Two Left Feet

I seem to have an uncanny knack for injuring the extremities on my left side. A definite lack of grace and excess of klutziness have combined to create some rather embarrassing mishaps over the years.

It all began when I broke my left foot playing kickball on the blacktop in elementary school. Yes, I said blacktop. What school lets kids play kickball on a blacktop?? Of course, this was the same institution where we played many games of Red Rover, executed numerous wheelbarrow relay races, and threw the ball as hard as we could during not-so-nice dodgeball matchess. (I loved all those games, by the way, but the banning of traditional playground games could be an entirely other blog post.) After sliding on a blacktop (owwww!!!!) and injuring my foot, my parents didn't realize that my fifth metatarsal was broken until a week later. I'm not much of a sweller, so it was rather difficult to tell that anything was wrong. But, off I went to the doctor and came home with a brown, plether, orthopedic shoe (not exactly the height of fashion in the late '70s).

My next left-sided incident occurred when I was about fourteen and somehow (I don't quite remember what happened) twisted the ligaments in my left foot. I only recall having some funky leg wrap and being on crutches for a few weeks in the summer. Actually, I really remember crawling up and down the stairs at my house while dragging my crutches behind me- definitely not any fun.

I managed to stay left-side-injury free until last year, but, boy, was last summer a doozy. During a family Memorial Day cookout at our house, I fell down one step off our deck (Yes, the one lousy step in the picture!) and sprained my left foot. I was sooo embarrassed to trip off one step, especially when my 86-year-old grandmother had to help me get up off the ground. After my grandmother and mother helped me hobble into the house and ice my foot, I knew that something was wrong. I did agree to visit the doctor the following day and came home with a not-at-all-attractive orthopedic shoe. Let me tell you that sporting an orthopedic shoe for six weeks wreaked havoc with my summer flip-flop wardrobe. After finally trashing the shoe in Sarasota, Florida, beach sand over the Fourth of July, I trudged around in tennis shoes for the next few weeks before finally breaking out the flip-flops in August.


Now to my most recent, and possibly most ridiculous, injury: A week ago, I ran on a paved, wooded greenway while my children took classes at our local environmental center. I was having a great run until I stepped on a stick. Yes, I said a stick, not a limb, but a basic stick. As I stepped on one end of the stick, the other end popped up and scratched my shin. It was just a scratch that barely even bled. When I arrived at my cute and stylish convertible (okay, it's a minivan, but I pretend it's a convertible by rolling down the windows and cranking up the music), I cleaned out my superficial wound and even cleaned it again when I got home. All was well until Friday when my scratch started looking rather nasty. Not to gross you out, but it was puffy, red, and oozy. I debated about going to the doctor and felt rather ridiculous spending money on a doctor's visit for a stick's scratch. Of course, my dear, loving husband was of no assistance with his advice to open the wound and pour some hydrogen peroxide in it myself. I finally booked a doctor's appointment when Patrick threatened to give me some whiskey and something to bite down on before fixing it himself if I didn't stop obsessing about my leg (See what happens when you've been married fourteen years!).

So I sucked it up and visited the doc yesterday. Yes, it's infected. Yes, I have oral and topical meds. Yes, the wound had to be cultured to make sure I have not contracted MRSA or some other dread disease (Thankfully, I was assured that this was highly unlikely.) The worst part of the treatment, however, was the tetanus shot I had to get- you know, the tetanus shot that I have avoided for the past twenty years (See my April 9th Kentucky Bound post for more on my freakish fear of needles.). I really, really hate needles, and I only have to look at the dent in my right thigh which resulted from moving with a shot in my leg when I was one to remind me of my phobia. I did manage to get the shot without throwing a mommy meltdown, but darn my arm hurts today.

And am I getting any sympathy at home for this? Heck no, everyone just laughs at me probably like you are doing right now.

Look What We Found!

As we poked around our yard tonight, we discovered a bird's nest containing five baby birds.



The birds' parents constructed the nest under the cover of our propane gas tank. What a fabulous location! It stays dry unless a deluge occurs and is rather safe. Since the top of the tank is several feet off the ground, other animals cannot get into it, but there are several holes for the birds to fly in and out.


When I snapped these pictures, three birds were in the nest and two were hanging out just outside of it. I'm sure the mama bird was nearby thinking not-very-nice things about the humans checking out her babies in their nest.



I'm always struck by the beauty and intricacy of birds' nests. At least these birds used traditional building materials, unlike the nest we found a year or two which was created mainly from our dogs' hair. I had groomed our two white, curly-haired bichon frises on the back deck, and apparently the birds thought the hair would make excellent building material. I so wish I had taken a photo of that nest!

Tomorrow we're going to drag out our bird identification guide to try to figure out what type of birds are in our current nest. A bluebird family lives in the birdhouse by our front porch, but I'm not sure what these brown and white birds are. If anyone knows, feel free to let me in on the secret.

