Isaac turned nine on February 13th so I finished his room for his bday.
Before...
"Isaac, you should have 2 more pages in your homework packet. Go grab it and finish."
"Isaac, you have something like 5 pages you haven't finished this week."
"I know, I'm sorry." "Get to work."
"Isaac, it says to circle the pronoun. Banana is not a pronoun." - Isaac commences crying.
"Isaac, if you start crying over a pronoun again I'm not doing football tonite."
He heads to his room to do some more.
"Isaac, once again, circle the pronoun in the second sentence. Don't do anything to the first sentence. These are mostly wrong." - more tears.
"O.k., no football."
They tied the Redskins at 24 a piece.
"Follow through." (Parenting 101, Common Sense Press, 1 b.c., page 1, line 1)
Isaac's Birthday Feast Sunday....
Until Saturday I have an 8, 7, and 6 year old.
Not to mention a 2 year old and the bebe.
But come Sunday we will be 8, 8, 6, 2, 3 mos.
Here he is in all his handsome glory...
I dropped off my kid's at school today the same way a normal person drops off her kindergartner in September. I only cried when Isaac's teacher was so ever-loving kind to him it broke my heart. So, while the learning we've done (and continue to do), at home focuses on one thing or another, I can probably be assured that it won't be the same thing focused on at "the big school" that Olivia has so longingly called it for the last couple years. I'll probably have a few more conversations about what Olivia knows or doesn't know, but, as of tomorrow I won't take it personally and I won't give it either. Let's just help these kiddos learn and be happy.
Liv's teachers were a little pissed. Pardon the French, but I believe they were. When I taught at Grant I'd have probably been as well. As it happened, I did have a home-schooler brought to me in the middle of the year, and he caught on immediately with what we were doing and it went swimmingly.
My first conversation with one of Liv's teachers went a little something like this...
"I tested her reading."
"uh-huh."
"She's behind."
"uh-huh." (you mean like I told you this morning when I dropped her off?)
"I mean VERY behind."
"uh-huh."
"I don't have anyone else in my class that low."
"Yup. I had her speech tested and she's got some form of auditory comprehension disability, but they didn't get too in-depth as she was going to a private school and they only tested her to see if she'd get resource help for a scholarship. I spoke to the school speech therapist and we've got an idea of what it is that slows her reading. We're going to have her tested to see just what she needs so she can be helped while she's at school."
"She's only reading on a first grade level."
"uh-huh." I've taught her for a year myself. I know what level she's reading at. My first grader has surpassed her.
"And why does she write in cursive?"
"That's what we taught at the Montessori school. It's easier for little scribblers (and it's just plain pretty, I should have added). Is it a problem for her to write in cursive?"
It was her turn this time, "uh-huh."
"Won't she be doing only cursive next year?"
again, "uh-huh."
"But for now she can't?"
"Un-uh"
"Well I guess we'll work on her printing."
"She's really low. Do you think her cursive has interfered with her reading?"
"Absolutely not. She always reads books in print. Always reads my work in cursive and she reads both on the same level. If anything it shows more intelligence that she can "translate". I'm a certified (well, it's expired, so I guess I'm not), teacher.
-Meaning I'm not some schmuck off the streets wanting to stay up late and sleep in, travel whenever I want to, and have my children make leather wallets to sell on Ebay. Although 2/3 are wonderful benefits to homeschooling. Besides, any schmuck would know a 1st-2nd grade level curriculum. Not that he'd want to teach it, but still.
I have the other teacher thinking Montessori is of the devil. I really need to keep my mouth shut or keep running it until it is all out on the carpet. I've sent my kids from one philosophy to the next. They won't converge for many moons, or some might argue, not at all.
Moral: It was the first day of school in the middle of the school year (and I am a schmuck for that). Can we give eachother a break?
Ahhh. City League Soccer.
This season the Scorpions are 5-0 (because they "strike real fast")
I was editing photos one Saturday when Liv rushed down the stairs, "MOM, I'm serious the crab has one of the fish"...
It was like watching Wild Kindom. He held it with the Popeye claw and ate with the one that looks ironically like a crab fork.
This is dedicated to the one I love...
count baby count!
(one, two, fwee, fo)
This is what makes it all worthwhile.
When I called to sweet talk Jason after telling him we needed x amount for the first week in order to buy books, pay teachers, etc. he says, "Bran. I figured this out. That's about $1500/year on piano lessons." I thought, "What in the world is he talking about and how did he arrive at that figure?" Turns out he thought they were $30 a week. He was still completely willing to pay for them (both of us would love to know how to play an instrument (other than a powwow drum or a kazoo).
This year he's going to be a great bowler, learn to ice skate, and just be "me". He also wants to go to Chuck e Cheese's.
We make the 1 hr 45 min (3.5 hours if you drive like my parents), trek to Cache Valley often. From the moment I walk in the door I am completely incapacitated. In my subconscious I find nothing to cook or clean and two bend-over-backward glorious grandparents. That's all it takes to keep me nearly unconscious for 2 to 3 days. Sometimes it's embarrassing.
My children, on the other hand, find 4 acres of pure joy. In the Summer it's sliding down plastic coated grass with the irrigation water, in the Winter it's sledding. Even Chloe has decided to get in on the action. (Georgia arrived for 5 min. of the action before returning to her sanctuary: A room with a vhs player and evey disney movie known to man).
See Isaac's position? When we got on the real tobogans (which in NC is the hats they are wearinig???), we took off to the neighboring hay field for a longer run. I noticed toward the end of the ride Isaac would try to stand up, surfer style. So, Grandpa and I coached him on how to do it from the top of the hill (I'm sure his father wouldn't approve), and I'll be darned if that boy couldn't snowboard!!! He is absolutely incredibly talented - that kid! Guess what I hope he's getting for his birthday? If I can talk my darling into it we can get a customized one from Board of Provo and maybe a few lessons at Sundance. 
