Monday, August 03, 2009

And so it begins....

Today is a monumental day in Shepherd (and my!) life. Today he began Kindergarten! As most of you now know, we decided to homeschool this year. I've been organizing, planning and organizing some more...and at 9pm yesterday evening, I looked at Chad confidently and said "We're READY!".

I was very unsure as to how homeschooling would look. Would it be ultra-structured with me exxasperated and frustrated?...and would that picture include Rauly in the background pitching fits and demanding attention all morning long? OR, would it be the other extreme...not having enough to do and finding myself and the kids bored to tears?!?!

Well, I have to say that God answered my prayers and gave me a confident start to the year! We ate b-fast, got dressed, had our teeth brushed and were ready to start by 8:30am. OK...got that done, what next?! I suddenly wondered if I should have a school bell or something that signaled the start of school! Instead, I gathered the kids in the living room where they sat on our comfy rug and began our bible study...which btw: AWESOME! Rauly was able to fully participate and once we were done with that and our bible craft, I set her up with her new Leap Frog T.V. game and off Shep and I went to the school room....time for Spanish, Phonics and Handwriting. 1.5 hours later...they were asking for a snack and I couldn't believe it when I realized it was nearly time for lunch! WOW!

"God created the Heaven's and Earth." Genesis 1:1 (Shep and Rauly did this all on their own with very little guidance from me...it's now hanging in Shep's room.) It's hard to see, but it's a 3 dimensional example of how God alligned our planet perfectly so that it isn't too hot or too cold.

Our curriculum set up...


Chas will be teaching Shepherd his math class...he graduated with a computer engineering degree and a minor in math - on top of that, he's tutored and taught highschool ESE Algebra. I got an -A- in college Algebra b/c he tutored me - it's PATHETIC how terrified numbers make me and I actually LOVED my college course...I owe it all to him! Needless to say, when he said he'd like to teach Shep in the evenings (after dinner) his math class, I was so excited for Shepherd to have such a great teacher!
Chad and Shep working on math. Shep had just had a bath, so he's in his p.j.'s. :)


After a great first day, I know now that we can do this! Each day will most likely look a little different, but overall, it will be a comfortable environment with structure and flexibility. As I moved around, I kept imagining Lillie Anna lying inside my sling and how wonderful it will be to simply carry her around with me...nurse when she's hungry and not have to worry about where she's at. I am thinking this is going to be a fabulous year and am now 100% confident that we made the right decision!

Click here to check out our curriculum...I'm so excited about it!

And Miss Rauly-Marie has also had a monumental week...she's finally starting going potty at night - she's gone 5 days in a row without a pull-up and no accidents! Some of you may remember that several months BEFORE she started school LAST year, she was not using pull-ups. However, ever since her first day of school, she has wet the bed multiple times at night. Our goal was to get her potty trained at night before the baby was born, so I'm super proud of her for being a "big girl"!
"Mom...are you seriously blogging about this?!?!...how embarassing!"


"I may be refusing to smile, but I love my dress Mrs. Melody!!"

5 comments:

Jamie said...

LOL on Rauly's comment on your blog post!!! She's such a darling. I love the dress!
Big cheers for the whole Eason team! I love the curriculum setup shelf....very well done. Think Chad would teach Luke and Jacob math too?? Luke ran right past me in our prepared math lesson yesterday.....note to self: your first grader is smarter than you already!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE doing this with you!!! You are such a blessing and encouragement to me constantly!

Michael and Hannah said...

Do you know how stink'n intimidated I am by you?? I want to be you! You do it all the way I wish I could. I'm the frazzled mom still in her pjs at noon, and that's just trying to get through the day! You are truly gifted. I'm proud of you (and more than just a little bit in awe!)!

Unknown said...

You and Jamie both leave me in awe! I don't think that I could have the patience to home school Austin! I love the guidence that you seek from God, and that imspires me to do things better with my own son. I'm glad that we have this means of sharing our faith and trust in Him.

Sara said...

You truly inspire me, Lindsay.

Melody said...

She will be able to wear that dress for three years at least! The color looks awesome on her.

Can't wait to see you soon. I miss you bunches and congrats on the homeschooling. You rock girl!