7 QT: Lazy Town, Homeschooling Philosophies, and Strange Smells
Happy Friday! Let's talk about some random stuff.
Do yourself a favor, and don't check this CD out of the library, mmmkay?
Even if your kids beg you, and your two year old says, "But da gewl wif da pink haiw is so beautifuw!"
You will save yourself the trouble of listening to this song on repeat:
You can thank me later.
I have this problem. I often forget to clean my microwave for months at a time.
I find that, when I open my microwave to heat something up, I am horrified by its disgusting-ness. And then, five minutes later as I am caught up in getting up from the supper table 5,000 times to refill milks and get napkins and push in chairs and retrieve seconds, I quickly forget about the horrifying state of my microwave.
And then the next time I open the microwave, repeat horrification.
Then last weekend, Zach and Piper came to visit, and I was thinking about what we would eat while they were here, and I thought we should have eggs and bacon for breakfast, and thought I would probably cook the bacon in the microwave, and that reminded me that our microwave was horrifying. And right that second, I got up and cleaned it.
(N helped me display my work proudly, in her ski hat.)
And now, every time I open my microwave, it's like having a new lease on life. I think I actually have gone over to open the microwave when I haven't had anything to cook, just because looking at a clean microwave actually relieves the stress of my day a little bit.
Zach and Piper, come visit more often, so that (among many other reasons) I will be prompted to clean the microwave more than twice a year.
We went to Old Sturbridge Village Homeschool Day this week! It was sooooo fun.
Grinding nutmeg for a 19th-century cooking class
Building toy houses
Painting a "family register"
Practicing penmanship on a schoolhouse slate
N did three workshops, and I was able to fully participate with her since M was able to take a personal day and stay home with the younger two (since it was the first week of school for L, we wanted to make sure they both got naps that day). It was so fun to have some one-on-one time with my big girl!
After the workshops we met some homeschooling friends and N played while I had some Mama chat time... what a nice, refreshing time. Not having to chase little ones around and push a stroller felt pretty relaxing!
First day of preschool for L on Tuesday!
L was so excited to go back and see all of her friends and, or course, her beloved teachers. I am reminded of how much I love her school and how amazing all the staff are. It's super exciting to be back.
L is in an afternoon class now (the four-year-olds meet in the afternoon), and since she still needs a nap 4-5 times a week it will be interesting to see how this goes. I'm trying to keep her light on other activities (we're not doing dance etc.) as she makes the adjustment. She has been worn out this week and did have a small meltdown yesterday morning, but I think some of that may have just been first week jitters. Although she does love her school, she openly admits to being nervous about social situations (I can identify with that!). I'm thinking that once we're in the routine all will be well.
I read a really great post the other day, and it was a nice reminder. These words stuck out to me:
"...life... got the better of me, as it often did. I hoped that these experiences were teaching my kids when I could not. I prayed that I was setting a good example for them, one of service, kindness, and balance... there are still interruptions in our days. There are still times when things don’t turn out the way we’d hoped. In the end, though, our children are watching and learning from us, especially when the day unfolds in unexpected ways." (italics mine)
Even if you don't homeschool, children still learn the most from watching Mom and Dad, and seeing how we react when life gives us lemons. And that's one of the most important forms of "school", isn't it?-- teaching the ability to persevere, and to show kindness and grace while doing so. I am not always good at setting that example.
While we are on the subject of homeschooling posts, this one makes a pretty good argument for the whole unschooling idea. In fact, many of the stories I have heard and interviews I have read about unschooling families end in kids who grow up and go on to the best universities, or save the world with some heroic humanitarian effort.
I have a hard time letting go of the structure, and so far what we're doing is more like "school at home" but I do love the idea of "inspiring not requiring", especially while my kiddos are still young and life hasn't beaten the love of learning out of them yet. I want to capture that wonder in them, and teach them how to keep it. Not that that can't be done with kids who are in an away-from-home school program, I know.
I also have a hard time not feeling pressure to keep my kids "caught up" with all the public school children, and I feel anxiety that they "should" be learning certain things at certain grade levels. The more we relax into the awesomeness of our homeschool routine, however, the more I find my anxiety level lessening and my brain letting go of that idea. I'm sure I'll write more about that in the future, and you will all get to read my ramblings. Hooray!
I'll close with a funny story that I've been meaning to write down ever since it happened several weeks ago.
We were at a playground in a more urban area of town. As the girls played, the unmistakable smell of pot wafted by, undoubtedly coming from someone's window in a nearby apartment building.
L smelled it and cried out gleefully, "I smell somebody's lawnmower!!"
N replied, "No, no, silly... someone's roasting hot dogs."
I thought to myself, "Well, I have no doubt you're smelling the grass, and someone certainly is roasting something..." but I didn't say it out loud.
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