I would just like to say that NO, I AM NOT PREGNANT! Interesting that everyone thought that was the secret. My Aunt Patsy once told me she thought she might be at 47 and her husband told her if she was, he'd push her off a bridge and jump after her. (ok, sounds morbid but you had to know Uncle Acey!) I cn relate. My doctors all tell me I am lucky to have two healthy children and since Layne was 10 lb 8 oz, I should count my blessings and be done. I also breastfeed for 6 years straight between the two- Im worn out! Most of you know the secret but I cant put it on a public forum right now. (no winkies on blogspot)

Also, I type 60 wpm and generally don't error check. Its reflecting in my "thoughts of the moment" but to some my spelling errors "do not reflect the level of education I have received." (is that the quote dad?) So, if you are offended my typos, sorry. No time for second guessing here......

GREEN EGGS AND "HAM" (Veggie Sausage)

There it is!!!!! Yes, I AM WEARING AN ABAYA! Swore it would never happen. We went to the Grand Mosque for a tour and you have to wear an abaya. I didnt really like the way they did the head dress, my friends do it much nicer and have pretty colored scarfs (Nazia!) Still, it was a cumulative experience of my time in the Middle East. Didn't really learn much new on the tour but it was interesting to be in the Mosque. I would have liked our tour guide to be Bahraini, I love the gentle spirit, but we had a Frenchman! He was quite arrogant and made several comments about "wives obeying their husbands" to which CHris responded by laughing nervously. One of my "looks" stopped that in it's tracks. He later told me he much prefers his equal as his partner. Layne didnt have to cover, but she wanted to so here she is!

Both Luke and Layne are very interested in prayer. Luke on his own went and did the prayer movements ( forgot the name) that is done 5x a day. Layne went to the rug and did her Lotus position and started her yogic prayers. It was a nice experience for them and Im glad we did it.

I have a secret...I have a secret....but can't say anything...YET. Give me a few days. Im not good at secrets.........

Redirecting.!!! We took the kids to an excellent production of SHakespeare4Kidz by the Royal Shakespeare Company. The performance lasted almost 3 hours but both Luke and Layne sat and watched the whole thing. We discussed Shakespeare a bit beforehand, and they knew bits and pieces. When we got home Luke spent 3 days reading the bios of all the actors from the program, quoting Shakespeare and then asking if I had any of the plays. Just so happened, I had my Pelican SHakespeare from college. Luke sat at the dining room table reading college level "Hamlet" for 2 days! I didn't dare interrupt him, and was just, once again, amazed at this little man. Occasionally I'd hear him, in his best English accent, quoting something from the play. I heard him say, "Alas, dear Hamlet.." In true homeschooling style, we went online, got out the encyclopedia and learned all about William Shakespeare!

Layne loved the play as well, and we were very proud of her for sitting and paying attention( not an easy task for a newly 5 year old). Layne is working on the geography of South America. It helps because we know people from Peru, Venezuela, and Columbia . She is also very busy making books these days, stapling, pasting, using stickers etc. She made her infamous "Prize Pooch Magazine" and carries it with her everywhere.

Chris is about to head off to the states for 1 1/2 weeks. Weather is nice here so we'll be busy. I'll spill the beans in the next post!

Same old same old.....

....in Bahrain!! We have pretty much finished our school year so we are just doing some daily review type things. Layne is working on anything to do with Spring, although we don't have much of a spring in Bahrain--it goes from 55 degrees to 100 very fast!) She studied the lifecycle of the butterfly, we've read books on migration and hibernation, grew bean seeds in a plastic bag taped to the window, grown carrot tops in a dish, and planted flower seeds and watched them grow. She is very into her plants and watching for changes and caring for them. We took this a bit further by discussing germination.

