Silencing the Background Noise or Why I Blog

While kids and weary husband sleep, I sit at the table and peck through chapter by chapter. I copy the author’s words to help me remember, to help me teach.

I strain for the discipline to just finish the last two chapters, but thoughts buzz. Ideas repeated here and there during the day hum for the moment they can be completed. When is that moment? It’s now, when the silence of the night gives ear to their music.

I decipher the purposeful notes and realize daily multi-tasking dulls my focus. My children too easily become part of the background noise. Walls press in, so I must press out. I need new perspectives.

Today three of us lingered at the window. Flocks of birds visited our feeder. We watched the juncos bounce around nibbling spilled seeds. Their black suit coats contrasted with the white snow. Finches of gold and purple brightened the dead lilac bush.

The fourth person here, my son, glanced out, flipped through books, and started asking:

Can we make a suet feeder? Can I make a bird bath? What about a brush cover?

My active, imaginative son always wants to do. I want to bundle up and hibernate until spring. Instead, I make the effort to listen and gather supplies.

Then I pause, before sleep, to capture a moment to help me remember, to help me teach.

What helps you be a better mother and teacher? What do you do to stay focused?

Inexcusable

I should know better by now. The hint of an upcoming article haunts me. Series take me so long to complete, they can’t be called sequential at all. A better explanation is that eventually my ideas find a way of escape.

My intentions are the best. In fact, they are so good they get sketched out again and again like a draftsman crafting a castle. I know it’s hard to believe, but I am a bit obsessive.

For instance, my homework assignment for the past three weeks has been to compile a notebook on Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. I’m supposed to take notes on the five elements of literature in each chapter: setting, characterization, plot, style, and theme. Simple enough. Unless you’re me.

I took six pages of notes on one chapter! This book is for upper elementary grades. Would my twelve-year-old son write that many notes on one chapter? No way!

Needless to say, I’ve realized the error of my ways. Homework for this week was much easier and less time consuming. See, I can relax. Really, I can.

When our computer dubbed, somewhat affectionately, Frankenmachine died, I took deep breaths to calm my heart rate. And as soon the twitching stops, I will be fine.

Our antique laptop dubbed, somewhat affectionately, What is that! is just what I need to slow me down. Because it would be inexcusable if I had the chance to overwhelm you with all my ideas at once.

Spring Cleaning Blog-Style

I know it looks almost exactly the same on the outside, but Life Nurturing Education has moved. Months ago I helped some friends set up a blog, then another friend, and another…all the while planning for this place to join them.

Woman Cleaning Alley, Sibenik, Croatia

After procrastinating longer than I care to admit, I finally switched everything over. I’m still scrubbing cupboards and straightening pictures. Literally, the pictures.

My images were not imported on my first attempt. Deckards absent from their own chronicle. Two years worth of pictures vanished, and by their absence I sensed how much this blog contains. I don’t write every day, but life is made of moments. If I capture a few here and there, doesn’t it give more meaning to the others?

Looking back I see with different eyes, a different heart. The moments of frustration give way to a smile. I see where we are now, the progress made. I see how quickly my children are growing. I remember starts and sputters, dreams and goals.

And it pulls me back to writing some more.

Meeting A Few Imaginary Friends

I left a bit later than planned. Before I rushed out the door, I dropped Amanda, Mandigirl Muses, an email asking her to send her phone number. Her reply saved me.

I arrived in Arlington right on time. Then Google maps failed me. The prescribed exit was closed. Construction zones surrounded me. I circled the convention center and found the road blocked. Signs directed me veering to the left and right. A frantic call to my husband. A string of numbers brought hope, and still I missed the turn.

Amanda called while I backtracked, and I finally saw the sign. Felt so foolish and humble. She waited for over half an hour. Glances from the servers. Stood up in a quiet restaurant waiting and waiting. Her graciousness blessed me and her story embedded itself on my soul.

