Playing Church

This afternoon while I was making lunch, I was listening to the boys play. I just love to listen to them play church, and this was their current activity. B was the song leader, which made C the preacher and the person who would pray. Well, B led several songs, all with a Christmas tune, but with his own made-up words. Then he said they would have one more song and then the lesson.
When C got up to do the lesson, B quickly reminded him, "Remember, it's Wednesday so keep it short!"
Here was the gist of C's lesson: "The other day, Vindy and Conner and I went hunting. And there was blood but we did good. Want to thank you for paying attention today, we'll have a song and a prayer. God bless you today." ('Vindy and Conner' just happen to be our minister's wife and son, whom he uses in illustrations occassionally. The rest is almost verbatim of what our dear ministers says every Sunday!)
Well, B got up and led one more song and then C had the closing prayer. Then for the next 2 minutes, they walked around the living room, shaking each other's hands, hugging pretend people and saying, "Oh, how are you!?" or "It's so good to see you tonight." or some other platitude.
It really cracked me up! To them, that is church. That is what they see. It is always so amazing to me how much they take in when we're not aware of what they see.

I have an idea....

The following conversation took place in our schoolroom on Wednesday....totally cracked me up!


B: Hey, C, I have a great idea for a game. Why don't you hold your breath till I count to 88?

C: Sure brother, that sounds like a great idea!!

B: Okay, ready GO! 1, 2, 3, 4, ......86, 87, 88! Okay you can breathe!

C: Haha! I tricked you! I was breathing the whole time and you couldn't tell!!


B is my Mr. Command and C is my Mr. Visionary/Mr. Steady. C is willing to go along with most any idea and is very compliant. One of these days, he'll turn the tables!

Counting Blessings

Last night we were at a gymnastics makeup class and so I was therefore sitting with some moms that I don't see very often. Most of them happened to be teachers so they were talking about the new year and how they can't believe that 1st quarter is almost up and so on.

They began talking about how busy their schedules have been and how they don't ever get home until 8 or 9 at night and then have ot help their children with homework and such. One teacher was talking about how the kids in her class seemed to be so tired...even to the point of falling asleep in class. She said that one little boy was sliding out of his chair and another little girl kept sleeping on her arms. They were laughing at these poor kids falling asleep in class! I casually asked what grade she taught....1st. She went on to say that she can't get too mad at the parents for not getting the kids enough rest, when her own don't get to go to bed until 11 or midnight each night due to homework.

I just sat there feeling so thankful that I had a husband who supported the idea of homeschooling so that this wouldn't be an issue for our boys. I couldn't imagine (for one thing) getting the note from the teacher saying, "Your child fell asleep in class today." And for another, can't imagine the embarrassment that poor child had to go through for falling asleep.

Thank you, Lord, for a supportive husband! :)

When it's good, it's good...

Well, we've been getting back in the swing of school over the last few weeks, but I must admit: The lack of schedule has been my fault. We've been running like crazy around here and it has made school very difficult to get to. However, we are getting on track. And this week is no exception.

We started this week very slowly, but I have been determined to get everything done that I had slated for each day. So far so good. Brent is willing to work and wants to make it through first grade, so he is working hard.

And I LOVE my new software that I've been using to track our progress. Edu-Track has been a wonderful addition to our schooling. Brent finishes his work for each day and leaves it on my desk. And during naptime, I grade it and input it into the software, which tallies everything for me. It couldn't be simpler! Well, it might be. The only way it would be a bit easier is if I could put the lessons in for a couple weeks at a time and then I'd only have to input the grade for each assignment. This is highly doable with this software, just not with my schedule. I never know from one day or week to the next how much we'll get done. Anyway, I love it. I truly hope someone who reads this will give it a try.

Next I just have to get Clayton interested in doing schoolwork. But he's only 4 and is just much to wiggly to sit still for anything like school. :) But he tries. He loves to cut paper and draw, so that is a start. He has a TON of time before it even becomes an issue.

Cheers! And Happy Tuesday!

My Money Got Wet

Last night we went to wash our big blankets and pillows at the laundrymat, since we don't like doing this with our washer/dryer at home. Before we leave the house, C realizes he has pockets and wants some money for them. So Terry gave hime some pennies. Anyway, after we were finished we still had to eat supper and, being in the small town we're in, there wasn't much open. So we decided to eat mexican at El Torero. Well, while we were waiting for our food to come, C takes a drink of his soda and tips the cup instead of pulling it down beside himself and keeping it upright. (It's one of those styrofoam cups with a lid that leaks out the hole the straw is in when turn on it's side.)

The cup leaks and we hand him napkins to wipe up the mess and he says, "Oh no..my money got wet in my pocket!"

Terry looks at him, grins, and says, "That's okay....money can be laundered too!"

