Long Time No Writey or Staying Productive While Sick

Egads, I feel awful about not having come on here to write a post in so long. I've been occupied with loads of other things. Some school related, some not.

Let's see...here's a quick update.

We've all been sick on and off. Just when one of us gets better, another one of us gets sick, and the bug makes its rounds again. But we're working through it as best we can. I can't wait for the spring. The milder weather would surely help us stay healthy.

I feel rotten, too, because we've all missed a few kung fu, kali, tai chi, and kickboxing classes. I'm going to pay dearly for this later. I find that whenever I miss a class, I get extra achey when I start up again. Yikes. And we're doing so many cool things, too! Stuff like Wing Chun, Ba Bu Chuan, and some Jeet Kune Do kicks. :)

Because everyone has been either sick or borderline sick for weeks, we've lightened up on schooling load. Despite the lightening of the load, we've probably been more productive than usual. Weird, isn't it? I've come to realize, particularly within the past few weeks, that we do a fair bit of learning via discussion, or just plain conversation. What usually happens, is that something will be brought up, or overheard on the news, or in a read-aloud session. Often, the kids' curiosity is sparked, and that's all it takes. In the past few weeks, as the kids were exposed to new ideas, we've discussed, researched, and read about all of the following: Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Hathorne, the Salem witch trials, puritans, plate tectonics, natural disasters, tsunamis, Chernobyl, clean energy, the history of kung fu, the recognition and interpretation of different traditional Chinese characters, some words in Mandarin, and contact juggling. And those are just the things I can remember right now, as I sit here and type this.

When I first started homeschooling, I stressed over whether or not I could provide my children with a gap-free education. Several years later, I've come to the conclusion that a gap-free education is really a myth. Over the years, I've thrown together our curriculum, picking books and materials from a number of sources, and while I find what I use enriching, what I'll think back on fondly when the kids are grown and no longer homeschooling, are all of the times we've spent on discussion, often while cuddling together on the couch, or hovering around a computer monitor, with mouths agape in wonder, as they read or watch material that fascinates them.

Offering up prayers for all of those effected by the horrible earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant explosions in Japan. You are all in our hearts!