A Week, Briefly (Jan. 9, 2023)

 Sunday

So, technically, this should be part of last week's post, but we didn't get it from our bishop until after I'd posted.  It's our oldest two boys with the other deacons ready to pass the sacrament.  It's been a terribly exciting milestone in many ways, and I'm quite proud of my boys.

And Nature Angel was able to finish her present to Brother--this gorgeous crocheted blanket!

Monday

The week started gently with only 2 daycare babies.  It was a real blessing to have a gentle day at the start because this is the week we started having all 8 babies full-time, and it is hard work!!

After our walk, our morning activity was copywork--the first line of a poem from volume 5 of My Book of Delights.  The younger ones printed the line once, and older ones copied in cursive from 2-4 times depending on age and ability.

Then we reviewed the Spanish alphabet.  My favorite moment was when Ladybug asked, "Why is there a tree on the A card?"

When I explained that we say, "T is for tree," but in Spanish, we say, "A is for árbol," she was terribly confused until we went through the flashcards several times, and she could see how the languages are different.

At this point, I had an appointment with the chiropractor where I learned that what I thought was my carpal tunnel getting outrageously bad is actually a pinched nerve and a bulging disc . . . and he found and worked on the sciatic nerve pain that I'd forgotten to tell him about.

Hurrah for pain relief!

I had activities planned for when I got home, but the kids were all engaged in their own productive ways, and I had no desire to disturb them.

A focused game of Catan

Cozy reading

The activity I'd planned was making and comparing two different bubble recipes.  I made one of the recipes for the babies we had, and eventually, Ladybug put her book away and made a couple batches of her own (Stretch spilled the first one).

These two were still feeling gross from the stomach bug they had over the weekend, so they spent most of the day just like this.

At lunchtime, I read aloud from Our Little French Cousins, and we learned a tiny bit about Joan of Arc, so I looked up the Landmark biography about Joan at Internet Archive.  Once the kids had spent 90 or so minutes outside running off some of their extra energy, I brought them inside to draw and listen to me read.

In the evening, we read some more of Hans Brinker.

Tuesday

This was our wandering day.  Instead of hiking a trail together and focusing on finishing a walk, we drove to a small lake and made a base camp where we had snacks and the kids could wander about and do what they liked--the goal being to allow the freedom to discover and wonder.

The trick was keeping the babies out of the water!

Sweet Peach was so happy to wiggle in the warm sun.

Baymax was still feeling a bit weak, so he mostly stuck close to me at home base.

Nugget tried to throw a tantrum over not being allowed in the water, but the ground was too interesting, and he ended up having a lovely sensory experience.

The kids loved being allowed to wander away from me.

An unnecessary photo of our doggies who alternately ran with the kids and waited patiently for someone to take them running.

They threw rocks into the water the whole time.

And then Li'l K fell into the water when he jumped as he threw his rock.  It was shallow, but it was cold, and he was in lots of outwear, so he was stuck, and Ladybug pulled him out.  I wrapped him in my coat and a fresh diaper, and he was happy as a clam drawing pictures in Ladybug's sketchbook at home base.

Accident notwithstanding, it was a lovely wandering day.

We came home to put babies to bed and warm up, and by the time that was done, all of  my kids were engaged in games and books and drawing of their own choosing, so I saved the movie I had planned for another day. :)

Wednesday

There was utility work happening along our walking path, and we had a happy time stopping at each traffic sign to identify letters and relate them to the various first names of our little ones.  Then a tractor came along!  And because of the utility work, it had to stop right in front of us.

I swear the eyes of my little boys and all of our babies just about fell out.  

We talked about tractors for the rest of the day!

Again, I'd planned an activity, but a couple of our babies showed up with two huge boxes of good-quality sidewalk chalk, and we dumped our plans to draw outside.

This is Brother drawing golden ratio rectangles. :)

After lunch, the kids did an art lesson from Art for Kids Hub.  We got 2 sets of high-quality markers for Christmas--the ones recommended on the Art for Kids Hub website.  The kids were thrilled and spent all afternoon coloring their pictures perfectly.

