First Day of School!

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Last week I wrote about my anticipation for the beginning of this era in our lives. It has been entirely surreal to stand on the brink of a dream becoming reality, but today we did more than peer over the edge of that abyss...today we took the leap! Monday, September 9, 2013 was Goldilocks first day of preschool, & the first day of my new career as homeschooling mama. 

Traditions are a big deal to me...they are a big deal to my Darlings...so I knew early on that I wanted to establish a few back-to-school rituals. 

Our First Annual Back-To-School-Homeschool Traditions:

1. Dedication of the Schoolroom/School Year:

The day before the Lone Ranger & I moved into our home, my Grammie came to pray over our home & dedicate it to The Lord. Through the last 5 years, Abba has specifically acted upon my Grammie's prayers...and we have been utterly blessed and humbled to see His faithfulness. We want to always begin our homeschooling years in the same way, knowing that they are His...that these girls are His. Last night the Lone Ranger did just that & dedicated our room and year to Him!

2. A Big Deal Breakfast:

Breakfast is pretty casual around our house. The girls and the Lone Ranger generally do not want to eat right away upon waking up so I have a shelf in the pantry that has breakfast food on it & everyone typically just grabs what they want when they are ready to eat it....all that said sitting down to breakfast as a family is something special...so tradition #2 is simply starting the day off right.

 

3. New Pajamas for the First Day:

I borrowed this idea from another homeschooling mom. Let's face it one of the coolest perks of homeschooling is that we can stay in our PJ's all day if we want....so why not celebrate that with some new ones! I know that as the girls get older they will notice that most other children 'go' to school, &I know that questions will come as to why they do not 'go'...as I explain those reasons, I want to embrace the differences and freedoms that homeschooling provides, & this fun little tradition will be one way of doing that. 

4. Family Fun Night:

When Goldilocks was just a baby, once a month the Lone Ranger & I began taking her out for dinner & a little fun with the goal of teaching our kiddos proper etiquette in public & also just for bonding purposes...we call this Family Fun Night.  The evening of our first day of school, we will have one of these Family Fun Nights. This tradition is mostly selfish on my part, & becomes a bigger deal once all 3 Darlings are doing school and it requires a greater portion of the day...it'll allow me to not worry about having to fix supper that night, which certainly sounds appealing! This will also provide a fun unwinding time and a chance to fill The Lone Ranger in on our day.

Now on to our first day...it was more than I dreamed of. I know that not all days will run this smoothly...I know that many will be very trying...but today was good...more than good, it was wonderful! We started with our Morning Meeting: Prayer Jar, Virtue of the Week, Calendar Time & Prayer.

Goldilocks drew a name out of our family prayer jar & we prayed over that person....

This, my friends, was the most amazingly incredible moment of the day. Goldilocks looked up and saw that her Daddy had left her a special note & hung up his favorite picture of the two of them. She teared up & I bawled for a full 5 minutes over this precious thoughtful act. My husband will never fully know how much this meant to me...how much I needed this affirmation of his support and encouragement....I fell in love with him all over again.

 

Once I'd regained composure,we finished our Morning Meeting.

I knew that having the other Darlings around would be a challenge, but I wasn't quite prepared for the blessing that it would also be. Belles 'N Whistles literally cheered for Goldilocks when she wrote her name for the first time...and again I cried...seems to be a theme today.

First attempts at writing her name...

I always love seeing my girls play together, but seeing them work together was another blessing entirely. Sweet 'N Sassy & Belles 'N Whistles wanted to be just like their big sister, and so they had to 'write' as well...

We were so anxious to get started this morning that we began school at 7:45 and ended up being done by 9:15...the girls figured they'd earned a snack and I couldn't agree more!

Day 1 is in the books, & it was a good one. This year will have countless highs and lows, & each will draw us nearer to one another & to Abba...but I'm filled to overflowing with gratefulness at the beginning...

In the Beginning...

