Birthdays Galore

Birthdays all around, here in Hershey land. Mark surprised Stacy with a night out at Houlihan's featuring her mom and several other friends. Happy Birthday to Stacy, and all of that, but honestly, does anyone really need an excuse to eat at Houlihans?

Sherri & Christie, both avoiding pork for different reasons.

Stacy's a big Lucille Ball fan

Brennan requested that his party be held at Jack's house, because, well Jack's house is cool. He's gotten into My Little Pony lately (well, all the men in our house have, actually...more on that later), so we went full-on MLP for the party.

Everyone made their own hat of their fav character (and poor Jack was like, "what the heck is a my little pony?")

Pin the tail on Pinkie (do not attempt in real life: pony becomes violent)

Big Mac & Granny Smith

What's Going On

Hey, everyone. Long time, no post. I (Dave) have an extended hospital stay so I thought I'd update you on what's been going on with us of late.

First, homeschooling is probably the best it's ever been. People are always asking what curriculum or method we use. The answer has varied depending on our season of life and the boy's interests. We all feel like we've finally found a good balance of freedom and learning that fits our schedule and the boy's needs.

• Math - about 6 months ago we discovered the fantastic Life of Fred series, chronicling the adventures of a little boy who teaches math as a professor at Kittens University. It reads like a chapter book, but incorporates math concepts for the kids to work through, as well as logic puzzles, financial philosophies, and a smattering of geography, grammar, and humanities. The boys love them and are flying through the series. They extend all the way through early high-school so we're set for awhile. The books are a bit pricey but we were fortunate enough to have a friend who tracked down a used set in near perfect condition, so we're sharing the books.

• Reading - We've been circling something called "The Thomas Jefferson Method" for years, but didn't really know it until our Foley friends loaned us a book with that title. The idea is to follow the example of Thomas Jefferson - arguably one of the most intelligent and well-rounded people in human history - by reading lots and lots and lots of classic works, working through the tough texts, and writing about them. So we're reading like crazy. I read a classic work to the boys at breakfast (so far we've done Tom Sawyer, Winnie the Pooh, The Declaration of Independence, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles, The Prince and the Pauper, Rip Van Winkle, Joan of Arc, The Count of Monte Cristo, and currently Robin Hood). Most days, the boys write a bit in their journals about what we've read - opinions, reflections, or just summarizing the chapter(s). When we finish the whole book, they post reviews and/or reports on our review blog (LOCATED HERE). Additionally, they both have different classic books they spend time with during the day for an hour or two (Rich has read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Homer's Odessey, etc., Brennan is reading The Great Brain series, and has read several other classics for his book club during this time). The idea is to read all types of classics - fiction, non-fiction, math and history classics, scientific works, etc. and to reflect on them deeply and often. In essence, by focusing on classics, they study a variety of subjects and it informs further studies or interests that grow from them, which brings us back to the more project-based style that we started out with years ago. Plus, they both have their own age book-clubs once a month, and we always read something fun at night - we're currently on the last book of Brandon Mull's excellent Fablehaven series. PLUS, they just started a book/game club (called the Lemoncello club, named after the book the activities are based on) which has them reading at least one other piece of classic fiction between meetings (currently, Agatha Cristie's Murder on the Orient Express). So when I say we read a lot, I mean A LOT.

• History - We're enjoying John Green's Crash Courses on Youtube. We're just finishing up the World history series and starting into the Big History series. American history is soon to come, then we'll watch his science course - biology, chemistry, etc. These aren't in depth, but entertaining, and they cover enough ground for the boys to latch on to certain aspects for deeper reading and research at later time.

• Misc. - Art is still a huge deal to us, but the boys seem to express themselves creatively through Minecraft, Robocraft, and Terarria projects more than anywhere else, though they both still avidly create and illustrate game boards and cards for games they make themselves or collaborate on with other homeschoolers (our co-op has a popular game design club that Brennan meets with once a month to flesh out ideas and beta test games).  They attend a more traditional art class every other week. They are involved in a small meal-prep business we started this month, as well as chopping, sauteing, searing, grating, and other things for family meals.
  
