Homeschooling: week 2

Monday

Like I said in my routine post, we were supposed to have spring break this week (23rd), but I wanted to postpone it for a bit. Get ourselves settled into a routine, and hopefully wait for nicer weather.

I don't remember much of what happened this day (I'm writing about it a week later). That's probably a good thing. Means nothing extraordinarily bad is seared into my brain. I did squeeze in a 4 or 5 mile run at the end of the day, so I obviously wasn't super exhausted. i also did 2 loads of laundry in one day. That was a big deal.
 

Tuesday

The morning started off with me discovering Pete the Cat in French on YouTube so we all enjoyed the kids fav book (I Love My White Shoes) in French. Read them the legend of Thor and the Hammer. Mia and Scarlett are really liking the big book of myths and legends from the library. Too bad we have to bring it back next week. Gosh I miss the library.

We had "music" and I played different classical pieces for them while they "drew" their interpretations or how it made them feel. Included the bumblebee song, where Mia decided that made her feel angry, which I thought was pretty funny. Played them parts of the 4 seasons by Vivaldi which is my favourite classical composition. We drew flowers and storms. Then I played them some epic video game music, and Isaac drew tanks and battles. Score one for me. Realized B coloured all over he feet, pants, and the chair. I revoke my point.

We did a science experiment about buoyancy (Isaac's next science unit), and the kids made boats out of recyclables to see what would float in the sink. I kind of hate crafts. Also hate that I hate my kids doing crafts.

I wanted to nap while B was napping since I was working nights (7pm -7am). We had to run an essential (trust me) errand. B fell asleep in the van, meaning no afternoon nap for me. Mentally prepared myself for being awake for another 30 hours. Also realized I still had to make the lasagne for supper. My nap plans officially died.

The kids and I did an ab workout. I joked about Isaac working on his 2-pack haha. We had a planking contest. I let Isaac win, but he kept sticking his butt up in the air so it wasn't a legit win.

Rest of the afternoon went fine. Soldiered off to work. Security to enter is tighter now. Had to flash my ID to get in.

Wednesday

Got home at 8 am. Took a nap on my break around 4 am. Hoping that 1hr sustains me for the next 9 until Gordon gets home. Finished cleaning up from breakfast and got the dishwasher unloaded, and had the kids get dressed.

Figured they could just have educational screen time for the am so I could nap. Isaac whisked my phone away to watch national geographic documentaries, but the girls just wanted to play with their dollhouse so fine with me. I put super simple songs on for B, hoping it would occupy her enough to let me sleep. She decided to go to medical school and started jamming all sorts of plastic dr's instruments in my eyes (good thing they were closed) and cheeks. Then she quit that job and became a trampoline artist. The trampoline was my stomach.

I let the kids eat granola bars for snacks. Pretty sure B is walking around the house with one. Wonder where I am going to find that later. But right now sleeeeep. Think I might have caught 5 minutes here and there, and once I had enough of those to make up 30 minutes of napping I gave up and resumed mothering.

Had Isaac do some school work in the afternoon. We did some activities his teacher had put up. Thank goodness she has a google classroom ready to go for next week.

Gordon got home and let me sleep. Goodbye world for 1 glorious hour. Hope he doesn't burn supper (he didn't).

Thursday

After seeing everyone else paint their amazing mosaic windows, I decided I would hang up my crafting anxieties and let the kids paint an Easter scene on our window. Discovered I didn't have enough painter's tape. Had to revise my plan, and allow for some free hand. Started mentally preparing myself for the mess.

Started painting the bottom of the window to avoid a ton of paint on the trim. Isaac's eyes almost bugged out of his head. "ARE YOU PAINTING ON THE WINDOW?!?!" Guess this is a big mess compared to the fingerprints I get annoyed about. All the girls come out to watch mum paint on something else besides paper. Thought they were going to faint when I told them they were going to paint on the window too. It took as long to get them set up as it did to paint the window. I decided turns was the best way to avoid fights and a paint war. B wanted to paint too so I set her up in her chair with some water and a paintbrush. She was thoroughly unimpressed. The other 3 all stared at me for a bit before they actually put their brush to the window. They were probably waiting for the alien they thought inhabited me to burst out of my chest. They triple checked with me that they were definitely allowed to do this. No, this isn't a test to see if you will follow the rules! Just paint the gosh darn window!!

They wanted this colour, then that colour, then "light but dark" or "darkish lightish". Tried to decipher what that meant. Felt like a paint mixologist. Painted a family of flowers on the bottom-one for each of us. Unintentionally made Isaac's taller than everyone else's. He liked that. Mia didn't. Rookie mistake mom. It didn't look like an amazing work of art, but the kids were so proud of it, so no regrets. But I'm not planning on another paint project for a while.

 

They had phone calls with their bestest friends from school. Mia told me again about her wedding plans with said best friend. I told her she was too young to plan her wedding. She asked me if she was too young to have a boyfriend. I said yes. She said too bad.

I made a roast for dinner, ran for 30 minutes while the kids did their learning time, and cleaned the bathroom (Isaac helped me). Felt like freaking wonder woman!

Isaac and I did a Star Wars Tabata Light Saber workout. He brought out his light sabers for the occasion. I used a 10lb dumbbell.

Today was a good day. Isaac and Mia have decreased their annoyance of each other to 50% of the time instead of 90%.

Friday

Read some books on Youtube. Resurrected Bookaboo on CBC. We used to watch it when Isaac was little. That's how we found the Scaredy Squirrel books, and they are some of Isaac's favourites. 

We were running low on bread and milk, and since I had to work 3-11, I decided to make chocolate chip banana muffins with the kids so they could have them for breakfast the next morning before I got groceries. Again they have to take turns with these things so it doesn't get too crazy. They kept hovering like vultures hoping I'd drop chocolate chips on the floor. I tested Isaac's knowledge on fractions. It was pretty solid.

Girls played and Isaac did lego in his room after lunch. Then I read to the girls before work.

Two good days in a row. Somebody pinch me.

 

Over the weekend the TIE Fighter was resurrected! Started separating the thousands of lego in Isaac's room by colour. Have to restrain myself from spending all day in there organizing it.

B has been grumpy. Is it terrible twos already?!