Luke has not enjoyed doing review worksheets this past week, but since he is only doing sit down desk work for an hour a day ,he is tolerating it!! I've allowed more computer time than I usually do to keep him motivated. We are studying US geography ( being a Montessori kids he knows where Suriname is, but not Kansas!) He is made a neat map and is doing research state by states making a book on the name, nickname, year it became a state, state bird, flag etc. He also is learning his multiplication tables. He has worked for a few years with the bead chains and has the concrete part down pat, so its time for the memorization. We found a great program online ( free!) called "Timez Attack" which is like a video game but teaches the tables. He is doing this daily as well. He had a blast yesterday because our gardeners came to dig up a palm tree that is dying. It took them about 4 hours to dig down to the roots and they were very nice to let Luke get into the hole with them and "help". These men are from India and don't speak english. They call him "Lukew" and actually communicate pretty well with simple gestures etc. Luke took them cold water and sandwiches, this is something they very much appreciate asthey only make about $240 a month for 12 hour days/6 days a week. Today a crane will come and pull the tree out and replace with a new one. Thats the way they do it around here...I call it fake nature. WHen something looks a bit shabby, they dig it up and replace it IMMEDIATELY...thats why we pay the big bucks to live in this pretty compound ( ha ha).

Chris is busy with work. We are lucky his office is about 10 minutes away so he doesnt leave until just before 8 and is usually home before 5:30. Its nice in the evenings right now so we sit outfront for a bit and talk about our day before dinner. Nice time of year.

I'll post pictures next post. xoxo

I have not been as diligent with my blog as I should be. Life has been busy....the kind of "task" busy that I dont enjoy. When it gets like this, I generally feel a little anxiety that homeschooling is taking a back seat. We aren't having our long work periods right now, but we've nearly finished our school year and its a good time to lighten up and give them time to explore. Whenever I feel this anxiety, I just have to sit back and observe. It always leaves me with the same reassurance I always have and it is simply this--if I do nothing but give my children a prepared enviroment full of books--they will learn on their own. I seriously believe this. I think Luke could get into Harvard simply by me staying out of his way and letting him read! Still, we do very much enjoy doing our work together and I think with everything it ebbs and flows. Here's our updates


Luke-went to the Formula One race with Chris! They had a blast. Its the big event here in Bahrain and it was nice to have a boy's days. He wanted Ferrari to win the big race; they did so he was very happy. He continues to amaze me in his Language Arts work. Spelling, Grammar, Punctuation- these all come very naturally to him. He never did the series work in Montessori-his teacher was confident that he was learning it all just by reading. I give him a list of his advanced spelling words on Sunday and he can spell them all almost immediately. I absolutely believe that this is natural language developed from him being such an avid reader. His favorite subject, however, is History! Clearly he has some Wingfield blood in there!


Layne also is quite busy and is very excited about her new favorite place in Bahrain-My Gym! Not sure if they have them in the states, but it's very similar to Gymboree. She takes a class each week and also attends the free play on Wednesday. She never blinks an eye when we kiss good-bye and is ready to go! I attribute this to all the attachment parenting we have done; she knows I can leave her and she is safe and certain that I will return soon. Several moms have commented to me on her lack of "seperation anxiety" as many children cling to their parents crying. She also attended a day camp there, at her request, over Easter. The staff is amazing and she really enjoys herself. This week the Arab schools are on holiday and she was able to attend camp one day with some of the local kids. I'm very happy we found this place- its a much better alternative to the very British curriculum based gymnastics and ballet here-Layne just wants to have fun!


Chris is travelling and is in Jordan. He's been quite busy. Not much new with him. I have been asked to be on the steering commitee for the Bahrain Montessori Society. Great chance to keep my feet wet. I'm the chairperson for the Parents Commitee. Still teaching yoga 3x a week which is almost too much but my students are devoted and I cant trim back yet.


5 weeks to home leave......counting the days!!!!!!!!!! Luke and Layne only have one thing on their minds.."Robert, Julian, Dahlia, Sage and Grandma!"

Feeling Cranky....

Sorry all , its been a while. We had kind of a blow with some plans we had that fell through. I was looking forward to a little change. I love living in Bahrain where I have a simple life and have the everyday blessing of homeschooling my children, but this place can get to you. I am looking forward to our home leave scheduled for May15. We will spend our usual 4 days in Amsterdam and then arrive in DC on the 20th. After about a week of R and R with Judy we will head south to Amanda and Erins. In the meantime, we are fine. My dear friend Sara and her family just returned from a spring holiday at home (in Nottingham,England) and skiing in France. It is great having her back! We all went to the beach yesterday and the kids had such a great time. George and Charlotte are so great with Luke and Layne. They all enjoyed the sun and sand. They have lived here for 12 years--wow!! Can't imagine that but it costs so much to live in the UK. I sure am happy they are here. Here's some pictures of the kids. Not much else going on. DEFINATELY ready for a holiday. See everyone soon!xoxox