Pardon Our Dust

To better serve our patrons, the Becker Free Library will temporarily be closed for renovations. This is a very very small portion of our children's collection. It has become necessary to find a better way to catalogue our extensive book collections. The "stuff it so tightly on the shelf you can't get any books out" method has not been working so well. The main problem is that when you do manage to pull a book free, the other fifty books that were wedged in there with it come crashing out on to the floor. The kids are also fans of the "throw it on the floor when I'm done reading" method, the "hide it behind the toilet paper so Mom doesn't know I snuck more books into the bathroom" method, and the "take a new book to bed every night and leave them under the covers" method. Matt researched different real methods of book cataloguing, including the old Dewey Decimal system and the Library of Congress system.
After more discussion than was really necessary, we've decided to group non-fiction by subject and fiction alphabetical by author. Here Paul (our elected librarian) is sorting some fiction. Now, not being an engineer type myself, my brain works a little differently when it comes to organizing things. I have no problem remembering that I was reading Martha Stewart's Cupcake Book the last time I was giving Renee a bubble bath, so of course it's shelved right behind the toilet bowl cleaner. I mean, come on, that's entirely logical. About a year ago, before we set up the library, I actually did organize the books on the downstairs shelves according to a very logical and easy to use system. By color. Everyone knows Don Quixote is orange and Robinson Crusoe is red, don't they? That's how I remember things anyways, and if other people can't find books, that's not my problem.

On Christmas Day in the Morning...

Paul woke us up this morning at the agreed-upon hour of 6:30 a.m., by playing Christmas carols on the piano. Matt and I lay in bed listening for about 20 minutes before Paul started to run out of songs to play, and by then everyone else was up.
We really only had a modest pile of presents to go through, se we started by having the kids go one at a time. Halfway through the painstakingly belabored opening of the first present, I ran out of patience and gave the kids permission to dig in and rip.

Legos, Legos, and more Legos. Everyone got their own coveted multi-million piece theme set. They'll be hunched over the table like this for a week, at least.

I was especially amused by the 'educational propaganda' labels on Renee's Lego box. Her set will, apparently, help her with motor skill development, colors and shapes, social skills, and creative development. All I wanted was for her to play be herself and leave me alone for a half hour. I guess I''m a better parent than I thought.
Even the dog got what she wanted. If you remember from her birthday party post, the dog is nervous about any unusual situations or behavior, and she was indeed afraid of her present. She could smell something dog-alicious inside, and didn't want anyone to go near her package, but was afraid to actually touch it herself. Matt unwrapped a nice big new bone for her, which she took downstairs behind the couch to enjoy in private.
Matt got a large pile of wordy academic books, which I am beginning to regret already. Every time I pass by him, he stops me to tell me about some category of ancient history that I never knew existed. I got gold jewelry (he went to Jared!), and a big box full of coffee, chocolate, and maple sugar. So far it's been a good Christmas.

Couch: Reloaded

Way back, over twelve years ago, just before Matt and I got married, we bought a couch and a matching chair. No engagement ring, no fancy wedding, but by Jove, we had a couch! It worked out very well for us, for a few years. The couch was still comfy and sturdy and all that, but the fabric looked terrible- all faded and stained. So, I got a big idea in my little brain, and my over-achieving self decided to re-upholster the furniture myself.

Which I did. Slipcovered, to be precise. At that point we had two children, and I'd seen what they could do furniture. I needed something I could peel off and throw in the wash if a kid threw up all over the couch. Which has happened, more times than you might think is even possible. Those covers lasted a few years before they, too, became faded, stained, and torn. So I made new covers, sometime after baby #4 was born judging by old pictures.
The red covers lasted a few years, and were starting to become very faded and worn. I wanted to wait until after we moved to re-upholster yet again, but my hand was forced when a small hole appeared in the arm of a chair. And as anyone with children knows, a small hole will be made into a bigger hole, and bigger hole, until the entire arm of the chair was hanging off. Here is the work in progress: the faded blue is the original upholstery.
And here is the finished product. I've gotten pretty good at this kind of project, but it is a huge pain in the rear and makes an enormous mess out of the house. I think I ordered 35 yards of fabric, that came on several 5-foot long bolts. I've learned that it's better to just dig in and get the whole mess over with in few days, and let the kids run wild and the house fall into shambles, than to try and do a little bit every day and have it drag on for weeks. I picked a sturdier fabric this time, in a color that I call a cross between muddy dog and spilled coffee, so hopefully this effort will last a little longer this time.

