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1 September 2012

Today's Goings On

The children woke up this morning clamouring to do some maths puzzles.  Where are our workbooks?  We want to do multiplication!  (You WHAT?!  Um.  OK.  Whatever you want, kids!)  It's a Saturday.  I cannot break myself of the habit of thinking that maths is a chore I would never volunteer for, *especially* on a Saturday.

At the moment Martin is working from breakfast to bedtime on a Saturday.  I'm not getting used to it.  Saturday has felt, my whole life, like the one day that should not have claims on my time.  Since we started haphazardly and imperfectly keeping Saturday as holy time, working on a Saturday has felt like an especially huge compromise.

Perhaps it's the familiar pattern of our past days, that I am at home and Daddy is out all day, but the girls see Saturday as the best of times to do school-looking stuff from the moment they rise.
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(If anyone stops by and sees them sitting at a desk with work books and pencils, discussing the differences between animal cells and plant cells, I am not the controlling home-school mama forcing them to work weekends.  Honestly.  If they are doing multiplication at 7am on a Saturday, there is NO WAY it could have anything to do with me, and my maths teachers over the years would cite numerous failures to complete homework as evidence.)

After their maths-hunger was sated, they helped put some laundry away (from the Laundry Pile of Doom, which is still eating my kitchen doorway).  Jenna wished for a cream cake during circle time.  We decided to take a slow meander to the village to visit the bakers.  I am determined that Martin's work schedule will not keep us confined to the house, although venturing out with sole responsibility for the four of them still scares me!

While I was attempting to get clothes on to the two younger ones, and to at least persuade Rowan to wear *something* other than pyjamas, Jenna and Morgan watched some of the Paralympics; cycling and swimming.  They engaged in some wrestling which they assured me was play, until Jenna told Morgan to "get off [her] bladder!"  They then had to look up what and where the bladder is using the human body encyclopaedia.  They are making a life size human body model.  I am guessing I will have to help them add a bladder to it any day now.

Just before we left, Jenna remembered that we didn't do any painting yesterday, and for once I stopped myself rushing them out of the door and pulled out their journals quickly instead.  Partly I wanted to remember to go at their pace and that it isn't a race to get things done.  Mostly I wanted the painting to have an empty house to dry in.  ;)
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When we got back from our jaunt we were all pretty tired, and Morgan had impressive grazes on all four limbs from tripping over her own feet (at speed).  We played the new space board game we found in a charity shop, and spent a while discussing why Pluto is no longer classed as a planet.  I did some work on a batik playsilk, with small "helpers" in and out of the kitchen.  They watched a couple of episodes of Avatar.  I separated warring factions after some "earthbending" turned into a contact sport...  And Jenna read a couple of Rowan's favourite books to her.
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They took it in turns to use the computer.  Jenna wanted to play on a geometry site, and use the 3D model solar system.  Morgan did some number games on Sesame Street.  Rowan played on Poisson Rouge, and the others hung over her shoulder offering suggestions and trying to remember words in French.  They had a contest to see who could remember all the parts of the body, and Morgan won.  I made nachos for them to coax them away from the game, which was getting push-and-shove competitive.  The fighting is pretty intense at the moment, but today was actually fairly calm - probably because they had so many other things they wanted to do!

More Paralympics were the background noise to a long stint with the human body book, a lift-the-flap book about the Solar System, and old Atlas, a few board books, and a baby sign book.  This week Jenna and Morgan have both done more reading than in the previous month.  Books are *everywhere* right now, and trying to corral them back on their shelves is a fruitless effort.

Jenna came and made the tomato sauce for dinner, and Rowan kept going back and forth and leaving the gate open for Talia to attempt Operation Eat Cat Food.  They are not done yet.  Jenna has another book out and is talking about the atmosphere.  Morgan and Rowan are semi-bickering (as close as it gets to co-operating at the moment) over the dolls house and Sylvanians.  Talia is banging a spoon on an empty mug with great enthusiasm.  Avatar is queued up on Netflix but isn't playing right now (and pretty soon it's getting turned over to Doctor Who - whoop)!  The Jenna-size body model they are making is still out, though every time Talia shows an interest in it I get palpitations.

This is what unschooling is like for us.  And yet, at the same time, it isn't.  Today is so ordinary, so typical, in many ways.  In other ways it is like no day we have ever had.  Things seem to cycle here - looking like nothing at all, then a few weeks later looking like a full time 24/7 education and a half.  Jenna will voluntarily read a chapter book a day for a week, gorging an entire series, and then will resist reading so much as a product label for a few days more.  The interests that carry them through project after project, some barely surface research and some lasting months and years, change as quickly as do these four marvellous little explorers.

