Family News

Yesterday, despite the 40-below, Jay and I decided we needed to go grocery shopping.
It’s a conveluted story, but the end was that only Elisha came with me.  When we got back, Natasha asked why we’d taken so long.  I explained it’s because it’s been a long time since we went grocery shopping, and so had [...]

Ever since introducing the concept of homonym to my 3- and 4-year-olds last year, discovering new examples has been a source of delight for them.
Knowing a bit more now about the difference between homonym and homophone I’ve considered introducing the new word… but haven’t yet.
Natasha has been experimenting with the idea of heartsick (very sad) [...]

I have this game I bought a couple years ago to use for the storytelling class I was developing at the time.
Looking for something new to do with the girls (I’m experimenting with letting Melody skip naps) I pulled it out and tried on the fly to see if I could adapt it to their [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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.”

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 [...]

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 [...]

You don’t have to “win” the argument to be right: it’s like Natasha wigging out because Melody says the sky is green: just say it’s blue and move on.
End of the year note: The tables definately turn. Natasha knows how to push Melody’s buttons in just the same way.  I use the same line no [...]

Suzuki.
Not really sure why other than I like knowing exactly what to do, and it comes highly recommended by several people whose experience I trust. Almost more than my misgivings.
It could be very expensive; we’re still figuring that part out. But the instruments at least (might) be taken care of.
This all began, seriously, [...]