Oct. 20, 2009 Getting organized...?
This Thursday the visiting missionary from church arrives at our house to stay the weekend. She is coming early so that she can speak to my co-op geography class, and on Saturday we will visit Plimouth Plantation (no, that's not a typo, they spell it that way to distinguish the re-enacted village from the actual town) she is an American History teacher at the mission schoolt, so a chance to study as she goes is a big deal.
Thursday of course, is pick-up the CSA subscription/B has Band practice/Mom usually comes over for dinner and Latin lesson night. But this week Mom canceled Latin to make things simpler. It's our last CSA pick up, probably lots of winter squash, we've had our first hard frost.
So I've listed out what sorts of meals to make, and each day I want to make something nutricious, delicious, restful, with a bit of the wow, you shouldn't have....but each day I'm going to be out and about, not home cooking. So I'm digging through the recipe books for yummy fast meals that either make ahead, come together quickly or are company ready crock pot meals.
So far I think I'd better give up on the idea of impressing the lady, we also have to clean house. I don't dare think what her standards of clean may be. We may end up not doing lessons after Wednesday. It seems that of the options: have a clean house, get all the lessons in, or respond flexibly to cool opportunities as they arrise: we can pull off any two of the three. Kind of like the engineering maxim about new products: good, cheap or fast, pick any two.
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Aug. 21, 2009 What to do, what to do...
Nothing major, just the day to organize:
I really want to sit here, organize photos for the boy's portfolios of last year, print out a photo collage, and tidy up my directories, then work on my pretty new orange and grey "Get Organized" notebook.
But it is already hot and humid, and K is knocking on the back door asking to go outside and play ball. I could also (probably) walk them down to the community garden, water the plants (and children) and tie up the tomatoes that are falling down. I'm sure the Kentucky Wonder Beans are fit for shelling, though I think they taste best as green beans. (raw)
I need to plan a menu around the CSA box - we have way more yellow squash than I can imagine getting M and B to eat - wait, if I stuff them, they will eat them, especially if it's like squash pizza. Ok, one meal down.
The house is untidy, and sticky, I actually want to clean it. But it is much cooler outside than in, so is my first duty to get the kids outside and active while they can be outside and active? The weather said it might rain, we could tidy the house then, though DH did take them walking before breakfast, does that count as exercise?
I have yet to figure out all of the intricasies of our first homeschool day coming next August 31. B asked for a full day to start with no warm up of a few subjects a day (he wants to get the year over with). I don't think this is a good idea for M and K, who need more gentle transitions, or me. Most years, I start with a few subjects, and morph the Summer day into the school day as an experiment. After a few weeks, we have a schedule. of course then co-op starts, and we loose Fridays, (I'm too exhausted after co-op to do lessons). I do want to be a servant leader, but maybe I need to remember that just because my oldest articulates what he thinks is his desire, I don't have to grant it, I am the Mom.
M has finished his chores, I'm having him tidy his room (except for the cool wedgit towers). I need to help him sort and put away his laundry. This is likely to be the coolest part of today, so we should work maybe? It's so overcast, will it rain? Should I get them outside while I can?
I just started the Wiggle's Magical Adventure, so K is dancing by the TV and M is nominally watching her. I want time to think through my fingers, and then get dressed! There is lovely air coming in through the window, but what can I get DONE outside? K is so fast, I can't just work in a notebook while she is at the park.
Last night was the planning meeting for the LIFE group. I stayed up too late catching up with friends. I even volunteered to host a mom's night at my house. I realized how much I've missed seeing folks since the foot surgery, I only made it to church twice since then. Maybe staying up late last night is why I can't think today. Either that or the 100% humidity.
I am going to take a shower, maybe I will think clearer after some cold water.
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Aug. 14, 2009 Bedtime Schedule
Today is my wedding Anniversary! DH had a cute card, and a cup of coffee for me when I woke up, and has pre-ordered the TV series on DVD of the First Ladies' Detective Agency. A lady from church offered to baby sit tonight, so we can go out for dinner, and bum around Border's Books tonight.
