Just wanted to post about my life…. here… homeschooling …. stuck in the house… with two wild hockey players… who continually interact in positive and negative ways…. and my daughter who is quiet and well behaved. Today was a contest of brother bugging to bubonic plague proportions.
Mistake #1was having them face each other… albeit at opposite ends of a long table. Facial expressions are prime examples of lack of self control, in my humble, motherly-school head mistress opinion. I have one son who is related to Speedy Gonzales, and another who is a direct descendant of the Pokey Little Puppy. It’s truly comical how God can make such DIFFERENT boys from the same gene pool. Speedy zoomed through his assignments, leaving the teacher searching for more activities, without making it seem like he really is doing WAY more work than Pokey. But he’s older…. I justify in my mind.
Finally at the height of my pushing and prodding, I announced blackmail terms. Speedy had to memorize a poem with three stanzas… and recite it with only three errors in order to eat lunch. Pokey had to finish long division problem #28 before his pie hole was filled. I made a nutritious pot of macky-cheese… their favorite, to prime the poetic and problem solving pumps.
After the third attempt, from the now STARVING Speedy, I let him slide with four errors. He slathered the noodles with ketchup (it’s a Canadian thing, you wouldn’t understand) and began noisily eating the most scrumptious bowl of carbs on earth…. dramatics were for Pokey to be jealous. FINALLY Pokey said, “Mom, I finished number 28.” And he had. I neglected to tell him that he did indeed have to complete all the numbered long division problems in between 1 and 28. I sent Pokey back to the table. He did finish eventually and the pot of cheesey goodness was down to an edible temperature for Pokey to enjoy.
Currently, Pokey is outside sitting upside down on the yard swing memorizing his poem. Speedy is upstairs doing his self-imposed workout of sit-ups, pull-ups and push-ups. He does hundreds.. daily….. and has the abs to prove it. Amazing. They are both amazing in their own special way.
Tags: home school, home schoolers, homeschooling, mom, pokey little puppy, raising boys, speedy gonzales
My Sister's Jar 
February 4, 2009 at 7:48 pm |
Hey Linda,
Got your message about the music. Glad you love it, too. Jordin Sparks “One Step at a Time” is my lifesong right now :o) I would blog a lot more, and then you would have something to read while you listen. I’m not that great of a writer, though. I really would like to post @ least every other day, but that never happens. I love how you update, and share about your kids. Your boys are so much like mine, but a few years older. (Mine are 9 & 6) It’s pretty neat how we can relate to each other so well.
:o)
Kelly
February 5, 2009 at 9:22 am |
Eeeeew. I see Trixie is licking Keeve’s mouth. Remember….. that’s how your family passed around strep throat before!
February 5, 2009 at 1:00 pm |
THAT was NOT strep throat. Gross me out. It was pink eye. (which is also gross…)
February 5, 2009 at 4:10 pm |
Here at Butcher academy, (yeah, right) Jake has his shirt off. It’s like 40 degrees. Thanks a lot to his cousins!
February 5, 2009 at 5:04 pm |
Uhhhhhhhhh…… I think you are mistaken. Shall we ask Larisa?
February 5, 2009 at 7:32 pm |
What do you know!!! I eat ketchup on my Mac & Cheese too! And I’m not even from Canada! :) Sounds like you had an EXCITING day.
February 5, 2009 at 9:36 pm |
JILL, I checked with Larisa and it WAS pink eye. Which is still horribly gross. What were you thinking??? Maybe that was Bethany and Sam???
February 5, 2009 at 10:12 pm |
Noooooooooooahh! Geez.
You’ve got Larisa brainwashed. I just know I’m right on this one. I just know it. And no, Sam hasn’t given anything to Buffy other than the usual dog germs. The non-disease ones. I’m just going to have to take notes on the things you tell me from now on.
February 5, 2009 at 11:01 pm |
Well, notes are fine with me. You won’t remember where you put them when you need to check them anyway.
February 6, 2009 at 4:22 pm |
Oooooooooooh —- what kettle is callin’ the kettle…… who’s callin’ the black kettle….. what pots callin’ the kettle black…… you know what I mean. I’ve had a hard day.
February 7, 2009 at 1:24 pm |
I like ketchup on eggs, BUT ketchup that has not been watered down. :) Oh yes, kethcup on hash browns are devine, too.