1. Day 2 of the women's conference with Julie Beck. Ben decided I am just like her (not). One of a whole bunch of kids who grows up only to have 3 kids, and who is a piano-practicing drill sergeant. See, totally the same! She described piano practicing in her home as "combat piano." I love that. It feels like combat piano around here, too, sometimes. But she made her kids practice two hours a day MINIMUM! And she sat next to her youngest daughter for EIGHT YEARS, until she was 16 before her daughter finally was ready to practice independently. I'm pretty sure I don't have that kind of stamina.
2. Went to lunch at County Line with two women in my ward after the conference (Kelly and Jill). I was dubious that I would find anything to eat there with my weird diet, but not so! They offer a vegetable kabob plate with a baked potato, 2 kabobs with zucchini, squash, peppers, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and coleslaw. It was good, but more expensive than the baby back ribs! How is that? Jill commented that nothing had to die to make my lunch. :-)
3. I laid down the law for Mosey and computer games this morning-- nothing after 10:00 AM. Of course, being gone to the conference until early afternoon, I wasn't able to inform him that watching his brothers play computer games was also verboten! Why is that fun?? But, at least he did spend the afternoon making lego fighter planes with Brigham. I think Ben is a little skeptical that too much computer-game playing yields a very grumpy Mosey. But you know, it's not just the computer-game playing itself, it's the fact that every minute playing on the computer displaces a minute in which he could be doing something else. I've been thinking about the 10,000 hour rule-- how it purportedly take 10,000 hours of practice or experience before a person is an expert in something, or can perform at a professional level. So, let's take a child. Starting at the age of 5 (before 5 kids are mostly trying to learn the fundamentals of communication, mobility, and basic independence), and ending at age 18, 10,000 hours equals a little over 2 hours a day, 365 days a year. So, the question is what am I training my children to become professionals in while they're growing up in my home? I'm pretty sure there are lots of kids that end up as professional-level video-game players, or TV-watchers by the time they graduate from high school, but that's not my ambition for my kids. Ben said, "They're not going to be professional pianists or violinists, either." And that is true, unless I follow Julie Beck's example and start requiring a whole lot more daily practicing! :-) But that's also not my ambition for my kids. My goals are for them to achieve expertise in responsibility, hard work, thinking skills, and faith, and for them to reach a competency level in a lot of other things-- piano, violin, tae kwon do, story-writing, and yes, lego-building and block-construction and drawing and any number of other things. I think that the more interesting things a kid can become competent doing, the happier, more confident, more interesting person he will become.
But you know, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. Or in my case, what's good for the goslings is good for the goose. What am I training myself to become an expert in? It's an interesting question. After 4 years of homeschooling, if the 10,000 hour rule holds true, I'm now an expert teacher! If I stick with music practicing with my kids, by the time Mosey leaves home, I'll be an expert practice coach. But I hope I won't be. :-) But there are also a few other things I'm becoming an expert in which are not so good. Like procrastinating bed time. So, good night! :-)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
02/17/12
1. Brigham and Joseph went to the orthodontist this afternoon, starting the long process to perfect teeth. :-) Ben took them so he could talk intelligently with the doctor. Ben has quite extensive experience with orthodontists and I defer completely to his judgment in the matter of our boys' teeth. Brigham and Joseph both got rubber band type things in their upper teeth, in preparation for spacers in a few weeks. The fun begins.
2. Our women's conference is this weekend-- Julie Beck came to be the keynote speaker! She gave a sort of informal question-and-answer session tonight, teaching completely off-the-cuff and pulling out relevant scriptures and stories like it was nothing. My favorite quotes from her were: "It's not about staying in the garden," and"It's not about living a guilt-free life." Amen.
3. It rained off and on all day today! And it got cold! (Well, if mid-60's in February can be termed cold.) This winter has been like the longest, most pleasant spring I've ever experienced. Sunny and 70 most days. We could be in Florida! The grass is about 100 times greener now than it's been since last spring. This has still been a very dry winter, today's rain notwithstanding, so a cool front and a few days of grey, drizzly weather are A-OK in my book.
2. Our women's conference is this weekend-- Julie Beck came to be the keynote speaker! She gave a sort of informal question-and-answer session tonight, teaching completely off-the-cuff and pulling out relevant scriptures and stories like it was nothing. My favorite quotes from her were: "It's not about staying in the garden," and"It's not about living a guilt-free life." Amen.
3. It rained off and on all day today! And it got cold! (Well, if mid-60's in February can be termed cold.) This winter has been like the longest, most pleasant spring I've ever experienced. Sunny and 70 most days. We could be in Florida! The grass is about 100 times greener now than it's been since last spring. This has still been a very dry winter, today's rain notwithstanding, so a cool front and a few days of grey, drizzly weather are A-OK in my book.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
02/16/12
1. For our art group this afternoon, the boys brought their instruments to demonstrate. I think it was really fun for them to show off for their friends a little! Also fun for them to see how far they've come from the scratching and screeching and blowing of the other kids trying out the violin, cello, and flute. :-)
2. Mosey was happier today. He wasn't excited about having to go to cello right after art, but on the way there he said to me, "I've noticed that sometimes I really don't want to do something, but then when I'm there, I really like it!" I told him how many things in life are just like that. He's doing great in cello, I'm really blown away at the difference switching from violin to cello (or maybe just the 1 year age difference?) has made. He's a natural cellist and thinks it's really funny when I forget the name of the strings, or which finger plays which note.
