Mud doesn’t Scare This Mama!
Posted by Mari Jo on October 29, 2011 about Family, Comments are offOne of my favorite things about being a Mommy, is watching my kids get really really messy. I have had several people comment on how surprised they are that I let the kids get so dirty, but what good is it being a kid if you can’t get a little (or a lot!) messy sometimes. What is messier than good ole’ fashioned mud, right? I am far from a neat freak, as these pictures will attest to:
5 whole minutes!
Posted by Mari Jo on October 15, 2011 about Family, Comments are offBelieve it or not, I think we found something to keep Landon busy for minutes (gasp!) at a time. Never mind the fact that I have to listen to the alphabet song and pickup a ton of letters a million times a day, he is entertained!
Perfect Pumpkin!
Posted by Mari Jo on October 14, 2011 about Family, Comments are offHere are a few photos of the kids making a very sweet little kitty pumpkin to grace our doorstep. It has brought many smiles to those who visit us, but to me the best part is watching the kids create something they are truly proud of.
My little pumpkin hard at work!
I love how serious AA is about her work. Whatever AA puts her mind to she finishes well.
And here is what the littlest Hopkins pumpkin did during all the fun.
Me and my mini-me. 
And here is the finished product. Did I mention that I have the two silliest kids I know?
Happy Fall, from my pumpkins, to yours!
It is sinking in…
Posted by Mari Jo on October 12, 2011 about Family, Comments are offThe newness of homeschooling is beginning to fade. We are now in a very good routine, and the days that we don’t home school now feel very unproductive. I am actually more tired on days off than when I am teaching.
I am so surprised at how much we are all enjoying being a home school family. Brandon beams with pride every time he talks about us home schooling, which blesses me beyond words. I love that Aubrey Ann wakes up in the morning and immediately asks what our work boxes are going to be for the day. I love that I am the one who directs her learning. I love that God is involved in every part of our day. I love the feeling of accomplishment as I see Aubrey Ann’s light bulb turn on when she figures something out, and know that I had a hand in it. I love seeing Landon pick up on new things as well. He happily sits and learns with sister during our morning circle time, which is an absolute blessing to me to have both of the children together as we learn.
However, that does not mean that there have not been challenges. I struggle dividing my time between Aubrey Ann, Landon, and also meeting the needs of the family as a whole. I find myself bouncing between the kids and housework, and inevitably something always gets neglected. Usually, it is the laundry room. I hate that bad, bad place.
Curriculum choices are much more challenging than I had anticipated. I am finding that I feel the need to supplement our curriculum pretty heavily, which means a lot of extra work for me. I am hoping that as I become more familiar with what works for each of the kids, that I will be able to shave time off of my planning.
Landon is in the beginning stages of giving up his morning nap, which means we have two days a week or so that I feel comfortable forgoing that morning nap. Those days are so exhausting, as I have to find new ways to keep him entertained, while also feeling like he is getting an equal portion of my time. Not to mention he is a speed crawler, and also has super stealth mode for when he needs to be extra sneaky. Yes, he is our little super hero in training. Case in point, he loves to remove his pants during nap time, and he often puts his blanket around his neck like a cape.
A plus, is that AA is becoming an independent reader, which means she needs less help with small things, like reading the instructions at the top of a worksheet. Also, any time she has a free moment, I can almost always bet she is going to be in her bean bag chair reading a book. Can’t say I blame her, if I had a free day, I might do that exact same thing! Or shop…Or sleep.
God is so good, and I truly feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to stay home with the kids. I do get tired, as I feel like homeschooling requires a lot more of me as a mother, but I am seeing such amazing things happen in our kids. I feel like AA is learning so much more about the Bible, and she is memorizing much much more scripture. Not to mention, I love that I don’t have to worry about where she is, what she is doing and who she is with while away at school. She is right next to me, and her greatest peer influence is her baby brother. Sure, he is a bit drooly, but he loves her more than anything in the whole world. It really doesn’t get much better than that.
I think one of the hardest parts of homeschooling for me, is not getting the reassurance that I would get from a classroom teacher. I always feel like I should be doing more, adding in more subjects, doing more art, more reading, less of this, more of that etc etc etc. Sometimes it would feel good to get that pat on the back from a person (outside of my hubby, who is a constant supply of pats on the back! ILYC!) telling me that I am doing everything I can for AA and Landon. I know AA needs that too. So, if you are around, ask her how school is going. Ask her to show you some of her work, or have her sing a song, read a book, or recite Bible verses to you. Brandon and I are pretty constant on the praise factor, but there is nothing like hearing it from someone else.
To me, this picture pretty much says it all. To all of you, it may be simply a child painting. To us it was a lesson on The Garden of Eden, Sin, impressionist painters, creating varying colors, counting, scale, fine motor skills, patience, perseverance (it took a long time to paint using only tiny dots!), and love. The love that I felt as I sat by her and watched her work so hard, and the love she felt knowing that she has a mother who thinks the world of her, right by her side.
And it is about this. A four year old sharing her beloved “soft bear”, which is the only toy I have ever told her that she doesn’t have to share, because he is solely hers and hers alone. Yet, here she is handing it over freely. She even told him that he could bite soft bear if he wanted to (baby brothers like to do that sort of thing!) I was here, watching it all, knowing that the amount of time they spend together, and the work Brandon and I put into their lives is going to make them not just siblings, but also friends. Home school allows me to focus time, where it truly needs to be. Apparently this moment of the day time needed to be focused on brother and sister snuggling and sharing precious secrets.
Last but not least, this picture begs me to ask, when was the last time in school that your Dad was your teacher? When did you get to sit in your living room, snuggled up with a history book, and hear your own father’s take on the first sin, or the Tower of Babel. I know that has never been the case for me. You can’t tell by the picture, but as Brandon read, AA was gently rubbing his chest. It was as if there was no other place she would rather be in that particular moment.
That is what I want for her. Memories built around real life learning. Learning from Mom, who has infinite more patience because you are my child, and Dad who has infinitely more wisdom about how his children learn best, even if that does mean it is out on the tire swing.
God, you have the freedom to give me a swift kick in the pants any time I start to grow weary. Remind me of all the good you have in store for us, but also keep us humble, and able to give in when we know we have done all that we can.
Speaking of humbling moments…
Here is my Mr. Man getting into Sissy’s weather cards (a no-no for Little L!) and “rearranging” them for her. All in an effort to keep me on my toes. I am sure many more messes are upon us. You better believe he cleaned every last card up. Mama means business!