$76 million. That's a lot quarters.
The crazy thing is, someone will win it. Or more next week if there isn't a matching number this week. I just love that we live in a world with such wild possibility!
I even bought a ticket on the way home tonight. Crazy!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Restarting CrossFit
The healthiest I've ever been - in the best shape, had the most energy, felt the most strong and positive about my body, had zero hay fever, zero menstrual cramps, zero headaches or jaw aches - came after I'd started doing CrossFit workouts.
The crazy hormones stopped all intense workouts immediately. It has been 3 years since I felt really good in my body.
Today, the kids and I started working with a trainer at CrossFit 206 who is certified in adult CrossFit training and CrossFit Kids. I almost fell out of my chair with excitement when I discovered her. Having the 3 of us playing workout together covers all sorts of bases: I get my workout, the kids get some serious PE, Theo is working towards his goal of improved soccer skills, there is no need for childcare and we get to have a great time together.
We did bear crawls, hopping, duck walks, push ups, squats, rolls, and other fun and intense things. It is the first time I've sweated from using my body in 3 years, and I didn't have to go straight home to a puking migraine.
Exciting stuff. I'm thrilled to see what sort of results we've gotten at the end of the summer.
The crazy hormones stopped all intense workouts immediately. It has been 3 years since I felt really good in my body.
Today, the kids and I started working with a trainer at CrossFit 206 who is certified in adult CrossFit training and CrossFit Kids. I almost fell out of my chair with excitement when I discovered her. Having the 3 of us playing workout together covers all sorts of bases: I get my workout, the kids get some serious PE, Theo is working towards his goal of improved soccer skills, there is no need for childcare and we get to have a great time together.
We did bear crawls, hopping, duck walks, push ups, squats, rolls, and other fun and intense things. It is the first time I've sweated from using my body in 3 years, and I didn't have to go straight home to a puking migraine.
Exciting stuff. I'm thrilled to see what sort of results we've gotten at the end of the summer.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Comments Not Working?
I've gotten several emails from y'all saying the comments aren't working on my blog. Blogger says it is a known issues and they're "working on it."
I wonder what that means. Hopefully comments will be back up soon. In the meantime, I love your emails. Keep sending them.
I wonder what that means. Hopefully comments will be back up soon. In the meantime, I love your emails. Keep sending them.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Summer Mystery
Here's the foundation for our summer plans.
Bet you can't guess what I have planned.....
Bet you can't guess what I have planned.....
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
One Small Step
After writing yesterday about how nothing seemed to be working in our homeschooling and writing out everything that was not working, I did manage to make one small step forward.
Something I remembered doing during the late great homeschool phase that kept the kids moving along at their work and ease them past the resistance of whatever scary story they had about the task before them, something really simple. So I put it into action with Theo, moments after pushing the "publish" button on my post. I sat next to him and his 50 words of copy work, put my arm around his shoulder and said, "I know this seems hard. I know you don't want to do it. And I know you can do it, I trust in you." 10 minutes later it was done.
Not 10 minutes of me nagging and bitching and lecturing, but 10 minutes of sitting with my arm around his shoulder, drinking my tea and breathing deeply. At least the first 7 minutes were me faking that I was full of loving, supportive thoughts and was just so glad to be there with and for him. Honestly, it would have been much easier for me, in the grumpy, piss-y, victim-y place where I was living in my mind, to piss and moan and blame him for everything. Amazingly I remembered to put on my big girl panties and be the Big Mama. The last 3 minutes were pretty nice for me.
A few repeats of the warm, supportive connection and lo and behold, he had all his work done by noon. I celebrated by logging him onto his favorite computer game and going to take a nap.
Note to self (for the millionth time in the past 10 years of parenting): when things aren't working with my children we don't have a behavior problem, we have a relationship problem (thanks to Neufeld for the summarization of the situation). The more I lean into the connection and get closer to my kids, the better any situation will go.