Upstairs, Nature Angel did Algebra while she supervised toddler naps.  Little Princess did Algebra right on the couch with Sweet Peach in her arms.

Thursday

I had a follow-up chiropractic appointment, so the kids watched Beauty and the Beast (it is a French fairytale, after all!).  

When I got back, Sir Walter Scott took them to the library while I made lunch.

After lunch, I set the kids up to do a watercolor lesson.

It was a downright painful experience because it was an apple, and Brother is red-green colorblind, so he needed help every minute identifying paint colors.  Ladybug sat herself in a position so that she couldn't see the screen, which meant she didn't watch anything the instructor did, and she ended up upset because her picture didn't "look quite right."   While I thought the lesson was simple and straightforward, many of the kids were really confused about the techniques, and I spent huge amounts of energy encouraging kids to try and try again.  The kids spent huge amounts of energy trying to be patient with themselves.

When the pictures were all painted, I praised them up one side and down the other for persevering in the face of challenge.  And the paintings are on display in our dining room.

The afternoon sped by, and it was suddenly time to send kids out the door to activities.  I doled out pulled pork sandwiches and VeggieStraws to whichever kid happened to get close enough to the kitchen to take a plate.  Eventually, they were all fed and out the door, and then Nature Angel sent me this picture she got of Little Princess in uniform.

Friday

I've been struggling badly with giving my oldest homeschoolers the attention they need.  I've been reading and rereading homeschool books, blogs, and Facebook posts.  I've been praying and reviewing our schedule.

Finally, inspiration hit!

#1  Have the toddler table set up with a welcome activity in the living room before any babies arrive.  Even if they only spend a minute or two at the table, it will give them a jumpstart on focusing upon their arrival instead of looking for something to do and getting into mischief before settling down to play.

Having the babies in order reduces the mental and physical energy the teens and I need to use before breakfast.

On this first day, I put out crayons and coloring pages.

"Na! Na! Na! Na! Na!"

#2  The teens need to start coming with us on our walks.  Up to now, they've been excused to have quiet study time, but my inspiration says they need the walks for the fresh air and sunshine and 30-ish minutes of nature.  They're not happy about it, but I see an improvement in their mental health already.

Each of us carrying a baby . . . and photobomber Beowulf!

#3 Put the little ones in front of an educational video while I have a mini-symposium with the teens.   Right now we're doing American History and Art History.  I have The Mystery of History vol. 2 and some ACT drill cards waiting in the wings to rotate in and keep things fresh.  Little Princess hates Art History so much that I might just hand the books off to Nature Angel and require Little Princess to respond to some space photos as art appreciation.  

We did this mini-symposium twice this week, and it's tentatively working.  I'm sure we'll need tweaks as we go, but by putting the older girls first, we're all breathing a little easier, and they feel less neglected.  My kids love having a video each morning, and the daycare babies are mostly able to sit safely through one 25-minute show.  We keep Sweet Peach with us in the dining room, and any toddlers that wander in are offered a dry-erase board and marker to draw at the table with us.  During snack time, I ask questions about the show and pull a bit of a narration out of the kids about the science or social skills or literacy skills taught.

On Friday, Sir Walter Scott and I left for our weekend getaway.  But first I had to shop and get a bunch of stuff in order.  Sir Walter Scott finished up some of the home electrical upgrades he'd been working on.  After we played another math game on our 100 sheet, the kids were left to their own devices to get through the day.

Saturday

The kids were well-loved and cared for by big sisters.  In the afternoon, Pixie took the youngest 6 to the park where they fell in the water several times and played until they were almost blue.  

That's not a criticism!  She let them explore and experiment and make decisions.  It was possibly the best educational experience of the week.  My favorite story was how they found water-overflow pipes and had a blast putting bits of trash (a cup and a lost baby shoe) in one end of the pipe and catching it as it came out the other end.  

Lola found this piece of ice and carried it most of the day.

They came home to warm showers, jammies, and a picnic dinner with movies in the living room.

Young adult kids are fabulous!

We came home, much refreshed,  to happy hugs and happy stories.

(Pixie and Belle are both sound asleep!)