Christmas Eve was with my parents. My Grandma came over for a couple hours too. She gets anxious when she's out for a long time. We went to brunch and then opened gifts with Gigi then had dinner, finished the gifts and went to mass. We had 10 p.m. mass for midnight mass. We arrived at 9 because D was singing. He had a small solo in Ave Maria and was very nervous. The carols started at 9:30. It was a very nice service and the kids did pretty well, sitting in a pew for 2 hours since we were an hour early. Both sets of grandparents were there. The choir ended with the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah. It was awesome. We didn't see a Messiah this year. Most years we try to go see one and we've seen them all over the country depending on where we were living at the time. Last year we saw one in a local church. K loved it and C slept in the stroller the entire time so it worked out pretty well. We usually go see the Nutcracker every year too but that didn't happen this year. It was a scheduling issue. Last year we saw it twice, once in NYC and once in Cincinnati so we were covered for this year. After the Cincy production, K said it was good but it wasn't New York.
Christmas Day was with D's family. Everyone was in town for it. It's fun but busy. 12 adults and 15 children ages 10 to 4 months. K and C love all the playing. It seems we are always eating, feeding, cleaning up, etc. We have to eat in shifts b/c there's not enough room for everyone to eat together. All the cousins exchanged gifts and that was fun. K and C loved their gifts. K recieved Usborne I can draw people and playtime activites. She loves to draw. C received some legos.
Now we are trying to go through rooms and make a pile to give away. D had to work today.
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
14 years
Yesterday was our 14 year anniversary. K and C went to Grandma's and Pap's for the night. They were so excited. We all needed a break and I needed to do some shopping without them running through the store, trying to hide and scaring me. I got a lot accomplished but still feel overwhelmed. This last week is always so crazy, I don't know how to make it better.
I just reread my last post. I don't think things are as bad as I wrote. Last week the 3 year old was not in school and K had a really good week. Plus, the head teacher has been doing a great job of giving K work and asking her to work with others so she's not always with this 3 year old. I think she's doing better. Her Math work is progressing now.
C is going to start Montessori Jan 22nd. He's excited. I think he's ready for that environment and for someone to ask him to learn all his letters/sounds. He learns so differently than Kaitlin. He really has to want to learn before he will do it. Or show you that he knows it. It's hard to know what he knows. He's definitely more math oriented than K.
I have a lot to get done this morning before Grandma drops K off at school and brings C here.
I just reread my last post. I don't think things are as bad as I wrote. Last week the 3 year old was not in school and K had a really good week. Plus, the head teacher has been doing a great job of giving K work and asking her to work with others so she's not always with this 3 year old. I think she's doing better. Her Math work is progressing now.
C is going to start Montessori Jan 22nd. He's excited. I think he's ready for that environment and for someone to ask him to learn all his letters/sounds. He learns so differently than Kaitlin. He really has to want to learn before he will do it. Or show you that he knows it. It's hard to know what he knows. He's definitely more math oriented than K.
I have a lot to get done this morning before Grandma drops K off at school and brings C here.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Chaos
I have not been writing because things have been so chaotic here. D and I have spent a lot of time discussing all the issues with K. Today K's teacher talked to me about her behavior at school. She's been 'mothering' one of the 3 year old girls. She talks about her all the time but I guess it is getting out of control. She's doing things for her and the 3 year old cries for K when she gets frustrated. It's such an odd dynamic and so hard as a parent to know how to handle. K doesn't want to do her work, she wants to just play like the 3 year olds. Yesterday she told her teacher that she forgot her book when it was her time to do reading. The teacher said check your bag and of course it was there. She lied so she could go play. This is not K's normal behavior. We're trying to figure out what is going on and debating all kinds of options. Is she bored? Is she trying to fit in somehow or doesn't want to stand out from the other kindergarteners? She's not playing with them anymore, she's spending all her time with this 3 year old who needs her. I need a psychologist. I knew raising her would be difficult but I wasn't prepared for this type of difficulty. It's a really odd dynamic at school this year with the kindergarteners and maybe we need to pull her out. D talked about me homeschooling her starting in January. I don't know. I don't know what to do. I can't seem to write about it either.
On top of that, she's been acting/talking like a baby. When I tried to get her to tell her teacher about buying gifts for needy gifts, she wouldn't talk. She crawled around on the floor and withdrew. Of course I pushed to get her to talk and that didn't work. So, I yelled at her on the ride home about manners and answering her teacher when asked, etc. She hates when I yell but this has been going on for a couple months and I've had it. I don't know how to handle it. I think she tuned me out.
On the positive side, the son I've been ignoring drew a wonderful picture of himself tonight and did a pretty good job of writing his name.
On top of that, she's been acting/talking like a baby. When I tried to get her to tell her teacher about buying gifts for needy gifts, she wouldn't talk. She crawled around on the floor and withdrew. Of course I pushed to get her to talk and that didn't work. So, I yelled at her on the ride home about manners and answering her teacher when asked, etc. She hates when I yell but this has been going on for a couple months and I've had it. I don't know how to handle it. I think she tuned me out.
On the positive side, the son I've been ignoring drew a wonderful picture of himself tonight and did a pretty good job of writing his name.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Our Trip
We left Wednesday for Landenberg, PA. It is a 9 hour drive from here if you drive straight through. We did it in about 10/10.5 both ways. The kids did great. We picked up some new movies from the library on Wednesday and had things to do in the car. Plus, they slept. We left at 6 a.m. on Sunday so they slept a lot on the ride back.
We had Thanksgiving at my sister's - Landenberg is south west of Philadelphia. My parents came too so we had 10 of us. The kids loved getting together and playing.
On Friday we went to Philadelphia. We went on a DUK ride, through the streets and then on the Delaware river. Then, we went to the National Constitution Center. D and K spent the time together learning about the Constitution. She took the oath of office, etc. She loved it. We only spent 2 hours there. I wish we would have had more time. Of course I had the 2 3 year olds so maybe we didn't need more time.
On Saturday my sister's 8 month old daughter was baptized. My brother in law's family arrived for the event. It was fun to see everyone and we had a nice dinner. Here's a picture of K with her new cousin.
It was great getting out there and visiting family but we didn't have much of a break here at home. We got back last night and now starts the December whirlwind. I'd like more time to just relax, just the four of us.
We had Thanksgiving at my sister's - Landenberg is south west of Philadelphia. My parents came too so we had 10 of us. The kids loved getting together and playing.
On Friday we went to Philadelphia. We went on a DUK ride, through the streets and then on the Delaware river. Then, we went to the National Constitution Center. D and K spent the time together learning about the Constitution. She took the oath of office, etc. She loved it. We only spent 2 hours there. I wish we would have had more time. Of course I had the 2 3 year olds so maybe we didn't need more time.
On Saturday my sister's 8 month old daughter was baptized. My brother in law's family arrived for the event. It was fun to see everyone and we had a nice dinner. Here's a picture of K with her new cousin.
It was great getting out there and visiting family but we didn't have much of a break here at home. We got back last night and now starts the December whirlwind. I'd like more time to just relax, just the four of us.
Holiday cards
Today we worked on our holiday cards. They arrived while we were gone. Here's the picture we picked. It's not as good as some from the previous years.
K writes the address on certain envelopes and adds notes and pictures to some of the cards. It really helps for me to give her some penciled lines to keep her writing confined to the envelope area and not too big. She also sticks on the return stickers and the stamps. This is my working on her printing and writing. She LOVES pen pals and writing letters. We have so many now but not many people write back as frequently as she writes so she starts to get down about it. D has even told me to just fake a return letter but I can't do that. My sister (who has a 3 year old daughter) does a good job of sending things even if they aren't written by my neice. Otherwise we have enough "pen pals" that we should get enough mail.
K writes the address on certain envelopes and adds notes and pictures to some of the cards. It really helps for me to give her some penciled lines to keep her writing confined to the envelope area and not too big. She also sticks on the return stickers and the stamps. This is my working on her printing and writing. She LOVES pen pals and writing letters. We have so many now but not many people write back as frequently as she writes so she starts to get down about it. D has even told me to just fake a return letter but I can't do that. My sister (who has a 3 year old daughter) does a good job of sending things even if they aren't written by my neice. Otherwise we have enough "pen pals" that we should get enough mail.