So, she needs the schedule written out, and as long as I'm writing, I may as well do it here, so I can look at it in a year of two and feel nostalgic or something.
6-6:30ish eat dinner (take out pizza tonight)
7PM begin K's bath while the boys tidy up theoretically, more likely play video games, board games, read a loud or build stuff out of blocks. Wait, this is instructions not true confessions: tell them to tidy up the kitchen.
7:15 dress K in jammies, read her stories, give her some milk in a sippy cup and hope for the best tonight, she usually nurses, gather the boys to sing her "Jesus Loves Me," and the doxology, kiss her good night, load up her crib with sturdy board books and stuffed animals, harden your heart, walk away, and she should only cry for 15 min. But then again, it can go on forever too...
7:30 start M in his bath, B still doing his own thing.
8:00 get M dried off and dressed (he still needs some help) give him 2 teaspoons of tylenol for his cold aches before he brushes his teeth.
See if B needs to take a shower and remind him not to zone out too much in there.
8:30 start reading them the next chapter of "Peter Duck" B will read a psalm, pray with them. B may have lights on in his bed until 9:00. At this point they both become hungry and thirsty, they can have some toast and milk. If they get hungry and thirsty conventiently, they can snack in the kitchen while they hear their chapter of "Peter Duck," but I do let them snack in bed, and try to have them brush their teeth again before lights out. Oops, I fell into true confessions again, ask them if they are hungry at a convenient time for you.
We are supposed to get home around 8:30, so hopefully I'll get to find out what happens when they go ashore on Crab Island, and the deaconess will get to go home and relax a bit before her bedtime.
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Apr. 27, 2009 ClockKiller Safe. (?)
Unless B chimneys up this door-jam, then the clock should be safe. And both boys can see it from their bunks.
 Notice how the superficial acrylic dome and wood frame are gone?
 All that is left of it's decorations are its protruding staples. Perhaps they will function protectively.
Nice work DH. Boy are you ever an engineer darling!
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Mar. 1, 2009 My Love/Hate time with Schedules
It looks like re-vamping schedules, or at least thinking about what works and isn't working is something homeschooling folks do in February, judging from the Common Room post and The Thinking Mother's post.
Back when I was only schooling B, and K hadn't been born, we used
a Pocket Chart Organizer pictured here.
Now, I have taped my morning goals for M and B on the back of the portable white board that I use with both of them for Spelling dictation more or less daily, and also a weekly goal list inside a page protector, so I can write on it with dry erase marker, and use it again next week. B has had such a list for a while for his daily independent work assignments, his page protector is tinged green, he uses it so much. He also celebrates finishing things he doesn't enjoy by crossing them off vigorously.
I used to feel slightly bad that I changed scheduling methods, as if I weren't planning my work and working my plan. But plans are tools to serve the goal of teaching the children, and they change as the children do. If a book or method just isn't working for us, out it goes. (Much as I hate quitting anything). The schedule serves me, not the other way around.
Now, if I say that often enough, will I believe it?
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Jan. 8, 2009 Oh yes, Sunshine and Fresh Air are good for me too...
Since last year I've stopped morning lessons at 11AM to send the boys outside for sunshine and rough housing; because by the time M wakes up from his nap/quiet play/listen to stories on tape recorder or CD if he borrows my new kitchen radio, the sun is setting. Especially if he has to put his snow pants on by himself. But I usually use this time to blog, catch up on e-mails, put books on reserve at the library over the internet, or make lunch.
This morning I realized that I hadn't been outside since buying groceries on Tuesday. If I want the kids to get good exercise/nature habits, I'd better do stuff with them, not just tell them what to do.
So K and I put on our stuff, and walked around the house today. Well, K tried to take her stuff off as I put it on her, then sort of practiced the motions of putting it back on. 10 month olds don't dress themselves, do they.
