Can I Read?

Yesterday was Michael's last day of Christmas Vacation.  Amy comes on Monday mornings so that I can volunteer at the boys' schools.  I was headed off with Jacob for the morning to Creative Writing at Preschool.  Michael started his day by rediscovering this box of Beatrix Potter books on our big bookshelf.  It has been there for a year - never opened.  Since we still have the TV off, my children have been naturally filling their time with other activities (as movies get boring!).  I am still surprised that he found the box.  Inside of course are all the tiny books, which were a new treasure to him.  And so, while Amy played with Scotty all morning, Michael asked if he could just read!  And he did - for over 2 hours.  Can you believe it?  I can't.  Reading just the 10 minutes required for school daily is usually a struggle merely because it is so b-o-r-i-n-g!  By the time I got home, he had favorite characters to tell me about, and rhymes to show me that were on a song cd in the car.  

Before bed he wrote this schedule for himself, got a flashlight and set everything up on the chair by his bed.

"7:00 (a.m.) get Peter rabit book read it.  7:01 get flash light it will help you read it.  7:20 play scales (on the piano).  7:45 eat breakfast brush teath now if you have homework do it."

This schedule is all in response to our conversation a few days ago discussing our "old" family schedule that used to say that they could have a half hour of cartoons in the morning when they first woke up before the hour of getting ready and off to school began.  I was telling him that we were going to change the schedule and not have TV in the morning anymore - I like how happy they are in the morning when they read books, play with toys and find other things to do!  There are no more fights about turning it off - which happened EVERY morning.  The contention in our home is down 200%.  He was funny (and new he was) - and argued with me like a 17 year old about how if we changed the schedule, it would be the same as changing our "Family Rule" list.  Just the same as erasing #6 (he threw that out there....which happened to be "Be nice to others").  "No more being nice," he said totally seriously.  

Anyway, I guess he agrees with me.  Today was a lovely morning in the Osborn home.  A little rushed as always, but at least one happy seven year old sent off to school from a peaceful home!  Check!