Friday, April 16, 2010

Another week just about done!

It's kind of funny: Last week was a "short" week due to Easter Monday, but it felt like 2 weeks long. This week has gone by so quickly, it's just one big blur in my mind!

My 5yo niece seems to have started a late-afternoon "school time". I found a few things for her that I put in a magazine holder (some old math workbooks my kids barely used, one of those little notebooks with the dotted middle line for beginning writers, etc.) and she has at least a couple of times this week pulled things out and done things. Yesterday, she did a few subtraction questions, then moved onto her little notebook. Wrote all kinds of things, then came up to me to show her cursive u!

Things are going a bit better with the 2yo, although she's at that emotional stage where the slightest thing creates heartbreak. :( The kids are learning to not yank things back from her, which seemed to have kind of thrown her off at first, but it's getting better and better. I'm being consistent at removing her from certain situations and she seems to be learning that she won't get to stay where she wants to be if she keeps hassling others.

The 15yo is slowly getting back into work. We're focusing on just his math and LA right now. He's started a novel study that I'm reading aloud to all of them, a book called Dare by an Albertan whose name I can't remember at the moment. (Marilyn something? Maybe?) We are really enjoying that and it's a nice change of pace because they can all do something crafty or whatever they're doing while I read and we discuss. I haven't done a read-aloud in so long, it reminds me that it's an element that's missing from our day.

Dd has been doing mostly Hanjie puzzles all week. Here's an example: http://www.hanjie.co.uk/colour-hanjie.php  We have a little book and only have one copy of it, so they've been photocopying so others can do the same. Dd even got dh in on them! lol. Then it spread to ds and eventually to the 15yo, who did his first one yesterday. They are fantastic for working on analytical and logical skills!

I guess school-wise, it's been rather relaxed in a way but that's not necessarily a bad thing. ;) Maybe school hasn't been relaxed as much as I've felt relaxed. ;D

Other than that, working on decluttering and organizing the house! It's actually been a focus for a couple of months now, but I've been doing even better this week. It's nice to see garbage and recycling bags fill up and get some order to certain perpetually disordered areas. Like ds's room. :D

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