We live in an urban-ish area, still, the puddles and ice were interesting, the left over snow piles merited some coos from the baby, and by the time her eyes teared up from the wind, we'd looked at the garden and heard the baptisia seeds rattling in their pretty black pods.
I'm not risking the guilt enough to make this a resolution: lets call it an 'I'll try' to get outside with the kids more.
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Jan. 7, 2009 So far The new MP3 Player has not made him any spacier
Note taking for someone with what would probably be diagnosed as disgraphia is annoying for all involved. You can't read it yourself, and you really did want to remember to pick up the whatever it was from the store. Cursive First has helped B to have a working vocabulary about the parts of letters (tag connectors are our big nemesis, but they have a name now.)
So we took one of Susan Wise Bauer's suggestions and got B a recorder. But not a tape recorder, an MP3 player that will also do voice recording. We told him to pretend he's a spy taking notes orally, only I will also record instructions. We also downloaded a Sons of Korah CD's worth of songs, and some living books for the ears stories.
DH showed me how I could plug the mp3 player into an old set of computer stereo speakers so we could listen to the player in the kitchen. This week the story of the burning of Washington (War of 1812) kept everyone awake while we made our PBJ's and tea for lunch.
So far B is still in the same world as the rest of us, not in the world of his ear buds. And my sister in law bought him one too, so when one gets dropped one too many times into a snow bank, we can still record notes and writing ideas on something cool.
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Jan. 5, 2009 Sunday Adjustments
K has been teething/growing/possibly having an
ear ache; so on Sunday after playing in nursery through Sunday School while DH and I taught, she had HAD IT with nice adults who were not me. I stayed downstairs feeling a little blue that I was missing communion AGAIN. DH reserved some elements for me, and brought them down after the service. The other moms looked at him like he was catch of the decade, so he backed up, fetched their husbands, who then brought them communion. Maybe it will become the new tradition. Everyone was misty eyed.
DH kept K and M home from evening church, got them to bed early,
and they were both so cheery in the morning! we think that will be our pattern for a while now too. They need some concentrated Daddy time.
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Dec. 31, 2008 Serious Snow Today
We are getting socked in today. The boys just asked if they could come in from their outside time early, and they were well bundled up. After they clear the steps off, I'll let them in. M had no outside time yesterday, and kept running into furniture and getting bruises as he bounce around the house - today he can be good and tired before nap time, maybe walking in a straight line will be easier if he's had to actually run a little first?
I think my camera is at my Mom's house: just imagine a fog so thick I can't see more than one block out the kitchen windows, and swirling snow.
B just told me that he's finished one set of stairs. I'm going to have cocoa waiting for them when they come in.
My Mom in law bought B the "Man a can a plan" cookbook last year. The liquid bliss hot chocolate recipe is great. Some of the jokes in the cookbook are not appropriate for children (or adults really) though. Adding some vanilla extract and almond extract to the cocoa really makes it (hershey's syrup and milk) |
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Nov. 23, 2008 Home schooling in Massachusetts: is it really all that hard?
A fellow blogger honored me by asking how hard it is to homeschool in Massachusetts. She might be moving here soon.
The short answer is: it depends. The law is a set of court precedents from cases against un-schoolers. The unschoolers won. So the possibility that a homeschool will look nothing like a school in structure, methods or schedule is acknowledged in print. Since Massachusetts has had the town system clear back to colonial days, the court left the local town (or was it the school board or superintendent? I forget) the authority to make sure the children were progressing. So, if you have a town with a superintendent with a good attitude, the paperwork is annual, but not too bothersome. If you get a new superintendent (especially one from NY where they are used to massive paperwork) then you have to do some gracious educating. This link was prepared by the two Massachusetts mega homeschool support groups (Massachusetts Home Learning Association our inclusive group, with a lively yahoo!group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/masshomelearningassoc/
and MassHOPE best know for the excellent MassHOPE conference every Spring), for educating superintendents. AHEM has suggested Letter of Intent to Homeschool guidelines. Lots of folks join HSLDA for calm feelings, although the "what does Washington know about me?" attitude is common as well.