Monday, November 20, 2006
The Parade
Saturday was the parade in our town. The town has an annual Christmas festival with a parade. This year K's French class had a float and she road in the float. I walked alongside and handed out candy/pencils/flyers.
Here's a picture of her in the float
It was fun. More work for me getting the float ready on Friday. But I met some of the Moms from her class. A couple of the kids have been taking French for years and they take another class on Saturdays for 2 hours.
We had a party on Saturday for the game. Good thing Ohio State won. The party went well, better than I expected. We had 9 kids and that can be overwhelming, especially when the parents are busy watching TV but they were great. K and C loved it.
Here's a picture of her in the float
It was fun. More work for me getting the float ready on Friday. But I met some of the Moms from her class. A couple of the kids have been taking French for years and they take another class on Saturdays for 2 hours.
We had a party on Saturday for the game. Good thing Ohio State won. The party went well, better than I expected. We had 9 kids and that can be overwhelming, especially when the parents are busy watching TV but they were great. K and C loved it.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Questions
Today at dinner (D was at choir practice), K started talking loud about silly things. What if there were no animals and no trees and no people. I said like when there were dinosaurs and she said No. There are no dinosaurs and no North America. And she's giggling and having fun. And, no water and no sun. And she kind of stops the silliness. Then it would be very dark all the time and there would be nothing. And then she says maybe God would be there. How old is God? 15? 4? but who made God? Was God there when it was dark? How did God get there?
I'm thinking of how to answer this and wishing D was home to handle this one. But then when I start with how old do you think God is? she starts giggling again and kind of moves on to other things. During this time C is being loud and silly too so it was easy to jump back into that.
This reminds me that on Sunday after church we stopped at the grocery and I ran in. While I was gone C told D that "maybe when you are at work, Mommy can explain to me who God is".
Why do I get all the God questions?
I'm thinking of how to answer this and wishing D was home to handle this one. But then when I start with how old do you think God is? she starts giggling again and kind of moves on to other things. During this time C is being loud and silly too so it was easy to jump back into that.
This reminds me that on Sunday after church we stopped at the grocery and I ran in. While I was gone C told D that "maybe when you are at work, Mommy can explain to me who God is".
Why do I get all the God questions?
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
books/music/schedule
K is reading Samantha's Surprise now. It's an American Girl Doll Book. She's also reading 2 books on Picasso. She has been doing portraits lately and I thought they were looking like a Picasso. She loves reading about him. She made a book with a portrait of a lot of her family, us, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.. They are both reading
Tripper's Travels: An International Scrapbook
and they LOVE it. D reads them one country a night and they talk about the country, practice talking in the language, etc.. Even C loves it. This was just a grab at the library so it's a nice surprise.
They have been listening to Laurie Berkner a lot and a CD from K's religion class. It's a Childrens' Choir CD and K really loves it. They may start a childrens' choir at the music store near us and I'd love for her to try it. C loves Irish music. I got a CD at the library b/c I enjoy it and he loves it. K, not so much.
Tripper's Travels: An International Scrapbook
and they LOVE it. D reads them one country a night and they talk about the country, practice talking in the language, etc.. Even C loves it. This was just a grab at the library so it's a nice surprise.
They have been listening to Laurie Berkner a lot and a CD from K's religion class. It's a Childrens' Choir CD and K really loves it. They may start a childrens' choir at the music store near us and I'd love for her to try it. C loves Irish music. I got a CD at the library b/c I enjoy it and he loves it. K, not so much.
Math
We've been really working on math lately. Both at school and at home. I'm going to buy some math books for K for Christmas and I'm probably spending too much time trying to decide which ones to buy. I had her do a placement test for Singapore Math books yesterday. I had her do it on the computer and I kept hurrying her. She would write the question and practice writing her numbers rather than write the answer and move on. One whole section she messed up b/c I kept telling her to stop playing around and do the problem. It was taking so long we were running into her ballet class. Since she has learned Math in the Montessori setting, she hasn't really seen a lot of math worksheets or word problems etc. So, she made mistakes on things she knew b/c she didn't understand how they were being asked. I'm going to buy a couple workbooks and see how it goes.
Can't seem to write
I can't seem to write in here. It's been a rough couple weeks and I'm not ready to write about it yet. We did fix C's room, we had to use a primer on the areas with permanent marker and then we painted his room blue. It's OK, I don't love it yet. We'll see, I need to hang things, buy curtains, etc.
We've not been practicing piano and K seems to have lost some interest in it. I don't want to make her practice right now because we are just trying it out. We seem to be so busy that we don't have time for piano right now.
Last night was the second meeting of book club. K read Brave Emily. She did most of the reading herself, except for the letters that were written in cursive. I have not taught her to write in cursive yet. She reread it many times so she could get all the meanings. We made a time line from about 1850-2006 with birth dates and major events so she could better understand time. Of course Brave Emily is during World War II so we had lots of discussions on war. The other day I told her someone had died and she asked "did he die or did someone make him dead?" I guess that's one way of saying murder. K is so sensitive that I'm worried about talking about evil things too much. She has nightmares. Anyway, she loves book club. It's still a little advanced for her. The game was unscrambling about 15 words and then using the numbered letters to write out the answer. We haven't done too much unscrambling but these were bigger words for her; victory, courage, etc. First one done got a prize. An older girl was helping her. Next month is movie night and a book club meeting. They are reading Samantha's Surprise and watching Samantha's Holiday movie. Of course they moved movie night to Friday the 8th which is the same night as K's cousin's 6th bday party. This is one cousin where she would definitely love to go to his bday party b/c he's her age. What to do?
We've not been practicing piano and K seems to have lost some interest in it. I don't want to make her practice right now because we are just trying it out. We seem to be so busy that we don't have time for piano right now.
Last night was the second meeting of book club. K read Brave Emily. She did most of the reading herself, except for the letters that were written in cursive. I have not taught her to write in cursive yet. She reread it many times so she could get all the meanings. We made a time line from about 1850-2006 with birth dates and major events so she could better understand time. Of course Brave Emily is during World War II so we had lots of discussions on war. The other day I told her someone had died and she asked "did he die or did someone make him dead?" I guess that's one way of saying murder. K is so sensitive that I'm worried about talking about evil things too much. She has nightmares. Anyway, she loves book club. It's still a little advanced for her. The game was unscrambling about 15 words and then using the numbered letters to write out the answer. We haven't done too much unscrambling but these were bigger words for her; victory, courage, etc. First one done got a prize. An older girl was helping her. Next month is movie night and a book club meeting. They are reading Samantha's Surprise and watching Samantha's Holiday movie. Of course they moved movie night to Friday the 8th which is the same night as K's cousin's 6th bday party. This is one cousin where she would definitely love to go to his bday party b/c he's her age. What to do?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloween & A Sharpie
I just came in here to try to calm down. I put C down for nap an hour ago and then he had to go the bathroom and then he was up playing and then... I got busy with K's piano practice. Even though I could hear him in his room talking, I decided I'd go up in a minute. Well, I came up and he had crawled on top of his dresser, found the Sharpie pen I had hidden there next to a stack of hand me downs. I was marking initials on the clothes. (The pen has been there for months, he's the 7th grandson on D's side of the family and as the seasons are changing we're getting clothes from 3 cousins and passing down to a cousin.) He marked all over himself, his dresser, his walls. I'm not sure where else b/c I lost it. He started crying and I put him to bed and closed the door. I'm just not ready to deal with it. What's the proper punishment? I left the pen there. The dresser is about 4 feet high but he can climb up on it from his bed BUT he's never done that prior to today. Tonight is Halloween, should he have to stay in? That seems extreme but he knows not to draw on the walls. It's quiet in there now. The only good thing is we're planning on painting his room in the next month or so. I'm still trying to pick out colors and sheets.
Halloween starts in an hour. I'm ready for it to be over, we've had so many parties and costume wearing occasions, I'm worn out.
