they're pretty to look at.

❀  water leaf...

❀ Aaah...the prelude to a salmonberry. We're all looking forward to snacking on these during our June hikes through the woods.

❀ and the always present false lily of the valley...

And now onto our second part of loving our land.  We have come to Meeker Creek, a tiny waterway that eventually feeds into the Puget Sound and which is surrounded by suburbia.  Pierce County Conservation District has been planting native plants on the edges of this creek to prevent the waterway from erosion and to block off people traffic.  All this is to protect the salmon that make their way up this little stream of all places.  It seems like such a whacky and unexpected spawning ground, doesn't it? It's literally, right in someone's backyard. I'd be okay if it were my backyard!

Our job today is to place mulch around the newly planted, pink ribboned trees and shrubs.  I didn't know this, because I'm a novice gardener but mulch can protect the plants by retaining moisture, minimizing weeds, insulating the soil during winter time, it improves soil fertility and drainage and lots more but I don't want to bore you.  I found it fascinating.

While I acted as a wall to prevent Declan from falling into the stream because he was insistent on playing roly-poly on the banks, the kids worked hard.  They carried these loaded buckets of mulch and dumped them around the plant making a ring in the center as to let the roots breathe.  They were spectacularly filthy with dirt and mulch at the end and I must say they were very proud of volunteering to conserve our lovely land, as their Mommy was too. 

A Second Language

Wouldn't it be idyllic to learn two or more languages simultaneously, considering each tongue your own, knowing the slang and nuances and claiming them all as your mother tongue?  I was blessed to be brought up in this "perfect" environment. I was born and raised in Brazil where I was introduced to both English and Portuguese concurrently.  I spoke English at home, I attended the American school and I had many American friends. But at home, I also spoke Portuguese with the maids and nannies,and I attended the Brazilian school after my mandatory American schoolday was over, and I also had many Brazilian friends.

In my unique situation learning a second language was natural and even though I can't reproduce that environment for my children now that my home is in the U.S.A, is it still possible to instill a sense of pride and enthusiasm for their heritage and for the Portuguese language?  (Anyone know a Brazilian nanny in the Seattle area? Just kidding! On second thought, that sounds like a great idea!)

Rather than teaching my children a foreign language, I'm hoping for a closer connection. I'm hoping to teach them a second language.  But is this realistic when we're thousands away from the Brazil and we have no plans to visit it in the near future? I do hope so! Thanks to Miss Mason's advice of creating habits and in the case of foreign language study, creating the habit of listening and speaking on a daily basis, I know my children will one day speak fluently. It all comes down to habit, doesn't it?

Firstly, I need to remain committed to speaking Portuguese at home (fortunately my husband doesn't mind, he figures if it's something important I'll translate!).  And for those who don't speak another language fluently, let the word be spoken through media (I'll suggest some resources below).  Starting when your children are infants and toddlers is the best time to do so. We all know how they're such little sponges.  But then when their world starts broadening and they become aware that not everyone around them speaks Portuguese, this is when it starts getting challenging. But stay firm, continue playing the songs or dvds even though it sometimes feels like swimming agains the current! So much so that your muscles ache and you want to give up.  For example, when I started homeschool lessons with my oldest child a couple of years ago, he suddenly realized Mommy can speak English to him! So he started speaking back to me in English even though I continued to speak in Portuguese.  Slowly, I became discouraged and over the years,  I've noticed myself answering back in English and that's when it's time to lay out those rails again like Miss Mason encourages us, to start swimming upstream again and then I find myself back onto easy days of speaking Portuguese with them at the kitchen table, in the car and while tucking them into bed.

Search out friends.  A great way to meet people is through Meetup.com.  We have a group here in Seattle-land that meets at least once a month just to have the opportunity to speak Portuguese.  I have been blessed to develop sincere and close relationships with other Brazilian Moms in the area. They are dear, dear women who have been like an extended family to ours.  Even our children have formed close relationships with each other, but do they speak Portuguese with each other?! Nope! 

