Letters, numbers, treble clefs: Oh my!

I'm mentally exhausted.

There are letters, numbers, and a giant treble clef floating around in my brain.

I took it upon myself to review all of Carter's previous music lessons with him to refresh his memory. He has learned beat, rhythm, high & low notes, and "The Music House" (the staff with "so" and "mi" as the characters in the story). He is grasping it pretty well. The next few lessons will teach him about the instrument families.

It took us 2 hours to review music. On top of that, he completed three phonics assessments, four lessons in handwriting & writing skills, and all of his normal daily lessons.

He amazes me with his intelligence. He started reading when he was three years old. I read to him often over the years, and one day, I sat a book in front of him, and asked if he knew any of the words. He started reading as if it were second nature. Since that day, he's been an avid reader.

This right here? An oxymoron.

As mentioned in a previous post, he is reading 120+ words per minute. By the end of first grade, the goal is 60-70. By the end of second grade, the goal is 105. He has already surpassed both goals and he is only halfway through the first grade.

Thankfully, we only have four phonics assessments left, and 20% of the lessons in handwriting until we can order second grade work.

Whew!

We're getting there!

E-schooling Adventures

For those of you who don't know, I e-school my son from home.

It's somewhat different from homeschooling, as I do not create the curriculum or daily plan. I use the provided curriculum. Now, while my son does attend school at home and I do many of the things that a teacher does (oversee his work, score assessments, help him when he has questions, teach the lesson, etc.), e-schooling is not homeschooling.

Anyway, my son is an advanced reader. He is reading 120 words per minute, while the goal for his class is 60 words per minute by the end of first grade. In second grade, the child is expected to reach 105 words per minute. Carter is reading at a third-grade level.

In order to get Carter up to speed with his own reading level, his teacher suggested that we assess in literature and comprehension instead of going through each and every individual lesson (since it's things that he already knows). She wants us to be able to order second grade coursework before March (the deadline).

It seems simple enough, right? Well, literature and comprehension consist of reading, vocabulary, handwriting, and phonics. That means that we have to assess in all of those subjects and have them completed by the deadline. If we don't? Well, if we don't, that means that he'll be left with no literature & comprehension coursework from the provided curriculum for the rest of the year once it's completed.

I'm pretty stressed out over this. These assessments are long, especially in reading. It takes us an hour and a half to complete one reading assessment, and we're trying to complete two per day, plus two assessments in every other sub-category of literature and comprehension, and finally our "everyday" lessons, like math, science, and history.

What were once five and a half hour school days have turned into eight hours or more.

We're burnt out.

We'll get through it though. No worries. I'm just frazzled!

Moms: We're Superheroes

Nothing prepares you for a career as a secret agent like sneaking away from your baby's bedroom right after she falls asleep. I'm serious. I could work for the FBI with all this expertise.

Seriously.

My daughter will sleep through a tornado, but as soon as she hears even the lightest footsteps leaving her room, BAM! She's wide awake and ready to play peek-a-boo.

It can be frustrating, you know? And sometimes, we as moms get down on ourselves. We take comments about our mothering skills to heart--even if we pretend it doesn't bother us. We tell ourselves that we could do better. We often forget about taking care of ourselves, because we're too busy pushing ourselves to the limit.

But the fact still remains: We're moms. We're superheroes. We have magic rituals. We do more in 7 minutes than most people do in a day.

Sure, we're imperfect, but who the hell isn't? And just because that childless lady up the street told you that you're parenting skills are less than stellar doesn't mean it's the truth. You're fantastic. You love your kids like no one else. You have their best interest at heart like no one else. Screw the people who try to bring you down. Who carried your children for 9 months? Who popped them out and was back at home to care for them within 5 days? That's right. It was YOU.

My reasons.

Look, there is absolutely nothing that can prepare you for motherhood. Nothing. Not manuals. Not classes on parenting. Not babysitting.

Nope. It's one of those things that you have to learn as you go. You develop "tricks" to make your life a little easier. You know, like how to wash your face, hair, and body in less than two minutes, or how to put makeup on, bathe two kids, and have them dressed and out the door in 10 minutes or less.

And while we as moms may not love every second of the work we do (because no one likes catching vomit with their hands), we love every second with our kids.

You're a mother. There is no job in the world that is more difficult, and there is no job in the world that is more rewarding. We are superheroes.

Sólo vives una vez!

For once, I sat around for most of the day in my pajamas and robe.

It felt damn good, too. I regret nothing.

Unfortunately, I'll pay for it tomorrow considering that I have a sink full of (thankfully rinsed) dishes, a living room full of toys, a desk full of papers, and a 5 1/2 hour school day tomorrow starting at 8 in the morning.

I'm living it up right now. And in my case, "living it up" means hanging out with my kids and having an all-day pajama party, watching cartoons, and eating whatever we want.

Sólo vives una vez!

The Repetitive Life of Motherhood

I swear, I feel like it's been winter for years. We've been cooped up in this house like chickens forever. Sometimes the kids run around like chickens, making strange sounds and trying to eat random things off of the floor. Eh. The dry air makes our skin itchy. The lack of sun makes us moody. We're not a very happy bunch. Even Buddha (our dog) does nothing but lie around anymore, grunting.



"Just leave me alone." - Buddha

Anyway, while I watched the snowflakes pile onto my driveway, I started thinking about how repetitive my life is in the winter. Cook. Clean. Guide Carter through his lessons. Cook. Clean. Play with the kids. Cook. Clean. Bathe the kids. Clean. Wash clothes. Bedtime. Repeat. We rarely get out of the house, especially since the temps have been below zero for what feels like a month.

There are times that I've asked myself, What's on the agenda tomorrow? knowing damn good and well that the answer is always the same. Stay inside. Cook. Clean. Guide Carter through his lessons. Eh, you get the rest. I think I do that just so that it'll seem like I have a life, at least.

Yeah right.

I haven't had a babysitter in a year. My husband and I haven't had a night out alone in even longer.

I barely remember what life was once like outside of my kids...

...Can you tell that I'm in a winter funk?

The more I thought, the more I realized that if those moments before my kids were so important, then I'd damn sure remember them, because it's been 7 years since my first child was born and I remember every smile, every laugh, every coo, every hug, every kiss. Everything.

And sure, I have days when I count down the minutes to when they'll turn 18, and I've had nights that I've just wanted to pull out my hair and cry, but guess what? Every single second has been worth it.

I love my job as a mama, even if it is a bit repetitive.

I love my little weirdos.

My children are my life. They are my little pals, my fountains of youth, my entire heart and soul. They are my PURPOSE. Being a mother is exhausting, yes. But it's because every single ounce of my energy is spilled into my children.

I don't regret that a bit.

#teammom