September!

I've come to the realization that - with less than 8 weeks of pregnancy left - it's time for me to slow down.  I've been feeling very uncomfortable lately, understandably so.  The baby is getting bigger, heavier and more active on a daily basis. My body is speaking louder than my mind, making it impossible (and unwise) to ignore.  I've been through pregnancy enough times now to know that the time has come for me to try to rest as much as possible.  It's time to spend more time at home.  I need to plan less playdates, less trips to the park and less things that require me to get in and out of the car multiple times.  I need to be more patient and wait for Jim to do things versus attempting to do them on my own.  Last week I found this to be a challenge but I'm thinking this week will be easier because I'm in a different, better mind set.  I have been blessed with children who, for the most part, can happily keep themselves (and each other) entertained doing things around the house - playing, reading, arts & crafts etc.  They are about as low maintenance as any child can be, and for that I am thankful.

The weather here in New England has been anything but consistent.   We had some strange "Fall-like" weather roll in a couple of weeks ago - no humidity, low 70's during the day, 50's at night!  It was beautiful but to be happening in August was a bit strange!  Then, last week, we had a bit of a heat wave.  Humidity and high temps blanketed the air, making it hard for me to do much of anything without bursting into a sweat.  The past couple of days have been gorgeous but the humidity is back this morning and apparently won't be moving out until mid-week.   Up until the last heat wave I had no problem at all sitting outside watching the kids swim and play but that is no longer the case.  The last time I tried to spend the day outside I ended up dealing with multiple dizzy spells, nausea, irritability and just an overall feeling of yuckiness.  I learned fairly quickly that if I want to spend time with the kids outside I need to do it in small, 15-20 minute intervals..longer only if I'm not experiencing any of the above mentioned "issues".  Also, even though we're still experiencing "pool" weather, I've decided that we're going to take the pool down this week.  I'm having a lot of trouble keeping it properly maintained, and Jim is not around enough to help me out with it.  The daily maintenance required really isn't much - if you're not 32 weeks pregnant that is, hahaha!  Just skimming the water is proving to be a challenge for me, much less keeping the filter clean and the water clear.  I've decided that it would be a whole lot easier for me to just set up the sprinkler and slip & slide for the kids. 

Meanwhile, as we patiently wait for our new arrival, we have officially begun our homeschooling year.  The first 10 days were a bit of a struggle for Kyle; it was taking him way too long to complete his daily work.  I tweaked his schedule several times before we finally worked out the kinks.  He's working at a reasonably good pace now, although I plan on increasing his workload in a slow, unnoticeable manner each week.  Bella continues to plug away at her reading lessons and enjoys doing Kindergarten work.  She loves to cut and paste things and has gotten really good at using scissors!  Last week she learned how to write her last name.  She's long since mastered writing upper case letters so this week we're going to concentrate on writing lower case.  And we can't forget about Miss Savannah...who frequently asks if she can do her "learning books", as she calls them!  This week I am going to go through my teaching materials and see if I have anything related to preschool for her.  All in all, I think we're in a pretty good homeschooling routine over here now.