First Day 2008-09

Today was our first official day back at school. Of course we are starting off kind of slow, but it was still comforting, freeing and exciting to get back to a routine. How is that a routine is freeing, how is it that we had so much more free time today, how is it that we had so much more peace in our home??? Logic doesn't make sense here, but that's what happened. They just couldn't wait to do school work. To sit at their desks. To flip open their assignment books and check things off.

Liam is a much better reader right now than he was at the of the school year last year. What happened over the summer that I missed but he caught? He still isn't where I would like him to be and slightly below grade level - but if he keeps up the progress that I saw today he should catch up in no time.

Noble did not forget his multiplication tables over the summer despite my slacking in giving him drills to practice. When I asked in his Mommy Meeting today what he would like to work on right now his reply was classic star student: I want to practice my 6, 7, 8 times tables more because I am not as fast as I want to be. Be still my teaching heart.

We also had decided to join a LDS co-op this year and then at the last minute we dropped out. That caused some panic attacks to my commitment driven self, but after much prayer and thought, it just wasn't the right thing for our family. Another LDS homeschooler friend of mine and I are starting our own co-op. As co-op as two friends gets. But our goals are the same for schooling and our kids are good matches.

Noble and Liam started swim lessons today too. Neither of them had ever been in organized lessons before, I would say that neither can swim - but I am not afraid to let either of them loose in a pool either. Once a week for the next eight weeks they have a private lesson with just the two of them. I hope to see some positive "strokes" at the end.

There is also a homeschool PE class offered at the gym that I signed them up for. They enjoyed their rock climbing class so much that I thought we would give this a try. That about catches us up.