Meet the Letters... again

It is time to have Ainsley watch Meet the Letters. I haven't had a copy for awhile because I gave it to someone. So... its on order and should be here shortly.

Leaves

Aidan seems fascinated by leaves lately. She keeps collecting them and wants to give them as gifts to people. I think for her first science exploration... it will be collecting and pressing and talking about different types of leaves. We'll make a nature journal of it.

Stop and Go

I must have been crazy to think I'd get any schooling done while being in N.C. I had forgotten that the kids were out of school (which means I never saw my girls 'cause they were hanging out with the older cousins) and I hadn't thought through to how crazy things might be the first week of chemo. Anyway, the next week of N.C. should sail a little smoother so I'll take the school supplies and see what happens.

What about this last week? Errr... I kindof decided to continue the break. I've been in this...preoccupied mood... where I'm trying to deal with things in my head and I haven't wanted to go through the rigmarole of putting together and structuring everything.

What we have done is what we were doing before... random learning out of the blue. While the girls are playing in the playroom... I might go in and write a few sentences on the wipe board and have Aidan read them... and then do the same with letters for Ainsley. A few times this week... I've sat Aidan down to read a book together. She'll read the easy parts and I'll read the harder parts. I've also done a few math activities for both girls.

Speaking of reading... I have to change my plans again!

My plan has been to teach the basic phonetic sounds... starting with vowels.... short A, short E, etc. I figured I'd keep working on one sound at a time until she's built up enough in her mind to branch out. Well she's branched out! I've only gotten through the A's but two days ago when I sat down with Aidan to read with her I discovered that in this two week break... Aidan learned to read all on her own. She's reading words and phonetic sounds I haven't taught.

So, I will continue with phonics... but I think I'll let Alpha Phonics and Explode the Code take over on those lessons... I'm just going to concentrate on reading with her.

While I read with her... I'll repeat a phonetic rule. SH says "Shhh" and move on. That's all she needs now. My Aidan has crossed the bridge into true reading. Somewhere inside me I'm an excited little girl.

You know... her brain works so funny! I like to compare people's brains to computers. In her computer I input a few ideas and rules and then, if I let it process for awhile, I realize her inner programing has expanded the information and has built its own fully functioning programs.

I cannot wait to see how Ainsley operates!

GA Birthday

For all the family in GA... Ainsley had a second little party. Her paternal grandparents were nice enough to put it all together.

A Barney Birthday

I threw together a party for Ainsley... decorated the dining room with balloons. McMama made a cool Barney and "Be Bop" cake. It was a little awkward throwing a party in another house. Bridgett didn't feel all that well and mostly stayed in the living room and I felt... stupid?...silly?... like I was making an effort needlessly. However, when I saw Ainsley's face light up when we sang "Happy Birthday" I was glad I made the effort. Little Bit just glowed... tickled pink... to be the center of attention. I think that grin of hers will always be etched in my mind.

Role Models

Beautiful!!

Kid's Play

How unaware they are!

Mammarazzi

The algae-infested pond by our house has an awesome tree to take pictures on... so I took the girls down to it to pose.

Neither one felt overly cooperative but I got a few cute pics.

I really need a better camera!!

Bike Rides

Ainsley doesn't have the tricycle down... but I'm sure in a few months... she'll get it. Aidan rides her bike like a pro now with only an occasional "I'm stuck, Mommy!"


I plan that this summer... when Ainsley rides well... we'll all go riding together at the park. Of course, John and I don't own a bike.. but hey.. semantics.

Week 3

* This week will be a review week. We will be in N.C. so I feel that introducing new concepts would be unproductive.

We will...

* Review the short a sounds
* Use letter cards to build words
* Play Bingo
* Alpha Phonics: review 3-7 again
* Unifix cubes
* Pom Pom matching for Ainsley
* Dice game
* Continue exploring adding a "S"

Review: Explode the Code

I LOVE IT!

Every new curriculum I try... I always seem to be a little disappointed when it finally arrives.
Not this time!
This is absolutely the most perfect phonics program for Aidan. Book 1 is right on with where she is at ... with what I've been trying to come up with on my own. It's easy... writing can actually be optional if I wish it... and its very repetitive. It builds gradually but not too slowly. Lessons also review previously learned concepts. You can do as many pages/lessons as you need at your own pace. This...along with Alpha Phonics... is all that I'll need for the next two years... so I'm very happy.

The Waiting Game

Nauseous.............................check
Spontaneous Crying...........check
Tired....................................check
Headaches...........................check
Taste changes.....................check
Reflux...................................check
Soreness...............................check
General Yuckiness................check

Perhaps the third time will be the charm... I'm waiting to see. Of course... it probably will because I had decided to hold off any "family planning "for awhile because of the situation with my sister. Therefore, it is almost guaranteed to "stick."

Thoughts & Changes

Well....school has been "in session" for two weeks. I consider ourselves in a trial period... where we are leaning what works and at what pace we should go. Things are going well. Aidan is enjoying herself... and so am I. I love teaching... especially at this stage... where everything is starting to click. I love watching the obvious progression of learning. I get excited over making lesson plans and poring over curriculum. If ever I need to work for a living...I just might become a teacher.

