First (and second!) day of school!

We started school on Monday!  Here are my little cuties. The boys always try to match their clothes as much as possible so they are both wearing their Batman shirts, he he he! I think it's so funny!  Mercedes is learning through play and working a little bit on fine motor skills with drawing, listening in on history and science (when she feels like it) and that's about it, nothing formal yet (we may start phonics at the beginning of 2015, we will see). Yusuf is starting Kindergarten, and Cassius is starting first grade! I tried to get Ben in the picture but he was really upset to be told to sit still, so there you go. Story of his life. :)

Our first day went fantastic. We started about 7:30 a.m. with Bible/catechism during breakfast (I get up at 6, shower, do my quiet time and eat breakfast and do any last-minute preparation, so that way I can read to them and talk to them during their breakfast and not have to go hungry).  The boys take turns with me for math, then Cassius does grammar and language lessons, then we all go to the table and work on writing. We do history or science while Ben has a snack (it usually lasts longer than snack time but we've managed so far to make it work) and then break.  At some other point during the day I have the boys read aloud to me, when it's convenient. We were done by 10:45!  Not too shabby considering all that went on in between there (breakfast cleanup, diaper changes, taking a break to read to Ben, snacks, chores, recess, etc.).

The second day, today, was awful!  Cassius took an hour to do his math, which is supposed to take 30 minutes or less. Finally I threw in the towel, he was in tears (it was really the writing that was getting to him, we were doing a graph and the kid is a perfectionist, everything was erased and re-written at least once at his choosing). Ben had therapy so we packed up our writing and took it with so the kids could do that there, and Cassius finished his math there without any more tears though he definitely got frustrated when he made mistakes. After lunch and nap we did grammar, then the kids swam while I made dinner (it's a toddler pool, so they mostly just splashed, but whatever!) then science just had to wait until Ben was asleep. That actually worked pretty well except the kids got to bed a little bit later than I would have liked.  So we started at 7:30 a.m....ended at 8:15 p.m.  BUT we got it all done, I was flexible, I didn't freak out, the kids were mostly happy except for Cassius as noted above during math. I should probably get some kind of award for that I think!

I'm enjoying having more intentional one on one time with the boys but I'm feeling a little neglectful of Mercedes especially.  I feel like I get lots of one on one time with Ben incidentally, changing diapers, rocking him before naps (which lasts like 30 seconds because he's a wiggly boy, but I'll take what I can get).  So I need to figure something out there I think.  I am not sure if it's the pregnancy or what but people touching me kind of makes me cringe, and Mercedes is a toucher.  She is always rubbing her arm on me (or her feet...shudder!) and it is really hard for me! I love her but I do have some personal space issues.

Poor Yusuf is so confused.  Cassius went to public kindy, and Yusuf was sure he was going to go. I thought I had him convinced that we were doing school at home, and hey we've had two days so you'd think it would be kind of becoming reality. We discussed today that he was in kindergarten. So then in the evening during our bedtime prayers he prayed "Thank you that I get to go to Cassius's school and go to kindergarten" etc. etc.  I finally interrupted him and said "honey, you are in kindergarten RIGHT NOW! We are doing kindergarten at home. You aren't going to go to that school, and Cassius isn't going to go back to that school either." He said "Well it doesn't FEEL like I'm in kindergarten!" "Well...you are."  "Ok well I guess 'amen' then."  Ah poor kid.

My free time is basically non existent. It kind of works out because I'm not able to go longer than like 1.5 hours without peeing so I'm not really sleeping at night anyway. This morning I woke up at 4:15 because Ben was crying (he got his leg stuck between the slats in his crib) and couldn't ever fall back asleep. Every night I set my alarm but so far I just haven't needed it.  I have found I am much more organized, even though sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind.  Everything is written down, I keep track of our schedule on the dry erase board and make myself a separate non school to-do list on the board. Today I got zero things crossed off of my to-do list but thankfully it can all wait until tomorrow.  Everyone was fed, cleaned, and taught so those were the important things!

Baby girl is hanging out on the right side of my body and causing a giant lump. I can feel her almost constantly, she is shifting around, digging elbows into me, stretching out. It's pretty neat to be able to feel where she is. I am nearly to the 29 week mark!  Very exciting. I'm feeling pretty good. I had a few days where I was in a lot of pain and I thought for sure labor was coming, but it cleared up and other than a few moments of "Ouch! that hurt!" when I get kicked or punched I am really doing pretty well.

I have a lot more to say but I am pretty tired so I shall try to get some sleep!