A Family Runs Through It

Where's The Fire?

2009-11-06T00:01:00.000-08:00

I still enjoy seeing the little Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars spread all over the house.

It means they're being played with and loved.

And my kids' imaginations are being stoked by a little piece of plastic and metal, like this yellow firetruck I found on the living room window sill.

It does a father's heart good to see evidence of the magical wonderment of childhood play.

Of course, I take it all back when I step on one in the middle of the night on my way to the bathroom.

Then I curse the devilish things to hell where they belong.

Life-Changing Music

2009-11-04T00:42:00.000-08:00

Another fun post from the archives. Back in 2005, in response to a challenge by Shotgun Daddy, I made a list of my ten "life-changing" albums:

1. The Banana Splits
The first album that I can remember owning. I still have it somewhere. There was nothing better than sitting my 5-year-old self down in front of the TV on Saturday morning and watching hour upon hour of mindless entertainment. Fleegle, Drooper, Bingo and Snorky were my favorites. The music was pure bubblegum pop.

2. An Evening With John Denver
This was the only cassette tape my mom seemed to own, and we listened to it endlessly in her car. The song "Grandma's Feather Bed" scared me a little bit because I had no idea why all those people were sleeping in the same bed.

3. The Beatles 1967-1970
This is where my life got good, musically speaking. I found this on the shelf of my brother's room after my mom took me to see the stage show Beatlemania. This is probably the most important album in my life simply because it opened up a whole new world of music to me. Everything started with The Beatles.

4. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band Soundtrack
The very first album that I purchased with my own money. I was quite proud of myself, but it didn't take long for me to realize how lame these cover versions were. Except for Steve Martin's take on "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and Earth Wind & Fire's "Got To Get You Into My Life" the songs on here are forgettable. But I'll always remember it as the beginning of a very expensive music habit.

5. The Knack - Get The Knack
"My Sharona" was my first experience with a monster radio hit that everyone got excited about. I heard it at summer camp and knew instantly what it meant for a song to have a killer hook.

6. Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
This album got me out of my Beatles rut. And it was the soundtrack to the beginning of real life (those years after high school).

7. R.E.M. - Murmur
This one got me through college and the suicide of a friend. R.E.M. taught me that music can reflect emotions.

8. The Proclaimers - "Sunshine On Leith"
The soundtrack to courting my wife. "When I come home, oh I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who comes back home to you. And if I grow old, well I know I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who's growing old with you."

9. Crowded House - "Woodface"
This one represents the first part of our marriage, the eight years we had before the kids came along. And it was just so great to have Tim and Neil Finn back together again. "Weather With You" is my idea of the perfect pop song.

10. XTC - "Apple Venus"
XTC took seven years to release a new album, and when they finally got back into the studio they created a thing of beauty. My wife and I also waited a long time to create something wonderful. I remember holding my baby son in my arms while listening to the first notes of River of Orchids (which my son now calls "the drip-drop song"). A perfect moment, a perfect album. The soundtrack to the rest of my life.

Let me know if any of these albums hold special memories for you. It would be nice to see other mom and dad bloggers reminisce about the music in their lives.

Origins of Homeschooling

2009-11-02T00:57:00.000-08:00

Browsing back through my blog archives, I found a post from 2005 that reminded me why we started thinking about homeschooling in the first place.

It was a conversation I had with my son, who was in the second grade at the time:

Me: "Did you go to the library today?"
Him: "Yes, I found a Bailey School Kids book!"
Me: "Cool. You can read it tonight."
Him: "No, I already read it."
Me: "What? When?"
Him: "Today, during my free time."
Me: "Exactly how much free time do you have that you could read an 80-page chapter book in one afternoon?"
Him: "Lots."
Me: "And what is the teacher doing during all this free time?"
Him: "Making sure we're quiet."
Me: "Uh-huh, are you sure she's not doing her nails or taking a nap or something?"
Him: "No, she helps the kids who need help, and the rest of us have free time."

