Nasty Dan

Someone finally posted the video of our talent show entry. I'm Johnny Cash, and GL is Oscar the Grouch.

Waking Up is Hard to Do

I haven't needed an alarm clock in years. The boys always wake me up with their bickering. I was up late last night, and then had trouble getting to sleep because of allergies. This morning, the boys didn't fight. GL was up early, as usual, but he didn't wake BB or start a squabble. He came into my room to make various announcements as he always does in the early morning and, as usual, I went back to sleep. When I finally woke up enough to see what time it was, it was time for GL to leave for school. I ended up getting him there fifteen minutes late. Waking Up Is Hard To Do.

Jewel has a new Fan!

The first and last time I heard Jewel, I thought, "Whatever." But she got GL to sleep during the day when he really needed it. He has been calm ever since he woke up.

First warm day of spring. On the way home from church, I rolled down the windows and cranked up some John Mellencamp.

Where do We Go from Here?

First, I forgot to list one thing that is working very well: FlashMaster. BB is quick to pick up math concepts, but he struggled with memorizing his math facts. (Kind of like his dad, heh, heh.) We used Addition Songs, Subtraction Songs, Multiplication Songs, and Division Songs, all from Audio Memory, to teach math facts, and FlashMaster to practice them. Even once he had them all memorized and didn't need to count on his fingers or refer to a table any more, he was still slow on the draw. While doing long division, for example, he would sit staring into space, waiting for a needed division or multiplication fact to magically pop into his head. Naturally, the waiting usually turned to daydreaming, his thoughts never returned to math until I got his attention, and this always made him angry because he insisted he hadn't been daydreaming. He would make thirty review problems, all of which he already knew how to do, take three to four hours.

We have been working on focus and, while his mind still wanders, he is getting better at noticing, and bringing it back. What helped? First, I let him use a multiplication table. He could answer most of the problems on the table quickly without looking, but those he had to think about took longer to remember than to look up. And looking them up seemed to reinforce the right answers in his memory. He hasn't needed the multiplication table in over a year now. Second, we have him set a 1 minute timer for each problem. Some problems take more than one minute and some take less.  If the timer beeps before he is finished, or he finishes the problem before it beeps, he resets it for another minute. If he starts to daydream, it's less than a minute before the timer brings him back to reality. Third, I have him practice every day with FlashMaster. When he gets enough problems right in the time allotted, he moves to the next level. Once he completes all the levels, he starts over, but we reduce the time limit. So we will continue with the per-problem timer and FlashMaster.

MathTacular: The boys both loved MathTacular 1-3, and last year when I ordered curriculum, MathTacular 4 was "Coming Soon". I kept delaying my order, waiting for it to come out, but after several months, it never did, so I gave up on it. It's out now. 

I mentioned that GL will be attending the local high school in the fall. Since he continues to make progress in reading, I will continue working with him in that area. We're still waiting for his placement assessment at the school. After that, we'll see what the school has for him.

For BB, reading, spelling, grammar, writing, and math will remain priorities.  Since what we've been doing in these areas seems to be working, we'll keep at it, with a focus on bringing him up to grade level. The subjects that tend to get crowded out, we will focus on, one at a time, until he is where he needs to be in each. 

For science, I'm still not sure what direction to take. I'm open to suggestions. For History, I'm still looking for a good follow-up to The Story of the World. We'll definitely be reading books about various people, places, and civilizations, but I'd like something to help tie it all together. I think BB is ready for  Rod and Staff Grade 5 Bible Workbook. We enjoyed What's in the Bible Vol. 1: In the Beginning. We'll be adding the other DVDs in the series as a fun supplement. I think we'll follow up Classical Kids: Collection with The Music Masters: The Stories Of Vivaldi And Corelli, The Story of Bach, The Story Of Handel, etc.

I think the biggest surprise to me as I plan for the coming year has been how few surprises there are. Most things we've been using are working. We'll keep using them. A handful aren't. We've already found replacements for most. I'll let you know what we come up with, and how they work out. We knew which subjects were getting crowded out. It's time to prioritize them. 

