It is with this post, that I must say that we have just completed week 35 of Core K. It has been a wild and wonderful ride and we have loved almost every moment of it, but we are so excited to crack those books on Core 1 starting October 1.

We have been blessed to be homeschooling this year. We have actually homescholed through things that would normally mean we could not do them or our lives would have been completely overturned.

In September of last year we started with Core K with my new son who was born August 17th one month early. By the end of that month my children, son and I had moved to TN to be with my mother (who had had a stroke and bypass and we used the excuse of "showing off the new baby" so that she had no idea I was coming to help her) and my husband had cleaned out our entire house and put everything in storage as he searched for another house for us to live in. Education continued and even blossomed as we traveled and in the midst of the upheaval.

In October we drove to middle TN with my mother as she went into the hospital again and stayed there for a month. We were able to stay there with her and Education continued.

In January, my mother died here at home with all of us here doing things she loved the entire time. The night before she was talking about poodle skirts with my girls and laughing about the cool fashions of the day when she was a kid through today (Social Studies) as they sat on her bed looking through photo albums eating roasted pea nuts. And through it all including the funeral arrangements and a trip to GA for burial, education continued.

In February my husband found out that his services were no longer needed at his job and he stayed with us in TN. Education continued.

My husband started a nation wide search for a new job, and we did not dread or worry about where the school system would be because we knew that education would continue.

In June, my husband moved back to start his new job (better than the last) and look for a place for us to live and we do not worry at all about the state of our children's education because that has been the one constant through it all.

Through many many things and twists and turns and crazy life happenings, we know that their education continues uninterrupted and still as wonderful. The places and faces may change a bit. We may be reading The Apple and the Arrow one week, and sitting under a tree several hours away reading from I can Read It the next but doing science experiments with friends outside in a park in another state another week, but it is the one constant through this crazy year for us. Sonlight has made this happen. Homeschooling has made this happen. This community has made this happen. And I thank you all for that so so much.

Now, ummm...what happened this week...
The girls cried at the end of Pooh because Christopher Robin was growing up and did not recognize the animals as really "real" any longer. We all had a long sit down over that one and just cuddled and talked about growing older compared to growing up. After which my babies walked up to every one of their lovies and promised never ever to grow up. My miniature Peter Pan babies!

One child has been finished with SLLA1 for an eternity and we have been reading other books she is interested in and doing dictation from them as well as writing and illustrating each chapter.

The other on week 19 of SLLA1 and is doing a great job. She is my kid who started out the year stating that she did not wish to learn to read because she is actually a scientist and "scientists don't read about it mama, we do it" and then picking up an ICRI book about week 10 and reading the first 3 chapters without stooping! Thank you sonlight for having fun and good materials that encourage and invite the children to look and read and have fun with them.

The girls were thrilled that they knew the poem "The Tree" and performed it for everyone they saw (including some bewildered people on the street). And were able to explain to a kid in Sunday school why we memorize bible verses after she asked why it was so important (hiding the word in your heart not only your head).

They walked around in Saris (without jewels) and "rescued" their lovies from the temples and took pride that their momma's feet are bound. That part had me leaping with joy inside. They were able to correct a person at church about the date and place where John Wesley was born (the person they corrected was an adult at church who was just amazed).

Their hand writing has jumped up by leaps and bounds!!! They print beautifully (when they want to and when they have any motivation to). And my babies can multiply, tell time, solve for an unknown, and enjoy every moment of it!!

They know more about Language arts then their father (the techie) and that is cool. Especially when you see them sitting down to explain what a simile is and why a verb can not be an antecedent to a completely confused adult (my sweet DH).

They have measured their shadows this week to see how the earth moves. And we have together watched and marveled at the rain which has come from possibly miles away just to rain on the lake near the house which will be picked up and taken somewhere else.

The girls were shocked as we talked about Paul and how brave he was even in the face of such scary things.

They loved counting out grains of rice...that is until it became so much that they said "mama, the Emperor was not bright was he" and poured it all back. They cheered for Haun Po Po as her breakfast was brought to her and her house keeper finally came to see grace. They were so sad as Barry was mortally wounded and actually cried when Grip died (and saw the parallels to Christ).

Basically it has been a wonderful week for us (academically that is). The girls start every morning (and I do mean every...7 days a week) with wanting to do something academic and I have to force them to bed late late every night because they want to continue to learn. I end the day's readings amid shouts of "read more read more" every time (something that as a bibliophile myself is music to my ears). And the girls take serious pride in making me "trot" ( a term they started using when I have to work hard to keep up with them because they are finishing several days of work in one sitting with glee).

So, It has been a good week academically!!