Lettres de Mon Moulin by Alphonse Daudet (Letters from My Windmill) is a book I had bought for myself a long time ago, when I was a dreamy high school senior in Romania, hoping to become a French and English student at the University of Bucharest. We are talking 1992, folks.
My copy of Lettres de mon moulin
It sat in my parents’ home for decades until 2016 when I brought it to my home in the States. What a journey! Continue reading
Homeschool mamas do not pack lunches, right? We are at home with our children and teach them in the morning while our instant pot or slow cooker prepares lunch for us, right? Or we cook with our children, thus checking two boxes: home ec and lunch prep, right? Wrong.
Our new bread box
These days, homeschool moms find themselves on the road with their children. A lot. Co-op, music lessons, orchestra, errands… All of a sudden, you have to pack a lunch because you do not want to have another fast food meal. Ever. You are done with that folly. Continue reading
Exactly one year ago, I turned off all the screens in the home for three weeks. Dr. Victoria Dunckley wrote “Reset Your Child’s Brain” for parents whose children exhibit symptoms of Electronic Screen Syndrome (ESS).
These symptoms range from ADHD, ADD, OCD, to emotional meltdowns, to anxiety and depression, to sleep disruptions, to hating math (after loving it in younger elementary age) etc. The book details exactly what to do for the three weeks of the fast and the preceding week, when you prepare for it. It also informs you what to expect week by week.
Our son cubing while waiting for orchestra practice
My son did not like it one bit, but it changed his life. Ten days into it, he started cleaning his room (which the book predicted). By the end of the fast, he had learned how to solve Rubik’s cube in less than a minute. One month later, he asked our pastor for Bible studies so that he may prepare for baptism. Continue reading
Whenever possible, teenagers older than 14 should get a summer job. Homeschoolers are no exception. Unless your child is taking a full load of classes through the summer, a job is the perfect learning opportunity.
So many skills develop as teenagers interact with the real world and make money. It also helps with keeping a routine going through the summer weeks. It is much easier to say, “Let’s wake up at 7am so that we can have breakfast at 7:30am and then leave by 8:00am so we can get to work by 8:30am,” than to say, “Let’s wake up at 7am even though we do not have anything in particular planned.” Continue reading
Of all the activities my children undertake, orchestra camp is my favorite. Every summer, we make the trek to Knoxville Monday-Friday so they can play in their respective orchestras and have fun while accelerating their growth.
Our daughter dressed for success on Wacky, Tacky Day and she won!
Yes, it gets tiring for all of us, but it remains my favorite week of the year. On Monday, everybody gets together and starts playing their new pieces. On Tuesday, it is pajama or crazy sock day. Fun! Continue reading
We are camping at Fall Creek Falls State Park in Spencer (Pikeville), TN this week.
Just wanted to quickly post something for you all to see. Continue reading
On May 1, 2023, at the Tennessee Theater, the Knoxville Symphony Youth Orchestra performed their last concert of the season. This concludes our fifth year with this organization.
Youth Chamber in rehearsal at Bearden Middle School – the conductor is on the right of the sitting area, checking the sound
It gets tough to drive them there once a week for 70 minutes one way and to return home around 9:45pm. By February I wonder if I am quite right in my mind to be making such efforts so they can “be in orchestra.” But then I persevere and the Winter Concert happens. I take heart for the last third of the season.
By the Spring Concert, we feel like it was all worth it. A lot of progress invariably happened. Beautiful music flowed into our minds and souls, improving our quality of life and character. The time spent commuting helped bond us in many ways as we shared our thoughts and feelings with each other.
Our son plays in the Youth Chamber orchestra and they played Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony – a jewel of a piece. Katie Liaw conducted.
In the last two weeks before the concert, we had a scare that he would not be able to play. He had hurt his shoulder blade due to a combination of shoveling, flapping his arms fast, and taekwondo over three days.
He sat out one rehearsal and took Aleve every 12 hours, as the doctor recommended. As time went on, he got better and better and was able to sit in the dress rehearsal – whew! Crisis averted. It would have been so disappointing to practice for the entire season and miss the last concert.
Our daughter plays in the Philharmonia Orchestra. They played two arrangements of Tchaikovsky pieces and an American contemporary composer. Cynthia Wright conducted.
We went to Huntington, WV for our son’s first cubing competition and it was called – what else? – Country Roads. Almost heaven, West Virginia, Blue Ridge Mountains, Shenandoah River… You know how the song goes.
Our son (red hat) serving as a judge for the blindfold event
Our son had a lot of fun competing and so did we, watching. The cubing community is very friendly and supportive of each other. The father of one of the participants heard our son’s time on the 2x2x2 and congratulated us, informing us that our son just qualified for Nationals. One of the participants even gave my son a set of hand warmers, which I thought was a nice gesture. Continue reading
Have you ever wondered where the phrase “WWJD” came from? Wonder no more. It came from In His Steps by Charles Sheldon.
In His Steps cover
In all honesty, I had a hard time reading this book because Sheldon preaches a sermon over and over again. As he advances the story, he slides in a sermon. Continue reading
Sun Tzu wrote this classic, The Art of War, thousands of years ago, yet military academies still study it today. In fact, the translator placed notes throughout to show how Hanibal, Napoleon, Hitler and others followed the advice in this book, as well.
The Art of War cover
I read this book to the kids over two days – two sessions of read-aloud fun, about one hour each. It is a short book and very straightforward. Continue reading