More Cake!

Guess what we did again this weekend? We celebrated another birthday. This past weekend it was my mom’s birthday. We had some Chinese food and a cake made by my sister. We’ve noticed that Nicholas’ appetite has changed a lot in the last few weeks. He’s really not eating as much as he used to eat. I’ve noticed his tummy is starting to slim down a bit too.  The rest of us took care of his portion though. ;)


Nana’s birthday wasn’t really all about Nana though. Nicholas got a little present of his own. Actually, it was a present for all of us.

Waiting for his surprise

A wagon! My mom figured that we could pull him around and our purses and bags when we’re out and about. He enjoyed being pulled in it. But, he also liked pulling the wagon himself.

He also was trying to do some tricks on it. I’m actually trying to encourage him to be a little more daring. Like I’ve said before, he’s a little cautious, so it’s nice to see him try to climb on the wagon and balance himself.

One thing I’ve learned in parenting though is once you feel like things are going well, a new issue appears. Sometimes it is an issue that was once resolved. Right now we’re struggling with some adjustment issues. Evan’s new job is probably going to require overtime, maybe even a lot of overtime. We’re not exactly sure how much yet, since he’s still being trained. Today he started his regular hours, which is a later start time and thus, a later end time. Evan and Nicholas had their first breakfast together this morning. We don’t know if he will be home in time for bedtime. Nicholas has been prepped about this issue, which is why we think the problems are starting.

Nicholas no longer wants to take a nap or go to bed at night. Previous to Evan’s longer hours, Nicholas cheerfully went into his bed each time. He would yell through the door as we left: “Wait until Mommy comes and gets you! Good night! Love you!” That’s not the reaction I’m getting any longer. Now it is crying before we even reach the upstairs. It’s a little screaming once I leave the room just to let me know he’s unhappy. We’ve talked about it with him. I’ve prayed about it with him. But, it’s going to take time, so I’m being patient.

Today Evan called two minutes after I put Nicholas down from his nap. He got the “joy” of hearing Nicholas scream, “I don’t want to take a nap! I want my daddy!” At least, Evan felt wanted. It breaks my heart, but I’m not going to give in and let him stay up just because he cries or screams. He usually stops after a couple of minutes anyway when he doesn’t get the reaction he is looking for.

Initially getting Nicholas to go to naptime and bedtime easily was a lot of hard work. We had to persevere and be so consistent. I know we’ll get through this adjustment period. It’s just never fun going through it.

For now I’ll savor the good times we have during his waking hours. We went to the library today for almost an hour and he was well-behaved. We also went to the store afterwards. I let him help me carry our basket and even pay the cashier. The time was enjoyable and stress-free. These are the times to focus on and not dwell on our times of frustration.

Why Homeschool?

Weird. No socialization. Unqualified. Sheltered. These are just a few of the misconceptions people have about homeschooling. Do you notice a couple of odd families are treated as the norm for all of homeschooling? There are plenty of “normal” homeschooling families out there.

I have wanted to homeschool my children for a very long time. My sister was homeschooled for grades 7-12, while I went to public school. I was jealous of how much fun she was having. She was involved with a co-op where they offered classes and activities, such as soccer, bowling, and skiing. She probably had more activities on her plate than I did. This leads me to the first misconception – socialization. Socialization isn’t just about interacting with other kids your age. It’s really about learning about how to become a member of society. It’s about learning how to interact with adults, as well as children. Now I can teach my son proper behavior, or I can have a five-year-old do it. I don’t think socialization is the big issue.

I think people really are more worried about homeschoolers having a social life. At age three, Nicholas is already spending a few hours a week with children his age. He is not enrolled in preschool, but he will go to class again on Wednesdays while I am in Bible study.  He also has 1 ½-3 hours of Sunday school each week (depending on whether or not we teach). In addition, we have play dates on a regular basis. When he is older, we will join a co-op where he can join with other homeschoolers. He can also play with family members and neighbors. Our city also offers various recreational programs. Nicholas will not be sitting in the house all day, locked up from the rest of the world (even if we never get a second car –gasp! I will find a way out somehow!!!).

