spring has sprung, our first broken bone, and other happenings

I can't tell you how much I really, really miss being able to blog whenever I want to, instead of just when I have a few extra minutes when we are at the church, especially since I am supposed to be using this time to finish this week's bulletin.

Our weeks have been busy ones lately.  Ronnie's Mom came for a visit a couple of weeks ago and we enjoyed spending time with her.  His brother and sister-in-law even came over on Sunday afternoon to eat lunch with us.  It is rare for all of us (minus their grown kids) to be together.

With the arrival of spring (and spring allergies-oh joy!) has also come the arrival of baseball season.  D moved up from t-ball to coach pitch baseball this year and is incredibly excited about it.  JW is still in the 9 and 10 year old league, but his season is looking doubtful ... more on that later.  I have yet to attend a baseball practice to meet the coaches and other parents.  I have taken advantage of all three kids going with Ronnie to the park to spend a little quiet time at home.  I have felt a little guilty about Ronnie taking all the kids, but since I have (for the most part) used the time to get things done around the house, I guess it isn't too bad.  Soon, games will begin and we will all be at the park together - every night (except Wednesdays) - for weeks.

I suppose I should be thankful that it has taken this long for one of our children to break a bone.  If I had to pick which child I thought would have been the first, I have to admit that it would have be D (aka: the hurricane or wild child) rather than the calmer JW.  Last Sunday, while playing at a friends' house during our Sunday afternoon swap, JW jumped out of the back of a truck (parked, of course) and tripped, landing on his left hand.  From what I can understand (we don't see the bone doctor until Monday) he has a small break above his wrist.  This is new territory for us and I have no idea what to expect when we go back to the doctor on Monday morning.  JW is taking almost all of this in stride with the exception of the fact that he will most likely miss some, if not all, of this baseball season.  Since this is the only sport he plays, I really hate to see him have to miss it, but I am very thankful that he didn't break his neck, so I guess one baseball season isn't a bad trade off.

In other happenings, LB is getting ready for her 7th dance recital!  She has started pointe ballet this spring and is loving it ... she and her friend, Desi, are the only two in their class taking pointe and their teacher told me that if they continue doing well, she may allow them to show off a few steps in the finale of the recital.  Desi and LB are also planning another duet for the recital ... and I am happy to say that they will be doing tap this year, and they are going to let their dance teacher help them choose their music, so I am sure it will be good.

We have been sandwiching school into all these activities.  Our big thing this year has been reading.  LB has continued in her love for reading and I am thrilled to say that JW has now joined the bandwagon and has gotten excited about reading as well.  D is progressing quickly with his phonics and I think he will be reading well by the end of the school year!  I am busy trying to decide what curriculum to order for next year and am looking forward to getting some of the new things ordered.  Just for the record ... I LOVE new school books!

Hopefully, we will soon get the issue with our computer at home resolved and I will be able to go back to blogging on a regular basis - not to mention being able to read everyone else's blogs!  Until then, I hope you have a wonderful spring!

I've got a bit of catching up to do

It seems like it has been forever since I have blogged on a regular basis ... probably because it is true.  The reason has nothing to do with my love for blogging, it is a time issue.  I just can't seem to find the time to write the kinds of posts I want to write, so I don't write at all.  But, for today, I'm claiming a few minutes for myself, letting the kids sleep in a little later than is now normal for us, and enjoying a cup of coffee while I try to catch up a bit.

School is in full swing around here and going pretty well.  I still haven't found exactly what I want to use for language arts this year, so I am just winging it until I do a little more research (and until Ronnie's new job is official and money isn't as tight).  For now we are focusing on history, science, math, and spelling.  We are also increasing our read-alouds, so I am not too worried as of yet.  We have plenty to keep us busy.

