First Day of School 2012!

 Lesson learned from the first day of school today: At some point you've got to pull the plug and call it quits.

Maybe that's not a great way to start a post about a most exciting day, but as this weary mama unwinds via  the written word, it's the first thought that comes to mind!  If I haven't expressed this adequately over the past few years of blogging, let me say it now: homeschooling your children is going to take a lot out of you.

I do say all this with a tired little smile. It was a good day.  We began our new school year with Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, a real treat around here.  After dressing, brushing our teeth and hair, and returning to the table, I gave each of the kids a box full of school supplies and a few of the more fun books they'll be using this year.  Everyone was full of grins and smiles!

 The older two kids got two spiral binders for their notebooking pages, a "cool" spiral notebook, markers, colored pencils, crayons, their own roll of tape, scissors, glue sticks etc.  I put their flag sticker book and animal workbooks that go with our ECC core in them too.  It was like Christmas!

 Petite got many of the same items, but instead of binders, she got lots of new coloring books!  Oh, the delight on her face!  She loves to color.  Our big little girl just turned three and wants to be part of everything her older brother and sister are doing.

It makes my heart happy that such little
gifts make them so happy.

It's amazing how exciting a box of school supplies can be!

Mister builds a castle with his little sister, giving me a chance to work with Brown-Eyed Girl.

Today I introduced some of the first books we'll be using in our new core.  Window on the World gave us a preview of what is to come this year: learning about people groups all over the world who need to hear about the gospel of Jesus Christ.  It offered us some tips on how to pray and encouraged us to keep on praying even when it seems like we are not getting answers.   Because we didn't have a prayer focus yet, we got out the latest edition of God's World News and read about the upcoming election in our own country, and prayed for its outcome.  I look forward to seeing how all our prayers grow this year.

I love when there are moments in the day that could never have been planned.  Our discussion about our memory verse (John 3:16) and prayer was one of those moments.

The kids filled out their passport applications so that they can travel to 16 different countries this year.  They took a geography pretest to show-off how many countries they know so far.  We learned about ecology and watched a youtube video they said was "cool" (and which explained the concept better than the book).  Math, English, reading.  Some parts of the school day get old quick :)

Home educating keeps me on my toes.  It is a huge commitment of time and energy.  And it goes without saying, though I feel I have to say it, that I'm not just a teacher, I'm mommy the referee, the trainer, the grocery-getter, the meal-planner, the laundry folder, and the dishwasher emptier.  Today was one of those days that I kept thinking I'd have a chance to sit down and take a breather, but it just didn't happen. Potatoes had to be chopped, corn shucked, table set, and drinks poured.  One more thing kept coming up.  And that's why today's lesson is that at some point you have to pull the plug.

I just love this picture of my crazies.
They are worth it all.

It's easy to start a new school year gung ho- and forget that no huge results are going to be seen on the first day.  My children aren't instantly better at handwriting because they are in a new grade.  Not every day- not even the first day- is going to be a miracle.  And there's rarely going to be a day when everything gets done that I'd like to get done.  So it's important to, at some point, call it a day, and call it a good one, and let some stuff go til tomorrow.

So I'm calling it.

It was good.

174 more days to go!