Waiting for a Monarch butterfly

Thanks to Julie (and Holly for being transporter!), we are watching the process of a Monarch butterfly.  I think we scared the poor little caterpillar the first night because he/she went right into a cocoon by the end of the next afternoon.  The boys are excited to watch the transformation!! 

And this is where flexibility comes in, right??

We had one of "those" mornings.  I overslept.  I found that Ben has been using a tote full of stuffed animals as a toilet during the night (for who knows how long, it's not the first pee puddle I've cleaned up in there).  Drew spilled a full cup of oj all over the kitchen.  Sam is teething and MISERABLE.  After scrubbing the kitchen floor, clearing the closet and mopping, making a keep and toss pile of stuffed animals, endless loads through the washer to clean the precious keep pile, and trying to salvage any sanity left, we finally got around to starting school at 11:15.  Thankful for yet another "review" day in our curriculum, it went quickly and we were having lunch by 1. 

We started Accountable Kids this week, and that is what saved me.  The kids were able to get through their morning and early afternoon routine with no intervention from me.  Just a brief reminder here or there to be sure they were done before running off to play.  Ben came and helped me with the laundry and mopping in his closet.  Drew kept Sam occupied.  We just got through a chunk of the afternoon being quiet time, and I regrouped.  Ready to start our day over.

Here's the boys' daily board from AK.  They love it, we love it, and it sure has made life easier.

It's about mom getting an education too

Obviously, I'm a girl.  As much as I prided myself on being "a tomboy" as a kid, really  the only things that qualified me were 1) my dislike for dresses, and 2) how much I loved to play with guns (real or pretend).  So, when my boys come to me and say "What will happen to my worm if I put him in a cup of water?" I honestly have no idea what the answer is.  Do they swim?  Sink?  It wasn't until Aaron walked in and said "You're drowning the worm guys" that I got any clue at all. 

Looks like mom needs an education in all things bug.  But, really, can't I leave that to their dad?  I'm no more inclined now than I was 25 years ago to pick up something crawling and slimy.  I'm leaning more toward girly everyday, even with 3 of the most full-of-boy boys in my house.

Pictures

Here's our current layout.

Our little classroom

Working hard

Date and weather chart

Everyone at their desks, ready to learn!!

Having our classroom in the playroom makes it really easy for Sam to stay occupied, and for quick breaks as we need them.  Sometimes they just need to go play basketball for a bit, or we need to move over to the rug for some busy hands learning time.

And for some just plain silly time too....

Yeah, I'm just cool like that Mom...

Told you...check out my throw!!

Patience?

So, if anyone has any to spare, send it my way.

Someone told me today that they just don't have the patience to homeschool their kids.  I'm pretty sure if you asked homeschooling moms, most would say they don't either.  But, thankfully, especially today, God is providing exactly what I need exactly when I need it.  It's cloudy outside, things got off to a rough, fighting between brothers kind of start.  They desperately want to have school time but can't seem to get along.  A few breaks, including one in bed, seems to have improved things.  We're in the midst of a snack break.  I totally believe that low blood sugar in boys is detrimental to the learning process.  We have our best times so far immediately after breakfast and again immediately after a snack.  And if that doesn't work, we run in circles or play some basketball.  Math today was done while building.  They calmly answered everything right, while their hands were busy building.  True boys.  Hands kept busy means their minds can really focus. 

Start the day with recess

This morning, I set our timer for 40 minutes and told the boys "By the time this goes off, I want you ready to start school.  Be downstairs ready for me."  One by one, we trickled outside and got some serious running time done playing with our dog, swinging, chasing each other around.  It was a great way to start our day before the heat and humidity kick in!!! 

2 days down...

We officially started on Wednesday, September 1. The first day went well. The boys were excited, and Sam got some undivided Daddy time. I'll admit that I pushed through 2 lessons on our first day because 1) we would have been done in 30 minutes otherwise, and 2)I had really intended to start on Tuesday. But the boys knew nothing different anyhow. Ben's lessons for Abeka's K4 don't really start until day 6, so right now he's learning along with Drew. It's good though, because we're reviewing letter sounds for phonics, basic letter writing, and math only up to 10 (Drew is BORED with that!!). Next week the more challenging stuff begins, and they'll each be doing their own books.

Today was our first day doing school without Aaron home. It was also his first day on day shift in a few months, so the boys were completely out of sorts. We had a few restarts to the day because attitude tune-ups were needed. But once we got in our groove, it was smooth sailing. Until we were done, anyhow. The second we were done, Ben threw a fit, Drew threw a fit, Ben punched Sam, Sam punched Ben....and the drama led everyone to their beds for a 15 minute rest. And from the sounds coming from the playroom, lunch is desperately needed soon! Boys and low blood sugar are a bad combination.

I'm having fun with it all so far. I love having all my boys here with me every day. I don't regret not putting Drew on the bus at 8am to have him returned to me at 4:30 in the afternoon. Is it really necessary for him to be separated from us that long every day? I don't think so. Not yet. At 6, I feel it's best for him to be right here where God put him in the first place. I can reach him where he's at. If he's bored, we can move along faster. If he needs some more time, we can stick with it as long as he needs. His learning is no longer restricted by 20 of his peers. The sky is the limit for my boys, and I'm sure God will provide us the ladder to get them there.