Back to School!

This week we began our sixth year of homeschool.  I am excited about it and I think we are going to have a good year.  I think everybody is a lot happier when we have a schedule and a purpose for the day.  Our children are just not very good at structuring their own time so "summer vacation" doesn't work very well for them.  The days seem to flow a lot smoother when we are on a regular routine as well.

Tyler is beginning seventh grade this year.  I am not sure how I feel about putting an actual grade level out there because in some subjects he is far behind that and in others he is way ahead of that level but for the sake of a grade level that is probably the closest.  We are using more formal text books with him this year in several of his subjects.  It just seems like he has been leaning more towards that for about the last year.  I think my heart is with more of a Charlotte Mason aproach but that is not what works for him.  He was a bit overwhelmed however when he saw the size of his Apologia General Science book  but after we looked at it together and I showed him how we would be doing a lapbook with is from Knowlege Box Central he was definately much more happy with it.  He loves lapbooks.  This is not a big surprise because he is a hands on learner.  He did two lapbooks (our first ones) last year and decided that it was for him!  We are also going to do a lapbook/scrapbook in a large binder to go along with our Bob Jones World Studies.  This one I am making up myself as there isn't one available to my knowlege.  I have created three different sections for it already.  I am excited about it but am also hoping I don't get burned out on it.  I would like to share it too but I don't know how to post pdf files on here.  If someone wants to leave a comment and let me know how I would love to though.  Tyler was also thrilled to try out a new math cd I got for review and practice.  It is Quarter Mile Math level 3.  He did very well at it.  He liked the race cars and named his player after his grandma's favorite Nascar driver.  I thought that was sweet.  He had a couple of rough moments this week transitioning back to school but mostly I think he did super!

I am trying to slowly transition Christian back to school also.  He requires more time to get into a routine.  We did do some things together though even though we didn't do any workboxes yet.  He liked the adapted book I had made for him and posted about earlier this week so I was rather encouraged about that.  I will be making him some more.  I would like to make him one about going to the doctor as we will be needing to go for checkups soon.  We are still working on trying to fix his crazy sleep schedule but that is pretty much something we are always working on.   He has been happy all week and eating a little better so I will be content with that for now.

Tim, my hubby, has started his new position at work this week also.  He is an instructor now so we are truly all "back to school".  His hours there should be a little more regular than they have been in the past which is a big help to our structure around here.  He also doesn't have to deploy while he is there so that is a blessing also.  I hope he will like it there and it will be challenging enough for him.  He is a person who needs a lot of that.   So far he is liking it though. 

I am feeling good about everything right now.  I like to be back to teaching my boys.  I need to get my domestic stuff back to a more regular schedule but I think that will come soon too.  I REALLY need to get back to menu planning.  It has been hard to do during our moving.  My grocery shopping and cooking go so much smoother when I do though.  I also would like to find a little more time for some reading.  I started Mark Hall's new book but haven't had much time for it.  I did read through my first issue of Salt magazine the other day however and enjoyed it tremendously.  Mostly though everything is back to normal and I am feeling blessed to be in our new house.  I feel like we are where God wants us right now and we are doing what he wants us to do and I couldn't feel more content about it! 

I hope everyone else is enjoying getting back to school or will be soon. See you soon!