Halloween starts in an hour. I'm ready for it to be over, we've had so many parties and costume wearing occasions, I'm worn out.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Ballet and Religion
Today K's ballet class did a little Halloween show. They wore their costumes to class. It was very cute. It was nice to see that they are learning since we don't get to see in the classroom very often. K loves ballet.
We've switched to these new books at school. They have short stories and then questions at the end. They are older and the stories are more historical - about Chicago, magicians, etc. It's great for comprehension practice. I think her ability to read is fine but comprehension is the next step.
On Sunday K asked about religion. Why do we go to one church and other people go to other churches - mainly cousins. I think part of it was our discussion about religion when we went to visit the Catholic school. I tried to explain about schools attached to religions and how they work. So, I had to explain about different religions. I don't feel that strongly about Catholic school. I went to 2nd grade in Catholic school and then we moved. I loved it though. It was more challenging than the public school. And I got along with more of the kids. Those are the two main things I remember. Right now I'm leaning toward home schooling or private school. I don't like the lack of accountablity you get from the public school. (not that I've had that much experience...) But with the screening, I had to call and call and call to get things done. It took 2 months to get it resolved. It reminds me of dealing with the DMV or something. It's not really what I want to do with respect to my kids' education.
We've switched to these new books at school. They have short stories and then questions at the end. They are older and the stories are more historical - about Chicago, magicians, etc. It's great for comprehension practice. I think her ability to read is fine but comprehension is the next step.
On Sunday K asked about religion. Why do we go to one church and other people go to other churches - mainly cousins. I think part of it was our discussion about religion when we went to visit the Catholic school. I tried to explain about schools attached to religions and how they work. So, I had to explain about different religions. I don't feel that strongly about Catholic school. I went to 2nd grade in Catholic school and then we moved. I loved it though. It was more challenging than the public school. And I got along with more of the kids. Those are the two main things I remember. Right now I'm leaning toward home schooling or private school. I don't like the lack of accountablity you get from the public school. (not that I've had that much experience...) But with the screening, I had to call and call and call to get things done. It took 2 months to get it resolved. It reminds me of dealing with the DMV or something. It's not really what I want to do with respect to my kids' education.
Piano Recital
C has been very into having his piano lesson too. D did a lesson with him this weekend since he was so insistent. So, today he insisted on doing piano practice like K too. Well, maybe I should have him at the recital because he can play the C scale! I was shocked. He was very focused, practicing doing the scale without mistakes. I taught him Stepping up but he is so independent he refuses to learn from you.
He learns SO differently than K. He has to see and assimilate it himself and just about master something (although you never hear him working at it) and then he'll do it for you. The alphabet, colors, numbers, the piano. I'm figuring out that he is teaching himself to read. He recognizes certain words - Ohio State, stop, his name. But he's not interested in his letters or the sounds of letters like K. But I know one day he'll just know all his letters. When K and I were counting by ones, tens, hundreds, thousands she was getting confused. I was asking her what comes after 1000 counting by thousands and she was saying 1001 or 1100. Finally, C says two thousand. He's going to be a challenge.
He learns SO differently than K. He has to see and assimilate it himself and just about master something (although you never hear him working at it) and then he'll do it for you. The alphabet, colors, numbers, the piano. I'm figuring out that he is teaching himself to read. He recognizes certain words - Ohio State, stop, his name. But he's not interested in his letters or the sounds of letters like K. But I know one day he'll just know all his letters. When K and I were counting by ones, tens, hundreds, thousands she was getting confused. I was asking her what comes after 1000 counting by thousands and she was saying 1001 or 1100. Finally, C says two thousand. He's going to be a challenge.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Visit to the Catholic School
On Thursday I took K to visit the Catholic school while C was at preschool. We had a good visit. She liked it which is a good sign. They seemed better set up to handle kids who are ahead of their grade level. It's a small school about 3 1st grade classes with 20 kids each. The school is just K-3rd and then 4th through 8th is at a different building 10 minutes away (2 different churches combined for the school). I have to get moving on visiting other schools in the area.
Great Grandma
Wednesday we went to visit my Grandma, the kids' Great Grandma (GiGi). We went in the evening, our first mistake. The kids brought Halloween art that they made. We went to her apartment and I realized that she was confused. As the day goes on, she gets more confused and I know this but there I was. We ended up going back to the lobby because she had guests in her living room we had to entertain. But, back in the lobby a resident was playing the piano. Kaitlin watched and then she climbed up next to her and played about 3 songs - Jingle Bells, Mary had a little lamb and Stepping Up. She was very confident, I was surprised she went and sat up there and played. She LOVED it. So, now I'm realizing the one problem with doing piano at home is no formal recital. I'm thinking of just putting together a recital and invite some family members to come over. We'll see.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Book Club
Last night was the first night for book club. I decided to put K in it instead of Girl Scouts or American Heritage girls because of the time (C naps in the afternoon when the others meet). She loves to read and most of these girls attend a mixed age school that I'm debating sending K to next fall. The club was nice but K was so shy! She clings to me and doesn't open up at all. I probably should have left her there but I told her I would stay the first time. The other girls all know each other since they are in school together so that can be initimidating. There were 11 girls there. The book they read was Kirsten Learns a Lesson (see my link under K's current reading). First they discussed the book and the 2 Moms running the club did a good job. There is one other 5 year old, about 5 6-7 year olds and 4 older girls 8 and up. When I called there was only one 8+ girl. Of course the 4 older girls dominated the conversation but the other girls talked too. K didn't but she did listen. Then they did a craft, a book bag for the year and a snack similar to what Kirsten would have had for lunch at her school. Then they played a game about all the different American girl dolls. Of course K does not know them at all. But thankfully, she got up, they put the name of the doll on her back and then she had to ask yes or no questions to figure out which doll it would be.
She liked it and was sad it only meets once a month. Her shyness is hard on me. I feel like I've been involving her in so much and doing preschool so she is used to socialization and other kids and it seems like it has not worked. I was shy as a girl so I know what it is but I was hoping to have her not be painfully shy. She has started this habit of sucking on her fingers or the end of her shirt. It was way out of control last night. I'm not sure how to fight that.
She liked it and was sad it only meets once a month. Her shyness is hard on me. I feel like I've been involving her in so much and doing preschool so she is used to socialization and other kids and it seems like it has not worked. I was shy as a girl so I know what it is but I was hoping to have her not be painfully shy. She has started this habit of sucking on her fingers or the end of her shirt. It was way out of control last night. I'm not sure how to fight that.
Friday, October 06, 2006
Piano & the Park
K has been doing piano practice for 30 minutes each day this week. It's going surprisingly well. On Wednesday she composed her own song.
E E F F E E F F G G
Apple, apple, apple apple, yes, yes
C D E F G
I don't like oranges
C G A G C
But grapes are your friends
C D E F G A B C
And, strawberries are your friends too
It's silly but I was impressed she wanted to try to do it and figure out the words and notes. Especially since she's only just started piano lessons. I think it's a good sign that she's enjoying it. I try to keep her on target for practicing but also give her time to do some creative things. Since I know next to nothing about piano, it's hard for me to help with her practice (and unfortunately she knows this).
Today we went to a park class about monarch butterflies. It was interesting, aimed at a little older crowd. My two were moving around a lot so I thought they weren't listening. Then we got nets and went to catch some butterflies. K was sad she couldn't catch one. On the way home, C tells me all about the life cycle of a butterfly (he can't say chrysallis but tells me c..something) and K tells me about the monarch migrating to Mexico. I guess they were listening. It was a beautiful fall day so it was great to just be outside enjoying it.
E E F F E E F F G G
Apple, apple, apple apple, yes, yes
C D E F G
I don't like oranges
C G A G C
But grapes are your friends
C D E F G A B C
And, strawberries are your friends too
It's silly but I was impressed she wanted to try to do it and figure out the words and notes. Especially since she's only just started piano lessons. I think it's a good sign that she's enjoying it. I try to keep her on target for practicing but also give her time to do some creative things. Since I know next to nothing about piano, it's hard for me to help with her practice (and unfortunately she knows this).