3. I've decided I'm not going to cook on Thursday nights. Thursdays are too crazy, and getting home at 7:15 is too late to start dinner. Mosey and I stopped by Taco Cabana and brought home food for dinner. I think Thursday nights will be Dad's choice nights, or take-out.
4. Brigham loves to fight Sandy. Those two can really go at it, and I'm not sure which one sounds more ferocious! Brigham gets down and wrestles with her and growls at her, and she eats it up. All the boys, plus Ben, got in a big dog wrestling match tonight, ending when Sandy got a *little* too excited and nipped Ben on his backside. :-) Later, Joseph was sitting on the couch, I came up behind him and put my arms around him, and then Mosey and Brigham thought it was a good idea to join in a great big group hug. Two seconds later, Sandy JUMPED up on top of everyone, shoving her face down among all of ours, and licking everyone she could get her tongue on. She didn't want us forgetting for a second that she is a part of our pack, too!
5. At lunchtime today I had one of those "I sure love homeschooling" moments (much needed after my self-doubts of 24 hours ago) as the boys and I discussed the role of government in regulating wages and other labor/business interests. We're just now getting into the beginnings of labor unions, and the era of the robber barons in our history unit. So fun to see the wheels turning in their heads! Brigham has got some beef with one of our history books, and takes great joy in proving to me why it's totally wrong in some of the conclusions and assertions it makes.
6. One more thing from yesterday. While I was gone to Tae Kwon Do with Mosey around noon, some guy came and knocked on the front door (I'm pretty sure he was one of the environmentalist missionaries who periodically come tracting the neighborhood seeking signatures for some proposed bill or another). Joseph and Brigham did right by not answering the door, although I think the pattering footsteps and the click of the deadbolt being locked might have clued him in to the fact that someone was actually home. :-) Later, in the evening, another knock came. Joseph ran and got it and it was the same guy, this time asking if his mom or dad were here. I'm not sure what was in his head, but he said, "It doesn't matter whether they're here or not!" and closed the door. OK, I appreciate his efforts in sparing me from having to deal with yet another salesman/activist at our front door. But I THINK there might have been a little more courteous way of handling the situation. :-) Ben and I made the practice a better response: "Thanks for coming, but we're really not interested right now. Good luck!" Ack! we definitely need a unit on basic etiquette. :-/ And I think we need a plaque for our front door that says, "Please no solicitors except for Girl Scouts selling cookies." Now Girl Scout cookies are a cause I can definitely get behind.
2. Mosey was happier today. He wasn't excited about having to go to cello right after art, but on the way there he said to me, "I've noticed that sometimes I really don't want to do something, but then when I'm there, I really like it!" I told him how many things in life are just like that. He's doing great in cello, I'm really blown away at the difference switching from violin to cello (or maybe just the 1 year age difference?) has made. He's a natural cellist and thinks it's really funny when I forget the name of the strings, or which finger plays which note.
3. I've decided I'm not going to cook on Thursday nights. Thursdays are too crazy, and getting home at 7:15 is too late to start dinner. Mosey and I stopped by Taco Cabana and brought home food for dinner. I think Thursday nights will be Dad's choice nights, or take-out.
4. Brigham loves to fight Sandy. Those two can really go at it, and I'm not sure which one sounds more ferocious! Brigham gets down and wrestles with her and growls at her, and she eats it up. All the boys, plus Ben, got in a big dog wrestling match tonight, ending when Sandy got a *little* too excited and nipped Ben on his backside. :-) Later, Joseph was sitting on the couch, I came up behind him and put my arms around him, and then Mosey and Brigham thought it was a good idea to join in a great big group hug. Two seconds later, Sandy JUMPED up on top of everyone, shoving her face down among all of ours, and licking everyone she could get her tongue on. She didn't want us forgetting for a second that she is a part of our pack, too!
5. At lunchtime today I had one of those "I sure love homeschooling" moments (much needed after my self-doubts of 24 hours ago) as the boys and I discussed the role of government in regulating wages and other labor/business interests. We're just now getting into the beginnings of labor unions, and the era of the robber barons in our history unit. So fun to see the wheels turning in their heads! Brigham has got some beef with one of our history books, and takes great joy in proving to me why it's totally wrong in some of the conclusions and assertions it makes.
6. One more thing from yesterday. While I was gone to Tae Kwon Do with Mosey around noon, some guy came and knocked on the front door (I'm pretty sure he was one of the environmentalist missionaries who periodically come tracting the neighborhood seeking signatures for some proposed bill or another). Joseph and Brigham did right by not answering the door, although I think the pattering footsteps and the click of the deadbolt being locked might have clued him in to the fact that someone was actually home. :-) Later, in the evening, another knock came. Joseph ran and got it and it was the same guy, this time asking if his mom or dad were here. I'm not sure what was in his head, but he said, "It doesn't matter whether they're here or not!" and closed the door. OK, I appreciate his efforts in sparing me from having to deal with yet another salesman/activist at our front door. But I THINK there might have been a little more courteous way of handling the situation. :-) Ben and I made the practice a better response: "Thanks for coming, but we're really not interested right now. Good luck!" Ack! we definitely need a unit on basic etiquette. :-/ And I think we need a plaque for our front door that says, "Please no solicitors except for Girl Scouts selling cookies." Now Girl Scout cookies are a cause I can definitely get behind.
