With the presidential campaigns saturating our lives, it’s impossible not to take the opportunity (especially as homeschoolers) to talk to the kids about government and politics. It’s been interesting trying to explain certain things to 3, 5, and 7-year-olds. Some things are easier than others, but I’ve been doing my best to be “fair and balanced.”

A while back, Evan announced, “I would vote for McCain. Because I like his name better.”

I said, “Evan, that’s why they don’t let kids vote. Unfortunately, a lot of adults are going to make the same mistake. What if I gave you a choice between ‘dinner A’ and ‘dinner B’?”

Evan: “I want dinner A!”

Me: “But ‘dinner A’ is a plate full of dog poop.”

Liam: “What’s ‘dinner B’?”

Me: “Exactly. Don’t you want to know what you’re really voting on before you make a decision?”

Liam: “Well, what do McCain and Obama want to do with our country?”

Now that’s a question that’s a little harder to answer.

The boys both played their first soccer games this weekend! They are playing in the co-ed neighborhood league, with an emphasis on fun, so I don’t even know if their teams “won” the games. All of their practices and games are at the park down the street from us, and the weather was gorgeous this weekend, so we spent a lot of time down there. The boys are enjoying themselves immensely, and learning some skills, too. There’s even a mini-me league, so Cara will be able to play in the Spring. Hopefully this is just the beginning of many fun seasons of soccer!

Today serves as a good example of what our life as homeschoolers looks like. Lori woke me up early (7:00) this morning, which meant that I could get a shower before the day got rolling. Everyone had a leisurely breakfast of cereal, fruit, and yogurt and then got dressed. Liam had time to practice the piano. I packed lunch and gathered some things and got everyone out the door by 9:30. We drove to Kindermusik, where Lori and Cara have classes. Liam and Evan bring book-work to do in the adjacent classroom while they wait (about an hour and a half). Cara joins me and Lori for the first class, and then she has her kids-only class while I hang out with Lori and the boys. By 11:30 we were back in the car and headed for Park Day. The weather was GORGEOUS today: 75 degrees and sunny with a light breeze. The local unschooling group meets at a park every Tuesday, and today they decided to put together a traditional Field Day, plus a pot-luck lunch and a curriculum swap! We contributed a watermelon and some dress-up hats (for the dress-up relay race, of course). The boys rode their scooters around with their friends, ate lots of good food, and participated in tricycle relays and three-legged races. I snagged some new books and activity ideas from other moms. Cara played with kids of all ages and spent a lot of time on the merry-go-round. Lori climbed the stairs to the giant slide and held up traffic at the top until I retrieved her. Repeatedly. By 2:30, everyone was worn out, so we headed home. Lori fell asleep in the car. When we got home, Liam spent some time reading alone in his room while Evan and Cara played quietly. At 4:00 we all geared up to go back out – Liam to soccer practice and the rest of us to free play at the My Gym. At 5:30 we went back to the park to meet Liam after practice, and played on the playground while we waited for the pizza dude to bring us dinner. At 7:00 it was time to drag everyone home and throw them in the tub. (With soap all over. Scrub, scrub, scrub.) Hopefully I’ll have them all tucked in by 9:00, because tomorrow is another jam-packed day of non-stop fun!

We’re back from almost a week at Corolla Beach.  It was an absolutely outstanding vacation, with four full days of absolutely perfect sun, sand, and surf.  Pictures soon, we promise.

We left on Friday instead of Sunday as planned, however, because of Tropical Storm Hanna.  We didn’t drive away from the beach house until the first drops of rain arrived.  By the time we made it down to the bridge back to the mainland, we’d already driven over sections of Route 12 (the main north-south road on the Outer Banks) nearly covered in water.  So we were quite happy to have left when we did.

After a long, rainy drive back, we found the basement just starting to take on water.  It’s been a long day today cleaning out gutters, redirecting downspouts, and putting the new shop vac to work (thanks, Dad!).  But it’s still good to be home.

I’ve been going through pictures like crazy, picking out just the very best ones to share with everyone. Last night I narrowed down the 352 pictures we took in July to just 78! I know, I know… but they’re all so cute! I’m slowly, but surely, catching up to real-time. I hope to have the August album up before we leave for the beach this Friday!

Test test.

Randy passed away yesterday.

The world is a lesser place without you, Randy. We’ll miss you.

The “CBF Grasses” album contains pictures from one of the boys’ Spring service projects: the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s “Grasses for the Masses.” The project involves growing underwater grasses in your home for two months and then planting them in a tributary to the bay. The grasses help fight erosion, filter the water, and provide food and shelter for wildlife. Liam kept a Grass Journal in which he recorded the water level, temperature, and activity every day. Check out the pix for details.

Brian and the boys rescued a box turtle from a lawn mower while helping the Neighborhood Watch crew clean up an unoccupied community pool. We’re currently keeping Mr. Turtle in our backyard, but plan to return him to the “wild” soon (pictures to come). Liam and Evan also helped a local homeschooling group label storm drains around our neighborhood with “NO DUMPING” signs. The boys have learned a lot, helped the environment, met great people, and had fun to boot!
We’re in the process of researching and thinking up more projects to get involved in – I’ll let you know what we come up with!

Dear Randy,

I’ve been working on a letter to you literally for months. And finally I realized: formality and perfection was getting in the way of saying ANYTHING at all. The essence of what I have been trying to put down into words is this: thank you for everything you did for me. I am where I am today in large part because of the opportunities and guidance you provided.

So, a rousing Happy Father’s Day to you, Randy. My family wishes all the best that this world can provide to you, Jai, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe.

Love and Gratitude,

Brian, Carolee, Liam, Evan, Cara, and Lori
The Stearns Clan

Ok, so we’re getting started a little late on the vegetable garden, but this year’s goal was to get it going and gain experience. We have two (roughly 3×6) raised garden boxes which Brian built earlier this spring, one of which houses our Solar Cone composter that we’ve been using for about two months. Since we didn’t really get the seedlings started indoors ahead of time (except for a few pea plants), I went ahead and bought some cherry tomato plants at the farmer’s market this morning. Then the kids helped me plant them along with sugar snap peas, Green Goliath broccoli, Butterstick summer squash, Burpee’s brand hybrid zucchini, Nante’s Half Long carrots, and a carnival mix of bell peppers – all selected by the kids. I’m sure we planted way too many seeds way too close together, but I wanted the kids to be involved. And then, knowing that thunder storms were predicted for this afternoon, I watered them thoroughly, because, well, I’ve learned that if I don’t, it won’t rain. It worked – it’s pouring outside right now.

So, I have no idea how this experiment will turn out, but we’ll keep you posted. Wish us luck!