Wonder Boy tested from his green belt last week and is now considered an advanced student.  We are very proud of his hard work and dedication.

Breaking

Both Charlie and Wonder Boy started breaking [boards] in Tae Kwan Do last month.  I missed Wonder Boy's first break, but I caught his second and Charlie's first.  It was so cool.  I burst into spontaneous cheers when they did it.

Wonder Boy earned his orange belt last week.  Congrats, sweet boy!

Wonder Boy had his First Communion

After all the preparation Wonder Boy finally had his First Communion.  He was so nervous and excited.  It was so great to see that he really understood the significance of what he was doing.  I so want him to understand his faith and not just go through the motions.  It seem that he is beginning to.  I am so proud.

Pinewood Derby

Today is Pinewood Derby Day. Wonder Boy came in 7th out of 13 cars, but his was so great! He made it all by himself (both Charlie and I work really hard to make sure that this is true) and he had a great design.

Milestone

Wonder Boy had his First Reconcillation last night. He was very nervous before, even though we assured him that the preist would be very nice, but when he was done he looked very happy. Praise be to God!

He lost another tooth yesterday, too.

Combatting the February doldrums

February is burnout month for students, teachers and parents all over, and we've definitely been feeling it. It's really too cold to go out for very long, so we aren't getting the fresh air that we need. That combined with the stress of waiting for court dates is really getting to us.

To combat this burn out we've had some changes around here.
1. I reorganized the schedule so that we go to the gym in the morning and don't go to school until after lunch. While this is untraditional , it lets we not only workout, but it also give me a chance to work with each child one on one.

2. I just reorganized the playroom/ classroom. As the children get older their need change and so we have to rethink the spaces that they spend time in. I separated the library and school work area. In the last I have sat in the library on the sofa and gone over work with the kids, but there was too many distractions. Now they have a whole area for quite work.

3. We decided to slow down the schoolwork that Wonder Boy is doing. He has always been one grade level ahead of his age. While he is very able to do this level of work from a cognitive standpoint, I think emotionally it was too much for him. In my opinion that is what has caused so much of the school resistance in the past. Now Wonder Boy is working with new materials. We have pared down is school work and will pick up with the second half of Mother of Divine Grace's Third grade at the semester break of next year. He has definitely been fighting me less in regards to school work. I think the quantity of work was just too much for him.

4. Wonder Boy and I have started a huge research project about Superman. It's been really fun and I'm really hoping that Wonder Boy learns that school can be great.

Wonder Boy's best friend is in the paper

Two years ago Wonder Boy met a lovely little girl that we all adore. They quickly became best friends. (My diabolical plan is to keep her around until they are old enough to date. Shh, don't tell Wonder Boy. Seriously, we don't tease him because we don't want to him to not have a friend who is a girl.) Her family made to Detroit paper in an article that highlighted the religious importance of Christmas.

http://http//www.freep.com/article/20091224/NEWS05/912240399/1001/news

Wonder Boy Can See

At his physical a few weeks ago, Wonder Boy did not pass his vision screening. When we told him he needed glasses he nearly cried. He was so worried that people would tease him. We took him to LensCrafters and with in two hours he could see again. He had no idea how poorly he was seeing until he put on the glasses. Now we can barely get him to take them off.

Happy (Late) Birthday

Wonder Boy turned 7 at the end of June. His oh so exciting present was a magical fun-filled drive to Minnesota. Did I say present? I meant booby prize.

Seriously, We celebrated at home the night before and we are still planning a party with his best friend later in the summer.

I love you, baby!

Wonder Boy lost another tooth at dinner!

Wonder Boy Loses a Tooth

Last Week Wonder Boy lost his second tooth! Very exciting for everyone involved. Of course, in true Wonder Boy fashion he did things his own way. Wonder Boy is nothing if not quirky. I don't know what else to call a 6 year old who loves Greek mythology, ancient literature and uses words like uproarious and giddy in everyday conversation. Anyway, the second tooth he lost was not the second bottom tooth like most people, but one of the top ones.

(Cool tooth fact-- Did you know that you can see all the adult teeth in a child's mouth on their x-rays?)

I Want My Jamacian Rum!

Most evenings our our family reads aloud from a book, and right now it is Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. In it several children are pretending to be pirates. In one scene the children are drinking the finest Jamaican rum (aka lemonade). Of course, the boys had to start calling lemonade at our house rum, as well. This morning Wonder Boy had said rum confiscated because he was bragging about having lemonade for breakfast when the others did not. The conversation went something like this:

WB: Jophus, guess...
Mom (interrupting) If you brag about it, I'll take your lemonade away.
WB: what I have--rum. (Very smug.)
Mom: Give it to me.
WB: NO! (not so smug now)
Mom: Give it to me now! (taking the cup)
WB: (who is prone to loud and explosive temper tantrums) GIVE ME MY RUM! I HAVE TO HAVE MY RUM! GIVE IT TO ME!

I could not keep from laughing.

Wonder Boy was complaining the other day about his phonics/ spelling work. I have to admit it is very in depth and time consuming. If I am honest it is my least favorite subject too. However, Wonder Boy is learning so much from this program and I am really glad at the progress he has made. As a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet that he would test several grade levels ahead. This year he has read several of the Narnia series even though he is only 6.

WB: Why do I have to do this?

Mom: When your grown up and see what they are teaching your kids, you'll be happy you learned this.

WB: On no, Mom, I'm going to homeschool my kids. . . Well my wife will!