Today we went to a park class about monarch butterflies. It was interesting, aimed at a little older crowd. My two were moving around a lot so I thought they weren't listening. Then we got nets and went to catch some butterflies. K was sad she couldn't catch one. On the way home, C tells me all about the life cycle of a butterfly (he can't say chrysallis but tells me c..something) and K tells me about the monarch migrating to Mexico. I guess they were listening. It was a beautiful fall day so it was great to just be outside enjoying it.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Busy week
I have myself so busy with kids stuff that I rarely have time to do any house stuff, like grocery shopping. We're doing OK with our one field trip a week.
The other day Kaitlin came downstairs and asked me do I have to die to go to heaven? I was on the phone so it was hard to answer but I said yes. And she said And I'll never come back? and started crying. I'm not sure where she even got this idea but after I hung up I tried to talk to her about it. The only thing would be Dave's 95 year old Grandmother visiting us. Maybe she overheard me say something.
The other day Kaitlin came downstairs and asked me do I have to die to go to heaven? I was on the phone so it was hard to answer but I said yes. And she said And I'll never come back? and started crying. I'm not sure where she even got this idea but after I hung up I tried to talk to her about it. The only thing would be Dave's 95 year old Grandmother visiting us. Maybe she overheard me say something.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
Math
Well so far, our schedule is working OK. Ballet is going well and K says she has fun in French class but doesn't like it. When I press the issue, she says, it's fine Mom. Piano lessons with Dad are going great. They do them once a week on Saturdays and she's moving right along. He teaches completely different than I would but she enjoys it. She practices during the week and even that is going well. She likes to play. Math class with me has been going OK too. We have the kindergarten math book from the public school so we do that and I usually take it to another level. I've been trying to incorporate more manipulating numbers and fun with numbers. I've realized that math is so very different from reading. I really have to take more time to teach her some math concepts instead of her just getting things. It's going to be a challenge to instill a love of math in her but that's my goal.
We missed our first Spanish lesson this week but I wasn't quite ready. We did a great art lesson. We signed up for American Girl Doll Book Club. We don't start until mid October. I think it could go either way so I'm anxious to see. We're reading Kirsten Learns a Lesson for October. It's a slow process, there's so much new stuff to explain. It's been great for learning history but I have to explain a lot. She reads some and then I just read her a chapter. We have to work on both sides, comprehension and reading. We decided not to do Chinese right now. It was too much having it right before her French class. Plus, we may start that as a family at home, I have to see if the library has rosetta stone available.
Gymnastics and ice skating start mid to late October so that's my next question. I'm really trying to decide about homeschooling her next semester. I could pull her out of Montessori and not start C in it. It would definitely save us money but I'm really torn on it. She loves school.
We missed our first Spanish lesson this week but I wasn't quite ready. We did a great art lesson. We signed up for American Girl Doll Book Club. We don't start until mid October. I think it could go either way so I'm anxious to see. We're reading Kirsten Learns a Lesson for October. It's a slow process, there's so much new stuff to explain. It's been great for learning history but I have to explain a lot. She reads some and then I just read her a chapter. We have to work on both sides, comprehension and reading. We decided not to do Chinese right now. It was too much having it right before her French class. Plus, we may start that as a family at home, I have to see if the library has rosetta stone available.
Gymnastics and ice skating start mid to late October so that's my next question. I'm really trying to decide about homeschooling her next semester. I could pull her out of Montessori and not start C in it. It would definitely save us money but I'm really torn on it. She loves school.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Week in review
I have not had time to write that much. This was the first full week (9:15-11:45) at K's Montessori school. She is reading her book from the library at school. The Green Toenails Gang (Olivia Sharp Agent for Secrets) She reads 2 chapters a day. I talked to the teacher about her reading. She tends to skips words and not sound out words she doesn't know. Instead she guesses what word it might be, says that and keeps reading. So, if you are just listening you may miss that she isn't reading the right words. D and I have been wondering if she is speed reading some. She skips the little words. Who knows? She's also been reading some good Scholastic books. She started French class on Thursday and she seemed to like that. There were 5 girls and they are all older. I'm not sure why French is OK but she doesn't want to do Spanish. I think she's just doing it to bug me. I have to start the Spanish at home next week. I need a good lesson plan for that. D did piano lessons with her today as part of his teaching music at home. It went pretty well. Now we just have to get her to practice on a daily basis. We have our Friday playdate and this time the girls were at our house. K loves this so I'm going to try to stick with it every Friday. I wish they lived in our neighborhood. We have a little girl the same age as K and her 3 year old sister come to play. We just lost the other 4.5 year old because of her preschool schedule. They ride bikes and play. I've been trying to find more little girl friends in our neighborhood but we seem to be surrounded by boys. We tried a playdate on Wednesday with a boy in our neighborhood that is the same age. He's been riding his bike without training wheels for a year so he made fun of K and her training wheels and they just play different. It went OK. K really needs to feel comfortable, lots of time with the kid and his Mom until she comes out of her shell. I don't know if I should pursue it or not. The Mom mentioned that her first grade daughter (who was in school at the time) might be a better fit. Just because they are both girls.
I'm still working on her schedule and it is almost October. I don't know why I'm struggling so much. I called about Daisy's (Girl Scouts) and they meet 2x a month and do a craft and talk. It would about 8 little girls. The meeting up is the hard part for me b/c of C's nap schedule. I'm not that excited about it.
C is such a crazy man.
I'm still working on her schedule and it is almost October. I don't know why I'm struggling so much. I called about Daisy's (Girl Scouts) and they meet 2x a month and do a craft and talk. It would about 8 little girls. The meeting up is the hard part for me b/c of C's nap schedule. I'm not that excited about it.
C is such a crazy man.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
K's schedule
I'm still trying to get her fall schedule in place. I haven't spent much time with C's schedule.
Here's what I have so far:
K's schedule:
Breakfast with Dad
Morning routine, calendar, clean room
Montessori school – 2.5 hours math, writing, reading, music, etc. check contract
Lunch
Outside of the home Classes
Monday – Ballet 45 minutes (afternoon)
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday – French 1 hour (afternoon)
Friday – playdate 3 hours (afternoon)
Saturday – piano lesson (1/2 hour, morning)
Sunday – Religion class 1 hour (morning)
American Girl Doll Book Club once a month
Possibilities
Daisy Girl Scouts
Chinese 1 hour Thur afternoon
Gymnastics 1 hour a week
Ice Skating
Homeschool Time
Reading aloud to her
Reading aloud to me
NEED memorization, narration
Writing – Pen pals (Carly, Jack, Ashley, Hailey, Sydney, Ryan) and Gigi, with writing we work on her printing, sometimes spelling (some days we work on the message together and she copies, other days I have her write and sound out words), creative concepts, geograhpy, computer skills, drawing, etc. I would like to start her writing in a journal
Math – I’m working on basic addition and subtraction with her, introducing math concepts, I need to work on this, I hate worksheets, not sure how to do this better, I need to incorporate money better
Art – was building some basic art concepts but lost track of it, need to join kids club art
Music – 30 minute music class at CHM, once a week music/piano lessons with Dad (I need to build the lesson plan for them)
Spanish - I switched to me teaching Spanish this fall b/c of the problems with a Spanish class
Science – nature programs Wash Township park district, Metroparks
Need history,
Field Trips
Children’s Theater (4x this year) with Grandma & Pa Pa
Art Museum
Children's Museum IMAX
other
Here's what I have so far:
K's schedule:
Breakfast with Dad
Morning routine, calendar, clean room
Montessori school – 2.5 hours math, writing, reading, music, etc. check contract
Lunch
Outside of the home Classes
Monday – Ballet 45 minutes (afternoon)
Tuesday –
Wednesday –
Thursday – French 1 hour (afternoon)
Friday – playdate 3 hours (afternoon)
Saturday – piano lesson (1/2 hour, morning)
Sunday – Religion class 1 hour (morning)
American Girl Doll Book Club once a month
Possibilities
Daisy Girl Scouts
Chinese 1 hour Thur afternoon
Gymnastics 1 hour a week
Ice Skating
Homeschool Time
Reading aloud to her
Reading aloud to me
NEED memorization, narration
Writing – Pen pals (Carly, Jack, Ashley, Hailey, Sydney, Ryan) and Gigi, with writing we work on her printing, sometimes spelling (some days we work on the message together and she copies, other days I have her write and sound out words), creative concepts, geograhpy, computer skills, drawing, etc. I would like to start her writing in a journal
Math – I’m working on basic addition and subtraction with her, introducing math concepts, I need to work on this, I hate worksheets, not sure how to do this better, I need to incorporate money better
Art – was building some basic art concepts but lost track of it, need to join kids club art
Music – 30 minute music class at CHM, once a week music/piano lessons with Dad (I need to build the lesson plan for them)
Spanish - I switched to me teaching Spanish this fall b/c of the problems with a Spanish class
Science – nature programs Wash Township park district, Metroparks
Need history,
Field Trips
Children’s Theater (4x this year) with Grandma & Pa Pa
Art Museum
Children's Museum IMAX
other
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Calming Down
I'm relaxing about my decision to just do Montessori. I'm happy that I chose to just do one b/c I love the time in the afternoon. K brought a book home today that was exactly right for her so that made me happy about the teachers at school. We're still struggling to build all her other activities.
