It has been a rather rough couple of weeks with the kids as far as behavior and attitudes. Oh, we've had a few good days in there, but looking back there have definitely been more problems than not. I don't really know what's been causing this, and it's hard to deal with when I feel like I'm always scolding and lecturing and enforcing consequences. I have been trying to really focus on the positive things, praising them when they do the right things, making sure they know how great it is and how happy it makes Jesus when they make the right choices. Still, I hate it when I have to continually deal with negative behaviors and wrong choices so often in short periods of time.
I heard some very exciting news yesterday, and can't wait until it becomes public =D.
I've gotten a couple of boxes of things in the living room packed up, but general life (i.e. dishes, laundry, homeschooling, kids, etc.) has prevented me from doing as much as I originally pictured myself getting done in a couple of weeks. However, today and tomorrow I hope to get more done in that room. I have even more incentive now that things are beginning to move forward with the house hunt.
Hunter just came upstairs to tell me he was finished with math. He has been struggling with memorizing his basic multiplication facts, and after several weeks of trying different strategies to help him learn them, his assignment the last two days has been to start with 3x3 and see how high he can get in 5 minutes. Yesterday he got up to 7x7. Today he got up to 9x3! You have no idea how this thrills me. I am very impressed with his dedication to his school work, much more so than last year in public school. He also finished his fifth grade level reading comp book a couple of weeks ago. I plan to order him the sixth grade level soon. When he ended the fourth grade in June, his reading comprehension was at a beginning- to mid-fourth grade level. By the time this June comes, he will be well into the sixth grade level. He is also thriving in his Bible studies, which are comprised half of his Awana book and half of a Rod and Staff Bible book. He has quite a bit to catch up on, in a manner of speaking, but in a way I think that starting his studies now makes him more interested in learning about God and the Bible than he might be if he had grown up in a different situation.
The kids just went outside to play in the snow, which is good since it is going to be super cold again tomorrow. The dog is barking and whining like crazy because as we all know, it is just plain WRONG for kids to go out to play without taking the dog.
Speaking of dogs, when we move we want to get another dog. We have always agreed that once we owned our own house, we would have a second (and bigger - Madi is 25 pounds) dog. I have been compulsively just for fun, researching different breeds of dogs. We wanted to get another Irish breed, but they are all either terriers or shed like nobody's business. Madi is a terrier (although an atypical one), and though I love her, I don't want a second one. The breed I have decided on and just need to convince my husband to go along with is a Norwegian Buhund. I'll give you a minute to Google it.
I have gotten back to working out at home (our lives have not allowed us time for the Y since Thanksgiving) 3-4 times a week. It's probably not as good as the Y, but I try to do plenty of aerobic exercises, and also some yoga, although it's hard to do more than a few poses because our basement ceiling is very low. Between the exercise and employing willpower to avoid junk food during the week, I have finally started to lose some of the weight I have gained since getting married.
Hunter has found a new book series: the How to Train Your Dragon series. He is plowing through the first book, which is wonderful to see, since he hated to read when he came to us.
We got Kaleigh a V-Tech Mobigo for Christmas, and she loves playing it. All of the games are educational, and they teach her much better than most workbooks could. I've been doing preschool work at home with her of course, and prior to getting the Mobigo, I did a few skill checks with her (basically a kindergarten "screening"), and she is more than ready for kindergarten. Six months to a year ago, I was a little concerned about her cognitive abilities and readiness for preschool, which is why I have taken it slowly and pressure-free this year. But she has come a long way in the past 6 months. It has been awesome to watch her grow cognitively, in reasoning ability, and in fine and gross motor skills.
My classes start on Monday. I am not overly excited about that, but the one thing I am excited about for this semester is that one of my classes is entirely online, and the other is half online, which means I only have to go to campus roughly every other week.
Kaleigh just came in so I could fix her hat, and on her way back out the door she said, "Are we going to have hot chocolate, cause my toes are trying to be cold!" HAHA!
We are going to see 2 houses on Saturday. I am very excited.
Well, time for me to start hot chocolate and bring the kiddos in for lunch.
That is all.
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