System Failure Shut Down Imminent

Just kidding. The joyous enthusiasm, which Casey and Aria enjoyed in the first week or so, is steadily waning. I am trying to make this fun. I guess it's kind of like going to get your tooth pulled and someone says it's fun 'cause there's a clown in the room. Just because I think it's fun doesn't mean they do. Just because I'm a clown, doesn't mean I'm fun. (Really, I'm more of a doofus. That's not the same as a clown, is it?) We're always going to have days like these I guess.

Yesterday and today we read letters from people doing wonderful and kind things for others. Aria made several comments, yesterday and today, about how good it is that these people did wonderful things and how sad it was that people suffered. We talked about ways we could be kind to one another and we role-played some situations that happen in our house. I want the children to understand how to better deal with their clashes and I am hoping to develop, in all of us, deep empathy.

A while later, Casey came to me and said, "Mom, I found something under your pillow. I didn't put it there. Come look." I knew right away he had drawn a picture for Ronnie and me. (I had made that suggestion earlier.) He was very adamant that this drawing was not his. I told him the drawing made me so happy I had to kiss him. He felt good, I could tell. We showed Aria, too. She said, "Oh, that's really nice." She played along well. We left it under Daddy's pillow so he can find it later.

I love that he thought about doing that after we discussed it this morning. I love that he did it of his own accord and enjoyed the feeling. I hope that Aria will do something so we can give her the same praise and good feeling. I'll have to be on the look out for things I can praise her for or this will be another exercise in how Casey's the good, thoughtful one and Aria's the self-centered one. She's not really, but the perception is that we think so and we need to change that.

We played some more Math Basketball, yesterday, after I taught a little lesson to both Aria and Casey. I showed them all of the addition problems which add up to ten. I laid them on the table and asked if they could discern what the cards had in common. Aria said they were all addition problems. Casey said they all added to ten. I was impressed with both of them for being so observant. I was especially impressed that Casey, after quickly adding the first two problems in his head, decided that the rest of the cards added to ten also. Aria and I looked at each other in amazement.

I brought out a couple of the corresponding subtraction problems, too. I showed them how the numbers become reversed and if you know the addition facts you readily know the subtraction facts also. They both seemed to grasp the concept fairly quickly.

Today, we just sat outside and reviewed the facts that add up to ten. We looked at the ones that add up to nine. I tried to get them to practice a few of the stack of flashcards, but their hearts were not in it and I could not convince them to manufacture any artificial heart. Which is, to continue with the cardiac theme, disheartening.

I spoke with Aria, afterward, to try to convince her of the necessity of working everyday. I told her I felt that I wasn't pushing them very hard at all. We are able to be outside everyday and do fun things. I explained to her that even if she were to become America's Next Top Model, she would still need to know how to read complicated contract documents and know whether her agent was taking 20% or 80% of her money. She said she would try harder. I spoke with Casey, too, and he said he would try.

We played educational games online for 45 minutes. Casey played longer because he was enjoying it so much.

We're having a lot more interaction and good conversations. So, I need to realize that just because we're not discussing the Pythagorean Theorem, yet, we are learning valuable things. We are making progress and we will continue to make progress. All of us together.