Saffs: what doing?

Time outside

2012-02-22T11:45:00.001-08:00

On Friday David took the older boys skiing for the first time. While they were on the slopes, Mr. 2 and I headed to the park for a little bike riding. Fun was had by all but it was a bit strange to think of skiing on such a warm day.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

First trip in the swing

2012-02-22T11:42:00.001-08:00

Luckily he has enough padding to keep him upright.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Birthday Fun

2012-02-14T12:57:00.000-08:00

We decided to celebrate Mr. 9 and Mr. 7's birthdays with a trip to the Cape Codder with friends rather than the usual parties. My intern retreat was at the Cape Codder - the retreat that began after being awake 30 hours on one of my worst call nights ever and continuing downhill from there. It had been a night of ICU transfers and the sad death of a patient whose family was not ready to let go and there had been no sleep and lots of tension all night. At home it wasn't much better with Mr. 6 (then only 2 years old) didn't sleep and the packing did not go well. At least the boys had a great time with karoke.

So our memories of the Cape Codder were not rosy but the wave pool with water slides seemed perfect for our crew and some good friends joined us and now happy memories can edge out those from 4 years ago.

Mr. 7 and 9 loved the wave pool and would have happily swam for hours while Mr. 2 enjoyed it until his lips turned blue and then he huddled in a towel. Even Mr. 0 seemed interested and his first time in the pool was a happy one (not so with Mr. 9 whose shrieking lasted for a good half hour after his first dip). Despite their love of swimming, the older boys were not interested in the slides at first. On Sunday morning Mr. 9 decided he wanted to go. And then decided that he didn't. And then decided he did. This is all taking place at the top of the slide with lots of people waiting as he fretted and told me that he knew I would be ashamed of him if he didn't go. I thought this was probably a case where he needed a push even it was a bit scary for him and once he finally went down (with me almost having to push him), he loved it and happily went over and over again.

It's always been like this for him. Riding his bike was terrifying until he actually just did it and then wouldn't get off for the rest of the summer. He builds it up in his mind and needs that push to finally get past it.

Once Mr. 9 went down he really wanted Mr. 7 to give it a try. Mr. 7 also went through the back and forth but it involved much more screaming and tears. And at the thought that Mr. 7 really wasn't going to go, Mr. 9 burst into tears. And our lovely friend S kept trying to convince him that it wasn't scary but that just seemed to raise the emotional bar. So in the end he didn't go and I was exhausted from the emotional battles of the morning. It is so hard to know when to push and when to back off. For Mr. 9, he needed that push even though it involved nearly forcing him to go the first time. For Mr. 7, it just wasn't the right time and we'll have to try again another day. Hopefully with a wiser captain.

Trot, trot

2012-02-14T12:13:00.001-08:00

I love big brothers!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Strawberries

2012-02-14T12:11:00.001-08:00

Mr. 0 recently learned how to blow strawberries withhis lips and this is now one of his favorite pastimes - that and trying to kick off his socks. I think he's going to have to start wearing mismatched pairs because we're losing socks a quite a pace.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Good books

2012-02-14T12:02:00.001-08:00

I just told the boys that quiet time was over and they both told me no (quite emphatically actually). Mr. 9 started Little Men this morning and is really enjoying it. Mr. 7 continues in his love of Magic Treehouse and just told me that the Civil War was really a fight about slavery so Jack and Annie must be back in the 1860s. I love the way they love a good book.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Growing up

2012-02-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Our boys tend to grow up in bursts. Mr. 9 has recently just seemed so grown up. He decided he wanted try out for a part in the cantata and memorized his lines for the audition. He did well and nervously waited for the callback results. He was asked to come for the callbacks and learned more lines. When I got the e-mail on Tuesday saying he'd gotten the part he yelled "Yes" and immediately wanted to call David to tell him. He's that big - just decides to do something and just does it.

And don't get me started on how tall that guy is...

How much more is 4?

2012-02-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

I am regularly asked with some incredulousness if I really have four children and if they're really all boys. All sorts of answers typically float through my head (often depending on the mood and noise level of said children) but I typically just say yes and smile. "How do you do it?" I'm asked and told that one or two or three is hard enough. Typically I answer that the transitions from none to one kid and from one to two kids are the most difficult and adding another one or two really isn't so bad.

Today, as I juggled the kids at the museum, I realized that balancing the needs of four people - really five if you count David (but honestly he more than takes care of himself and the rest of us) and six if you add me in (although during the day I'm sometimes not sure if anyone else counts me) - is really difficult. There's the easy hierarchy when Mr. 2 calls that he pooped and needs help and Mr. 0 is hungry and fussy and Mr. 9 needs help with a tricky math problem (poop beats fussiness and math can definitely wait) but it's often much more difficult.

I took Mr. 7, Mr. 2, and Mr. 0 to the Museum of Science today for Mr. 7's birthday. On Thursdays David works from home and Mr. 9 stays with him to finish school and have some programming time with Dad while the rest of us are at bible study and Mr. 9 didn't want to give that up - even for a museum he loves. So off the rest of us went for some museum fun. Mr. 0 was pretty content in the stroller or carrier depending on his mood and Mr. 7 was his cheerful enthusiastic self but Mr. 2 was being difficult. The kind of difficult that is I-will-go-where-I-want-when-I-want-at-the-speed-I-want. This works okay if it's just the two of us or even the three of us but not so well when there are four of us. I lost him twice and each time he refused to hold my hand as we rejoined the others. As long as he walked next to me I let it go.

Finally he wanted to climb up one of the exhibits - the exhibit Mr. 7 was trying to use. I pulled him down but he climbed right back up. So I pulled screaming toddler off and carried him over to the other side of the area to chat leaving a sleeping Mr. 0 with Mr. 7. But now I had committed the unforgivable crime of carrying him and he refused to do anything but yell that he wanted to walk over and over again. I finally had to carry him screaming to the next area with Mr. 7 pushing the stroller. I knew we were near the end but Mr. 7 had asked to watch the ball machine at the beginning and I had asked him to wait due to other circumstances and I wanted him to have a few minutes before we left. With Mr. 7 and Mr. 0 distracted, I was finally able to calm Mr. 2 down enough for him to ask if he could walk without screaming so I put him down and he ran back to where the carrying offense had started and walked back to me from that point. I let them watch the ball machine for a few minutes while I calmed Mr. 0 down who was upset by Mr. 2's screaming. Checking the time I told Mr. 2 it was time for a quick trip to the bathroom before we headed home.

All was going well until we got off the elevator to head for the exit. Mr. 2 saw a water fountain and took off for it while Mr. 7 and I kept in the exit direction. We had to go and I was done. I told him I had his water bottle and we had to go. He wouldn't walk so I carried him screaming through the exit gates, to the kiosks to pay for our parking, to the elevator, and then to the car. Twice I had to put him down and he immediately tried to run back to where we had started. So in the end I just had to carry a shrieking toddler to the car and hold him in his carseat while I strapped him in. Meanwhile Mr. 0 had started to cry again so I spent the next 15 minutes calming him down.

If we had been by ourselves I would have left much earlier but I didn't want to have to punish Mr. 7 who was being a champion helper. If it were just Mr. 0, I wouldn't have to drag him around to get kids to lessons interrupting his naps. And that's the struggle, trying to meet everyone's needs and not pushing something I know will result in screaming and the end of a good time for the one who is doing just what I asked. It's hard to disappoint one to help another. All the books would say that if your toddler throws a fit in the grocery then you just leave the cart and come back. But what if your 3 other kids are at home with your husband and you need the groceries and coming back with everyone the next day would just be too awful to contemplate and you had promised someone scrambled eggs for breakfast and those eggs are sitting in your cart. The question is difficult and I often just don't have the answer. I just wish there was less screaming as I try to figure it out.

