Feels Like Christmas

I ordered all kinds of great things to begin homeschooling in the fall. Then the packages started arriving. I love the Christmas feeling when opening the boxes and touching all the stuff. Flipping through the different books. Feeling excited and privileged to once again homeschool two of my kids. Sometimes I regret putting Cards in school after 12 days of 3rd grade. And then, because Doc thought it would be good for Dash and Trixie, they started the following fall. At the time with Cards, my relationship with him was more important than where he was educated. I was tired of fighting with him to do his school work. With a preschooler and kindergartener, I couldn't sit next to him every minute so he would do his work. Overall, I'm pleased with the charter school they have attended. They have all done extremely well. Their attendance led to me being the lunch lady which I enjoy. Our school only goes up to 6th grade. Cards will be in 7th grade in the fall. He didn't like any of the schooling options. He's the one that brought up being homeschooled  again. But now, he knows that I know that he can do the work without me sitting with him. There will be a lot of independent work on his part. After all,  I'm the lunch lady! Trixie, on the other hand, only did preschool at home. But she likes the idea of being homeschooled. She's been campaigning for it for at least 2 years. Finally, Doc agreed. Who could refuse her list of 10 reasons to be homeschooled? Very well thought out by a 7 year old. And a letter to Doc signed "Your one and only daughter". Because she is also coming home I had to give up the snack serving part of my job and just do the lunch part. It will be a little different this fall with kindergarten becoming full day. They'll be there for lunch now. With a small playground, I'll be serving K while 1st-2nd go to recess and then they'll flip. Not that someone else couldn't figure out how to do it. It's a little bit of a timing issue that I think I have figured out. And the school wanted me to stay. That's another story. It will be a busy school year.....school, lunch, school, hopefully a nap and then pick up Dash from school. He still has to go to school because there are some issues that require we have a little space! If things improve, then coming home for 5th grade could be a possibility. I think I have enough with getting things ready for 3rd and 7th grade, hopes of getting my house organized by the end of the year, Doc traveling quite extensively and working.

Back to Christmas.....now that I have all my packages, I need to start mapping out lesson plans. I've missed this part the last few summers. Counting pages/chapters/sections on scrap paper and then putting it on a spreadsheet. Figuring out what is to be done everyday, once a week, twice a week or whatever. Which days work best for what things. What order should things be done? My new find from another blog....workboxes! Brilliant!!! This will hopefully encourage independent work for both but Cards, in particular. I even got 2 10 drawer storage units on sale for 50% off. A colorful one for Trixie and a smoky one for Cards. Just pop a subject in each drawer and away we go. When you get to the bottom, you're done! However, my list of subjects is more than 10. Of course, some are only done once or twice a week. Reality will eventually hit that we can't do it all right now and some things will be moved to summer instead. I guess I've always aimed high and then adjusted later if necessary. So I guess it's time for me to go and start planning!

The Journey Begins

My journey begins now as I attempt to homeschool two of my three kids and still work as the lunch lady at the school where all my kids have attended the last few years and where the third will still be attending. I've been reading a variety of different bloggers lately focusing on homeschooling and homemaking and living the Christian life as a wife, mother, friend and servant of God. I just feel like God is calling me home. I'm a "stay-at-home" mom in general with the exception of the couple hours at school serving snack and lunch. However, I don't feel like I'm really home. Like it really hasn't been the priority it should be. If it were, I'm hoping my house wouldn't look like a tornado has gone through it all the time. Granted I have three kids, but where have I been? Certainly not making strides in my housekeeping and child rearing. So I'm using this blog to help me work through this hopeful transition to truly be home. And let's throw in a return to homeschooling and a traveling husband. The good, the bad, the ugly....it will be here as I journey to become who God has called me to be.