Anyway!

The biggest adjustment is that I figured out quickly that Aidan's worksheets...

A: needs to have a little less writing (she writes like a kindergartner but tires of it easily)
and
B: should not be completely mandatory.

I will continue to put them on her to-do list but will leave it up to her whether or not she finishes them. If they are not completed then they will be put in her "worksheet" folder to be done at will.
(This is, by the way, with the exception of her Explode the Code phonics program... those will be mandatory. )

A second... minor adjustment is that I've learned to be hyper-aware of how and what I'm saying to Aidan. She's at the point where she'll pay more attention to me to see if she has the right answer than to what she's supposed to be concentrating on. So... I've learned... that my attitude is very important and will be playing a key-role in whether this schooling will be a success or not.

It's a dance... knowing when to push and not to push...knowing when to switch your tactic of teaching and try something new.. knowing when to be patient and let her figure it out by herself and when to help her.

I haven't got it all down... a few times I've caught myself on the verge of losing patience... and then I have to remind myself her true age.

Overall, I am feeling very positive and am looking forward to seeing where we both stand at the end of this year.

oh yeah...

We didn't finish everything on the list this week. We had a lot of errands to run and all sorts of things... so we'll be working on catching up next week.

Pictures- Wk 2

Working on adding the S

A new puzzle thing I picked up

Ainsley was supposed to be lacing

Oh, you mean use this Mommy?

First Dentist Visit

Aidan went to her first Dentist visit today. Even if I do say so myself... she could not have behaved any better than if she had a halo upon her head. I did not at all expect a tantrum or anything.. but I did expect a bit uneasiness or a "Mommy... Mommy... I need you" once or twice. She did awesome and I could not have been prouder. She followed directions without needing to be told twice and she was polite and talkative without being overly so. The staff there just loved her. Oh... what a proud Mommy I was!

See Potty.... Go Pee..... Or Not

Ahhh.... the joys of potty training!

I knew Ainsley would not be as easy as Aidan... and I was right. With Aidan, I only had to introduce her to the idea and BAM she was trained... very simple and very much Aidan's choice. Ainsley's choice on the other hand is to keep using her Pull-ups because its a war she knows I cannot truly win without her cooperation. Sigh. How funny that I'm only really learning this whole thing on my second child. I will say... in her defense... I do not keep up with it as consistently as I should and I am perhaps not as dedicated to it as is needed. So... I am taking a break... and soon... not sure when...perhaps Wednesday?... (lol- can't you tell I'm in a hurry?)... I will throw the Pull-ups away... ~cough~... I will put the Pull-ups away until bedtime... and bedamn the consequences!

Week Two

Vocabulary
here his they of have

Find all five words in a book of your choice.
Play memory using your words.

Writing
Write all vocab. words twice
Wksht. "here"
Wksht. "am"

Phonics

Decoding Sentences: His car is here. They have his bag of cars.

*This week we will be adding an "s" on the end of words to make them plural.

Practice reading words with the short a sound
(_ag, _ap, _ar, _ad)
Using your letter cards build words with the short a sound.
Play short a sound bingo
Wksht. "_ap"
Wksht. "_ad"

Hop on Pop: read pages 3-7 & 32
Alpha Phonics: review lesson 7
Readers: with help... read Hot Dog

Read-alouds:

Stories: The Lion and the Mouse
Poems: "now I am three"

Choose books from the library

Math

Make number train cars 1-3
Use Unifix cubes to explore patterns
Play dice game

Wksht: "count objects"
Wksht: "how many?"

Emphasis: practice using scissors & Starfall.com


*****Ainsley's theme will be "BLUE" and she'll be using unifix cubes, scissors, and pom pom matching.

On Order: Explode the Code

I've had the three Explode the Code primers...which I hope to use with Ainsley. By the time I took them out for Aidan to use... she'd already grown out of them. I've just now ordered books 1-4 and the half books. This is one package I'm looking forward to seeing in the mail. I've been wanting to thumb through them for awhile now. Reviews are excellent!

Pictures From this Week

Aidan loves her worksheets!

Puzzles are always a hit
Wipe board exercises

Week One

Because this was the first week... I assigned minimal work for Aidan to do. Mostly there has been a lot of unstructured learning...especially with reading... we've been practicing a lot of reading. The things I did assign... is all review for her... so as to make the transition into "school" easier. Next week I will have more assignments for her to do and I'll add Math. Ainsley will have her own work to do as well.


Phonics

Decoding sentence: The man has a ham for his cat to play with.

Practice reading words with the short a sound
(_at, _am, _an, _as)

Using your letter cards
... build words with the short a sound

Play short a sound bingo
Wksht: "_at"
Wksht: "_an"

Hop on Pop: read pages 27-29
Alpha Phonics: review lessons 3-6
Readers: review first 2 Bob books, first 4 Sam

Vocabulary

with his the for play

Find all five words in a book of your choice.
Play memory using your words.

