Things around here are winding down...or up...I can't really tell which way they're going.
The kids will finish up school this week. Praise the Lord! This mom is ready for a break! I think the kids will enjoy some extra free time as well.
As we have relaxed our daily schedule quite a bit, the Crew has had plenty of time to perfect their paper airplane making abilities, have lots of water gun fights, and attempt to dig giant holes in the front yard.
Naturally, we also have many appearances of soldiers (from both the past and the present), pioneers, and various community servants.
During one of our many trips into town for doctor appointments, the kids and I took a quick side trip over the mountains. Before moving to Virginia I had discovered a discount grocery store, but with our current location it has been impractical to make a trip there. After some inspiration from another blog I just had to go. We stocked up on a lot of pantry items and paid about half the price we would at Walmart. I really can't wait to go back! I know...life changes when you're a mom to a handful of kiddos!
We have enjoyed several family hikes over the last few weeks. A trip to Shenandoah National Park was especially exciting when we saw several deer within just a few yards of us. One fawn even walked within an arm's length of Claude and the kids!
Claude's parents visited us a few weeks ago. Too bad we ended up with a stomach virus while they were here! Why these things happen, I have no idea. But we all made it through...and then everyone came down with a cold the following week. Gotta love living in close quarters with a bunch of kids.
Joshua, Hannah, and Abigail participated in the Awana program at our church this winter and spring. It was an adjustment for us to get used to driving to and from church twice in a day, but so worth it! They had a blast, memorized a lot of scripture, and have been encouraged in their walk with the Lord. They had a big party, store to spend their Awana Bucks, and their last awards ceremony last month. They can't wait to start in the fall when Jeremiah gets to join them.
We have seen more and more wildlife in our yard this spring. There is a rabbit that has been spotted several times in the morning and around dusk. The kids spotted something black, larger than a squirrel, and smaller than a deer. It could have been a shadow. They are having fun dreaming up all of the different kinds of animals it could have been.
They found a turtle who lived in the front flower bed for a few days before taking off into the wild of the front yard. And Joshua also spotted a deer bounding out toward the road during a thunder storm last week.
The weather is getting warmer. I'm getting more and more pregnant, if that's possible. And we're ramping up for the arrival of Chew Crew 6. 35 weeks and counting.
It could be soon. It could be more than a month from now. The suspense is always a bit too much for me. But how much more exciting does life get?!
Well, it can always get more exciting when chocolate pudding is involved!
It's been a while since I have posted about the state of our homeschool. Not that many people care to know the nitty gritty of our academic life, but I felt like writing about something I know. I am certainly not a homeschooling expert (still a novice over here!) but I am an expert in our homeschool. And since we're wrapping up a school year and making plans for the next, this seemed like an appropriate topic.
Of course, this is simply what we're doing and how it's working (or not). I'm not advocating for any one way of teaching. And neither do I stand by one particular curriculum. Some we will keep using because they work very well for us. Others are working for now, and some are not working at all. I recognize that every family is in a different place in their schooling journey and that place changes with the growth of our children and other shifts in life.
All that said, here is what we are doing now in our homeschool.
How did we settle on A Beka? We
used A Beka Numbers Skills K5 for Joshua and Hannah in our very first year of homeschooling. For me, it was easy to use because the lessons are
scripted out, but it seemed repetative for the kids and I wanted to see
if there was something a little more engaging. We tried a year of Singapore Math, which was good for developing mathematical thinking
skills but it was too teacher-intensive and produced a lot of stress and
frustration.
I knew that we needed something low-stress yet thorough, with plenty of math facts practice built into each lesson. A Beka fit the bill so we made the change in January of this year. Is it working? YES! This curriculum is working well for us. It is a better fit for Hannah (first grade) and Abigail (kindergarten) than for Joshua (second grade). This has nothing to do with the second grade curriculum, but is simply a difference in learning style. It is working well enough for Joshua, however, that we are most likely going to move right along with A Beka and not waste time finding a better fit at this stage.
Why is it working? We spent most of last year having ditched a formal curriculum for learning and practicing math facts. For nine months Joshua and Hannah made their way through the addition and subtraction facts using flash cards and an occasional color by number or other worksheet. It was good at the time and really helped with their memorization of math facts. However, after nearly a year of that I felt like we needed a change. This restlessness combined with knowing that we would be giving the kids standardized tests to fulfill Virginia state homeschool law, made changing to a formal curriculum seem like a good choice.
