Sibling Togetherness

One of the ladies in our online homeschooling list was gathering input regarding the homeschooling effects on sibling rivalry.  I referred the group to our previous posts (here here and here) but this led to discussions at home as well.

Eric likes sitting next to Zach in the van.  He reckons there are some great advantages, along with a few disadvantages, but overall he prefers that seat.  Eric says, "It is entertaining and at times highly profitable".

Advantages
 - You can play with the baby (see here and here for some examples)
 - You can eat the left overs which means you often get one and a half ice creams.

Disadvantages
 - When they are tired and scream.  Not pleasant but worth the effort in calming them down.

(The second photo is when Rose was three months old.  Eric added a Red Nose to Rose)

The other children wanted to add in their bit too:

The Boys (17,14,12): multi player games with opponents on hand is fun.

Peter (12): without them you get bored so easily

Ariel (19): [Evil laugh] - you can get them to do tasks you don't want to: but they're noisy and they take up your time and you have to feed them ... (after a delay)... but sometimes they're fun.

James (14): They're fun.  The younger ones find all my old tricks really new and funny.

Clare (9): You have someone to play with.

Martin (3): Because you love 'em.

To Bed Perchance To Talk

One would think the children would sleep soundly once night falls.  After all they have had full days, the nights here are dark with a sky full of stars and the world is filled with the silence of the country.
Last night at around 2am James awoke and realised there was a lot of talking going on. The night was dark and everyone was asleep but they were all talking.

Ariel as muttering something about the shop.

Eric asked, "Is there anything we need to do?"
Pause
"No?  Are you listening to me?"
James replied "Eric, are you talking to me?"
Eric answered irritably, "No, I'm talking to the glow worm thing!"

Peter was talking almost coherently about the book he is reading.

Clare said in a joyful voice, "Um, Um, I'm in a PINK castle!  And it's pink!"

Rose asked, "Martin, are you awake?"
Martin answered, "Yes"
Rose replied, "Well, let's go to the trampoline."
Martin then asked, "Yes.  Where is it?"  (They play on the trampoline every day)

After checking that everyone was actually fast asleep, James went back to bed.

One small step for Zach

It has begun.
Crawling was fun and despite knees rubbed raw it was a very effective means of transport.
But this new "walking" thing!
Zach is enjoying his first steps as we all quickly raise the breakable things another level higher.
This means we are approaching Defcon 3 in the baby danger scale.

But my hair is fine!

Rose enjoys running around and being a very busy little girl.  She doesn't have time for niceties like sitting still for grooming or sorting out her hair.
But sometimes she has to stop and get in order.  Here she is thoroughly happy to have Lana sort out her hair before going in to Mass.

Just add water

We have had a lot of rain recently which is really really good.  Our water supply is wholly dependent on rain - it hits the roof, runs into the water tank and we get to use it for all our water needs.  It's a great system but it does take some getting used to, especially when we first lived here after being used to water on demand in the city.
Anyway, our new attitude of "rain is always a good thing" means the children also get to celebrate every time it rains and are often told to "go outside and play in the rain."
To get the right response you must start your training early.  Here is Zach enjoying himself immensely at the edge of a lovely muddy puddle.  He looks very pleased with himself.

A Tale of Two Moors

I have just finished listening/reading to "Wuthering Heights" by Emily Bronte. This is considered a classic book and I felt it was part of my continuing cultural education to read it.
The story is set in an old house built beside the moors where winds "wuther" or blow a lot.  Just like in the excellent book "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Unlike The Secret Garden, Wuthering Heights is a continuing sad tale about a complete cast of dysfunctional selfish characters.  Even the character you would most want to treat favourably, the house maid Ellen/Nellie, is a complete loser who continues to make the wrong choices dooming those in her charge to worse fates.  A little bit of honesty and courage would have completely changed the lives she cared so much about.
All I knew about Wuthering Heights before reading it was that there were two lovers Heathcliff and Cathy, calling each other's name across a grassy field.  Now I know Heathcliff was a selfish, vindictive psychopath intent on destruction for all those who he felt would hinder his "love" for Cathy - a self important selfish stupid girl.

Cathy marries the stupid rich guy next door, although she really "loved" the poor selfish guy Heathcliff.  Then the girl next door is married to Heathcliff despite all warnings and immediately regrets her choice. The servants, family, lawyers and doctors are all hopeless cases in a tangled "love" story.  The love in this story ends with the survivors getting married for no convincing reason.  Every other central character (other than Ellen/Nellie) dies a sickly or miserable death.  There is no redemption or true love in the whole thing.
Compare this with The Secret Garden.  Now here is a story where we start with lots of self love and selfishness, bitterness and despair.  But it all turns around - without any tragic or miserable deaths - with every major character realising the futility of despair and selfishness to be truly happy.
And the wisest character is the mother on the moor with a bucketload of children, respected by all for her knowledge and wisdom.
I suppose those of a "romantic" disposition favour the "love" story in Wuthering Heights but I reckon this is a real problem.  If Wuthering Heights is taken as a guide for how love works it will certainly lead to a life of misery.  Look around society today for exactly that result.
The Secret Garden is much closer to the truth.  And a much better read.