One of my favorite ways of keeping Portuguese alive in our house is through music.  And oh, is the music good!  My favorite resource is to use the free radio from itunes.  I can find top 40, bossa nova, and religious channels 24/7.  I used to search out Brazilian radio stations with live streaming but I found the itunes connection much better.

Books! Books! Books! If anyone ever wants to give my kids a present, please, please give them Portuguese books.  There isn't an easy way to buy books directly from Brazil, believe me I've tried! So when my friends or family are visiting Brazil or Portugal I jump (yes, I do! So sorry for the hassle!) on them, give them cash and beg them to bring home books. And of course being a Charlotte Mason devotee, my list is all twaddle-free!

Another avenue for acquiring books is through your local library.  Here in the Northwest we don't have a huge population of Brazilians so there aren't any Portuguese bookstores or a stash of Portuguese children's literature at my local library. But there are tons of Brazilians and Portuguese in the East Coast which means their libraries are stacked with Portuguese stories. I use World Cat to request inter-library loans. Not all requests are processed but for the main part I've had great success with them.

Another approach I take, and I'm sure Miss Mason would approve when used sparingly, is You Tube!  I've been able to find some great TV shows or music videos.  This past Christmas we played Bate o Sino, a Brazilian version of Jingle Bells, so many times my Nene was actually singing it.  I will treasure that memory.

My children dive into the books, dance to the music but it's the food I think they love the most!  Rice and Beans is their all time favorite food, that and brigadeiros (a Brazilian form of truffle).  We are blessed to have a Brazilian grocery store in the Seattle-area, Kitanda where I can pick up typical Brazilian ingredients like farinha and guava jelly.  Hmmm! A taste of home.

Another suggestion is to celebrate the holidays.  In Brazil, we have some historically significant holidays such as "Tiradentes" and then we have some that were always my favorite, "Chidren's Day" and "Bumba-Meu-Boi".  The preparation for some of these holidays can sometimes be as busy and intense as our traditional U.S.A.holidays so I haven't quite committed to these yet.  Maybe if I pick out one a year I'll actually get around to doing it!

With all these efforts, I'm happy to say that even though my children aren't consistently speaking Portuguese they understand me perfectly.  But I have hope, hope that one day they will consider Portuguese their second language and fall in love with Brazil as much as they love their U.S.A.  In the meantime, I'll cherish this advice one my Brazilian friends offered.  Keep speaking to them even if they don't speak back.   She too raised up children who didn't embrace their Brazilian heritage. They refused to speak Portuguese with her but she stayed committed and firm and kept on speaking Portuguese with them. When they were about eighteen they finally visited Brazil and apparently it took them only two weeks!! to pick up the language.  Not only were they speaking it but they were speaking with little to no accent.

That's so inspiring for me and I hope it inspires you too!

 

 

 

 

Rodent of Unusual Size

Have you heard of letterboxing? I can't remember how and when we discovered it but it's just about the cheapest (and by that I mean free!) entertainment for kids. They absolutely love, love, love this sleuthing game.  I love it for the outdoorsy and educational elements too!

If you haven't heard about it, you need to begin by finding a letterbox in your area at www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com Next, you will need a stamp (preferably a custom made stamp), a letterbox passport/journal and an ink pad.

We found clues to a box named Rodent of Unusual Size (ROUS) at a nearby city park.  These clues were perfectly befitting for children and I believe they would have found the box on their own if their over-zealous Daddy hadn't spouted off all the directions first!  Yes, it's fun for the adults too!

Following the directions down a trail.

Yeah, we found a clue! The instructions said we would find "some interesting equipment. If I use these regularly, I can grow Muscles Of Unusual Size, the ROUS said."

The box was found covered by Spanish Moss under this Laurel Oak tree.

Opening the treasure box and stamping the journal with our stamp. (Can you see our stamp in the lower left corner, can you make out what it is? Here, let me see if I can magnify it for you.)

