Schooling for Finn

 I just recently realized that Finn, who is in what we'll call 10th grade this year, lacks just 1 credit to hit the recommended or required class credit list for most colleges.  For a long time I was looking at the requirements for the advanced diploma track for our public high schools which is hefty indeed (and what I followed), and just this week I realized I should actually look at what colleges want to see. Interestingly, we're almost already there!

This has been a liberating revelation for me. Finn is having an extra-strenuous year, weighed down with rigorous math and science classes, plus high-level language classes (his favorite thing!), and a reading-heavy literature/history/theology class as well (his other favorite thing!).  On top of all that, he performs in community theatre productions and is working at a local retirement home twice a week, so Finn is working hard to keep his head above water, and it's honestly A Bit Much. 

To meet the minimum recommended requirements for most colleges, Finn lacks 1 class. One!! (That's Algebra II.)  This means that we can probably strike out and allow him to get more "specialized" over the next couple of years, which was, after all, one of our primary motivations for homeschooling in the first place.  I think we'll scale back our math/science plans (four years really not necessary) and replace those with the courses he's most interested in taking (humanities-heavy).  As a sophomore, he's already in Spanish 4 and French 4, and his heavy lifting in languages will almost certainly balance out the fact that he takes 3 years of math instead of 4! (If I could have skipped my senior math class--which was a colossal waste of time--I sure would have!) He does so much independent reading and study on his own that I'm already planning to award him a credit in World Religions. He's a curious, interested learner, and I'm so pleased that we can let him have more leeway and freedom over the next couple of years!

And if anyone has any college recommendations, please let me know. So far his ideals appear to be: east coast/not too far from the Mid-Atlantic east coast (although we could work with the midwest); a setting (whether secular or Christian) that values free speech and respects students' perspectives (in other words, Finn doesn't want to attend a school where professors are hostile to students of faith); smaller size school, preferably in a smaller-sized city or town (flexible on those points); strong study abroad possibilities, particularly for France or French-speaking countries; and--his mother's wishful addition--plenty of money to give away to good students! :) 

I've already started making lists of places that may check the box on some of these, and we'll likely do some casual visits over the next 6-9 months.  I'm so glad we're still a couple of years away from all of that, though. I'm in no hurry to send Finn off into the world. 

He's still mine--for a little while longer!

Pink Things in Quebec City

 The first of a series of snippets from Quebec... 

It's a beautiful city. I was driving when we arrived. As we snaked our way through the city and found our way (miraculously! my husband is such a great co-pilot; we didn't have GPS helping us!) to the older section, we passed Parliament, and when we took a left and passed under the Porte Saint-Louis, I literally gasped, I could not believe what I saw.  It was all so quaint, so French! It was love at first sight. More photos of all that soon. 

These enormous pink hydrangea were everywhere in Canada, and in many places in the northeastern US as well.  I love them! I need to figure out what they are, although I suspect they're a cold weather variety that may not fare well in my climate. 

Loved the stone walls with colorfully painted trim.  Quebec City has a fascinating history.  The first thing we did the morning after we arrived was go on a two-hour walking tour, and I'm so glad I chose to do that, because it oriented us into the city and its history so well!

Street artists line the Rue Sainte-Anne. I stopped to watch them work every day.  The things these men could do in oil pastels, in an hour, amazed me.  It was mesmerizing!  

Not really pink, but orangey-pink: one evening we walked back into our room, shut the door, and heard a sound.  We walked to the balcony and opened the door, and behold!  Fireworks!  Turns out, the city puts on a massive twenty-minute fireworks display twice a week during the summer. We watched the show from our balcony--and it was a gift. 

More Quebec City photos soon! 

The Autumn Dress Challenge

 Last spring Annie (who is 12 years old) suggested that we do a "dress challenge" and try to wear only dresses or skirts for an entire month. I mentioned that, and its parameters, here. 

I think we're gearing up for an autumn dress challenge.  Last night Annie was bemoaning the typical attire for 12-year-old girls these days.  She is underwhelmed and irritated by the copious quantities of ripped jeans, crop tops (ah! so many crop tops!), and generally un-pretty fashions for girls her age.  I don't blame her! I bemoan the same thing for girls my age! :) Earlier this summer, when we were at my dear friend and neighbor's house, Annie asked for a dress pattern.  Naomi and her family are Beachy Amish (Mennonite), and the girls wear very long dresses that are "cape" style.  Naomi sweetly traced a dress pattern that she thought would fit Annie, using newspaper!!!, and brought it to me.  She explained how it would be easy to leave off the cape.  We haven't tried the dress yet, but I think I will use the skirt pattern to start with making Annie a couple of long fall skirts. Annie can run the sewing machine proficiently, but this year I want to teach her to sew with a pattern.  We may start with a few skirts--they're easy. 

