I'm writing this while Tom takes a bath. He is finally in after a ten minute battle. I have to go into the details of this to make it right in my mind. I'm a pretty relaxed Mom. I let my kids do as they please as long as they aren't hurting themselves or those around them, or stepping on anyone else's right to peace. The past six months have been pretty rough between Tom and I. He is very particular about things and does not like to make decisions. Let me give a few examples. I let them dress themselves at a young age, like two. If they were big enough to express an opinion, I generally accepted it. Food went the same way. I always give them the choices I have available and they pick from that. Lately, Tom can't decide. He will either freak out that the choices aren't to his liking, or he will want all of the above, cry, and have a melt down. This starts at breakfast and goes on through the day. Most days he doesn't like his pants, especially if I have asked him to get dressed to go somewhere. We argue about everything. And I'm not talking what to do or not to do. I'm talking about moving his feet so I can vacuum under him. Please don't beat on your brother because he won't give you something. Please don't hold the dogs down and get them fighting. Please don't leave food all over the table. Please answer your brother when he is talking to you. Please answer me! I mean seriously!
Tonight it was about the bath. They want to take a bath/shower every other day so I have to get them up there to do it. If I don't harass Tom about getting up off the couch and in the bathroom, he will decide at 10pm that he HAS to have a shower because he isn't comfortable. I would just let him do this, but we all sleep in a very small space with a bathroom in the middle. My husband and step-daughter get up very early to go to work and school. I have to get up to take her to school. We would like to get some sleep. So the drill is dinner, showers, Dad reads to them and then goes to bed, I read in the doorway until they go to sleep (lately that has changed to, I read in the doorway until Jake goes to sleep and then lay down next to Tom because I can't stay awake anymore). Tom will lay there completely still and quiet until 11pm sometimes, usually 10 is the latest I can stay awake. We've tried relaxing, music, tea, melatonin. The kid is just a night owl, much like I would be if I didn't have to get up at 5:30 for Nikki.
So here I am ranting and raving. Tom is a very sweet boy. It isn't that he is trying to make me nuts. He actually feels bad when I explain how completely crazy his is making me. Tonight I told him that he needs to do things for himself if he wants them done a certain way. He understands that. He made his own bath tonight. He told me he doesn't like showers because he is scared when he closes his eyes in the shower. Understandable. But if he had just explained this before I got angry about his refusal to take a shower, maybe things would have been nicer.
Yikes! I hope we both get through this phase without scars!!
We went on an awesome trip to San Diego on the train today! A homeschool friend set up a group ticket for us all and that makes the cost so good that you just HAVE to go. We had to get up at 6am and leave at 6:45 to get to the Irvine train station. That was fine for Jake and I, but dragging Tom out of bed and out the door that early is darn near impossible and can be hazardous to your health. After much coaxing and bribing with donuts we got him to the truck with a blanket and pillow and he was awake enough by the time we got there.
On the train was great. We had some friends we already know well and made some new ones. I love taking the train because I get to sit and relax (well maybe not that much) and talk to my friends instead of concentrating on getting there.
When we got there we walked to the Maritime Museum at the Star of India. Our friends didn't want to see it but the boys did, so we parted ways and planned on meeting them for lunch later. The boys and I shopped for awhile at the gift shop and bought a cool book called “By The Great Horn Spoon”. Then we checked out the museum on the old steam boat. We spent almost an hour in there and then looked around the Medea (I think). There was a lot of stuff about sailing and how they navigated in different eras. And a whole section about fishing for tuna that just fascinated Tom. He wants to go on a fishing trip now.
Then we went over to the Surprise. It used to be called the Rose and it was used in the movie Master and Commander. We have to see it now. A guy was working on the boat and asked if we wanted a tour. He took us all over the ship and explained all about it and showed us the things that were just for the movie. A lot of it was just made so that it looked like a real old ship but it didn't actually work. Then he told us that he was in the movie as an extra and showed us some cool pictures. He told us all about making the movie. He said he was so impressed with the boys questions and how much they knew about boating and war. He said he was getting ready to go home for the day and thought he might do something fun so he offered a tour to the kids. He was really nice and the boys were just so impressed by him.
