Friday, March 8, 2013

7 Quick Takes Friday



--- 1 ---

A while back I found a used copy of a School Song Latin DVD and decided to add it to the homeschooling mix.  We haven't watched it a lot, I think we've seen it three times over the course of the past two weeks when I finally took it out of its box.

But I love it because it makes me feel like super mom with absolutely no effort (and how often does that happen?).

Here's why: the lessons are each pretty small and are perfect for Sadie's attention span.  A few days after we watched it the first time Sadie and I were waiting in line at Joann's, getting a few fabrics for orders, when she began waving to every person that walked by, saying "Wah-le!  Wah-le!  Wah-le!"

I reeled the kid in, thinking she was being silly (she was) and making up words (she wasn't) and asked her what she was trying to say.  She looked at me like I was the one being silly and said:  "Mommy I'm telling them Vale (pronounced like she was saying it)!  You know Vale?  Bye in Latin!"

Oh.  Okay.  I'll admit, I was surprised.

Now for the past three days she's been announcing "sum pessime.. sum pessime Mommy..." in a sad voice before collapsing in giggles (I'll admit, I don't know how many u's that sum up above has, so it could be wrong).

So I'm a fan of the DVD.  It's not flashy.  It kind of reminds me of Mr. Roger's for some reason (it's hosted by a mom and dad talking about Latin, and has a little section with a animated monkey).  And it allows me to sit down and nurse Patrick and feel like the girls are learning something, especially on particularly wild days!

--- 2 ---

However the above program has also proved to me one of my fears these past weeks (kind of, it actually had nothing to do with the actual program).

I'd ordered a used copy of an old CD and book that go along with the DVD.  At least I thought I did.  It was about a month ago.  Over the course of the past two weeks I began to suspect that something funny was going on with our mail.

Or that the mailman was angry with me.  It could be that.  Paul's gone for the majority of the day and I can't get out to shovel the snow with the babies, so he's often trudging up a snowy sidewalk and has let me know he's not a fan of snowy sidewalks... but I've yet to figure out a way to shovel and wrangle when Paul's out (heck, I could hardly open the door the day he came by to tell me to shovel, with the minions trying to tumble out in to the powdery coldness).

First mail began to arrive only every other day.  Then we didn't get mail for three consecutive days.  Nothing.  Not even a flier.  I began to wonder if the mail man was ill or on vacation and they just hadn't decided to replace him.

I watched for him.  I checked our box every hour.  Nothing.

Finally mail delivery resumed.  But this morning, when typing this post about the DVD I wondered if I imagined ordering that used CD and book.  I went to amazon and found there was delivery confirmation to our door three weeks ago.

So... someone stole our used latin book and CD?  The mail man put our packages between the screen and door, so they're usually out of site.  The person was pretty bold..

I imagine that was a fun, rewarding discovery for them.  Hmmmm... I wonder if that's when they realized that there would never be anything of value in that particular mail box and decided to move on...

I do suspect that a person stealing mail midway through February is awaiting the arrival of certain checks from the state and federal governments.  Thank goodness we used direct deposit.

--- 3 ---

I was a super sewer last night.  I was determined to make a dent in my current line up of orders.

I made substantial progress with five hours of sewing, actually cutting back on the time it took to make each snood by being super efficient.

Now I can send Paul out with an armful of packages this morning.

And hopefully I can get in another five hours tonight and come close to finishing up the orders so they can go out tomorrow morning.

--- 4 ---

Picture from Amazon
We have one chapter left to read in Little House on Plum Creek.

When I was little I remember loving the cover of that book.  Laura looks so happy and carefree running across the cover and the little sod house looks so cute, with the flowers all around it.

Apparently my girls feel the same way.  Yesterday I asked Sadie where the book was and she skipped over and removed it from under a pillow and pile of blankets on the opposite side of the room (I'd left it next to the couch).  Then she told me she'd hid it because she was "afraid Maggie would tear it up to make paper dolls" (there are paper dolls in the story).

At prayer time Maggie tried to take it to stare at the pictures before I put it away, and Sadie wants to look at one particular picture of Laura when she's gone in a fast river about 10 times a day to talk about how we don't go in water without Mommy or Daddy.  It's just something about the cover of that book that captures the imagination.

