Sizzlers, TV and Hoarding

My Sizzler watched the TV show about hoarders with studied focus. She stared frozen as the show shared the lives of people who collect things to such an extent that they can no longer move through their homes. Stacks of newspapers, unopened packages, garage sales finds, dirty dishes, and mountains of clothes are piled often to the ceiling, creating tunnel-like paths through their homes.

My daughter watched, unblinking at the screen, while the camera painstakingly worked its way through a woman’s home. Apparently, years ago this mom had suffered the loss of two children, only six months apart, and her inability to cope had sent her into a hoarding downward spiral. Suddenly, my eleven year old turned to me in utter seriousness, put her hand on mine and said, “Don’t ever do that. Just don’t. If, heaven forbid, I were to die. . .<insert big pause> . . .take up knitting.”

I laughed out loud. Her concern was so heartfelt. Her face so serious. Yet, the idea of me as a hoarder. . .

My Christmas Dream

I have a wonderful dream about how Christmas Day is going to happen.
Come along and enjoy.

I’ll wake early, before anyone else, and be amazed at the immensely satisfying night’s sleep from which I just emerged.
Feel the rest.

My feet won’t even become cold because. . .

Driveway Delight

I was driving down the same winding road from my house that I always take. Clearly, the school bus was due to come along at any minute because at practically every third driveway there was a parent and child, standing, waiting, watching, perhaps talking. But not much else. I continued around another blind curve. There I’d see another child-parent pair looking like statues. Another curve. Another pair.

Then. . .I went round one more curve

A Different Kind of Writing Class

There are a bazillion writing programs out there. And there is usually something of value in each of them. I’ve tried many of them, with mixed success, depending on the particular child, their age, what they had for breakfast, and the current tilt of the moon.

But I’m going to share with you the most successful writing program we ever used. And the good news is. . .you won’t need to buy a thing.

The place where my kids got stuck it seemed was on starting.
And then producing.
They had great ideas, but they never got beyond that.
They were waiting for inspiration.
They had writer’s cramp.
They had writer’s block.
They had a cramp in their writer’s block.

I grew weary of the excuses.
I just wanted them to write.
I didn’t even care if they said anything worthwhile.
I just wanted them writing.

And that’s when it hit me.

Letting Go of the TEACHER in You

Ever think about quitting homeschooling?

Yeah. Me too. The question is. . .when you get to that point, what do you do next?
Take a look at a note from a mom who is right at the crossroads.

I am homeschooling my 2 very active boys. Age 7 and 5 and I am stuck. I think the biggest reason I am stuck is that I taught special education in the public school system for 9 years and I just have in my mind how our school day “should look” and it doesn’t fit and honestly homeschooling is really frustrating and I don’t like it.
 I just can’t seem to break out of that and embrace what works best for us! I also think I have “too many” ideas and things I want to cover and have trouble focusing on what is best.
Anyway…. I would love your thoughts and prayers.

                                                                                                                   –Losing Heart

Dear Losing Heart,

I have SO been where you are. I understand your heavy heart.

You might expect I’ll give you a pep talk saying “Never give up! You can’t surrender! The collapse of family structure is on the line” and so on. But those talks tend to heap loads of guilt on someone who’s simply looking for solutions. My guess is you already have guilt (It’s a mommy’s way). The truth is you can give up and it would not be the end of the world. I won’t join the ranks of those who tell parents that if they quit homeschooling they’ve failed.

All that said, I still don’t believe you need to give up. There is so much of value in the homeschooling life that I’d hate to see you and your boys lose out on. So we’ll go straight discussion B.

Another Day, Another Milk Jug

My child looked absolutely green. “What’s wrong?”

“Ugh, <insert impressive moan> I feel terrible.”

“Why is that?” I intoned.

“Because I drank four cups of milk and I think I might puke.”

“Why did you drink so much milk?”

“Because Amelia was here.”

What?

“I wanted to show her how cool it was to jump on the empty milk jug and shoot the lid clear across the room.”

“Ahhhh,” sighs the all knowing mother. <insert impressive but hidden smirk>

So. . .what’s your Sizzler been up to lately?

You Are Not a Fish

My young daughter was bolting in my direction. I could tell, even from 15 feet away, that she was very agitated. She clearly had something on her mind and it was equally clear that I was gonna to hear about it. She stopped abruptly in front of me and began her angry download.

“That boy is such a jerk. We were playing chess and he was making up rules and telling me I was wrong and saying all kinds of stupid things. I’d move my piece and he’d say it was a dumb move and that I didn’t know how to play and then he’d just knock a piece over and say he won. He was just so STUPID! He didn’t know ANY of the rules of chess. He just acted like he did. It made me so mad!”

She was a whirling swirling cloud of angry.  And while her frustration was reasonable, her level of anger was not. I knew she could stew (and spew) for a very long time if I didn’t help her calm down and find her center again. So, summoning my small reserve of Yoda-like wisdom. . .

MATH WEEK – Day 5

We’ve covered ways to put major motion and minor motion into math, keeping things ordered, watching for details, staying on task, making math into a game, even doing math in the bathtub. But there was one bit of motion that was conspicuously absent because I was saving it for the last day. That of course would be. . .ditties!!!

The Power of the Ditty
If you’ve known me for awhile, you know I truly believe in the power of the ditty. But if you’re new to Sizzle Bop, let me explain.

The ditty is an amazing tool.
Information can be learned and cemented almost effortlessly.
And yet, for years, I had missed the value of this incredible learning tool.

You see, my son is not musical.
He has no natural rhythm.
He cannot even clap on the beat.
So it never occurred to me to use rhymes or rhythm in teaching him. I assumed it would be a pointless and frustrating exercise to even try.

But then one day . . .

MATH WEEK – Day 4

BREAK IT UP

Sometimes our kids are perfectly capable of handling the math concepts in front of them. In fact, that can almost be part of the problem.
How’s that?–you ask.
Well, if they are learning a new concept, they have to focus really hard to learn it. The newness of it may be enough to keep them paying attention.
But when the math skill being reviewed is one they fully understand and even find to be easy. . . well, then they may be more likely to loose their focus.

That’s when you need some ideas in your arsenal that permit ways to add an element that is focus worthy in and of itself.
That usually involves motion, or fun, or both!

Here are some ways to take a traditional math lesson and break it up a bit.

MATH WEEK – Day 3

The Rush is On

Some kids have lovely handwriting. (Actually, I’ve never really witnessed it myself in our house, but the rumors have circulated for so many years that I’m inclined to believe such children do indeed exist.) For these children, writing is a process they enjoy– the grace of the loops, the cleanness of the letters, the straightness of the lines. Writing seems to be almost calming to them. These same kids tend to take their writing skills directly into their math lessons, dutifully copying down their math problems in a neat and orderly fashion. (Feel the straight columns)

Then…there are the others – the ones I’m far more familiar with.