Unwritten

So many things have been left unwritten about the last couple weeks. Mike has started school, we're into the thick of it now. And that means less spare (blogging) time for me. Also, I have an additional little person in the house Monday through Thursday. I babysit (and homeschool) my friends little girl so she can go to school herself. I am not overwhelmed, it's just that my priorities have shifted a little bit.
We have officially started our "homeschool year." I hate that term, but there are certain laws of the state of Maine concerning home education that we must obey. I think we might move to South Carolina some day.....I hear they are the friendliest home educating state in the country, with a huge percentage of the state currently taking advantage of their very lenient laws. The numbers are increasing in my state, too. Just in the five years that we've lived here I have seen a dramatic change in peoples perceptions and opinions about home education. That means more voices to get the laws changed here. I will do my part.
Lauren was in the bath tub this afternoon while I was doing other things (the kids and I were putting together our annual time capsule so we can bury it tomorrow). So I went into the bathroom to get her out after she had been in there for about an hour and she looked at her hands and said..."Look Mom! My hands are all rusty." I chuckled, it was so cute.
Liam has officially turned into a.......toddler, in every sense of the word. His understanding and (non verbal) communication has increased ten fold in the last month. He actually has opinions and preferences....like he wants toothpaste on his tooth brush now (what?....how did he learn that?) He use to be perfectly content brushing with just water. But oh no, not any more. He also wants to follow the other kids where ever they go. I don't think he knows he is little...I won't tell him. It's like as soon as he could walk, he became "BIG" in his mind. I don't remember such a drastic change with the other kids. Maybe I just forgot and maybe he is growing up faster than everybody else. He is the Fifth child, after all.
Today when we were doing the time capsule, one of the questions I asked the kids is "What do you enjoy most about homeschool?" Caleb's answer was "Math!" Wow, I was shocked. Isn't it amazing (while I shouldn't be amazed, as I have seen this sort of thing time and time again with my kids) how when you let them initiate what they learn, they instantly, automatically "GET IT"? Caleb is doing algebra this year, and will often do it for an hour or more just because it excites him. "Inspire not require" still rings true. I get alot of satisfaction when I discover how wrong they are about education. Is that so evil of me? Or maybe it's the other way around....Maybe I enjoy the feeling of validation when one of my untraditional (adopted) philosophies about homeschooling becomes evident. That's it.
I have started an exercise regimen. I decided that there were too many obstacles to going to the gym every day. So I bought a DVD called "Walk Away the Pounds." It is perfect for me because it doesn't require a big amount of space (I am usually sharing the living room with six other people who want to exercise with me) and it is relatively low impact. Also, if you follow the whole thing (45 minutes) you will walk three miles. So far, it has been a success. Five pregnancies worth of fat is soon to start melting away. Do I sound like a commercial?
OK....remember a while back when I wrote that we were going to the Air Show? Well, as it turned out, i had the date wrong. I was a month off. So that weekend we ended up going to a train museum instead. So this Saturday is the actual airshow and we are definitely going. We love Airshows. Mike is even working extra hard to get his homework done so he can go, too. Luckily, this week is orientation at the hospital so he didn't get any patients this week. YAY!!!!
Slumber awaits me.....again.

"Why do I always have to sleep? I have to do it EVERY day!" Harrison, Age 5