Let's Stop The World

We firmly believe in slowing down. Before meeting George, I was used to going here and there and getting there on time. After all, I only had one of me to take care of. However, when I met George, he definitely walked to a different drummer. Why do we have to do so many things? Why can't we just veg at home and see what comes up? So I did have some practice with this way of thinking before Rachel came along and it's really saved our sanity.

When I found that I was rushing about and getting more stressed by the second, I stopped. Okay, what did we *have* to do? Sometimes it was okay to be 10 minutes late. No one is going to die. Sometimes I didn't have to do everything on my list. I also made sure I had plenty of time to get ready. You should've seen me when Rachel was a baby. It took me 3 HOURS to get us both ready and out of the house. May sound lame, but we are a pretty calm household.

I also noticed that when my temper got short, Rachel got more upset and the whole thing just escalated. I make sure to keep my stress level low. We just don't plan very many activities. Being in LA, we would love to do everything, but we've decided that we just can't. We've prioritized what is important to our family and if we have to say no, so be it.

To this day (Rachel is 5), I try to accomodate her drummer. Yeah, if she would just get her shirt and pants on, we could be out of the house in 15 minutes. But, really, what's wrong with slowing down? I've discovered that if I just take 3 minutes to sit and breathe and be with my child, she is more than ready to get to the next task.

She goes to kindergarten now and I know that she could get dressed, eat breakfast, and I can do her hair within an hour. But when I take her to school, I wake her up about 90 minutes before school starts. We take our time and I don't rush her. It may seem like an eternity to you, but does it really matter if she puts on her shirt now or in 2 minutes? Those 2 minutes can make all the difference in the world.

And I always take the opportunity to just hug my baby for five minutes. At least once a day. (Works great for hubbies, too!)

My Whole World

Homeschooling Redux

So it looks like we are leaning towards homeschooling again. Believe me, this was not planned at all, but it's a decision that feels right all around. Rachel has been at a public school kindergarten this past year and it's okay. I guess that's the problem. It's okay and there hasn't been anything that made us feel like, "yeah! I really love that they are doing this in school" or something like that. It even took until April for Rachel to excitedly tell me she learned something new in school (chess). Sigh.

And after visiting the classroom during Parents' Day, we didn't come away with a warm fuzzy feeling. There is just so much 'stuff' in the room and the walls are crammed with artwork and posters. It's all about stimulation and nothing about calmness. And as for socialization, Rachel hasn't found a best friend in the whole year. Oh, she has fun with the other girls in class, but there's no one that she's bonded with.

On the other hand, she and DH went to a local hs park day and old friends were there. There was a little girl that Rachel hadn't seen in 6 months. The girl ran up to Rachel, gave her a big hug, and announced to everyone that she has known Rachel for 2 years and she is her best friend ever. So sweet.

Well, that's where we are at the moment. Who knows? After summer vacation, Rachel may be begging to go back to school. Stay tuned.