Homeschool-ish Sort-of-Preschool

Circle Time, hands-on directed activity, songs, finger play, puzzles, painting, playdough . . . I have changed my parenting philosophy and am reaping the rewards already. My boys are calmer (more often), my home is quieter (sometimes) and I am a whole lot less frazzled (usually). I have my sisters to thank for this whole new attitude adjustment; my two homeschooling, innovative, creative sisters. They are inspiring.

I have watched and learned as they've homeschooled their-collective-eight children. I have watched my nieces and nephews blossom under the tutelage and direction of their very-present-mothers. I have seen the difference that hands-on teaching makes when a child is having difficulty in one area or another. I have been inspired by the earnestness in their voices about their homeschooling classes and groups that they are involved in. Beyond that, I have seen the life lessons being taught that are sometimes neglected in a traditional classroom.

My boys are only two, but I want them to have that same experience - as much as they can for their age. I want them to have the structure that comes from learning at home, instead of being plunked in front of the TV for all hours of the day. I want them to learn their colours, shapes, letters and words as soon as they're ready, instead of waiting for their first day of school to begin their learning journey. I want them to have fun doing things that other creative parents are showing me they could be doing by now. I want them to play with things that don't require batteries and don't have flashing lights and screaming sirens. I want them to learn to sit still and listen so they're prepared for Sunday School. I want them to remember they were loved enough to be given the gift of discipline. I want them to know I cared enough to spend time with them. I want them to remember the joy of being little boys.

Already I can see a difference between the days when they have one too many kids videos on and the days where I pull out the Circle Time mats and we sing our songs and do our playing exercises. I can see the light in their eyes when I pull their chairs up to the kitchen table and bring out a special craft or activity they've never tried before. I hear their new words and see the way they share so well with other kids in the nursery at church. I see them becoming more purposeful in their playtime as I become more purposeful in the one-on-one time I spend with them.

I love how it makes me feel as a mother when I become a part of their lives instead of just trying to get through the crazy days. And as much as I want them to remember the joy of being little boys, I want to remember the joy of being their mother.

Potty-training TWINS; a lesson in differences

Do I do it at the same time or one at a time? Do I wait until they're both ready or just grab the one who looks like he'll go for it and focus on that one? Do I do rewards and stickers or praise? Do I use pull-ups or big boy underwear? Do I have myself committed to the pscyh ward today or tomorrow? AHHH!!!!

I researched. I read. I surfed the internet on all the twin sites for advice. I wondered "when". When is the best time? Are they ready? Is ONE of them ready? Am I even ready??? I worried and stressed and worried some more... and then one day I came home with a pile of tighty-whiteys and Sam wouldn't take them off. Well! Decision made. Two weeks before their second birthday Sam has decided that diapers are not for him. Stickers? Doesn't care. Reward treats? Never tried it because he doesn't care. After a few tutorials, he now just hops on, hops off, washes hands and out the door he goes. Ooookaaay then.

Ben? Oh, well Ben runs screaming in the other direction if he's even presented with a pair of big boy underwear and don't even get me started on sitting him on the potty; I can't even get him to bend into a sitting position! SOOooooo not ready.

I'm reminded, yet again, at how different the boys are. I should have known; what works for one has never worked for the other. And so, with that in mind, I started the sticker charts anyhow. I know that Sam could care less most of the time about getting a sticker for his efforts - he sometimes looks at it as just one more thing standing in his way before he gets to exit the bathroom and go play - but I know that BEN will need it. And so we do it anyhow so that, when he's ready, Ben will get his motivation and reward.

I love their differences. I love that they aren't two halves of a whole, but two very different little guys with two very different minds. And I LOVE that, right now, I'm only running one kid to the potty at a time and only changing one set of diapers. What a treat that is for me. So, thanks Sam, for making that decision so your dear ol' mommy doesn't have to have herself committed over a silly little thing like potty training. Maybe we'll save that one for the day you guys learn to drive.

Rememberings

I finished a book today in which a fairly minor character had a fairly major impact on my thoughts today. She was a large, feisty woman who loved God, loved to laugh and loved to "visit" with all who crossed her threshold. She went weekly to the rummage sale held in the basement of an old church and picked out scraps of fabric with which to make rag rugs. She reminded me of my grandmother. The woman and the rugs; Mama made those too. I kept thinking how I wish I'd had her show me how.

Odd times, certain things will bring her to mind - like these rugs or the canned plums I'd preserved this summer. I'd never done them before but the moment I took the first bite, she came straight to mind. Mom said the same thing when I handed her a jar. For me, it was the reminder of the plums my sisters and I picked from the tree at our Scenic Drive house that Mama collected from us and made into jam. I couldn't have been more than twelve then, but that taste has stuck in my mind as a memory of her.

Like Tetley tea and white bread with butter and brown sugar. Like peas on toast or soft french toast with icing sugar. Chocolate macaroons or thimble cookies with jam spooned into the fingerprint pressed in the centre of each one. Like biscuits brought to Thanksgiving dinner in a cookie tin lined with waxed paper. Like pickled beets and whole tomatoes eaten like an apple with a sprinkling of salt on each bite. There are reminder smells and sights that bring her to mind too but these are the tastes I go looking for when I want a good remembering.

Mama and I used to swap books all the time. We'd each read the book ahead of time before we gave it to the other for a gift. I think she would have really enjoyed this one; it has a character in it I'm sure she would have loved.