one small step

when i started homeschooling, someone with much experience told me to focus on the basics as i began; reading, writing, and math. this was SUPER freeing for me.  when you sit down and look at the intense curriculum we use, it helped me prioritize my school day with katie. the more schooling i do with katie the more i realize what i want her to take away from our time together. i want her to be able to strongly communicate orally and in written form. i also want her to master math. not just be "ok" at it. i think if you are strong, really strong at these two subjects, the world of education is at your finger tips.  don't get me wrong I LOVE history. I LOVE science. history was my favorite subject in school. my original plan in life was to become a history teacher (deeply motivated by the HUGE impact my history teacher had on me :)) God had other plans, but it doesn't mean that i still don't eat up history and current events like a mad dog. i mean, i live in a place that is dripping with history around each corner. so right now history is experiential for us. i DO teach science, and katie actually LOVES science, but science is at the bottom of the to-do list for now. obviously, that will change as we continue.

all this to say, writing for katie is extremely painful. creating a new idea is hard for her. we spent hours and tears writing ONE sentence in the first grade. katie can copy ANYTHING. that's why she thrives in dance. katie can verbally communicate any thought, feeling, or experience she has been through. she has been doing it since about the time she turned one. she came that way. but to have to invent a random sentence that she did not experience or copy.... YIKES. julia can create the craziest, funniest, most random stories and sentences in a heart beat. but it's painful for her to focus and follow precise instructions, and verbally communicate her feelings.. katie is just like mark. julia is just like me.

we try very hard to help our kids in their weaknesses. not critique or destroy them, but build them up and encourage them. when julia falls to pieces and her whining is that of a siren, i try (a lot of times i fail) to calmly say, "julia, stop whining and tell me what's going on?" most the time she just continues to have a freak out and it quickly turns into a melt down that requires discipline.... this can be an exhausting cycle.

but, ah, we had a sweet moment of growth this last week regarding both girls.
from scratch, katie had to write a very descriptive poem about fruit, using some similes. we spent time brainstorming, writing our ideas on paper, verbally talking about it, and then she had to write it down. i am SO PROUD of the poem she wrote. i cried. who cries about a fruity poem? :)

An orange is juicy,
just like Lucy.

An orange is yummy,
just like honey.

An orange is bumpy,
and a little lumpy.

It's a good snack,
and it is easy to pack.

T.S. Eliot you better watch out :)

last week jules was in a mood. she began to whine, bully, and peck on me. i got down on her eye level pulled her close so she could feel me breathe, and i said, "julia, you have two choices, you can tell me what's wrong and together you and i can find a solution, or you can walk back to my room and i will show you the solution. what would you like to do?"

she pulled a little bit back, sighed and said, "mom, i just feel totally frustrated and overwhelmed... and i think i am tired." i cried. ah, a direct statement about her feelings. i hugged her. "julia, what can mama do to to help you with these feelings?" she replied, "will you come put me down for a nap? i think i just need to sleep!" more true words could not have been spoken. an hour and half later she came out of her room refreshed and sweet :)

oh, the ending to these kinds of situations do not always end so successfully. i wish they did. but i am VERY grateful when they turn out this way. it gives me hope they both of my sweet girls are learning and growing, DESPITE me.

and just as a glimmer of hope begins to spread.... anderson throws his oatmeal at me in anger this morning... back to the drawing board.

happy thursday,
~s