Whaaaa........?

Our seven-year-old just blew my mind.

He has been acting pretty irritable lately, like he would if he wasn't getting enough sleep.

Then this evening he explains to his grandma what he's learning these days. A month ago, his response to someone's question about school was that he was still thinking about whether he wanted to homeschool this year. (News to me at the time.) Today, he told her we're mostly doing Paddington and United States and world history, that we were learning about the founding of the colonies, and that we had just begun to learn about medieval times. Then he told her two jokes in a row, starting with one that was relevant to the Middle Ages, that were actually funny.

(Why are the Middle Ages sometimes called the Dark Ages? Because of all the knights!)

He continued to explain things to her in a fashion that was very articulate and smooth compared to Xander in the past. He continued explaining things to me all throughout dinner.

At some point, he undid a bulky duct-tape fixing job I had done on one of their figures and fixed it with less tape so the toy was more usable.

I measured him again because I could see his mental capacity was growing and wondered if he had gotten taller, too. He was a bit taller than a few weeks ago.

He asked me what Greek myth I wanted him to read to his little brother. Coming out of my own reverie and trying to figure out where this was coming from, I said, "You mean, Thor?"

He said, "No, Mom, Greek myths."

Then he read one of the abridged Greek myths to me, about Perseus and Andromeda. He needed help pronouncing those two names, but the rest of the story flowed smoothly. He has always been good about reading with feeling, even when he was a more hesitant reader-aloud. The passage included words like "dazzled" and "writhing."

Then he re-read the rest of the book to himself.

I was called "the nicest mom in the galaxy - to me, at least. That I know of."

A note I wrote to him two years ago and put in his lunchbox had been saved near his bed. While cleaning up, we found it, and he said, "Oh! This note helps me sleep better!"

He proceeded to tell me how he decided to organize the hanging storage over the back of his bed and his reasons for what he had done, including two risks that he could have incurred by organizing things differently.

He remembered that he had forgotten to do a load of laundry today. I told him he could do it tomorrow. He said, "You should really let me do that job all by myself sometime." After I agreed, he planned to try to do it all by himself on the last day of this month, "in 20 days."

All of this stuff is probably normal for a seven-year-old, but it hasn't been quite like this around here! He has matured steadily. But tonight was off-the-charts growth.

Summer Goals and Schedule

We are on summer break. I've decided to go to a three-months-on, one-month-off schedule for homeschool. That seems to be our natural rhythm, and following that schedule gives us December off (which we need for our Christmas activities) and one month off during summer (cutting down on the forgetting that can occur over summer break).

This year, we have June off and August off. We have not QUITE finished the material we wanted to cover for first grade. We will officially start second grade in September, although the math at least will start in July.

During June, we have had Nick's birthday, visits from both Erik's and my mom, Father's Day activities, and more fun outings. Not to mention that mid-May, there was a family reunion on my dad's side for my granddad's 90th birthday. In late July, Erik's sister and her family will come into town on their way to move out of country (they're a military family). We'll host them and then follow them over to Erik's mom's place in Florida for another visit. This will entail another few days off school, but it will be very important to all of us.

Other than all these amazing opportunities, I have summer goals for the boys. These are pretty lofty. We won't get them completed in one month. Maybe by the end of August.

For Xander:

• learn to be a stronger swimmer (we have made strides so far!! or should I say Grandma Lucy and Erik have really helped him this summer)
• learn to ride his or a smaller bike
• learn to be a great tooth brusher
• start making his own breakfast every morning (or at least learn to; I'm willing to make his breakfast after I know that he has practiced doing it on his own)
• solidify learning to clean glass tables and doors
• learn to completely unload the dishwasher
• learn to vacuum with the upright vacuum
• solidify emptying all garbage cans
• read a chapter book on his own
• dog camp (which he already did, many many many thanks to Grandma Bonnie!)
• watch Billy Elliott (his dancer aunt thinks his dancing is similar to Billy's before he learns to dance) :)

