Baby School

At the beginning of the school year, I was feeling very envious of all my teacher friends and homeschool friends who were posting how excited they were for the upcoming school year and posting pictures of their classrooms on Facebook. I felt this nostalgic longing for packs of freshly sharpened pencils, cartons of crayons and stacks of Hilroy books. I remembered with fondness afternoons where I would sit at my desk and plan out the next day's activities or when I would stay up late at night organizing an activity for my own boys to complete the next day when we were homeschooling. I was really sad that I was not teaching this year. 

Can I just say that being human is absolutely ridiculous?! When I was teaching, I was envious of all my stay-at-home mom friends who were posting pics of their littles on Facebook . . . ugh! Can we ever truly just be happy with what we have and where we are at each moment? I think so, and I try really hard to do so, which is why moments after my melancholy hit, I looked at the two-under-two crew and enthusiastically decided that they would be my two newest pupils this year. And so, like all my fellow teachers, I hit the internet looking for ideas and activities, when what to my wondering eyes did appear but a link to a website selling Montessori curriculum for babies and toddlers . . . say what? It was like Christmas morning! I was giddy to get my hands on an actual curriculum for the two-under-two crew and impulsively threw those suckers into my virtual shopping cart. Within days they appeared at my doorstep and I have been happily perusing their pages ever since. We, teachers, are nerds . . . what can I say?

Now, baby school looks nothing like real school. There is no schedule and no tests to take. It is just me and my babes playing with a purpose; for instance, this week, Harriet is working on rolling over, so Leif and I place her on the floor on her belly and enthusiastically encourage her to lift that head up and move. This morning she earned a gold star because she actually rolled over, not once, not twice but every time we placed her on her belly. Yay, Harriet!  oh, and I am joking about the gold star . . . or am I?

After working on sorting teddy bears by colour last week, Leif has taken a real interest in colours. Yesterday while we were making some play dough and I asked what colour he wanted to make, he shocked me when he shouted out blue as he reached for the container of blue food colouring. Being a true-blue nerd . . . I admit that sometimes even I find myself to be a bit too much . . . I made an official declaration proclaiming this to be "Blue Week". We went on hunts for the colour blue, we played with blue play-doh, we are wearing all blue today and we sorted out the blue bugs from a colourful pile of plastic bugs. We are having a lot of fun with this and I think we might dedicate the next few weeks to a single colour.

I am particularly enjoying myself because these short snippets of our day are a nice break from all the laundry that needs to be folded, all the dishes that need to be washed, all the toilets that need to be scrubbed and so and so on. These moments are also special because I am able to enjoy myself with my babies. I am able to say yes more than I have to say no or in a minute, and I can laugh and smile along with them.

Hi! I am Harriet Webster and I am running for Prime Minister

There she goes . .  .

I really love being a teacher, especially to my own kiddos!

For My Boys

Today was really hard. Leif was sick all weekend, which meant I had the pleasure of tending to a clingy, whiny baby who was only able to sleep for half hour stretches before he would wake up screaming. I love my boy, but man, it was rough! Luckily, he woke up this morning without a fever, but for some reason, and perhaps it was simply due to the fact that he was so excited to be feeling better, he refused to nap. Every time I would put him down to sleep, he would wake up fifteen minutes later. Then, because he is no longer content to just sit or be held, he was on the move and his mama needed to keep an eye on him:

Look at me, mom! I'm walking around the furniture!

Look at me, mom! I'm playing in the dog's dish!

Look at me, mom! I'm playing in the cornstarch that I just dumped out all over the floor!

Look at me, mom! I'm pooping on the floor!

Look at me, mom! I'm eating pieces of peaches that I threw on the floor last night!

Look at me, mom! I'm eating your pink stick-it notes!

He was just oozing with mischievousness today!

I think you get the picture. Needless to say, I was done. Oh, and to top it all off, our basement bathroom backed up. Yep, that was my day in a nutshell. Fun!

