And so the school year begins

I barely had time to get a picture. None of Henry. Sigh. 

It'll be hit or miss for the next couple of weeks while we get going, then go out of town, then come back into it all. But we started school today.

Henry, 4th, Spencer 3rd, Oliver 1st, and Ezra who is still four declaring that he is in Kindergarten. Fine. Kindergarten.

We're trying a lot of new things this year. New math curriculum, new reading/writing, new units, new subjects, new everything. It's ALLLLL new.

I'm trying to just do what I know is best for my family, you know? And every day, it's like I have to make that decision again.

And every morning, I have to decide to get up and do it.

It's hard.

I don't wish it was different, because I know this is so good, for so many reasons.

But today, when the baby was hysterical because I was merely HOLDING him, but not PAYING ATTENTION TO HIM, and Miriam needed potty help, and Ezra was mad because... I don't know, and the boys were fighting about I don't know what...

I was overwhelmed.

I love homeschooling. I love what it offers us in flexibilty, in different learning styles, in time together, I really really do.

There is always that doubt, that niggling question, "Am I doing the right thing?" It's like I can't ever just go forward with confidence. I always feel like I'm just not sure.

Regardless of my worries, the boy just jumped right in, the new things merely new and fun, not big and scary like I see them.

So I'm grateful.

It's going to be an adventure; different than ever before. I'm excited for the new things we'll see and do.

I need to chill. They are happy. They are learning. It's really all going very well.

I mean, all one day of it so far.

Happy first day! Only 179 to go.

The Final Hurrah of Summer

We are celebrating the end of summer. Sadly. Summer has been straight up fantastic. Oh how we haved lived and loved summer. I let go of my expectations very early on. Our chore chart, for better or worse, was left to gather dust. School books were left forgotten on the shelf. I have/had some guilt about, but the reality was it was what we needed. We swam in the lake, had camp fires and bbq parties, swimming pool parties, hikes, picnics, outings galore. Oh my, I am mourning the passing of summer. 

To give us one final hurrah, Henry has been asking if they could sleep outside in the tent. We live in a ridiculously secluded woodsy lot, in a zero-crime town, so I figured, sure why not. To make it more fun, we had a camp fire, cooked hamburgers, ate watermelon and smores until we nearly burst. Then I tucked all four boys into the tent, ready for a night out. 

Ezra immediately changed his mind and came straightaway into his familiar bed. Oliver lasted twenty minutes. But the big boys made it all night and were up with the sun. 

It was pretty awesome. 

Wallace, the puppy (have you been introduced to Wallace? I can't remember...) found a bottle of blue food coloring IN THE YARD (Thanks a lot stinker butt kids) and well, the results were blue. Lots of blue. The whites of his EYES were blue. His mouth was blue. I'm sure his fur was too, but he's too dark to be able to tell. Anyway, both dogs were invited to the party, and Jonah at least behaved himself and didn't dye himself colors.

School will start for reals on Tuesday. It'll be great. All the books are awaiting readers, pencils need sharpening, but we're ready. Kind of. Well, I will be by Tuesday.

Cheers ya'll!

Walking in the Woods

“Instructions for living a life. 
Pay attention. 
Be astonished. 
Tell about it.” 
― Mary Oliver









Sometimes you just need a walk in the woods to clear your head. Sometimes you just have to investigate holes in trees in hopes a snake willc ome out. Sometimes you have to climb, reach and climb a bit higher. Just because, well, you can.

Sometimes, you ignore the to-do lists and just run away from home for a bit.

Homeschool Opening Report

It occurs to me that I never did an "end of year report" but suffice it to say, we did school for the large majority of the summer, so there wasn't really ever an end. We took the last two weeks of August off though, and that was a lovely break. We returned from DC ready to tackle the craziness of a new school year.

We have Henry the cute second grader, Spencer the intrepid first grader, Oliver the determined preschooler, Ezra the demanding-to-be-read-to-er, and Miriam the learning to walk-er.

It's a challenge, balancing five small one's needs, especially when each of them firmly believes their needs to be the most needed, the most desperate and patience is a virtue with which they have not yet learned.