Zombies In The Mist

2009-10-30T02:25:00.000-07:00

The zombies were out and about at Silverwood Theme Park. Or, Scarywood, as they've been calling it this month.

Zombies gotta eat!

There were evil scarecrows as well.

The only escape was on the Midfright Express!

You all have a safe and happy Halloween. Remember that kids are smarter than you think, so be very careful when raiding their candy bags later that night.

Boarded Up

2009-10-28T01:39:00.000-07:00

My 8-year-old daughter announced that she wants a skateboard for Christmas.

My response: "Absolutely not, never in a million years, just get over it."

She already has a bike, a scooter, and a pair of roller skates.

Enough is enough.

Am I wrong?

The Singing Lizard

2009-10-27T01:25:00.000-07:00

A singing lizard?

Yeah, I thought the same thing. This is going to be like the singing chipmunks, or that dancing hamster.

But the lizard in question turns out to be Liz DeRoche, a talented singer/songwriter who has released her first children's CD, titled Alphabeat.

Her debut is aimed right at preschool to early elementary kids, so it's full of simple, easy-to-understand lyrics set to fun and bouncy music.

That could describe any number of cloyingly cute kids artists, but not The Singing Lizard. The difference with her sound is that it's a grown-up piano-based pop that would not be out of place on the radio next to such singers as Leslie Feist and Regina Spektor.

Liz gets that you don't have to sing down to kids. She takes classic songs like "Row Row Row Your Boat," "Itsy Bitsy Spider," and "Old MacDonald" and makes them contemporary and fresh.

Along with plenty of original songs, Alphabeat makes for an incredibly fun listen for kids and parents alike. It definitely receives my highest recommendation, along with that of my 8-year-old daughter who thought she was too old for songs about the alphabet and numbers, but changed her mind after hearing The Singing Lizard sing about them.

I'm also happy to be able to offer a free giveaway of this album, only this time it's in a digital form for easy downloading to your computer or mp3 player. All you need to do is leave a comment on this post, telling me your favorite kids song.

I'll pick a winner at the end of the week, who will then need to send me their email address for a special download link from The Singing Lizard herself.

In the meantime, visit her site to listen to tracks from Alphabeat.

Watching The Wheels

2009-10-26T01:13:00.000-07:00

We spent most of Saturday at Silverwood, taking one last spin on the roller coasters and ferris wheels before they close for the winter.

After seven years of holding season passes, we're taking the next year off.

It's partly an economic decision. Things are tight all over, and this is one expense we can easily control.

As I was watching the giant ferris wheel, its colorful neon lights spinning dizzily in the night, I was struck by the thought that I've been "watching the wheels go 'round and 'round," as John Lennon sang, for quite some time.

Not a complaint, just an observation.

And a reminder that sometimes it's a good thing to start those wheels spinning in a different direction.

Making changes in your life as a reaction to economic worries can be a good thing. It can force you to try new, cheaper alternatives to things you've become accustomed to over the years.

Maybe they won't be as colorful and breathtaking, but we're all looking forward to discovering a few new "wheels" to watch in the coming year. I think they'll take us in some exciting directions.

Are you making any changes in your family's life because of the economy?

Standards

2009-10-22T02:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like I have ridiculously high standards for my kids.

Well, actually, I only feel that way after talking to other parents, where the popular sentiment seems to be a hands-off, que sera sera approach.

And I can understand why they feel that way. For the most part, their kids are out of their control. They've been put into the hands of the public school system, where standards for learning and behavior are decidedly on the low side.

High standards would ultimately hurt someone's feelings, you know. And that just isn't very nice.

Because my kids are homeschooled, I can get away with telling them to always do their best. In everything they do.

My kids can never get away with not putting in their best effort, because I know them so well. That's what comes with investing so much of my time in them. Over the years, I've learned exactly what talents they have, and what they are capable of doing.

So, when they're being lazy, or holding back, I say something.

Because the worst thing I could let them do is grow accustomed to doing a half-assed job on school work, chores, sports, or hobbies. If they get away with that enough times, then that is where they will set the bar for themselves.

