So many firsts this week I hardly know where to begin. Even though our homeschool co-op began a couple of weeks ago, we had our official first week of school this week and it went surprisingly better than I had thought it would. I spent a lot of time this summer dreading, moaning, and complaining to my husband about school starting up and all the new things I would be juggling this year versus last year, all my fears and worries and things I wasn’t sure how to approach.
The reality is that it is always better to just get going and work out the kinks as they come. I always feel a big sense of relief once we just get started. I’ve made some changes in my expectations and my managing of household duties that I think will really help our school year. For instance, instead of trying to quickly get school done in the mornings so we have time before lunch to run to the store, library or park, I’m devoting all of our mornings to being home until lunch time. If we finish earlier, great, but at least I need to remove that pressure from all of us. Errands will have to be run in the afternoons after the little one’s naps (which is not my preference), and some errands just devoted to weekends or evenings. Already I can tell that one little shift has made a big difference in my stress level with school–we have all morning to be home and to work.
This year, I feel like I jumped from homeschooling one child to homeschooling three. Since Noah is now busy for a bit in the mornings with school, Philippa also wants to have “work” to do until her brother/compatriot is free to play. (I’m a big fan of letting children be children for as long as possible and not beginning any formal educating until 5 or 6 at minimum, but this little precocious 3 year old just won’t be left out.) I also know that if we don’t get started right away and I don’t capture their attention early in the day, they lose focus and motivation pretty quickly. It just so happens that this week Wren has been unusually fussy and skipping naps like crazy, and I realized she was cutting her first two teeth. Of course that would need to happen this week! So on top of trying to figure out how to jump between two kids asking questions and Phoebe’s adjusting to not having mom’s full and undivided attention, a 3 year old who wants to be in on the game, there’s been a lot of time shushing a hysterical overtired baby. However, with all that said, it really went pretty well. I feel more calm and relaxed, I have a better understanding of how to approach teaching phoebe (with some insights that we received from the state-required testing she did over the summer), and I’m learning that we have more space and time to experiment, stretch, and savor than I think we do. It’s funny, teaching kindergarten to another child, chanting the “five vowels” poem with another little one and remembering how far we’ve come, Phoebe and I, since then. So I’m telling myself to slow down, to enjoy these precious days because they will never come again.
The work, the planning, the weight of knowing their education is on my shoulders–it is the part of homeschooling that I like the least, but in reality, I so treasure and love this work. I can’t believe we get to do this, and I’m so thankful. So very thankful. We may barely be able to pay the bills, but it is worth it to have this time with them during these fleeting years. And God is faithful! He always provides.
We are continuing to make some changes to our little school room, some improvements. I am working to keep us more settled in that room as we work versus spreading out all over the house (as we used to last year). It is helping as well! Brandon has been building me a nice big chalkboard because I simply can’t do without it any more, as well as a “floating” sort of desk for Phoebe. I’ll share some photos of them once we’re done. Weekends are everything–so much that has to be packed into those two precious days! Slowly we are getting little house projects done.
In other news, Wren has moved into her big-girl crib in Noah’s room and also started her first solids this week. She isn’t terribly productive or interested in eating yet, but she is curious and feels very grown up to be eating like the big kids do. She is really changing and growing so quickly and I did cry a little when I saw those two bottom teeth poking through her little gums. I remember how it felt like it took FOREVER for Phoebe to turn six months old, eat solids, begin teething. I couldn’t wait for her to move onto the next thing! Now, I just want to slow it all down. It seriously feels like we just brought Wren home from the hospital and already she is beginning the first real stages of growing up and growing independent. Of course, it’s all good but you parents know what I mean–these are bittersweet changes.
Crunchy leaves are beginning to accumulate in our yard bringing the earliest feeling of fall, even though September in our neck of the woods can be quite humid and sweltering so I keep telling myself the worst of summer’s heat isn’t behind us yet. Those fall winds are almost here and then with all the busy activities of October (my favorite month!) and the birthdays and holidays of November/December, it will be New Year before we know it.
everything He gives 