7 Quick Takes (vol 1)

 I am trying something new! Thanks to Jennifer Fulwiler and her blog Conversion Diary for hosting 7 Quick Takes!. And thanks to friend and fellow writer, Lori, for letting me copy what she does!

1.  I really need a way to write at the moment. I was looking forward to summer, because it generally means more free time, which translates to "time to write". Usually.

This summer has not been a good writing summer. I am starting to worry.  Maybe the well has run dry?  Maybe it was all a silly fantasy that makes me feel better. You know, when people ask, "What do you do?" I can answer, "I am a writer." When I say this, people nod their heads and look (moderately) impressed.

I mean, it isn't like I said, "I am a successful writer."

But without this fantasy of writing, I respond, "I am a stay-at-home mom", or if feeling very brave, "I am a homeschooling stay-at-home mom."
There are usually 2 responses to this. People look away in embarrassment and mumble something like, "Oh, that is interesting," or they stare at me in speechless wonder ("She does not look that psychotic.")

2. The Monkey, now age 3, will be joining us in the school room this year. Not that we normally kick him out, but he has always just played while we school. This year will mark the beginning of "preschool". I never did preschool with Cookie Boy, because I was still so new to the whole homeschooling thing back when The Young Adult began. Romeo was a different story.
When Romeo was 3 and 4, his big brothers were in early elementary school. Romeo would sit and listen to their lessons while he played. When they couldn't answer, he would. Very impressive. Having their 4-year-old brother (Romeo) answer math and geography questions (correctly) was a powerful learning motivator for the oldest two!
I am not sure what kind of scholar the Monkey will be. He is not as quiet and observant as Romeo. He is definitely more of an "active" learner. So I am gearing things for hands-on learning.

3. Which means I have spent the past few weeks immersed in gathering wisdom about how to homeschool preschool. Again. It has been a while since I have done this.

There are some great blogs and website out there, some of which I am relying on heavily. That is great.

On the other hand, they make me feel "itty-bitty" in my core. No, I do not weave hand-dyed wool into cute animal rugs for my school room. Nor can I sew gorgeous felt planets for my mini-unit on space.

Hello? I cannot even get the laundry done, for heaven's sake!

Besides, my hand-sewn felt fish look like Franken-fish. It isn't pretty.

4. Rain. We don't have it. Any of it. The ground is breaking up around the house, which makes me worry for our foundation. Do you know, when they did the original land survey for this north central Texas region, they marked it as "unsuitable for development"? The ground is very unstable. Clay-ish soil. Not enough rain. Hot summers. All this leads to scary, large cracks in the earth, large enough to swallow small animals.
And hot! Yes, Texas is hot, but this summer has been HOT. Nasty hot.

5. We are going to try and fry (or cook) an egg in our van soon. It is that hot.

6. This week has been "Battle of the Boy Scouts". The oldest two boys are in Boy Scouts. Cookie Boy is still new. The Young Adult is not. But he will not work on merit badges. I do not know why.  It is like pulling teeth. We have talked to him several times, and he likes Scouts and wants to be involved. But he won't work.

13.

That is all I am saying.

7. How do fish disappear? One 3-inch fish just vanished from the tank. Did the much smaller fish gang up on him in the middle of one night? Did the cat finally figure out a way to open the tank, take out a fish, then neatly close the tank before he enjoys his snack? It isn't like he hasn't been trying.