The first month home has seen lots of laughter, a little sulking and many new experiences. So many things are different here, even simple things like food and the bathroom. The kids had been encircled with loving family, friends and acquaintances and sometimes seem to feel like we hug too much in this country!
Homeschooling is progressing well and I registered us with the county so it’s official. We're using "Teaching Textbooks" for math. It has a teacher with a calm, level, male voice who logically explains each skill and everything so far has been on the computer. They both tested out to be about grade three so I'm starting them there and hope that when this level is finished, we can retest and skip up to five. Starting on an early level has the bonus of giving them a chance to learn English math vocabulary and numbers while reviewing basic skills. They have a lot of ground to cover in the next few months and years. Soaring with Spelling, grade one, is just right for now with its phonetically based approach and simple unillustrated format which is better for older kids. I'm still looking for a reading curriculum, but for now am using books and writing little things for them. Last night I wrote simple skits for them to learn and then perform for Mark. All three kids loved it. The skits reinforce skills like basic introductions and they love them. We are still going to the library almost every day for Rosetta Stone and they are making so much progress, I decided to schedule some afternoon slots so Andrew could come too. He is sailing through of course, but it’s good for him and is raising his academic confidence.
I'm a little worried about how we will ever get Nadia in particular up to speed in time to graduate from High School before she's 35, but try not to think about much more than today's challenges. She has a huge challenge in front if her, but her expectations are much better than the prospects she left behind in Ukraine.
Andrew and Nicholas are still best buddies and have lots of fun together. Last week they had an adventure in the woods near our house. They pack a backpack with food, water, something to dig with, compasses and binoculars and set of exploring. I let them bring the camera and the photos were very funny. Of course one was the standard Ukrainian casually posing next to a tree shot.
Nicholas does not like food. He hates cheese, and even said he might not eat cheese if it was the only way to get to heaven. It's nice for him that it's lent and I'm making vegan dinners for the family. Much of the time, he plays with his food and eats as little as possible. Andrew loves food with the exception of peanut butter, zucchini and broccoli. I made Paella and discovered that scary sea creatures mixed with saffron rice and peas was a new thing he wasn't fond of. He tried to charm us out of making him eat and resorted to the Big Gun:
"Who Cute?" he asked, adding his cuteness to Mary Evelyn's. If only he could be cute enough, he was sure he wouldn't have to eat Paella. It was a lot of highly concentrated cuteness….
Oh well. He ate it. So did Nicholas, who was greatly saddened when he was visiting friends the next day and they served Paella for lunch! What's wrong with these Americans?
It's not so bad; I've made Borscht a couple times and even found a recipe for their favorite soup: green borscht.
Green Borscht: 1 bag spinach (chopped), 1 bundle Swiss Chard, chopped, 1 onion -chopped, veggie broth, a couple potatoes, peeled and chopped, a little lemon juice, salt and about a tablespoon dill and parsley.
Sauté onion. Add everything else and bring to boil. Add extra water to make it look like soup. Cook until everything is soft and it looks better. Serve with chopped green onions, slices of hard boiled egg and fresh chopped parsley sprigs.
They love it and were excited that I served it with Mrs. T's potato Pirogues which I called veranikis and served Ukrainian style with butter and sour cream.
Yum!
At church we had an adoption service. The prayers take about five minutes, but are beautiful: http://www.goarch.org/chapel/liturgical_texts/adoption
My kids are very comfortable in our church. Being adopted into an Orthodox family definitely helped them with part of their adjustment. They seem happier all the time and look healthier too. I know I mentioned sulking in the beginning, but maybe I sulk as much as they do so we’ll keep that private. I’m home alone tonight (deep happy sigh).
I have a funny story about Nicholas and Andrew in the dog house, but that has to wait for now. This has been a long, long entry........but if you're an endurance reader,
I've been updating my other blog lately: http://www.hopebeyondhope.me/
It's about finding joy while grieving.....
PS my e-mail is ednamking@gmail.com
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