LAmom

GHOSTS

Jonathan at The Gridbook Blog writes eloquently about the images of beauty and vitality that we can see on film, preserved images of people who have long ago stopped looking the way they looked then.

This very same thought has been on my mind through this Christmas season.  During Christmas, we hear in the air all around us the voices of the dead.  They're still instantly recognized and they still feel personal, even though the owners of the voices are long gone.  Bing Crosby, Karen Carpenter, sounding so vibrant and alive, walking with you through the mall, visiting you in your bedroom.  The ghosts of holidays past.

DISHES I HAVE EATEN RECENTLY

• Sauteed zucchini
• Grilled squash
• Scrambled eggs with shredded zucchini
• Pasta with chunks of squash
• Crockpot chicken with squash
• Chicken and squash soup
• Zucchini walnut muffins
• Stuffed squash

Right now, there's a squash casserole in the oven.

TURN THAT THING OFF!

Now that I'm phasing out my extra job, I'm at home more in the evenings.  This means that I can take charge of my house again and that includes enforcement of limits on the amount of TV that the kids watch (it never happens when they're at home with Daddy).

So after I announced that television and computer game time were over for the day, JG and BT were suddenly at a loss for something to do.  After Mommy's suggested activity, some room cleaning, BT promptly fell asleep.

That left JG alone with his own thoughts.  After laying around saying nothing for a while, he asked me, "What's the actual purpose of smoking?".  So I got to explain to him what nicotine is and a bit about the physiology of drug addiction.

Next came a discussion of a TV show that he's seen called Total Drama Island, which apparently is a parody of Survivor.  We talked about the meaning of parody and satire and also about the way people act in real reality shows and how people in real life can be equally cutthroat.

Next question: What is a guru?  This takes us to www.dictionary.com ("Wow!  They have EVERYTHING on the internet!!") and an examination of how JG himself is a guru to BT at times.

I doubt that any of this conversation would have happened tonight if the TV had still been on.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART IV

Now that we have a backyard again, we've planted a few vegetables.  We tried to pick the shadiest part of the yard to plant peas, but the recent heat wave has left them looking pretty sad.  Similarly, we got no response from the carrots.  But the squash, sunflowers and turnips are looking great!  We went out this morning for our first harvesting.  JG and I got to discuss which parts of the turnip plant we eat and why ladybugs are our friends.  We picked a huge potful of turnips greens which are now in the crockpot cooking with a chicken.  Woohoo!

LEARNING STYLES

BT (age 5), looking at the remaining portion of my half-eaten quesadilla, said "It looks like a state that's bigger than Texas!"  "You mean Alaska?", I queried.  "Yeah!"

He was right.  Viewing it from a certain angle, it did somewhat resemble the shape of Alaska.

BT has been very visually oriented ever since he was a toddler (probably before that as well, but it's hard to know since he couldn't talk then).  He especially seems to show an affinity for geography.  He can identify major countries just by seeing a portion of them, and since the age of four, he has surprised people by seeing a globe or world map and being able to immediately point to Los Angeles and proclaim, "That's where we live!"

JG is just the opposite; he's the classic kinesthetic type, the one who can't sit still, the one who might be labeled with an attention-span problem if he were in school.  Loves working with his hands, makes really creative Lego constructions, but can't find things when they're right in front of him.

Which means that Mommy has to be prepared to work with each kid's individual learning style.  One of things I love about homeschooling is that each one can do things that are designed just for him.  And a lot of their learning progress can be assessed just by observing them instead of giving them tests.  BT definitely passed his geography test today.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART III

I have a gas stove again.  Very glad.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART II

Right now I'm sitting at the computer with my kids less than 10 feet away from me.  The only available place for me to put my office was in a little cubby adjoining their room.

This is one of the things I really like about being back in a smaller house.  It's easy for us to be close to each other and stay involved with each other.  The other house was huge.  There was a much greater distance between everyone's rooms.  One of the things BT disliked the most about that place was that sometimes he would call for me and I couldn't even hear him.  For a little 4-then-5-year-old, it can be distressing to call repeatedly for your parents and get no response.  And the prospect of walking from his room all the way to the kitchen was so intimidating that he would ask someone to go with him so he wouldn't be scared.  In this house, he can be heard by anyone from anywhere and he feels comfortable exploring his own home.

Also, my parental responsibility to know what my kids are watching on TV has gotten much easier; their shows are inescapable now!  (Miss Spider is on at the moment.)  Sometimes things get loud, but this is what we're used to and we like it.

WHY I'M GLAD TO BE BACK HOME: PART I

After a year and a half of living in the enormous house in Carson, we are back at our old house in Lynwood.  It really feels good.  One of the things I missed the most at the other place was having a backyard.  Previous owners had converted every inch of the backyard space into additional rooms (except for the little patch where the electric meter was, and that was covered with concrete).

When we arrived back at the Lynwood house (or, as I call it, "home"), JG (he's 8 now) and BT (he's 5) returned to their previous habits of going into the yard to observe bugs.  And we have a great spot back there where we get good sun and very little breeze.  Perfect for warming yourself on a winter morning.

And right now there are huge amounts of mallows growing in the yard!  There's some sow thistle as well, and on the side of the house there is wood sorrel and some of the best chickweed we've ever gotten.  At this very moment I'm eating one of those fantastic free organic salads that I've been missing for so long.

More tomorrow about why I'm glad to be back here.

KID PHOTO

JG and BT at the library drinking fountains.  I just thought it was a cute pose.

HOUSE UPDATE

Finally have a stove.  Life approaching normality.  More later.  Really.