But, it was also tough because two weeks ago, Derrick and I decided that this fall we will be sending our bigger boys back to school, and today was the day I posted all of our homeschool curriculum up for sale. Don't get me wrong, I know with all my heart that this is the right decision for everyone, but seeing our beloved books, the ones we have pored over together, being sold made it very real to me. Our homeschooling days are over. But, like I said I know this is the best decision. Avery has been missing his friends, and he is keen to learn languages, so he is going to start the half year french program and eventually go onto french immersion (hello! Wasn't this the very program I removed Elliot from school to avoid? Yep. And all I can say is they are different kids with different needs and different strengths) Elliot, who always intended to go back for high school, wanted to ease back into public school amongst friends and in a smaller school community. And my other boy, the one who demands constant supervision to ensure not only his own safety but Scout's as well, is no longer homeschooling friendly. I know many amazing moms out there who have homeschooled and are currently homeschooling with infants and my hat goes off to each and every one of them. They have my deepest respect, and I really hoped I could be like them, but I'm not. We all need to know our limitations and homeschooling the boys with Leif was definitely pushing my limits. And so, this fall, I will be sending my boys back on the big, yellow bus. I am sure there will be a tear shed, but I also think there will be some singing and dancing going on as well:

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Let's be honest; I will be dancing all week long! Seriously, though, I have loved teaching my boys for the past three years. We had a lot of laughs, we made some wonderful friends, we learned a ton, and we created a lot of memories, but I am ready to close the book on this chapter of our relationship. I am eager to see how they do in school and see what directions they take. I know they are both ready! But, I guess the real question is . . . is MCS ready?! . . . tee hee!

Yep, it was a rough one here at Shenanigans Inc., but it doesn't change the fact that I love what I do and I love the boys I do it for.

awwwwww . . . I've got some pretty handsome boys.

Oh, and don't fret, Baby Girl is staying home again next year, so I won't be completely bored. 

Priorities

I have come to the realisation that I can no longer  accomplish all that I want to in a day, and in order to avoid feelings of disappointment and inadequacy, I have come up with a new list of priorities for myself:

Love
Nourishment
Exercise
Education

Anything else is a bonus! It sounds silly, but this has helped me tremendously. Instead of going to bed beating myself up because the laundry was not folded and put away, the bathroom was not cleaned, or the floor swept, I can pat myself on the back that day for making sure my kids knew they were loved, for feeding everyone, for making sure everyone did something physical, and for teaching everyone at least one thing. And this change of perspective could not have come at a better time because, man, this week has been a real kick in the arse.


 Picture it:
It's five o'clock and supper has once again snuck up on me because I have just spent the last three hours trying to remove a deeply embedded splinter from the heel of Avery's foot. I have a freezer full of meat, but no time to thaw and cook any of it since we need to be back in the car at six o'clock to get the boys to their youth activities at church and to take Zoe to soccer practice. The baby is on the shaded deck in a onesie, squealing with delight from the confines of his exesaucer as he watches Avery dunk yet another ball into the makeshift basketball hoop the boys made. For a brief moment, I think to myself that Leif's bare legs must be getting cold, but since he is happy, I brush the concern away and focus my attention back on what to feed my children. The counters and sink are littered with two days worth of dirty dishes, some of which still hold crusty dollops of ketchup from our lunchtime feast of BBQ hotdogs (the great thing about my new priorities is that is says NOTHING about the quality of food!). Elliot pops his head into the kitchen and whines that he cannot possibly mow another inch of what has quickly become a dandelion infested, field of hay in our backyard. With Derrick super busy, working full-time and finishing up his CMA plus two MBA courses, Elliot has been deemed the Man-of-the-House and has been entrusted with the sacred job of taming the jungle that, I swear, has waged war against us and is determined to swallow up our tiny, blue house once and for all.

You can do it, Buddy! Just finish that last patch. I will run you a hot bath and you can have a can of Coke with supper. Okay? You can do this . . .

Right, supper! As he heads back outside, I turn my attention back to the kitchen and begin   scouring the cupboards for anything that will fill our bellies. Seeing that we now only have forty-five minutes left before we need to be out the door, I decide to fry up some eggs and bacon, our go-to meal on busy nights. Once the bacon is laid in the frying pan, I remember I need to fill the bathtub up for Elliot and so I run off to the bathroom to get things set up for him.

Mom, mom! Grab your camera and come quick! Elliot found Godzilla's baby!

I look around me. The bacon is sizzling, the baby is fussing because he is now alone on the deck and probably starting to take notice of the cool breeze blowing on his bare extremities, and the tub is running. So, what do I do? Well, like any sleep-deprived mama who is trying her best to live in the moment and show her children that she does indeed care about them, I grab my camera and run out to the backyard.

Mom, it is so cool! Can we keep him?

Ummmm . . . nope.

But if we let him loose he might grow up to be as big as Godzilla and reap havoc all over the world!

Still, nope. We can take his picture and then put him back in the grass.

