Week 3

Our week of school has gone really well, I am encouraged and excited about that!
I feel like we're getting into a little bit of a groove about what we are going to do each day.

I am trying really hard to think outside the box and be creative with reading and phonics so that the kids don't get bored or discouraged.
Right now, they really seem to like to write on the whiteboard so we're doing a lot of our writing there. When I went to a training session for the reading program we're using (Sonday), the man was talking about making it fun by letting the kids write with a pen or colored pencil or whatever made it different or exciting for them. I liked that advice, the kids thinks it awesome to use a marker on the whiteboard.

I am so proud of C.J., he passed Level 6 in his reading! He was so proud and just as excited as I was, it was incredible to see him master this material this week, when it had been a struggle for him just the week before. He had to read twenty words in 30 seconds or less with 90% or better accuracy, then he had to spell twenty words with getting 17 or better correct. He read the words 100% right in 20 seconds and he got 18/20 right on his spelling. That is a huge accomplishment for him and I am really encouraged. He is working on some foundational concepts that he never was taught so as he gets these basics, I can see his reading taking off very quickly. Yeah!

Adrian is doing well, she is getting a little more used to the fact that we do school in the morning and she isn't spending the whole morning whining:) Right now, I am trying to expose her to the alphabet as much as possible and get her very familiar with all the letter names as well as the sounds, she learned the sounds really well in preschool but needs a little more time for the letter names. We are also working on blending and learning words like sit, sat, sad, top, tap, map, mad, mat, etc.
She is complaining of her tummy hurting all the time lately, I kind of blew it off for a while, but I am taking her to the doctor next week just to be sure there's nothing going on.

As well as school has gone for us this work, I am finding it really hard to be great at everything and to get everything done. If I focus on school, the house suffers, if I focus on keeping up on the house, school suffers. So, I am trying to find a balance of what that looks like for me. I know it's unrealistic to always have a spotless house, yet it's really important to me to have it picked up and looking pretty good, otherwise it really frustrates me and I can't relax until it's done. I would love any tips on keeping up on housework:)

I am finding that it helps our days go much better when I get up early and spend time with the Lord before the day starts, otherwise it probably won't happen. It makes for a happier me and a smoother morning. I do notice when I remember to pray with the kids over our school day and to invite the Holy Spirit to bring peace and joy to our morning, it really makes a difference. I noticed that this week where some days were rough and others were a little more smooth and the difference was covering our morning in prayer, I pray I remember this, the smooth days are good!