Hummer Life

It is truly fascinating to me to watch hummingbirds. We finally have a feeder up this year and have spent several hours outdoors watching them feed and fight and play and feed some more. I would venture to say that we have at least 4 who frequent our feeder, but the information I've been reading says that you can take whatever number you see all at once and multiply it by 4 and that is the number you actually have using your feeder. Wow!

We enjoy especially the evenings, cuz that is when the male is the most territorial. He will swoop down and fight off any other hummer that even comes near 'his' feeder. It's so funny to watch cuz the other hummers don't give up...they just keep coming back for more thumpings from him. :)

Last night I saw 2 females around the feeder and it truly looked like they were dancing with each other. There was one on either side of the 4-sided feeder and they would mirror each others movements. When one would drink, the other would drink from the hole opposite her. When one would go left, the other would follow suit. And so on. Truly amazing.

Yesterday afternoon, I was out on the porch reading a book and the hummers were playing as usual. Well, all of a sudden this one comes extremely close to me and starts flying right behind my book! I just sit there very still, cuz I could feel his wings moving the air across my legs. I also knew that if I moved I might scare him away, and they are very comfortable now with us being around so I didn't want to jeapordize that. Anyway, he flew around me a bit, just looking at me and then abruptly flew away. That's when I realized...the outside cover of my book was bright PINK! He was attracted to my book color, looking for a food source! :)

I did a bit of looking online this morning and wanted to share this link:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/index.html

This page describes much about the type of hummers we have here, the Ruby Throated:
http://www.hummingbirds.net/rubythroated.html

Please take a moment and look at the beautiful creatures. If you have any in your area, get a feeder and then sit back and enjoy them!

The Woes of Night Terrors!

I was just about asleep last night when I hear this weird noise. It almost sounds like an animal making a weird noise. Then I realize it's C crying like he's mad...almost screaming. We've been dealing with night terrors with him for quite a while now, but we haven't had one in a few weeks...and certainly nothing like this.

He was standing by his bed stomping on his blanket (apparently it had gotten around his feet in his struggle to get out of bed) and was screaming this deep throated scream, like he was mad at someone. Then he starts angrily going around his room trying to pick toys up and not being able to (they were too heavy in his 'dream'?) and wouldn't let me touch him. Every time he tried to pick up a toy or I tried to touch him to calm him down, he just scream more and went another direction. Then he starts saying, "Aunt Darlene" or "Aunt Donna" but wouldn't say anymore than that.

Well, I see T walk past the bedroom on his way to bed. I can normally handle these episodes on my own, so this isn't out of the ordinary. But then C heads over to the step-ladder we built for their bunk beds and proceeds to climb them. I started to follow him over there, but he was fast enough I couldn't get to them before he got to the top and started walking towards the edge of B's bed. So I went to the front....he chose to go back to the stairs, which made me more nervouse...cuz I couldn't get there fast enough if he started to fall. So I called T and told him I needed help....

By the time T got in there, C had come down the steps and walked right to his daddy like nothing was happening.... They went back in our bedroom and started talking. T asked him if he had a bad dream...C said it was about an airplane that wouldn't get away from him. He said he didn't have anyone else in his dream except Daddy so who knows about the Aunt connection!

Anyway, a few minutes later he just climbed down and said he needed to go back to his room for a while. T followed him in there and he just crawled back in bed and went to sleep. We didn't hear another peep all night.

Like I said, these terrors aren't new to me, they just seem to be getting a little worse as time goes on and I dont' know what to do with it. There is no cure from everything I've read....people say most kids just outgrow them. Guess we'll see.

Hard Lessons of Life

Hard lessons are being learned around our house this week! We've been working on B's attitude and 'hmphing' when told to do something he doesn't want to do. It's been a building frustration with T and I and we've talked endlessly about what to do. We've tried talking with B about it and explaining how we want him to act and how disrespectful it is to act the way he's been acting.

Well, it all came to a head last night. I was outside grilling supper and the boys were outside playing too. A neighbor boy was playing in his yard and they all started to play together. Then B and C decided they both wanted to be the 'fixer' and each picked up a toy wrench. Well, C had the one that B wanted and he tried to take it from him. C screamed no and said it was his. I interfered and told C to stop screaming and use words...so he did. Said, "No brother, I had it first." Well, B was not satisfied with this so he proceded to get in C's face and scream at him at the top of his lungs with red face and clenched teeth, "I said give it to me....I want it...Give it to me NOW!" Well, this again got my immediate attention and I was so aggravated (and okay, embarrassed) by the whole thing. See, the little neighbor boys dad came out and I told him his son was fine and minding his own business...it was the boys fighting.