From what I hear from folks from other states, they are used to the big support groups doing it all: state lobbying, mother culture, used book fairs, field trips and co-ops. Around here (Southeastern Mass, practically RI) it is much, much more localized. We often have local groups that focus on field trips, or co-ops. In my area, they seem to stay small (25 -50 families), and be Evangelical, Catholic, or Inclusive. I think it varies depending on where in the state you are.
Of course, I've never homeschooled anywhere else. It doesn't seem all that bad to me. Although I do get cranky in June when I either put the portfolio together, or see if the test scores will do. This August, I had the nagging feeling that I'd forgotten something really important, and it was my Letter of Intent to Homeschool. Fortunately, I keep my son's LOI on my hard disk and just edit it each year with what curricula I'm going to use. If anyone wants to look at it, contact me, and I'll e-mail out an old version with any embarrassing info
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Oct. 29, 2008 Letting the schedule change (yikes!)
A few Sundays ago, I was so tired that when my husband suggested I nap after church and walk over to my Mom's house for dinner a little late, I slept until 5PM. We decided that I was probably anemic, so I've started writing if I took my vitamin or not on the calender so I actually take it. I'm also cooking a little more meat than usual, and serving Orange Juice with it.
This sort of made me realize that my scheduled plans were too intense for me as well as for B. The problem with researching a co-op class after agreeing to teach it to a group of kids is that if you later discover that it is too intense a proposition, you still have to do it, and so do they: and so does B. Well, by Susan Wise Bauer's description, it's too soon for most of the kids. So I made the paper part of the research project optional. But it still takes a very long time to discuss a research project, research it, organize it...
So I've given B some reading days, not made him do copywork or spelling work, or writing, after all he has to do all of that while writing notes. He still has to prepare for flute lessons, Latin lessons with Grandma, and do math when we seem to be functioning well. Math right now is either 1/2 hour by the clock or 5 pages his choice of the Key To books. The one half hour by the clock is so that he doesn't look up at the end of M's nap time to see that he has done 1 1/2 hours of math and no Latin or other stuff.
The 'Oh no, we will get behind.' drums are beating very hard in my head, but no one else seems to hear them.
In the middle of all this re-arrangement, and work lightening, I realized that M could now form all the lower case cursive letters and looked up what our next step was in the manual. I figured it was to print the multi-letter phonogram worksheets in preparation for eventually dictating the spelling words in the W.I.S.E. Guide. Was I ever surprised! The next step was the words in the W.I.S.E. Guide. The hand writing sheets now go along with words.
I didn't expect to get here until next year, we aren't even reporting him as a student yet. But he happens to be ready and motivated. Ya thing it has anything to do with the one chocolate chip per word policy?
Also in the middle of all this work lightening/rearranging, we looked at the calender and saw that the deadline for B's Lego Brickmaster contest was approaching and that if he was going to get his model photos in the mail, we needed to spend a morning tidying them up and typing the essays. So we did. And the 'oh no we will get behind,' drums were joined by the 'shouldn't you be teaching him to take the consequences for procrastination?' drums. I told both drummers that essays were writing practice, he is learning time management by seeing me talk to him about it, and that if I wanted to be merciful, I was just going to do. They didn't stop drumming, and I was merciful ungraciously. But DH said I was a cream puff mom anyway.
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Aug. 14, 2008 Well, yes M, you are right...
We got home from the family reunion yesterday in mid afternoon. DH (DDDDH) unpacked the car, then ordered Chinese take out, and came home with the movie Hoodwinked. We warned the boys that this was the last Hurrah of vacation, and to expect a simple good night after the movie.
So, we laughed until we couldn't breath over the movie, then brushed teeth and the boys were in bed when DH prayed for them and said goodnight. I came in to kiss them after settling K, when M sat up and looked at me earnestly. I expected him to ask me to bring him a drink of water, but he said," Mom, aren't you and Daddy going to read us the Bible?"