Will The Circle Be Unbroken

As a reward for not driving me to jump off a bridge while I was finishing up a huge project (more on that later) this morning, I promised the kids a special treat for lunch. After we got back from taking the dog for her daily walk we made hot cocoa and popcorn for lunch! Note to self: it's a bad idea to take five children and a dog for a walk when it's 20 degrees out and snowing sideways. At that point,it's more of a death march than a midday stroll.

The kids are fascinated by my new hot air popper. Heretofore we had made popcorn in a pot on the stove, which is a pain in the rear. So we ordered this gizmo to make my life easier. The kids had never seen one before, and it was cause for raucous celebration when the first popped kernels floated into the bowl. We settled in for a nice lunch, and the day's musical selection, Johnny Cash's Greatest Hits. Nothing like The Rebel Johnny Yuma, Don't Take Your Guns to Town, or some Folsom Prison Blues to warm your soul. Little Renee amused the other shoppers at Wegmans one day by standing in the grocery cart singing "Hey, hey, Momma let your Daddy come home". We have very diverse musical tastes here in the Becker household.
The dog did not appear to appreciate the effort we put in to taking her for a walk today. She didn't even hang around to eat the (tons) of popcorn that fell on to the floor. She headed straight upstairs and tucked herself into Elena's bed.

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Snow Blower

Not when we've got free slave labor! Hurry up kid, Daddy's gotta get to work! Don't forget to clear off the mirrors.
This is what my children were doing at 7 a.m. this morning. Don't pity them, we haven't had that much winter yet so they still think this is fun!
Get moving there, Baby. No workee, no eatee.

Happy Birthday, Dog.

Sorry about the sideways pictures again (grrr...) Today is Fly's first birthday. We got the little home wrecker when she was a tiny little 7 week old quivering ball of fur.

Now she's a 52 week old quivering ball of fur. The kids have spent the last year since we got her planning her birthday party. Yes, that's right, birthday party. After much deliberation, we settled on getting her her very own McDonalds' hamburger. With a candle, of course.
The dog started getting real nervous when we put the flaming burger down in front of her. She flipped right out when we started singing "Happy Birthday". But it's not a birthday party without the singing of "Happy Birthday" and flaming food, now, is it? The children were very happy, and the dog slunk away to eat her hamburger behind the curtains, a year older and a year wiser.

The Village People

Gingerbread village, that is. A few years ago, I though it might be fun to make a gingerbread house. It was fun, for the children. The next year, of course, they wanted to do it again. And because I am a type-A over-achiever, a simple gingerbread house just wasn't going to cut it. Thus was born the gingerbread village. I am convinced that most holiday traditions can be traced back to an "oh this might be fun" idea formulated by some hapless mother, who was then forced by her children to re-create the event every year for the rest of her poor, tired life.
Now, because I am a type-A over-achiever and a little bit of a perfectionist, I could not bear to sit back watch children follow through with their decorating. I baked and built the houses, provided all the necessary supplies, and then left the room for three hours to let the kids do their thing. From a distance, their finished houses are bright and colorful and lovely. So far, the dog has only managed to jump up and gobble down one of the little gingerbread people (the gingerbread dog, ironically) and take a small bite out of the corner of one of the houses.

The Real Reason We Homeschool:

So that, on the morning of the first snowfall of the year, we can go outside to play. If you don't have children at home, you cannot possibly realize the significance of this event. It has been anticipated since we first dragged out the winter coats.
After a few more snowfalls, and after the kids have been made to shovel out the cars a few times, the magic will surely wear off.Right now, the kids are in a race against the clock. There's maybe an inch or two of snow, and the temperature is climbing higher into the thirties. By three o'clock, when all the poor school kids start coming home, the snow will be long gone.
This is what we call "packing snow", the kind that's perfect for snowmen, snow forts, and snow balls. I'm actually pretty impressed with the size of the snowballs the kids have managed to roll with such a measly layer of snow to work with. The biggest caveat of snowman building; don't roll the balls so big and heavy that you can not lift them to stack on top of one another, because Mother will not be coming out to help you. Many a 'snow caterpillar' has been constructed as a result of failure to heed this warning.
The real fun is just starting. The snow is melting into the mud underneath, which will soon be tracked in through the house. I now have to deal with the following: five wet muddy coats, five wet muddy snowpants, ten wet muddy boots, about forty wet muddy mittens, and one wet muddy (albeit very happy) dog.

