School Week Highlights: Week 10

This week turned out to be a bit of a fall break for us, with outside activities combined with a sick mama.

- We went to adoration.

- We took the kids to a Trunk or Treat at Kansas Dad's university. It was cold, but we enjoyed visiting with some of the students. Second Son was dressed as a baker and insisted he needed to carry a basket of goodies to give away himself. He shared cookies, muffins, and little loaves of bread with some of the students and one of the priests. That was fun!

- On Halloween, First Son attended a candy poker party with some of his friends. He had a great time, though I think he ate most of his winnings.

Kylo Ren

- The other three went to Grammy's house for dinner and then went trick-or-treating in her neighborhood.

baker, Moana, cat

- Wednesday was the great feast of All Saints, so we took the day off school. We visited and played with friends for a few hours. In the afternoon, I took First Son shoe shopping. He needed bigger church shoes (from size 11 to size 13). We bought the same pair he had last time, just in a bigger size. We'll have to look online soon as they didn't have anything bigger than a 13.

- Second Daughter got shoes, too. She was crying every time we told her to put on something besides sandals or rain boots, so we looked through all the clearance shoes to find some she found acceptable. We also found some furry boots on super-clearance Second Daughter really wanted. She agreed to share the cost with me because she didn't really need them.

- I also finished filling out Second Son's winter wardrobe. Since he's already put a hole in one pair of pants, I bought him an extra pair. And socks for First Daughter. The theme of the trip was basically "What do we need so these kids stop complaining they don't have X when it's time to get dressed and go outside?" We were successful in most of the essentials and the kids didn't complain too much.

- We had our nature study on the other side of town this week. It was cold and drizzly, so we only visited the inside exhibits but the kids still drew in their nature journals.

drawing a squirrel

- One evening this week, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at a nice restaurant with Kansas Dad's parents and his aunt and uncle visiting from California. The children were well-behaved and even participated nicely in some of the conversation.

- We went to see a children's production of White Christmas.

- We went to a Poetry Tea at a local library. I insisted all my children recite a poem they had memorized. Second Son (7) bounded right up on stage first of anyone there: The Little Turtle by Vachel Lindsay. Later he also recited Ants by Mary Ann Hoberman (recorded by First Daughter five years ago). First Daughter (11) happily recited two poems: O Captain! My Captain! by Walt Whitman and Concord Hymn by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Second Daughter was more reluctant, but once she mastered her nervousness and recited the first poem (Daffadowndilly by A. A. Milne), she returned for more (There Once Was a Puffin by Florence Page Jacques). I tried to convince First Son to recite Paul Revere's Ride but he seemed to think that would be showing off, so he chose instead The Road Goes Ever On from The Lord of the Rings, Book I, Chapter 1. It was wonderful to have an opportunity to actually recite some of the poetry we've memorized and this was forgiving audience of relatively few children and their grown-ups. (I did threaten them with lessons when we got home if they refused to recite.) The librarian also had lots of books of poetry lying around the tables and we enjoyed perusing them. I hope they have another one.

- Second Son had his last soccer game of the fall season. It was cold and drizzly and I won't be sorry to take a break, but he will miss it.