303 + 199 Weeks

I'm trying to think what happened this week, but it seems that very little did!  School holidays were still going on, so we didn't get out much, because we much prefer it when the crowds are gone!  The kids did have a playdate at their friends Delphi and Jasper's house, which they loved.  There is lots of mischief to get up to there - they have a big property with goats and veggie beds and bushland and a scary rock wall that the kids terrify me by climbing.  We also did lots of bike riding, playing in the backyard, tons of reading, a trip to the library, crafts, baking...you get the picture.

There's not too much more to report.  Arley is still yelling a lot, but he had his first assessment today, so hopefully we will be getting some help for his behaviour soon.  Carmie has piles of books all over the house.  At some point I'm going to start a book list of all the books she has read.  I'm really happy that school is back in session - we plan on taking the kids to the zoo, and hiking and they are begging to go to Funland again.  Carmie's Montessori day starts up again next week, as well as her Aikido classes and their swimming lessons, so we will be pretty busy again soon.

Three quick videos of the kids slow-mo jumping into leaves.  :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfv3YbZaiJQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnrSjsrP_FQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JZouSKVLXM

302 + 198 Weeks

We have had the most incredible weather this week - I just wish it was like this year round.  We had a family picnic on the grass area at Collers Beach on Friday, and while it was a little crowded due to Easter holidays, it was absolutely gorgeous.  We spent so long picnicking, and then exploring the rock pools, walking the beach, reading books.  When I was on the beach with the kids, Carmie asked to build sandcastles with a woman who had all these beach toys there.  She had been playing with her granddaughter, whose place Carmie happily took.  After a while, the woman turned to me and asked me about Carmie's school.  I explained how we home educate, and she quietly asked me why we made that decision.  I told her our reasons (standardised curriculum vs organic learning, all of the testing, loss of freedom etc).  She paused for a beat and then said, "You are absolutely spot on.  And I've been a primary school teacher for 26 years!".  We had a long talk about education, and she mentioned how happy Carmie is and how independent Arley is, and told me how she thought what we were doing was really great.  It was so nice to get validation from someone within the system!  It made the whole picnic day even better.

This weekend was Easter, and yes, the Easter bunny came on Saturday night.  The kids had a hunt when they woke up, but it was made up of more than half plastic eggs with stickers inside.  They did get a bit of chocolate, and that is almost all Arley ate for most of Sunday morning.  Funnily enough, they haven't asked for chocolate eggs since, and have completely forgotten about them!  I guess that speaks well of the kids' diets :)  On Sunday morning we had a family morning tea at the farm, with the kids' cousins Zach and Baz, Georgia and Mark, Uncle Sting, Lolo and Dida.  Zach and Baz gave Carmie and Arley their yearly treasure hunt, which the kids loved.  Afterwards we came home and relaxed for the rest of the day, despite the fact that Arley was all hyped up on chocolate and was rather moody.  That evening, we fed the kids an early dinner and then went down to the harbour in Ulladulla to see the activities going on, and then we stayed for the fireworks.  It was Arley's first time seeing fireworks, and he went through every emotion, from, "I love them!  I love the noise!" to "Scared, scared, scary!!!", to whimpering to cheering and clapping at the end.  The fireworks were really great, it was fun to have the kids down there.  We met up with friends down there too, so the kids would have others to play with.  It was a good night.

I also took the kids and the dog back to Collers Beach for a second picnic, as it is the perfect spot for us.  Bella gets so much exercise from the other dogs that she can hardly walk when she gets home.  The kids also had a day at their grandparents', and we did lots of bike riding.  Arley hasn't been too bad this week.  I am taking a new tactic (again!) and he seems to be a little happier, which definitely makes us all happier!

Here are some videos from this week:

Bike riding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDm-5IfGl3s

Easter hunt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syjeW4JyeQw

Slow motion jumping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXrIqsujnB8

More jumping: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z65JM7MKx3w

Photography lesson from Dad

 Easter morning tea

 Mr Manners himself starting early!

 Lolo teaching Carmie how to use her Knitting Nancy

 Buggabears in bed watching shows after Easter morning tea.

 On the way to the harbour for the fireworks

 After the fireworks, 'performing' with their glow sticks :)

 The best picnic spot ever!

Using their new pen grips, and Arley drawing his very first picture.  It was a picture of a man eating lots of human bodies.  That's my boy.

 Icing a cake with their Lolo

 My little bike rider

301 + 197 Weeks

Well, Arley learned to pedal a bike this week!  We have been trying to get him to pedal for so long, and he pretty much would try for three seconds and then get off screaming that he can't do it.  I took him and Carmie to a new housing development where there are no cars, and perfect roads, and told him that he could do it (and then I bribed him with an ice block - popsicle - until he gave it a good go).  It didn't take him long to catch on, but he is very slow going!  He is very excited though, and when he got home he said to me, "I don't need my scooter anymore, I'm a bike-rider now!".  He was very cute. And really well-behaved, to the point where I told Jeff we didn't need to get him evaluated, that he was obviously just in the end of his "terrible threes", because for almost a month now he has been great.  UNTIL...two days ago, he woke up and was back to his monster self.  SO much shouting.  Yelling at the top of his lungs, for the smallest incident.  I have shed a few tears this week, at a total loss of what to do.  I took the kids to an Easter school holidays craft session, and he was really good and focused at first (he stuck tiny stickers on his bunny ears for 45 minutes!).  And then all hell broke loose.  I think he was really hungry.  But is that an excuse for pushing a little girl over onto her butt and then running through the bowling alley screaming at the top of his lungs for me to go away?  Maybe, but it was still pretty mortifying.  And then when I did actually leave, he refused to come, and screamed at the co-ordinator to go away too.  Fun times.

Anyway.  We have had a lovely week apart from that.  I find that if I keep Arley active, he is better behaved.  We have had some cold and rainy days, so those days we stayed indoors and did science experiments and crafts.  The kids had a play date with Carmie's friend Ness down at Narrawallee, and Ness' mum taught them how to fish (Arley has been desperate to learn, and no amount of telling him that vegetarians don't fish has convinced him that it's not a good idea for us).  Arley has gotten into the dress-up clothes a lot lately, and much to Jeff's despair, his favourite outfit is Carmie's Elsa dress.  Carmie has become very involved with playing with her Barbies and ponies.  It looks like a bomb went off in her room, but I can't ask her to tidy it up because there is very extensive play going on in there - a fashion show in one area, Barbies being rescued from a volcano in another, a pet clinic in another area... She is reading a little less, but only because I can't seem to find any good novels for her to read.  She has read most of the books at the library that are good for her.  The problem is that her reading is so far advanced that she needs books for third and fourth graders, but she finds them boring because the subject matter is over her head.  The books for five and six year olds to read themselves are way too basic.  So, if anyone has some good suggestions for books that she can read herself (fiction - she is slowly making her way through all of the non-fiction natural disaster books the library has!), I would appreciate it!

Here are a couple of short videos from this week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De52UEcI1Gk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtM4hMmtdBU

Proud as punch

Balloon negative ion experiment

He insisted on the necklace over the dinosaur robe

Poor Bella - the indignity!

Home-made bunny headbands

Before all hell broke loose!

Ness and Carmie at the inlet

Learning to fish

Arley playing frisbee with Ness.  He is smitten.

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