Checking out the geckos

2012-02-09T17:29:00.001-08:00

Ups and downs

2012-02-07T18:31:00.000-08:00

We capped off a great weekend with Nana and Papa with a great Superbowl party. We left right before the third quarter and the boys really wanted to watch the end when we got home. Thanks to the power of the internet and streaming, we were able to watch the final sad moments of the game. Mr. 9 cried at the Patriots loss, the first time he has actually cared about the fate of a sports team. It was a great night.

Monday morning everyone slept in a bit... Except Mr. 6 who was up right at 7am after going to bed after 10pm. Mr. 9 and Mr. 2 followed about 30 minutes later. We had a hard time getting started and an even harder time keeping on task. Especially my early riser who couldn't concentrate for more than about 2 minutes at a time. We ended up getting through the majority of our work somehow (math, grammar, spelling words, a bit of reading) and then I just let them play with legos while I read. It was 50 degrees outside so we ate a quick lunch and I tried to get everyone outside for a bit of sunshine before quiet time. Of course Mr. 0 needed a new diaper and Mr. 2 was cranky and so it was a good 15 minutes of scrambling before we could actually get outside. I was pretty sure we didn't have enough energy to make it to the park so we headed to the backyard. On the way out the door Mr. 9 asked if he could take out a camera and I told him no. The boys tend to walk around viewing the world through the small screen on the back of the camera rather than actually looking around (and moving around) and so I told him we weren't going to be out for long and we should just enjoy the beautiful day. He sulked for the rest of the 10 minutes we lasted. Mr. 6 refused to listen to anything I said and when I finally had Mr. 2 engaged in a game of baseball, he kept trying to distract him. Fed up, I ordered my crew inside. The older boys grabbed their books (they're smart enough to realize that my patience was gone) and I took Mr. 2 downstairs to read. He could barely keep his eyes open for Owl Moon (one of my new favorites). Between his nap and Mr. 0's schedule, by the time we could try the great outdoors again it was after 4pm and already 20 degrees colder. We lasted 15 minutes and headed back in.

Today was so much better. We still had questionable concentration skills but the boys were engaged. We made it through the morning work and after lunch I got everyone down for quiet time. Even Mr. 0 fell asleep. I decided I needed 5 minutes of quiet before I got to work and the next thing I knew Mr. 9 was telling me Mr. 0 was crying. Everyone had been happily reading - the older boys for more than an hour and I had fallen asleep. Mr. 6 was reading The Last Battle and said he only had 3 pages left and had to finish it. He must have read half the book today. What an amazing contrast from the beginning of the year when getting him to read a chapter was a struggle.

After regrouping I decided to try reading Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling to the boys. It is the story of a hermit crab with beautiful illustrations and everyone was really interested and instead of one chapter, I read three. Then we turned on Song School Latin and the boys happily played while singing "My pater is really my father". Highs and lows - those are our days.

Happy birthday Mr. 8 and Mr. 6!

2012-02-07T18:21:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

One day off from laundry...

2012-02-07T18:20:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Midyear Progress Report

2012-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

I had to send in a mid-year progress report and although I didn't really want to sit down and put it together, it was actually really helpful to see what we've accomplished. it made me feel a better about our weeks - perhaps everyone is actually learning. I had to go back and look at what I had originally sent in and see how it has evolved. We continue to like our math curriculum (I'm going to add in Challenging Word Problems to Mr. 6's week) but had to find new grammar and spelling. We love the books on the history list but never got around to making our timeline (Mr. 8 and I worked on it today so a step in the right direction).

I think my favorite part was putting together a list of books we've been reading. We've read some great books!

Mr. 8's reading list:
Reading List

Week 1: Tales of King Arthur by Felicity Brooks, Aladdin and Tales from the Arabian Nights by Rosalind Kervin
Week 2: The Lantern Bearers by Rosemary Sutcliff
Week 3: The Arabian Nights by Neil Philip, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves by Katie Daynes
Week 4: Leif the Lucky by D'Aulaire, Beorn the Proud by Madeleine A. Polland
Week 5: Stories of Beowulf by H.E. Marshall, D'Aulaires Book of Norse Myths
Week 6: The Adventures of Robin Hood by Neil Philip, Canterbury Tales by Barbara Cohen
Week 7: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray
Week 8: Men of Iron by Howard Pyle, Winning His Spurs by G.A. Henty
Week 9: The Samurai's Tale by Erik Christian Haugaard, The Black Arrow by Robert Stevenson
Week 10: The Trumpeter of Krakow by Eric Kelly
Week 11: I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Trevino, The Second Mrs. Giaconda by E.L. Konigsburg
Week 12: The World of Columbus and Sons by Genevieve Foster
Week 13: Secrets in the House of Delgado by Gloria Miklowitz
Week 14: Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark
Week 15: Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation by Douglas Bond

Other History Reading
Story of the Middle Ages by Samuel Harding
Men of the Middle Ages by John Haaren
The Middle Ages by Mary Quigley
Mosque by David Macaulay
Vikings
The Middle Ages by Mary Quigley
Castles by David Macaulay
Kings and Queens of England and Scotland by Plantagenet Somerset Fry
Brother Sun, Sister Moon by Margaret Leighton
The Silk Route
Marco Polo by Struan Reid
The Mongols by Robert Nicholson
Joan of Arc
Fine Print by Joann Johansen Burch
Johann Gutenberg
Michelangelo
Leonardo da Vinci
Rats, Bull, and Fying Machines by Deborah Mazzotta Prum
Renaissance by Alison Cole
Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere-Dreher
Exploration and Conquest
Around the World in 100 Years by Jean Fritz
A 16th Century Galleon by Richard Humble
Books on Incas and Aztecs
Trial and Triumph by Richard Hannula

Mr. 6's reading list:
Week 1: Brigid's Cloak by Bryce Milligan
Week 2: Caedmon's Song by Ruth Ashby, Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland by Tomie dePaola, Across a Dark and Wild Sea by Don Brown
Week 3: Aladdin And The Enchanted Lamp by Philip Pullman, The Legend of the Persian Carpet by Tomie dePaola
Week 4: The Kitchen Knight by Margaret Hodges, The Hero Beowulf by Eric Kimmel, D'Aulaires Book of Norse Myths, Adventures of King Arthur by Angela Wilkes
Week 5: The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren, The Race of the Birkenbeiners by Lise Lunge-Larson
Week 6: The Making of a Knight by Patrick O'Brien, Knights by Stephanie Turnbull, Robin Hood by Neil Philip
Week 7: The Minstrel in the Tower by Gloria Skurzynski, Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi by Tomie dePaola, Canterbury Tales by Barbara Cohen
Week 8: Chanticleer and the Fox by Geoffrey Chaucer
Week 9: The Squire and the Scroll by Jennie Bishop, A Medieval Feast by Aliki
Week 10: Marguerite Makes a Book by Bruce Robertson, Johann Gutenberg and the Amazing Printing Press by Bruce Boscielniak
Week 11: Mario's Angels by Mary Arrigan, The Clown of God by Tomie dePaola, Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz, The Glorious Impossible by Madeleine L'Engle
Week 12: Columbus by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire
Week 13: Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges
Week 14: Broken Shields by Claudia Burr, Musicians of the Sun by Gerald McDermott
Week 15: Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed the World by Paul Maier