As Avery begrudgeonly returns his treasure to the jungle, I scoop up Leif, run to turn off the tub, which thankfully did not overflow, and place Leif in his highchair. I hand him some blocks, and he immediately shoves one into his mouth and sits contentedly while I flip the bacon and scramble the eggs. At that moment, I feel an overwhelming urge to text Derrick and declare how much I love our crazy life, even though, just an hour before, I had texted him threatening that this was the day I would be finally running away.

Derrick, I just had the greatest epiphany! This is OUR life! These are OUR children, and this is exactly what I have always wanted! We are truly blessed. Oh, and I fear I may be bi-polar.

To, which he replied:

Yes, yes you are.

Life right is now is infinitely harder than I ever thought imaginable, but it just feels right, and although I do not love every moment of my day, I am happy and my heart is full. 

38 Week Check-In

38 week bump. Please ignore the laundry catastrophe behind me. 

In exactly one week from now I will finally be holding my little Leif or Harriet. It is almost surreal to think that the day I have been longing for over four years now is almost here. Our entire house is abuzz with excitement! Yesterday, the kids picked names out of a hat to determine the order of who gets to hold Thing 4 first, who gets to sit beside Thing 4 in the car for the first time, and who gets Thing 4's name in this year's Christmas exchange . . . tee hee! Luckily, they each won a claim to fame: Avery gets to hold him or her first, Zoe gets to sit beside him or her in the car first, and Elliot gets to buy his or her first, sibling, Christmas gift . . . phew! It could have been ugly. 

As hard as it is to believe, I sometimes think they may actually be more excited than me. Yesterday, Elliot walked by the baby's crib and ran his hand along the fleece blanket inside:

I can't believe there is going to be a baby lying here next week.

This afternoon, Avery hopped into the van after his gym class and exclaimed:

That was my last gym class before the baby comes! 

And just a moment ago, I walked into my room to find Zoe holding the baby's car seat:

I can't believe that in only one week there is going to be a little person sitting in this seat.

Perhaps excitement does not fully encompass exactly how we are all feeling this week. Each of us seems to be fully aware of the tremendous blessing that is about to be bestowed upon us and although we are excited, we are equally humbled and in awe over the fact that we, of all the families in the world, have been chosen to welcome this particular person into our home. We are incredibly lucky!

So, with only one week left before the munchkin arrives to stir up even  more shenanigans here at Shenanigans Inc., I am going catch you up on a few things because I will unlikely be posting any blog updates over the next two weeks. On Sunday, as many of you may have heard, I had a minor fainting spell at church. After being attended to by two dear friends of mine, who are both nurses, I decided to go to the hospital to get checked out. Thankfully, both the baby and I were fine. As I was hooked up to the monitor, though, it occurred to me that I really need to slow things down. I am a thirty-seven year old woman whose body has spent the last thirty-eight weeks creating a body for Thing 4, and that is no small feat. This pregnancy has gone remarkably well and I have had no problems at all, but with only one week left and after the busy, stressful past few weeks we have had, it is time for me to slow down, and I can feel it. I am tired, I am uncomfortable, and I am ready to cross the finish line. 

So, rather than run myself ragged this week, I plan to slow down and savour this precious time with my family; therefore, I have decided to lessen my load and to focus on what is most important. This week, I am completely ignoring the housework because I figure it is pretty much going to be a mess for the next year or two so one more week really won't matter. Instead, the kids and I are working on some school, and we are cooking lots of yummy meals and treats to freeze. When I say we, I truly mean we. Zoe, alone, cooked a chili and a hamburger noodle soup today, and tonight Zoe and the boys are making cookies. I have the best kids! With our last weekend as a family of five quickly approaching, Mr. Level-Headed and I are also planning to take the kids to see the new Thor movie. It is so strange to think that after almost ten years of it just being the five of us, we are finally welcoming a new member into our family. This new addition is going to change the dynamic of our household, but I am I know with all my heart it will be changed for the best.

Speaking of changes, and since you have had to endure this dreadfully boring blog post under the pretense that I have lots of terribly insightful ideas and really it has been no different than my usual sentimental dribble, I will let you in on some big news. Are you ready for this? 

Well . . .

not only are we welcoming a new addition into our family, but we are also welcoming a new student into our homeschooling mix. Two weeks ago, Zoe came to me and asked if I would homeschool her. Initially, I wanted to jump up and down, screaming:

YES! YES! Definitely YES!

while smothering her in kisses and hugs, but I kept my cool. I showed self-restraint (only out of fear that my lack of coolness may cause her to change her mind), and I simply said:

Yes. If that is what you really want, I will.