Full of good food and sweet fellowship, we tromped to the convention center. I was late to meet April, Question the Culture, because I was late to meet Amanda. More circles, up and down the maze of vendors looking for a lady with crooked glasses. Little did I know, she got contacts.

Thankfully I heard my name and immediately recognized her from the photo she sent months ago. More grace for my tardiness. We got to chat a bit before empty stomachs and the Scholastic warehouse sale pulled her and her friend out the door.

While saying good-bye to April, I realized the lady I thought was Connie really was Connie.

The next meeting was the 2:30 announcement made on Twitter. We gathered in the back of an auditorium while Hank the Cowdog prepared to perform. A hello, a hug, a quick, blurry snapshot.

Connie ~Smockity Frocks, Dana ~Are We There Yet? , Heather ~Sprittibee, me, Amanda ~MandiGirl Muses

Promises to meet after the performance never materialized. Lost again, but the invitation remains. Next time let’s all chat over some Tex-Mex!

For other perspectives on this meeting of imaginary friends, use the links above. And if you are ever in Texas, please let us know. Maybe we can plan a party just for you!

Colored Pencils in Homeschooling

Today’s post is from Maddie Kertay. This preview of her upcoming book The Crafty Homeschooler (available Fall 2009) adds another dimension to my enjoyment of colored pencils. Visit her blog, Homeschool Confidential, for tips to enhance your homeschool.

While nice beeswax crayons are great for the 5 and under set as soon as some serious homeschooling is going on I suggest colored pencils. But before you run out to the dollar store let me take a bit of time to convince you to shell out a bit more money for a better quality pencil that in the end will make your homeschooling arts, maps and miscellaneous drawings better and brighter.

photo credit: Shahrokh Dabiri

Like most things colored pencils come in a range of prices and while you don’t need a set made (and priced) for a commercial artist you cannot go wrong with a basic set of Prisma Color pencils. There are more expensive brands but this one is many rungs up the ladder from what you will find marketed for children without making you kack over from the cost. Thick creamy leads with good color and smooth application are the key points of this brand.

As to care of your pencils, the people at Prisma Color advise:

When first getting your colored pencil set, it is best to sharpen all of your pencils and from then on, keep them sharpened. Since the “leads” are colored pigment in a wax base, care should be taken and one should not use excessive pressure or “force” when sharpening. Some members of the Colored Pencil Society of America (CPSA) suggest keeping your pencils extremely sharp. Using an electric sharpener quite frequently shaves off only a bit of wood each time (as compared to letting the pencil get extremely dull and then grinding it down about a half an inch).

photo credit: guillermopdc

Another suggestion is to use an electric sharpener initially and then afterward, sharpen your pencil manually with a hand-held sharpener. Cosmetic sharpeners (the kind used for pencil eyeliner, for example) can also be effective. If you decide to use a hand sharpener, it is less stressful on the pencil to hold it vertically in the hand sharpener. Please note that the more common method of holding it horizontally with a natural wrist action causes stress on the colored core and thinner wood near the top.

If your pencil splinters when sharpening, evaluate the force you are using, how you are holding the pencil when sharpening and check that you are using a sharp sharpener. If a particular pencil is breaking, you may want to try a larger opening sharpener, which can be a little gentler.  Also make sure that your child is not using the pencils to bang out a drum solo on this desk top since even light tapping of colored pencils can shatter the inner lead.

I grew up with a father who was a commercial artist and access to many wonderful art products that were suppose to be “hands-off” and yet my dad turned a happy blind eye to my fooling around with his very precious artists markers and drawing tools in pursuit of my own artistic muse. All of those years paid off in cultivating my personal love of arts and crafts that carries over to my life has a homeschooling mom and consultant. I approach most subjects that I teach my children by looking at how we can expand our learning with cool, quality projects that highlight the subject we are talking about. This adds a tactile experience to learning that can be lacking for children who need more than just words on a page for facts to stick in their heads. I stress the need to be flexible in homeschooling as well as art and think the quality of the products you use make a direct difference in the outcome of the project.