For Nick:

• learn to swim up to a four-year-old level in a fun, relaxed way
• learn to put on a shirt
• learn to spread his blanket so he can make his bed fully on his own
• learn to make his own breakfast (except for cooking with heat)
• learn to clean glass tables and doors
• describe to him what he and I will be doing for learning activities this year

I had written down that I wanted us to do these activities:

dog camp, week of total break, splash park Monday mornings, Sustained Silent Reading, read aloud good books, start school July 1st, Nick's birthday party, walk or bike ride every day, Independent Playtime

Time to buckle down to a summer schedule, along these lines:

8:00 breakfast
9:00 Morning Cards, chores
9:30 Sibling Playtime
10:30 work on life skills with me while other person is in IP
12:00 walk/ride up to park for lunch and playground; clean-up
1:00 SSR
1:30 Quiet Time
3:00 snack
5:00 pre-dinner chores, make dinner
6:00 family dinner, clean-up
6:30 strength exercises as a family sometimes (whoever wants to)
7:00 game, movie, TV, free playtime, or read-aloud
7:30 Evening Cards (baths, read, etc.) except on Family Movie Night
9:00 lights out

Seven Years Old

Xander turned seven. Above, see him on the morning of his birthday reading a jokes and riddles ebook on my phone that was his first present of the day. As a proud mom, I am giving you his newly-turned seven-year-old vital statistics.

Height:
47.5" (3 feet 11.5 inches)

Weight:
48.5 lbs.

He's actually almost average height and weight for his age! That hasn't been the case for most of his life.

Sleeping:

Xander hasn't napped for over four years. The times when we catch him asleep on the ground or the couch are getting more and more rare. He goes to bed at 9:00 right now. If he was going to public school, this would have to be so much earlier to leave time for adequate sleep, getting ready in the morning, eating breakfast, and walking or driving to school. This new later bedtime seems to suit him better and gives us more family time each evening. I start waking him up around 8 or 8:15 in the morning if necessary.

He and Nick have just moved in together, sharing the bunk beds. It's been a week now and the adjustment has been quick and easy. So far.

Eating:

I haven't noticed growth spurt eating in Xander in a long, long time. But I have noticed him growing. He does not have the appetite that Nick does. He will eat almost any food if we encourage him to try at least a bite, but he has definite dislikes (any beans other than green beans, mushrooms, eggs). Both boys eat greens and salads willingly and eat plenty of fruit. And sweets. I often bake cookies or similar treats and they have gotten used to having dessert most nights.

Main Interests:
Still Lego. He loves the minifigures and the brochures especially. He has an attachment to his things and feels nurturing about his stuffed animals. He loves to draw pictures of warriors or play fight with Nick. The Muppets have become an interest as well. He will pore over books for hours.

Favorite Books:
Anything Lego, some Star Wars graphic novels, Usborne Internet-Linked Ancient World, James Herriott stories.

Miscellaneous:
I have observed Xander maturing. He can interact with neighbors, friends, and his brother while keeping his cool a lot more of the time. When I watch him play with friends, he often has a peacekeeping insight to offer during disagreements. This is not to say that he's perfect at it. He and Nick get frustrated and annoyed with each other almost every day. But I can see the growth in this area, too.

He loves animals. Grandma Bonnie gifted him with a week-long summer camp where he will learn all about taking care of dogs - with live models, of course! He will be in seventh heaven.

Soccer season has started. We usually only do one sport per year, not counting swim lessons. Xander still seems to keep up with skills pretty easily even though we don't practice a lot at home. He still seems to like it, too. He could use more force with his kicks and his game play. I am convinced he holds back because he will not let himself hurt anyone.

