Every Day Is School Day

In exactly one week we will be conjugating, solving for "x," balancing chemical equations, and reading (or learning to read, as the case may be), reading, reading.   While I am very excited for our school year to begin, there is a part of me that will miss some of those less-than-formal learning experiences that summertime provides.

Here is one such experience from early May ...

Near the beginning of the walk ...

After walking quite a distance along the path, our 5-year-old son began to whine, “I'm tired … I'm hungry” forgetting that he had just wolfed down his waffles 30 minutes prior.  My first response was to IGNORE and keep moving.  Soon, “I'm super hungry.”  Second response from this nuturing mother, “It's time to suck it up … we are preparing for our hikes in France...”  then out of the mouth of the babe, “I'm really tired and super super hungry.”  Third response - “See that yellow sign down there...that's the goal.  We get there and then we will turn and head for home where you can have a snack.”  Surely this would suffice … but no, the whine continued, and as I pushed baby sister in the stroller and tried to coax my strong-willed boy, I breathed out a prayer of help … and then thanksgiving as this came to mind,

“One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.”  Psalm 145:4

Thank you for this opportunity to speak to the next generation.  If I continue my current path of responses, my child will remain fixated on his wants, his dire situation, his apparent lack.  It was time to adjust our focus.  “I will declare Your mighty acts.”

So I began with “Listen! What is that you hear?”
His quick response “Birds”
“What are they doing?”
Singing
“What do you think they are singing?”
Praise to God.
“Why?”
Because He made them to sing.



Belle, patiently waiting as Bear shows me a "discovery"

Then we turned our attention to the grass...to the green grass and then to the many shades of green on the hill of trees just over there.  Next, the pink flowers who, according to my son, were named “little pink flowers” … we stopped to count the horses, some rolling on their backs with their feet in the air.  We were surrounded by God's good creation … and we praised His works as we sauntered home without a single whine!

The road may appear long, but we will walk it together.

On the Set of "Merlin"

Although the warmer days of August (notice I did not say "hot days" as a small token of respect for those loved ones sheltering in their air-conditioned cocoons back in the Midwest and most of the 48!) beckon my thoughts to focus here...



I still find myself daydreaming of a partly cloudy, cool June morning in France as we hiked up the hill, eyes focused on this...

Pierrefonds Castle

This little gem was just a few kilometers down the road from our Jaulzy gite and one of the first places we explored, much to the delight of one small Bear!  The older Lopez children's delight came in discovering that not only is the TV show "Merlin" filmed here, but on that June day as we crossed the drawbridge into the courtyard, this is what awaited us...

On the set of "Merlin"

With so much action taking place outside,

it took some coaxing to draw them inside to enjoy this...

and this

I feel compelled to share one more part of the daydream...this glimpse of God's spectacular handiwork as seen through a castle window.

The village of Pierrefonds

As our focus shifts to the exciting challenges of logic, algebra (1 & 2!), ancient (and modern) literature, chemistry, pre-calculus, latin, biology labs and kindergarten that beckon us forward, please forgive us if we sometimes slip into a daydream or two.



"Living the dream" with Mimi

Strawberries Galore

With all the hustle and bustle of our Mimi-visit-preparations back in June, not to mention the need to plan and pack for a fortnight in France, we almost overlooked the obvious ... a trip to the strawberry field.

Imagine, if you will, flying over ten hours into the "future" and then traveling another three hours along the autobahn and then stepping through the doorway to be greeted by five eager, excited grandchildren whose unified purpose (for this afternoon / evening) is to keep you from crawling into bed for some much desired sleep...and then you hear this bit of news:  "We're going to go pick strawberries tomorrow!"  And to top it off, you learn that you will be WALKING to the strawberry field because it is JUST a couple of kilometers away.  Welcome to Germany, Mimi!!

So, the next day (after the mandatory-first-morning-in-Germany trip to the backerei for whatever sweetness you might choose) we prepared for our strawberry excursion.  Baskets, water bottles, sunscreen, hats, plastic bags to line the baskets, euro (you-pick-'em berries in the field are not free ... cheaper by far than the commissary, but not free!), and two strollers -- one for Belle and one for the berries.

Ready to go!

Bear taking advantage of the "extra" stroller
on the way to the field



Teamwork

Inspector Belle

Sometimes you need help letting go...

Good thing we brought those hats!

Just a small portion of "The Haul"

Within an hour and with approximately eight pairs of hands a-pickin', we hauled in about 15 kg of strawberries ... roughly 30 pounds of berries!  Many hands make light work ... many hands also make you unaware of just how much is produced with that light work.  That's where the German gentleman in the pay-here-now booth will enlighten you ... after Husband adds a bottle of strawberry wine to the line of baskets waiting to be weighed!  Thankfully the enlightenment was nearly painless ... total damage was less than 20 euro (about $25).  AND we had berries to feast on for a week!