Winter Woes & Little Things

Kade's had a rough week...a really rough week. Monday started off at a 10 and by Tuesday he'd gone to a 1, maaayyybbbee 2.

He was SO excited to get his expander off and braces on....

he thought it'd be glorious.

All the attention,

the instant 'i'm a big kid' factor....

not.so.

Instead he had a LONG appointment and a LOT of pain.

This kid's mouth is so jacked up it requires all kinds of gear.

My favorite Kade quote this week was when he climbed into the car

after his appointment and threw 'said gear' into the car saying...

"Now I've gotta do all this crap!!!"

To make matters worse, he hates school.

Notsomuch hates school but he loves to homeschool.

For those of you that missed it,

as of 2011 the boys are back at their old school.

What's that? I never told you? Well, that's because I'm totally embarrassed that my tween

gets my panties in such a bunch that I refuse to teach him any longer. 

It's all I can do to mother this strong willed child.

Love him to death but paybacks are a (you know what)! :)

Anyhow, it wasn't easy for me to make the decision of sending Kade back too because,

1. He wants to homeschool

and 

2. I want him to homeschool

but after him going it alone last year,

I know how lonely he gets.

It was rough on him especially when we would dropoff/pickup Jaxon

and Kade would see his bff or "only the best aide in the whole entire

WORLD!"

So I sent him back,

against his will.

He's sad about it and I'm sad about it...

so I'm just praying I made the right decision

because I'm well aware this bouncing back and forth

is no good.

Being a parent seems to be kicking my butt this week.

Jaxon tested up 2 levels in math to Algebra.

How that happened I'll never know,

he's super smart but math's never been his best subject.

Anyway, his homework's a beast and he's struggling,

 yet the teacher insists he stay at that level.

Thanks to Big Papa for tutoring him

every.night.

So even with the tears this week,

and the power struggles (with every kid),

I'm reading this

and learning to find joy and happiness in the little things like

family scripture study and

Miss Sophia learning to tie her own robe....

saving me from doing it fifty-seven times a day.

Feel free to give me  a tongue lashing some advice

on how to parent because frankly, I'm not feeling so hot about it!!

History Art Project and a Time Out

I may or may not have gotten a little controlling w/ the boys art projects the other day,

and I may or may not have been put in time out,

{i.e. layed out in the back yard w/ cucumbers on my eyes.}

I think they forgave me though because they did cut the cucumbers

and they did put on skirts kilts willingly...

 sort of.

A Day In The Life...Finding Our Groove, Shakespeare & Science

Warning: Crazy long, detailed post...you may turn and run now and my feelings won't be hurt.

For homeschool families that blog, sharing a 'typical day' is kind of fun. I love peeking in and catching a glimpse of how you all do it.

How's it going for us?

So far so good! I have to say, it's much easier this year than when we started in 2008. The boys are older and able to work more independently, they are more motivated than ever to learn and have fun doing it. Sophie's three years old now, she's potty trained and goes to preschool two days a week so that helps a ton!

We love our 'Little Mama', but it's nice having her off playing and learning a few times a week. It's been great for her language skills and gives her a chance to play with her bff who we no longer live by.

Here's a look at a 'typical day' at our house...(if there is such a thing).

I wake up at 5:00, review what we are going to do, prepare for the days science experiments and make final preparations. Do a little laundry, cleaning, and check my email, facebook and favorite blogs.

Kids wake at 7:00, eat and get dressed. Soph stresses to make sure we save a piece of banana bread for Kimball. She climbs up to the dish and puts the last piece on a plastic pink plate, then surprises her dad with breakfast in bed....all on her own! What a little mama! She then rushes out to help Kade water the garden and accidentally slams her hand in the door {tears}. Kade feeds our dog Abby and passes out vitamins while entertaining us with hilarious Doug Heffernan quotes.  Jaxon unloads the dishwasher and checks his email, they make their beds and pick up their bedroom while Soph plays a game, she climbs the pantry shelves to sneek more food and gets stuck...Jaxon comes to her rescue.

We meet on the couch at 8:00 a.m. and read from the New Testament St. Matthew chapter 10. Soph sits beside us looking at her basket of books. We discuss Macbeth and together, memorize a poem from Act  4 Scene 1, Soph puts on her witch hat to get us in the mood.

Around 9:15, Jaxon and Kade do copy work (Macbeth poem) in their best handwriting. Jaxon passes off yesterdays poem Jabberwocky by Louis Carol.

