Ninth Grade for Finn

 High school! Finn is going into high school! This feels overwhelming sometimes until I realize that high school should just be a natural continuation of all the learning we've already done, and that that learning--which has felt casual and organic much of the time--has been oh-so-sufficient.  I don't place much stock on standardized tests, and I never tell my children their scores.  I just send them to the school board and move on.  But this year Finn's scores truly blew me away.  It made me realize I can just Not Worry so much about "where we are" because where we are is fine!

More than anything else, I just love that he enjoys pursuing knowledge for its own sake. He's not much of a fiction reader, which has surprised me.  But he loves learning languages (this summer he's learning Chinese for fun), loves reading the encyclopedia, knows more geography than anyone I've ever met, etc.  He's becoming the person God created him to be.  He cares about the world, he asks great questions, and he's genuinely curious about life.  I love this!

So this year my goal was to provide opportunities that will foster his interests while not burning him out.  I looked at our state's advanced diploma requirements and sort of formulated a plan based on that--while still honoring what Finn is interested in doing. 

So 9th grade for Finn will be:

*Pre-Algebra/Algebra transition --we use Saxon and love it for him. I had worried about him being "behind," but my husband, who is a math nerd and engineer, strongly said that we need to focus more on building a strong foundation, and that he thinks Finn will be just fine to take the SAT.  I trust my husband's judgment on this point more than I trust anything else, so I'm not going to worry about it!

*Spanish 2--a continuation of the Spanish 1 class from last year. This is an in-person class taught by an American friend who spent part of her childhood in Mexico, and a lovely lady who immigrated from Venezuela a few years ago and barely speaks English.  It's wonderful and a huge, huge blessing for us. 

*Honors French 2 through The Potter's School (online)--Finn has never done formal French, just studied on his own over the years as well as worked with a friend who lived in France and tutored him.  They would read bits of Harry Potter in French, discuss grammar, etc. We decided it was time for a formal class, so he took and aced the placement test for Honors French 2.  I'm so excited for him. 

*Honors Biology through The Potter's School (online)--this is a subject we both wanted to outsource. I love biology, but don't want to teach it.  He's VERY excited about this course!

*Beautiful Feet Books Early American and World History pack--I let Finn pick what history to do for this year, and he picked this one. I'm happy because it is heavily-based on Genevieve Foster's books, which we enjoy so much!  This will provide his history and part of his literature for the year.  I chose a few more books for the year to round out his literature selections, and we'll do a combination of reading them and listening on Audible.  I'm actually keeping this subject as light as possible because I know he'll be pretty busy with his other classes. I seriously doubt we'll finish all the readings (it's a lot), but I'm hoping to get through about 3/4 of it this year. We will be reading the same books and having discussions about them--fun!

*Morning Time: this is where we do Shakespeare, Scripture memory, Bible reading, poetry, hymn, etc.  We will do this each day as a trio for half an hour or forty-five minutes before Finn tackles his other subjects. 

*Piano!  Piano is a huge time commitment for Finn. He practices a lot--and it shows because he plays beautifully.  So I count this as its own subject because it truly does take the same amount of time as, say, math. He loves piano theory in particular, and is focusing more on that this year. 

*Annie and Finn are both participating in a robotics club/competition this fall on a team that is led by a friend of mine.  It's an extra commitment, but they really seem to enjoy the team aspect and the problem-solving.

*PE: Finn and my husband are hiking parts of the Appalachian Trail for "PE" this year.  Once they finish the sections they are doing, we'll come up with another "PE" activity--probably perfecting his swimming strokes, or golfing, or tennis lessons.  I am focusing PE in high school on things that I consider life skills! Finn isn't really an "athlete" and I don't think he'll do any team sports. We may also do a 5K running clinic and/or a resistance-training clinic together, and eventually I'll have him take a CPR class, and I'll teach him a practical first-aid/basic nursing-type class. But we'll do all that over the course of 3-4 years--not one! :) 

And that's ninth grade for dear Finn! 

Next up, fifth grade for Miss Annie......

