Gentle Revolution Homeschooling

Doman Running Program Update (Physical Excellence Friday)

2012-01-14T03:00:00.000-08:00

I know it's cliche. Treadmills in January. But whatever the matter of cultural trends may be, we are back at running this week. However, this time in the slightly-less-than-ideal location of our garage. I know, I know. The Doman running program is ideally conducted outside. More interesting, fresh air, the works. But lately the I have had to give up the "all or nothing" mindset and settle

The IAHP Developmental Profile

2012-01-05T12:02:00.000-08:00

The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential (IAHP)'s Developmental Profile is to child brain development what the Periodic Table is to chemistry. Clean. Concise. Well-organized. No-nonsense. And more importantly, "clear and straightforward so that any parent can study it and, what is much more important, use it easily." (from How Smart is Your Baby, chapter 7) In their own words,

Seven Month Old Developmental Check-In (Stage III, Midbrain and Subcortical Areas)

2012-01-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Damien, the day he turned seven months old Early last June, sitting in a hospital bed holding my tiny newborn, all wrinkled, blotchy-skinned, and helpless, it was hard to fathom that in just a little over 200 days he would be creeping [crawling], standing, "talking", understanding, and charming at the level he is now. Seven months passes by in the blink of an eye. Seven months is also

Educational (and other) Goals for 2012

2011-12-27T02:00:00.000-08:00

What a big year next year is going to be. Hunter is going to turn seven. Seven. Wasn't he just, y'know, like two? By the end of next year, this little crawling monster of mine is going to be an eighteen month old, talking-running-hopefully reading, full-fledge toddler. Oy. There are also a lot of other changes coming up for our family next year, although I can't really discuss all of

The Year Where I Accidentally Discovered the Secret to a Stress-Free Christmas

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

It's Christmas morning. Merry Christmas! But this picture wasn't taken today. Or even this weekend. It was actually taken in the beginning of December. Originally, the idea of choosing to celebrate Christmas several weeks early due to Daddy's military obligations was kind of a bummer. I mean, it would have been "better" to have Christmas on, y'know, Christmas, right? But this Christmas

Baby Writer on the Move

2011-12-19T12:18:00.000-08:00

Damien's masterpiece is done and he is on the move again. with How to Teach Your Baby to Write Damien is 6 months, 2 weeks old

Chess Match

2011-12-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone! Hunter is 6 years, 8 months old

Inspirational Babies

2011-12-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

Babies. Never content to stay at their current level of skill. Always, always, always learning something new. They're so inspiring, aren't they? Damien is 6 months, 1 week old

Baby Homeschool: Week 19 (4 months, 2 weeks old)

2011-10-23T20:31:00.000-07:00

Damien is 4 months, 2 weeks old [19 weeks]. October 15-21, 2011 Stage II-III on Developmental Profile Some highlights of another beautiful week with a beautiful boy: His balance while sitting up has improved. He can now sit for close to a minute sometimes, versus 10-20 seconds last week. Everything goes straight to his mouth. He snatches things up and into his mouth it goes! He

Baby Homeschool: Week 18 (4 months, 1 week old)

2011-10-15T23:07:00.000-07:00

Damien doing "push ups" Damien is currently four months and one week old. He is a handful, and a joy. With Hunter's school work and me going back to work (or, more accurately, work coming back to me), it has been a very busy past two months. We have not started a math, encyclopedic knowledge, or reading program yet. The activities that we have done have been casual and somewhat sporadic.

Of Three-Month-Old Babies, Object Permanence, Memory, and Deployment

2011-10-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

How much can a three- to four-month-old really comprehend about deployment? Daddy is here. Every day. Playing with me, talking to me, taking care of me. Then he's not. He disappears for a quarter of my post-womb life. I wasn't sure how Damien would handle this separation. After all, aren't babies this young supposed to think that if something is out of sight, then it no longer exists? (aka

Encouraging Day

2011-09-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Today, was an encouraging day. I read a little something that encouraged me in my decision to go the route of traditional [early] potty training. Not that I was planning on changing my mind. But more so that I no longer feeling that I need to be embarrassed by it. Or that it is "weird" or "crazy". I mean, I'm not the one that is unusual. Early potty training is the global and historical

Stone Upon Stone

2011-09-24T17:58:00.000-07:00

"The world has many stately palaces and great cathedrals that tower in their loveliness high above the humble dwellings around them, and their beauty and wonder are the delight of our eyes. We look up at their high walls, their gilded roofs, their slender spires pointing to the sky; we admire the great strength and delicate tracery of their stonework, and whether in sunshine or under the