02/15/12
Only one thing on my mind tonight. Mosey didn't want to go to bed, and when I finally made it clear I was really serious, he went into his room, locked the door, and then started crying like his heart was breaking. My kids crying is one thing that never fails to undo me. So I went upstairs, unlocked his door with a butter knife, and lay next to him until he fell asleep. He told me, amidst hiccuping tears that "every day is exactly the same," and that he "never has time to do anything fun."
On one hand, this makes me feel like a big fat failure. Am I completely failing in imparting any sense of joy or fun in my boy's learning experience? Am I so boring, and such a relentless task-master that my 2nd grader has to cry himself to sleep? Yes, he is touching on my worst insecurities.
On the other hand, let me look back on Mosey's day today. Here was the schoolwork that he actually completed today: Read 3 chapters of "Old Yeller." Listened to me read a chapter of "Caddie Woodlawn" (while playing on the back lawn with Sandy), and a chapter in our Landmark History book. Watched a 5 minute video for the science experiment we couldn't do because our science book is missing. Practiced the piano for 30 minutes, and the cello for 30 minutes. I think he may have done some math in there-- 15 minutes maybe? (What he didn't complete: the other 15 minutes of math, answering science questions-- another 10 minutes, spelling- 15 minutes, and listening to our other history book on his MP3 player-- 20 minutes or so. So maybe another hour of work.) And here is what else he did: Played with Sandy, ran around in the backyard, jumped on the trampoline, went to Tae Kwon Do, read a couple of books for pleasure, got all caught up on Calvin and Hobbes while waiting his turn for piano lessons, and had free time from 5:30- 7:30 when we ate dinner, during which he played nerf guns with Joseph, found a new game on my phone, played Tanki Online, and I don't know what else because I was making dinner.
It is true that our weekdays are pretty much the same. But isn't that true of even public school kids? Our afternoons are different, only similar in that we have an activity to go to most afternoons.
So what is this? Mosey becoming sophisticated enough to pick up on his mother's deep-seated anxieties about her parenting? True angst from a little boy who has too much placed upon him?
How do I respond? Hug him and comfort him and tell him I love him, and then keep doing what we're doing? Try to figure out ways to mix things up a little-- cello practicing in the garage! Math while sitting on top of the van! Spelling word scavenger hunt!
I don't know. I told him that I was listening, that I would think about what he was saying, and meanwhile he should come up with a few ideas over the next few days for things we can do or change that would make him happier.
Sigh... Being a mom is hard.
On one hand, this makes me feel like a big fat failure. Am I completely failing in imparting any sense of joy or fun in my boy's learning experience? Am I so boring, and such a relentless task-master that my 2nd grader has to cry himself to sleep? Yes, he is touching on my worst insecurities.
On the other hand, let me look back on Mosey's day today. Here was the schoolwork that he actually completed today: Read 3 chapters of "Old Yeller." Listened to me read a chapter of "Caddie Woodlawn" (while playing on the back lawn with Sandy), and a chapter in our Landmark History book. Watched a 5 minute video for the science experiment we couldn't do because our science book is missing. Practiced the piano for 30 minutes, and the cello for 30 minutes. I think he may have done some math in there-- 15 minutes maybe? (What he didn't complete: the other 15 minutes of math, answering science questions-- another 10 minutes, spelling- 15 minutes, and listening to our other history book on his MP3 player-- 20 minutes or so. So maybe another hour of work.) And here is what else he did: Played with Sandy, ran around in the backyard, jumped on the trampoline, went to Tae Kwon Do, read a couple of books for pleasure, got all caught up on Calvin and Hobbes while waiting his turn for piano lessons, and had free time from 5:30- 7:30 when we ate dinner, during which he played nerf guns with Joseph, found a new game on my phone, played Tanki Online, and I don't know what else because I was making dinner.
It is true that our weekdays are pretty much the same. But isn't that true of even public school kids? Our afternoons are different, only similar in that we have an activity to go to most afternoons.
So what is this? Mosey becoming sophisticated enough to pick up on his mother's deep-seated anxieties about her parenting? True angst from a little boy who has too much placed upon him?
How do I respond? Hug him and comfort him and tell him I love him, and then keep doing what we're doing? Try to figure out ways to mix things up a little-- cello practicing in the garage! Math while sitting on top of the van! Spelling word scavenger hunt!
I don't know. I told him that I was listening, that I would think about what he was saying, and meanwhile he should come up with a few ideas over the next few days for things we can do or change that would make him happier.
Sigh... Being a mom is hard.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
02/14/12
1. Today was a much better day. Much better. :-) All lessons were done by 3:45! I took Joseph to Walmart to buy a nerf gun (the same kind Mosey bought on Saturday-- now they can have wars together), then went to the library and the grocery store, and then home again. I sure enjoy having conversations in the car with my boys. Joseph told me about his favorite books so far this year (The Unwanteds, Mocassin Trail, and Happenstance Found). I made a good dinner-- parmesan tilapia, cous-cous, and asparagus.
2. Ben made me a fruit bouquet! He's so creative. And it made a really good fruit salad dinner for me.
3. It wasn't a very thrilling Valentine's Day. I did make the boys heart-shaped pancakes this morning, though! And after dinner we made white-chocolate strawberries. All the boys were in bed by 9:00, and I'm praying they were asleep shortly after. Now I'm going to sleep, too!
2. Ben made me a fruit bouquet! He's so creative. And it made a really good fruit salad dinner for me.
3. It wasn't a very thrilling Valentine's Day. I did make the boys heart-shaped pancakes this morning, though! And after dinner we made white-chocolate strawberries. All the boys were in bed by 9:00, and I'm praying they were asleep shortly after. Now I'm going to sleep, too!
