A Slice of Sky

A sheaf of wind. The Waterhorse Suite. Children’s voices playing. Quiet.

I live for such days!!

We’re done with the pre-Christmas flurry of carolling, gatherings, performances and gifts. Is Christmas ever complete without these? I suppose so. Several Christmases back, all we could manage were home-made gifts for each other and a Christmas tree the size of an upturned shoe-box. And snippets of carols from here and there.
It was a very quiet Christmas at home then.

This year was another thing altogether. It’s interesting how the same tradition, celebrated differently at different times, can be as profoundly meaningful. This year, we’ve been carolling -twice- and gone for two parties, attended a ballet performance (in which Dd8 danced) , drank endless rounds of non-alcoholic beverages at two mini-school reunions and picnicked at a park with a handful of little kids and their moms. We’ve not had much time to reflect on the meaning of Christmas, I’m afraid, or rather, I’ve not spent the Advent season guiding my kids in daily slotted meditative thoughts of why we celebrate Christmas.
Should I feel guilty? I do, a little. However, I wouldn’t have done it differently though. So have I become shallow and callous in my treatment of Christmas?

I’d like to think that the frenzied rounds of meeting various people who have affected my life at various stages, have been good for my family. It’s as if to say, ” Look, here are my friends and people I’ve met along the way. Sure, we’ve disagreed and made up, left for faraway shores and reunited, bumped into each other here and there. Here they are. Isn’t it wonderful how diverse God has made us. What do you think?” Laughter. Belch, belch, sing, dance- “Hark the Herald angels sing”.

Now we’re getting ready to go home to see the folks. Dad-in-law all alone in his house with his orchard of cili-padi, curry leaves and lime plants. Grandaunts all alone in their once-was-homes with their tv sets and blue-red plastic stringed lazy-chairs. Mom and dad growing old with brother who’s not little any more. All that is Christmas.

We treat the remembering of God’s Word made flesh callously when we ascribe it the religious paegentry of self-righteous pious works be it grand shows of good deeds, mega-productions to “save souls” and the closetting of ourselves from those closest to us. If we forget those whose love we have received, whose lives moved us to try to be better people, then, we have forgotten how He gave up the crowd for the individual- Peter’s sick mother, the woman with the alabaster jar, the lady by the well, the children impatient to sit on his lap. We have forgotten how quietly He came.

And so, we are going home. Blessed Christmas everyone.

We adopted a dog several weeks ago. She’s a mixed-breed with some retriever and German Shepherd genes plus, I suspect, a hint of terrier thrown in what with her incessant digging and poking into holes. We’ve spent quite a bit on deworming medicines, Frontline (anti-tick spray/application), dog food and dog food. So caught up were we with the euphoria of finally owning a mutt, that the first few weeks were spent on the porch doing all kinds of pooch-centred activities like playing football, fetch ( alternating between the owner and dog) and obedience training. My husband finally decided to restore some sanity to our home and recall us back to the human world: he laid out some rules about the a dog’s proper place in the family ( to serve and not to be served) and firmly stated that we were not to pamper our canine family member.

As a result of that extensive series of lectures, Joy came up with a manual for dog-lovers- written in HB pencil on a folded piece of white A4 paper. The manual goes like this:

“  How to discipline your dog

I have a dog that chewed up my slipper. Your dog might do the same, but always remember to smack your dog. Don’t just overlook it because if you do, your dog will keep on chewing. When you smack , it’s okay to slap on the muzzle gently but firmly. You must still make sure your dog still knows that you love it by patting it and feeding it.

Pampering dogs

Our dog is not allowed in the house. Whether your dog is allowed in or not, that doesn’t matter. Just this: you have to walk your dog once or twice a day or more. Your dog would have liked wet food sometimes, but ifit has a sensitive tummy, do not give it too much wet food. Your dog must also understand that if it is bad, it must be punished.

Strays

If you see a stray and if it is gentle, you may want to keep it. If it has mange, you may want to handle it with proper equipment. Ticks, fleas and lice are very normal for strays. If the dog doesn’t have mange, but ticks, you just bring it to the vet.

Ideas

I, however, like most people, do not like to punish dogs. I never wanted to smack my dog, My dad did it. You, must also smack it(your dog) to discipline your dog. I would also ask that if you would not gotoo far into pampering. I would think it wise not to buy diapers, clothes or beds. Your dog hates these. Your dog would also dislike permed fur, dyed hair and ribbons. I do not want dogs to be upset or confused. You alone may think that your dog likes these things. But, your dog is only trying to please you by keeping quiet.  ”

It looks like the dog will grow up to be a sensible companion and family pet under the tutelage of my able 8 yr old.

Here’s a collage of several projects that we did this year.

The first one is a model of the cell of an animal.

We also had fun dyeing a cloth purple by using grapeskins.

We experimented with different kinds of arrow heads. Of course, we wished we had the real ones, but our construction paper heads did work- some better than others.

We did a mini-unit on China, focusing on inventions. Joy helped carve Chinese characters for “person”, “forest” and “big” on pencil erasers. Then, we dipped a cotton bud  into black calligraphy ink and painted them on the “printing blocks”. We also made paper by using torn-up magazines, water, bits of foil and thread. I haven’t got a picture of that though.

Joy made some paper-dolls and presented a story to the family. Grace decided that it was easier to use her “baby” as a minor character . I thought they were lovely!

Sometime in March, we read about different kinds of volcanoes . Joy “built” her own virtual volcano on the Discovery Channel ( see http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/pompeii/interactive/interactive.html)
We also read about Pompeii and viewed photos on the web of the actual site. I visited the ruins back in the nineties and took several shots of the place; so we browsed through those old photos .
After we’d done all that, she wrote a “written narration” about that fateful day when Vesuvius erupted and “buried” Pompeii and drew some illustrations in pencil. Sometime between that and the virtual volcano, we actually made a model with dough which we shaped and then baked. Then the fun part began where Joy and Grace poured the vinegar into the baking soda and walla!…our volcano erupted! Well, perhaps it wasn’t as volatile as we would have liked it to be; nevertheless, there was gooey reddish liquid oozing out of the dough-volcano. Grace said she felt like drinking it.

We’ve   been formally homeschooling for almost half a year now. That’s not a long time in comparison. I must qualify that statement though. for we’ve not stopped homeschooling our children from the time they were born.
From the time when they were weeks out of the womb, we sang, talked and read to them. We showed them sunsets, leaves and spectacular creatures like spiders and lizards. We took them for walks in the park and occasional vacations by the sea. They played peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek with their maternal grandparents and listened to their paternal grandfather’s lectures about what little children should and shouldn’t be doing.
In short, we live  as a family, doing things and being what we loved to be most- together, enjoying each other. That is what homeschooling is about after all – the putting aside of things that tear asunder: tight schedules, unrealistic expectations, external pressures to perform and to keep up.Hence, homeschooling for us has been that deliberate “no” to these destructive forces, and a “YES!” to the life we have been called to live.
It has not been that long a journey, and yet it begun from the time we became a family.

In the weeks ahead, I will be putting up some pictures of the learning activities and projects that we have done for this first half of the year. The rest of the pictures of our homeschool, I’m delighted to tell, are too voluminous to be placed in this space.

Dd4 managed to write her name this week, after months of practice doing capital letters. After she’d finished the 6 letters of her name, she looked up and beamed. Our living room had never been brighter.

This is the choice I make.
To
spread sun and
fields over tiled roofs,
crumple
glass panes into
dandelions,
unfold plumes and
strengthen roots,

trace eternity in
tiny wet footprints.