Bliss & That: August 2011

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Homeschool 2011~2012

Most of you know that my journey as a homeschooling Mama started last year, and while there were the normal newbie snags {mainly my time management & gusto!}, I'm so excited to say that we've started back up this past Monday with a fresh year! Even though I may not technically be a "brand-newbie" anymore, I sure feel like it. There's a few changes here at home that will make this year more challenging than the last to find "quiet, uninterrupted" time {or heck, just plain time!} for lessons.

Firstly ::: I'm not pointing fingers, but a certain 10-month-old, ahem, has decided to enter toddlerhood early. Full-on walking {yes, walking!}, destructing, attention-pleading... It's for this reason that the start of our school day is on hold until 9:30ish, otherwise known as morning nap time. :) Morning lessons finish shortly before lunch, and afternoon lessons pick up around 1:30-2ish, otherwise known as afternoon nap time. :)

Secondly ::: Again, not pointing fingers, but we do have a crazy-cute blond preschooler here still. While there is an afternoon nap break most days from the random "ahoy, mateys" and new-three-year-old meltdowns, morning lessons are a bit boisterous at times. {Also, I will proclaim this 'til my grave, but three is sooo much harder than two. Anyone concur?} But really, Brigham's great for the most part and does like to practice on the dry-erase boards. :)

Truly, I do love my little boys being around and learning from the get-go with the "big kids", and if buckets full of extra patience & prayer is what it takes to keep my kiddos at home learning with me, bring it!

Here are my two school-aged learners and what we will be using for curriculum this year.

Bella {7 yrs} :::

My Father's World First Grade

Ultimately, I decided to go with MFW First instead of Adventures in MFW. I didn't want Adventures to get too hard too quickly, even if Bella is a great reader. I'm sure that all there is to do in First Grade will keep us busy and learning enough, as it looks pretty "beefy" so far. Also, she's a young 7-year-old {less than a month ago}, and we'd rather not push too much. My Father's World First Grade deluxe package also includes the following that we will be incorporating daily and/or weekly with the daily lessons in math, reading/phonics, & Bible.

Science using Things Outdoors, Science with Water, & Science with Plants.
Art using Drawing with Children, Come Look with Me: Enjoying Art with Children, and Come Look with Me: Exploring Landscape Art with Children
Music by introducing the orchestra using classical CDs that are included with MFW curricula

Lincoln {5 yrs} :::

My Father's World from A to Z Kindergarten

Lincoln is very excited to be doing school work of his own this year, and I'm pretty excited that I'll be able to teach him MFW from A to Z after just finishing it up with Bella last year. In a way it will be tough to do this program all over again so soon, but I have so much new material with Bella that it will be nice to have something I'm completely comfortable with. Lincoln's pace will also be different than his sister. I am anxious to see everything *click* for him over this year.

We still have some kinks to work out, and I'm sure there will be some speed bumps {or sinkholes!} along this long road ahead this year, but we feel so blessed to be home again learning. Even with all the stop-and-go traffic of homeschooling a 1st grader and kindergartner amidst a toddler and preschooler... ;)

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Check...

After we found out that we would have a big, private backyard here in North Carolina following our tiny sub-divided yard in Texas, one of the things I looked forward to the most was putting up a line for the clothes. Yes, I knew it would take more time and effort {we hung clothes growing up}, but I wanted to give it a go in an attempt to move towards a more simple lifestyle.

I'm so glad that I made it a priority, as we have been hanging the wash for a couple of weeks now. I look forward to my twice-daily jaunts to the line, for there I can slow down and enjoy the fresh air, chirping birds, and towering pines surrounding me. {See the tall, lanky pines in the picture?} I'm always so blessed and rewarded when we take the extra time and make an effort towards a slower lifestyle.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

When Motherhood Parallels Crimefighting

He comes quickly, with the impending *slap, thud, slap, thud* of swirling arms and legs barreling closer. Lip bit in concentration, the mischievous glow of his eyes lock and load onto his next target.

Nothing is safe in his path. Every room has a "hot spot". Classic pots and pans and spice cabinets in the kitchen, mess of TV cords and cable box in the family room, stairs in the hallway, crinkly papers and Daddy's deer mount in the office... The list goes on and on. "Moooommmeeee! The baby's in the trash... again! Ewww, he's eating an eggshell! What's that stuff on his hands!?" {this morning's sausage gravy, FYI}

He scales along the edges of the couch and kitchen cabinets with grace and ease. New developments have him turning to run away while belly laughing and squealing, forgetting that his legs carrying his petite 18-pound frame aren't quite on the same page as his scheming head. Slower, more deliberate steps have him getting further.

