My Stubborn Dog

I often let Sadie, our 90 lb lab, go out front with me to check the mail retrive things out of the car....Well today my daughter asked me to get her toy out od the car and I invited Sadie. When I opened my daughters car door, Sadie jumped in and moved to my son's side. I called her and she wouldn't come out. So, I thought, 'hmm maybe she's too big to turn around in there." So I opened my son's door and called her. She kept her stubborn labrador behind seated. I called and called, I pulled, still nothing. So, I asked my husband to help. He called, he pushed, he pulled...She wouldn't budge an inch. She just sat there looking at us like you can't make me get out. I thought maybe she just wants to take a ride. I took her around the block for 5-10 min. I got home, I called her and she sat. I shut the door and went to make her peanut butter sandwich...in the meantime my husband tried prodding her out with a stick. She just sat. She was tempted by the sandwich, so I tore a piece off...she jumped out took her bite and jumped back in...no kidding. So, my husband came out and the dog wouldn't come back out for another bite. My husband moved the seat up so she was no longer wedged b/t the back and front seats.....and then he pushed her out of the car, I grabbed her collar and he shut the doors. That dog has some kind of personality! I reminded my husband who wanted the dog. He walked up to her last year and said, "That's the dog I want." Guess what, that's the dog he got! She is apart of our family and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Some things Never Change

When the 5 yr old was a baby he was a lazy sucker, very lazy. He would take atleast an hour to eat 4 oz and he was eating every 2 hrs. He wanted to just lay there and let the milk drip in his mouth. He would cry unless mommy held him. He's always been a mamma's boy. Some things just don't change. He's still my boy and he still takes FOREVER to eat....he is also a lazy chewer. He puts food in his mouth, but he doesn't like to chew it. He actually got that from me. I have always said I wouldn't eat if I didn't have to. I get tired of food and I would rather drink my nutrition.

New York Pictures

Homeschooling

I ordered Miquon Math for the 5 yr old and 4 yr old. I LOVE it! It's awesome. They don't feel like they are working, but they are being introduced to math concepts slowly. It turns abstract math concepts into concrete concepts for them to grasp at an earlier age! Tonight we just did 1 lab sheet together....everything has to be done together. There is no independent work when dealing with a 4 yr old and 5 yr old. Anyway, we counted objects, matched the same number using the 1 rods, then found a rod that matches the same length. For example 4 objects, we counted 4, 1 rods, then we measured the lengths against the other rods and found the pruple one was the same length. My sweet 4 yr old worked so hard. She even knew when she was counting out 6 rods and had 8 that she had to take 2 away. Seriously, we think she has a math brain...she's ALWAYS doing things like that. My 5yr old worked some, but is much more interested in being creative with his work.

I am some what against homeschooling, I really am. Part of me thinks how awesome it is to give them material I know they can handle at a pace they can handle and in a way they can use their own abilities (like the 5 yr olds creativity). We are sending the 5 yr old to public Kindergarten next year, but who knows if he will stay in public school. We will see when the 4 yr old head off in 2 yrs.

The book we're using to teach them to read is called Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. I am doing those lessons seperately. They take about 15 min and start at the beginning. For my 2 that is great. They know all their sounds, but going over it step by step is great for them. They feel they have already mastered it. For my perfectionist child it is great, he does it perfectly! In a few weeks he will be reading just the way he can...but he's scared. In 100 days or so he should be able to read pretty most things fairly easily. I am also using Explode the Code to reinforce the phonics.

Somewhere in all this I have to figure out how to fit my running in and lose 15 pds...I would settle for 5-10 at this point!

The little girl gets glasses...


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