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Thanks for visiting my blog. I began journaling about my daily life when I was eleven. Over the years, this has grown to become a way for me to share my thoughts rather than my daily life. I’m pretty open with sharing all the beautiful chaos of life with six children. I have to remind myself to extend grace to myself each and every day! It is my hope that my writings will help others to learn to extend grace to themselves too. After all, if it weren’t for the Grace of God, life would just be messy. I’m so glad that life can instead be a Beautiful Mess and is covered by His Beautiful Grace.

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Much better day....

Today went much better than yesterday!  Levi still slept in since he hasn't been able to sleep much at night but I am hoping that tonight will be better.  Elijah was up and at 'em this morning, finishing his required work by 8:45.  He started out by reading a Bob book again, choosing to read the one from yesterday again since he had a little trouble with it.  He then did a spelling card from the Blue Language Kit, using the movable alphabet.  This was his first time with the Blue Language Kit and he had a little difficulty with the words but after correcting them with the movable alphabet, he wrote them correctly in his notebook.  He then moved on to his copy work, which is Psalms 68:19 this week.  For now I am writing it on the board and he is copying it.  I hope to move to him copying it from the Bible soon.  After finishing his copy work, he moved on to his Math, choosing to work on his number roll.  I've been looking at Shiller Math and I am hoping to purchase it this month so that we can go back to Montessori style math.  He is doing great with Saxon (working a grade ahead) but it is more drill than teaching.  Shiller has both. 

Levi woke after the morning school session was over so he didn't work this morning.  It was a kind of yucky day and the ground was still wet from a late rain last night so we played on the screen porch for a bit and then had lunch.  I napped with the baby while Elijah and Levi played "store" in the hallway downstairs.  (I did mention that Levi hasn't been sleeping at night, right?  Well, that means I haven't been either.)  After our nap, we spent another hour in the classroom before calling it a day.  Levi did his handwriting (I used our verse to make dotted sheets for him to trace.  He usually traces them and then copies them onto paper.  We will probably move on to doing copy work soon.  I just need his handwriting to improve a bit more so that it is legible) and then we worked on his Explode the Code together; he is still in the Getting Ready books so he can't work independently yet.  He is very interested in print lately so while I was napping, he was actually working on the signs for their store.  He did not get much official school time in today but I feel that playing store with his older brother, who is very good at telling time and counting money, is a great learning experience.  They had signs that told the name of the store, the time that they open/close and the name of the shop keepers.  I need to get them some price stickers because last week they got in trouble for using a permanent marker to mark the price on some items that they had for sale. 

We have a foster child living with us right now that will be 2 next month.  He comes into the school room with us each day and usually explores the shelves and works standing at a shelf.  When I see something grab and hold his attention, I take that lesson, put out a work rug and let him sit on it to do his work.  I know you aren't supposed to sit on your work rug but he seems to work much better this way.  Well, this afternoon I was finishing up with Levi and he brought me the bucket of link-its that I added to our math shelf this week.  These were a lost treasure from a math methods class from my college days; I found them when cleaning out a closet over the weekend.  I opened the lid for him, he walked across the room and set them down.  I then watched as he took a work rug and spread it out the best that he could.  He sat down and then dumped the bucket of link-its to do his work.  Right now he is unable to link them, but he can take them apart.  There's a long chain in the bucket that he enjoys working with and taking apart.  Levi enjoys putting it back together so the two of them working separately is actually supporting the other one's work. 

I have found myself with a rare break of silence this afternoon since Gabe has taken them all for a haircut.  When they left they were negotiating spiky hair with Dad, who prefers a more gentleman-like look.  I'd love to write more but I do want to enjoy the quiet a bit and maybe watch something that I want to watch until they get back. 

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