Star Wars Episode III

When Episode I came out we lined up on opening night for a midnight show. That was before kids. This time we had to wait to go until we could have Sabrina come out to watch the kids.

Even though it was 2nd night the audience still erupted into applause when the yellow outlined words ‘Star Wars’ appeared on the screen. The music, the screen credits rolling off into the galaxy all take you back to a familiar place long, long ago.

So much was done well in this movie.

The forming of Darth Vader was almost Shakespearean. The Chancellor/Emperors dark whispering to Anakin was like Iago to Othello. It was thoroughly convincing.

Many of the beloved details were there – the huge flying space ships, the way the scenes change with the soft wiping of the screen, the funny named characters, the music, the theatrical acting, the double rolled side hair buns on the women, the sensing of the Force.

The details that tied Episode II to Episode IV were all in all satisfying.

There were a few thinks that bothered of course – In Episode III Chewbacca is a general helping Yoda – so why is that never mentioned in later movies? When does Darth Vader learn that he is a parent so that he can reveal himself to Luke? Why do C3PO and R2D2 never mention that they were once great in later movies.

All that aside this is a great series of movies.

Developing minds

I love the mind that homeschooling is developing in my kids. Today after we did some morning crafty activities the kids had the idea to do an art exhibition.

We gathered up the huge pile of paper arts that Matthew and Lily have done this year and made some snacks. There was just too much work to hang up so we the exhibition morphed into an art show. Lily, Laura and I sat in the living room and Matthew paraded the art work one by one in to show us. He described the work, who had done it, where it was done and out of which book!

This can only be good for my little developing minds.

Tomorrow we are having a show of our canvas art. That includes my art! Should be fun.

Summer plans

Since getting my digital camera I have been lazy about writing. Mark really wants me to get back to writing as the original point of the blog was for us to record our life.

We have been working towards the end of school. My mother is coming to visit with my aunt May 28 and we are taking June and July off. So we wanted to get as much finished as possible before then.

Matthew is done with phonics museum and geography. He is on track to complete Math, Bible and literature by next week. That leaves grammar trailing. He will still have about 7-8 chapters left to do when school starts up. Spanish, Greek and art are all on their own paths with no real correspondence to a school year.

The plan is that in June we entertain the relatives (we have a big plan) and I go to California for an art course. In July we will do lots of arts and crafts and the fun activities from the book ‘Slow & Stead Get Me Ready’. Then in August we will do grammar, review all the 1st grade spelling tests in phonics museum, do a handwriting course and a ‘learn to type in a week’ program we purchased a while back and to do more arts and crafts.

Then in September Matthew will start 2nd grade for all subjects (bar a few grammar lessons from 1st grade he will have left to complete).

I am still debating what to do with Lily in the Fall. In the summer she will do all our arts and crafts and possibly complete her preschool book. I am in no hurry with her. She learns in a different way to Matthew.

Time in the City

Our trip to Houston was (to use Mark’s wording) OUTSTANDING. We packed into a short time many of the things we as a couple love to do.

We ate awesome food (I totally understand why Houston is one of America’s fattest cities), stayed at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel – we had a pool side room, we saw great theatre – Alley’s Steel Magnolias, we visited the Contemporary Art museum & Houston Craft Museum, went to the Opera – Falstaff – very funny and entertaining, spent hours at a coffee shop we use to frequent when we lived in Montrose and did I say we ate great food?

I love the city. I am glad I know Houston so well. It is a great place. The vibe is so positive and non-judgmental. I am so happy to have lived there for 9 years. I am also so happy to live in the ‘country’ now but close enough to go in wherever I want. The perfect balance.

After our time in the city we were ready to see the kids. Matthew had made a series of cards for us and the sign in the photo below. They were all glad to see us, but had fun with a relay of wonderful church folks taking care of them.

It is nice to get away, to be somewhere completely different so we can enjoy coming home.

When we arrived home from our 10 year wedding anniversary trip Matthew had this sign prepared.

Some folks have complained that I am in none of my pictures. Well here is me last week on our way to eat at a downtown Houston restaurant 'Arista' before going to the Alley Theatre. NOTE: I have worked out how to make earrings to match my necklaces - it is so easy and satisfying I can't believe it took me 33 years to find this art!

10 years later

Mark and I will have been married 10 years on May 12. I think of someone married for 10 years as old... but I think of me as young. I still feel 19 (for the longest I felt 15, so at least I am growing up a little).

