In my life this week…
was a sense of being tired,
but grateful.
My cold turned into a sinus infection and sleep continued to elude
me due to congestion and kiddo wakings. Plus,
there were some extra challenges with the children’s behavior at times. Still, there was also so much to be grateful
for – support, friendship, beautiful weather, quiet moments, cuddly times… God-given
gifts and graces bring smiles even through moments of human frustration and
grogginess.
In our homeschool…
We
- participated with two homeschooling co-ops by enjoying another great morning of learning followed by an early afternoon at the playground with friends from Our Lady Queen of Saints at the start of the week and burning off some energy with friends from Creative Kids Co-op at a marina-side playground while waiting for our fire station field trip, which ended up having to be rescheduled due to a last-minute call at the fire station.
- continued to enjoy our St. Jerome Story Basket.
- focused on St. Francis’ Feast Day with a breakfast of bread and water (since Francis was said to survive mostly on bread and water) while reading storybooks related to the saint. Then, later treated ourselves to some made-together almond-honey cakes like the ones St. Francis was said to have indulged upon every now and then when visiting his friend Lady Jacoba.
- ensured that Luke got some concentrated early reading and math each day, but otherwise mostly went with “unschooling” this week by weaving literacy, math and other topics into daily life through conversation, cooking, games and following both the children’s interests and the flow of life and appointments
- enjoyed songs, stories, crafts, parachute time and movement at the first library story hour of the year.
- made a plan about how to attract birds to the yard.
- came up with a plan for how to keep squirrels away from the bird feeder. Luke and Nina decided to make a squirrel feeding table, thinking if they had their own space to eat they'd leave the feeder alone. It didn't work, but it sure was cute to see the squirrels munching at the table. Unfortunately, they ran away scared every time we tried to open the door to take a photo of them.
- began to get back into a habit of family work time, with Luke eager to clean the bathroom floor while Nina asked to vacuum the kids’ bedroom. If only the vacuum had not konked out half-way through…
- re-discovered our Leapfrog Magnetic Alphabet and Word Whammer Fridge Phonics, which are some of the only talking toys that escaped the talking toy clear-out I did before Jack was born. With volume controls, they don’t bother me so much and all three children have been loving practicing letter sounds and basic words and spelling with them.
Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
When congestion strikes hard “decongest”
your days and be sure to get outside.
I have been feeling so drained,
tired and congested this week. That,
in turn, does a number on my will and patience. Thus, to combat mama-snippiness, as well as
ensure everyone stayed relatively happy and learning, I opted to simplify our
schedule, to forego much classroom time and to ensure we got ample outdoor
time this week, even when I would have rather been buried under a blanket
trying to catch a nap. (Oh, for children
that napped so I could, too…)
By simplifying our school work
and have-to-do’s, I allowed more “breathing out” time for us all (even if
literal breathing out was difficult for me.)
Similarly, by getting outside often, the kids experienced
opportunities for spontaneous learning, exercise and nature study while I
benefited from a natural attitude adjustment and less need to practice
patience. (Children often seem to be
less nudgy when they get a lot of outdoor time, it seems!)
I am inspired by…
the birds. I know, that may
seem odd, but it’s true.
Last weekend, the children
persuaded me to budget for some birdseed and then designed birdhouse/feeders
from recyclables with Daddy. Since
then, we have been enjoying birdwatching in our front yard as well as doing a
lot of “Scat, squirrel, scat” calling.
So, why am I inspired?
Well, for one, when I begin to
drag from my cold, seeing birds in flight lifts my spirits. I just love watching them hop from branch
to branch and, then, soar gracefully away.
Also, as I witness the birds finding
our feeders, I reflect on how they seem to trust that they will be provided
for and simply keep moving until they discover where their provisions
are. They do their part by flying
about and staying alert and trust that God (sometimes through human hands)
will provide the rest. I could model
after this. I could definitely work on
being alert and aware to how God provides for me and how I can do my part through
happily seeking where I can be fed.
Finally, birds seem to
demonstrate that just going with the flow, following rhythm and instinct is
easy. Again, I could learn from them…
My favorite thing over the past week was…
Nina and Jack’s joy when Luke
earned them five minutes in his OT sensory room ball pit by being so
cooperative at OT. I had no camera on hand, but the pure delight
glowing from my children’s faces surrounded by multi-colored balls is an
image I won’t soon forget.
Jack played, pounded his hands down into the bowls and tossed the balls
about, falling, diving and laughing with discovery. Nina blossomed with a tremendous smile as
she dove again and again into the ball pit that she had so longed to
experience. Luke grinned with pride at
being able to earn his siblings such a special time. It was simply awesome!
What’s (not) working for us…
me still being sick, and now
having a wrist support on, too. Change
of season and weird aging maladies, be gone!
Question I have…
How quickly will the next seven years go?
I felt so blessed. There have been many challenges in life over the past seven year, but there have also been many joys. Time has passed quickly, replete with change and growth.
As Jack toddled down the beach, I
was reminded of the first time Luke did the same and how now Luke is getting
so big. As Nina carried a heavy bucket
of rocks, I recalled how she was late in gaining basic gross motor skills,
but now loves to jump, play, lift and run.
As we took our annual snapshot, I mused about how quickly “us” went
from Mike and me to a family of five.
Some days seem so long, but the
years go by so quickly. I better not
blink or my children will be grown and gone and Mike and I will be walking
that beach alone again.
Things I’m working on…
Besides getting rid of this silly
sinus infection and sore wrist, I am still working on finding better balance
and rhythm, decluttering and simplifying, plus discerning how my “big rocks”
relate to Mike’s and the kids’.
I’m reading…
daily bits and pieces of many
things, but still with such a foggy head that I don’t feel inclined to write
much on any of them now. Reviews and
reading suggestions will come another week.
I’m grateful for…
I'm praying for…
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Happy Betrothal Anniversay! I have nominated you for The Versatile Blogger award! I see you already have it now, but isn't it nice to be loved? Have a happy day!
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