Potpourri

Potpourri.  Isn't that what Jeopardy! calls their category of answers that really have no category?  That's my fragrant title for this post of random things that have been happening in our world.

I made my very own caramels.  I feel so fancy.

My dream as a parent/homeschooler is to create lifelong learners who love to snuggle in with a good book.  We created a comfy little Book Nook to encourage just that.  I would love a few more of those little round pillows and some book-related wall art, but here's our start.

My daughter seriously cracks me up.  I told her that her chore was to wash the dogs.  Now, here's a secret about us.  We don't wash our dogs all that often.  We're kind of old fashioned in that way.  I grew up in the sticks where that sort of thing would be considered a ridiculous city notion.  They get baths, but only once in a great while.  It was time.  Basia didn't hesitate a bit.  She went to grab her first victim, um, I mean beloved pet.  She never asked how it should be done.  She didn't ask for a bit of help.  She just went for it.  Jon finally grabbed a cup for her to use, hoping to get her to stop demanding the dog get under the stream of water, "right now!"  We really wished we had been more clear about her not letting a soaking wet dog out of the bathroom to run through the house, but at least he was cleanish at the time.

 Two months until he's a teen and about a half an inch to go.  It's going to be close!

My dear son.  He's a unique one.  I gave him last week off from school as one last break before we get going strong again this week.  A couple days before that I had given him a little incentive to study for the geography bee, telling him that I'd take him to Baskin Robbins after every 10 hours he studies and then buy him a standing globe when he has studied for 75 hours and take him on a little geographical excursion after he studies for 150 hours.  He decided to use his "week off" to study 20+ hours of geography.  That included watching some world news (while taking notes and mapping locations), reading National Geographic articles (while taking notes and mapping locations), reading a boring earth science text book, labeling a giant dry-erase map that he knows I will just have him erase and do all over again after 10 weeks of careful labeling, and researching the answers to the questions in some geo bee study guides.  I wasn't planning to have to buy him a globe until Christmas.  I may not be that lucky.