bits

We had a relaxing day at home.  Esme played a lot of Spongebob on the computer - and watched movies, and visited Grandma.  Nova dog had ten puppies.  *yikes*.  We ate a watermelon Esme had convinced me she needed at the store yesterday, and it was good.  Loula dog (who was spayed) has been carrying one of Pollywog's kittens around as if it is her puppy now .. very sad, but so far the kitten does not seem harmed by it.  I worry, but taking it away from her only means she goes and grabs it again - and if I let her sit with it for hours and it doesn't object... well....  I have been making sure it gets to the food dish and water several times a day, and it can eat dry cat food, so it could be leaving Loula more often than it has been, but chooses to stay there with her on the couch.  I also worked a bit more on the net afghan and measured it against the air bed - it will fit, and is about half the length it needs to be.  There are tomatoes, cabbage, broccoli and poppies up in our seedling trays.  The poppies are bright pink showy blossoms and we never got them to grow in the garden - so Mark suggested trying to start them early.  The pansies and snapdragons are taking longer, as are the peppers and eggplant.  Back to work tomorrow.  Wanting this cold streak to END - and for it to get warm... it feels almost like it is still the middle of winter.

homeschool article.  I like her reasons... At times I wish Esme had a sibling or nearby cousins etc etc.., as we are so far out from everywhere and it IS very hard to work and spend time with your child learning as well - my work is never a set schedule so it makes timing and consistency hard.  Add 15-20 miles to the nearest town for any other activities and the price of gas - not wanting to go back to town once you are home, or on a day off if it isn't necessary.... it makes it hard to get one child the socialization she craves.. and Esme is such a social child, so much more than either of the two of us are.  The park and the playplace and the library.. anywhere with kids - is her dream idea any day and every day.

Note: Esme has been singing along with things again - we've heard her singing the lyrics to My Little Pony and DuckTales and a few others...  we tried to get her to say 'I am the very model of a modern major gentleman' the other day - and she got the first line down *so close*... she enjoyed how happy we were to hear her try.

not taking the gifted education exam.  I don't want Esme under pressure, either.  But, I would like for them to encourage that she can read instead of discourage it.  I don't want them telling her she is 'too little' to want to know things, or have plans and big ideas.  I don't want the 'structure' of school to teach her that learning is not fun just because it is going slower than she does...  and that is wherein the hard parts lie.