Every moment of the day is an opportunity, for education, for observation, for fostering independence. I try to take as many as possible and use them to our advantage, and some I just evaporate into really fun video games with the kids. Some days that is as important as sitting and teaching explicitly. Today I just spent time on the floor with the kids, looking at flashcards and naming what we see. We named all the letters, and spelled words. We talked about sounds and all of the letters we have done so far. We counted toys and flashcards and shoes and socks. We counted fingers and noses. We played with their alphabet toys and CJ sounded out his first words on his own. And I wasn't doing anything but playing with them! CJ picked out three letters, d b and a. I arranged them into a word and asked him what the sounds were. /b/ /a/ /d/ bbbb aaa ddd. Bad, Mommy that says bad! I replaced the B with the M. He repeated the process, and did the same for had and pad. He sounded them out with some encouragement but no assistance. I was flabbergasted. Outstanding!
O day started the same as usual. Find letter on quilt, write in carpet, (which they loved since it is just a circle!) and make our letter O poster. They came up with some great words too. Orangutan, outside, over, orange, orzo. They found O all over the place today, in all their books, on their word cards and on TV. It was a very satisfying day. We made orange oatmeal and had orange juice. For lunch we had balsamic Orange chicken with Orzo. And dinner at Memere and Pepere's house was Onion soup, salad, and Omelets with toast. Then Orange pineapple ice cream with Oreos. The general consensus was outrageously good!
I spent nap time cleaning and making some educational tools. I finished the flashcard deck to match lower and upper case letters, and made worksheets for the same thing. I made papers where the kids can match a letter to a picture that begins with the letter. Four to a page so they don't get overwhelmed. I accomplished a lot today, which feels very edifying after a very grueling week where I completed very few projects. I cleaned up our bedroom and started knitting Eliza a pink and purple blanket, because those are her favorite colors and she is very upset when she is not wearing them. I knit one for CJ quite awhile ago, and have been unable to finish one for her, so I am hoping by fall I will have it ready for her. I even got the tub and both bathrooms scrubbed clean! Woot!
CJ had no accidents today, and even when in a diaper when we were away from home, he never went in it. Eliza went on the potty several times today, and I am so proud. Unfortunately she also had a major temper tantrum because I told her she needed to leave a toy at her grandparents' house. She can be so obstinate that it can be very frustrating and sometimes even amusing. She was literally kicking and screaming, and it was all I could do to not laugh, because it was like looking into a mirror. I used to be the same. My mom started laughing and told me payback is a you know what! Oops! At least she is fairly easy to calm down most times. She will be a terror when she is a teenager.
When we walked outside to the car tonight the kids saw the moon. They told us, as they usually do that it is a giant boulder in the sky. I asked what shape it is, and Eliza told me it is a sphere. CJ said that sometimes it looks like a crescent but it is really a sphere Mommy. REALLY?! But is it a waxing or waning gibbous? Seriously, I am going to have trouble keeping up with them. But that challenge is so fulfilling and so important. I feel so privileged to have this opportunity to educate and support them. I feel overjoyed to be allowed to do this. Now if only I can keep their minds occupied and keep mine from frying, we might make it through the weekend!
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