The crib, stroller and I? Yeah, we're like *this*. The crib and I have forged a deal during nap times. {Though the crib is still holding out for higher pay during the night hours.} The stroller answers the call of duty as I hang laundry on the line. Sweet deliverance.

{Surveillance of The Offender: 10 months}

Daddy {Mark}

Both my high school and modern-day sweetheart {he claims he's loved me since seventh grade}, Daddy’s the reason we’re on this awesome journey around the U.S. {Truth be told, the kids and I would happily follow him anywhere. We’re pretty fond of him…} So hardworking, he's always busy putting others to sleep. Huh? You see, he really is quite an interesting and diverse person, it's just that he's now an Army Officer schooling in anesthesia. :) For enjoyment and down-time from school and being at the hospital he loves to cook. {What, Honey? You want to make supper? Uhm... okay!} In addition to cooking, he also enjoys hunting and gardening. {See, diverse...} He’s doing a wonderful job already teaching our young boys what is expected of them to develop into a good man and our only daughter what it takes to avoid those good men for the next 30 years or so.

Mommy {Kate}

I'm Kate, spending day and night molding precious lives and trying to keep up with the laundry and dishes. I'm always wondering how I could do things better at home, trying to learn through grace to be the best wife and mother for OUR family, even if others think I'm off my rocker. :) This is still a big work in progress, though, but I'm just so thankful to be doing the only thing I've always wanted to do- be a wife and mama! My newest label other than Army wife is being a homeschooling mommy. I find being in charge of my children’s education just as daunting as being in charge of their haircuts, and I always joke with Mark that I’ll take care of the English if he’ll help out with the higher level math and science. {He's intensely brainy. Yes, the whole package...} Little by little, I'd like to pretend I'm doing ok with teaching them and figuring it out s-l-o-w-l-y. My will-power is next to nothing when it comes to Dr Pepper, spoonfuls of homemade buttercream frosting, my husband's cooking, and a good home décor magazine. I dream of a little hobby farm with a big garden, clothes line, goats {love!}, pasture, and chickens {again} one day...

{Isabella Grace 8}

Our four little ones keep us busy, happy, frustrated, inspired, tired, and loved. Leading the pack is our first and only daughter, Isabella. We should have known from the start that she'd always be our loud and bubbly one, arriving as a tiny peanut four weeks early, surprising us all. She holds her own quite well to say the least with the boys, and is many times the mastermind behind trouble. Her loves are reading and cooking, but not in that order. Bella is turning into quite the beautiful young lady right before our eyes, and is a natural leader and big sister. It’s wonderful to have a big helper at home now too, as mommies of all little ones know how tough it is without “of-age” helpers. We now also find ourselves calling her "Little Mommy" to the boys very often.

{Lincoln Noah 6}

Next there's oldest of the brothers Lincoln, who makes parenting seem way too easy. :) Lincoln’s a lover of monster trucks and sports, though not in that order either. He also recently got bit by the hunting bug, and just got his first compound bow, much to Daddy's delight. Always counting down the years, he can’t wait until he is old enough to be in charge of mowing and “pooper scooping” on our future farm, which is great, since he's a natural at driving. He's also the most affectionate, soft-spoken little boy, always hugging and kissing us while saying, "I love you in the whole wide world."

{Brigham Isaac 4}

Brigham, Little Brother #2, is just a riot lately, and has Mommy and Daddy wrapped around his little finger. {Part of that may be thanks to the fact that he has possibly the longest eyelashes you will ever find on human or beast. We affectionately call them his face blankets.} There's no possible way that he's four years old already, but with that, he has emerged this year as the "class clown" of the family and is always cracking himself or us up with his antics. He is in love with being a big brother to Little Brother #3, but man, can they argue over toys already! His new love is riding his bike on two wheels after getting rid of those nasty training wheels that slowed him down too much. :)

{Griffin Silas 2}

In September 2010, God blessed us with another little boy in our family, who was born at home- a waterbirth. {Loved it!} Griffin's been such a joy and wonderful fit for our family since the beginning. Riding out the gallons of spit-up and thousands of overnight wakings during the first year have all been worth it, and we are enjoying his full-speed approach to toddlerhood now. He keeps up amazingly well with his older siblings and is still at the cutie-patootie age where nobody can stay mad at him. His fluffy blond curls and perfect kisses may have something to do with that. We are all anxious to see how Finn's personality takes shape, making up the sixth piece of our family puzzle.

Bliss & That