Baby Flower Hat

Our pastors' daughter had a baby girl last week, so of course, I had to knit a hat. I'm not sure whether this is the right size for a newborn or not, and I finished it after Grace went to bed last night, so I haven't tried it on her for size yet. Even if it's too big for little Clara now, since it's a flower, it'll work for springtime, right? My new favorite thing is knitting with different colors of yarn at the same time, which I had to do to make the "stem." Maybe soon I'll be ready for a Fair Isle pattern. Maybe.

John got a picture of the kids with their "travel buddies" that I made them for Christmas, and (much to my shock and joy) the kids love them! Whew. Here they are on Christmas day:

Aren't they cute? All six of them.

Mindware

We had so much fun yesterday playing with Isaac's snap circuit set that he got for Christmas. It was easy to snap together, the instructions were wonderful, and we didn't need any special tools. I found a link to something like it on the MindWare website, but if my sister really spent anywhere near this much money on it, I will be ticked: http://www.mindware.com/p/Snap-Circuits-500/20158. If you've never been on this site before, take a look around! Isaac also got a crystal-growing set, which we were all excited to start yesterday until we realized we need a kitchen scale. Here's a link to that one: http://www.mindware.com/p/Space-Age-Crystals/44130. I was looking through the catalog, since Isaac's (11th!!) birthday is coming in a couple of weeks, and I really want to get him the Intelliglobe: http://www.mindware.com/p/Intelliglobe/48173 - but I think he'd cry. How cool, though - a talking globe that updates itself on the internet. I want one. Maybe I'll get it for me for my birthday. Or for Grace...hmmm...that way I could still get another present for me...

Adult Children?

Is that an oxymoron? You know, like jumbo shrimp? I've been thinking a lot lately about my role as an adult daughter and about my role as a step-parent to John's adult children. I don't know whether it's the step part or the adult part that makes it hard, but these are definitely the hardest roles for me to fill in my family. I feel like I'm constantly and unwittingly offending someone, or disappointing someone, or making someone feel left out, even when I'm making a distinct effort not to do any of those things. I've even been checking out books on it from the library, which are so wildly different from each other that they're not really all that helpful. One says it's your duty to give your adult children whatever they need/want at the expense of your own finances; one says it's sink or swim and you have to watch from a distance...I guess at least no matter what I do, I'll be able to find a book to support it. All I know for sure is that it's strange to be on both sides of the adult parent thing, especially over the holidays. One day I'm in charge of coordinating everything and being the host and buying the good presents and being the grown-up; the next, I'm feeling twelve years old again and trying to be a good daughter. Maybe I'll figure all of this out and write a book about it that is actually useful. In the mean time, if you have any sage advice, send it my way.

Blog posts are no fun without pictures, right? Here's David, celebrating his 25th birthday (Dec. 12 I think - why don't I have this in my calendar?) with his little sister Grace (11 months - birthday Jan. 14!). They are totally in love. Grace is a huge fan of his beard (now gone) and ear-hole thingies. And of course, of him in general.

No more Exercisetv.tv

I am now hooked on P90X (although I don't do the workouts in order or follow the diet, so don't expect me to start looking like the Terminator anytime soon), but I still like finding workouts online. I just discovered that ExerciseTV.tv is NO LONGER in existence, which makes me very sad, so I had to find a new source for free videos. Instead, I've been going to Hulu, which has a bunch of free workouts - yoga, pilates, and even cardio workouts with The Firm. None of my favorite Firm ladies are still around, apparently, since my DVDs are way old, but The Firm still exists, and you can check it out at http://www.hulu.com/, on the Health and Wellness page. You don't need any of those blue and purple steps for these workouts, which is nice. I even found a few of my old favorites from ExerciseTV on Hulu, although Hulu has commercials, so you have to figure out what to do for 60 seconds while the commercials are playing. Standing around works just fine for me. I wonder if anyone else cares about this...am I the only one who gets up early to bounce around in her living room and develops a bond with the so-fit-it's-disturbing online trainers, or are there more of us out there?

Dinner Time Devotions

John has been wanting to get more involved in homeschooling, and we decided he needed to teach a daily Bible lesson to the kids. We found this great book at the Christian book store in Ankeny: Dinner Table Devotions by Nancy Guthrie. It has a lesson for every day of the year, including a message, related Bible verses, and discussion questions. We've been doing them after dinner, while everyone is still sitting at the table, and I LOVE it. The lessons would work for anyone from my kids' ages to teenagers, and the discussion questions are really good. It's a lot easier than trying to come up with your own lesson, and I'm pretty sure we could use this for several years in a row, since the kids' understanding will evolve and they'll continue to get something new out of the material even after seeing it a couple of times. I like that everyone doesn't just get up and run away after they finish their meal, and it only takes 5 minutes or so to do the whole thing, so the kids pretty much stay focused on it. The book looks cute too - check it out:

Cute Fuzzy Bags!

