the sleppys

We took two Everglades camping trips, two weekends, back to back. My camping-prep list consists of getting the children’ clothes and accessories squared away in their bags. December 29th, the boots were paired and laced up and contained its sock for its foot… all except Kyle’s. He had just put on his boots to go run errands with Dad only a few days before. Somehow, the lace was pulled out, and the sock and boot were missing.

After looking around and asking the children to put things away so that we can find the sock and boot, I found the missing sock in Kyle’s “miscellaneous” pile of stuff. *sigh*

Finally, when Dad came home and moved a duffel bag over a few more inches than I had moved it hours earlier, we found the boot itself. *whew*

While preparing for our January 7th camping trip, I practiced extreme vigilance during the week, making sure that no socks were lost and no laces were pulled out of boots.

This was my reward:

September 12: Kyle comes running up to me, “Feel this. Feel this toast. This is not toast!” I take a look at it, not a touch of brown. He continues in a Gordon Ramsay accent, “Can we get this bread back in the toastuh?” all while slapping the table rhythmically to the accents of the sentence. Thank you, Gordon Ramsay.

Last weekend, Dear Husband came home with a chess set. We have a few chess sets (or have gone through a few sets) in the house, but this set has a sheet of metal under the board to keep the magnetized pieces on it. It’s useful if your children don’t have iPods to listen to in the car or want to wander around the house with the board ready to go, asking people if they want to play.

Ty and Kyle took the chess set into their room and began to play. A few hours later, Kyle asked if I wanted to play with him. “Okay,” so I watched him set up the board, and he played white.

He moved his pawns sideways. He took pieces that his “horse” jumped over.

“Kyle, I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to play.”
“Oh, Ty and I were playing like this.”
“It’s not checkers, and your pawns can only move forward.”

So I explained to him how the pieces move. He really enjoyed the lesson because he’s an expert at battles and knights and guards and kings and stuff like that. I started with the pawn, telling him that he carries a shield and moves forward easily but because he’s carrying a shield, he can only attack diagonally. A knight can jump over pawns and other fighters because he’s on a horse. And a rook, well, a rook is a favorite in this house because he’s an archer. He, along with the fellow rook and the queen, can hit an enemy from far away.
After a game with Kyle, Ty and I played.

When we go outside to the front yard, I usually practice a musical instrument that’s not the piano and the children climb trees or play tag. After we started playing chess, the boys began pretending that they were chess pieces, rooks and bishops and all, and ran aorund the yard pretending to shoot arrows and run diagonally and capture each other.

Dear Husband turned on the Mac computer and introduced the boys to the chess software. They played and played for hours. They were hooked on it. Of course, the computer wins every game. They also found out how to play against each other and watch the computer play itself.

The next time that I played Ty, he beat me! My only excuse was that I was playing white pieces, which I never practice. But that’s a weak excuse.

I later played Kyle. Although I won, I did notice that his game got better. He did put up a good fight. Days went by, and I practiced my music while the boys slashed with their swords and hid behind trees. Yesterday, Ty and I played again when we were outside. He beat me both times.

That’s it!
Instead of practicing the violin or guitar while I’m outside, I’m going to start pretending that I’m a pawn or a rook.

Kyle said to me, “Hey, Mommy, it was Abraham, right, who counted the stars and God told him that he would have a son, right?”

I looked up in wonder and awe. “Yes, Kyle. where did you hear that?”

He walked to the piano, stood in front of it, and played “Joy to the World.” “I read it in the Bible. You know, the Young Readers Bible.”

*big smile from me* “Yes, Kyle. That’s… that’s how it goes.”

“Yup.” He finished his piece and went along his merry way.

