Sorry, i’m crying off, i’m still on maternity leave. Most of my sofa-ed books are still here to be used, the art stories are still to be used, the DWN is still there, the maths is still waiting to be used, Story of the World is still there, the books i haven’t put into our CM reading are still there and i have supremely happy children (well, at least 3 of them) who i feel no need to change anything for at all. Our days are full and happy, we exist well together, they are learning stuff and pretty much everything that we got going last year seems to be fulfilling our needs. So basically i feel like i’ve got it largely under control and everyone is trotting along okay.
If we carry on doing as we are doing, i don’t anticipate changing the basic approach for about 18 months. I’ve pretty got everything here that i want. The stuff isn’t sitting here unused, its getting used but lots more is going on around it so i have plenty of stuff that will engage them and me (and sometimes i think that is the important thing) for ages.
However.
Max and i have been chatting about how to get him more involved and maths and science are definitely places i want a bit of help. And HE needs help to help, because he finds it harder to deal with “concepts” with them. So we have a basic plan to pick up the Saturday Science thing together so he gets more of a feel for what they can do. Like me, i think he finds it hard not to do projects “perfectly” – so for example i know it was hard for him to let go enough of family tree drawing to not mind them drawing the lines and doing the writing, which was of course the point!!!! Bless. I KNOW its hard because i find it hard too.
Mainly, i’m interested in doing thing in as more “projecty way” again now. Bored of the basic reading/writing approach but we need to keep it up, Fran finds it hard to keep those skills going, even a week off and it all slips away. I’m seriously beginning to wonder if she and Maddy actually have problems with how they see words and letters. Some of the stuff they do is so odd. But i’m going to assume i’m over-reacting. I want to get into reacting to ideas and interests but they really need the reading/writing skills for that.
Mostly i need to start thinking of Maddy more i feel. I think she often feels neglected. Its progressively harder to engage her because she pushes us away, so that is going to have to be something i figure out. I don’t want HE to be forced upon her, i want her to enjoy her life, i just know i haven’t quite sussed her “angle” yet.
We’ve had a lovely couple of days up with my parents. The girls have played ceaselessly, the board games have gone on a plenty (Sarah, Junior Cluedo is BETTER than Junior Monopoly) Amelie particularly loves the puppet theatre. Josie fed like a loon last night, did my head a bit but i can’t help adoring her. What a cutey she is. Fran has actually been reading really well from the Farmyard tales books which i am pleased about. More than any other year, all their presents have been really enjoyed. Its been a good few days.
If i look back on the last year, i can say without doubt, i have much happier children. I’m so proud of them coping with housemoves and my pregnancy this year, a new baby, holidays without Max, being asked to take the responsibilities of being growing parts of our family and home. Its been an interesting year, perhaps hard in lots of ways (though not so hard as the year before where i had permanently pustulant tonsils) but interesting. They’ve got to be helpful, interesting, self sufficient girls, Amelie has got so grown up, Maddy is so much better than she was, so much happier, so much more able to make her world work, Fran is growing up so fast.
Funny to think that by the end of this year, all being well, i’ll know pretty much just who Josie is too.
