Random Rambling

We are slowly easing back into school/reality over the next month. Our Foreign Exchange students left yesterday and we're missing them! We didn't necessarily talk all that much, and we had to run them around to an awful lot of places (this reminded me of how glad I am that all three of my kids are involved in the same activities), but they were still a joy to have around. The smell of Mathilde's perfume has already faded from the bathroom and Jake's bedroom (it was sweet smelling and quite heavy). I just got word from each of them via facebook that they are home safe and sound. {Another reason I am a facebook fan, without it, I know we wouldn't be able to keep in touch as much as we are/do/will}.

This week is the week break from Theatre before the fall session starts (Cinderella). Jonathan was supposed to have five days away from there as well between the last showing of Gutenberg on Sunday and setting/ programming lights for Dracula on Saturday. Alas, it was not meant to be... he was back there yesterday striking the Honk set and he's there again today. I'm not sure which is stronger, his love for the Theatre or the Theatre's love for him! He is getting free lunch, and rumor has it there may even be some money in (some of) it for him come October.

As you have hopefully seen from the video, Jake had his turn in the spotlight and did not disappoint. I could be wrong, but I don't think I've yelled at Jake since before the show on Thursday (and I really wasn't yelling at him for the three weeks before that so as not to give him reason to want to quit the show (which he only said once and even he knew he wasn't serious)). I feel like I have a new found respect for Jake, but I also think he might have a new found respect for himself. Any kid who can learn all those lines (120 I think he said) in basically 2 weeks (he got the part on a Wednesday and performed 15 days later) and perform flawlessly in front of an almost sold out crowd, should be able to hold it together for simple things like saying hello to people and making it through Mass without constantly asking how much longer. I think Jake is just now realizing this. Of course I also realized probably part of why I haven't yelled much is because we had two extra people living here for the last 2 1/2 weeks. By the same token though, Jake was unable to sleep in (or even go into) his own room for the whole time he was rehearsing and performing the show because that's where the girls were staying.

So about school... I have big plans of being more scheduled in the coming year. I don't think we'll be able to fit it all in without that. We aren't jumping right into the schedule though because there is currently still too much life going on. We are adding back a few subjects/ classes at a time though so that by mid Sept we should be on a real schedule. Perhaps by mid October, we'll be off it again, but as long as we can get a good jump start, it should be fine. The hope is for a family trip to California in late May and school will need to be done by then. Jonathan specifically works best with a deadline, so that's the plan.

I was thinking about the whole "life is too busy for school" thing yesterday while I was having a physical. The PA was asking about homeschooling. Her son is about 9 months old and she's already getting cold feet about sending him to school. She was asking me some of the basic questions like "how long does homeschooling take?" (I think my new answer to this is going to be "about 18 years") It made me realize how impossible those questions are to answer. It's kind of like "in 25 words or less tell me what it's like to be a parent" or to be married, or anything about life that cannot be reduced down to a few simple words while you are wearing a nothing but a paper gown.

Essentially my kids have taken the whole summer off of school. Jonathan and Madi have gone on a mission trip, we had two European teenagers stay with us for 2 1/2 weeks, we had a family reunion trip to Delaware, Jonathan continues to spend countless hours at the Theatre and now has his name on two plaques in the lobby to show for it, Madi cantors at church in the adult rotation and on the days she sings, she IS the choir, Jake had his first lead, yada yada yada. This doesn't even take into account books they've read and listened to, games played, time at the beach, babysitting, petsitting, and so much more. In our early days of homeschooling, life was school. Being present at the birth of his baby brother taught Jonathan a whole lot more than any second grade curriculum could have. Now the stakes are a little higher and we have to play the college prep game. So while we know that Jonathan has been very well educated this summer, he still has to ease back into a life of textbooks and virtual school classes. The microscope that arrived by UPS yesterday is a testament to the fact that we know how to play this game. I think we are all looking forward to getting back into the school-swing, but we don't think for a minute we're going to turn on some kind of a learning switch that's been off for the last few months. We don't let schooling get in the way of our education around here.