This makes me think of a particular Bible verse, Joshua 24:15, “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Five days before his turning seven, Dad taught Kyle to find words in the dictionary. I was having a hard time teaching the boy until Dad came in and observed. He noted that the children’s dictionary that I was using was poorly written, as in, the terms were not all flush left. We both could see that each term had an illustration to go with it, but the terms themselves would alternate flush left or flush right. “No wonder he can’t find ‘push,’” said Dad. We pulled out the children’s dictionary that I thought would be too hard for Kyle, but, apparently, it was easier as it had the letters of the alphabet aligned down the right edge. The print was smaller, and it had fewer illustrations. But it proved to easier to use than the “easy” dictionary.

Before the parents had coffee, the children were up and running around. Kendall started crying.

Dad: [annoyedly] Why does she have to cry like that?
Mom: [sympathectically] Because she was born on the floor.

Talon started crying about something. Don’t worry, they are fake cries and more like very loud whines.

Kyle: Oh great, now Talon was born on the floor!

Both are pretty loud whiners, but Kendall takes the cake. I just hope she’ll put that to good use and become an opera singer or a drill sergeant when she is grown.

Kyle turned seven at the end of March. It is the Sleppy tradition to go camping for a seven year old’s birthday.

The week before a camping trip is always a little bit hectic. We make sure that the obvious supplies are in order: sleeping bgs, tents, food. For a birthday camping trip, I make cupcakes to take to the picnic area. I also have a birthday cake to bake and decorate for the Sunday celebration with the grandparents. Friday night before the trip, I came home a little after 9pm and helped Dear Husband load up the van. He had prepared trail mix and cold lunch, planned out our hikes, and checked batteries in flashlights and water in canteens. Earlier in the week, Dear Husband bought an extra tent because Maternal Grandmother had plans to camp with us. She purchased her own cot and sleeping bag.

Saturday morning, we were up and out of the house only an hour after we had planned to leave, which is really good for our little family of seven! We reached our destination and immediately began our hike. The plan was to hike up Old Ingraham Highway from Anhinga toward Hidden Lake, then head toward the Mound, stop to enjoy the view and hike back, with occasional water breaks. The walk had a stretch under the gumbo limbo canopy but mostly open sunshine with water grass on either side.

Then there was this one 20-minute stretch on a dirt-ish road. I have to explain this road because it’s not really a dirt road yet not paved, either. Well, it is sort of paved but it’s still dirt…-ish. Anhinga sits on Paradise Key, land surrounded by water. To make a road, the earth must be dug, and a canal is formed. The earth is not soil but extremely hard limestone, which is white. Explosives are needed to dredge this land because an regular earth digger will break. Yes, it’s that hard. The limestone is pulverized and pounded to make the road. A steamroller then pats it down. Gravel is constantly tossed up and about by vehicles’ tires, so it feels like a dirt road but a paved one, too. Anyway, the important quality about this road is that it is white. The 20-minute walk felt like 40 minutes, what with the sun reflecting off of the road and into our faces. We cover ourselves from head to toe to protect us from the sun, but we didn’t remember that the road was white. And it was taxing.

We stopped in the shade of a tree at the end of White Road, drank some more water, and continued our walk to the Mound. After ten or fifteen minutes and a short climb, we reached the top of the Mound. The toddlers were put on the ground as one is carried in a sling and the other is pushed in the jogging stroller. Everyone enjoyed the view. We caught some butterflies (Queens or Viceroys, not sure) on camera, fluttering on a decaying fennel. Ibises were flocking in the air under a few turkey vultures. It was beautiful and calm. Standing at the top of an approximately 50 foot man-made mound of substrate and limestone overlooking the relatively flat terrain of the Florida Everglades is nothing short of Awesome. Rock pinelands to the north of us, hardwood hammocks to the east, cypress domes, wetland prairies, and freshwater sloughs in every other which way. We’re not really supposed to see the Everglades like this unless we are birds. Even climbing the tallest tree in the hammocks, which is on the highest ground, wouldn’t give the viewer such a sight. It is impressive, the vastness of this land. Pictures of any kind do it no justice.

