1) CC
Here are the boys on there first day of Classical Conversations, the homeschool group we are participating in this year.
Jake's sleepy eyes are giving away that CC has us up and moving much earlier than a "normal" day. Luckily, he is so excited to go each week that he doesn't even mind the mad morning rush. I think CC is a great fit for us. I feel like it is just the right amount of "school" each week. It is just enough for him to have a little independence and autonomy, develop relationships with peers and other adults, and learn to take instruction from someone other than me or Arthur. But as much as he enjoys his CC time, he did tell me that he would still rather have me as his everyday teacher. Good thing too, cause he is stuck with me.
This sweet face is in my class each week. That's right, I have re-entered the work force (once a week for three hours while I wear one of babies, teach another another one of my babies, and share a wall with the classroom of my oldest baby)! James is luke-warm about the whole thing while we are there. I don't think he is crazy about sharing me. But he is picking up the "grammar" like crazy, and he can be heard skip counting and singing history sentence songs all over the house. Not to mention, his ability to spout off facts about the human body and list off nearly every one of the 50 states and their capitials.
At the end of the three hour separation, these boys are usually pretty excited to be reunited and to get out side to play with their friends.
I appreciate that family is the focus of this group. I feel like public school can decrease a parents value in a child's eyes. And I like that each meeting begins with us sitting together as a family at morning assembly and ends with us sitting together again while we eat our lunch. I feel so blessed that I get to be a part of nearly all of their day every day. I try hard not to take it for granted.
2) James starts violin!
This fall James joined Jake as a violin student with Miss Robin. He was so excited to start his first day!
He was a little bummed when he realized that his bow didn't even get to touch the strings during his first lesson.
And he was down right upset when he had to "sit and watch" the other boys play during group lesson. Luckily, this is not Miss Robin's first rodeo and she got him out of his slump and excited again after a week or two. Now he is happily using his bow to play the beginning of Twinkle and See Saw.
Speaking of See Saw, I could have sworn that Jacob was just learning that one! Now he is able to play so many pieces. Listening him practice has started to be very enjoyable for all of us. I love to listen to him play Oh Come Little Children and Arthur's favorite is Old Dan Tucker. This semester he is also learning to site read. But the thing that impresses me the most is that he is his growing ability to play back phrases of music after hearing them only once or twice. When Miss Robin first introduced this I remember being skeptical as he struggled to find the notes she had just played, but I have been so impressed with how quickly he is picking it up!
3) Family Bowl Nights
I was really struggling with our weekly Family Home Evening. It was difficult for me to plan another lesson and activity on top of our homeschooling week (which includes a New Testament devoltional each morning and family Book of Mormon study each night) and planning my weekly CC lesson. It felt a little overwhelming and redundant, but at the same time, I wanted to follow the council of your prophet and other church leaders. After some serious prayer, I recalled a line from the Proclamation to the World that mentions the importance of wholesome recreational activities with our families. It was light a lightbulb went off. Yes!! That is exactly what we need, especially since Arthur has been juggling his army duties with the pressures of starting a new business. We all could use some fun...a time to relax, laugh, and just be together.
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