At Home with Preschoolers

This week I am at home with just the two little ones. The two big girls are at either end of the state attending camps.

Mary has been in the mountains since last Thursday. Exploring the mountains and getting to do things I can't, like crossing the swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain. Yesterday, my in-laws took Mary to her EcoCamp at Laurel Ridge where she will be spending this week stargazing on top of the mountain, sleeping in a tee-pee and hiking everyday.

Katie went to the beach on Friday with my mother. She and my step-father have found a common enjoyment of flying kites on the beach. This morning my mom dropped her off for her first day of day camp. She'll be exploring the coastal, beach environment and doing environmental projects. This is her third year at the day camp and loves going.

At home we have just been playing. I think the little kids are enjoying the focus being on them for a change.

We rolled the rug up in the family room to give them plenty of room for building with blocks and train tracks.

My mom gave them some stamping supplies to enjoy during the summer. Lots of colorful artwork!


Emily has been designing roller coasters using the train tracks and blocks. I've been available to offer some engineering suggestions, but she really does have the idea about how build them. For her own frustration, I do wish I could make it a little more stable.
Robbie loves having someone available to build tracks for him.

I'm trying to think up some fun trips for us to take this week, but the heat is killing any desire I have to spend time outside.

Emily and I have also been doing a little 'schoolwork' here and there. She found H.A. Rey's "Find the Constellations" book and we have been reading that every evening and doing a little star gazing when it isn't too cloudy or hazy. We've also been talking about angles and measuring them after reading the library book "Hamster Champs". This has come in very handy with her interest in building roller coasters this week. And, finally, we have played a few games of 'sight word memory'. Since the older girls got notebooks to use as summer journals before they left, Emily also got her own notebook. She has been using it to draw pictures of what she has been doing this summer...but I can't see it because "Journals are PRIVATE Mommy."

Before Mary and Katie left last week we pulled out Emily's new science kit. Everyone had a great time making the ball float in the air.

So far we are having a great summer!

But, I'm missing schooling.......

Peace,

Amy

Summer is coming fast!

It is that time of year that everything begins to finish up. Slowly activities are falling off our calendar and I don't have quite as many days figuring out how to be in two places at once. It is bittersweet. The girls have had such a great time being involved in their activities this Spring I know that they will be missed, but it sure is nice not to have to rush around so many afternoons.

Of course, the break will not be very long as we have summer camps and trips already filling up the calendar and several 'unknowns' still floating around out there to add. My problems become less how to get to two activities across town on the same afternoon, to how to be at two camps across the state on the same day ;). Thankfully I have very helpful family members.

The girls are still doing well using computer-based lessons and spending the afternoons working on unit studies. Yep, totally the reverse of the whole Classical/Charlotte Mason method I tried to force on them. For whatever reason this just seems to make more sense to them. They are actually getting it for a change and not so frustrated. They are actually okay with continuing through the summer with schooling (when not out of town).

Personally, I'm finding so much more time in my day. Time that we can use for all those interesting studies we never got around to finishing, time to sit and relax, time to do chores.

Last week we did our required standardized testing. Mary has such severe testing anxiety that this has always been one of the worst weeks of our year. But, this year, she was much better. She understood our beliefs about the tests and hopefully finally realized that the world wouldn't end if she didn't do perfectly on the test. This was Katie's first year sitting for the test and she also did fine, although the whole testing language and having to fill in those tiny circles threw her for a loop at first. Thankfully, it is over and done for the year and we can move on with our regular lives until next year.

On Thursday, we took the day off from testing and visited the newly, re-opened NC Art Museum. The new space is wonderful. It is bright and lots of space to sit back and enjoy the art. Lots of new pieces are out that had been in storage because of lack of space in the old space. The architects tried to blend inside and outside with little garden areas outside. Looking forward to many more visits in the near future. Already planning to go to the Norman Rockwell and Eric Carle exhibitions when they open in November.

In our extracurricular world Mary finished her soccer season this past weekend. Next week they have tryouts/team placement for Classic level. And, then there will me mini-camps over the summer to prepare them for Classic play.

Katie has her last Brownie meeting for the year tonight. Last week her troop went to Build-A-Bear with their troop money from the cookie sales. She made a really cute owl instead of a bear after falling in love with Molly and the owlets.

Recreation soccer and softball will continue into June, but with nothing else going on that almost seems too easy.

Peace,

Amy

The difference a month makes

Let's revisit where we were a month ago...




This is what we were doing after lunch today...






It has turned back over to sleet now...we'll have to see if anymore white stuff will fall this weekend.

