Well, once again, I do great updating friends and family on our family happenings and then for some reason, I stop. I think this time however, I have an excuse. Are you ready for it?!?!? Okay, well......
We have been busy! Our homeschooling studies are taking longer than they have in the past 3 years - and yes I know, this year I am teaching a 1st and 2nd grader while also teaching/entertaining/keeping away a full of life 3 year old who thinks (and knows) that he is just hilarious. It is a job these days. I hope that satisfies as a good enough reason for all. If not, well, come spend a day here, handle all of the homeschooling and entertainment needs ON TOP OF all of the daily household chores....
To give you a better understanding of our day, I will let you into our typical daily routine, Monday - Friday, with VERY few days, or even weeks, off.... We are trying to 'train' the kiddos to not leave their beds until 7a. Somedays this works, most days it does not, so they end up snuggling on the couch with mommy - they *quietly* watch cartoons while I close my eyes until 7! At 7, we start the process of getting daddy out the door, but only after I have at least 1 cup of coffee. Once daddy leaves, between 7:45 and 8, our day really begins. I make breakfast for the kiddos and while they are eating, I am reading them the morning prayers and Bible verses from our Magnificat. After breakfast, we do chores. As soon as those are done and checked off of the list, we will begin school. In the morning, Robert and Hannah do their handwriting work solo while I do a bit of 'work' with Wesley. Once they are done, we move onto the mommy supervised subjects: Spelling, Language/English, and Reading. Typically after these are done, they are antsy because we have been working for 1.5-2hrs, so outside we go. Most days we go for a bike ride around the block a few times. Lately though, they have preferred the backyard. Whichever they choose is fine with me, as long as they are happy...and done with the 4 morning subjects! Around 11:45, I attempt to serve lunch. I say attempt because there is always the I like this, not that - this is nasty - I will eat if you let me skip nap - etc ~ UGH! Once lunch has ended, we enter my favorite time of the day.... nap/rest/reading time!!! Welsey MUST nap. Hannah, must read for 30min and is not allowed out of her room until 2pm. Robert must read for 30min and then he can play on the computer, do puzzles, anything that is quiet and he can do solo. I clean, start dinner IF I am cooking, sit for a few if I can, fold laundry, and prepare for science, math, and Religion. Once they are all up and fed... again.... I will do math. This is a 1:1 subject. So while I am working with Hannah, Robert is working with Wesley - teaching him colors, shapes, songs, etc. Then they switch and I work with Robert. After math comes science. To simplify things this year, I am starting with 1st grade science for both. Once that is done, we will go to second, and so on. Finally, our last subject for the day is religion. This includes a story every week from their children's Bible, with review questions all week. They also have a religion text and activity book that we use. Once school is done and we put all of our school marterials. Around 5:30 I serve the kiddos dinner. Then bath/showers, playing with Daddy, watching Figure It Out at 7, and then reading a book to mommy while snuggling in bed. Once they are out, I set about cleaning up from dinner. Doing some more laundry. Getting lessons for the morning. Hopefully taking a shower. Saying hello to my best friend and thanking him for all he does so that I am able to stay home and teach our beauties. He is such a great man... . Hopefully before midnight I will make it to bed where I say a quick prayer thanking God for the day and begging him to not let anyone have nightmares - this last part almost always is answered for 2/3's of the kiddos.... I will pass out as soon as my head hits the pillow for just a few hours before life starts all over again....
So, like I said previously, I hope that you realize this is not just an excuse. When I say life is busy, it is! And this is just a day where we have no doctor appointments, homeschooling field trips, the kiddos weekly run club, or Adoration that I try to squeeze in at least once a week. But, although our life is crazy and some days I feel like I cant breathe, it is a life I would not trade for anything! And without the hard work of my true love, this crazy, hectic, wonderfully blessed life, would not be possible.
On a different note, I realize more and more every day, what a great life God has grantI re me - even with all of its challenges that have come my way these past 3.5yrs, there is nothing I would change.... Well, 1 thing - to have my family about 590miles closer! If there is one thing I have learned in these past 3.5yrs, with all that has happened with me, with trusting God, and going from 2 to 1 incomes, and then on top of all that, our decision to beginin our homeschooling adventure, I have learned that it truly takes a village to raise children. Honeslty,I believe we would be completely lost of it were not for all of our incredible friends who are there in a moments notice, no questions asked. Who don't offer help just to sound nice, but rather because they rnd truly care. And our family who is only a phone call away at all times, no matter where they are....
