& she's off...

all my years of encouraging my children to see the world were realized for the first time through teary eyes in the wee hours of this morning...Baby Girl boarded a plane bound for costa rica for her semester abroad.i'm so proud of that child but i am surely missing her already! boyworld is lots of fun, but they just don't get the girlfriend thang! we've had a fantastic summer, & on the way to the airport, it was fun to discuss how different things will be when she returns in december...boyworld will be taller, advent will be in full swing with Christmas just around the corner, the air will certainly have more of a chill to it. we are sad to realize that we will miss thanksgiving for the first time as a family of 6 (there was just no way around that one)...but this opportunity will change her life. all travel does that. in her preparations for this journey i realized just how capable & mature she has become.buon viaggio, Baby Girl! may you have the journey of a lifetime & come home all the richer for it!...

sniff.

weather or not...the end of our first week

or as some of us like to say, "5 days down, 175 to go!"now, that's optimism! our first week was a fine one, both in terms of weather (one perfect, rainy day that made you *want* to work on school sandwiched between 4 to-die-for perfect summer days that do not fit the eastern NC august pattern) & school.we generally start out on the light side of work as our routines shift...this week was a 3 subject only week. (next will be the full deal.) i like it that way & boyworld concurs. Little Man began his high school career with algebra, latin & literature (we're reading the aeneid), ending his first week with an outstanding paper on virgil's themes present in the aeneid. who knew?? a meteorologist who has a way with letters! way to go!!Big Bro managed to sneak in a jack johnson (i'd love some banana pancakes!!) concert with his sister Baby Girl and still rule with his pre-calculus, physics & literature (we're reading beowulf).for me, it was lots of coffee, a time to get reacquainted with the infamous red pen of corrections, & more of my own school work with lots of reading, several papers due & many, many more to go!what's cooking wednesday (omg, shan! i sure could use a sip of that!!)???...you'll have to ask D. about that one, as *he* picked up the slack with some awesome okra & pork tenderloin. (i love you, man!) love thursday...well, let's just say i loved when it was thursday & we were in the home stretch with lots of successful work behind us!poetry...at least i managed to squeak out some creative stuff & to stay true to my snapping of 366 photos in '08 this week. on tap for the weekend...i have a big surprise for D.!!! y'all will just have to wait til next week to read about that one! until then, have a delightful late summer weekend!

Back to School...At Home!

we (the boys & i) have just arrived at the end of our first week of homeschooling for their 8th & 10th grade years. our start this year was a gentle one...i had managed, by some major quirk - or hopefully a new habit!- to be ready to roll a month ago & over that time the boys & i discussed how we hoped the school year would be.


2 opinions instead of 3 or 4.


it is so very odd...in just 2 short years we have lost half of our school! i am tempted to feel very sad about this - i miss my girls very much! sometimes i give in to that sadness (you must lean into grief or it will overwhelm you eventually). & then i shift into new focus & gratitude...


i am so grateful that the girls have moved successfully into college & transitional jobs.


i am so grateful that i had the time with them through all those years (we started homeschooling after a move out of state when they were in 1st & 3rd grade).


i am so grateful when i hear the girls tell me that something we did has helped them in their new ventures (one of my biggest fears when we began homeschooling was that i would somehow "damage" their academic progress).


& i am so grateful for this new time with just my boys! the are amazing young men (where did the time go?) filled with brilliant ideas & lots of energy & humor. i appreciate the unique views they have of so many things - points of view i would miss without them.


our gentle start to the new school year included...


math - it has always taken the children a week or so, after a summer off, to get the math gears moving efficiently.


literature - i *love* sharing this with my children...there are so many great books that can take us away - it is pure magic (more on this topic next week!). Big Bro started out with the first book of the Aeneid & Little Man is into Tom Sawyer.

Latin - Little Man gets off easy with this one...he begins formal Latin next year...but Big Bro is ready to start his second year of Latin. this week was a much needed review of conjugations, declensions & vocabulary...for both of us!