At 9:45ish, the boys take their spelling tests.

10:00 we do math. Kade plays with Soph while I get Jaxon started, then I switch and help Kade.

We read from Usborne Science Encyclopedia, discuss the ocean, salt water and cold water. The boys conduct a few science experiments showing at what speed salt water freezes verses plain water.

They also discover that cold water sinks to the bottom while warm water stays at the surface.  They chart their findings and make a few drawings for their science notebooks.

Lunch at 12:30ish, Soph plays with picture flash cards and colors.

We read 20-30 minutes aloud from The Pilgrim's Progress, by 1:30 Soph is napping and the boys and I watch a few appropriate scenes from the movie Elizabeth I The Golden Age.  We then separate for quiet time for an hour. Jaxon chose to work on his book, and Kade read Diary of a Whimpy Kid, I take a 30 minute nap and then take care of a little office work.

By 2:30 we're ready for Latin, we review what we've learned and complete a lesson. Jaxon speeds ahead leaving Kade and I in the dust!

We add a picture of Queen Elizabeth I to our history timeline.

For the next few hours we have free time, Soph helps me make dinner, on the menu is Citrus Basil Shrimp Tacos, they're a hit!

More free time. It's super hot right now, 110 degrees hot...so we don't go outside much except to swim or do the watering.

The boys switch taking a 30 minute turn on the computer.

The boys shower and then go in their rooms for more reading (assigned books or free reads). Jaxon does his writing class home work.

I correct the days work, prep for the next day, send emails, read blogs and work on blog posts. Finally take my relaxing bubble bath. Ahhh, serenity now. I pinch myself for not running today but promise to do it first thing in the morning!

Lights out by 9:00 for the boys, I watch a little football with Kimball, lights out at 10:00 for me. On other days of the week, we have swim class, drama, and scouts in the evenings. I love it on nights like this when we can just stay home and be.

Throughout the entire day I'm picking up as we go or having everyone jump in and do a quick pick up of the house. I'm enjoying having our school room in our main living area. I miss my awesome school room from my last home but we have so much open space in this house it works out perfect!

There you have it! Of course we adjust our days according to things that come up, that's one of the beauties of homeschooling, but this year I'm 100% commited to keeping our studies a priority and I try really hard to keep my days designated for schooling only. There's a million and one things that can distract us if we let them, so I think of it as a full time job (which it is) and remember that we follow a year round type schedule so we can have several weeks off throughout the year. It allows us to hang out with friends, take family trips and do fun projects around the house during those weeks.

For more posts about the nitty gritty of what home schooling families do, go to Heart of The Matter Blog Hop.

Riverside Scholars 2010-11

As always I'm posting our curriculum choices for this year. We aren't changing too much, but we are adding additional resources in many areas. I love this time of year, new crisp books, fresh resources and inquisitive children just waiting to crack them open!

This year we're eliminating television and Xbox from our daily live, allowing it only on weekends and breaks.  Our schedule is so full this year; there isn't time or reason to have a distraction like that. Kade had a hard time with it the first day but it wasn't too bad. I know if I provide a learning atmosphere, and plenty of educational resources, they won't even miss it.

1. Math - We're sticking with Saxon.
Jaxon's starting on lesson 60 (to review a bit) of book 6/5. Kade is starting on lesson 1 of Math Level 3 (which is hopefully going to get harder); its stinks when you order books, write in them and then realize they are not the correct level wich has happened on more than one occasion.

2. Writing- Institute for Excellence in Writing
Jaxon's taking a class from a local woman who home schools and is highly educated and trained in this course. Since it's his passion, I think it will be fun for him to join a few other students and make sure he gets a very solid foundation in writing. For this year we are sticking w/ Writing with Ease by Susan Bauer for Kade.
They will also be doing copy work weekly and writing letters/notes to family and friends a few times a month. All Jaxon's work is completed in cursive and Kade is learning cursive this year. Jaxon is also taking Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing.

3. Science - The Handbook of Nature Study, Janice Van Cleave's Biology for Every Kid (for experiments) and Usborne Science Encyclopedia. We will study animals, plants and the human body. We'll continue to use Charlotte Mason's approach and do as much hands on as possible, going on nature hikes and visiting the Science Center. Against my better judgment we'll be getting some type of classroom pet (besides our 5 lb. Malteepoohuahua), maybe a lizard (if I get my way) or a garden snake. Kade really wants a guinea pig or hamster but I just don't think I can do it. We also have a garden this year.

