Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Summertime and the living is Easy, or so they say...

How can it be the middle of August?  Our summer started with the last day of school in early June, but the warm summer weather didn't appear until after the 4th of July!  Now our days are warm but the mornings are cool and my two older kids are starting school next week!  Some days, summer is too long and others, well it can't stay long enough. 
The kids are bored or so they say.  The activities that I provide are short lived and I can tell that school needs to start.  I have started having them do workbooks so that their brains aren't bored.  I have realized a difference between "home" school and there public school.  They both flit around on various pages never completing one and then in 10 minutes they are "bored."  At school they both can sit and do their work and love it!  Problem is, they don't view me as their teacher.  I have heard that this is one of the biggest problems with new homeschoolers.  Now before you say, "what? is she homeschooling her kids?"  I will just say a very emphatic, "No!"  While this route is definitely the right one fome, I have found that at this point in my life it would not work out for me or my kids.r so
Life has been crazy and a little hectic lately but this past month or should I say, last couple of weeks, it has slowed down to a reasonable pace. 
We finally finished the basement (insert huge sigh of relief) and listed our house July 1st.  We had hoped to get it listed sooner, it just didn't happen.  We have been averaging one showing a week.  No takers yet, but it has made me keep the house really clean!  Kind of nice.  We have tried to play with the kids now that we aren't spending all of our free time finishing a basement.  So we have found some new parks, gone swimming in the river, bike riding and just enjoying our kiddos.  It's been nice!
School starts next week.  Monkey is going to be in 2nd grade and Peanut is going to be in Kindergarten.  Monkey is really looking forward to having his younger sister at the same school.  When he asked if she was going to be at the kindergarten there and I said, yes, his reply was, "Yes, I'll get to see her everyday!"  While my first response was to say, "You see her everyday at home and I am positive this is never your response!"  I didn't say it.  I chose to embrace this moment for what it was.  It was an older brother excited to show his younger sister the "ropes" of the elementary school.  To introduce her to the world of recess and school halls.  To be able to talk to her about her teacher.  The same one he had 2 years before.  To see her in the hallway to make sure everything is ok.  It warms my mommy heart to know that even though they can fight like a couple of featherweights, they still like each other.  I think that Peanut is feeling a bit more confident knowing that her older brother is going to be there.  I get it.  I've been in her shoes.  I've been the younger sibling looking for that comfort of home in a crowd of people that you don't know.  I get that and it makes me so proud of my Monkey. To know that something is working out right.
The older kids went to play at a waterpark with some friends today.  Baby T woke up from her nap and wanted to go play outside.  It's 84 degrees but feels like fall.  It's hot, but I am wearing jeans and a T-shirt.  It feels like fall.  I love this time of year.  It's absolutely perfect.  I strapped on Baby T's Teva sandals and out she went.  Exploring.  She is 16 months and she loves to explore.  She had to give me her running dialog of all that she hears and sees.  She communicates with some words, a lot of baby babble but I have taught her to sign.  And the more she squawks about something the faster I am to look up the sign and teach it to her.  So here is a typical conversation with T.  She is looking around outside and hears a bird, "Oh!"(signs bird.) Trees are rustling in the breeze, (signs trees).  She looks down at the ground and says, "Oh!"(signs bug) sees a flower and does the baby sign for that too.  "OH!" she says and then signs butterfly. She sees our dogs and then pants.  She then turns in circles looking around and meows.  It's to say, "where is the cat? I have seen everything else, but where is the cat?"  Then she signs milk or eat.  Yep, it's snack time.  I love this time with her.  I love her sense of discovery.
I am going to miss my time with the older two when they are in school, I am looking forward to this one on one time with T.