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In the beginning...well truthfully this is a good 6,000+ years after the true 'beginning'...but this is a different beginning, a new beginning, for me & for our family. It's the ending of one era & the beginning of another...our Homeschooling Days. One week from today I get to dust off my teaching skills and put them to good use! I first felt the call to homeschool my children long before I had any, even before I'd met the Lone Ranger. When we were expecting Goldilocks, the Lone Ranger & I began discussing parenting & it was then it was then that I first mentioned my desire to educate our children at home. My husband put the matter to prayer & soon felt led in the same direction. Since then I have ordered oodles of catalogues full of curriculum, researched countless methods, & finally have found one that fits our family. It's amazing to me that almost 10 years ago I went to college in pursuit of an education degree in hopes that I might one day utilize it with my own kiddos, and alas, here I am getting ready to do just that! 

This year Goldilocks will be in Preschool! My firstborn Darling has been asking to 'learn' since she could speak the word, & in the last year has become frustrated by my unorganized attempts to playfully educate her. As a result of her readiness & appetite for learning, Lone Ranger & I decide that the time had come to begin our venture into the homeshooling world. Truthfully this year is as much for me as it is for her. This first year is a chance to get my feet wet...to fully grasp & begin to employ our chosen method (Classical Christian). I'm beyond thrilled with our curriculum (Memoria Press), especially since it is the only one that got Lone-Ranger-Approval. *Side Note: John has a degrees in Secondary English & Secondary History* I have shown him every curriculum catalogue that has come in the mail for the last 4+ years only to have him promptly flip to the literature selections, & then shrug. My hubs knows good literature. When the Memoria Press catalogue came, I was nearly shocked when his eyebrows raised & said 'this is it.'  I've spent the summer making lesson plans & preparing for our school year, & I cannot wait to dig in...neither can my Goldilocks.

I feel great about my preparations of the curriculum...about what I'll be teaching, but for the last couple of weeks I've been stumped our in-home setup...where I'll be teaching. Goldilocks is so ready & eager for school that I do not doubt her ability to remain focused...I'm the one whose going to have the trouble. In the back of my mind I'd just assumed we'd sit at the kitchen table or even on the couch, & then this summer I noticed how easily distracted I am...I'm the woman who at the end of the day began a million tasks but only halfway completed all of them. If we're at the table, I'm going to want to clean the kitchen...if we're on the couch, I'm going to want to blog. I need a place for us to do school. I started out by creating a little nook for Goldilocks in the playroom, but quickly realized that we had a problem on our hands in the form of 2 devious little Darlings: Sweet 'N Sassy & Belles 'N Whistles. They adore Goldilocks...they want to be where she is & do what she does. They want to 'do school' too. The Lone Ranger & I have always planned on using our current playroom as a schoolroom one day, but we hadn't counted on needing it for that purpose just yet. During the Winter months, we live in the playroom, so a playroom it must remain, but we also need a separate school place...so that's what stumped me...until this morning! Thanks to an OCD brain & Pinterest inspiration, I think I've come up with a perfect solution for the time being...

2013-2014 Schoolroom/Playroom

View from the doorway looking in...

The other side of the room...

This is my Busy Bucket area. Each bucket will contain some form of activity for my two little ladies, very similar to Quiet Boxes or Busy Bags. I'll occasionally rotate what is in the buckets in hopes of occupying them so that Goldilocks & I can work. 

Above the Busy Buckets is our calendar. We'll begin each day with a Morning Meeting in which we learn the year, months, days, dates, seasons, & weather. 

During this time we will also do our Virtue of the Week. Each week we will discuss, define, & apply a new Christ-like quality. Beyond academics, I want my girls to know Jesus...I want them to strive to become more like Him.

We'll conduct our Morning Meeting here. I have a sneaky suspicion & hope that Sweet 'N Sassy will participate in this time.

This is my desk area that holds my teaching manuals & my planner...my favorite feature is the rolltop that keeps little hands away. *My precious Grammie gave me this desk as a high school graduation gift...I think of her every time I see it.

Above my desk is a sign that says, 'If your Bible is falling apart chances are your life is staying together.'...a good personal reminder of one main reason we are doing this homeschooling thing.

