Week one complete!
Monday: We had fun! Charles came in and sat with us which I found intimidating for some reason…it’s not like he scares me or anything! Thomas was excited and had fun going outside to look and see if it was sunny, cloudy, rainy or snowing (ha ha). The kids took the pledges to the Bible and flag very seriously, it was so cute; Thomas said “one station under God” and I had to stifle a giggle. We studied the letter “i”, recited a poem about Indians and had our Bible lesson.

We bought the kindergarten Bible program and it seems very advanced even for kindergarten (Thomas is in K4) but Thomas was very attentive and did really well. I am going to like this homeschooling adventure!

Tuesday: The mornings go so quickly, I find myself wishing there was more material to teach today (though I am sure there will be days later when I think “this is too much!”). Thomas takes the pledges very seriously and has his hand over his heart as soon as we stand before our flag pole (which is also our refrigerator!) We are reciting a poem about an Indian child this week so today seemed like a good day to make cornbread (Jiffy mix…ha ha) so that we could talk about the Indian child who grinds corn.

Wednesday: Today Thomas and I were both disappointed when we were “all done” for the day. He loves school, I love teaching him and KK loves being along for the ride (next year K4 is going to be a breeze for her!). Last night as we were telling Charles about what he had learned, Thomas said “Eve ate the fwuit…she did not ask God’s omission.” Charles just smiled when Thomas called me “Teacher Mommy” at the dinner table.

Thursday: We got a late start today as Thomas slept until 9:30! Both of the kids had a rough night for some reason and no one got a good night’s sleep. I love the flexibility of homeschooling…I so remember taking Ashley or Christian to school on a day when they were having an “off” day because “school starts at 8:00 am and we can’t be late!”, I practically set them up to have a really bad day and I hated that.

This morning as we recited the pledges (Bible and to the Flag) and the Lord’s Prayer, Thomas was standing to my right. He put his right hand over his heart and his left hand over my shoulders (I was kneeling) as he recited the pledge. My heart was just a little full ♥.

We talked about the crucifixion today and Thomas was upset that Jesus “got stripes” and angry with the mean guy who hurt Jesus and Kaleah wanted to know if Jesus needed a band aid. Thomas wanted to make sure that Jesus got an “Angry Birds” band aid because it was sure to make Him feel better. Thomas also wanted to know if Jesus uses a computer to design our mansions.

We were discussing heaven and Thomas asked…”will we get wings and fly to heaven or is Jesus going to bring a big airplane for us?” I just love hearing their questions…the wonder in the kids little minds is a joy to see. What a privilege it is to watch these little ones grow spiritually and intellectually!

Friday: What a fun week. This morning the kids were standing on either side of me when we recited the Bible Pledge and The Pledge of Allegiance. Kaleah pledged her allegiance to the United Steaks of America today…ha ha. By the time we finished The Lord’s Prayer, Kaleah had her hand over my heart and both kids were sitting on me.

Thomas has a good grasp of the letter “I” and both kids enjoy the hand motions of and reciting the poem “The Indian Child”.

Charles joined us toward the end of class and just for grins I recited parts of the pledges and had one of the kids finish the sentence. It was so precious to hear the kids finish “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, Gods…” and Thomas said without missing a beat “Holy Word”. When it was KK’s turn, she piped in her sweet little voice “Hodie Word”.

What a privilege it is to homeschool my little ones…I am having so much fun watching their little minds think and work, their hearts too. I have this urgency in my heart to get this (and all other aspects of parenting) right from the very beginning. Yes, I am their “Teacher Mommy” but I am well aware that my children are on loan to me by God and I have a huge responsibility to “Train them up in the way they should go…” in every way.

My weekly synopsis: The beauty of homeschooling is that you are not ruled by the hands on the clock…I wrestled with this all summer long. Once I chose to go with a daily routine rather than centering our schooling by the time of day, I relaxed a lot. We start our day by getting dressed and having breakfast. During breakfast and clean up time, we play the Bible song music CD that comes with the curriculum. Once the kitchen table is cleared it becomes our school area. Then we start…the Bible Pledge, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lord’s Prayer. We then look outside to see if our day is going to be sunny, cloudy, rainy or snowing and mark it on our calendar…then phonics and Bible. We will introduce math next week!

After we have completed our school day, we take a long walk (daily exercise is a NEED for Thomas…it’s just too much for him to stay inside all day) and then the rest of the day we do with as we wish or need.