Day on the Town

My children and I spent Friday in downtown Raleigh.


Curly Girl attended the Tarheel Jr. Historian Convention at the NC Museum of History. Our local history museum started a homeschool chapter of the club which met throughout the year and attended the convention together. Any school, public or private, can start a chapter of the club and attend the state convention which focuses on aspects of North Carolina history. Curly Girl attended three or four different sessions during the day, but her favorite was the duel that costumed interpreters re-enacted on the grounds of the Old Capitol. Car Guy and I even wandered up to the festivities to take in the duel, too.













While Curly Girl was occupied at the convention, Car Guy and I explored downtown Raleigh. We started at the Blackbeard exhibit in the history museum. Car Guy loves pirates and frequently dresses up as one around the house. His favorite part of the museum's exhibit was firing a cannon at a ship as part of a video game.











After leaving the history museum, my son and I wandered over to the NC Museum of Natural Science. I especially enjoyed the butterfly house,


but Car Guy took a fancy to the dinosaur exhibit and activities.













We highly enjoyed our day trip and are contemplating other North Carolina forays to take this summer. Any suggestions?

What About Socialization?

Any homeschooler would probably tell you that the question they are most frequently asked is, "What About Socialization?"

When learning that our family homeschools, people almost always ask if our children do things with other kids their age. My initial inclination is to blurt out a smart-aleck comeback like, "What? Do you think I keep my children in the house the entire time without any contact with the outside world? Honestly, do you really think I am that poor of a parent?"

For those of you who think that homeschoolers never leave their homes, here is a sampling of my children's activities from last week:

Monday: Curly Girl's soccer practice (She plays in a homeschool athletic league which competes against private schools in our area. Our team's record is currently 4-3.); Car Guy's soccer practice (He plays in a local rec league.)

Tuesday: Curly Girl to orthodontist; Kids and I took our rabbit to the vet; Car Guy's Cub Scout field trip to a local radio station; Curly Girl to Middle High Youth at church


Wednesday: Both kids had piano lessons at our local university; visited the library; Curly Girl had handbells rehearsal

Thursday: Apple Store field trip with our local homeschool group (This is a great free field trip, by the way. The kids were able to compose an original piece of music, the store staff burned it on a CD for them to keep, and the kids got certificates and free t-shirts.); History Club at our local museum where Curly Girl acted as docent for a tour of the historical park; Curly Girl's soccer game


Friday: Art classes for both kids; visited an observatory for nighttime sky-watching

Saturday: Car Guy's soccer game; Curly Girl hung out at the Y while her dad refereed several soccer games

Sunday: Entire family to church where we ushered at the contemporary service; Curly Girl's handbells concert


Note: The sports change according to the season. Summer will be all about summer swim league; Curly Girl swims competitively in the fall and winter; and Car Guy plays basketball in the winter.

My point is not look how much we do, even though homeschooling does provide us with the time to be able to undertake more activities than the kids could if they spent their entire day inside a building before completing several hours of homework each night. My point is: Look How Normal We Are!!! Regardless of homeschooling being the fastest-growing educational movement in the country, some people are still truly clueless about it. Homeschoolers are just like you; they just happened to make a different, but very viable and legitimate, educational choice than you may have made for your family. Honestly, you probably wouldn't like it if people drew broad, highly inaccurate generalizations about you and your family just because your children attend public or private school.

I am still fuming about a conversation I overheard (The people were sitting behind me at one of Curly Girl's soccer games. It was impossible not to hear them talking.) a few weeks ago between several private school parents. Since their daughters were playing against a homeschool team, I guess the parents felt empowered to nastily spout out every inaccurate fallacy that exists about homeschool children and families. It took every bit of self-control I had not to turn around and go off on these parents about the stereotypes they were spewing while informing them about the $20K I dropped at their school when my children previously attended their daycare when I worked fulltime.

So, back to socialization. Yes, homeschoolers leave their homes. Yes, we engage with the outside world. I personally believe that homeschooling allows my children to more authentically engage in the real world by being out and about in it, instead of cooped up in an artificial classroom environment. So there, that's it. I'll try to not stereotype you for your educational choices, if you'll please not stereotype me for mine.

Do you remember Dillon Fence?

Think of the quintessential college band. Chances are if you went to college in North Carolina in the early 1990s, you may have conjured up thoughts of Dillon Fence. Yea, do you remember them?

I honestly don't remember how many times I have seen Dillon Fence perform. Between seeing them on the quad at Duke, at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, and at assorted places in the Piedmont, Dillon Fence definitely reminds me of the college years. Heck, I even saw the band before-they-were-stars when they played at a Wake Forest debate camp that I attended one summer in high school. Even better, if you require a Dillon Fence fix you can see them again this weekend at Cat's Cradle.

