Summer Reading

The kids did not have summer reading per se, this year. Last summer we thoroughly enjoyed the works of Jules Verne read to us on CDs. The kids were fascinated by the stories, and I enjoyed listening with them and knitting, rather than reading aloud.

We enjoyed it so much I wanted to do something similar this year. We started by listening to Les Miserables. I could only find an abridged version, so I assured the Artist she would enjoy the book when she could read it at her leisure. The Engineer suffered through the listening, utterly unimpressed.

Then, while I was planning the school year I found so much literature from the historical era we will be studying --roughly 1600 - 1815-- that there was little hope of reading a nice representative sample unless we read literature 8 hours a day for the entire year. Even looking at the recommended lists, there is more than a family of readers can handle.

I checked the library for books on tape and CD again, this time with the recommended reading for the kids' upcoming school year in hand. I am thankful we got to listen to so much of it during the summer. And I hope we can read a good portion of what is left during the school year.

This summer we enjoyed:

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
Rip Van Winkle
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Grimm's Fairy Tales (Abridged)
Gulliver's Travels (Abridged)
Robinson Crusoe

Some stories we missed because my place in the library hold line has not come up yet. Some time soon we will hear The Last of the Mohicans and The Three Musketeers.

A Sweet Goodby

The Artist said goodby to her cloud room last night and demolition is in progress right now. When moving data off the camera I got to see some of the videos she took. Here's a sample.

Gearing Up

Getting geared up for school this year is harder than usual. A home remodeling project is making the Artist's bedroom and the school room both unusable for a while. All the school books are scattered in various places through out the house.

All the things I expect to need for the first semester have moved into the living room. The literature I used to keep on the built in living room shelving is now in bags in the basement. (I pray this is VERY temporary!)

I used to know, or at least have a very good idea where everything was in the house. Now I would be hard pressed to find some things. You can imagine how much I am hoping I don't need any of those things that are "somewhere" until the remodeling work is done.

The Artist's cloud room has been outgrown for a few years now. It was a lovely nursery and bedroom when the kids were small. As the Engineer got older he moved out of the nursery and into his own room.The Artist stayed in the cloud room. With her teen years approaching, we thought it was time to repaint her room. She will get to pick her colors and her bedding pattern as a birthday gift.

The school room, annexing the Artist's bedroom, will be unusable for the duration of the project. Her dresser and a bookshelf are moved into the school room, and her closet is behind one of the tarps too. These cubby holes, which the kids and I used as you may remember using a locker at school will soon be covered with a thick layer of drywall dust. Unless there are some surprises hiding inside one particular wall, we hope to add some built in shelving to the new bedroom too. That will help solve a storage problem for the Artist. She has sculptures and keepsakes hidden in a very crowded drawer. It would be nice if she could display them. It would also lessen the chance that they would be damaged.

Tomorrow the workmen come to begin demolition on the Artist's room. Monday we have our first day of school (a field trip), and Tuesday we crack the books. This will be one interesting week.

Now, when I'm feeling so thoroughly unorganized, I have friends telling me how they are not organized enough to home school. I feel like the school year is a marathon, stretching out before me beyond the horizon. I'm not sure I have the energy for a 100-yard dash.

Kohlrabi

We're getting lots of kohlrabi ripening in the garden now. We've eaten them julienne raw with Italian dressing for a while now. In fact, to the point that Rick and the Engineer will not enjoy any more.

So I went in search of kohlrabi recipes. There has to be a way to serve this cooked, right? I found some ideas, such as scalloped, creamed with herb sauce, slaw salads, and several others. But these are the ones I think will go over best with my family.

I don't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes (go figure!) so I'm improvising.

My first step is to blanch the julienne kohlrabi about five minutes in water with lemon juice added.Next they braised in some butter till they were tender enough to eat pleasantly.
I am not out of burnet and lovage. Rather, I have not heard of burnet and lovage before!

A little search on line told me burnet was an herb with a cucumber flavor. I'm not sure what to substitute for it, because the recommended substitute is parsley. However parsley is also called for in the recipe, so I will be using that already.

Lovage was a little easier to work around. I can use chopped celery leaves as a substitute. That sounds tasty to me, and nutrient rich to boot!Back to the braising. A taste test at this point reminds me somewhat of turnips, but much less harsh and more creamy in flavor. Then I get the idea that this creation might end up with a topping of Parmesan cheese.

By this time I've removed the kohlrabi to a serving dish and begun making a cream sauce in the pan. Before it gets too thick, the parsley and celery leaves go in. After I got this photo I begin stirring in the herbs in, and I was struck with the thought that this will be a very pretty sauce. Am I the only one who thinks about these things -- aside from the pros?Ahh Done! But have I sabotaged myself? The veggie is done and the kids will need to eat in about 20 minutes and I have nothing else prepared. Looks like the rest of lunch will be leftovers.

Playing with a new recipe was fun. With a final taste before serving, I decide against the Parmesan cheese.

Tae Kwon Do Videos

The kids' tae kwon do school participated in Radio Disney's live event at Parmatown Mall. It was a lot of work, and a lot of fun!

Tae Kwon Do Demonstration

August 1 was a busy day! The kids had been rehearsing for weeks to prepare for a tae kwon do demonstration they were to perform on the Radio Disney stage at a local shopping mall.

Both the Artist and the Engineer had roles in the demo, so it was very exciting for the two of them. As I try to think back, this may be the first time the Engineer has been on stage, performing before an audience.

Both children did a great job and in fact, everyone who participated gave a fine performance. I'll also compliment those who organized our booth and our participation. It was a lot to coordinate, and our booth looked great! Unfortunately, my photo is not focused.Because those smallest of stature are in the front row, the Artist and Engineer were right in front where they could see everyone, and everyone could see them. The group demonstrated some hand strike techniques, some blocking techniques and some kick drills as a class. Then smaller groups and soloists took turns doing advanced kicks, free sparring techniques, one steps, and forms. Here a black belt jumps over his instructor and breaks the board held a few feet behind. It is exciting to watch!Then the first half was over. It was time to leave the stage while a dance group performed. During our down time, we had a small area cordoned off in front of our booth. Anyone who wanted to break boards was given opportunity here, and when the line died down, some of our students performed some techniques. Here the Artist is doing one of the forms she will need for her next belt test.The second time our group took the stage, audience members were invited up to learn some techniques. Each student taught a buddy. The Engineer found someone his own size! I've had mixed luck with loading video in the past, so I'll try it in a separate post. Stay tuned!

Romeo and Juliet

Last night the family went to see the Ohio Shakespeare Festival's Romeo and Juliet. I really enjoy their traditional Shakespeare, with an outdoor stage under the stars on the lush grounds of Stan Hywet Hall.Photographs are prohibited during the play, but I did get a snapshot of the traveling minstrels coming towards the stage. About a half hour before the show, the cast, parades to the stage playing instruments and singing.
They treated us to three songs and some banter which included an actor uttering the name of the Scottish play (Gasp!!!) which then necessitated a quick parody of that same Scottish play to be performed. My favorite part of the parody was the commercial for "Damn Spot Remover." Well done, folks!

Some friends joined us, making the evening even more fun.The Artist and Engineer on the Japanese bridge in the gardens.