After that, we went over to the Star of India. We didn't spend much time there because it was already 1:30 and we were hungry! We never did meet up with our friends until we got back to the train! I just couldn't pull them away from the ships. We walked down to the Shoreline mall place and had lunch, listened to a South American band (that Tom loved) and bought some trinkets to take home. We got ice cream cones and walked back to the train station.
The ride home was loud and exciting. All the kids were wound up. We were all yelling back and forth and playing and being silly. It was a long day. On the way back to the car, Jake went a little too far in the keep-a-way game they were playing and Tom had a complete melt down. Funny thing is, I knew it was coming. I just took him by the wrist and dragged him to the truck. A few minutes later he was holding my hand and saying sorry. I so wish we could avoid those types of things, but what can you do.
We're home now, relaxing. My throat hurts from talking and laughing all day! Jake is back at the Force Unleashed and Tom is checking out RuneScape because Cameron told him to. We're going to bed when I finish writing this because I'm exhausted!! It's 8:30!
This comes a few days late because I was getting frustrated with downloading pictures so I quit, but then didn't find the time to get back to it until tonight. Really, I want to get my pictures of our train trip. If I put those up before the birthday, I will lose interest in them and never get back to it. And you just HAVE to see the Candy Mountain Cake!
Birthday party accomplished! What a day! There were kids everywhere! I never realized that when you have kids their party guests get bigger and bigger too and they make more noise and run around a LOT more! I do have a large group of great friends though. Not to mention an awesome family! Tom was spoiled rotten. We had a “Charlie the Unicorn” theme this year. If you have no idea what that is, you are not alone. Search for it on YouTube.
Watching what is going on in our country is quite literally scaring me. I'm afraid of what will be left for our children and grandchildren. To watch this debate tonight was mind numbing. It was like a high school election with each candidate offering the public another something that they don't have the power to give, just to get a vote. It wasn't about how this country can be turned around, it was about who can offer you the most money or better benefits.
It all comes down to education really and the basics of our constitution. We have strayed so far from what the federal government was supposed to control that I can't see it ever going back. We might as well just write a new constitution with either candidate.
I was a Ron Paul supporter, still am. He made sense. Watching him debate with these people made me so angry because they really didn't bother to ask him a question at all. It is as if our candidates can only come from a certain class of citizens and it certainly isn't OUR class!
For the first time in my life I am writing to all my friends, PLEASE take a look at the other candidates. Not just R & D. They are out there. If we can all get behind someone else, maybe we can make something of this mess we are in. I've been following Chuck Baldwin very closely. Please check out his website and read about his stance on many issues. We need to vote on the issues we are all facing, not what the government can do FOR us. We need to take back our responsibility for our lives the way we are doing it for our children's education.
"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." -- John Quincy Adams
The boys got home from Old Dale around 3pm and they were all very happy. Last night Dan called to say they had made it and then this afternoon Tom called to say that they were on their way home and they had all their fingers. Both times I did not hear the phone! Tom was in charge of photography, so there are plenty of pictures.
This morning I had my orientation for OC Parks. I can't wait to get started. I'm going to be helping at the Interpretive Center at Irvine Park, among other things. I can't believe that I am actually volunteering. I've always been too busy with the boys and the house. They want to come and volunteer too, but I told them they have to wait until I get my bearings there and then I will get them signed up as well.
I'm still playing with this Facebook thing! I found some old friends and it is really cool to see what everyone is up to. I really lost touch with people when I stopped working. What really worries me is that I have forgotten so many names! Yikes! I must be getting old! Dan says it isn't that I'm old, it is that I don't use that information anymore so I've replaced it with new stuff. Well...we'll see. Does this mean if I remember the names of my old friends that I will forget my kids' names?
