Well, this weekend was not a lot to write home about. Some company, some food, the usual. The great news is, I got reviewed! This is really going to help me be focused in terms of design, as well as content. Not that the content or writing will change much. I was really pleased with what they said.

You do remember I have other kids? Getting back into more of a schedule is helping. Although I hate the word schedule and what it implies. It’s more a routine. With Addison, I can hand him a stack of books, and tell him when I want them done by. He gets to pace himself. Also, he is choosing more of the subject matter. Sarah is a little trickier. She’s almost old enough to do that with, but still caught up in the exactness of how much she should do. If I tell her “about” two pages a day in a particular book, she will do exactly two pages each and every day. Even if the content of the work is such that 4 pages should be done at once. So the compromise now is that I figure out how much she should do in a week, and she is learning how to gauge for herself what she needs to do each day. Meaghan is the youngest, and since I need to cover more of the basics with her, I do a lot more for her. Until she learns how to do it for herself, that is. Now, I write in her daytimer (all the kids have one, and are learning to use it) what I want her to do each day. She checks it off, and writes in any additional things that she has felt like doing. Like just now, she asked if she could move her Writing to tomorrow instead of today. Addison just asked to clarify the meaning of conformity, and Sarah realized she’d rather do her good copy of a story on paper than fight with the kid’s computer.

I figured out the other day that Emma knows at least 15 words. She is learning so many things every day, it really is fascinating. And fun! She is at the beginning of the age group where I think kids are the coolest. It lasts until around age 7, or whenever they start thinking grownups don’t know anything at all. Everything she picks up is pinched ever so carefully with her thumb and forefinger. It is scrutinized with the greatest of interest. Then it is gently tasted against the lips and tongue.

She’s a little more cautious after biting the soap.

Another fun activity, is double-checking the rules. I moved a rather large umbrella tree plant, and now the pot is easily reachable. The dirt is apparently irresistible. Emma will walk over to the pot, pretend to be interested in something else, and then, gee, what have we here? A pot! Of dirt! Dirt, mommy! I‘m not supposed to play in the dirt, right? No! Nonononono. Ha ha!

Cute nursing story I added later: Emma was nursing, and in a happy mood. Sometimes she giggles or makes noises, but this day she was really silly. She latched off, took a look at the end, laughed some more and babbled at it. Then, she leaned over and kissed it! She laughed again and went back to nursing.

I think Spring has decided to start showing her face around here. It rained all day yesterday, sometimes changing to snow, but mostly rain. Today is fairly warm, and it looks like we’ll be taking a field trip to a maple sugar shack sometime this week. Whoo hoo! I’m anxious to see what kind of flowers I have.

It’s a new term for Ron, too, so his teaching schedule is a little easier to live with this week. His three classes are the last ones of the day, so the alarm clock won’t be waking me up hardly any! Emma was being awakened as well, but I think that was partly the extra light. Her whole routine has shifted, more in line with a regular day after the time changes. Can’t wait till it does.

Oh, and my birthday is on Thursday .