We are finally starting school tomorrow! Tuesday and Wednesday didn't work because of doctors' appointments and when I suggested starting today (Molly's birthday) she nearly broke down in tears begging for us NOT to start on her birthday.
Now, this brings me to this post. If we were the poster perfect homeschool family, my daughter would have jumped up and down and declared that starting school on her birthday is the best present ever. She would have wept and the prospect of NOT starting school on her birthday. All the children would be begging me daily to "Please, oh please, can we start school today!!"
Here is the reality of it. My daughter did almost cry at the thought of starting school on her birthday. Others in the home have been more than happy to push off our start date indefinitely. Actually, I got a groan out of one or two of them when I told them we are starting tomorrow. So, for those of you that are discouraged because YOUR kids don't jump up and down with glee at the thought of school, I am here to encourage you. Neither do mine!
Does this make me a bad teacher? I don't think so. Does this mean we are doing something wrong in our schooling? While I don't think we have the perfect system here, I don't think there is some huge flaw in it either. So what is it then? Well, I think my kids, like most people, really enjoy the freedom of summer. They don't particularly like doing hard things, either. So, when school comes along and requires them to apply themselves to learning and takes away a large chunk of their free time, they DON'T LIKE IT.
Tomorrow will dawn and at 9:00 we will sit down and commence our school year. If this year is like the ones in the past, I will find my desk covered with apples and other produce that my students bring me on the first day of school. We will laugh and cry and learn together for the next nine months. Some days my students will be happy, some days they will be sullen. Some days we will make it through the lesson plan in record time and other days we will still be schooling at four in the afternoon. There will be projects that are fun and actually work and there will be projects that the kids HATE and don't work. And that is how it's going to be here.
For those of you with perennially happy, cheerful, obedient students - I am happy for you! Enjoy it!
For those of you who persevere through the thick and think of schooling your sometimes eager, sometimes stubborn students - hang in there, I know what you're going through :-)
Now There Are Three or Happy Birthday, Molly
As of 9:00 AM today, I have three - yes, count them, three - teenagers in my home! Yikes! How has this happened? Even scarier, in two years I will have five of them running around!
Anyway, happy, happy, happy birthday to dear Molly! Once again, time has flown by so fast and you are no longer the smiliest baby around, but a beautiful young lady. One of my favorite things about Molly is that she wakes up in the morning with a smile on her face - always has.
Anyway, happy, happy, happy birthday to dear Molly! Once again, time has flown by so fast and you are no longer the smiliest baby around, but a beautiful young lady. One of my favorite things about Molly is that she wakes up in the morning with a smile on her face - always has.
Molly, I hope you have a wonderful birthday! You are much loved!
Déjà Vu
Does this look strangely familiar to you? Perhaps you've seen pictures like this before?
Yes, indeed, it was another holiday weekend at the cabin and another opportunity to clean up the rip-rap. (we like to say the riff-raff was working on the rip-rap) You see, there are 100 feet of shoreline at our cabin and over the Fourth of July weekend we only repaired about 60 feet of it. That left the remaining 40 feet to be done this weekend. So, aside from the two month and thirty degree temperature difference, this weekend at the cabin was much like the Fourth of July.
Well that's not totally true, we had some wonderful fashion statements this weekend...
ANd last, but certainly not least, let's not forget our Eat Dessert First Dinner, which started with cupcakes, bars and Death By Chocolate. The desserts were followed by a myriad of appetizers which were as much fun to prepare as to eat (well, maybe not quite as much fun).
Another great holiday weekend with family and fun at the cabin :-)
Happy Birthday, Zoe!
Bad Mom!!! Here is a VERY belated birthday post for my dear, sweet Zo-Bug! It's not that I forgot her birthday, or that we didn't celebrate it (multiple times - actually once a day since Friday), it's just that we have been away at the cabin since Friday evening. Anyway, her birthday was Sept. 3, as always.
Dear little Zo-Zo is now four years old! Hard to believe that she was a mere 18 months when we got her. She has grown up so much and is such a delightful, sweet little girl (most of the time). She is very excited to be able to go to the preschool class at church and no longer be in the nursery.
We love you, little Zoe Girl and we cannot imagine life without your energetic spirit and quick smile.
Dear little Zo-Zo is now four years old! Hard to believe that she was a mere 18 months when we got her. She has grown up so much and is such a delightful, sweet little girl (most of the time). She is very excited to be able to go to the preschool class at church and no longer be in the nursery.
We love you, little Zoe Girl and we cannot imagine life without your energetic spirit and quick smile.
Sweet Nina is 14
Happy, happy birthday to my sweet Nina! I can't believe she is 14 already. I remember vividly the day we brought her home from the hospital, all 4 lb 13 oz of her. She was half the size of her older brother when he was born, and she was three weeks old!
Chris was in California, so my sister Deb went to the hospital with me to pick Nina up. Nina's birthparents and the agency social workers were there. We stood in the NICU and prayed for Nina (actually her birth father prayed for her). It was such a sweet and such a difficult moment, as I walked out carrying our little, tiny baby daughter, put her in the back of the Honda Accord and drove home. That was a Monday, Chris didn't arrive home until Thursday or Friday, so everyone at church got to meet Nina before her Daddy did :-(
I'm Sick
I got up from lunch today and didn't feel very well. I attributed it to the fact that I had just eaten four slices of pizza. So, when room time rolled around I decided to go on a power bike ride despite the stomach pains. Felt great during the ride, but shortly thereafter I found my self in pain on the couch.
Now, here I sit at home while my family is enjoying cake and ice cream at my parents' house; celebrating my nephew's 20th birthday. :-(
But, as with almost everything, there is a bright side to this sad tale. While I lay here in bed with my muscles aching and a low grade fever, I am listening to a CD by John Rosemond on parenting teenagers. Normally I don't have an hour or more to listen to such things because I am too busy, um, parenting teenagers. Being sick has afforded me the uninterrupted time to be blessed by this man's common sense.
So, I wish I felt better, but if I have to be sick I'm glad I can use the time well!
Now, here I sit at home while my family is enjoying cake and ice cream at my parents' house; celebrating my nephew's 20th birthday. :-(
But, as with almost everything, there is a bright side to this sad tale. While I lay here in bed with my muscles aching and a low grade fever, I am listening to a CD by John Rosemond on parenting teenagers. Normally I don't have an hour or more to listen to such things because I am too busy, um, parenting teenagers. Being sick has afforded me the uninterrupted time to be blessed by this man's common sense.
So, I wish I felt better, but if I have to be sick I'm glad I can use the time well!
School
So, I was going to start school next Tuesday just like our local school district, but then I looked at my calendar and realized Raelea has an eye doctor appt. that morning and Evan has bagpipe lessons that afternoon. Not quite sure how I'm going to fit the first day of school into that schedule. Then, when I looked at Wednesday I noticed that Zoe has a doctor's appt. THAT morning. Thursday is Molly's birthday (not that we couldn't start school on her birthday, but...). Friday? Well, do we really want to start on a Friday?
Hmmm, when exactly should I start school? Maybe I'll wait until the following week! Gasp! Taking a school break before school even starts! And then there's that little tidbit about not even having time to prep for school.....
Let's hope the whole school year isn't like this or it's going to be a long nine months!
Hmmm, when exactly should I start school? Maybe I'll wait until the following week! Gasp! Taking a school break before school even starts! And then there's that little tidbit about not even having time to prep for school.....
Let's hope the whole school year isn't like this or it's going to be a long nine months!
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