My baby is eight years old today! I can't believe I have been a mom for 8 years. You can really see him struggling to be grown up lately. Are we celebrating with going out to dinner or making a cake? Nope. I'm all alone here at the house. Dan took the boys out to the desert today and they are going to come back tomorrow night. They just took the truck and some blankets. I packed them a cooler full of food and waved them goodbye! Tom was very worried about spending the night out there without me, but when he saw Dad get the fireworks out, he completely forgot his worries! Crazy kid.
So here I am, all alone for 24 hours. Well, not ALL alone. My Mother-In-Law is here and so is my Whiskey dog. Kiara went with the boys. She loves the desert too! What have I done all afternoon? Clean! Tom's birthday party is on Sunday and I have plenty to get ready for. I like having all this time to clean and straighten things without having to stop for arguments, games, and feeding! It sounds strange, but I can't think of a better vacation for just myself. I am really enjoying myself.
Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening. The average American [should be] content with their humble role in life, because they're not tempted to think about any other role.
— William T. Harris, U.S. Commissioner of Education, 1889
THAT'S ONE REASON!
Today went so well, I just had to share. I got up and got my chores done and did my exercise. I lost 4 pounds! Yay!! We had lunch and then I had an appointment to get my fingerprints taken and the Sheriff's Department. I'm volunteering at OC Parks and they make you do it. I took the boys with me and they found it fascinating. The tech let them do their fingerprints, too. Tom asked about a thousand questions. And I, for the first time ever, got the big question, “There's no school today?” I said no, we homeschool and they are in class right now, FIELD TRIP! Then Tom asked if the red dots on the screen meant that the computer couldn't read there. She said yes. And then he watch a couple more and said, “Oh, I get it, if there are too many red dots the computer makes you do the print again.” She was obviously impressed. Heck, so was I! We also learned an new phrase, forensic science. Both the boys wanted to know why the building was so cold and echo-y. We got to talk about what an architect is and how you can make a room warm and inviting or cold and sterile. Fun stuff.
Grandma Ann took us to the movies when we got home. We saw Igor. THAT is a funny movie. I really enjoyed it. Now we are back to video games and email.
I know you are all desparately addicted to the telling of our daily adventures, so here is another installment.
Yesterday we went to see a man that performs as Thomas Jefferson and talks about his life and answers questions. We found it through a group called Bixby Educational Events. The whole time I kept thinking that I could organize things like this! He was good. The boys enjoyed it. I couldn't help but wonder what Mr. Jefferson would really think about our current situation in the US. I had an epiphany on the way home and I just have to write it here, so bear with me.
I keep thinking on the all the laws and regulations we have and how they are increasing every day. These laws seem overkill in many ways, but I kept thinking that the people that push these new laws are crazy. Don't they see how socialist they are? Can't they see that we shouldn't protect everyone from everything? That is how dictators rise. But then I realized something. Our population is so uneducated about the economy and banking (not to mention history) that they cannot take care of themselves anymore. We can't “let buyer beware” anymore because so many people and several generations are so ignorant of basic economics and math that they are easily duped. So what am I trying to say? I'm trying to say that the problem is in the past and the way we have educated everyone in the country to be good worker bees and not leaders. We have made a fine mess for ourselves. We are now fat and happy and ready to be dominated over by whoever feels the need to take over. I fear for our country. I fear for my children's future. I'm scared.
On a better note, the boys and I went to Knott's today. It was so stinkin' hot! Yikes! We took a ride on the Galloping Goose (google that one) and the boys asked the engineer lots of questions about how to drive the thing. We went on the log ride a couple times and Tom got a glimpse of one of the monsters from Haunt and is now happy not to go for MANY years. We were accosted by some midway guy telling us how to win tickets to other parks if we entered his contest. After several no's and trying to walk away and having him follow us, I went to the Information booth and wrote out a complaint. The woman there said they have had many complaints about them lately. We got a bucket of Knott's Chicken for dinner and brought it home to Dad.
The boys and I are still using the Wii Fit. I love that thing! We like working out on it. :)
It's Monday again! How did that happen? We were headed to the park today when we realized that Jake doesn't have a helmet anymore and so we stopped at Target to get a new one. On the way through the store we looked to see if they had a Wii Fit and they DID!! Yay!! We bought it, but we were on our way to the park so we didn't get to play it until late in the afternoon.
