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OTHER VOICES


MISCELLANEOUS
Webcam

Home Alone

Mr. Monkey's mother went home in the wee hours of the morning. It was storming. I remember waking up enough to realize it was storming, tell Terry to get up that it had to be past three, and at some point later him kissing me goodbye. I hope she made it home safely. The second leg of her flight involved a tiny prop plane. I certainly hope it wasn't storming like that for the second half. She will be traumatized.

That leaves just me and the monkeylettes. This is the first day since this latest surgery that we have been without a house guest. The eldest is working in his math book at the moment. The littler ones are trashing the toy closet.

I had another nightmare about the DOE a couple of nights ago. It involved some old angry woman in a black suit with horned rimmed glasses telling me that I was not complying with state laws and being in court and me trying to convince a judge that just because I had been in the hospital didn't mean my children weren't being taught anything. Unfortunately, they have spent the last year learning some really strange and gross things about health and anatomy. Most of which I imagine could qualify them as pre-med students. I am still not sure why I dream that though. I guess I still get worried after I have been letting them slack off on the books for a week or so. I have to keep in mind that they do still learn a lot everyday even if we aren't slaving over the bookwork. Some days they learn more. It all goes back to my real desire to unschool them.

I guess I need to find Savannah some first grade workbooks. She flew through the Kindergarten one. She informed her grandma that she was in first grade now but mommy hasn't bought her any new books and so she can't do school she just lays around watching television all day long. Isn't it lovely when your children paint those sort of pictures for people? Mommy doesn't let her. Hmm. She has a bookshelf full of books, as many workbook type printouts as my poor printer can spit out, an unlimited supply of blank paper and her own imagination, and Mommy doesn't let her. See where I am going with this?

Logan also pointed out to Grandma that he has very few friends and the friends he has made through the homeschooling groups are selfish and mean to him. Not that this isn't true, but I am not sure what to do about it. That is bothering me a lot. Especially when he tells people that and I am sure some people in the family think I am keeping them locked up in the house and sheltering them from having a normal childhood full of traumatic inhumane social experiences and humiliating physical and mental domination that is daily life in the public school system. The truth of the matter is that I won't let him run the streets here with the little future gang members that live on our block or end up on the back of a milk carton while people wonder why the hell I wasn't watching my kid more closely. This isn't Mayberry people.

I can say objectively that he needs to be involved in some situation where he is exposed to more people of or around his own age who share similar interests and values and who don't possess the social skills of a spoiled two year old. It is hard to find nine year old boys around here with any sort of maturity about them. It is a shame to see that within the homeschooling community here there aren't more boys like him. For that matter it is very hard to find any families with similar views as ours. I wonder sometimes if the stereotypical view point that homeschooled children are like children raised by wolves isn't accurate.

Last night Savannah and I cuddled in bed and before we fell asleep we practiced adding our fingers together in various combinations. She isn't having any problems grasping addition or subtraction. I think we need to concentrate on learning to read. She is teetering on the verge of being able to. She rocks at sounding out words. The strange thing is that if I pull out a Dr. Seuss book and ask her to sound out the words she immediately acts like it is too hard. I don't know what is so intimidating to her. Hop on Pop should be right up her alley at the moment. I guess the idea of a whole book full of words is too much for her.

Speaking of falling asleep, I have been sleeping on my tummy for the last few nights. I think that is one of the reasons why I slept like a log last night. I missed that so much. It is a bit uncomfortable to get into position but as long as I don't try to move around too much once I am there it doesn't hurt. Six months is a long time for a stomach sleeper to sleep on their back. I was such a fool for thinking that particular misery was over with after my last pregnancy.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to y'all and make sure to wear purple so you get your booty pinched at least a few times today!

Posted by gwendolyn on March 17, 2003 at 11:03 AM