Today I'm inviting you in for a glimpse of socialization from our point of view. It's a little snapshot of a recent week in our life.
It's Tuesday morning. Our mornings are generally all book work all the time. It's the way we get stuff done. We're about two weeks out from the last day of school, so we're hunkering down and really cranking out the last bits of book work.
After book work, lunch and rest time, my sister and her two little boys drop in around 2:30 pm. We go outside and build a tee pee and run amok in the woods. Blossom1 helps her smallest cousin navigate the woods, whilst the other little boy cousin, follows the other Blossoms deeper in the woods. They work together to drag the sticks and limbs for the tee pee. Later on, we come in for tea and dessert around the table. The sparkling eyes and excited conversation amongst us all - from my 12 month old nephew all the way up - is enough to make me smile the rest of the day.
On
Wednesday, we have a fairly quiet day. Blossom2 is away doing her required achievement testing. After our school work in the morning, we spend the afternoon getting ready for company. One set of grandparents is coming over for supper. We're eating a Reserve Grand Champion meat bird for supper. Over baked corn, dinner rolls and potatoes, we spend the evening listening to the girls play piano for Grandma and Grandpa, telling jokes and watching Blossom3 and Blossom4 sign a song.
Following a normal school work morning, and after lunch on
Thursday, we head out around 1:30 pm for piano lessons. Our piano teacher is a sweet and kind lady and we enjoy our hour and a half of interaction with her. The girls talk rabbits, springtime and cowboy boots with her. Whichever Blossoms aren't tickling the ivories wait as quietly as they can, doing some school work or playing quietly near me. We save our chatting for before, after and in between lessons.
Afterward, Blossom3 and I and have chiropractor appointments. The Blossoms do any remaining school work while we wait in the waiting room. They also play with quiet toys. Today, another patient got up from being worked on and couldn't believe there were FOUR girls in the room. She had no idea, since her head was turned and they were being so quiet. The receptionist states, "Oh, they are ALWAYS this good and quiet when they come." I grin and thank them graciously. I'm so thankful for good behavior. We enjoy chatting with the chiropractor about water quality(!) and our Gettysburg field trip. The rest of the evening is a typical night for us - supper, tidy-up and chit-chatting in the living room.
Friday, after school work, I drop the younger three off at a friend's house, so I can take Blossom1 to a well check and then run errands afterward. The younger Blossoms romp in the woods, work on a fairy garden and in general, just enjoy frolicking outside like country kids do. They relish time with their pals to work on whatever scheme they are currently concocting.
Saturday, we all work around our micro farm all day. It's hard work, with a hearty meal at the end of the day. Our best family interactions usually happen over a good day's work or a delectable meal... or both!
On
Sunday, we attend church, where the Blossoms interact with people of all ages, both in the foyer and around the nursery, where I'm working today. They giggle, answer questions and talk about the pileated woodpecker that we saw on the way to church. They are especially amused by the story of the drunken cedar waxwings that our pastor shares. Cedar waxwings are a rarity around our house, let alone a whole flock of drunk ones!
After a leisurely lunch and quiet afternoon, they spend time chatting on the phone with their grandparents, filling them on our Gettysburg trip, what they've been up to this week and what Blossom4 wants for her birthday. There's usually a lot of teasing going on right now! Afterward, we try our hardest to get to bed at a decent time. It helps Monday get off to a better start.
Monday morning dawns in the usual way, trying to get some momentum. We spend our morning in the schoolroom and then, around 11:15 am, I hear the special ring that means a neighbor is calling. I answer and chat with a retired school teacher friend, whom I've known since I was fifteen. He wants the girls and I to meet him for lunch. Perfect! We finish up our book work and head out at noon.
Over pizza and sodas, we chat about our recent trip to Gettysburg (Can you tell we love talking about this trip?), what they're learning in math, how the robins are building a nest on the back porch and other miscellaneous things. There's lots of laughing and interaction for all of us. I smile as I watch the Blossoms handle his "ribbing" and probing questions. They practice looking him in the eye and answering without mumbling, since his hearing isn't what it once was.
On the way home, we pass the trout hatchery, where we notice that four employees are in the water-filled raceways doing something interesting. We pull over to watch for a few minutes to see what they're up to, realizing that one of Blossom1 and Blossom2's 4H mentors is in the water too. The hatchery employees invite us over closer to observe. We spend the next half hour talking to the employees and learning about the process. In the end, we come home with a 23 inch fish for supper. We giggle, take lots of pics and thank the employees for taking the time to teach us. When we get home, Blossom1 and Blossom2 gut their monster, without Daddy's help. They finish up the rest of their book work and then, we eat our monster fish for supper. The rest of the evening is pretty typical family life of cleanup, books, hanging out in the living room and tidying up the house.
Tuesday morning is another school day off to a great start. The girls are cranking out the book work again. I grade work, give feedback, read to Blossom4, really just all the usual stuff.
After lunch, an old friend stops by with little one. They're here to hang out with me, Blossom3 and Blossom4. Blossom1 and Blossom2 are still working in the schoolroom. They've done all the work that requires my oversight already this morning. The little Blossoms are having a good time with their little pal.
Around 2 pm, another friend drops off her tween-age daughter. The girls are in 4H with her and they also want to work on a rabbit hopping demonstration that they're doing (voluntarily!) in the upcoming co-op open house. Since they've finished up their book work, they spend time writing the presentation, divvying up the parts and practicing. My friend and her little one head out.
Around 4 pm, the Blossoms jump on to Skype with friends who travel the country and are currently in California. They spend almost an hour laughing and doing their weekly catch-up. In the background, whoever's face isn't being transmitted at the moment over Skype is helping their other guest learn more about grooming and raising rabbits, whilst Blossom3 and Blossom4 flit from the Skype screen to hanging off the back of the couch, to watching Blossom1 and the bunnies. From the kitchen, I hear so much laughter and chatter. I love listening to their conversations about the upcoming track and field clinic, the time difference from PA to CA, and what the rabbits have been up to.
At 5:15 pm, we sit down for supper. The Rugged Mountain Man is surprised to see that there is an extra kiddo here. He notes how well she blends with our blondies. The supper conversation is all about how many rabbits she owns and whether or not she eats them. It comes easy. Our little guest feels welcome and the Blossoms behave well. They are excited when I excuse them from supper cleanup so they can finish their rabbit hopping demo before their 4H meeting tonight.
We head out the door around 7ish to our 4H meeting. Blossom2 is the treasurer so she handles all the payments, money transactions, book-keeping and attendance for the club. She deals directly with other 4H members of all ages and with parents and adult leaders. I'm nearby to help with the bumps, but she does well. Last month, we had a fabulous meeting, playing a game of animal jeopardy. Blossom1 and Blossom2 were excited when their team won. This month, the club practiced communication skills. They had teams and relayed messages. Sure, it's an old-fashioned game, but the teamwork, cooperation and communication practice was invaluable. All the kids walked away with some great lessons... and grins too! Next month, Blossom1 and Blossom2 are in charge of planning a team-building game for our meeting. That'll be a good experience!
Tomorrow, we have friends coming over around 2pm. Her kids will hang out here while she takes her eldest to the dentist. When she returns, we'll probably sit down for tea for a few minutes before they head home. There's so much chatter, excitement and interaction going on all the time around here.
Perhaps you can see why I feel that socialization is a non-issue. We maintain a heavy emphasis on communication and interaction with all ages, in a wide variety of situations. Sure, it isn't proximate socialization; it's a bit more purposeful.
Dominique
PS - Check out other
Day in the Life posts here.