C had his first day of school today and did great! He was there by himself for 2.5 hours and no crying, no problems. He really enjoyed it. It was sad for me to be by myself during the day (1.5 hours) without the two of them.
C had his first day of school today and did great! He was there by himself for 2.5 hours and no crying, no problems. He really enjoyed it. It was sad for me to be by myself during the day (1.5 hours) without the two of them.
Monday, September 11, 2006
A Weekend Away
D and I went to his 15 year college reunion. We flew out Friday morning and came back Sunday. I didn't want to leave the kids and they didn't want us to go but I'm so glad we did. We had a good time, we needed some adult only time. They had a great time with my parents. It was very nice.
I took K to the Monday Spanish class today. 2 1st, 2 2nd and a 4th and 5th grader. She seemed to like it but still doesn't want to do Spanish. The director called me tonight and said I can't join that class because it is full. So I can do the 12:30-2 with some 2nd year kids and some beginner. It is a 4-6 year old class and hopefully the teacher can handle the spread. Or, I can go back to the Tuesday class with 3 9 year old boys and possibly an 8 year old girl will move in. Why is this so hard? I emailed a prof at the university nearby for just a tutor but she didn't know of anyone. I can't seem to find that. Am I not looking hard enough? living in the wrong area? something? I cannot figure out why K does not want to do Spanish. It seems like she just does not like that language. She keeps saying because there are boys in it but I don't think that is it. She just says that.
I took K to the Monday Spanish class today. 2 1st, 2 2nd and a 4th and 5th grader. She seemed to like it but still doesn't want to do Spanish. The director called me tonight and said I can't join that class because it is full. So I can do the 12:30-2 with some 2nd year kids and some beginner. It is a 4-6 year old class and hopefully the teacher can handle the spread. Or, I can go back to the Tuesday class with 3 9 year old boys and possibly an 8 year old girl will move in. Why is this so hard? I emailed a prof at the university nearby for just a tutor but she didn't know of anyone. I can't seem to find that. Am I not looking hard enough? living in the wrong area? something? I cannot figure out why K does not want to do Spanish. It seems like she just does not like that language. She keeps saying because there are boys in it but I don't think that is it. She just says that.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Angst of school
I have not been blogging for some time. We've been so busy. Labor Day weekend we went to my parents' house in TN. It is on a lake. K tried to water ski. She got up in a crouch position but wasn't able to stand. I did some wakeboarding. I really need to spend some time getting the hang of that. Of course I skiied some too.
I've been going back and forth on Montessori kindergarten and/or public kindergarten. I signed K up for aftn public and morning Montessori. She could do both and I wanted to compare the two but the logisitics are awful. 1/2 hour to pick her up, eat lunch and be out for the bus. I decided to just do the Montessori. I have such a hard time not doing the society thing. I'm not sure I could ever homeschool. I must not have enough confidence in myself to do that. I called today and officially dropped her out of public. I thought it would be OK for socialization and learning the rules of school but 2 Kindergartens a day was not really necessary. Plus I want my afternoons with her. I'd rather her study language than do 2 kindergartens.
Which brings me to my language dilemma once again. I moved her from the 4-6 year old group to a second year group. Today she had class with 3 9 year old boys. They are 3rd graders. I think she was bored in the 4-6 class but liked being with other girls her age. This class may have her learn more. They can all read and write so they'll move faster. K doesn't really want to do the class though. She has fun but when I ask her later she says she doesn't want to do it. She wants to do French now. I can try a different class next week but she has ballet on Mondays so I would have to try to rearrange. One class on Mondays has a 6 year old girl who is advanced. Should I insist she go to Spanish because in the long run it is better? How pushy should a parent be? Of course D wants her to start Chinese now too. I said we could do it as a family with Rosetta Stone maybe. I don't know much about it.
I've been going back and forth on Montessori kindergarten and/or public kindergarten. I signed K up for aftn public and morning Montessori. She could do both and I wanted to compare the two but the logisitics are awful. 1/2 hour to pick her up, eat lunch and be out for the bus. I decided to just do the Montessori. I have such a hard time not doing the society thing. I'm not sure I could ever homeschool. I must not have enough confidence in myself to do that. I called today and officially dropped her out of public. I thought it would be OK for socialization and learning the rules of school but 2 Kindergartens a day was not really necessary. Plus I want my afternoons with her. I'd rather her study language than do 2 kindergartens.
Which brings me to my language dilemma once again. I moved her from the 4-6 year old group to a second year group. Today she had class with 3 9 year old boys. They are 3rd graders. I think she was bored in the 4-6 class but liked being with other girls her age. This class may have her learn more. They can all read and write so they'll move faster. K doesn't really want to do the class though. She has fun but when I ask her later she says she doesn't want to do it. She wants to do French now. I can try a different class next week but she has ballet on Mondays so I would have to try to rearrange. One class on Mondays has a 6 year old girl who is advanced. Should I insist she go to Spanish because in the long run it is better? How pushy should a parent be? Of course D wants her to start Chinese now too. I said we could do it as a family with Rosetta Stone maybe. I don't know much about it.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Home from our trip!
Yesterday we returned home from 2 weeks of travel/vacation/reunion. It was a lot of fun. Most things went pretty well. K & C are pretty good travelers. Now I have so much to do here and my sister and her 2 kids are in town for a visit.
But a quick report on where we went. First to West Newton, a town just outside of Pittsburgh to visit D's Grandma, Gigi. We had a great visit with her. She made cookies with the kids, we went to a playground. K & C love Gigi. BTW, Gigi will be 95 this September.
Then, off to my sister's and H who will be 3 and R who is 4 months. We had a great visit with them, going to the pool and playing, playing, playing. The next day my sister's husband dropped us at the train station and off we went to NYC. We had a fabulous time. We met up with friends for lunch and then spent the day in Central Park with all our friends. Our CT friends came into the city. We had dinner at Brother Jimmy's. That was K's favorite because both A and S were at dinner. Then off to CT for the night and the next day at the playground and beach. A mad rush to the Stamford train station and back to my sister's. I'm glad I did the train over driving up by myself with K & C. C loves trains.
Another day with my sis and kids and a morning at the Horse Park where C threw up all over me. Then, off to Bethany Beach for a week and a family reunion with D's 70 relatives. It went pretty well, very busy and lots of late nights but the kids loved it.
But a quick report on where we went. First to West Newton, a town just outside of Pittsburgh to visit D's Grandma, Gigi. We had a great visit with her. She made cookies with the kids, we went to a playground. K & C love Gigi. BTW, Gigi will be 95 this September.
