Recent Happenings

I am finding in my vast experience of approximately 3 months of homeschooling that some of the best activities are the ones I didn't plan. Like the topographical map of Egypt we made out of Legos. Or the puppet show about the Assyrian emperor where he decapitated the ( Lego) heads of those he conquered.
( Are you sensing a theme here? This homeschool venture made possible by Legos.) Whereas the activities provided in the text...? Not so much. The paper mache mummy? It's resting in pathetic pieces on the ash heap of history. The clay "stamps" in the chapter on Hammurabi? Utter failures. But nothing is really a waste of time when you get to play with clay. That's my philosophy anyway.

But on to other things. I have got to do better at recording memorable events. Because as memorable as they seem now, I'm sure they will fade into blurry haze before long.

So- we've been working really hard on this potty training thing with W. And I thiiiiink we've just about got it. She's been staying dry about 95% of the time, and just in the last two days, she has produced solid waste into the potty. I want to throw a giant party for the entire WORLD. This has been a long time coming. ( This was partly my own fault b/c I started trying to potty train her while I was pregnant. Dumb. Colossally dumb.) So she'd be sitting on the potty, and I would be there, trying to encourage her to "do stinkies." And I'd say, "When Mr. Stinky is at the door, you have to let him out." But she took that and ran with it. "Mr Stinky already left for work, but Mrs. Stinky is still at home with the two children." WHAT?! A FAMILY of EXCREMENT? This child can make ANYthing into a story! This evening, she wanted to help me water the ferns on the front steps. I gave her the watering can and as she tipped out its contents onto the fern, other liquid appeared, spilling out from under her dress. Apparently, the sound and sight of the water had inspired her to let loose with her own waterfall. Poor thing. I think she was quite startled. She is not quite used to wearing underwear I guess... But if she had to have an accident, that is the perfect place to have one- OUTSIDE. I just took all her clothes off and hustled her indoors to rinse off in the bathtub. She had such an anguished look of bewilderment on her face.


And then the other day, she was playing near a fire-ant hill. I told her to move away so the ants wouldn't get on her, and she did, but apparently not fast enough because pretty soon, she started taking her shoes and socks off. I asked her what she was doing ( expecting her to admit that she'd gotten an ant in her shoe). But no. " I'm being Eve." WHAT?! I guess Eve had bare feet too. Well, she had a lot more bare parts than just her feet, and that was duly mentioned too ( " she had nakedness"), but fortunately I was able to restrain her from fully getting into character. She then proceeded to "look for fruit" and encourage A. to "be Adam." This child may have a little too much education at this point.

All for now. The youngest child needs pre-slumber sustenance.