Mo Shuile Togam Suas

It seems that every April I start thinking of blogging the days on here again.   Anyway, here, right on schedule. .. literally, to the day.   Let’s see if I can do this with Aidan sitting on my lap saying “Let’s head out the door!”  My husband Kevin and I have revived our old habit of going for daily walks pushing Aidan in his purple wheelchair, and it only takes Aidan two days to solidify a pleasing custom into a habit.  (He’s also trying to read bits of this post which is a nice anniversary indication of progress, since last year he wasn’t reading at all).   But here are some things that are the same:

• Just like last year, we still have grungy snow on the ground.
• Just like last year, I am starting to think about planning for next year.
• Just like last year, I am aiming to end our Charlotte Mason term in early June.

Let me write out a typical day now as a souvenir for next April.

I’ve been waking up at 5:30 am recently, which is frustrating because my alarm is set to go off at 6 am.    It always feels too cold to get up right away but half an hour isn’t really long enough to go back to sleep.  I usually do anyway, though.   Then I have to drag myself up at 6:15.

Then I have a routine which thankfully is almost completely automatic.    I get dressed, say morning prayers, make coffee, fill Sean’s water bottle, feed the dog, empty the dishwasher, start a fire, make a protein drink, wake up Sean to drink it, start some laundry and sometimes, if Aidan’s awake, get breakfast for him.

Then I drive Sean to the bus stop.  But after this Easter break he will be walking — the drive was because of all the snow behind our house.   I can’t justify it when he only has to walk 1/10th of a mile down a pleasant hill in the spring.  However, it will be a little sad because you know, those interventions are “collecting rituals“   Sometimes the few minutes in the warm car were the times when he’d mention something about his essentially mysterious days that he wouldn’t have mentioned otherwise.

After that I WAS riding the exercycle and reading a book for 30 minutes.  I got derailed a couple of weeks ago and haven’t started it up again.   Now I usually hang out on the computer with my coffee while Aidan watches a video, usually Veggie Tales, but recently Toy Story (we borrowed it from the library and he loves it).

Then I make breakfast and we start the day reading — I read to Kieron in history and religion in front of the fire.   The little ones flow in and out among this, mostly in.     He narrates.   I give him something for language arts — either copywork, or Latin, or grammar.    This takes a little over an hour usually.   Then he has a break.   Fairly often he takes the little ones outside to sled for a couple of hours.   I usually catch up a bit around the house, talk to Kevin or one of the older kids, or whatever.

At lunch I usually read to Paddy.   Kieron  is supposed to read some more on his own and do math after lunch.   He usually does the math, but has had trouble getting around to the reading.     He reads plenty on his own but the schoolbooks are more challenging to him, I think, not as intrinsically interesting.

Then usually I rest a bit and go for a walk with Kevin, and make another pot of coffee, then start dinner in time for when Sean comes home.  He has been doing track so he is not home till 6:30 these days, then he takes a shower and does his homework, then reads or talks to his siblings or watches a movie until bedtime.

I read some more to Paddy and then am usually out myself close to ten.  I really need more than 8 hours of sleep.

I suppose there are a lot of little incidentals that don’t come up in that sketch of a typical day.   Recently I’ve been decluttering and organizing so that takes up some time.    And sometimes there are errands to run.

Sean said the other day that “school wasn’t so bad if he didn’t have to get up so early.”  I was surprised by that since usually he says how much he dislikes school.    Hopefully that’s not a bad sign.   Anyway, summer vacation is coming up fast and then we’ll be into football season, which is definitely the main reason he is putting himself through all those early mornings.