5October2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Dog; Elisha.
Chocolate lab, already semi-trained, 3-years-old and loves to cuddle.
The girls adore her and we’re teaching Elisha that “long-suffering” does *not* equal asking for more suffering.
I am so thankful to have found her.
The short story: We’ve been looking at the shelter a couple times a week the last few months. We’ve looked at a number of dogs (even tried two out in our home: one for a few hours one for almost two weeks), but this is the one who is fitting.
She was an owner surrender with “not enough time for her” listed as the reason for giving her up. She had a restless first night and barks more willingly than we like just now, but she has been perfect with the kids, strangers and the other dogs we’ve met in class and at the dog park.
26September2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Management; Melody.
But we’re on the way better.
On top of the general yuckiness we all feel, Melody seems to be in that rough transitional stage between keeping naps and leaving them behind.
This morning Melody desolved over something and wouldn’t tell me what was wrong. I found her bubbling in her room and scooped her up, pretending she was my doll and crawled into her bed with her protesting all the way.
I snuggled us both under the blankets and made all the silly comments about my squeeky doll (it’s a game we play reletively frequently) until she was giggly then calm, and we just lay together getting warm before she looked at me, all bright-eyed and cheerful again and we could just talk.
It’s interesting to me how much warmth, touch (and food, to complete the Comfort Trinity) work near-magic with these kiddos. So sweet.
11September2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Homeschooling; Natasha.
I have a passel of pictures to upload once pictures are working again, but for now I wanted to say our approach to Kindergarten has morphed a few times now.
I’m glad I haven’t been saying each thing as we were doing it, but to recap, we began with the intent of hammering out the “3 Rs” during Nap-time so that it would be just me and Natasha, and got over with quickly so we could return to “regular life.”
The difficulty with that was we were neither of us in our best mental state during nap-time, and making school just the school work was too stark for Natasha.
So we’ve shifted to doing school in the morning, and we’re doing games during “school time.”
The kids have to be dressed before 9 a.m., but can play however they like until 9, when “Performance Today” starts on NPR. I don’t usually have the radio going during the day (I like better the control the iPod offers) but so far I like the classical music (with the commentary/introductions) for the backdrop of our working time.
I have the younger two go off and play by themselves (all my children are *very* good at this) and we alternate the reluctant writer with games and other elements of learning that I’ve been given or am collecting from my reading.
20August2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Homeschooling; Natasha.
School started today all across the district, so yesterday I told Natasha she’d be starting too.
This seemed to bother her quite a bit, and she said she wasn’t ready and didn’t really want to start Kindergarten. She was so (quietly) intense about it, I was ready to say, You’re only 5, we can wait, before I got her talking more.
“I’m not ready to be away from you all day,” she said. “I’m not big enough.” Poor baby thought I was going to send her away to school (and with only one-day’s notice)! I reassured her that I agreed she was too young to be gone, and that’s why we were homeschooling.
So we sat on the porch in the sunshine during nap yesterday and talked about what we would be studying today.
Today she excitedly told the mother of a friend that she was starting school today, and the fear seemed gone. She wasn’t really interested in knuckling down to actual work when it was time (Can we play a game together first?) but since we’re doing such a focused (limited) time of work already, I didn’t feel a need (not yet anyway) to break up our school time with games.
So we had some “calendar time” where we practiced dates and the pattern of weeks; then I set a 15-minute timer and she worked on her letter tracers while I hand-wrote with her at the table, on a scene for my novel; then I had her pick which type of reading she wanted to do today and she chose to read aloud two stories from her sister’s “Beginner’s Bible.”
She wanted a nap after that (she ‘d been complaining of a tummy ache much of the morning) and now with all of them asleep after 3, I’m stuck again in my “mother’s quandary” of needing to actually wake a quiet house…so they’ll be ready to sleep at bedtime.
*sigh*
30July2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Homeschooling.
I don’t want anyone to worry about my children’s education.
That said, I’m not very good at expressing myself when I attempt to dispel concerns.
Last Sunday a retired teacher noted the rapidly approaching school year and said, “I bet you’re really busy planning now!”
Did I say, “I began researching in January, stopped buying materials in March and simplified my curriculum in July”?
No.
I told this career K-2 teacher that no, I wasn’t in the midst of planning, that I was only going to focus on reading, writing and arithmetic (feeling that’s plenty for a 5-year-old), and as Natasha can already read and we do other activities together already, “school” wasn’t going to look much different than life right now.
I know this lady trusts me, but I bet you a nickel she’s trying really hard not to worry right now.