Peace,

Amy

Another picture-heavy post

Last week was basically a sane-normal week. Or, would have been if not for the attack of cluster migraines. Basically sharp, intensely painful migraines that hit suddenly and last for 45 minutes-2hours, one or two times a day for a period of weeks. After they pass I can function, but feel like I have been hit by a truck.

It was all about making it until Friday for Robbie's birthday. I can hardly believe that he actually turned 3. Has it really been three years since all the chaos that surrounded us at the time he was born. My mom came up for the weekend and our planned field trip to the zoo. With my headaches I bowed out of the zoo, not wanting to disappoint the kids by a sudden attack. DH was able to take the day off and go with my mom for crowd control.





While they were gone I was able to bake his cake and get some well-deserved rest. Wow, a day of quiet will do wonders for my spirit. And, I was ready to do some three-year-old partying.




With mom here over the weekend we could get some much needed shopping done. I found a winter coat for all four of the children. The long-range forecasts are calling for an actual winter this year and I want to be ready for it in case we have another surprise ice storm in early December.

Sunday, of course, was another trip to the soccer fields. Mary's team did okay. Not as sharp as last weekend, but better than the week before.



Back to the grind today... school was done well (lots of good job stickers handed out today) and the house is a mess. But I couldn't pass up the opportunity to sit outside and watch the kids play this afternoon between rain showers. Paper airplanes and gliders have been made in bunches Sunday and today. This afternoon was time to see how they flew.






We will just have to see what the rest of the week holds for us.

Peace,

Amy

"B" Week

Emily is doing a Letter of the Week curriculum this year as part of her K4 year. So isn't it just dandy that she decided to give riding a two-wheel bike a go this week. Emily is my "I do it myself" child to the extreme...which means the standard way of teaching how to ride a bike (hold onto the back until they build up speed and let go) was meet with glares and a loud no. Probably a bunch of stomping and screams too, but I am slowly learning to tune those out and only remember the good things. Anyway, I remember reading somewhere that someone's child learned to ride by using a too small bike that the child could firmly touch the ground with their feet. By learning to push with their feet and glide they quickly moved to peddling, all without someone else having to help.

So...




She is slowly getting it...on her own. Although there have been a few meltdowns. The best was when the postwoman stopped and told Emily to never give up and that she was doing a good job. It gave Emily the biggest smile to hear that from someone other than me.

Now to just find a self-teaching curriculum for Emily to use for the next 13 years.

Peace,

Amy

New Bike!!!

Emily has been trying to use the old 16-inch bike that was Mary's and Katie's since she outgrew the 12-inch bike. But, this bike has been thoroughly used and repaired and used again. The tires are both worn down smooth, the chain is loose and the training wheels slightly bent. It was usable, but difficult for Emily. My mother in the last year or so has bought bikes for Mary and Katie for their birthdays. It was decided that Emily could really use a new bike now, and not wait for her birthday next December. She sent us the money and Emily picked out this bike to be her very own:

Purple & pink...her favorite colors. And, she is amazed by how fast she can ride this bike without feeling like she is about to fall over.

I think she is in love!

Now he is wondering where his bike is...

Thank you so much Mamaw!!

Peace,

Amy

The dentist visit went well today. At least until it was time to cough up the check, then I felt the pain. After the dentist finished doing his work to 'repair' the tooth enough to last until we could do a crown, we sat down and went through the master plan. I give this office kudos in that not only did they make out a list of all the work my mouth requires, but priced everything out, checked with insurance and gave me a final out-of-pocket breakdown. Our dental insurance requires us to pay up front and then receive the reimbursement check in a week or two. So, we worked out a plan for the work to be done so that I can pay for one visit, receive the reimbursement then come back in for the next step...basically rotating through the same pot of money. I am breathing much easier, or at least I will when I receive the reimbursements for the two visits this week.

I also think I have found the new dentist for the children. The office is happy, bright and the staff is wonderful. While I was in the chair waiting for the various epoxies to harden I could over hear the dentist working with children in the next room over...he was wonderful. I asked the dental assistant about their parent/child policies, which are very allowing. She even mentioned that I could schedule a pre-visit visit so the kids could run through what was going to happen before they come in for the real appointment. This would be very good for Mary and her anxieties.


Otherwise this week has been about as crazy as I had expected. It is the last week before school starts and the kids have been making the most of it, often over here at our house. Even though we have had upwards of 10 kids at once over here for impromptu game parties it has been a lot of fun. Katie got to sleepover at her best friend's house last night. I dropped her off around 4:30 before taking Mary to soccer practice and she finally came home at 8:30 tonight. My friend and I talked several times during the day to check in, but the girls were playing so well (and letting her get some housework done) that she just wasn't ready to let it end. I didn't need Katie back for anything so it all worked out.