Monday, February 13, 2012
02/13/13
1. I hate Mondays.
2. My kids hate Mondays.
3. I am very glad this Monday is over.
And that is all that is worth saying about this day! :-)
2. My kids hate Mondays.
3. I am very glad this Monday is over.
And that is all that is worth saying about this day! :-)
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Weekly letter for February 12
Hi Family,
Another week has ended (or started, whichever way you like to look at it). The last few Mondays have been kind of rotten, so I'm really hoping to buck the trend tomorrow. We'll see.
I am feeling singularly uninspired for my weekly letter tonight. This last week was pretty average. School, practicing, lessons, chores, laundry, errands. Etc., etc., etc. (Mosey was talking one time and at the end of a sentence said, "Eckt, eckt." It took me a minute to figure out he was trying to say "et cetera, et cetera," he just hadn't made the connection between the abbreviated "etc." and the full "et cetera." Funny.)
Monday was a hard day. I found myself in tears, begging the boys to just sit down and do their math!! They were pretty shocked by that and were cooperative with math for most of the rest of the week. :-) We had our normal lineup of school lessons, TKD, flute, and speech. Mosey had a much better time at speech and has decided he wants to keep going. Joseph's decided to stay with his teacher for the time being, so we are maintaining the status quo.
We had our first cub scout meeting at our house on Tuesday. We did a bunch of requirements on the flag-- learning the history of the flag, how to fold it, how to lead different kinds of flag ceremonies, and how to properly treat and retire flags. Only 3 kids came because a lot of people were out of town for a long weekend (some sort of teacher in-service days or something like that-- I'd like to schedule a few of those for myself!). I hope I will be good at this calling. It's a bit hard for me to keep up physically with a bunch of 8 and 9 year old boys. :-)
On Wednesday night Mosey tested for (and passed!) his Tae Kwon Do green belt. And then I totally forgot about the belt ceremony on Friday night. :-(
Thursday was regular lessons in the morning and art in the afternoon. I got to hang out with the 3 and 4 month old babies of two of the moms in our art group. I wish one of them were mine. :-) Mosey had cello in the evening. He's doing really well in cello, and I like his teacher a lot.
Friday was an OK day. A pretty good day except for the 30 minutes that Mosey decided to run away from home. I did find him, he hadn't gone far and didn't intend to. But situations like those are when I really curse my physical disabilities. And really question my parenting skills. I got my hair cut in the afternoon and thought about how much the boys need haircuts. It didn't happen this weekend, though.
Saturday was busy. I took Joseph to archery early in the morning (he is awesome! I'm going to start calling him Robin of Locksley). After we got home, I took Mosey to Walmart from to try to find a Nerf gun he's been fantasizing about ever since Tuesday night when we did a quick Walmart run while Joseph and Brigham were at scouts. The gun wasn't there and Mosey went home disappointed. As soon as we got home, I took Brigham to horseback riding from. This involved some drama-- Brigham doesn't like to ask for help, and his teacher had left in him the lurch with his horse after his lesson, leaving Brigham to figure out how to put the horse blanket back on the horse, how to put the halter on this particular horse who is really tall, and really didn't want the halter put on, and how to find the elusive "pasture 3." I know how Brigham feels-- I hate asking questions that betray some lack of ability or knowledge on my part. But after the blanket fell off the horse, the halter fell off the horse, and the horse ran away (without a halter or lead rope), I hope Brigham learned that sometimes it's better to ask for help or clarification to begin with, rather than risking things getting out of hand later. Meanwhile, I was no help whatsoever since I had gone out to the van to wait for him while he put the horse away (which normally takes only a few minutes). I felt so bad for him when I finally found him crying after more than 45 minutes of frustration trying to put this horse away. I attempted to make things better for him with a stop at Sonic for a banana pineapple shake. Anyway, once home (not till 3:00 PM!), I took Mosey to Walmart AGAIN (a different Walmart) to try again to find the nerf gun. Success this time and he's been driving us crazy with those little foam bullets flying every which way ever since. Then I cam home, did laundry and then took the boys to see War Horse (good movie!). It was long, though, and we weren't home until 10:00 PM at which point everyone had to get ready for bed. After I shooed the last reluctant boy up the stairs to bed, I went to the grocery store, barely finishing in time to make my purchases before the Sabbath started at 12:00 AM. I got home after midnight and spent the next 2 hours putting groceries away and straightening up the house for Sunday. I need another weekend day.
Today was a good Sunday. I'm back in Gospel Doctrine and Relief Society now that I'm not a primary teacher. And someone came to sit next to me in Relief Society, so I was happy. After church I took a nap and then got dinner ready for a couple of people from our ward who came to dinner. The laundry I did yesterday afternoon is still sitting (clean and dry) in laundry baskets in the laundry room where they may stay until next weekend, but I'm going to try to ignore them and go to bed.
That's it, everyone. No pictures this week. This next week I am making it a goal to have a least a few pictures worth looking at. My camera is getting dusty on my desk.
Love,
Gabrielle
Another week has ended (or started, whichever way you like to look at it). The last few Mondays have been kind of rotten, so I'm really hoping to buck the trend tomorrow. We'll see.