Utah Online has agreed to let us continue with them this year. This is a HUGE blessing, and I am so grateful. They also provided our family with a laptop, meaning we can have two computers running at the same time. Having two laptops streamlines school so much it is astonishing. 

Other good news is that Henry is much more independently-able this year. He is a much better reader (although, we're still working on it, it's a process) which means he's more capable of reading his own math instructions, for instance. It makes it a bit easier.

Spencer is learning the art of staying on task. It is much easier to just do it and get it done than wander away, play and then return to school. Plus, it makes Mom much happier if you just get it done! It's a hard lesson for this first-grade boy to learn. But I think he'll get it.


Oliver proudly tells anyone who will listen that he is in preschool, so we are making our way through the alphabet, all the while learning how to be kind, share, and not yell and scream when Mom tells you to wait two seconds while I change a bum. Preschool is hard work.


Ezra wants to do school too, so that usually simply means equipping him with a notebook and pencil and squeezing in "Mom, read this to me," when the boys are doing their math or reading.


Miriam just floats, usually nearby, often on my hip. She's decided that one nap a day is plenty, so gone are the days when school happened during nap time. Oh no. Not anymore.

It's a blessing, this homeschool thing. I know it's not for everyone. I know it's a choice we have to reevaluate each year, but right now, it in the glow and excitement of new book, subjects and laptops, I'm grateful to be surrounded all day, every day by my little people.


Ask me tomorrow if I feel the same way. ;)

Welcoming Summer At My House

(Swimming lessons take place at a nearby lake. It's basically AWESOME.)

Good morning! We have been thick in the throws of official summer break since Monday up in here. (In New England, summer doesn't start until like ACTUAL summer starts, which is really weird, and makes it feel like summer is NEVER EVER going to come. But now, the schools are out, the library summer reading program starts today and swimming lessons started on Monday. SUMMER! SUMMER! (What day is it? Is it Wednesday?)
\

(Most of my pictures are of Miriam because she doesn't run away from me.)

Anyway, we've matched our summer "break" with the schools here which just makes it easier to keep track of things. Poor POOR Henry declared, "Why do we have to do school in the summer? No one else does?"

(Ezra does not care for swimming lessons. He LOVES playing in the water. But please do not insult his intelligence by trying to TEACH him to SWIM.)



(Swimming lessons makes one hungry.)


I'm mean. I replied, "Because if you don't your brains will rot and drip out your ears."

Spencer was skeptical, "Really, Mom?"




(Swimming lessons!!)


(The brook across our street is basically our second most-favorite place so far.)


So to combat brain-rottage, and general entropy, we've started a STAR CHART complete with prizes (I've become my mother, this is, in this case, a good thing). And it is keeping our summer somewhat organized and myself comfortable in the knowledge that at the very least, I can say that I'm TRYING to raise human beings who are not complete hooligans. WIN WIN.



(STAR CHART!)


 (The brook! So much to try and eat!)

SUMMER! It's SO MUCH FUN!


(He was having a great time, I promise.)


(See? Giant sticks. Great time.)


(Yum, rocks!)

Play Dough Saved the Day

Winter does not seem to understand that we've broken up. It was a good run, but I'm ready for a more serious relationship with spring, you see? 

It's totally not me, winter, it's you. 

But the temperature. Well. It's being frigid. The kids are still trapped inside. I did send them out the other day and Henry lost his boot in two feet of snow, and it's still out there somewhere. 

Yesterday it was crazy town. RUNNING and SCREAMING and FIGHTING. 

So, I did what any desperate mother would do. 

I made play dough. 

TWO hours of blissful playing. NO fighting. NO crying. BLISS. 

Typically, I hate play dough. It's messy. It's sticky. But this? Worth every bit of clean up. 

In other news, this little doll is SEVEN months old. 

Amazing. 

Homeschool 21st Century Style

(doing their reading class on the computer) 

One of the coolest things about homeschooling in this day and age is that it's not done in a vacuum. Well, I suppose it COULD be done that way, if you so choose, but we don't so choose.

Every morning, my boys hop on the computer and connect with other kids, live, as their reading teacher guides them through the basics. There is hand-raising, participating and reading over the microphone.

