hurricane irene

We watched the hurricane from the back porch. This little hot air balloon wind spinner never spun so fast in its life...at times it was parallel to the deck.


On the other side of the house, the little birds continued to flit to and from the bird feeder, even with the pouring rain and high winds. There's two huddled together in this picture.


We emerged after the storm to see what damage had been done. Mostly, it was just a lot of leaves and branches.


There's a driveway under there somewhere.



And it turns out we had a little more damage. Our 'shed that looks like a chicken coop'. A red X tree...it should have been taken down just a little sooner.


We lost power early afternoon. We just got it back Wednesday evening. That was longer than Isabel for us. But I'm not complaining. We were resourceful, neighborly, read books by flashlight, looked forward to sunrise, got in bed at dark, cooked pizza on the grill, played baseball and enjoyed each other's company. I think we might need to do this once a month now.


This was on the corner, the house beside ours.


I think I wanted it to fall on me only once...my kids fight, too, you know.

random thoughts

I love a good storm. Not hurricane size, but lots of rain and a bright lightening show. (As long as no one gets hurt, of course.) I think a slight smile might have even crept across my face as I realized my house shaking the other day was actually an earthquake. To know only God is in control, and I can do nothing about it is humbling and reassuring at the same time.


Diego and I stepped outside just before the skies opened up last night...for a little digging and investigating.


Lately, it hasn't been happening as much as I'd like. There's been way to much house cleaning going on around here. And strangely, you just can't tell.


Would you believe I still don't know how to really work my camera? I'm most definitely not a natural. I've read the manual. I've even read a book about it. I think a class is in order now.


In other news, potty training is interesting. He loves undies, sometimes. He's never used the potty though. Not once. He just likes to wear them around the house until he pees in them and then wants a new pair. No, he's not ready yet. But he sure looks cute in them!


Gotta run...here comes the rain...time to get the cardboard boxes out of the yard before they turn to mush.


Hurry!

love

Diego loves his 'tugas' (tortugas).


And I love watching him grow.


Tonight, I came home late with Isabela...we'd had a girl's night out shopping for bookbags. (We're definitely going to have more of these. She walked through the mall holding my hand. And I didn't want to let go.)

The house was dark when we got there, so everyone was in bed. The front door was locked so we had to get in the back. And I had to run back outside to turn the lights off from the car...when I got back in, the boys were up, excited to see us and our packages. But when Diego saw me come through the door, he ran up to me....and hugging my legs he says, "I love you Mom!"

There's nothing better.

why we're {not} homeschooling this year

It was a long, torturous road for me on deciding whether or not to send the kids to school this year. The images of happy children playing in the creek, learning their science lessons first-hand, or reading a book on a blanket under the clouds, these images still dance around in my head.

I spent many evenings researching late into the night homeschooling ideas, curriculum, thoughts and opinions. In my immediate surrounding of friends and family, no one homeschools. It could be because we live in a 'great' school district. What attracts me to homeschooling is not measured by test scores though.

Then there was the reality this summer: two kids I would occasionally have to lock out of the house in order to get them to play for any amount of time outside, a girl I could barely get to write a few sentences to her pen pal, a boy who would start crying when I said, "Let's go to the library."

What? Who's kids ARE these?

I started thinking the only reason they wanted to homeschool was to not do any school.

So I decided to give the other option a second look. Public school. These were my thoughts: It takes a village to raise a child. A school is a village, and for the most part, filled with teachers who have studied for years on how to best educate our precious kids.

But it's a watered down education, you say.

So we read at home. This summer we read A Lion to Guard Us, Because of Winn-Dixie, Stuart Little, and The Sword and the Tree, to name a few. These are old classics that are currently offered in a homeschooling catalog. We got them from the library.

We played board games and as we moved around the board, I realized we were adding and subtracting.

We baked. And we're missing some measuring cups. So we learned that 1/4 plus 1/4 equals 1/2.

But I still wanted my kids to play outside more. How could I make this happen? A garden. So we had a garden that flourished. Weeds right along with tomatoes and cucumbers. It attracted bumble bees, butterflies, cicadas, and praying mantises.

And I don't want them to miss any of this when they go back to school. I thought maybe we could start a garden at their school.

And what position should be open on the school PTA?? Beautification.

I'd say a garden qualifies.

So I signed up. The kids are going to school. I'm on the PTA. And the decision is made.

