Doing Things A Little it Differently

Ever since we made the decision to homeschool, our lives have been in a constant state of change. It’s a necessary component to parenting in general, flexibility I mean. After two and a half years though, it seems as though we have perhaps been too flexible and now we’re starting to rein things in just a bit.

Recently, we started a new bedtime routine which has really been working out incredibly well. See, neither one of my boys have been great sleepers and bedtime for years has been quite a struggle. Now though, it seems they are both old enough to appreciate how it feels to get a good night’s sleep and they have really taken to our new schedule. It used to be really hard to wake them up in the morning, too, and now they come in and wake me up some days! Not that long ago, there would be many tears and huffs and puffs when it was announced that bedtime was near. Now, when they get the 15min warning, all I hear is a cheerful, “Okay!” It’s wonderful!

Until our new routine was put into place, the kids were staying up late and getting up late. While I certainly treasured the private time to myself in the morning, it was hard for Sean and I to watch a movie or have any quality time together because the kids were always up when we were. Now, the boys and I get up in the morning and get a good start on the day. It has been a welcome change around here and I think it has really been good for all of us.

Speaking of watching movies, last night Sean and I watched a movie called, “Once” that was out last year. What a good movie it was! I loved the story although the ending left me a teensy bit sad, and I loved the soundtrack, too. If you haven’t seen it yet, I would highly recommend it and aside from the f-word being uttered a few times, it’s cool for kids to watch it as well, though they might find the subject matter boring. On the DVD, there were a couple of previews of other movies I’d like to see. One is a movie called, “The Namesake” and the other is called “waitress”. I was going to cancel Netflix but now am going to have to wait until I see these two movies!!! Hopefully I will have them by the weekend!

In addition to watching movies, I am in the middle of reading four books right now. There was a time when I would not start reading another book while already in the middle of one but now I kind of appreciate being able to divide my attention between subjects and so I find myself reading a bunch of different things! One book is called “How Much Is Enough” and is about overindulgence, not just in a child’s life but in your own. It has been a fascinating read so far and has shown me a lot about myself. Another book I’m reading is called, “Feeding the Kids” and is a 6-week course in introducing healthier food choices to your family. I like it a lot because it takes the course of not forcing them to try things but to just put it in front of them so they get used to seeing it, and eventually they will try it on their own. I’m only in the beginning of the book but it has been very interesting to say the least. Then, two other books that my mother loaned me are by the girl who played Winnie on the tv show the Wonder Years. She is really good at math and her books are called “Math Doesn’t Suck” and “Kiss My Math”. I suspect that they are geared towards girls since society tends to tell girls they can’t be good at math but since I haven’t really begun to read them yet, I can’t say for sure.

Other goings on around here…Iain is really into a book series called, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and the latest version is a journal that kids can keep for themselves. Iain has really taken to writing in it and that has been such a joy to see!

If you haven’t seen these books, try and look for them if you can. We have read them aloud and they are pretty darn funny at times.

Ryan has been watching videos on You Tube where kids have modified Lego minifigs and have made them into video game characters. As a result he has been begging me for paints of his own so he can do this himself. Well, yesterday I finally relented and bought him some paints and he very eagerly got to work.

It has been hard for him to wait for the paint to dry before moving on to the next step but he has been learning to hold on. He really loves all the detailed work that this kind of painting requires!

I have been suffering lately from a little bit of that nasty homeschooling doubt that comes up from time to time so it has really helped me to sit back and take note of these special moments that the boys have been enjoying here at home. I am just so glad that they are here and can follow their passions as they arise.

Hope all is well with you!