Sunday, June 22, 2014

Summer!

 

Our first week of summer schedule was a success. Whew! It is going to be a great summer....but I will be glad for the in-breath that is autumn! Leaves turning, Michaelmas, cool breezes. My favorite season. In the meantime, though, I will enjoy SUMMER!

 

E was super nervous about the gym schedule change, so I made him a schedule:

Which helped, along with a new bedtime routine to include a guided imagery sort of ongoing story (with the hope that when he's anxious and trying to fall asleep, he can continue the story himself to calm down).

 

During the school year, E's gymnastics does not let out until 8pm. He gets home at 8:15, eats dinner, showers off all the chalk, and.....doesn't wind down until after 10pm. And that's with a loooot of help from us. Luckily E then sleeps in until 8am, but meanwhile C has to be up at 5:30 or earlier for work. After a whole school year of this, we are worn out! e also started sleeping in a bit in the last few months, pushing her bedtime later and later. We needed a new plan!

 

Along came summer. No more late trainings. Woo hoo! I started waking the kids up at 6am, making sure we spent a lot of time outside, and bam! For the most part, no trouble with earlier bedtimes! e is now solidly falling asleep before 8 and waking up on her own at 6. E....well....mostly he's asleep by 9:15. Sometimes 11. I still have to wake him at 6 so I know it isn't internalized yet. Still a fair amount of anxiety at bedtime. But I see improvements. Slow and steady, right? It's only been one week.

 

The 'lessons' block you see on the schedule includes math and spelling for E and piano practice for e. Plenty of exploring and creating, too. And gardening. Our garden has taken off! We have snap peas every day (yum!) and most days a strawberry. Baby watermelon, cucumbers, and peppers. Delicious herbs. E loves to chew on chives.

 

Yesterday we went to see Malificent at the base theater. E had been so anxious about being in a theater- too loud, too big. But on base, the movie theater is in an auditorium where band concerts are also held. The screen is smaller and farther away, the sound not as loud. E came away happy, as did the rest of us. :)

 

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