Tuesday, August 19, 2008

What a week! Yesterday I finally was able to fold the mountain of laundry that had accumulated in our bedroom. (The whites spent all week being removed from the basket and only three pairs of socks needed to be folded by the time I got to it.) We were able to make bread once, but it is only a distant memory now. Nathan was scrounging this morning for lunch food and came up only with rice and applesauce.

We were forced to buy a new computer on Thurs. The one we had has been lovely, but at 5+ yrs old, it just could not keep up with the requirements for Nathan's class. We feared that, and it became obvious on Thurs, when he had to do some video conferencing. So, we are now a two computer family. On the bright side, we no longer need a typewriter to teach the kids typing and word processing, our old computer will serve. And we don't "need" a portable DVD player (once on the Christmas wish list b/c of its size and ease of portability) b/c our new computer plays them beautifully. No more lugging out the TV and VCR and having to hook them up when we want to watch something. Well, as long as Nathan isn't on the computer, that is. When I want to watch Pride and Prejudice at night when he's working I still will have to go that old-fashioned route.

And Nathan threw his back on Thurs, coughing. He blames carrying the sleeping sack of potatoes of Joseph the day before. He stayed home Thurs (discovering the old computer's failure) and bounced and rolled on his excercise ball (purchased when I was expecting Joseph b/c I wanted my birthing ball back). He was much better on Fri and returned to work. He did it again on Sat and we went to buy a back brace (for sleeping and occasional use only). Sat and Sun he worked on feeling better and yesterday was much better. Last night he slept without the brace and had no trouble getting up this morning.

Mary had a gymnastics camp on Fri. Offered free by a gym in Concord for girls ages 4-12. She had fun, but was a little miffed when Lil'Nathan teased her about his new flashlight, acquired while she was in class. During that time, the boys and I did some shopping in Concord and never got lost! I was pretty pleased with myself, I knew where I was going and what I was doing, even coming from Concord to Manchester and getting all of our stuff done with only 1 U-turn all day, and that was b/c the gym was not where it was. (Make sense? 134 D is actually in the turn for 128, not 134. Go figure.)

Homeschooling continues. Mary and I played with pattern blocks yesterday while Lil'Nathan read all morning. He plowed through a Box Car Children book and then dug into Little Town on the Prarie. Mary also reviewed her letter sounds and wrote her letters.

I was feeling a bit dissatisfied with our methods. Too much and not enough at the same time, so I've been doing research. Nathan said I could probably write a dissertation on homeschooling judging from the pile of books I'm going/have gone through. Nah, but it does give one food for thought. I thought I'd take a techique from Charlotte Mason, the sequence from Core Knowledge, the atmosphere from unschooling, and so on. But it felt flimsy and push-overish. Last night I looked again at The Well-Trained Mind, for real this time, not just a casual honey-pleaser. (It's Nathan's favorite.) Very impressive. Not as intimitating as I'd originally thought. Still, I find it a very expensive way to go and don't know how to entirely get around that. I like it, though, and will do my best to try and impliment it.

And in other news, the Manchester area homeschoolers are starting a co-op. It looks like Fri mornings for two hours. Classes will run for four weeks and we can teach whatever is our fancy. I mostly see it as a chance for grown-ups and kids to all get together and share and play. The kids are excited and so am I. Lil'Nathan requested only that I don't make him take Joseph to class.

Speaking of Joseph, he is no fan of Nursery. But he did like snack this week. After we'd been in there for over an hour, I took him with me to Relief Society. He was very good and ate his pretzels and didn't want to color. He looked through some pictures I always bring and suddenly, in the middle of the lesson, he started barking! He was pointing at a picture and barking. I whispered for him to be quiet and he barked louder. (of course.) I whispered that the picture was of a sheep, not a dog. "Oh, moooo!" He would not stop moo-ing. A trio of ladies a few seats over could not stop laughing. Neither could I, which probably didn't help.

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