RAINBOWS!

The boys were so excited one afternoon to find a rainbow on the floor, they called me up to help them "discover the rainbow mystery".  We found the sunlight shining through the window and bouncing off a boardgame, shining the rainbow on the floor.  Pace ran and got the crayons to draw what he observed in his notebook.

Later that week we headed back to the car shop to fix a pump they'd ordered in.  Pace wanted to draw more rainbows while waiting, so he packed the colors he'd need for his drawing.  He picked the colors by getting his rainbow-colored chameleon stuffed animal, and picking out the crayons that matched the colors on his stuffed animal. 

You know you're one of "Those Runners" when you wake up on a dark, February morning, see it's 30 degrees outside, and your first thought is, "Wow, it's so warm!"

Our local library has so many great programs for kids!  We're currently working on 1,000 Books By Kindergarten for Pace.  We made it halfway through the other week, and brought our 500 book list to the librarians for a surprise.  Last summer when we were working on the summer reading program, Pace saw some older kids getting "light up balls" as their prizes, and he was really hoping for that with his 500 booklist.  He didn't get a ball...he instead got a bag with a new book to read, a little coloring book and crayons.  So we also went out for a cheeseburger and fries, for an extra prize, haha.  I did the math and found we have to read 3 books a day to make the next 500 before Pace goes to school.  I try and get him to read 1 book to me, and I'll read 2 to him, but there are days that he's tired after Upstart and the reading he's done on there, that I end up reading 3 or more books to him.  

There are also some days Pace doesn't want to do Upstart, saying he hates it and hates reading.  On those days, when he uses the "Hate" word, I give him the option of doing it that day, or on Saturday.  He always chooses doing it later, and then Saturday comes, and he realizes he has to do Upstart, when he'd rather play.  I also try and stick to a pretty tight routine--we do breakfast, foundations, then reading and Upstart first thing, so he can play the rest of the day.  There are some days he whines about that and asks me to set a timer, and we'll do Upstart when the timer goes off (after the third or fourth time, haha).  Anyway, he's learning it's best to do the work first thing, so he doesn't have to stop playing and do work later.  I'm trying to find the balance of letting him learn that and sticking to a routine... 

(Pace gave me a nice smile and a silly smile.)