More conversations with Seth

Seth: "I love peanut butter and pickles"

Nic: "No you don't"

Seth: "Yesss... "

Nic: "You must have some Corry in you then".

Seth: "YAY!"

Red, orange, and yellow

It is here! The leaves are changing colors, the air is crisp and cool--it can only mean one thing: fall. I have been waiting patiently to experience a Vermont fall, and so far it has been wonderful. I can tell in a few weeks or so it really will represent the best of Vermont.

This last weekend, we found time for a hiking trip in Keene, NH. We hiked a loop that led to a small lake, or pond. There, we relaxed, took pictures, and forgot about school for an afternoon.
At home, things are going well. We have yet to figure out our heat, and spend the early mornings and late evenings freezing. We also do not have a television and are coping with the lack of easily accessible information regarding the political issues surrounding the election. Maybe one less thing to stress about is good though considering our tight schedules.

The dynamics of the house are setting in, routines are being established, and relationship issues are being worked out. Seth is trying to play on the fact there are many "parental"roles in the house, while Nic is finding a balance between being an "authority figure" and "big brother". I am also working on incorporating Nic and Kacy's role in maintaining peace and respect in the house. Overall, I feel we are adjusting well and becoming comfortable in the process. One thing is for sure though, we need to have more fun!!

Hello Birthdays, Goodbye OB1

This week too has flown by. OB1 ended with a presentation, a group paper, and a critical incident report. My team and I did an awesome job presenting if I say so myself! We started off introducing an activity where we blindfolded the participants and had them form a square while holding onto a rope. To make things more interesting we removed 5 people from the group, without the participants knowledge, and had them observe. The activity was an example of experiential learning. I could go on with all the details, but I would really rather not :-)

Seth's party on Sunday was a blast. While SIT students for the most part were still writing critical incident papers, a few of them took a break and had fun with the kids. A lot of people equaled a lot of fun! We played Fox and Chickens, had a sack race, and ate lots of yummy food! And we beat to death a pinata--although it took some effort.

It seems that Seth has a crush on a little girl named Lucy. He told me as I was making out invitations, "Mama, will you invite Lucy? She is only 4, but we play art together". At his party, I go to meet Lucy. She is very cute and vaguely resembles Kaia. He did a great job of capturing her attention too. He climbed a tree, scratched up his arms a bit, and then introduced her to Wilbur saying "Come see MY dog!". He was pretty cute.


Today is Nic's birthday and he has been at Marlboro all day. We took him out to Panasian last night to celebrate. Like always, the food was yummy :)

First Week of School

Last Monday officially marked the beginning of Kacy and my graduate experience, Nic's continuing undergraduate pursuit, and Seth's adjustment to a new school once again. I can say, without a doubt, that my experience has been an interesting one to say the least. The short, two week intro class on multicultural groups is more like 5th grade art class and high school team work than an actual graduate course. However, I am confident that the class serves a purpose and will somehow aid in our course work to come--if only providing a smooth transition.
So far, my team has created a shield of awareness and a cube of effectiveness using creativity, team values, and markers. Our group has danced together, grabbed each others fingers, played information gathering bingo, silently arranged ourselves by our birth date, separated ourselves into definite and not so definite groups, and essentially had awkward fun. I have a feeling Seth may have participated in similar activities.
As of yet, I have not spoke extensively with Seth's teacher Ms. Melissa. That is not because I have not desired to do so, but simply because Nic has been the one to pick up Seth from school everyday. However, I have been informed Seth is adjusting very well and has even been elected the class monster at recess--something I was told not to be concerned about. He seems to like his class and his classmates. But again, he is quiet and does not say much when probed. Hopefully, after I have a meeting with his teacher next week, I will be able to expand on the details of Seth's school days.
Nic, also a quiet person, I believe to be carrying a pretty sizable load. He is already reading a lot and spending a fair amount of time in the closet which he converted into an office. Something only Nic would do in a house with a office already designed and ready for use. But I have to admit, the closet is pretty sweet the way he has it arranged.
Kacy has a position at a high school in Orange (I think) as a student teacher in English-- something she is excited about after thinking she had to teach 5th grade. She will also have long days in her intensive program, but at least she will be doing something she likes. It seems everyone is happy and positive this first week in-- hopefully we can keep it that way!