4. History/Geography - The Story of the World 3 Early Modern Times covering (1600-1850). We also check out several relevant books each week from the library. The Kingfisher History Encyclopedia is often referred to as well. History is always a favorite around here, this year we made a 25' long timeline that hangs in our hallway where we can note important dates and post pictures to help put it all in perspective. We also use black line maps and the workbook for our history has several activities. We also have large maps and globes in the house to view locations. Flash cards are also part of our quiet time study.

5. Spelling - Spelling Workout. Level H for Jaxon and level D for Kade. Unfortunately I bought level F for Jaxon along with the teacher's book, but its way too easy for him so I'll save them for Kade. They can usually get through 1 1/2 - 2 books per year.

6. Literature - We continue reading The Pilgrim's Progress aloud daily and we are starting Macbeth. I've selected many classics from The Well Trained Mind's suggested list along with others from amblesideonline.org's list for the boys to read. We try and keep in correlation with our history timeline. Some of these include...Perrault's Complete Fairy Tales, Poems by William Wadsorth, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle, Grimm's Fairy Tales, Pride and Prejudice, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, The Tale of Two Cities (for Jaxon).   Robinson Crusoe, Gulliver's Travels, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Three Musketeers, a soft intro to Les Miserables, Oliver Twist, Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, East of the Sun and West of the Moon (for Kade). The boys have assigned reading and free reading; they can also read extra relevant books during their free time. On school breaks and in summer they can read anything they wish.

7. Foreign Language - Prima Latina & Latina Christiana I, we also have some Spanish CD's and flash cards that we'll use along w/ Latin flash cards. I hope to purchase Rosetta Stone Spanish by January. The school that Jaxon will attend for junior high and high school teaches Latin and Greek (in junior high) and Spanish & French in high school, so I may let Jax do French since he's always wanted to, though it's probably wiser to stick with Spanish since Kimball speaks it fluently.

8. Fine Arts - We do art and music once a week, discussing different artists and composers from the history timeline we are on. I'll be highlighting a new artist & a composer each month; we'll discuss their life and the techniques and style. We are using a book called Drawing With Children , the boys are participating in a local home school choir that meets bi-monthly; they are also taking a drama class once a week. I have discovered many free and inexpenisive field trips to theaters and symphony's nearby; we'll be doing one per month, such as Macbeth, The Nutcracker, Into the Woods (Bros. Grimm) and The Sound of Music & ice skating. I also plan to do a field trip to the Phoenix Art Museum.

9. Physical Fitness - We will be hiking on hikes on various Friday mornings when weather permits, we also run/walk on the treadmill several times a week.  Both boys will be in a weekly homeschool PE group. Kade is taking swim and will soon move up to the competitive team. The boys are also going to do the Goblins & Ghosts 5K with me, it's on Halloween (my birthday) and it's totally fun. People race in crazy costumes and it's a fun to see what people come up with.

10. Religion - This year we are studying The New Testament, the boys will be doing scripture mastery (memorizing specific verses) from our daily reading. We also read from Usborne Encyclopedia of World Religions. As we do our history reading, we can refer to this for additional information during the next morning's devotional. I find learning about different faiths fascinating and feel it's an important part of education.

11. Memory - We will be memorizing the books of The New Testament, different poems from Emily Dickenson, William Blake and any others we like from our reading. As I mentioned above, they'll also be doing scripture mastery. Important science terms from the human body, plant kingdom and animal kingdom. Jaxon will learn Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. Both will learn the Preamble to the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence and the "Give Me Liberty Speech" by Patrick Henry. We'll see how far we get, I tend to get carried away with memory, it's another favorite.

12. Life Skills -  This year both Jaxon and Kade are in scouts so they learn a lot each week there, we are also using a book called Kid Food by Rachel Ray; easy, 30 minute meals the boys each cook for our family one meal per week. They will also be doing a few simple sewing projects this year...I haven't decided what yet. Gardening is also something we're working on. We have several planter boxes where the boys help plant and take care of herbs, vegetables and flowers throughout the seasons. They are really like this, and enjoy being able to go to the garden for fresh ingredients when cooking.

