Like father, like son

Today (well, it is after midnight now so I guess I mean yesterday) Luke decided that he is interested in writing the letters of the alphabet. I have watched him draw pictures with such control of the pen, pencil, marker, crayon, etc that I know he has the ability to write the letters. I have been asking him almost daily when Rose is practicing her printing if he is interested in learning to write some letters and, until today, he has not wanted to. So, today, he sat down and printed several letters with such ease like he had been printing for months.

You know, he did something sort of similar to this when he started counting. It was right around his second birthday and he would always count, "one, two, one, two, one, two..." and I think sometimes he would throw in a "nine, ten." He had counted that way for a while and he showed no interest in counting any other way. Then, one day, out of the blue he counted to fifteen perfectly like it was no big deal. It was like he had known all along how to count correctly, but chose not to.

Rob's grandmother talks about how when Rob was little that she didn't remember him saying much at all until one day he walked up to her and spoke to her using complete sentences.

I can definitely see some similarities here.

Elmo's Green Thumb

Rose and Luke entered a coloring contest last week with the prize being dinner for 4 at Pagliai's (a local pizza and Italian restaurant with a play area for kids) and tickets for 4 to go see Elmo's Green Thumb at the RSEC. Well, Rose won for her age group and so yesterday we enjoyed her winnings.

A glimpse into the mind of a 3 year old

Luke is beginning to question how the world around him works. He is no longer taking it for granted that the things around him function every day. He now wants to know how and why they function. For example, the other day he asked where the hole in the toilet goes.

This morning at breakfast Luke looked over at me and said, "Mom, how do you eat babies?" At first, I was a little shocked by the question. You know, because it sounded a little cannibalistic. And Rose was giggling because of the absurdity of his question. Then, it hit me. We always say that when a woman is pregnant that she has a baby in her belly. So, I asked him if he was wanting to know how women get babies in their bellies. And that is exactly what he wanted to know. Well, I made sure that he understood that we, in fact, do not eat them. Then, I told him that God puts the babies in our bellies to grow until they are ready to be born.

Then, a few minutes after we cleared that up, Luke said, "Mom, when you die can I have your iron?" At the time, I was ironing some bead crafts that the kids had finished this morning. Then, before I could respond, he added, "and can I have your car too?" Now, is it just me, or is he a little young to be having these thoughts?

Just like that old time rock n roll

The beach soothes my soul. I'm glad the kids enjoy it too. Rob is not a big fan of too much sun exposure, but he digs playing in the waves. We went to Orange Beach, Alabama this summer and had a blast.

They might be good presents

We recently purchased 2 CD/DVD combos by They Might Be Giants for the kids. Here Come the ABCs & Here Come the 123s They are educational and fun which makes parents and kids happy.

Homeschooling Haters

I was sitting at a table at a wedding reception yesterday when I was approached by a woman who is barely even an acquaintance of our family. I should note that she was not coming over to my table to say a friendly hello, but rather to grab a piece of pottery that was sitting directly in front of me. I didn't mind at all that she was taking it, but it was a bit immature for a woman of her age. You see, the groom made enough pieces for every family to take one home as a souvenir of the wedding (a very nice gift if you ask me). I have no idea how many hours he must have spent making the numerous pieces. But, I digress.

Let us get back to my encounter with the not so charming lady. Well, what followed after her awkward intrusion was an even more unpleasant conversation. I reminded her of who I was since she said she recognized me but could not recall how she knew me. I reminded her that we had met at her house about a year ago at a retirement party that she hosted for the mother of the groom. I think the mutual friend is the only thing I have in common with this woman.

Anyway, after reintroducing myself, my daughter, who had been playing with the other kids there, came over to the table. Rose entered the conversation for a minute or two. The woman asked Rose the usual questions that kids get asked by adults. How old are you? What grade are you in? Where do you go to school? Rose informed the woman that she is six and is homeschooled and she just finished kindergarten. Then, Rose ran off to say goodbye to her friends because it was almost time to leave.

I was left with the woman who proceeded to tell me what great teachers the local elementary school has and how great the school system is. Then, she made sure to tell me that she is not an advocate of homeschooling. By Rose stating that she is homeschooled, had this woman concluded that we believe that the teachers and school system are subpar? We did not say it because we do not believe it. Also, did I ask her for her opinion about homeschooling? No, I did not. So, why did she feel the need to specify that she is not an advocate of homeschooling? Did she think that it mattered to me? It does not matter to me what her opinion is. In fact, I would not be homeschooling if I had any doubt about whether or not it is a good choice for my family. I don't mind others having a different opinion than me, but I do mind others being close-minded and rude.

Am I an advocate of homeschooling? No. Am I an advocate of public schools? No. Am I an advocate of parents doing what is best for their families in their particular circumstances? Yes. It is not a question of which form of schooling is better, but rather which form of schooling is better for a particular family.

I am tired of the negative reaction I get from others concerning our choice to homeschool. We are taking it one year at a time. We just started a year ago and for right now it is working well for our family. Do I think my kids will eventually go to public schools? Maybe. I simply don't know at this point. I am okay with this since I don't know what the future holds for us. Why must so many people be so uncomfortable with this?

Are there studies that show homeschooled children grow up to be misfits? Are we ruining society? My husband, children, and I are active in the community. We aren't sheltering our children. We protect our children as parents should, but we are not closing ourselves off from the outside world. Is that what people think? When are people going to open their minds and drop the stigma of homeschooling?

Seriously. If you are against homeschooling, then that is fine. Why not ask yourself a few questions, though, before you close the book on homeschooling. First, do you have children? How can you know what is best for your children before you know them? Second, are you opposed to homeschooling in general or are you opposed to homeschooling your children? There is a difference. One can recognize that homeschooling is not the best option for his/her family while acknowledging that it may be best for another's family. And, lastly, if you have considered all there is to consider about homeschooling and you still come to the conclusion that you are against it, then can you have a little respect for other parents and their rights to decide what is best for their families?

Motivation

Why is it so hard to convince myself to do something that I enjoy doing? I am out of the habit of regularly exercising and I am finding it quite difficult to start again. I do have an active lifestyle. I stay at home with my two kids which entails much activity, but simply being active is not enough. I am in my late twenties and my metabolism is slowing down and I cannot maintain my weight without regular exercise. Also, I know that in order to keep my heart healthy, I need to do more than just chase my kids around every day.

Exercise is something my husband and I want to be a priority in our family. We want fitness to be one of our family values. We have had so many commitments in the last few years that have taken up too much of our time and energy. It is time to match our commitments up with our priorities. The pastor at the church I go to talked about this concept some time ago and it has been on my mind ever since. Why do we commit to doing things that are not priorities in our lives? How much happier would we be if we did things every day that are really important to us?

I need to commit to exercising. It is a priority, therefore I should do it. This is easy to say, but not so easy to do. I know that once I'm in the habit of exercising that it will be much easier, but, at the moment, I am not. I need some motivation to get started. I have put on a few pounds which is motivating. I am going to the beach in a few weeks. That is motivating. I have a class reunion in a couple of months which is definitely motivating. Now, why am I not out jogging around the neighborhood??? I don't know. Maybe all those aforementioned reasons are not enough for me. What does it take to get me out the door? I'm struggling to come up with the answer to that question.

I think one good answer to that queston is that I need to be more self-motivated. I don't need to do things because I feel outside pressure to do them (e.g. I don't need to lose weight to impress others). I need to accomplish things for myself. But it is hard for me to focus on doing things for myself. I think this is true for most moms. I want to be a happier, healthier mom, though, so I think it is time to start exercising more regularly. Tomorrow morning would be a great time to start.