Park day was awesome. The boys found a dead mouse. I got to hold a friends baby. Lots of great conversation. It was nice today too. You can really tell that fall is here. The air just changes somehow. I'm not sure how else to explain it. I know that it will get hot again. It usually does. But the evenings are different than summer. And the air smells different, like the wind is blowing from another direction or something. It reminds me of Mary Poppins.
When we got home today we broke out the Wii Fit. Fun stuff! It really is amazing. We all set up our Mii's on it, even Dad. But I want to know why Dad's says is Wii Fit Age is 35 and mine is 42. THAT's backwards! Anyway, Tom played it for about an hour. He looked a bit tired. Jake played it awhile, but Tom drives him crazy to let him play. It shows you how you distribute your weight. And it makes you aware of how you can change your balance. It has games that help you. I love it, although I didn't get to play much. Maybe tomorrow.
The sweetest thing happened today. We were in Target and the staff there were stocking shelves. They had big carts of stuff. A girl bumped the side of an aisle and knocked a bunch of stuff off of her cart and Tom and Jake both jumped in to help her put it all back on the cart. Too cute!
The boys are reading Frankenstein with Dad tonight. I love it when he reads to them. I have a moment of quiet to myself! I just started reading “The Highly Sensitive Child” by Elaine N. Aron. Hopefully it will help me find some new ways to deal with the boys (especially Tom). I'm also reading “Great Expectations” by Dickens. Dan just finished reading it and has been driving me crazy to start reading it. I wanted to finish the last book he told me I HAD to read RIGHT NOW! :))
We stayed home a bit this week. I started taking the paint off of the stair railing but I have to take a break for a week because the fumes of the paint remover are killing me! Yuck! I went to my second ASL class on Tuesday. I'm really enjoying that class. Wednesday the boys OD'd on video games while I worked in the front yard. We went to have dinner with Grandma Shelly and Poppy at Aunt Cindy's and the boys spent three hours in the pool as the sun went down. Thursday was pretty uneventful.
This morning I planted some tulip bulbs in the front yard. Those will be so pretty in the spring. I also put some disease killer on my roses. I'm losing them to something terrible one by one. I gave both the boys haircuts. They look older each time I do that, so I hate to do it! We had lunch together and then went to Target for dog food and other necessities. When we got home, Tom made cupcakes from a box we had in the cupboard. He worked on them all by himself! He had a few questions and I would have done a few things differently, but they look good in the oven. I did have to pour them into the pan for him because the glass bowl he was using was too heavy for him. Now, I'm getting hungry smelling them. He even put the dishes in the washer and started it for me.
We are going to have a family meeting and talk about how we can conserve money this year so that we can go on a long road trip next summer. We have already started talking about it, but I want to have an official meeting and write some things down to remember. I would really like to have a budget. Tom agreed with me though when I said “What would you rather do, go to Legoland again and things like that, or go to a rodeo in Wyoming?” They both chose the rodeo! So now it is time for me to figure out a working budget so that I can show them how much money we have to spend each week.
Tonight I'm going to go visit with my Mom and her friends. That should prove to be a good time. My Mom always has fun friends!
Friday we went to Irvine Park with a friend. We went to the sand rock and climbed for awhile. Ok, the kids climbed. I just stood there and watched. I was just too lazy that day. I tried to rollerblade with them, but I hate those things.
On Saturday, we got up early, got donuts, and headed to Great Grandpa's house for a yard sale. Grandma Shelly and Aunt Cindy were there way earlier than us and had the sale going already. The boys had a great time selling their old toys and clothes. They got $25 each! I made a few bucks too. On the way home, we stopped and gave the leftover stuff to our favorite thrift store and then went to Target. I needed to get Nikki a new lunch box. The boys had their garage sale money in their pocket, so you know they had to spend it right away. Jake got some new Star Wars guys and Tom got the Boom Blox game for the Wii.