When my husband, Patrick, mentioned that Dillon Fence will be performing in Chapel Hill this Saturday night, we automatically started laughing about the last time we saw the band. Several years ago, Patrick and I excitedly hit Dillon Fence's reunion tour at Ziggy's (If you have never been to Ziggy's, it consists of the shell of an old house with a giant tent behind it.). We happily sent the kids to my parents and bought our tickets.

The summery Saturday night of the concert, hubby and I went out to dinner before hitting the coliseum area about 8:30pm, the concert time printed on the tickets. First off, neither Patrick or I had been to Ziggy's in at least ten years, so we were a bit fuzzy on its exact location. As we walked up to the first club on the street, we noticed a very looooong line stretching down the sidewalk. Upon closer observation, we realized that unless Dillon Fence was now attracting a hip-hop crowd, we were probably in the wrong location. Needless to say, we got back in our vehicle and moseyed down the street.

A block or two later, we immediately recognized the ramshackle house of Ziggy's with the fenced-in yard and assorted attached tents. Noticing a lack of cars, though, did concern us a bit. Rechecking the time and date on our tickets, we ventured into the venue. Patrick and I strolled around, bought a beer or two, and sat down to relax and wait . . . and wait . . . and wait. Now, I know I've gotten old. I go to bed at the time when I used to go out for the night, but I really didn't think I had gotten that old. Apparently, I have aged much more than the members of Dillon Fence.

I was fighting back yawns as the band finally took the stage about 11pm. The concert was great; I remembered the words to the songs; I jumped up and down; I sang. Even better, there were plenty of thirty-somethings attending, too. Pregnant women, mommies, daddies, gray-headed men- Patrick and I were relieved to not be the only "old" people at Ziggy's that night. We were partying on the floor near the stage about 12:30am when we turned around and noticed a considerably sparser crowd than was in the club 45 minutes previously. After a minute, we figured it out. Everyone behind us had to go home to relieve their babysitters. We were so thrilled that our kids were spending the night with their grandparents, so we could stay for the entire show.

I'll tell you what, though. I was wiped out the next day, okay, for the next few days. Staying up until 2am definitely took more of a toll on me than it had ten years previously.

Let my memory be a lesson to you: If you see Dillon Fence at Cat's Cradle this Saturday night, don't go too early, book your babysitter for the entire night, and allow lots of recovery time for yourself. Will I be attending? Unfortunately, no. My husband will be polishing his halo by chaperoning a youth retreat all weekend, which leaves me on solo parenting duty. I don't think I can exactly take Curly Girl and Car Guy to Cat's Cradle now, can I?

I'm Working On It, Really, I Am

I'm working on some new blog posts, really, I am. I have almost finished composing several entries; the problem is that they are not yet tangibly written down. Yes, I pre-write an entry almost completely in my head (usually while running) before I ever put in on paper.

The last few days have been such a flurry of activity that I have barely had time to do anything besides the bare basics of bunny care, chauffeuring children, and running errands. Today, for example, involved:
5am- feed Nibbles and write
7:30am- wake children, shower, eat breakfast
schoolwork- Thank goodness for the flexibility of homeschooling.
10:30am- 12:15pm- Curly Girl's orthodontist appointment
12:30pm- 1:30pm- home for lunch and pet care
2pm- piano lessons for both children
errands
4pm- Curly Girl's soccer game (They won!)
dinner with the soccer team
7pm ish- home where I gave Nibbles a bath
8pm- Dancing With the Stars (Yes, I know it's cheesy, but I love it!)
9:45pm-writing very short blog post
10pm- curling up in bed to watch "Castle" and read about ancient Rome so I
can discuss it with Curly Girl tomorrow

I have every intention of getting up super-early in the morning to make a large dent in the writing I actually get paid for (Don't even ask me how far behind I am at the moment), then putting a new blog post on paper tomorrow tonight. Hopefully, all will go as planned. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Night at the Observatory

Curly Girl, Car Guy, and I enjoyed such an engaging evening. We visited a local college that opens their observatory to the public on clear Friday nights.

Since we had never been before to this-particular observatory before, we decided to check it out. The kids and I are covering astronomy this semester and have had so-so success skywatching on our own. I have never taken an astronomy class before, so helping the kids has been a blind-leading-the-blind experience. We have previously located several stars by using our star chart, and I am not ashamed to say that we are learning astronomy together.

Due to my lack of astronomical experience, checking out a real-life observatory for free was just too much of a chance to pass up. I didn't know what to expect, but it was great! The guides utilized the large telescope in the observatory, as well as a telescope that was set up outside. Even better, they explained what the images were for the clueless among us.

We viewed:

Mercury

Saturn

Betelgeuse (A star that is actually larger than our sun.)

A double star (Two stars that rotate around each other. The ones we saw are farther away from us than the Sun is from Pluto.)

Orion nebula

Our evening proves that you don't have to spend money to have fun. We will definitely be checking out the observatory again!