interlude...

On a recent post, at The Deliberate Agrarian, Herrick writes about family traditions. What a GREAT topic to cover! Ildi and I have spent time thinking about and implementing many family traditions with our children. Please visit his site and read the comments section to view the traditions we have established in our family. As well, read his post and be inspired to create some memorable traditions for your family. One tradition that Ildi has started here is to make homemade donuts for the children. What a great activity for the children to do as well as a treat for them to have.

2008...cont...

And so I spent the days of my youth in the same town, and in the same house until I graduated from high school.

Ildi, on the other hand, grew up on the west coast. She actually lived in Pasadena most of her childhood with her Hungarian immigrated parents and grandparents. They came to the US during the Hungarian Revolution back in '56. It is fun to talk with her mom about the old days. I never met her father. He was killed in an unfortunate car accident when she was 16. When I met her, she was 19, and living in Chino, CA, which is just outside Los Angeles county. She had graduated from high school one year early and was working and attending college. She was a devout atheist at that point.

After I finished High school I attended Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky. I finished a B.A. degree in Art and right after graduation, flew to Los Angeles to make my mark on the world. First time flying, first time in a big city, first time living in an apartment, first time.....get the pattern here?

2008...

I was thinking about the whole 2000 scare the other day (now that it is 8 years after) and how everyone was skeptical to what would happen when the bell dropped, the clock changed, and 2000 came rolling in. It was pretty dull when nothing big happened. Not that a new year is not a big deal in all, but nothing earth shattering happened that night. Actually, I was reflecting on this year and was reminded of all the changes that have happened. Most of the changes we have had have been talked about already in previous posts. Some of the changes we are anticipating...like the FARM!

Today I gave some advice about blogging and to my surprise, I actually spoke more to myself than to the person I was talking to. I think that I will take my own advice and post the results of my conversation.

Chapter One (1)...just kidding :) It all started back in Northwest Ohio in the small town of Kenton, Ohio. I am the third child of four, and the middle of three boys. See if you can figure out the birth order. Hint: the last child is a boy. Kenton was, and is, a small rural town that is similar to most of the small towns in Ohio.

christmas...

What a pleasant Christmas time for us. I have been off work since the 20th (my birthday) and have done absolutely NOTHING but rest. Waking up around 9:00, taking a nap with Gresham, then laying down with him again around 7:00 for the night. What a life a child has huh? I wish those days of being told to take a nap, going to bed early, and have rest time during the day were part of the adult world. I wonder how that would change attitudes during the day?

We decided not to go to Ohio during the Christmas break. We haven't found a farm that has captured our attention enough to drive the 8 hours to get to it. Ildi is still diligently looking at property, and I have contacted an old high school friend to tell me about the areas we are looking at. We are starting to narrow down our search. It is exciting to be closer and closer to buying our place.

It's Friday night again, pizza night, and the girls have set the dough up for pizza tonight. We have been watching Wives and Daughters the last few nights and will finish up with the special features of the DVD tonight. Not having a television has been great so far. I have found a online TV video site that I am able to watch the 3rd season of Lost on; certainly not like watching a DVD or regular TV but it suffices. It is nice not to have the temptation to turn the TV on when there is nothing to do. So many times in the past, when there was nothing going on, it was easy just to turn the TV on and sit and watch for a few hours. Inevitably though, it usually consumed more time than what I would like to admit. I am thinking ahead to the Summer Olympics in Bejjing 2008. How am I going to get the coverage of the Olympics? The Summer Olympics are one of my favorite things to watch. I guess I could always borrow a TV for the eight weeks or so. I am wondering if Youtube or another video hosting site will air them?

It's rainy and cold now in NC. The temperature here should be making a shift toward colder weather in the next week or so. Hopefully we will have snow!

after 10 tears (i mean ten years!)

Last Sunday night, I sent the culminating work of the last ten years of my education. The Thesis Research Paper on multiple intelligence. I started the Master of Education in Cross-Cultural Teaching 10 years ago in 1998. Technically, you are supposed to finish the teaching part in five years or less, and the master part in two years or less, accounting for a total of seven years max. Whoops! I missed that one. I had to write an extension letter to the University and wait for their approval of extending the program for me. They did, and I just finished with it by sending the work. Now, I wait for a couple months to get the piece of paper I paid $29,000.00 dollars for! Yeah for me. (or not)

I have missed this type of writing...not having to cite all my sources. I was joking the other day with Ildi saying that I would write or say things like "according to Ildi, (2007) in her comment about our lives here in NC..." around the house. She didn't seem too amused by it.

We are now going to be actively involved in the "hunt" for the farm. Ildi has continued to research online about property and has built quite a base of knowledge on what is available. She could have written a Thesis on "property" and the pursuit of it with the amount of time she has spent researching. I am thankful that she has that "researching" gift. I don't. Hence the 10 tears (I mean years).

Christmas is quickly approaching, we are experiencing some colder weather, and school break time is this week. I really want it to snow here for the children to experience, but if it doesn't, we will probably travel up to Ohio for a short visit with family and friends.

Tradition, and traditional activities have not always been part of our lives. We have however, started a few over the years. One of them is that we have Crepes each Christmas morning for breakfast. It is the only time Ildi makes them so it makes it a special type of tradition. I am wanting to establish traditions more and more in our family's life. They have a sense of belonging and purpose to them.

Please post some of your family holiday traditions for me to see.

Asher said the other day that we should only get one Christmas present a piece this year. I asked why of course. He said, "If we get too many presents, we will just have to box them up when we move". He is a practical thinker :)

into the holiday season

For our readers, I hope your Thanksgiving celebration was filled with joy and peace. And that you had Thanksgiving dinner several times afterwards as well. I almost enjoy the left-over meals more the second and third time!