Other History:
Usborne's Medieval World
Famous Men of the Middle Ages
Story of the World, Volume 2
Mosque by David Macaulay
The Vikings by Jane Shuter
Vikings by Robert Nicholson
Castles by David Macaulay
You Wouldn't Want to be a Medieval Knight
See Inside Castles
You Wouldn't Want to be a Crusader
Who is Marco Polo?
The Mongols by Robert Nicholson
The Silk Route by John Major
Joan of Arc: Heroine of France by Ann Tompert
The Middle Ages by Jane Shuter
The Renaissance by Jane Shuter
Map and Mapping by Barbara Taylor
Explorers Who Got Lost by Diane Sansevere Dreher
Where Am I? by A.G. Smith
A 16th Century Galleon by Richard Humble

Free Reading:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Read Aloud)
The Children's Shakespeare by Edith Nesbit

Mid-morning snack

2012-02-01T18:20:00.000-08:00

Around 11am every morning I get hungry and so I rummage for a snack while trying to keep Mr. 0 and Mr. 2 happy and the older boys moving along with school. One morning I remembered the energy balls my mom used to make and googled for it. While Mr. 0 was napping, Mr. 2 and I put them together. They were a big hit but I could taste the dry milk and decided there must be a better version. Here is my last attempt that turned out pretty well.

1 jar peanut butter (about 2 cups)
3 cups oatmeal (I used old fashioned as I was out of quick oats but quick oats work better)
1 cup almond meal
1/2 cup honey
1 cup chocolate chips (actually about half a package - is that 1 cup?)
1/2 cup wheat germ (then I added some extra because they were too sticky but I didn't measure that)
Mix, make balls, refrigerate.

Starting the day right

2012-02-01T18:15:00.000-08:00

I've noticed that the boys do much better if I make sure they eat some sort of protein in the morning before we start school. This means I had to convince Mr. 6 that breakfast was not 2-3 bowls of cereal (I ended up just not buying it any more because it wasn't worth the argument). So what do we eat? Oatmeal is a big favorite - especially baked oatmeal if I get up in time. Toast with peanut butter. Eggs with cheese (requires 2 hands and a bit of time which does not work many mornings). Avocado and cottage cheese on toast (if I remember to buy avocados). And my favorite, granola and yogurt. It really does make a difference - I have definitely experienced the cereal crash with Mr. 6 around 10:30am and this definitely helps.

Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal (from Lynns Kitchen Adventure - the pumpkin is also good)
3 cups quick cooking oats
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 apples, peeled and chopped

Mix all ingredients together and stir well.
Place in a 9×13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Spring?

2012-02-01T17:38:00.000-08:00

The temperature was in the 50s today so after quiet time we headed out for a walk to the library - taking the long route. Unfortunately Mr. 2 had just fallen asleep and did not sleep through the transfer to the stroller. Even exhausted and barely awake, he refused to sit in the stroller and immediately demanded to walk. So Mr. 2 trudged along behind as Mr. 6 and Mr. 8 ran ahead with our friend S to check out all the spots that might contain the villain C's secret base. Mr. 8 is convinced there must be tunnels under the path (he may have been influenced by the continual discovery of complex tunnels containing criminal organizations in the Hardy Boys - seriously, what kind of place is Bayport with all these criminals lurking around). And so each walk is a hunt for clues. They climbed trees to check if there were any secret entrances at the top and to see if they could see any henchmen nearby. They tried to big down at the base of a fallen tree to see if there was an entrance below. Mr. 6 had brought along a pocket knife and took samples along the way that they could analyze. Mr. 8 sported his headlamp and spy sunglasses that allow him to see behind him (luckily no one was tailing us).

Last weekend, the older boys ran to Target with me (not by choice of course - we were already out and I had to promise to use super speed to finish as quick as I could). Mr. 8 picked out a camo shirt and pants and even agreed to pay half the cost with his allowance. So now he has two favorite outfits - the all black of the ninja and the camo. Not exactly the fashion statement I would pick but he's happy. On Monday afternoon he wanted to go outside so he could lie in the grass undetected. It was to cold for me and the younger boys so we watched through the window as he lay face down in the back yard. He was a little difficult to spot!

Mr. 0 is 5 months

2012-01-28T07:53:00.000-08:00

Mr.0 continues to get bigger and bigger. Last week he discovered his tongue and he spends quite a bit of time right now sticking out his tongue at whoever will join him in this game. And just a few days ago he learned how to blow raspberries and now is a drooly mess as he does it over and over again. He can roll from front to back although often gets frustrated when his arm gets in his way. He has rolled from back to front once but has not quite mastered it yet (he seemed rather surprised when it happened). We decided to give him some mashed bananas as a 5 month celebration yesterday and he ate it up, loving every bit. By bite number 2 he had mastered it. Definitely the boy with the most enthusiasm for his first food. He likes sitting in the Bumbo and watching everyone at the table and seems to understand that reading Good Night Moon means bedtime. He's growing like crazy and is long and lean with big cubby cheeks that everyone here loves to kiss.

Mr. 2 on the move

2012-01-28T07:46:00.000-08:00

A visit with family

2012-01-28T07:45:00.000-08:00

Treasure Island

2012-01-28T07:26:00.000-08:00

While in San Diego we spent an afternoon exploring Kit Carson Park where I played when I was about Mr.8's age. The boys discovered a stream and were immediately happily trekking through the mud to throw stones, stomp in water and hit things with sticks. Following the stream it went back into our very own Treasure Island. With Mr. 6 in the lead, the boys followed it back into the wilderness and enjoyed great adventure. Or so I'm told as I refused to climb down into the mud and watched from the bank. Mr. 2 had trouble keeping up, occasionally having to ask his big brother for a hand. He really does want to do everything the big brothers do.

A walk

2012-01-24T13:07:00.001-08:00

We headed out on a chilly Tuesday to get some fresh air and decided to explore the new Alewife Brook Path. It's been under construction for months and we've been monitoring the progress as the path was made and the wooden walkway grew. It is now complete and we have an alternate route to the bike path. There were puddles and mud due to the recent rain and Mr. 2 fell behind as he stomped in each one. Mr. 8, balanced on the edge of the wooden walkway, asked if he should use a summoning spell on him as I tried to encourage Mr. 2 yet again to move a bit faster. That would be great I told him. He turned on the narrow board and promptly toppled off onto the ground a few feet below. As I gave him a hand back up, he told me wryly, "Maybe I should have used a balancing spell first."

There's a map at the end where our little path joins the main bike path and Mr. 2 loved studying it and telling me where we were and where our house was. All very confidently as always. While I was looking at it, I momentarily lost track of the boys. I turned and called and discovered the older boys near the top of the embankment for Route 2 with Mr. 2 hot on their heels. "We just want to spy on the cars," I was told. Hmm... Spying on a busy highway is not the activity I had picked out for our nature walk - not to mention dangerous. I told them no and they reluctantly climbed down.

Where there is water...

2012-01-19T15:16:00.001-08:00

There are boys.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

2012-01-17T03:49:00.000-08:00

Last year, we took note of MLK day by watching King's "I have a dream" speech with the kids, stopping many, many times to see them through the questions. I am no expert in the history of civil rights, so I picked up Letter from a Birmingham Jail for the first time, and was floored.

It's quotable ("Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere"), instructive ("In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action."), and contains rhetorical fire that befits a practiced preacher (See especially the arc of how '"Wait" has almost always meant "Never."'. It leads with a quote by Niebuhr, which feels safe and academic, and then swiftly moves to the gut-punch of "When you [...] see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky.")

