I'm going to exercise my parental bragging rights for a moment here. (You've been forewarned.)

Just before Christmas break Bethany finished her Algebra book, which covers Algebra I and Algebra II. (Side note: Jacobs Algebra covers all the Algebra topics from Saxon Algebra I and Algebra II, but does not cover Geometry.) While I'm a bit shaken by this in my 11 year old, I'm also proud of her. She whizzed through dividing polynomials--which had stumped Rachel and me for several weeks-- without even batting an eyelash. She just "got" it-- all of it. She should be doing Geometry next, but Elizabeth has taken the Geometry book to work with her (so she can work on it when she gets there early), so Bethany will do Mathematics, A Human Endeavor next. It covers probability, statistics and some other stuff, but is quite a bit easier than the Algebra book she just finished. I think it will only take her a couple of months to finish, since she already knows most of it. (Much of this she knows from reading the Murderous Maths series several times through.) Hopefully by then Elizabeth will be done with Geometry. (I'd really like Bethany to be able to take math through the EPGY program online from Stanford University, where you work at your own pace with a tutor. But... it's not free, which is our only price range right now, so we'll work with the books we have.)

This last fall Elizabeth, Joshua and Bethany all took the PSAT and did quite well. Their scores went in order with their ages-- oldest scoring highest-- but still Bethany (the youngest of the three) scored in the 50th percentile of juniors planning to attend college. Again, I'm a bit shaken by this, but also proud of her.

Some people have said to me that my kids are bright because they are homeschooled. Actually, they are homeschooled because they are bright. Public school just wasn't working out. They did not gain IQ points by staying home. They did gain the freedom to explore their interests and work at their own paces. Elizabeth would never have been able to write books or make movies if she was in school 8 hours a day. And Bethany would be in 6th grade doing 6th grade work, if she hadn't been suspended for rebelling long ago. She would not be up in her room right now making a chart of sub-atomic particles to put up next to her horse posters. I do believe there are a lot more bright kids out there who get squashed into the public school mold (to the best of their teacher's abilities) and who appear rebellious, uninterested, hyperactive, stubborn, and rude, but who in fact just need to be allowed to learn, instead of being forced to attend school.

Book Recommendation of the Day: Genius Denied, by the Davidsons. If you have an unusually bright child who is attending public or private school, PLEASE read this book and buy copies for her teacher, principal and school councilor. If the country would follow the advice in this book we would find bright happy kids in schools.

My, my, my. Just when you think you have life under control, you get thrown a splat ball.

While I was out shopping last Saturday, Mike was on the ladder power washing the house. He fell off the ladder, caught himself on his left wrist, and the wrist shattered. He got to the basement door and yelled for the kids to call 911, which they did. By the time I got home the paramedics had taken him away and the kids were inside making Daddy Get-Well cards. I went to see him at the ER. He wasn't looking well, but he was alive. I brought him a drink, gave him a kiss and left for the church Christmas party where Peter was the MC, Elizabeth was playing the violin, and I was bringing a ham and conducting the youth ensemble. We couldn't very well not show up. Afterwards I went back to get him and had a chance to talk to the ER doctor. He said the bone was shattered and would need surgery.

On Wednesday I dropped Mike off at the OR, took Elizabeth and Peter to violin lessons, and went back to pick Mike up after surgery. The doctor put a metal plate in Mike's wrist with screws and pins to hold the bone fragments in place so they can heal. He said it was the worst case he's ever seen. Usually they put on a splint for two weeks, then send you to PT. Mike will need a cast for an extra 6 weeks.

Recovery has been painfully miserable. Mike went back in today to ask if the swelling and horrible pain are normal, and was told they are. But the doctor put a cast on today (in place of the splint) and Mike's more comfortable now. In about 10 days they'll take the cast off, take the stitches out, and put a new cast on. Ugh.

Yesterday Rachel was coming home, and we made plans for Elizabeth to pick Rachel up on her way home from work. But... there was a snow storm in Denver, so the SLC airport was a mess, and Rachel was unable to get onto her flight. She'll be coming home on Saturday instead. Our good friends from Korea (Hello Charlene!!) picked her up from the airport and let her spend the night at their house. I thank Heaven for good people. =)

Now, just in case I was feeling like my Christmas wasn't going the way I'd wanted it to go... I had a reality check.

