On a whim, I decided that the kids and I could use a change of scenery. So, on Sunday, I packed up all of our school stuff for the week, food, bottles, diapers, three duffle bags of clothes, a sewing machine, DVD's, my espresso machine, and everything else that would fit and took off for a week in the mountains. Jeff's parents have a cabin near Ellijay, and the thought of enjoying this budding Spring-like weather there sounded like the perfect little homeschool stay-cation to me.
I was a little intimidated at the thought of getting there, getting unpacked, and turning on the water, etc by myself. So, my wonderful brother-in-law (he has his moments) met me up there and helped me get situated. That evening, I cranked up the fireplace, made some chicken fettucini, and settled in for a night of movie watching with the kids. Olive went to bed in the only bedroom, leaving Ivey to hang out in the great room with us. She was a little wild, but eventually managed to fall asleep... eventually. The next day, we went outside and started building a tee-pee fort. I helped the boys lean some limbs in the crook of a tree and persuaded them to take over, giving them a project for the trip. Ivey loved being able to play outside. She loves it, and we don't have a fenced yard anymore so I can't just let her romp around at home. Here, she stays close to the cabin because she hates walking on the slick leave covered slopes. No cars, no people, nothing but nature.
Those kids were completely beat that night, but Ivey couldn't sleep. I had Olive down in the bedroom again, and Ivey was over-stimulated in the room with Asa, Addison, and myself. It just didn't work. The boys fell asleep at about 10:00, but Ivey stayed up tossing, turning, poking me in the eyes, flopping on top of me, and wreaking general havoc until about midnight. Then, she was awake, and miserable, from 4:00-4:45. It was the pits.
Today was a full day. We managed to get in a very full day of school, including the LEGO robotics program. Addison hasn't been interested in a different book series since he finished the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. He has a very hard time finding a book that he deems “worth his time”. It has to be a series, since he reads to fast. He is just picky about the subject matter... and he is reluctant to try a new book that he hasn't heard good things about. I actually had to make him read the first few chapters of “How to Train Your Dragon”, knowing that he would love it. Sure enough, he kept reading and devoured the entire series in no time flat. Well, I came prepared on this trip. I brought the first two books of the Chronicles of Narnia. Today, I made him read the first three chapters of the first book, which took him very little time. He read another chapter, then another. Now, he's on chapter 11. I am glad I brought the second book with me. I guess I should have brought the third, as well.
After last night's sleeping disaster, I decided to do some rearranging. Ivey needs her own space, away from everyone, to be able to sleep. So does Olive. The problem is, there is only one bedroom. Well, the shower has a tile floor with only a small boundary, so I put Olive's pack-and-play in it. Instant sleeping quarters. Olive was happy as a clam. Ivey had a pallet of super comfy blankets on the blanket floor. Both girls took great naps and woke up happy and refreshed for a late afternoon hike. We played in the leaves, Asa and Addison rolled around and wrestled like puppies, and we even built a fire in the fire pit. We ended the night with grilled bratz. With the new sleeping arrangements, I had both girls in bed by 8:30. It was a total success!
So, now I sit here at 10:00, enjoying the quiet. The boys are in the loft watching a movie. The girls are asleep. I don't have piles of laundry yelling my name... no house to clean... no bills to file... no guilt for sitting and doing nothing. I was hoping to sew a mei tai carrier to use for strapping Olive to my back tomorrow, but I forgot my measuring tape and pins, so it's not going to happen. I was going to convert my velcro cloth diapers to snaps, but I forgot the instructions. So, instead, I will set the boys' morning work on the table for them to do when they wake up, and I'll continue to do as little as I can get away with.
No comments:
Post a Comment