  So that's homeschooling for us at the moment. It's fallen into a nice rhythm and the kids can carry on with their studies even when I'm in the hospital - part of their education, as we all see it, is teaching them to set their own goals, be self-directed, and manage their time between academics, play, and chores appropriately.

Secondly, it's been a pretty busy and scattered time for our family since I last posted.

• Christie has changed positions around the hospital once or twice. She tried cardiology for a month and found it a rough ride, seeing transplant (and failing transplant) patients every day. She's since moved back to her original position, but is serving as charge nurse many nights and helping with the schedule, which has made life a bit easier for us all. As a result of that transition she was able to travel to Arkansas in July and be there during the final weeks of her Granny Lucy's life. This was a huge thing for both of us, as Granny was such an integral and important part of Christie's life, and mine as well since before we even dated. She passed peacefully a few days before Christie and the boys had to return here for her to start back to work. Best timing ever. Her parents were here for Christmas which really helped us to get through the holiday season after that loss without as much melancholy as we would have experienced otherwise. A few weeks ago she hurt her back lifting a 500 lb. patient and is off work for about about a month while undergoing physical therapy. It's been nice to have her home, but as usual we have to juggle bills until worker's comp catches up.

• Rich is really stepping up around the house to help with things I can't do. He takes care of the lawn in the summer, the snow in the winter, and takes the physical exhaustion out of grocery store trips and errands for me - he does all the bending, loading, unloading, lifting, and running in and out of places when he can. He continues to be a formidable opponent in online and board strategy games. He spends an inordinate amount of time undertaking huge projects in Minecraft and playing with friends on the server he hosts with Brennan. The rest of his spare time is spent reading, which he does voraciously on his Kindle. He's fallen in love with the BBC's Sherlock series and can't wait for the new season - a whole year away. I love that he's at the age that we can start sharing things like Big Bang Theory and Firefly with him, as well as certain movies we love - Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, etc. Of course he has his own tastes, especially in music. Unlike dad, he's not much for hip-hop or metal, but gravitates toward bluesy rock like The Winery Dogs, Sheryl Crow, and 80's new wave like Steve Taylor and Simple Minds.

• Brennan is also addicted to Minecraft, but spends an equal amount of time with Legos, board games, reading, and writing. He's finished his second real novel and is in the process of revising it  - the only one of us to successfully complete NaNoWriMo last year. He's become a huge fan of the cult classic game, Psychonauts, and wants to have a Psychonauts themed birthday party. He's great in the kitchen and around the house - he's responsible for all the dirty dishes and laundry, he takes care of Blitzy's needs most days (except walks, which are still on Rich). He continues to be mellow, easy-going, and up for a good time wherever he is. Change doesn't seem to bother him too much and he's just happy to be watching cartoons, eating together, reading, or hanging out with friends. He enjoys math more and more these days and is (as near as we can figure) almost 3 years ahead of the standard curriculum (as is his reading level). He's still a huge Michael Jackson fan and likes to listen to Public Enemy when we drive. I think he also discovered that he likes Bluegrass this week so time to pull out the New Grass Revival, Bonepony, Pure Prairie League, and Union Station. He's a huge Bronie (My Little Pony Fan) and has gotten Rich and I (and a few of his friends) sucked into the show.

•  I'm in and out of the hospital from time to time, banking hours and days on the transplant list. I find that despite the visits being spread out further, each one seems to have its own challenges and things I have to adjust to. My activities both in and out of the house have become more limited as the symptoms of my heart failure become more pronounced. Nevertheless, I've delved deeper into cooking and creating my own dishes, and a few weeks ago, Christie and I started a very small meal prep and delivery service for a few of the nurses she works with. We just cook a few extra meals along with ours and charge materials and labor. It's nice money to have on the side with minimal effort as we continue to fight medical debt. But at least I'm healthy enough to do it every week, help the kids with homeschooling, and finish little projects around the house. I'm also finishing up a concept album I've been working on for a little over a year, while working on new songs with a view to selling them at some point. I'm illustrating a comic for a friend that will be available online in April and continuing to lobby agents and editors to publish any of my three finished manuscripts, which I keep fiddling with and revising from time to time. I'm enjoying some great new progressive rock and pop albums by Transatlantic, Flying Colors, and Mastadon, and well as working my way forward from 1983 with significant hip-hop albums. I've also discovered trip-hop and trance music which is a whole new world for me, so I'm trying to get my brain around the mechanics of its song-writing and instrumentation.
  