I replied that no, we were having a simple goodnight that night.
"But Mom!" Said M, "It's the Word of God!"
DH came back, and we read the Bible. It is the word of God.
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Jul. 31, 2008 Just Go Play outside!
You'd think I was torturing them. There is a warm up period for playing happily outside. I got out some bubble solution, some straws and old wands, and they may be happy for a while. I know that the intellectual effort to create their own fun is healthy for them, but the humidity seems to have made their imaginations get moldy.
I just put a bunch of playground games on hold from the library. Maybe I need to teach them how to play, to give them a jump start, like the jet with the space shuttle on it's back (how dated is that illustration?).
Meanwhile, I need to teach them some civility - be kind to your brother even if you are bored, use nice voices, no eye rolling.
Summer is more work than the school year as far as attitudes go.
Things that are supposed to be fun are always what we have trouble with.
And today is allowance day...
I'd better pray.
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Jul. 29, 2008 Mid Summer Homeschool Chores
Just a note to myself for next year when I start wondering, "What do I do during Summer?"
The school books have mostly arrived, accept for some of the stragglers I bought used, and picked the cheap shipping options. Now I'm trying to find space for the old books that B doesn't need anymore, and M doesn't need yet, also to put the homeschool stuff into covered boxes, so K won't get into them (or choke on them) too easily. I finally brought the bags of outgrown but not too worn out clothing to the Salvation Army, so the bottom of my clothes closet can hold some stuff. If I harden my heart, I may give away the science kits that we've never used too.
My other mid-Summer chore is to register the Lego club for F.I.R.S.T. Lego League.
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A few weeks ago, we had a night of unusual food, and both boys begged and negotiated to eat only a few bites. I remembered that that was how B learned to count in the first place, it was certainly how he learned to figure greater than and less than!
DH started singing the Weird Al Yankovic song "Just Eat It." We decided to look it up on U-tube. The boys weren't getting it, so we showed them "Beat It." and then "Eat It." Now the boys say they really like Michael Jackson and want to hear more of his music. Oops.
I still crack up at the Eat It song. My mother was more likely to tell me how missionaries need to show respect for people by eating what is in front of them than to say other kids were starving. I have resorted to reading World Vision magazine to them sometimes though. We do "no thank you" helpings, and ask them to help cook, and come up with menus. I think learning to make yourself do something because you must is important, even if it's filling your mouth with food you are sure is disgusting. Some day they will have to make embarrassing apologies, write term papers, wake up at night to care for their children...the world is full of unpleasant duties.
Just Eat It. |
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Jul. 25, 2008 VBS Week Survival Strategies
This is mostly a note to myself - that's why the authoritative tone. I have trouble remembering from one season to the next what worked - I want to be up to date next year!
When the VBS was at a neighborhood church, DH and I dropped the boys off, put K down to nap, and had 5 date nights in a row. Then we picked up the boys refreshed, ready to hear Bible verses, and listen to them sing their songs with motions.
But this week was VBS at our church, a 20 min drive away, so one or both of us needed to go with the boys, and stay until it was over, either that or drive for an hour and 20 min...
In addition, this week DH needed to catch up on some report writing at work. So, on Monday he came home early to help me load the van and find shoes, but wound up taking the laptop to write at church. Tuesday and Wednesday he came home for supper, then went back to work after helping me find shoes and load the van. Last night K was SO tired from late nights that DH took the boys and I stayed home with K and got her to sleep on time. (I think she is having her 6 month growth spurt early, she was born post term). So, in summary, flexibility with parental jobs is the first strategy.
Junk Food and or Faster Home Food. My kids eat slowly, and to hit the road by 6PM, they need to start at 5:30. We've eaten fish sticks, hot dogs, pasta, and hogie sandwiches (AKA subs, torpedoes, deli sandwiches...) tonight we are having refried beans and soft tacoes. At lunch I've given them veggies and fruit to compensate. They get plenty of desert at VBS.
