{SQT} Cleaning Up

1. After the Tornado

We are very grateful for how we have been able to recover from the tornado. We were without power for 55 hours, stayed the first night in a hotel, but then came home. Mama and some of the children continue to experience some rattly nerves and nightmares. (A week later there was an intense rain storm and some of the kids were very afraid it was a tornado and insisted on going downstairs.)

After being nearly 70 degrees when the tornado came through, the next day it snowed. Then began rain that will probably last a week in its entirety. I think 70 degrees is in the forecast again for next week.

If you're on Facebook, I think you can see a video posted by Jay McBride of the tornado hitting our neighborhood: it's really frightening (for me, anyway) to watch: click here.

Meanwhile, the wonderful landscapers of ours had to take out eight gigantic trees. We will never see trees grow that high during our lifetime, so I am trying to brush away my disappointment and think of how our other trees will flourish in the new sunlight and wonder what wonderful changes will occur in our landscaping due to the new sun reaching the ground.

Two-year-old watching trees being felled

We had our wonderful tree workers create for us a new fire pit (which is still a mud pit).

On garbage day (six days after the tornado), the City of Charlotte sent 21 debris removal trucks into our neighborhood to remove green waste (and think how all the privately contracted tree companies removed their own tree waste!). It has been eight days and I can still hear chainsaws going all day, although they are quieting instead of sounding like a billion bees. I supposed that when insurance claims come through soon, our neighborhood will be filled with the pounding sounds of new roofs being installed. In the meanwhile, blue tarps cover roofs and some crushed cars are still sitting there.

On a neighborhood walk, I saw a rain gutter that had flown across the road and become bent and wrapped around limbs very high in a tree.

2. Quiz Bowl

Our family had the best time at the Catholic Quiz Bowl of South Carolina! As power was still out at home and it was snowing and getting cold in the dark house, those of us who went (me and the top three kids) also appreciated spending the day with heat and light!

The Catholic Quiz Bowl is held on one Saturday in Columbia, SC. Even normal catechism studies would be sufficient, but our family also ran flash cards and played catechism games at breakfast a few times per week in the months ahead. It was not onerous study at all. Then in the last six weeks or so, we tried to get together most Sundays before or after Mass with some teammates to practice Quiz Bowl. We met at church, sat in teams, and had a moderator read questions and a score keeper keep track. The kids involved enjoyed even the practices.

The cost was minimal: $25 total for the team of four children and expense of any outfits that were purchased. All the students involved were super excited about picking clever team names and trying to win the Best Dressed Contest.

The actual event lasts from 9:30 till about 4:00. There are two divisions: junior is grades 5-8 and senior is grades 9-12. There were two rounds of games, a lunch break, and then three rounds of games. No teams are eliminated, but points are being accumulated: this method seems more encouraging to youth than a playoff-elimination style. The two final teams were tied, so they played a playoff, and were still tied exactly in points. Then they did a sudden death round and when one team won by 5 points, the resounding screams of excitement by all the students watching nearly shook the building!

It was such a joy to watch 18 teams (3-5 kids each) of Catholic youth (mostly homeschoolers) all eager to be there, interested in memorizing their faith, having a good time. In pragmatic terms, the parish hall at Our Lady of the Hills where the event is held is very well-suited to families. Mothers who brought their whole brood of kids were comfortable there, little siblings could run around, play, eat, nap in chairs.  I had brought my 8-year-old along and she made friends while there and exchanged addresses to become pen pals.

A gentleman brought his world class collection of saints' relics to the event for the children to see. Our children had rapt interest and could be found in the relics room and questioning the gentleman during every break they had, and now they are campaigning for how to bring this gentleman and his collection to our parish for a visit.

After the Quiz Bowl ended, most of the teams/families went out to dinner at two different restaurants. The burger joint we patronized was owned by a Christian family, so there were well-used Bibles at every table and a prayer request chalkboard on the wall. There was electricity in the air and the kids were on a high from their fun and competitive day. I found it a joy to watch them socializing. I think these kind of events normalize the faith and our lifestyles for our children and I hope these help them maintain their faith as they later go out into the world.

My children most definitely want to participate again next year. We had two families who live in Columbia but attend Mass weekly at St. Ann's, so we three families would practice together. I know there were four other families from St. Ann's who wanted to participate, but could not this year. Anyway, keep it in mind for next year! The Quiz Bowl is held sometime in the spring, so advertisements go out before Christmas. This is one of those events that requires minimal investment ahead of time but gives a real "bang for its buck" in social, spiritual, and academic returns.

3. Scholastic Scenes

We chugged through school this week, but apparently I was not a shutter bug. The kids are practicing very seriously in both piano and violin for auditions and competition season.

4. Hockey Goalie

Last week, John used scrap wood to build a hockey goalie for his practice at home.

Siblings dressing up the goalie for fun

This week, John painted it, which was a new kind of project. I'm proud of his work!

5. Young Chefs

Four- and six-year-olds cooking oatmeal and eggs for breakfast . . .

All the children actually cooked up a storm this week, including a certain super helper making breakfast for the family a few times this week when I was running late. They've made big messes, but it was well worth it.

6. St. Valentine's Day

Going out to dinner a night early

7. Fresh Air Fun

And I've been doing a heavy pruning project, which will continue into next week . . .

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