--- 5 ---

My favorite conversation when we were reading this past book, however, came when the swarm of grasshoppers covered the farm.

Sadie was quiet, playing nearby.  I'm never even sure she's listening until she asks a question.  This time it was "Mommy, was God mad at them?  Is that why he sent grasshoppers?"

I knew that she was picturing her little picture Bible with Egypt and the plagues at the moments.

So we talked about how that was what happened in Egypt because Pharaoh wouldn't listen, but how usually things like that are just nature and not because anybody's done anything wrong and how sometimes things just happen, but they don't mean that God's angry and punishing us.

She nodded and went back to playing, but I have to say that our hours of reading each day while it's been snowy and cold out have made the it-wasn't-above-freezing-for-ages time pas much more quickly.  And I love talking with her about what we've read.

--- 6 ---

Solid colored cotton snoods are on their way to my shop.  I can't believe I've never posted solid cotton snoods.  It was a huge oversight!  I get so wrapped up in all the prints that I'd never really made it over to the nice solid cottons until someone asked for a custom order.

So pretty soon you'll be seeing some pictures of solid cottons perfect for spring (and summer... and fall!)!  



--- 7 ---

I've been meaning to do this for a while, but I finally got around to it this week.  I took some pre-cut (by me) cotton, 100% linen and dupioni silk snood pieces and put them in a pot... 


and the and dying fun began!


Such a lovely shade!


It actually was almost a peacock blue once I'd rinsed it and used color fasteners to stop it from bleeding.
I think I'm going to try yellow next!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

5 comments:

  1. Regarding the mail I'd call the USPS. I know they don't usually do anything but at least send a complaint. Just say your not getting your mail and what not. If enough people complain about it in your area their might be something done about it.

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  2. In my area you are legally required to shovel, and if you don't, I don't think the mailman is required to deliver your mail. (I say this not to condemn you for not shoveling but to offer a possible explanation of why you aren't getting your mail.)

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  3. I'd check with the post office about the package. It's possible that the mailman couldn't get up to your door with the snow to leave the package and he just took it back to the post office (and didn't leave a delivery confirmation) and there it is. My parents had an incident with the mailman involving their dog and ever since then, the mailman will only leave mail in thair mailbox, but any packages that don't fit, he takes to the post office and they have to go pick it up. He won't leave any packages at the door. So, it's possible it's at the post office and maybe you just didn't get a notice or it blew away or something.

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  4. We do shovel and salt, when Paul gets home in the morning or at night. But I don't go out to shovel just because it's stopped snowing during the day when he's not here.

    The way it works here you legally have 24 hours and then they can give you a notice and then you have three days and then they can send you another notice in the mail, and if, after a set amount of time after that notice you still haven't shoveled then you get a $125 fine (I only know this because they did a big thing on the news the other night).

    We actually had to sign something that they can leave packages, and we've received a bunch of other packages (and this one should have been tiny) so I think it's probably with the rest of the mail we didn't get (when our sidewalk was clear, the not clear thing was a while ago after we'd got back from MA in January and had been gone for a week).

    I'm hoping Paul runs into him though to ask. I imagine it's more than just us, since I would think that someone doing this would hit more than one house.

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  5. Random comment on using a DVD to teach kids another language. My 16 month old adores the Baby Signing Time (4 DVDS) and Signing Time DVDs. We borrowed them from the library. Started with the Baby Signing Time videos that compliment her signing class. She is rather transfixed watching the people sign.

    After my husband and I felt that the songs from BST were permanently recorded on our brains we switched to the ST videos. There are a lot more. Thankfully the libraries have most of them.

    Our girl hasn't started talking. She hears fine. But now we are all learning sign language. It's wonderful to be able to "talk" with her using it. She's picking up the signs faster than we are!

    I'm hoping to be able to do the same thing with Spanish once we start verbalizing.

    Homeschooling is also the art of teaching your kids new things in whatever way works best for them and you. So, um, technically, you're doing it right. Not that you actually need me to tell you. Just wanted you to NOT feel like you are a bad mom for letting your kids watch a video.

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