The Little Red Lighthouse

During our character education time this week we've been reading The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge each morning. The book is about the pride the lighthouse feels as he goes about his job. However, at one point his pride goes to far and becomes the wrong kind of pride. The lighthouse declares, "I'm MASTER OF THE RIVER".

We started talking about the kind of pride that says, "I'm smarter or better than anyone else." We discussed how that type of pride sometimes leads to a fall or disappointment.

In the story, just after the lighthouse declares himself Master of the River, a great grey bridge is built right next to him. The lighthouse feels very small and unimportant next to this huge structure, with it's giant light flashing from the upper reaches of its steel columns. He gives up until the bridge calls to him during a storm and asks him to shine his light for the ships, since the bridge's light is only for the ships of the air. "To each his own, little brother", the great grey bridge tells him. The lighthouse returns to his work and now feels pride in his job but it is the proper kind of pride.

This is a pretty complex idea and so I waited until we'd read it a few times before I brought this to their attention. I thought maybe I'd tell them a story from my own life that could illustrate this.

I told them about how I was recognized in high school as a good singer. I was picked to be a part of elite vocal groups, sang solos and competed in state singing competitions. In college I joined a group and was the only non-music major and the only freshman allowed in the small acappella ensemble. However, they wanted me to sing alto instead of soprano which I'd never done. But I decided that since I made it into the group and I'd won awards in high school, I didn't need to practice or prepare. I could read music after all and was accomplished at sight reading.

Pride.

I was asked to sing four part harmony with three upperclassmen during a week long concert series. I was the only alto and I had to stand next to a soprano. The song was Silent Night and I thought, "I've been singing that song all my life. I need to just review it a couple of times but I'll be fine." We stood up to sing and after four notes the soprano reached over and gently put her hand on my hand. The message was clear. My notes were WAY off. I was so disappointed and embarrassed. I had set myself up for a fall with my pride. The next day I practised and rehearsed and when I sang the song again I got it right. My pride was back in check.

I told this story to my kidlets and I could see the wheels turning. BirdMan and GooseyGirl were quiet and really thinking about my story. Then RocketMan turned to look at me with his big brown eyes and I could see a question forming in his head. I felt this was a pivotal moment to connect with his forming moral consciousness. I was about to influence with my little man's thoughts.

"Mommy?", he said, "Can you believe how big this hole is in my sock?"

Arrrrghhhhhh......

Well, at least 2/3 of my children got it. Of course, RocketMan is the one who could most use this lesson but it went right over his head.

The War is Over

The Greeks won and Troy has been sacked. We finished the Iliad. The version we read was a condensed kiddo version by Kingfisher. I skipped over most of the gory middle part and we finished up with the last chapter which was about Paris shooting an arrow through Achilles' heel and killing him.

GooseyGirl was especially fascinated by this. There was a picture in our book of Achilles' mom, Thetis, holding onto Achilles as a baby as she dipped him in the protective waters of the river Styx. The picture clearly shows her holding him by his heel, thereby leaving that area of his body unprotected by the magical waters. GooseyGirl thought of other ways Thetis could have dipped Achilles without leaving a weak spot. It was fun to listen to her creative ideas like putting him in a basket with a lid and dropping that in.

RocketMan loved the part about the Trojan horse being pulled into the city with the dangerous warriors hiding inside. I've caught him sneaking into my office to take the Iliad down and reading it himself. He really enjoyed this story. In fact, they are acting it out as I type this in the other room. BirdMan is Odysseus and RocketMan is Achilles.

I loved how it gave us a chance to talk about how "Good" guys may not always be good and "Bad" guys may not always be bad. Throughout the Iliad they found themselves rooting for Greeks one minute and then for the Trojans the next. They saw how the heroes and gods had huge character flaws and sometimes act horribly. This was the first book they've read whose characters had a mixed bag of traits like that. Now that is a life lesson!

One of my top goals in their education is to provide pegs for them to hang future knowledge upon. Homer, Greeks, Trojans, Achilles' heel, Trojan Horse, Zeus, Poseidon, Odysseus, Paris, Helen , Hector. CHECK!

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Today during our grammar lesson we talked about the pronoun "I". The children were asked to dictate a story about themselves to me and I typed it on the computer as they spoke. What I discovered is that they rarely speak in the first person. Instead they speak in a collective voice.

It isn't, "I found a frog". It is "We found a frog".

It isn't "My mom gave me a cookie". It is "Our mom gave us a cookie".

It isn't "I am 6 years old". It is "We are six years old".

