The After Christmas Season

Well, Christmas is over and I'm still recovering from it. My annual battle with the Christmas present aftermath is underway as I'm trying to find places for the kids' new things while trying to convince them that they really can do without a few of the things that they got four years ago. We have taken the week off from school work mainly because we would have all out rebellion if they didn't get some extra time to enjoy their new stuff. It also gives the benefit that I have time to sort and wash and clean and organize.

The holiday itself went pretty well for us. We still managed to have conflicts with the same individuals we usually have conflicts with. I am trying to come to terms with the idea that this will probably never change. What was different this year was that it was one of our kids causing the problem instead of my husband or me. The next generation seems to be following in the steps of ours. This fact and a chance conversation has Tim and I wondering if there is something more going on than just normal blunders. As a result we looked up information on Aspergers syndrome. I must say that the description sounds awfully familiar to us. It begs the question of how far off normal do you need to be to fit into a category like this. We have begun to wonder if we need to have our child evaluated for this syndrome and whether it would make any difference. After all the treatment for this syndrome is exactly what we are already doing, training our children how to interact appropriately with others. It is something to consider.

In other news I have had my first thorough eye exam. As a result, I get to pick up my first pair of corrective glasses in about a week. I get to wear them for driving and for distance use. We'll see how often our baby grabs them off me during church when I'm trying to read what is on the projection screen .

It is also about time to come up with a nickname for our littlest one. Tim is voting for "Little Chunk." He is a big kid. He'll have his two month checkup next week so we can see how he is progressing. But from our perspective, he may always be the biggest of our kids (for his age). He has an appetite that doesn't seem to want to quit. I wouldn't say that he's roly-poly, but he is simply big. I haven't come up with a better nickname for him, so we might as well go with that one for now.

This morning I noticed Little Chunk was not just sucking on his fist, he was trying to chew on it. Hmmm.... I tried an experiment. I gave him his pacifier and he spat it out. I held a small nubbly rubber teether up to his mouth and he chewed with a vengeance. Could it be that our baby is teething already. We've had a history of early teethers. Our oldest had her first tooth at three months. Our others were a little later, but not much. Let me tell you, it is not always fun having a teething baby before they have the ability to hold their own teethers. Thank you Rick and Wendy. The teether you got him is right on time.

Also, thanks to Great Auntie Jean, for the toy that is replacing "Spore" in our kids lives. We are now the proud owners of a Wii. The kids are constantly begging for it. Tim and I opted for a Wii Fit add on and have begun a new exercise regime. It will be helpful during our cold/wet season. It is pretty fun. But it was a nice day today so we all went for a walk outside for our exercise.

That is all I can think of for now. I have plenty of other posts I could do, but they will have to wait.

Hi...we are still here!

I know it has been a while since my last post. I considered posting several times, but hesitated since I hadn't finished the dresses of which I promised pictures. I still don't have pictures of the dresses, although they are finished now. Instead, I treat you to a picture of our December snowfall. A friend of ours (who is in her thirties) and grew up in the area said that it hadn't snowed here before in her lifetime.


It was mostly melted by the afternoon.

So what have we been up to all this time that Tim and I haven't been posting on our blogs? Well I'll try and list them briefly:

1. Homeschooling. It does take a good deal of time and effort. I have shed most of my "stay-at-home Mom" way of thinking. I am a working Mom. I just do most of my work at home. Now if I can get the kids to realize that schoolwork is not supposed to be an interruption to their lives but an integral part of it half of the conflicts we have would be done.
2. Christmas. We celebrated. We visited. Tim and the girls were in the Christmas play. Christmas is not a happy time for me. I have trouble indulging others' desires to recreate childhood fantasies for themselves. My personal view of it is that the holiday should mirror the priorities of the person we celebrate. I am not aware of anyone else around me who agrees to the point of going counter-culture on this. So I manage the best I can with it. Given this quirky opinion of mine and the fact that Christmas has had several losses, emergencies, and sicknesses associated with it in my mind from events in my past, I have found that the less I join in the general joviality, the more contented and at peace I am.
3. Birthdays. From October until February is Birthday season for our kids. We eat way too many sweets. Our kids get family parties and other special treats if we can manage it. The Pillowfight Fairy got a trip to a ballet performance. The Adrenaline Junkie got time to play with friends. The Happy Boy's birthday is yet to come.
4. Tim's been doing Chainmaille jewelry lately (for Christmas presents). He is also considering plans for an outfit for the Pillowfight Fairy.
5. I've been on a craft binge. I have completed one cross-stitch project and started another. I have crocheted a shawl for myself and a blanket for our sofa. I finished sewing Fancy dresses for the girls. Currently I am only working on a cross-stitch but I'm itching to pick up a new crochet project or start a quilt. I have promised a quilt to a family member in the next year, but it is not quite time to start it. So I'm tempted to start up one of the quilts I planned a few years back but never got to. I also want to improve my crochet skills to the point that I am comfortable in making clothing (something more complicated than flat fabric). I have been delaying these craft urges lately for the simple reason that keeping the finances updated is important and taxes will need filing rather soon. There is only so much time in a day after all.
6. Tim is in play rehearsals. He auditioned and was cast as the Mikado in our local theater group's production of the same name. Here is the company website for anyone interested. Needless to say that makes our schedule quite a bit more full than usual.

I think that covers most of it. For those homeschoolers or family members who like updates on how our schooling has been going, here is an update. We hit our halfway point a week after Thanksgiving. We currently have about 14 more weeks worth of work to go. I am well satisfied with the Pillowfight Fairy's Progress. The Adrenaline Junkie is proving to me that she is not ready for first grade next year. She has not settled down enough to progress in her reading and math as I had hoped. She is a full year young as far as the public schools are concerned. However her sister was ready at that age and the Adrenaline Junkie seemed to be at a similar point. Their interests are different and I'm convinced that the Adrenaline Junkie has her brain wired differently than her sister. In fact she reminds me a lot of myself in my early years. I had a lot of focus issues and was no better than an average student until I developed some focus and self-motivation. Probably today I would have been labeled ADD. Yet somehow I managed to move from unfocused and mediocre to focused and a good student. I am sure we can help our cute little Tom Boy Princess get to where she needs to be. In the meantime, I've slowed her lessons down. It took a while to figure out how to work with the Pillowfight Fairy. I'm sure the Adrenaline Junkie needs similar time and patience for us to figure out what works with her. I will probably have my patience tried by a child just like me. I already knew the Fairy was a lot like her father, so I suppose it is only fair.