Why is it dark in my kitchen?

We are in the midst of Cicada season.  Every 7 years or so the cicadas make their way above ground, climb whatever they can, shed their skins and settle somewhere else.  They sing to each other during the day attracting their mates and after about two or three weeks they go back underground for another 7 years.
Some cicada facts from the Australian Museum:

• Only male cicadas sing. They do this in an attempt to find a mate.
• Different species have different songs to attract only their own kind.
• Adult cicadas have short lives, usually only a few weeks.
• Most of their lives are spent as nymphs underground. For some species this can be up to several years.
• Cicadas feed only on plant sap using their piercing, sucking mouthparts.
• Cicadas feed on a huge range of plants, including eucalypts and grasses.
• Birds, bats, spiders, wasps, ants, mantids and tree crickets all prey on cicadas.

The last point neglected to mention human children as collectors of cicada shells.
The majority of the village children collect lots and lots of shells.
Peter discovered a novel way of displaying his collection - on the wire screen of the kitchen window.
While impressive to behold, it does cut down on the natural light!

A Zach in the Box

James has been saving his money from working at the shop for some time and finally bought a huge Lego kit.  This was bought online and we had email notification it would arrive today.  So James awoke early, did his schoolwork and counted down the minutes until he knew the mail would arrive at the shop.
He returned with this lovely large box and quickly took out his kit and with the willing assistance of Peter, Clare, Rose and Martin went to work.
Tonight, Lana and I looked at the box, looked at Zach and gave Zach his part of the prize.  A box filled with scrunched up newspaper.  Hours of fun!
On a similar note a customer came in today and asked Ariel what she should buy for her 1 year old grandson.
Without any hesitation, Ariel answered, "A tissue box."
The customer thought this may not be what she was thinking of and wanted some alternative options.
Ariel persisted, 'He would have a lot of fun.  He would really like it."

Chilly mornings make for a fresh start to the day

Winter mornings here are reasonably chilly.  Typically the evenings get to around 0 (32F) and low negatives (26F to 30F) but the days are mostly sunny.
On weekdays Ariel and Eric need to get up around 6:30am to be ready to be at the shop at 7:00am to open at 7:30am.
On the weekends we open half an hour later and I am at the shop with them.
It is only a short walk down the lane and across the park but I was able to catch the lovely footsteps created as Ariel trudged resolutely to a slightly warmer shop.

Some things are not meant to be sent

Owning the local Post Office has its advantages.  The postage scale is a very precise instrument and all manner of items are weighed to determine correct postage.
We have a handy little ready reckoner on a laminated pink sheet.  You just check the destination postcode with the weight and "Voila!" you get the correct postage.
But wait!
First you need to check the list of approved items for postage.  Even though babies aren't specifically mentioned we decided to err on the side of caution and defer sending Zach off for a trip.
So I'll guess we'll keep him.  After all he is paying his rent of at least one smile per day.  With a few bonus giggles and laughs he has a long time future with the rest of us.

Soon I can play with my brother

Martin has been paying very close attention to Lana and Zach.
He has a great time playing with his older sisters, but he has decided that he needs a younger brother with whom he can get into more boy-like mischief.
So, he has figured it is never too late to start the training regime.
Here he is showing Zach the approved method for holding a toy gun.
Considering that Zach is still at the stage of accidently discovering that the things at the end of his arms are actually under his control, this training may be a bit premature.

Zach update

It's been about 4 weeks since Zach arrived and all is well.
At this stage of the game his job is to:
1. eat,
2. sleep and
3. get fatter.

So far, he has earned 3 out of 3.
Here he is doing his practical exam of task 2.

The area he needs to work on is burping.  When he gets older we will tell him "Excuse me" when he passes wind or burps, but at the moment it is cheers all round!

All I want for my birthday

Clare has just celebrated her 9th birthday recently.  All she really wanted to celebrate her birthday was to work in the shop, "... so I can wash the dishes and collect the plates from the customers.  That will be fun!"
So we let her have her birthday wish.  Clare did a very good job and enjoyed being a useful part of the operations on a busy Saturday morning.
***
At the recent country show, Eric once more won first prize for his scones.
So, naturally, we have added scones to the store's menu. Award winning scones with Raspberry jam and cream.
On the first weekend we offered this treat a group of about 30 bike riders visited us and finished off the batch we had just made.  Their response?  "Mmmmmm, any more?"

The Latest Carnival of Homeschooling

The latest Carnival of Homeschooling is up with lots of interesting links to posts.
Our post regarding the DIY Business College is included.

Enjoy!

