It's hard to walk along the water without snapping a picture...

I just love living by the Mediterranean Sea. No matter how many things are on my mind, its beauty always stops me in my tracks and makes me smile. And get my camera out. Again.

Sunset walk selfie

Homeschool testing

As a homeschooling parent you sometimes wonder how your child is doing compared to other kids. Also, as I have previously mentioned, there will come a time when they will be taking standardized tests, such as the SAT or AP exams, and we want to make sure that the boys are on track and ready.

For this purpose we printed out some old AMC 8 tests and let the boys take them. Timed exactly, just like the real deal. They did pretty poorly on the first one, but after a couple of days of practice, they managed to reach scores as high as 18. Not bad!

Beautiful Beirut

As hard as it can be to live in this part of the world sometimes, it truly is one of the most beautiful places in the world!

Beirut, during the build up of a storm, some sun

AP test prep

How horrible on a scale from 1-10 is it that I have read and started using AP test preparation literature in our history, English, Math and Sciences curricula? I’m using them, in the sense that I am making sure whatever we are studying includes details the tests might inquire about, and in the sense that I make sure our studies include topics the tests might include. 

Why? 

1/Because I know our kids will have to take these tests and do well, and 

2/because I didn't grow up in the US educational system, and frankly have very little knowledge about what they teach over there, or expect the children to know. For example, comparing my world history education to that of my husband’s (who did go to school in the US), I know the boys are at an advantage, but I’m not sure about the other subjects. 

I know what my husband & I want our boys to know (and we do have pretty high standards, as far as I understand), but do these requirements measure/line up with those of the AP exam? Will all the knowledge and skills we are providing them with be sufficient or even of the right kind?

There’s only one way to make sure, right?

A blessing in disguise...

A blessing in disguise is when your nap-refusing toddler falls off the couch and gets hurt, requests to nurse and falls asleep while calming down. Right?

Mommy reboot

We spent our Valentine’s Day weekend in Faraya, Mzaar, staying with our neighbors in their chalet. The snow was amazing, the weather fine, and the kids cooperative. Our two older boys have only skied a couple of times before, and the philosopher doesn't ski at all. I used to ski quite a bit when we lived in Europe and before I met my husband, but it has been many years since I really skied. On Saturday I stayed on the baby slope with the boys, instructing them, teaching them techniques, how to turn, stop, slow down, and speed up. One of the boys was a natural, the other one scared and insecure. I didn't take the five year old up, since I thought it would be too difficult to manage all of them on the slope - our neighbor’s full time nanny watched the toddler and the five year old while we went skiing. They know and like her, and together, they had a good time. I was still nervous about leaving the toddler for so long though, since we don’t usually do this. As it turned out, everything was great. On the second day, the nanny took care of the younger boys again, and I took the older boys up. After a couple of runs on the baby slope, we went further up to a blue slope. The natural managed great, however the scared and insecure boy lost control, sped down the slope way too fast, and fell, twisting his knee. Lots of drama, crying big tears, and some pain, but as it turned out, mainly fear. After a soda on the terrace, he was ready to try again, on the baby slope. I was very proud of him for getting back on the skies, but I could tell that he was so scared he barely enjoyed the experience any more. I did my best to encourage him, and in the end, he seemed satisfied. Not very enthusiastic - like the natural, who’s already begging me to take him back up skiing soon - but happy. The toddler had a great morning with the nanny and my friend, and towards the end of the morning – two boys happily playing with people I trust, one boy sipping soda on the terrace, the other boy skiing on the baby slope, confidently going up the lift by himself - I felt like I had an opportunity to take a moment and enjoy myself, just me, so I took the big lift to the top, and skied all the way down through a series of blue and red slopes.

It was absolutely fantastic. I rarely ever even get to go to the bathroom by myself, let alone do things I enjoy, so this was a real treat – a once in several years kind of pleasure, and boy did I enjoy it. I took my time, swooping back and forth slowly down the perfect slopes, relishing every turn through the powder snow, stopping a few times to take in the view and the moment. Alone, healthy and strong. Nobody there asking me to nurse, help with math, make lunch, proofread an article; no laundry, dishes, messes – just me, my skis and the snow, a beautiful blue sky, fresh crisp air, and a few moments to myself. It was awesome, almost like a mother reboot. I came down refreshed and stronger, ready for a new week of homeschooling, work, laundry dishes, cooking, trying to reason with a toddler… You know. All those things. What’s your reboot?

Your list, your time

I like the idea of maintaining a blog, because I enjoy writing, and I know that at least in the past what I had to say was always of interest to someone. But for a long time, I have not been able to write or post anything. Since our toddler was born almost two years ago, we've lived in three places on two different continents, which indeed does provide plenty of blogging material, yet, I have not been able to make any time or get my inspiration back. None. Between homeschooling with four boys, working, and taking care of our home, wherever it may be, I just haven't had a lot of time left for myself, let alone creative thought or work. 