  
  That's about it. I'll try to post more often now that I'm not writing as much, but life gets busy and I myself don't have a lot of time to cruise the blogosphere. Hope everyone is doing well, feel free to leave us a note in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading.

Folson Crue

(I wrote this post several weeks ago, but just getting around to adding all the pictures and publishing it).

There are so many references to the Foleys on this blog that I won't bother linking to them. They have become family to us since we met during our first stay in Hershey back in 2011. We do so many things together that it's become laborious to say "the Foley's and the Johnson's" so we refer to the 10 of us (including dogs) as "The Folsons." We use it for wait lists at restaurants and for reservations, and just in general conversation.

In all their glory

So our anniversary of meeting them three years ago was on February 22, 2011 (give or take a day or a week - Stacy will correct me in the comments if I'm wrong. Because I'm horrible, horrible, horrible, at remembering dates as can be attested to by all of you who have received birthday wishes from me on the wrong day, week, or even month. Why can I retain the names of all 17 members of Yes since 1968 as well as the release date for all 19 albums, their producers, road crew managers, and who wrote each of the gabillion songs, yet have trouble remembering anniversaries and birthdays? Yes, I suck). We know it's our anniversary because there was an INCH homeschool activity that day - one of the first we attended after settling in for a three month stay back then.

We talked a bit at the roller skating rink while the kids did their thing and realized we had A LOT in common. On our way out, they recommended a nearby Japanese place for lunch, but alas, couldn't join us because they had out-of-town company in tow. They've mentioned many times that they wish they could have/would have just went with us and spent the day. Us too.

So for our Folson anniversary, we decided to recreate the day, and right the wrong. We started with lunch at Tokyo Diner, the place they recommended that day. Much sushi was eaten. We went a little nuts.

After that, back to the same skating rink where we met. We stayed for about an hour.

Kate always looks out for Brennan like a big sister. He thinks she is the greatest person on the planet.

We even took a picture in the same booth where we first met.

 

 

The Foley's have kind of sucked us into board gaming, and we really love all the new, creative games being published. After years of boredom with Clue and Monopoly, we've finally discovered a whole new world of strategy board gaming that's right up our alley. So as an anniversary gift, we made a Folson board game for them. Knowing we desperately need more recent family photos, they bought us a session with a local photographer that we are very impressed with. Can't wait!

The game board is comprised of pictures from various Folson trips, the player pieces have everyone's face on them, and the cards are all made up of locations where each of us have lived or traveled to at one time, as well as penalty and bonus cards from some of our shared experiences, and likes and dislikes. 

Full and skated-out, we headed back to our house to play the Folson game and a few others. 

It was getting late and we were hungry again (we're ALWAYS hungry), so we headed back to Hershey to eat unhealthy food at Red Robin, another favorite haunt of ours. It was great to just have a whole day together since we've all been so busy lately. We used to have days like this all the time when we lived here before or when we'd visit -meaning the Foley's would have to cram everything they put off into the next week. It's nice now not to have to pack everything in over a weekend, but days like this are much needed, and we had a great time just being together. We're so thankful for friends, that our kids get along, that we like some of the same things, tolerate each other's quirks, and enjoy each other's company. We feel often that the relationship is one-sided because they do so much to help us out when I'm in the hospital or having a bad week - Mark is always willing to pick up the boys for INCH activities, Stacy always invites them to come play so I can rest, and their home is still open to us even though we live here now. We appreciate them more than we can say. Our lives have become intertwined is so many ways. We cook for each other, give each other much-needed breaks from the day-to-day, date nights for the parents, play days for the kids...the list goes on and on. This time last year, our one wish was that we could live closer to them. Now we're here, six minutes away - and I'm receiving the best medical care of my life to boot. In the immortal words of Ross Gellar, "Everything's just WERKIN' OUT!" It really is. We are all FINE.

