This year Jade will be doing Kindergarten at home.
Staying at home can run a mother through the gamut. It
can be intense- joyous and distressing. For me, although I
occasionally entertain the idea of packing my kids off to
school, the benefits of staying home with them, learning
and growing together as a family, far outweigh the disadvantages.
JUNE 20, 2003
We had another great day today. Got up around 8, made beds, did dishes
and laundry, got dressed. Had some breakfast and kind of putterd around a
little bit. Susan and her girls arrived shortly after 9. We hung out, read
stories, and just let the girls play. Susan left around 10 to get some down
time for herself. I helped the girls make a tent outside, then we did some
crafts. Around 11 we started cleaning up. Lori and her girls arrived and
we all had lunch. Very yummy tuna sandwiches with tomatoes, lettuce and
cheese, with a side of canned mandarine oranges. After lunch we did
Circle Time. Some poems, songs and fingerplays, a story and closing.
At 12:30 Susan got back and we all pack up to go to Tri-City
Homeschoolers' Park Day. We stayed until after four. It was great. Jade
got AMAZINGLY dirty. The was a big mud pit in the sandbox.
We came home and I let Jade watch some tv for a bit while I nursed Nova.
I was very tired, and needed some time. Can you blame me? After about
45 minutes the tv went off and we had dinner. Next came bathtime. I'm
going to need to scrub out the tub before he bath tomorrow night! I let her
have ice cream while I brushed and braided her hair. Then we reviewed
some letters and their sounds with out sandpaper letter cards- m, t, b, and
s.
At 7:30 I began herding Jade into bed. We read some stories- Jesse Bear,
I Love You With All My Heart, and another... I forget which. Oh, Hooray for
Hattie, that's right. Jade really likes Hattie and Jessie Bear. Nick arrived
home around quarter after eight. He kissed and hugged Jade goodnight and
took Nova out. I snuggled with Jade for less than ten minutes and she was
snoring. Days like this are awesome. It's unusual for Jade to be asleep that
early, but hopefully as we get our routines down better, nights
like tonight will become more common!
JUNE 19, 2003
We had a very good day today. It was so nice. I'm focusing on
routines this week, and it's starting to pay off. Anyhow, I got myself
up at a reasonable hour, made my bed, did some laundry and the
dishes. Since Nick was in the shower, I read the girls a story. After our
stories, I poured a bowl of cereal for Jade and got into the shower myself.
My clothes were already laid out in the bathroom, so I was able to just
hop right in the shower. I finish up and get myself dressed. It's only 9:30!
Normally it takes me hours to get through my morning routine, if I manage
to get through it at all. I did end up piddling away the rest of the morning,
but oh well, I feel like I accomplished a lot.
Then this afternoon I biked up to the library with the girls. We were going
to watch some movies, but it was too crowded, and Jade just wanted to
play on the playground anyway. So first we walked to the store to get a
new innertube for the trailer- it had a massive hole in it. We also got some
snacks for a special treat. Then the girls played on the playground with I
fixed our tire. I began to get tired after a bit so we went back inside to
check out some books. Jade was a very big girl and asked the librarian to
help her find some Amelia Bedilia books. She also found some "new" Hattie
Rabbit books. I let her check them out herself and we headed home (with the
promise that we'd go swimming!)
We got home around 5. We get dressed for swimming, take out the trash,
return a movie to the office, and head out to the pool. After about an hour I insist
that it's time to head home and make dinner. So we do- start dinner, have a
bath, read stories and brush hair. Daddy gets home around 7:30 and we rush
to the dealership to pick up the Prius before they close. We finally get home,
have supper, more stories, and then time to go to sleep.
Whew! What a day. I love it when things go so smoothly!
JUNE 18, 2003
I must say, I am thrilled to be doing this. We're keeping so busy lately, and I
love the idea of journaling a bit from time to time on our adventures. Most
days so far we take it very easy- no real structured academics to speak of.
We cook and clean, play at the playground and in the pool, read books and
draw. Other days we do lessons in math or phonics, or do a worksheet or two.
Sometimes we have a "circle time" and sing songs, recite poems, and do
fingerplays. Pretty relaxed I guess. I mostly love it like that. Now I just need
to get more of a routine down. A routine makes everything go so much more
smoothly.
