all that's missing is dr. bunsen honeydew

leap year (the movie) – PG alert

We had the opportunity for a sneak peek at “Leap Year,” which opens today. No spoilers here, but the movie was very sweet and surprisingly funny. I first knew Amy Adams from “Enchanted” and she is indeed enchanting in this movie, as is Matthew Goode. The destination is predictable (but it doesn’t try to be an M. Night movie, so I’m OK with a little predictability) but the journey is still fun. And for fellow parents of teenaged girls who like chick flicks – this one is pretty clean. It is PG (PG!!) for sensuality and language. PG-rated movies are few and far between (I’m talking to you, movie makers.) Compared to the PG-13 offerings that are standard fare these days, this one is refreshing. But it does have the unpleasant side-effect of making viewers want to book a trip to Ireland.

paved paradise

Welcome to South Carolina, home of eight months of northbound Interstate closure. This has been the source of much angst, as you can imagine. On our way home from seeing Baby B. Sunday, we made our last trip via I-385 northbound, which is now closed until construction is completed in August. (That’s the current timetable.)

It’s a catch-22, of course – living here in this beautiful place. My husband grew up here. I am the swamp queen from east, where we have things like Spanish moss, chiggers and black, stagnant bogs. (I say that lovingly.) Here, despite the glaring absence of Spanish moss, the economy has fared well compared to the rest of the state/country. We have a thriving arts community, a gloriously diverse international presence buoyed by industry and a downtown that is the envy of cities across the nation.

It’s good here and people come. As a result, we have a vibrant city, good jobs, boundless opportunity, disappearing farms, bottlenecked highways, overcrowded schools and a building boom that continues to provide vast economic development with each disappearing tree. I am grateful for the relative economic stability here, the diversity that means my children grow up with a love for all people and the ability to reach three grocery stores in under five minutes.

I’ve stewed about this more lately because my favorite nearby view is gone. Between our home and well, a lot of stuff including our church, is a beautiful, narrow road that cuts a path through a tangle of tulip poplars. Each fall, the leaves turn in one collective breath, like God reached down and gold-leafed the forest overnight. The road opens up past a small pond that is (was) home to lots of deer – we have seen as many as eight at once. It provides a home for ducks, a family of Canada geese that decided to stay permanently, and a great blue heron that once flew so close he made me gasp. There’s an albino hawk that perches nearby, too.

Now, when I round the curve, I see a house under construction. It is so close to the pond, the homeowners will be able to skip stones from their front door. I haven’t seen the deer in weeks and the geese have moved elsewhere. The view up the smooth green hill is completely obscured.

I understand the schizophrenia of my distress. I moved here. I drive a car on the roads that are being widened. I shop. I wasn’t here first and I didn’t come in the booming wave of the last decade. I don’t use fewer resources just because I came somewhere in the middle, when cow pastures dotted every corner and “going into town” was still a relevant phrase.

I don’t know where the balance lies but I do know we haven’t found it yet. I tell my husband I can live anywhere as I long as UPS delivers and I can get Internet access. I am a spoiled consumer and I need to go where I can still see the geese. I am sure the geese hope I will just stay home.

newness, everywhere you look

Welcome, Baby B. Having a great nephew (“great” because he is great but also because I am his dad’s aunt – and ack, I’m old) was a wonderful way to start the new year.

new year’s day 2010

A chilly photo shoot:

ultimate guide to homeschooling

While many experienced homeschoolers are familiar with Debra Bell’s Ultimate Guide to Homeschooling (published by Apologia – you probably know them as the science people), it was new to me. Well, actually, the 2009 edition is new to everyone, isn’t it? We received a review copy of the book as part of the TOS Crew. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to any Christian family thinking about homeschooling. I take issue with some things in the book that I think are more opinion-based, but the vast amount of knowledge and resources included in book far outweigh any tidbits with which I disagree.

This book - all 500+ pages of it – has everything for those considering homeschooling to those who have been doing it for years. I wish I had found the old version of this before we started. It is already proving to be a valuable resource for some concerns I had about our language arts curriculum, as well as questions about the methods of assessment I have been using. In both instances, I received some confirmation and some new ideas – exactly what I hoped for.

Sections include

• Homeschooling: Is it for you?
• Choosing a Curriculum
• Organization and Planning
• Preventing Burnout
• What to Teach – When and How
• Homeschooling Teens
• Computers in the Homeschool
• Creative Solutions
• Measuring Your Success
• and a great resource guide

At the web site, you can download a sample chapter and the table of contents.

The book is $20 if ordered from Apologia. Just go ahead and add it on to your science order. :)

 

We received a free book for review. I was not compensated. My opinions are my own.

jean welles’ worship guitar

We received a free review copy of Volume One of Jean Welle’s Worship Guitar as part of the TOS Crew. Just so you know where we stood, Nolan has been learning to play guitar through his homeschool co-op’s music class. However, because co-op only meets once per week, and they don’t play guitar every week, he has spent (too much) time at home sort of teaching himself. He seems to have a knack for it, but I was concerned that he might be developing bad habits. I know for sure that he needed more instruction in the basics. When we received this, he thought he was beyond it, honestly, but even though he already knew much of the information included, some things were brand new to him and critical to building a good foundation.

Volume One includes seven lessons on DVD, a small booklet kept inside the DVD case, and a larger book with detailed lessons and songs. (The DVD and accompanying booklet are in English and Spanish.) Jean is super gentle and easy-going as she teaches, encouraging prayer and worship throughout each lesson. She begins with the absolute basics and quickly (but appropriately) progresses through a variety of chords. I know the lessons have helped cement the foundation Nolan needs as he continues the play.

You can view sample videos online at http://www.worshipguitarclass.com/ The Worship Guitar class options include four volumes, a Christmas song version and a version for kids. The cost for the Volume One DVD and books is $29.95  Check out the web site for lots of free lessons and videos.

 

We received a free book and DVD for review. I was not compensated. My opinions are my own.