Wednesday Hodgepodge: Up and Down

1. April showers bring May flowers or so the saying goes. Has your April been filled with showers? Do you carry an umbrella, wear a slicker, or make a run for it? Besides rain, what else has filled your April? 

Some years we seem to go almost straight from winter to summer, but this month has been very springy, meaning we've had some warm days, the snow stomped off in disgust, and yes, there's been some rain. People are, as usual, over-eager to buy things at the garden centres and get something into the ground, but around here they really should wait a bit, because frosts can sneak up.

I am not really one for walking in the rain just for fun (sorry, Charlotte Mason).

What else has filled our April? If you're just popping in here for the first time, One Word: Moving. The rest of you already know that.

2. What's something you could you give a 30-minute presentation on at a moment's notice and with zero preparation?

I have sort of done that, more than once. Usually it's been on a homeschooling topic, like ways to stretch your budget and re-use what you have.

3. Share with us a favorite food memory from childhood.

Food memories: Campfire Pie Irons. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were the best, alhough the filling got hotter even than a McDonald's fried apple pie. But bologna and cheese ones were good too.

4. What's a song you thought you knew the lyrics to, but later discovered you were wrong?

"Fly Robin Fly," by The Silver Convention. When I was younger, I thought (for no good reason) that they were saying "Fly Muffin Fly."

Muffin says, "What???"

5. According to one travel website, the most overrated tourist attractions in America are-
Niagara Falls (NY), Hollywood Walk of Fame (California), Times Square (NYC), Epcot (FL), Seattle Space Needle (WA), and Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market (Boston). How many of these have you seen in person? Did you feel like a tourist? Did you care? Tell us about a place (not on the list) you've visited that might be considered a tourist trap, but you love it anyway.

I have been to Niagara Falls and Epcot Centre. I used to walk past the C.N. Tower in Toronto all the time, but never went up there, and I probably never will. Too expensive, for one thing, and (okay I admit it) going up that high just scared me. A lot. But we're moving to the almost-top-floor of an apartment building, so we can just pretend we're up there.

Since I seem to be in a You-tube mood this morning, here's what's going through my head:

6. Your signature clothing item?

Do I have to have just one? Here's my 10 x 10 Wardrobe Challenge for our pre-move.

7. What's an experience you've had you think everyone should experience at least once? Why?

Not sure about that one! Sometimes things we're glad we went through...weren't that fun at the time.

How about....having a job with a boss that you don't entirely like, or that you don't think entirely likes you, and having to stick it out anyway? Good practice in relationships and the way the world works. (See #8.)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Not my own thought, but something from a friend:

"And parents are persons. Teachers are persons. Each of our homeschools or our classrooms is unique, and the way things are this year might not be the way things are next year. So we adapt, according to the principles we know. If the weather takes on a deeper chill, we build up that burning fire to keep the room warm. If a child is struggling in math, or we’re adding another first-grader to our homeschool this year, or we have a chance to visit a foreign country, or…fill in the blank with your own special need…well, we have some solid principles to guide our decisions about curriculum, and language study, and schedules." ~~ Karen Glass, "The Spirit and the Letter of a Charlotte Mason Education"

Linked from the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.