Week Eight: Keeping it Easy

I came to realize that exaggerated concern about what others are doing can be foolish. It can paralyze effort, and stifle a good idea. One finds that in the history of science almost every problem has been worked out by someone else. This should not discourage anyone from pursuing his own path.

Theodore von Kármán

The Wind and Beyond, 1967

 

 

This week we tried some new things, reinvented some things we'd done before, and watched eggs. It was all very exciting!

 

Have a look:

 

 We've done this sun project, earlier this summer. So this time, same concept, just different numbers. We worked on 11-20 this time (we did 1-10 the first time). He recognized all the numbers and matched them perfectly.

 This was a fun project! (Link below) You pour glue into a plastic lid, add dots of food coloring, mix around with a toothpick, and then let them dry for days and days. The colors smush together a lot during the drying process but it was still a lot of fun!

 

 Just a simple "g" is for garden.

 

 This was an interesting one for us. The egg on the left is sitting in vinegar. The right is in water. Day two brought bubbles, by day four the shell of the vinegar egg was squishy.

 

Day five or so (the sickness had set in, so I may have lost a day). The shell of the vinegar egg broke open but the yolk stays entirely intact! So strange. The sidekick didn't really understand what was happening but Mommy and Daddy were fascinated. The sidekick just liked poking the eggs daily and was very surprised when the vinegar egg was squishy. {"Oh! Mommy! Soft!"}

 

Things we learned this week:

School doesn't have to be done at the table every day. We are still playing outside when we can and have had lots of fun crunching leaves. Science is still a very new concept for the sidekick so, I'll slowly keep introducing some new experiments along the way.

I am also really enjoying looking for new things for us to do when I have the time. It's been fun to incorporate new ideas into what I've already got planned and see it all work out. The sidekick is very flexible and will follow along with almost anything. That helps make this adventure of ours so fun!

 

Where some of our ideas came from:

Egg experiment:

http://www.mudhutmama.com/preschool-homeschool-lesson-plans-week-8-age-3/

 

Wet glue suncatchers:

http://www.housingaforest.com/painting-on-wet-glue/

 

But for the full instructions on the suncatchers look here:

http://babbledabbledo.com/?s=cosmic+suncatchers



Lesson Eight: When Mommies Get Sick

You are disoriented. Blackness swims toward you like a school of eels who have just seen something that eels like a lot.

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy text adventure game (1985)

 

     Yep. This momma is sick. Annoying runny nose, irritating scratchy throat, dizzy-inducing fever, and of course a sidekick who doesn't understand these symptoms and just continues on with me slowly following along behind him. Gotta love him.

     Needless to say, this it why this week's writings are a bit late. That and our crappy Italian internet. I don't know what we'll do with ourselves when we are back in the land of 3G/4G or whatever the kids are calling it now. But, I digress.

     I've been such a slacker these past couple of days. Mostly, because I'm trying not to touch anything that anyone else will touch closely after me. Which is hard when you have a toddler who invades your space constantly. My amazing husband, graciously, takes over in the evenings. He'll make dinner, make his own lunch for the next day, and allow me to sit and rest. Yep, gotta love than man.

     I try to keep up with the most essential house chores. Keeping the kid alive, feeding said kid, dishes, laundry (if really needed). Anything past those though...I'm out. I'll catch up next week.

     It's nice to take a break but I feel like I'm just leaving a trail of sickness behind me. I'm not really, since I sanitize rooms as I leave them. Haha! I don't want my boys getting sick. I'm miserable enough. I don't need to get better and then deal with their moaning and over-exaggerations of pain. They don't do "sick" very well. No man does!

 

     As for schooling, we've taken a week off. I'll work this missing week back in towards Christmas when my planning starts to get sparse. Next week is birthday week, so I'm really trying to recover before then so we can have lots of fun. My sidekick will be THREE! I don't know how I feel about this. I guess I better think on that.

     Ok, back to the couch I go. Until next week, friends! Hopefully, I'm not so disoriented and can complete my thoughts again.