So, I had B sit in a chair till I could calm down and then we had a talk. We discussed selfishness, treating others the way we want to be treated, how it makes God sad when we treat people bad, and many other things. But it just didn't seem to be truly getting through to him. I thought of spanking him, but realized at this point it wouldn't work either. So I told him that he was finished playing outside for the evening and he was to go inside and sit on the couch and think about what we had discussed. No toys, no tv, no nothing....just thinking. He was very sad but went in anyway.

A bit later (maybe 10 minutes) I went in to get sauce and he said, "Mom, I thought of two things." He proceeded to tell me these two things: That C had the wrench he needed, and he wanted it. I told him that didn't even begin to talk about selfishness and treating his brother with love. He asked, "but can I come outside again since it has been a while?" I said, "No, I told you that you were done for the evening. That means you dont' get to go outside at all again tonight...this is a punishment...a consequence for your actions. Punishments aren't supposed to be fun...they are supposed to make you think about what you did wrong." Then I went back outside and I could hear him crying from the porch.

Well, before supper, I talked to him again and had him tell me everything that went wrong outside and what he could have done differently, and what it means to be selfish. We also discussed that he's been ignoring T and me and not obeying and wanting to only do what B wants to do no matter who's feelings it hurts. And how sad it makes us when he's disrepectful to us. He just burst into tears and hugged me for the longest time.

We had supper and discussed it a bit more when he'd ask a question. But I also told him that it has become a habit to act the way he has and that a habit is very hard to break. So I told him that he may be in extra trouble for a little while cuz we're gonna stop this bad habit no matter what it takes. So far so good. We've had a couple instances this morning and he's handled them well....getting sort of sad, but I can also tell by looking in his eyes that he knows he wrong and that I'm trying to help him.

Such a hard lesson and so exhausting (to all of us) in the process!

(My) Kids are so Hard to Figure!!!

C doesn't like scary shows. He runs from Star Wars, even though he's quite proficient with the LightSaber. A movie like Star Wars for a 3 year old...scary? Yes. However, he hides his face during Lion King, Bambi, and the fight scenes on Tom and Jerry...he says they are scary and bad for him.

B on the other hand, loves all of that. Star Wars is his new favorite movie. Everything he sees (whether true or not) he says, "I saw that on Star Wars."

Here's the weird part: The other day they asked to watch the Wizard of Oz.....I was a bit concerned it was truly too scary for them, so I told them the story of it first and asked if they thought that would be too scary. They assured me it wouldn't so we watched it. Throughout the movie, C kept hiding his face in the couch and peeking through his hands...but he never ran to his room (or the hallway to peek around the corner, as he has done with Star Wars). When the movie was over, C looked at me and said, "Mom, I made it through the whole movie and it wasn't scary...I liked it!" Brent, in a very quiet voice, says, "I didn't like it...I thought it was way to scary for us to be watching."

Go figure!!! :)

It's official!

Brent is now in 1st grade! He is so excited. We are going to go over the questions on his test that he got wrong and I will be organizing the 1st grade stuff into a schedule of some sort! :)

New Group...

I have started a new Yahoo Group for members of the church of Christ who are stay at home moms.....I am very excited about this new venture. I hope it will be an encouragement to me and mostly an encouragement to others on the loop.

1st Grade!!!

We finished Kindergarten yesterday!!! :) Brent is so happy. We will be doing the final testing this weekend and that means he starts 1st grade on Monday!!

His main question to me was this: "So, mom, now that I'm in 1st grade, when we got to church which Bible class will I be in: Kindergarten or First Grade Bible class?" :)

Happy Mohter's Day

Mother's day is coming soon, don't forget your mother!!!

Been a while...Update

Hello to all....It's been awhile since our last update...since February I see! Wow, time has flown!

Brent is now 5 and we are planning his big birthday party for this Saturday. We are working very hard to get the house ready....it's been a disaster for awhile while we've been working on getting the schoolroom ready for school!

We recently attended the SHEM convention in Springfield and had fun. We learned alot, mostly that we belive Clayton to be dyslexic. We're still doing more research and learning, but our communication has changed with him and he already seems to be doing better.

We now have a schoolroom!!! We have gotten a new computer and moved the desk into the spare bedroom. Brent and Clayton both have desks where they can do 'schoolwork'. Brent does his bookwork and Clayton colors and cuts. Brent is almost in the 1st grade....a few more days and then the big Readiness Test. He is so excited! We already have 1st grade books in place and are ready to go!

Better close now. So much to do and so little time! The picture of flowers that I added above is just a gentle reminder that Spring is here and Summer is not far behind!
A

PaperBackSwap

Does anybody like to read? Have you checked out PaperBackSwap.com? It is awesome! If you sign up, be sure to let them know who referred you!

Is it Winter or Spring?

