I am half way expecting this up coming year to be a bit unpredicatable and in some places a tad bit crazy with the possibility of us moving in the middle of December and taking a new position at a new church in a new town and near family for the first time. All of those meshed together could cause some unknowns to occur for us, some good unknowns and some bad. I am planning for the whole month of December off in expectation of a move and little days off through out the rest of our year to make up for lost time and the fact that we will only be having 4 day weeks and 36 weeks to the whole year, or at least I am hoping for a 36 week year :0).
I am still waiting for some of my books to come in, a bit unpatiently might I add. They really should have already been here but all in His timing, all in His timing. When they do finally drive up my driveway I will greet them with an over-joyous and maybe a little obnoxious "HELLO" and then with out any manners at all sit down with them at my table and observe and give them the third degree of how they will serve us this year for hours just like I have all the others ;0) and I will love it. Can't wait to share all of my overly zealous plans for our, in 5 short days, upcoming year.
JOYfully in Him,
Kelli
I am very anxious about beginning our new school year but also a little nervous. I have so many plans and expectations that I fear I will buckle under the pressure and constant demands. I struggle with giving ALL of me as I feel the natural pull of the rest of my house tugging at me and not to mention this world beyond the screen. I lack discipline and battle an emotional force with in me that tries to control where I move my hands in service causing me to take an easier path forsaking my priorities. I wonder if I am alone in this struggle. I long to have a strong accountability that reminds me daily of my God ordained Christ centered priorities as a stay at home mom who has taken her children's education under her wing.
With this idea of accountability this year I have decided for one to put my husband in his rightful place in our little schoolroom as Principal and with that, with him being my authority and and my kind of "accountability supporvisor" I will set out to turn in a weekly and monthly progress report to him, so that I will feel more responsible in my daily educating (as if the future of my children wasn't enough?) and so that he can feel assured of the things we are doing and the progress we are making. I think it will proove to be a blessing to all of us. Also with the reality that we will probably if it is the Lord's will be moving at the end of the year I will need the reports for when we get settled in our new place. (This is not for sure yet) I will also join the Weekly Reporters in my attempts to have more accountability.
I am currently working on our progress reports and praying that God will enable this mom to be 100% devoted to her children and their beautiful individual Growing Minds in our 2008/2009 homeschool year.
JOYfully in Him,
Kelli
I am so dissapointed in this summer! I had so many wonderful plans for our little homeschool but all were tharted due to our involvement with the youth group at our church. I am not complaining about being given the privilege of being the youth ministers for a few months during the summer, it was amazing but with the experience taking most of our time I had little time nor energy to do much else.
School will begin on September 7th for us. A little bit of a late start but I have some things that I must do in the whole month of August before we can begin our next year. I can not tell you how excited I am about our next semester! I completely re-organized and re-arranged our play/school room, it took me 2 fully devoted days and it was worth it. I am waiting on 1 piece to seal the re-do of the room and then I will post a picture. I desperately wanted to get some things organized and filter through some of the old things to make room for the new things coming.
I truly LOVE being able to stay home and teach my boys. What an amazing, truly humbleing and down right near impossibly hard experience as a mother. I am amazed at the amount of emotions I feel as I journey down this God ordained path of homeschooling, no one day is alike. I have those completely joy filled days and then I have those what am I doing days and then so many in betweens! I didnt' set out to homeschool, homeschool found me and it completely captured me in all of it's beauty. Later I found the struggles that came with it but the JOY and BEAUTY always overshadow them.
I will be taking the boys school shopping to get them excited about their upcoming year hopefully soon and I am planning on sitting down tonight or at least this week and ordering all of our 2008/2009 school books. I can't wait to get my hands on all of them and flip through each page anxiously awaiting each lesson. I am going to try some new things with my planning this year I hope and I am going to begin now to pray for my diligence and discipline as a teacher.
Stay tuned....
JOYfully in Him,
Kelli
6:00 (I am going to work down to 6:00 by 15 minute increments, starting with 7:00am) This is my block of Morning Quiet Time where I will first get dressed, wash face and apply make up and then start coffee but begin with water as I spend some time in prayer and in the word.
6:45 Turn on the radio and grab a cup of coffee, check email, bank account, bills and other things and if time allows enjoy a few pages of a current book and then begin a quick straighten up along with laundry.
7:30 While laundry is going begin breakfast for soon to be awaking family.
8:00 Instruct/train boys to make bed, get dressed and find themselves ready to serve and eat. then they will take turns washing dishes and clearing table every other day with some assistance.
9:00 Finish up laundry and then have a little family Devotional
9:15 Outside nature walk/study time.
10:00 Play a math game Outside if not to hot or windy other wise at the table.
10:30 Spelling time with words taken from current reading books and other while T-Rex has a 15 minute sit still training time (and this will vary according to his current struggles)
11:00 FREE PLAY
12:00 Lunch, clean up and discussion on our memory verse
1:00 Music time and family play time!!
2:00 Rest hour... while Butterfly and T-Rex rest/nap Superman and I will quietly read, create and just enjoy some alone time. :0)
3:00 Superman will enjoy some time to do puzzles and various other kinds of quiet play(Tuesday and Thursday 45 minutes of video game time) while I learn Latin from Memoria Press and do other needed activities.
4:00 Book read aloud time with small snack
4:15 Everyone is up and given a special 30 minute video time while I start dinner
4:45 A special clean up time to prepare for Daddy to arrive home from studying, this includes faces, hands and feet cleaned up along with a nice and tidy house with joyful attitudes.
5:00 Family dinner and table prepping time (all littles will be envolved) while daddy is given 30 minutes to just enjoy being home without any expectations!
5:30 Dinner and Discussion and then family clean up.
6:15 Desert and History with Daddy! and then family free time!
7:30 Bath, pjs, clean up and family worship.
8:00 Bedtime for all littles!! Special clean up time for Momma.
9:00 Creative and Planning Time for me! Hopefully I will make good use of this time to make special fun things along with important things and plan out things for the next day or week!
10:00 Night time routine and then some scripture reading and prayer with Expresso before I call it lights out!
A Calapa Spinx Moth
Mr. Robin collecting straw for his nest.
A baby fledgling, who I just found outside sleeping sadly eternally.
A friendly Garter Snake. 
