On Monday I spent two hours buying curriculum for the boys. We use Abeka so I hauled myself to their display in a local town instead of the lake (which is where I wanted to be) to purchase and save on shipping (about $70).
I was impressed with their new Abeka Academy but it was pricey! About $1000 per kids.
If I bought the teacher kit and the student kit I was going to spend about $500 per child. Again, YIKES!
So I sat, burnt the last of my brain cells on their order form, and put together what I'd need for the kids next year. I had some things I already planned on using so I wanted to fill in the gaps. I ended up spending about $500 on all three boys which felt like a huge accomplishment.
Then off to the lake to defog my already taxed brain.
Ah, thank goodness for the lake.
On a side note my dad asked for silhouettes of the kids so he could paint them. I thought he wanted a true silhouette so this is what I ended up with but he actually wanted profile shots. I liked this one though and wanted to share it with you.
Here's our middle son, complete with his AUBURN hat!
A few weeks ago I asked my dad to send us some pencils. You see he has the greatest boxes of pencils EVER and they are my favorite when it comes to pencils for the children's schoolwork. So look what came in today's mail!
I took this of baby girl by the den window. It's SOOC without a small boost in saturation! After all the crummy photos I've taken lately this was a blessing.
This has been a proud week for us. I think I forget sometimes that one of the important purposes of our homeschooling is to raise kids who love Jesus and can function in our world which is full of people who do not. This can be accomplished through school at home or through regular school. Some of you who read my blog know that we have two children in a local Christian school. One was in second grade this year and the other was in K5.
If I had to do it over again there are times I wish I'd kept our K5er home. I think a full day was too much for him. A half day program would have been better. But we persevered (which was very hard) and he graduated, complete with cap and gown, last night. It was one of those few sweet moments in parenthood when your heart just bursts with pride over your child's accomplishments.
Both children that were in school this year will be at home next year. Our son who was in K5 is ready to be home but our rising 3rd grader wants to go back to school. I'm praying very hard that God would change his heart towards next year. I've felt that the Lord wants them home for this coming year.
So here's a few pictures from last night. One I tried to snap of the entire family since we were looking so dapper and several of our all A's Graduate!
(yep grandparents you can be proud of your next to the littlest!)
(Can I also add as a side note that taking photos inside a building is horrible. I don't know how you guys who take wedding photos do it. I don't think I ever got the lighting correct! Then we went outside and it just got worse because I had 4 people waiting for me in the car and didn't get to change any camera settings.)
Today is partly about confession. There is something we do as a family that I hesitate to tell people sometimes, especially homeschool moms because I know how tired we all are. With that said my confession is this....We have a housekeeper. Yep, an angel descends on our house once every two weeks and makes sure the toilets are scrubbed, the shower isn't growing things and that my boy's bedroom doesn't have 1/2 an inch of dust covering it or mold growing underneath the beds.
It works for us.
We've vacillated between having her once a month (when money is tighter) and then, just recently, went back to every two weeks. This helps us to feel less overwhelmed in all that we do as a family. It helps us keep balance in our lives. Oh, we still do plenty of scrubbing, vacuuming, and dusting in between but knowing that at least twice a month everything is clean at the same time even if it lasts only for an hour is very comforting.
Sometimes as homeschool moms (and as women) we believe we have to "do it all" and for the most part we do so much. Giving ourselves a break and letting someone else in to help really, well, helps!
So I encourage you to find something that will help you lighten your load today. (psst....it's okay, really!)
See more Works for me Wednesday (or today's Doesn't Work for me Wednesday) posts here.
Yesterday we took a field trip to Paris Mountain State Park where we did a little hiking. Here are a few pictures from the day:
The Gang: My four plus friend Dakota
Son #3 plus Dakota (eating lunch on the trail)
I love this picture because Baby Girl has the funniest expressing on her face. They are taking turn drinking water from the water fountain.
The ferns were sprouting their new growth and Baby Girl thought they were so cool, "like little babies, mama!". She kept stopping to Ohh and Ahh over them and to pet them into existence!
Have a great Friday!!!
God is unpredictable but consistent. You may not be able to tell what he is doing or why but you can always trust in WHO HE IS. He has your very best interests at heart. He is good. He is God.
