She brings a smile to my face, too.

"I'm so happy every time I lay my eyes on you!" says Gillian as she climbs in the car when I pick her up from school. "Come on, Gillian, don't be so dramatic"-is my reply. "No really, mom. Your face radiates kindness and makes me smile."-and then she proceedes to tell me about her day and how much she missed me and how I'm the only person who makes her happy along with father, and how she wished all people were kind and nice to each other. If this was the first time that she said these, I would probably think something happened that day at school. But she has a smile every time I pick her up, flatters me with her love, and always tells me about her day, some good and some okay. I must confess that when my child tells me how happy she is to be with me, I've a strong desire to homeschool her right away. At this age, homeschooling sounds so much fun: reading and talking about books, history, science; visiting art museums together; attending shows and concerts; writing stories and sharing them; learning new skills together; having all the extra-curriculum classes during the morning instead of late afternoon, and having the rest of the day for free time and play. It sounds like a dream, especially when that dream brings joy to my daughter. It is very tempting and I'm truly considering it, along with a bunch of other dreams.

Homeschooling or not, I expect my kids to develop their talents and had fun at the same time. Gillian just finished an art class that she really enjoyed. I don't think she learned many new things, but she had a great time working on various project that involved primary colors and imagination, her two artistic strengths. The first project sounds like a lot of fun for all ages. It's a take from Andy Warhol's Ten Marilyns. Gillian drew the face of a dog and then she traced it four times on four squares. After that, she used different water paint to fill them in. The second project was based more on the child's imagination in the usage of color to create something from reality. Sunset at the Beach was what Gillian came up with. We see so many gorgeous sunsets here in California that it was easy for Gillian to remember the colors she needed to use.


I've almost run out of reading ideas for Gillian. She has read all of the classics for her age up to 12 years old. Further than that I'm worried she will be introduced to more than her emotional maturity is ready for. I've been researching a lot of young adult books as well as reading some of them. There are a lot of well-written contemporary books out there that her age group (10-12) can truly enjoy. Amongst others, she just finished The Wednesday Wars and The Invention of Hugo Cabaret. I had read them both previously, and I highly recommend them for ages 8-12. Jefferson is almost finished with Hugo as well and he really loves it.


Speaking of appropriate books, we hardly escaped the Hunger Games hysteria at our home unscathed. Gillian begged me to read all the books in the trilogy, and although I didn't want her to read any of them, I yielded to a compromise. I allowed her to read only the first one for now. Jefferson asked to read it too, and I had to put my foot down in his case. He then proceeded to tell Gillian that he wasn't worried; he would eventually catch up with her since mom was letting him read older kids books at an earlier age than her. He has decided he will be reading Harry Potter as soon as he turns eight (our rule with Gillian was she could read Harry Potter at 9 years old). This has made Gillian feel prompted to give me advice on raising kids and on being careful what I introduced them to. I'm usually not a person who reads self-help books, and I'm definitely happy not to have a set rules on being a parent, but on occasions such as these I wished I had some kind of manual I could consult. I'm sure I'll be in more dire need when teenage issues make their appearence. For now, I'll learn how to compromise on little things, and stand strong on the more important things of life. And let Gillian give me a piece of her mind.


At school Gillian has been working on a mission report and project for almost a month. Her mission she was assigned is the San Buenaventura Mission. She has been stressed out in wanting to get it all done on time and in perfect order. I told her not to worry that I wouldn't be disappointed if she didn't get a perfect score (I just didn't want to do the work that was required to get a perfect score, truth be told), but then she surprised me in saying something that every parent longs to hear. She said: "I'm not worried in disappointing you. I'm worrying I'll disappoint myself. I want to do well. I want to get the perfect score because I know I can do it." Who needs the parenting manual now?!

Here is a picture of her finished project. I was heavily involved in cutting and gluing and Gillian worked on drawing, coloring, decorating and putting pressure on me. It was worth it though; I earned a higher level of respect from Gillian, and especially from my architect son, Jefferson, who wants me now to work with him on fun building projects every week-end.

These past weeks haven't been only work for Gillian. Last week her class went on a field trip to the Conservatory of Flowers and had a tour guide tell them about plant adaptations. We saw various flowers and plants that adopted to their environment in astonishing and very original ways. I couldn't help but feel the power of God's wisdom in His creations. To have plants with no actual brain cells work their surroundings and what God has given them to their benefit is beyond fascinating to me. I wish I had enough time in this life to learn about how things are created and connected, but there is so much one can learn. No worries. There is always the next life.
After the tour, we took the kids outside and let them eat lunch and play in the grassy lawn. The sun was shining and a light breeze touched our skin.
I enjoyed relaxing and seeing my daughter playing sweetly with her friends. I think it is because of her innocence and kindness that all of her friends who are boys feel comfortable playing with her. And of course because she has a grand imagination worthy of any boy's attention. Just today I went to say 'hello' to her during lunch time, and she was telling them a story and had everyone's attention. She was the only girl at the table; the rest of the girls were out in the school playground probably talking to each other about boys. I laughed out loud at the scene.

I'm happy I'm Gillian's mother. She brings me joy, and yes, I'm more so happy when I lay eyes on her.

Rain and flowers

I was so looking forward to showing Carolyn San Francisco today, but the weather had a mind of its own. It was pouring rain. We decided to ignore it and do something fun, anyways. When we lived in Virginia, I would take the children to the Botanical Gardens many times during the year. The flowers and the special exhibitions would change there quite often. We loved the aroma and the exotic look of the many flowers displayed there, as well as the mini wooden replicas of the various buildings found in the mall. So regardless of the rain, we gathered the boys up and drove straight to San Francisco aiming to arrive and enjoy the beauties of the Conservatory of Flowers. We weren't disappointed. They had a variety of flowers and plants, around 2,000 rare and beautiful ones from around the world. The boys, of course liked playing with the water in the little ponds with gold fish, as well as lily pads. They especially liked learning about and looking at some carnivorous plants that looked to me like elf shoes.



As always I was looking forward to seeing the water lilies with their giant lily pads, since they are my favorite flowers. And having read that Victoria Amazonica, or the Amazon water lily one of the biggest water lilies in the world, was to be found there, I was truly excited. Imagine my disappointment when I learned that they weren't in season yet. I took comfort in the idea that I could actually come back anytime I wanted, as well as in taking some beautiful pictures of sweet smelling orchids.

The building itself is the oldest glass-and-wood Victorian greenhouse in the Western Hemisphere. Today, there were five different displays found in the building: Aquatic Plants, Highland Tropic (this room was cold; the elevation for these flowers to exist was supposed to be between 3000 and 7000ft), Lowland Tropics (I never saw so many palm tree varieties in one place), Potted Plants (I loved the fruit trees, cactuses, and the many colors found in this room). The Special Exhibition was a very interesting display of many highlights of San Francisco. It was interesting because the displays were made by using ordinary items such as computer parts, kitchen utensils, cereal boxes etc. All in all, this was a very enjoyable and relaxing field trip.

Later on when Carolyn took us all to dinner, we were greeted by a beautiful and gigantic rainbow. Nice ending to a rainy day...