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After rocking out a School House Rock tune and saying a few pledges.....this is our next part of school, Eric's favorite. He gets Mama's lap!
Right now, with one child of school age (kindergarten), our actual "school time" is very minimal. We do 30 minutes of memory work, and we spend time on math, writing and reading. Then, the rest of the day is spent playing outside, cooking, crafting, and of course, we can not forget story time. My favorite book right now to read to the kids is "Professor Wormbog and the Gloomy Kerplopus," by Mercer Mayer. It is my book from back in the day and the poor scratch and sniff stickers on each page do not have a scent at all......but to replace the book is quite pricey. Last I checked on Amazon, the price was $120.00 I say this fact AGAIN, only to put a stir in your hearts as well! If anyone reads this and finds a reasonable deal (you know, like 10 bucks!!! LOL), Please let me know! Thank you!
One of my favorite parts of our school day is the memory work.
It's latin. It's history sentences (one per week), It's memorizing skip counting. It's geography. What has amazed me is that Finn knows it better than me. No. He has no idea what the Magna Carta is. But, if you asked him, he would answer like a Robot (or he could sing it to you!!!): English King John signed the Magna Carta in 1215, limiting the King's power. Later, England's King, Edward III claimed to be King of France and began the Hundred Years War in 1337.
AND, He is so happy and proud that he can say it to you!
(from math class)
Doesn't that just sound cruel!!? But, it really isn't. He spends only 30 minutes of our day on these memory topics and then we play! He loves to sing the songs we have to the memory work. And I make up lots of actions and flashcard games to keep him engaged. I'm completely shocked at how much he retains. And, he memorizes it way before me and I'm the one who prepares for these lessons. I'm following a model from Classical Conversations which is the backbone of our studies! This program eases my workload quite a bit. Finding the right studies for your child can be very stressful. I don't have to worry about that AND he gets to "go to school" every Tuesday with other children all learning the same material! He loves it.
It is actually tempting to just pour so much more on him, because it is amazing how quickly he picks it up. Today, Ally, 3, was singing the 8 parts of speech to us while we were stuck in traffic. She picks it up just by watching Finn play his games. Very cool.
But, then we take a 180 and the rest of our day is Waldorf style! We play and make believe. We use our hands. We get out in nature (hello beach!) We bake. Finn is my Little Chef. And he loves the movie Ratatouille!
Today, we decided to make a cake.
His snake friend also participated.
Ally brought in her little pet to see what was going on and Eric was also interested.
We made some of MaMa Rooke's Sweet Mint Tea.
2 peppermint
2 Spearmint
2 Chamomile
2 packets sweet and low or sugar of your choice.
While the cake was baking, I looked out my window to see this.
And This...
He has the best laugh.
Keeping Eric entertained during school time is quite easy..... He naps. Eric sleeps more than any other 18 month old on Earth. I'm convinced. He would nap longer but I get him up most of the time b/c I just keep thinking, "Is he OKAY???" But, during the times he does join us, He likes to play dinosaurs in the corner, at his own little school desk:
Or, he also scatters his dinos all over the living room floor...
He loves Math time and plays with pattern blocks!
He does get into mischief sometimes when I'm concentrating with Finn. The naughty deed that brings him the most joy is this:
Looks harmless, however, it is never HIS OWN toothbrush that he has in his mouth. I've had to lock them up in the medicine cabinet!
The cake turned out great.
And these little hands measured, stirred, dumped and waited by the oven, fingers wiggling with pure glee and excitment!
Obviously, this was a good homeschool day, where I felt like the luckiest woman alive. However.....we do sometimes have other days.........
Here we are at breakfast.....
It was also the morning that I dusted off this book,
and I prepared myself for the possibility of homeschooling.
I still don't quite know why we want to do this. But, for both Camlon and myself, the feelings are quite strong. We want to homeschool our children. We don't know for how long. We don't have a set teaching plan yet. But as Finn approaches five and kindergarten is around the corner, I've got to step up and answer some of these questions. I've got to make the abstract thoughts we discuss become very, very real. What we want has to be something that can work for our family. And we both agree on the goal: We want the best possible education for our children.
The laws in California are similar to those in other states. I was on the computer, investigating, when Finn came over quietly and just stood next to the computer. When I looked up at him, this was the face greeting me:
Talk about a guilt trip. During Eric's and Ally's naptime, Finn and I have a little agreement. It's quiet time for us both. After we read a small mountain of books, I head over to my "desk" area and he has three options.
1. Sleep (which he still does quite often)
2. Read quietly
3. Play quietly or color by himself
He is usually good for the first 30 minutes, then........*sigh* I get this face. I mean, talk about breaking my heart and throwing it down the garage disposal. What kind of mom am I?
Oh, it gets better! When I even attempt to overcome my guilt at taking a moment to relax by saying, "Phin, you still need to play on your own." He shoots right back with this,
"Mom.......I just wanted to say I love you."
And the absolute cherry on top: He gives me the biggest bear hug and walks away.