Mad Scientist

Wow! What a week, and it has only just begun. We all had our first day of school on Tuesday and will continue at our fast pace for at least the next year :) Seth is adjusting well I believe. His teacher is really nice and seems to think he is fitting in. At home is another story... Seth is a Mad Scientist: a stage where he experiments with different ways to get out of punishments or obligations; essentially being obstinate. Kacy started reading Love and Logic, and I think I will be following shortly. I am familiar with the method, however, I am sure the book will be of help.

The House

Unpacking has been a slow process here at the new house. Without a lot of furniture it is hard to put things away, but we were able to find time to take a few pictures: The yellow room is Nic and Kacy's, the green room is mine, and the small room with the table is Seth's.

Saying Goodbye

Our last few weeks in Denton went by quickly as there was so much to do--especially these last few days. Seth said goodbye to his best friends Nabil and Kaia, and it was only this weekend that I got to see my bestest friends Amanda and Corry before we left.

Saying goodbye is hard. It is something I wish we never had to do. However, we are all moving on to new and exciting things. And after all, it really isn't goodbye.

Crystal Beach

This last weekend was spent at Crystal Beach. Seth, Kaia, Peyton, Rodney, and I went to Houston for 2 nights. Rodney was attending a workshop there and brought us all along for the fun. Us kids had a whole room to ourselves with a king bed to share. It was very much fun indeed.

Saturday was spent at Crystal Beach. We spent nearly 5 hours playing, swimming, and applying sunscreen. Despite our efforts, we all got burned. Especially me. At the end of the day, Peyton went home with her mother after she was stabbed by a catfish--also thrown by her mother. All in all it was worth it. We had a great time.

Sparkle & Bubble Pop

Sparkle and Bubble Pop are the names Kaia and Seth have chosen for themselves in pretend land. Today it was mermaids, tomorrow who knows what. I love their creativity-- it is always something new.

The names came from swimming at the green belt. Belly flops followed by dog paddling sparked the mermaid game. I have no doubt that by the end of the summer Seth and Kaia will be full fledged swimmers. Especially since Rodney now has a canoe to get us out of the house and into the water.

Texas

Well, here we are again. Back in Texas just in time for the heat of the summer. It has only been a week and I am ready to return to Vermont. It has been great seeing everyone though, and Seth has really enjoyed Kaia and Nabil.

Thursday, after the Wednesday night sleepover with Kaia, we all--Nic, Kacy, Seth, Kaia, and I-- went to Lake Ray Roberts and swam ALL day. The kids had a great time and we were all worn out by the end of the day. And, although we all wore SPF 45, redness did occur--especially on myself. I did find out, from the internet, that vinegar greatly reduces the color of the burn.. something I would never have guessed.

Last night, of course, was the fireworks. I missed being at someones house, either in Nebraska or Eagle Mountain Lake, but Denton put on a pretty good show. We found a nice place across from the rec center. The kids had a great time running around. We even played a game of chinese freeze tag after the show.

Reading

Me: "Once upon a time there was a little black boy named Little Black Sambo".

Seth: "Mama... I am glad my name isn't Little White Seth".

:)

Conversations at Bedtime

Seth: "Mama, did you know that people in China are asleep when we are awake"?

Me: "Yeah, I did".

Seth: "How"?

Me: "I learned it".

Seth: "How do you learn things"?

Me: "The same way that you do".


****LONG PAUSE*****


Seth: "From Nic"?