If you want to say that I will be sheltering him, go ahead. I want to teach him a foundation before he is thrown into the world. I want him to understand why he believes what he believes. He will have plenty of opportunities to interact with various types of people as we go about our daily life. He is not immune to the world. In fact, at the restaurant the other day he was pretending to smoke with his straw. Where did he learn that from? Not from our house. Not from our television. He probably learned it from just being outside of the house. It’s just a small example, but we’ll have plenty of opportunities to talk about various issues.

I want him to have a love of learning as well. If we want to spend longer on a topic that he is interested in, we can. If he takes a little longer on a subject we’ll take our time. If he’s mastered it, we’ll move on. As he gets older, he and I will have a better idea where his talents lie and the areas he wants to pursue. This way I can steer him toward his natural bent. I can tailor his schooling to how he learns.

Am I qualified to teach him? Well, I did make it through high school and college. I think I can handle the early years without a problem. As the subjects get harder, that’s where co-ops and other resources come in handy. I may not be the best physics teacher (I didn’t even bother taking it in high school), but maybe my friend excels in that area. Maybe he’s a self-directed learner and can use a computer program. Or, maybe we just learn together. I’m not concerned.

I’ve never felt called to be a teacher in a typical classroom. I don’t know if I could handle that many kids at one time. But, I have felt called for a very long time to teach my children. I am very passionate about it because I feel like that’s what God has called me to do for now. Like I said in my prior blog post, I’m not going to sit and berate you for your choices as my friend Kristy experienced. This is my choice and Evan’s choice. I know our homeschooling experience will not always be easy, but I’m praying that God will equip me as I teach and train our child(ren).

New School Year

We start school in less than two weeks. I planned out most of the year so we have a general idea of where we are going and what I want to accomplish. This is just preschool, so I don’t want hours of workbooks. We’re going to be doing a little bit from workbooks, but mainly we are doing a lot of reading, crafts, and activities.

Also, three weeks out of the month will have a theme. The books we read and, for the most part, the activities and crafts will revolve around that weekly theme. I will try and list the books we use each week. I always like when other homeschool blogs do.


We are also using a few other resources:


Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read, Pre-K Level 2
Search Amazon.com for Learn to Read, Pre-K Level 2

















Getting Your Preschooler Ready to Read (Active Minds Series)
















ready, set, write!

















For math we won’t be using any set curriculum. We’re just going to use resources I find on the internet and games and activities that just reinforce the basics.

I have developed my own Bible curriculum too. We will be studying Galatians 5:22-23, which is the Fruit of the Spirit. The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We will be learning about one each month. We will also learn a couple of Bible verses relating to each attribute.

I’m not going to push him. I’m going at his pace. In some areas, he seems to be excelling. He likes to read the letters on everything and ask me, “What’s that spell?” He also has started writing some of his letters on his own. But, with other areas, I’m sure there is going to be a struggle. He knows how to count, but doesn’t enjoy doing it as much. This is an area I’m going to have to make sure is more fun and games to gain his interest.

I’m really excited about this year. We’ve been kind of lazy the last couple of weeks and haven’t had much of a routine other than meals and naptime. That is going to change very soon. I think it will be good for us. When we’re stranded at home all day, it can be challenging. This new routine will help us conquer some of the summer boredom we’ve experienced.

I’ll be working on my next blog today. I figure if I tell you this, then I’ll have to post it (helps with the pure laziness on my part). I’m going to post about why we are choosing to homeschool Nicholas. This can be a controversial topic. I’m not writing it to judge others. It’s each person’s decision how to educate their children. I just think people are curious as to why people choose what they do. So, you’re my accountability partner. I should have that post up tomorrow or on the weekend. If I don’t, feel free to comment (and feel free to comment anyway).

My Handsome Boy

I love to hear Nicholas’ vocabulary expand. He’s also learning so many new things. I don’t even know where he picks most of this stuff up. On Sunday I asked him if he likes peanuts. He told me that elephants like peanuts. I asked him how he knew that information. He replied, “Because I’m smart.”


There are some kids at church who have allergies and bring special snacks. Apparently, Nicholas has just become aware that they are eating different food than him. So, the other day I had given him a snack that looked similar to what the girls eat in class.