I love the books I collected for teaching, but the reality is that at this point they are more for my comfort and enjoyment than to apply on my own child (just yet).
Tomorrow I will be attending a meeting for “independent homeschoolers,” a group defined mostly by it’s members’ choice to homeschool apart from state aid or direction.
I’ve been asked by a number of people (usually more than once!) why I’m not “taking advantage” of all the “great programs” that are designed to “give me money” to “do whatever [I] want.”
The easiest out is the one my mom suggested yesterday: it’s genetic.
Mom taught (and I learned) out of a random-yet-comprehensive collection of books salvaged from the school district’s annual text-dump (that, unfortunately, it doesn’t do any more).
My one experience with a structured curriculum, with daily assignments and a set amount to get through in a year was Calvert. Two years actually: 4th and 6th, if I remember right. I hated it and hope I would never do that to my children. There was just this unmitigated *weight* of never being done. Ever. It just dragged on and it was impossible to get ahead.
And I thought it was horribly wasteful– you couldn’t use the curriculum or any of the books from one kid to the next (I’d never have the pleasure of watching my little brother re-live my misery) but had to re-buy the whole set for the next kid.
Anyway, I’ve been told there are other experiences to be had, but as the mom/teacher, I’m going to stick for now with what I enjoy. And that means playing at school before I need to, in order to prove to myself and anybody who cares that I can do this without someone “official” hanging over me.
24July2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Natasha.
Natasha this afternoon, very carefully and polite:
“Now, when you’re done with the comics, instead of throwing them away, I would like you to give them to me, because I’m interested in comics now. So many funny pictures.”
17July2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Natasha.
Natasha got her first taste of teasing and rejection yesterday, but (thankfully) I don’t think she fully realized that’s what was happening.
The back door was open and I heard the 5-year-old next-door protesting to his mom that the other kids were being mean to Natasha. I went out then, but Natasha didn’t seem disturbed at all, only more serious-faced than usual.
I talked with her and she came inside with me. Then she told my one of the girls in {neighbor-boy}’s yard was being unkind.
“She was making fun of {neighbor-boy}—saying he was in love. And he’s not in love, he’s just a kid.”
I found the observation fascinating, and what I got out of the collective event was that the visiting children noticed the children’s friendship, tried to tease them about it, and like good friends, they noticed the intent-to-harm their friend over the attack on themselves.
Or at least expressed themselves that way.
I think there’s something precious in that sensitivity; I hope we’ll see it continue.
p.s.
Melody was coming out of our car a couple of days ago when it was so sunny, panting for effect, “Wow, that car is freezing- Hot!”
7July2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Cute stories; Elisha; Family; Pictures.
Two weeks ago, now, Jay and I droe to Anchorage and back, leaving Friday afternoon and returning Saturday night.
The next weekend the Renaissance Faire got rained-out, but the girls still got to wear their costumes:
On Saturday to Papa and Grandma’s, and Sunday to church. Yes, Melody wore a shirt under that vest.
I find I didn’t get a picture of Elisha in his bi-colored “jester” outfit, but Mom got several, so I’ll have to get hers.
He didn’t really care for it on Saturday (thought we managed to “trick” him into wearing it, which is no small trick these days).
But when Elisha saw the girls in their costumes on Sunday he was excited to put his on again, and as soon as Jay tied the back you would have thought he was wearing a cape, because he began at once to make these flying leaps between pieces of furniture. I felt a little shell-shocked.
Something about costumes, I guess…
That same weekend a bird flew into our garage:
Elisha was the first to notice him (Jay and I couldn’t figure for the longest time what he was so excited about).
He was still stuck after hours with the door open and it took some getting to get him out, but it was finally accomplished. (A flashlight in a dark garage and a dry humidifier figured largely in this process.)
Just this last Saturday we did a lot of biking around, and Jay found a way to fit all three kids (and yes all buckled) in the bike trailer.
Yet another moment when I’ve marveled at the perfection fo God’s timing and design in giving us children of these ages and sizes.
18June2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Natasha.
As I write this Natasha is creating stories behind me, and telling them to and with the toys that are here in the living room. I told the kids stories most of our (long) walk today, practicing concentration, volume and breath control as I pulled over 100# alongside an active road.
It just tickles me to see her feeding off shared experiences rather than the latest movie.
17June2008
Posted by Amy Jane under: Family; Management.
The whole, long story of thought and process.
Skipping the $500/month it would have cost us for two kids the first year.
Read the rest of this entry »
