Week 16

What a successful week for us at Heritage Academy! The Lord has been faithful to bless us and answer my prayers for harmony in our house this week. He allowed me to be humble and ask forgiveness of my children when I fail (most specifically when I raise my voice - something I have posted about and resolved to work through) and thus draw my children to me. When they know that I am not being proud just for the sake of control or stubbornness they are willing to open up and to keep their hearts soft. Oh, how much easier it is to reach a willing heart than one that has been hardened by a sharp word!

With 3 good weeks behind us, I can almost (and I mean 'almost') say that we've found our groove again! I am figuring out how to balance the baby's feedings with Jefferson's lessons, as well as keeping up with Adam's (and soon to be Reagan's also) special non-allergen rotation diet. We are reading whenever we have a free minute and taking the one hour that I have while Lincoln sleeps to get through math. I have replaced my nap after lunch with an hour of science or history so that dh doesn't have to do it in the evening (week 14). It was nice of him but not easy to keep Jefferson motivated and focused when Daddy is home!

I am still trying to figure out how to include Reagan and Adam in the morning lessons and make sure that they are getting enough attention. I have started Reagan on the phonics flashcards from Christ Centered Curriculum which we used for Jefferson last year. I like Phonics Pathways (suggested by Susan Wise Bauer and Jesse Wise in "The Well Trained Mind: A Guide to Classical Education at Home")but was just so pleased with the progress that Jefferson made with CCC that I know it's a great way to start Reagan also. I will hold off on the workbook and penmanship until next fall but feel that she's ready to learn to read soon. She has an amazing memory and is so proud to show Daddy what she remembers!

Adam, at 2 years old, requires quite a bit of attention right now (yes-I hear you veteran HSing moms chuckling at that understatement) and I haven't found a solution that both gives him the attention he needs and keeps him out of trouble. Always looking for ideas here! So far I have found that taking numerous breaks from Jefferson helps keep the whining down.

However, there's no comfort for him when he's sick with a virus (which seems to be always - we are still looking for this diet to change that). So for this reason we struggled to get through the end of the week since all four kids were sick and thoroughly snotty by Thursday. But with strength that is greater than my own, I did not pull out my hair or run up and cover my head in my pillow! I will admit, however, that I dared to daydream on occasion about the scrapbooking that I wished I could be doing instead of drowning out a screaming toddler while wiping the snot off my dd and reading a science lesson. But alas, that was just a daydream! And it was nothing compared with the joy of experiencing Reagan's smile as she flies through her alphabet, or Jefferson's excitement at discovering cool things about crabs!

So for this week I will meerly post a few nice photos since my time is short and sleep is calling:

Jefferson was excited to learn about crabs this week! When asked what he has observed over the past few months about his 2 hermit crabs, he at first said,"I don't know." But with a little help he was soon spilling all the details including his favorite part - discovering that one of them had changed shells while he slept!

I call these 'Variation on a Theme' since Reagan was totally excited to get to color some 'Egypt stuff' with Jefferson. Hers turned out girly purple while he spent time on the intricate patterns of the necklace and headset!
Jefferson keeps telling me that he likes my blog - I think it's just because I am proud to show off his 1st grade work here!

I bought a new hanging file and folders. Next week we conquer the task of organizing Jefferson and Reagan's work into daily folders that they can learn to manage on their own (thus hopefully giving them a feeling of responsibility for their own assignments). I would also like to get their weekly chore chart completed - we have been quite lax and inconsistent in this area. But there has never been more need from this tired, multitasking mommy than now for them to get a few things done that lightens my load!

Until then!