My studies: I absolutely love reading great books and have developed a love for classics. I am commited  to teaching them by example, that learning is fun and very fulfilling. I'm currently reading How Children Learn by John Holt and Emma by Jane Austin. I may start the 5 Pillars course for leadership education by George Wythe University, but I kind of like doing my own thing and since Jaxon has some hard reads this year, I think I'll read right along with him. I am also brushing up on my math skills with some software I purchased at Costco. In October Kimball and I will be going to New York. I'm beyond excited about this, I've never been. Kimball served an LDS mission there when he was 19; he lived there for 2 years. I can't wait to see all the historical sites and visit various art and history museums.

If you are looking into home schooling, I highly recommend The Well Trained Mind, Charlotte Mason and A Thomas Jefferson Education as a solid, classical, leadership education that encourages reading live books rather than boring old text books! The goal is to enspire not require, to light the fire so they'll have the desire to self educate throughout their life. Just my two cents. :)

Not enough hours in the day!

                      

I feel like there's just not enough hours in the day!!

There's just way too many fun and educational things to do. I've been reading some

great books, growing herbs and anything else I can keep alive in this 110 degree weather.

The kids have been learning to cook dinners and yummy desserts, they love it!

My plan is for them to love it so much they'll want to cook dinner every night. :) 

We've all been focusing on our goals...

Soph's improved greatly in her speach and social skills and ditched diapers for good,

Kade's improved in his reading, math, cooking and brotherly skills,

and Jaxon has been reading several (7) books from the library, things like

How to Write Your First Best Seller.

He's determined to publish his first book and is currently working on his second. He's on a strict schedule...boot camp style, so he can be found writing or illustrating 24/7.

We all take turns on the treadmill, Soph loves to do yoga and pilates...she's a natural!

The circus came to town and we had a blast with my bff Chantell and her kids, my only

complaint is that she's already back to work...again with the more time thing.

I just LOVE spending time with her, maybe when we're retired we can live next door to each other!

On a sidenote: this is what I want for my birthday (it's not until Halloween).

A copy of Johanne Vermeer's 17th century painting Girl With The Pearl Earring.

Now for a week in Utah and then a week to prepare before our school year starts, I'm so sad for summer break to end, but anxious for another year of home schooling!

In a perfect world...

this is how our days would look... (click for larger view)

I downloaded the blank, typable planner from donnayoung.org. Over the last few years I've looked at a million different types, but this is the one I always go with. I'm still working on the actual lesson planning and record keeping part, I'd love to hear what works for you!!

I realize from experience this is just wishful thinking, but it's what we'll aim for. I become super crazy when kids constatly ask "What do I do now?" or, "I don't know what I'm supposed to be doing!" I'm posting them in every room and I'll just point. :)

I've spent a lot of time organizing and preparing so we can enjoy the journey as much as possible. I'm loving the UPS man lately, there's nothing more exciting than books in the mail! This week 3 different packages came for Kimball...how dare he get me all excited for nothing!

I've still got a lot to do, and a family reunion/vacation coming up soon so...gotta run!

BTW, it's been blazing hot here and the pool feels so AMAZING! We're having a fabulous summer...Kade's a goof ball!

Here before we know it!

Besides having endless car trouble last week...

I've been busy planning for the coming school year.

I'm excitied and anxious at the same time.

With a little experience under my belt,

I know we'll survive...

and thrive.

I anticipate the new discoveries,

and bonding time.

Our hard work is certain to pay off,

because together we'll

grow leaps and bounds!

Oral Narrations

It's been so long since I've blogged, I feel like I can't remember how.

As I've mentioned before, I love the Charlotte Mason homeschool method. Oral narration is the natural approach to finding out what your child retained from his readings. She encourages using only oral narration up until they are about 10 or 11 and then moving on to one written narration per week and slowly moving up to 3 or so. Click HERE for a quick example of my 7 year old Kade (2nd grade) narrating a chapter from The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame. This was actually done back in January or February I can't remember.

Good news, we've decided not only to keep homeschooling Kade next year but to also keep Jaxon home as well. Yes, he loved his school and he had a fabulous year, but all of his friends have moved or had to change schools and we have also moved, so rather than he change schools AGAIN we will homeschool. We are all SO excited about it, and feel it's going to be a lot easier now that we've got 1 1/2 years under our belt. It also helps that several families from our new ward (church) are also homeschoolers.

Summer life has been fun. We love our new house and we are enjoying the extra time together. As usual we are doing lots of swimming but also a lot of learning, reading and some gardening. I've planned a lot of field trips too, some of them are...the new Tempe Aquarium, the circus, boating, movies, library, science center, play, ranch and water park. We will be taking a trip to Utah in July for some family reunions.