Just have to ask! Our weather here is so completely messed up! Yesterday it was freezing cold and today it is warm and windy. The trees are even confused...they are starting to bud out already and it isn't even February!!! However, the wind has blown in like it is March. Who knows!!!
What's it like where you are?

My Favorite Color Is...

Brent informed me yesterday that his favorite color is no longer blue, but is now red! He asked me if my favorite color is still green and I said yes. (when they divvy up toys or pieces of a toy, brent is always sure to give me the green pieces cuz, he says, it's my favorite!) B's fav color has been blue for a very long time and was orange before that. He doesn't change all that often, but is always sure to tell me when he does!

What is your favorite color?

More Christmas Pics!

While at Janice's for Christmas, we (of course) took lots of pictures. These below are just a few that I think are the best.
The one with the cup in his face is Clayton...he seemed to always be drinking or eating something that weekend! We also took some shots of all the cousins together for Janice...been working on that now for 2 years! Maybe this year we got one that will turn out!

Christmas Happenings!

Wanted to update you all on our Christmas and upload some pics for you to see. Everything has gone digital, so I figured this was the best way to share our memories!

Before the big day, the boys got a special visit from Santa who brought them a new barn to play with. They absolutely love it. Of course, it was from grandpa and grandma, but the boys don't know it.


Then, Christmas Eve Santa stopped by Grandma Janice's house to deliver their presents. They were so excited to have Santa in the same room with them and hand delivering their gifts. They even gave Santa some of the monster cookies we made for him. (Thank you Uncle Dennis for dressing up in the HOT suit!) They had so much fun opening their presents from Santa and having Daddy set up the Thomas Train set Clayton got!


Sorry I have been so slow on the uptake with this! Between illness and just trying to get back in the groove of normal life, I just got the pics loaded on to the computer the other day!

Fixed some things...

Hey all...just wanted to post that I fixed something I didn't know what wrong! I know, that sounds funny... I didn't realize that I had it set where you couldn't post a comment on here. Sorry about that! I have fixed the problem and you may now post comments!

A

Trials of Learning

We have been having a really hard time with Clayton learning how to do any little task. He actually told Terry last night that he doesnt' know how to learn. Really discouraging to us, cuz we're working really hard lately to teach the boys how to work and be hard workers when they work. We don't want them to be lazy. But oftentimes, Clayton will start out picking things up or working with us and then trail off and play when he doesn't know how to do a particular job.

Terry and I were talking about it last night, trying to gain insight and collect ideas on what we could do to help C through this hump and help him to learn. We have been so used to Brent's style of learning where we can just explain to him how to do something or show him one time, and he's got it and can do it from that point on. However, with C that doesnt' work. And he gets so frustrated that he just cries...and you can see it on his face that it truly upsets him that he physically cannot do many of the things we expect of him. Anyway, after talking we have decided to try actually holding his hands during a learning process and moving his hands through the motions. This worked very well with overcoming the frustrations of the spoon at the table....the food would fall off his spoon or he couldn't even get it on there to begin with and he would just give up eating all together for that meal. We finally had to physically manipulate his hands and put our hands on his and show him how to use one hand to hold the spoon and the other hand (or finger) to push the food onto his spooon. That worked well, but even now there are times he starts to get upset cuz his 'food won't work' and we remind him again (verbally this time) how to push the food on with his other hand. And again, it's like a lightbulb flashes in his brain, and he says, "Oh, yeah...I forgot."

So that brings me to today...folding laundry. I have started the chore of them folding their own laundry and putting it away. I'm always there to sort it and surpervise, but they do the folding. Today it took us almost an hour to fold one basket, but it is worth it in the long run I know! But C was doing okay with folding his pants, but when it came to his shirts he almost had a meltdown. Well, I did what Terry and I discussed last night and took his hands and arranged the shirt the way I wanted him to hold it, and together we folded the shirt while I gave verbal instructions. Luckily, he had about 15 shirts to fold in total and so he got lots of practice. However, he was still struggling even up to the end and I was still holding his hands and helping him do it.

This is very hard for me....it takes so much more time than what I think it should and I know that God is teaching me a tremendous amount of patience, both with Clayton and with myself, through all of these trials of learning.

Back in the Groove....

There has to be a way to start the new year without being so exhausted! It seems like every year we say we're going to not do so much around the holidays, and then every year we end up extremely busy. Seems unending...but I know it really is a matter of us just saying no to things and people.

Well, hear we are again trying to get back in the groove of school and housework. So hard....since we're so tired and fighting colds. But we'll make it. Slowly we're getting the school room into shape and then we'll be doing all school work in there, which will help clear out some clutter in the dining and living rooms.

Is anyone else having trouble getting back in the groove? Any tips to share on how to make it go smoother? Am willing to listen to any suggestions!