We had a short week, which is never a bad thing. Everybody needs a break now and then. We got back to long division on Tuesday, and I had the brilliant flash during a bout of insomnia to write the problems on our white board in different colors. I thought if I put the numbers the divisor was supposed to go into first in one color, the next number in another, the third in another, it would make the problem easier to work out. It did! 

The white board came in handy later in the week when we had to divide three numbers by two. I thought it would be torture. Nope! As long as Henry gets to draw stuff with the markers, he's good to go with just about anything. That white board has turned out to be worth its weight in gold!

We moved on a bit in the Middle Ages. I wanted to go deep into the weeds with the monarchs and popes, but Henry's eyes were glazing over. So, we discussed how the Crusades actually made things marginally better for women, in that they were able to run things the way they saw fit while the men were away. Also, we discussed how towns became more populated as fiefdoms broke down. All I can say is I am glad I didn't live at that time. It must have been a long, hard, not-all-that-happy life.

We did a quick one week study of the wildflowers and plants in our immediate area. My goal was to show Henry how much of what we have right around here is edible and medicinal. Not to be a crazy conspiracy theorist, but if anything major happens with society, I want everyone in our household to know that we can eat well, and keep minor infections at bay with what we have on hand. That won't work in the winter, of course, but we are good for at least six months of the year. One thing I learned that I truly did not know is that forget-me-not flowers are edible. As soon as Henry learned it, he wanted to go outside and try them. For the record, they have a kind of nutty flavor.

We're still reading Holes. I am really hoping to get it finished this week so we can watch the movie next weekend.  I am also hoping that Henry finishes the Basics section of German so we can move on to more interesting phrases and words.

Until next time, Auf Wiedersehen!