Then, off to my sister's and H who will be 3 and R who is 4 months. We had a great visit with them, going to the pool and playing, playing, playing. The next day my sister's husband dropped us at the train station and off we went to NYC. We had a fabulous time. We met up with friends for lunch and then spent the day in Central Park with all our friends. Our CT friends came into the city. We had dinner at Brother Jimmy's. That was K's favorite because both A and S were at dinner. Then off to CT for the night and the next day at the playground and beach. A mad rush to the Stamford train station and back to my sister's. I'm glad I did the train over driving up by myself with K & C. C loves trains.
Another day with my sis and kids and a morning at the Horse Park where C threw up all over me. Then, off to Bethany Beach for a week and a family reunion with D's 70 relatives. It went pretty well, very busy and lots of late nights but the kids loved it.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Birthday
Today was K's fifth birthday! I cannot believe she is five already. It seems like I was just pregnant with her. We had a good day.
Monday, July 31, 2006
French Camp
Today was the first day of French Camp. It is only for one week from 9-12:30. But you pack a lunch and eat it there. This is the first time K has packed a lunch for something. She was excited about French Camp last week but as it got closer she got less excited. By this morning she did not want to go. Her friend from preschool did it at the same time so that helped. She at least knew one person. She was nervous during the drop off and she cried after I left. I stood outside the door. We stayed in the music shop for 20 minutes and when I peered through the window, she was fine. When I picked her up she said she liked it and was happy. She said she did not make any new friends though. She was sitting by herself during lunch. Hopefully, she'll enjoy the rest of the week. We all need a break. C was much better having the morning with just me.
We're trying this camp to see about French classes for the school year. This teacher is very good at teaching language (so I've heard from numerous parents). I'd like to continue Spanish but I don't think she is learning much. I'd like to do Japanese or Chinese but I have not found that opportunity yet. Anyway, I'm beginning to think getting semi-fluent in one language is more important than playing and learning basics in the language of choice.
We're trying this camp to see about French classes for the school year. This teacher is very good at teaching language (so I've heard from numerous parents). I'd like to continue Spanish but I don't think she is learning much. I'd like to do Japanese or Chinese but I have not found that opportunity yet. Anyway, I'm beginning to think getting semi-fluent in one language is more important than playing and learning basics in the language of choice.
The weekend
We had a nice relaxing weekend. Saturday we worked in the garden and K & C painted rocks. They made a huge mess but had a good time. Our garden is providing us broccoli, squash, cucumber, basil, cilantro and coming soon peppers and tomatoes. The kids love seeing what is ready to be picked. C has picked a number of items that were not quite ready but he's getting better.
K with broccoli
K and I went to her friend K's fifth birthday party. It was a carnival in their back yard with lots of carnival games to play. K loved it. I was watching her with the other girls and she doesn't seem to fit in that well. Maybe it was just that day. After the party we had special girl time and went to the library. K finished 40 books and we needed our last sheet to do 20 more by Friday. We've already done about 9 so that leaves us with 11. Then we went to the mall and went shopping for K's birthday. We really found nothing we liked. I've noticed that K does like to shop and try clothes on so I let her do that. I hate shopping, probably because we always have C with us. But K seems to enjoy it so I let her do some.
Sunday D's brother came over so K & C played with their cousins. They loved it. Then we went to the pool. K is doing great with her goggles now.
K with broccoli
K and I went to her friend K's fifth birthday party. It was a carnival in their back yard with lots of carnival games to play. K loved it. I was watching her with the other girls and she doesn't seem to fit in that well. Maybe it was just that day. After the party we had special girl time and went to the library. K finished 40 books and we needed our last sheet to do 20 more by Friday. We've already done about 9 so that leaves us with 11. Then we went to the mall and went shopping for K's birthday. We really found nothing we liked. I've noticed that K does like to shop and try clothes on so I let her do that. I hate shopping, probably because we always have C with us. But K seems to enjoy it so I let her do some.
Sunday D's brother came over so K & C played with their cousins. They loved it. Then we went to the pool. K is doing great with her goggles now.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Music & Our Friday
Yesterday was a busy day. We did stroller strength and the playground in the morning. Visited my Grandma. She's in an assisted living center. She has a mild form of dementia. The kids love to visit her. She has some puzzle books there and they love to work on them. Plus she has classic toys that I played with as a kid. Then we did some shopping and home for C's nap. I have a new neice, she was born Thursday so K & C are very excited about their new cousin. We were buying her a toy and some clothes and we made cards for her. After dinner K & C put on a show for us. It was a ballet(K), silly man(C) show. K is really enjoying dancing and trying to do gymnastics. She has been practicing headstands against the wall, cartwheels and backbends. She's very excited about ballet. I have to get her signed up for the fall. I've been debating what class to put her in. C ran in circles through the room - superfast.
I wanted to keep track of some of the music K & C like. I need to branch out into some other areas. They love Laurie Berkner, here's one we get from the library often
Whaddaya Think of That?
They also love Tom Chapin, this is the one we are listening to now
Around the World and Back Again
K & C are not that in to Raffi but they do like this one
Bananaphone
Of course one of their favorites is from They Might Be Giants. I liked this band when I was in college so when I saw they had kids music, I checked it out and tried it. I think C could sing the alphabet backwards before he could say it forwards.
Here come the ABCs
K & C love the books with CD by John Lithgow. We've given them as gifts to friends spread around the country/world. We started with
Marsupial Sue
I've been trying to do more books on tape in the car. K loves them, C is too young and chatters so much, you can't hear the book. This one they both love
Marsupial Sue Presents the Runaway Pancake
I wanted to keep track of some of the music K & C like. I need to branch out into some other areas. They love Laurie Berkner, here's one we get from the library often
Whaddaya Think of That?
They also love Tom Chapin, this is the one we are listening to now
Around the World and Back Again
K & C are not that in to Raffi but they do like this one
Bananaphone
Of course one of their favorites is from They Might Be Giants. I liked this band when I was in college so when I saw they had kids music, I checked it out and tried it. I think C could sing the alphabet backwards before he could say it forwards.
Here come the ABCs
K & C love the books with CD by John Lithgow. We've given them as gifts to friends spread around the country/world. We started with
Marsupial Sue
I've been trying to do more books on tape in the car. K loves them, C is too young and chatters so much, you can't hear the book. This one they both love
Marsupial Sue Presents the Runaway Pancake
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Stuttering Issues
Today I started to really worry about C's stuttering. I called the dr, the nurse said I should probably bring him in at some point but maybe give it some time. I cancelled our plans for the weekend - we were debating going away - because it said to try to be more relaxed and less programmed. I looked up some info on stuttering and hopefully it's just normal and will eventually go away.
We've been working on cards and letters today. K emailed her friend A. Hopefully we'll see A in a couple weeks. I've been trying to let K be more creative with her writing and drawing. She's been very busy creating little scenarios. I should take a picture of her bathroom. She's been packing for a trip that she and a couple of her stuffed animals are taking. K loves to pack for trips.
We've been working on cards and letters today. K emailed her friend A. Hopefully we'll see A in a couple weeks. I've been trying to let K be more creative with her writing and drawing. She's been very busy creating little scenarios. I should take a picture of her bathroom. She's been packing for a trip that she and a couple of her stuffed animals are taking. K loves to pack for trips.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Reading
We've been doing the summer reading program at 2 different libraries. I'm surprised how different they are. We finished one today. K had to read 20 books, C had to have me read him 20 books. I wouldn't let her count any of the books that we read to her. I'm not sure the summer program was a good thing. You got some coupons every 5 books so K would pick out easier books so she could get her 5. She has her own library card now so she is very into getting her books. Here are some of her books from the summer:
Owl at Home
Pinky and Rex and the spelling bee
Henry & Mudge under the yellow moon
K has been reading Henry & Mudge for over a year, she has read them all many times. She really enjoys the author Cynthia Rylant. She likes the Mr. Putter & Tabby series too.
Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat
But her favorite series by Cynthia Rylant is The High Rise Private Eyes
The High Rise Private Eyes: The case of the baffled bear
K has read all the books in this series many times now
K has been reading Cam Jansen too, she enjoys Young Cam because there are more pictures
Young Cam Jansen and the Substitute Mystery
I'm not sure how to move into chapter books more. She really enjoys the pictures.