It's not exactly like traditional school of course (if that was the case, wouldn't we just use traditional school?) but it's great. It's collaborative and fun. I love it.

We're facing the reality that next year our beloved school  may not be available to us because it's not offered in New Hampshire, and so we're trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. I'm just bummed because we've loved being a part of this experience, and it will be sad to forgo it.

Darn you New Hampshire. DARN YOU!

Travelin'

One of things that excited Derek and I about moving to New England was how close things are. You can drive two hours and go through three states.

Derek's job requires him to travel a bit, and sometimes we get to tag along. This week we went to Maine for the day. None of us had ever been. The boys were so so excited to go to the ocean. Oliver wondered why we didn't bring our swim suits.


The beach was FREEZING *duh* and windy as all get out. But it was beautiful and amazing and deserted and the boys had a blast. We also enjoyed a store called "Renys" which is apparently a Maine original and is, in my approximation kind of like Big Lots, maybe?

A mediocre pizza joint was our dinner (so sad when Mom and Pop's aren't good. I WANT TO LIKE YOU!) and we were home.

Then on Saturday, after cleaning all morning, we did what any person, desperate to keep their kids from crapping up their house after they just cleaned it would do. We went to Boston.



Boston boasts and amazing Children's Museum and despite being ridiculously busy, the kids had a blast. We bought a year pass and I'm sure we'll return as often an possible. Boston is just over an hour from our house, so it's an easy drive.



I probably should have stayed home more and opened more boxes, but... I didn't. HA! And we had a great week.

First Day of School!

So. I have issues. I have issues with how freaking EARLY schools start! My birthday is August 19th, and never once in my entire life did I attend school on my birthday. 

Ever. 

We're doing a K12 (free, online public school)  sort of deal with Henry and Spencer this year. I'm way excited about it, and so are they. All the curriculum, books, manipulative math stuff, etc came on Spencer's birthday, and it took until yesterday to get it all organized. 

And what else was there to do but START? It's sitting the shelves, they were dying to crack into it, and really, I need to use whatever enthusiasm I can squeeze out them! 

Today was, therefore, our first official day of school. 

I intended to take pictures, I really did, but it was a bit chaotic of  day with lots of things mixed into our school day, and so at the very end of the day, I remembered pictures and then Spencer was much too busy jumping on the trampoline to be bothered. 

So this is what I got:

 

I am the mother of a FIRST GRADER and a Kindergartener. I am overwhelmed with the duties ahead in the next year. There is a lot we're hoping to accomplish. And with two little brothers who are NOT keen to be ignored while I work through math with their big brothers, a baby girl coming any day who will be equally (if not more!) demanding of time and attention, I'm praying for help to make sure everyone gets what they need. 

Because NEED runs rampant around here. 

But I'm also grateful for the opportunity. Last year was... in a word... wonderful. I feel super confident in where the boys are as they start the year. We're ready to tackle new challenges, continue learning, yadayadayada. 

It's pretty great. 

Spencer is now FIVE!

Well, my Spencer is now FIVE.

I have been blogging long enough that every single of his birthdays (except the DAY of his birth...) has been recorded. Wanna see?
1
2
3
4
And now, FIVE. A whole hand. We are taking a deep breath and starting kindergarten. All his school stuff came in the mail today, actually. So, we are really actually doing it. We never really considered holding him back a year, he'll do great. But still.

Where did five years go?

As for his celebratory day? He dictated the day, minus having to clean up before the party. He would have happily skipped that part.

Spencer chose Taco Bell for lunch. When I tried desperately to change his mind, he was resolute. "We haven't been there in s LONG time, Mom." Sigh. Then I remembered MONTHS ago, on Oliver's birthday, Spencer declared that on HIS birthday he wanted Taco Bell.

Are you getting that we don't eat at Taco Bell?

Then he ate two Doritos Tacos. Ugh.

Anyway!

Then, the matter of his party. What mattered? Water games, swim suits, friends, family and ice cream cake.


The ice cream cake was non-negotiable.



And so, thus commenced the celebrating of  FIVE.



It was so fun.





