Randomly Recent

This past month, I've been very much challenged by a shoulder/ possibly disc injury. I'm bummed that I am not able to enjoy the usual mobility that I am used to. The boys meanwhile, have been accomplishing lots together. A quick update of how kiddo has been learning and growing:


He now stands as tall as my eyebrows. It's quite likely that by the end of the year, he'll be my height if not taller. I greet this thought with much bittersweet reflection. A huge part of me does not want to be the shortest member of the family (oh thank goodness for the itty-bittiness of mini dachshunds!) LOL.

He is wrapping up the bulk of his 5th Grade studies. It has been a fabulous year and he has grown so much. Top on the list are organization skills. I transitioned him to using one of my free printable planners this year and he is getting the feel of keeping track of his work. Some of his subjects (the loooong geometry bunny trails, German and Japanese) will continue in the coming year. He will have finished physics before then (and my review of the program is due). He's been so busy this past year that we have completely neglected a favorite activity--reading aloud and/ or together. I am really looking forward to reinstating literature discussion times in 6th Grade.

His physical strength and independence now translate to an ability to fend for himself without hanging on to Mom's apron strings. He does a lot of projects on his own now and even the ones supervised by his Dad are at least 80-90% free of parent-involvement. The boys also took a long-ish distance road trip together and stayed overnight in Big Sur (photo above) on their own. Kiddo did all the hotel searching and booking himself. I like seeing him take charge like this. I feel like he is preparing well for his life to come. Fingers crossed that he will know what to do if he has to be completely independent for some reason or other.

The boys continue to build rockets. Kiddo has really started enjoying his new dance class and has even performed a couple of times for local audiences. He is becoming a wonderful big brother to Adrian (who continues to overwhelm us with cuteness overload). Although kiddo needs a ton of practice, he is learning to craft essays and be confident with presenting and backing up his analyses.

Another month and he will be a middle-schooler. I wish I had a working pause button!