This book shelf holds Goldilocks' school books as well as toys. It was time for a toy rotation & we have been conscious of keeping the volume of toys at a minimum so luckily most fit on the shelves & others are in the closet to be pulled out upon request. *I built this bookshelf (with the help of my Pap) for the Lone Ranger for our first Valentine's day.

I'm really pleased with the aesthetic of the room & in my mind it will work, but the true test will come next week when we actually begin school.  The only flaw I can think of in my arrangement is this:

Our play kitchen now resides in the living room behind the couch, but since this morning the girls have been playing with it more than ever...so I can live with that. :o)

I've had some people ask what our days will look like & what the two little Darlings will do while Goldilocks & I do school. I fully expect that to be my biggest challenge. I'm hoping that incorporating them into our school time, such as the Morning Meeting, will help. I think the Busy Buckets will also go a long way towards keeping them occupied. I've kept the vast majority of the toys in the room as well, so between all of that I am hoping for the ability to concentrate...at least for chunks of time . There will be distractions. There will be intermissions...that's just the beauty of homeschooling. Next year Sweet 'N Sassy will join us & the year after Belles 'N Whistles as well...then we can really get down to business :o) As for what our day will look like, here's my ideal plan as of now...it'll probably change...I'm almost sure it will.

5:00-7:00 a.m. : I get up, make coffee, read my Bible, watch the news, enjoy a little social media

6:30-8:00 a.m.: Darlings gradually begin to wake up & trickle into the living room. They usually just lay around until they are good & awake...while they do this I finish my morning routine.  In our house everyone is up by 8:00...that's just our rule.

8:00-9:00 a.m. : breakfast, get dressed, do hair, brush teeth, make beds, do dishes,15 minute pick-up of the house, daily chore from cleaning schedule

9:00-11:00ish: School Time on MWF, Play time on Tuesdays, Errands & Groceries on  Thursdays

11:00 a.m. : Lunch & then playtime until naps

1:00 p.m. : Naps/Quiet Time

2:00-4:30 p.m. : Playtime

4:30 p.m. : 15 minute pick-up & quick clean, I start making preparations for supper. The Darlings usually watch a movie during this time.

6:30 p.m. : Supper & then time with the Lone Ranger

7:30 p.m. : Bedtime routine: jammies, chocolate milk, stories, prayer time, lights out

8:00 p.m. : Peace & Quiet...Snuggling on the couch with my handsome husband :o)

Some will read that schedule & think I'm crazy...maybe that I'm uptight. You'd be right. I'm definitely OCD in my need for organization & a 

for organization & a schedule...that's how I function. I thrive on having a plan. My girls seem, by nature or by nurture, seem to be much the same. The truth is that we've been functioning by that schedule the last couple of years & the only real change is intentional school time rather than playtime. For us it works. You might be wondering where playdates & spontaneous trips fit in...Most of our playdates occur in the morning before lunch & naptime, & now will usually be scheduled on Tuesdays & Thursdays so not to interefere with school. Spontaneous trips don't happen around here a whole lot...not because of my OCD but because we live 20 minutes from the nearest town...we're rural people. Because every trip to town is just that, a trip, I plan most outings for a day when I have to be somewhere anyways or if possible on grocery day. 

I've been blessed to have several homeschooling moms take me under their wings...their guidance & support is priceless. Each of them does school in a different way, with different curriculums, methods, schoolroom setups, & philosophies on homeschooling, but they all have a common belief; Homeschooling is not a part of your life...compartmentalized into a section called 'education'...it is your life...every experience within life is an opportunity to educate. I wholeheartedly agree. My girls learn precious lessons simply from being...as we cook, as we clean, as we craft, as we create, & as we consciously command...they learn. Your children do the same. I know that this homeschooling lifestyle is not for everyone...every family has a unique calling...but I am so thankful & so excited that it's the one for us.

I pray for the mothers that send their children to school each day. Despite the different paths we are on; Public, Private, Parochial, & Home...we each have the same objective & are endeavoring to ensure that our children are taught above all else how to be godly & holy people. Let us join together in upholding one another. I ask that you pray for us, for me, as we approach our new beginning...

Be Blessed!