Uh-huh! We're hoping to hide it sometime next week, we'll see.

Nene is showing the ROUS stamp on our journal entry.  That's Mommy in the background putting everything back the way we found it.

Putting it back in the hole and covering it up so letterbox-illiterate passerbys won't be tempted to steal it!

As we were walking away, I finally got the question, "Mommy, what's a rodent?" Gotta love this all-inclusive game.

 

Nature Journaling

I have learned to trust Miss Charlotte Mason when she encourages us mothers to stay away from using a science curriculum during these preschool and younger elementary years.  So per her suggestions, we've been reading fun living books by author's Arthur Scott Bailey or Thornton Burgess (We've fallen in love with them, so much so that I've become a compulsive collector of their vintage books, even though they are under public domain and available for free reading on the internet!).  Miss Mason also recommends spending a lot, I mean a lot, of time outside connecting with science and nature in a tactile and personal way.  Yes, she preaches that quality only comes by way of quantity, which isn't always easy for us to realize in the wintertime because I hate (and I don't use that word often!) the cold. And then the work involved in dressing us all in long johns and waterproof gear, but I've already shared many stories about that with you (it's kind of a reoccurring theme here, isn't it?).  

But back to connecting with Nature.

So while spending all these hours outside running, rolling and climbing I encourage my children to select a few somethings like an ant hill or ducks on a pond and just be still and observe.  I would prefer it if they were prompted to do so on their own, but I can gently nudge them. And then, while they're still I hand them their clipboards with a good drawing pencil and some quality drawing paper and allow them to "journal" what they're seeing, through pictures.   Nature Journaling (or Nature Diaries as Miss Mason called them) is a tool, a method used to slow ourselves down, so we can capture an image, become intimate with its lines, angles and curvatures so we can draw it attentively.

As soon as he is able to keep it himself, a nature-diary is a source of delight to a child. Every day's walk gives him something to enter: three squirrels in a larch tree, a jay flying across such a field, a caterpillar climbing up a nettle, a snail eating a cabbage leaf, a spider dropping suddenly to the ground, where he found ground ivy, how it was growing and what plants were growing with it, how bindweed or ivy manages to climb.~Charlotte Mason  vol 1 pg 55

Now when I started the kids on their Nature Journaling experience it wasn't a "delight" for them. They loved using all their new premium drawing supplies but never have they spent more than a few scribbles time on their diaries. There's just too much to do and enjoy so I don't push it.  Still, I need to trust Miss Mason and keep on keeping on. I continue to pull out the clipboards and even draw on my own (But that's really only during the summer months, it's too cold right now to get my furry gloved hands out of my pockets to do anything as painful as drawing!) in hopes that they'll imitate me.  

Now today was a super cool day because I saw a flash of that "delight" Miss Mason was talking about in Thalia. Today we met with some homeschool friends to observe the signs of spring and all the kids were equipped with journals and pencils in hand.  Colin really took to exploring but Thalia lingered and drew then lingered and drew some more.

Not only was my baby observing but she was listening as well.  Oh I'm so proud! Excuse me while I boast but she asked me to dictate everything you see written and she really did know all the names of the plants.  But the best of all was to see her enthusiasm and the pride in her own work. Can I say it again? Good job baby girl!

Do you want to guess what Colin drew?  Here's a hint: We did not see it, only pretended to!

A Raccoon (?) track found by Colin. Ooh, we have a tracking book. Follow-up science lesson for tomorrow!

Can you see the salamander eggs? They're the softball size balls in the water and they're loaded with golden eggs.  I wish I could have taken a better picture. I'll get to that photo class some day.

 

I believe Miss Mason really knew what she was talking about. I believe it more and more as my kids grow up and I see her promises being gradually fulfilled.  Even on those not-so-zing days when I want to give up, I need to keep following.

The New and the Old

We've been in the woods lately, bigfoot country you know. But today Nene got to choose our outside visit. She chose our "favorite" park.