Am I having second thoughts? Absolutely.

There are amazing homeschooling blogs out there that I still read, essays from homeschooled kids that make me want pull my kids out tomorrow, but we're going to give school another try this year. Full-on.

Will I stop reading those homeschooling blogs? No way.

We're still learning at home. I recently picked up a book on my shelf, Honey for a Child's Heart. It's supposed to be a list a great books for kids to read. And it is. But it's so much more, and I recommend it.

I'm excited and nervous about this upcoming school year. I've turned over part of my children's education to someone else. And I've taken on a great project that just might provide education to other kids. It's the village coming full circle.

And if you ask my kids what school they go to this year, don't be surprised if they hesitate before they answer.

good book?

One of Joaquin's favorite books this summer was The Legend of Spud Murphy. It really is funny. He read it twice, then went on to read two others by this author, Eoin Colfer.

One day, we were working on our shrinky dink addiction, and I said, "Why don't you trace the cover of that book you liked?"

He wanted me to do it first....so I traced one and he colored it in with colored pencils.


This could be a fun summer project to remember favorite books your kids read...or something pretty to decorate a baby's window...I could see Goodnight Moon being one.

It could also be a great gift for a teacher (or librarian)...if you find out what their favorite book is. It is large enough to be a key chain or a Christmas tree ornament.

I even did one with a book cover that I thought was cute of a sweet dog saying, "I didn't do it."


Here's Joaquin with two of his favorite books.


Linking up here: Skip to My Lou...check out other great crafts.

who put an anaconda in the swift creek reservoir?

We had a close call yesterday.

We were at the park...the kids were running way ahead of me.

Down the pier.

At the end, there are steps that lead right into the water. (Who's idea was that, by the way?)

Joaquin was already in it.

Isabela was in it.

Diego was in it, with his shoes on.

I was just getting there, trying to figure out if I really wanted them doing this.

ALL OF A SUDDEN, a HUGE snake starts thrashing and writhing right at the bottom of the steps where my three precious kids were playing.

How big you wonder? Make you hand form a letter 'C'....that's how thick his body was. It was SO BIG I didn't even see its head.

The two older kids high-tailed it up the steps screaming all the way, leaving their two year old brother still tottering at the bottom of the steps trying to figure out how to get to the rocks.

I flew down there, grabbed his arm and pulled him up the six or so steps at once.

There's no picture to go along with the story, obviously, but the image is definitely burned in my mind. Really, I couldn't stop talking about until I figured out I could actually be scaring the kids more. We spent the rest of our time on the safe playground.

Later, as we sat on the bench at Rita's eating an ice cream, we thought how different our afternoon could have turned out and were thankful.

a dancer's story

When I was Isabela's age, I had just started ballet. My parents took me to my first class kicking and screaming, or so I was told. I took that one class, and fell in love. A ballerina was what I wanted to be...so I danced the next eight years away.



And just like many of the ballets you may see on stage, this story ends tragically. The end of summer, my sixteenth year, I decided to quit. I wrote home from Seattle at the Pacific Northwest Ballet and told my parents, breaking my mom's heart and ending all those deposits my dad had made to the Richmond Ballet's bank account. I imagine they probably felt both sadness and relief. I had written off college, but now that I was quitting, a higher education would be back on the table.


They briefly tried to talk me out of it. But my mind was made up.


And really it was never mentioned again.


To this day, I have never taken another ballet class. I find that unbelievable...and one day, I may change that.


But here is Isabela's story.
She's spent the last two weeks dancing with the Latin Ballet of Virginia.


And it ended with an amazing performance last Friday...a make believe story with dolphins and manta rays and pirates.


The great thing about this dance school is how relaxing and friendly, even child-friendly, their performances are. Diego was able to sit through this hour long show on my lap...and he sat with interest, watching intently for most of the show. The beat of the music, the colorful costumes, and the gusts of wind from the dancers rushing by our chairs kept him very entertained.


Isabela took her bow and we were so proud of her. But I asked her on the way home if she'd like to take a dance class in September....and she said no. It's not her passion, and I'm fine with that. She likes to try different things, and sometimes I wish that I had done that growing up, too.


Follow your heart, Isabela, and we'll be right there with you.

marble circus

I finally finished a masterpiece over the weekend. Painting is something I love to do but rarely find the time.
There is always something to clean, a meal to make, dishes to put away, or places to go.