Something I remembered doing during the late great homeschool phase that kept the kids moving along at their work and ease them past the resistance of whatever scary story they had about the task before them, something really simple. So I put it into action with Theo, moments after pushing the "publish" button on my post. I sat next to him and his 50 words of copy work, put my arm around his shoulder and said, "I know this seems hard. I know you don't want to do it. And I know you can do it, I trust in you." 10 minutes later it was done.
Not 10 minutes of me nagging and bitching and lecturing, but 10 minutes of sitting with my arm around his shoulder, drinking my tea and breathing deeply. At least the first 7 minutes were me faking that I was full of loving, supportive thoughts and was just so glad to be there with and for him. Honestly, it would have been much easier for me, in the grumpy, piss-y, victim-y place where I was living in my mind, to piss and moan and blame him for everything. Amazingly I remembered to put on my big girl panties and be the Big Mama. The last 3 minutes were pretty nice for me.
A few repeats of the warm, supportive connection and lo and behold, he had all his work done by noon. I celebrated by logging him onto his favorite computer game and going to take a nap.
Note to self (for the millionth time in the past 10 years of parenting): when things aren't working with my children we don't have a behavior problem, we have a relationship problem (thanks to Neufeld for the summarization of the situation). The more I lean into the connection and get closer to my kids, the better any situation will go.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Off the Wagon
Homeschool these past few weeks sucks.
The kids whine and fuss and cry and refuse to do their work. When I finally get them pointed in the right direction they stall or get so completely distracted they don't even remember their own names.
ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
Two months ago, everything flowed easily. They both got all their work down quickly and easily everyday. We laughed and hugged and enjoyed easy afternoons together.
I know this is normal, the ups and downs of most everyone's homeschool experiences, but it still drives me crazy. In the moments things are working, I think I should write this down and share what I think is making things groove so well. Then I convince myself I would sound like a pompous braggart, so I don't. I hate those blog where homeschoolers present a family experience that works for everyone all the time mostly because I think they are hiding the whole truth. And I know how many struggling homeschool mamas take them as evidence that they suck at this, not that homeschooling with its highs of connection, amazing education, freedom and necessary social coaching also suffers related lows.
Maybe I'll start with a post about what isn't working, and then someday when things are working again (deep breath), I'll allow myself to post about what helps our homeschool day go smoothly.
Here's what isn't working:
- everyone is perpetually hungry
- everyone claims to be perpetually tired
- I'm trying to alternate working with both kids in very close proximity and neither of them is listening to me
- the dog had oral surgery last week and Rosie has been pretty darn freaky since then
- Theo has decided he's just rather stall on doing his work until Sunday when we only require morning routine and one chore before he can play on the computer and read comic books
- the days of nice weather lure us outside and then the return to inside work is super painful
- I'm enticed by a million other things I'd like be doing and feel super resentful that my kids are drawing 2.5 hours worth of work into a full 8 hour ordeal
- I keep pointing out that my kids wouldn't be acting so poorly if they were at school right now
- Internally, I'm wondering if we won't really be better off if they WERE in school right now, even though I know to my toes that this isn't true for either of them
- I've been clearing out all our baby stuff I saved for the theoretical additional children we've decided not to adopt, and I've been pretty sad
- Rosie is what I would call super emergent right now - she is full of ideas and doesn't want to do anything anyone else tells her to do (read she screams at the hint of any assigned work, sigh)
Summer will be upon us soon - we just have this week's school work to finish and they I will more us to our short schedule (morning routine, chores, clean up, guitar, Theo does writing and Rosie does reading). That all takes about an hour a day, so hopefully we'll get a break from all this frustration before I try to figure out how I want to make our fall work.
The kids whine and fuss and cry and refuse to do their work. When I finally get them pointed in the right direction they stall or get so completely distracted they don't even remember their own names.
ARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!
Two months ago, everything flowed easily. They both got all their work down quickly and easily everyday. We laughed and hugged and enjoyed easy afternoons together.