I am taking an online photography workshop, trying to get into shape, planning the next school year and reading lots of great books. I finally finished The Red Tent and am now reading The Promise and The Goose Girl. Time is flying by at lightening speed...

Twenty-Ten Curriculum Picks

This is the type of post you'd normally get in the fall, just before a new school year starts. However, because of my wishy, washy, indecisiveness...you're getting it now. After Christmas break, we decided it would be best to homeschool Kade. In other words, Kade and I both missed it dearly and were giddy at the idea of homeschooling again. You can read more about that here.

I didn't have a lot of time to plan. I used a blend of my three favorite methods last year (Charlotte Mason, Classical, and TJED). I was pretty sure I wanted to use them again, even though they are time consuming for the parent, they are in my opinion the best way to encourage a love of learning. Plus, as a bonus I get to learn right along with him.

I am still using (and loving) the 3 ring binder system. This is recommended in The Well Trained Mind and I've found it's the easiest way to organize, notebook, and journal everything. I catagorize subjects like so...

Kade is 7 and is doing 2nd -3rd grade work, here's what we are using this year. We used some things last year (like The Story Of The World & Saxon Math), some of the curriculum is new to us this year but is working like a charm already, and others we just recieved from Amazon. Toward the end of the school year I'll write a review and let you know what I like and dislike.

Bible - daily verses and discussion.

Memory - Ten Commandments, Psalms 23, Phillipians 4:8 (so far), Shakespeare, poems, various scriptures...I'll update this as we go.

Math - Saxon 2 (book 2), flash cards, online games, manipulatives

Writing - Writing With Ease, daily letters/notes to friends & family, narrations from reading.

Grammar - Shurley English

Spelling - Spelling Workout C, words I notice he's having trouble with, new words that we are learning in history.

History - The Story Of The World Vol. 2, along w/ coinciding activity book.

Geography - Blackline Maps (on CD), Wall maps, 50 U.S. States flash cards, National Geographic flash cards

Science - Handbook Of Nature Study, Biology For Every Kid: 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work

Spanish - Currently using a random workbook purchased at Walmart...Kimball tutor's both boys 1-2 nights per week. I'm saving up in hopes to buy Rosetta Stone next year.

Literature - Some of the 'read alouds' this year are Pilgrim's Progress (about 3 pgs per day), The Trumpet of the Swan (finished last week), The Wind In The Willow's (currently reading about 10 pgs per day), Shakespeare, Joan of Arc. Kade's current 'free read' is Farmer Boy. He's also listening to The Merry Adventures Of Robin Hood (audio version, 30 min. per day).

My favorite books on homeschool are The Well Trained Mind, Charlotte Mason Companion, and Leadership Education.

Web-sites I recommend are Amblesideonline.org, SimplyCharlotteMason.com, WellTrainedMind.com , TJED.org

These are all great sources if you are looking to learn more about the classical method or if you're just looking for recommended book lists.

Life - Charlotte Mason Style

Cooking dinner with 'Miss Sophia'.

Nature walks.

Park hopping.

Spreading our wings.

Observing.

Making care packages.

Reaching new heights.

Reading aloud The Trumpet Of The Swan.

Counting our blessings.

To see what weather other bloggers are experiencing visit Darcy.

Our Homeschool Room Take 2

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Last month I posted a sneak peek of our new craft/play room. Since then, I've added yet another function to this space...homeschool room. All I can say is BOO YEAH!

Not only is it big and spacious, it's bright and cheerful. I just adore this paint color (Robins Nest) from Benjamin Moore. It was love at first sight when I saw my friend Edie's  make-over on her girls bed room. Too die for!

This is Kade's desk by day...Jaxon's by night.

Obviously having a chalkboard wall works great for us. The paint can just be purchased at any Lowe's or Home Depot. They can mix any color you'd like, it doesn't have to be black.

I store my craft and sewing supplies in here as well, it works nice for times we want to work on handicrafts, or if I want to work on something while Kade studies.

Soph has all her toys and books at hand so she can play along side us.

The flip chart/easle in the corner is for our memorization of scriptures and poems. One of our favorite parts of school is memorizing together. The kids have such amazing memories, always leaving me in the dust.