A Beka is filling the need to cover more concepts than memorizing facts while still giving plenty of practice on basic arithmetic. It is easy for me to use, requires no advanced preparation, and has been flexible enough for me to tweak it to fit into our daily routine.
PHONICS AND SPELLING What curriculum are we using? Spell to Write and Read Who is using it? Joshua, advanced speller Hannah, intermediate speller Abigail, beginner reader and speller
Is it working? YES! I have written about this before hereand here. The more I use this program the more I really like it. The kids are excellent readers and solid spellers. Each time I go through a section (some I have already been through 5 or more times), I am understanding more of how the English language works. It's not as complicated and conviluted as some might think.
Probably I have written before, but I will say again that I do not use this program to its fullest potential. When following all of the suggestions, you can use this set of two books to teach a complete language arts program from beginning reading through upper elementary school and even beyond. It is a little too much for me to sort out how exactly to do that, so we use it strictly for phonics (leading to reading) and spelling. We even omit the learning log and are still getting a lot out of this program.
Is it working? I think so. I read all kinds of things about waiting until upper elementary school to introduce grammar and writing. I also read things about introducing children at a younger age to definitions and the basics of grammar and writing so that when they are older things are familiar to them. My thought is that by the time kids get to high school and college, the only thing that will matter is if they can write well. Their college professors aren't going to say, "Oh, wow! You must not have started grammar until fifth grade!" Neither will they say, "Incredible! You must have memorized the definition of a noun when you were only 6 years old!" Why is it working? Well, I'm not sure how well First Language Lessons is working. Joshua and Hannah are very good at memorizing things. This program definitely plays toward that strength. However, some application seems to go over their heads. The lessons are scripted and short. That means I am able to keep up with them with minimal effort. I am not a lazy mom. Neither am I a lazy teacher. I do, however, have several irons in the fire during school time alone (not to mention the rest of the day) and I know that if I can't keep up with it, the kids won't be learning that subject. I like the simplicity of this curriculum. It works well enough for now. Therefore, we will stick it out and see what results we get in later levels.
Is it working? YES! You can read more about how and why we switched to this program here. Everyone enjoys handwriting. Everyone is improving in handwriting. And, true to its name, it is all without tears. Amazing! Why is it working? It's simple. After they learn to form letters and hold their pencil correctly the kids can do it on their own. They love the workbooks! It really couldn't work any better than that!
Who is using it? Joshua, Started the year with Level 2, Now in Level 3 Hannah, Started the year with Level 2, Now in Level 3
Is it working? Yes! Joshua is attempting to construct sentences in Greek. He and Hannah enjoy using the books. They have learned this on their own for the most part (seeing as though neither of their parents currently read Koine Greek). I'm pretty sure it's working.
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY What curriculum are we using? Around the World in 180 Days A Beka History of the World in Christian Perspective Public Library, Juvenile NonFiction 900's Who is using it? Joshua, Around the World in 180 Days, Grade 7 History of the World in Christian Perspective Hannah, Around the World in 180 Days, Public Library Juvenile NonFiction 900's Is it working? Yes and no.
So, this is a little more complex than math or handwriting simply because the kids work at varying grade-levels and this subject can't be qualified very easily. We started off the year using the public library to check out books of the kids' interest. They read about things from ancient civilizations to men landing on the moon. You can read about how we did that here. But they needed more structure. Why is it working? Why isn't it working? In an attempt to find something we could all do together, we tried Around the World in 180 Days. I like the idea, but couldn't really pull it off. Getting books on hold from a fairly small library system was challenging. Guiding two young elementary students through the process of reading various books in order to find answers to specific questions was tedious and too time-consuming for me.
Joshua did great with it. I threw a packet of questions and maps at him along with a stack of books and some atlases and he finished two units without much trouble (or effort, for that matter). He needed more of a challenge. For Hannah it was more challenging and frustrating. She is younger than Joshua and her strengths lie in different areas. She needed something more age-appropriate. Joshua has recently switched to A Beka History of the World in Christian Perspective. I will start by saying that I had no idea that I handed him a seventh grade level book. I really didn't. We bought a used copy, along with a few other Christian history textbooks, to help us along with the Around the World curriculum. The book does not say what grade it is intended for. When he finished units on Antarctica and Australasia, did two extra activities and reports, and I didn't have the next unit ready for him I realized this approach wasn't going to work. So, I grabbed a textbook from the shelf and said, "Read this, define the bold terms, and answer any questions you see." He is doing great with it! Hannah has gone back to the willy-nilly, ready-what-you-feel-like method. It's not bad, but she is lacking direction and doesn't have the a strong interest in the subject to be self-driven. For now we are just finishing out the year. But we will be doing something different with her next year.
