It is already December 9th! This month we will celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Yule, and Christmas.
The home is festive with live tree and greenery...nativity scenes, yule log and soon we will get out the hand made menorah Josh and I made quite a fews back. We have started the gift making and buying (blah hum bug, something I don't enjoy as much as others seem to).... we have started that process once again, where each loved individual in our life is framed in or mind with contemplations on what they mean to us and how to represent our care in some exchange.
Noah moved his room to a larger part of the house, basically we switched rooms, we now have the first floor bedroom and has just about the entire basement. He has set up a mini recording studio, he has his sleeping area and he has a separate game room. He seems pretty content and happy. Josh and I are relieved and actually giddy about having our bedroom on the first floor. We kept saying the first two weeks...why did we not do this sooner. I know know why though, because we were not ready. So many things had to happen for us to be ready to make this move. We needed to unload pounds of old collected bits of past parts of our lives...which we did a bunch this last year in preparation of getting the floors in the house done. We had to spend the late spring, summer, and fall in the rustic, rough wood cut, sun pouring in, peace flags and colors lights strewn adult club house attic, loving our new space...but then when we had to face the bitter chill of early morning seeing our breath and not wanting to leave our warm bed indentations.... to decide we needed yet again something else... In no way was Josh wanting to go back to the basement with low ceilings that would nick his head daily.... Mean while, Noah...had been going to Austin's house a few times a week to make up for a Social Life he loss by leaving Highschool and doing homeschool... Over at Austin's every for an entire night on weekends, being with the peers he was with daily at Albany High. They have been staying the whole gang of boys in his garage. They faced a few issues... the cold, as it was not and still is not insulated...and theft. Folks from his neighborhood would just break in to the garage and take what ever they pleased. Mostly teen items...of the illegal nature that can't be reported stolen, like bongs... yes Noah is at this point in his teen years. While at the same time he is also at this point where it spews out all sorts of things to me about his life with his friends that I find incredibly uncomfortable to hear, yet am thankful for. Wrestling with this or that mentally, yet wanting to find ways for him to have contact with his friends... things started falling into place. Noah was given the basement which has been fixed up with tapestries and mood lighting, games and musical instrument... No bongs allowed...but friends allowed daily and for over nights. They have come in groves to play board games, make music, and sleep in some warmth. We even had a friends giving (thanksgiving the Friday after) for Noah's friends...I think we had 6 friends here that night. Noah seemed delighted. Since then we have had Noah's friends here to make dinner for us, and the whole gaggle of guys down stairs playing games... It has been working out great!
On the homeschool front, Noah built a optical theremin last month. This month he will be building a two person electronic game. He will start putting it together today. I will get a better grasp of what the game does once he shows me. In programing we read about loops earlier this week, today he will create his own loop drawing program. Social Studies, he has been learning about world conflicts. He is at that portion WW11 history where he is drowning in treaties. He does not like that aspect as much but we will power through. In Science he is still studying the planets :D
He is just about done with Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk and will be picking a new book to read. I suggested he read a book about a famous musician or band. He is really digging the Grateful Dead right now so might read a book about the band... I guess we will see what he picks. :D This weekend we have so many fun things planned! Tonight Josh and I will be making cowboy bark and packaging it up with pretty paper and boxes and attaching the home made ornaments... for tomorrow's Scroon Christmas Party! After the Scroon Christmas Party we will be picking up my nephew and niece for a sleep over! That morning we will head over to Old Sturbridge Village for the Candle Light Christmas event there... A colonial Christmas! Next week will be jewelry making and we start wrapping gifts. <3 <3 <3