I am feeling singularly uninspired for my weekly letter tonight. This last week was pretty average. School, practicing, lessons, chores, laundry, errands. Etc., etc., etc. (Mosey was talking one time and at the end of a sentence said, "Eckt, eckt." It took me a minute to figure out he was trying to say "et cetera, et cetera," he just hadn't made the connection between the abbreviated "etc." and the full "et cetera." Funny.)
Monday was a hard day. I found myself in tears, begging the boys to just sit down and do their math!! They were pretty shocked by that and were cooperative with math for most of the rest of the week. :-) We had our normal lineup of school lessons, TKD, flute, and speech. Mosey had a much better time at speech and has decided he wants to keep going. Joseph's decided to stay with his teacher for the time being, so we are maintaining the status quo.
We had our first cub scout meeting at our house on Tuesday. We did a bunch of requirements on the flag-- learning the history of the flag, how to fold it, how to lead different kinds of flag ceremonies, and how to properly treat and retire flags. Only 3 kids came because a lot of people were out of town for a long weekend (some sort of teacher in-service days or something like that-- I'd like to schedule a few of those for myself!). I hope I will be good at this calling. It's a bit hard for me to keep up physically with a bunch of 8 and 9 year old boys. :-)
On Wednesday night Mosey tested for (and passed!) his Tae Kwon Do green belt. And then I totally forgot about the belt ceremony on Friday night. :-(
Thursday was regular lessons in the morning and art in the afternoon. I got to hang out with the 3 and 4 month old babies of two of the moms in our art group. I wish one of them were mine. :-) Mosey had cello in the evening. He's doing really well in cello, and I like his teacher a lot.
Friday was an OK day. A pretty good day except for the 30 minutes that Mosey decided to run away from home. I did find him, he hadn't gone far and didn't intend to. But situations like those are when I really curse my physical disabilities. And really question my parenting skills. I got my hair cut in the afternoon and thought about how much the boys need haircuts. It didn't happen this weekend, though.
Saturday was busy. I took Joseph to archery early in the morning (he is awesome! I'm going to start calling him Robin of Locksley). After we got home, I took Mosey to Walmart from to try to find a Nerf gun he's been fantasizing about ever since Tuesday night when we did a quick Walmart run while Joseph and Brigham were at scouts. The gun wasn't there and Mosey went home disappointed. As soon as we got home, I took Brigham to horseback riding from. This involved some drama-- Brigham doesn't like to ask for help, and his teacher had left in him the lurch with his horse after his lesson, leaving Brigham to figure out how to put the horse blanket back on the horse, how to put the halter on this particular horse who is really tall, and really didn't want the halter put on, and how to find the elusive "pasture 3." I know how Brigham feels-- I hate asking questions that betray some lack of ability or knowledge on my part. But after the blanket fell off the horse, the halter fell off the horse, and the horse ran away (without a halter or lead rope), I hope Brigham learned that sometimes it's better to ask for help or clarification to begin with, rather than risking things getting out of hand later. Meanwhile, I was no help whatsoever since I had gone out to the van to wait for him while he put the horse away (which normally takes only a few minutes). I felt so bad for him when I finally found him crying after more than 45 minutes of frustration trying to put this horse away. I attempted to make things better for him with a stop at Sonic for a banana pineapple shake. Anyway, once home (not till 3:00 PM!), I took Mosey to Walmart AGAIN (a different Walmart) to try again to find the nerf gun. Success this time and he's been driving us crazy with those little foam bullets flying every which way ever since. Then I cam home, did laundry and then took the boys to see War Horse (good movie!). It was long, though, and we weren't home until 10:00 PM at which point everyone had to get ready for bed. After I shooed the last reluctant boy up the stairs to bed, I went to the grocery store, barely finishing in time to make my purchases before the Sabbath started at 12:00 AM. I got home after midnight and spent the next 2 hours putting groceries away and straightening up the house for Sunday. I need another weekend day.
Today was a good Sunday. I'm back in Gospel Doctrine and Relief Society now that I'm not a primary teacher. And someone came to sit next to me in Relief Society, so I was happy. After church I took a nap and then got dinner ready for a couple of people from our ward who came to dinner. The laundry I did yesterday afternoon is still sitting (clean and dry) in laundry baskets in the laundry room where they may stay until next weekend, but I'm going to try to ignore them and go to bed.
That's it, everyone. No pictures this week. This next week I am making it a goal to have a least a few pictures worth looking at. My camera is getting dusty on my desk.
Love,
Gabrielle
02/12/12
1. So as you know I finally bit the bullet and bought a smart phone, the Droid Razr. I have no idea how to use it. I can make calls, answer calls, check email, and get online, but that's pretty much it. I have no idea how to turn on the speakerphone, how to open up more than one web page, how to add or edit contacts, how to set an alarm, or how to create a calendar. I know how to take pictures and video, but I don't know how to view them on the phone. The phone makes little chiming sounds when it is notifying me of something, but I can't figure out what it's notifying me of. It doesn't tell me when I've missed a call or when I have voice mail. All in all, I'm kind of missing my old little phone. I've looked up Razr tutorials online, but haven't found anything useful. The local Verizon store actually offers a Droid class, but it's at exactly the same time as a ward activity Ben is in charge of. Basically, I don't think I'm smart enough for a smart phone. :-)
2. Today was church. The boys were not getting along in Sacrament meeting. They occasionally have a clash of wills over who will sit where. Then there is a lot of passive aggressive "squishing" as one boy or another decides they will have that spot they wanted, if they have to crowd everyone else off the bench in the process. At least it was between only two of my boys this time. I'm not sure how it started, since they had already sat down when I came in. One boy wanted the other's spot, but that child wouldn't give it up, so he was crowding everyone else as he tried to get himself into that coveted (why??) spot. I ended up whisper-yelling at all of the boys, and at that child in particular to scoot over, stay in your place, and DON'T crowd your brothers! Oh what a great way to start the church meeting. There's nothing like taking the Sacrament immediately after yelling at your children. (Does whisper-yelling count as yelling?) But, the rest of the day was pretty good. We had a woman from our ward, and her brother over for dinner. I made meat loaf and potatoes and green salad and banana cake for dessert.
