Creative Rhythms

My sweet, curious, creative boy just turned ten. Ten! And this momentous birthday was supposed to be celebrated with pizza and donuts and swimming with friends. Well...instead he got to spend some time at the hospital with me and my kidney stone. C made sure he got his pizza and donuts, but the swimming had to be cancelled. So we did a redo yesterday. The donuts stuck in the pan, and his friends had to cancel. But we still had fun at the pool, and we managed a few intact-ish donuts. I'm hoping this can be like music- a disappointing dress rehearsal means it will be a good show, right? Hopefully he has a great year ahead of him. I'm just in awe that my boy is ten. Double digits. It doesn't seem that long ago that he was teeny tiny, and yet I can't remember what life was like before he arrived! He is such a blessing.

 

That blessing, though, does tend to shake things up, so.....I joined Thinking Feeling Willing. I've completed the first set of mom lessons: rhythm. It took me a week, thinking over our days, our needs, our obligations to find what might work for us. It looks like a schedule, but it isn't exactly. The times only give me a sense of forward movement. It is more an ordering to our days. Some things are anchors, like meals and read-aloud and bedtime. Others are flexible.

 

My will is weak when it comes to upholding rhythm; I have trouble getting up before my children, pushing forward in lesson blocks, and keeping up with planning and household duties. It is time I get on top of this and make it work. Our rhythm is dependent on me. Nothing else, nobody else. Me.

Making it pretty helps me remember that a smooth rhythm to one's day is a beautiful thing!

 

Meanwhile....duct tape creativity reined in E's world.

An iPad holder for movies in the car- thinking ahead to next year's gymnastics meets!

And a zebra on a toilet. The toilet even sports a seat and lid and handle. Wait til you see what e made him for his birthday....

 

Then on Friday I decided we needed some form drawing. Top one is E's. See the wrinkles? He had such a time. Not because form drawing is hard for him, because it isn't. He was battling his will. He wanted to draw the form, but he didn't want to draw the form, but he did, but he didn't.... Several pages ended up torn to pieces and thrown before he managed this. Maturity. I'm loving it! Seriously. He's growing up.

We've had warmer weather and a whole lot of rain. Saturday we took our umbrellas out for a walk, tip-toeing around the earthworms that were ALL OVER! There was quite a variety in color, length, and 'state of fatness'. Of course e brought home some treasures. :)

And speaking of worms, our red wigglers came!! About 1,000 of them arrived in a little box last week. e helped me wet the peat moss for their bedding.

The child curriculum that comes with a lifetime membership to Thinking Feeling Willing also came in the mail! This is it, early childhood to grade 6. Looking through it, I remember why we switched to Christopherus. Christopherus has so much to it. It is all there...sometimes too much there, and I feel inadequate because we don't do but a fraction of it. On the other end of the spectrum is Waldorf Essentials. As per the name, the essentials are there, with not much extra. The simplicity makes one feel that Waldorf education at home is totally possible, and gives recommendations for where to find more if you seek it.

Anyway, about that birthday.... E's friends J and S gave him a Wreck This Journal. Each page has a way to wreck it. Smear dirt here, take this book into the shower with you, tie a string around it and drag behind a bike, drip liquid on this page...

Pure genius. The boys spent hours wrecking their journals! And here we have e's gift to E... a toilet planter. Perfect.