When my friend brought her home tonight she came bearing lots of goodies; a boxful of books - including almost the entire collection of Magic Tree House Books and a bag of old beanie babies for Katie to add to her stuffed animal collection. I don't know where Katie is going to be sleeping soon between her Webkinz, the Webkinz Mary gave her, various other stuffed animals and these new beanie babies.

Tonight, Emily and I got a chance for some one-on-one time as everyone else was away from the house. I told her to pick out a game to play figuring she would go for one of the Memory games. Nope, wanted to play Blokus. So we did, to Emily rules. Made a pretty neat little picture and had a great time. We finished that up and pulled out the dominoes to make a few domino tracks. It isn't often Emily and I get this time without Robbie wanting to 'play' with us.

Tomorrow we will be cleaning and organizing the kids' clothing. I swear they are multiplying in the dark. I also have to do some grocery shopping as I have not really, really been since the end of July. And, then rewash all of Mary's clothes as the new detergent I bought has seemed to cause her to break out in a rash. In the evening we are having a small girlie party to watch The Cheetah Girls movie. Mary and Katie both have friends coming over. We'll do popcorn & kool-aid, curl up in the family room for one last hurrah before public school starts on Monday.

I warned Mary the other day that the neighborhood kids will be heading back to school on Monday. Her response was "Already!! This summer was too fast!" It was a really fast summer, but I am ready to have my peaceful life back.

Peace,
Amy

How lucky are we?

I've been kind of quiet recently. Not knowing what to write, as we have been hanging out and enjoying each other's company. The nights have been relatively cool with low humidities allowing us to sit out on the deck and watch the kids play as the sun sets and it turns dark. DH and I look at each other and know the other one is thinking "how cool is this."

After gorging themselves on tv for the last couple of months, the kids have turned it off and are finding lots of things to keep them occupied. Organizing the craft supplies has been wonderful in that they can finally find what they are looking for. Which means a whole lot of art work is being made by everyone. Books, those things my kids were starting to treat as some sort of deadly disease are now scattered every where, with frequent trips to the library for new refills.

We finally made it to the city's swimming pool after talking about it for a month or so. Everyone had a blast. The baby pool is perfect for Emily, who is basically swimming now and just needs to know she can touch for reassurance, and Robbie who is new to this whole wading in water bit. Mary, of course, is a fish and is all over the main pool. Katie, just this year is coming into her swimming self. She is still more comfortable near the edge, but is starting to realize that she really can swim. We will be heading back again soon.

Last night DH and I were treated to an impromptu concert and dance show by Mary and Katie. It made me realize that Mary really is an auditory learner, something I suspected but her kinesthetic tendencies always were so strong. She hears a song once or twice and then can sing it back to you without missing a beat. They had so much fun doing this for us and we laughed and laughed. At the end, they finished up with a selection of camp songs from last week.

We have plans for tomorrow to take our bikes downtown for the parade and street festival. Wish me luck as I will be going up the biggest hill yet towing the trailer with Emily and Robbie.

Have a Happy Fourth!!

Peace,

Amy

Celebrating my kids

It may sound hokey, but I have really been enjoying all the kid-ness around me lately. I am so glad that I have kids that are just kids. When I am able to let go of expectations, expectations of myself and my kids, we can just settle in and enjoy what comes.

I've been cleaning up and cleaning out the past few days. Very reinvigorating considering the chaos that had become rooted in our home. Getting rid of all the excess, which I guess acted like background noise to the kids, has allowed them to rediscover old favorites.

Emily walked into her sisters' bedroom as I stood their holding an old Dora Backpack trying to decide if I should donate it to Goodwill or not. She let out a squeal of delight "Backpaaaack!" Who am I to resist, and so she trotted out of the room as happy as can be. A few minutes later I found her spread out on the floor, piles of paper & crayons in front of her happily making 'treasure maps.' For the next ten minutes or so I helped roll up the treasure maps while she every so slowly figured out how to secure them with rubberbands. Into Backpack they went. Then she recalled an old wrapping paper tube she had come across. She had her telescope/walking stick/weapon. And, I as informed that she was now off on an Adventure. Inside, outside, beds that became boats on the open water. It was so interesting that her older sisters really wanted to go on Adventure with her.

When Katie hasn't been Adventuring with Emily, or playing Nick Jr. (yet another old favorite rediscovered), she has been seriously at work building Roman cities with the wooden blocks. Then begging me to take pictures or getting the camera to take them herself.





There is just so much joy and excitement in my kids being kids.

Peace,
Amy