The Wellyboots Tribe Step Forth - again!!

Mood: breathing fresh air!
Listening to: casting crown - lifesong

At the end of last year I had really had enough, but Jacob pleaded for another (YET another) chance to show he could change. SO I gave him one. I told him that I wanted to see a marked change in attitude and aptidtude by half term. I wanted to see him trying to work more independently and concentrating better at given tasks. Then of course we moved house, so I decided to give him a couple of weeks in the new house - now that the added distraction of being sat at a table that looked out onto a constant stream of 'cool cars' passing by was removed and replaced by a garden with nothing going on! But of course, nothing changed. In fact it possibly got worse with the boys only now having each other to distract! So  I decided I'd had enough and rang around to find a school with a place in Yr4. Jacob & I both wanted to find a 'Christian' school if possible and I believe I have got about as close to that as I'm going to find in the state system. The headmistress is definitely a Christian and holds a Christian assembly every morning - with Christian songs like "Seek Ye first" (not the most up-to-date songs, but it's better than most I'd say!). The children pray at the start and end of each day and before Lunch. In the reception area there is a display about "Shine as lights in the world" with little candles showing ways the children had thought of that they could be lights - "helping Mummy with the dishes" - that kind of thing. Jacob has settled in well it seems and is loving it so far, despite last week being a bad week to start, with his usual teacher off sick and Thursday being a 'power out' day and the whole school tranferring to another just down the road for a good part of the day! He has also settled into the routine really well. I made him a checklist for the mornings and he has managed so far to get himself ready and do his Bible study before breakfast. Have breakfast and watch 15 minutes(ish) of TV before the taxi arrives at 8.30am. I am SO impressed with him - he has never been as organised over anything else as he is over this. He even did his homework on Friday with little fuss, in no time at all & with minimal assistance (once I'd helped him understand the task). He's not too challenged by the work either, in fact it's a bit easy for him atm I think. In literacy today, he said they covered short and long vowel sounds and adding 'ing' to words - he was "shocked" (his words) because he couldn't believe this was Yr3/4 work when he covered it so long ago. I think they were just re-enforcing the doubling  letter after short vowel & drop the 'e' after long vowel rules, but still that was easy for him. Numeracy was mental maths - he's usually good at that, so we'll see. He said it was times tables. Then they did 'vibrations' in science and he could tell me everything that happened - facts, fact, facts!! To be honest though, the academics of school are not the reason he is going. He is going becasue I want to still be friends with him and have a relationship worth having with him by the time he reaches the end of his primary years. The rate we were going we would have lost that I think. I didn't want him to grow up saying "I was homeschooled, but Mum & I fought and argued all the time - I really didn't enjoy it that much and I have a poor relationship with my Mum because of it." With him at school I am more able to feed my other children's needs. Then by the time Jake comes home they have had their fill and I am more able to give him the time he needs to 'download' his day - which he does for about 20 minutes before he vegitates with the box/PS for a bit, prior to doing any h/w he needs to do.

On Mondays & Thursday's of course the girls go to playgroup. I couldn't believe how peaceful the house was on Thursday - I got SO much done! But I have decided these are days I should make the most of with Joel (until January) to do things I can't do with littler ones around, so today, as  I had the added bonus of very tired babies after a hectic weekend, Joel & I had the morning entirely to ourselves - WOW - what to do?! We thought of cooking, but I was out of eggs and chocolate, so we couldn't make the 'brownies' Joel wanted to - save that for another day. We opted for painting instead. I am no artist, but I have a book, so I grabbed it and gleaned an idea while Joel did his own thing for a bit.

"Our Street" by Joel - the house on the right is a good representation of ours.

 Then we 'took a line for a walk' and did some colour work. Producing these pieces of work;

(mine - "shades of red")

(Joel's "shades of Blue")

(mine - Jester/teapot)

(Joel's line walk)

Joel is SO chuffed with his masterpieces and was so thankful for the time.

So that's us and where we're at and I am "'lovin' it!!"

On another subject: The weekend was so busy because it was Paul's graduation service on the Saturday

and Caleb's dedication service on the Sunday.

Nanny with cousin Josiah(L) & Caleb (R)

Both of the above events went very well and were thoroughly enjoyable. We had masses of family staying Saturday night (an extra 4 adults an 4 kids!) and even more around on Sunday - 22 people I think for Sunday lunch!! The house was spic & span on Friday morning and now I need to start again. Why do we do that - clean up before a hoard of people arrive, in full knowledge that our hard-worked for almost-perfection will be altogether distroyed about 5 minutes after the visitors arrive?!! Aah well - gives me something (else) to do this week