A Good Day

We had a productive school day.  One that was filled with different subjects and no one was stuck in a slow boring rut.   Math for Edison (finally received his pre-Algebra materials from Teaching Textbooks ).  Lots of different reading today we are reading Tales of Troy: Ulysses Sacker of Cities by Andrew Lang together very slowly over the year.  There is a lot in each paragraph and many characters to keep track of so we go slow and I have them narrate after each paragraph or two.  They remember it pretty well (sometimes better than I do).

Edison was reading Gone-Away Lake by Elizabeth Enright.  He was on chapter 6 and he still didn't like the book.  It wasn't a book that I thought added any real value to his education in the long run so I let him ditch it.  I am now having him read stories from Harold Bloom's Stories and Poems for Extremely Intelligent Children of all Ages.  He read half of Hans Christian Andersen's "Red Shoes" .  A much more appropriate story for his age and I think it has much more depth to it too.

Alaska is still working on his cursive writing and doing quite well.  I managed to get Danny Boy to have his own reading time.  This is something that slipped out of our schedule over the past year, but I'm going to make it a priority again.  There are some fundamental information that I drill the kids on so they know it and we were able to remember to do this.  



We even managed to say the rosary with Mother Angelica at 11:30.  It was a little wild with Danny Boy not wanting to do this and Button climbing all over the place.  At one point both were fighting for space on my lap and climbing all over me -- not very peaceful -- but the rosary was said and in the end showing up is what counts sometimes.  At times I wonder what they all get out of this, but ultimately that probably isn't something I will know until much later if at all.

It's difficult after a holiday to get back the rhythm that you imagine you once had (and perhaps did).  So it is nice to have a day that doesn't go perfect, but still has a pleasantness about it that wasn't spoiled by my own ill temper at it not going perfect.


Even Button received a lot of attention from his brothers and me today.  I like it when it all balances out.  When everyone feels they received their fair amount, and I don't feel particularly harried today. 


Oh yeah, I even know what I'm having for dinner tonight.  Truly a good day!