Another Weapon in the War on Sagging Pants

Some days, I think Griffin and Goldilocks might be twins. Big Daddy Autism commented, "Griffin's is usually bunched up and sticking out over his belt line. We let it go since we are just so happy he dresses himself (mostly) and he wears his shirts so long and untucked that nobody can see it." Goldilocks does the same thing: Pants low, underwear high, long shirt covering his underwear. I see only three problems here:

1. He wears his pants so low, he walks on them, leaving very few pairs to pass down to Brother Bear.
2. His underwear do show every time he reaches, stretches, bends or,
3. puts his hands in his pants. He habitually shoves both hands in up to the elbows.

I don't watch a lot of television, or I would have heard the song Pants On the Ground before today. This afternoon, every time I saw his tightey whiteys, I chanted a line or two, and he jerked his hands out and hiked up his jeans. Again, it doesn't seem to bother him to grab himself in public, but he doesn't want anyone to notice. Unless someone says something, he thinks no one sees him.

Thanks to God

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heav’nly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

Words: Au­gust L. Storm, in the Swed­ish Sal­va­tion Ar­my pa­per Strids-Ro­pet, 1891; trans­lat­ed from Swed­ish to Eng­lish by Carl E. Back­strom, 1931.
Music: Jo­hann­es A. Hult­man, in Sols­kens­sang­er, 1910 (MI­DI, score).
Al­ter­nate tune: Thanks to God (Steb­bins), George C. Steb­bins (1846-1945) (MI­DI, score) (the words are oft­en sung to this tune in Fin­land)

http://nethymnal.org/htm/t/h/thankstg.htm

My parents were married in a Swedish Baptist church, and the hymnal had a special section in the back of Swedish hymns in translation. While we sang a wide variety of hymns both in church and at home, and my mother often sang hymns to us as she rocked us in her old rocking chair, when I think of those times, it’s the Swedish hymns I remember.

Unlikely Adventures

Thursday morning was unseasonably warm. So much so that I found myself wading in Lake Michigan, even though the signs along the shore said not to. The signs were right. Soon I found myself swimming in Lake Michigan. The undertow had swept me off my feet and dragged me into deep water. I wondered whether this were the end, or if the current might change direction around the next point, or at least weaken enough that I could swim back to shore. Just then the bow of a submarine lifted me from the water. The entire bow dome was painted in an improbable red and white pattern.  First I thought, "This had better be an American sub." but then, "If this is an American sub, shouldn't it be somewhere else?" At least it wasn't pink like the one in Operation Petticoat. A JG appeared, and began walking toward me along the slippery metal surface, pushing a life raft, and cussing me out as only a submariner can.

Just then, the light came on. It was 6:30, time to get up and drive Mama Bear to work, so I would have the car when it came time to drive GL to therapy. I had been up past midnight searching eBay for a portable DVD player with LCD screen to replace GL's. I did eventually find one with a "buy it now" price of $30, with free shipping. It was a scratch and dent model, but guaranteed to work. The seller has 55,848 feedback ratings, 99.2% positive. Mama Bear pinched the budget until it screamed, and I placed the order Saturday. We'll see how it works out. Meanwhile, we have the loan of a player, which helps GL's peace of mind, and thus the peace of the entire household. Thanks be to God.

Some people seem to find a message from the Lord in every dream. Even in the Bible, such dreams were usually reserved for patriarchs, prophets, or apostles, and might be separated by generations or even centuries. If the Supreme Being is trying to send me a communiqué, I think He needs to lay off the ganja.

John Philip Sousa: Music to Clean House By!

Fall Cleaning Day 2/3 Mozart in the Morning

I was tired last night, so I went to bed early. For me, that means around 10 p.m. Usually when I do that, I either can't sleep, or wake up in a couple hours and can't get back to sleep. This time I slept until 8:30, and woke up refreshed. GL slept until 9. That's different! Got some breakfast, started the laundry, got the boys started on their chores, and put on The Masters of Classical Music - Mozart. I think this will be a productive day!