We got started on school again last week and I am very pleased at how well it is going.  We started early because we got so little done last year, basically just keeping up with math and reading.  I had not fully realized how hard last year was until it suddenly got so much better.  Looking back, I can see that it is only the grace of God that has brought us through the last two years.  It is like coming out of the darkness into a bright new day.  Rebekah is SO MUCH EASIER now.  She still has her moments when she just screeches and wants to be held, but most of the time she is HAPPY.  She scoots around all over the house, exploring every thing she can.  She plays, she sleeps, she eats.  She is just a joy.  Ryan and Rachel are excited and eager to learn.

The positive side of barely getting anything done last year is that we are able to recycle last year's curriculum.  We are picking up where we left off (right around week 11) in Adventures in My Father's World with Ryan and officially beginning My Father's World Kindergarten with Rachel.  She really was not ready for it when we tried it last year, but she is flying through it now and loving it.  She is also doing much of Ryan's activities with him (and he with her!).  I can see already that I will probably not do all of the activities in either curriculum and just choose the ones that I think they will both enjoy and get the most out of.  It is fun to see them learning together and to see their different styles. 

Aside from Rebekah sleeping well now, I think the biggest difference in this year and last is that John and I sat down and created a good schedule for all of us.  We read Managers of Their Homes and created a schedule similar to the style they recommend.  It has blessed our whole family tremendously.  Ryan and Rachel are doing much less complaining now that they can see when an activity begins, when it ends and what is coming next.  They are doing chores without (much) complaining even.  My expectations of them in regards to chores has increased greatly and they are stepping up and really helping out.  Our house is much cleaner.  I still have two years worth of very minimal housekeeping to recover from, but I am tackling it slowly and the difference makes me feel so much better.  Not only am I striving to bless my family with a much more pleasant environment to live in, I am striving to be a better steward of the blessings God has given us.  It is amazing how much better I feel after a day of taking care of my responsibilities, rather than just spending the day laying around, just doing the minimum because I am exhausted.  I have discovered that laying around, especially on the computer or just watching TV, makes me feel even more tired.  Taking care of the house and the kids in the way I need to leaves me tired at the end of the day, but it also feels good.  I feel like I am accomplishing the task God has assigned to me and it feels incredible. 

I'll stop rambling for now and go play with the kiddos.  I took some pictures of their first few days of school and will post them soon - hopefully this evening.

God Bless!