swim, baby, swim

Check out Sofie in this clip of Lily swimmin' today :)

What homeschooling is teaching me...

Monday/Wednesday/Friday, Lily's off to school down the road, working on her French vocabulary, polishing her Creole prayers, playing on the playground, working with other kids, learning how to be in a classroom, perfect...

Then Tuesday and Thursday, I get to homeschool...something I absolutely never wanted to do.  And it has been more challenging than I have expected...but more rewarding, as well.  

Here's a few things I'm learning...

If you can get them to focus long enough to do one 3 minute exercise, you are GOOD.

If you can get them to stay in their CHAIR for more than 5 minutes (even if they're not actually sitting in it), you are also having a very good day.

They will be hungry, thirsty, and have to pee at least 5 times an hour, so you might as well start with a snack and send them to the bathroom ahead.

When they DO just what you had asked them to do, and are proud of it, you are SO proud.  Like, giddy.  Over five words.  

I know my teachers in school did not give us candy.  They were some kind of miracle workers.  I can't figure out how to homeschool without it.  Candy reduces five hours of whining and squirming into 1 hour of productivity, and that's just ME.  You should see what LILY can do with it!

Your other children do not CARE that you are trying to educate.  Do not care that it is impossible to keep everyone focused.  The only hope you have is if Dad is home (hence, Saturday and evening sessions), or if you can surround number two with all the toys in the world, and be ok with a huge mess to clean up later.  

If you can do it, just an hour of teaching small children to write and read and color and number, without threats, without raising your voice, without tears, without begging, without losing your mind and without losing your cool, you are making progress.  THAT is a good day.

If at the end, you realize that your little one and you just had good time together, and laughed a lot, and learned a few things, and she knows she's loved and is proud of what she's learning...oh man, the success.  

If they are working so hard that they're biting their tongues and panting, you're on to something!

I'm thanking the Lord for giving me this challenge, even one I had hoped to avoid, and this opportunity not just to grow my child, but to grow myself.  

babe

I swear, if I just kept the girls' blog open and inserted commentary as the day went on, I'd fill a blog of hilarity a day.  

---

At nap time today, we read the story of God's promise to Abram and Sara to give them a son.  When we finished, Lily and I were snuggling and talking about the story.

Me:  "God did something for them only God could do...gave them a baby, even when they were SO old!  You can't just go buy a baby at the store or get one in a box in the mail, you know?"

Lily:  "No, you can't get babies in a boxes.  BUT, you could buy a baby pig, and then you could put HIM in a box, and keep him in there.  You know.  Like, Babe."

Me:  "That's true, you could.  And Sarah was SO happy when she remembered that God ALWAYS keeps His promises!:

Lily:  "I think I'd like to do that!"

Me:  "Always keep your promises?  Awwww..."

Lily:  "NO, mom.  I'd really like you to buy me a baby pig, and I will put him in a box, and I will call him Babe."

---

Me:  "Sofie, do you love me?"

Sof:  "Nooooo."

Matt:  "So-So, do you love ME?"

Sof:  "Noooooo."

Lily:  "Sofie, do you love ME?"

Sof:  "Noooooo."

Me:  "What do you love, Sof?"

Sofie.  "Ella.  Dous-Dous."  (the dog, and "sugar")

EVERY SINGLE TIME.

---

Me:  "Alright, Lil, finish your dinner, then it's off to bath, then reading homework, then a short movie before bed!"

Lily:  "OK!  Bath, movie, homework."

Me:  "Uhhh.  No.  Bath, homework, THEN movie."

Lily:  "Got it.  Bath, movie.  Then homework."

Me:  "Lily.  After your bath and homework, you may watch a short movie."

Lily:  "Mom, I want to be right about this."

Me:  "I know babe.  But I am right about this.  All the work done before movies."

Lily:  "Mom, I really do not want you to say that.  I want you to say this:  Bath, MOVIE, no homework.  OK?"

Me:  "Lily.  GO GET IN THE BATH."

Lily:  "Aw, Mom!  You always say what I don't want you to say!"

Me:  "LILLLLLYYYYYYY..."

Lily:  "Ok mom!  Going to my bath!  Come chase me!  KISSES!"

oh. man.