Well thankfully today went a little better (for the most part).  Once my girls get over this stomach bug then life will be better.  Its so hard having two toddlers (SICK ones) in addition to homeschooling their older brother who is ADHD.  Some days I sit and think maybe he would just be better in school.  It would free up time for me to focus on his sisters during the day and he would get to be around other kids.  For some people that would be all it took to go enroll him in the nearest school.  Not me,  I am stubborn.  I think I can do it better.  I can help him learn.  I can give him the tools to learn instead of memorizing a few facts and moving on.  I wish I could give him more chances to be with other kids.  But I also wish I could screen the kids he plays with. IS that normal?  Do all moms do that??????????????

Today we finished up the math from yesterday.  Then we went to work on a Brazil poster.  His project was to create a poster that had certain criteria.  Had to be titled, map with capitol, facts, flag, animals and leisure activity.  I think that was everything. He did a good job.  I am fixing to get a picture of him with it.  My goal is to have a poster for each country we visit with our geography book.  Then in the end I want one picture of him with all the posters.  I'm sure my dh will not be happy with all the posters.  But for some reason once you start homeschooling it takes over your life and takes over your home.  I've tried to limit it to the homeschool room but a huge poster of a world map made it into the hall.  He told me it stopped there.  LOL.. So he thinks.. MUHAHAHAHA!!!  THEN last night he went to walmart and brought home the game Are you smarter than a fifth grader!!!!  See he's helping! 

Okay so we need to be getting ready for our counseling.  Instead of medicating him for ADHD we are trying counseling.  If anyone has any stories, blogs, advice on counseling or meditation for ADHD, I really would love to read it.  I need to do some searching and researching.  I wish they had a group that meets in my area for moms of kids with this.  It would be nice to see how other moms deal with things!!

Hugs,

So .. I'm up late.. really late.. its midnight now.. Getting my son's work printed out for a week of his trip.  You know he's gonna be thrilled with that.. lol  But he will be leaving Sunday and coming back on my birthday on the 31st.  So he'll have a couple days without any work and lots of sightseeing/park visiting.  I did find a indian museum for him to visit. 

We also found time to go get my new lap top and you know I'm thrilled. 

 I love it.  I still love my desktop one.  And the external hard drive is sooo great.. I've moved all my homeschool files and music over to it so I can use it on both computers.  Now hubby can have time on the computer.. My son even got a new computer BUT it has to be kept put up until we can find him a locking cabinet to put it in.  It's an expensive computer and I'm afraid my daughters will kill it. lol

 Ok.. off to find a couple books and then to bed.  HUGS

We've been soo busy lately.  Its not even funny.  My father has come down to visit this week.  When the week is up, he is driving back up to Chicago and taking my son for two weeks.  It will be good for Cian to go the city and see all the differences.  I wish I and the girls could go too but it is not financially possible.  The first week will be fun week. No homeschooling and you know he will be all about that.  But I am sending material for the second week to be full of book learning.. lol  Poor kid. I know how my dad is.. he'll spoil him so I am willing to bet half the work comes back ready to be did... lol

 We are house hunting.  So as part of our math lessons, I've had him measuring rooms.  LxW  He likes that.  His multiplication is coming along nicely.  He's getting quicker at the smaller numbers but has to count it our for the bigger numbers.  I wonder if he will ever memorize them.  He still wants to add to get the answer.  The only one I know he has memorized is 4 x 4.. Here's why.  I found this one rhyme online.  There were more but this is the one I told him about.. a 4 x 4 is a mean machine.  i want a 4 x 4 when I turn 16.  Cute huh.  So that's good and safe.  I really should find that website and right down the rest.  We also have the school house rock multiplication cd but I don't think he's gotten too much from it.  Honestly I need to sit down and listen to it. 

Today we are supposed to be heading to Chattanooga to go computer shopping. My son is getting is very own computer and I a getting a laptop.  Then we will be doing a bday dinner for me while my dad is in.

Ok guess I better get todays lessons started if we are gonna get anything done today.

So its like that huh.. yep, sure is.

My darling daughter is teething.  Her back teeth are coming in so we are dealing with a cranky toddler.  One that is running a low grade fever.  Thank god for tylenol and doctors.. She has an appointment next week so as long as it doesn't turn into a worse fever then we will wait it out.  My other daughter being only a baby doesn't care much for all this loving and holding her big sis is getting.  Sigh.  I wish I were an octopus so I could hold them both AND help my son with his work. 

So this week we enjoyed the labor day holiday at their nana's house for a cookout.  (My mom)  He had my stepson there to play with so all was well in the world.. lol 

Now today was bit of a trying day because of all the days off and the girls.  I will say that he did good getting all that I had planned for him done AND started his own reading of a book about alligators and crocs.. Sp of course I handed him two pieces of paper and said if he really wanted to know what the difference is in the two then he could write characteristics on each paper and compare.  Amazingly he was all for it.  So I think we will be studying that this week. 

Next week I hope to begin a study on flags.  I saw this picture on a Montessori website where the teacher had the flags strung across the room on a line.  I thought we could do that.  I showed it to him and he said cool mom. He has a huge poster in his room of all the state flags.... so we may begin by doing that and then focusing on our flag and its history.

Well I better get to bed so if my darling gets up in the middle of the night I won't fall over from exhaustion!

Sooooo.. today went better than the rest of the week.  Thank the gods.  I was having serious thoughts of whether or not I made the right choice.  Jas got up around 4 am and went back to bed around 5 am so I thought for sure I was gonna be dead today.  Not as bad as I thought.  We did alot less book/writing work and more imaginative, less structured stuff.  He liked it.  Crossword puzzles and free writing.  The writing topic was name 10 things that annoy you.  Boy did he point fingers.  lol

We also made a menu with foods that start with F.  Birdland Cafe, its from the book Scholastic ABC Poem of the Week.  We use it because it is fun and helps with his handwriting.  With all the stereotypes for boys would you believe he has beautiful handwriting.  He thought that was fun.  Decorated it and asked if we could put a sign on the front door to let the birds know the cafe was open.  lol.  I had to decline.  A few more discussions and projects to do with tornadoes and a review worksheet in math and he's done for the day.  Tennessee requires four hours a day for 180 days.  With a procrastinator (my son).. that wouldn't get a whole lot done.  So we kinda break it up in blocks and do it as we can. 

It can be hard to sit and explain things to him so I try to do the easy stuff when I KNOW the girls are gonna be going full force and need me. 

Today I burned a copy of the Schoolhouse Multiplication Rock.  We've began multiplication tables last week but slacked off a bit because we had begun fighting about it.  I thought this might be something to get him more motivated. I know he is a kinestic and a visual learner.  Not seeing a dvd version but I think the audio will help.  He has a great memory.  Just mention letting him do something and see how long he remembers until you give in a do it.  I'm talking weeks and months later.  VERY persistant.  VERY talkative.

I will say he's been a great help with the girls and amazingly they get along.  He has overcome his jealousy by bonding with them.  Very protective.  BUT it does make it frustrating when I want him to do work.  " But I wanna play with sissy.  She wants me too!!"  lol Cute though.

Well it is getting late.  I need to finish his tornado test for tomorrow.  We have the movie Twister planned as a reward and a test.  Sounds good to me.