Thursday, May 8, 2014

What will you pray for? Quotes from Isaacland

So Appa and Isaac are reading bible stories. First the story of Abraham and Isaac. Second, how the servant of Abraham prayed to find the right bride for Isaac.
Question session
Appa: Isaac do you pray and ask God for something?
Isaac: Yes
Appa: What do your pray for Isaac?
Isaac: A son and a wife!

Appa: Hopefully in the reverse order!

Monday, April 7, 2014

The insane Mama - Joys of homeschooling

I think every mother has a breaking point!  Its not only homeschooling moms that lose it. So I am sure I will see a lot of heads nodding. I think for schooling mama's these days comes mainly during the summers vacation. As a homeschooling mom I have these insane days every week. I do not really need to wait for Summer!
My breaking day - I notice - is Wednesday. The yelling and the screaming at the kids. The high decibel talk that only dogs can hear and occasionally --- the crying.
I cannot still understand how a 4 and a 2 year old can individually make me cry.

But these past two weeks have been a little easier. I guess thanks to 'Sonlight curriculum'
Now let me warn you - if you want your child to be ultra smart. This is NOT the curriculum for you.
If you want your child to be a child prodigy - This is NOT the curriculum for you.
If you want your child to enjoy learning - Bulls eye! Come check out the stack of books Sonlight sent me. Almost 90% of them story books for Isaac. 100% story books for Ziva

This past week I decided no matter whether I did the 3/4 year old Curriculum or the 4/5 year old curriculum - both Isaac and Ziva would sit with me. One big screaming and yelling reason is because Isaac gets in my way when I want t read to Ziva and Ziva gets in my way when I read to Isaac. But its stories ... they can both listen.

As a result we read Good night Moon again. A book Isaac has been seeing since he was age - 3 months. But it was like we were reading it for the first time. There were instructions at the back of this book that told us to look for the 'mouse' on each page. All those of you who have this book - do this exercise. The story takes a new level suddenly! And an add on to that was Ziva flipping through the pages on her own and saying -
Wheres the mouse - Isaac/ Appa/Amma?
I guess she is ready to teach someone!

But the important thing was I was not screaming on Wednesday. I did yell a little on Thursday. But it seems I have made it over the Wednesday bump. There were also small activities sprinkled around the curriculum and I love doing things outside the books. So we made pancakes and buckled all the belts we could find and painted the front steps with 'WATER'
(The pancakes were supposed to be pumpkin flavor in accordance with 'Peter Peter Pumkin eater'. The belts were in accordance to 'One two Buckle my shoe ')

Schooling at home is finally looking like fun for mama!



Tower of Babel - Ziva's world

So Ziva is flipping through a bible story book and she crosses the 'Tower of Babel' story. The picture shows a man pointing at the tower and looking angrily at another Man.

Ziva: Uncle is upset


I think I have been using the word upset a lot when I tell her I do not like something she has done!!!



Monday, March 31, 2014

Keeping it equal - The sibling story

I always feel that everything should be equal between Isaac and Ziva. When Suresh opened a bank account for ISaac. I made sure one was opened for Ziva and when he dumped in some money into Isaac's account, I made sure he put in something into Ziva's account. It did not matter that both amounts just got swept off into FD's with high yields for Mom and Dad. It had to be equal! What if Ziva opened the bank account statement one day and saw the discrepancies in the amounts! Yes - I am paranoid. And Yes I am overestimating my little ones capabilities (or shrewdness). And Yes it does seem that somewhere in my childhood, I may have been scarred as the neglected/forgotten second daughter.


My councellor/ physcologist friends if you think I am over analyzing read below.
If I go to buy clothes for Isaac, I will buy at least one small thing for Ziva -- may it be even a bloomer! If I stitch Ziva a new dress ... I stitch Isaac a new vest.