A Quick Trip to the Biltmore

 This summer I made some changes to my online time that I'm implementing (I have learned to do nothing "cold turkey") and enjoying a lot.  I decided to give up social media for the summer, with an eye to just giving it up completely long-term, and I've been happily surprised at how much I just do NOT miss it.  I have used Facebook a couple times to ask advice-related questions (to-wit: one basin or two for our new sink? pull-down faucet or side spray?!), but otherwise, I've been pretty absent from the Instagram and Facebook platforms. I felt that I didn't use them THAT much, but I do think that the minutes add up, and I didn't like that sometimes in spare moments my compulsion was to pick up my phone and check it.  I never had the Facebook app at all, and I never had notifications on, but still.  I don't miss it!  And I have the accounts in case I *need* to pop on and check something, but otherwise I'm basically ignoring social media and it's really nice.

Another thing I did a few weeks ago was turn off my text notifications.  I've never had email notifications on because I just don't like being NOTIFIED all the time. And I always keep my phone on silent unless I'm away from my children!  Turning off text notifications was great because if I pick my phone up to listen to my current Audible book ("Persuasion," SO GOOD, sigh) or set a timer or use the calculator or check the weather, I don't get distracted by the fact that there are 3 unread texts! It's really quite helpful.  This probably only works because my children are with me all the time, not driving, and don't have phones, but I'm enjoying the feeling of not being notified every time someone texts me.  Whew. 

Our summer is quite busy, but also nice. Today I was able to stay home and just enjoy sleeping in, cuddling with both of my children, then painting my cabinet doors and cabinet frames while listening to Jane Austen.  After lunch I went outside to work for two and a half hours in the yard--it was hot but not humid, and that makes all the difference!  Our vegetable garden is overrun with weeds, so I am trying to get it under control.  A pipe dream, but I can try.....

Last week we took Finn on his "Christmas gift trip" to Asheville, North Carolina to see the Biltmore.  Oh, Asheville. You're such a quirky town! On the way down we went to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi.  It was a beautiful day. 

This was my fifth time at the Biltmore, I think. I also think it was the hottest!  We did a Friday morning house tour, then enjoyed the grounds before heading to a French restaurant (Bouchon, if you know Asheville) for dinner--a treat for our resident Francophone.  I got the duck l'orange and the creme brulee, but should've gotten the almond trout and the chocolate mousse.  It was all quite good, though!

The second day we did the rooftop tour, which I knew Finn would L O V E.  And he did.  He soaked in every detail. He had studied floor plans; he knew where everything was, but seeing it in person was cool, and the tour gave us behind-the-scenes construction details that thrilled his little design-oriented heart.  

We spent that afternoon dodging thunderstorms, but got a photo with the Diana statue before the skies opened! 

Next week Finn and Annie will BOTH be at drama camp (and I hope they stay healthy--Annie's church camp illness was a doozy).  I plan to organize a few spaces that are annoying me (Annie's room, the schoolroom table), keep painting cabinetry, have lunch and knit with a friend, have our countertop fabricator come measure the kitchen, and celebrate my husband's 46th birthday!  (When you've had stage four cancer, believe you me, *every* birthday is a reason to celebrate.)

I wish I had a photo of Annie and Finn to share--mostly to show how tall Finn is getting.  We are seeing eye-to-eye now, my little tow-headed, blue-eyed baby and I.  It's wonderful, sobering, and strange!  He will soon be taller than I am!

Time, you do fly. 

The Uneventful, Unambitious Life: True Success, Possible to All

 I am so proud to report that I finally mustered up my courage and read Chapter Forty of Little Women to my children.  It's true that I delayed for as long as possible. It's true that I had to put the hankie nearby. It's true that I had already cried, multiple times, over the foreshadowing in previous chapters.

But I did it.

Finn had already read the book (he LOVES it!) and Annie already knew what happened to Beth--presumably she caught wind of it from her brother somehow--so no one was surprised, but even so, it never gets less sad.  I think the appropriate word for what I did was "sob." 

The entire chapter is poignant and wise. 

"Precious and helpful hours for Jo, for now her heart received the teaching that it needed: lessons in patience were so sweetly taught her that she could not fail to learn them; charity for all, the lovely spirit that can forgive and truly forget unkindness, the loyalty to duty that makes the hardest easy, and the sincere faith that fears nothing, but trusts undoubtingly....

"Seeing this [Beth's last days] did more for Jo than the wisest sermons, the saintliest hymns, the most fervent prayers that any voice could utter; for, with eyes made clear by many tears, and a heart softened by the tenderest sorrow, she recognized the beauty of her sister's life--uneventful, unambitious, yet full of the genuine virtues which 'smell sweet, and blossom in the dust,' the self-forgetfulness that makes the humblest on earth remembered soonest in heaven, the true success which is possible to all."