I like this park because it's here where I can easily meet Charlotte Mason's requirement of at least four to six hours outside play per day. It has so much to offer. It's an estuary so it has a pond and a lagoon(with duckies, geese, fishies and mussels); it has a beach; it has two playgrounds; two streams; it has plenty of wooded trails and wildlife; but best of all (for the boys anyways), a train runs by it. There's a white painted bridge that stands over the tracks so you can watch the trains zip underneath your feet. Thrilling for the kids of course but I'm always hanging on tightly to them and demanding they never crane their necks over the open railing! 

Well, our dear park is being remodeled. They're installing a spraypark and I'm not quite sure what to think of it.  Oh, we'll all love the spraypark fun for sure but so will every child in the city.  I can see big crowds coming to our backyard! 

But in this moment, the boys will ooh and aah over the big machinery and the noises they make. They'll stand entranced at the power of the excavators digging into the wet soil.  Yes, my boys are all boy! My Nene, on the other hand, was off chasing ducks and climbing the felled trees!

Can you see the duck in flight? And there's my climbing Nene in the background.

Walking further back into the trails, it was nice to see some things hadn't changed.  Our old retired beaver marks were still on the Alder trees. (Nene asked me to take a picture of the beaver bite marks for my blog!).  Seeing these marks, brought back fond memories of last winter when we would visit the park on some of the coldest days  just to see which tree that mischievous beaver had felled and if he had dammed up the waterway between lagoon and the pond again. We actually got to know the groundskeeper that year after watching him unclog the waterways, daily. He wasn't bitter with that beaver for having to get wet in the cold, more amused!

It was good to see "my" crabapple tree already sprouting in February as it has so faithfully done so since I met her about two years ago.  

And here is the osoberry, another Northwest Native. Now is just about the only time I can identify her because she's the only burgeoning shrub around.

Yes, it's nice to be in the familiar for the now. 

Conquered Hill Meadow

I met Charlotte Mason three years ago when I discovered her Original Homeschooling Series .  Her words have transformed my parenting approach and have ultimately shaped me almost as much as God's Word.  I esteem her writings so because they are rooted in Scripture and I believe her teachings are simply the application of God's wisdom when it comes to parenting, character development and education.  That's why, throughout the day, I often find myself asking, "What would Charlotte do?!"

Here are some relevant ways her instruction has influenced our lifestyle.

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The first time we visited "Conquered Hill Meadow" was about three years ago when Colin was about five and Nene was three years old.  We went there because of Charlotte Mason.  Yes, she spoke to me! She told me to stop taking my children to those indoor toddler gyms where the toys are never cleaned and cooties are shared with other snotty-nosed children (mine included).  She told me to stop wasting my time teaching a preschool science curriculum and get my kids outdoors. "Take the kids outside, don't just send them outside. If you go out with them they will want to stay outside and there won't be any of this inside outside traffic with doors slamming and lost interest. Since you live in the city, you're going to have to drive to a park.   When you're there, find one spot, hang out and stay for a long time so the children have ample time to explore God's creation.  Mom, sit yourself on a blanket, don't worry, the cleaning will be home when you get back. In the meantime, find something you can enjoy (knitting perhaps!) but keep a watchful eye on your kiddos.

So I took her advice. It was our first official CM outside day. It was a memorable day.  Being a novice at this outside time, I of course had brought along a change of clothes, a lunch bag, blanket, two huge art portfolio cases for nature journaling and about five (I kid you not) nature resource guides. I was a tad over zealous, don't you think? And did I mention I was about seven months pregnant!? I made myself comfortable on the blanket as the kids raided the bags first, no they didn't go running off and skipping through the grass field like Laura Ingalls as I had hoped for. No, instead, the books had been spread far and wide, markers were unpackaged and misplaced and the blanket was soiled from food and shoeprints!

