African Sky

Snow, snow, snow. More shoveling, followed by more slush. For all their promise of ice and multiple inches, though, it was clear enough for Jon to make it to work this morning, and the spotty sun had melted most of what we did get by lunchtime. We spent our morning indoors, playing on the piano and trying our hands at more Lego configurations. I like those lazy mornings. We had afternoon tickets to see Under the African Sky. Early in the week we'd started reading stories about Africa or African folk tales, and today we spent some time with the atlas and the wall map. Calvin was geeked over learning about Africa. Obviously I should have started this earlier in the week, but I didn't. We'll hit the library tomorrow for more books and information, but today we poured over what we had before leaving for the play.

Wild Swan does a fabulous job with stage performances for children—stage shows that are enjoyable for the younger set, but not dumbed down. I think next year we will become season ticket holders.

When we got home a much awaited Amazon package was on the doorstep. We ordered Qwirkle a week ago after seeing listed on so many Homeschool game lists, and we were not disappointed. It's just the right mix for an age appropriate challenge.

It feels good to be back in functioning condition again. It was good to see the sun shining, to play games, share dinner with family, and I even landed 22 new pieces of clothing for Calvin for a whopping $15 at our local resale shop's fill-a-bag event—the trick is to roll the clothes up very tightly before stacking them neatly in the bag. Works every time. This weekend we gloriously have nothing on our calendar, other than breakfast at our village diner, which is sadly closing its doors for good this weekend so it's time to say goodbye.

Sick day

First, the cat's out of the bag. Or box, as it may be. I'm not likely to make it to the computer on Wednesday nights because that's our guilty pleasure night. Wednesday nights we are parked in front of the TV for Criminal Minds, a guilty pleasure for a family that otherwise gives wide berth to the TV in the corner.

But even all that sitting didn't keep me from waking up sick this morning, fighting fire in my throat and aches in my head. I managed breakfast, then I managed piano practice—Since Calvin finished the second book this week we've been playing a review game, rolling dice and using the hundreds chart to add them up to determine which page to play next.

After piano I managed a shower and a trip to the library for book sorting and then story time. After that I managed lunch, but as soon as the lunch dishes were closed inside the washer I retreated to bed. Earlier, as I watched Jon leave for work, nursing my aches from the comforts of my favorite chair, I sat in dread of the day. Moms don't get sick days, after all, especially homeschooling moms. And a year ago it probably wouldn't have gone so well, but now I have a very sweet, very empathetic, four year old boy, so after lunch we collected all the books and art materials we could carry and set up camp on my bed where we proceded to spend the entire afternoon. He read to me, I read to him, we drew pictures, we talked about strange things, imaginary things, we cuddled.

Did you know that they use ferries to take loaded trains across the Great Lakes? That's thanks to the awesome Great Lakes Great Ships book we got at the library sale last weekend.

This was the best sick day ever.

Running

We shoveled this morning. The third day in a row. We drove to visit with friends a few towns over and the twenty minute drive took almost forty. The cold kept us inside, enjoying the sunshine from the floor of their living room instead of from the play structure outside as we have on past trips. I'm tired of coats. I'm tired of shovels, and scarves, and hats, and mittens, and the extra time it takes to get ready to go anywhere. I love winter, but I've been reading other homeschoolers' blogs and watching them wander with their children through greenish fields, coatless, or with only light jackets, and it has made me long for warmer temperatures. We had a great time on our snow night hike last weekend when the stars were so bright and beautiful, but I miss our summer night hikes, when we look and listen for bats. I love winter, but this year I am tired of it early. Last week when we were outside enjoying spring-like weather I noticed the green shoots of summer plants pushing up in our front garden, but looking out the window today it is hard to remember that they are underneath those inches of snow.

Today we were mostly running. We ran to the book store to look for a magazine I was supposed to have work published in (only to be disappointed at not finding it there). We ran to Canton to play (at board games and make believe with friends). We ran to the library to shelve books in the sale room (where over twelve grocery bags worth awaited us). We ran home again barely in time for a late dinner (with nary a menu in mind). The only time we got to sit down and open a book today was at bedtime when we finally immersed ourselves in another chapter of Oz, a moment Calvin had waited for all day. We had fun with our friends, and we always enjoy shelving at the library, but these are not my favorite days. Tomorrow is usually grocery day, but I wonder if a day at home isn't more in order.

