A Week, Briefly (9/13/21)

 Brother's new med regimen is working.

He is handling triggers that would usually set him off into violence with thoughtful calm.

We are trying to enjoy these good days, but we're still tiptoeing around, waiting for the bomb to go off.

And Beowulf and Ladybug are now filling the violence void with their own tantrums and threats.  It's as if they suppress most of what they're feeling in order to cope with the danger of their environment, and as soon as that threat is gone, they let their own issues out. 

The whole family is walking around in a haze of exhaustion--I find myself disconnecting often, and I have to constantly force myself to look family members in the eye and listen with real intent.

Quite often, I fail.

But we are blessed by our new morning schedule and our plan to focus on healing.

After Morning Meeting, Nature Angel and Little Princess are excused to go to their desks in their room and focus fully on school--1 hour for Little Princess and 2 hours for Nature Angel.

I take full responsibility for everyone else, and we do yoga then gather for toddler circle time.  The older kids are to set the example for how to sit nicely in a circle to listen and participate.  The toddlers join us as their interest and attention allow.  The Munchkin, at nearly 3 years old, is very interested in the stories and songs.  Little Mister Frog and Li'l K, at not quite 2 years old, come and go, come and go, come and go.  And Sugar Bear as a new 1 year old is only interested in getting our attention to do what she wants to do. :)

However, the picture books and finger play songs seem to be good for everyone.

We read Scuffy the Tugboat as our main book this week, so we did a boat coloring page, craft, and activity over the course of 3 days.

The big kids helped the little kids, and then when the little kids were either done or tired, the big kids got their chance to make their own craft or play with the activity at their own level.  I'm finding in this first week that the opportunity to be both nurturers and little children has been good for all involved.

I've guided each child through either math or reading with individual attention.  And we've continued our lunchtime reading/studying together.  We've finished the first book of our dinosaur science study--Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham--and the kids have pored over dinosaur library books in their free time.

We finished reading Pedro's Journal for Early American History, and we read the chapter about Spanish conquistadores from A Child's First Book of American History.  Now we're reading Tikta'litak.

I fielded phone calls all week from various professionals who will be involved with our wrap-around services.  In the week ahead, I will have about half a dozen appointments with these professionals as well as psych appointments for Brother and Lola and a physical therapy appointment for Nugget.

We went to the park on Thursday morning.

Ladybug is teaching the kids the rules to a game she learned at her church activity on Wednesday night.

I stayed home from dance with Ladybug (too many tantrums) and the babies, while Belle took the rest of the kids. 

 

After their early morning hours of focused school are finished, Nature Angel and Little Princess join me in balancing child care and the regular work of the day.

 

Their skills are many!

Pixie sent me a first week of school picture from Idaho.

She's thrilled to be almost through with her general ed courses and now having far more focus on dance.  On top of her regular course work, she's been assigned to be a TA for ballet 190 this semester, and I cannot wait for the teachers to see what a good teacher she is!  She is still working for the daycare, rolling with the variety of assignments she tackles on any given day.

Sir Walter Scott went back to work.  

 

It is good.