Life is somewhat returning to normal around the Johnson household. Energy and vitality (as much as is possible during pregnancy) have slowly been replacing the abyss of morning sickness; a swelling belly, the tell-tale sign of 15 weeks gestation, replacing a once trim (on a relative scale) waistline.
Homeschool resumed last week with surprisingly excellent results. I was prepared for pandemonium and mutiny at the kitchen table after weeks of not having the strength to follow through with simple discipline and household chores, but to my surprise (utter amazement) Sydney and Isaac seemed ready to get back to work and seemed eager to return to a schedule somewhat resembling normalcy.
Sydney turned 10-years-old on Labor Day and we enjoyed teriyaki chicken and rice, her favorite meal, for dinner, followed by Apple Dorset cake and ice cream for dessert. For her birthday she received the last book in the Percy Jackson series which she quickly read in a couple of days, and Inkdeath, the final book in the Inkheart trilogy. This year she is in fifth grade and enjoying subjects such as math, English, writing, biology, Latin, and history. If you ask Sydney what her favorite subject is there you will receive no hesitation in her reply: History. Ancient history to be more exact. This year’s studies include a timespan from approximately 5000 B.C. to A.D. 400. Sydney has always been very interested in Ancient Egypt and Greek and Roman mythology, often reading non-fiction books that she has chosen at the library on these subjects.
Isaac is six years old and enjoying first grade. This year he is continuing his study of math, handwriting, phonics, and reading, with additional new subjects including grammar, biology and history. On the first day of school he waited – and not very patiently – for his first history lesson. We read about nomads before the first civilizations in Mesopotamia. As part of his assignment he got to make his own cave painting (paint on a torn paper bag). He painted a very abstract fox, a dubious bow and arrow, and a blue square-shaped tent on his very lifelike cave wall that is now on display as part of a history exhibit on our refrigerator.
Peter goes to work and comes home. It’s a very predictable pattern that works well for our family. His current job includes very little long-distance travel, and with the busy summer season almost over he be hanging around home even more. He was very fortunate to tag along with a seasoned hunter from our ward on a moose hunt; this hunt produced no meat; the next hunt he went on produced no meat. The only “bacon” he has come home with was from a day-trip on an ATV to a site that his office maintains. Apparently he ran over the end of a rabbit while in the ATV and the meat was salvageable, so we have some rabbit meat in our deep freeze waiting to be made into stew when I can stand to eat meat again on a regular basis (the first few weeks of pregnancy always include a strong aversion to meat for me). However, he is not deterred from his un-success and plans to go bear hunting this next spring.
As for me I am just trying to keep up with the house, homeschooling, the kids, a husband, the laundry, and sleep. So far I think the laundry is winning. I don’t have a chance – or clean underwear – in this race. I have stopped taking one of my medications that turns me into a big dope and am now only taking one medication that makes me a little dope and when I can summon up enough courage to stop taking that then I will do that. I long to to sit and read a book for a LONG time without tuning out every two minutes because of my dopiness. Now if I could just have a few green olives life would be perfect…