This year, after a semester of practice with primary sources in homeschool, we decided to try reading a couple pages of the Letter to the kids. We got about 1/3 of the way through in half an hour while the kids quietly played Legos. (A common trick when getting through denser material, around here.)

Mr. 8 was curious how "there are some counties in which, even though Negroes constitute a majority of the population, not a single Negro is registered", and wanted to argue the point of the Niebuhr quote that "groups tend to be more immoral than individuals".

Mr. 6 insisted on vocabulary and context boosters: "lamentably", "cognizant", "Macedonian call for aid"

Mr. 2 spent the rest of the evening saying "ALabama", "AlaBAma", "AlabaMA".

All said they want to read more tonight.

Mr. 8's Reading Log

2012-01-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

In the past week Mr. 8 has read:
Figgs and Phantoms by Ellen Raskin,
The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall,
The Whisper of the Glocken by Carol Kendall,
The Betrayer's Fortune by Dave and Neta Jackson,
Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation by Douglas Bond, Ron Farris and Michael J. McHugh,
Poetry for Young People: William Shakespeare, edited by David Scott Kastan and Marina Kastan,
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome,
and today started Dragon's Blood by Jane Yolen.
And that's not counting the random other history and science books he read. Seriously how do I keep this child supplied with books!

Story cubes

2012-01-11T16:12:00.001-08:00

Mr. 2 told me this story with the story cubes:
There was a lock, then a hand, and then there was a cheese, and then a microscope, an eye. It goes right here. Then a tree, a lock, a airplane, and a sword. Then a phone, that's what I have.

He then went around in circles. What a story!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Mr. 2's color book

2012-01-11T16:02:00.001-08:00

Last night I printed out pages for a little color book for Mr. 2 to make. He loved it and spent an hour carefully coloring all the pages (my first child that actually wanted to spend time coloring). He was so proud of it!

Mr. 2 says "It's really, really cool." He also says his favorite color is blue like his big brother Mr. 8. Luckily we have lots of blue to pass down to him.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Rolling

2012-01-11T15:58:00.001-08:00

Mr. 0 has been close to rolling for the last week but rolled from front to back twice today and almost from back to front. Time to start relocating the hundreds of swallowing hazards in our playroom!

He's getting big - last week at his 4 month visit he was 16lb 12oz and 26.5in which is 90th for height and 75th for weight (this is off the top of my head so I may be a bit off). We got an exersaucer yesterday thanks to a friend who saw an e-mail offering one (we have super neighbors) and he loves it. He loves to sit in the Bumbo and watch us and he will sing with you when he's in the mood. We're still working on bedtime but he's a super good napper. He is well loved by his brothers who all love to sing him a little song Mr. 8 made up.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Rolling

2012-01-11T15:45:00.001-08:00

Guess who rolled over? He has been close but did it twice today. Yikes - time to get those legos to a safer location.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Our day

2012-01-11T13:06:00.001-08:00

Today was the kind of day I pictured when I decided to homeschool - everyone excited to learn and creatively going about it. We're talking about genes and DNA this week and Mr. 8 remembered this DNA kit that Mr. 6 got last year for Christmas. We pulled it out and made a double helix (Mr. 8 is currently translating it into protein - he had to add a start codon). Mr. 6 and I then extracted his DNA from cheek cells and made DnA ink which he wrote his name with. There were also detective games and online pictures of different cells as well as the usual math and grammar. To top it off, Mr. 8 had the best piano lesson of the year. What a day!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Getting dinner done

2012-01-10T10:39:00.001-08:00

The end of the day is always a little crazy and it's hard many days to get dinner together. Yesterday we were offered a free exersaucer and had many, many due library books so we ran a few errands and returned right around 5pm. I let the big brothers have their computer time and Mr. 0 happily watched from the Bumbo. Few crazy evenings go this smoothly.

We continue our love of the Hardy Boys. Much less complaining about errands when there's a Hardy Boys to listen to. However I still had to bribe with cookies when we returned as I had said we didn't have to leave the house earlier and no one was feeling 100% (minor cold for everyone). So after dinner I turned the Hardy Boys on in the playroom and Mr. 2 helped make chocolate cookies,

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

A new beginning

2012-01-04T15:58:00.001-08:00

We started yesterday with a new schedule and new enthusiasm for school (okay, it was just on my side but it's contagious right?) and had a great day. I decided we should do biology - human biology - rather than physics which was definitely the right choice (note to self: play to your strengths). We finished the day talking about cells, reading Enjoy Your Cells, and drawing cell diagrams. The boys loved it. Success! I am excited about doing labs although we're probably too young for dissection. I am going to try blood typing though!

Today was fine until we were walking home from piano lessons. Both boys started whining about quiet time and finishing school. Whining makes me cranky so it did not start our afternoon off well. By now they should have figured out that quiet time is really for me as much as them (a fact which I regularly tell them). And then Mr. 0 proceeded to cry throughout the entire quiet time, only falling asleep right as everyone came out. We got to work on finishing up the Christmas cards, stuffing the envelopes with pictures, letters, and birth announcements with the Hardy Boys in the background. I started on the address labels which proved impossible and everyone had to 'help' with the computer. We slipped back to crankiness and whining and I almost locked myself in my room for a time-out. After a brief meltdown, there was a family hug and peanut butter balls were passed around and everyone felt much better.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

The man in blue

2012-01-02T08:25:00.003-08:00

Caught!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

The man in blue

2012-01-02T08:25:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Looking for the secret entrance

2012-01-02T08:24:00.001-08:00

The case is back on! It turns out 'C' who had been caught by the police escaped and so the boys are looking for the entrance to his secret hide-out. Definitely Varnum they know but need more clues.

Of course there is a man in blue watching. Do you think he can be trusted?

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

A new year

2012-01-01T12:14:00.001-08:00

What better way to enjoy the new year than peeking in to see the three older boys engrossed in the Hardy Boys on CD while David pumps up tires for a post-quiet time ride? January 1st and 52 degrees is a bit unusual but very appreciated in these parts (I need to write it down so I can remember it when it's been below freezing for weeks).

Our night owl

2011-12-27T19:46:00.001-08:00

Mr. 0 likes to have all your attention on him with laser-like focus but as the 4th this does not happen much during the day. His solution? Take a good evening nap and stay up late into the night so you have all the attention. And if you're smiling and cute, perhaps they won't mind too much.

I've tried to cut down the evening nap but he gets so fussy which is hard to manage when everyone else is fussy too. Oh well - his smiles are hard to resist.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Mr. 2 knows best

2011-12-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

I was reading Mr. 2 Olivia before nap and we got to the page that says "She got pretty good." with a picture of a huge skyscraper sandcastle. Mr. 2 stops me and says no. "That's now what it says."
"What does it say then?"
"Mommy you have to read the words."
"I am reading the words. It says 'she got pretty good.' That's what it says."
"No that's not what it says."
"Then what does it say?"
"It says 'Art is stone.'"
"Really?"
"Yes, that's what is says. I remember."
Who am I to argue? That's what it says.

Joy indeed

2011-12-19T13:59:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Surviving another toddler

2011-12-19T12:46:00.000-08:00

Mr. 6 was quite the strong-willed toddler. David and I both have memories of strapping him into the stroller or car to avoid any possible violence while he screamed because he wanted to dish the yogurt or take the lid off the water bottle. We definitely sighed with relief when we moved past that particular phase.

Until recently Mr. 2 has been a pretty easy-going guy. Sure he has his moments but overall he has been a very pleasant toddler. Last week while on vacation he had an epic meltdown involving 90 minutes of screaming no and finally a car ride to calm down. We thought it was likely just that he was tired - after all we had kept him up too late the night before. Unfortunately there have been other tantrums in the last week that have been rather unpleasant but today was really the worst of it.

