I'm so thrilled at how well things are going!  I can definitely see fruit already.  He now really listens to stories and can answer many questions about it, even later in the day after reading it.  He is also beginning to "get" phonics, which is a tremendous relief.  I think teaching him to read will be fairly easy.  He absolutely LOVES science and math and wants to do both every day.  I am currently alternating days for those 2 to hold him back to a more moderate pace.  Our first read-aloud has been The Boxcar Children, and it is a big hit. We've read ahead a couple of times already, so we'll just add in another book in the days before we reach our next read-aloud assignment.  I'm thinking it will probably be the Hank the Cowdog book we started but haven't finished yet.

Things are even going better with the 2 little ones.  I try to spend some time with them before we start our lessons, which seems to help "fill up their tanks" so I can spend the one-on-one time that Bubba needs when we're doing school.  They are also invited and encouraged to listen to the read-alouds, so they don't feel left out.

The only thing that is a bit difficult is getting all the home preserving done as well as the housework.  I'm very grateful that I ran across a homeschooling/home management logisitics site and set it up this summer.  It has given my days more structure so that I'm able to keep up with my work, for the most part.

All in all, this is going much more smoothly than I had ever dreamed, and I'm so incredibly grateful that I'm able to do it.