Journal 11/24/08

11:47 a.m.


Will got home from his CLC retreat yesterday and decompressed for the most of the evening. He didn't start working on his math homework until 9:30 p.m. Fortunately, Rick was able to help both him and Josh on their homework. Josh got all his done so he got to sleep in this a.m. This is something he needed because Sat. night he stayed up until 2 a.m. reading The Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher. He liked it so much that he took it in to show his math tutor. Sometimes they talk about books as well as math.


Hannah got up and did Spanish homework and then went off to Spanish class.


Becky had a bad dream around 4 a.m. and crawled into bed with me and Rick. For some reason I had a charlie horse at 6 a.m. which woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep.


Over breakfast I read Devotional Stories to Becky and Sean. They fought over who got to answer the comprehension words and define the vocabulary words!


Sean practiced a bit of piano.


Josh spent a long time with the math tutor and then went off to play on the computer. Will is in with her now.


Sean read the next chapter in his book on St. Peter. Becky rather reluctantly read 5 sentences from Reader B. Then we decided to play word family bingo. This was a new game so we all worked together to tear up the perforated markers and cut up the B - I - N - G - O call cards. We listened to the Gypsy Jazz cd mix Will made for me for my last birthday. We listen to it at least several times a week. Everybody loves it. We played bingo but then halfway through Becky decided she just wanted to be the caller and not have a bingo card to fill in. She got really into reading all the words and was doing very well. I was proud of her! That game took a long time!


While eating lunch I read the next chapter of Black Ships Before Troy. Now they are playing on the Wii downstairs. Josh has retired to his room. I need to declutter and tidy because the cleaning ladies are due to arrive in a few minutes.


1:16 p.m. Cleaners are here! Siding men are banging away on the front of the house. Painter has not come by with the contract. Exterminator is due between 3 and 4 to do something about all the stink bugs that are living in our attic (and many of our other rooms).


Talked with Will a bit. He had a great retreat and has decided that his problem is he doesn't get enough sleep. So he's vowing to get to bed every night by 11: 30 p.m. I asked why he had come to this conclusion and he said at the retreat they had 11:30 lights out and he got a good night's sleep both nights and it made him feel much more clear headed and able to focus. To myself I noted there also seemed to be a lot of prayer, structure and outdoorsy time, all things that have always helped him (and me!).



Finally made the decision about Thanksgiving. I was dreading making Thanksgiving dinner and sitting around our dining room table in the way we've done for 20 years only Mom and Bubbie wouldn't be there. I couldn't bring myself to even contemplate buying a turkey. So I called my sister in law and she suggested we just go out to dinner. I just called and made reservations at a nearby restaurant for 4:00 on Thanksgiving. She was thinking of maybe going out to a movie too, just to do something we've never done on Thanksgiving, but there really doesn't seem to be any movie worth watching out. I looked at Bolt but frankly I hate paying money to listen to bathroom humor and every single children's movie with animals has lots of bathroom humor. (Except maybe Ratatuoille, can't remember).

8:54 p.m. Afternoon was slow. Very sleepy. Didn't have our usual piano lesson for Sean. this is make up week for the lessons and the teacher wasn't on the VA campus. Tried to do Latin with Josh and Will but I started to fall asleep! Went upstair and laid down and read parenting book: Good and Angry; Exchanging Frustration for Character. . . In You and Your Kids. Good book. I enjoyed it and then napped a bit! Becky watched The Fox and the Hound and then Will (who practiced guitar off and on all day) and Sean and Becky all watched Kung Fu Panda (they'd watched it yesterday afternoon too). Don't know what Josh was doing. Hannah came home and stayed in her room for hours.

Becky practiced piano before dinner.

Made spaghetti. For the first time in a year at least I actually used fresh garlic instead of garlic salt. I feel I am getting my cooking legs again. I've been so bored and OFF of cooking for so long, but lately I've been trying to make an effort to get back into a cooking groove. Didn't have to rush to music theory class. The teacher cancelled due to illness.

All the kids were actually home for dinner but Rick wasn't. Just called him, he's still working. Made the kids do their chores. Well, most of them. I notice there are still a couple of pots that didn't get cleaned.

Read more of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving book. I started it on Saturday. I've been doing the Charlotte Mason thing of having the kids narrate back to me. Sean hardly listens at all. Becky is very good at narrating back!

Becky was being very sweet and polite. She was very primly saying please and thank you. Then she wanted me to help her write up a list of all her blessings. This was inspired by the Little Flowers club last Thursday where the girls made a wreath out of a paper plate and some paper leafs. They wrote their blessings on the leaves. We taped it up to the mudroom door in the family room which pleased her very much!

Becky sat for a while reading from the Guiness Book of World Records. She seemed to know all about scorpions which made me shudder! Will practiced guitar so much his jaw hurts. He tends to work his jaw when he is concentrating!

Said prayers. Becky practiced her Act of Contrition. Now I'm sending the younger two off to bed.

Josh says he isn't interested in Dandilion Wine!!!! And now he's mislaid it.