Homeschool Follies

We officially finished school today!  So exciting!  What a great year!  We will continue to do reading and math through the summer, but it will be nice to take a break from the bulk of the curriculum.

We have had some funny moments in homeschool, mostly at my own expense.  So, enjoy a couple of tales because they are too good to keep to myself.

Did Moses Really Say That?

When we first started school we were living at my mother-in-law's condo in Horseshoe Bay, TX.  And we were starting time-outs with our new daughter L.  I was reading to Super E from his children's Bible at the kitchen table while L was in time-out on the step.  In the midst of the Bible story, unbeknownst to me, L had decided to remove herself from the naughty step and joined us in the kitchen.  My words, as I read the story and was surprised to see L next to me were, ""And Moses said in a very angry voice,.... [absolutely NO hesitation when I saw L walk into the room] "Go to the step!""  My boys roared and roared and roared in laughter.  C nearly fell off his chair.  "And Moses said in a very angry voice, "Go to the step!""

What Do You Lean On?
When my mom and stepdad visited our new home for Easter we were so close to wrapping up The Wizard of Oz book so that we could watch the movie with Grammie and Rand visiting.  Before we put on the movie for Family Movie Night, we sprawled out on the living room floor and I read the last 2 chapters and I had a nice little mis-speak, a slip of the tongue that sent my 9 year old literally rolling on the floor in laughter.  The words from my mouth as I read were, ""The Tin Woodman leaned on his a@s.""  Ooops!  I mean AXE.  He leaned on his AXE!!!  Not his a@s!!!  Super C could hardly control himself.  I thought he'd wet his pants.  My mom and stepdad got a good laugh as well.  Me and my potty mouth.

Starting homeschool in the fall at Grandma's condo.

Still at Grandma's.  Ethan has fantastic printing even from the start!  

In our new home in San Antonio.
Doing kindergarten math on the whiteboard in the kitchen.

We were heavy into the arts and crafts before Chinese New Year.
We made snakes of all kinds and paper lanterns to celebrate
the Year of the Snake.

E often enjoys listening to C's science lessons
and vice versa.

A field trip while Grammie and Rand visited over Easter.
The San Antonio Riverwalk.
We took the boat cruise and C listened to the tour guide very well
and came out learning many facts about our new city.

Home schooling at it's best.  After C finished up learning about Lewis & Clark,
he and E came up with the idea of building a log cabin like the explorers built when they reached the
West Coast.  Of course, our Lincoln Log set is incomplete but they improvised very well!
I think it's still set up in their room.

Great job this year, boys!  

I'm so very proud of you 

and all you learned and accomplished this year!

Today with their Certificates of Completion from Sonlight.

The plan is to home school again next year.  It's a lot of work, but the boys really enjoyed it this year as did I.  I have located the Sonlight Core E on Craig's List in Austin.  The gal is shipping it to me and it is en route to my home.  I'll only have to figure out science and then choose a math curriculum again for Super C.   My awesome friend Amy is lending me her 1st grade Sonlight core for Super E to use next year, which is such a gift!  Thanks, Amy!!!!!

Happy Summer Break, everyone!

PS...  The Comments Section is open.  Please share your homeschooling follies!  Surely I can't be the only one with a funny story or two!

Post Placement #3

Today we had our 3rd of 6 post placement visits with our local social worker.  We're half way done with all our visits!  YAY!!!!!  Thankfully the remaining 3 come at 1-year intervals:  on L's 2-year anniversary, 3-year anniversary and 5-year anniversary of her adoption.  Then we'll be DONE!!!

Our last post placement visit 6 months ago didn't go so well, unfortunately.  Our visit was scheduled on time and I had all my reporting and photos completed on time but my social worker did not do her job after our visit.  My adoption agency did not receive the completed report until 2 months AFTER it's due date.  My social worker did not return my calls or emails to get it done.  Only once I complained to the agency that contracts the social workers, did the social worker write and complete her report.  Then once completed, I learned that she lost some of the paperwork I had filled out and gave to her to send in with her complete report, per my agency's instructions.  Frustrated hardly describes how I felt by such treatment when I have to shell out hundreds of dollars for her report!

