Better late than never. I was too busy nesting to post this earlier.
—1—
Yesterday we bought Bella some underwear. She was so excited, she could hardly wait to put them on. So far we’ve had about six changes of clothes because of accidents and no potty successes. I’m not entirely sure she understands the goal is not to pee in her pants. But we’ll forge bravely on.
—2—
We also bought Bella some new shoes. It became clear to me in the thawing of the past week that it is time to put away the snow boots. So we got a nice pair of sneakers and a pair of mud boots that she adores. Now I’m trying to teach her the boots are only for outside.
—3—
I’m 22 weeks pregnant and so it must be time for getting bitten with the housecleaning bug. This morning I found myself dashing from one task to another frantic to get everything in order. So far accomplished at 2:30 pm: dishes done, floors swept, laundry folded and sorted and put away, floors vacuumed, toys tidied, pizza dough made and rising in the oven, kitchen floor scrubbed. plus diapers changed and children fed and table and counters wiped down. I just keep forgetting to feed myself.
—4—
Once again I absentmindedly ate some roast beef while feeding Sophia lunch. I know, abstinence rules don’t apply to pregnant and nursing mothers. But it wouldn’t have been that much harder to fix myself something meatless. That’s what I intend to do. I just forget.
—5—
Bella told me the other day that her dolly is Pooh’s sister.
—6—
In the past week or so Benedict has started to become very active. Or, rather, he’s gotten big enough that I am aware of his activity. he bops around to music, responds to his sister’s voices, kicks Sophia when she’s nursing (though I don’t know if she feels it yet. And Dom felt him kick for the first time.
—7—-
The other day Sophia was stepping around in the kitchen, holding onto my sister’s hands, while Bella was dashing about from one room to the next. Sophie had been laughing at her sister, as she usually does when Bella runs. But then she started yelling angrily. She tried to let go and began to fall and had to grab hold again. “She’s mad because she wants to go run after Bella and she can’t,” my sister realized. Poor Sophie, she really really wants to be just like her big sister.
Visit Jen at Conversion Diary for more quick takes.
I’m going to enjoy the topic. We’re very attracted by homeschooling, but, as it is common for beginners, I am full of questions and in short supply of answers, and what usually is Big Question #1, almost a cliche’ – CAN I DO IT? – is quite serious for me, since I started speaking English just a few years ago, and I am finding that to try to have a bilingual/bicultural household is more difficult and stressful than I thought… I don’t even have the faintest idea of how you teach a child to read in English!
Anyway, since my current budget for books is $0, and our local library doesn’t have most of the books I’d like to read (they refused to buy Elizabeth Foss’ book, sigh… And she lives practically next door!), I am going to enjoy your discussion.
If you hadn’t told me, I’d never have picked up on the fact that you are not a native speaker from how you write. I can understand why that would stress you out. I wouldn’t have the faintest idea of where to begin if I were thinking of homeschooling in Italian! I wonder if there are other homeschoolers out there with similar experiences? I wonder if when you get to that stage having a tutor might be helpful?
this is a great book list. i’ve enjoyed several of the books you’ve mentioned and now have a few more to add to my list.
i, too, have enjoyed reading up and asking friends about all methods from classical to unschooling to charlotte mason to waldorf to montessori. and then some.
i was a classics major and taught in a classical school so initially was only drawn to that method. but then i started realizing that one of the beauties of homeschooling is the ability to pull from many methods and build a curriculum that suits our family and our individual children.
looking forward to reading back over some of your reviews.
Thanks Kate,
I was not a classics major, I dropped it in favor of English when I didn’t like my advisor freshman year; but I did minor in Latin and took a bit of Greek. I was first drawn to classical methods too. But it has been fun learning about all the various methods and I love the idea of mixing and matching.
Oooh, I forgot to mention The Lost Tools of Learning. Very important to me early in the journey. Also, Holt’s Teach Your Own. Also, I had forgotten about For the Children’s Sake, and Homeschooling for Excellence.
I left some books off my list, things that didn’t stick with or inspire me, or that didn’t seem like a good fit for us—but we’re in such different places, aren’t we? I can look back and say, “These are the books that were pivotal for me,” and you can still say, “These are the books that are helping me figure out where we want to go.”
Such enormously fun times await you, Melanie!
Yes, it’s very different looking at guidebooks after a trip. They mean something different than they did before you set out. Before you go they excite you as they tantalize you with glimpses of places you want to visit. Later, you look at them and remember the places you’ve been and are grateful to the books for steering you in the right direction. And there will always be those places you found by serendipity that no book could have pointed you to.
Thanks for always being such a cheerleader, Karen.