Hiatus

In order to be fair to the two or three people who regularly read, and or check on my blog, I am officially taking a hiatus. There is so much going on in the next few weeks with the impending nuptials of the niece, that I just can't commit the way I should. I promise however, to have a new post not later than July 17th! Check back! Love ya!

Shake, rattle & roll!

He rolls! Yeah, finally! Tonight, just as I was starting to worry, Paddy boy decided to roll! 6 months, 8 days. What a relief.
His big brother caused me the same anguish. He got to the point where I said "if you don't roll over today, I am calling the Dr. tomorrow!" What do you know? Flip. So tonight was Paddy boy's night! Curly rolled at exactly 3 months. The boys? Not so much. First son did hit every other milestone on the nose or early, and walked younger than his sister (the "rolling over over-achiever"), so there is hope for Paddy Boy. The down-side? He is growing up! Soon he'll be holding his own bottle, and then it is all over, he won't need me anymore!
Also, I managed to get curly girl's hair into a pony tail tonight. It looks more like a puffy bun, but still. She looks so old. And beautiful.
Why don't they just stay little? To quote First son, "you stay little, I am growing up!" - aged 30 months.

Saying it out loud

Okay, here it is. I have been "joking" about it for some time, but now, I am serious. I hereby proclaim that I intend to make a serious inquiry into...homeschooling. Now, I am with you, at first I thought that it is crazy! Only psycho, crunchy granola types do this sort of thing. But, the thing is, my children are precious, and SMART, really smart. And who, besides me and my husband, should have the privilege of deciding who and what is worthy of teaching them?

The whole thing about socialization is bunk - of course, it is vital, but socialization these days does not come from school alone. And thanks to the Internet (thank you, Al Gore, you're not only saving the planet) homeschoolers unite, they form societies, they participate in group activities, etc. I don't exactly live in a neighborly neighborhood. My kids don't know the little girl next door any more than they know the mailman. (sad, but true, and not because I am not one of the friendliest people I know) But, at just 3 and 4, they have a lot of friends, because I include them in activities. Also, our society is activity oriented (Karate, soccer, dance. language, religion, basketball, scouts) , which I have always , at least thus far, been reluctant to join. I feel like kids these days are over scheduled, and don't have the opportunity to just be kids. Well, homeschooling kind of does away with all that.

Now, don't get me wrong, First son has had a very positive experience in preschool. But, academically, I don't think he gained a darn thing. I think his teachers have been wonderful, and in no way do I think that preschool has been frivolous, or "playschool:", but other that having two and 1/2 hours away from me three times a week, I don't think that First son has gained much either.

So anyway, all I am saying is that this is something that I feel very strongly about, something which I think deserves my full attention. I have been praying about it, and I feel that God is at the least guiding me in a direction which warrants a full discernment process. So, if you are my friend, or my family, and even f your thoughts are quite the opposite, I am asking you to please, please be supportive of this process. I assure you that the kindergarten year will happen as scheduled, beyond that is where I am considering changes. So please, open your heart and open your mind just as I am.

There's a new sheriff in town

I never had a playroom when I was a kid (I didn't have time to play, what with having to walk to school barefoot, in the snow, uphill both ways). When we found our house one of the big draws was a nice little room right off the kitchen and behind the living room which could serve as a playroom. A place for the toys to go, a place where they belong! So, I set to making it a darned cool playroom. I painted a border around the room and affixed bright primary colored wooden alphabet letters (I couldn't find a wallpaper that I liked, and I love copying things I see in Pottery Barn but paying 1/2 as much). We bought a table and 5 little chairs. I have labelled bins for every type of toy: Dinosaurs, Little People, Dress-up. There's a kitchen in the playroom, and a sit and spin, and all kinds of really cool stuff. When I was a kid I would have killed for a playroom like this. My kids? Not so much. It is a disaster area. It is so freaking messy that it gives me hives. Despite my careful mod-podgeing of labels, there are dinosaurs with little people, and little people in with the dress-up. Somehow, there's even dirty laundry in there. It makes me NUTS! I keep threatening that one day they will wake up and it will all be gone. I would do it too, if I could find the energy to pack it all up and put it all away after I struggle to get them in bed each night.
Hubby tries to help me keep it clean, but really, he just makes sure there is a clear path to the door in case of fire. Even he doesn't read my labels. So, every few weeks, MOMMY CLEANS THE PLAYROOM. This is a day that my children face with dread. One time I heard First Son say "Daddy, what IS she doing?" I get in there and dump every single container. I am a segregationist! NO Lego's with the matchbox cars! No princesses with the dinosaurs! And oh, there better not be crayons cavorting with anything but crayons!
Are my expectations too high? Do I ask too much? Well, at least for a few days after Mommy cleans up things tend to get put away correctly. I truly believe that kids need this kind of order. I find that when the playroom is clean, they play better. They play with toys and games that they haven't seen for a while. They make an effort to clean up. And, I am a nicer person when the playroom is clean. Well, Not that first day, because that day I am a bit sleep deprived, ya know?