This time we had the same social worker, unfortunately.  I was not happy about that since I was told they'd hire a new social worker for our area by now.  I begged and pleaded with the agency that hires the social workers to do something to make up for the last post-placement debacle.  They refused.  I was livid that I had to pay hundreds of dollars and the social worker seemingly got away with not doing her job.  What has the world come to?

Since there was no use in fighting the matter further, I tried to be pleasant with our social worker.  She tried to be pleasant with me.

I was quick to tell her of Lauren's dental appointment and what the dentist said about her teeth.  See this post if you don't recall the dental education I received.  It would be my hope that China will read the report and take small steps to improve the care of the children living in institutions.  It's a long shot, I know, but I can hope and pray for it for sure!  The children deserve our prayers that the very basic needs are provided.

I told her how much L enjoyed visiting Sea World and how she shouted, "More whale!  More whale!" at the Shamu show.  I told her how I marveled at how big L's world has become; life outside the orphanage.

I told her how L loves her Grandpa Rand and how that pleased me so much since I didn't know how she'd take to a strange man in our house.  I told her how she followed him around the house and always asked for him even weeks after Grammie and Rand returned to Chicago.

I told her I am excited for summer and a more relaxed schedule with no homeschool.  I told her how we're ready for a fun summer in the pool, at Sea World, the Duck Pond, and all the other places that we need to explore in San Antonio.

As usual, I had to provide 15 pictures of our Quiet Tiger:  5 of her alone, 5 of her with me and/or Jay and 5 of her with siblings, extended family and friends.  Sometimes it's hard to figure out which photos to send.  We can always send more, but to keep things cheap I always include the bare minimum.  Here are our post placement photos that I submitted with this report.

Feb. 10, '13
Outside our house.  Celebrating Chinese New Year.
Welcome Year of the Snake!

Mar. 8, '13
Sitting down for a morning snack.
She loves fruit!

Ap. 2, '13
Happy, silly girl playing with mommy.

Ap. 6, '13
Pretty girl!
All dressed up and attending her first American wedding.

May 14, '13
Playing at the park while her brothers are at PE Homeschool Co-op.

Feb. 10, '13
With mommy before church on Chinese New Year.

Feb. 10, '13
Leaving church with Daddy on Chinese New Year.

Feb. 10, '13
After church we went to a local Asian food market where they were
celebrating the New Year with traditional lion dance.
We took many photos and have some great video too!

Feb. 10, '13
After eating a dinner of homemade jiaoza, cashew beef with noodles, fried rice and oranges,
we ended our Chinese New Year celebration
at home with Red Envelopes filled with chocolate coins.

Mar. 29, '13
Our family at the Mexican Market in downtown San Antonio.

Mar. 27, '13
Brooke's stepdad Rand meets L for the first time.
She loved him instantly and always asked, "Where's Rand?" and followed him everywhere.
Rand loves his granddaughter tremendously!

Mar. 28, '13
First ride in the toy Jeep.
L loved it and thought it was the best thing ever!

Mar. 30, '13
L with her big brothers all dressed up before Easter church service.

Mar. 30, '13
Brooke's mom (Grammie) and L at church on Easter.
Grammie loves her granddaughter!

Apr. 6, '13
With Brooke's former boss and his wife at the wedding
of their daughter.
Sunset on Lake Travis in Austin, TX.

Friends, I'd REALLY appreciate prayer that this report will be completed and sent to my agency along with the paperwork and odds and ends I completed on time, per instructions!  She has until June 7 to have the final draft to my agency in PA.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Wishing all the moms out there 

a blessed Mother's Day!

For most, this day brings great joy but for some it brings pain.  For those missing a mom today, for those who don't have a great relationship with a mom, or for those women desperately longing to be a mom, you have my love and prayers.  I'm taking today to honor my mom publicly because she is simply extraordinary and this year I have seen her heart grow in ways I'm sure she can't even fathom.

You see, when I told my mom back in the Spring of 2009 that we were growing our family by adoption, she was positive about the idea but the hesitation in her voice over the phone (or was it the webcam?) was unspoken but clearly audible.  I remember saying, "Mom, we're adopting!" with high excitement in my voice.  Her words were a quiet, drawn out, "You are?"  Again, she was not being negative in the slightest, but her response was much more reserved than thrilled.