Being home for the past eight weeks and really not being in any shape to return to school soon, Zoe is afraid of losing a semester. She also wants the freedom to do her work on her own schedule, one that will allow her to take the time she needs to heal and to rest. I am so excited to have her home with us, and to be her teacher again. Oh, and the really exciting thing is that the only area I was very concerned about teaching her was French since she has been in French Immersion for the past four years and really wants to receive her bilingual certificate. Well, last week we received an email from our homeschool group announcing that the College of Extended Learning at UNBSJ is offering a french course for homeschool kids ages 12-18 starting this week. How cool is that? I just love it when life works out for the best!

Well, I've got to run. The smell of freshly baked peanut butter cookies are calling my name and this very pregnant mama is HUNGRY!

Happy Thursday!

Week 30 Check-In

This week is flying by! I nearly died when I woke up this  morning and realized it was already Thursday. Our week has been filled with appointments, homeschooling, meetings, and some really fun outings. In fact, tonight is the first night all week that I get to stay home, and I envision curling up in my bed with my comfy, cozy jammies on and reading "The Maze Runner" . . . heaven!  On Tuesday night, I went out with a bunch of my girlfriends to see The Immortal Cup. There is nothing better than being surrounded by a bunch of friends, munching on some popcorn, drinking copious amounts of carbonated, caffeinated beverages, while being frightened by werewolves, demons, and vampires and drooling over "creepy hot guys", who, honestly, are young enough to be one of my own kids. Yep, I have officially become a dirty, old woman . . . tee hee!

In spite of how busy I have been with keeping on top of the household chores, teaching the boys and being a mom, my mind is currently preoccupied with Thing 4. I open his or her drawers at least three times a day to take a peek at the jammies. I daydream about the moment the doctor lifts him or her from my belly and announces: "It's a  . . . .!", and I imagine going about my hectic life with him or her strapped to my chest, while I periodically pause to kiss the top of his or her head and stroke all that black hair I imagine Thing 4 to have. This week marks my 30th week, which means in 9 short weeks, I will finally get to meet my little darling, and  I can't wait! 

This week I also visited my doctor and everything went great! I have been a little worried lately because everyone who sees my belly comments on how small it is. I was at the bank the other day and the teller exclaimed: "Where are you storing that baby!". I understand that I should be regarding these comments as compliments, but they frazzle me. I have always had a ginormous baby belly, but for some reason, this time around, it is much more compact. I also think that losing two babies prior to this one has also made me super sensitive and in all honesty, I will not be able to relax until I have Thing 4 cradled in my arms and I am smothering him or her in kisses. Anyhoo . . . according to my doctor, everything is absolutely perfect, and she even jokingly told my sister, whose appointment was only fifteen minutes after mine (how funny is that!), that she wants to clone the two of us because our bodies just seem equipped for this whole baby-building business. So, with her assurance that everything is going great, I am going to try to relax. Seriously. I can do this. I hope. 

Speaking of Thing 4, he or she did the CUTEST thing ever the other day! On Sundays I spend the afternoon teaching our primary group, which is comprised of children from ages four to eleven. We have quite a large group and they can get quite loud and rambunctious at times. While the kids were waiting for their parents to pick them up from the classroom, a bunch of the kids were circled around me, touching my belly, and squealing: 'Come on baby, move!". Poor Thing 4 must have been terrified because he or she was being super quiet. Then, out of the blue, Avery showed up, placed his hand on my belly and said: "Thing 4, it's Avery. You need to move for the kids!". As soon as Avery spoke, Thing 4 jumped and started acting foolish. I was shocked that amongst all those voices and all that chaos, Thing 4 was able to distinguish Avery's voice and was clearly excited to hear him. What a cutie!

Thing 4 continues to go quiet when Mr. Level-Headed talks to him or her at night, and this is starting to worry Mr. Level-Headed. He doesn't want the baby to be fearful of him so this week he has started kissing Thing 4 goodnight and assuring him or her that he really isn't that scary. The good news is that this seems to be working, and last night, as Mr. Level-Headed was whispering to my belly, Thing 4 began moving closer to his voice. Again, how cute is that? 

