Week in Review: What We've Been Doing This Week

This week was kind of uneventful and flowing.  We seem to be mostly unschooling still.   Having three birthdays in January, falling in weekly sequences after Epiphany, seems traditionally to break up the Ordinary Time rhythm and interfere with academic momentum.

Paddy has been voraciously reading.  

 I keep partial track of his reading by taking a picture of the pile next to the dining room table.    Here you can see the pile for this week:

• The Assassins of Rome (Caroline Lawrence)
• Detectives in Togas
• Hank the Cowdog
• Mrs Piggle Wiggle 
• My Father's Dragon
• Peanuts Collection Volume 13
• Catholic Treasure Box

With the exception of the Peanuts Collection, which was a Christmas "everybody" present, and possibly the Roman mysteries, these are all nostalgic favorites from when he was five or six.

Aidan was the only one who I worked with on school much this week.  

 Here, he is drawing a map of the entrance to his Grandma and Grandpa's house, and on the left is the schematic drawing itself.  You can see the cars going up the road, and the sidewalk in front of the condo subdivision, and the condos themselves at the top.   I love his style.  Aidan's Grandpa has just recently come home from rehab after breaking his hip (fortunately a mild break as these things go) and so this seems to be Aidan's way of expressing what is in his mind.

Aidan doesn't draw pictures of people -- his art usually takes the form of cars or other artifacts.

In addition to drawing and working on his scrapbook, Aidan did lots of connect-the-dots (he is passionate about them right now) and some reading and spelling/dictation.  Not much math.

Kieron had his birthday on Saturday.  

He has been absorbed in a Wii video game he got as a birthday gift.   Otherwise, he has been doing his academic reading, helping his brother repair his laptop, running, and working on his imaginary universe.   Everyone in this family has their own imaginary universe.   I have one, too, but I don't get to visit it as much these days.

Kevin and I have been walking almost daily to the Post Office.

Here is a picture of the beginning of the 2.5 mile journey.   We have had no rain, so everything is crispy dry and brown, except the evergreens, which are a faded shade of evergreen.    But it makes for nice walks, temperatures in the high 50's --- my perfect comfort zone for a brisk hike.

Other things I have been doing:

• Reading a LOT.... January is Philosophy month. Heidegger and Kant and Cardinal Newman!  
• Practicing the piano.
• Playing video games with the kids.
• Helping Aidan with his art projects.   He is getting so INTENTIONAL about what he wants to do.  
• Trying to restore the house to its lost state of order.  First I was sick, then we went to Eugene, then came the holidays in which I did a lot of sitting around.  Now I think I was still recovering from being sick!   But now I am revisiting Flylady, which has helped me in other not-coping-so-well times in my life.  
• Looking back at old photos and writings.   That is my ongoing project for this year of 2014.   What memories!   Memory..... let your memory lead you... in the words from a song in the soundtrack Aidan has been listening to constantly, recently!  (though right now he is listening to the Clancy Brothers).  

Looking Back into the Past

Since I've been doing so much looking back into the archives and photo-sorting and reflecting on memories, I thought I would try to regularly make a collage of the past.   This is from the first day I used my first digital camera, a low-end point and click.   That was in June 2006.   I never graduated from the low-qual point and click.  Now I use my iPhone.

I love the memories brought to life by the photos.

Note to Self:  Take pictures!   

Main Thought:  I don't miss Aidan's hospital trips (though he sometimes talks about them wistfully, those days of unlimited Sprite and videos and attention from Dad!)  But I do miss my only daughter so much!   Virginia is about as far as you can get from California!