It’s the little things…

My son has yet to begin his project.  My husband and I did have a few thoughts to share with him on the subject.  I tried hard to not say anything, but I just couldn’t help myself.  He kept telling me that he couldn’t get started until I helped him find pictures.  He is doing a timeline of his life with pictures documenting each age and special events.  I told him that my part came after he made notes and general ideas of what he would like to include for each year.  He didn’t want to hear that.  As I tucked him into bed tonight, his last words to me as I turned out his light were, “I don’t understand why you won’t even help me.  That’s not too much to ask.”  Instead of explaining why for the tenth time, I told him I loved him and said goodnight, as I felt my blood pressure rise. 

I felt a little better when I heard a friend share with me that another parent of a child in my son’s class was living the same scene at her house.  I keep being reminded that natural consequences are good.  I just have to not get stressed out in the process!

I had a sweet moment with my daughter this evening.  This morning I put a note in both of my children’s lunchboxes.  Each had my hope that they have a great day, but using adjectives that they would each find fun, even creative in their origin.  My daughter’s note said something like, “I hope you have a super fantastic, terrific, stupendous, beautimous day.”  She thought that was great!  In fact, before she went to bed tonight, she left me a note reminding me to “rite another note on Monday” for her.  🙂

Here’s hoping you have a super great, fantastic evening!

A post, finally!

Finally, I am posting again!   When I first started my blog in April, I found myself super excited and full of wonderful ideas about what to share in cyberspace.  I even noticed that most every day I would “write”  daily posts in my head.  The problem was making the time to actually type them into my computer.  I let everything else in my life crowd out any extra moment I could have used to sit at the computer and post.  Notice I said making the time instead of finding the time.  I am taking responsibility and not blaming my hectic schedule for not posting.  I think it is like everything in life, you make time for it if it is important.  So, after some thinking and fussing with myself, I’ve decided that yes, I really do want to do this blog thing! 

So, that being said, let me begin!

Update on the books my children are reading…  My daughter is doing really well in the reading department and has moved from an emerging reader to fully independent and enjoying chapter books on her own.   She still anticipates story time with Mom or Dad, even her brother (at moments when he decides to be sweet to her), as do I!  Her latest book is Ivy and Bean by  Annie Barrows, http://www.anniebarrows.com/ivyandbean/ivyandbean/about/ .  She brought it home from her school library and started reading it in the car as soon as I picked her up that same day.  It is an adorable book!  I have no doubt that we will be reading the other Ivy and Bean books as well. We have been working a lot on pausing between sentences and using proper voice inflections to make the dialogue more realistic.  She is enjoying this and looks forward to reading aloud to me each day to “show” me how she can be the characters with her voice.  She has decided that with some books she wants to read aloud, some I am to read aloud to her, and others we take turns each page.  I think I am enjoying this stage as much as she is!

Another new project we have taken on is to read every book in her “library” from the top left hand corner of the first bookcase to the bottom right hand corner of the second bookcase.  Believe me, she has a lot of books.  She commented last night that it was a pretty big job to read all the books we have, but she couldn’t wait to read them all again.  Now that is enthusiasm!

My son has read so many books since I first posted that I couldn’t even begin to list them all.  He has, since my last post, read the four Percy Jackson books by Rick Riordan at least 5 more times, in between reading some new titles as well as re-reading some favorites.  He has discovered an easy, hysterical read with the Hank Zipzer books, http://www.hankzipzer.com/ ,  by SCBWI’s Lin Oliver and Henry Winkler (formerly the “Fonz” on Happy Days, for those, including myself,  old enough to fondly remember those days).  His new exciting book is Rick Riordan’s Maze of the Bones, the first in a ten book series called The 39 Clues, http://www.rickriordan.com,

If you are like me, it is tough to see your children fail to meet a goal or deadline.  My son recently had a project at school to do.  He had to prepare a timeline of his life, including pictures and special things he remembered about being a particular age.  He was given the assignment two weeks ago while he was home sick.  I had picked up his work and this assignment was included in the stack.  I went through everything with him and mentioned that the timeline wasn’t due for a few weeks, but his teacher wanted him to being thinking about it and even jot down some notes.  The due date was three days ago.  He had no timeline. 

I was a little surprised as he has always taken pride in completing his work on time.  At his school there is a big emphasis on taking responsibility for your schedule and work, as well as keeping it all organized.  I remembered that this assignment was due, but chose to let the natural consequenses play out in this situation.  That was hard for me.  I know that he has to learn these skills early on, or school will be more challenging to him as the years progress.   He came home yesterday saying that he and a few others in his group hadn’t completed the assignment, and had until next Monday to finish it.  I’m going to try hard to not say anything.  We’ll see what happens!

I’ll save the rest of my thoughts ’til tomorrow!  Have a great day!