August 29, 2012

(click here for today's pictures)

• So this morning started out with only one catastrophe so I guess I can't complain.  After breakfast and a little memory work from school, Reagan took off saying she was going "to do my math."  Math is usually not something that she runs to go and do but I didn't think too much about it.  Then I walked into the schoolroom and that child was sitting with her math worksheets doing them on the calculator.  I am sure that I started saying "no" as I walked into the door but she replied with "but Daddy said that I could."  And yes, when Robby opened the mail last night he gave Reagan the calculator and showed her how to use it and said "you can do this when Momma gives you a math problem."  Well, Reagan knew that I had just given her 2 pages of math problems so she was well onto problem number 3 with her calculator.  I told her that she could do 4 with the calculator, check her work and fix her mistakes with the calculator but this caused tears to come.  Finally she calmed and was okay with getting to do some with the calculator and calmed (Meanwhile, I had a few words with her Daddy!)
• Then Anderson asked if he could use the calculator so I did agree to this.  Of course this infuriated Reagan and when I tried to explain that Anderson was holding his phonics worksheets while asking for the calculator.  Then he figured out that he should have his math and started diligently pushing buttons on the calculator while doing his math.  Now his math does not require the usage of a calculator-just counting, matching numbers, saying numbers outloud-but he used it the whole time he was working on math.
• Then that silly calculator was passed to Campbell.  She typed, poked, punched and probably slammed so when Reagan tried to turn the calculator on to check her math, it didn't work.  Surprisingly no one was too devastated and I silently did a little happy dance.  During this whole fiasco, I must have muttered something about Daddy doing school with everyone and this created a clamor of everyone begging that Daddy having school with them.  I quite often mention that if things aren't finished with me then they will be completed when their Daddy comes home but this was different.  I could see their little eyes glazing over thinking about having a substitute teacher-you know the kind, like the ones that let you use your calculator on your math homework.
• After school, it was lunch time and time for more reading.  Next up, the kids emptied the trash around the house (the chore that I love them doing the most) and then we moved on to doing laundry.  The are good about folding the towels quickly and then things always go downhill.  Anderson resorted to piling all of the laundry on himself while Graham tried to see how many pairs of Robby's underwear that he could put on and Campbell was right behind him.  (Though Graham should have been putting on socks-that was part of his school work today, putting on and taking off 5 pairs of socks.  He had to do this because he always tells us that he can't put on his socks).  The kids did finally pull themselves together and manage to actually help with the laundry.
• Next up was naps for the little girls while Reagan, Anderson and Graham worked on making paper airplane after paper airplane.  They went outside to see how far they would fly and Graham came back in saying "there's no hurricane, this plane won't work in this weather."  Soon though it was time to start running around getting ready to go see Beebee and Papaw.
• I had clearly started all of the rules and they remembered most of them today but man, they just get wild when we see Beebee and Papaw (or maybe my kids are always wild and I just don't notice).  They did manage to get a piece of candy and a bit of cash before leaving which made everyone happy.  Well, not Keaton, she wanted no part of Beebee, Papaw or anyone else in that room this afternoon.  She just wanted me to hold her-it was pretty pitiful.
• Then we headed to church to register for Awanas.  We knew that the blow ups had been cancelled because of the winds and the kids were fine with that (heard about at least one car load of kids leaving  in tears) but I had also heard that there would be snacks.  Well, we didn't see those either and this cause a bit of whining from my crew.  Though when we drove off I did see a tiny table passing out melted push ups so I stopped and asked for 4 (and of course I had to try to explain that I really did have 4 kids in the car).  
• We picked up pizza on the way home, ate and then Graham and Reagan had presents to open from the Mississippi Dennies.  We played most of the evening with Graham's new lincoln logs and Reagan couldn't have been prouder of her watch.  Campbell's first words were "I sometime want a watch too."  We let them stay up a bit later than usual and Campbell was the only one talking at bedtime tonight-shouting "in 5 minutes, 5 minutes."