And I absolutely know that once the bar is set low, it'll be a long and painful undertaking to move it higher.

So, yes, I have high standards for my kids. Because they need to have high standards for themselves.

That's not ridiculous, is it?

And The Winner Is...

2009-10-20T01:36:00.000-07:00

Last week I announced a contest to give away all five CDs from kids' singer Eric Herman.

18 of you left a comment to win the discs. I wish I could send free CDs to all of you, but that might be asking a bit too much of Eric, who generously donated these five to be given away to one of my readers.

Eric's an awesome musician, and has been a good friend to my family over the years. I highly recommend that you seek out his CDs at Amazon, iTunes, or through his own website.

Anyway, a quick visit to the Random Number Generator revealed the winner as...

(drumroll, please)

The one person I thought wouldn't win, because he never wins anything on my blog.

Dan, you actually won!

Thanks to everyone who entered. Over the next few weeks, I'll be posting quite a few children's CD reviews, along with a number of accompanying giveaways.

So, stay tuned for more tunes!

Talking To Myself

2009-10-16T01:45:00.000-07:00

I know my son isn't deaf. He hears very well, in fact.

But there are certain things I say to him, on an almost daily basis, that he seems to be unable to hear and process. It's like I'm just talking to myself.

However, I continue to say these things, repeating them like a hypnotic mantra, and hoping that, one day, maybe, the words will get through to his brain.

Here are five of them:

1. "Don't eat like a dog."

No matter what type of food is on his plate, he inevitably ends up scraping most of it off the edge and into his mouth, with his chin planted firmly on the table. He's not fond of dogs, so I think maybe that example will dissuade him from such bad manners. He says it's easier to eat this way, and it gets him to dessert so much faster.

2. "Hang up your t-shirts."

I fold them, stack them, and leave them on his bed. And they always end up in a pile on his closet floor. They only get picked up to be worn, then tossed back into the hamper at the end of the day. And the cycle continues.

3. "Stop hitting your sister."

This is the one that perplexes me the most. If I asked my son to give his sister a hug, he would make a face, pretend to gag, then say, "Yuck, I don't want to touch her!" And yet, there seems to be no better fun than for the two of them to poke, slap, tickle, and hit each other.

4. "Turn off the light and go to sleep."

My son has no problem getting into his bed, but he will read all night if I don't remind him to stop. I don't mind this one so much, because it's good that he loves to read. I just don't like to hear all the yawning the next day. I do enough of that myself.

5. "Come here."

Such simple words. You wouldn't think anyone would have trouble understanding them. So, why do I have to repeat them five times when I need my son to come to where I am? After the fifth repetition, when my voice has gone up in volume considerably, he will then break his trance to ask, "What do you want?" When he finally does hear me, he still doesn't understand. So I have to rephrase the statement with specific directions and definitions. "I, your dad, need you, the person I'm speaking to, to get up off the couch, walk into the kitchen, stand in the general vicinity of my location, and receive special instructions concerning a chore or activity." By that time I'm usually too tired to remember why I wanted him to come there in the first place.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T02:17:00.000-07:00

A whimsical little fish makes a break for it, outside the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, in Spokane, Washington.

The Eric Herman Giveaway

2009-10-12T01:40:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not giving away the singer.

But I do have all five of Eric Herman's wonderful kids' CDs to send to one lucky reader.

Eric has had an amazing run of albums, from his first disc back in 2003, The Kid In The Mirror, that struck gold with the now classic "The Elephant Song," all the way to this year's What A Ride.

Four of his five CDs feature kid-pleasing pop with a humorous bent, while the other is a mellow mix of lullabies and soft sounds.

In this giveaway, you'll receive the following CDs:

The Kid In The Mirror
Monkey Business
Snow Day
Snail's Pace
What A Ride

So, if you've got kids who love music, or need to learn to love music, just leave a comment telling me how much you want to win these Eric Herman CDs. I'll pick a winner at the end of the week. And, yes, this contest is open to all countries.