But not so cute, is how strong Thing 4 is becoming. In fact, on Sunday night, Thing 4 kicked me so hard I screamed and doubled over in pain. Then, because once is never enough, he or she did it again. I scared everyone in the house, but thankfully, my future rugby player settled down and since then, I have stopped asking Heavenly Father, in my prayers, to make Thing 4 strong. Instead, I simply ask for Him to ensure Thing 4 is healthy and safe . . . tee hee!

Yep, that pretty much sums up my week and if you are a regular visitor of my blog then you know that now comes the slew of crappy Iphone pictures I have taken to document all of our shenanigans. Enjoy!

The boys modelling their Ancient Chinese peasant hats. They were a little on the small side, but the boys had fun making them.

The imposter is finally gone, and Elliot has returned. Even though Monday was a rough day for him, he still managed to pull it together and get all of his work done. 

This dog is so spoiled!

Thing 4's new sandbox! Exactly what every baby needs when they are 30 weeks old in utero.

Fall soccer started and EVERYONE needed new cleats. Thank heavens for 50% off clearance sales!

The boys excavated some rocks and minerals,

and made some very yummy moon cakes (a Chinese tradition).

And here is my 30 week, kind of tiny but very uncomfortable, baby bump:

Awwwwww . . . .

Some Thoughts and Pictures on the First Week of September

I love September! I love the sunny afternoons and the cool evening breeze. I love the return to routine and the spark for change that this season calls for. I started the week out by rearranging my bedroom. It looks fabulous and we have so much more room in there for Thing 4 to join us in just ten weeks . . . eeeek! And before I go on, I would just like to give Mr. Level-Headed yet another shout out for being the best hubby in the world. When I texted him and told him that I was rearranging the room with Zoe's help, he was less than enthused because he was scared that I had moved our bed, which currently looks out our huge picture window sporting a spectacular view of the Kennebecasis River. I assured him that this was not the case and that all I needed him to do was to take the closet doors off for me when he got home. This did not elicit a response from him, but as soon as he came home, he went straight to work at taking the doors off for me. Truly ladies, I have the best husband around . . . sorry. Oh, and in case you are wondering why the closet doors had to come off, it was to create more space for my large antique mirror that now had to go in the corner of the room with the closet. Anyhoo . . . our room looks great, there is lots more room, and the change of scenery has boosted my spirits. Does anyone get that way when they change their furniture around? It is the best cure for boredom!

Another big change that happened this week was that my Baby Girl went and grew up on me . . . again! She was all done up for her first day of grade ten and my heart stopped. She looked like a woman! Then, I became even more freaked out when I realized that she is the exact same age I was when I met Mr. Level-Headed. Now, I think marrying your high school sweetheart is a fantabulous idea because you get to spend the rest of your life with your best friend, someone who grew up with you (in a sense) and stuck by you even when you were going through that awkward teenage angst stage of life, (and not to mention you make the most adorable babies together), but to think that my Baby Girl is actually old enough to meet the man she could marry blows my mind. How did my baby get to be this old? How did I get to be this old? Oh, and for the record, I am not encouraging Zoe to go out and find the man of her dreams just yet. She has big educational aspirations to accomplish first, but I am just saying that if it happens, it happens. It worked for me!

Even though the boys and I were already into our second week of school, we attended a Back-to-Homeschool party with our homeschooling group, the Charlotte County Homeschoolers. The boys had a blast! In total there were thirty-nine kids and the sun broke through the fog just in time for all of those kids to hop into the pool. 

Avery's "class" (Grade 4)

Elliot's "class" (Grade 7)

It is interesting to note that Elliot hangs out with all the kids in the grade 5 "class" and even asked to join them when we start up our science lab classes at the Huntsman Aquarium in November. If you look at this picture, he even looks like a grade 5 kid not one of those grade 7's, which really makes me wish our world was not set up the way it is. It drives me crazy that we assign children to grades according to their age and not their capabilities. Some kids mature very quickly and others take a little more time. In fact, I had a paediatrician tell me this once after she examined Elliot. She said he is simply younger than his age: physically, intellectually, and emotionally. I wish I could white out his birth certificate and change the year of his birth to 2003 rather than 2001. As a ten year old, he would rock the world! Unfortunately, this is not an option, but thankfully, I do homeschool him and this offers me a little more freedom in choosing curriculum that are better suited to where he is in his intellectual development. Ooooh! Profound thought: I wonder how many of these "disabilities", "syndromes" and "deficits" we could actually eliminate if we simply taught and treated children at their own level rather than the one we expect them to be at!!!! 