If you're in the mood to make gift wrapping a little bit softer this year, I have a brilliant idea (which was not, originally, mine). You can make drawstring pouches from a little bit of fleece and some ribbon - and it's not that much more difficult than wrapping, especially for odd-shaped gifts. Here's what you do:

1. Buy enough fabric that you can cut at least one, 20-inch circle out of it. I can't remember how much this is...a yard? Maybe 2? I remember that the fabric all came in 18-inch width, so I had to get more than I had wanted to. I got two bags out of each swatch that I bought.
2. Buy a lot of ribbon. One bag used one spool of the ribbon I bought at the craft store.
3. Cut your circle. I tied a 10-inch piece of string around a piece of chalk to trace my circle, but if you have a gigantic bowl, that might work too. None of mine were big enough.
4. Cut slits for the ribbon to go through. I cut mine about an inch and a half from the edge of the fabric at 3-inch intervals. I wouldn't go any more than 3 inches apart.
5. Weave the ribbon through the slits. Use enough ribbon so that you can go all the way around the circle (with it laying flat) and tie the ribbon in a bow. I hot-glued my bow together so it wouldn't come untied. And because I use every excuse I can to get out the hot glue gun.
6. To create the bag, just pull the ribbon at the point where you tied the bow. When the bag is cinched up, you have a perfect little carrying strap.

John's Presentation

John has to give a presentation at work today on "how to do something." He has to train his team on the new computer system, so to practice, he has to do a brief presentation to a group of fellow supervisors & managers. He picked "how to get started in homeschooling," which is so cool, I think. Maybe we'll inspire someone. Or just convince them that we're not crazy. Here's what we came up with for an outline:

How to Get Started in Homeschooling (in Iowa)

1.     Once you’ve decided that you want to homeschool, seek agreement from your spouse.

a.     Procedure: Schedule a quiet evening with your spouse to present the reasons you want to homeschool and discuss the pros and cons.

b.     Reason: Homeschooling will not succeed unless both parents are on board.

2.     Next, choose a teaching method. Some examples of teaching methods are unit studies, Charlotte Mason, Classical, and Unschooling.

a.     Procedure: Research teaching methods online, at the library, and by discussing them with other homeschool families. Evaluate your children’s learning styles and personalities, then choose a method that you think will work.

b.     Reason: For your children to learn effectively, you need to teach in a way that works for them.

3.     Purchase teaching materials, such as textbooks, literature, furniture, paper, and art supplies.

a.     Procedure: Consult other homeschooling families, websites, and catalogs, and attend homeschool conferences to determine what you need. Order online or locate a teaching supply store in your area.

b.     Reason: Most parents and households need to purchase additional resources to successfully homeschool. You need the right tools for the job.

4.     Choose how you want your children to be evaluated by the state.

a.     Procedure: Decide which of the following three options you want to use for your children’s evaluation:

                                                              i.      Annual standardized testing (i.e. Iowa Tests of Educational Development)

                                                            ii.      Hire a supervising teacher to perform regular evaluations throughout the school year

                                                          iii.      Submit a portfolio of your children’s work to a supervising teacher

b.     Reason: Iowa law requires you to choose one of these options.

5.     Choose your level of involvement with the local school district.

a.     Procedure: Decide which of the following three levels of involvement you want to have with the local public school:

                                                              i.      Home School Assistance Program (HSAP) – you will work with a teacher who is employed by the school. The teacher will evaluate your children’s progress and administer standardized tests, as well as share resources and advice.

                                                            ii.      Dual-Enrollment – your child will be able to participate in classes and extra-curricular activities at the school.

                                                          iii.      No involvement.

b.     Reason: Iowa law requires you to choose one of these options (you can also do both the HSAP and dual-enrollment).

6.     File the Iowa CPI (Competent Private Instruction) form. This must be done every August.

a.     Procedure: Download the CPI form from the internet, fill it out, and type out a list of the basic topics and resources you will be using. Keep a copy and send a copy to your local school district.

b.     Reason: Iowa law requires you to file this form once a year.

7.     Enjoy the freedom of instructing your children at home, according to their interests and learning styles and your values as a family.

a.     Procedure: Start by teaching with the method and materials you’ve selected, but be flexible and make changes as you go along.

b.     Reason: Because you want homeschooling to be a successful, enjoyable experience for you and your kids.

The best part is his icebreaker - he's going to start naming famous/historical people who were homeschooled and have people guess what they have in common. My favorites? C.S. Lewis, Agatha Christie, and Benjamin Franklin.

We put up the tree!

I have nothing useful to share today, except that the Carroll County 4H group is adding "Clover Kids" this winter, a club for K-3rd graders, so get registered! You can hang out with Simon and do 4H-y things, like...well, really, I have no idea. But I'm sure it's wholesome and educational, and you only have to pay $30 per year for your child to be in as many 4H clubs as he/she wants to be in. Isaac is doing "Outdoor Adventures" and the "Health Careers Club," and I think there will be a book club later this winter. The ISU Extension office, where you register, is by Anytime Fitness and the laundromat.
Anyway, we did put up our Christmas tree, which is aggravating for me (perfectionist, not sentimental, annoyed by broken lights and ornaments without hooks) but enjoyable for everyone else (non-perfectionist, sentimental, like to touch and look at shiny things). The evidence:

 Isaac mad; Simon happy and pre-nosebleed.

 Isaac happy; Simon mad and post-nosebleed (see shirt).

Grace was napping and missed the fun, so here she is eating a Pop Tart. Could be her last; this was the worst mess to clean up ever.