Monday, May 24, 2010

May 24, 2010

Not a lot going on around here really. The dear husband started his new job last Monday. It is going to take some getting use to, since the hours are random, or so it seems so far. The husband says a pattern will emerge so we will see. So far, he worked two days (Mon, Tues) was off two days (Wed, Thurs), then worked three days (Fri, Sat, Sun), is now off today and tomorrow, will work again on Wed, Thurs and will then be off Fri, Sat and Sun. It really throws us off on what day is which. Today seems like Saturday to us, although the boys and I went to church yesterday so it is really confusing. I keep having to remind myself what day it is. The husband has worked these kinds of schedules many times before in the past but I have always been on a Mon-Fri work week. Once we get used to, I think we will really like it. I think it will be nice for homeschooling too. But first we have to get used to it:).

In other news, the boys finished their swimming class and will start another session two days a week in June. I can tell Ben is a bit nervous about a new class and possibly (probably) a new teacher because he keeps saying he does not want to do more things. I think he will do fine though. I also signed the boys up for an introductory soccer class and they (especially Nick) are very excited about it. They will start that in June also and it runs through August. It is only once a week for 50 minutes but I think that will be plenty since they will be swimming twice a week in June and possibly July.

The husband had a week off between jobs so we went to Branson Mo for a couple of days last week. Unfortunately it rained quite a bit but we were able find a break in the rain and make it to Silver Dollar City one day. We all had a great time and the boys especially loved it. We also took them to play mini-golf and they absolutely loved it. They keep asking to play again so we'll have to find some time to fit it in again soon. We purposely picked a hotel that had an indoor pool and it also had a water slide so we were very excited. Although the hotel was nice and served a wonderful complimentary breakfast buffet, the pool and slide were a bust. Even though they were indoor, the water was not heated and was just too cold for the boys to enjoy it. The slide would have been a ball if the boys had been a couple of years older and more confident swimmers but it was too fast for them right now plus, again, the water was too cold. They had fun in the very large hot tub though and they continue to have a lot of fun in our bath tub at home:). They wear their goggles and they go under to retrieve things they have put there, pretending they are in a swimming pool.

The boys are doing great. A friend of mine once said that she could see major changes in her young ones every 6 months and I can definitely see that. They are doing so much on their own and are always asking to help do whatever we are doing. They love helping me cook. They are quite the little sponges and are always cracking me up with the funny things they say. More than ever before, they really are such little, independent people with their own opinions and things they want to discuss and do. Ben has an amazing vocabulary and is always interrupting to ask what a word means. Last week two different people mentioned what a great vocab he has. I think he just likes words. He was the first one to use 'rubbish' in a sentence when he was barely three, or something like that. He picked it up from Thomas the Train stories. He is constantly using large words and it is so funny to hear him try to say them. He does a pretty good job, good enough that I understand what he is saying. I was doing something the other day and he came in and said he wanted to sit next to me because he wanted to "have a conversation". I had just explained that word to him not long before. It is as if he purposely seeks out opportunities to use new words and he has a mind like a steel trap.

Both boys are still doing very well with reading cvc words and learning how to write their letters. We do this in a very hit or miss way, just when one of us thinks of it and they are in the mood. They have said they want to start doing formal school in the fall, when the kids go back to school. They have a good friend who will be starting K in the fall so they want to be like him. He is only 3 months older than Ben and 5 months older than Nick but they missed the cut off and he didn't. I am thankful they did because it gives us some slack. We don't have to start formal schooling officially until 2011. Hopefully by starting some of it this fall we will be a bit ahead which will take some pressure off of me, the newbie homeschooling mom. I am a bit nervous about it because Nick tends to be the kind of kid who does not want to be shown how to do anything. He wants to do everything his way and he always pushes to find out where exactly the boundaries are in every situation. (His daddy says that someday Nick is going to be a wonderful leader.) So I'm going to have to figure out how to manage that. Ben will likely be pretty easy because he is a bit more of a pleaser and is very willing to take instruction. The hardest person to manage will be me:). I have to be more disciplined, sticking to a schedule, following through, being consistent, etc..... I have had it pretty easy for a while now, getting to play and have fun and just do whatever we feel like doing when the mood hits us. Homeschooling will change that a bit. Hopefully since we are starting this fall, we can start slowly and ramp up and get used to it before we really have to be doing it formally.

This is becoming a book and I am tired so off to bed.

Thursday, May 06, 2010

May 6, 2010

Sorry I have not been updating very regularly lately. I have simply not been very motivated, for whatever reason. I think this is the first time since I started blogging that I have felt this way. There are other things I want to be doing and blogging is taking a lower priority these days.

At lunch today the boys and I were looking at their baby pictures on my laptop. They love to do this and it sure brings back many sweet memories. We are now having our daily quiet time and Ben is on the couch in the living room, pretending he is a baby once more and playing with pillows. He saw pics of himself and Nick doing this when they were babies and he wanted to pretend it.

We really needed our quiet time today because we all had to get up early today. I had a bone density scan and, as it turns out, I have very healthy bones. The place where I went with my broken foot recommended I have this done and my mom and sister have been wanting me to have it done also, as I never drank milk or ate much cheese when I was growing up. Thankfully, I have the bones of a young adult. Not bad for a 47 year old woman.

My foot is doing pretty well these days. It still hurts at times but, for the most part, it is fine (as long as I don't run or jump rope or any such thing that tends to slam it to the ground to hard:).

Yesterday the boys and I went to Target and bought a slip-n-slide. The boys had a blast on it yesterday afternoon. Today Nick went outside while I was still putting sunscreen on Ben. He was trying to hook the hose up to it and he tore a great big hole in it. So much for that. $20 down the drain. Maybe that is why it said it was for 5 and up...although the boys can normally use toys that say 5 and up these days, since they are at or over 4.5. Oh well. Win some, lose some.

We had two house showings on the weekend and then two yesterday. It is interesting how they tend to come in spurts. We are still hopeful we will sell it soon. Time will tell. If not, we have some tentative plans for making this house more energy efficient and staying here.

Tomorrow is the husband's last day at his current job. He will be off next week for a short vacation and then will start his new job the following week. He has been very busy this week, finishing up some last minute things he wanted to finalize. I think he will still be an associate professor at this university and will be able to continue to do some research or something with them in the future. Hopefully it will work out the way he wants it to.

The new twin bed frames that we ordered for the boys came in the other day. The boys were very excited and the bed frames really look nice. I am very pleased with how they look, considering the low price we paid.

The boys will finish up their swimming lessons on Tuesday. They have done very well and are now swimming very short distances under water. The other two students did not show up on Tuesday so the boys had the entire time to just them. It was really nice. I have signed them up for the next set of lessons which will start in June. They will go twice a week for the month of June and we might do that for the month of July also...not sure yet. I think they go back to the semester lessons of one day a week starting in August. Not sure how long they will continue to go but I really want them to keep going for a while longer so they really learn to swim. I think if they quit now they would regress quickly.

Well, must go read my news now.