My time is often continuously interrupted by someone needing something, hence I find that when I do sit down with the intention to write, my mind is all over the place, and I end up just browsing the news, checking Facebook or watching  a John Oliver YouTube clip.

We have been back in Lebanon almost half a year now, and I finally feel like I’m starting to regain some control of my life. Instead of triaging one crisis after another, or responding to situations, I am catching up, if ever so slightly. Yes, really, I can prove it. 

Exhibit A: This blog! 

Exhibit B: Evernote - lists of things/articles/pictures that inspire me, things I need to do, need to find, want to get done, plan, read, and think about: upcoming events, visits, social events, creating a comfortable living space, working space, projects, meal planning, you name it. I have started looking at these lists, and have even been able to mark some things off by picking out one thing every day that I can get done, or at least think about. Slow and steady. On top of our very busy regular schedule today, I cleaned out my closet, went running and wrote this blog post.

What’s on your list?

Grocery shopping in Beirut

Shopping here in Beirut is not like shopping in, say, Atlanta. In Atlanta, I would decide on a recipe, go to the store I knew carried the ingredients I would need, come home and cook. The End. Very easy, all cravings met, meal plans facilitated.

Here, it’s a little different. Here in Beirut I can decide on a meal, write down the ingredients, and if I’m lucky, I only have to clear one entire morning to go – what we have come to call it – hunting & gathering. Most often though, despite my efforts, there are always going to be ingredients missing. Sometimes you just can’t find avocados anywhere, or lemongrass, or nori. Once I searched for sour cream for weeks. You learn to either change your mind about what to make, or you substitute. Instead of rice vinegar you use white vinegar, or if you’re making vegetable dip, lebnah will work instead of sour cream.

Last week we were all set on making sushi at home. I went to three different stores to buy nori– my first picks for this kind of thing – and they were all out. Not a single sheet of seaweed anywhere. In the evening a friend mentioned that she had been looking for nori as well, and someone else said that they had seen some at Idriss. The next morning I ran over there, and bought both packs. Yes, there were only two packs left, and yes, I bought them both. This is something you learn as well, to survive in the expat jungle – if you see something you like, something you know runs out from time to time, you buy it all! Stock up!

Kick back parenting - four is less

I recently read a study based on interviews with parents, that concluded that having one or two children is more stressful than having four. Not because there’s less work, but because the parents of more than three children who participated in the study were more relaxed about their current situation. It turns out, that when you only have two children, you try to do *it all*, however once you are outnumbered as parents, you basically throw in the towel. You decide that you just can’t do it all – you admit that you can’t control everything; family, home, work, social life – and when you stop trying to do and be *everything*, you relax. Your life becomes less stressful.

[Or maybe these people are so exhausted, they don’t even have the energy to stress anymore.]

Let us note for the record here that less stressful and more relaxed doesn't mean quitting your job, pouring yourself a cosmopolitan and watching your kids tear down the house. It just means that you learn to prioritize (occasionally, a cosmopolitan will be a top priority though) and stop worrying so much. You still try and work hard, but your efforts become more… focused.

This is me. A little more relaxed, hard-working and confident. I do a lot of things, but I've become better over these past years at doing what I think is important, and what matters to me and my family. I'm more effective and focused.

Most of the time, anyways. Today I think we as a family managed both to be productive AND tear down the house.

No time for fancies

You know you are a homeschooling parent of four boys, when this is your foreplay:

[Door slams shut in the hallway, older kids are taking younger kids to the playground]

"Honey, let's go!"
"Wha...?" [holds up head and listens] "All right! Yeah, let's go!"

Welcome to Kant & Kids!

You don't know what you're doing here. I'm not sure what I'm doing here. Really, what is this?

Let me introduce myself: I am a homeschooling mother of four boys (Kids!), and a wife of a philosopher (Kant!).

If you too have four boys, homeschool, and are married to a philosopher, you just let out a sigh and muttered a few words of recognition and comfort.

If you don't, then... well, get ready to live that life vicariously.

Apart from the Kant & Kids, I am also a part time working editor and translator with two master's degrees and a half finished doctorate, an educator, a world traveler who speaks five languages fluently, an artist, a reader, a writer, and a runner. To top it off, I have lived over half my life abroad, and we are currently in the Middle East - Lebanon, to be more precise.

You see, it's not just Kant & Kids. Lately though, these two aspects have taken over my life quite excessively, which means some of the other properties, and especially writing, have had to go on the back burner.

I don't mind. Experience tells me that there will be time, eventually, to finish my novel or even a book series, and although I will never finish that doctorate, there are so many other things left that I want to learn, see, create, and do! But really [cliche alert!], the kids are only children once and will grow up so quickly - I am not going to miss out on that, AND my husband's career is at a crucial point, in more than one sense. So, without entirely losing myself, I currently focus on the people I love and live with.

In the meantime though, I'm going to use this blog as a creative outlet, for venting, inventing, complaining, sharing, and anything else that bloggers do in their blogs (I'm still figuring it out).

Ready?