Beyond Homemaking Daybook 4

Weather: Let's just say I can't wait for spring.

 

This Week: This is my last work week before a nice 2 week vacation for the holidays! We'll find out later this morning from the doctor whether or not Superman can get back to work and we have piano lessons this morning too. I need to finish up Christmas gifts and of course try to get everything wrapped. I also have baking and some extra house things to do before my family's big get together on Saturday.

 

Current Fiction Read: Still on Kushiel’s Chosen by Jacqueline Carey. It's a gigantic book.  

 

Current Non-Fiction Read: Don't laugh but I'm reading Catholicism for Dummies. Just trying to answer some of my questions and thoughts.

 



Craftiness: I finished up Little Bit's mittens last week, and I'm racing like crazy to try to get his kangaroo done in time for Christmas morning! I was also gifted some fabric from my mom the quilter so I'm thinking about what I can do with that over my holiday break. I've been thinking about these pencil/crayon pouches, and maybe something in the same vein to better organize my knitting needles.

 

Learning at home: Big Kid has narrowed his work day down to three activities. First, he dictates a list of words to me (usually about 5) and then he copies them on the white board to his little heart's content. Second, he is really mastering the pink cards. When he gets his moveable alphabet set for Christmas we'll need to move on to putting the picture in front of him and having him spell out the word. That's the part he's more interested in anyway, rather than the reading. Third, he is really enjoying painting for the first time ever.

I've been trying to entice this child to paint since he was probably 16 months old. He just hates a mess and that has kept him from being interested. He's attempted a few times, but it has always been j ust a few brush strokes and he's done. FORGET finger painting! He produced 5 papers in one sitting last week and at least 2 in all the others. I think now that he has better fine motor skills and can control the "mess" it's easier for him mentally to think about painting.

Little Bit has been plain old mischevious so some of his items have been put away for now. He wants to dump 5 different things out all over the floor 50 times a day and then ignore them. For certain items that's okay, but not for the binomial cube. We've only had the poor thing for 2 months but it has taken such a beating! He's been really busy with a sponge and spray bottle wiping the tables, and he's enjoying the place setting work I set up for him a few weeks ago.

 

New work: Nothing until after the holidays. I have a few new things I'll be getting ready for both of them- different types of pouring activities for both and some spoon and tong work for Little Bit.