The King of Blogs

2009-10-09T01:26:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to finally meet a fellow dad blogger last month.

And when I decide to do something like that, I go all out.

Whit Honea is the hardest working blogger in the business, a veritable King of Blogs. His parenting blog, The Honea Express, has long been an inspiration to me, as well as an incredible resource for insights into this strange and wonderful thing called fatherhood.

But that's just one of many sites where you can find Whit's dazzling prose. He's one of those rare bloggers who has discovered how to make a living at this. You can find him here, and here, and here for example.

While I'm lamenting the fact that I haven't written anything remotely interesting for weeks, Whit's knocking out a dozen or more blog posts a day. He's like Superman, able to leap over writer's block in a single bound.

So you can imagine how disappointing it was for me to meet him and his family for dinner at a seafood place in Seattle.

Because it turns out that Whit is just a normal guy.

When he walked into the restaurant, the only entourage I could spot was his wife and kids.

He signed no autographs and flashed no bling.

And throughout our meal, not once did he text, email, or make mental notes. For two hours he was not a writing machine.

He just sat and talked dad talk with me.

So, my disappointment was relief. My first meeting with a fellow dad blogger was a pleasant success, an affirmation that the circle of men who write about being fathers is hands-down the most valuable resource I have for being good at my job.

Whit, thanks for the evening of grown-up talk. Oh, and thanks for not tugging on my beard.

The King and I

Growing Up Too Fast

2009-10-07T02:17:00.000-07:00

"Experts said that by age six, girls needed branded clothes, at seven they wanted styled hair, by eight they were beginning diets, at nine they were styling their hair and by early teens were engaging in sex or sending sexually explicit text messages."

So says a news article by Gemma Jones and Clementine Cuneo that appeared in The Daily Telegraph, out of Sydney, Australia.

Either this is just an Australian phenomenon or my family is severely isolated, because I'm not seeing this in my 8-year-old daughter or her friends.

To my eyes, they seem like normal little girls. No make-up, fashion talk, fancy hair, or cell phones.

You might now be shaking your head and saying, "Poor naive homeschooling dad, he doesn't know what it's like out there."

Because my kids are homeschooled, and I'm out of touch with what goes on in the public schools these past few years.

And we don't have cable or satellite channels beaming TV commercials into our subconscious.

Yes, it's true, there are certain negative influences missing from our lives.

But I'd like to think that it's not just my kids who are growing up at their own natural and age-appropriate pace.

I'd like to think that other little girls my daughter's age are still coloring pictures of butterflies, cuddling on the couch with their pet cat, reading stories of pioneer girls, and running through the park just to feel the wind in their hair.

Please tell me that article is just some weird social anomaly unique to the other side of the world, and that I don't have to worry about my kids growing up too fast.

If you want to tell me otherwise, maybe it's best that I just don't know.

A Diagnosis For Her Little Girl

2009-10-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

A guest post, of sorts, from Kevin at Always Home and Uncool. I've been reading his blog for quite awhile, and wanted to repost this important message from him to raise awareness about juvenile myositis, a rare autoimmune disease that his daughter was diagnosed with on this day seven years ago. The day also happens to be his wife’s birthday.

Please take a few minutes to read Kevin's words:

Our pediatrician admitted it early on.

The rash on our 2-year-old daughter’s cheeks, joints and legs was something he’d never seen before.

The next doctor wouldn’t admit to not knowing.

He rattled off the names of several skins conditions — none of them seemingly worth his time or bedside manner — then quickly prescribed antibiotics and showed us the door.

The third doctor admitted she didn’t know much.

The biopsy of the chunk of skin she had removed from our daughter’s knee showed signs of an “allergic reaction” even though we had ruled out every allergy source — obvious and otherwise — that we could.

The fourth doctor had barely closed the door behind her when, looking at the limp blonde cherub in my lap, she admitted she had seen this before. At least one too many times before.

She brought in a gaggle of med students. She pointed out each of the physical symptoms in our daughter:

The rash across her face and temples resembling the silhouette of a butterfly.