“Mom, I’ve got allergies,” he said to me. At first, I couldn’t figure out why he would say this and how he even knew the word “allergies”.

“I don’t think you want allergies, Nicholas,” I replied.

“Yes, I do. Abby and Anna have allergies.”

“I know, Nicholas. But, it’s not something you want.”

“Yes, it is. I’m going to have allergies when I get bigger.”

I’m guessing he would rethink this aspiration if he knew what the girls were NOT allowed to eat.


Speaking of church, I took pictures of some of the kids for some promotional items for our department. I thought I would show you two of my models.

Eating a snack before class even started (Not sure how that happened).

Nicholas showing off the cute little potty.

 

Nicholas' cousin, Carter was jumping with excitement.

It’s fun for Nicholas to have his cousin come to our church. The boys are technically supposed to be in different classes right now, but we move one boy up or down to keep them in the same class for now. In a little over two months, Carter will move up and they’ll officially be in the same class for awhile. These two boys sure have a lot of fun together.

Finally, Nicholas got his haircut yesterday. Every time he goes, I marvel at how far he’s come. He use to cry and wouldn’t sit still. He wouldn't wear the cape.  We used to have to bribe him with a lollipop.  But, not anymore.  My sister commented that we finally are getting our money’s worth now that our hairdresser can take her time.

This was last August.

I think he looks very handsome with his new do. 

Window Shopping for a New Friend?

We had a visitor at our back door on Saturday. Toby. We don’t know who Toby belongs to, but he(?) came to visit us for a quite awhile. Isabella started pacing and her tail got fluffy, but she seemed to like her new visitor.

We found Gabby and brought her to the door. She didn’t give Toby quite the same reception. She began to hiss and growl. After a few minutes of letting Toby know what she thought of him, she walked away.

Isabella and Nicholas stayed and talked to Toby for awhile. It seemed like Toby was hoping we would open the door. It felt like Isabella was “interviewing” Toby to see if he may be a better fit in this house. She never asked for Gabby to come live with us almost four years ago. And, she certainly wasn’t hoping for a little boy to come and make her life even more chaotic.

I like to see Isabella happy, but as Nicholas said, “Sorry, Toby. You can’t come in. This is my house.”

I guess she’ll have to decide to love the one she’s with.

A Lesson in Courage

Evan and I are on the leadership team for the early childhood education classes at church (Sprouts). One of our jobs is to come up with activities for the kids outside of church, so we can start developing relationships with other Sprouts families. So, we tried out an indoor playground we had heard a lot about to see if it would be a good fit for one of our outings.

Nicholas was excited about going, but once we got there, he had a hard time getting started. I don’t know how many times he climbed up the stairs and right back down them (Sorry for the picture quality! I really need a better camera and/or better lighting).

Evan and I found ourselves getting frustrated as Nicholas wouldn’t try to climb any higher. He has mastered other play lands, so this shouldn’t have been hard. But, he’s a cautious kid. He likes to feel everything out before he proceeds. He often needs a more daring friend or cousin to get him to try things quicker.

This was the face I got when I was trying to "encourage" him to climb higher.

I realized why I was getting so upset. I saw a bit of myself in him. I was always a fearful child. I didn’t want to try anything unless I was sure I could master it. I let so many things pass me by because of those fears. I have a lot regrets too. I don’t want those same regrets for my son.

So, Evan and I had to find a way to encourage him without pushing him too hard. I’ll admit we didn’t get that right the first time. Finally, we convinced him to just give it a try. Nicholas soon found that the playground was much more fun the higher he climbed. “Yay! I did it!” was heard as he crawled through the tubes. He was so proud of himself.

I can relate that to my own life. There are so many things that are out of my comfort zone. But, once I walk forward through the fear, I’m usually glad I did.  I’m so proud of Nicholas for taking the steps he did take today.

Unfortunately, we not only learned our lesson on courage, but also addiction. What is it about arcades that make you drop lots of money for stupid prizes? We only spent $3.00, but Evan and I could have spent more just to get as many tickets as possible. We ended up walking away with some tootsie rolls, a top, and vampire plastic teeth.

We had fun while we were there though and think we may bring our “Sprouts” there in the future.