It began when we sat down to do our read-aloud. Mr. 2 wanted to get down the marble race but I told him that we couldn't do that while we were reading but I would get it down when we were done. Commence screaming. As it is difficult to read over screaming, I decided to wait on the reading and we would just have an early lunch. Over lunch he decided he wanted milk after I had already poured him a glass of water. I told him that we were having water and so he poured the glass out on the table. He demanded a second yogurt and I told him he needed to eat his lunch which he refused to do. I asked him to go to his room so we could read some books and he simply screamed no over and over again so I carried him. Then began the "but I want to walk" over and over again to which I would reply. "Why didn't you get to walk?" "Bepause I screamed no... But Mommy, I want to walk." This woke up Mr. 0 so I went to get him with Mr. 2 following behind me yelling that he wanted to walk. Mind you, he is walking right behind me yelling that he wants to walk. His crying makes Mr. 0 cry and so I try to take Mr. 0 in the bathroom to calm down away from the screaming. Mr. 2 stands outside the door hitting in screaming no. At some point I get him almost calmed down but he decides he wants the lid off his water bottle - in his bed. As I refused to clean up a spilled bottle of water (and change his sheets) I told him no. I gave him the option of taking the lid off in the kitchen but that was unacceptable. Overall it was about an hour and a half with the older boys watching Mr. 0 for short periods but that typically ended with him crying because he was getting hungry, had been woken up, and there was a toddler screaming.

Of course once everything is finally calmed down, Mr. 2 instantaneously forgets the whole episode and wants me to read him books. I am not so quick to forget and grumpily read Harold and the Purple Crayon to him to prevent any relapse.

The only way we survived in the end was that he fell asleep soon after the book and woke up a much happier person. Of course he didn't want to go to bed tonight so we'll see what the new day brings. I don't know if I can survive this again if Mr. 0 turns out to be as stubborn as his brothers.

Afternoon wanderings

2011-12-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

Somehow this afternoon we went from discussing Mayan culture to strabismus to Downs Syndrome to mitosis and meiosis. We then moved on to Aztec culture and chocolate and ended up watching videos on the cacao tree and how chocolate is made. Reading aloud became a much better time for discussion after the screaming stopped and Mr. 2 fell asleep.

O Christmas Tree

2011-11-25T17:21:00.001-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Mr. 2's sign

2011-11-25T13:19:00.001-08:00

On the way home from cutting down our Christmas tree we stopped at a local bakery and took our snacks to a nearby park to explore. The boys were quick to run across a field to the hill of rocks beyond. It was a bit steep, especially for Mr. 2 who was right on on older boys heels, and David followed behind to lend a hand.

On the way down they noticed a Private Property sign and David explained that next time they needed to not climb in places with signs like that. We got back to the car and Mr. 2 ran over to the sign at the entrance to the park. "This sign says go wherever you want." he told us. Just as all signs should say in his mind.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T12:54:00.001-08:00

Just us still makes 6!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Thanksgiving thanks

2011-11-24T07:06:00.001-08:00

For the love of games (at all ages).

For bundled babies.

No way to win

2011-11-23T05:38:00.000-08:00

This morning I ran down to throw in some laundry while the boys were eating breakfast. Just as I finished putting the clothes in the washer Mr. 2 wandered in, spoon in hand, and asked if he could put the clothes in the washer. I told him that it was done but he could turn on the washer. My reasonable offer was met with despair and suddenly there was a pool of distraught toddler on the floor. The screaming continued as I ran upstairs to check on the infant and big kids and when I ran back down he told me his pants were wet. So now I carry a wet, crying toddler up the stairs to change into clean clothes. When we get to the bathroom he starts crying even harder. "I wanted to go up the stairs myself."

Of course when I told him "no", that wet, crying kids cannot climb up themselves, he started in with a whole new round of wailing. In fact, he's still wailing now. Is there any way to win these arguments? Mr. 2 is not one to accept fact or choose one of two options if he doesn't like either. He just asks for new options.

An update: After putting on clean clothes, I decided the spoon that had taken the tour (including an unexpected trip to the bathroom) was no longer fit for breakfast. Of course that did not go well either. Should I just let him use it? This is going to be quite a day.

Funny conversation

2011-11-22T19:12:00.004-08:00

Mommy to Mr. 2: "Are you going to eat your dinner?"

Mr. 2: "It's complicated."
-----
Mr. 2 appeared in the living room without pants.
"Mommy, I love you even when I have poop on my hands."
-----
Daddy to Mr. 2: "You can finish your dinner and have dessert, or be all done, and not have dessert."

Mr. 2: "I need new options."
-----
Mr. 6 told me out of the blue: "Mommy, Droidworld doesn't have an official religion. Should it?"
I'm not sure - should a futuristic, highly robotic, pretend world have an official religion?

Ready to explore

2011-11-22T19:12:00.003-08:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Fall in the park

2011-11-22T19:11:00.001-08:00

It's hard to get outside these days. By the time I round everyone up, change Mr. 0, take Mr. 2 potty, find hats and shoes, round everyone back up because they've wandered away, get Mr. 0 into the carrier, and walk down to the park, it's been 45 minutes. As it's dark at 4pm it seems not even worth it some days and yet I never regret being at the park, watching the boys climb trees and explore, and seeing friends. We'll get faster - until snow starts and I have to add snow gear to the process.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

A visit from Nana and Papa

2011-11-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

Chromatography

2011-11-09T12:39:00.001-08:00

Science in action

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Fall

2011-11-02T12:48:00.001-07:00

A cold morning turned into a beautiful fall day.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

All dressed up

2011-10-30T05:33:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Pooh

2011-10-30T05:28:00.001-07:00

Mr. 2 told Nana that he wanted to be Pooh for Halloween and that Mr. 0 had to be Tigger. So being the wonderful Nana that she is, we received a box in the mail with costumes for both. Mr. 2 loves his and happily wore it all night Friday (including the hat which I had thought wouldn't last long). He's a bit of a toddler sumo wrestler which his plush middle. He loves to run and jump into your arms and roll along the floor. For the next few weeks I think this might become daily attire. I suppose we'll have to invest in some honey.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Bouncy fun

2011-10-30T05:22:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Today's chemistry lesson

2011-10-25T18:54:00.001-07:00

Today we talked about polar and non-polar molecules and how soap works. I even tried to throw in cell membranes and the phospholipid bilayer but I think that may have been a bit too much. The experiment worked well - water and oil in a jar and then added in soap. I love kitchen chemistry.

We are going to try a nutrition unit following chemistry (Mr. 8 wants to move on to physics but agreed when he found out there was no quantum physics) - a good transition but I have no idea how to do it.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

School for Mr. 2

2011-10-25T10:35:00.001-07:00

Mr. 2 often sits at the table with us and wants to do "Asher school" so we've been doing a letter a week but I hadn't spent much time really putting anything together. I made him a few things (a felt dinosaur map, laminated letter cards), bought a few things (white board and markers, beads to lace, little dinosaur puzzles) and printed out some alphabet coloring sheets but wanted a bit more. So last night I spent some time on the trusty internet to get a few ideas.

I got out the laminator this morning (what a useful gift this has been the last few months) and laminated and cut out buses of various sizes to sequence, small, medium, and large leaves to categorize, sheets to trace, and puzzle pieces to put in order. I also plan to have one book each day and some small activity to go with it (the internet really is a great thing). Mr. 2 (and Mr. 6 who helped laminate) had a great time.