Throughout our adoption journey she supported us in prayer, she helped out financially in ways I just don't deserve.  She was there when we got the call that Nepal was closed and we lost the dream of a Nepali daughter in our family.  She cried with me when Jay lost 2 jobs.  She drove 8 hours from Chicago to Nebraska when my gall bladder decided it wanted out when Jay was working in California and I was all alone with the boys.  She drove out again for a whirlwind weekend when the house sold and we had to pack it all up.  She'll always be there for one of her kids, no question.

She's the best!

On August 30, 2011 when we received our referral and first photos of our daughter, I couldn't hold back and keep the photos from my mom, my best friend.  Her words on the phone after opening the email were,

"That baby is beautiful."  

Not "Your baby," or "Your daughter" is beautiful.   Just "That baby."  

Please, don't be quick to think badly about her reaction.  

This was her first, close-hand experience with adoption and it was all new to her.  And she had already seen us lose our first adoption from Nepal, so there was good reason for her hesitation.  We were hesitant too, for gosh sakes!  Again, she was always positive, yet always reserved.  I knew without a doubt that once she met my daughter in person she'd melt and love would just pour forth from her heart.

Later that fall my friend Julie told me to read Choosing to See by MaryBeth Chapman.  In her book, Mary Beth wrote about her experiences with international adoption and I knew even in the first few chapters that I had to send the book to my mom for a Christmas gift.  Once I finished, I was quick to order one on Amazon and have it shipped to her.  I knew it would arrive long before Christmas but I told her not to wait for the holiday and asked her to read it immediately.

I wish I could have been there in the room when she read the passage early in the book that I knew would grab her and not let her go.  Mary Beth wrote of meeting her first adopted daughter for the first time:

"In that moment, time stopped.  It was like God was speaking to me directly.  "Mary Beth, you thickheaded woman, do you not understand now that this is the very way I see you?   You are this orphan!  I adopted you and you are Mine!  I bought you for a price!  Do you see how you love this baby?  That's just a faint reflection of how much I love you!  You didn't have a name, and I gave you a name.  You did nothing to deserve my love, and I love you anyway.  You had no hope, no future, and now you are a daughter of the King!""

Once my mom finished the book, she knew without a doubt that we were really doing what God called us to do.  She was no longer hesitant in the slightest, even despite losing Nepal, even despite losing Jay's job in Nebraska, even despite not being able to sell that Nebraska house for over a year, even despite surgical bills, even despite losing a car in a wreck in California and even losing the new job just one year later.  God used Mary Beth's book to break her heart for the orphan.

At the end of May 2012, I Skyped with my mom while I was in China, even though I only had audio on my original iPad and no video.  I know my mom hardly slept those 10 days I was overseas and she was checking the computer over and over again for email updates, Facebook posts and blog updates and photos, more photos!  When I landed in Texas and we had settled into my mother-in-law's condo just minutes after setting foot on solid ground, we were there on Skype as she watched us eat McDonald's (sad, I know but it was late) at the kitchen table, L enjoying food in her high chair and seeing her Grammie for the very first time.

She has visited us twice here in Texas, once for L's birthday last July and again this past Easter.  Watching my mom with her granddaughter made my heart so happy.  My daughter's unique DNA and differences from our family didn't matter one bit.  Grammie was smitten!  You would never know that she was once hesitant (yet positive, I assure you) about international adoption.  I knew my mom's heart would grow by leaps and bounds and having a front row seat to that transformation was simply a joy for me.

She has a new love and passion inside her heart that it exciting to see.  She wants her church (the one I grew up in) to start an orphan ministry and she wants to play a role.  She has been a prayer warrior for so many of my friends adopting and for others home with their kids who endured surgeries once home.

My mom is the best mom around!

My mom is a fantastic Grammie to all my kids.

She's my best friend!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!  

I love you!

My mom meeting L for the first time at the airport in July 2012.

I think the look on my mom's face says it all in this photo:
LOVE

Grammie and her granddaughter on her 2nd birthday.

