The REAL Reason to Read

Ezra decided suddenly that he's ready to start blending and has been really loving the moveable alphabet lately. He's been having a "reading lesson" with me in the morning and practicing again at night with Brian. At first I thought his sudden interest was because he's the only one in the family that doesn't read now, or that all the literature exposure was really soaking in...


But no. It turns out that the only reason he wants to learn to read is because "Ender gets to stay up for 20 minutes with his light on because he is reading."


So the real reason to learn to read is to stay up late.


Just so you know.

Going Again

I made strides toward knitting the other day- I printed a few patterns for the baby that are gender-neutral with the full intention of casting *something* on that night. But I only have a little bit of my stash with me and the other part that had the baby yarn is at the other house still.... so no cast-on. I'm starting to worry that I don't remember how.

At first my husband rejoiced in the lack of knitting.

"The phase has finally passed!"

I don't think 3 years counts as a phase...

"No more old lady knitting jokes!"

There wouldn't have been any in the first place if you hadn't supplied them...

"No more tetanus shots due to knitting needles!"

Touche, sir.

But then he genuinely started to worry because I still wasn't knitting, plus I am pregnant which I had always warned him meant I would kick into high knitting gear before baby arrived...


He finally asked why I haven't been knitting and I told him the story I've told everyone who asks, and oh MY have they asked. I am just now realizing how often I knit in public and how most everyone I know (even casually!) thinks of me as "the girl who knits". And the public story is this: I'm just so very tired with the pregnancy and I've been going to bed pretty much the second the boys are down and when I *am* awake and have nothing to do (which happens... not that often) I pretty much only have enough energy to sit there and try to keep my eyelids open.


Brian finally said to me about two weeks ago- "You know, you're not going to bed that early any more- you definitely have time to knit again if you want to."


And while he is right, the knitting absence is really due to a whole other reason.


I was knitting this for her, and while I finished in time to gift it, she didn't make it to the Christmas it was supposed to be gifted on.


And I just haven't been able to get up the energy to go again.

Thoughts

:: Growing a baby is a lot more exhausting this time around. I'm older, have two active boys, working, homeschooling... I'm still getting to bed pretty much as early as possible after the boys are down (and occasionally before thanks to my husband), and when evenings are your free time to knit and write and think, well- those things just don't happen.


:: I thought I'd be knitting or sewing again by now. It's like all the creativity has leaked out of me these last few months. I know I have Christmas gifts to make and yet I haven't started a single bit. I can't seem to get the motivation going even though I know time is ticking. Calling second trimester energy in 3... 2... 1...


:: I'm starting to think ahead to next school year and looking at materials so that I'm somewhat prepared before baby gets here. I want to be mentally ready for what needs done before baby is here and have the skeleton of the plan written out, maybe a start on booklists too. Then I can work on things after baby is here a little bit at a time over the summer. The hard part is figuring out *what* to do, and that's the part that must be done before we bring baby home.

Thoughts include: continuing in Singapore math, Writing With Ease, and the elements of our day we love (like reading aloud together and art projects),

I'm also looking into All About Spelling 1, and trying to decide a direction for our history program for next year (I'm kind of leaning towards a year focused on explorers and how they explored (and probably going into ships and navigation and that sort of thing). I've also been considering doing a year of ancients, but I planned that for this past year and scrapped it at the last minute- it just didn't feel right, and I'm still thinking that it isn't for us at this age/grade level.


:: As if we don't have enough to do right now, we are getting ready to put our house on the market. We have been tight here ever since Ezra was born, but now with another baby coming we really need to look at a new place with a bit more room. So we've made our list of things to work on to get everything sale ready and now we're spending the weekends trying to make that happen.


:: I know that life moves on around us even when it seems like time stopped for us. My google reader is super full even though I'm not back to writing regularly yet, and work goes on just as it always has even when I'm not sure how to get one more day in, and little boys need to run and play and be outside while outside is an enjoyable place to be. Everything keeps going and we're still trying to get back to routine and "normal".

We are working out of that "time stop" more and more each day, and lately that means far more good days than bad days. And after getting some extra (and much needed) sleep this past weekend I think we're on a steep upswing this week. :)

Warm October Daybook

Because I haven't written a daybook since last February

*and*

I'm trying to get back to a more daily writing habit...