SCIENCE What curriculum are we using? Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany Public Library, Juvenile NonFiction (I can't remember the call numbers - anything from plants to animals to innovations)
Who is using it? Joshua, Apologia Exploring Creation with Botany Hannah, Public Library Juvenile NonFiction
Is it working? Yes and no.
This is very similar to our story of history and geography curriculum. Joshua needed more structure and direction, so early this year we set him to work through the Apologia textbooks. Hannah has continued with the library approach but is at a point of needing more direction. She will be switching next year.
Why is it working? Why isn't it working? Apologia is working well for Joshua. It is pretty thorough without being overwhelming. The text is easy to read and gives in-depth information and explanations. I like that it isn't full of cartoons and that the text doesn't sound like it's from a toddler board book. We will definitely continue using these textbooks.
What isn't working are the projects. It is hard to keep up with things like this. Claude is taking care of holding Joshua accountable with his projects, but many of them Joshua does in the morning and then moves on before Claude or I even know he's done it. Honestly, I haven't checked his science notebook in several weeks. And since he is one to value completing assignments quickly rather than being thorough, I have no idea how he's really doing.
I know...bad mom. Bad, bad homeschool mom. This is why I need summer. A chance to stop the madness of the daily school grind and be inspired to want to check the science notebook. Oh, yeah...and give birth, recover, figure out how to do life with six children, and then jump back into a new school year. Sounds like a recipe for being able to check all the schoolwork, doesn't it? ;)
NEW SUBJECTS Joshua will be adding two new subjects next year. He needs a little more challenge and stimulation. Plus, there are a couple of skills he needs to begin working on. His new subjects will include keyboarding and Latin.
Why keyboarding? Because it's a necessary skill and he has had very little practice using a computer or keyboard of any sort. I think he'll have fun since it will seem more like a game than a school subject. Since I'm the mean ogre mom who makes him slave away over assignments all day this may be a breath of fresh air for him. Why Latin? Because it's a necessary skill and...oh, wait. That's not the reason!
When asked what subjects he would really like to study in school he said, "Hebrew, Latin, Geography, and Space." Joshua has a knack for languages. He is picking up Greek very easily and is interested in developing his own codes and secret languages. He also says that one day he wants to write books for people to understand difficult things like the book of Revelation, the Rapture, and the Millenial Kingdom.
Biblical languages are a natural fit for him. As is Latin and maybe Elvish. Hebrew will probably come in time, but of the two languages Latin seemed like a better choice for an 8-year-old.
WHAT'S IN THE WORKS FOR NEXT YEAR With all that in mind, here's what the plans are for next year:
CONCLUSION We have made a number of changes to our curriculum mid-year. This is the first time we have done this, and I do hope it's the last. It won't be, but I can dream, right? I like routine. I like things that work. I like making plans that we can actually stick with and that will succeed. But, I do like a change of pace every once in a while and I do not like when things are not going well.
As we are in the final weeks of our third year on this homeschool path, I think we are settling into some curriculum choices that will likely stand the test of time. Things that fit into our ever-crazier daily routines are not things I will toss out the window with the changing of the winds. We are learning what works, what doesn't, and when to make changes.
So, what have you been doing in your homeschool recently? What is working? What isn't working? What are you doing about it?
Ummm...no. Saturday will have no more success taking away the daily distresses than Friday had.
Sigh.
I guess I just need to hold on and hang in for the long haul.
In the mean time, I will pretend that Claude and I were not woken up sometime in the middle of night by a 45 minute tantrum.
No, it wasn't a night terror. It was a full-fledged "I didn't get what I wanted so I'm going to scream as loud as I possibly can for as long as I can stand it to see if you'll give in" fit.
I will also pretend that the morning has not included another hour of screaming and outright disobedience from the afrementioned middle of the night tantrum thrower.
No, this child is not ill. This child simply wants his/her own way.
Instead, I already took a few minutes to stand on our giant porch. I listened to the birds chirping and the general calming sounds of nature. Of course, I ignored the sound of cars racing down out little country highway and the smell of the trash cans that were sitting right in front of me.
I snapped the below photograph before heading inside.
This is the view from our
kitchen window. Green. Crisp. Spring. Isn't it beautiful?
Now, I will poor a cup of tea and continue on with the morning routine as usual. And wait for Friday in the hope that it will start off a better foot than Thursday has.
