Back At It...

Last Tuesday we started our 2010-2011 school year. I had planned on writing this last week, but alas once again having five kids has taken up ALL of my time and I am just now getting to it!

I have to admit that I am excited to get into a more rigid routine, but I truly hate to say goodbye to summer. I LOVE the heat and humidity, the endless days at the pool, sleeping in (oh wait, we still get to do that), traveling and visiting friends.

I had planned to continue school through the summer since last year was a year of transitions for everyone and I didn't feel we did the quality of work that normally would be expected. But frankly I needed a break, so that is exactly what I gave myself! A.MUCH.NEEDED.BREAK.

This summer, by far, has been our busiest yet! We have been on the go all summer and I have loved every minute of it. Last year was a much different story, because of travel preparation and cocooning once we were home, we didn't get out much at all. I am truly glad that is behind us and we are able to bust out of the house whenever we want.

But now we are getting back into a routine... here is a glimpse of our school days.

-7-8am-wake up

-Before the kids come down for breakfast their beds need to be made, they need to be dressed and teeth brushed.

-I like to start school by 8:30am but I don't stress if we get started later.

-We start the day with prayer and a daily devotional. Then we do the normal reading, writing, math, history, science, geography.

-We do take a couple of short breaks. Mostly they need the freedom to talk, because two of them like to talk A LOT. If the weather is nice, I have them go outside for their breaks.

-We eat lunch around noon

-One of my rules is that their rooms need to be clean by noon and if it isn't they will need to take a nap that day. I usually do not have an issue with their rooms being spotless. Like most kids, they do not like naps! This rule doesn't apply to the girls (yet), because there are days that they need a nap.

-The boys also practice piano daily. They have piano lessons weekly and I am so thankful their piano teacher comes to us!

Depending on how well they work depends on when we get done for the day. Most days we are done by noon or 1p and there are a few days we aren't finished until dinner. I do like to be done by 1p, so we can do something fun in the afternoon or take a nap depending on the state of their rooms. {smile}

My focus this year is to get them to work more independently. I really want to start working more with the girls. Hannah is already writing letters and they both have an intense interest in learning! Most days they sit while the boys do school. I do not make them, but they just love to be part of what we are doing.

Some other things we have going on this fall:

-Isaac is going to start playing the guitar

-Isaac is playing soccer

-John is playing flag football

-Josiah starts relationship therapy (more on that later)

-All three boys will be on a swim team. This will be their first year and I really hope they like it. I think it is a great way to keep them in the water all year long.

-Hannah and Chloe start a dance class that is ballet and tumbling

-We have some fun field trips planned with our homeschool group

We are going to be very busy and on top of that Monte starts a new job on September 7th. He is really excited about this opportunity and I am looking forward to having our weekends back. He has not had a weekend off since the end of April. He did go with us to Maine in July, but other than that he has been working 7 days a week since April. The new job was truly something that fell into our laps and we very thankful! He will still be mortgage industry, as a senior mortgage underwriter.

Here is my attempt at getting some first day of school pictures!

Isaac, 8 years old, 3rd grade

John, 7 years old, 2nd grade

Josiah, 6 years old, 1st grade

Chloe, 3 years old, PreK

Hannah, 3 years old, PreK