Still Kickin' It!

Well, what started out as a plan for wintering "down south" has turned into a longer trip. I am really surprised that not only did I like it here, But fell in love with the small town and neighborhood. I especially love our new church family. We went home for Easter and it was clear that while we missed individuals, the church family here feels more like home. Soooooo... what to do, what to do?

Anyway, spring break is over. We have to finish up our study on the Constitution and will move on to studying the cycle of life.

1 yr ago today, my dad died. Missing him.....

We Moved Down South for THIS?!?!?!?

Touching Base....

I have been so busy, that I barely have time to blog. We are progressing well. Over the years my homeschool style has changed and I am less focused on just completing lessons and have learned to just enjoy this season. the kids are enjoying State History this year as we are doing HUGE lapbooks using the sample from Knowledge Box Central. We are also learning to play the trumpet in music class using YouTube videos.

We've had some great road trips that have including driving to KY to visit my brother and look for property. We also went to a marathon that spanned the US and Canada. We had a chance to stay in the Renaissance Center in Detroit, MI and the kids loved the view from the high towers.

On the home front, we have been raking leaves... and raking leaves... and raking leaves! So far we have done over 50 bags. This is a 1st for us as we are usually in Nassau for the month of November and hire someone to do it for us. This year the kids and I did not travel and so we are enjoying the outdoors, kind of.

Finally, we are doing a read-aloud together called, Frindle, by Andrew Clements. It's pretty funny.

A Great Start

Elementary and Middle school started August 26th and High School Started September 2nd. We have had a good start so far. Yesterday the weather was fantastic and we had school outside. Today was rainy and we had school in our pajamas. I love homeschooling! :)

Joshua loves Kindergarten! Because he is already doing some reading, it makes it so much easier to teach him. He can almost read most of the instructions on his page so I have to do very little at this point. We are still in the review stage so he is flying through the curriculum. I have always enjoyed teaching kindergarten the best.

Elementary is doing well. Jackson and Jeanna are showing more comfort in reading and finding information. Jeanna's comprehension has improved a great deal. I can tell she is understanding what she reads, but she is still struggling on being able to write what she knows.

James has gained a since of maturity that is showing in his work.

Jordan started one of those online public schools, but we are having to change to something else due to life changing.

Peace to all!

In The Rain

We just kinda hung out today, relaxed, had church at home ( I woke up with such a crick in my neck, I could barely get into and out of the shower). In the afternoon we were sitting outside by the fire and I decided that I would let the kids tent out tonight. As soon as we laid out the tarp and spread out the tent a major downpour came out of nowhere. I mean it was just buckets. So we scrambled to roll the tent back up and just as the kids were gonna run into the house, I told them to strip off their soaking wet clothes and let them play in the rain in their undies. And they giggled and laughed with their heads back as they swung in the rain. It was so cute and I  just smiled at their glee.

Trying to start back up...

We had our orientation today. It is always fun to get new school supplies, new schedules and take pictures.

This year something new for us is that Jordan will be attending an online public school. She was unhappy with the curriculum we had been using and we searched and researched and prayed and sighed LOL until we decided to try this. She got her desktop in the mail and we set it up only to find out that it is not wireless. Of course, our modem is at the complete opposite end of the house and on the upstairs floor. So we are going out to buy a wireless adapter tomorrow. Oh yeah and believe it or not, they mailed her books and supplies, but we have misplaced them in my effort to put them up so that they would not get damaged before school. Seriously, we cannot find them anywhere. bigger sigh.

James is excited to have a new computer as his little sister stepped on his Mini that he left on the floor?!?!?

Jackson and Jeanna are both excited to be back in the school room. We have not been in the schoolroom since December, 2013 when Monica got sick.

Joshua is in Kindergarten this year and his smile is so big I'm afraid his face will break. His new books and supplies came and he is simply giddy.

I found a new homeschool group on Facebook that has been so supportive, I actually comment and interact.

We were planning to start August 25th, but now we may have to wait a week due to still taking care of my dad's estate.

Peace!

***UPDATE***

15 minutes after hitting publish we found the school stuff in of all places, the school closet on the top shelf... in a safe place!

Still At It....

We are still here. We are very behind in school with two major deaths in the family, it was so hard to keep everyone motivated to do school work. The kids just needed days to swing and play outside and so did I. We are still having days of crying and needing to just be. The hospice grief counselor is a wonderful lady that has been so supportive and full of information. Our church family has really been a great shoulder to cry on and believe me... there has been a lot of that. There have been some great times of fun memories too.

So we still need to finish up this year's school, but we will take all the time that we need.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.