Keeping Busy

Well, “Birthday Season” is upon us. We celebrated my sister’s birthday last weekend and pretty much have a birthday to celebrate every weekend for the next few weeks. Nicholas is getting a lot better at singing “Happy Birthday” this year.

Besides my sister’s birthday, our weekend was incredibly busy. By 6:00 on Sunday night I was exhausted. Sunday we were gone from 8:30 in the morning until almost 4:30 in the afternoon! We had a meeting after church that went pretty long. But, my parents made sure that Nicholas would fall asleep pretty quickly that night. They had him going the entire time. It worked!

Yesterday I tried to think of a lot of activities we could do, so Nicholas wouldn’t get bored. I had a lot of things I was trying to do around the house, so I would take a break and we would do something together before he went back to playing by himself.

First, we took our walk. There was such a nice breeze yesterday and it wasn’t so humid. I think he barely broke a sweat, which is very unusual for him.

He loves to climb the fire hydrant every day. He’s getting brave, but still is scared to stand upright on it.

 

I surprised him when we got back with a painting project. We put on his art smock and I let him paint his own monster truck suncatcher. While he may have mixed the colors in the paint and not done it the way I would have, I bit my tongue and let him do it how he wanted. He had a lot of fun! I’m pretty sure I got this for a buck or two at one of our local craft stores.

After his nap, I thought it would be fun if he ran in the sprinkler. He did it at my parents’ house on Sunday, so I thought he’d be excited. He wasn’t too thrilled about getting wet.

Here he is collecting water in his pail from a distance.

Oh no! He actually got a little wet!

You’re going to take a picture of me?

I don’t want my picture taken (Classic Nicholas pose when he’s not happy)!

After I asked him to pose with his pine cone, he warmed up to the camera.

I’m going to climb this, Mom!

Now let’s go inside.

I’m not sure what’s on the agenda for the week. Our weekend looks busy again though. Evan’s still on his training schedule, so he’s getting home early. We’re enjoying it while we can.

Well, the weather seems cooler again this morning. I’m looking forward to another sweat-free walk this morning!

Togetherness

Nicholas and I spend a lot of time together. Sometimes that time is wonderful, but other times . . . well, we all have our bad days. Tuesday was that day. Nicholas and I both felt a little stir crazy. He just didn’t want to listen and I wanted to withdraw. It was rough. It was also the day that Evan worked later. By the time he got home, I was exhausted.
Because we both needed to just get out of the house we waited for Evan to come home outside.

He didn’t want to smile for the picture.

Airplane!

Do you see it, Mommy?

Thankfully, my mom and sister came to “rescue” us the next day. We ended up going out for lunch and shopping at an outlet mall. Nicholas was in rare form. He was crazy. He sang, screamed, danced, talked and talked and talked. It was like that pent up feeling from the day before was just overflowing out of him. He did okay without a nap for the first couple of hours, but it was soon apparent he was ready to go home.

He noticed the ducks from the playground.

He refused to look at the camera for any of the playground pictures.

A little girl showed him how to play hopscotch in this store.

This is where you store your spare underwear when you no longer need a diaper bag.

This one looks like he has a toothache and is in major pain.

 

We’re home all day again today. I will say that Nicholas is getting better at playing by himself, so I can get things done. We both enjoy our walks outside though. I always tell him that we need our fresh air and exercise. I wish you could hear him say “exercise”. It’s so cute. Yesterday on our walk we saw a man in a truck parked outside someone’s house. I wasn’t sure what he was there to work on, but he kind of gave me an unsettled feeling (too many crime dramas maybe). I wasn’t the only one though. Nicholas kept looking back at him. I asked him, “Do you not like that man?” He replied, “He’s weird. I don’t want to like that man.” I kind of agreed with him.

Evan is enjoying his new job. They have very thorough training, which is great. I hate when companies say do this and that before throwing you to the wolves. They never quite cover the things you really need to know. During training he has some pretty nice hours. Once he is on his own he’ll probably work a little later, but Nicholas will be able to spend some time with him in the morning. It’s an adjustment, but we’re thankful that he has this job.

Well, it’s almost time for some fresh air and exercise. Hopefully without any weirdos today.