The tiny psychologist within me is fascinated by the notion of growing up in a group setting. I was an only child until I was 16 so, as the poem says, "It was I, I, I. It was me, me, me." The proportions of my teenage self-centeredness astound me.

I didn't have to share my toys, share my room, share my clothes. Everything in the house that was for children was there for me and me alone. It took a husband and three kids to break the selfish cycle that I lived in. Now, my life is spent on others. I have to remind myself to take time out just for me and my interests. That transformation was a huge life lesson which is why being a triplet is so fascinating to me.

How will their development be impacted by being a part of a collective? What does it mean to consider yourself as a part of a whole? I can see the good and the bad side of this issue. There are many books written about birth order and how that affects your personality on a fundamental level. But there aren't many books about being a triplet and how that impacts your self worth and identity.

The next 14 years should be an interesting ride, eh?

Gnome Migration documented by Flat Stanley

"Whilst not native to Australia, Gnomes are reportedly migrating from Europe and Britain to make a new start in 'new lands' where the impact of pollution is less. " This bizarre phenomenon was heralded by the Australian Gnome Convention.

It seems acres of land have become the new Gnome commune for smiling face, pointy hats, and red pants. GooseyGirl's Flat Stanely got to visit Gnome land in Australia and is considering starting a new Flat Stanley Village of his own.

The first inhabitants would be these two friends he met while traveling. Apparently, taking small flat men on vacation is a common endeavor in the land down under.

Stanley believe this is due to lenient zoning laws on creatures below 2' tall. No word yet on what the Kangaroos think of the blatant encroachment of their land.

Out of the mouth of Moms..

A few acutal quotes originating from me (a.k.a. life with boys):


"Boys, do not lick the piano."


"Stop that! We are not in the middle ages."

"Please quit eating my sweater." Okay, so I said that to our parrot and not my boys. It is still weird!

Kiwi Christmas

Way back in October, some friends from New Zealand asked the kidlets to host their Flat Traveler, Caroline. I'm embarrassed to say that we STILL have her and life is finally settling down enough to show her around this town of ours.

Last weekend it was wonderfully warm so we treated Flat Caroline to a trip to Indiana so she could see our pretty skyline. She enjoyed watching the Ohio River and hunting for fossils.

The big bat is in front of the Louisville Slugger factory/museum on Main street. Flat Caroline said she felt smaller than usual next to that big ol' thing!

She also stopped by the Fraiser Historical Museum and ran into a medieval warrior. She was a bit unnerved but we assured her that he was friendly.

New Christmas Traditions

I'm starting to craft new Christmas traditions for our changing family. I decided to invite over some of the kidlet's friends for a cookie making party. I know, not real original, but 5 seven year olds and a bucket of flour makes cookies a very WILD affair.

The two girls in the picture are twins who live nearby. I'm so thankful that their family found a way into my life.

The twins and my kidlets are only 6 weeks apart in age, so it is always fun when they get together. In fact, their first play date was when the girls were about 8 weeks old.

Their mother has helped me through the years to think things through and see the blessings of my daily life.

This picture is from one of their playdates when they were babies. I think they are about 9 months old in this picture. Thankfully their playdates now don't have quite as much drool involved!

Outback Adventures Continued!

GooseyGirl's Flat Stanley was treated to the adventure of a lifetime on his trip to Australia. He enjoyed meeting a bunch of native animals.

It makes me giggle every time I look at these pictures and imagine all the other tourists looking at my friend Bert, holding a paper doll everywhere she went. I wonder what they thought of the crazy American with her pretend friend!

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Look closely at the bundle Bert is holding. It is a kangaroo!

Deep Sea Diving and Baby Showers

GooseyGirl's Flat Stanley just returned from an amazing tour of Australia wearing a new swimming suit! Apparently just after this picture was taken, he was swept into the Indian Ocean. His host family bravely fished him out and dried him off. He will be forever grateful.

Rumors are floating that he got to pet a kangaroo and a koala! Pictures will follow soon.

For now, here he is enjoying a baby shower. He's a real renaissance man, eh?

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Turkey Sacrifice

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some photos from our celebration at Grammy and PopPop's house.

GooseyGirl dressed up like Pocahontas' long lost wacky cousin.



BirdMan called dibs on the turkey leg and ate it King Henry VIII style.


And, RocketMan.... well.... I think the picture speaks for itself.

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Comfort Quilt

Our family is enduring the transition of divorce right now. Some of my quilting friends decided to wrap my children and I up in love through a comfort quilt. My friend Jennie delivered it on Friday.

Women from all over the country and Canada made blocks with prayers and love stitched in each seam. They wrote encouragement and thoughts on each one as well. It was pieced by an amazing quilter in Canada and quilted by an award winning quilter in Kentucky.

