As you can clearly see, I have been missing in action for quite some time now. I was hit with a recent overload of crazy busyness and just have not been able to keep up with all of my communications. Our photography business has been blessed with an incredibly busy fall season, and it has been all that I can do to not become completely buried under the load! Then, on top of that, we recently discovered that our family is about to expand again - yep, that's right, baby #4 is due May 20, 2009! The exhaustion and the nausea have nearly completely wiped me out, and I am so ready for the first trimester to be over!
Homeschooling has been an up and down affair recently. We recently decided that our language arts and reading program were just not working for Elijah, and so we have taken a leave of absence from those subjects until I can order the right program. What happened is that I originally ordered the Sonlight Readers and Language Arts program for second graders because Eli is a fairly strong reader. Well, the Readers were at his level perfectly, but the Language Arts jumped way ahead of where he was at. We did our best to try to make it work, but in the end we are going to have to step back down to the first grade Readers and LA program. The Readers may be too easy, but hopefully we'll be on the right level for LA, and perhaps he'll be empowered by the ease of the books to read.
Also, because we have been so overwhelmed with Photography recently, we actually took a week off of school completely just so that I could make deadlines. It wasn't on our calendar and it may be a struggle to finish up the year before the new baby arrives, but I just felt for all of our sanity, that the break was absolutely necessary. I guess that's what homeschooling is all about - flexibility when you need it, right? :) We are now back to work and I am actually so thankful for it! During the break I decided that we NEED the structure to our day that homeschooling gives. The boys were bored frequently and this made them irritable and ornery. It seemed that the sibling rivalry was at it's worst that week! It was a frustrating time, but we were able to squeak out our deadlines and no one killed the other - an accomplishment for sure! :)
Well, I hope to stay on the ball a bit more now that the biggest few hurdles have been scaled. There is still a lot of demand from the photography end of things, but I am glad to have a least a little bit more calm and order to our days. I hope, too, that I am nearing the end of the yucky part of pregnancy so that I have more energy and a desire to eat again. . . here's hoping! :)
Thanksgiving Crafts for Kids
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2 comments:
Congratulations on the big news! Wow you are venturing where we were not brave enough to go - 4 kids. I will be praying you have an easier time of it very soon.
I was wondering what had happened to you but figured it was the photography since we are nearing Christmas and all. Glad to have you back!
Sorry to hear the LA wasn't working out. It sound like Eli is an excellent reader though. Does Ethan do stuff everyday or just whenever? I have been slacking off on Jadon's lately Im afraid.
Thank you! Yes, the idea of four kids is both exciting and overwhelming at the same time. God says He won't give us more then we can handle, though, so I have faith that He'll give us strength (and sleep). :)
I am totally slacking off where Ethan is concerned too. He listens in on the Read-Alouds, but it is difficult to figure out how to teach Eli and Ethan at the same time. If I try to get Eli started on something independently and then go work with Ethan, Eli is ALWAYS distracted by what we are doing and doesn't get his own work done. It has gotten so frustrating that I now just send Ethan and Kaden off to play together while I do school with Eli. I figure Preschool is all about structured play and learning, and Ethan gets plenty of that, so we should be okay. . . Right? :)
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