Day 36 and 37 of our California Extravaganza (last Wed. and Thurs.) were full of packing, cleaning, and traveling home. Our first flight left an hour late at five in the evening, getting into Vegas with no layover. We just got off the plane and walked to the next gate and got on that plane. This second flight was three hours and ten minutes and I am so pleased to tell you that it was great. The boys were fabulous and the time went by quickly. Peter cracked me up because he is friendly and talkative to pretty much anyone who will give him audience. A mom and her twenty-something daughter sat next to him on the long flight and they played games, shared jokes, and told each other stories. I sat across the aisle with Charlie and Reuben where we played with little Strawberry Shortcake figures from my childhood (I had dug them out to give to Carly, but forgot to pass them on to her - Charlie thought they were great fun), drank soda through straws, and all crammed into the lavatory when Reuben needed to go. Let's see if I have any pictures...
Sodas with lids and a straw have a very high entertainment value.
"I want to see."
His assortment of small figures, including a few Strawberry Shortcake girls,
two Cabbage Patch babies, and random bugs and animals.
two Cabbage Patch babies, and random bugs and animals.
Reuben put together his very first Lego kit all by himself.
Zero help from me.
I was very proud.
One of the Shortcake girls had a watering can in her hand and Charlie used it to water everything.
For a long time.
I think I remember resting my head on my seat at this point. It felt nice.
We arrived at our home airport at one in the morning on Thursday.
Charlie was awake the entire trip. Rube declared himself tired and slept the last hour.
I think we were home and to bed around 2:30 or 3am.
This is Thursday, later in the day. After we slept, but before we unpacked.
Charlie brought Paul a stack of books to read.
First things first.
A friend called to invite Peter and Reuben over for a movie party at 10 am.
Still in my pjs, Paul and I used this time to go through the garage and the boys' room and toss stuff out. They were gone five weeks in California. Let's get rid of stuff before they remember they have it, you know? Ever do this? It was great. And the trash truck picked it all up before the boys got home. And they haven't missed a thing. Ok, not true. I did find Rube searching for this one monster truck that we tossed, but he quickly moved on.
So that same night was the Homeschool Back to School Night where we have a pitch-in meal (that's Midwestern for potluck), sign up for classes, and buy/sell curriculum. While chatting with another mom about her new baby, the tornado sirens started. I couldn't believe it. Barely home from 36 days of perfect California weather and now I'm seeking shelter to save my life. I didn't though. I just sat there like a person in denial and told the storm to just take me. Whisk me back to California, dear tornado.
I spent Friday and Saturday cleaning our house and preparing for our official first day of school.
We are homeschooling this year. Did you gather that?
We did lessons almost everyday in California, but it was very unstructured and go-with-the-flowish.
It was really nice.
But now it's serious. I've got some educating to do.
So yesterday was our first day of routines and book learning.
We started with chocolate cake for breakfast.
Reuben helped me make it.
It is an oatmeal chocolate cake, so that totally makes it breakfast worthy.
And mixed in with all the chocolate chips on top were very healthy walnuts.
Strawberries on the side and a cup of milk = an excellent breakfast.
Charlie loves the first day of school too.
Cute, cute boy.
My big boy.
Then outside for the First Day of School pictures.
Charlie, too, wants to be in the pictures.
And in the middle of everything we're doing.
Of course. He's two.
He has his own set of dry-erase markers and a little white board.
When we build with linking cubes for math, he squirms on to my lap to 'play' too.
And when I am unavailable to get him a snack, he tries to get his own.
He's a busy guy.
Which means I'm a busy Mama.
A happy busy Mama.
We've had a good first two days
and as Headmistress of our prestigious academy
I am declaring tomorrow a half day. (Meeting with a church)
And Thursday too. (Charlie's 2 year-old checkup)
But Friday, we're just closing school for the whole day. (Going to the State Fair with our Turkish friends)
See how fantastic this homeschooling thing is?
Love it.
I shall close with a sample of Peter's artist expression titled First Day of Scool, as you will see.
Perhaps a bit more emphasis on spelling this year?
Or I could just lament about how irregular and inconsistent our language is.
Yeah, that second one.
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