It's humorous, living near family. Because his friends really are family (even those we're not *technically* related to) and so, I end up inviting child-less 20 (and 30) -something aunts and uncles who then happily come and celebrate hardcore right along side the kids.

It makes it fun for all.

Spencer had a great day, I hope. It's always my goal: Make my baby's birthdays special. Nearly seven years into parenting, we've got it down: a few gifts, let them choose their activity, some friends and family, and make sure there is good food.  It works. It works REALLY well.




(The party after-math. Oh my.) 

Now, our Spencer Recap. At FIVE years old Spencer is:
very handsome, if I do say so myself.
learning to read and super excited for Kindergarten
an excellent brother. He is sweet and loving.
loves Super Heros, Batman is still a favorite, along with Spiderman,
has a great imagination. He can turn anything into a toy, with a story.
likes to read books.
is a great eater. He's willing to try stuff I offer.
says super funny things without meaning to be funny.
still is a morning person. We've made some strides. MOST mornings he's quiet until 6... ok, some mornings.
can be incredibly unaware. Sometimes he just is so off in his own little world...
is very excited for his sister to come. :) (ME TOOOOOO!!!!)

We sure are thankful that our Spencer is OUR Spencer. He is his own man, and we adore him.

Homeschool Not Report

This week I've been attempting to write a homeschool "wrap up" to you know... wrap things up. Except, well, school hasn't been going well at all! The weather has been divine, my little men's hearts have not been in it.

So, I've been just requiring the absolute bare minimum. Then I set them free. Because they want to be free.

We're not done with our curriculum. So, we can't actually call it summer yet. Oh I wish we could for them and myself. But well, we can't. We'll push through, but I'll let them be free.

And yesterday they spent their free time running through the sprinklers and playing in the mud. It was pretty much glorious.'
  

Valentine's Day Eve

Okay, I know Valentine's Day is kind of not a real holiday. I KNOW.

But I can't help but enjoy getting into it a bit.

First, could February drag ANY WORSE? Seriously, there is a reason it's so short.

And Valentine's Day right smack dab in the middle (except this year with it's extra day) is a nice way to keep it moving.

And my kids LOVE it.

So, we got started today with a home school group Valentine's Day card exchange. It was great! The boys really REALLY loved it.

From February 2012

(Smudgy camera, sigh)

From February 2012

(Candy!!)

From February 2012

(MORE CANDY!)

Then I made some felt decor to jazz up the house. The boys thought this was FABULOUS. I had them paint "Valentine's pictures" which really turned into regular painting.

From February 2012

Tomorrow we'll have our Valentine's Breakfast and one more Valentine's party.

Plus tomorrow is our (as in Derek and Myself's) 10th anniversary of our first date. Silly, I know, but still fun to remember.

So yeah, I like V-Day. Sue me.

Happy Day Tomorrow, Lovers!

Boredom?

From February 2012

Our days here are pretty ordinary. They revolve around meals and nap times.

Yesterday EVERYONE needed naps. But in the end, I only succeeded in napping 3 out of 4 (darn that Henry thinking 6 is "too big" for a nap!). 

So rather than attack the dishes/laundry/dirty floors, Henry and I had some one-on-one math time. I realize that sounds really lame and kind of weird, but Henry really digs math and especially when you add in manipulatives. He really "gets" it, you know?

From February 2012

My interest waned long before his did, and eventually his counting, organizing and pattern-making shifted into castle/house making, Spencer woke up and joined him, and I got the laundry sorted. 

Yes, that's how our days tend to go, flowing from one to another moment. Here and there. 

I know some people think stay-at-home moms must be bored. They must not have much to do. 

I can honestly say, that even with the most mundane of tasks, I'm rarely bored. I'm kept on my toes by boys who ask endless questions, who disappear into the bathroom and organize all the soap (Spencer... who knows why?!),  meals to prepare, budgets to keep (yuck) and things to do! (Poopy diapers x 5 yesterday! YES! I need to potty-train OLIVER! I KNOW! I KNOW!) 

It's not glamorous, nor does it vary much from day to day. 

But it's my life and my choice. And I do love it. More than I think I could have guessed. 