At the other library, you have to read 20 books at a time to get a prize and you can read up to 60 for the grand prize at the end of the summer. We are almost to 40 now and the program ends next week! I'd love to get to 60 but I'd have to let her read easier books so she can read faster. And, I'd have to have her read 2 a day. She does that now but not always a new book. She likes to reread books a lot. She also spends time reading the chapters from the chapter book after I read them to her. For chapter books I've been reading her
The Boxcar Children
The Mystery of the Hidden Beach
My Father's Dragon
The next book I want to begin is
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
We are planning on visiting the Met this summer so I thought this book would be a good introduction and get K excited but it may be too old for her.
Owl at Home
Pinky and Rex and the spelling bee
Henry & Mudge under the yellow moon
K has been reading Henry & Mudge for over a year, she has read them all many times. She really enjoys the author Cynthia Rylant. She likes the Mr. Putter & Tabby series too.
Mr. Putter & Tabby Row the Boat
But her favorite series by Cynthia Rylant is The High Rise Private Eyes
The High Rise Private Eyes: The case of the baffled bear
K has read all the books in this series many times now
K has been reading Cam Jansen too, she enjoys Young Cam because there are more pictures
Young Cam Jansen and the Substitute Mystery
I'm not sure how to move into chapter books more. She really enjoys the pictures.
At the other library, you have to read 20 books at a time to get a prize and you can read up to 60 for the grand prize at the end of the summer. We are almost to 40 now and the program ends next week! I'd love to get to 60 but I'd have to let her read easier books so she can read faster. And, I'd have to have her read 2 a day. She does that now but not always a new book. She likes to reread books a lot. She also spends time reading the chapters from the chapter book after I read them to her. For chapter books I've been reading her
The Boxcar Children
The Mystery of the Hidden Beach
My Father's Dragon
The next book I want to begin is
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
We are planning on visiting the Met this summer so I thought this book would be a good introduction and get K excited but it may be too old for her.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Back to normal
I went on a Girls Weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) so I haven't been writing. K & C had a great time with Dad and grandparents. Since I've been back we've been grocery shopping and cleaning up and going to the park. Today was C's playgroup. For about a week now he has been stuttering some. It's really starting to worry me. D remembers K doing it at some point when she was younger. I don't remember it being this bad. He seems to really be struggling and he doesn't do it when he's singing. I need lots of patience to sit and listen and wait for him to get his sentence out. K and I have been reading The Boxcar Children's Mystery of the Hidden Beach. She wants me to read to her all the time but then I catch her reading when I'm busy doing something else. And she's reading it fine. I ask her questions later and she understands everything she read. So, I'm not sure why she doesn't want to read herself right now. Maybe she just likes a story being read to her. Plus, we talk about the characters and words.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Catch up Day
Today was a catch up day. We've been cleaning, doing laundry and trying to get things in order. We didn't have anywhere we had to be at a certain time. We were also working on what a hypothesis is. We have a CD
Martian Television Invasion by Thaddeus Rex that has a song about scientific hypotheses. We saw T. Rex play at a museum and bought the CD. K & C love the music. Anyway we listened to the song on our trip to Michigan and D & K got in an argument trying to learn what a hypothesis is. He was trying too hard to teach her and she was resisting learning. So, today she starts asking me about an apple falling from a tree being a hypothesis. This was the example from the car. Then, she begins to make hypotheses and test them on different objects throughout the house. I think she was starting to get the concept.
Martian Television Invasion by Thaddeus Rex that has a song about scientific hypotheses. We saw T. Rex play at a museum and bought the CD. K & C love the music. Anyway we listened to the song on our trip to Michigan and D & K got in an argument trying to learn what a hypothesis is. He was trying too hard to teach her and she was resisting learning. So, today she starts asking me about an apple falling from a tree being a hypothesis. This was the example from the car. Then, she begins to make hypotheses and test them on different objects throughout the house. I think she was starting to get the concept.
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Busy Day
This is a picture from the swim meet last night.
Today was a busy day. We were at the park this morning for Carson's playgroup. Kaitlin now enjoys going to his playgroup because she can swing! Carson loves going to "his playgroup". Then, off to the last swim team practice. It was just for fun with games and things to do. We ended up staying at the pool and playing until almost 2:30. I finally got Kaitlin to use goggles and she was really enjoying them. Her eyes have been bothering her so that motivated her to keep using them. She was even playing line tag with the older girls. Carson wore his bubble suit and had a great time. He was going off the board and swimming everywhere by himself. I'm exhausted.
Monday, July 17, 2006
3 First place ribbons!
We had a great swim meet tonight. I was really nervous at first because K started talking about getting scared in the car on the way there. I kept trying to stay upbeat, no pressure, this is just for fun. We were on time for warm ups and Kaitlin jumped off the blocks, did her backstroke start and swam about 5 laps by herself. She was on a roll. I had to stop her so she didn't tire herself out. She was a little nervous when freestyle started but she did it. Grandma and 4 cousins arrived just as she was getting on the blocks. She really wanted Grandma to be there. She jumped in and swam and got first place! There were only two little girls but I was very proud!
Then she started to get worried about the backstroke. She kept asking me to have an older girl in the water with her. I said no, she just swam it by herself during warmups. I had the older girl "on call" to jump in if she needed her. But she didn't need her. She did a good backstroke start and made it on her back the whole way. She was the only 6 and under that did backstroke so she got first place. Actually, I think she's faster on her back. No breathing issues :-)
Then it got to the freestyle relays and I talked to the coach about the girls doing a relay. It's a small team so they did - K, G (she's 5), A (she's 8) and A (she's 9) and they swam in the 9-10 age group. They only did 1 lap each. They were all so excited because they don't usually get to swim a relay. They were the only 9-10 girls free relay so they got first place. They had a great time. Afterward, K said the relay was her favorite.
After the meet, K got to choose where to go eat. So, we went to McDonalds. She was very proud. I am so proud of her. This was the last meet of the season and it's nice to end on such a good fun note.
BTW, after the swim meet the kids swam some (it was so hot). So I let C get in and he jumped off the diving board (about 5 times) to one of the older girls. Good for him but sad for me. He's growing so fast and doesn't seem to need me as much. Usually I have to be in the water to catch him but he didn't seem to even notice I wasn't there.
Then she started to get worried about the backstroke. She kept asking me to have an older girl in the water with her. I said no, she just swam it by herself during warmups. I had the older girl "on call" to jump in if she needed her. But she didn't need her. She did a good backstroke start and made it on her back the whole way. She was the only 6 and under that did backstroke so she got first place. Actually, I think she's faster on her back. No breathing issues :-)
Then it got to the freestyle relays and I talked to the coach about the girls doing a relay. It's a small team so they did - K, G (she's 5), A (she's 8) and A (she's 9) and they swam in the 9-10 age group. They only did 1 lap each. They were all so excited because they don't usually get to swim a relay. They were the only 9-10 girls free relay so they got first place. They had a great time. Afterward, K said the relay was her favorite.
After the meet, K got to choose where to go eat. So, we went to McDonalds. She was very proud. I am so proud of her. This was the last meet of the season and it's nice to end on such a good fun note.
BTW, after the swim meet the kids swam some (it was so hot). So I let C get in and he jumped off the diving board (about 5 times) to one of the older girls. Good for him but sad for me. He's growing so fast and doesn't seem to need me as much. Usually I have to be in the water to catch him but he didn't seem to even notice I wasn't there.
Blueberry Picking
We went to Michigan this past weekend to visit D's brother, SiL and our nephew. We took the kids blueberry picking which they enjoyed. We have 10 lbs of blueberries.
Last week I had the question "Where is God?" when we were looking at a map. I gave her the easy answers but of course she doesn't want those. She wants to know exactly where God is, very scientific - on the sun, does He visit planets, etc.
I'm back to trying to plan the fall schedule. I need some time to sit down and think what things K should do. It's hard to decide what is important to teach her now. Piano, ballet, language, etc? No one has an answer.
