A BIG thanks to Christopher Columbus and my college! I have a 4 day weekend and each class finished up with tests last week so very little homework! A nice twist is the rest of the family only has three days off... which gives me a mommy day! I love my kids but boy do I miss mommy days!!
This weekend has been filled with baking, hiking, cleaning, snuggling, soccer, bike riding, and time to think.
Oh The leaves are just perfect for peeping! A hike up a new mountain provided great views. Little did we know a cell phone tower would block most of it :( But I did have great reception!
LOL! We made the most of it and then enjoyed yummy diner food. Nothing better than a hot turkey
sandwhich after a brisk walk up a mountain!
I've noticed since starting classes the family is becoming more independent. It's great! From my view
sitting at the kitchen table I get to observe things like pine needle collections turn into bird nests, bag lunches prepared, dishes loaded into the dish washer... it's wonderful!
From my position in the computer room I get a blocked view. I give guidance however, it's a crap shoot whether it's being done correctly or not. For example: Thing 2 really wanted to make a packet of
kool-aid she found in the cupboard
(god knows why she was in there or how old the kool-aid was... I never buy it). I was busy studying but she was
persistent so I said she could do it herself. She was so excited. She came in here and wrote down all the directions.
KOOL AID
1 Cup sugar
2 quarts water and ice
stir.
She was so proud of herself and hurried off to get busy in the kitchen. I finished my project and went into the kitchen. Here I see my girlie with a regular sized cup trying to suck up a gooey mess of ingredients she had added to it... yes, it seems she misunderstood that it was not a single serve recipe! I've never laughed so hard!!!! How I wish I had a picture for you! We spooned the mixture into my big blue pitcher and added more water. She thought it was much easier to drink now! She then took out her pen and added something to her recipe: Big Jug.
Yes, the greatest thing about being busy is letting them try, fail, and learn a lesson. I now sit back and watch the process, add a few suggestions, ask a few questions....
It's funny but I think I was too into it. I wasn't letting them fail. How will they learn if I just give them the answers???
School may also be effecting my mothering. I'm learning in my science methods class to give an inquiry question to the students then let them investigate the activity BEFORE telling them what the outcomes should be. Then we sit down and discuss what they learned. Amazing Results!!!
Like I've said, I should have done this years ago!
