It was a perfectly normal Tuesday morning in October. Mrs Pickwick packed five perfectly normal blessings onto the perfectly normal bus and sat down to her perfectly normal coffee, with a sigh of relief that it was such a quiet day with nothing at all she had to remember. Suspicion slowly edged its way in,… Continue reading Too Many Tuesdays
After a long day watercolor painting, block building, and snacking, the Little Man about the place crashed hard on the couch and was fast asleep by dinner time. Sweet, somewhat smitten by the halo that appears every time he is unconscious: “Oh look, he’s fallen asleep.” Mrs Pickwick replied that she thought school was probably… Continue reading Kindergarten of Eden, an Update
Last week, Mrs Pickwick happened to be on the phone with the receptionist for the family doctor. If you don’t have a family doctor with a receptionist who periodically calls you to ask if the children would like to be registered to win free bicycles, how Sweet’s latest malady is coming along, and just generally… Continue reading Another Kind of Checking
Feisty: “Is ‘U’ a vowel?” Busy: “No. I’m not a vowel.”
I have taught several kindergarteners at this point in my illustrious homeschool career. The third time around it is much easier, because naturally I perfected my methods and used up all my tears on the first one. And as all parents of more than one blessing know, once you find a system that works for… Continue reading Kindergarten of Eden
Small Pickwick, in process of being educated: “Mommy, do you want to hear something very funny? When I first read about Romans I thought the book said ‘A Roman in a Taco!’ But now I know that they wear Tagos, not Tacos. Sometimes I still like to imagine them in tacos, just for fun.”
In honor of the feast of the Presentation of the Lord into the Temple, or as I prefer to think of it, Candlemas (because I can thus easily imagine myself the vicar’s wife of Barsetshire or Shepperton, 18–), I decided to become Crafty. I initially pictured myself making beautiful beeswax candles in Sunday School that… Continue reading Another Inspiring Homeschool Post: Mrs. Pickwick on Crafts
Nothing is more exhausting than taking a break from all one’s regular duties, unless it be resuming those duties after the break. School, routines, menu planning, writing, laundry, kitchen maintenance, essentially every part of our lives (with the exception of the small Pickwickian bedtime, which reigns supreme, even over the twelve days of Christmas) has… Continue reading Mrs. Pickwick’s Tips for Recommencing Actual Life after a Holiday
Small Pickwick, in high dudgeon at the lunch table: “Do you know? I don’t believe I was actually born in this family. I believe I arrived here by accident.” A somewhat smaller, Sweet Pickwick crumples to the floor in sisterly distress and agony and wails: “But I want you to belong to us! Why don’t… Continue reading Fairies and Math
Something like AB or CD would be so trite. I’m afraid the math people in this book have very little imagination. I do hope our portfolio evaluator does not suffer from the same complaint.