After our firstborn, we kind of thought we had seen it all. Super strong will. Super intense personality. Pushing the boundaries - discipline-wise and also academically.
As an infant he didn't sleep well at night. In fact, he was two years old before he ever slept through the night. The Lord humbled us very quickly with that first experience.
And, because He knows better than we do, God continues to humble us even today.
Until our fifth child, we never had a "runner". You know, those kids that won't stay with their parent out in public? In the blink of an eye they are across the playground, in the middle of the street, or lost in the crowd.
Four kids we have had. Four kids who hold on to the stroller and stick by our side very consistently. I have never had to chase a child down. We haven't had any that run off just for the fun of it. Quite frankly, they have probably been too afraid. They like to stay within at least some of the boundaries placed around them. :)
Until now.
Meet Rachel.
She runs. She runs without regard to how far away she may get from the rest of the Crew. No fear here. She will now hold on to the stroller only because she wants to be like her older brothers and sisters. Praise the Lord for years of training the older ones to stick together!
Not only does Rachel run, but she shrieks. Yes. I do mean shrieking. This is not merely fussing or crying. At birth she took a few minutes to let out a good cry. We were a bit concerned until we heard it - the loudest newborn cry that graced our ears up to that point. She continues to be loud. I guess it's necessary being the fifth in line. She won't get overlooked around here, that's for certain!
And, that's not all. Rachel runs. Rachel shrieks. And Rachel hits. When she gets angry she raises her hand in readiness to smack the nearest offending object. Sometimes it's Jeremiah's head. Sometimes it's even Daddy or Mommy's arm or leg. No bounds does her temper currently know.
Lastly, Rachel throws. She really does. Upset that Mom gave you water instead of peanut butter? Chuck the cup. Angry that you have to go down for a nap when you would rather build with Duplos? Chuck the nearest block.
She is fiery. She is a fighter. And she is learning that these outbursts are not appropriate ways to express her personality.
We thought we had seen it all. Now the super strong will, intense personality, pushing the boundaries kind of kid is wrapped up in 23 pounds of cuddly Rachel goodness. Although we have learned many valuable lessons with our other children, we are out of our reckoning...again. You can have a handful of kids. You can think you've seen it all. But friends, you haven't. We haven't. No one has.
Let's be humble. Before you go and judge that mother whose son runs into the parking lot at every opportunity, remember that you haven't seen it all. Your kids just may not be runners. Before you try and explain how easily you potty-trained your daughter, remember that your kid is not your friend's kid. Your child may just have a knack for keeping her pants dry. Before you launch into the best and only way for your neighbor's child to sleep through the night, preface it by saying this is just what worked for you. It may not work for someone else. Kids come in all shapes and sizes. Their temperaments vary greatly even within the same family unit. Their personalities, individual bents, and quirks are not duplicated in any other little person. If you're like me, maybe it takes having several different children to really get this - not just to say it, but to really know it. But if you're wiser than I am, which you probably are, learn it now. All shapes. All sizes. One amazing Creator. And a bunch of perplexed parents. I guess we're in need of grace because there's no way we're going to find a formula with this kind of mess!
I'm not exactly the "funnest" mom on the block. When it comes to special outings and little extras I just don't do very well. I enjoy spending time with the kids, but the days are full of meals, dishes, laundry, schoolwork, diaper changes, and discipline. Of course, they are also full of cuddles, laughs, funny things the little guys say, and interesting conversations with the older crew.
In an attempt to be fun and spontaneous, I planned a little escapade for last weekend. Claude was out at a 50K, camping overnight in the little van so as not to miss an early morning start. I thought, why not take the kids camping while he was away?
Before you start thinking that I'm some kind of super mom, just check out our campsite.
Our very large toy room (soon to be occasional guest room) seemed like the perfect spot for our 9 person tent. Of course, it had to actually fit. Which it did. Perfectly.
We started our campout with a rousing game of Memory. The kids were bouncing off the walls (literally...if they could defy gravity they would have been up and down and all around the walls and ceiling). The excitement was extreme, and they didn't even know that we were sleeping in the tent. They were wired from a day of merely playing in the tent.
I went for easy, camping kind of food - hot dogs and frozen peas (still frozen) served in coffee filters. *Note: Coffee filters are my new favorite way to serve everything from hot dogs and sandwiches, to popcorn and pickles. Try them. They are awesome. Cheap. Compact in the trash. No washing necessary.