Nap time. Even for B. He's tired being out until 9PM all week too, just like K and M. (And Mom and Dad). Let everyone sleep in if they can too.
Bath time at weird times. A bath tub full of toys is sort of like wading pool, right? A bath in the middle of a hot, muggy day might feel better than one at bedtime anyway.
Low Expectations for the rest of the week. We did go to the eye doctors and play ground up the road from the eye doctors, and B did have flute lessons and band practice, but other than that, no big projects, library trips, hiking or day trips. I haven't particularly rationed library DVD watching or mandated outside play time either (it's also been thunder-storming like mad, and this is New England, not the Midwest!) Speaking of the library, I've got some books come in on reserve to pick up today - but we'll keep it low key!
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Jul. 18, 2008 Trying not to Melt
I'm trying to sew my short sleeved nursing adapted blouses today. With lots of interruptions.
B has gone to band and come back again, M has played water guns, built a train layout, cleaned up the train lay out, squirted the flowers outside, had a toy bath with B, and is now watching a library Transformers DVD. K woke up and nursed, played on a quilt, rolled over violently (she tried to just fall over her tight elbow, not raise her arm over her head, she landed hard.) and is now playing on her brother's lap, in the TV room.
Yesterday we watered the vegetables, visited Daddy's work, went to the library, and watched transformers. I ordered curriculum on line.
We are up to the part of "These Happy Golden Years" where Laura spooks Nelie Oleson by letting the lap robe flutter in the wind and scaring the colts. M thought that was very funny. DH is reading "The Quest for the Fair Unknown" by Gerald Morris after the kid's read aloud is done, it's got a very funny strait man, Beaufils, the innocent, and Galahad, the annoying. B and I are reading "Hostage Lands" by Douglas Bond. Its a good enough story to distract DH from M's bath because he wants to hear too, but not quiet as great as "The Eagle of the Ninth." I wanted to check out Douglas Bond's writing because the Mr Pipes books and Duncan's War books looked good, but no one I knew had any, and the library didn't carry them.
Someone is crying, got to go
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Jul. 2, 2008 Oh, By the Way....
I think I've bitten off more than I can chew this Summer, and we haven't gotten to the 4th of July yet!
I want to get my ducks in a row, but I don't know how many ducks I've got, if they are all mallards or some other variety, and they all want to swim in different directions.
Part of my stress is that I'm running around organizing B''s band
participation, that I thought would be easy, because I'd outsourced it.
The free YMCA band will let him play since he can read music, but he
needs a loud enough instrument, so ocarina isn't enough. So I borrowed
a flute from my upstairs neighbor H, the newly sworn in lawyer who
is getting married soon.
I'd planned on getting the kids home early from a play date so that I could make supper early, and go to the music store 20 min away to get the flute pads repaired. But I was winsomely asked for longer time to play Pokemon, so I let them play longer, then they needed longer, and I brought them home without a clear champion. Also, I had one hour until the music store closed.
DH thinks more creatively than I do; he suggested that I go by myself to get the flute repaired, which I did. I wondered what he would feed them as I grabbed an apple and ran out the door. When I got to the music store, it turned out that flute was infested with moths which ate the felt and fish skin pads (pads are made out of FISHSKIN? fish have skin?) so I rented another flute for the summer, if B loves it, we'll get the other one repaired and fix the case - or maybe keep renting if it's cheaper in the long run.
On the way home, I bought myself the sneakers I've needed for a while: I have planters fasciitis and need new, springy shoes every 3 months. I also bought a denim skirt and pair of shorts, now I have 4 bottoms that fit me since K was born.
DH had made tuna fish sandwiches, and as I devoured mine, my mom and our friend K showed up with left over brownies and ice cream from celebrating his 30th birthday with the missions committee at church, they drive together to save gas.
We all walked to the park this morning so I could arrange the lessons with B's band leader. Then I forgot that a one hour rehearsal isn't one hour, it's two hours
counting walking over, then half an hour getting the kids to say goodbye
to the other kids, and all the while K was not napping and got
herself in a tizzy (no private places I could nurse her and watch M
at the same time at the play ground)
Now I need to drive back to the music store again to buy him a book.