Out of the Darkness

All due respect to those for whom Cyber School works, I don't know how else to describe it. You might remember that I mentioned way back in July of last year that we were going to try it out in the fall. We did. We've come to two conclusions:

 1) The boys needed a taste of what "real" school is like. Living in Springfield, Mass was difficult for us, and they had largely escaped the loneliness by spending most days playing Minecraft. We think Minecraft is great, but the whole point of homeschooling is to give them things they can't get at a public school. Time creating in Minecraft is only one of those things, and we were all losing perspective. The amount of work, time, testing, and repetition in Cyber school helped us to get that back.  I think all of us, myself included, had begun to take our good fortune for granted. Many people would love to homeschool but can't for various reasons.It also gave me a break from building curriculum and cracking the whip, both of which I hate (more on that later)

2) Cyber isn't for us. Since moving to PA, we've found ourselves in a situation much like we had when we began homeschooling back in 2009. There are so many opportunities for the boys to learn and grow just from events and activities available in our area - things that in the end, we believe are far more valuable than tests or worksheets. The amount of time sucked up by Cyber kept us from participating in much of that. Now there's a vibe of anticipation here as we make lists of activities we'd like to seek out, things we want to learn, books we want to read, skills we want to acquire...it's nearly endless. We've known for a long time that people learn best by doing. So that's the plan - to do.

This approach is often known as "unschooling" - not because we don't "do" school, but because we attempt to remove the labels of "school" and "free time" and just replace them with real life. Life is school anyway, or it should be. It's the outcome of asking such questions as:

*Is it more important for a child to read about making spaghetti or to actually learn how to make spaghetti?

*Is it more valuable to read Huck Finn or Shakespeare, or to read a story in a lit textbook designed to help them pass a test at the end of the year?

*Do we want them to read fast, or to read books that will impact and challenge them? Likewise, do we want them to write fast, or be able to express themselves well on paper? 

*Will they learn more by doing money math on a worksheet or by helping to create a grocery budget, leading the way at the store, and learning to balance the checkbook?

*Which is better - days spent in a classroom surrounded only by humans of the same age, or the freedom to interact with people of all ages through volunteering, spending their own money, and taking part in community events? Which is true socialization?

*Is it more valuable to go to a string concert, silent movie, art class, science fair, cooking workshop, Renaissance Faire, and the library several times in a month by choice, or to be forced into choir class, typing, gym class, and have limited library access?

*Would you rather a child hear lectures for years about choosing a career about which they know very little, or have the time for hands-on experience mowing lawns, shoveling snow, volunteering, and talking to professional adults about what they do?

For us, the answers to all of this are a no-brainer. It will not be easy to get back to this mentality. I think the biggest challenge lies with Christie and myself - are we also willing to put down the "important" things we must get done in favor of watching documentaries together, reading a new book, attending a class or workshop, or involving the boys more in our day to day responsibilities? The first step is to challenge ourselves intellectually and lead by example.

It means real books over textbooks, doing instead of watching, pursuing interests deeply rather than gaining a shallow knowledge of everything we encounter, and yes, from time to time - good old fashioned pencil and paper for writing letters, working some math problems, and artwork. Because pencil and paper is also part of life.

This also means there will be more to report here, for those of you following our adventures. Thanks for being patient over the last 7 months. I promise to post more in the future because there will be more to post about.

HUZZAH!!

Our first (of hopefully many) Renaissance Faire was a blast yesterday! Accompanied by our Foley friends, we set out for Manheim, Pa around 10:30. The Faire grounds are only 15 minutes from here, and we're seriously considering a season pass. Christie worked Saturday night, so she didn't make it until a little later in the day, but even a whole weekend is crammed with more than you can see or do. Next year, we'll be more prepared and have costumes to wear.

We were greeted at the entrance by characters in period costumes speaking the Queen's English - they stay in character the whole time, interact with the crowds, and even give impromptu music performances at times. Several times we saw them leading a family through the streets while proclaiming loudly, "MAKE WAY FOR THE FAMILY MARTINEZ, BOUND FOR THE PRIVIES" or running back and forth yelling messages from one person to another. Hilarious! At one point, one of them freaked out because our "iron chariot" (my wheelchair) was empty (I was walking since the path was level). "You've lost someone! They've vanished!" When we explained, they marveled at my miraculous healing and announced it to everyone within earshot.