3. I am hoping for a better Monday tomorrow than we've had the past few weeks. Is there any trick for having a good Monday? Maybe I'll wake up the boys tomorrow morning and tell them it's Tuesday. :-)
2. Today was church. The boys were not getting along in Sacrament meeting. They occasionally have a clash of wills over who will sit where. Then there is a lot of passive aggressive "squishing" as one boy or another decides they will have that spot they wanted, if they have to crowd everyone else off the bench in the process. At least it was between only two of my boys this time. I'm not sure how it started, since they had already sat down when I came in. One boy wanted the other's spot, but that child wouldn't give it up, so he was crowding everyone else as he tried to get himself into that coveted (why??) spot. I ended up whisper-yelling at all of the boys, and at that child in particular to scoot over, stay in your place, and DON'T crowd your brothers! Oh what a great way to start the church meeting. There's nothing like taking the Sacrament immediately after yelling at your children. (Does whisper-yelling count as yelling?) But, the rest of the day was pretty good. We had a woman from our ward, and her brother over for dinner. I made meat loaf and potatoes and green salad and banana cake for dessert.
3. I am hoping for a better Monday tomorrow than we've had the past few weeks. Is there any trick for having a good Monday? Maybe I'll wake up the boys tomorrow morning and tell them it's Tuesday. :-)
02/11/12
1. Joseph had fun in archery again today. Mosey decided not to go this time. Joseph hit his balloon not once, but twice! The first shot pierced the balloon, but did not puncture it (I've never seen that before!), but the next arrow through definitely popped it. He's fun to watch!
2. Poor Brigham did NOT have fun at horseback riding today. Well, the riding was fine, but afterwards was not. It was cold out today-- in the 40's, so after his lesson, instead of waiting while he got his horse de-saddled, de-bridled, and brushed down, I told him I'd wait for him in the car. This was a bad idea. His teacher immediately went into another lesson, leaving Brigham to figure out how to get the horse blanket back on him (a horse blanket is this great big blanket thing that buckles in front and underneath the horse's belly), get the halter on him, and then take him out to "pasture 3." Brigham hasn't yet learned that sometimes you just need to go ask for help. So he struggled with the blanket, got it on, sort of, put on the halter, sort of, then led Red (the horse) out toward the pastures. But Brigham didn't know which pasture was #3. And then the blanket fell off the horse. And then the halter fell off. And then Red started running away. Oh, poor Brigham! Finally someone saw his predicament, came out to help him round up Red, put the halter back on, buckle the blanket back on, and showed Brigham which pasture was #3. Meanwhile, I was sitting in the warm car, dozing, waiting for him to finish up. I woke up when my phone rang and Mosey asked when we would be home. I looked at my watch and saw it was 2:24. Brigham's lesson had ended at 1:30! I got out of the car to try to track him down, pretty much just as he was walking back toward the car. I could see at once that he was very upset. He held in the tears until he got in the car, but then he was really distraught. This is the main complaint I have with his teacher-- she leaves way too much for him to do on his own. It's not that he doesn't know how to do things (although there are some things he doesn't know-- like how to put a horse blanket on that he's never done before), but mostly that he's too short! Red is a great big tall horse, and Brigham cannot put the halter on him unless he lowers his head, which he was not inclined to do. He said he never wanted to go back to horseback riding. I think he'll change his mind, but from now on I think Ben needs to take him. If Ben had been there with him, none of that would have happened. :-( I hope that this experience at least will help Brigham realize that it's OK, and often times best to find someone and ask for help.
3. I took the boys to see War Horse tonight. I've never seen the theater so crowded! That movie has been out for several weeks now, but the theater was almost totally full. There were definitely not 4 seats together. I was in my wheelchair so I told the boys I'd stay in the front (where there are handicapped areas), and they should just find places where they could. They didn't want to do this, and finally two ladies who were sitting in 2 of the seats in the handicapped section stood up and offered the boys their seats. Joseph and Brigham sat there and Mosey sat on my lap. Two hours and 23 minutes is a long time to have a 55 lb 8-year-old on your lap!
It was a good movie, though.
When we got home, it was 10:00 and definitely time for the boys to go to bed. Mosey was tired. At least I'm hoping that's the reason why he started crying about not doing anything fun today. Nothing fun?! I took him to Walmart twice to find a Nerf gun and sword he's been planning to buy (the first Walmart didn't have it), he did exactly zero chores today, and then went to see a movie! What is this kid's definition of fun?! My theory, and I'm pretty sure I'm right about this, is that he played too many computer games. Computer games suck up your time and waste it. You start playing, then 4 hours later suddenly disappears. You can spend the whole day playing computer games, and at the end of the day you can hardly believe 9 hours have passed. It's like the whole day was swallowed into the oblivion of mindless computer games. If I'd been home I would have curtailed Mosey's computer game playing, but my morning started early taking Joseph to archery, then home, then quickly to Walmart before coming home again and leaving immediately for horseback riding. I got home again at 3:00, took Mosey to Walmart again, and came home to do laundry and other chores. At that point, the computer games were over and the boys watched an episode of X-files, which wasn't much better. Ben was gone for most of the day too with church duties, so Mosey, the only one without a formal activity to go to, was unsupervised for too much of the day during which I think he pretty much played Tanki Online, and that was it. I'm on the verge of banning that game entirely.