On Sunday, Dad picked up Nikki and got us donuts! Grandma and Grandpa Tovaas came over to visit in the afternoon. That is always fun. They are great people and the boys love showing them all their new tricks! In the evening, we went rollerskating with some friends. Nikki says it is the highlight of her week. The boys count down the days to go. :) I like skating too, but my knee really hurt all day and skating didn't help.
It is now 6am and I'm finishing this up. Everyone is still asleep. I'm watching the news and it is supposed to be hot today...bummer. I was enjoying the cooler weather. I have to wake up Nikki soon and take her to school this morning. The boys and I have our weekly park day this afternoon. And I'm off!
Yesterday, the boys and I went to Knott's after I dropped Nikki off at school. Nikki was very talkative that morning, lots of politics on the radio so we have a lot to discuss on the road. Knott's was deserted as I expected it would be. We went on the log ride twice in a row and the mine ride. We shopped around Ghost Town and the boys finally got their rifles. The insisted on Kentucky long rifles (by name) so that they could play civil war. They marched out of the park singing civil war songs with the rifles on their shoulder. We went to the Ranger Shack in Ghost Town and the woman there let us play with the toads. We had them on the floor and they jumped over our arms and we found out that the males squeak just like a dog toy! We talked about caves and she showed us a map of caves in the USA. Tom noticed that most of them were in the south east of the country. Jake showed her the area where we went to the Lewis & Clark caves and told her all about Montana. She was impressed because the map had no names on it and Jake told her the route we took to Montana and showed it to her, naming all the states as he traced the route with his finger. He loved that trip! Then we went over to Independence Hall. Jake had brought some money because he has had his eye on a canon they have there. He looked at them for several minutes and then finally decided on the naval canon because he could use it on his pirate ship with the lego guys. The field canon might be good for the army guys but he didn't have any civil war army guys only modern ones.
Last night was my first ASL class. I love it! It is 10 weeks long. The boys made me teach them all the words I learned and they have been using them on me all day.
Today, I took Nikki to school again. The traffic was terrible and we complained the whole way. We have to leave earlier on Wednesdays! She asked if I could make her a lunch because the lines at the high school took forever. I dropped off her other school books at her mom's house on the way back since she will need them tomorrow and she is going there tonight.
I washed the car today and cleaned up the leaves in the alley. I vacuumed, finished laundry, dishes, and pulled weeds in the front. The boys spent the day playing Roller Coaster Tycoon and they watched a movie with Grandma. And they played a lot of civil war in the back. Tom finished changing the tire on his bike. They had two of the neighbor girls over to play this afternoon. They were showing them all of their toys. They played with the Wii. They showed them how to load the rifles like civil war soldiers. Uncle Kirk showed them how to use his when he was out here for the last re-enactment and Jake and Tom didn't forget any of it. The played their harmonica and ukelele for them. Too cute watching those boys try so hard to impress the girls.
We watched the movie “Schooled” tonight. It was too boring for Jake, but Tom sat through the whole movie and commented on the subject matter. It was about a public school teacher with issues stumbling across a “democratic school” and learning some great lessons from and about kids.
Yesterday, we went to a skate party with our homeschool group. Nikki came with us and she had two friends there. We all had so much fun! I got some more much needed exercise. I forgot how much I love to skate. The boys had a blast with their friends and are begging to go again this week. This morning, the first thing Jake said to me was “Thanks for taking us skating last night. It was so fun!”
Yesterday morning I got up early and went to Cindy's to help her bring out a bed to Grandpa's house. And then we went to my Mom's storage shed and helped her bring things back to Grandpa's. They are going to have a big yard sale this weekend. The boys and I are going to bring some of our stuff and help out.
Today was a good day. I took Nikki to school and when I got home I finished some chores. I put all our yard sale stuff in the truck and watered the front yard. Then we went to get El Pollo burritos for lunch, got gas in the truck and washed it, then headed to the park. It wasn't too darn hot today and their were lots of families there. At one point we counted 25! Many new people to meet and lots we have known for years. Nikki's friends were sad to hear she had gone back to school.