Of course this was the happy part of the morning. I decided not to take pictures of the cranky, wailing Mr. 2. Hopefully a nap will help (assuming he actually takes one) or it will be a long afternoon.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Grudge match

2011-10-24T10:39:00.001-07:00

For some reason Mr. 8 has been asking me comparison questions about King Kong (likely inspired by our recent New York trip), the Yeti (from Tintin in Tibet), and Godzilla (I have no idea). Who is taller, who is stronger, etc. This turned into grudge match at lunch.

If the Yeti and King Kong fought who would win, Captain Kirk and Darth Vadar, Luke Skywalker and Kirk, Kirk and Picard, etc. The boys came up with great reasons why one would triumph over the other and everyone was laughing at the craziness.

Not something that I ever particpated in growing up (Rainbow Bright vs. My Little ponies?) but very fun!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

When you don't get what you want

2011-10-23T17:35:00.001-07:00

Today at dinner Mr. 2 was told he had to eat his enchiladas before he could have lemonade.
"No," he told us. "That is not an option."
He then sighed in frustration and ran his hand through his hair just as his Dad does.

After watching an episode of Star Trek (the older brother choice), he told us he wanted to watch Thomas. We told him that it was time for bed.
"I want to watch Thomas. Actually I mean it."

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Four kids

2011-10-20T18:48:00.001-07:00

I'm sure all families with 4 (or more) kids get this but just to answer the questions I was asked so many times in the past 2 days. Yes, we have four boys. No, I really wasn't trying for a girl and really was not disappointed (what would we do with a girl). No, I wasn't trying for a basketball, baseball, soccer, etc team and thanks for letting me know how close I am.

And thanks to all the people who told me what wonderful boys I have, talked to them, held doors, helped to carry a stroller up (and down) stairs, and smiled at our antics. You more than make up for the others!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Continuing our exploring - with a bit of help

2011-10-20T18:41:00.001-07:00

David took the day off so we had a day all together in the city. Mr. 6 was up bright and early as always so we left Mr. 0 and the sleeping Mr. 2 and Mr. 8 with Daddy and headed out in search of breakfast. We walked two blocks over into Hells Kitchen and found a great little bakery and corner grocery and brought back an assortment of fresh breads, fruit, yogurt, cheese, and juice (and a really amazinf coffee but I only shared that with David). Hells Kitchen looks surprisingly like Brooklyn and it made me nostalgic for our visits to Park Slope of long ago.

After breakfast we headed to the Met. The boys voted for Medieval Art (yeah homeschooling) and the collection the Met has is amazing. After spending some time looking at the armor and swords, Mr. 6 discovered the guns and would happily have spent much more time there if not for needing a bathroom for Mr. 2 and a spot to feed Mr. 0. We ended the visit in the 19th century European painitings. The boys really wanted to go to Central Park but humored my request and actually seemed to enjoy it. Mr. 8 especially liked Picasso and the two paintings from his "Blue" period. He spent dinner readind about Picasso on my phone (we love Wikipedia). Then it was out to Central Park where there were great adventures in many lands and times. Mr. 2 loves being a part of the brother adventures and kept running over to tell us what the brothers were doing.

We walked all the way back to our hotel, stopping to watch the remote control sailboats (Mr. 6 wants one for Christmas), fill our pockets witn rocks (Mr. 2 must have gained 10 lbs), pretend we were in our own adventure game (Mr. 8 wrote rules on the notepad from the hotel), and slowly meander through a gorgeous fall day.

We're headed home, likely to arrive after midnight with no place we have to go tomorrow. We have questions to answer (how exactly was Central Park made) and school to do but it was great to have a break. Poor Mr. 0 - he's joined quite a crazy clan. Luckily (for all of us) he seems to take it all in stride.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Exploring

2011-10-20T18:13:00.001-07:00

We spent the day exploring New York City today. And by we I mean one mom and four boys out on the town. David had to come for work so we tagged along. I was worried about being out all day with one so small but it turned out to be a great day.

We left Daddy at the hotel and walked in the rain to the Empire State Building (2 avenues and a few streets - how far is that?). We were told repeatedly that the visibility was zero and Mr. 8 started getting a bit annoyed. There was no line - it was completely deserted - so we went right to the top. The guys up at the top were super nice to us and for about five minutes the fog cleared and we could see the cars and people below as we stood out in the swirling rain and wind on the 86th floor but the boys LOVED it. Mr. 8 told me he would never forget it and took great joyin telling all those nay-sayers what he saw with "zero" visibility.

Then we hopped the train and went to the Museum of Natural History. Getting to the train was a bit of an adventure as our little stroller does not fit through the turnstile and no one was around to let me through the gate. A little creativity though and we made it.

The Natural History Museum has an amazing collection of dinosaurs which Mr. 2 was super excited about seeing. He ran from one to the next but was particularly excited to see his favorite, the pterodactyl. Soon after that he fell apart, his midnight bedtime catching up with him. Mr. 8 took charge of the stroller carrying Mr. 0 and I picked up our screaming toddler and dragged him off to the bathroom to calm down. While we were inside Mr. 6 and Mr. 8 watched a movie about how the dinosaurs and other prehistoric fossils were arranged by evolutionary development and explained the cladogram with branch points. The boys thought this was great and were excited to follow the path through the rest of the exhibit with Mr. 2 strapped into the stoller and Mr. 0 strapped into the carrier.

By the end of the museum Mr. 6 was ready to collapse and kept asking if he could take a nap. I had to tell Mr. 8 that we were leaving and there were no more last things. We made it back to the hotel in the rain and somehow Mr. 6 made in on his own power. After collapsing on the couch for some well-deserved TV time (quite a novelty for us - Mr. 2 didn't understand why we couldn't pause it so he could go potty) I convinced the boys that we had to eat dinner and dragged them out with the promise of pizza. Our hotel was in the heart of Times Square and mesmerizing for the boys but a litle too exciting for me with tired, easily distracted kids and screens in every direction. We found pizza and chocolate for dessert and headed back to watch Times Square from our 35th floor room.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Hanging out

2011-10-17T10:46:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

School at Walden Pond

2011-10-10T11:12:00.001-07:00

Actually more swimming, digging, and exploring than real school but we did go to a presentation about pencil making (did you know Thoreau's family made pencils as their livelihood) and saw the replica of his house from Walden. And we'll get to the other school stuff later. At least we did our math before we left and practiced our verses in the car.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

micah's first concert

2011-10-09T16:34:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Smiling

2011-10-09T07:14:00.001-07:00

Smiles make even the most sleepless night okay.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Two chins

2011-10-08T07:09:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Mr. 0

2011-10-06T12:46:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Molecules move

2011-10-06T12:45:00.001-07:00

Subtitled How I Got a Green Toddler

We typically do our chemistry experiments on Thursday afternoons. Mr. 2 has so far been napping so it's worked well. Today he wasn't interested in napping so he joined us. And Mr. 0 was rather fussy so I was relegated to a more advisory role. First we looked at how molecules move with food coloring in water resulting in green water which everyone wanted to taste. Harmless so everyone tasted and Mr. 2 was excited to discover it just tasted like water. We then moved on to pH and I left the food coloring on the counter. Mr. 2's experiment for the day - no matter how much food coloring it still tastes like water.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Wassup

2011-10-02T10:38:00.001-07:00

I came across the old video on a blog never guessing it would be such a hit with Mr. 2 who happened to overhear it. Note to self - he hears everything.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Comfy spot

2011-09-27T10:06:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was our best school day yet. We revised our schedule after a school meeting (Mr. 8 had lots of opinions on school and how it should run. Mr. 6 really just wanted to cut out all writing activities and just do math, spanish, and history.) I also assigned each of the older boys a playtime with Mr. 2 which worked great (we cut that out today as Mr. 2 wasn't feeling well and was a bit too cranky and snuggly). It also helped that our upstairs friends invited Mr. 2 for a playdough playtime so we had some extra time. Mondays are our busiest days (there's no other activities unlike any other day of the week and everyone's fresh so we do more writing and the other assignments for the day are a bit longer) and despite this there were good attitudes and hard-working kids.