And on days when boredom IS threatening, well, then there's the rec center for "raquetball" (Ezra's favorite thing of all time, next to basketball).

Or, today's grand adventure: Target to buy baby wipes. 

I KNOW! 

If I'm a very good girl at the store, I might even stumble upon a Diet Coke on the way home. (YES! I have mostly given up the dark drink of the devil, BUT every now and again, it's a lovely prize for getting to and from the store with all four children present, accounted for and in one piece!!!)

Yes, friends, the life of a stay-at-home mom is NOT fancy or full of accolades. 

But it's good stuff, nonetheless. 

Home School Half-Time Report

When I embarked on this year of home-education, I felt like I was VERY prepared. I had read a book about setting appropriate expectations for yourself and your kids during the first year of homeschooling (I counted last year as practice.) I was prepared to change things up, rearrange schedules and curriculum and all that.

Basically I had a plan, and I figured it would change.

And change it has.

1. Schedule

We began our year sort of trying to loosely mirror the traditional idea of "get up, get ready and go to school."

I think that lasted MAYBE two weeks.

Mornings here are NOT for school. Derek tends to work less in the mornings and more after lunch. For some reason, when Dad is around, other things tend to need to be accomplished instead.

Plus because Derek works until after bedtime, we have our big "dinner" meal at lunch time. I can't possibly cook a full meal and teach reading at the same time.

So, now, we don't even try for school until after lunch. It makes for a nice smooth morning-into-afternoon for everyone. Babies go to bed and school can happen.

2. Curriculum
We're still working toward literacy. I knew it was going to be a long haul. I also knew that Spencer would progress as fast (if not faster) than Henry. And those have both proven true.

However, both boys have made huge leaps and are now reading some words and understand how sounds go together. The fact that I can SEE the progress motivates me to keep pushing them.

We do far less Art  than I thought we would. While my Pinterests are full of delightful art projects, the reality is my boys get easily frustrated by art that includes step-by-step instructions. Typically the prep time is at least 2x as long as it takes for the project to get done.

But when I hand them supplies and say "the only rule is to keep the glue off the floor" then they will cut and paste for an hour. (See the picture above.)

We go on far fewer field trips than I thought we would. For one thing, the littles' naps cut into the day. For another, I feel like they are a bit young for most of the educational experiences available to us. They are small. We have YEARS to explore the world around us in a "formal" way. For now, the library and the park and walks suffice.

The boys love math. It shocks me. They like to add and subtract. Henry thinks dividing is SO cool. I have no idea where they came from.

The boys' "kid lessons" continue to be a favorite. "Mom, can we learn about (insert random thing here)?" is a daily request. We spent over a week learning about robots. It's my favorite as much as it is their's.

We still read books by the dozen. They can't get enough.

Day To Day:
Some days are better than others. Some days we miss school entirely or only get a fraction of what I wanted accomplished done.

Some days are blissful, and I feel confident in our progress.

Other days I wonder why we ever thought this was a good idea.

My house is frequently trashed. The kids are learning to do chores, to help, to clean up. But it's like pulling teeth. And since we're ALL here all day (except Derek who escapes!) the mess adds up fast.

I keep the kitchen clean and the clothes washed. I try to keep up on bathrooms and vacuuming.

I don't get laundry folded or sorted or put away more than once a week. Right now there are clean clothes that have been clean and in baskets for a month. (I'm blaming that on pregnancy nausea!)

I cook exactly one meal a day. It's usually lunch, like I said. I've accepted that cereal for breakfast most days is not the worst. I know it's far from ideal, but concessions have been made.

I don't get a lot of time for anything other than kids. It's not their fault. They are good boys. But it means that bedtime remains firmly at 6:30pm. Ezra makes sleeping challenging because frequent night-wakings. So I'm tired. Always.

Due to exhaustion sometimes I'm lazy. I try to not be because I think school teachers don't get to be "lazy." So we push through.

But there are days...

All in all, we're doing well. We're getting educated. We're learning. We still all love each other.

It's hard. I won't lie. It's not all sunshine and roses and hippie granola crunchy meals. Sometimes it's dirty kids and frustrated Mama and the McDonald's playland.

But we're on the right path. So, that's something right?