On the way home we went to the grocery store and got stuff for dinner and then came home. Dan and Nikki got home about a half hour after us at 4:15. Then we cleaned up the living room and made dinner. After dinner, we watched another Star Trek. We are working our way through the first season right now.
I've started my night time load of laundry, the dishwasher is running, the kids are getting ready for bed, and the yard has been watered. All is well!
Please watch this video talk all the way through. It seems completely unrelated to education in our context, but you will find it fascinating if you watch the whole thing.
I've been reading up on his bio and more about the project and it is just fascinating. It totally confirms what my husband and I have been saying about unschooling in the environment that we live in today. There is just so much to do and find where we live now. If we set ourselves up as facilitators for our boys and follow them and help them to what they are interested in without comment or push, they will teach themselves. They will find what fascinates them and gives them joy and they will learn all they need to make the dreams they dream happen, without interference from a school with its own agenda.
The boys slept until 8am today! Now if I could only get the dog to sleep that late...I was awakened this morning by the pup at 6:30am. They want their chew treats. I started a load of laundry, checked my email, and started the dishwasher (oops I forgot to do it last night).
After dinner last night, I went out to the front to do some yard work as the sun went down. I pulled up all the grass in the little patch by the street. It was all weedy and dead so I didn't water it for a long time and now I pulling it all out. It doesn't look very big, but I thought my legs would give out by the time I finished. I found a new workout!
Tom got up and turned on the tv to veg for his first hour. He was watching a show about rattlesnakes on National Geographic. Jake went straight to the computer to play online free games. He plays several really cool ones. I play one called Marble Lines and Jake asked me why I don't try to “branch out and try new games”. I like THAT one!
We started reading one of the Thomas Jefferson books that we got at the library today. We are reading two different ones so that we can compare them. That was Tom's strange request. I guess he wants to see if there are any discrepancies.
We went to Target for some baseballs and a new glove. Tom has outgrown his pants...again! Then we headed to Irvine Park to meet some friends for a baseball game. At first there were only 6 of us and we played a great game. I didn't realize how little the boys knew about baseball. It was pretty darn funny! Then we stopped for some lunch and our friends had to leave. But some more friends showed up. We tried to start another game, but Tom had had it with trying new things. He wanted to play, but refused to change anything about the way we had played earlier. Our new friends had played before and had some tips for us. Their way to play made a little more sense. Tom freaked out and had a complete meltdown. We quit and decided to go to the zoo. That was fun because the animals were out. I didn't think they would be because it was so hot today. Tom was a bit rude to our friends. I kept thinking that we should just leave since Tom was not going to get any better. But I couldn't find a time to leave a good place. It did work out in the end though.
We came home and went to Cabo's (our favorite mexican place) for dinner with Dad. When we got home I worked on that patch of grass again. It is all set and ready for seed. I'm going to do that tomorrow.
Oh! The boys have their own email addresses now and have been IM'ing everyone and writing messages. It is fun! I'm sure some of their friends at the park have email too, so now they can harass everyone all on their own. It is fun to see them figure out the website email. They play games on the internet all the time and I was sure they were ready to navigate the mail site.
The fireworks just started as I write this. Dad and Jake are laying on the bed playing “Star Wars Trivia”. It is a made up game of questions they think of and ask each other. Tom is in the shower singing some strange song he made up. I doubt he will ever get out of there.
I'm off, because it is almost my turn in the shower. I'm covered in dirt and sweat and I cannot sleep this way!
Tuesday, the boys were looking pretty bored. Constant bickering and "I'm bored." comments. It has been going this way for some time and it makes me nervous when they act like that. Like maybe I'm making the wrong choice with our unschooling path. Maybe I'm doing it wrong! The great thing is that I have a wonderful husband to talk things out with. We talked a bit. He read some websites I had been reading about unschooling and child-led stuff. And I went off to make dinner. After dinner, he was out in the garage. I asked Tom what he was up to and he said he was cleaning the garage...ok....Tom came in awhile later with a tool box. Dad had got out an old tool box that he had when he worked at Disneyland and filled it with some basic tools. Tom was so impressed. He wants to fix rides at Disneyland like Dad. Dad told him he should fix the tires on his bike the next day and that is just what he did. Wednesday he got out the bikes and took them all apart. But that is about as far as he got. He he he. At least he tried.