Anyhoo . . . sorry about that tangent. It is just something I have been thinking about lately.

While the boys ran wild with all of their friends, I spent the afternoon talking about homeschooling high school kids with a woman I just met, who also happens to be the breastfeeding mentor at the hospital, and so I also drove her crazy with all my "what if I forget how to do it" questions . . . tee hee! She assured me that breastfeeding is like riding bike and that I will have no problem, but I am still unsure and informed her that she better be working when I go in to have Thing 4. Oh, and to make my afternoon even more spectacular, I got to hold the cutest three month old baby girl. She was adorable! She had lots of brown hair (oh, how I love babies with hair!) and slate blue eyes like all of my  babies did. It felt so good to be holding a baby again, but let me tell you, Thing 4 was not impressed. He or she kicked up a storm and kicked that poor baby something terrible. Elliot suggested that perhaps Thing 4 was simply happy to have a friend so close by, but call it mama's intuition, I think Thing 4 was put out.

Hey! I am the only baby she is supposed to coo and fuss over.

Later that night, as Thing 4 was performing his or her happy dance for me just as I was about to fall asleep, I had a stern talking to with him or her. 

Thing 4, you are number 4. That means you have to share me. I am sorry, but that is just the way it has to be. 

To which, Thing 4 gave me one more giant boot to the rib cage, in what I can only imagine to be his or her first temper tantrum, and then went to sleep . . . tee hee!

Sadly, I really am this crazy.

And here are this week's bump pictures. Can you spot Avery? CREEPY! For the record, do not take your kids into Value Village right now if you don't want them to become Halloween obsessed like my two monkeys currently are. 

Oh, but do go into Value Village right now if you are desperately looking for some maternity jeans that fit just right and that fit into the budget even better. Seven dollars and they fit like a glove!  

And there you have it; all my thoughts and pictures from the first week of September. Fascinating, right? 

tee hee!

The First Day Back

Okay, so I know I said I would not be blogging this week, but I am on such a high right now that I can not help myself. We had the BEST first day of school EVER! I mean it, and I am not talking about just for us, but I am talking about the best first day back to school for all of humanity. It was truly amazing! I don't know if it was due to the fact that this is our third year of homeschooling and perhaps I have finally figured it all out. I don't know if it is because Elliot, after three years, has finally caught the vision, and I don't know if Hell has finally frozen over, but whatever it is, whatever guardian angel was sent to smooth things out for us today, I will take it, and I am forever grateful for it. Seriously, I was expecting all kinds of awful, but none of that happened. I had two, cooperative, albeit not impressed that summer vacation was over, boys who worked their butts off. Sure there was a time out for pushing, a time out for a change in attitude, and a time when the mama had to raise her voice in order to reign in her hoodlums and stop them from jumping on the couch, but heck, that is nothing! There were no tantrums thrown, there were no tears, there were no shut-downs and there were no mutinies. Yep, I can safely declare this to be the best first day back to school ever!

The day began at 7am, and much to my shock, although the boys were exhausted from our Back to to School Feast and Festivities the night prior (more on this tomorrow), they got out of bed and went straight to work doing their morning routine. No big deal, right? WRONG! This was a huge deal because it was just last night that I informed Elliot that he no longer gets a half an hour of screen time before school starts for getting up out of bed on time and performing his routine within the allotted time. The even crazier thing is that when I first informed him of this new change to the routine, which I thought alone could bring upon the apocalypse, he rolled his eyes and simply walked away. 

What no screaming? No accusing me of being the worst mother on the face of the earth?  No cry for an end to this cruel and unusual punishment inflicted upon innocent and deserving children?

I guess not. The alarm went off this morning, and he was ready to start the day by 8am. It was kind of anti-climatic.

Then, he worked his hardest all day long. I heard him chuckle while reading his new novel, The Indian in the Cupboard. He got really into a project we did for our study of Ancient China, where the boys decorated our bulletin board with illustrations and facts about the animals of China. He took notes in Science, wrote out his spelling words in both cursive and print, and he did his math warm up of 80 multiplication facts in the blink of an eye AND with only one mistake. Folks, I don't know where my son is, but if you find him, there is no need to return him. I am quite happy with this impostor . . . tee hee!

Sure, I am going on and on about Elliot, but Avery had a great day too. Yes, he was the one who had the two time outs and he was the one who instigated the mid-school break of rough-housing in the living room, but he aced everything he did! At one point, he was doing his math, his grade four math (I can't believe he is in grade four!), and he turned to me and exclaimed:

This math is soooo easy, and you were afraid that summer vacation would rot my brain . . .  wrong!

