Monday is our traditional cleaning day since I take Sunday off from cleaning and it doesn’t take long for the place to get trashed. So today we worked most of the morning. I caught up on phone calls and found that Aidan’s recent bloodwork came through fine, hooray, that means he doesn’t have to get labs again until the beginning of August. These little things add up!
I took Aidan outside and worked on the garage, sweeping and then Pine-sol mopping the back of the garage to get ready for the new fridge and freezer to be delivered today — Kevin had already cleared out all the big things in the way including the old freezer.
Then I sat out on the porch and read Orthodoxy and took notes.
Brendan, Sean and Kieron played Legos and ordered some more with birthday money they had saved up.
The dryer appears to be broken so there are wet clothes hanging from the railings of the loft.
I made a Chinese chicken salad for dinner and cut up the mini seedless watermelon Kevin bought yesterday when we were in town. It was a nice meal. We have just started eating family dinners together since we got the new dishwasher. It really encourages me to lay out a more healthy selection of food. Not that we don’t still have a looong way to go on that front. The book I read, Mother Styles, comforted me a little bit about that. I guess intuitive moms don’t tend to think of creature comforts and material advantages when they think of how to love their kids — they tend to think in more big picture terms. I remember how guilty I used to feel because my very good friend B, who was then childless, would come over and bathe my babies for me and seem to actually enjoy the practical details like powdering and clipping nails, while I couldn’t wait to rush through the ritual and get it over with. Anyway …. the point is that when I think of nurturing, I don’t immediately think of attractive, healthy food nicely prepared. It is a stretch for me — I have to get there by the intuitive by-road. But knowing that, there’s some hope I’m not just a deadbeat of a mom.
Yesterday evening, Clare wanted me to watch High Society with her — I think she was missing her friend who we dropped off at the university after going to a Tridentine Mass together in town. I sat and watched and ate oriental food and had a blue hawaii wine cooler. Luxury! See, I’m trying to get in touch with my sensory side.
And today I played ping-pong with Liam and then watched him and Sean play.
I am seeing that this purportedly homeschool journal seldom has anything specifically educational in it. One reason is that I’ve simply ditched all the curriculum, at least for the summer. But I would like to get more into the “learning” aspect of all these daily details. Sometimes though it’s difficult to weed through all the daily events of 7 children (counting the 2 graduates) and figure out what’s most relevant.
Maybe I should just focus on one or two:
Aidan played on the V Tech cash register for quite a while, and discovered several “A’s” in different places on the Suburban. He also managed to load his stroller into the back of the Suburban by himself. Was he proud! Everyone had to come out and look.
Kieron built his Lego, which was a Nidhogg dragon. He told me they are usually brown, not black and red. I asked where he had heard about them before and he said “From Age of Mythology!” So sure enough, here is one. I guess that counts as an unschooling moment!
I often notice that if I write about one day, not much seems to be happening, except life. But over the long run, it does add up. I wrote about that in this thread on 4reallearning.
Sean, 13, is going through a strange stage. I think he needs more challenge than he is getting. He alternates between teasing his younger brother, talking to his older one, worrying about things that seem minor to me, and pushing limits. Then he also wants to know about everything I’m doing or asks me about every conversation he overhears. It reminds me a bit of when he was 2 and 3 and driving me crazy, honestly. 
Every teen seems to have their own spin on teenagerdom. It’s not like he’s being rebellious or out of control — just strange and sometimes, hilariously funny, but… strange. I am too old for this and just think, I’ll be ten years older still when Paddy goes through this stage. Fun!
Strange but sort of funny
Maybe it isn’t permanent?
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