Mark has arranged a wonderful 2 days for us to celebrate. We are going to Houston to stay at the Four Seasons! We will be dining out and attending a show at the Alley Thursday and then the Opera on Friday. On Friday day we are going to do the things in Houston we love to do - visit the art museum, sit in a coffee shop or two, perhaps go to a movie. And of course we will eat out. I am so impressed that Mark arranged this all for us. He is not a detail guy. This is the perfect way for us to celebrate 'us' - being in the city we love, doing city things.

And we will be home in the Texas country for a weekend with kids that will be glad to have us back.

(Matthew and Lily both protested at our plans... but I know they will have fun with the rotation of people from our church coming to stay with them day and night.)

I want to be on record: I love being married to Mark Cole.

This is my dad when he was little.  

I like the lightness of this one. It reminds me of a rainbow. 

I am using gesso in my art now. It makes for a nice soft image (doesn't at all suit my house... so if anyone is looking for some light colored art I have lots more of these....)

For arts and crafts we are using 'The Little Hands Art Book' by Judy Press. In this book there are lots of simple to follow craft activities for 2 to 6 years olds. Here the kids are showing examples of their 'puddle art'.

Here are some other projects we did - Lily's paper dolls and Matthew and Lily's paper houses. The houses have thier details drawn first, cut out and glued on. (I cut out Lily's house and paper dolls for her)

Here is one project that we modified from that book. It took a few days to complete: A Flower mobile. The kids painted paper plates on one side, let them dry overnight. Then they painted the other - swirling the paint around with brushes and adding silver paint. When both sides were dry Matthew and I drew flower shapes on the plates and cut them out. We hole punched one petal on each flower and strung them up on a clothes hanger, spacing them out so the hanger doesn't tip.

Matthew working on his itty bitty wire sculpture. It involved shaping wire and sticking it into a play dough base. It would have been bigger had we had more play dough, but I could only find a tiny amount, so had to adjust the scale of our art work accordingly. This project reminded me to always have my supplies stocked up! I mean what mom runs out of play dough?

Lily's itty bitty wire sculpture. 

Lily and here buddy Ellie in a car with Chuck E Cheese. Lily first met Ellie when she was about 9 months old and it took her a number of months to warm up to her. By about 18 months she called her first doll after her. They are now such good buddies. Lily takes a long time to warm up to people in general. Lots of the little girls at our new church try to befriend her, but Lily doesn't show much interest. I was wondering if she is shy... but with the choosen few she is out going and lots of fun. Perhaps she is the type that just doesn't have many friends. Now we live out of Houston we don't see Ellie much, but when we do she her, it is like we were never apart. It is sweet to watch.  

Last week we went to Chuck E Cheese. Here is Laura enjoying Bob the Builder ride. She is enjoying her little life more and more each day.  

Late night school

Midnight Sunday evening at the Cole home, I am again reminded of the freedom that homeschooling allows us. Matthew has learned that if he does something the night before he doesn’t have so much to so the next day! This evening he did Bible with his dad, then when I came down from my evening painting at about 10:40pm he was ready to do phonics and literature! So we now only have to do grammar & math to do tomorrow.

I can see this becoming a trend. Both Matthew and I are night owls and we really are not accountable to anyone but Mark and God. We could easily get lots of school done in the evening.

Some may worry about Matthew finding it hard in later life in holding down a real job that expects him to be at work at 8 am…. Well my response is that while habits are being formed now they are not set in stone. He could adapt to waking early like all the other night owls through history have done. He is learning discipline in other areas of his life and will be able to apply it to waking, if he has to. Alternatively, the world is changing, technology is advancing. Money can be earned from the comfort of your own home, ideas can be developed at any time of the day. Sometimes Mark gets up to write at 3am and returns to bed at 5am. Matthew’s generation will have even more flexibility than we do. We can’t even imagine the freedoms he will enjoy in the work world.

Freedom, flexibility – these are things that thrive at the Cole Academy.

We decided to go to Houston today. We got in the car and on the way decided our plan of action: Picnic lunch, Butterfly Exhibit at the Natural Science Museum, Jamba Juice in the Village, Half Price Book Store, a park, a little shopping at the Mega Marshalls on West Gray (I promised Mark I would only look at the household stuff - I need some pillows for our upstairs bed), dinner and maybe a treat. 

After a picnic lunch we went into the Butterfly museum. The butterflies were out in full force. We were able to identlfy at least 6 off the sheet they gave us.  

Up close and personal. 

Yep, it's a butterfly. 

We went to a park around the corner from our first house in Montrose. Of course my kids had to swing for 70% of the time there. 

Look at how high I can go!  

The girls got tired! But there is still time for dinner at Skewers and ice cream at Baskin Robbins.