I remember feeling overwhelmed rather than tranquil as CM had promised. On top of that, I noticed the tall grass surrounding us was covered in spit! So with great disappointment, I quickly started packing our things telling the kids to hurry up as I made comments of incredulity that someone would be so disgusting.  "But Mom", Colin said "they're spit bugs."  We looked a little more deeply at the field we were in the middle of and every single stalk was covered with spit. Colin was so right! There's no way someone could spit an acre! Oh, we all were so delighted with Colin's ingenious discovery (we can thank Dr. Seuss' Insect book, yes he was paying attention and I wasn't!) and yes we touched the spit, found the nymphs hidden in the moist center and watched them spring away.  

So I spread out my blanket again and sat down.  Not too long later, a doe and two older fawns approached from the other side of the hill . "Let's be still and quiet while we draw the deer in our nature journals", I suggested. But once the children caught sight of them and ran towards them, we never saw them again that day.  But now my kids are on the other side of the hill, out of my sight! Oh great, here goes a pregnant woman chasing two kids over a hill!  Fortunately, they returned quickly and we just lingered there at the far end of the field while Nene and I enjoyed some wild foxgloves (I think Nene really thought the flower were worn by foxes, so darling!). Colin on the other hand, was not interested in the wildflowers. His attention had turned to the steeper portion of the hill, with its inviting "trail" and exposed roots.  He climbed and slipped. He tried another route and slipped. He grabbed onto grass and slipped. My first inclination was to worry of a mishap since I was the kind of Mommy who never sat on a park bench while the kids were on the playground, I would chase after them with arms ready to catch them convinced they were going to get hurt. But Charlotte spoke again to me, 

Climbing is an amusement not much in favour with mothers; torn garments, bleeding knees,and boot-toes rubbed into holes, to say nothing of more serious risks, make a strong case against this form of delight. But, truly, the exercise is so admirable––the body being thrown into endless graceful postures which bring every muscle into play,––and the training in pluck, daring, and resource so invaluable that it is a pity trees and cliffs and walls should be forbidden even to little girls. The mother may do a good deal to avert serious mishaps by accustoming the younger children to small feats of leaping and climbing, so that they learn, at the same time, courage and caution from their own experiences, and are less likely to follow the lead of too-daring playmates. Later, the mother had best make up her mind to share the feelings of the hen that hatched a brood of ducklings, remembering that a little scream and sudden 'Come down instantly!' 'Tommy, you'll break your neck!' gives the child a nervous shock, and is likely to cause the fall it was meant to hinder by startling Tommy out of all presence of mind. ~ Charlotte Mason .vol 1 pg 83-84

So I stood at the bottom of the hill encouraging Colin; and, because CM encouraged me not to interfere, I got to see my boy work hard with such determination and focus.  After about twenty to thirty minutes, he still had not succeeded and after exerting all his energy, he finally gave up. He was a tired boy but declared, "Mommy, can I try later? Can we come back tomorrow?"

We returned to the meadow the following day. And Colin went straight for the hill. Before I could unpack my smaller bag (lesson learned) and spread out my blanket I heard a yell from the top of the hill, "Mommy, I climbed the hill!" 

"Colin, I'm so proud! You came, You saw, You conquered that hill!"

Nene wasn't so happy that year, she was unable to "conquer" the hill.  She had her day though, on the following year, when she was only four years old, she got to "Conquer the Hill".  We returned to "Conquered Hill Meadow late last week like we occassionally do. This time, Nene had a little slip and actually got her foot stuck in the roots on the left side of the hill. I had to climb up there myself to rescue her.  As you can probably imagine, she was very disappointed and angry with that hill. Who does that hill think he is? She "conquered" it long ago and shouldn't have to put up with these accidents. "Mommy, I never want to come back here again!" 

"Oh, yeah?"

Just look at the photos we took of our visit the following day. Who's that climbing first?

"I'm still The Queen of the Hill!"

"Let's do it again!" And again and again and again!

Colin's Conquering Pose!

I'm thinking we need to find a bigger, steeper hill!

