Wednesday
We had our first bonafide nature walk today. Charlotte Mason would have been proud. I was even able to squeeze in a short story about spiders before we set out. We started with a “walking adventure” for Mommy and Sugar, and then we dragged the wagon up to the “Hundred Acre Wood” where we found moss, golf balls, a barbed wire fence, lots of spiders, more moss, plenty of sticks, and a hole. Well, Sugar found the hole. Isaac decided that Christopher Robin put up the barbed wire fence to keep the Heffalumps and Woozles from stealing our popsicles.
We returned for Spiderman popsicles and then had a bath for all. After lunch and naps, we finally made our tie-bleached spider shirts. Twice today Isaac initiated a chore on his own with no prompting. I couldn’t believe it! So we’re learning.
Habits, Progress, Science, Reading | Comment (0)Last Week and Today (Monday)
Last week was a blur. We read, we played, we found bugs. But Mommy was all in a daze of lack of sleep. I credit either teeth, a soy allergy, or just bad karma. :p But we’re finally caught up, and I feel much more coherent too. It’s lovely.
Gavin is starting to put more and more sentences together. “No, tankoo.” No thank you? What near-18mo says NO THANK YOU!!
Isaac has gotten quite good at collecting bugs for his bug house. Unfortunately, they are all dead. I try to explain, but then he responds, “That’s okay, Mommy. Jesus likes bugs. And God lives in Trucky’s tummy. I’ll put some leaves in here, and he’ll feel better.” “No, honey. God doesn’t live in the bug’s tummy. That’s something special He does with people.” “Oh no, Mommy. Jesus likes bugs.” Uh . . . okay. Whatever.
Finding the Morning Glories has become a morning ritual, so much so that I swiped some cuttings to try to grow our own in pots. Surely as stubborn a plant as a morning glory can be — surely they’ll root in water, right? Anybody know?
We played Jonah today. Thomas the Train was the fish, and Gavin was Jonah. Isaac insisted that he was “Larry Boy.” Uh . . . Whatever.
In other words, imagination is running high at the Lewis house. Facts, not so much.
Science, Reading | Comment (1)Friday
Library School. Well, that’s what my mother called it when she took me way, way back when — about 35 years ago — in South Bend, Indiana. I hated it. It was crowded. So crowded I couldn’t see the pictures. And it smelled like the Dollar Store (and this was before they existed!). And it was just icky.
This is so different. Uncrowded. Singing and bubbles. And the moms stay. So that’s cool. It made a big impression on Isaac — BIG. He talked about it at lunch. I’d like to go again, but I think we’ll go to a different location.
Reading | Comments (4)Thursday
We went ahead and took a walk this morning (”A Walking Adventure” as we call it) and then had our romp out in the yard. It’s good for all four of us. It got clipped short because I got bit by fire ants. Stoopit bugs.
After an indoor puppet show with sticks (Isaac’s idea) and a homemade puppet theatre (empty speaker boxes), we ran to the post office and the library. It was our first official trip. We talked about talking as quietly as butterflies in the library, and we were moderately successful. Isaac really wanted books about bugs, so we got one on spiders, one on bees, and one on bugs in general. I need a praying mantis book.
I also found Blueberries for Sal and The Runaway Bunny — two books listed in the Before Five in a Row bibliography. Now I need to settle in and read those all for myself. Can’t wait!
Social Studies, Reading | Comments (2)Tuesday (and Last Friday, Saturday, and Monday, too)
Holiday weekend. Mommy’s birthday. Busy, busy. But I observed several things about my boys this weekend. Interesting little tikes they are.
Gavin:
- is already bossing everyone around. Standing up in the highchair is the latest thrill in the Lewis household, and it meets with a firm “DOWN” from Mom, Dad, and brother. And now Gavin has joined in. When he sees another person — ANY person — stand up from a chair, Gavin runs toward them, hand out, and says loudly, “DOW! DOW!” One little boy actually complied.
- loves to dance. Put on ANY music and he starts to groove.
- has made his own sign for Spiderman. Go figure.
- can say:
- Mama
- Dada
- Brother
- “Bye-bye!”
- “Hello!”
- “Down!”
- “I did it!”
- “All done!”
- Please
- “Tankoo!”
- Drink
- Cracker
- [Ba]nana
- Papoo
- Nite-nite
- “Rockie, rockie, rockie”
- Yes
- Grrrrr
- Meow
- Book
- “No thank you!”
Isaac:
- “Read” me a story at the bookstore on Monday. Completely new story from a completely new book.
- Loves to name anyone and anything with what ever characteristic shouts out at him. The lizard this morning was “Sidewalky.” The boy at B&N — who I’m sure has a name — was “Booky.”
- Is figuring out how to dial the phone to call Daddy and G-ma & G-pa.
- Loves to perform for me. He sang me a completely new and different song that I didn’t know this evening.
- Loves to play store. I’m always the one buying and he’s always the one selling though. Hmmmm. . . .
- Drew in rain clouds and rain on a coloring page from church. About Noah’s ark. Shows he was paying attention and that he can figure out how to do that.
- Understands what tattling is. Sigh. . . .
- Explained to Daddy this evening how bees make honey. He was actually paying attention when I told him?