Ann Arbor Model Train Show

After all these (four) years Calvin's most beloved obsession, aside from his blanket, is still trains. I remember saying to Jon three years ago that I thought we should go light on our train selections because we just didn't know when the enthusiasm might wane. I suppose that's still true, but there is no sign of it ebbing just yet. Even though we went to bed late last night and had already enjoyed a fun filled weekend, we got up relatively early today, had breakfast, and made our way to Saline for our second annual trip to the Ann Arbor Model Train Show. We had our engineer in tow.

They liked our engineer so much, and he asked such good questions, that they let us step behind the table and they opened the trap door for him.

They even had a Lego train display.

Calvin-cam. He didn't ask for one, but I'm pretty sure he would really like a signal light for his bedroom. I wonder if there's a way I can make one...

The rest of our day was good old Sunday relaxing. Sort of. Calvin and I shopped the closing Borders store, along with hundreds of other crazy people, while Jon taught a piano lesson. Fortunately the lesson time and the long line to get out the door meant that we didn't hit the road for home until after the white-out blizzard conditions hit our area and our 20 minute drive took more like forty. I say fortunately because sometimes, as long as we can drive safely, that kind of beauty is worth the delay. We came home by the scenic route along the river and enjoyed every extra minute of it. The rest of the afternoon was spent in front of a fire enjoying family company and quiet time.

And now, where there was no snow before... as I write this I am listening to the ice rain blow against our windows and cover the over three inches of snow on the ground. At least there was snow on the ground first.

What a Saturday should be

There are no hard and fast rules about what makes a good Saturday, but I would  definitely put today into that category. We slept in and enjoyed some early morning quiet. There was coffee and english muffins for us and shaped pancakes and juice for Calvin. There was a fire, some chess, a little family time. Around eleven we struck out for downtown Ann Arbor, the wind still howling but a bright sun shining, with the intention of getting a book from the library there. I thought I'd just jump out and run in to get the one book we needed—the next in the Oz series—but Calvin wanted to go in too, so since we had to find parking anyhow we first stopped at my favorite book seller's (West Side Book Shop) and then at the little toy store nearby (which is Lexi's, but it turns out Calvin is too old for them now). We found the book we needed at the library and also noticed the sign for their book sale going on in the basement (turns out they're open every weekend, so next time we're hungry for a sale we can just go there). That sale turned out to be pure magic for us today.

Back at home it was all Legos all afternoon. Well, Legos and we painted some more on our pictures (which are almost done), spent some time exploring the new books, watched City Lights (Charlie Chaplin), did some chores, counted birds, took naps, and read three chapters in the book we checked out from the library, the next Oz book in the series.

A truly diverse train station.

Jon's creation—the zoo. Note the elephant, snake, skunk, and turtle. I don't know what the red and blue thing in the back is, though.

But the celebrated moment of the day, the activity we've looked forward to all week, came this evening: after the wind had died down, and before the arrival of tomorrow's winter storm clouds, we went on a snow moon night hike at our nearby county park. We love our county naturalist. She taught Calvin about making maple syrup and she's the one who guided our owl hike over a year ago when we actually met a screech owl. Tonight's weather, chilly but perfectly clear, was ideal for the bonfire, Native American folk stories, star gazing, and owl hunt. No owls found us this time, but as the little girl in Calvin's most recent picture book, Owl Moon, says, "sometimes there's an owl and sometimes there isn't." The stars were phenomenal, though, and we got hear two packs of coyotes communicating across the lake and the sonorous tones of the lake ice shifting and giving way to the (slightly) warmer spring air. Don't forget the marshmallows, either.

It's now ten o'clock and we just go Calvin tucked into bed. I think he may have been asleep before his head hit the pillow and if I wasn't so enthralled with the new books, which I now absolutely must skim through, I might be there myself.