I didn't set out to say anything in particular today, so I'll leave it there, just a flavour of our lives together, a glimpse into the best just as you often get to see my worst.  And a picture of Morgan at the museum yesterday, pondering seriously the importance of getting the right crayon for the job!
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12 comments:

  1. You know i love insights in to your life and this was lovely to read! Sometimes it really helps to write it down and see how much has been achieved. I am looking forward to seeing the Jenna sized body they are making and i hope you got some piece for Dr Who! Wasn't it fabby?!!

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    1. I still can't get over how much Amy annoys me, but hey only four more episodes of her! Loved the human girl (no spoilers from me for those who haven't watched yet)! The girls all watch with us, none of them are scared of it for some reason. :)

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    2. i actually like Amy more than some of his past companions lol. Donna was VERY annoying! That other girl was great. i have heard she is his new companion but not sure how she can be.... but he is a time traveler so anything is possible!

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  2. Can I ask you a totally serious question Sarah? How do you not get bored yourself? I see that you try to do what I try to do and have some involvement in activities but mostly try and step back and let 'them' drive it their own way, (which is much harder with one child I think). But I think part or a lot of my lethargy is boredom. My options are watch Oscar play, which is ok some of the time but not good for either of us, all of the time, or do some housework (dull, dull, dull). If I am sitting down knitting or just watching, Oscar takes it as a cue that I have nothing to do and wants me to play with him, which I do a lot of the time, but its a constant, again with him being the only child, 'who will play with me?'.
    I hear people say 'I don't have time to be bored', but I don't think that is necessarily true. I can fill my days to the brim and still be bored to tears (literally at times).
    V
    xxx

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    1. I tell them I'm busy and do things that *I* love. And yes, it is SO much easier with more than one! Yesterday aside from getting on with knitting Jupiter and batik painting, I did watercolours in my journal (while they painted), read two chapters of Neverwhere, and played about online.

      Something else that helps is to have friends to talk to, when I've had a really long day or just need to tell someone who understands "by the way, I have no clue what I'm doing, and I don't like the feeling"! Mostly the hardest days are those I feel pulled in too many directions. The only time I get bored is with a small baby doing so much sitting. I'm not good at disengaging my brain to stay present for nursing. It's easier now I can nurse and crochet, or nurse and read.

      I don't play with them much. I think I did with Jenna, but not now, I just help out with projects and try to find creative ways to bring interesting things into their space.

      What do you love to do? It sounds to me like you might benefit from guarding that time?

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  3. I like knitting but I cant sit and knit in silence (I don't find it engaging enough), so I mostly knit in the evening whilst watching TV. I sometimes edit photo's or write my blog with Oscar playing beside me, but don't you think there is a particular guilt associated with sitting in front of a screen? I think what is happening right now is that I feel I should be cooking and cleaning, I don't really want to do that all day long, so I don't, but then I feel too guilty to do something else unless it is in some way for Oscar's benefit. I actually HATE sitting in a mess, but it seems I am having a battle of wills with myself right now lol. My husband, in case you were wondering, couldn't give a damn if the floors were swept or the tables polished. He tells me all the time to do something else (go out, or do some knitting or whatever), so its all down to me. Tricky this at home Mama thing eh lol.
    V
    xxx

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    1. Tea and sympathy! It really is true that we feel guilty and conflicted no matter what we do! xxx

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  4. We have the same space game! What a fun filled learning day! Well done for saying yes to there requests you deserve a gold medal!

    Hugs to you
    San xx

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    1. The challenge to say "yes" is definitely tougher when I'm feeling blah! It was such a positive day, the closest I've felt in a few months to living the life I want to lead with my children. :)

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  5. What a wonderful day! How on earth did you remember it all. When people ask me what we do all day I often find myself mumbling like some village idiot as I really cannot remember. I can understand you finding it so positive, days like that are fab, but tiring

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    1. I write notes, and my photographs usually serve as a reminder too! :) Sometimes when I know I want to do a "day in the life" I leave the computer on and write as we go, but more usually I use a page of my household journal!

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  6. Everyday is so different from all teh others, and everyday is so amazing and just right for where you are now.it looks like you ar ein the middle of the busy zone right now!So much going on there is barely time to stop and think some days!
    (Didnt know you guys lover the Doctor 2...little rosemary and tigerlily are the hugest fans as well.I will have to let them know!)

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Penny for your thoughts? :)