Silly Seth Video

Seth Video

Packing up for the summer

Things feel a little crazy to me lately. We signed our new lease yesterday and I couldn't be more excited, yet it feels permanent now. That makes me homesick. I miss my room; a room that will not even stay the same upon my returns. I was allowed to do so much to it-- the lack of freedom in a rental house will seem restricting. But, I am happy. I love it here, and the house is wonderful.
Moving is still going slow and we have a lot to get done by this weekend. Nic takes things too slowly, and I wish that I could be the one to cancel all the services and talk to the landlord about looking at the place for damages. We leave in 5 days and none of that has been done. Oh well, I have to tell myself that it is not my problem.
Doing the one thing that I can do, I have planned our trip home. We will be stopping in Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains for a night, maybe two. I am looking forward to the long drive home. Seems crazy, but it will be a nice rest. Seth usually does well in the car--hopefully this trip is no different.
When we come back there will be a nice routine and maybe we can get on track again.

Winding Down

The weeks seem to be slowing down a bit as our long return home approaches and not much activity has been going on. However, we do have some good news and decisions have finally been made. I have chosen the Montessori school for Seth for a few good reasons, the main reason being that it is Montessori-- he is used to it, and I know I love it. The familiarity will help with the transition as well. The other reason being that despite its lack of family feel outside from the teachers, the administrative is nicer and more enjoyable than The Neighborhood Schoolhouse. It was slightly scary to pick any private school in Brattleboro because of the high tuition prices and I was wondering how I was ever going to be able to afford such prices (around $8,000 per year). We will figure something out I am sure, and my grandpa agreed to help us out quite a but-- something that I am very appreciative of.

In other good news, we got the house! It is a beautiful house near downtown. It has four bedrooms, a huge kitchen with a walk in pantry, a laundry room with a washer and dryer, a nice backyard with ample space for gardens, as well as a forested area, and a ready made compost just to mention a few things. We sign the lease on Wednesday and move in at the end of August! We are pretty excited, I only wish we could move in now.
Instead we are moving into a storage shed across the street. It couldn't have worked out better because now we do not have to drive anywhere to move out of the apartment. Moving has been a slow and tedious process, and with only 9 more days here we will be going crazy before it is all over.
As a little side note, Nic and Seth made a raft yesterday afternoon and played with it in the brook out back. Seth is in love and he couldn't be cuter riding on his raft, living out Nic's childhood dream.

Summer Heat

Our weekend was full of unexpected heat. It started off with the strolling of the heifers on Saturday. Of course we missed the cows walking down main street, but we did not miss the humidity of the parade that followed. All in all, it was fun and got us out of the house before noon. Later, Nic taught Seth how to use a slingshot. It was too hard for Seth to pull back, so Nic, being inventive, fastened the handle to a piece of wood allowing Seth to shoot pebbles into the brook. He loved that very much, and so did we because it finally gave him something to do for awhile-- away from us.

On Sunday, we looked at another house for rent in Marlboro. Needless to say it was pretty awesome and now we have some thinking to do. After that, we made a trip out to Madam Sherri's old "castle" in the woods. She was an old, rich woman in the 20's and 30's who had a mansion out there to throw parties with illegal booze. Some years ago the house burnt down, but there are still remains that are fun to climb on.
During the heat, we have been swimming a lot. The brook by the house has an excellent swimming hole down a little bit from us. Today, as the temperature reached 101 degrees!, we swam for a good while. The water was finally warm and very refreshing. We also ate dinner outside because the house is hotter and we ended up wading in the brook once again. This time accompanied by Nic playing the guitar. Apparently, Texas is the place to be right now as the weather there is in the low 70's.

Swimming in the Brook Behind Our House

We went swimming again today. It seems we are doing more of that here that we ever did in Texas despite the cold weather and chilly waters. It must be the beautiful scenery. Here are a few pictures of our swimming adventure today, I think think they tell the whole story. I am also including some pictures of us a few nights ago playing in bed before bedtime.

A Story About Seth

Today, Seth made a new friend. He has been doing that lately--most likely out of boredom. Today the friend he made was an elderly man who lives across the street. Seth was sitting on the front porch playing his flute when I heard a tiny voice yell out, "How was that?" followed by an older voice that said, "Pretty good". It wasn't 15 minutes later that Seth came running in the house, smiling from ear to ear, proclaiming, "A very nice man gave me a bike". True enough, there was a small, wooden trike for toddlers outside. After riding it down the street a few times, Seth told me why he liked the trike so much. He liked it so much because it was the perfect size for our baby--the one we would have after I found someone to marry.
If all that wasn't cute enough the ending surely is. We told Seth to go outside to tell the man thanks for the trike, and he promptly ran outside and told the man that the bike was too small for him. When we asked him if he thanked the man he replied, "yes".