Week Seven: New Ideas

A boy’s will is the wind’s will,
And the thoughts of youth are long, long thoughts.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow-My Lost Youth (1858)

 

  

This current week plus last week equal this week's work. We got a little busy around Wednesday (last week) and finally got some extra time to work on finishing up some projects (this week). Never the less, the sidekick and I are getting the hang of this homeschooling stuff.

My projects usually come from MudHutMama but she took a couple of weeks off from her letter crafts around this time, which is okay! I just know that my sidekick really likes these so I got creative! I went back to the letters we already worked on and came up with new ideas so we could review them. It turned out really well!

Have a look:

 

 

 "d" is for dragon!

 

We went on a "D" scavenger hunt after making our dragon. We used our trick-or-treat bucket and collected things that started with D. I had to get him started but he found the duckie, dolphin, and dog all on his own! I'm a proud momma!

 

I covered a paper in tape and then let the sidekick paint, paint, paint! After it dried, we *slowly* peeled off the tape together to reveal the lines. "Tracks Momma!". And yes, they were driven on before put on the wall of his masterpieces. :)

 



Halloween is coming up so we started some theme crafts!

We counted and glued 16 ghosts!

(Yes, I'm aware they look like Pac-Man ghosts. But hey! I'm an 80's kid!)

 



Our counting ghosts were a little boring so, I got creative again, and we made "real" ghosts! We crumpled paper (which was fun for the sidekick) and then, simply, covered the crumpled paper in a paper towel and taped it shut. Then, I drew a couple of faces and let him copy on the rest of them.

 

I think they're adorable!

 



While I was getting our ghosts together for display, my little sidekick glued an "o" is for oval and then colored more oval shapes on top with his new markers. We also spent some time searching for "O" things. He really likes finding and putting things in his bucket (Just in time for trick-or-treating!).

 

 

Things we learned this week:

We can finish a project any time! We are back on track now and already have some fun projects done that we can't wait to show you! I think, though, it was a good little break for us. I don't want him getting bored with school. And even though we both love an easy routine, it was good to change it up. He was excited to get back to it and that makes me happy.

 

Have a good week! See you soon!

Lesson Seven: Momma's Got Some Tricks Up Her Sleeves!

I cannot stress enough how much I don’t have plans.

-Xander from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

 

 

     When I started getting ready for our homeschool adventure, I knew it would take a lot to keep him entertained with the idea of "school". After co-teaching 18 3-year olds (gasp! I know.) for over a year and spending almost three years in a preschool/daycare/after-school care environment, I had learned a few tricks from some amazing women.

     The first was to get organized! Now, I must tell you, I'm not the most organized person. I do try. I can achieve it for a while but, once I need to find something again, I tend to make a mess.

 

 

     Above, is my planner. Notice the scribbles? And the arrows? And this is a good week! Ha! BUT! It's planned and my ideas are written down. Heaven knows they aren't safe in my head! This is where I started. Super big thanks to MudHutMama for helping me get started! It was her website and this planner for a couple of weeks before I even started tackling the making of things!

 



     These were some of the first things I made for my sidekick. The color circles are for matching, we have upper and lowercase letters for matching, as well. I have numbers in word form and in dot form for some reading/math practice. Also, shape matching. We like to match. :)

     These handy boxes are my keeper of all things. The top picture is my art stash. It's in our garage where I can easily grab markers, paints, playdough, etc. Things we use pretty often go in here. It's quite full. I also stack all our paper on top so it's readily available for the sidekick to make his masterpieces.
     This bottom picture is my homeschool stash. It's upstairs in my messy "room of requirement". Here are all the things that I may (or may not) need to accomplish our schooling. You can see our pattern blocks, leftover rainbow rice, other art things, and also some future projects (that I should probably work on completing so he can use them!).

     I have much more scattered and tucked into places around my house. I keep a file folder in a cabinet next to where we sit and do school each day. In it I keep around three weeks of planned out work. Such as his crafts and the things that need to made ahead before he gets his hands on them. I make good use of things we already have (like using his toys for our letter scavenger hunts) and try to reuse everything I can. I am in the process of covering all his paper things (color circles and such) so they will last longer. Contact paper is an amazing asset.