Walking outside in Horseshoe Bay.

Me, my mom, and all my kids.
July 2012 in Horseshoe Bay.

My mom and stepdad visit our new
San Antonio home for Easter this year.

Grammie and L on Easter at our church.
March 2013.

Terrible of me and Miss L certainly wasn't cooperating,
but it was the best shot we had of the 3 of us girls
during their visit.

Happy Birthday, Super E!

Today is my son's birthday!!!!!!

My Super E is 6 years old!!!!!!

  

(Gosh.....)

  

He's my big-blue-eyed, freckle-faced, Angry-Birds-playing, Lego-fanatic, Ninjago-obsessed, Wii-loving, dog-crazy, freakishly-ambidextrous, almost-done-with-kindergarten boy.

My friend Cecilia recently celebrated her adorable son's 1st birthday and in her celebratory blog post, she wrote her son's birth story.  I thought it only fitting that I should capture my Super E's big day in written word as well before even I forget the details.

We went to church Sunday morning before E was born.  We sat in our usual seats - the very last row, on the aisle in case my husband needed to exit for a staff need, or a building or security concern - and before service started, his boss came up and asked how we were doing.  With a hand on my shoulder he asked if we were ready for baby #2 to come the very next day.  I wanted to bawl my eyes out right then and there.  I was scared out of my mind.

I wasn't scared for the c-section.

I wasn't scared to be in the hospital.

I was a bit scared to leave my oldest for the first time overnight ever.  I'm just one of those moms who can't be away from her babies.  Feels like the worst wrong ever to be away from my kids.  It feels unnatural.  That's just me and how I'm wired up.

What had me on the edge of hysterics was that I feared that I couldn't possibly love a second child as much as I loved my first.  I knew it was irrational, but I can't tell you how real those feelings were, friends.  I didn't think it humanly possible to love more or to have enough love to share.  I felt like my second child would get less of me because my heart already belonged to another sweet boy.  Before my second child was even born I was already feeling mommy-guilt that I wouldn't be able to give my child what he/she needed.

My mom and stepdad arrived that night and my fears were calmed without even talking about it.  The simple presence of my mom made everything feel right.  I knew my oldest would be in good hands and I slept well that final night.

Monday morning leaving for the hospital.

Early Monday morning before sunrise Jay and I loaded up the car after I had placed a dozen or so "I Love You" post-it notes around the house for my oldest boy to find when he woke up.  We checked into the hospital and I was set up in a room for all my pre-op details.  My doctor arrived and said her hellos.  Before long I was in the OR and getting my spinal epidural for the c-section.  Jay came in as the nurses continued prepping everything and before I knew it I was numb and ready for the birth of my baby.

The smell of the cauterization made me nauseous like I had never known before and the anesthesiologist was quick to open up a package of alcohol wipes for me to smell instead and that did the trick.  Nausea averted.  Despite the spinal epidural I felt pain.  Sharp pain, not just the feeling of pressure like the doctor and nurses suggested.  I began to feel very anxious that they weren't listening to me and instead putting words into my mouth.  Sharp pain is way different than pressure!  Way different!  I insisted as I fought off tears and I was given more meds in my epidural and eventually the pain did subside into just pressure and I felt relief.

In surgery, excited to meet my baby.

At 8:24 a.m. my child was born.  "It's a boy!"  Before I even saw him we had a boy name picked out and announced it to the crew in the OR.  My son was taken over to the exam table to be cleaned and examined.  7 pounds and 15 ounces.  21 inches long.  I heard his first cries immediately.  It wasn't long before I saw my son, swaddled in blankets, face to face as I was being stitched up.

Oh, for the love of boys!

Whoa!  Looking into my son's face I immediately saw my father-in-law's face.  The dimpled chin was a dead giveaway.   I was in the recovery room for about an hour before I was in my private room where I could call my mom to give her the news of her newest grandson.