Writing

Copy all vocab. words twice
Write all vocab. words once from dictation.
Wksht. "for"
Wksht." the"
Wksht. "play"

Reading

Various books and stories
(I'll start making a list of read books next week)

Mathematics

Wksht. "Count and circle A "
Wksht. "Count and circle B"

Sunlight and Darkness

Sunlight....

Happy girl loudly singing Jingle Bells... it doesn't matter Christmas is over... she's proud she can remember the words...I am tickled she's reached this stage... I'm loving hearing her sing songs

Little Me... grinning widely...climbing everything...talking so sweetly...snuggles and hugs and kisses and crocodile tears

So much innocence... my babies... so untouched by the horrors of what-can-be... so unaware. I am so grateful for this privileged life we can give them...they are so loved... so happy

Darkness....

What will this year bring for us? There is so much fear... GRIEF that overshadows everything...a permanent knot in my stomach... Will this year be noted for a tragedy? Will my much-loved sister DIE?

I know God provides... and will do so regardless of the outcome with my sister. I believe this strongly... I do... the belief is a part of me... it is so ingrained. I have faith... stronger than anyone can guess... but it's hard... so hard... this is my sister... my "future rocking chair on the front porch companion while we're old and gray" sister... my "let us bitch about the husbands so as to give their behavior a semblance of normalcy to make us feel better" sister... my "isn't it cool that we've broken the family cycle and have remained close?" sister. This...this MAYBE...this HORROR that can be....it's...it's inconceivable.

Welcoming the New Year

To celebrate John finishing his MBA and to say "good bye" to a bad year AND to get a moment to relax before craziness sets in this next year... I took John on a surprise trip to Brasstown Valley Resort & Spa. It was expensive and really stupid to have gone... financially speaking... but I refuse to regret it. John and I reconnected. We had fun. We relaxed.

Our trip started out with a visit to my Aunt Nancy. She lives within an hour away from the Resort.. so we stayed the first night with her family...had dinner

...played foosball.

New Years we ate at the Resort's restaurant and then relaxed in the Great Room with a drink. Since we rarely drink... we had to ask the bartender to tell us what to get.
LOL. How grown up of us!


The night was finished by watching a movie which incidentally ended about 5 until Midnight... when we welcomed the New Year by a quick peck as I talked with my sister on the phone.

New Years Day... John and I went trail riding for two hours. It was enjoyable and I've discovered that I'd very much like to ride... really ride..(sitting on a plodder who only follows the lead horse is not really riding to me...I kept wanting it to go off track and run but it wouldn't...too well trained...hehe)

It was freezing...in the 20's... and we were literally bone cold by the time we got back to our room. After sitting by the fire for awhile we realized we needed more warmth than what it offered and went and soaked in the hot tub and played in the heated pool. Later, we went down to the bar for dinner, had another drink (that's a record!) and played pool.

Afterward we snuggled in bed and watched two movies.

Our last day was a day of relaxation. We drove around a few mountain towns in the morning and then spent the rest of the day at the resort's spa. I enjoyed the spa but wouldn't necessarily wish to frequent them. I don't believe that I'll ever get to the point where I can accept the pretentiousness and the playacting...

She walked in...beautiful, soul lifting music quietly stirring the air. The desk lady smiled invitingly and whispered... "Mrs. B?... Welcome!...your attendant, Staci, will be with you in a moment". Staci soon collects her and shows her to the ladies rejuvenation center... with Swiss showers and ice water and a Sauna... where ladies stand around in their towels... looking red faced and relaxed. After donning a robe and slippers she is led to the relaxation room with spa lounges and cheap, Japanese flowers standing in copper tubes, two wall fountains, a fireplace, and gourmet refreshments of nuts and raisins and three different types of herbal tea... which Staci assures her is awaiting her pleasure. She sits on the only available lounge and places the dirty blanket over her bare legs...hoping of course she didn't inadvertently flash the room. After settling in she takes surreptitious looks around the room to size up whomever else is present. She notes nothing of distinction except the few who move proprietorially and with much self-importance...they amuse her for awhile but soon she finds herself riveted by the water trails from the wall fountains and commences to stare at them while she sips her tea... and tries to tune out the fatuous conversations around her...

Dinner was again at the hotel and then we ended the night by watching another movie. (what can I say?... one of the things we missed most about John being busy was watching movies together!)

Our trip was wonderful... pretentiousness aside... I most definitely would return and indeed am hoping to go back later this year... with the rest of my family...kids including. Hopefully we will be celebrating Bridgett kicking Cancer's ass again. I pray. I pray.

Although a wonderful break from real life and the worries that go with it... (honestly I gave myself permission to not worry about anything while there and was a bit guiltily surprised at how easy it was to kick everything out of my head)...it was just about the right amount of time to be away. I missed the girls an awful lot... to the point I physically felt desperate to see them. Since being home... I've been drinking them in... their faces, their words, their everything...