When Isaac started Art class and I was feeling really bad of always leaving Ziva  at home with the maid. So I started a 'Mom and me' - Toddler program where Ziva and I could go and spend two hours together once a week at a play group. I was so determined that it be a Ziva and me 'only' time that on the last class when Ziva's teachers suggested I should bring Isaac along, I paused, thought and then refused saying this was special for Ziva.




I recently got the sonlight cirriculum and there was a workbook in it. So Ziva is going to get all of Isaac's second hand books. Now there is a workbook set in there. To keep things equal, I decided to make copies of this and use bound Xeroxes for both of them and keep the original as a reference.

I know its getting crazy right! But I only realized how crazy I am today! I got some groceries ordered in - and one item was a Chocos cereal box and with it came a 'Magic spoon'. I looked at the box and almost came upstairs to order another box with the hope that I would get one more 'Magic spoon'- It had to be equal. I stopped half way through ordering and started typing this blog!

The craziness has to end. I can be equal in another way. At least with things that are common to both Isaac and Ziva.

So tomorrow when we eat Chocos, they will both get bowls of milk and Chocos and ONE Magic spoon. Isaac will get one use of the spoon and then Ziva will get one use. And thus we shall learn to share everything possible (including cooties from each other mouth - if it helps Amma's insanity with equality)

Now the question rises - who should get to use it first.


Please pray for me as I approach this new phase of insanity.


Friday, March 28, 2014

A maze of questions : Quotes from Isaacland

Entering the new phase of life, Isaac now loves doing mazes. He loves tracing it with his finger and helping people and things find their way about. So I thought I would encourage this new interest. I printed out a bunch of mazes and there was one with a Pilgrim and a turkey.

Me: Isaac can you help the Pilgrim get to the turkey. See its thanksgiving and the pilgrim wants to eat the turkey
Isaac: No

So let me just elaborate - this turkey has feathers and a beak and looks all pretty whereas Isaac is used to seeing (in pictures) turkeys without the feathers or the face and roasted to a beautiful brown.

Me: Why Isaac? Pilgrims must eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
Isaac: No! Its bad to eat the turkey. It will get hurt
Ahemmmm

Me: Isaac do you like chicken
Isaac: Yes
Me: Do you  like eating chicken
Isaac: Yes
Me: Like that - the Pilgrim loves to eat Turkey
Isaac: NO!


A day later we were walking outside the gates and there were a couple of chickens walking about with feathers and head and all.
Appa: Isaac shall we eat that chicken (He had heard about our conversation the previous day)
Isaac: No appa!
Appa: Why Isaac?
Isaac: Because we must only buy chicken from the shop

I think a visit to the slaughter house is due!


Adam and Eve: Quotes from Isaacland

So Dad has taken up bible reading to Isaac and Ziva every morning. Last morning it was the story of the first sin. So he reads about Adam and Eve and the garden of Eden. Then comes the snake and the fruit. And finally Adam and Eve get thrown out of the garden of Eden.

Recap
Appa: Isaac why did Adam and Eve have to leave the Garden

Isaac: Because there were too many snakes



Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Eating me up - Quotes from Isaacland

So I have been having major writers block and as a result have a lot of blogs in my 'draft' section but am not able to get it over to 'Published'. But here is one from the boy that makes me laugh so often!

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So Isaac and I are looking at a book. Sometimes its hard to get him to stop flipping the pages and now I just start randomly reading things on a page he stops to stare at.
We happened to stop at a page where there was something about Hawaii.

And of course I had to gloat to my 4 year old
Me: Isaac you know Amma, Appa and Isaac have been to Hawaii
Isaac: No I have been to Mexico (I think he is going to gloat about that trip he took at age 1 year and 6 months forever)
Me: Yes Isaac and you also have been to Hawaii. You were in Amma's stomach!

I finally get his attention and now I am scared of how I will explain to him on how he got in my stomach. Well with him I guess I can go the test-tube route!

Isaac: You ate me Amma?

Lesson done!