The children were also given pilowcases with their names embroidered on them. Since they share most everything, they were thrilled to get a gift that is so personalized.

What treasure these wonderful friends have given us!

Clovis

GooseyGirl has enjoyed our history lesson this week about Clovis. They learned about his importance in uniting the Kingdom of the Franks. We talked about how when everyone is the same religion, they tend to not fight as much. Here's her drawing of the Pope excited about all the new Catholics joining the church through Clovis's efforts.

The narration attached to the drawing reads, "Clovis united the Franks, Burgundians, Allemani and the Romans. Clovis made everyone Christians. He made Paris the capital. He made one law for everyone to follow."

We also talked about the patron saint of Paris, St. Genevieve. GooseyGirl promptly informed us that Madeline's dog was named Genevieve!

Then she squealed that the Catholics must have really liked the Greeks. I didn't see the connection so I asked her to explain a bit. She told me that the Greeks had different gods to protect their cities, people, animals, etc. The Catholics have different saints that watch over things, people and animals too, except saints are mortal and Greek gods are immortal. I was impressed by her connection- she's 7 after all!

I love it when they teach me and I can see through their eyes for a moment.

Flat Stanley Tokyo

RocketMan's Flat Stanely traveled all the way to Tokyo to hang out with Auntie Juliet and Uncle Ole. Take a look at his adventures with octopus tentacles and Richard Gere!
http://www.krarupdk.com/FlatStanley.html

Maori Warriors

Right now, the kidlets are focusing their history lessons on the early inhabitants of Australia, the Aborigines, and New Zealand, the Maori.

New Zealand was one of the last places on earth settled by humans. The Maori settled in New Zealand during the Middle Ages. What makes this history lesson even more fun is that we are hosting Flat Caroline this month who has traveled all the way from Christchurch, New Zealand to live with us for a bit! Talk about making their lessons come alive. They are having fun learning about the topography and origins of Flat Caroline's country.

New Zealand's Maori warriors are well known for painting their faces and bodies to frighten enemies. The kids thought the internet pictures of Maori warriors were impressive and decided to try it themselves. Don't they look fierce?

Next up in history, they will be studying the Kingdom of the Franks. Look out Clovis, here they come!

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Trick or Treat!

The kidlets came home with a bounty of candy goodies. RocketMan was a vampire, GooseyGirl was a cowgirl, BirdMan was Apollo, the Greek God, and Apollo the bird was...um.... a witch.

Icky, icky, icky!

The kidlets carved pumpkins over the weekend with their dad. Birdman thought pumpkin guts were pretty yucky!
We have a new little flat friend visiting us all the way from New Zealand! Her name is Flat Caroline and she was glad she had her plastic coat on to protect her from all the gooeyness.



Flat Caroline is now a Halloween pumpkin carving expert. We wish there was a way to mail off one of the pumpkins to Flat Caroline's Kiwi family!

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Clues

Mr. Kitty, Kiwi and Cooker wanted to go shopping.

Guess what my first clue was.

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Rite of passage

'Tis the time of year to make large leaf piles and leap, leap, leap.

They were moving way to fast for my camera to keep up with them!

First Slumber Party

Recently Goosey-Girl attended her first slumber party. It was for a set of 8 year old triplets and was a girls only affair. There were 17 second grade girls in attendance and she had a ball.

A few nights ago she said, "Mommy, did you know that when 17 girls get together they start acting a lot like boys?"

Her insight gave me a giggle.

Then she said, "Do you think that if you got 17 boys together, they'd start acting like girls?"

Hmmmmmm......

Denial

"Never underestimate the power of denial". - American Beauty

"Denial is based in lies we tell ourselves. Through these lies we distort reality as we perceive it, we redefine the meaning of what we do, and we adjust what we consider to be right and wrong, in an escalating fashion. Ultimately, any act, no matter how hideous, can be carried out once we have developed the necessary level of denial."- Blain Nelson's Abuse Page

Denial is a protective mechanism. If you aren't willing to face what you've done, it is your friend.

Denial allows you to hold onto your well constructed self image and deflect your character flaws as the unfounded imagination of others. Denial gives you the excuse you need to continue hurting the people you are supposed to love, honor and cherish. Denial blinds you to the deep wounds you've caused.

Denial can also destroy.

It destroys trust and truth. It provides a way to excuse your own behavior and opens a cavern of ill feelings from those you have wronged.

Until you are courageous enough to embrace who you are and what you've done. You can never, never change. Until you can change, the family you claim to love can't heal and can't trust you.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month

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