 

Treasures Found

A  cloudless, warm and gorgeous winter day doesn't come by often enough in Western Washington so we and the other 3 million residents raced outdoors.  

Colin requested another hike in the woods to hunt for bigfoot. The day before, Daddy had shown an "authentic" bigfoot footprint and now that Colin learned how to "find" them he was eager to show off his own discoveries to his little sister and brother. With walking stick/weapon in hand we head out but since even the woods are overcrowded with noisy folks, bigfoot must have stayed in his trusty hideout. 

Instead, we found this little surprise along the trail and instantly bigfoot was completely forgot!

 

 

 

Out of the wood and onto the shore.

"I Sing the Mighty Power of God, that made the mountains rise...."

"...and built the lofty skies."

These are the treasures we found, a simple rope with wood, God made creations of mountains and sunsets, all part ouf our living world that moves us to join together as a family and tarry. 

A Bag and a Snake

My mother, grandmother and aunt are talented crafters. I, however, have never knitted, sewed or painted a single item in my life, excepting this past month when I knitted my very first scarf. I used to think the artistry gene had skipped me but now I believe it was lying dormant and it has now been awakened by my role as a homeschool Mom and for the love of my children.

Miss Thalia to be exact. 

Thalia is an obsessive crafter who has worked daily with paints, scissors, paper, tape, water colors, scissors, paper, tape, pastels, scissors, paper, tape, beading, scissors, paper, tape (you get the idea, right?).  Now that her dexterity is improving she is ready to broaden her artistry.  

Miss Charlotte Mason says, a child should not "be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like", but should develop a talent in crafting useful items that serve a purpose in our everyday living.

But who am I to teach and lead her in this field blindly? Yes, I find it a privilege to be her homeschool teacher but I really need help here. Grandma, Great Grandma and Tia (aunt in portuguese) live across the country!  All I can say is Thank You God for the Library and You Tube!

I checked out a book called Kids Knitting: Projects for Kids of All Ages by Melanie Falick, one of the recommendations that I found through a Charlotte Mason curriculum site that encouraged me that yes, 5-6 year olds can indeed knit. But first, I must learn to knit so I also checked out First Knits by Luise Roberts and Kate Haxell. (My first project from this book can be found under this post.)

My second project was for Thalia, a denim backpack.   This project was great to accustom oneself with basic knitting and it was with this project that I discovered knitting can become relaxing and addicting at the same time.  However, the assembly was awfully boring and I just couldn't wait to get it done with so the sewing came out sloppy and the flower which I had envisioned in my mind's eye didn't turn out at all like I hoped it would. Still, Thalia seems impressed and that's more than reward for me.  She finds it ideal to use it as a bag for her nature explorations.

Can you believe my second project was this snake? I told Colin, I'd like to make him a scarf and I had, I just had to, know he was going to request a snake scarf being the reptile lover that he is. (No, we haven't allowed a snake in the house!)

When I bought this pattern from Ravelry I had never heard the words intarsia or fairisle before nor had I known how to increase or decrease rows. It took me two full nights but I finally figured it out and before long I had completed a whopping five rows.  A few weeks later with a little help with stuffing from the kids and voilá a kingsnake scarf was created!  

I have a feeling this kingsnake will be worn out sooner than later as it is being used more as a toy than a scarf!

Did I really start this post saying I wasn't a crafter? Isn't it amazing what abilities children can awaken in all of us.

Oh this is exciting and empowering. I think that after all, I will be able to teach my darlings how to knit!

The Peacemaker

I thought it would be a grand idea to visit another city park in January. As we stepped onto the park grounds, it was like the opening credits to the Sound of Music (without the mountains this time) as the kids ran ahead looking for ducks and my two year old, Declan,  waved to a man reading his newspaper on the bench. Celestial little scene, isn't it? That is until Colin decided to pull Nene's hat off her head and make her chase him for it which ended with her falling on the muddy ground and oh my, it wasn't pretty! Her bottom nor her wrath.

