What We've Been Up To

Our daily rhythym has shifted with an underlying hint of anxiety from withing myself. 

Luke just celebrated his 3rd birthday recently.  Three.  It really hit me like a fist!  I swear he just got here last year!  But....the pack of diapers seems to last for weeks because he's really wearing underwear most of the day now.  And he laughs out loud with intention to people, happenings and things that strike him funny.  His communication is developing so that he says things like, "uh...maybe not!" and "...well, let's see...." and "stop! That's annoying!"

He also needs his own time for learning and play with me.  He stands at the little chalkboard hanging in the kitchen and tells me it's time to do math.  Then he draws lines and circles on the board and tells me there's lots of 4's and 5's.  His brain is begging for new things to see and do and that requires the time from me. 

So we shifted our school schedule to just the afternoons leaving mornings to go outside, play with Luke, read together, do chores, etc.  At first this schedule just came about in a natural way and I would worry that the older kids weren't getting what they needed, or I would worry about Jake or Tara slacking off of stuff or not getting something done at all. 

But that hasn't happened.  It helped that I formally "announced" this was how it was going to go down here for awhile.  This formality was really for myself.  Doing that somehow gave me permission to school that way. 

I'm surprised at how consistent we've been with things; religion everyday, math everyday, spelling everyday, reading.  I'll be reinstituting our Friday fun writing projects tomorrow.  I am also still keeping to alternating weeks with science and history...they've both been so, so much better studying these subjects on that schedule.  This week and last has been history.  I've even managed to work in the composer/music study I've had forever. 

The kids have enjoyed reconnecting and working at the table together and I feel relieved that if Luke takes a nap, then am getting uninterrupted time with the older kids, if he doesn't, than he will either sit with us and be a manageable nudge, watch a movie, play with Tara's iTouch, or sit in the classroom and play with his trucks and trains...in other words, he's easier to deal with and distract because he's had a morning of appropriate stimulation and attention.

I still can't take him to the library, though.  Maybe when he's four ; )