Keeping House

So, I think I am going to have to turn on the stereo and pull up iTunes on Tivo and blast the heck out of some music and get my butt in gear. There is a HUGE pile of laundry at my door. Autumn kicked it down the stairs for me (which also clears the stairs of cat fur). Now it is lying there at the bottom of the stairs. What is funny is that my front door is 2 doors with clear windows. So, there is no hiding the work before me. You know, I can wash and dry clothes all day...I just hate the folding and putting away. So, a homeschooling friend suggested having baskets with ribbons on them. So, I have to go to Target later to return something and I think I will buy some extra laundry baskets. Then each kid will get 2. One for clean and one for dirty. I am no longer going to fold their clothes. I am going to sort them and throw them in their clean baskets. Then they can fold and put 'em away. I am only folding my and Robert's laundry. The kids throw their clothes around anyway, so why do I bother?

I also have toilets to clean...yee haw! (NOT)! But I figure if I just 'get r done' I will actually have the weekend to maybe...I don't know...READ. How awesome would that be? Oh yeah, I gotta roast some coffee.

Autumn's 1st Confession went really well. She loves the priests at our parish, so it was really who was she going to choose. Afterward, she skipped out and was so cute! She told me she wants to go every Saturday. Then a couple of days ago we had a rough morning with Ben and Robert really yelled at him. Immediately, Robert felt awful and said out loud he never wanted to be a parent who yells like that. Without skipping a beat, Autumn said, "Well, Daddy, I think you should tell that in Confession!" GOD LOVE HER!! A Protestant friend asked me what on earth a 7 year old had to confess. I told her there was not much...and that IS the point. Start now and keep God close to the vest in confession and hopefully she won't end up the sinners her mom and dad ended up to be. Hey...but we're workin' on it!.

As far as unschooling goes, we are really blowing where the wind takes us right now. I have been reading this really cute series to Autumn called Ivy & Bean about two mischievous seven year old friends. 

 I have been encouraging her to read.  She has a new Dr. Seuss book , Fox In Socks and it's a good one to help with phonetics and fluency.  Really, the main focus with Autumn is reading. It really is so important to everything we do.  The increasing technology and constant need to stay in touch with phones, texting, email, IMing, blogs etc.  She has friends she could email, but always needs me there to help her write.  I don't mind, but she does.  She wants to be able to do it.   She just really is not interested in the practice and work it takes to become fluent in reading.  This is one of those times I gently push.  I tell her when she gets frustrated that practice makes perfect, just like when she learned to ride her bike, in-line skate and her continuing of ballet.  There is so much practice that went into those skills and still does. I keep telling her that she doesn't have to read all day....just a little bit each day...and soon it will be like breathing.  It is hard for me to see her (and Ben still) struggle over this vital skill, especially since it comes so easily for me. 

So, that is where we are now.  Okay, I am done with my procrastinating...time for laundry and toilets.  Ugh!

~Peace