Tonight is the last swim meet. K jumped in from the blocks today and swam 1 lap of freestyle by herself with no problems. She even did a nice backstroke start and swam a lap of backstroke by herself with no problems. We'll see what happens tonight.
Last week I had the question "Where is God?" when we were looking at a map. I gave her the easy answers but of course she doesn't want those. She wants to know exactly where God is, very scientific - on the sun, does He visit planets, etc.
I'm back to trying to plan the fall schedule. I need some time to sit down and think what things K should do. It's hard to decide what is important to teach her now. Piano, ballet, language, etc? No one has an answer.
Tonight is the last swim meet. K jumped in from the blocks today and swam 1 lap of freestyle by herself with no problems. She even did a nice backstroke start and swam a lap of backstroke by herself with no problems. We'll see what happens tonight.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Frustration with finding classes
I've been really frustrated today. I need to find a testing center, decide what kind of test and decide when to do it. I've been reading Smart Girls Gifted Women. I got an old copy from the library and now see the revised edition
Smart Girls: A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness (Revised Edition)
and realize I do need to read that. It is very interesting and makes me want to get K tested instead of downplaying her strengths and wanting her to be normal. I also need to spend more time locating a piano teacher and some language teachers. I've been very frustrated on teaching K language. She seems to have a quick grasp of it but I can't find the right fit for us. I've been searching the web to find something better for this year but I can't find anything in our area. We moved to Ohio from New York and I really feel like the opportunities are so limited here.
K started Spanish at 9 months and had a Spanish babysitter about 5 hours a week from 18 months to 2 years. I did a lot with her at home too. Then, C came and we moved and I put her in a YMCA Spanish class for 3-5 year olds as soon as she turned 3. The teacher said she should be in the 5-8 year old class but she wasn't ready for the older kids. So, at 4 I switched her to a new Spanish school. She did 1.5 hours a week with 4 other girls and a native Spanish speaker. But she seems to know nothing and is only somewhat interested. I know the teacher thinks I'm a pushy parent but I feel like she should be further along. They want the kids to learn through play and develop a love for language so they don't push them. At this time K started 1/2 hour a week French class during preschool. She loved it! She learned so much and really enjoyed it. But again it went too slow for me and she was the only 4 year old in it so next year she'll be ahead and have to be with beginners.
I think it would be better to just hire a tutor to meet weekly or something but I can't seem to find that. D studied Russian and Italian (his background) so he taught her some of those languages too. We had a Japanese exchange student live with us briefly this past year and she taught K some Japanese. She said K was a natural learner with no accent. So, now we're thinking we should do Japanese or Chinese this year. But I can't find the tutor. I think I'm not being proactive enough.
Smart Girls: A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness (Revised Edition)
and realize I do need to read that. It is very interesting and makes me want to get K tested instead of downplaying her strengths and wanting her to be normal. I also need to spend more time locating a piano teacher and some language teachers. I've been very frustrated on teaching K language. She seems to have a quick grasp of it but I can't find the right fit for us. I've been searching the web to find something better for this year but I can't find anything in our area. We moved to Ohio from New York and I really feel like the opportunities are so limited here.
K started Spanish at 9 months and had a Spanish babysitter about 5 hours a week from 18 months to 2 years. I did a lot with her at home too. Then, C came and we moved and I put her in a YMCA Spanish class for 3-5 year olds as soon as she turned 3. The teacher said she should be in the 5-8 year old class but she wasn't ready for the older kids. So, at 4 I switched her to a new Spanish school. She did 1.5 hours a week with 4 other girls and a native Spanish speaker. But she seems to know nothing and is only somewhat interested. I know the teacher thinks I'm a pushy parent but I feel like she should be further along. They want the kids to learn through play and develop a love for language so they don't push them. At this time K started 1/2 hour a week French class during preschool. She loved it! She learned so much and really enjoyed it. But again it went too slow for me and she was the only 4 year old in it so next year she'll be ahead and have to be with beginners.
I think it would be better to just hire a tutor to meet weekly or something but I can't seem to find that. D studied Russian and Italian (his background) so he taught her some of those languages too. We had a Japanese exchange student live with us briefly this past year and she taught K some Japanese. She said K was a natural learner with no accent. So, now we're thinking we should do Japanese or Chinese this year. But I can't find the tutor. I think I'm not being proactive enough.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Screening
Today K redid her kindergarten screening. She did the original in May and when we went to pick up the results, they could not find them. 10 kids were not scored yet. So we waited and called and finally end of June received them. They were a disappointment, she had zeroes in 2 areas. I called again to figure that out. They couldn't find the test booklet. Finally they called back that she somehow missed going to 2 centers on the test day. They had teachers taking them around the gym so I'm not sure how that happened. They weren't sure either. So, they wanted to do those 2 areas again. I said let's do the whole test again. They agreed and today she went. She just had one person testing her so I think that will be better. We don't have the results yet.
This time I'm not staking all my questioning about her being gifted on a public school kindergarten screening. I realized after I went through the book that she thought about the questions differently. She hasn't ever taken standardized tests. So, when I asked her "how do you bend her arm?", she didn't answer elbow or wrist like the book listed as answers. She struggled to explain muscles connected to bones and the brain sending the message and ultimately "I don't know". I think she answered a lot of questions with "I don't know" the first time because she felt she did not know the exact answer.
The swim meet was cancelled because of the weather.
This time I'm not staking all my questioning about her being gifted on a public school kindergarten screening. I realized after I went through the book that she thought about the questions differently. She hasn't ever taken standardized tests. So, when I asked her "how do you bend her arm?", she didn't answer elbow or wrist like the book listed as answers. She struggled to explain muscles connected to bones and the brain sending the message and ultimately "I don't know". I think she answered a lot of questions with "I don't know" the first time because she felt she did not know the exact answer.
The swim meet was cancelled because of the weather.
Monday, July 10, 2006
Swimming
Today K had swim team practice and we ended up spending the day at the pool. She had a swim meet on Saturday and jumped in for freestyle and started crying. D was upset because she's done a lap in a meet without a problem but now seems to have regressed. He said no more swim meets if she was just going to cry and not swim. She ended up swimming the backstroke with an older girl in the water with her. She tends to get turned around when she swims backstroke so she usually has someone in the water with her. I was impressed that she did that.
Today she swam a lap of freestyle by herself without a problem. No one was in the water with her. The coach says lets put someone in the water with her at the meet but I really don't want to give in to K's fears. Maybe I'm being too hard on her? She does fine when it is not a meet atmosphere but the commotion seems to scare her. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. There may be many family members coming to see her swim tomorrow because this meet is local. I'm afraid that will make her fears worse. She told me today that she'll swim by herself tomorrow. She seemed happy and confident about it.
Here's a picture of her at the swim meet
Today she swam a lap of freestyle by herself without a problem. No one was in the water with her. The coach says lets put someone in the water with her at the meet but I really don't want to give in to K's fears. Maybe I'm being too hard on her? She does fine when it is not a meet atmosphere but the commotion seems to scare her. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring. There may be many family members coming to see her swim tomorrow because this meet is local. I'm afraid that will make her fears worse. She told me today that she'll swim by herself tomorrow. She seemed happy and confident about it.
Here's a picture of her at the swim meet
Sunday, July 09, 2006
The MLarson Group
I've been thinking of keeping a blog because I enjoy reading the blogs of others. My daughter, K, is almost five years old and we are debating having her tested, homeshcooling her or how to handle the public school. My son, C, is 2.5 and full of energy. K goes to Montessori school which has allowed her to move at her own pace but still "go to school", interact with other kids and have some independent time away from her brother and mother. She's been there 2 years and it was going really well. However, this year she'll be in Kindergarten (I think she did most of K last year) so she won't have older kids to follow along. We debated doing Montessori 1/2 day and public school 1/2 day but the timing would be extremely difficult and the stress would be too much for me. Public school interaction so far has been disappointing and a story for anther day. We have thought a lot about having K tested but I'm not there yet. She matches most descriptions of gifted children but I'm still uncertain. I've spent a lot of time with her. Anyway, maybe writing and reading about others will help me decide on a route for the future.
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