The purple-brown spots and smears, called heliotrope, on her eyelids.

The reddish alligator-like skin, known as Gottron papules, covering the knuckles of her hands.

The onset of crippling muscle weakness in her legs and upper body.

She then had an assistant bring in a handful of pages photocopied from an old medical textbook. She handed them to my wife, whose birthday it happened to be that day.

This was her gift — a diagnosis for her little girl.

That was seven years ago — Oct. 2, 2002 — the day our daughter was found to have juvenile dermatomyositis, one of a family of rare autoimmune diseases that can have debilitating and even fatal consequences when not treated quickly and effectively.

Our daughter’s first year with the disease consisted of surgical procedures, intravenous infusions, staph infections, pulmonary treatments and worry. Her muscles were too weak for her to walk or swallow solid food for several months. When not in the hospital, she sat on our living room couch, propped up by pillows so she wouldn’t tip over, as medicine or nourishment dripped from a bag into her body.

Our daughter, Thing 1, Megan, now age 9, remembers little of that today when she dances or sings or plays soccer. All that remain with her are scars, six to be exact, and the array of pills she takes twice a day to help keep the disease at bay.

What would have happened if it took us more than two months and four doctors before we lucked into someone who could piece all the symptoms together? I don’t know.

I do know that the fourth doctor, the one who brought in others to see our daughter’s condition so they could easily recognize it if they ever had the misfortune to be presented with it again, was a step toward making sure other parents also never have to find out.

That, too, is my purpose today.

It is also my birthday gift to my wife, My Love, Rhonda, for all you have done these past seven years to make others aware of juvenile myositis diseases and help find a cure for them once and for all.

To read more about children and families affected by juvenile myositis diseases, visit Cure JM Foundation at www.curejm.org.

To make a tax-deductible donation toward JM research, go to www.firstgiving.com/rhondaandkevinmckeever or www.curejm.com/team/donations.htm.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-30T18:00:00.001-07:00

One of the joys of homeschooling.

Not for the cat, obviously.

The Watcher in the Woods

2009-09-29T00:50:00.000-07:00

Strange experience at my son's soccer practice this evening.

Shortly after arriving, I took my place on a nearby grassy hill along with the other parents.

Along one side of the soccer field is a forested area. I soon noticed that there was a man in the woods, leaning against a tree, watching the field.

I didn't think much of it, as there were five or six practices going on all over the field, and parents are all around the perimeter watching their kids.

Sure enough, next time I glanced that way the man was gone.

That's when another parent noticed the man was now lying face-down on the grass, sniper-like, behind a low hill at the edge of the field, aiming a camera with telephoto lens at our kids.

Alarm bells went off in everyone's head, so one of the dads got up and walked over to find out what the man was doing.

The man showed the dad the pictures on his camera, then whipped out his wallet to show some ID.

Turns out the man works for the ATF and was investigating someone on the far side of the field, where a parks & rec football team was practicing.

He didn't say if it was a player or a parent.

Kind of freaky, but at least he wasn't some pervert taking pictures.

However, a note to all ATF investigators: You'll probably have an easier time gathering information if you don't disguise yourself as a pervert taking pictures.

Oh, and I hope I didn't just blow your secret investigation.

Imperial Bedroom

2009-09-25T02:40:00.000-07:00

She wanted a pink bedroom, so I bought pink paint.

Then she wanted a purple bedroom, so I bought purple paint.

Then she wanted both, so I gave her a two-tone room, with opposite walls of each color.

Then she wanted a real bed instead of just a mattress and box spring, so we searched all over town, and the next town, and the town beyond that, and finally found a beautiful, solid bed with a trundle drawer underneath where she could keep her Webkinz menagerie.

Then she wanted a set of shelves, like her brother's, where she could stack her books and display her trophies and trinkets. So we drove 300 miles to IKEA and found a set that just happened to match her bed perfectly.

And after all of that - the paint, the bed, and the shelves - her new room was finally ready for her by the end of summer.

And she wanted none of it.

