GETTING ORGANIZED FOR THE NEW SHOOL YEAR!

Getting ready for the upcoming school year can be stressful.   Well, maybe not for some people, like my wonderful husband who lives and breathes lists and organizing everything; but organization is not really my strong suit! Add to that the need to plan for three individual children with individual ideas, wants, grades, and learning styles and the task might seem insurmountable.  BUT, in this past year of homeschooling there are some things that I have learned and am using to make life a little bit easier.  Thanks to these tricks I have the first six weeks of school planned, and it only took an afternoon!

The first thing that I love is Sonlight!  I love that their Instructor Guides or IG’s are organized and ready to go!  All I need to do is gather my supplies and boom, we are off.  The Cores even come with stickers to put on the book covers so I can see at a glance what book is with what Core.  The only problem is that I just can’t bring myself to put a sticker on the cover of my books!  So, I labeled my binders myself so I would know what is what.  This makes it easier for me to grab the appropriate lessons for each child.  Since we live in a state that requires a portfolio, all work goes into the handy binder behind the correlating week and ta-da, instant portfolio ready at any given moment!  Plus it helps me, the person that doesn’t always stay organized, stay organized!

Lovely IG's ready to go!

Something that I purchased new this year is the Homeschool Curriculum Planner.  I love this plan book.  Not only does it have a spot for each day of the week to plan things out, but it also has a place to plan for four children on each page.  Yes, I do love that the Sonlight IG’s are ready to go, but I also enjoy the fact that I can open this plan book and see at one glance what each child is doing on any given day.  It also has a place to list any activities the kiddos do and a place for reading lists!  For me, this was a worth while investment.

This planner is awesome!

I can have all four kiddos seen at a glance!  Wonderful!

The last thing that I started midyear last year that the kiddos really appreciated was making them daily checklists.  Each Monday morning they are given a checklist with their daily assignments broken down.  This makes life simple for me since there are many things that they don’t need my help with and gives them the freedom to take responsibility for their schooling on their own.  Plus it frees me up to deal with each child on their own level and, well truthfully, chase after the baby as needed!  The last thing that I have done is written a letter to each child welcoming them to the school year and telling them just what I expect and want from them! 

A sample of my checklists. Yes, I handwrite them all!

One of my WELCOME to school letters.

Well, there you have it!  I have been working hard to get everything ready, and I do believe that we are there!  We start school on Labor Day!  YAY!  And, yes know that this is a holiday, but we chose to start then so Daddy could be here with us!  I’ll try to check back in and let you know how everything is going throughout the year!  Truthfully, I love homeschooling, even if it challenges me to get organized!

OUT WITH THE OLD ON TO THE NEW!

It is that time of year!  The time to get everything set out and organized to begin another new school year.  Since we just completed the end of our first full year of homeschooling, I didn’t realize how much I was going to be saddened at packing the books away.  BUT, I know that we will love these new books as much as we did our old ones, and I can’t wait to start our new school year!!

The old messy books.

The new books in their neat bins.

Emptying the bookshelf.

Everyone got into the act.

 

Well, some of us were busy pulling our favorites from our "old" books!

Some of us were helping Mama move bins of books!

Some of us were climbing into empty bins!

Our 3rd and 7th grade shelves are newly organized and ready!

 

Our Kindergarten and Math centers are ready to go too!

Here’s to new adventures and lots of fun learning!

MAMA’A FAVORITE

Today as we were coming home from church we were discussing the impact of divorce on children.  As a son who lives with parents who were divorced, Robert knows firsthand the pain that it can bring.  We were also discussing the impact that family relationships have on siblings, especially when parents show favoritism to one child over another.  Certainly there are parents who do not realize they are doing this, and they purpose to love their children the best way that they know how, but there are time when a favorite is chosen.  It might be something as simple as the child being an only boy or the baby of the family, but the children can sense this and it can hurt; even as an adult.