. . .  tee hee!

I love that kid!

Yep, the day was pretty spectacular, and it even ended on a good note. Elliot did his homework without complaint (he completes his corrections from that day as homework now in preparation for high school,which is only two years away . . . eeek!). We had no where to go and so the boys spent the evening golfing with crab apples in our backyard (again, I have the funniest kids!), which allowed me to tackle one job on my chore list. Baby Girl did a fashion show for me with all the clothes her Grammie bought for her today during their girls-day-out, and we had leftovers for supper (no fuss, no muss, and more importantly, no mess!) Pinch me, I must dreaming! And now for the proof:

Our jam-packed lesson plan, which was way too much because we did not finish it all until 4pm, but no one complained!

Two hard working boys:

Our Animals of China bulletin board:

One of Elliot's drawings. I had to laugh when I noticed that he was putting funny captions alongside each of his animals. This one is of the Takin, who we learnt is considered the rarest animal in the world; therefore Elliot wrote: "The zookeeper says I'm special!" . . . tee hee!

Here is Avery's camel. Avery LOVES to draw and so he took this assignment very seriously. I love how he coloured the camel in two tones of brown, and he included the fact that camels do NOT carry water in their humps. This fact blew his mind! I swear he found this even more shocking than the Santa Secret, which he also just figured out today. It's a long story, but let's just put it this way, he handled it much better than his brother . . . tee hee! 

The very yummy, and definitely not nutritious in any way shape or form, lunch that Grammie delivered to the boys when she picked up Zoe for their lunch and shopping date. They were in heaven, and I lost track of how many times they exclaimed: "Grammie is the best!"

Yep, this indeed was the best first day back to school ever!

And now I am preparing myself for the inevitable crash that I like to call "day two" . . . tee hee! Come on, let's be realistic here. This was just one of those cosmic irregularities, which will never come along again in my lifetime . . . but I can hope.

Wish me luck!

The Poet

Last week, he was my philosopher, but this week he is my poet.

The boys and I have a fantastic cursive program that we work on together each day . . . gasp!  She teaches her boys cursive, that ancient and outdated form of writing that our school system has deemed useless?  Yes, that would be the one.  I really shouldn't take a jab at the school system because, in all honesty, I was there.  When I was teaching at Touchstone, the debate on cursive came up, and although I did teach it, I did doubt its benefits, and not because of any grand pedagogical reasoning, but simply on the basis that I felt I was already trying to squeeze too much in, and I fear that this is the reasoning behind our school board's decision too. They are trying to do too much with too little resources and too little time.
Now that I only have the needs of two pupils to look after, however, I feel very strongly that cursive needs to be taught.  For one, how are my boys if they ever grow up to become writers or English professors, be able to read the original manuscripts of the great authors?  If they become historians or archaeologists, how are they ever going to read ancient letters or documents?  When I am long gone, how are they going to read all my journal entries and be able to pass on my story to their grandchildren? Dismissing cursive is so near-sighted.  Yes, it may not be the way of the future, but it was the predominant communication method of the past, and what are we if can not access our past?  
The second and more practical reason I teach cursive is that it is easier for children to do than print and it eliminates reversals made with "b" and "d", which both of my boys are notorious for doing. From an OT perspective (occupational therapist) cursive is physically easier on your hands as well.  So, there you have it: Shenanigans Inc. comes out and takes a stand on the grand cursive debate.  We vote "Yea!"

Anyhoo . . .

So, the program we use is Handwriting Without Tears, and for Elliot's age, his cursive practise is centred upon grammar instruction and creative writing assignments.  I love this because we also have a grammar program  . . . gasp!  Another one of my pet peeves about the school system, but I will save that lengthy treatise for another day.  In short, Elliot gets a quick grammar review each day with his cursive lesson, and I think that is awesome!  This week, one of his cursive lessons discussed poetry and challenged him to write a haiku.  A haiku is an ancient Japanese form of poetry that is comprised of seventeen syllables, follows the pattern of 5, 7, 5, and does not rhyme. You can only imagine the initial distress this brought to Elliot and to me, his poor mama; however, after a bit of thinking time on the floor, he came up with an idea!  He poo-pooed on my suggestions of a winter day, swimming in the pool, or a day at the beach, and chose something he is more familiar with:  Halo  . . . gasp!  Yes, I am one of those terrible mamas who allows her boys to play violent video games.  Trust me, I held out for as long as I could, but they are relentless and I am weak. So embarrassing!