Outside my window... another day close to 80F! It just doesn't seem like fall for real with the past week full of mostly 75+ degree days.


I am listening to... Knitpurlgurl podcasts while I drive to and from work. Her laugh is so cute and I love that she includes so many bits of the fiber arts world in her podcasts. I'm primarily a knitter, but I do dabble in other fibers, so it's nice to hear about other fiber arts too.

I am wearing... a long black and pink skirt and a black tee-shirt. This is probably my last week in "regular" clothes, but I'm trying to put off moving into maternity clothes a little while longer if I can...

I am thinking... about how to re-adjust our school schedule. We took time off when my mother-in-law passed away in early September, but we've also only really done school about 3 days a week over these last few weeks because of this morning sickness. Some will be put off til January, some cut, and some just rescheduled... sorting all of that out is taking some time.

 

I am reading... Harry Potter 6 again.

I am creating... a baby. And a new school schedule. I'm thinking fondly about knitting though...

Always learning... I don't know why I'm still amazed by this, but my kids still choose to learn new things when left to their own devices for a time. While I've been sick Ender has been keeping up on his 20/20 goal for the Book It program with very little reminding from adults, they've both been building all sorts of structures after reading Amazing Buildings, and they are also working on adding artwork to their "animal notebooks". We've spent this month reading fairy tales together a la one of the lists from Real Learning, and it has been lovely to "do school" in such a way.


Around the house... We're still getting settled in, but are starting to feel more at home lately. Especially with the re-doing of the bed situation- a new mattress was exactly what we needed and suddenly sleep is that much more accessible.

Baby news... 11+ weeks, strong heartbeat and hopefully a decrease in morning sickness on the horizon. I've been told that this is the week with the craziest hormones morning sickness wise, so I'm seriously hoping that is true.


I am planning... more time to sleep. Certain things like school and work can't really move in the schedule, but pretty much everything else is out until I start feeling better.

I am praying... for my new little nephew Malachi. He was born this past Sunday at just over 36 weeks, but only 4 pounds and 9 ounces. He is healthy aside from weight, but his weight is the concern. He's doing the typical newborn "lose a little, gain a little" dance, except that he doesn't have much wiggle room in this area. We're praying for his weight to stabilize and consistently gain so that he can come home!

One of my favorite things... Frozen peaches. They seriously *always* taste good, even at my queasiest.

A few plans for the next week... have I said SLEEP enough in this post? Seriously I'm trying to be really tough on myself to be in bed, lights out by 9:30 so that I can get enough sleep

Lost Season

I wrote last week about how strange it seems that fall is here, how summer disappeared without our notice and now I have to say that I think this whole season may be lost too.


I don't think I've really taken pictures in several weeks, aside from a few clicks here and there, and while the boys are just as busy as ever I am down for the count. Thirty hours or so in the studio every week, homeschooling in the mornings, and the necessary appointments for eyes and teeth and baby add up to very little time to just be... and evenings are lost too, for as soon as I am home from the studio I am into bed to try to be ready to start again in the mornings. This pregnancy has certainly been the most tiring of the three. Thank goodness it will end with a new baby!


So thankful that...

:: Brian has taken over dinner for this season (since I am teaching every night in order to be more available in the mornings).

:: I can start a load of laundry in the morning and it is dried and folded and put away by day's end without any further work on my part.

:: Ender is reading all. the. time. Allowing him to stay up for 30 extra minutes as long as he is reading has paid off big time.

:: The second trimester isn't that far off... and hopefully this morning sickness and fatigue will ease up a little around that point.

:: Our family has been blessed with another nephew over the weekend - that makes the count 6 boys to 1 girl. We need more girls! (***hint to the baby***)


There sill isn't much new knitting, but I have been trying to be really diligent about sleep and water, which will pay off in a bigger way than new stitches.

I was sent this video by a friend, and thought I'd share here too:






My husband watched it, looked at me and said, "Why don't you knit that fast?" I thought about trying to explain to him that she knits continental and I knit English and that there are speed things that English knitters just can't do even though I'm a pretty fast knitter... but I know that would have just led to his eyes glazing over.

Anyway, I know this season will pass and while it probably won't be the most well documented, we'll still enjoy it and learn a lot and grow together through it.