I did make one tactical error in that I assigned the upstairs bathroom to Cowen. That means he can't straighten up, clean the sink and mirror, etc., until everyone has bathed. At first this drove him nuts because he's the kind of kid who gets up and going and usually has all his chores done before everyone else is fully awake. He didn't like having to wait on other people. But I fixed it. I showed him that he can have almost all his school work done (spelling, xtramath, his piano notes, piano practiced) before breakfast. Then he's not losing any free time. That changed his attitude pretty quickly.
Eli has his first real job. He's on tidying the downstairs and his Saturday's work is vacuuming all the carpeted rooms downstairs. He's doing well so far. It is still a novelty, so whining has been minimal.
I made Emeline very, very happy because I assigned watering the plant to her. I always forget to water the plant until it looks mostly dead (sorry Kami), but then inspiration struck and I pawned the job off on someone who thinks it is a cool job. Sometimes I amaze myself. Now I want to buy more plants because I feel like they might live if Emeline is in charge of their maintenance.
I assign jobs for a whole year so it is a bit of work initially since all the kids need trained in their new jobs at the same time. I just barely showed Cowen how to deep clean a bathroom yesterday. Once the kids learn their chores it is just a matter of my staying diligent at checking up to make sure they do a good job daily/weekly.
In other news, Eli crashed his bike. I couldn't get a good picture of the cut under his nose, which was deeper than these pictures make it look. He was pretty sad, but then he recovered.
Let's see, I haven't talked about Oskar. Oskar is . . . growing into his own. He's still the easiest kid on the planet, but he's a lot more imperious now. For example, when he wants more of something he squawks and jabs his finger at his plate. I would say he points to his plate, but it feels like an understatement. He's very emphatic. When he's done with supper he screeches at full volume and jabs his finger toward the floor. Very communicative. Very loud.
Oskar is in the throes of the bruised and bloodied climbing stage. I can't keep him off the kitchen table. He likes to carry around Harriet's bathroom step-stool, put it down various places, step on it, and crow triumphantly. His favorite place to climb is the bathroom. He pulls the step stool over to the toilet and climbs on the toilet. From the top of the toilet he can pull himself into the bathroom sink. He loves to sit in the sink and think grand thoughts about his accomplishments.
What drives me the most nuts, however, is that he likes to hold onto the handrail and walk up and down the stairs instead of climbing them on his hands and knees. He falls constantly. I keep hoping he'll give up, but he never does. I'm sure, in the future, that kind of tenacity will serve him well. Right now it is bruising his brain.
What else does Oskar do? Well, he folds his arms for prayer and kneels for a few seconds. He can say lots of words and he understands far more than he can say. Whenever I say "shoe" he hustles to his room (where we keep his shoes) in great excitement. He loves being put in the backyard with the dogs and will play outside happily for as long as I leave him. He eats by himself and is surprisingly dexterous with a spoon.
So that's what has been happening around here. Lots of school, lots of chores, lots of playing, and lots of loving on Oskar.
1 comment:
Poor Eli. Sounds like a house thats full of kids and normal bonks and knocks and learning the hard way!
hahahaa
Mom
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