2. Poor Brigham did NOT have fun at horseback riding today. Well, the riding was fine, but afterwards was not. It was cold out today-- in the 40's, so after his lesson, instead of waiting while he got his horse de-saddled, de-bridled, and brushed down, I told him I'd wait for him in the car. This was a bad idea. His teacher immediately went into another lesson, leaving Brigham to figure out how to get the horse blanket back on him (a horse blanket is this great big blanket thing that buckles in front and underneath the horse's belly), get the halter on him, and then take him out to "pasture 3." Brigham hasn't yet learned that sometimes you just need to go ask for help. So he struggled with the blanket, got it on, sort of, put on the halter, sort of, then led Red (the horse) out toward the pastures. But Brigham didn't know which pasture was #3. And then the blanket fell off the horse. And then the halter fell off. And then Red started running away. Oh, poor Brigham! Finally someone saw his predicament, came out to help him round up Red, put the halter back on, buckle the blanket back on, and showed Brigham which pasture was #3. Meanwhile, I was sitting in the warm car, dozing, waiting for him to finish up. I woke up when my phone rang and Mosey asked when we would be home. I looked at my watch and saw it was 2:24. Brigham's lesson had ended at 1:30! I got out of the car to try to track him down, pretty much just as he was walking back toward the car. I could see at once that he was very upset. He held in the tears until he got in the car, but then he was really distraught. This is the main complaint I have with his teacher-- she leaves way too much for him to do on his own. It's not that he doesn't know how to do things (although there are some things he doesn't know-- like how to put a horse blanket on that he's never done before), but mostly that he's too short! Red is a great big tall horse, and Brigham cannot put the halter on him unless he lowers his head, which he was not inclined to do. He said he never wanted to go back to horseback riding. I think he'll change his mind, but from now on I think Ben needs to take him. If Ben had been there with him, none of that would have happened. :-( I hope that this experience at least will help Brigham realize that it's OK, and often times best to find someone and ask for help.
3. I took the boys to see War Horse tonight. I've never seen the theater so crowded! That movie has been out for several weeks now, but the theater was almost totally full. There were definitely not 4 seats together. I was in my wheelchair so I told the boys I'd stay in the front (where there are handicapped areas), and they should just find places where they could. They didn't want to do this, and finally two ladies who were sitting in 2 of the seats in the handicapped section stood up and offered the boys their seats. Joseph and Brigham sat there and Mosey sat on my lap. Two hours and 23 minutes is a long time to have a 55 lb 8-year-old on your lap!
It was a good movie, though.
When we got home, it was 10:00 and definitely time for the boys to go to bed. Mosey was tired. At least I'm hoping that's the reason why he started crying about not doing anything fun today. Nothing fun?! I took him to Walmart twice to find a Nerf gun and sword he's been planning to buy (the first Walmart didn't have it), he did exactly zero chores today, and then went to see a movie! What is this kid's definition of fun?! My theory, and I'm pretty sure I'm right about this, is that he played too many computer games. Computer games suck up your time and waste it. You start playing, then 4 hours later suddenly disappears. You can spend the whole day playing computer games, and at the end of the day you can hardly believe 9 hours have passed. It's like the whole day was swallowed into the oblivion of mindless computer games. If I'd been home I would have curtailed Mosey's computer game playing, but my morning started early taking Joseph to archery, then home, then quickly to Walmart before coming home again and leaving immediately for horseback riding. I got home again at 3:00, took Mosey to Walmart again, and came home to do laundry and other chores. At that point, the computer games were over and the boys watched an episode of X-files, which wasn't much better. Ben was gone for most of the day too with church duties, so Mosey, the only one without a formal activity to go to, was unsupervised for too much of the day during which I think he pretty much played Tanki Online, and that was it. I'm on the verge of banning that game entirely.
Friday, February 10, 2012
02/10/12
1. The weekend is finally here. Yay. This seemed like a long week to me. Today was an OK day. Mosey was having some "issues" this afternoon and ended up storming out the front door (actually escaping from a 25-minute hall closet sentence-- which he got for throwing a heavy metal object (heavy-duty padlock) inside the house at his brother, then escaping from his first 10 minute sentence and then throwing another heavy metal object (this time a double spigot head from the outside hose spigot that cracked last year-- why do we still have that thing?) again inside the house and at his brother), and running off down the street. A nice lady saw him run out the door and down the road, and stopped and knocked on our door to see if I needed any help. I said no, he just needed to cool off and he'd be back, but after 20 minutes, he still hadn't shown up. And an 8 year old wandering around by himself during school hours doesn't look so good. So I got in the van and drove around until I found him. I knew he wouldn't go too far. He saw me and took off down the road again, but I finally managed to sweet-talk him into getting in the van and going home, and then he was good as gold the rest of the afternoon. Stinker.