Our first school room was so small and being claustraphobic and all, I couldn't stand to be in there too long. Last year we ended up bringing all the books and supplies down to the family room where we could comfortably read and snuggle up on the big sofa. Kimball was a sweetie and bought us this inexpensive couch from IKEA. It makes all the difference. He also was a dear at put together all the shelving. I purchased them from Target and Walmart. Super affordable, like only $30 for the tall white book cases.

With this room I can keep all the h.s. supplies in one place, do all our school work comfortably and finally feel like this large space is being put to good use. It's so bright and cheery I can't seem to stay out!!

GO VIKINGS!!!!!

We're Back In Business

Time to let the cat out of the bag...Riverside Scholars is back in business. We've decided to homeschool Kade again, (you knew we'd be back)!! We both missed it so much and though he liked his new charter school and was getting all A's...he still enjoyed homeschooling more. Teaching a 7 year old is pretty easy, especially when I don't have an 11 year old too. It's actually totally fun...I missed learning with him and watching him grow. Kade's always had an awesome attitude, he really makes each day a delight.

This week, we've been taking advantage of this warm Arizona weather, it's been in the 70's. We're going on daily walks, having picnics at the park and reading on the swings. Sophia seems to enjoy having him back home. She squeals every morning when we drop off Jax and she realizes Kade (or Red as she calls him) gets to go back home with us.

Now for our curriculum...well, I'm working on it. Luckily, I still have plenty of materials and for what I don't have I will just use free sources online or from the library. Kade's such a positive, snuggly little guy, it's hard not to love every minute of it! He wants to run a race with me too, so we will be signing up and getting ready for that. SO FUN!

Jaxon is still happy at school, he has 3 BFF'S that all seem to be great kids. He's getting good grades and is  learning a lot. As for his book club...it kind of dissolved. I think it was hard for the kids to keep up with the reading schedule (I warned them it was too tough), and it was hard getting everyone together for the monthly meetings. Maybe we'll have to try again when they have their own drivers license. :) Jax invited me to do a little book club with him. Our first book is The Trumpet Of The Swan. He really liked it and is waiting for me to finish it so we can have a discussion. I decided to read aloud w/ Kade so he can join in on the fun, he is also loving it. Kade just finished James And The Giant Peach and is now starting Farmer Boy for his free read.

Flag football just finished up but will start again next month. They loved it and are hoping Kimball will be the coach. Oh, and I've rehired Kimball as the Spanish tutor, nothing like having your Hot Latin Lover hanging around a few times a week! :)

IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING ME ON Riverside Scholars, COULD YOU DO ME A FAVOR & SWITCH TO http://www.these-are-the-days.com/ I'm no longer posting at Riverside Scholars.

We're Back In Business

Time to let the cat out of the bag...Riverside Scholars is back in business. We've decided to homeschool Kade again, (you knew we'd be back)!! We both missed it so much and though he liked his new charter school and was getting all A's...he still enjoyed homeschooling more. Teaching a 7 year old is pretty easy, especially when I don't have an 11 year old too. It's actually totally fun...I missed learning with him and watching him grow. Kade's always had an awesome attitude, he really makes each day a delight.

This week, we've been taking advantage of this warm Arizona weather, it's been in the 70's. We're going on daily walks, having picnics at the park and reading on the swings. Sophia seems to enjoy having him back home. She squeels every morning when we drop off Jax and she realizes Kade (or Red as she calls him) gets to go back home with us.

 Now for our curriculum...well, I'm working on it. Luckily, I still have plenty of materials and for what I don't have I will just use free sources online or from the library. Kade's such an obedient and positive little guy, it's hard not to love every minute of it! He wants to run a race with me too, so we will be signing up and getting ready for that. SO FUN!

Jaxon is still happy at school, he has 3 BFF'S that all seem to be great kids. He's getting good grades and is  learning a lot. As for his book club...it kind of dissolved. I think it was hard for the kids to keep up with the reading schedule (I warned them it was too tough), and it was hard getting everyone together for the monthly meetings. Maybe we'll have to try again when they have their own drivers license. :) Jax invited me to do a little book club with him. Our first book is The Trumpet Of The Swan. He really liked it and is waiting for me to finish it so we can have a discussion. I decided to read aloud w/ Kade so he can join in on the fun, he is also loving it. Kade just finished James And The Giant Peach and is now starting Farmer Boy for his free read.

The boys just finished flag football but will start up again next month. They loved it and are hoping Kimball will be the coach. Oh, and I've rehired Kimball as the Spanish tutor, nothing like having your hot Latin lover hanging around a few times a week! :)