DIY Business College

When we purchased the Shop we wanted to make it more than just a quiet little job. One of our aims was to provide the young people working there with valuable training and experience.
Part of this is ensuring all the staff are familiar with the many aspects of the shop from Coffee, Cooking, Post Office, Newsagency, DVD rentals, Groceries and more. I wanted them to have something on their resume when they moved on.
Ariel, Eric and a local girl are all working on an official apprenticeship with an Employment Training organisation. They are doing a course in Business Management - Ariel doing a Level 4 certificate, and Eric and the girl doing Level 3 this year, and the level 4 certificate next year.
This course is college equivalent training and will help if they ever want to continue on to a University level degree later.
We have seen their service levels and knowledge grow quickly as they apply the training to their work at the Shop.
For Eric this is a great homeschooling alternative to the typical year 11 and 12 studies.  Not only is he getting invaluable experience with business and getting paid, but he obtains credits that can be applied to a university (college) degree in a few years' time.  As he is only 16, this works out very well.
This is also a great test of how we have done in preparing the children.  We have homeschooled them from the beginning, so this is the first real external means we have had to confirm our methods.  The reaction from the external trainer is very positive.  Woo hoo!
We were told at every stage by friends and strangers, "Just you wait until X is Y years old!  Then you will be in trouble."  Well, so far we have enjoyed every stage of each child and continue to enjoy living and working with the older ones too.

Depaganisation done!

Zach is now part of a much broader family than just ours.  On Sunday he was baptised during the Mass we regularly attend in our parish.  If you have a closer look at the photo Lana's Dad helpfully captured, you will see many smiling faces.  My Dad is grinning, as is Lana's Mum and then all the congregation in view are also grinning. That was a pretty amazing capture of the joy we all felt on this most opportune Sunday in Lent.
The 4th Sunday in Lent is known as Laetare Sunday. This day is set aside as a "break" from the penitential Lenten season, allow us all to pause, reflect on how we have done so far and prepare to finish off Lent in fighting form.  The normal Lenten Purple vestments are replaced with Rose coloured vestments.  As our priest explained, this is half way between Lenten purple and Easter white so we can all get the appropriate visual cues.
Meanwhile, here is our Rose looking the wrong direction. Again.
The priest asked us why we didn't wait until the Easter Vigil Mass to have Zach's baptism.  That would be awesome, as it was when Clare was baptised what seems so long ago, but we wanted Zach baptised reasonably promptly and we had to arrange a time when my parents were able to visit from Melbourne.  So we picked the next best day in Lent, Laetare Sunday.

We want Mum back

Lana has had to stay in hospital for another night.  *Sigh*
This makes it an 8 night stay.
The doctors are just making sure Lana is spot on so neither Lana or Zach will have to return.  The stitches are out and Zach is in fine form.
So tonight we visited and brought our protest signs.

I told Lana we were performing some corporal works of mercy - visiting the sick and prisoners.

We are told that tomorrow is looking good for a release date.

Do you want to meet your siblings?

I visited Lana in hospital today with the 5 youngest children.  Naturally they all wanted to have a hold of Zach in their own hands.
Here you can see Zach giving a big yawn before he is handed across.  You may also note Martin's hands already in position.

Other than our visit, today was the day we prepared the bedroom for Zach's cot, and the car for the child seat.
The cot is placed next to Lana's side of the bed with the side next to the bed removed.  This allows for us to have the whole bed and when Zach needs a feed, Lana just has to reach across.  When he is finished, Lana moves him over.  It's all very civilised.

Cuteness is a state of being

Zach has decided to have a good start on a try for a Cute Baby award.  Here is his first attempt on Day 1 and he is not even trying.
Naturally, I am an unbiased, impartial judge.
***
I have been visiting Lana with various sub sets of the children over the last few days.  During the day I take the younger ones and in the evening the older ones after the shop closes.
Yesterday I was visiting Lana with Clare, Rose and Martin when the doctor came in to check Lana's progress.
As this is a training hospital he is always accompanied by a collection of trainee doctors or nurses.
"Look at this lady, " he says with a smile, "No wonder she has so many children, they are all so wonderful!"
***
Lana should be coming home soon.  The whole family is out of sorts without Mum not being around.  Soon we will be back as one unit - of 10 people!

I have a list

I visited Lana and Zach this morning with the four younger children.  (Tonight I will go with the older ones)
The doctor visited the room while we were there and excitedly showed the children how the baby came out. The children were very interested. They had already seen the photos I had taken of the delivery room which helped to give them some background.  These photos showed what happened but did not include any of the graphic bits.
Afterwards the doctor was standing next to Peter and asked him what he wanted to do when he grew up.  Would he want to be a doctor?
"Well," said Peter seriously, "I have a list and it is growing shorter."
"Is medicine on the list?" asked our doctor with interest.
"Yes." replied Peter.
The doctor smiled and waving his finger in the air to emphasise his point, said, "20 years from now."

Also visiting was a trainee Doctor who had an interesting path to medicine.  He had initially completed his HSC and started a commerce degree at University.  But he realised this wasn't for him and left after 6 months, starting work at a company packing boxes.  2 years later he had a calling to join the Ambulance service and did a 4 year ambulance course.  Still enjoying medicine, he began a full time medicine course and 4 years on is doing his final year, assisting at hospitals and the birth of Zach.  I really appreciated hearing this story because it shows that you can d what you want if you really have the calling.

I also wanted to post to show you a fresh photo of Lana and Zach.  He is a bit cute.  I suppose we'll keep him. :-)