Finally .... an update

Wow .... Time really got away from me. I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I posted. I hope I am not going to make a habit of that.



School has really been fabulous. I can't believe how simple and fun it has been. We have really enjoyed having so much more time together. Our days are not taking as long either. I find myself embracing the more relaxed style of homeschooling. We still get all the work done, but with a less rigid schedule. The kids do better when I give them a little more freedom as far as what subject to do next, etc. We also don't do 9am to 3pm necessarily. Some days we start earlier, some later. Sometimes we do school from 8-11 and then play all afternoon and wrap up school after dinner with Daddy. The freedom is nice ..... why did I want to do it like the schools do it anyway?

We are continuing on with our North America studies. This week we will finish up Mexico. We will begin a two week unit on Canada next week. We made passports for the kids and they will get to stamp them for each country we study. We took passport photos and everything. It was pretty fun. Fancy wasn't in the best of spirits that day .... hence the "Not going to smile" face.

Passport photos:

Their passports turned out pretty well. We used Navy blue paper and a gold pen to write the words on the front cover. We had my old passport to go by. They even filled out a "passport application" and wrote a "check" for the fee. Then I had them address the envelope and mail off the application and fee. (Did you know the passport office is conveniently located at my parents address?)

I think my favorite part of school this year is the fact that we have read and read and read .... both individually and together. The kids aren't exactly as excited about this as I am, but I am starting to see them come around .... especially Fancy. They much prefer to spend their time on the computer or playing PlayStation or watching TV .... I am ashamed at how much time they have spent doing those things over the last few years, especially when I was in school. Now that we can make an effort though, we have seriously been limiting that wasted time. All in all, for me, there is nothing better than ending a long day snuggled up in my bed with everyone and a good book to read together. I can tell as much as they like TV, they are finding this time reading together really fun.

I have successfully incorporated "Home Ec" (aka chores) into our daily schedule. They really LOVE that. It is nice to train them in this and benefit from the time it saves me too. I realized not long ago that my kids are definitely old enough to have some chores. How did I let them get to this age without any? Those days are over. The result: Thrilled children.

On a non-schooling note, Bubby got his birthday present on Sunday. "It's his birthday?", you ask. Nope. The husband and I went to Guitar Center this weekend to do some early shopping while the kids were out of town with my parents. They were having a really great sale so we went ahead and got Bubby's drum set we were planning on getting him for his birthday. My plan was to hide it at my parents' house until December (the birthday). The Husband's plan differed. He couldn't wait to see Bubby's excitement ..... let's be honest though: He set it up IMMEDIATELY when we got home Saturday and played with it until Bubby got home Sunday. It is too funny. I'm not sure who enjoys it more. Ok, so here is a pic of Bubby's face seeing the set for the first time (YES .... he started RUNNING):

And here is where the noise began:

It has not stopped since. He is actually pretty good. We think it will be something he will stick with. We'll see. I will be checking into lessons for the next few weeks.

I guess for now that is all I have to say. I will get back to school, and laundry, and dinner, and life.

Take Care