Catching up with Bug
As you can see from our other posts it has been a big week for the family. But I thought I should catch up with what is going on in Bug's life. He is in 2nd grade this year, still being schooled at home, but now goes to school 1 1/2 days a week, a regular day on Wed and and an enrichment day on Fridays. He is really enjoying his away school this year and came home from his 1st day saying I love school (but finished that by saying he wouldn't want to go every day.)
Homeschooling seems to be going better this year, whether that is because he is getting older or because I am attempting to be more organized this year I am not sure. We also changed our curriculum this year and we both seem to really enjoy this new one. I have also started putting all of his work for the day in folders labeled Sun-Sat. Then at school time he goes down and finds that day's folder and starts to work, then when the folder is empty he is done with school for the day. Also we added school to his chore chart, and that gives him a visual reminder to get it done, so he can earn his afternoon ticket.
Overall this has been working especially well, although on Mon he decided to get snotty and tell me he wasn't going to do his schooling, so I let it go. Then that evening I moved all of his work for Mon and put it in with all of his Tue work, so when he went down on Tue, he said "gosh there's a lot of work in here." So I asked him what did he think would happen to his Monday work when he chose not to do it and he said "move to today?" And I told him "YEP," I think he got the point. He didn't fuss too much about it and although it took him most of the day to get it all done he did make his way through all of it and got all caught up.
He has made some new friends at school and also has been spending time with some friends from MOMS club that just started homeschooling this year, he went to a class at the local children's museum with them last week and they are being kind enough to take him with them again this week, so he doesn't have to hang out ALL day with grandma and Ashley tomorrow.
He is adjusting some what to having Ashley in the house. Although the whole social experiment of having a sister is already Kaput. He has figured out that she is unable to play with him 'exactly' the way that he wants to play and her following him and constant questions are starting to wear on him. He has taken to hiding in his room, to play 'alone'. When we went to pick him up at school today and I asked him to let Ashley play out on the field with him, he refused and had to be told by one of his friends to "let his sister play too".
He does enjoy playing with her when he feels like it and likes to read her stories, which is beyond cute to watch. He has always been one to micromanage things when you try to play with him (I'm sure that is the only child coming out in him). There have been plenty of times where I have stopped playing with him because he is yelling at me, because I haven't said something or done something exactly the way he has told me to.
I think as time goes on he will enjoy the companionship more and learn to be more flexible in how he plays. She really likes him already and is constantly asking about his whereabouts. She is quiet in nature and not overly demanding and I am sure he will warm up to that as time goes by.
We have had only one big incident so far and that was this evening, up till now he just goes off to his room to play and closes the door and she wanders around until he comes back out to play with her. But tonight he was playing in his room and she was helping me with dinner, so when dinner was done I sent her to tell him. So she went to his room and knocked like we are teaching her and he opened the door and I heard her say dinner and he yelled "I'm not playing with you and slammed the door on her." Don went back and told him he could just go to bed if he was going to be so rude and we ate dinner without him. After dinner Don went and talked to him and he came out and apologized and had some dinner.
After he was done eating I took him to my room and talked to him about his behavior. I reminded him that we had decided as a family to invite Ashley to live with us. We talked about the fact that she had no family to take care of her and how would he feel if the situation was reversed and he had to live with a bunch of strangers. Hopefully it will give him some food for thought. He put himself to bed early tonight, though he did read Ashley a story before bed.
Homeschooling seems to be going better this year, whether that is because he is getting older or because I am attempting to be more organized this year I am not sure. We also changed our curriculum this year and we both seem to really enjoy this new one. I have also started putting all of his work for the day in folders labeled Sun-Sat. Then at school time he goes down and finds that day's folder and starts to work, then when the folder is empty he is done with school for the day. Also we added school to his chore chart, and that gives him a visual reminder to get it done, so he can earn his afternoon ticket.
Overall this has been working especially well, although on Mon he decided to get snotty and tell me he wasn't going to do his schooling, so I let it go. Then that evening I moved all of his work for Mon and put it in with all of his Tue work, so when he went down on Tue, he said "gosh there's a lot of work in here." So I asked him what did he think would happen to his Monday work when he chose not to do it and he said "move to today?" And I told him "YEP," I think he got the point. He didn't fuss too much about it and although it took him most of the day to get it all done he did make his way through all of it and got all caught up.
He has made some new friends at school and also has been spending time with some friends from MOMS club that just started homeschooling this year, he went to a class at the local children's museum with them last week and they are being kind enough to take him with them again this week, so he doesn't have to hang out ALL day with grandma and Ashley tomorrow.
He is adjusting some what to having Ashley in the house. Although the whole social experiment of having a sister is already Kaput. He has figured out that she is unable to play with him 'exactly' the way that he wants to play and her following him and constant questions are starting to wear on him. He has taken to hiding in his room, to play 'alone'. When we went to pick him up at school today and I asked him to let Ashley play out on the field with him, he refused and had to be told by one of his friends to "let his sister play too".
He does enjoy playing with her when he feels like it and likes to read her stories, which is beyond cute to watch. He has always been one to micromanage things when you try to play with him (I'm sure that is the only child coming out in him). There have been plenty of times where I have stopped playing with him because he is yelling at me, because I haven't said something or done something exactly the way he has told me to.
I think as time goes on he will enjoy the companionship more and learn to be more flexible in how he plays. She really likes him already and is constantly asking about his whereabouts. She is quiet in nature and not overly demanding and I am sure he will warm up to that as time goes by.
We have had only one big incident so far and that was this evening, up till now he just goes off to his room to play and closes the door and she wanders around until he comes back out to play with her. But tonight he was playing in his room and she was helping me with dinner, so when dinner was done I sent her to tell him. So she went to his room and knocked like we are teaching her and he opened the door and I heard her say dinner and he yelled "I'm not playing with you and slammed the door on her." Don went back and told him he could just go to bed if he was going to be so rude and we ate dinner without him. After dinner Don went and talked to him and he came out and apologized and had some dinner.
After he was done eating I took him to my room and talked to him about his behavior. I reminded him that we had decided as a family to invite Ashley to live with us. We talked about the fact that she had no family to take care of her and how would he feel if the situation was reversed and he had to live with a bunch of strangers. Hopefully it will give him some food for thought. He put himself to bed early tonight, though he did read Ashley a story before bed.
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