Homeschooling has been going well, but this year is way more intense than our previous years. We homeschool through a local charter school and this year I am feeling so much pressure from them and I hate it. We have to take standardized tests starting in second grade and this year especially we have lot's of "encouragement" to teach towards that test that Chloe will take in the spring. Sure, I can still choose my curriculum, but we have mandatory math quizzes each week given by the school, online testing every two months to measure our progress and as much as I want to say "screw the tests!!" I feel pressure to have the girls do well. I HATE THIS. This alone is enough to make me file an affidavit and be an independent private school. I'd name it "My Kitchen Table Academy" just to be annoying.
So our school day is taking way longer that I'd like, usually around 5 hours, because I'm racing to cover LOADS of information. I miss letting the girls play throughout the day in between subjects and letting things happen more organically. The amount of work we have combined with the chaos of four small children just doesn't make this as feasible anymore.
We are doing a lot of memory work, which I'm seeing is paying off big time. The girls are learning tons, and retaining the information. I don't know why I haven't done this before!!
Soccer season is in full swing now, Ava's team is the Sparkling Diamonds, and Chloe's is the Awesome Blossoms. Andrew is coaching both teams, again. (What was I thinking!!??) Chloe also started ballet yesterday and she is THRILLED! And Ava will be doing Daisies this year as well. We all begin Community Bible Study next week also. Every year as I sign us up for all this stuff it sounds so fun, then when everything gets going I just want to curl up on my bed and cry and never leave the house. I'm such a homebody!
We've had some major struggles with Miss Ava in the last year. She's always been a very spirited child, not afraid to let you know if she doesn't like something. But since Shep was born the struggles have become battles. I'm learning so much about her temperament, about what things to watch for in her attitude and mood during the day, and mostly how to control my own reactions to her behavior. A few things have been key in finding ways to help her be successful....good sleep (for both of us), not acting surprised when she had tough times, extra grace for her, teaching her words to handle her big emotions, and consistency. We're on the mountain top right now, and have been for the last few weeks, but I'm sure we'll be in a valley again and hopefully we can use the things we've been learning to help her get back on track. She thrives on routine and consistency, and surprisingly, having lot's of activities helps her! Since we've started back at school she's done so great, and having soccer as an outlet where she receives praise and gets to burn off her loads of energy has been just amazing. I love this sweet girl so incredibly much and love to see her happy and successful!
Shepherd is 8 months and sweeter than ever. He's sitting (finally) and starting to crawl. He has a health issue we're concerned about but the doctor we saw doesn't think it's serious enough to treat now. We disagree. We'll be seeing a new ped in October and will hopefully get the referrals we need to get this issue addressed. He's the cuddliest little boy!! We started having him sleep in the playroom in his pack and play (rather than in our room) about a month ago and we're all sleeping much much better! He's eating solids, doesn't love them yet, but is eating. Last time he was weighed he was 20lbs.
Silas is my sweet, sweet boy. He is so fun! I was so nervous to have sons but I truly enjoy this child and LOVE having a funny, mischievous little boy in the mix! He's doing a light load of preschool each day and loves it. He can't wait until he gets to play soccer and he loves his sisters and brother. He is truly such a joy.
What. A beautiful family. I am a homebody also and I know exactly how you feel.
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