Plus if I pull out the paints, that means the kids will want in on it, too. But somehow, I got away with it...no one asked to paint, and I specifically said, "I'm not doing anything else until I finish this."

I found the idea on Crafty Crow.

Something about the colors of the animals and the design made me have to have it. We had a big piece of cardboard laying around...hers is wood, but cardboard works fine.


The kids play with it some...it's not their favorite toy. But I had fun making it. Obviously, it's not just for marbles...there's even some learning going on here...Can the car fit in this size hole? How many points do you have?





I definitely thank Pinterest for helping me actually DO some of the creative things I find on the web. I can locate them quickly and have a visual list of all the things I'd like to try. Do you use Pinterest? If not, what are you waiting for?

DC--take two

Juan Pablo's parting words as we tried to round everybody up for another day at the museums..."Let's hurry up so we can get back." Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I was undaunted.

Still, there was trouble just around the corner.

What does that tiny sign say? Metro station closed.


We were told to go up some steps and catch the shuttle to the next station. Really, I saw it as a better adventure than we would have had...the kids were thrilled to get to ride the Subway...and now they got to take a bus, too!

We passed Great Waves water park on the way. Watched its cool water slides slip out of view of the bus window and filed that trip away for another hot day. It was museums for us.


Oh. And did I mention Diego only likes me to hold him? That why I have such great arm muscles, not that BodyCombat class I've been taking.


The subway really is cool. Joaquin practiced gymnastics by climbing the pole to the one on the ceiling. Isabela twirled around them. It definitely reminded me of my college days in DC.


I was a little self-concious with the camera...looking like a giant tourist...but then I realized, I was a tourist, and there's lots of them there, so it really didn't make a difference.


The Smithsonian stop lets you out right smack in the middle of the mall. I LOVE those views. And did I mention it was hot? That's not a dirty lens in the Capitol picture...just plain hot air.


At this point, ice cream was way more important than the Washington monument.


Another of Diego's favorites...birds. And they were approachable...only flew off at the last minute. Letting them chase pigeons brought a smile to everyone's face.


Definitely, the museum of natural history has got to be one of the best ever. All those stuffed animals.


My kids loved each and every one and actually read some of the information about them! We tried to name a lot of them in Spanish for Diego...we all got stuck on 'walrus'...even JP. He had to look it up on his phone. Turns out it's 'morsa' if you ever need to know.


I got excited about the possibility of walking through the live butterfly exhibit...but it turned out it cost money. Except on Tuesdays...so if you're up there on a Tuesday....


Our favorite place of the day turned out to be the sculpture garden of the National Gallery of Art. Isn't this tree amazing?


And the police were letting everyone stick their feet in the fountain to cool off. THANK GOD. We hadn't stepped outside two seconds before the kids were complaining about the heat. And it wasn't even that hot. Diego got so wet he had to walk around in just a diaper for the rest of the day.


So everyone was really ready to leave after that...but I dragged them all to one more stop. I've been wanting to go to this 'secret' tunnel ever since I read about it on latinaish.com. It connects the east and west wing of the National Galleries of Art.

So I did the smart mom thing...we charged through the museum like speed walkers, bypassing all of the most famous paintings in the world to get here.


Definitely worth it. Mesmerizing. We went around a couple of times and under disapproving looks from a guard, we fussed at the kids for having too much fun on the sidewalks.


Very hard to capture on film, but still beautiful.


All in all, day two went well. Diego fell asleep on the Metro ride home...so I had to CARRY his limp body upstairs, downstairs, across streets....I locked my hands together under his weight and just kept walking, the sweat dripping off my forehead. A small sacrifice for a day of fun, right?

planes or balls?

When Diego sees planes, he waves, he points, he blows kisses. It's the cutest thing I've ever seen. Oh, and he calls them aviones, the spanish word for planes. That's cute, too.


So while we were in DC we went to the Udvar-Hazy air and space museum.


But I think it was a little late in the day. Or a little too close to when we visited the air museum in Richmond.

It's really cool when you walk in to see planes hanging all around...but then they were over it. Forget the cool helicopters.


And the space shuttle!


These kids loved the big stone balls out front.


We couldn't even wrangle Joaquin for a picture.


So we zipped through the museum and headed home. Really that's how we do most museums....zipping style. Not much reading or learning, but I keep trying.


And now they're happy...back in front of the TV.