We ate our snacks, drank some more water, and let the three older children venture out a little. We climbed down the Mound and hiked back to Anhinga along the same paths where Dad spotted a Cottonmouth in the water, and he pointed out a medium brown snake on the road. It slithered away after a few moments. Along the same White Road we walked back, with the sun’s rays shining directly down on us and White Road reflecting it into our faces under our bonnets and boonie hats. Walking down the grass road was not nearly as taxing, so we let the toddlers walk. The five children are always perfectly safe as Dad walks point, the children follow, single file in order of appearance, and I am the last, keeping them in line. We made it back to the gumbo limbo canopy on Paradise Key and rejoiced in the shade.

We approached the Gumbo Limbo Trail and walked into it, avoiding the poisonwood and poison ivy that grows on either side. The park visitors are always smiling at the children because the boys look like little park rangers in all their gear and the girls look like they belong in a Laura Ingalls Wilder novel with their gingham bonnets.

We were separated as Ty wanted to walk faster, not having the patience to walk at the speed of the toddlers. Dad told Ty to stay with Taylor and meet us at the Big Oak Tree. When we approached the tree, we didn’t we Ty nor Taylor and worried. There are a lot of people during the winter/dry season at the park, so the children were safe. Still, the point was to wait for us, and they didn’t. As we returned to the breezeway at Anhinga, we saw Ty and asked furiously where Taylor was. “She’s in the bathroom.” He says that he didn’t see the Big Oak Tree and started to cry. We’re going to need some more training in that aspect. Together, we walked the Anhinga Trail that is a boardwalk and is super-busy with people, tourists, photographers, and families. In the borrow pit, I spotted and pointed out another Cottonmouth. We skipped Alligator Cove as it was inundated with people. A total of four miles, we hiked. The toddlers walked about two of them on their own.

At Long Pine Key, we set up camp and had our lunch. The sun was intense. Slash pines do not provide the shade that a hammock-type tree does. Those were a really difficult few hours in the sun. Dad spread a large, woven, plastic fabric as a sunscreen over the tents to create more shade, which proved to be useful as it also let the breeze through.

The children’s maternal grandmother pulled up to the camp at about five in the afternoon. She had her whole get-up, iced tea, spritz bottle with the fan, a book to read, shots of double espresso in a can (Yay! Thank You for Sharing!), and a lawn chair with its own shade. She stayed there and relaxed while the seven of us went on another hike up the pinelands, through a wetland prairie, into a different hammock, and back along a lake. We made it back to camp and started our dinner preparations, hot dogs and confetti rice. We pulled out the cupcakes that we had baked earlier in the week and sang Happy Birthday to Kyle. Tim started splitting firewood, and I separated kindling.

The sun started to set and the mosquitoes began to bite and buzz. Moths were attracted to the florescent lantern, and I was glad when we finally shut it off and let the fire be the only light. The warmth of the fire kept the bugs away. A few minutes after the fire was established, I spotted a small scorpion trying to get out of the fire ring. We tried to help it with some sticks, but it eventually helped itself out through the air holes of the ring. Maternal grandmother was having a hard time with the whole environment. A little after 9pm, she packed up her cot and sleeping bag, collected her lanterns and shaded lawn chair, and drove the dark roads of the Everglades toward her home. Originally, Ty and Taylor were to sleep in the tent with Grandma, but we moved Taylor to the girls’ tent and Kyle to the boys’ tent upon Grandma’s departure.

Dad and I stayed up for a few more hours and talked, drank beer, looked at the stars, and played guitar.

In the morning, we skipped coffee as the sun was coming up, which meant that it was getting later. I play music for a church, so we were on a deadline to get home.

David and Jonothan, Cima da Conegliano, 1505.
This is one of my favorite paintings concerning David and Goliath. The first time I saw this, I was appalled, but the image grew on me. I like that his sling, the weapon that he used to slay the giant, is at his waist.

I get very excited about all that we learn here at The Greenleaf School. I make the lesson plans to accommodate both our family’s standards and the standards of the state. Each child receives instruction tailored to his or her own abilities and acquainted knowledge. I delve deep into the current subjects and see that information touch all aspects of my own life.