Ok, I guess this is over. Let's head back to the car.  

As I hold my little daughter's wet cold hand and acknowledge her frustration we come to an agreement to stop in the Botanical Conservatory in hopes of warming up a bit.  This is what we saw.

(This picture doesn't do the muddiness justice, it's all hidden on the backside)

How inviting is this? Yes, it called to me but I RSVPed for another time.  Right now I wanted to take in the tranquility that had overcome my children.

Immediately, as we exited the garden, Nene said, "Mommy, I'm not angry at Colin anymore."

Our Secret Garden

There's a secluded gated garden hidden in a popular city park that we like to call "our secret garden". Often, we find ourselves alone here so the kids get to have free reign to run and discover. As I'm keeping one eye on them, my other can't help but wonder at our greeness in the middle of winter. Oh how I love the Pacific Northwest! Just look at all this life that thrives around the decay of last years brown leaves.  

 

Yeah! Looky here! Buds, buds in January!I wish I knew the name of this shrub, there must be an app for that!

I've got to get myself one these beauties! 

More new growth!

Hmm, maybe I should see what my children are up to as it seems that both my eyes have focused on the beauty around me.  Oh, no worries, looks like fern cakes and pine cone stew is on today's lunch menu. (please forgive the quality of the pictures as these were all taken from iphone camera)

 

Rain or shine we need to be outdoors. God's creation calms us all...fighting and  complaining don't come along for the ride. My kids are actually leaping, climbing, skipping and creating and all this together! And as for me, laundry and dirty dishes can't distract me here. I stand protected under my raincoat, relaxed, watching my wet darlings, amused that they don't even mind their damp clothes as they play. I hear the raindrops on their umbrellas (yes it's raining that hard here today), the cozy sound of gravel under their busy feet and I smell the familiar smell of decay.  This is nature therapy.

A Habit of Saying Thanks

There's a song with the lyrics, "so blessed, I can't contain it, so blessed I've got to give it away". In the business of my continuing organization fever I insisted on looking back and reflecting on the generosity and kindness so many family members and friends have poured on us these past few weeks. But I didn't want it to be yet another year of forgetfulness or even rudeness by not acknowledging their loving gestures, even if it be with a simple Thank You card.

So maybe to make up for years past when nothing arrived in their mailbox, I played makeup this year! For our dear Aunt in Pennsylvania, a woman of pure heart, who took the time to host a party for us and take our kids horse back riding, 

here's my first knitting project. It's a simple scarf pattern from First Knits Projects for Beginning Knitters I think the color will be perfect for her lovely blonde hair although I don't care too much for the ribbons and how tight they got, obviously a fault from the newbie!  Please feel free to remove them if you don't like them Aunt Barbie!

To our neighbors who surprised us with a year's worth of venison and elk meat (is there a fancy word for that too?) from his successful hunt in December (you don't get anymore organic than this!) we just had to bake some goodies.

Nene insisted on making cupcakes. Our inspiration came from the bag of unopened cranberries so we baked  Meyer Lemon Cranberry Cupcakes . Nene was in the kitchen with me every step of the way mixing and licking, pouring and licking, sharing and licking. Bless her hearty soul for it was a full days project.  By the way, my husband said they were the best he's ever tasted but unfortunately because of our sugar fast, the remaining few have now been frozen. 

And there are many more thanks to come...To our Uncle Bill's sweet-sounding gift of an heirloom music box for our family,  To Great-Grandma and her traditional gift: a ten pound salt cured ham with authentic Portuguese linguiça mailed all the way from Ct! And finally, for Grandma and Grandpa who flew across the country during the peak travel period to spend Christmas with us.  Thank You! Watch your mail now that I've got the knitting bug in me!

It's so true the blessing does come from giving than receiving and it does a Mommy's heart good to see her children's natural eagerness, ideas and time spent in expressing their Thanks. I hope it's a habit we can carry on throughout the year.

So Blessed!