A Day in the Life

Yes, I am still here! Notice: this post is heavy in verbiage and lacking in photos of any kind!

I thought that I would share how a day goes for us. Sometimes it is far more boring than this - in fact more often it is "boring" as we don't go out and about every day. Most weeks we go somewhere once or twice during the week.

Yesterday, we got up, had a quick breakfast and began the day...

• Bud read a chapter and did the problems in Life of Fred (math), read a section of "30 Days Has September:Cool Ways to Remember Stuff," a chapter of "The only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need," and read in one of the many Redwall books here. These are the things that we have decided are what he will do every day M-F to make a "school day" for himself. We often add some history reading that I pick out and he picks up! (For this, I have a syllabus of a study of history that focusses on reading good books from picture books for the younger set all the way up to high school level reading.) He reads everything that is laying around... a blessing, yes, but also a challenge! I have to make sure I don't leave any notes laying around for myself that I wouldn't want him to see: Christmas is coming!!
• Branch spent time reading in the American Girls Series story about Molly during World War II. We had some interesting conversations about war. She also has a Life of Fred book but prefers to work a lot at once instead of spreading out the chapters one per day, so I think that she may have already completed her book - well, certainly the whole week is done! She also worked on some things around the house that she had put off the night before, like tidying up her space, putting her clothes to the laundry, putting away clean clothes, etc. She writes lists and lists and lists - her handwriting is something that she likes to work on improving.
• Blossom prefers a math workbook instead of Life of Fred (well, she likes to listen to me read it, but doesn't like to write too much, and you write out the problem and answer with that text - so writing only answers in a workbook appeals). She also does a lot of play acts with the little 4ish inch size schliech/papo princesses and princes. So, she spent some time quietly in the morning with her own thoughts and conversations. I think she was laying on the floor looking through a book and trying to act out that with her little people. She was busy writing lists yesterday, too. Her handwriting is coming along and she cracked me up when she asked me to spell something and I started spelling a different word (a synonym, but not what she really asked for. She rolled her eyes and spelled it herself - correctly!!)
• Bump is working on gaining a career either as an NFL football player or as a Professional Bull Rider and works at his craft all day, every day!! So, how this plays out in our house yesterday morning. He had one of his 3 million footballs and put on his bigger brother's too big football helmet. Tucked the ball under his arm, tucked his chin and ran from one end of the RV to the other. Back and forth and back and forth. Then, he wanted a partner for catch... so, we all took a few turns catching or throwing the football to him (which strangely he has been able to catch for more than a year, now). Then he chose to work on tackling. So, he wanted us to carry the football and he works on wrapping up around your leg and pulling you down until you either truly fall - or at least get on the floor. This is all fine for a while, but I am getting old, so I quit catching the ball thinking that I ma brilliant, eh?? NOPE! He hollers tackle and will tackle anyone who is up and moving around. So, visitor beware!! It is fun, but trying at times when attempting to get things done!! For his cowboy practice, he gets out his cowboy hat, his very small plush rocking horse (which he pretends is a bull, most times, but will say it is a horse sometimes - fickle cowboy!) and some form of a rope, string, yarn, ribbon, broken girls' necklace, etc. He climbs on top of the horsey/bull and rocks a bit with one hand in the air and then rocks it hard back so he bucks off, or rolls it forward to buck off forward, or goes to the side - all are acceptable dismounting locations for my cowboy. After he has finished his work on the horse, he moves into being the bull. On all fours, the string or such wrapped around his chest and bucks and bucks kicking his feet high in the sky - sometimes ending up flipping himself over (very shocked expression on his face is priceless!) - but always spinning in his bucking. He is a funny boy!! And if you are concerned, he was counting along with the big kids yesterday - I think that he made it to 8!! There is also a possibility for a Nascar option... racing cars around the mat or on the floor is also a preferred activity... and he likes to stand up and get dizzy spinning in circles, so he'll fit right in driving round and round, but he is going to have to get higher than 8 in his counting before he considers this option too seriously!!

Just before lunch, we all herded out to the truck and piled in. We were off on an adventure! (The Treekids LOVE that word, so I can create excitement for something not terribly exciting if I need too - but, it can backfire if used too often. But yesterday was TRULY an adventure!) First stop: McDonald's drive-thru... yuck, I know. They had the option of eating when we got to our destination OR eating in the truck on the way and I had nothing at home to take along. They wanted all fun once arrived, so we ate a fast, consistent product on the way. Drove the 15-20 minutes to the south side of Lincoln, NE where we made our first appearance at "Lost in Fun" which is a HUGE indoor playground. There are 3 or 4 swing set/climbing/slide/fort type structures, several Little Tykes plastic structures, a smallish inflatable bounce house, a HUGE ball pit, a basketball room - on about a half-court with a small hoop as well, a room with a huge foam pit and ginormous foam building blocks of varying sizes and shapes, another room with two HUGE inflatable bounce houses - one with a twister game in the middle and basketball hoops on each end and the other with a huge climbing thing with a tunnel and a very tall slippery slide. There was also a laser game where you try to get to the three treasures and then to the stop button without being in the way of a laser in the "fastest time" - think bank robbery laser thing. Must act like a spy to go over, under wait for the moving lasers, etc. There were also various coin operated video type games to use - but we were so busy with everything else that we didn't opt for any arcade play. It was a fun and active 2.5 hours! (IT is a rather pricey adventure and I wish we could have stayed longer to take advantage of the cost - BUT I did have a coupon AND little kids - under 2 are free... and Parents ALWAYS play free!! FUN FUN FUN!)

Then we had an errand to run before our stop at the Pediatrician's office. Re-checked some ear infection for Blossom (all clear - woo hoo!!), well child checks for both boys. Stinky yucky vaccinations to catch up on for Bump. So, he fell asleep on the way home and after I got him plopped into bed, the bigger kids all helped me to clean out the truck. Since it could "technically" be considered our foyer, it does get plenty of live-in time! So, we worked at cleaning it up and I spoke with Pops' cousin about the tour we will be taking at their egg farm on Monday morning!

We had a quick put together supper of Sausage and Kraut with a lettuce salad. Cleaned up the kitchen, tidied the kids' bedroom, got ready for bed, said prayers, tucked in the three oldest with their books as they read for a while at night before falling asleep. (Bud reads until I insist the light is out, often at midnight, but sometimes later - earlier if we have something to get up early for. Branch reads for an hour or two depending on how tired she is and how interesting her book basket is. Blossom reads and looks at books for an hour or less and usually crashes quickly.) I put together a bedtime snack for Bump for him to eat while I watched the end (only saw 3 awards and 2 performances... drat!) of the CMA show while Pops worked on his computer, put Bump to bed and spent time chatting with Pops before we crashed in bed. Day over.

So, that is our Day, in a nutshell, yesterday! What was happening at your house!?!!