This month, we are learning Old Testament stories. Our boys have always enjoyed reading and learning about the multitude of men who find themselves alone in battle against vicious beasts or entire armies. The Bible is not lacking in such stories. We start with Noah, who is bullied and mocked by his neighbors for building an ark. But that is not so much a war battle as it is battling peer pressure. But God is on his side, so he wins. We later read about Moses, who stutters and needs his brother Aaron to speak for him. He can’t believe that God chose him to lead the people out of bondage, so that’s more of an internal battle. But God is on his side, and he prevails.

After the death of Moses is when we begin to read of bloody battles, real conquests in which warriors die, kings are run off, and lands are seized. Young men are tested, and with God’s help, they pass the tests.

My favorite story so far is Gideon, who was just minding his own affair when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and called him to take up arms against the Midianites, the oppressors. God said to Gideon, “Do not be afraid. You shall not die.” What more armor does one need? Those words alone, from the Almighty Himself, are the shield and the sword, the coat of mail and the helmet of brass. That’s like having Saint George, Beowulf, Cú Chulainn, Thor, and Robin Hood all in one squad. I couldn’t stop smiling when I read those words. That is truly awesome stuff.

David, son of Jesse, reminds me of Arthur, son of Uther (but before he knew he was Uther’s). Both grow up to be kings. Both do awesome things as young men. But before that, both are young lads, serving their brothers who are actively involved in fighting. Kay, Arthur’s brother, sent him to grab a sword. He grabs Excalibur. David runs to send cheese to his brothers. He slays Goliath! (Of course, David knew he could do that because God was on his side… and he had smote and slain both a lion and a bear with his hands. So he wasn’t just a young lad but a mighty powerful one.)

After school, while I’m getting ready to go to work, I pass by the boys’ room and see that they have set up thick walls with building blocks, lined up their Playmobil guys, and perform re-enactments of Joshua and Battle of Jericho. The walls of the city come tumbling down. They know that they are like Samson because a razor has never touched their heads, so they have the strength to pick up the gates of the city and walk away with them.

When they study classical literature, they will understand the Biblical references. They may even remember the details from their re-enactments… because that’s how we learn: by doing.

Kyle isn’t exactly an avid reader. When I give him reading homework, he forgets to do it, choosing instead to lay on the couch and stare at the ceiling. I don’t know what goes on his mind, but I have a hunch. He doesn’t have the cleanest penmanship, and he fills his writing with grammatical errors. But beyond that, he writes about fighting dragons, killing monsters, saving the princess, and being a hero. He’s like Saint George… who wears a Rock Star t-shirt.

A few days ago, I thought I would lay down the law and get him to read something a little more challenging than “Frog and Toad.” I like that book because it tells of the gentle friendship between Frog and Toad and the turning of the seasons. At his age, Ty was reading The Magic Treehouse books, so I gave Kyle the first book in the series, Dinosaurs before Dark. But he was dragging along, understanding the text, but not quite getting “into” it.

I looked through the hundreds of books that they have in the home schooling closet and found a hand-me-down, tattered at the edges. The hard cover kept the pages in tact. The illustrations lacked color and were not modern. I didn’t think that he’d be interested in it, but I just couldn’t help being drawn to the title.

Since the beginning of the year, we read about Northern legends in home school. Our culture is full of good legends for the boys: Thor, Beowulf, Cú Chulainn, King Arthur, William Tell… all those wonderful men who honorably defended their people. We learned Ancient Runes, not for their “magic” but to be able to write in secret codes to each other. Using runes, Ty and Kyle translated Deuteronomy 6:5 for the pagan Vikings. After becoming more acquainted with runes, we watched the DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon,” about a skinny Viking boy who injured a dragon with one of his klutzy inventions. The dragon manual in the movie was written in runes, and we were able to decipher them! They were in English, of course.

