July 23, 2013

(click here for today's pictures)
Pops delivers a Cave City watermelon!

  • At 6:45, at least a dozen kids were upstairs stomping, playing and shouting.  They were having a rip roaring good time.  No telling how long they had been up but everyone seemed to be playing together happily yet loudly.  They were so loud that Keaton had been woken up and Whitman was also awake just looking around our bedroom trying to figure out where everyone was.
  • Soon it was breakfast and then school time.  A few thoughts about school today: When Anderson has been "reading" for the last 2 days for 20 minutes, he is only looking at the pictures.  Maybe he will have to start reading to me.  Graham becomes frustrated easily so that is a fine balance that I dance during the day.  Both boys have/will have pretty sloppy handwriting.  Campbell loves her drawers of school work and told Anderson today "I can't _____, I need to finish my school work."  I don't remember what she had said but she was pretty determined that her school work was to be done first.  Keaton's favorite school activity is putting poker chips through a slot into an empty can.  And Reagan, well my sweet girl, is probably the best home schooled kid around. 
  • After Graham finished with school, he went to the bonus room to play on the ipad and he did that for awhile.  Then he came down and the natives were all getting a bit restless while Anderson and Reagan finished their school.  Anderson is good at staring into space and Reagan's math just takes that sweet girl a long time.  
  • We had a peaceful lunch and read a few books and then did a few chores.  And that is when the trouble started today.  We all went upstairs-the kids started on the toy room and I was putting up laundry in their bedroom.  By the time I made it to the toy room, I had already told the boys a few times to stop playing and start working.  I eventually told Anderson and Graham that they had to finish by themselves.  
  • That didn't go over too well with either of them-tears, fussing, gnashing of teeth.  I gave them 5 minutes to get it clean or else (else was not watching a movie-gasp!)  Anderson worked but Graham didn't-he continued to scream.  I then told Graham that he had 5 more minutes to finish and the screaming continued.  
  • I tried to get him to calm down but that didn't work but when I said that science was next, he did come with us.  So he cried as we sang our memory work and then continued as I started to read science.  I took him to the living room and told him that he could listen to science with us but then he would have to go to the bonus room until his Daddy came home.  
  • Eventually, he fell asleep in the bonus room and I woke him this afternoon.  He was calm, understood why he had been in trouble and went to finish cleaning the toy room (practically clean by now) willingly.  And the screaming began again and lasted until Robby came home.    Robby put a stop to that and explained to him that he would miss seeing Nonna and Pops tonight because of his behavior.  He did scream for most of the time that they were here as well.  Poor thing was hoarse by bedtime.  Don't feel too bad for him-he deserved every bit of time that he spent in his room plus more.  A little time in his room is good for him-check out Hebrews 12:11.
  • The rest of us had a peaceful afternoon (with our earplugs inserted).  Campbell and Keaton helped me do a bit of cooking.  And Whitman has decided that if he is not eating today, then he is not happy.  Though his favorite part of the day is school time-he just sits in his bumbo seat and looks at all of the commotion going on. 
  • Nonna and Pops came over to eat a watermelon-and that thing was as big as Keaton.  Seriously, it was massive.  The kids sat on the bar and ate quite a bit-we stayed inside since it was raining.  Anderson is saving seeds so we can grow our own watermelon.  They even convinced Nonna and Pops to play a few games-Uno dice, Skipbo dice, Operation, Candyland Castle, Headbanz and ping pong.  That is more than a few games!
  • Soon it was bedtime and Graham did get to come down to apologize to everyone and brush his teeth.  He was his sweet little self again so hopefully he will remember his lesson.  I sure hope so!  
  • Now Keaton is the only one up-for some reason she has decided to be a night owl this evening!
  • Here is what all Graham has in his boxes for the mornings: 1. An assortment for sight words 2. All About Spelling 1 3. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons 4. More of our All About Me book 5. Math U See Primer 6. Explode the Code 7. Extra workbook 8. Reading 9. Sight word writing 10. Number and letter writing and the bonus is missing letters.