But Super E's story doesn't end there because although he was healthy, he struggled in those first few days in the hospital.  All babies lose some weight in those first days of life as they wait for the mother's milk supply to come in.  Mine didn't want to comply with E's needs and he lost too much weight.  Shortly after 3:00 a.m. one morning the nurses came in and handed me a bottle of formula and told me to give it to my son.  There was no discussion, no explanation, just a rude, "Here.  Give this to him."  I was infuriated at how rudely my nurses treated me and how little they wanted to talk to me about my wishes and my son's needs.  Instead I nursed my son and waited for the pediatrician to arrive later in the morning to discuss the matter.

Oh, how I loved Dr. Davis!  He explained everything to me kindly, told me it was only temporary that my son would need formula and that my body would catch up.  The doctor's bedside manner with a tearful, hormonal mommy and a concerned daddy was outstanding!  He kissed my son on the back of his light brown haired head and laid him back down in the bassinet.

Thus began days, weeks and months of trying to get my body to do what I knew it could do.  The pediatrician worked with the nurses to agree to a French feeding tube taped to my pinky finger, attached to a syringe with formula that I would dispense into my son's mouth.  And I would continue to attempt nursing.

My beautiful baby boy!

We went home and I began a triple feeding schedule.  I nursed my son with as much as I possibly could, then I supplemented with formula in the syringe/tube system, then I had to pump and store milk to get my supply up to normal levels.  In between I had to take my baby to the pediatrician to meet regularly with the lactation consultant.  On my off days I had to take my son to a local organization called Milkworks to weigh my son regularly to be sure he was gaining weight and not losing.

Friends, it was exhausting!  I felt like I always had a baby attached to me 24/7.  I felt like a complete failure for not being able to provide my darling son with everything he needed.  I was so busy and never had a chance to rest and recover.  It was hard to find time to wash my pump and feeding tube much less spend time with my oldest son or get any light housework done.  I certainly didn't feel like I received the 2 weeks surgical recovery that I needed.  I couldn't rest and relax.  I was always busy, always going somewhere with a baby attached to me.  I cried nightly to my husband that I just wanted to be able to put my son down.  This went on for 3 whole, long, tiring, exasperating months before my son had regained the weight he lost and caught up to a healthy size and my body could do the rest.

E's 1st birthday 2008!

In hindsight, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.  The physical attachment that I had with my son in those first 3 months of his life led us to a super-bond that we still share today.  He and I are so close even 6 years later.  To use the term "mama's boy" doesn't even describe it.  He is my heart and soul and we made it through a tough trial together.

2nd birthday at the mall in Lincoln.

3rd birthday at home in Lincoln.

E's 4th birthday 2011 - not exactly as planned.
Party cancelled due to my emergency gall bladder surgery.
Dad in California with a new job.
Staying in Nebraska with Mom trying to sell the house.

E's 5th birthday - 2012 in the trailer in California
right after Jay lost his job and just before we'd leave for Texas
and I'd head to China.

He is my snuggler, my cuddler.  He still wants mommy and he still loves to sleep in our bed on weekends, snuggling right next to me, often with his feet up on my legs like I'm some sort of human ottoman, his arm also wrapped around my neck like a snake.  I love every minute of it while it will last because I know the days are coming when he'll want little to do with his mom. 

I had no idea of the capacity of my own heart to love.

I adore this boy!  

Head over heels in love!

Super E this morning on his 6th birthday!

Happy 6th birthday, Super E!  
I love you, forever 
and ever 
and ever!

Love, 

Mommy



Me and my birthday boy!

A Photo Treasure

Picture in your mind the image of a woman walking down a dirty, dusty road.  Perhaps it is under the dark cover of night.  Perhaps it's in the wee hours of the morning just before sunrise.  Maybe it's even in broad daylight.  Imagine this woman comes to the gate of a building, a locked door and long brick walls that forbid any passersby to peek inside.  Picture that woman coming to that wall, that gate and leaving a package by the door.

These days we don't like unattended packages left out in public, do we?

This woman sets down her package carefully on the ground outside the gate.  Does she stop and think? Or does she scurry away as fast as she can?  Does she look back wondering if she made the right decision?  Or does she press on, boldly going forward, never turning an eye back towards the gate?  Does she cry?  Does she mourn?  Is she sorry?  Is she convicted?  Is she angry at the circumstances that seemingly forced her to make such a decision?  Is her heart crushed to smithereens?  Or could she be completely numb fully believing that she simply must do what she must do?

