Hello again

Well, as usual, I drop off the face of the blogging planet during the summer. I'll update my readers on what has been happening in our little world.

We are officially a homeschooling family!
I felt confirmation in this decision many, many months ago and now it is official. I registered Harrison through a church school, Aaron Academy, bought 2nd grade curriculum and we are about to start day 5. The first 3 days were amazing. Day 4 was really rough. I know there are going to be plenty of those days. Those days are part of the reason we felt this was the right decision for our family. We went with the curriculum, My Father's World, which is a Charlotte Mason, classical, and unit study approach. It also incorporates Biblical worldview and international focus. It really seemed like the perfect fit for us. Initially, I was going to go the eclectic approach, and at some point I may. Honestly, I just really need the lesson plans. I'm not the most structured person, so having everything in a lesson plan is perfect. I just look through everything the weekend prior, gather supplies, and teach it. Harrison is really loving the U.S. History aspect and absolutely loves the timeline. He may end up being a history buff.

I didn't choose a box set for Kadie, mainly because of cost. She is pre-k, and I feel pretty strongly that preschoolers should be playing more than anything. I decided we would take a very laid back approach to learning all of the letters, both uppercase and lowercase. We will also learn more about numbers. She already knows her shapes and colors, but we will reinforce them. I'm very likely going to incorporate The Scaredy Cat Reading System during the second half of the year, if she is ready. If not, we will wait for kindergarten. She loves all of it. She loves writing her name, practicing letters, coloring, cutting...the list goes on. She is an eager student. She can handle anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours.

I really need to get my butt in gear and get Sam's busy boxes made. He is a wild man/mess during school. He just likes to get into stuff, so I really need activity boxes for him. Spam me with ideas. I'm open for anything.

I can already tell that the laid back approach of home education is perfect for us. I haven't stressed about the kids getting in bed, or how much sleep Harrison is missing because he can't go to sleep at night. I don't feel rushed to get everything done in the hours that Harrison is gone to school, because I don't have to worry about picking him up anymore. Our kids naturally sleep to 8:30-9:00, so we will probably start schooling within an hour of wake time and focusing on math during Sam's nap.

Kadie is taking ballet!
The twirly girl's dream of become a ballerina is finally coming true. She is going to start in September. It is a combo class of ballet and tap that lasts for 45 minutes. We bought her shoes and leotard today, and she has been twirling and pointing all over the house. I'm so excited for her and I cannot wait to see her on the stage in her first performance. It makes my heart happy.

On a different note, Harrison is upset that he isn't taking karate. He had mentioned it earlier in the year, and his occupational therapist suggested some type of martial arts for core strength. I'm currently in research mode, and now that his play therapy is almost over, his schedule will probably allow for it. It was just too much while he was in school, boyscouts, church, and two types of therapy, but now it is a real possibility. I'd love to get him into a homeschool robotics league, but I think I need to be mindful of our commitments.

I'm about halfway through Stephen Ministry training!
Training has really been a blessing to me. I'm learning so much about myself and interacting with others. What I'm learning is really applicable in our home. I'm still a little nervous about my first care relationship assignment, but I know that God has got this under control. One of the biggest things I've learned is how I'm just really not assertive. Ever. I'm really working hard on it. It has been uncomfortable, but therapeutic. I'm praying I can continue this growth without going right back where I started.

Sam will be 2 soon!
He turns 2 in October. I simply cannot believe it. He is still nursing and it varies how much. Some days it is only once and other days, he wants to nurse every time I hold him. I foresee him nursing until he is at least 2. If he is still nursing in the spring, I will evaluate how I'm feeling about it and consider weaning him. He is finally becoming verbal. He speaks a precious and hard to understand toddlerese. He will repeat most things that you ask him to say. There are certain letter sounds that he won't attempt. He also is leery about too many syllables. I can't help but wonder if there might be a speech delay, but I'm fairly certain I could just be paranoid. He talks to us quite a bit now...we just have to figure out what he is saying. He is a tornado. I've never seen a toddler so wild, inquisitive, and full of life.

Chris started back to work/school last week. It is crazy how when school starts, we fall right back into busy time. He still works the same schedule at church, but has a pretty big project he is working on for his other business, Starving Lion Media. It is either "feast or famine" so to speak with our free time.

Well, I'm going to end because it is almost 1:30 am and I do require some sleep.  Perhaps I will blog again soon. Until next time....