Monday, July 30, 2007

Our First Day

We made it; some days that's about all you can say. My 14 month old cried almost non-stop from 7:20 until 11:45 when he finally passed out from exhaustion. No fever, no other symptoms, Tylenol and Advil did not help, nor did crushed ice, a baby video, a walk outside, reading books or anything else. And the banshee-type wailing continued...for four hours! I hope that's not a harbinger of things to come. To his credit, Beckett has been my happiest baby by far. He is sweet and giggly most of the time, but unfortunately not today. I even took a picture to prove I am not making this up. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better for him and consequently for the rest of us, too!


As for actual school, it went well. In hindsight I probably set my expectations a little too high. Thatcher is still my wiggly little boy; he still would, more often than not, rather have me do it for him than really work at it; he still gets distracted by every tiny little thing. And that's okay...and that's okay...and that's okay. I have to keep reminding myself of this.

The green eggs and ham breakfast was a hit. Haddon, who rarely eats eggs, gobbled his right up. Green is his favorite color. Thatcher, who would eat eggs everyday if I let him, was a little freaked out by the eggs but thought the green ham was the coolest thing ever!


Both boys loved their Schultuetes. I remember how inspiring all those brand-new crayons and unsharpened pencils used to be when I was young, and it was fun to see that same excitement in my own children. The Crayola window markers were an especially huge hit. They kept my very active two year old occupied for almost 30 minutes while we did school and his big brother occupied for almost an hour when school was done.


I am more excited than ever to get this school year rolling and at the same time more anxious than ever. How in the world am I going to do all this with a one year old, a two year old and an ADHD six year old?

12 comments:

Darcy @ m3b said...

What a cool way to start the year! I wish I had seen the idea when we started, but I'll definitely file this in my mental file cabinet (if there's room in there!).

Tomorrow will be better. :) You're a fun mom - what a great breakfast!

Anonymous said...

Are you saying you medicated a one year old baby with Tylenol and Advil when he had no symptoms?!?

Jennefer said...

No actually I thought the crying might be from new teeth trying to come in. He is not a happy teether. Usually Tylenol does the trick but this time my pediatrician said to try doubling them up.

my5wolfcubs said...

I have been there, especially the staying up late & delusions of granduer! :) Tomorrow is a new day...and remember, blessed is the day that the Lord hath made!
((hug))
Lee

Anonymous said...

Hey, "Anonymous" - ugh. Ugh. I at first typed something much uglier, but i've erased it and now I just say, "Have some compassion, would ya?"

On a different note from "anonyous," I am awed and charmed by your sweet homeschool. A sweetness of spirit pervades everything about you, your homeschool, and your blog - and I can "see" that only through cyberspace since I don't know you personally. I am going on my 5th year of homeschooling, and I'm very inspired by your creativity and joy. I've even printed out your homeschool rules to adopt for our family. Don't let this one day get you down - it's days like these that really help us on the path to holiness.

Anonymous said...

I am sure that today was just a one time thing. The first day around here is typically the most stressful. Sometimes I think it is because I have such a high expectation and I want everything to go my way. God using those days to strengthen us and to show us that we really need him on a minute by minute basis. Hope your Tuesday is much better!
Blessings to you!
~Staci

Cyndi said...

Oh, how many times over my years of homeschooling have I been glad that "His mercies are new every morning" !! Each day is a new day, a bright new chance. I think it sounds like your boys had the *perfect* first day. Gifts, hands-on activities, and a mom who lovingly took care of their specific needs.

I've found that it's God's grace that allows me to get to the end of myself *quickly* so I'll more readily depend on Him instead of slipping into self-reliance. Days like the one you described certainly have helped me turn to Him quicker than I would have if everything were going "according to plan." You're such a good homeschooling mom!

Anonymous said...

First day for us here in GA,

Math...kids were so excited about linking cubes..my dd 5 couldn't link them together...way to tight.She cried.

Phonics..ds 3 mad because he couldn't do HER worksheet...didn't matter I had stuff for him to do that was way much more fun!

Celebration trip to target to buy school supplies..ds 3 has a meltdown because I won't buy him this Cars magna doodle (already has a spiderman one).

Celebration lunch at Chickfilet..ds 3 decides being under the table is much for exciting than eating his food and refuses to come out.

Afternoon of history (SOTW ancients)...DD 5 loved it..ds 3 tore up one 0f the activities I had just bought for him to do (there goes 5 dollars)

All in all not the best of days but like you said.. we got through it. Last night DD 5 had a nightmare, ds3 wet the bed and ended up on sleeping bag on our floor...and this morning DH has a stomach virus...sometimes you just gotta laugh!!

So here I go off to day Number 2...and I can still say its what I want to be doing....but what will I say at day 100!

Praying for you this morning Jennifer.

Sheryl in GA

Amanda said...

I never post comments although I always read your blogs but this post made me laugh. When I think of my sweet little nephew, I think of his big blue eyes and amazing smile. Well, this picture and latest post crushed that image! Lol! I miss ya’ll so much and can’t wait to see my sweet boys, and you of course. I love you! Oh yea, I would have given him both also. Anyone who knows him knows what a sweet baby he is and if he was crying, it was most likely because he didn’t feel well. See ya soon!

Renee said...

Poor baby and poor mama! That anonymous post really was so insensitive and silly. I remember homeschool days that I couldn't go to bed because I was giddy with excitement for the next day. And then there were days that I went to bed praying, "Your grace is sufficient for me!" over and over again. Hope your little one feels better. Just take the joys and challenges day by day. No need to look ahead. Hope you have a wonderful week. Thanks again for all of the great ideas!

Anonymous said...

Jen,
Sorry to hear porr Beckett was not feeling well. Tis true.. if you didn't take that pic, I wouldn't have believed you! Kiss him for us and we'll pray he is better asap!
On a better note, cute idea with the breakfast and glad you got to do what you wanted to do!
You are the best mom and it won't be long and you will hear it from your own children's mouth!
Keep on keepin' on! You already know it will get better!
Love ya and thanks for all your awesome ideas!
See you soon
T

Anonymous said...

Jen,
Oh... by the way, the cone thing was a cute way to give them their stuff... We too started this week a bit of school.. not the full schedule yet... but we did an "orientation" day and I showed the girls where their things were, we went thru the books we'll be using, showed them all their binders and notebooking things, explained the flow of our days to come (starting next week) showed them their art stuff and our fine arts stuff as well.
They then got to decorate their binders and did some math and LA.
I had similar stuff for them in their art boxes, would have been much more cute to give them the cone. (Yes, I know I'm not using the right word)
Although... like I said, Aidan would have wanted all that stuff right away.... I have to "know when to hold 'em..." with him. I only show him one card at a time!
Also, Great reminder on the Window Markers, I had those when the girls were toddlers and I forgot about them! Good tip!
Ok... going to bed now.
Love ya
Tracy