The other thing Dad did was find a "How to Draw" website for kids and showed it to Jake. Now he has been drawing all kinds of new things. Today we went to the library and he got several books on how to draw and has been working on those all afternoon.
Wednesday, I took the boys to Aunt Cindy's to swim while Dan and I went to a meeting at Nikki's school. They love going there. They are both swimming so well now. Jake finally let go of the side and dives in head first. They spent the whole afternoon swimming, stopped for some dinner and got right back in. The meeting was interesting. We met her Playwriting and Directing teacher. They all seem really nice and the program is very exciting. I'm sure Nikki will enjoy it.
Today, we went to the library and walked to Carls Jr. for lunch. That was fun. We got some books about Jefferson because we are going to go see a show of an impersonator later this month. Tom wants to have some good questions to ask him, so he wanted to read about him. We also got some cool movies.
Now here is my favorite thing. The other night Tom said that he never had time to read his own book. I always sit and read my book while they go to sleep and we always read a book together in the morning and Dad reads his book to them at night. Tom wants time to read his own book. So I told him that he could do that while I got ready for bed after they were all ready. The first night it only lasted about five minutes. Jake joined in as well and picked up something to read. The next night they jumped right into the books again. And last night they wanted a few more minutes to finish this chapter. Wow! Jake is reading on his own!! Yay! And Tom is sitting there reading for up to half an hour. I'm so impressed. It would be probably really funny if you looked into our house at 9pm every night. All of us in our own space reading our own books.
The dog wakes me up every morning at 5:45!! She stands at the top of the stairs. We have the baby gate still from when the boys were babies so we close it all the time. She likes to come up and eat toys and stuffed animals. So every morning I hear her sit at the top of the stairs by the gate whining at first and then little yips. Our rooms are all right there at the stairs and I don't want her to wake up the boys so I get up and get her a snack. Now, Dan is already up and sitting in the livingroom, but that isn't good enough for her. He doesn't get her a snack! I tried giving her a chew stick and going back to bed, but it only gave me another half an hour. No big deal though. If she didn't get me up, I would probably sleep until 9am each day and then sit around waking up until noon. Back to my pre-child days! Ahh...memories.
We went to Irvine Regional Park today for a picnic. We walked around the pond and hunted crawdads with sticks. They swim away backwards if you startle them, but will fight a stick poked at them! We saw big snails, small clams, and a few fish, not to mention two kinds of ducks. We found a bee hive in the hole of a tree, watched squirrels run, and pet the ponies. Then we had lunch. A big peacock decided to join us. It snuck up on Jake and took his cracker. Then we started feeding it. It didn't like apples, but loved crackers and raisens. We went for a walk around the park. We found a tree with a plague that said it was around 200 years old! Yikes! We played at the playground for a long time. I practiced my drawing and drew a picture of the playground equipment. It came out pretty nice. Tom was so proud of it he had to "show the world" and held it up for the maintnance guys to see. Then we headed back to the truck.
We are still thinking about goals. Jake wants to go to the lego store and see how much a huge Star Wars set is. I think we will do that tomorrow morning. I'm not sure about the piano now. I think I will keep thinking about it. ;)
Oh! The boys finished "The Return of the Indian" last night. Great book, they said. Tonight we watched "Bad New Bears". The boys were riveted. Now Jake wants to take a bat and ball to the park and practice! Me? I'm still working on "Uncle Tom's Cabin". Which, by the way, is completely awesome. It has me crying every night. I have a hard time putting it down, hence the early dog wake-up call is NOT appriciated!
I have a huge pile of Jake's latest drawings. He draws constantly and I'm going to start putting them all on here. Tonight they were watching a show about the Battle of Midway and Jake looks over and tells Dad "I love this show! It gives me lots of ideas!" as he has papers and pencils all over the coffee table franticly drawing.
