Kindergarten Math

I always feel funny bragging about my kids and try to avoid bragging ”in real life,” but this is my blog so I should be able to brag here, right? :) Plus, as a homeschooling mommy, I always feel the need to validate myself. (YES, my kids are homeschooled. AND they are smart, happy, social, and well-rounded too! This is the RIGHT choice for our family!) 

Having said that, here are some of my Kindergartner’s math review pages from this week. He did these pages without any help. I think they are impressive for a five-year-old kindergartner. He can do 4-number, 4-digit math problems, both addition and subtraction with borrowing and carrying. He can do mutliplication, including double digit multiplication. He knows place value into the hundred millions.  He knows how to calculate the perimeter and area of a square or rectangle. And so on. Joshua just loves math and happens to be very good at it, so I push him as fast as he wants to go. You should be able to click on the link to make the pictures bigger, if necessary.

  

Dinner for Sophie

Tonight Rick found Braden sitting on the kitchen floor next to Sophie’s food dish. There was dog food scattered all around Braden as he carefully spooned food from the dish to another bowl. Pausing briefly during this dog food transfer, Braden tipped his head backwards and called in a motherly tone, “Sophie Ruff! It’s time your dinner time!”

Braden’s Idea of Bedtime

Braden was getting restless at gymnastics this week. In effort to pacify him until practice was over, I suggested that he put his little toy car to bed. Braden brightened at this idea. He rocked the car tenderly in his arms and then he said, with true parental authority, “Okay, car, you need to go bed now.” Without missing a beat, Braden wiggled the toy car and made it respond, “No, Daddy. I watch Diego first.”

I Think it’s Official

Tonight Braden came to me, sucking on a binky and smacking his lips happily. “Look! I found my binky!” Braden chirped, slurring around the silicon nipple. I quickly reminded him that he didn’t need binkies anymore; he was big now and it was time to throw his binkies away. “Yeah, okay,” Braden quickly agreed. He popped the binky out of his mouth, set it down next to me, and grinned. I think he’s officially done with his binky. Can a get a big cheer and big sniffle at the same time?

Mommy’s Sick Day

I am so grateful for my sweet husband. Rick has totally stepped up while I’ve been sick. He’s waited on me hand and foot, taken care of the kids, and even kept the house tidy. I have spent all day in bed, either sleeping or watching movies. I’ve been eating and drinking all day long in an effort to flush my system and keep up my milk supply. I was still feeling pretty yucky for most of the day, but it’s nearly 5pm now and I am starting to improve. I feel weak still, but I’m not hurting or bleeding anymore. Yay for strong antibiotics! And quite honestly, it’s been nice to rest and relax and be waited on. In spite of hurting, it’s actually been a nice little day off. I’m looking forward to feeling 100% better though.

Drive Thru

We picked up some prescriptions at the pharmacy’s drive-up window. Braden has apparently had too much fast food in his young life because he insantly began calling out, “I want french fries, Mom. I want french fries please.”

Another UTI

Intense pain woke me at 2am. I knew immediately what it was- yet another Urinary Tract Infection, my fifth since Asher was born four months ago. I took a sitz bath and some AZO. I got out my heating pad. I watched Tivo in attempt to distract myself. I never did get back to sleep. I just hurt way to much to fall asleep again, even with a hefty dose of numbing medication. Within hours I was bleeding horribly and passing clots. Um, sorry if that is too graphic!

Rick left for his 6:15am shift, the kids were up by 7:30. I knew I needed to see a doctor so I fed everyone, dressed everyone, changed diapers, wiped runny noses, washed faces. I packed a snack and toys to take the doctor with us. I canceled our morning playdate plans with my friend (sorry again, Natalie!). I gritted my teeth through it all because I was hurting a lot.

I felt worse as the day went on and I couldn’t seem to muster the courage to load five kids in the van and spend the rest of the day at a crowded urgent care walk-in clinic.  I was so miserable, exahausted (having been up since 2am), and I could barely stand up. I just wanted to curl up in a little ball and let the kids eat chips for lunch. (They had bologna sandwiches with cheese and yogurt instead.)

We made it to the urgent care clinic by 1pm. Thankfully, the wait was not long and all five kids were total angels while we were there. The urine culture showed a terrible infection, and lots of blood, pus, and protein, which made the doctor think that the infection was already spreading to my kidneys. She put me on heavy duty antibiotics to treat kidney infection, and gave me a seven-day course instead of three-day. And she prescribed a pain killer as well, designed just for UTI pain. She told me to see my family doctor Monday morning to follow up and to find out why I keep getting infections. She said I might need to stay on preventative antibiotics, see a specialist, do more testing, or all of the above.

After the appointment, we went to the pharmacy to drop of my prescriptions. I was told they’d be ready in one hour so I was faced with a dilemma. Do I wait for an hour in the parking lot? Or do I drive home, unload the kids, wait for half and hour, and then go back to pick up the prescriptions? I opted for the latter. A half an hour curled up on the couch seemed worth all that extra buckling and unbuckling.

Finally, by nearly 5pm, I was able to take my new antibiotic and my pain killers. The pain killers are starting to work. I’m still hurting, but I finally am not in agony anymore. I feel dizzy and nauseous though, a nice side effect of my medication. Asher is taking his evening nap, the other children are playing in the playroom. I am anxiously waiting for Rick to come home in a few hours. I am so ready to “clock out” today. It’s been a very long, very miserable day…

My Boys

My handsome little boys, Joshua, Braden, and Asher…

  

Growing Old

We recently went shoe shopping. JC Penny was having a great deal on shoes- most were “buy one, get one for 88 cents.” We stocked up, buying shoes for all the kids that needed them. I was standing at the register with a stack of shoe boxes on the counter, a double stroller full of babies and a several more children swarming around my legs. At the register next to us there was an elderly couple, working together to select the perfect pink and blue striped tie to go with the pink and blue plaid shirt they were buying. They were so hushed as they debated the merits of each combination. I glanced from them, back to our five small, giggling children, and I had to smile at the differences in our lives. And then I looked up at my dear, sweet husband and smiled again. I look forward to growing old with such a great man.

Bye-Bye Binkie

Braden is two and a half years old now. (Where in the world does time go??) He is still quite attached to his binkie, but I finally decided it was time to wean him from it. Our other kids were “binkie-less” by two, and I really don’t know why I’ve allowed Braden to hang onto his this long.

Two nights ago, I couldn’t find any binkies before bedtime. It was the perfect chance, I decided, for Braden to go to bed without one. When a binkie is lost, Braden expects Mommy to find it for him. So rather than saying his binkies were lost, I blamed the dog. Braden bought this, scolded Sophie with a shake of his little finger, and then didn’t ask about his binkie again. At bedtime, I tucked Bear in next to Braden and snuggled him up with his favorite blanket and he seemed okay. He slept through the night just fine without it.

Yesterday went just as well, though he did find a lost binkie once. I took it away and explained that he didn’t need binkies now. Braden made one “yes I do need binkie” protest and then dropped the subject all together. Last night he went to bed again without his binkie.

For the most part I am glad to see that Braden is moving on without his binkie. But there is a part of me that always hates to see my baby grow up. I rocked Braden last night before bed and I couldn’t help remembering him in my arms as a tiny baby. How fast he has grown! How big he has gotten!