Last night I was heading to the post office and was amazed at the traffic. Even for this area, even for holidays, this was something else. When I came over a hill I saw flashing blue and red lights and realized why we were going nowhere. As I inched forward I saw that the road was closed and cars were being diverted into small neighborhood streets. Then I heard a helicopter and realized someone's Christmas was going to be VERY different than they'd planned, and I had nothing to complain about at all. The helicopter landed in the street, someone was put on, and it left, chopping the air a few feet over my head. I cried and prayed for the person being taken away, their family and friends and everyone else involved in the accident. I hope they will be alright.

How very blessed I am to have my family, to be together for Christmas, even a couple of days later than planned and with one broken wrist, and to live in a country where I can celebrate as I feel is right. Is anyone more blessed than that? I think it is not possible.

Life... It's never dull.

I have not been home for more than 30 minutes in a row this week. Ugh. But, everyone is getting where they need to be, for the most part.

We bought a new car on Monday. Our van, Casper, is needing geriatric care, and as we nurse it along, paying all the way, we decided it might be good to have a predictably operating car, with better gas mileage, and air conditioning. (AC is not a big deal now, but last summer we spent quite a bit on rentals on days when temps were over 100 and we had to be in D.C. or Maryland.) So... we are the proud owners of a new Toyota Prius! It's a lovely light green hybrid with great mpg, AC, and tons of cool stuff. Lots of fun to drive. The van will be reserved for times when the entire family has to be somewhere at once and for short local trips when the Prius is elsewhere.

Bethany has been quite sick, with two ear infections, bronchitis and the flu all at the same time. Yesterday she was able to get out of bed for the first time in several days, and she was up, eating, walking and smiling this morning. So we took her along today to the Library of Congress' Handel's Messiah sing-along. It was in the Coolidge auditorium and was a ton of fun. Bethany stood a couple of times to sing, then sat for the rest. Peter was upset at first because the music was "too hard". But he listened, and sang with the parts he knew. Afterwards everyone was smiling and talking to the person next to them, even though they'd come in straight-faced and business-like. We were asked to hold our applause (for the orchestra and soloists) until the end. We all clapped and clapped, including the conductor, until the conductor waved his arms to cut us off as if we'd been singing. We all laughed and he said, "Now, go back to work." Which we did. We dropped Elizabeth off at her office, Mike at the Pentagon, and the kids and I came home to finish our school work.

The Library of Congress is turning out to be a wonderful place for Elizabeth to work. She has been given behind-the-scenes tours, met with the Librarian of Congress, and is allowed to bring her homework and study in The Reading Room. (Very cool place. I recommend a tour if you get a chance.) She can also check out books. Her work so far has been to sort through magazines that have been donated and check the vaults to see which ones they already have.

Last week I went to the temple with my friends, Karen and Michelle. We'd been planning to drive through D.C. and see the national tree, but traffic was horrible, so we went straight to the temple. Afterwards we went back to see the tree, which was turned off already, and Karen discovered that neither Michelle nor I have been to the Jefferson Memorial. So, at 11:30 pm, she drove as close as she could get (not all that close) and kindly kicked us out of the car and told us to go see the memorial. Michelle and I jogged across the lawn through the bitter wind blowing off the Potomac, in our skirts, ran up the marble steps, and stood in awe. It was amazing, and worth freezing to see. I'm glad Karen took/sent us. =) I'll be taking my kids there soon.

Rachel will be home for Christmas soon and I'm excited to see her. She had her last class of the semester today and finals start next week (I think). We are all counting down the days. =)

Book Recommendation of the Day: The Story of the World, by Susan Wise Bower. This is a series of four books written to be read aloud to elementary age children, but containing history lessons most American adults missed or forgot somewhere along the way. Through short stories, the books cover the history of the world from ancient Mesopotamia to the end of the Cold War. Find out who the Assyrians were, what Justinian did (think Justice), what the War of the Roses was all about, what the heck the Treaty of Waitamgi was, and what the Long March in China has to do with Communism. And best of all-- it's all interesting! This is history the way it should be-- one cool story after another, all tied together. Now you can say: "So that's why the Magna Carta was important!" =)