Annie is ready for a fall dress challenge, but I'm not! My cold-weather default in previous years has always been jeans.  But jeans are honestly not very comfortable, and I'm genuinely tired of them.  I have only a couple of skirts that could work for cold weather, and I need to strategize the "underlayer" as well (I loathe being cold!).  Skirts are tricky, too, because not all shirts go with all skirts, so it takes some strategizing.  Dresses are easier in that you don't have to coordinate, but dresses are hard for me. I have scoliosis, and one hip and one shoulder are higher than the other. Finding a dress that works on my frame, with the scoliosis and with my extremely high waist, is a challenge!  Shirtdresses are totally out--my torso is so short! So I usually have to wear separates. I particularly like a skirt and a twinset--I know it's retro, but it suits my personality, somehow.  In any case, I may be prowling around the thrift stores off and on in preparation for the challenge (I think we may start November 1st).

Annie wishes she could start a new trend among girls her age of wearing pretty things. 

Maybe we will!

Last time we took a photo of ourselves every day and posted it on my private Instagram account.  I don't want to post photos of Annie here, but maybe we can figure out some way to share our daily outfits.  She and I love clothes, we love pretty things, and we love doing things like this together! 

Autumn Anniversary, Baking, and Plans

 Autumn is so beautiful where we live! The maples are starting to dazzle, which means other leaves will also start to turn as well.  Usually late October and early November are the prettiest weeks here for autumn colors.  

My husband and I celebrated our 24th anniversary last week!  We were such babies when we got married--look at those juvenile profiles! I am genuinely so thankful for our relationship. It is easy, it is happy, it is comfortable, it is safe.  I am well aware that this is not always the case. For a girl from a broken nuclear family background, this marriage has been a magnificent gift. I do not take it for granted. Ever.  

I've been on a big baking kick lately.  This morning I made apple-cinnamon coffee cake for my children's breakfast.  Last night I made homemade naan bread to go with the vegetable masala I'd made. (How had I never made naan before? It's super easy, tastes great, and costs about 5% of what I'd spend to buy it in the store! I'll be making it again for sure....)  I've made cheddar bread, gingerbread with whipped cream, almond cake, pumpkin cookies, baked oatmeal.....the list goes on.  Cozy autumn baking is so fun, and of course, it's much healthier to eat what you bake from scratch, which is why I seem to do so much of it.

Naan isn't much to look at, and I'm no food photographer, but this was good!

This fall is flying past (I feel like I always say that!). When we were in Quebec City, I had a street artist do an oil pastel of Annie. It is beautiful! When we got home I had it framed as soon as possible, and it's now hanging on our dining room wall. Don't worry; Finn isn't left out. I had a family friend do a portrait of him in acrylics years ago! So now I have artwork of both of our children. For some reason, this just makes me feel happy. I'm debating about posting the portraits--I don't post photos of my children, but a photo of a painting? Maybe? I'll think on it!

Annie is deep into Nutcracker rehearsals and hours of ballet every week; Finn just started rehearsals for a community theatre production of A Christmas Carol.  Fall fun!  We'll have an eventful couple of weekends in December!

Everyone in our household except me fell ill a couple of weeks ago and while my children were out of commission I had the luxury of staying home--not chauffeuring people to rehearsals and lessons! So I did a huge purge/cleanout/reorganization of our laundry room/my sewing room. It was epic.  I had no idea I could remove so much from one small space! It was satisfying, and I feel like the things that are left are going to be things I actually use/make/do/need.  I was surprised at how much had accumulated there over the years.  Next up: Finn's room.  I haven't done a good clear-out in his room in several years, and I know there's a lot we can remove.  He has the smallest bedroom and he's not naturally tidy, so he needs to be able to have a manageable level of stuff so he can more easily keep things neat. I love neatening! But I respect the fact that not everyone else does. :)  I start that project on Thursday!

A few plans for the next month:

*drink hot beverages on the patio

*s'mores and fire pit, also on the patio

*visit my stepmom in the Blue House in the mountains (we hope!)

*enjoy time with our best friends at their new house in Chapel Hill at the end of October

*plenty of surreptitious Christmas shopping (I've already started!)

*maybe some dress-and-skirt-and leggings shopping, as I want to wear more skirts this winter, but I don't want to be cold! I'm just so over jeans!

*and, I hope, some outside work--need to do a bit of a fall cleaning on the outside spaces before putting up the Christmas stuff!