I was shocked at how well he did.  True, his format is more of a 4, 7, 5, which comes out at only 16 syllables, but Elliot found the form too restrictive, and rather than risk sacrificing the artistic integrity of his poem by randomly inserting another syllable, he took a stand and refused. Can you say temperamental artist?

Once again, without further adieu, I present Elliot's poem:

Halo!

Grunts get blown up,
Grenades go off at their feet.
Then they come after me.

Yep, this boy is proving to be more Skov-Nielsen everyday.

Happy Tuesday!

Sick Day

It is so ironic that the day I make a shout out about how much I love homeschooling is the day that I get sick.  It was bad!  I kept feeling worse as the day rolled on, and Avery sensing there was a wounded member in our pack, jumped at the opportunity to claim the alpha position. He yelled, he whined, and he flat out refused to do his work until this mama found his weak spot and went for the kill. Yes, I pilfered his bag of goodies that Grammie gave him the other day and told him he could have one treat after each completed assignment was inspected by me. This made him mad, but his love for all things sugary won out and he caved. Oh, and just so you know, this was not bribery, this was positive reinforcement.  Being a good parent is all in how you word things.  

When the boys finally finished their work, they headed outside to play in the snow.  It was a beautiful day, and when they came in they were all sweaty, red-faced, and worn out. Exactly how this mama likes to see them.  Unfortunately, Scout did not fare so well.  The snow balled up on his long belly fur, and he came in looking like an abominable snow puppy.  The poor thing!

In the end, I became sicker and our day eventually came to a close . . .  thank heavens! I have never been so happy to see Mr. Level-Headed walk in the door. Unfortunately, I am still feeling crummy today and we have run out of candy. This could get ugly, folks.  Wish me luck!

Oh, and don't even get me started on the foolishness of our school district's failure to cancel school, my lack-lustre attempt at rebellion and my eventual surrender . . . eeek!  I should just stay away from all forms of social media when I am sick.   

Happy slush/rain/snow . . . ugh . . . just another day in NB kind of day!

Is It Worth It?

The other day, a friend of mine asked me how I felt about homeschooling.  The minute she asked me, I chuckled and paused.

I don't know.

I guess I haven't thought much about it because I am too busy doing it.  Truth be told, though, I miss sending them off to school.  I miss having the entire day to myself.  I miss how clean and organized my home was when they were in school. I miss meeting up with Mr. Level-Headed for lunch dates in the middle of the week. I miss all the activities I was involved in when they were in school.  At one point, I was doing karate three times a week and playing soccer in the evening with the kids.  It was an incredible two years!

But, my boys were suffering, one boy in particular, and so things had to change.  It was hard giving up my "me" time, but I enjoyed it while it lasted, and I know it will come around again.  

For now, I am knee deep in hands-on parenting once again.  My bed is always covered in piles of clean clothes at the end of the day.  The dust bunnies are building forts in every corner of my house, and sometimes, if I am motivated enough (and that is rarely) I can squeeze a half hour run in my day.

But as tough as it is, I am happy.  Sure, those two years were lovely and I look fondly back upon them often, but THIS is what life is about: getting your hands dirty, making mistakes, dragging your exhausted body to bed day after day, and spending every waking minute with those that matter most.

Homeschooling is the most frustrating, the most difficult, and yet most highly rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. I actually love it!

I love watching my boys play together and grow closer and closer each day:

I love watching them learn, especially those times when we close our text books, they get their hands dirty and create something they can be proud of:

I love being there to witness those moments when they master something that once was hard for them.

Elliot's biggest struggle is writing, but here he wrote a paragraph in ten minutes.  His paragraph had a topic sentence, was logically laid out and included varied sentence structure. I was so proud of him!


And I LOVE coming across all their inventions, their maniacal plots, and their booby traps:


Avery managed to set up this Nerf gun so that when you opened their bedroom door, it shot you. The crazy thing is that it worked!  But it also broke the coat rack that it was hanging from . . .  grrrrr!


Yes, for now I can honestly say that I love homeschooling and that it was worth hanging up my karate gi, my soccer cleats, and my mop to have my days filled with surprises, excitement, and these two boys:



That being said, two years from now, when I send them along their merry way to middle school and high school, I will be the one dancing in her slippers and housecoat at the end of the driveway shouting:

It's the most wonderful time of the year!