For your listening pleasure...

Today was "back to work" after a nice, long week off. As we often do, the children picked a CD to listen to over lunch. Only, they don't so much listen as they do try to out-sing one another. My favorite family moment is at second 15 on the second video, when Paul clocks his brother in the head for singing wrong.

Because yes, we are THAT AWESOME!

For those who have not yet heard, the Beckers will soon become a family of eight. Yes, indeed; this May we are expecting yet another offspring. As a result of this addition, our family will no longer fit in our (paid for, wonderful, easy to drive and park) mini-van. So, the time has come to upgrade to a MEGA-van.
This here green monster is a 15 passenger Chevy Express 3500. It's 13 feet long and 7.5 feet high. I'm more than a little scared of it. It makes our min-van look like a little toy car. But, it was either this thing or a limousine, and we couldn't find a good price on any used limos.
And just to quickly re-visit yesterday, we ended up with seven pies. Two pumpkin, cherry, triple berry, chocolate cream, pecan, and lemon meringue. Oh, mercy, they were good. We only have a few lonely slices left.

Pie.

Sideways pie (stupid photo uploader...) This one is pecan, if you couldn't tell. I like pie, probably as much as I like donuts, which is a lot. I made five pies for tomorrow- two pumpkin, triple-berry, chocolate cream, and Mr. Pecan up there. I'm feeling like I should make a cake or pudding or something, you know, to round out the menu. But I'm the cook, and I like pie! I have more dough in the fridge, so maybe tomorrow morning I'll whip up a lemon meringue or a cherry. Forget turkey; tomorrow is Pie Day.

May the Force be with you, son.

Joe has just informed me that Jedi knights can fight better when they are blindfolded. I suggested that since he is not, to my knowledge, a Jedi knight, that he might do better practicing the piano without his hat pulled down over his eyes. It was just a suggestion; I will leave it to him to explain his methodology to his piano teacher.

The Way Things Ought To Be

Monday through Friday, the children get up early, get themselves cleaned up, and start right in on chores and school work. Sunday, of course, we're out the door for church. But, O! To be a kid on Saturday morning! They stumble out from their rooms as early as 6 a.m., bleary-eyed and scruffy, to settle in for cartoons Three glorious hours of mind-numbingly insipid twaddle, interspersed with commercials for sugary cereal and overpriced toys. Bliss!

Remembered.

Usually I write about all the funny or naughty stuff the kids are up to, but today, I'll wax a bit more somber. Veteran's Day should be a bit somber, after all. It comes as a great disappointment, and really a dishonor to the meaning of the day, that there were no local services or ceremonies to remember our veterans. I remember looking for something like that to take the children to last year as well, and was not able to find any kind of public memorials. The store parking lots on Jefferson Road, however, were jam-packed. Therein lies the hearts of Americans.
So the children suggested we visit their great-grandpa's stone at the cemetery. We were very pleased to see that at least here, there were flags on all the veteran's graves. We walked around and looked at a lot of the other vet's stones, to see their dates of service and the other things that were listed. We even saw one purple heart recipient. The kids were all very interested, and had lots of questions, and shared lots of memories of their grandpa.

Sneak Preview and Editor's Cuts

Unedited, and in the raw. Our 2009 Christmas card photo shoot. Which looks very similar to our 2008 and 2007 photo shoots, only now with a dog.
We'd finally mastered the art of arranging children, running to push the timer button, then jumping into the photo before the timer went off. Then we got a dog, who is not the least bit sympathetic to the difficulties of group portraiture.
All that running, jumping, and shouting makes her a little jumpy herself. But, we got a few shots that we might be able to use, nonetheless.

Super Happy Crazy Funtasticness

Today, we went to the Strong National Museum of Play. As it turns out, they were inducting three new toys in to the Toy Hall of Fame (oh yes, there is such a thing!) Since we were there anyways, we went to see the "ceremony". The kids were hoping we'd get on the news- there was a lot of press there. Now that election day is past, they have to show something on the news, and this is probably as important as anything else they can think of to report on.
After the big ceremony, we hit the rest of the museum. Really, I don't feel right calling this place a museum. Museums should be quiet and dusty and full of cases of rock specimens and insects with pins through them. This place is more like Chuck E. Cheese on an acid trip. Everything is colorful, noisy, child-sized, gimmicky, and frantic. Up above is the miniature kid-sized grocery store experience.
They had a special display- a whole room full of full-size vintage arcade games. Joe liked Pac-Man. I tried to teach Naomi Frogger. Paul kept seeming to lose his tokens in broken machines.
This place is huge. Since we have a membership and can get in free anytime we want (normal admission price for our family costs more than buying a one-year membership), we didn't even attempt to do everything there. I'm now ready for a looong nap in a dimly lit room.

