Homeschooling....

Maybe I will. I have questioned my ability to be able to do it, but this video is proof that I could definitely do it and be successful.

Seriously though, it is something that I have been considering, but at this point it is any body's guess concerning what we will be doing. I have looked into the Montessori preschool for Joseph, and it looks great, but also expensive. I am also looking at the Nature center preschool, which seems nice too. There they take daily hikes on the preserve, and do lots of nature related activities. The programs of both look great, but to tell the truth, I don't look forward to having to drive Joseph there and dropping him off only to have to go back and pick him up again in an hour and a half at the longest. Getting in and out of the the house with both kids is hard enough when we stay all together, plus being a taxi really doesn't sound like much fun for me or the baby. Honestly, there are so many free kids programs here in Lincoln, that it really seems a waste to pay for a program, and I like having Joseph home anyway. I have met lots of stay at home mom's here that are using these programs, and some that plan to keep homeschooling beyond kindergarten. I even know one home schooled kindergartner who is reading "Little House on the Prairie." Of course there is a huge debate over kids who stay home vs. go to school, but the augments against homeschooling don't really seem to be all too compelling. People always mention the socialization aspect of school, but if you think about it, where else will a person encounter such a large group of peers who are exactly the same age and working on the same things? It would seem that being active in the community would be much more healthy, and have a better influence on children. Then of course there is the argument that homeschooling is risky academically. Well, there are of course guidelines that one is given by the school district, as well as testing that happens periodically. Finally, there are plenty of brilliant people who were home schooled, and plenty of people who attended regular school who only ended up dropping out in the end. And of course, the biggest benefit of homeschooling is that one can travel during the school year, when the flights are cheap. When your family is spread over three countries, that is quite a weighty consideration.

One week later....

this is how much our potato guys grew in just one week!

Dreams can come true, with initiative

One thing I have always wanted to do was send drawings and stories to my nieces and nephews, but as so often happens it alway just remained a dream. Well, sometimes dreams do come true, and this last week I decided to draw a couple of birthday cards; one for one of my nephews in California, and one for one of my nieces in Spain. No stories yet, and there is definately room for improvement, but at least it is a start. It was so much fun doing these cards, that I definately want to keep making them.

Guitar

Well, now that Tommy is three months old, I am starting to have more energy and more time for other things. I am actually trying to teach myself to play guitar. I have been singing so much with Tommy and Joseph that I thought "Hey, why don't I get the guitar out and play while I sing?" That way I can learn something new, while being with them. Of course it is much harder than that , so at the moment I am just playing a few cords. Tonight after Joseph went to sleep I learned three cords while Tommy laid next to me on the futon and listened. He seemed to think I was playing music.
I had just gotten the guitar out on the day I took this photo, and Joseph of course wanted to try. At one point he pointed to one of the strings and told me with all seriousness "This string is the 'J' string." For those of you who don't know music, there is no 'J' string. I think he picked that letter because it is the first letter of his name and the one with which he is the most familiar. Too cute!

Striking Resembalance

A few days ago I went for a walk with Tommy in a baby carrier under my coat because it was so cold, and just before leaving I looked at myself in the mirror.


What I saw was that I bear a striking resemblance to Gossamer, the red haired monster from bugs bunny. That is a good thing, because he was always one of my favourite characters. If I add a pair of sneakers and a radio playing "Power house" from my pocket, perhaps I have my next Halloween costume!

Pine near park

Today on the way to our nature Mommy and Me class I told Joseph that Pioneer Park is the name of the park where the nature center is. He thought about that for a minute, and then said "Well then I suppose that there must be Pines here then."

Potato guys

People always say that the Midwest is a great place to raise kids, and I have to agree. There are so many things to do here for toddlers and preschools that you can very easily go somewhere good for kids everyday. We generally go to one of the library story time or toddler time programs every week, and now I found out about a great preschool program that they have at the Lincoln's Children's Museum every week too. We went last week, and the theme was 'Gardening.' There were several stations where the kids could do art projects, and they could also look at worms, dig in some dirt to find fake worms, and listen to a story. This is where Joseph made these potato guys, who will be growing hair that is actually grass.