That unattended package was my daughter.  

On what adoptive parents call "Finding Day," my Quiet Tiger was found at the gate of the orphanage.  There could hardly be a more perfect place for her to be left.  I've wondered about that day and how it went for the woman whose daughter I'm raising as my own.

This past week I received 2 photos from a new Facebook friend whose child also came from the same orphanage years ago.  My new friend had 2 pictures of the exterior of the orphanage, including the very gate where my daughter was left by her birthmom and found by orphanage staff.  I had never seen any pictures of this location before.

The Yulin, Shaanxi Children's Welfare Institute Gate.

The photo is simply a treasure to me.

My daughter will one day have many questions.  She'll wonder why her mom gave her up after 2 whole loving months together.  She'll wonder what forced her to make such an agonizing choice to give up a precious child.  She'll wonder if her mom thinks of her.

I won't have answers.

But the question of, "Where did she leave me?  Where was I found?" has been answered.  And that's a very nice piece of the puzzle to have!

It was a sad place.  

The place of agonizing loss.  

But it is also a beautiful place 

for it is the place where my Quiet Tiger's 

story of redemption 

begins.

Easter Episodes

We saw some very strange behavior out of our Quiet Tiger over Easter.

My mom and stepdad visited from Chicago and we had a wonderful time seeing the sites of San Antonio, shopping for things that would turn our house into a home, spending time coloring with the kids, making a delicious Easter meal and attending church.

My Quiet Tiger adores her Grandpa Rand!

The Saturday before Easter we made a run to Costco.  It was our first visit here in San Antonio because it's not exactly in my neighborhood, but I love Costco so we went with the intention of getting our Easter ham and some good bread for dinner and some berries for the pie my mom planned to make for dessert.  L absolutely LOVED eating her way through the store at all the sample stations!  At every food item in the aisles she'd ask, "Open it?" wanting a sample of whatever yummy goodness was inside the packaging.  Not exactly the way it works, sweet one.  Costco is HEAVEN for a toddler with food issues!

1st ride in the Jeep.

We had some lunch in the food court area after we checked out, L sitting on the side of the table near my mom and stepdad across from me.  During our quick lunch my mom called a possible dirty diaper to my attention.  I grabbed L and went out to the car to change her, something I had done before on previous shopping trips elsewhere.  When L stood up in the back of the van after I checked her diaper she

F R E A K E D  O U T!

I mean a hysterical, scared, panicked, out of her little mind scream.  I've never had a panic attack myself, but I imagine that's what I was witnessing from my daughter.  I hadn't heard a cry like that since China and even that seemed less intense than what happened on Easter weekend.  I tried my best to console her as my boys joined us at the car with my mom and stepdad for the drive home.  I have no idea what set my daughter off.

Back home, I pulled into the driveway nearly at the same time as my husband coming back from the office.  He honked his horn in the driveway to be sure I saw him and didn't open my door too quickly as he pulled in next to me.  Again, my Quiet Tiger

F R E A K E D  O U T!

Later that night after church something else bothered my daughter.  We had exited the church after service and were walking over to the baptism pool where my 9 year old son was going to be baptized.  As my daughter walked along the sidewalk next to me, she had another complete

F R E A K  O U T!

This one lasted the longest and the fact that it was late and past dinnertime probably didn't help her emotions.  But what on earth was causing these episodes?  We may never know.  But something clearly triggered a sad or scary memory of something from her past.  It was the first time my mom had seen such behavior from her granddaughter and it crushed her heart to see the broken side of adoption, the loss, the sadness.

My 3 kids before Easter service at church.

Oh, to get even the slightest glimpse into the 22 months of her life before we met in China, to be able to understand where some of her daily behavior stems from, and to be able to erase the bad and replace it with the good.

It's a tough journey at times.  Is it worth it?  You tell me..........

Home Schooling - How Does it Work?

It's been a long while since I've written about home schooling.  This post from a fellow adoptive mom prompted me to give you all an update.  I have a few friends who have strongly considered pulling their kids from public/private school and trying to educate at home.  So, perhaps a glimpse into our daily life will serve those considering a home school program.