So, sometimes, he wins out because I feel how quickly these days will pass by. When, he'll be out the door to a friend's house or a soccer game or up in his room, absorbed in a book (I can dream, right!?). Ok, so it may involve facebook time and video games, but however I look at it, right now - he's mine. And he wants to be mine.
Lately, the object to draw has been Chester, our precious cat who is no longer living with us. He's much happier now at a home in the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, Finn is the only child to remember Chester much and he loves to draw him.
Eric loves it when Ally and Finn play with chalk. He still wants to eat it, but he's starting to create his own masterpeices.
But mostly, he just loves to try to escape the courtyard. He always looks back to see if he's going to be caught!
But I usually just let him go where he wants and he explores his surroundings a little.
I love a toddler's eyes as they soak it all in. Everything.
We can't get enough of the pig face either! He's easy to catch in the act...
Ally will prove to be a difficult student. Right now, I believe she is teaching me more than I'm teaching her. My patience level........if my patience level had a meter, it would be PEGGED for at least 3/4 of my days!!
One thing that drives me crazy is bedtime. All three kids are in one room. And if the baby is up and trying to get to bed, Ally can not leave him alone.
We say, "Ally, don't talk to the baby. He's going to cry, but only for a little bit. Read a book facing the wall or something. Don't interact with him."
She hears the same words every night. But, bless her little soul, if that baby is crying even just a little whimper, Ally is right next to his bed, singing, reading, giving him stuffed animals....EVERY NIGHT! She just wants to take care of him (and not go to bed herself!). But, it's so cute. Sometimes, I just sit outside their bedroom door (usually when Camlon is gone for his duty night) and I listen to how she loves him. Then, at some point, I have to say, "Ally, get in bed." And, if I let her love the baby a little, she does go right to bed.
Well, most of the time! She's Ally!!
I love you, Baby Girl!
We attended a new church last week and I asked Ally's teacher how she did in her class and I believe her answer was, "Well, she's a little aggressive."
We watched from the windows before picking her up and she was jumping in the teacher's lap and just rolling around and talking all at the same time. She must be part jumping bean!
Now, I have to tell Ally. "Ok, before we go to this pool playdate, let's lay down some rules. High fives are ok. Ask if you want to give a hug. And it is not ok to get in anyone's face and scream very loudly. That is not ok, EVER." I never thought as a parent that these things need to be said and that they need to be said Many, Many, Many times.
OH, Finn! Go ahead and try to be cuter!!
While I get dinner ready, Ally and Eric have a new game they like to play..
Eric hides very dramatically behind the curtains. He squeals very loudly. And Ally finds him.
He never tires of this...
A New Tradition:
My Grandpa always brought "Happy Hour" to our house when he visited, complete with his own Vodka carrying case. And boy, would he get after my parents if they didn't have ice for him. Around 5 o'clock, he'd sing his way into the kitchen and get the drinks ready for everyone. Vodka tonics for himself and his wife, wine or beer for my parents and my brother and I always got a have a sprite or soda of some sort. That was special for us b/c we didn't normally have soda in the house. It would just be one drink usually with maybe a top-off around dinner time. Now at 92, my grandpa still does Happy Hour with his wife, 90! The drinks aren't made quite as well these days (I think they only have one ingredient now!), but the tradition continues.
So, sometimes, we have our own happy hour, too. And I always raise my glass to Grandpa.
I will give a another three month subscription to TheScramble.com to anyone that can guess what Cam's drink is (the one on the right)!
Recently, I had a desire to make a clean-out-my-fridge omelette and it was amazing. Let me share it with you although you may not have these ingredients on hand. This may be a once in a lifetime creation!!
Well, it's more of a scramble really!
First, I poured 1 tsp. oil in a large skillet and put the burner to med. high heat. Then I tossed in whatever was good out of a bag of fresh spinach (maybe 1/2 the bag!) w/ a 1/2 tsp. minced garlic. I sauteed that wonderfully smelling creation for a few minutes to wilt the spinach completely. Then, I added 1/3c. ricotta cheese and 3 beaten eggs. Then, I threw in a little Papa John's garlic butter thing that came with our pizza and I had put it in the fridge. Wham-o. That was an awesome creation!
And, if someone tells you they don't like garlic, I suggest you do a little test. Have them sit in another room of the house while you prepare dinner for them. Heat some oil. Throw in some chopped chicken breasts, a little salt and pepper and minced fresh garlic (maybe 1 or 2 cloves). However you finish the stir-fry, I guarantee, after you swish around that garlic in the pan a few times, the skeptic will come into the kitchen and declare, "What are we having!!?" I think they might even be smacking their lips a little. Of course, you can't do this experiment when garlic is being put to the test. They must not know you are preparing something with garlic. :) *This is not a test I have pulled on my husband. He loves garlic as much as I do.
I guess I'll leave this fun post with this moment from our day:
He always finds me, wherever I am in the house...even if it's down in the basement. I was doing laundry and he came over, sat on this step stool with a singing card from his first birthday, and just jammed it up.
Yes, Buddy! You are still a rockstar!