So I had this worn-out book from the home schooling closet in my hands, wondering if Kyle would be interested in something so plain, so old, so boring-looking. I started reading it myself. It took me ten minutes to read the first three chapters. It moved along quickly, telling the story of a man who came home to have a wife and children, teaching his only son many lessons on strength and courage.

“Hey, Kyle. Give me your Treehouse book. You’re going to read this.”
He took it into his hands.

He read the title quietly. “Wow! Mommy Thank you!” And he started reading. Before I left to work, he had finished the first chapter, and when I got back from work, he had started the fourth chapter.

This morning, I woke up to find him on his bed with the book in his hands, in the middle of the sixth chapter. While he did his chores and ate breakfast, I quickly read what I could, getting ready for asking reading comprehension questions. He answered them all correctly.

As I type this, Kyle is behind me, sitting in a chair, reading the book aloud about Wineland, treasure, sword fighting, and danger.

I don’t know when they started doing this. It was either during or immediately after blinking. Both Kendall and Talon, who are two and a half, climb up the “monkey bars,” which aren’t your normal playground equipment but are metal bars and poled fixed in concrete. They stretch their arms up to the second bar while standing on the first bar, which is only about two inches off the ground. They each climb in unique ways but both end up with their feet on the second bar and hands on the third. It does scare me, but I recall Taylor’s ability to climb those bars when she was about that age, maybe even earlier.

Taylor is among the population here that can maneuver straight across the bars at the top. Originally, the structure was a shed, with canvas draped around the bars, so the top is the roof. Sometimes she cries for me when she finds herself stuck at the top, but I simply tell her that she has to get down. She always finds a way down where I don’t have to touch her, not even guide her steps. She just needs encouragement, and she finds a way.

She has also acquired the beading bug. Well, the arts and crafts bug. She’s always been a pretty good artist, in my opinion, chosing crayons over colored pencils. She once drew herself walking with Daddy, holding hands, toward the van, and looking at each other. One can clearly tell that she was looking up while Daddy was looking down. I think that’s pretty amazing. She’s now into beading and jewelry making. I finally found a good elastic material that doesn’t fray as the bead is inserted.

Kyle is playing the piano behind me. He’s using the book that my brothers and I used for piano lessons, the book that Ty used. The same exact book. My name is in it along with the dates that I learned the pieces. My brothers’ names and dates are written in, too. Ty, well, I didn’t write Ty’s name. I’m thinking I should have. Anyway, he’s preparing for a recital in the spring. He’s going to play “Hunting Song” and…. well, I’m still not sure what else he’ll play.

Ty is learning the “Star Wars” theme on the piano. He reads music better than I did at his age. He doesn’t practice as much as he should, being that it’s a difficult piece, but when he does play it, it sounds about what it should.

He’s also teaching himself third grade maths, including equivalent fractions and mixed numbers. I never know what to give that boy to challenge him. His cursive is perfect. His narrative paragraphs are descriptive. His knitting is a little tight, which is his only current flaw. That, and he likes to take initiative and do things his own way, which are not the way he was instructed.

I love that the play “Hide and Nature Seek.” The three older children are so sweet and fair with the young twin girls. Well, not always, but for the most part, they let them win or make it easy to find them or something darling like that. And other times, they fight the way siblings do.

ANNNND….. we have built our portfolio of English, American, and German folk songs:
Seven Joys of Mary
Greensleeves
Wayfaring Stranger
Blue Tail Fly
Fiddle Dee Dee
Ballad of the Boston Tea Party
Hopp, Hopp, Hopp
Bakke Bakke
O Tannenbaum
Es war eine Mutter
Ich bin ein Musikante

I think our next song will be “Swanee River.” I just have to find and write down the verses because I know only the piano melody.

They also sing solfege, the octave, third and fourth intervals along the octave, arpeggios major and minor, and chords in solfege I, IV, and V7. I’m so glad we home school. I can’t imagine how ignorant they’d be if they went to government school!