The only person not so cheery was Mr. 0. He's reached the age where he spends most of the evening being cranky and yesterday was a rather good demonstration. So Mr. 8 made dinner while I walked Mr. 0 around and around. He did a great job and thanks to him we had a delicious dinner of cheesy mushroom polenta and steamed honey carrots ready when David came home. While making dinner, Mr. 2 found a comfy spot to rest and I found him snuggled in the swing when I went to investigate the quietness.

Under the weather

2011-09-27T09:57:00.001-07:00

Mr. 2 woke up this morning feeling a bit warm and saying his body hurt. He was happy to snuggle on the couch with Andy, Pooh, and the "Blanks". Mr. 2 has two blankets that are special to him - Stripy Blank and Car Blank - and are needed at extra comfort times. Both are needed and are typically joined by at least 2 other friends. Not necessarily low maintenance but all together likely smaller than AAA or Shamu which were Mr. 6's special items.

He chose Get to Work Trucks and Car and Trucks and Things That Go, classics in our house, and read quietly for quite a while - too quiet for any normal 2 year old. When not on the couch, he's been snuggled on my lap. Not always enough space for both Mr. 2 and Mr. 0 but we're making do. School was a bit more challenging with the small ones feeling cranky and we ended the morning with the kids playing a viking game on the BBC History website and Mr. 0 in the carrier so I could make lunch.

Playing with toys is hard work.

A new day

2011-09-21T10:35:00.001-07:00

We're enjoying a new day with more smiles, love, and patience than grumpiness. Ups and downs as always but today they're manageable.

What made the difference? Having some down time this morning (I actually took a walk by myself) is key and trying to relax about the small things. And having better rested kids makes a huge difference.

Our morning started with our verses and then some math. Mr. 8 finished up fractions and is on to geometry which he wa excited about and Mr. 6 reviewed his times tables (which he happily does on the iPad). We did a bit of geography (we're on to Charlemagne's empire) and Mr. 6 and I read The Kitchen Knight with Mr. 2 which we really enjoyed. Wednesday is letter writing and Mr. 6 happily wrote his without whining (although not so with his worksheet). Mr. 8 read Beowulf and made maps and worked on his play whenever he had a break.

Now we just have piano lessons, spanish, and some reading and our day is done. Tonight there's karate and Birds of Prey at the library. Always busy!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.7.4

Grace

2011-09-20T13:02:00.001-07:00

Today was one of those days. By about 9:15 I wanted to lock everyone in their rooms (including me) for the rest of the day but as the grown-up (and teacher) thought I should probably stick it out. Mr. 6 whined his way through the morning, telling me every step of the way that he didn't want to do it. Mr. 8 was distracted. And Mr. 0 spent the morning crying, eating, or insisting on being carried upright around the house (preferably while I sang to him). Only Mr. 2 seemed self-sufficient although it did involve getting out a huge number of toys. My own patience, worn thin by sleep-deprivation and a headache from crying and whining, was dwindling and I'll admit to quite a bit of my own complaining (under the guise of correction). I finally decided we would just take and a break and I would read aloud to them while they played legos. This and a snack did help and we made it to lunch without too much yelling - although Mr. 0 did cry when I had put him down long enough to make lunch.

The most ironic part is that I had read this morning about grace, particularly showing grace to your children as a reflection of God's grace but within minutes it was gone and I couldn't make it through the morning. And of course the verse we're currently memorizing is James 1:22-25. I managed to forget what I looked like as soon as I walked away.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Market Day

2011-09-17T09:35:00.000-07:00

Field Trip

2011-09-17T09:27:00.000-07:00

Thursday morning, we were ahead of schedule for the week, so we finished up our math and headed out on our first official field trip. It feels a bit odd to be out in the middle of the day with the kids--sort of like playing hookey, even though we were going to see the Islamic art at the MFA to supplement this week's history theme (Mohammed and the rise of Islam). There was less Islamic art than I remember, although we loved how they turned Arabic words into beautiful pictures--it reminded us of the illumination from last week. The boys quickly wanted to head for the ancient worlds and happily explored the Egyptian art (which has to be our most visited section). We enjoyed a beautiful lunch in the courtyard, and then headed back to the car. While we were climbing in one by one (it takes a while), the heavens opened, and it poured all the way home while I rode in back and read aloud our Famous Men of the Middle Ages for the week.

Three weeks old...

2011-09-17T09:21:00.000-07:00

The boppy

2011-09-12T12:23:00.001-07:00

David asked if he could have a 6 foot one for Christmas - doesn't it look like the comfiest place to curl up with a good book.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Junior varsity

2011-09-12T12:21:00.001-07:00

Only one to cause mischief, do somersaults, make us laugh, and give kisses - but the other will catch up soon.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Cooped up too long...

2011-09-09T13:53:00.001-07:00

Swamp is much more interesting than the playground.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

First Day of School

2011-09-07T12:13:00.001-07:00

The first day of school was somewhat anti-climatic - after spending so much of the last year discussing whether or not we should homeschool the boys and then months looking at and thinking about curriculum in addition to all the other steps that it took to get to this point, it seemed like there should be more fanfare. We did take a picture of all the kids to document the event but that's about all.

Mr. 8 had a harder time getting started but then got really into it and Mr. 6 started with enthusiasm but ran out of steam early which is pretty typical of both boys. We learned last year that including protein in breakfast makes a big difference so we tried to discourage the boys from carbo-loading which they had gotten used to over the summer (cereal, pancakes, waffles are all favorites when available) and steer them towards peanut butter toast, eggs, and kitty muffins (zucchini muffins which are Mr. 2's favorite breakfast right now).

We're trying to start school around 8:30am with breakfast done and the table cleaned off (except for Mr. 2 who needs time to wake up and savor breakfast - he's our child most likely to be a don't-talk-to-me-until-I've-had-my-coffee kind of person). After our summer trial I told the boys that there were no toys before school. Our boys love to pretend and once they escape into their own world bringing them back to concentrate on school is really difficult. So I told them books and drawing were fine but no toys. Of course it's hard to enforce when you're bleary-eyed from being up all night with a baby and often having to stop and feed a baby making you somewhat immobile. But we'll work on that.

So we started with "morning meeting" at their recommendation (it's how they've always started school so of course that's just how you start). We have a calendar (really it's for Mr. 2 - again at the boys insistence) and sing the days of the week song. We discuss the weather and memorize our verse. Eventually I thought it would be fun to do a little morning exercise (stretches, yoga, something like that) but right now I'm often still feeding Mr. 2 and Mr. 0 breakfast so we sit at the table.