The festivities began with the Queen's processional. We were taught to bow and curtsey, and yell "God Save The Queen!" anytime someone prompted us throughout the day. The Queen set herself against an famous Irish Rebel, Grace O'Malley, beginning a competition that ran throughout the day involving a human chess match, and eventually a joust. You could hear characters discussing the odds and who they favored on the streets throughout the day. There were rumors of assassination plots and other intrigues peppered throughout the entire Faire grounds. Each weekend is different - sometimes the theme is pirates or Shakespeare, or any other number of Renaissance-based stories.

 Rich was pulled on stage at one point and announced to the be secret love child of the town hag and the Queen's sheriff. Keep in mind that a LOT of what happens on stage is improv, and the actors seemed to be trying really hard to crack each other up. The Queen totally lost her composure several times as the pranks were usually aimed at her.

 

The food was mostly Renaissance themed as well - Turkey legs, Knight's Ale, Tiger Pies, etc. Lots of pub-type places to sample the local ales and brews, and shows throughout the day. Lots of kids activities as well - sword fighting, mazes, craftsmen exhibits, and tons of shops to buy Medieval and Renaissance-era clothes, weapons, and jewelry. There was a bit of a steam punk theme this weekend as well, so the attendees costumes were brilliant as well.

 

Later, Brennan was called up to play a Prince on the kid's stage. I'm not sure anyone knew what was going on, least of all him, but he was happy to be up there all the same.

The human chess match was awesome - The Queen and the Irish rebel called out the moves and the human chess pieces had to battle it out for the spot on the board. A nice mixture of sword play, staff fighting, fisticuffs, and taunting, with the crowd cheering on either Ireland or England.

 

The kids got to sword fight in leather armor. The winner had to pop all three balloons on their opponent. Brennan had trouble with the weight of his armor, but Rich and Kate battled it out for a good five minutes. A crowd gathered to cheer them on, and eventually Kate won. Rich wants to come back and just sword fight.

The Joust was without a doubt the most spectacular part of the production. The squires whipped the crowd into a frenzy, then we got to see some authentic jousting. The Irish champion cheated, and chaos broke out. There were large scale sword fights, explosions, and all together too much to watch all at once. Total spectacle!

 Of course at the end, Irish and English made amends. The day ended with a huge cast music and comedy act at the main theater. The characters all lined up at the exit to bid us farewell on the way out. Exhausting, but the most fun we've had in awhile. We'll be going back in October if we can bear to stay away that long.

 

Earlier in the day, the kids were given Wish Rags by a beggar, who told them if they ever met the Queen, they should have her kiss the rag and whatever they wished for would come true. Which they did as the last thing before we left.

Final Destination

It's been a turbulent few months in the Johnson household, to say the least. We've picked everything up and moved once again, one final time, to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, where the weather is mild, the trees are green, and the dairy is fresh. I won't torture you with the tale of woe concerning the buying of houses, the changing of jobs, the unreliability of moving companies, and so on. I would rather talk about how well the boys are doing, how generous our friends have been, and how we finally feel like we've found our home after nearly eight years of bouncing around, wondering where we were supposed to be.

When we left the ministry in 2006, we felt a bit lost, but we also had a new purpose in getting Christie through nursing school. When she graduated in 2009 we toyed with the idea of traveling, simply to see if there was a place out there that fit our family better than Arkansas. As much as we love the Ozarks, especially Bentonville and Rogers, we felt like we didn't fit in. We had made good friends and found a healthy homeschool community, but we were restless. If you've followed this blog, you know we hit the road in early 2011 to see what the world had to offer.

It brought us first to Harrisburg/Hershey, Pennsylvania where we immediately found friends in the homeschool community, and developed a lasting friendship with the Foley family. We hated to leave, but we felt that our adventure must continue, plus we needed to be closer to Boston. Two years later, we find ourselves back in Pennsylvania, five minutes from the park where we first got to know so many wonderful people, and eight minutes from the Foleys. This also puts us in proximity to a ton of farmer's markets, local dairies, great restaurants, Penn State (where Christie now works full-time and I will eventually have my heart transplant), libraries, shopping, bike trails, parks and so many other great things I can't list them all here.