We're back to her climbing into our bed at all hours of the night, telling us, "My bedroom makes me sick."

Yes, for all the time and money we spent on that room, it kind of makes me sick too.

The Short Walk

2009-09-22T00:02:00.000-07:00

I'm getting emails from people who think I've gone insane.

They ask, "Why would you leave your family for months and months to walk across the country?"

I should've been more specific.

It will take me only six days to walk across the country.

Oh. Maybe I should be even more specific.

Because you didn't really think... What? You did? I mean, seriously? You thought I was going to walk across the United States? Now that would be crazy on my part.

You know, the last guy that did that ended up divorced. Yikes!

No, my intention is to traverse the width of a very thin country. Chile, Panama, and New Zealand looked attractive. Italy and Portugal were certainly candidates.

But the invite came from my blogger friend Dan, to join him next summer on a week-long trek across England, following the path of Hadrian's Wall from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway. All in the name of a wonderful children's charity, which I'll discuss at a later date.

Coast to coast. 84 miles in six days.

I can do that. I hope.

One big thing I need to get done over the next ten months is to get in shape. Hikes of around 15 miles each day demand some stamina, and I'm told by Dan that anyone lagging behind on the trail will have to bed down for the night in some ancient Roman latrine.

So, that's my big adventure. Not as big as you thought. Sorry about that.

But still, quite exciting for me. Like I said before, a big step out of my comfort zone.

The Long Walk

2009-09-21T01:04:00.000-07:00

I've made a big decision to go for a long walk.

Next summer I'll leave my wife and children, and my long-occupied comfort zone, to embark on a personal odyssey.

I will be walking across the country.

From one coast to the other.

For charity, for myself, and for whoever wants to live vicariously through my journey.

I have a new pair of sturdy boots, in which training has already begun.

Soon I'll be looking for sponsors to help me raise some money for a good cause.

More details in the months to come!

Switcheroo

2009-09-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

For her birthday, my daughter received a box of Bendaroos, these flexible wax-covered sticks that you can easily bend and twist into imaginative shapes.

Strangely, if you read the reviews of this toy at Amazon, opinions are almost evenly split between "Bendaroos are awesome, we loved them!" and "This is the toy from hell."

I don't get the hate, because these little sticks have been wonderful for my daughter, allowing her to stretch her creative wings in all sorts of different ways.

She started out making little animals, twisting layer upon layer of multi-colored sticks into lion and elephant shapes. Then she began making necklaces and eyeglass frames, before realizing she could wrap actual objects with them.

Finally, she decorated every light switch in the house with her own unique designs. That was over a month ago, and the Bendaroos are still on display for us each time we flick a light on or off.

Here's some of her handiwork:

The Joy of Eating

2009-09-16T01:44:00.000-07:00

Walking through the grocery store, my son pointed to this food display and said, "They're telling us that eating makes you fat."

The point of the marketing campaign was clearly that having a mouthful of Sara Lee products will bring joy to your life.

But my son was right. The photo makes it look like Sara Lee wants us to stuff our faces like fat little chipmunks. Maybe even right there in the store! That's either overeating or shoplifting.

One of the truths about food that we forget in this age of dieting and low-fat labeling is that eating does bring joy to our lives.

Food just tastes good.

Unfortunately, I'm finding it harder and harder to find things in the grocery store that not only taste good but also make me feel good about serving them to my kids.

For example, there are simply way too many corn-based processed food products on the shelves. Empty calories, devoid of proper nutrition, yet labeled as "good for kids" or "all your daily vitamins."

It's sad to have to bypass 80% of the store aisles to get to the fresh fruits and veggies.

Don't let me mislead you, though. Every now and then, a box of Pop Tarts or a bag of Lay's Potato Chips makes it into our cart by my very own hand. I'm certainly not against those foods. Just trying to cut back. Way back.

I agree with Sara Lee. Eating can be a joy. But as the photo on that ad display accidentally suggests, eating most of today's popular food products can easily lead to obesity, diabetes, and worse.

No joy in that.

