Last Friday we took a field trip with our Homeschool Preschool group and had such a great time.  We printed Sparky the Fire Dog coloring pages to show our appreciation to the firefighters at the station for letting us tour their station and both of my guys really put a lot of time and care into their work.  The princess even drew a picture of herself and a fireman walking together in a garden on the back.  Our guide, Fireman Bill (probably about age 21), was probably more nervous than the kids about our tour of Station Number 4.  The kids were amazed to find out that the Firefighters live at the firestation while they are on duty and that the Captian gets his own room.  My daughter was so proud to share that her grandpa was a captian when he was a fireman.  Fireman Bill showed us all of the cool tools on his firetruck-something my boys really enjoyed-and he also put on his full uniform explained how each part can protect him from danger.  I was especially proud of my princess and middleman at how attentive and polite they were.  They asked intelligent questions, they were well behaved and they had fun.  After the tour we had an opportunity for some great photo ops and the kids got to play in the leaves for a few minutes.  Mark this day in the column of great homeschool days in history (at least in our history).

God Bless

After a challenging Friday, I can say that our learning environment has undergone much improvement in the last few days.  Several factors have come into play recently, but I attribute our success to prayer.  I knew that I was not giving enough time to God and that I was trying to do everything myself without asking for help from anyone-especially Him-so I began my day by asking Christ to stand with me all day.   I asked that He never leave my side and hold my hand in every action and every thought.  God is so good in fulfilling His promises!

I John 5:14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything

according to His will, He hears us.

Since this renewed commitment to prayer, I have had a full night's sleep (6 uninterrupted hours!), I have been able to run two days this week, and my husband and I have made time for ice cream dates with each of my oldest children individually (much needed one on one time).  I also rearranged our school schedule to include some choice for the supreme princess and more free play time for the boys.  Why do I always forget to ask for help?  Why do I always wait until I am hanging on by a thread? 

Well this is my first shot at blogging and I'm not sure exactly how it works, but I will give you a little background about me and my homeschool experience.  I have three amazing children ages 1, 3, & 5.  We are trying homeschooling for the first time this year and have had many wonderful experiences as well as many challenging experiences.  Today was not the best day and I am trying to figure out what happened and what I can do to make sure that Monday is a better day. 

Just to give you a quick snapshot, the littlest angel (age 1) has been on a mission for some time to completely destroy the classroom by tearing down posters, turning the light on and off during lessons, stealing crayons from his brother and sister and marking on the walls, while the supreme princess (Age 5) has decided that homeschooling is a bore.  My middle man tries his best, but often cannot focus in the chaos and will simply give up and break down.  Some days even story time, which used to be everyone's favorite time, has been marred by interruptions and disciplinary problems. 

We need some new ideas;  some positive reinforcement.  Or maybe "this, too, shall pass" and I'm making a big deal over an off day.  Any thoughts?