Old Time Summer

Tag: Motivation

  • Wisdom and Chores

    Education isn’t only book learning, and also isn’t just stuff that is in a book that says must be taught. It’s all of life and that’s my focus this week, getting stuff DONE, and getting the children to see that it can be done as a team, each doing their part makes it all go … where it is supposed to go.

    We have issues with our house, it’s too small, little place for putting things. There are finishes that need to be applied to the walls, the floors, and other places. Some we have things to do with that, some we need money to get things done. Some of it (“cleaning and organizing”) needs to happen to make these other things happen. Make it more likely to happen, at the least.

    A lot of it is day in and day out stuff. It takes work and thinking of it to make it get done, and no one wishes to dwell there, which makes it hard on me since I hate living like this, being the one saying what needs done all the time, pushing, pushing, pushing, while all along I’ve tried to motivate each one to do something on their own, to be “in charge” and do it without being told every day/week or whatever it happens to be. It’s partly that on the whole none of us are very keen on cleaning. We like things clean, but find it hard to make it happen. I make a mess when I cook or do craft stuff. To limit one self to not making a mess or stopping the event and cleaning up is beyond my desire or wish to force on myself or children. Making a mess is OK, somebody else can help to clean it up. It’s the “your room doesn’t have to be spotless but I do want our living areas to be more clean than dirty, I need help from everyone to keep the kitty litter clean, keep the floors swept, the steps too, dishes done, table in order, couch clean, baby toys picked up now and then …

    Certain people have particular chores, and starting this week I am fully implementing earning blocks of computer time/game time for getting chores done ISC, which is the deal that was supposed to be how they acted at home and out & about. ISC stands for Instant, Sweet, Complete.

    They understand it, but are too lazy to make it happen, and bank on that being what will get me to stop bugging them, just go with the flow, as crazy as it is.

    So the other thing that goes with this is a lesson I have on Manners, and also getting the Westminster Catechism going full force. These things are simple yet take time and forethought. Can be thought of as ‘complex’ but that’s just the wrong view. Simple things are picking up toys. Putting dirty clothing in baskets. Putting things in the hall closet in order not chaos. Animal chores are for us and them, not just a chore. We like the animals, so keep their areas cleaner. Makes us all happier. So do it ISC. Learning one or more Catechism Q&A a week isn’t hard. Some are easier and some are harder. Just like most things. They better us to understand them.

    Which brings me to all of life, lessons are for this: to come to wisdom in full age.

    First is Knowledge.

    Then comes Understanding.

    Lastly comes Wisdom.

    Wisdom in many areas, how to know the right way, thing, common sense that is smarter than plain on common sense. Wisdom’s way, wise sense.

    One reason for things being as they are here in our house is because my husband travels for business a lot, and is fairly busy with work on phone/computer at home otherwise. In a small house that needs work done on it besides the normal daily needs of keeping a house up, it’s difficult to get much of anything done like needs done. It is hard.

    So the push for “schooling” is not going to happen now. It’s gonna be the earning of block of time for computer/games when chores and things are done ISC, and getting manners and Catechism going fully. Getting things clean and ready for moving, painting, installing, etc.

  • Reading Struggles

    Our 8 year old isn’t reading still, though he does recognize some letter/word combos … but just stays frustrated about not reading, that it doesn’t magically appear, I think.

    My frustration is high as well. We have had this and that and that other and this other thing to aide him. Me working with him, he working alone with a program. Nothing works.

    Reader Rabbit really helped my eldest, Russell, move forward in reading. He didn’t have RR at first, it was something we got later. Asa, the 8 year old, “grew up” having RR around. So what did he do after he got through with one of the RR dics? “I beat it” was his comment. Game mentality.

    We got the new TAG reading system from LeapFrog in order to have an interactive book experience that wasn’t fully electronic, and give him a new challenge. He uses it, but won’t USE it. I sit with him and he just dullardly looks on, or loses it.

    So if I just talk about it other times he says “I’ve gotten all the rewards I can get, I can’t get more, it won’t give me more” is what he says. Game Mentality.

    Now as games go, it is beneficial to be able to read, but it’s quite the phenomena that most games can be played without reading. I mean, others can aide the non-reader through “HAVE TO READ SOMETHING” parts, and depending on what game it is and the non-readers desire to play that game … it can work. I’ve seen him play Wii or PS3 or PS2 or internet games, and he just goes, goes, goes. As long as it moves, he can do it, and just blusters through any words, never trying to read.

    It’s a game mentality, which I’m not trying to break, I just want to add reading onto his skill set. I want him to read, I want him to want to read. I just need him to read so he can read anything in life that he comes in contact with. I would like him to love reading, but I can’t make him be a great lover of reading.

    My first two children love reading and read, read, read. Both started their massive reading ability by the time they were my Asa’s current age. I’m not looking for that in him. I know it’s taking longer, and I’m only looking for some progress in understanding that learning a few words and phonograms is step 1, and step 2 is an easy step, but even step 1 seems to disappear, as if he’s looking for an easy ramp to reading, not wanting to climb steps. Even a whole word approach isn’t working. There is no ramp up to the spot he wants one. He’s stuck in the nether-regions of “It’d be so nice if I could read, I’ll think about that tomorrow.”

  • Mourning

    On Saturday it was noticed that our eldest cat, Princess Sonia, 16-years old, wasn’t doing so well, and then seemed to do a bit better and then on Sunday morning was the same and progressed then to worse and eventually died.

    We all had heavy hearts, with Victoria and me being outwardly emotive and overwrought over her leaving us. She was my dear cat for over 16 years, and Victoria is an emotive sort of person. I am not. But things that are deep with me do cause me to emote. So I wasn’t able to get any schooling done this week, and am only now trying to catch up with thinking about what to do, get the house back on track and such.

    I have more motivation now than I did a couple of days ago, but still it’s far from the norm for me, which isn’t too very high in the first place most days in and of itself. FWIW.