{SQT} Happy Birthday, Chris!

1. Fall Weather

And just like that, our weather shifted from the heat of summer to crisp fall with highs in the 50s most days, introducing the cries for Mama's homemade cocoa and popcorn for afternoon snack time. I think I'd better pick a new read-aloud if I've got their attention held captive!

2. Carolina Renaissance Festival

Click here to read about our big adventure at the Carolina Renaissance Festival!

3. Chris' Birthday

Chris enjoyed his birthday on Wednesday. We were busy for several evenings ahead of time and then were going to be busy that night and three more nights--notice a theme of being too busy?--so we celebrated by going out to breakfast together.

We experienced a humorous moment at the restaurant. The friendly waitress, who has served us before, carried a tray with eight water drinks on it until she accidentally dumped the two adult-sized iced waters (each probably 16 ounces) . . . right on my baby! She was mortified and I laughed so hard and long I had tears coming out of my eyes.

Thankfully, most of the ice filled up the back of David's sweatshirt hood, and the water poured down the back of his sweatshirt like water off a duck's back and pooled on the floor. I took off the soaking sweatshirt and his outfit was still dry inside, so he was startled but not cold or bothered.

In fact, the whole thing revealed that I'd had such a harried morning that he was still wearing his pajamas from the overnight!

The lady was so sweet about her mishap and I certainly knew how these things do happen sometimes.

Daddy enjoyed opening his kiddos' cards, including appreciating John's three-dimensional Lego card!

4. Scottish Dance

John received his kilt on Thursday! Congratulations, honey!

After class, obviously not wearing his dance shoes

In our Scottish Dance class, students dance in their own clothing (according to a dress code) and aren't allowed to wear a kilt until they've earned the privilege and honor, something that has taken John two years of hard work. The dance teachers (who are Scottish) secretly purchased the kilt, according to my measurements, while in Scotland this past summer and presented it to John this week.

They had planned it with me ahead of time, so instead of dropping off John at the door, I followed him into the dance studio and quietly got out my smart phone. I had charged it, I had made sure enough photos were deleted so it had memory, I had set it on 'video' . . . and then when I pushed 'record,' I must have committed an Operator Error . . .

Still photo taken by an audience member

I thought I was filming when the male teacher gathered around all the students and gave a warm speech about my son, and then presented him with the kilt, but apparently I pushed 'record' when I thought I was pushing 'stop,' and therefore I came away with a seven-minute video from inside my purse recording the audio of me then taking the little boys to the bathroom. I was so disappointed to lose that special moment!

Still photo taken by an audience member

5. Scholastic Scenes

This week we began a new History unit: I always enjoy the process of swapping out the books I've planned, repopulating my history-and-geography bookshelf, and printing out the new blank MapQuest maps we're going to use during the unit.

Even the 3-year-old insists on coloring maps

6. Messy

Life on a blog can seem misleadingly perfect. While I want to encourage, I never want to mislead.

My life is not perfect.

What does one do to keep one's school room neat? Our play room and school room are the same room. I dream of a school room I can keep locked and no children are allowed in there unless I am in there teaching.

But the reality is that this room doesn't even have a door, let alone a locking one, and it is where the kids, even the baby, go play unsupervised throughout the day.

And then when I show up to teach, it looks like this: covered in a patina of Legos, art supplies, so much torn paper, scissors, paper clips, and glue lying about on the carpet, uncapped markers that are ruined, books tossed about and lying open on their spines, and often many, many more toys dumped out that in the above photos.

I can't teach when the room is not functional, tables not clear, floors not passable, room not even safe for the baby to be in there. So I spend time straightening it up and then our teaching time is lost.

I doubt there is a perfect solution. I've locked up a lot of toys to cycle through them, given away others, the kids are assigned to pick up the room at regular intervals, plus I do it myself (properly!) several times per week.

It's just exhausting. That's all.

7. Clever Things that Are Working

I have no idea how to end each day with a neat School and Play room, but click here to read what I hope is a new blog series called Clever Things that Are Working.


For more 7 Quick Takes, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.