Today is Monday

It has been brought to my attention that I have not updated this blog in a few weeks. That is because, quite simply, things have been very dull.Of course, things have been dull here for quite some time, and it hasn't stopped me from posting about all of our glorious dullness.

This is what it looks like pretty much every day here. Eat, study, play, let the dog out; repeat. We've been getting lots of work done, much to the dismay of the children.

Every single morning, after breakfast, the children run off and hide in the far corners of the house. Every single morning, I track them down and round them up and start them on their studies. Every single morning, every single child lets out a long whine-"Awwww, why do we always have to do work in the morning!!"

You'd think they wouldn't be so surprised by this; like I said, we follow the same routine, every single morning. So, now you are up to date!

The only other thing we've been up to lately is buying a lot of stuff. This is my new oven, it arrived yesterday. I'm taking it for it's inaugural run with a Lemon Pudding Cake. The old oven (which was not that old, and quite expensive when I bought it!) was mostly broken for over a year, after having spent most of it's life mostly broken in some way or another. The plan was to sell this house, and let the broken oven be somebody else's problem, but since that is not happening as quickly as we'd hoped, and I absolutely could not live with the old oven for one more day, we got a new one.

This is my new guitar. My old one was not broken, but it was an entry level model and I was ready to upgrade. This one is pretty. I'm actually not sure yet if I like playing it better than the old one; I'm still working out some kinks in the set up, but it's pretty! I also got a pretty new strap and some other pretty new guitar accessory junk. Also in the new-stuff front, I got a new camera, that I've been wanting for quite some time. I didn't take its picture; I didn't want my old camera to be insulted by having to photograph its replacement.

Poor kids from big families...

Elena has been carefully guarding these toys all morning- a little stuffed border collie and a box of alphabet blocks. She has been carrying them from room to room. When she goes to the bathroom, the toys come with her. There have been several unsuccessful hostile takeover attempts this morning already, as well as cries of, "Elena's not SHARING". This is because nothing is so covetous to another child as something that someone else is playing with.

Children from large families jealously guard that which is rightly theirs, or even that which they believe ought to be theirs. We've had battles over every toy in the house and every food item that cannot be divided in to five equal portions. Outgrown clothing, especially favorite items, are pried unwillingly from the hands of the too-big owner to be given to the next younger child (who does his part by gloating cheerfully over the newly acquired item.) The rights to things like bunk bed assignments, drawer and shelf space, and van seating are hotly debated. Order is also very important- who has to take their shower first, who gets in or out of the van first, who gets served their dinner first, etc. Our house is filled with lamentations of "Hey, that's mine!", "How come she gets the last piece?", "I should get it, I'm the oldest!", "I had to go first last time!"

So really, there is good reason for Elena's pathetic little toy hoarding maneuvers. She know for an established fact that if she turn her back on her toys for even as long as it takes to use the bathroom, some other kid will walk off with them. And since even here at home possession is nine-tenths of the law, it's very likely she won't get her toys back.

Homeschool Kids Gone Wild

It was a slow, cold-ish, rainy-ish morning. The kids were tired from a late night last night, and a few of them are coming down with a little cold. I needed some time to practice my music. So, the children had a little time to kick back and go crazy this morning. This is what goes on when home schooled kids are left largely unsupervised for a few hours:

Joe (who finally rolled out of bed hours after everyone else) is our master paper crafter. He spent the morning making admirals' hats for his little stuffed dogs. If he had enough paper, he could probably make full wardrobes for every member of the family.
The rest of the wild and crazy kids made paper-and-marker replicas of flags from around the world. I forgot what countries these flags are from, but I assure you they are legitimate, actual countries. If you notice any worn-out flags flying over the UN headquarters, give these kids a call; they'll hook you up.
Elena made up her own flags. This one looks like the Republic of Spiderman. I think I'll go live there.

We have moved on to more standard school work, but I've caught a few of these hooligans trying to sneak some flag-coloring underneath their spelling books.