Baby Mobility Development: Moving Around on Back

2011-08-20T23:11:00.000-07:00

Damien moves a lot. He scoots down his track on his tummy, but also, especially lately (over the past week or two) has been getting around on his back. He likes to kick a lot when he is on his back (especially kicking me to get my attention) but sometimes he actually lifts his bottom off of the floor, or pushes off of things to do sort of a "backward scoot" in the supine position. Hence, putting

Mobility Development: Up on Knees

2011-08-18T12:15:00.000-07:00

Damien's most recent development: Getting up on his knees. I must admit that, in all honesty it is quite humorous to see his little booty sticking up in the air as he scoots (crawls) down his track. Damien is 2 months, 2 weeks old (10 weeks)

Tutorial: How to Make a Picture Detail Checkerboard (Infant Visual Stimulation)

2011-07-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Damien loving his new picture board, 8 weeks old Once baby is seeing more details (rather than just outlines), a great way to encourage them to use their vision and give them something interesting to look at and explore is to make a simple picture board. In How Smart is Your Baby, Glenn Doman recommends adding different colored silhouettes of various objects to your baby's checkerboard, and

Damien's First Anatomy Lesson: "This is Your Foot!"

2011-07-27T10:36:00.000-07:00

"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:" Psalm 8:6Hunter is 6 years, 4 months old Damien is 7 weeks, 6 days old

Damien Crawling at 7 Weeks

2011-07-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a video of Damien on his crawling track since, oh, he was less than a week old. He has made a lot of progress since those first reflexive movements. Since about, oh, five or six weeks old has been really getting the hang of this mobility thing and digging his little feet into the floor intentionally and really getting places. Another milestone? Less fussing. Which is great. He

Damien's Programs 6 Weeks Old

2011-07-23T01:13:00.000-07:00

July 16-22, 2011 Stage II on Developmental Profile We still aren't 100% consistent on checking everything off of our daily lists, but Damien is still growing and developing beautifully, we are getting in lots of cuddling and smiles, and all in all having a great time with this new little one. I try not to beat myself up about "not doing everything". The most important thing is to talk to him,

Crawling Anywhere

2011-07-17T00:44:00.000-07:00

Damien thinks the hotel bed is as good a place as any to practice crawling. Tummy time? Yes. Getting anywhere? Not so much. "And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth..." Ezekiel 47:9 Damien is 6 weeks, 2 days old [1 month + 2 weeks]

Wii's and Reflection

2011-07-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

I know Hunter hasn't had much of a spotlight on here lately, but he said something the other day that made me laugh. We were watching Netflix with the Wii and he suddenly commented, "Mom, wouldn't it be cool if the Wii remote could reflect off of me and then bounce back to the sensor?"Haha, I need to write down this kid's random antics more often. :) "The LORD make his face shine upon thee,

"Explosive" Brain Growth: Baby's First Month

2011-07-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

Damien (at 5 weeks), in the hat that he wore home from the hospital "From the moment of birth, the rate of growth of the brain is on a descending curve. Each day the brain grows a little less than it did the day before. During the period of greatest growth, the baby is able to take in raw information at a rate that is truly astounding. But this process will be a little bit slower each day."

Damien's Program 3 Weeks Old

2011-06-25T12:56:00.000-07:00

June 18-242-3 weeks old It's been another wonderful week getting to know this little joy in our lives. His enchanting charm continues to distract me from so many other "important" things that I should be doing during the day. I am so ever-presently aware of how fleeting this time is, how quickly he is growing. I'm soaking up every minute. Painting as many mental pictures as I can. Of his tiny

Baby Schedules (Newborn)

2011-06-23T16:56:00.000-07:00

Damien @ 3 weeks old I have started implementing a flexible nursing / sleeping schedule with Damien since last week (just after he turned 2 weeks old), and it has been going relatively well. I (loosely) use the principles of Babywise, although definitely not all of them. The key elements that I take from this method are: The pattern of eat - wake - sleep rather than eat - sleep - wake. The

Homeschooling After Baby

2011-06-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

My expectations for after the baby was born - for Hunter's schoolwork, household upkeep, and other non-essential tasks - have been low. I didn't quite remember what it was like to have a newborn, or how long it would take to be back to myself after birth, so I didn't want to overload myself with unrealistic expectations and be disappointed or frustrated. Hunter, Damien and I have spent a lot of