The plan was for math, spelling, writing then a break and then history, piano, reading before lunch. We basically following this as Mr. 2 was occupied with Daddy and Mr. 0 was cooperative (today was much harder as I was on my own with everyone). Our biggest problem is that the boys talk non-stop and prefer to have an audience to their monologues. They talk their math through out loud, stopping to ask me if the answer is right for every other problem. They talk as they write. They yell at each other for distracting them by talking. They talk loudly over each other. Today I tried to send Mr. 8 to the office to finish his math as he was making no progress and I thought he would concentrate better out there and he asked me why he was being punished. So that is definitely something we need to work on. After the whole summer together they need to learn to work quietly and independently or I will go crazy. I was already using my overly patient voice (you know the one you use to prevent yourself from just yelling at everyone) by the end of math. Mr. 6 does not like to write and complains loudly if he has to write more than a few sentences but happily does pages of math problems. Mr. 8 loves to look things up and asks great questions but will stare off into space for 10 minutes if he's not particularly interested in what you've asked him to do (even if he gets to do what he really wants as soon as he has finished).

Our biggest challenge is that I really need the boys to keep working whether I'm there or not as with Mr. 2 and Mr. 0 often needing my attention I just can't always be there to keep them on task. They will finish the current task and then wander away rather than checking the list that I wrote out for them and doing the next job.

Our successes - Mr. 8 loves latin and wants to do it every day. Mr. 6 read all of Fantastic Mr. Fox between yesterday and today and was so excited to tell me about it. They actually know who Clovis and Justinian are and Mr. 8 made a mosaic today (of Abanya but it's a really nice mosaic). Both wrote letters this afternoon and are reading good books.

Now if only I could feel like I accomplish something during the day - for now I'll have to try to be content with this.

Mr. 0

2011-09-07T12:12:00.000-07:00

Go go go Joe!

2011-09-06T13:13:00.001-07:00

We watched Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat last night (with Donny Osmond who is the only Joseph worth watching) and it was a huge hit! The boys have been singing the songs all morning and we're well on our way to memorizing all the songs. Even Mr. 2 has been singing along.

We also ended up showing the boys Elvis so they could appreciate pharaoh's attempt at the "King". Gotta love YouTube - that's where we also found Joseph (in 16 segments of course).

We did skip past part of Potiphar's wife (played by none other than Joan Collins) but otherwise it was great.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Muffin talk

2011-09-06T05:23:00.001-07:00

"Mommy, how do kitty muffins work?"

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

School Days

2011-09-05T18:54:00.002-07:00

We're starting our first day of homeschooling tomorrow. With a new baby we decided the structure would be good for us and everyone is excited and enthusiasm goes a long way. So we have a schedule ready, books with pages marked, even coloring sheets for Mr. 2 (the older boys insisted that he had to have school too so he's learning a letter each week). It feels like I should make it more momentous but we'll just clean off the table after breakfast and start. Mr. 2 will have Daddy to occupy him so that will make it that much easier. I have no idea how we'll make it work on Wednesday when I'm on my own but one day at a time.

Getting the job done

2011-09-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

Mr. 6 is our local handyman. If you need a helper for a project he's happy to grab his toolbox and get the job done. He especially loves changing batteries in anything - but prefers only to use rechargeable because he is very worried about the environment. Today he helped to cut up some wood with his hacksaw. I wasn't sure about a hacksaw for a 6 year old but I grew up with all sisters so I had to trust David's judgement and Mr. 6 has done fine. We think he may be ready for a Swiss Army knife for Christmas although I worry we may have a small MacGyver on our hands.

Too old for naps

2011-09-05T18:48:00.000-07:00

Mr. 2 decided to give up naps about 2 weeks ago. Not the best timing given a new baby about to arrive so I tried to convince him that really he does still need naps. I tried putting him in the port-a-crib and the first day he was angry but slept so I thought I had found the solution. The second day he figured out how to climb out of the port-a-crib after about 5 minutes. And proceeded to climb out every few minutes for the 20-30 minutes he was in his room. I tried laying down with him but I took a nap and he did not. He was found happily playing in the secret passage (now kept locked during quiet time). So I admitted defeat and told him he could have quiet time like his big brothers. As long as he stays in his bed with his books he doesn't have to nap. He was quite pleased with this arrangement and happily reads in his bed for 45 minutes just like the big brothers. Sometimes though the nap happens whether he wants it to or not.

He's so cute.

2011-09-05T18:43:00.000-07:00

Mr. 2 asked to hold Mr. 0 this evening and he did a great job making sure Mr. 0 was safe. Mr. 2 kept saying how cute he is and how his toes are so little. He's very proud of his little brother and we're very proud of this big brother.

I'm Asherman

2011-09-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Mr. 2 prefers to be called Asherman and refuses to admit he has a midle name. He does not want to be defined - he is the Asherman.

A few days ago he asked me how robots worked and I told him that they had computers and he was quite happy with this answer. Since then he will ask again how robot work and if you responded with how he will open his eyes really wide and say "They have computers. That's how they work."

Today he picked up a long cardboard tube and held it up to his eye. He asked Daddy to look through the other end.

"Hello. I'm Asherman. How do robots work?"

"I don't know - how do robots work?"

"They have computers in them. That's how they work. Good-bye."

Myst

2011-09-05T18:35:00.000-07:00

We discovered that Myst is available for the iPad and everyone wanted in on the action. Soon all the boys were gathered around the small screen and there was quite the discussion about the clues they had. Except for Mr. 2 who wanted the books to "stop doing that". Even Mr. 0 enjoyed the game until too many finger touching the screen overloaded its poor brain and we had to quit for a reboot.

I may look small...

2011-09-05T18:30:00.000-07:00

But I'm wiry.

Taking it all in

2011-09-02T14:05:00.000-07:00

After the older brothers went to bed, Mr. 0 woke up to check out the quiet.

Ready for bed?

2011-09-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

A playmobil army

2011-09-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

Nana got each of the boys a few new playmobil sets as special big brother gifts and there have been hours of playmobil adventures since they arrived. We must have close to 40 knights now making for great battles. Luckily, no matter the peril they face, the good guys always win in Abanya.

Tin Tin

2011-09-02T13:54:00.000-07:00

Mr. 2 likes to do everything the big brothers do - include reading Tin Tin. He took a break after Prisoners of the Sun to read a bit of the Consultant (he was very sad to see a picture of an "ouchy" toe but I told him that doctors would help it get better and he was satisfied with that) but quickly went back to Tin Tin.

The Junior Varsity Team

2011-09-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

We found our trusty mirror which has been a favorite of every baby in this house. It's a bit scratched at this point but when the reflection is so handsome you barely notice. Mr. 0 is fascinated as was Mr. 2.

Summer reading

2011-08-31T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have recently discovered Tin Tin and have as many as we could find at the library. Mr. 2 calls them Ninja books. I think an older brother movie night is in our future (just for the Varsity team) if the movie is as good as the trailer.

More proud big brothers

2011-08-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

Meeting the big brothers

2011-08-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

The big brothers were so excited to meet the new brother that during the induction we actually didn't want to call home because of the chaos that we heard whenever Nana answered the phone. (Thanks again to the amazing Nana who watched over our three enthusiastic older brothers including Mr. 2 who has strong opinions about everything!) They arrived at the hospital Saturday morning when Mr. 0 was only a few hours old to greet him. Mr. 2 had picked out a little elephant for his brother and was so proud to give it to him.

If you ask Mr. 2 who is a big brother he will usually answer "Ethan!"
And who else? "Isaac!"
And who else? "Micah?"
And in general he says he is "Big guy Asher man" and refuses to believe he has a middle name. "I'm Asher and I two years old."

Micah's arrival

2011-08-31T11:10:00.000-07:00

Micah Robert Saff (soon to be known as Mr. 0) arrived early Saturday morning at 3:08am. He was a small 8lbs 5oz which made for a much easier delivery than his older brothers. He was 20.5in long and looks most like little Ethan although part of that is likely size.

Breaking down a little bilirubin

2011-08-29T15:14:00.001-07:00

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8