House calls

It was pointed out to me this weekend that I might have it good. I am hopeful it is good karma that is making my life a little easier. Michael and I try to teach the kids that good begets good. This weekend began with stomach sickness from my little guy on Friday leading me to believe we might have a couple of cases of Strep. After canceling a bday party, upsetting the entire emotional balance of the kids and cleaning up the car seat, we determined a quick trip to the pediatrician's office was in the plan for Saturday morning.

Off we go-all 6 of us (including my doctor-phobic husband) to the pediatrician. An hour later, we have no conclusive info other than Michael's assurance we have now picked up something just by entering and lamenting why no one makes house calls.

We are lucky enough to have a hair stylist who comes to us. She lived with us for a while (my very best hair days) but has moved on only to repay us with her kindness by not making me truck 6 people to the Aveda salon. so yes, i am grateful.

But to continue with house calls, Sunday morning found us watching soccer and before the game had begun, Keaton stepped in a hole up to his thigh. He refused to stand on his own. We spent an hour deliberating our options. After returning to the house, I called our chiropractors and Dr. Kristin said she was on her way. After an adjustment, she was convinced he was fine but leery of the pain that was initial. She left after a bowl of soup and good conversation. we agreed to come by the office on Monday to be rechecked. By the way, she suggested apple cider vinegar for killing strep. Happy to imbibe with gargling in hopes that if we did not have it- we could avoid it. We will be regularly gargling this winter.

An hour later my second house call for the weekend arrived with camera slung over his shoulder. I am also lucky enough to know a photographer who will come to us and if you have ever taken kids to a photo session -wow- you know how truly blessed I am. The kids don't get all out of whack trying to leave the house in perfect condition. I just get one ready at a time and then send them to sit quietly and bribe them with TV. Matt was even gracious enough to jump in the car and do some outdoor shots. Keaton even began walking again once we were outside.

So over all our weekend was far more chaotic then planned, but I feel incredibly fortunate to have lived here long enough to have established friendships and relationships with people who are willing to put themselves out a little. Another up side is that my children see that it is no more than we would do for this great people we chose to have in our lives. But I continue to be thankful for all the wonderful people who make up my village.

Sports lessons

While we homeschool and encourage cooperative behavior, we are big fans of soccer. Denali chose to move to a more competitive league this year and she has a fantastic coach. They finished their season undefeated last night, which is amazing and may never happen again in her lifetime, but I needed to point out what else we learned this season.

1. The girls had 192 shots on goal before last night's game. WOW! Imagine the odds lesson here. They scored 53. Lots of math opportunities here.

2. The total number of assists was 15- a lesson in how important a team player is for success.

3. 38 corner kicks were taken, which means a better chance at a successful goal. Another great odds figure.

4. Each player contributed to the team and each player had on and off games making it truly a team success.

We have sacrificed a lot as a family for soccer this season and it was a joy to realize last night, that in supporting Denali's passion, we have all learned something. I am excited for the next few tournaments and the indoor season. But mostly, I am excited to see my children learn from our outside activities, and hopefully satisify that endless question as to whether or not we are socialized and able to play well with others.

Holiday Give Project

Who: The People of Paraguay

What: We are the Pray family and have a cousin in the Peace Corps. She is living in Asuncion and expressed the need for better dental care in her region. For our holiday “GIVE” we decided to collect toothbrushes and toothpaste for adults and children to send to those families in need.

Where: We will collect these at our house (2407 Stonington Road, Atlanta, GA 30338), at LEAD (our home school group on Thursdays), and anytime you all see us.

When: We will collect these until December 1st. We plan to add to these packages using our kids “GIVE” money that they have saved this year.

Why: “Share the wealth” - Michael
“To teach a lesson” - Kim
“For the gift of giving” - Denali
“They’re in need” - Bryn
“Out of Love” - Keelin
“Wah wuv” - Keaton



Please feel free to forward and pass on!!

Where do the hours go??

Can it be November already? I feel as though my amazing resolve to be diligent in our school hours has already gone by the wayside and told my oldest today that she would be doing math before they opened Christmas presents if we did not buckle down. Last week we had a great visit with Grandma but got very little done. Well, we did make homemade cheese and went to see a play at the Alliance (those count right??). This week between voting, which could take many hours and might provide an education in and of itself, and helping my sister get ready for the big show in two weekends (www.moderndaymasala.com) we must get some book work done. I am doing a little reading on Charlotte Mason and how to combine her thoughts in my classical approach. Everyone I have ever met that states that they follow the Charlotte Mason approach appeals to me from the calm demeanor they have with their children. Spent today outside holding Denali and her friend captive on the see saw while I read to them the rules for a happy family life. We discussed the art of being respectful to all family members, the art of slaying your own dragons (making a plan to work on your not so perfect charactersitics), and the need to happily agree to disagree ( an art form I have a feeling will come in handy in most adult lives here in a few days once this election is over). All of this was a good reminder that we must continue to work on our relationships forever. I mentioned tonight to the girls that if we treasure our family, we must work out our issues and spend more time enjoying what each family member brings to the collective table. Hope this helps start the week off right. It looks to be a doozy of a week with all the running around and soccer tournaments and election stuff. I will be eating a lot of ice cream this week to cope with my non-stop action--- feel free to drop in for some anytime.

Where do socks go

I have always joked with the kids that the washing machine must eat their socks, but until tonight it was more of tooth fairy kind of belief. Then I witnessed this occurrence with my own two eyes. Well, not the actual eating but of the hiding. I found seven single socks dating back to when Keaton had teeny tiny feet and a few other unmentionables in the rubber seal of the washer. It was so disturbing that like all other gross things in life, I asked for confirmation. "Look how scary this is," I squeal not only to my husband but with my mother-in-law present. "Can you believe the washing machine ate these and look how long they must have been in here." "How could I not have noticed?" I pride myself on the ability to do amazing laundry, never letting it pile up and getting set in stains out with the grace of a dancer. But somehow I never noticed the dark colors lurking in the rubber seal surrounding the front loader washer. I was so appalled that I actually just threw them in and washed them again (as if they had not suffered this fate enough) but this time they actually got a little cleaner. Being that these items have been wet for several months, I feel I must throw them out yet, I felt it wrong to throw out such foul smelling dirty items in the trash ( ironic huh?). They will find their way to the trash in the morning and my washer will probably smell a lot less wet dog like after this. I wonder if in the book printed in many languages that came with the washer it mentioned this possibility. This might be my punishment that I cheated and watched the short DVD version of how to run the washer. So a warning to all who have not checked their front loader's rubber seal, do you have anything missing from your laundry pile?