Is all outsourced schooling so complex? Maybe just the first few days
until we get in the swing of things? I just forgot it wouldn't be easy,
then felt like a wimp for finding it to be hard. Actually, I'm finding getting the three of them out the door hard if DH is not around, I'm finding it hard to find M's shoes even if he is here!
The point isn't do everything
quickly and easily, but I find myself acting as if it were.
I also need to be more decisive. Be the Mom, Chris, Be the Mom!
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Jun. 19, 2008 Are We Done Yet?
Aha! I remembered what I loved about Summer last year. I'm writing this down because I don't like transitions, even when the next thing is a good thing. I loved doing errends in the morning without having to jump around nap time! Usually we do school (at least mom involved 2 handed school ) in the morning.
This morning, we went to CVS, our bank, and Staples in a big triangle. Hopefully we saved gas. I managed to bring the checks to cash, M's allowance, couponds, and list of what to buy. This feels satisfying. Things I can cross off my to do list. I'm one of those folks who adds things to the list in order to cross them off if I forgot to list them initially. I just don't want to miss out on celebrating the accomplishment after doing something!
B just has the math book to finish. I wanted him to go through the multiplication and division parts in a book that explained the pen and paper algorythem. Miquon does much more with mental arithmetic, not so much pen and paper things. B is quite good at mental stuff, some times I ask him for an estimate when we are shopping, because he is faster at it than I am ;-) So we are nearly up to the end of Multiplication and Division. Now, will I stick to my guns and "do school" until the whole book is done, or will we save fractions, graphing and angles for next year? I'm feeling really, really lazy. I want to go to the library, I want to clean house, (I want to clean house?) yeah, I really do. I want to get the portfolio done, I want to play with the science kits that are gathering dust on the top of the refridgerator, I want to PLAY!
This week was hard for me. I think it's partly that my Dad died this week 9 years ago. I was so stressed out on Saturday, and it didn't make sense. Everything really was humming along (accept our car, which was in the shop again). Even the repair bill was not enough for me to be in PMS mode (when I'm nursing and there is no M to PMS about) I got grouchy just trying to figure out why I was grouchy and blue. It didn't really help that we'd set Saturday up as "make the budget day" or that I was trying to finish sewing my linen nursing dress so I didn't melt on Sunday or that my neighbor's graduation party was that night and we had a deadline to meet to attend it.
Sunday morning I realized that I was mourning Dad. How did I know what week it was without knowing what week it was? My brain is weird.
My DH asked if I could be aneamic too, and I realized I've been cooking veggitarian, and forgetting to take my multivitamine. So he ran out and bought me a hamburger at 11PM last night, and served it with orange juice so the vitamin C would help me absorbe the iron better!
What a Guy. I am so blessed. |
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Jun. 3, 2008 Things I hope I write down this Summer for future reference
We are getting to warm weather. My Mom overheard a farmer say that this has been the coldest May in Southeastern Mass for 100 years. Maybe that's why we are so far along into June without major "Mom, when is School OVER?" stuff - either that or the "When we finish the math, spelling and handwriting book," answer has been said so often that no one wants (or needs) to ask.
So how did we keep cool last Summer? How do I pull out the old charcoal grill and keep the little kids from knocking it over while the coals form? ( I think we only used it when DH was home on Saturdays) How did I keep graceful in that hot, noisy parent's room at they YMCA during swim lessons? (Did I?) How often did we drive to the beach last year? (not this year without DH, I'm not good at solo baby logistics, and gas is way to much for driving an hour both ways to Rhode Island) How much fun was it not to have a daily schedule, or did we just form a new schedule?
I know that by August, I had decided that my primary duty during the day was to keep the children from melting. I know that by September I was thinking, "Oh, what a pity we have to start the school schedule and not do groceries and errands in the mornings anymore." I just wish I remembered more specifics! |
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