Family News

I did lesson one in the Distar book with Natasha tonight. I think she wasn’t really very interested, but the premium mama-time was too valuable to pass-up.
I saw right away the difficulty resulting from of teaching letters before sounds (something the introduction expounds on, eloquently, though I honestly don’t know how to avoid it: [...]

Elisha is definitely crawling now, knee and hand, even on the new floor. Good time to have the floor clear enough to keep clean.
If I haven’t said so already, he has left the baby-look behind and is taking on an alert, cheerful personality that is written all over his maturing features.
He’s also taking solids [...]

Natasha was telling me this morning about her dreams, and I managed to record this much:
“I had a dream about you got married in that big dress. It was pretty pretty. And I was not there, and Melody was not there. Only Dad was there.”

Currently Reading
Discover Your Child’s DQ Factor: The Discipline Quotient System
By Greg Cynaumon
see related

I bought this book (among others) when we had our foster boy.
I returned to it this week when I began to see my children and myself in my memories of its stories (”My kid just won’t stop X no matter what I try.”)
The [...]

Thank you, God, as this day ends
For my family and my friends.
Taking time to sit and pray,
Thank you God for this great day.
This little prayer, followed by some episode-specific praise, comes at the end of each Boz story. The girls have been watching their Boz DVDs back to back for a couple days, now.
Tonight [...]

Mom and Dad called at bedtime to sing “Happy Birthday” to Natasha. She wasn’t sure how to respond, really, but passed on a coached “thank you” quite smoothly. Then Mom asked her how it felt to be four, and whether she was growing.

“I been trying to,” she answered seriously, “but my skin won’t grow.”

They use them.
“Melody needs to lift up her countenance,” Natasha said matter-of-factly this morning.
Melody’s current M.O. is to dissolve in cries and screams when she’s scolded for misbehavior. It’s gotten real old really fast.
~~~
I made sure I used the same phrase on Natasha the next time I had occasion to. I don’t want [...]

I took Maestro to the shelter as soon as Jay got home with the warm car.
What tipped the scales was when I discovered an attitude-ladden Maestro lying impassively on top of a screaming Elisha in his crib.
I dumped the cat out, and told him, “That’s the end. That’s what I needed to know.”
My decision [...]

I was just recently reviewing what having Maestro (and, earlier, Kricket) has taught (or allowed me to teach) my kids.

Having two resilient and transparent self-advocaters has shown the girls a few things.

Gentleness
Non-violent (and non-screaming) self advocating.

Both M and K will/would put up with as much as they wanted, and then leave.
Maestro had started batting [...]

Stick with bible reading plan

I really appreciate that the schedule seems to be divided thoughtfully rather than mathematically,
Also like the built-in “catch-up” days: No scheduled readings every 7th day, or after the 28).

Begin reading program with Natasha.
Reclaim my house after this madness. (I will be SOOO happy to have my kitchen back!)
In May (or [...]