The self-forgetfulness

This is no well-praised virtue in today's world, is it?  I think a lot about social media and what is doing to us, and what kind of life it is shaping for our children.  Is there any way to achieve this "self-forgetfulness" when we are thinking of what to post next on social media--about ourselves? (Or our children?) It has its benefits, although I suspect they are fewer than its risks, and I don't want to deny the happy reality of how easily social media can connect us with far-off relatives.  (I always say--not really jokingly--that the only reason for Instagram is to see my cousins' babies and follow the Duchess of Cambridge!)

There's no way to photograph those "genuine virtues" that smell sweet and blossom in the dust.  Most of the virtuous things we do in life don't photograph well. I think about the generations of humans who lived before photography was widespread, and all the genuine virtues they must have quietly, invisibly displayed as they went about their normal lives.  All the acts of kindness, charity, forgiveness, faith, and love that happened over centuries--never captured in any form except within the heart of the recipients.

I loved this reminder that the truly successful life is, indeed, possible to us all.  

Summering So Far

 July is here! This is the last day of my children's summer camp, a week that didn't go quite as expected. Isn't that how life is sometimes?

Dropping Finn off on Sunday for 5 nights of residential summer camp was so hard! I cried as we left and he looked pretty stoically teary as well.  We pick him up this evening and I cannot wait to see him and hear how his week went.  Annie was dropped off on Monday morning at the same camp (she was a day camper this week), with no tears!  She and her best friend were attending together and they were excited and ready for some Real Fun!

My husband was off on Monday, so he and I hiked up my favorite mountain.  We didn't stop for the entire hike--it's pretty much straight up to the top.  Impressive! After that we went to have lunch together at our favorite Indian restaurant in the city.  And by the time we were done, it was time to pick up Annie!

Tuesday I took my cousin to the airport and then had an appointment for a manicure/pedicure.  Then I was off to exercise and spend the afternoon by the pool, pre-reading books for the book club that I'm organizing for Annie and her best friend for the upcoming school year.  I lasted two hours (that was four books!) before I got tired of being a lady of leisure and had to leave!  A quick grocery run and drop-off, and then it was time to get Annie!  

Wednesday was another day completely away from home--dentist! Home Depot!  Target! Clothes shopping! Etc! I was exhausted by the end of the day and decided Thursday and Friday would be complete rest days for me.....

When I picked Annie up on Wednesday, she had a raging sore throat.  I took her to Urgent Care, got a negative strep test, and came home, but after that the week got derailed!  Poor Annie!  She is sick.  Sore throat, congestion, coughing, extreme fatigue, vomiting (she always vomits with congestion, but this seems even worse than usual), low-grade fever, etc. I babied her all day yesterday and this morning decided to go back to the doctor's office to be sure we're not dealing with THE virus, just A virus.  She was again tested for strep, as well as flu and covid.  Negative for all three, fortunately!  This afternoon I'm feeling like my throat might be just a little bit scratchy, so I'm bracing myself.  I've been sleeping with Annie, doting on her, holding her, sitting with her in a steamy bathroom, etc., so I'd be happily surprised if I do not catch this bad cold.  In other words: I might be down with a cold soon.  But I hope it is a quick one, because we are supposed to be traveling next week!

In other news here, all the upper cabinet doors are off our kitchen cabinets, and I'm slowly (oh-so-slowly) trying to paint them.  

Most of my school planning is done for the year ahead; I only have a few loose ends to tie up this month. (How is it possible that Finn is 14 and going into HIGH SCHOOL?)

I'm trying to decide what to purchase to replace my 28-year-old beige laminate countertops. They've been great countertops, but I'm ready for an updated look. However, we aren't replacing the builder's-grade cabinetry, but we might want to do that in 15 years, so I don't think I want to invest in my all-time favorite countertops at this point (matte quartz)--they're really pricey!  I've gotten quotes for matte and polished quartz, high-grade laminate, and solid surface from four different places.  I think I'm narrowing my choices! I want to get that decision made this month and get countertops ordered--so that once we start school, I don't have to put any mental energy into this decision!

Mr. Polly turns 46 in a couple of weeks. I am so thankful for every birthday he celebrates!

Only four more hours until I can go pick up Finn...I'm counting the seconds.  Five nights is a long time! I can't wait to give my big boy a hug. I've missed him so very much. What a milestone he has hit this summer! I'm proud of him.  

Happy summering!