Hiking in Marlboro

Today was a beautiful day, much unlike that of yesterday's dreary, drizzling rain. Because the weekend was meant to be spent camping, yet was rained out and we had to make a sheet tent in the house instead, we went hiking in the woods of Marlboro in the sun and light wind. After we made a quick stop looking at a potential house, we trekked through the woods behind Nic's college. It was perfect weather that made hiking enjoyable, however it was also the kind of weather that brought out Vermont's annoying black flies. No one seemed to be bothered nearly as much as Kacy was in her tank top-- ending our trip slightly sooner than expected. Oh well, it was still fun and we found a great spot for camping next weekend.

When we got home to our messy apartment, we realized that something needed to be done to help us keep the place livable-- if that can even be done without a dishwasher.. So, we came up with a plan. Here it is: we have a list of chores that need to be done, things such as dishes, cooking, trash, sweeping, and so on and so forth. The distinguishing factor of our list is that no one is assigned a duty, not even on a rotational basis. We do not want chore list Nazis. We have a point system assigned to the chores and we sign off on them as we go through the week. Come Saturday, whoever has the most points is treated to dinner by the two losers-- not to exceed $10. Brilliant I believe. Good work gets deserving reward and losers are not out more than $5 a week. A fair price to pay for not pulling their weight. Hopefully it will help keep the house clean as much as it will help one of us be nicely fed.

The Neighborhood Schoolhouse

Today I visited The Neighborhood Schoolhouse in Brattleboro, VT. I did not fall in love, but I didn't hate it either. I have found that there are many ups and downs to all schools, and very few are going to be as wonderful as The Community School in Denton, TX.
The Neighborhood Schoolhouse up was that it had a strong emphasis on nature and wilderness studies. The grounds are beautiful and hiking is easily accessible. In the winter months the children go sledding, ice skating, skiing, and snow shoe hiking. In the other months the children, garden, track, and learn survival skills. The down side is that the classrooms seem disorganized and unstructured. The older kids seem to have the best end of the deal as their class room is project based and self directed. While the lower grades are also self directed, the classrooms seem to be mostly for play and contain blocks, puzzles, and games. The do use quisinar rods (I am not sure of the spelling), and Lindamood Bell method for reading. However, everything else did not have a clear way of learning. Worksheets were used, although limited, and it seemed mostly to be a free for all.
So, my head is spinning. I love Montessori, the structure, the individuality, and all the learning that can be obtained from play. On the other hand, I love the outdoor focus and connectedness of people, plants, and animals The Neighborhood Schoolhouse tries to share. Really what I want is the two philosophies to combine. Why is it that outside of Denton Montessori seems to be a place for the rich who have no idea what Montessori really is making the school pretentious and business like? I want a school where the director is a teacher (none of the schools have this), in what feels like a home, where kids learn independence as well as social skills, structure, and have extensive outdoor time. Where is this school? I guess I will let Seth choose where he feels most comfortable providing the school accepts him. That is the only thing I have left to do. I now see why my mother opened her own school--sometimes it feels like the only way. But there it is again-- there are endless ways and endless people to dream them up. Finding the way that represents your own educational values is the hard part.

Boston

For memorial day weekend, Nic, Kacy, Seth, and I went to Boston courtesy of Kacy's dad. He was going to be in Boston and decided to treat us to a hotel and food for three days and two nights. The experience was vastly different than my last in Boston just about a year ago. I mean it was still smelly, noisy, busy, rude, and overall just a big city, but with the longer stay and the aid of a GPS we had a much better time. The first night was really just dinner and settling in to the hotel. Our room, number 503, was just across the hall from the fitness room. We all went there to check it out, and although we did not use the equipment we did use the extra space and mirrored walls to do yoga. It sure felt good after two weeks in absence. Seth joined in for certain parts, and really enjoyed watching TV in bed afterwards.