I know this is normal, the ups and downs of most everyone's homeschool experiences, but it still drives me crazy. In the moments things are working, I think I should write this down and share what I think is making things groove so well. Then I convince myself I would sound like a pompous braggart, so I don't. I hate those blog where homeschoolers present a family experience that works for everyone all the time mostly because I think they are hiding the whole truth. And I know how many struggling homeschool mamas take them as evidence that they suck at this, not that homeschooling with its highs of connection, amazing education, freedom and necessary social coaching also suffers related lows.
Maybe I'll start with a post about what isn't working, and then someday when things are working again (deep breath), I'll allow myself to post about what helps our homeschool day go smoothly.
Here's what isn't working:
- everyone is perpetually hungry
- everyone claims to be perpetually tired
- I'm trying to alternate working with both kids in very close proximity and neither of them is listening to me
- the dog had oral surgery last week and Rosie has been pretty darn freaky since then
- Theo has decided he's just rather stall on doing his work until Sunday when we only require morning routine and one chore before he can play on the computer and read comic books
- the days of nice weather lure us outside and then the return to inside work is super painful
- I'm enticed by a million other things I'd like be doing and feel super resentful that my kids are drawing 2.5 hours worth of work into a full 8 hour ordeal
- I keep pointing out that my kids wouldn't be acting so poorly if they were at school right now
- Internally, I'm wondering if we won't really be better off if they WERE in school right now, even though I know to my toes that this isn't true for either of them
- I've been clearing out all our baby stuff I saved for the theoretical additional children we've decided not to adopt, and I've been pretty sad
- Rosie is what I would call super emergent right now - she is full of ideas and doesn't want to do anything anyone else tells her to do (read she screams at the hint of any assigned work, sigh)
- Theo resents doing all his work when Rosie isn't doing anything
Summer will be upon us soon - we just have this week's school work to finish and they I will more us to our short schedule (morning routine, chores, clean up, guitar, Theo does writing and Rosie does reading). That all takes about an hour a day, so hopefully we'll get a break from all this frustration before I try to figure out how I want to make our fall work.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Finding Time
As a homeschool family, we accomplished bunches this year. Kids learned, I learned and we mostly had fun doing it. And. I find I'm wanting more room for me.
Everyday I think about all the things I'd like to post on this blog - I love to write, I get so much out of needing to clarify my thoughts on a given subject and I so much enjoy sharing what I'm learning with others.
Deeper explorations into Neufeld material are calling me, and I'd like the time to study it more next year without having to sneak in 30 minutes here and there.
My life brims over with lovely people with whom I long to have long talks over several cups of tea. Plus, every afternoon presents a new opportunity to take a nap. I hate to miss out on a good nap.
All this to say I'm playing with the idea of doing homeschool very differently next year - not unschooling, that's too far outside my comfort zone and desires for our kids. But something that creates more flow, that allows/requires the kids and I to sit next to each other and do our own "work" whatever that is.
Just an experiment - maybe from September to December - just to see what unfolds. Serious mixed feelings means I'm super excited about the idea and completely terrified at the same time. Part of my concerns stem from never having seen "this" done before (not really quite knowing what "this" is makes it all more worrisome) - I know what total unschooling looks like, I know what very structured lesson time looks like. It's the in between that escapes me.
I can imagine in a few years this could work easily. When Rosie is reading easily and is fired up about all those workbooks she's always fingering, also sporting a little more prefrontal cortex. Already, Theo already can probably pull off working fairly independently next to me most days. Somehow managing and supporting the two of them, and standing between the bickering, seems to take up most of my time. I know they will mature with time and at some point my fantasy day will be probably be an easy reality. The problem is that I don't want to wait a couple of years - I want it now.
Let me know if you have any bright ideas. In the meantime, I'll be noodling over various ideas as I fuss over the new cucumber starts outside.
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