Puzzles

We haven't had a puzzle in the house since we had a dog that ate any puzzle piece that fell on the floor, quickly and without remorse.  We haven't owned that dog for the last four years.  I stumbled across a particularity charming one that would appeal to several of my children. I popped it in my cart without considering that the last puzzle we did had about a hundred pieces and this one had a thousand. Grace and Sam helped me find the edge pieces, and everyone joined in fitting the edges together. Then they all got bored and wandered off. Over the next several days Michael and I found ourselves staying up late, fitting pieces together. The kids put in a total of 3 pieces (that may be a slight underestimation, but it feels accurate).

After three days, it looked like this.

We had made decent progress but now that all the words were put together, I found myself frustrated. The kids didn't even care anymore. Michael and I continued to work on it, but were getting bored with it, even though we had now managed to complete 75% of it. One evening Ethan had a couple friends over while Michael and I went out. They ate most of the triple batch of banana bread I had made (despite the fact I forgot to add any type of leavening) but they also sat and worked on the puzzle. We came home to a puzzle that was only missing sky. Bless those boys. Teenagers are good for something after all!

The extra boys went home, our kids went to bed, and Michael and I sat down and finished the puzzle. It took a week from beginning to end, but we had persevered. I thought Sam was going to cry when it was time to put it back in the box. I'm not sure we are a puzzle family, but we did one, and sometimes that is just good enough.

She Was Right

My dear friend Ann who stated that having teenagers was just like having toddlers, just ten years later. She was right.

I really thought we were past falling asleep in the laundry basket. I was wrong. 

Saying Goodbye

For the last two years we have been honored to belong to an awesome homeschool co-op. I taught literature to a group of teenagers for two years and Grace and Sam were able to do all the art and science projects I just didn't have the energy to do at home.  We have belonged to several different co-ops over the years, but this was the one that really became our home.

This is Grace and a couple of friends displaying their end of year art (the giant scribbled thing does not belong to any of them, it was left over from a different class).

With the decision to send Grace and Sam to public school next year, we had to say goodbye to all our friends. While I am ready to have all my kids in public school, leaving this awesome support structure has been hard. We have all made friends that have truly enriched our lives. Grace has cried a lot of tears over going to public school, and they have all been about leaving co-op.

I'm going to miss the awesome teens I taught. I have taught the same group for the last two years, and have gotten to really know and love the kids. I almost cried when I said goodbye to them, and they almost cried in return. Several times in the last year my lit class has been the one bright spot I looked forward to in an otherwise dark and hard week. I also made so many great friends who helped me stay sane and keep a healthy perspective, something that can easily get skewed when I rarely get a break from mothering and teaching. 

These are the three girls Grace is going to miss the most. Thankfully, her very best friend (Claire, wearing the white hoodie) also does swim team at the same pool as us. Grace signed up this year primarily so she could spend more time with Claire. She currently gets to see her almost every day of the week. It will be hard for both of them when school starts again.

I promise Sam had great friends as well, but trying to take a picture of boys when there is a skate park calling is an impossible task. I was lucky to get one of Sam.

I am excited for my kids to try public school. They can participate in orchestra, choir, and sports. Things I could facilitate, but simply do not want to do. I think they are ready for the next big adventure!