Homeschool Update...

So we have been homeschooling for a little over 2 months and for the most part I LOVE it! I'm not saying that its perfect or even easy because its NOT!  Somedays its absolute mayham! As in anything you do in life whether you work, stay home, homeschool, public school there are good days and bad days with it all!  I remind myself of that on the rough days. I love having all our children with me and us creating a close knit family.  Somedays I think wow... today would be so different if Addison and Taylor were in school.  Nathan works almost every Saturday (its a miracle if he has one off) and when he is working 5 days a week he usually has a random day off mid week. (for almost 1/2 of the year he usually works 6 days a week)  If the girls were in school they wouldn't get to see much of him. 

I knew this year would be an adjustment, it's a lifestyle adjustment I am responsible to get something very important done... and I'm kind of a fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl and knew that I would have to adjust my desires.  Having 1 vehicle has helped that! LOL Most days/weeks go great with schooling it all depends on the "extras" that I have decided to do within a week.  And I am still learning to not commit to do to much.  We have joined a MOPS group, a homeschool group and a bible study that I am trying to connect with at the church we are going to.  I love all 3 groups...  But some weeks I have to say no... because we have to focus on school and that is new for me. 

The virtual school I think was a good choice for our first year for the accoutability purpose... but I don't think I am going to do that next year.  Mainly I do NOT like reporting to someone... LOL who knew! Like right now I have to turn in a book log... Huh?? What??? Why???  I've known about this but have I kept record of what books we've read NO!  Because I know that we are reading... and I think its ridiculous and one more thing for me to do and I don't want to!  Ok I'm done with that! LOL I mainly signed up for the virtual school because I had no idea what I was doing, I liked the curriculumn and it was FREE!  We are going to have to budget for next school year to purchase 2 curriculumns but the good thing is I can pass most of it down to the next kid.  There is always the HERI library (part of the HS group that we joined) and you can check out curriculumns.

Taylor is doing very good.   She wasn't being challenged in the beginning and most of it is still easy for her so I added a sight word program from HERE it's called You Can Read and we are moving right along with it.  Taylor is catching on very quickly and even Addy is with some of the words. :)  I am also using her Raising Rockstar Preschool mixed with the Kindergarten one so that it's on Addy and Taylor's age level.  You can find those here  Raising Rockstars Preschool and here Raising Rockstars Kindergarten  this blog has a TON of info and resources on it if you are thinking of homeschooling... I really like it.  Addy has been amazing me as well...  she will definately be ready for Kindergarten!  Payton has actually wanted to sit down with me to.  We do very little together... but that is all that she needs right now.  Since the first day of school she hasn't wanted to do much with me.  I think she likes playing with the toys by herself. 

Taylor does this often... she writes, colors or draws with both hands... meaning uses both hands at the same time!  Here I caught a picture of it with her coloring a pattern.  She has even written her name this way.  She mostly favors her left hand and always has... but uses her right hand a good bit too.  If she is writting on the left side of a work book or page and makes her way to the right side of the page or book she sometimes switches hands.  This cracks me up!

I showed pics of our clean and orderly school room before... well that is NOT REAL at all for us...

Just keeping it real... because most of the time it looks like this....

This would be Jackson knocking all the books off the bookcase.

The playroom side and this is mild compared to some days :)  SIGH.... (But I am very thankful to have a space for all this junk to live)

This little man causes alot of distraction :) but a cute one.  Here he got a hold of the crayons again but it kept him entertained he kept putting them in the box and dump them out over and over again.  He may have eaten 1 crayon... Don't judge me their non toxic ;)

Here is my cutie pie!  We worked on a coloring sheet together now that she is finally showing interest and you can see in her face how proud she is :)

The HS group that we joined has 2 field trips a month the first one we went to the Tree Hill Nature place, that was kinda cool.  And I was definately unprepared for a walk through the woods with an umbrella stroller.  The 2nd field trip we've done,  the girls painted these pots and we met with the group and planted pansies in them and took them to a local assisted living home.  I knew my girls would be shy but I still think it's important for them to experience this.  Addison LOVED it.  She really like handing them out to the elderly and telling them to have a blessed day.  Payton handed some out too.  Taylor did not... :)