Homework Assignments

We knew Kindergarten would involve homework because we had gotten the scoop from other parents. Therefore, we were not surprised to see homework assignments scheduled every single night.  We quickly adjusted our afternoon routine to include 30 minutes of homework time around the kitchen table.

 

 

Our family rule is: Work first, then play. After homework is completed, the fun begins. They play school, work on crafts read and enjoy their free time.

 

Flash cards are presented -- in rapid fire succession -- to various dolls and stuffed animals. 

 

Luckily, George is spared since he is usually down for an afternoon nap.  Otherwise, he would surely be expected to know all the answers.

 

 

Friday's Quote

Sveti Đorđe Island on Heritage

Happiness is inward and not outward and so it does not depend on what we have, but on what we are.

-Henry Van Dyke

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Global Day of Prayer

The girls' school participated in the Global Day of Prayer yesterday.  They met by the flagpole at 7:30am, and two teachers led the gathered students in prayer and a couple of songs.  Importantly, we discussed the importance of living in a country where we are free to gather to pray.  The event was lovely. 

We added a little fun to the mix because I mistakenly thought William George would be able to be still long enough for the 10 minute event.  Not so.  He insisted on being put down on the sidewalk, where he proceeded to run from student to student laughing.  He meandered through the crowd during prayers and almost charged one of the faculty members while he was praying.  After crashing and disturbing the event, they are probably adding a silent prayer that the Lindseys move before William George enrolls in Kindergarten. 

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The Game

We made it to our first game last weekend.

 

Gracie and Lauren liked the team running onto the field, and they loved the band. 

The crowd is awesome.  The heat, on the other hand?  The heat is a compelling reason to watch the game in the comfort of one's own home. 

 

We saw lots and lots of touchdowns. 

Saturday's game wasn't exactly close. 

There were field goals. 

Blocked field goals...

Flags proudly waving...

And lots of cheering...

Much cheering.

Touchdown!

Touchdown!

 

And then a much needed break. 

 

Watching all those runs to the end zone can make a couple of girls tired.

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Gracie and Lauren taking notes.

Maneuverings

William George is all over the place now. He climbs onto stools, he climbs onto furniture, and he will attempt to scale any surface to get something that has caught his attention.

 

I attribute his agility to his stretching regimen.  While he is all about climbing, he can also arrange himself into numerous pretzel-like contortions. 

He reeeaaaaaches to retrieve lost toys. 

 

And he likes to have everything "just so" with his inventory. 

 

 

We have no idea where he gets that trait. 

Enumerated Update

1)  Fall is here.  We are beyond excited, as fall is our favorite time of year.

2)  Esquire has a scathing article about Steve Jobs and whether or not he has been missed over the last year.  The article is not generous in the least, and I am assuming this rather insensitive question is directed to non-family and friends and posed to the technical industry and world at large. 

Thursday, after updating my iPhone software to iOS6, I was reminded that we will miss his minimalist aesthetic.  The new refresh graphic is... well, I find myself tempted to use Jobs' favorite criticism.  Let's just say it stinks.  The graphic is tacky.  It's a small thing, of course.  Although it does not affect functionality, we will all have to look at it multiple times each day. 

Less is more -- almost always. 

3)  William George and I went thrifting Friday morning after dropping the girls at school.  We picked up five sweaters for the children (three from Gymboree and two from The Children's Place).  We also picked up four sweaters for me, one of which is cashmere.  We scored nine sweaters for $28.00.  Boom! 

4)  The thing about discipline is that it is so unpleasant to administer.  We are reinforcing the notion that good choices lead to good things, whereas bad choices lead to bad consequences.  We don't want to be weak parents, but following through with the bad consequences is not much fun.  I keep reminding myself of an article I read when the girls were babies.  The article posited that the purpose of discipline isn't necessarily to teach a child how you want him/her to behave, but to teach the child self-discipline.  Still, imposing restrictions does not win any popularity contests. 

5)  We went to the Alabama game Saturday, and the temperature felt much hotter than the high of 84.  As we were sitting in the stands, I could feel perspiration bead and run down my leg.  My dress was wet.  Yet, all over campus, I kept seeing girls in shorts and dresses and cowgirl boots.  Those young women were far more committed to creating a "fall look" than I was.   

What's happening with you?

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Friday's Quote

Old City of Sana'a on Heritage

 

Life is not an exact science, it is an art.

-Samuel Butler

Laundry With Laughs

William George loves to help with laundry.  Usually his help consists of dragging the clothes around and helping "re-stack" clothing that has already been carefully folded.  Verrrry helpful, indeed. 

The sheets are his favorite, and he always pauses for a lengthy game of peek-a-boo. 

 

 I read recently that a toddler laughs, on average, 240 times per day.  William George definitely does -- especially when laundry is being folded. 

Hula

Do you remember the hula hoop?

 

 

 

Raise your hand if you had one.

 

 

Or, were you possibly like William George and completely unimpressed with the plastic circle?

 

Clearly he would rather go play in the woods.

 

 

 

 

There are probably some squirrels who would make great friends.

 

 

 

But where were we? Yes, the hula hoop.

 

 

 

 

We are still working on mastering skills.

 

 

 

 

The hula starts in the right place...

 

 

 

But then gravity intervenes.

 

 

 

No matter... it's still great fun.

 

 

 

Every now and then...

 

 

 

You can get a little rhythm going.

 

 

 

 

Or, if you prefer, you can stare longingly at the trees you would rather climb.

 

 

 

Either way, there is big fun in the little things.

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Boys With Wheels

After William George conquered walking, discovering Gracie's stroller soon followed. He enjoys pushing the stroller around. He also likes the miniature grocery carts in the basement, but he has more access to the strollers since they are on the main level of our home.

 

If you are guessing that Gracie objects to George's fascination with her stroller, you are correct. We initially tried redirecting, but he is very determined and always locates the stroller wherever we may have tried to park the thing. Obviously, Gracie is unable to use the stroller once George becomes fixated -- at least without a major showdown occurring. For George's birthday, Gracie and Lauren got George one of the push toys that converts to a ride-on toy.  Whenever that toy is introduced as an alternative, William George determinedly grabs the stroller and refuses to let go. 

 

Like so:

 

 

 

Once the stroller is taken out of play, he always looks so dismayed. 

 

Like so:

 

But then he quickly recovers and is off to destroy something else. 

 

 

And Gracie waits patiently for George's nap time, when she can enjoy the stroller alone. 

 

 

...At least until nap time is over. 

 

When the girls are at school, George does not even glance at the stroller. Therefore, he likes the game because of the cause-and-effect factor. He grabs the stroller; Gracie screams. When she screams, he tightens his grip and refuses to let go.  

 

Fun for the whole family.