October 1 – We stopped at the library on the way home from vision therapy to get some videos for school. The one Daniel latched onto quickly – the one on microscopic organisms, one of his favorite topics.

October 2 – Homeschool score: “Mama, this is fun!”

October 3 – Daniel made the copies I needed from a book and did an excellent job. While he was working on it he said, “This is like my job. This is just like this is my job.” Making copies was my first job, but I was considerably older than five. My doctor just didn’t respond after two attempts asking for a physical therapist, so I took matters into my own hands. I got appropriate books from the library and put together my own program. Daniel made the copies for me and then secretly made this title page.

October 3 – Daniel would spend entire days editing videos if left to his own devices. Other than taking the still photograph featured (after nearly a minute of black screen) this is all Daniel’s design and implementation.

>> Watch in high quality at YouTube

October 5 – Big tree

October 7 – Another video my funny boy made. His original song “Too Late It’s Raining”.

>> Watch in high quality at YouTube

October 7 – You can’t get more homeschool than identifying and learning about the beetle you find in your house.

October 10 – Hmmm. Will my kitchen survive the paper mache project?

October 11 – “I love you a hundred times more than I love skin.” If you knew how much he loves chicken skin, you’d know this is a huge compliment.

October 11 – At Whole Foods

October 15 – Daniel’s vision therapist complemented him for having an extra good attitude today. She also said he read third grade stories.

October 15 – I’m currently really grateful for double lock zip lock bags. Daniel was making a honey spicy mustard sauce in a gallon zip lock bag and thought he’d play zip lock refrigerator magnet bowling from across the kitchen. Zip Lock could use this as a commercial for the effectiveness of their double seal bags against the forces of five-year-old boys.

>> Watch in high quality at YouTube

October 16 – Some people have no idea how to deal with bright children. Today I witnessed the strangest thing. A lady could have just answered my son’s question, but instead she tried to snow him for at least two minutes. It was so obvious that he wasn’t buying the dodge and it would have been so much quicker for her to just answer his question.

October 16 – at the toy store

October 17 – My physical therapist to Daniel: “What do you like to do in school?” Daniel: “I like to cook with Mama and program with Pa.” PT: “What do you like to cook with Mama?” Daniel: “Oh, anything that takes a long time.”

October 21 – I don’t think most five-year-olds have the same kinds of problems mine has. This morning he was trying to log into MS Messenger and it just wouldn’t let him do it and was insisting he use Skype. He uses both but has been trying to hold on to MSM. I told him I thought this really was the end of MSM. He burst into tears and said that MSM was his favorite way to transmit executable files and listed the methods that don’t allow you transmit executable files. I told him the trick of changing the extension before transmitting the file and then just changing it back to .exe after it is received. He gave me a thumbs up from the midst of his tears and a minute later he was just as chipper as ever.

October 22 – Daniel’s vision therapist said he got the highest score she’d ever seen on one of the computer based vision exercises. She thinks he should be able to graduate in three weeks.

October 23 – Daniel: “I hate vision therapy!” Me: “I know, but soon you won’t have to do it anymore. Daniel, bursting into tears: “But I hate change even more!”

October 27 – Daniel often helps me with cooking. He will work on one task and I will work on a few others. Today after a couple of tasks he announces “I think I’ve done enough. I think you need to do some of this now.”

October 29 – Newtons second law of motion doesn’t take into account the extra force necessary to move a five year old.