2. I got my hair cut this afternoon. I always like that. For at least a few hours every 2 months or so, my hair looks good. :-)
3. The boys and Ben spent all evening playing Tanki Online. I'm telling you, the computer-game part of my brain is missing. I don't understand the appeal. They were all totally breaking my screen-time rule for the day, but they were all having so much fun together, I didn't have the heart to tell them to stop. It's this tank game where you shoot tanks, and... well, I think that's it-- you just shoot tanks. You are a tank and you shoot other tanks. And this is somehow hugely fun for hours at a time. Anyway all the boys and Ben were on different computers (yikes, we have FOUR computers in this house?? Yep, with Ben's work computer and my old laptop that has somehow been resurrected from the dead, we have four), and were able to team up in battles against other online gamers. They had a great time yelling back and forth to each other from across the room and strategizing as to how best manipulate the battle, since all 4 of them were working as a team. At one point I did hear Joseph say, "I think this is technically cheating, but... who cares!" Hmmm. What are the ethics of online tank-shooting games? Do I care? Maybe not. :-)
4. I utterly forgot about Mosey's Tae Kwon Do belt ceremony tonight. I suck. I hope he forgives me.
2. I got my hair cut this afternoon. I always like that. For at least a few hours every 2 months or so, my hair looks good. :-)
3. The boys and Ben spent all evening playing Tanki Online. I'm telling you, the computer-game part of my brain is missing. I don't understand the appeal. They were all totally breaking my screen-time rule for the day, but they were all having so much fun together, I didn't have the heart to tell them to stop. It's this tank game where you shoot tanks, and... well, I think that's it-- you just shoot tanks. You are a tank and you shoot other tanks. And this is somehow hugely fun for hours at a time. Anyway all the boys and Ben were on different computers (yikes, we have FOUR computers in this house?? Yep, with Ben's work computer and my old laptop that has somehow been resurrected from the dead, we have four), and were able to team up in battles against other online gamers. They had a great time yelling back and forth to each other from across the room and strategizing as to how best manipulate the battle, since all 4 of them were working as a team. At one point I did hear Joseph say, "I think this is technically cheating, but... who cares!" Hmmm. What are the ethics of online tank-shooting games? Do I care? Maybe not. :-)
4. I utterly forgot about Mosey's Tae Kwon Do belt ceremony tonight. I suck. I hope he forgives me.
02/09/12
1. I think I managed the no yelling rule today. Everyone seemed to be in pretty good spirits. Practicing didn't get finished until 11:20, but I was on the phone for some of that time, so I'm counting it as a point.
2. The boys think it's really funny to try and scare Sandy. I haven't seen her do this recently, but a few times she's caught sight of one of the boys wearing a hat, or a jacket with a hood, or something different, and she apparently doesn't recognize them and starts barking her head off. So Brigham tried doing that this afternoon. He put on a jacket, a ski cap, 3D glasses, and a scarf. He sneaked around to the back of the house and then burst into the kitchen from the back porch, yelling and carrying a great big rake. He even scared me! Poor Sandy scrambled so fast under the kitchen table I thought she'd hurt herself! It was very funny. I don't think she was fooled for long, though. The boys sure do love her. This morning Mosey came crying to me while I was practicing with Brigham, saying, "Joseph thinks that Sandy likes him the best, and so only he is allowed to pet her!" Oh, not so! She loves them all. But, secretly, I think she loves me best. Another fun trick the boys like to do is come and kneel in front of me like a dog and I pet their heads and scratch behind their ears and say, "Oh, Mosey's such a good little Mosey! Oh, what a good Mosey he is!!" (or whichever boy it is). This drives Sandy crazy. She'll rush over and shove her nose under my arm, pushing Mosey (or whoever it is) over until she's the center of the show. She'll jump up and put her front paws on my lap, often in the process pushing me in my wheelchair backwards until I either manage to get the brakes on, or I bump into something behind me. She is jealous! I'm not to scratch behind anyone else's ears but hers! :-)
2. The boys think it's really funny to try and scare Sandy. I haven't seen her do this recently, but a few times she's caught sight of one of the boys wearing a hat, or a jacket with a hood, or something different, and she apparently doesn't recognize them and starts barking her head off. So Brigham tried doing that this afternoon. He put on a jacket, a ski cap, 3D glasses, and a scarf. He sneaked around to the back of the house and then burst into the kitchen from the back porch, yelling and carrying a great big rake. He even scared me! Poor Sandy scrambled so fast under the kitchen table I thought she'd hurt herself! It was very funny. I don't think she was fooled for long, though. The boys sure do love her. This morning Mosey came crying to me while I was practicing with Brigham, saying, "Joseph thinks that Sandy likes him the best, and so only he is allowed to pet her!" Oh, not so! She loves them all. But, secretly, I think she loves me best. Another fun trick the boys like to do is come and kneel in front of me like a dog and I pet their heads and scratch behind their ears and say, "Oh, Mosey's such a good little Mosey! Oh, what a good Mosey he is!!" (or whichever boy it is). This drives Sandy crazy. She'll rush over and shove her nose under my arm, pushing Mosey (or whoever it is) over until she's the center of the show. She'll jump up and put her front paws on my lap, often in the process pushing me in my wheelchair backwards until I either manage to get the brakes on, or I bump into something behind me. She is jealous! I'm not to scratch behind anyone else's ears but hers! :-)
3. I can't think of anything for #3 tonight. The boys had art in the afternoon, then I took Mosey to cello, then we came home and I made dinner, then I cleaned up dinner, did the dishes, checked my email, folded a bunch of laundry, here I am writing my blog post and now I have to go to bed. Tomorrow's Friday!
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