Next we enjoyed S'mores, which I made in the oven. Half a marshmallow, two pieces of chocolate, and a two graham cracker halves. The kids each had about three, but even with that their sugar intake was significantly less than if we had used full marshmallows and twice as much chocolate.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed them.
Here are a few of the messy faces.
While the older three kiddos watched "Milo and Otis" (which, by the way, scared Abby immensely), I sat upstairs to monitor the little guys. They did well, but boy did they blow a lot of raspberries before they finally conked out. My lips were tingly and then numb just listening to them! And then, before I knew it, everyone was sound asleep. One was even snoring. One claimed to have stayed awake the whole night. :)
And then Rachel woke up three times in the night. And then she cuddled with me on my mattress and we slept for a while. And then she woke up, walked all over the tent, and brought things to drop on my head. And then she toddled down the stairs with me at 5am because I finally caved and decided to give her a bottle of milk.
We slept beautifully after that. :) And then the morning came and with it the metldowns and grumpy attitudes I had feared. Saturday was a bit rough and I was so glad when Claude walked through the door! We had fun. Made some memories. And learned some rules about tent dwelling. Now that we've had a practice run maybe we'll attempt a "real" camping trip!
Have you ever felt as if you were being watched? You can just sense that somewhere out of your own line of sight there is a pair of eyes following you, observing every move you make. You may begin to feel nervous. You may become acutely aware of what you are doing and how you are doing it. Most likely you will not be relaxed and will probably have a hard time acting "normal" under the pressure.
I happen to know tha I am being watched most of the time. How do I know this? Because the little pairs of eyes that are watching me are connected to little mouths. And these little mouths love to report what their little eyes see.
I can be standing at the sink and from the table I will hear, "She's putting soap on the sponge."
"Yeah, now she's filling the sink with water."
"Oh, yeah...and she's scrubbing the pan."
Or I may hear the following, "She's getting milk out of the fridge."
"Now she's getting a cup. Ooh, it's a glass cup!"
"Uh-huh. And now she's putting milk in her cup. I bet she's going to drink it."
And I just think, "Guys, I'm right here! I can hear everything you are saying about me!"
Everything I do is under scrutiny. I can't enter a room, leave a room, or go to the bathroom without at least one pair of eyes watching my every move. Even as I write this post there is a pair of eyes reading over my shoulder!
Having five sets of eyes watching me day in and day out is one thing. But the constant commentary is a totally different story. It's like if an Olympic athlete had an earbud to hear everything the commentators were saying about them and their performance while they were performing!
I have a particular memory from my childhood that strikes me as funny right about now. I was with my family at my grandparents' house. All of the aunts, uncles, and cousins were visiting, probably for a holiday. At a rough estimate I would say that there were at least 25 people in one fairly small house. Not just any 25 people but 25 very loud people (for the most part).
Being a part of that brood, I got used to the noise, but I didn't like it much. I learned that I could sneak off to a small room above the garage, curl up with a book, and only have to deal with the din of all the commotion happening downstairs. I was in such a corner of the house one evening when I heard an announcement for dinner. I didn't go down. I figured it would be a while before food was actually dished up and surely someone would come and get me before it was too late.
I don't know how long I was up there, but it became obvious that no one realized I was missing. Feeling a bit dejected, I wondered if anyone would ever know that I was gone. Would my parents? My siblings? A cousin, maybe? My grandma? When I could hear the sounds of a full-fledged family dinner going on below me, it hit me. I had been forgotten.
Of course, I didn't stay forgotten. My dad came in search for me at some point and I went downstairs to join the crowd.
If only I could be forgotten like that in this stage of life. Oh, the autonomy! Oh, the freedom! Time to go to a quiet corner and read a book without anyone saying, "Look, she's reading a book."
It's all about perspective, right? Being lost in a crowd of boisterous family members gets a little discouraging. Being watched on a moment by moment basis gets a little annoying. On one hand you want to get a little attention on yourself so you don't feel left out. On the other hand, to slip under the radar every once in a while would be refreshing.
For the time being I'll just stay under the watchful eyes of my children. I'm told that they will not always be this young and that one day they won't follow me to the bathroom. Hallelujah for the hope of privacy one day! ;)
Joshua and Hannah finished their first ever standardized tests this week. Praise the Lord! As a special treat (and since we had the tests scheduled all week and managed to complete them on Wednesday) we took Thursday and Friday off from school. The kids enjoyed free time and playing outside, and while it rained yesterday afternoon we played some games.
