Yep, this time of year everyone is posting about their FIRST DAY!! Including me. The beginning of the school year is like opening a present-- or if you're like me a new, freshly ground bag of coffee ;o). That's right, I said coffee! You open the bag after you get home, or maybe hubby brings it home after work-even better!, and you just can't wait to make a nice, hot, tasty cup o' joe, no matter if it's 4 o'clock in the afternoon--it smells that good.
But before you think I'm exhausted from all that school work (hardly) and jittery from all the delicious coffee (I only had 2 cups this morning), our first day was a good one. Actually it was so good and so precious that I'll keep it close to my heart. For us, our day is usually met with those little things I like to call pit-stops all along the way. You know what I'm talking about, right?Someone losing their prize pencil, or spilling their water on the table-- which turns Mom into The Flash lifting the books off the table and coving it with towels in one fell swoop( lots of practice), the baby stealing someone's favorite smelly markers and turning her nose red and blue and brown, or a toilet overflowing because someone flushed an entire roll of tp because they forgot how much they're supposed to use. You know the stuff of life that seems to eek into every day causing a 20 minute lesson take two hours. Pit stops. They make life interesting. It probably never happens at your house, but here, it seems to pop up alot.
Today was a total break from the pit stops. First, the youngest went back to bed to snuggle right as the olders woke up. If you homeschool with a toddler or 2 in the house, you know how exciting they make life when everyone is focused on learning the books of the Bible or the names of the planets when you realize things are just way too quiet in that particular corner. We had nearly 2 hours of school under our belt before little sunshine peeked out from the bedroom.
After breakfast I let the older kids check out their new books for the year. I purchased a 3 drawer rolling cart at Walmart. Each kid gets a drawer for their books while I have my teacher books, charts and flashcards in my file box that sits nicely on top of the cart. The olders were so excited about their new books, pencil boxes and super-cool flexible rulers. Who knew measuring was so cool?! We did our phonics together and the kids read out loud taking turns and even helping each other out. They did their worksheets in peace-no stolen pencils, no fighting over which chair was mine first, or my page isn't a pretty as their page. Our Kindergartener did spill the entire box of colored pencils on the floor, but a harsh word was nowhere to be heard. After their worksheets were done, they each took a turn reading to Daddy on the couch. After that they ventured outside and picked blackberries which we added to our morning snack. They rode bikes in the backyard and climbed the apple tree looking for spiders. We compared leaves and noticed the beginnings of color-changes and temperature changes outside. Math was a little slower going today. I think our 2nd grader was a bit nervous about her new book. But we made it through and even learned a couple of new things.
Besides the usual chores, read alouds and day-to-day filling of their growing minds, we are easing into our first week. No big assignments, no science projects or book reports. Their Uncle came by for a visit, so he and Daddy took the kids to the park so Mommy could catch up and get a bit of mommy reading in.
All in all it was a sweet, peaceful beginning. Tomorrow is another adventure!
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