You know, when I was younger, I never went through that phase where I wanted to be a teacher...I can say it hasn't been as bad as I thought it might be. We have good days, we have bad days. But, most days, I feel like this is where we are supposed to be right now. L and N were at Dollywood for 4 days with their grandparents about 10 days back; I picked them up last Sunday. That made for a HARD day last Monday--getting back into the routine.
Last Thursday, L told me, "I am starting to get used to this homeschool thing." Then Friday it was attitude out the wazoo. Some days it is truly moment to moment. I am not sure how much the children are learning but WOW! I am learning a great deal. I don't think I have ever prayed this much in my life.
September, for us, is a full month. Lots of soccer games, camping one weekend, and several homeschool activities. Tuesday I start baby-sitting during LBC again. I am slightly nervous but thankful for the opportunity. What other job is available where I make $25 an hour while bringing along my four children and their books? Plus our friends, the Troupes, will be there too and L was excited about seeing Chris weekly when I asked him if he might be interested.
The money will be a blessing and it isn't that long. If it is a disaster, I will not do it in the Spring.
Spelling out letters with these two. I spend more time filling up their workboxes then big brothers. J is hit or miss about doing his stuff but M goes through every single box (not in order!) They are usually done with their stuff in less then an hour but I know they enjoy it. With J, I am working on cutting, coloring, and identifying the letters in his name. He is also working on number recognition.
I still have M using the special pencils. He is doing a Reading Eggs online program that he LOVES and is a whiz at math. We haven't quite made the leap to reading yet, he is very good at memorizing but not at recalling. I am going to try and work with him on sight words this week.
Last weekend, we worked with both boys on their bikes. M is learning to ride without training wheels and J is learning to ride a 16 inch without Mommy pushing him. It is a work in progress.
Once a week, so far, we have gotten together with the Troupes. They match up in age with my kids perfectly (except for N--their son is 1 year younger then him but they still play well). Last Tuesday, we went to the mountain Children's Playground and then on a nature walk. At their old school, my children kept "Nature Notebooks" so my hope is to do that at least once a month. They each picked a bush (L Witch hazel, N Coral Bells) and we brought it home and they illustrated it in their notebook. N is really into painting right now, I am hoping to get him some nicer brushes and water colors this week since Handsome has gotten paid.
I thought this picture of Lily was too cute. She is the only girl in the mix and 2 months younger then my J. All of the boys are looking at a frog, she asked me to take her picture.
L with his nest. Our science is all about flying animals and last week we did the chapter on nests. One of the suggested activities that I had not picked was to make a nest for yourself so L asked if he could do it. This is a "Scrape Nest."
Ummm...big mess. I did this the third day of school and haven't repeated it. :) I am trying to do some fine motor stuff so hopefully J will be the ONLY one without handwriting issues. I am going to begin work on trying to procure OT for N and M this week. I have been praying a lot about it, we do not have the money to pay for it out of pocket. At times I wonder if there is some basic skill that I am NOT teaching my boys--that each of them writing so far would have trouble with grasping a pencil.
Prayerfully, we will have a good week. They are not too excited about doing school on Labor Day but it is going to be a busy time.