Rough Schedule:
8:00 breakfast, school warm-up activity
8:30 Morning Cards to get ready for the day
9:00 sibling playtime
10:00 school checklist and read-alouds
11:00 outside break, maybe drills or a run
11:20 finish school checklist, spend time with Sandy
12:00 lunch and clean-up
12:30 do the day's chore(s)
12:45 Sustained Silent Reading time
1:15 independent playtime or reading 
2:15 walk to mailbox, maybe playground
3:00 snack or tea time

3:30 do next stage of laundry together or practice recorder

4:00 outside or TV time (Wild Kratts, Electric Company)
5:00 a couple of pre-dinner chores, help me cook or clean up kitchen
6:00 family dinner
7:30 family activities or sibling playtime
8:30 start getting ready for bed
9:00 bedtime

And more pictures:

Xander's recycled robot from library story time on his birthday

Nick is wearing his robot (named Kerman)

The boys and their robots (we met friends at story time)

Before the boys' soccer games

Half the kids felt like this about the soccer game

The 3-year-olds line up

As many parents as kids on the field

Now for the 1st/2nd grade team

Xander in action 

One of Xander's handicrafts this year

Lego brick cakes

Lego minifigure cake

Grandma Lucy made the picture using Lego Castle figures

Playing at the party

Lego creations

Pinata time

Head is off

Communal present-opening

Three Years Seven Months

Nick is three years and seven months old. In the last month, I've seen that rapid development that one sees in a three-going-on-four-year-old. Actually, I often wonder if this is just a growth of communication ability, because Nick will talk to me about things we discussed several months ago.

Height:
37" (3 feet 1 inch)

(Now that I type this, I can tell that he has grown two inches in the last few weeks. I measured him this morning at preschool and he was 39 inches. Oh yeah, and the pants I put on him today were short and tight.)

Weight:
30 lbs.

Sleeping:
He's up at 7:00 or 7:30, with bouts of waking at 6 or earlier. If we hear him get up early, we put him back in bed for another hour or so. If we don't, we find him on the couch when we get up. He usually falls back asleep either way.

He naps from about 2:00 to about 4:00. Naps are very flexible these days, but he does fall asleep for nap nearly every day.

He is in bed for the night between 8 and 8:30.

I have no complaints about this!

Eating:
He is still eating a lot, like every hour if allowed. For breakfast, he has (for example) a peanut butter honey sandwich, some cereal, and two pieces of fruit. Then he has a morning snack before lunch.

He doesn't leave much on his plate, so when he has eaten everything, we often allow another snack. It's nice that he loves fruit. Most of his snacks are an apple, an orange, or a banana.

Main Interests:
Avengers figures, wooden blocks, Duplo blocks, books, Imaginext castle, eating, music.

Favorite Books:
Myths & Legends, Smithsonian Oceanic Institute collection, Spiderman comics for kids.

Miscellaneous:
Strangers understand him completely now. He expresses himself in comprehensible, complete sentences and conversations. He can explain what he is feeling or doing or why he is upset.

Rough Schedule:
7:00 breakfast
7:30 Morning Cards to get ready for the day
8:00 announcements, pledges, calendar, and school warm-up (and second breakfast for him as often as not)
8:50 make sure Morning Cards are done, chores - or preschool on Mondays
9:10 break, music or preschool
9:30 learning activities or preschool
10:00 independent playtime or preschool or science playgroup on Fridays
11:00 free drawing or library story time on Wednesdays
11:30 possibly a fun school activity or game
12:00 lunch and clean-up
12:30 outside playtime
1:00 SSR and reading and writing activities
2:00 nap
4:00 TV time or free play, snack
5:00 a couple of pre-dinner chores
6:00 family dinner
6:30 family activities or sibling playtime
7:00 start getting ready for bed
8:00 bedtime

Some days this schedule is strictly adhered to, but if Nick doesn't want to do any of the learning activities, he doesn't have to. He is allowed to watch four TV shows, one movie, and two computer sessions per week at times when he's not supposed to be doing something else. (PBS, nature specials, Muppets movies, Star Wars stuff...) Note that that's per WEEK, not per day. Unless I'm sick. ;)