Some Of What We've Been Doing

Life seems like a merry go round lately. I make breakfast, I clean up, I make lunch, I do a little reading, I clean up, I make dinner, we tuck the kids into bed, and we go to bed.

It's not really quite like that, but it feels like it sometimes...especially with trying to squeeze homeschooling and activities in there. My eight year old girl "fights me" a lot on school...and on chores...and on lots of things, like being grateful or basic self care or what clothes she wears. You know the type of kid, most likely. If you don't have one, you know someone who does. She is a little distractible. But, man oh man, if she actually WANTS to do something, she can whip it out in no time.

We've been working on gentle discipline lately. It's so much more effective...and challenging to do. Instead of curtly scolding the children, "girls, why don't you just get along?", I've been working at teaching them patiently. Explaining the heart of the matter, teaching them what I want, and doing it all in a soft voice. Sometimes it feels fake, but you know it's better than inadvertently teaching them to snap at each other when they don't like something. I find that when I teach them gently, I'm teaching them, by example, what I want to see in them. If something bothers them, I want them to explain the other person involved patiently what it is that bothers them and why they want them to do differently. This is not to say that I am being a pushover. Most of the consequences are the same, but I patiently, slowly, gently, with a quiet voice, explain to them what I want. I hope, a liiiittttle closer to how God deals with me, with great patience.

We've also been working on food budgets lately. I feel like I don't know how to do food budgets. With food sensitive individuals in my family and a desire to eat healthily, I feel challenged just to figure out what to make, without looking at cost. But, looking at cost I must. I must go to that cheap grocery store. But, also I must be aware of what things cost and buy low. I must say no to certain luxuries like boxed cereals and premade snacks. I hope I can do it. With rising food costs and rising appetites in our family, even though we've given up many thing we didn't blink an eye at a few years ago (like going out to eat), I NEED to cut back and save money in this area.

My little guy is growing big. I went on a walk with my husband today around the edges of our property to check on things and took the little guy with us. He's such a little man now. I can hardly stand it. It's a feeling of pride and joy, mixed with a feeling of sorrow because he's growing too fast.

In other news...I'm still using a Robinson philisophy mostly. I teach the three R's mainly - reading, writing, and arithmetic...plus of course I cover some grammar, spelling is built into writing, reading encompasses everything (history and science), plus we read the bible together, the girls do art all the time, the girls take music lessons, and they take dance. But, my latest epipheny I've had is that it really does matter that you do math, followed by writing, and save the reading for last. They may rather play than read, but reading really is a treat compared to writing.

And in still other news...the allergy tests came back on the little man. Apparently, according to the tests he is not allergic to wheat, corn, kiwi, or oranges...the foods I suspected. Of course, the tests are not at all 100% accurate. So, for now, the official allergies are peanut (which is a lifelong dangerous allergy), egg, and cat (we don't even have an indoor cat). He's still getting terrible eczema on occasion, and has a cough that really never goes away. He already is on a steroid nebulizer, so the allergy doctor told me the underlying cough might be something we just have to live with.

For me, I've actually been in some pain lately. It's been really weird. Shooting pains in the arms and legs, and lately twitching of my stomach muscles. Restless Leg Syndrome is a pain syndrome that usually affects legs, but can also affect arms and the trunk. I'm pretty sure I've had that going on for quite a while. The doctor tested my iron a few months ago when I had aggravated symptoms and suggested I take more iron. I think I've felt better taking iron, but it hasn't helped the weird stabbing sensation or twitching. I figure I'm a little B12 deficient AND/OR really sensitive to nightshades. Nightshades (tomatoes, pepper, potatoes) are a pain to give up though. Anyhow, I've started supplementing with B12 and avoiding nightshades, and I've felt better, but today I missed both of those goals and I'm feeling it. Sometimes I feel like I'm a walking allergy/intolerance/sensitivity. At least I figured something out that helps...mostly. I should maybe get my b12 levels tested...we'll see.

So, that's what I've been up to. What about you?

More later.