Spring Happenings....

I love winter, but now that spring is finally here I'm really enjoying the warm temps, longer days, greener food, and more time outside.  I'm back to walking in the predawn hours now and I love starting my mornings with the bird's dawn chorus.  I think frequently about blog posts, but then somehow, by the time the evening rolls around the pictures stay in my camera, and the thoughts stay in my head.  So, here's a smattering of what's been going on in our world lately.

Egg Noodles - Why have I never made these before?  I'm never turning back.  They were delicious, simple (eggs, flour and salt) and a perfect use of the over abundance of eggs in the spring.  

Oatmeal Rolls and Chicken Noodle Soup with Watercress

 Kids - both the goat and the people kind.  We got to spend the afternoon with some friend's goats.  Both the girl and I were smitten.  The mower broke a week later.  My solution?  Get goats -  somehow The Woodsman was not as enthusiastic.  Huh - I'm pretty sure goats would be cheaper, and will that mower give me milk.  I think not.  One day my friends... one day...

It's just like Heidi.  Where are Grandfather and Clara?

The Zoo!  A wonderful, if a bit wet, day at the National Zoo with good friends.

See the black and white fuzz ball in the tree?  That's BaoBao - the baby panda.  

You know - it's really hard to get five kids to take a picture.  

Unless you're sneaky and you take one while they're watching the tiger cubs play.

Or while they're deciding if the lemur is male or female...

Or if they crawl on a statue and pose themselves....  If only all the eyes were open.

Concerts, Recitals and Programs:  Last week Spring Chorus concert, this week Spring Dance Recital, Next week Gymnastic Parent program... then done until September.  My how she's grown.

Outdoor Adventures:  Is this the world's longest dandelion?  Inquiring minds want to send it in to the Guinness Book of World Records.  I'll keep you posted.

 Spring Eating:  The big freezer is empty, and only a few freezer meals and a handful of base ingredients remain, so I mostly get to cook with fresh ingredients:  greens, asparagus, eggs and goat cheese are frequent guests at the table.

Clockwise from bottom left - Green Haven Chevre, Asparagus picked a few minutes before in between thundershowers, roasted red peppers from the freezer, pesto cubes from the freezer, last Spring's garlic.

Trip two  - in between storms.  Radish thinnings, green onions, more asparagus, and eggs.  One of the hens has gone broody.  I hate to tell her that we have no rooster.  It kind of makes me wish we did.  She's going to all of this effort, and she won't get anything for her hard work and sacrifice.  Poor bird.

Reading on the Roof

This was my favorite spot to read as a child.  I spent hours up here.  There's a great view of the fields, but mostly when you're on the roof  there is a great sense of solitude. 

We're a family of Readers.  When the kids were younger we needed to make sure to pack blankets, now the last minute, cannot be forgotten grab in the morning when leaving for a trip is their books. Last Sunday, before leaving the farm, the kids begged for some time outside.  We weren't in any hurry and the weather was gorgeous, so I settled in with another cup of coffee.  When I wandered out to see what they were doing I found them on top of the coal shed roof, happily ensconced with their books, water and a snack enjoying the spring sun.

Last week they discovered that if they wore their headlamps in the car they could even read while driving home in the dark from karate.  The Woodsman actually complained because there was such a lack of conversation on the way home.

Some parents have to argue with their kids to shut off their video games and go to sleep; we have to threaten to take their books, and the cry of
 "Can't I just finish this page?"  and "Please can I get to the end of the chapter?" are frequently heard.

Their MP3s contain songs to be sure, but they are primarily a vehicle for audio books, and it's rare that we take a long trip without a book on CD for a shared literature experience. 

Yep, they're addicts - and I couldn't be more proud.

Today's selection:  Animorphs and Swindle

Closing Time

Last weekend we headed to the farm to take down the buckets and pull the spiles.  The kids drank their fill of warm sugar water, and we all enjoyed the day together.  The kids have gotten to be so responsible.  Sometimes I miss having babies, but on days like this one I relish having mature, dependable kids who enjoy working.  I grew up in a family where we certainly spent time playing together, but we also spent a lot of time bonding together while working.  Family time doesn't always have to be glitz and glam and expensive outings - sometimes it can involve a bit of mud and muscle.





What Makes March Interesting...

Two days ago, in PA

The kids spent the day with their Pap collecting sugar water, having mud fights and drinking lots of sweet halfway done syrup.  It was warm, sunny, lovely and very, very muddy.  

Auntie H came up to check out the progress in the Sugar House.

Today in VA

Ten inches in some places, grey skies, below freezing - not a sign of spring in sight.

 



 Except this - a wasp in the kitchen. 

Good thing Nature practices fecundity.  It's a rough world out there.

An excerpt from "March" by John Updike

 

Some days are fair

and some are raw

The timid earth decides to thaw

 

The mud smells happy

on our shoes

We still wear mittens

which we lose.

In Like a Dragon....

The boy and I have been having a great time making his cakes the past few years.  This year was no exception.  The cake wasn't perfect - but he loved it.  There's nothing better than seeing your kids overflow with excitement.  If you want some simple kid's cake ideas Family Fun has some wonderful ones.  All of the cakes we've made have involved simple steps and easy to locate decorating items.  Maybe best of all - they allow the kids to be very involved in creating their own cakes.  This one was perfect for a mother/son baking adventure.

Frenzied February

We've been a bit busy around here lately...

 

Our oldest participated in her first District Choir performance...

