Catch Up

First, let me apologize for not writing in my blog for a long while.  I've started this home-school adventure and, to be honest, I'm swimming a bit here.  We don't have a regular schedule (though we don't need to, per se) and often when I suggest doing something (like geography or writing in his journal or blog), he refuses.  ???  So then I'm stymied.  I don't believe in pushing him to something in a punitive way and I don't want to get into any power struggles with him.  That just brings us both down to a level I don't care to function at.

So let me show you what we have been doing this month so far.

On September 4th, Our whole family went to Cleavox Lake at Honeyman State Park on the coast and met up with some friends.  This was an annual "Not Back to School Day" in honor of the thrill and excitement traditionally schooled kids feel when going back to school in the Fall. So a "Not" Back to School tradition was started for the home-schooled kids.  

It was a beautiful place on a beautiful day.  My husband was actually there (we don't often get invited to be family oriented things on his days off, so this was a neat treat.)  And we took Aubrey with us, too; she went back to public school the next day.

My mother-in-law, Anna, asked Joey what he learned that day.  He said, "I didn't learn anything.  I just went to the coast."

I disagree.  He learned lots.  He ran in the sun and dug tunnels that flowed water into a big hole.  He didn't bother his sister but once.  He played with a friend for over an hour with only one altercation.

When I asked him to come out of the water, (so I could talk to him about it) he walked in deeper and stood with his head bowed, just taking a moment and then he was fine and the boys were playing together soon after that.

He played without his sister almost the entire time.  They walked up an entire huge sad dune and ran down it, got fantastically dripping wet and Joey got to walk to the van in a dry sweatshirt and huge quilt wrapped around him.  He had a laugh at that.

***Then I was sick for a few days and we did nothing more than a few math games and puzzles.  And we read together a lot.  In bed.  Under the covers.***

This post is a tad long so I'll continue it in the next one.  Please read on!