Rachel wandered around scavenging for stray popcorn. She found more than her fair share! She also rummaged through the fruit drawer and rounded up all the oranges her little arms could carry. I am convinced she would eat all that we would peel.
Jeremiah played along and turned the same two tiles over each turn until he finally got a match. Some of his older siblings were quite generous and donated their matches to his cause.
The kids usually get pretty upset if they don't win. Maybe it was having unlimited popcorn to snack on and being able to enjoy a piece of candy, but they didn't seem to mind when I won.
And, as things usually go, moments after snapping these photos the entire fun operation came to a screeching halt. The older kids were on a sugar high, the younger kids were crying, and the middle kid was coughing, sniffling, and starting to feel pretty terrible from an oncoming cold.
The morning was great. We got up, made it through our morning routine, even read a few books with the little kids. School time was smooth. Everyone was in their places doing what they were supposed to be doing. It was a good day.
12:05pm - Two children began throwing tantrums for different reasons. I cleaned up Rachel from her lunch, attempted to put her in her bed and quickly realized that she needed a new diaper in a bad way. Jeremiah walked in the room and it became obvious that he also needed a new diaper. So I began the process.
12:15pm - Both tantrums persisted as I cleaned up the little guys' diapers. Both messes were a bit bigger than I had anticipated. Rachel needed a new shirt. Neither diaper swished out in the toilet nicely.
12:20pm - One tantrum ceased, but the other ramped up as I rinsed out some pretty fowl cloth diapers. It didn't take long to be literally elbow deep in some pretty mucky water. Ewww...
12:22pm - Hannah comes through the front door, screaming, "Abby won't let go of the jump rope and I already asked her to!" Oh, yes...this requires my direct attention. Not. I send Hannah back out to resolve the jump rope issue with her younger sister.
12:24pm - Still up to my elbows in diaper water, trying to keep Rachel out from underfoot, and Hannah enters yet again. This time sreaming about ten times louder than the last time. "Abby hit me with the recorder!" Cry. Sob. Jump up and down. Yep. Another tantrum. At least the tantrum from the other room had toned down to some moaning and groaning.
12:30pm - I look up to explain to Hannah that I cannot deal with the recorder/jump rope situation because my hands are covered in poopy water. I see blood streaming down her face. A blood nose. Perfect. I send Hannah to get some tissue.
12:33pm - The diapers are rinsed. My hands are scrubbed. The bath tub is bleached. Hannah is still freaking out. She runs in to find me and I send her right back to the bathroom where she started. She leaves a drippy trail of blood through most of the downstairs. My usual pregnancy heartburn rears a very ugly head about now. Oh, well...no time for that. I get the hydrogen peroxide, put Rachel in her play yard, and hope that this is over soon.
12:35pm - After cleaning the blood trail, I find Hannah standing over the toilet. Screaming. There is blood everywhere. Her hands and arms are covered. Her clothes are covered. The toilet seat is covered. Blood is splattered on the walls, the floor, the outside of the toilet, the sink, the mirror. I'm glad I have the hydrogen peroxide and that I apparently have a strong stomach after working through those messy cloth diapers. I start cleaning.
12:45pm - Hannah is clean and changing into fresh clothing. Her nose is no longer bleeding. The bathroom is clean. The laundry has been rinsed with hydrogen peroxide to prevent stains and is in the washing machine. All tantrums have stopped.
12:50pm - Three of the kids are playing play dough. They are laughing as if none of them had thrown a tantrum, produced a blow out poop, had a blood nose, or beat up their older sibling with a recorder. (Please note, the blood nose was NOT from Abby. It happened all on its own.) Rachel is in bed, not asleep yet, but on her way. And the complaining from Tantrum-Thrower Number One has ceased. Now it's time to dictate a spelling list, supervise violin practice, heat up lunch, and prod the preschoolers as they clean up the Duplos. If ever you hear a mother or father with a few (or more!) small children in their constant care, this is what you should think of when they say things are "busy", "hectic", "crazy", "exhausting", "tiring", or "non-stop" at their house. This can happen any time of day or night without warning, without due cause. Things are running smoothly and then BAM! Everything spontaneously combusts and chaos abounds for 45 minutes. Okay...so on a good day it only lasts 45 minutes. I won't even get into what a bad day can look like. You're smart. I'm sure you can imagine.
After you have imagined, then you can say a prayer for any parents you know who have a troop of little tikes at home. You may just be praying at the precise moment that a blood nose, two tantrums, two incredibly messy diapers, some heartburn, and a few other urgent matters collide in one big train wreck.
