Summer Holidays: Day One

I have set myself a goal this holidays, and hopefully not an overzealous or irrational one: I want to spend 30 minutes each day doing something educational with the boys, both together and separately. This might not seem like a big deal to you, since most moms I know seem to educate their children easily with each natural breath they take in any given day. I, however, was not born to teach, and find that my creativity is somewhere just below ground level in this area. Also, when you add in the fact that Adam's needs mean he is resistant at best, completely crazy at worst, I tend to give up quick.

That's why I figure that 30 minutes a day, hopefully just after breakfast, is a small enough goal to be manageable. We shall see who manages in the end, and since it's only been day one I will hold off from giving my opinion just now.

This morning we did singing. At least, Adam and I did singing. Caleb and I told stories. We'll call it a verbal foundation for learning, shall we? But now that I know Adam can count we'll work on that some days, and on beginning to write his name...luckily for both of us half his name is the same letter. I'm not being flippant: I know the immensity of the task before us, and it's best to appreciate all the positives that we can! Caleb has mastered the letters in his first name, though they come in all sorts of different variants and I have yet to see them written in the right order! So we all have something to work on.

After "school" we went to the park with Auntie Meg and the boys played while the mums chatted, which was a very nice gift. Then we met up with Daddy and had a lovely walk to the top of a nearby hill. We hid in a thorny bush when the rain came, and threw rocks and found sticks. Adam walked all the way to the top and back down, and had some raisins for his snack in the middle.

Wait, did you read that right? He ate raisins for a snack. Out of my hand. This is another wonderful first for Adam, who up to now would not take food out of my hand readily and certainly not dried fruit. I could hear the sound of doors opening as he ate each one--really, it is a wonder that we ever appreciate the small miracles of life, isn't it?

Another small miracle today was a workshop I went to this evening on Rhythms of Grace, a church service for children with disabilities started by a wonderful priest named Audrey Scanlan in Connecticut. She talked us through what she does, how she does it, and why she does it, and even included some Play-Doh exercises for us to do! The people who came were from all different corners of Aberdeen--it was again an event with a sense of excitement for what the future might hold for Aberdeen in terms of what churches are doing for children with special needs and their families. I am pleased to be working in this field as well, and look forward to taking Audrey's message further in the near future.

That's all for now--night!