Happy Food

2009-09-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

How can you resist such happy food? My wife made these jello slices in orange peels because she's just clever like that.

Speaking of food that will make you happy, I have the winners of the Sunsweet Dried Pineapple Giveaway from a few weeks ago! Ten readers will receive a prize pack containing a Sunsweet reusable shopping bag, and a VIP coupon good for any Sunsweet product, up to a value of $5.50.

The winners, picked at random, are:

Jen
catss99
jerriev
Erin
Lake City Girl
James (SeattleDad)
denise
Eric S
Karen
Jeanne

Please send me an email (it's in the upper left corner) with your mailing address and your Sunsweet Prize Pack will be on its way soon.

By the way, a couple of entries were from outside the U.S., and I just learned that this contest wasn't open to other countries, so I had to skip over you. Sorry about that.

Summer Is Over

2009-09-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

Four days into our school year, and summer seems like a distant memory now.

I'm thinking back, just two weeks ago, sitting on this beach near Seattle, on the Puget Sound. The kids played in the sand and water the entire day, digging for clams and crabs and other creatures of the intertidal zone. The parents sat and watched, happy that their children could find contentment in such simple activities.

It won't be long before the kids will be digging snow tunnels and building snow creatures.

They're already talking about Halloween costumes.

And I saw my first Christmas tree display at the store today.

Summer is over.

The Kids in the Basement

2009-09-07T00:14:00.000-07:00

When we started homeschooling three years ago, my son and I took over a corner of the family room with a couple of desks and a small shelf. That cozy space served its purpose well during those first two years when it was just him and me.

We knew a bigger space would be needed when my daughter joined us at home for second grade last fall, so I turned my attention to the 400 sq. ft unfinished basement that nobody but the cats ever ventured into.

I quickly learned how to frame (thanks YouTube!), install insulation, and hang drywall. It was all rather simple and straightforward once I was familiar with the process and had the right tools at hand, such as the incredibly handy drywall lift. The taping and texturing I left to an expert, so it wouldn't look like I did it.

For financial reasons, I decided not to put a floor in before the school year. So my next step after painting was to move all the furniture onto the bare cement floor. Desks, shelves, tables, futon, chairs, all went down the narrow stairs and into the almost-finished basement.

Only after I was done moving everything down there did I step back and notice something. That rough cement floor looked and felt horrible. An unsettling chill went up my spine as I realized how uncomfortable we all would be on that dirty gray slab.

With only a week to go before the start of school, I knew I had to act. I wasted no time, and without a word to anyone drove to Home Depot and bought 20 boxes of Dupont Real Touch Red Oak laminate flooring. For three long days I wrestled those planks into place, but when it was done the room was finally transformed into a warm, livable space.

Furniture was moved back down the stairs a second time, and we started the school year on time. Now the kids and I were able to spread out, with bigger desks, a large project table, bulletin boards, and plenty of shelving for books and supplies.

So why didn't I write about this last fall? Because our basement classroom wasn't perfect yet. I never completed the baseboards and door molding. And there were larger shelves to build. And you know we needed that whole first year to fiddle with just the right placement of the desks and rugs.

This past summer I finally had the time to finish it, so I can now reveal our homeschool classroom to anyone who might be interested.

My son and daughter each have their own large desks, facing away from each other to dissuade bickering and other distractions. They don't spend much of their day sitting in one place, though, as they like to read on the futon or recliner, work at the project table, and even spread stuff out on the floor. They also have their own shelves to prevent the mixing of books and supplies. You'd be amazed at the argument that can ensue over the accidental borrowing of a pencil.

So there it is. If you're thinking of homeschooling, you can do it anywhere. Family room, kitchen table, dining room, basement, backyard. For us, it was better to have a dedicated area for learning. I wanted my kids to have their own space, where books and papers could be left out overnight, and art projects could be worked on a little bit each day until finished.

It was clear from the first day of use that our new classroom made a big difference in how my kids focus and learn. That alone is a satisfying payoff for the time, effort, and cost we put into the project.