Our family spent the several days that I had off from work doing very little. The children continued to build their houses, and got involved with another craft activity (they are now making toy cars). Doesn't seem too out of sorts for them to be constantly involved in making something. :)

I am still continuing to plug away at some finishing work for school. The past two months I have taken online classes through National University, and have spent most of my time posting on discussion boards, reading books, and writing papers. This next month, December, will be my final class where I get to choose the topic I want to explore in education, and write a final paper on my research and observations as it pertains to the classroom. I am choosing the topic of multiple intelligences to research but haven't decided on what question of it that I want to address. I have a day or two to decide.

For the next week or so we will spend some time making Christmas cards. This personally is one of my favorite activities to do with the children. We have already decided on a design, and are thinking about the kind of message we want the card to say. I love involving the children and working with them on sending out holiday greetings. I did a small research on the Christmas card and it's origin. The first Commercial cards were commissioned by Sir Henry Cole in London around 1843, but the original Christmas card started three years earlier in 1840, when Queen Victoria's Royal Family sent cards out to share personal events of the year. It seems the purpose of the card has not changes that much over all these years. Ildi asked the question concerning why we send cards in the first place. Here are some of the reasons I send Christmas cards.

1. I like to make them.
2. I like to work on things with the children.
3. I want others to know that I am thinking about them during the holiday season time. (that really should be number one)
4. It is a way to bring cheer to others.

Each year the children and I look forward to making "this year's" card. I have been keeping one from each year for the last few years so that when the children are grown, they can take the ones we made while they were at home.

Side story...Macy has broken the family record for the most amount of teeth lost in a week, and a day. The record stands now at three per week, and two in one day. I pulled two of them out just a few hours ago. And she was brave!

i never thought this would happen

A few months ago I started this blog for a couple of reasons. My first intention was to create a site that would give friends and family a chance to see where we were going, and what we were doing, since we were moving so far away. Secondly, I wanted to get something up and running so that I could encourage Ildi to post and "speak" to the vast amounts of women that call for advice on mothering things. But, there now is a third reason, and why I am continuing to post. I never thought that I would enjoy writing the way that I do when posting. Sort of letter writing, sort of journal writing, sort of informative writing, and the list goes on. Years ago, and throughout my life, I have started, and stopped, many journals. There was something good in writing down what I was thinking. This place gives the format for writing what I think, and writing for an audience as well. Which brings me to the newest part of this whole process of getting involved with blogging.

For years I have heard that I should write a book. From friends it has been books about parenting. From teachers and colleagues it has been that I should write about classroom teaching. So, last week I started a new blog that deals with classroom issues. It is located here http://theartroomarchives.blogspot.com/ and will mostly deal with teaching practices that work. The posts might not be the most popular methodologies that are being taught in education classes, but they are tried and true methods that have worked, or are working in my classes still today. Please stop by and leave me a comment or two. If you don't agree with me on a post, I can handle the criticism!

recent photos

For those who have been asking to see updated pictures...here you go. These were taken at Bur Mills Park in the city of Greensboro. We have been attending a church that meets there at the community center and spend time at the park after the meal together. It is a really pretty place and full of geographical history. There is no need to post pictures of Ildi or me because we still look the same as several years ago. If you forget what we look like, just pull out an old picture, put a few pounds on, grey the hair only slightly, and there we are!

in addition

I went on the dashboard and read a post that Blogger was having a problem with video uploading. Whew! I am not crazy.

AS well, the last few mornings it has been around 32-37 degrees in the morning when I leave for school. Wow, I didn't think it was going to be cold until December or January. For those friends who live in Ohio...don't poke fun at us, we did JUST move from California three months ago. It's going to take a little while for our skin to thicken up. Ildi bought me a pair or fleece-lined jeans. They are great to wear. And Friday, I wore long underwear under my pants to school. I was warm all day. Secretly I am enjoying the colder weather. shhhhhh....

without too much of a history lesson...

For those who have never heard of being "plain", it's sort of the cross between Amish and Mennonite in dress, without the all of the religious affiliation, even though much of the doctrinal beliefs are the same. From what I understand, which is quite limited mind you, is that the Anabaptist were a group of people that remained outside the mainstream of the Reformation. (middle 1500's) They were labeled the lunatic fringe. The label Anabaptist applies to the movements today known as the Amish and Mennonite communities. We have met several families who embrace the plain movement and have become friends. The Farmer's Market we attend in Greensboro has a couple of families that dress plain.

Last weekend we visited a Plain church. Some of the people we buy goods from at the market invited us to a special service they were having. It was a great day and a wonderful experience for us and the children. Since it was an hour and one-half away, we woke early to get there on time for worship. Worship is the whole service including the meal afterwards. Almost all the people where dressed plainly. It made the way we dress look like a fashion statement. The men sat on one side of the meeting hall, the women on the other. Boys with dad's, girls with mom's. After the (a capello?) singing time, a man from Massachusetts preached. When the service part of the meeting was over, we all sat down to a meal together.

After worship we were invited to go to our friend's house to stay for the afternoon. The children were allowed to help with the chores. The chores...milking the goats! They loved it.

The family we visited is renting the farm now until this winter. The beginning of the year, several families will go in together to purchase the land for personal and church purposes. Right now they are only paying $700 monthly for a house and 150 acres to farm on. Sort of makes you want to move to North Carolina huh? This plot of land is on the border of NC and Virginia right along the Dann River.