I asked Robert if he thought we had shown any favoritism to our children.  Of course he said that we do not.  I wasn’t so sure.  As a Mama I love each of my children for their uniqueness and their own ability to bring light and joy to my heart, but I still didn’t know.  So, doing the only thing that I could, I asked.

“Hey Kiddos…..Maggie, John Robert, and Ethan……who is Mama’s favorite?”

No lie, at the exact  same time, all three of children responded.  I just knew that they were going to say that it was Cole since he is the baby and requires so much attention.  BUT, all three voices from the back seat  said at the exact same time:
“ME”! 

Robert glanced and me and smiled.   My eyes welled up with tears.  So often it is hard to balance being a Mama to a family with more than two children, but I had my answer.  And yes, all three big kiddos were right!  They are all my favorite!!!!

UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS

 

Today we were given an unexpected blessing!  I have wanted to take the kiddos to Legoland for, well forever or at least since they opened last year.  Surprise, surprise……being a single income family we just never had enough money!

  Enter today!  Today we were given the gift of a trip to Legoland, for FREE!!!  It was a wonderful day and while we didn’t hang out in the theme park (it was too hot), we did have tons of wet watery fun at the water park.  The kiddos loved it!  All three big kiddos loved the water slides, wave pool, and the lazy river Even Cole had a blast in the wave pools and kiddies sections.   I can’t wait to get passes to take the kiddos and daddy!  God is so good!!!!

YAY!

Thank You, we are happy to be here!

This is where we spent most of our day!

Someone had fun on the slides!

Another big smile after a ride on the slide!

Floating in the lazy river!

Or walking in the lazy river keeping the kiddos a float!

Even he loved the water!

YES!  We will, with God's grace!!!!

SLEEP

Sleep, I really like sleep.  I like naps, I like bedtime snuggles, I like, well, sleep!  Unfortunately, the newest little man in my life does not!  He like cuddles, laughing, eating, climbing, exploring, eating, crawling, discovering big brother’s toys, eating, playing, chewing on electrical cords, eating, and well in general being awake!  Naps are almost nonexistent!   BUT, who could not look at that face and fall in love? 

                   

I guess I will be able to sleep when he is in college!

BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING

Oh how I LOVE shopping for school supplies.  I love the look and feel of pencils, the crispness of new notebook paper and folders, the superb color of new crayons!  <SIGH> All this brings me sheer joy!  Next to Christmas, my birthday, and Box Day, I’d have to say that school shopping is what gives me tons of sheer bliss!

Organizing into three neat stacks.

This year was no exception.  Since we are homeschooling, the children’s need for new school clothes and shoes no longer exists.  We also school year round so I typically stock up on things to last us throughout the entire year.  This year the children had school supply lists since I needed to update some of their folders, but for the most part it was basic supplies.

One thing that I am adamant about is each child getting some special pencils and a notebook that is just for them.  I color code all their school folders and notebooks to keep confusion at a minimum and to make my life easier.  The children know that their math folder is red, their LA folder is green, etc.  This year we brought our supplies home, reorganized and updated the supply bookshelf in the kitchen and are now totally ready to start our new grades in September!  I for one can’t wait!!!!

Maggie's supplies.

John Robert's supplies.

Gee, I wonder who Spiderman supplies are for?

The shelf is cleaned and restocked.  I just need to redo the kids "cubbies!"

 We are now ready for school!  YAY!

Letter to the World.....

Dear World,

        Today my daughter has made her first venture into your sphere.  She has traveled out from under my care for the next three days.  She is going on a small youth missions trip to do backyard VBS style outreach, community outreach, and share her love of Christ with others.  Please be kind to her; you see she is still my baby.  She is still my princess in her dress, beads, and special high heels going to town with me.  She is still the baby that slept with me at night, laughed at my silly stories, and had tea parties with her daddy.  World, I am not ready for her to be so grown up.  Please show her some kindness, respect, and most of all love. 

Thank you World!

                                                                        Sincerely,

Mama