LB is in 6th grade this year ... there, I said it.  I've been in denial about having a 6th grader, but I have to come to terms with it!  Our focus this year for her is getting her caught up in math.  She struggled in math when she was younger and I made the decision to go back and make sure she got a better foundation before moving on.  I still believe that it was the right decision, but she is very sensitive to the fact that she is not back to where she would have been if we hadn't changed (and is not doing the same work as her friends).  It is hard for her to understand, but having struggled all the way through highschool and college myself because of a weak foundation in math, I am much more concerned about her academic success, but I know it is rough to be teased about something completely out of your hands.  On a high note, she has finally decided that she loves to read and is reading all the time now.  We are exploring different genres of literature (historical fiction, biography, mystery) and so far historical fiction seems to be her favorite.  Like mother, like daughter!  I am hoping to use her new-found love of reading to push very gently lead her into writing more, but we shall see.

JW is in 4th grade this year and moving right along.  He is doing fine in school, but he is also the only one of my kids who asks, on a regular basis, why do we homeschool?  He also asks if he can go to public school and I have to explain to him (again and again) why we made the decision to homeschool* and why we will stick by that decision.  I can't say that he fully understands, but one day he will (at least that is my prayer) and then maybe he'll come to know that this is not some strange lifestyle chosen simply to torture him.  One thing that has been bothering me about JW is that his normally sensitive nature seems to be at war with a desire to appear tough.  My kids have never really had to deal with a bully so we've never even talked about their existence.  It upsets me to see some of those characteristics coming out in him, especially when it is almost always directed toward his own siblings, though I have recently seen it aimed at a younger girl at church who didn't want to play a game the way the other kids always play it.  I don't want to give the impression that he is going around demanding little kids give up their milk money.  For the most part, he is still his normal easy-going self with most people (outside of our house, anyway), but this is a new twist and we want to help him navigate through this little identity crisis safely.  As for this year in school, my main goal is to help him gain confidence in his own abilities to read and write.  It may just be that a boost in confidence may be the answer to the other problems we are having, too.

D is now in school for real, which still only amounts to a couple of hours a day.  If he were in normal school, he would be in 5 year old kindergarten this year.  I started doing kindergarten work with him last spring, but then things kind of fell apart when Mama was in the hospital and had to have surgery and we really didn't get very far with him.  So, I just picked up this year where I left off with his kindergarten materials and let me tell you, he is bored!  I think we are going to combine his basic phonics with a first grade math program and see if that keeps him busy enough.  He is still learning that school is not something that he can just say, okay I am done for the day and have that fly.  I love teaching this age, though and seeing the light come on as he learns to sound out words and begins doing math.  Back when I thought I was going to be a teacher, I never thought I wanted to teach young children and in truth I probably don't have the patience or the personality for it, but I do find few things more thrilling than seeing a child learn to read.  I am looking forward to a good year with D, but I won't know until we get to the end if I will be promoting him to 1st or 2nd grade.

*Ronnie and I made the decision to homeschool before we were even married.  I was a secondary education major at Delta State and it became clear to me that this was not what God wanted for my life.  Most of the classes seemed to be more directed at saving students from their parents rather than teaching me how to teach them literature and writing.  When I chose to change my focus just be an English major without the education part, Ronnie and I began to talk about education options for the children we hoped to have one day and even then we agreed that homeschooling was the best choice.  We believed then, and still believe now, that this is the life that God has ordained for our family.  Those of you who homeschool know that this isn't just an educational choice, it is a lifestyle and no part of your life is untouched by this decision.  It would be a lie for me to tell you that I don't have days when I wish I could oblige my son and just let him go to real school (his words), I have no doubt that it would be easier for us both in some respects, but it just isn't an option if we want to be obedient to the call God has placed on our lives.

I didn't really intend this post to be only about school, but since I must get the kids up and going if we are going to get anything accomplished today and since I am now almost finished with my 2nd cup of coffee, I think it is time for me to get on with my day.  So talking about our fair projects, the salamander in my muffin tin, and the plans for our relay center's 2011 countdown to collection week (for Operation Christmas Child) will have to wait for another day, except for me to say that I am so very excited about our speaker for the event!