Not our house - the view from the front porch nearly every day

As soon as we get a few more boxes unpacked, I'll put up pictures of the actual house. We're taking our time because there's a lot of furniture to buy, but one of the first things we did was paint the boy's room. I figured they've barely been able to hang a poster on the wall in years, so even though there are more pressing things to be done, I was anxious to finish this. Here's a small teaser, more to come:

Brennan wanted penguins and Rich wanted turtles, so we're making that work together, sort of...

More than the house, there's a sense of belonging, and permanency that we haven't had in so long that Brennan doesn't even remember it. Now he's immersed in a world of friends, playing, and a place he can call his own. At 8, it's about time.

Brennan with his buddy, Sean

It was clear that we belonged on moving day. Jilted by our movers, nearly 21 different people showed up to help us unload our van, including two neighbors whom we'd never even met!

Kirsten Waldron in typical non-plussed mode. Ron Ratcliffe considers stealing Dave's CD's, and Avery and Kate goof off for the camera.

Kristie Waldron, Stacy Foley, and Jen McCurdy. Triple Trouble.

Jake Waldron mugging.

Kirstin and Kate realize there are more of these shelves than any sensible person could ever use...

Mark is probably sick of Dave's books at this point, but soldiered on valiantly in the 97 degree heat.

The best thing is that we feel like we're finding our feet again as a family. The boys are happier than I've ever seen them. We've spent a lot of time playing games, at home and at the mall where a local bookstore sponsors a game night once a week. The boys even won some prizes there by participating in a Where's Waldo scavenger hunt that spanned the whole Lebanon county area.

Brennan wipes out Kate and the Ratcliffe girls at Snake Oil

Maxim teaching Rick to play Magic: The Gathering

At Infinitos at Rich's early birthday party

Brennan loves Eleminis

Rich killed everyone at Flame Wars

They found Waldo! Rich, Brenna, Kate & Maxim. Brennan won a $50 gift certificate to the game store, and Rich won a basket full of pet goodies for Blitz.

We've spent time in the park, read together at night, had game night, devoured the new season of Master Chef, eaten at our favorite restaurants a few times, and spent time with friends. It's the way life is supposed to be. The Foley's housewarming gift sums it up:

 

It goes to show that life never turns out how you expected. Here we are in Pennsylvania, in a beautiful old house that's a bit like us - a little beat up from the adventure, but still strong at the core. A little older, hopefully a little wiser, certainly richer for the experiences we've had. The hills of Pennsylvania, downtown Little Rock, a ski resort town in northern New Hampshire, a stone's throw from Long Island Sound in Norwalk, Connecticut. The metro area of Springfield, Massachusetts. And all the places we explored in-between. The coal-mine towns of Danville and Sunberry, the Poconos, Dallas, St. Louis, Raliegh North Carolina, the visits to Delaware, Baltimore, NYC, Hartford and of course, our beloved Boston. I am hard pressed to not cheer for the Red Sox and compare all seafood to Boston cuisine. Boston, small and over-crowded, opened its arms to us so many times when we were worried and despairing. Our first experience there involved a woman we'd never met giving us her phone number and address if we needed a place to stay. Boston opened its doors and its heart to us and will forever be "our" city. It's where our kids learned that people are the same, no matter what they look like or what language they speak. It's where they learned to explore food. It's where they rode a subway and a taxi for the first time. It's where we all learned that the world is so much bigger and wondrous than we'd ever thought. The doctors, transplant coordinators, and nurses that held our hands, patiently took our phone calls, and loved and embraced our boys call Boston home. It's because of their concern for us that we are where we need to be now. And of course, the friends and family along the way that have encouraged us so much. The Johnsons, Bostics, Foleys, our incredible cousins, friends like Lisa and Smitty who quietly pray and hope for us. For all this we are truly thankful. 

The fall brings new things - an attempt to cyber-school, new clubs and activities for the boys and our family, new friendships, and inevitably new food. These things that are the essence of life, more so than careers or money. We've believed that for a long time, but were often forced to re-arrange our priorities to get to this place in time. Now, it's time to live. And hopefully to laugh a lot more.