First week of School

School started this last Tuesday in our home. We accomplished only two days this week and today will be a field trip. It has been a successful and a peaceful week. I already knew that it would not be a full week. I planned on it being a dry run for us. We have had Dr. appointments everyday this week except for Labor Day and today.

We had our first Vision Therapy this week. Bug really enjoyed it. I know that we will have 5 days of homework around 30 minutes each day. It took longer yesterday because Little Man wanted to play the games for the therapy with her. He thinks Bug has too much fun in all her therapy's that we attend weekly for her. He always wants to know when he can start therapy? I just can't seem to make him understand that he doesn't need therapy. I do have him do the daily exercise we do with Bug at home. They have contest on how many jumps on the trampoline and sit ups and other misc. exercises. It motivates Bug with his help. Vision Therapy was not a good competition with the two of them.

 I shelved my whole Sonlight Core 2 for the year! I prayed hard and really felt that with all the added therapy this year that it would be a good time to just focus on the basics. I am going to do our planned math, handwriting, language arts, spelling program and phonics. As for reading I am going to start real simple to build up her confidence and do lots of review in her phonics. I am going to redo the Bob books and the Sonlight Fun tales. Then after those I will just plan as I go. I thought it would be a good year to focus on the basics with her. With Little Man and Princess starting this year I was feeling a little overwhelmed when I think of all the stuff going on with Bug and the big chunk of time it is taking out of my schedule. I pray that the vision therapy will help her with her reading struggles and that we can move forward in other areas. She loves history and science and was sad when I told her I was going to put a hold on Sonlight this year. At first I thought I would just do some here and there and maybe even let it last two years. I know myself and it would drive me crazy.

My new plan is to just grab books from my own library for read-out-louds. I also have enough of science and history to books to do the same. I will do some of the lapbooks that I have wanted to do from some of the free lapbook sites. I will still do art and music later in the year. I am just going to take one week at a time and focus on the basics with all the kids. I really struggled with this decision at first. I tryed to reason with God at first. Like I know better than my Lord what is best for my kids. Needless to say I didn't have any peace until I yielded to shelving my plans for the year. I always pray for God's wisdom every year on what to do for school. As my beloved husband pointed out with much excitement in his voice, "you mean we don't have to buy as much stuff next year!" Next year is to far ahead to think about at this time.

Have a blessed week. May the Lord bless each and everyone of you this week.