Friday

That was a quick week. I am trying to get everyone to a stopping point in their studies so we can take a week or so off then start anew in January.

I have lots of plans for winter break that largely involve cleaning. So these are not fun plans but I think I, at least, will derive some comfort from decluttering. The clutter has taken over the house and I can't stand it. It seemd like everytime I walk through the house, something falls down.

The last night

Pictures from outside and in, on the last night. Until next year. PRM

Evolution and Natural Selection labs

We started Monday's lab with the Great Fossil Find. Here the two boys are trying to figure out what creature their fossils come from. The point was to see how biology can be unsure of the answers. You need more info. You need to work together.

We also did Teddy Graham natural selection. Always a tasty lab. After that we went to lunch together.

Tonight is the last night of Hannuka. The potatoes are grated and I am just waiting to start the frying. PRM

Weekend update

Saturday at 11:30, I met my friends for lunch and a birthday party. We sat at Macaroni Grill for about 3 hours, laughing, talking, etc.

Saturday night, we went to the shul for a latke dinner. It was fun to take a hanukiyot for each family member, making our table quite the glowing area. Many people had never actually seen an oil menorah and so were curious to see ours. It is cool, but a bit messy. The food was good and the company as well. The student rabbi was friendly.

Sunday was, as usual, a work day for me. JP and I went to the new Super WalMart to do some grocery shopping. He had never been there and I had only been once before. I really hate WalMart. I know everyone says that. But I have to admit that I have missed the old, messy, disorganized store that was close to us. If Target didn't have what I wanted, I could always say I was forced to go to WalMart. Now I can't - it's too far away.

I spent the afternoon organizing the school week and doing laundry. Then we had Chanuka at home with only Shoshie and Noach. I gave out gifts - games and homeschool T-shirts.

Now I am waiting for biology lab.

Went to shul

earlier tonight. There was a reasonable crowd so I didn't stay. It just felt sad. I still miss that community from the past and, perhaps more sad, is my fear that I'll never find that again. I hate that Noach will not study for his Bar Mitzvah with a small group of regular supporters who are there most Saturdays as was the case when Yakov, and less so, Shoshie were practicing. It's time to move on. PRM

Worth the overdue fine

I waited 3 weeks on the hold list and began it the day it was due, when I had finally finished reading everything else I had started. I wanted to give it undivided attention, thinking it would be a hard read. It was, instead, fascinating. A nonfiction page-turner. I read late into the night and sat at the kitchen table in the afternoon with my kids yelling my name in increasing volume.

I loved The Nine by Jeffery Toobin. Just enough inside gossip. The legal concepts were explained well for the novice like myself. His thesis is that the court is, and has always been, a political entity. The neutrality of the court system is a long held myth but a myth nonetheless.

To me, O'Connor's retirement and the changes that the court is currently undergoing are scary. I think the expansion of executive privilege is the scariest part. But I suspect that when a Democrat is president, the executive privilege supporters will begin to reconsider. I hope so.

There's nothing more to say.

First night

Pictures pending.

We had fun. The first dinner was rushed because Yakov had a band practice. While he was gone, we played a rousing game of dreidel. Then we had gifts when he returned. After that, everyone watched old, lousy cartoons.

This week we are limiting screen time to one hour per day. The teens are bitching. It is too late to transform their interests. They do lots of other things and don't need to have computer time limited. Just because Noach should develop more interests, they shouldn't be punished. Etc, etc. I'm not buying it.

PRM

You know you're not swimming in the mainstream when

your teen's favorite ipod downloads are Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me and This American Life.

Come on in. The water's fine. PRM

Tuesday, December 4

Tonight is the first night of that eight day holiday with the varied English spelling. We have much to do today to get ready. We like to light many menorahs so I have to clear out a big space in front of the windows in the schoolroom, a very messy room right now. And I will need some more candles. I will post a photo later but the pictures from later in the holiday are better because of the larger number of lit candles. PRM