 

Had a birthday party with family (and a Monkey Cake made by Auntie H)...



Was in her first musical....

 Had a birthday party with friends (monkey cupcakes were a hit)...

 And went to her first overnight Synod retreat (loved it!)

While she was gone this weekend I slipped up to the farm with my boy and his buddy for some tree tappin' and sugar water sippin'.  If it ever thaws out up there we'll start boiling.

Spring's coming, but for now we'll enjoy holding on to the last of winter.

It's All About Love

This time of year our school is awash in student teachers.  I love seeing those bright, eager faces.  They're so excited about the adventure they're on and so blessedly devoid of cynicism.  Lately, there has been a lot of buzz discouraging new teachers from entering the profession.  I won't lie - teaching is definitely a different, more difficult and more stressful career than it was ten years ago.  Before you read any further, if you haven't read Randy Turner's excellent piece about the current political attack on teachers go read it -  I'll wait.

I agree almost 100% with his statements - except, maybe it's just the starry eyed optimist in me - but I would still tell young people to teach.

It's all about LOVE

When I first graduated from college I worked in outdoor camping ministry (as a program and environmental education director).  My boss at the time was fond of reminding us that for some kids we may be the only Jesus they see.  Now when I say Jesus - feel free to substitute your ultimate model of what it means to love (Budda, Ghandi, MLK, your Aunt Joyce, what have you).  When I interviewed for my current job, at some point the question was posed about test scores.  I responded that yes, of course I want my students to learn to read better, and yes of course I want them to improve their performance on the tests they need to graduate.  But mostly, I went into teaching so that I could love kids.

Some of my students come from wonderful homes with loving supportive parents who make sure that they have plenty to eat, have reasonable bed times and who make sure that they get lots of rich experiences to broaden their lives.  Those kids need me just like they need extended family members.  They need school as a place to feel additional love and support - an affirmation and extension of the loving world they already know.

But, unfortunately, I also have kids who have had (or are having) a very difficult time growing up.  In my fifteen years in the classroom I've had kids who have suffered from abuse and neglect, whose parents were drug dealers, gang members and drunks, who were teetering on the brink of being drug addicts or alcoholics themselves.  I've taught kids who didn't have enough to eat, who lived in their cars, or slept on a different person's floor every night.  I've taught kids who went home to an empty house because both parents had to work multiple jobs to make ends meet, and I've taught kids who were the primary care taker of their younger siblings.  I've taught kids whose parents have abandoned them, who were the pawn in the middle of a messy divorce, and who were grieving through the violent loss of a loved one.  These kids need loving teachers in their life so they can survive.  For some of these kids, school is the one place where they know they'll be loved, where they know they'll be warm, where they know they'll be fed, where they know someone cares enough to push them to do their best.  Even if my school became an onerous place to work - I don't think I could leave the kids.  The stakes are much higher than their test scores - the real risk is that they won't know that they're precious, and that their lives have potential.  Without school, and the teachers and administrators that populate the building, they might never know that they're loved.

Sometimes you'll hear veteran teachers joking that the three best reasons to teach are June, July and August.  Yes, summer is a hallowed time - a time to reconnect with my family and recharge for another year. But the benefits of a family friendly career go beyond summer. 

Teaching allows me to ensure that my own children have plenty of my time and attention.  I'm much more involved in my kid's lives because I teach.  I know what they're doing in school because I'm friends with their teachers.  Their school is directly across the road from mine.  Truth be told, I never really got over going back from maternity leave.  Sometimes, when they walk to their school while I head to mine I still get a deep stab of grief similar to the feelings I had when I left them the first day when they were infants (Sandy Hook also adds fear to the mix).  But, there is great comfort in knowing that they are physically close, and that their teachers are busy loving them just the way I'm busy loving my own students. 

My days are very busy - with very few (if any) breaks, so before I know it my blond haired beauties are showing up at my classroom door.  I get to hear news about their day while it's still fresh in their minds.  My kids are able to stay in my classroom when I have after school meetings or other responsibilities.  I don't have to worry about child care, or try to tackle homework when we get home.  As an added bonus, most days, if there are no meetings or practices, we're home by 4:30.  Getting a healthy meal on the table, and maintaining the house is usually a pretty simple task because I have plenty of time.  I can't imagine a career that is more compatible with raising your own family.  Sure, I sometimes have grading and paperwork to do in the evening, but I can generally manage to do that after the kids are in bed.  I've never had to miss a game or a performance because I had a meeting, or had to be out of town.  I get to be there for it all.

There are always trends in education - I'm an optimist, but I think - I hope - I see the pendulum swinging back to a time of more creative teaching, and less stress on testing.  I hope I'm right.  My dad was a teacher and a principal.  When I was interviewing for my first teaching job I was trying to decide between two schools - one that I thought I would like, but that was closer to home and in the same county where my husband taught; and one that was much further away in a different county, but with an administrator I loved.  When I talked to Dad and asked his advice he reminded me that administrators, school boards, policies and educational trends had a way of coming and going.  His advice - if I wasn't happy with something in education I should wait... it would change. So, I took the job closer to home, and he was right.  Some years have been harder than others - but ultimately, everything shifts and changes.  Teaching is a bit like an investment portfolio... I have to look at it in the long range.

I'm glad those bright, young, enthusiastic teachers are still writing their starry eyed plans.  I hope they come, and I hope they stay.  We need them, and the kids need their love.