Topics: {Family, Homeschooling}
Having family visit, even right after our move, was totally wonderful and worth it. That is because our family is pretty good and making themselves at home. We did not have a bed or sheets ready and MomMom quickly pulled the couch cushions to the floor, used whatever bedding I had unpacked and......she made herself an awesome bed! Exploring a new area with someone always helps the newness seem less scary!
For the Thanksgiving holiday this week, Camlon's sister, her husband and their twins joined the family. The adults were way out numbered!! The actual thanksgiving dinner was over in record time!! Fifteen month old twins and Daniel do not know the meaning of savoring their food! I think Daniel really enjoyed the baby company and the twins seemed equally intrigued by him. I have a major photo fail to report. Only one twin even made it in front of my camera. And the only time I got my camera out during the big meal was after it was over. Ally was the last one eating (as usual) and we felt that was fitting! She knows how to savor her food.
I was so blessed to see how Shannon and Dave loved their family and each other.
There were so many times that I caught little glimpses of them, when they didn't know they were being watched. Shannon often was in the middle of arranging logistics with me when she would pause to survey the room and make sure the twins were still in sight. Only once did little R scurry past her radar undetected. She is the easiest person to cook with, always offering to help in whatever ways she can for any part of the meal: prep, set up, clean up, cooking. Their breakfast casserole Friday morning was amazing! And to watch both Shannon and Dave during the actual feeding of the twins, it was an art. Sippy cup here, food bits there, cut up some more pieces, quick catch of plate before falling off the table, more food put out, figure out what to pull out next if first food is ignored, pull fussy child away from table to calm down. During it all, they are in constant discussion over the progress of the meal for each kid and interacting with each child AND chiming in to the adult conversation if one is occuring at the same time. Shannon's patience was amazing. Though, she is thinking right now(while reading this) about all the times she isn't (just like I do), I hope she is blessed to read about the many times she endured and labored well through the day.
If I could describe Dave in one word, it would be humble. He operated more behind the scenes: he jumped in to do dishes, changed many diapers, and there was one time in particular that stuck out to me... He looked absolutely exhuasted, but jumped right in to help with whatever the need was for the twins at the time. Also, he gets down on the kids level, talks with every one in this great kid talk, and is really engaging them! When a dad has that quality, when I see that in someone's husband, I'm so grateful. It is surprisingly rare, but the kids just light right up! When the twins are a little older, Dave will be like that Dad at the park where all the other kids come over to play with him b/c he will actually be playing with his kids and not just hanging out on the bench all the time. Cam is the same way! Of course, sometimes he relaxes at the park and lets the kids go crazy on their own, but often he just gets right down there with them, creates games and soon the whole lot of little guys are clinging to him!
They blessed each other often by trading naps, getting each other out for runs or bike rides, etc.
With the limited time we had for any adult conversation, we jumped right into things. There was no time for small talk, only brutal honesty. I hope they left encouraged as a family. They've thrived through this past year with so many common stressors at play. It was truly humbling to see them in the day to day work that is raising twins!
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Homeschooling is going well. I'm sure I'll have more to write about that soon. But, the one thing I've wanted to share for some reason is what I loved about Finn and Ally's prior public school that I have incorporated into our homeschool.
1. Warm fuzzies/Cold Pricklies! Finn's teacher had a jar and when the whole class was doing awesome, she would put some little warm fuzzies (cotton pompoms) into a jar. If the class was restless and disruptive, she would put in cold pricklies (cotton pompoms with glitter strands) into the jar. When the jar was full, they would count them. If the warm fuzzies won, they would get a special treat like a movie or pajama day or bring a stuffed animal to school, etc. We have our own jar now and we just had our first warm fuzzy party: a movie (bug's life) with a favorite stuffed animal!
2. The clip system. I will take a picture of this, but it basically operates the same way as the fuzzies, but on an individual basis. Money is earned each day based on how well they completed their studies and for good behavior! At school they would have store days where the students could "spend" their money, but I haven't figured out a good way to do that part yet! At the end of each week, we do a money lesson and consolidate their coins.
3. Corduroy's clever words. In Ally's kindergarten class, they had Corduroy as their mascot and he taught the class 5 new words each week that were basically sight words. The kids would then read certain books that week and circle the clever words that they saw. Ally loves this!
4. I LOVE the school's math program, Houghton Mifflin's Math Expressions. It is not available to individuals for purchase and amazon has some sellers, but it is not certain what might be available. Luckily, I called the publisher and they agreed to sell me Finn's teacher's edition and the workbooks and I got them for the same price as an institution would pay. I found Ally's teacher's edition on amazon for $10. :) When it comes to math, there is a lot more to teach then simply counting, skip counting, adding and subtracting. Love it.
I'm also working on creating a family mission statement and a statement about why we want to homeschool. I have to anyway for the state, but I also think it would be a good thing for Camlon and I to encourage us through tough days.
I hope to post more thanksgiving pictures as they become available to me and I have some pictures from our last little bit in California that I forgot to post for next time.
More later. Enjoy the pictures! The last one is a favorite. Ally gave Daniel kisses and she had lipstick on!!! :)
