Homeschooling a Houseful

A long overdue update

6:10 AM, Jun. 25, 2007 .. Posted in Family .. 3 comments .. Link

Wow, again I find that time just flies.

There is a lot going on in our sweet little family. James, he is 3, is potty training and doing very well. About three weeks ago I asked him if he wanted to wear his "tighty tighties" and he answered "Tomorrow". So when it was tomorrow I just put them on him and he did super. My idea of potty training is to wait until the child is ready. We try it out every now and then and if they have a couple accidents in a short amount of time we quit. You can tell that they just don't get it and I like to keep stress to a minimum.

Heather is on her way via car to New York. She is going to meet her beau's parents. Did I ever mention that in December we met with a young man who is interested in our daughter. They began courting and it has been a beautiful thing to watch. He is a terrific guy who has become a part of our family.

My dh had the pleasure of meeting with another young man just this weekend. He is interested in our Hollie. They have been friends for quite some time and have already developed feelings for one another. That is where it got tricky for us parents. This young man does not feel he will be ready for marriage for another 2 years. We feel that is a bit long to be in a relationship and we wanted to have them wait. The dilema came in when trying to figure out how to do that. We decided to let them proceed with caution.

This whole thing is new to us. It is an exciting time and we are loving it. We have a pretty good idea of what we want to see happen when it comes to our children courting. Of course we also know that the way that plays out will be completely different with each of our children. Guess that is what keeps life exicting.

We have began a new school year. I love to start in the summer because the children are motivated to work fast. The lessons at the beginning of the year can often be filled with review, so that makes them go fast too. Joshua is getting the hang of reading and I am teaching Jacob and Jonathan to read. I will admit it is a bit challenging to have 3 young ones in the beginning reading stage. When I teach phonics/reading i need quiet so the older children help with Hilarie and James for the first hour of our day so that I can concentrate with they boys. I can, in one hour, get all three boys through the phonics/reading lessons. It is so fun to watch little one catch the thrill of reading.

Hilarie went to an allergist and we discoved she is very allergic to eggs and cats. We of course had a cat and we were able to find a home for her. This was very important because this kitty came to us when she was 3 days old and Hollie hand raised her. Hollie found a home for her. Remember the boy I mentioned earlier, his family took that cat. That was a big clue to Dan and I that this boy had intentions. :)

Hilarie has battled with head to toe dry skin/excema since she was about 6 months old. The overall dryness has improved greatly since removing the two allergins but the excema is still a battle. This little girl scratches continually. She scratches in her sleep. It breaks my heart. The bottom of her feet are even covered in excema. We have tried so many things, Emu oil (love it, very expensive) and a whole shelf that is full of perfume free/fragrance free lotions and creams. Steriod creams work, and then as soon as I stop using it the excema is back. But Hilarie is a delight. She has fallen off of her Princess throne though. She has found her opinion on things and her opinion and mine don't often agree anymore. Me thinks she is a bit strong willed, I have no idea where she gets that from. :0

Heide is working on building a Tea Garden, as she calls it. She has flatted the corner of our yard and put some patio bricks down. She now wants trellis, climbing vines and a bistro set. $$$$$ I sure wish we could get the things she needs, we need to hit some garage sales. What a great idea and I just now thought of it. Heide bakes a lot, she loves to spend time in the kitchen and has learned how to bake just about anything without using eggs. She has done a fabulous job.

Joseph is very much into building models right now. I have seen him develop an obsession with cars. He knows so much about them, what a boy. He really likes the very detailed, very hard models. He has a few lawn mowing jobs and that his keeping him busy and in the $$. You know a boy can mow a lawn and in 1 hour make as much as his sister can make in 4 hours of babysitting.

Haylee is loving the outdoors. She is on her bike a lot, in the pool when the weather allows, and taking Hilarie on walks. What a huge help that is, when Hilarie is having a rough time (because of her chronic itching) off they go for a stroller ride. Haylee also has an interest in cars, but only the cute ones. She likes the little cars like the Mini Cooper, or Porsche. That girl has expensive taste. She was having so much fun at grandpas the other day just looking through his wheel deals ads. I think I should go to the store and get her a Wheels Deals.

My dad is doing well. He is on hospice care and that has been a big help for my mom. He has a good day every now and then, but you can sure see his decline. He sleeps a lot and is eating less. Heather took her Dan to meet the grandparents and they liked him. Grandpa doesn't like boys, he doesn't like his girls being taken away. I think he is still has issues with my dh taking me away. :)

Well, I hear little voices upstairs, little voices which are getting louder, so I must go now.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.