Saturday, our full day in Boston, was pretty sweet. We skipped being lost Downtown like last year and enjoyed the street performers and vegan food instead. During breakfast Seth lost his first baby tooth and almost cried when I pulled it out all the way. He soon got over the shock and proudly looked at his tooth in my hand. Later that night the tooth fairy actually found her way to our hotel and left him four shiny quarters in exchange for his tooth. It was like a mini Christmas in May.

After a full day of running around we decided to take a nap at the hotel. We closed the curtains and slept for about an hour, promptly woke and realized we came to Boston only to miss Earth Fest and nearly Cake playing at the outdoor stage for free! We threw on some clothes, grabbed the GPS, parked the car for $15 and ran to see the last 45 minutes of the show. As I have only been to a limited amount of concerts, I was pretty pleased to be at a Cake concert with only $15 dollars down the drain. Seth did pretty well too. He liked it even though there were a ton of people all around. We even thought he was dancing along until we realized he was just putting pebbles down his shirt and squirming until they came out the bottom. Cute nonetheless.

After a night of vegan pizza and calzones, a morning of subways, followed by another round of yummy food we made our way home to Vermont where we watched The Labyrinth and laughed at David Bowie's crotch.

Schooling

I have spent the last week here searching for the perfect school for Seth. So far there are 3 great schools worth mentioning in the area. The Hartsbrook School in Hadley, MA, a Waldorf school; Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro, VT; and The Neighborhood Schoolhouse also in Brattleboro, VT. Besides being 45 minutes away from my own school, The Hartsbrook School is quite amazing. With acres and acres of land set in the beautiful green mountains of Massachusetts, they have a sustainable farm livestock, and three awesome buildings going through high school. Waldorf education is also an outstanding feature with their emphasis on nature and art. However, as good as imaginative play sounds for the young students, the lack of structure and tools for learning incorporated into play is something I find deficient. I also found that, even though I have a love for the Waldorf method, I am more comfortable with the Montessori way of learning.

So, I visited Hilltop Montessori School in Brattleboro. The school is also in the mountains and has an incredible view. The classrooms are nice, the teachers seem good, and the works were amazing. Yet, I felt the absence of nature that was so evident at the Waldorf School. Outside time was too scheduled, and they were completely void of a wilderness program. The Montessori School did have a greenhouse that was built by the middle school students that was pretty cool, but both the Waldorf, and the Neighborhood Schoolhouse had ample garden space that outweighed that of the Montessori school.

Although I have not yet spoken with the teachers at The Neighborhood Schoolhouse, I have visited the school, looked around, and read their philosophy. The school is based on independent, interest-based learning that allows the child to learn by doing. It is extremely outdoor based with a huge garden and a school next to a trail head for hiking. Outdoor pursuits include hiking, camping, and skiing. The classroom itself felt homey and warm, compared to the other two, offering a separate room for reading. Forts outside, obviously built by kids, and self directed learning remind me all too much of my own educational experiences and has won my vote thus far. I will not be able to visit the classroom until next Wednesday, but I am sure that if they have room Seth will be going there next fall.



**And as a side note, Kacy is applying to work in the younger aged classroom as well :)

Stickney Brook & Memorial Park

Today, after we went to the weekly farmer's market and ate vegan somosas, we went to Stickney Brook located right outside Brattleboro city limits near Dummerston. The brook was not merely a brook--but one with many small waterfalls. The water was immensely cold, almost unbearable to stand in--but that did not stop us from having a day of fun. Wilbur, who joins us in all our family outings, had a particularly great time and was braver than the rest of us- submersing his entire body.

**************************

After the brook we went on a small hike at Memorial Park. Nic and Seth climbed trees while I attempted to climb a tree.. The experience was awesome minus the presence of black flies--small, gnat like flies that swarm your face. Relief is only found while hold your hands over your head as the flies are drawn to the highest point of the body.

Close to the hiking trail is a stage for plays and such. Nic doesn't agree with me, but I think it would be pretty sweet to make up a play to perform with Seth. We do not need an audience or anything. It would be fun in itself to be able to perform on a stage in a park.