     I must say, I wouldn't have most of this fun stuff without the help of my mom. She sends me all the things I can't find here in Italy and are not worth the shipping price to buy online. I don't thank her enough but, pretty sure, she knows I'd be lost without her.
    
     Trust me, if I can do this homeschooling stuff then so can you! It's great fun and a wonderful bonding and learning experience for you and your little(s).

    

Happy Homeschooling!

Week Six: Busy, Busy, Busy

I’d like to have your advice on how to live comfortably without working hard.

-Jack Favell

 

 

     So, another busy week for the sidekick and I. We, obviously, spent too much time in the car.

 

 

 

     He was a trooper though. This was just him, at the very end of his rope. Poor guy. Cuddles and a nap happened shortly after this picture. He was helpful the rest of the time and we made sure to get our schooling in when we were home.

    

     Here's what we did:

"l" is for ladybug and leaf! He wasn't very sure when we started this project because of all the pieces but once we worked on the first one together, he saw what we were going for and made it happen!

"y" is for yellow and yarn!

Oh YES! We baked this week. Licking the spoon is always a favorite!

     Things we learned this week:

I learned just how far I can push my little sidekick when it comes to busy days. I, maybe, expected a little much from him, but he did his best and was rewarded with kisses for his efforts.

The sidekick has become very helpful the past few weeks. Wanting to help put dishes away, help with groceries, putting his own dishes in the sink, it's the little things. But it makes me happy and he's very proud to have his "big" moments.

 

     Here's where our ideas stemmed from this week:

http://www.mudhutmama.com/preschool-homeschool-lesson-plans-week-6-age-3/

Lesson Six: Finding Balance

It takes three things to make it in this business: the tenacity of a bulldog, the hide of a rhinoceros and a good home to come home to.

Quoted in "The Advocate", 2 Feb 1999

 

 

     I've been struggling this week trying to find the balance between mother and wife. There are things people never tell you about motherhood. I'm sure they have their reasons; embarrassment, anxiety, pride, or maybe they've forgotten. That's okay. Some lessons are ours to discover and ours to learn. I'm still learning. The sidekick and I learn new things daily. I'm still learning how to "date my husband". They are my greatest joys in life and my true, reliable sources for happiness.

 

     Sometimes though, it's hard to find the balance between them. Especially in these first years of motherhood. My struggle is to "turn off" being a mother and totally invest some time into my husband. Being a stay-at-home-mom, I am totally invested in the world of my sidekick. He gets all my attention, all day long. He doesn't understand the need for a moment's time between Mommy and Daddy. It's all about the baby, all the time. So, it becomes an internal struggle for me to learn when to set my child's wants/needs aside for a moment and see to my husband's wants/needs.

     One way we solve this, is we invest in a date night. It is usually only once a month because of our busy schedules and other obligations but we make it work. We have the most wonderful Italian neighbors who adore our child. Leaving him with them is like leaving him with family. When he's with them, I can fully focus on my husband. He deserves it more than once a month, for sure. He's an amazing man. So, another thing I do to try and show my love is, I leave him little notes in his lunch or I'll text him during the day just to let him know I'm thinking of him. It may not be much but to let him know he's being thought of, is a pretty good start.

 

     My sidekick takes up a lot of space in my head. I'm constantly trying to think of ways to teach him something new, places to go, things to practice with him, the list goes on. Hence the fullness of my brain. It's hard to let those thoughts go when you're so invested in something. Being his mom is the best job in the world. But again, it's a total investment of energy and time. Even when he's sleeping, I'm still thinking of him and things I can do for him.

     As the sidekick, slowly, becomes more independent it becomes easier to let my husband's needs take up space alongside the rest of the thoughts in my head. I am continuing to learn how to devote time and energy to my husband to ensure that he feels my love and appreciation.

 

     I guess, my main point is, it's okay to struggle. You will find your own balance in your life between mother and wife and the other job positions you hold. I have found comfort in expressing my struggles to my best friend and even to my husband. He's been very understanding and even found ways to help us stay connected as well. Like I said, he's pretty amazing. I will continue to learn to balance the loves in my life and make sure that our home is full of love for everyone. I hope you do too.