Home schooling looks and works differently for every family.  For us, we are using Sonlight Curriculum.  One of my best friends calls it "Home Schooling For Dummies," and as a matter of fact, there's a lot of truth to that.  Sonlight lays out daily activities for all subjects:  Language Arts, History, Science.  We use a separate curriculum for Math and for that we were referred by friends to try Singapore Math.  I also do a cursive handwriting workbook with my oldest son - A Reason for Handwriting that I love!

4th Grade History Binder.
Days of the school week across the top, the rows list the activity to be completed.
Complete it, check it off, you're done!  Move onto the next subject.

Our day starts fairly leisurely, especially since I've learned that I'm just horribly allergic to our new state of Texas and some days I just can't function.  I've never slept well at night since my husband is a snorer (sorry hun, but it's true), but add my allergies to it and I just don't sleep well at all and that leads to late mornings.  We typically start school by 9:30am but sometimes it's as late as 10:00.  We don't outline or plan every second of our day like some families do.  I've tried that since I prefer structure, but my boys like to have their options open.  We go in the order of what we want to do.  Sometimes my boys beg for science so we do that first, with both boys listening to each others lessons.  They LOVE science!  But if I'm feeling lousy and am having trouble getting out of bed, we'll often start snuggling in bed reading before heading downstairs to the dining room table.

There are many things that my 4th grader can do on his own, specifically Language Arts.  He can do his spelling, vocabulary, handwriting, and often a writing/research project all on his own while I work with my kindergartener.

There isn't much my kindergartener can do on his own quite yet.  He can do his handwriting and spelling words and copy work, but other than that, I'm reading the Bible stories, the social studies lesson, the science lesson and I walk him through his math assignments.

We love using the easel in the kitchen!

When my 2 year old gets in the way and needs my attention, my 4th grader has really enjoyed being a student teacher to my kindergartener.  That's a big help, but it does keep my oldest from his work, so I try not to depend on him too much.  For the most part, our Quiet Tiger has learned to play with toys fairly quietly while we are schooling.

All in all, it only takes about 1 - 1.5 hours to get through a day's worth of Kindergarten curriculum.  For my 4th grader, it will take at least 3 - 4 hours.

We take a good hour break for lunch.  We'll eat together for about a half hour or so and then I'll let the boys play with Legos or watch a cartoon on Netflix.  By the time L's nap time comes around at 2:00pm, we're either done with school or just wrapping up school for Super C.  Then it's playtime or I'll take the boys outside to play catch or hit a badminton birdie around in the driveway, or ride scooters out front or they'll shoot hoops on the back patio.

They really do enjoy learning from each other's curriculum!  

Some days we have to flex, like days when we have errands to run like oil changes, grocery shopping, library trips.  Those days we may just stick with reading and math and then catch up on the other subjects later in the week.  I have yet to give my boys any days off of school with the exception of the weekend, of course, two weeks we were moving into the house and unpacking, 2 days at Thanksgiving and 2 weeks at Christmas.  We've done school on President's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Pulaski Day (had to throw that out for my IL friends - haha), etc.  We'll take a week off for Spring Break when my mom and stepdad come see us at Easter in a couple weeks.

I've found a homeschool group at our edge of town that meets for various activities.  We are currently attending their bi-weekly PE sessions at a nearby park.  The boys love it and I'm meeting other moms and L gets to play on the playground.  The group does other activities as well, but most seem to cost money and we're just not spending more than we need to right now, so I'll do the things that are free.

We've enjoyed the last 26 weeks and are excited to have only 10 weeks left.   We haven't made any firm decisions about next year yet.  I'd prefer to keep home schooling through elementary school at the very least but we'll see what happens.   I'm honestly unsure of what the schools are like in our new neighborhood.  We bought the house knowing we were home schooling and didn't put a ton of importance on school quality when choosing our neighborhood.

All in all, if you can follow a checklist, Sonlight is a great place to start for home school.  And while I will say that I'm quite the administrative person, attentive to details, enjoying organization, I really think anyone could handle Sonlight.  I love home schooling so much, much more than I ever thought I would.  The time spent with my kids is truly priceless.

I'm very open to any questions you might have about the topic!