& finally...weather & experiments - believe it or not, this was not on the agenda...it just happened! while D. & i were away for the weekend, science was happening!! of course, there was serious storm tracking with Hurricane Dean - maps, internet searches, a visit with our neighbor who is retired from the National Weather Service/NOAA. there were experiments using food dye & ice (convection currents), paper cups, cotton swabs & corks (homemade anemometer), & 2 liter bottles with water & dye (tornado in a bottle)!

i can hardly wait to see what adventures await in week 2!

K-Bug goes to college...

...nearby & so we did not have the road trip for her venture. she is still contemplating the final destination for a degree, but for now K-Bug is popping in between classes (which she adores) & her job - busy girl!!

i remember that confusion & the shear weight of "what shall i do with my life" - how can we *really* know the answer to that at the tender age of 17 (soon to be 18)?most of us have things that pull our heart strings, deep-seated loves that we cannot explain to another but we know we must follow.in homeschooling our children i have tried so very hard to reassure each of them that they have a path uniquely & joyously theirs. *i* could not discern that for them. oh, i could identify their strengths & be a springboard & lead them to other things that could help them. BUT...i could not tell them what their own hearts had to say. K-Bug is in that sweet place of exploring her heart & mind...and she is doing it so very well!

Go K-Bug!!! we are proud of you!!!

Baby Girl...settling in

after a 2 week whirlwind (fun visits, Baby Girl back to college, K-Bug *starting* college, a weekend trip, & the boys & i beginning homeschooling), we are finally catching our breath! i had NO IDEA just how many photos i took during this time, but wow!!

the word from the college front is thus...orientation went well (Baby Girl was an orientation leader), her apartment-mates are settled in (hey, girls!!! see you next week!!), & Hedge is doing just fine.

over the next few days, i will give the scoop on K-Bug, some art exhibits, travels, & the boys...but for now...Baby Girl's moving day:
off we go...

intermezzo...yum!

first apartment!

chaos...

how will i arrange this?

my daddy...my hero!

my decorating team...

Sea Turtle...medium: wine corks...2007...by Little Man & me

we miss you Baby Girl!!! lots of love from the coast...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...piacere is taking a bit of a siesta while D. whisks the blogmistress away to her favorite city in the US for some much-needed R&R. Baby Girl & K-Bug are settling in well at their respective colleges. Big Bro & Little Man are holding down the fort with their Grandparents & the hound patrol! & Little Man is tracking all the tropical action - please keep the folks in the path of Hurricane Dean in your prayers!

Have a peaceful, joyous weekend...see you next week!

bon voyage Baby Girl part 2...casual craziness

this week at chez piacere we are packing in a full week of love & fun & laughter. Baby Girl is so happy that for her college sophomore send-off, her grandparents (D.'s mom & dad) have been able to visit & even join the caravan to campus this weekend. earlier in the week, before they arrived we had a lovely night on the town. to qualify for this spectacular evening, you had to be a high school graduate - which meant Big Bro & Little Man had to deal with pizza delivery & the house to themselves - not they they complained... (see previous "bon voyage Baby Girl" post for more on that evening.)

since the arrival of D.'s parents, we have had a whirlwind of yummy food (Baby Girl's last chance for home cooking!), gelato (to help deal with the heat!), lots of photos (evidence on the blog!), last minute laundry (the last free load for a few weeks), & packing. did i say packing? that is probably the hardest part for me - it is just a bit too tangible a sign of her immanent departure.

of course, packing leads to another obvious activity...shopping - you know, for all those things you suddenly realize you need but don't have. so, the girls (all 4 of us!!) were off to the big city for a restocking of the wardrobe & to gather every possibly thing that might be needed for an entire semester. (did we miss anything??)

now, ask yourself...what happens when you spend the better part of the heat (i mean HEAT!!) of the day shopping? you do *not* want to return to the kitchen & slave over a hot stove. no, you call the guys & meet up for dinner! and you are especially grateful that the entire family is actually off work that evening & able to do this!

join us on at the table, won't you...

get your own italian cream soda!...

mmmmmmm.....

exactly how *do* we get mom to stop taking pictures?...

catching memories...

bon voyage Baby Girl...night on the town...

how can i let this sweet face go?

aaawwwww, dad...

baby sister...

lots of laughter...

sisters, over coffee...

mom's little helper...

i see you...