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 ; )

What Week is it?

Well, I see that I have relied a wee bit much on "Be Not Afraid" for my homeschool record-keeping.  I started to enjoy keeping track of it so much on my NON-SPAM blog that I stopped writing things down in my actual planner.

Now I don't remember what week I'm in and I need to sit and figure it out.  I think I'm at about week 18 or so?

I'll have more clarity when I can sit by myself and figure it out...when can I sit by myself?

The weeks are filled with regular outings for different kids.  It's been that kind of school year...everyone needs seem to be so spread apart that we haven't done too much together stuff.

Tuesdays are Jake's writing workshop and Elaina's guitar...that puts me in and out of the house between 9 and noon.

Weds is art for everyone and I am hanging with Luke for the day since my mother-in-law has the children at her house for the day and does the drop-off/pick-ups...though since Cassie's been home from college, I've had a couple Wednesdays to myself (sure wasn't looking over my homeschool planner, that's for sure!)

Thursdays, Elaina has a regular ice skating date with a friend that last week my other kids crashed, and would like to continue to do so.

That leaves Monday and Friday where we are all in the house together able to do some focused schoolwork.  I am struggling to make this work for everyone as, like I stated, they all seem to be in a state of needing one-to-one attention/instruction/guidance/etc.

Throw into the mix that I need to pick up my Michele from high school by 2:35 everyday and the days feel crammed. 

Yesterday, Monday, we accomplished the necessaries.  Michele went to Washington D.C. to participate in the March for Life.  I was hopeful that not having to pick her up would open up more time for us to do some fun stuff. 

But by about 2:00, I was feeling done.  They were acting done.  We were done.  (Sounds like dictation sentences.)  If I were talking to another mom and she was telling me this my next comment would be, "Sounds like you got alot accomplished today."  But I'm not feelin' it.  Because if I were the mother on the receiving end of that comment today I would be thinking "You're full of baloney."

Well, I'm hoping to have it together by Friday, in time for the weekend.  Right now I have to bake no-sugar banana muffins for Jake's writing class at 9:00 AM....I guess I could've done that yesterday afternoon...why rush...