Today was our first day back to school.  We have a lot of carryover from last year due to our trip to the states and the complications with this pregnancy, but we are planning to proceed full steam ahead until baby boy is born in November.  We will then take a long break, but the good thing is that it will be around holiday breaks anyway.

Arielle is starting Sonlight Core 2.  She is doing Saxon Math 2, Reason for Handwriting Transition (to cursive), and Language Arts 2.  We will be finishing up Science 1 this year and continuing on to Science 2.  Rachel is as pleased as punch to start doing her own school.  She listens in on a lot of Arielle's curriculum, but she is starting Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, Pre-School Comprehensive Curriculum (one of those thick all-in-one books I picked up from Sam's Club) and Reason for Handwriting K.

Borrowing an idea from Miki over at Happy Keeper at Home, I decided to do my own school pictures of the girls.  A photographer I am not, but this was really a much cheaper, more fun way to go!  Enjoy!

"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise."  Deuteronomy 6:4-7 (ESV)

In Christ, Talya

This week has been a hectic one.  Besides starting my blog which has been exciting and a little time consuming, we are getting ready to start the children's ministry I mentioned in a previous post.  We are starting from scratch and many of the leaders were not familiar with the program.  I've had to help give some training, but mostly organize and track down our materials.  I have list after list of things to do/buy/ask about. 

The coordinator and I both homeschool and were talking last night about how time consuming this is on the front end.  It has certainly impacted school with my daughters at least this week.  As our years of homeschooling drift by, I have become less uptight about having to scrap our schedule for a little while and be more flexible -- homeschooling gives us that very opportunity.  A year or two ago, I would have been stressed that no learning would take place at all, but now we fit it in when we can and know that we will be back to our routine in a couple weeks.

I thank God for this small gain.  I have had to trust the Lord and allow Him to direct my steps each day, each hour, each minute.  I must commit my daily schedule to Him and allow him to give me direction.  In Christ, Talya