The good, the bad, and the blessings that follow

We're in our seventh week of school. We've already taken a two-week break for our Disney trip, and we'll be taking another week-long break when friends from Bermuda come to visit us in November, and then another holiday week over Thanksgiving. Yet we're still plugging along and exactly where I had wanted us to be by this time.

But it wasn't without a few difficult days.

Parking lot counting activity

Okay, so this was not my own idea, but it's so brilliant and simple that I wish I had thought of it. A friend posted it on facebook, and it looked really easy to make, especially considering we have two little boys (we have lots of toy cars) and we do a lot of online shopping (we have lots of delivery boxes).

Disney World 2014

We're off to Disney World once again! It's been a very long year and 8 months since our last trip, and we've been counting down since we booked this vacation in early spring! Asa had only just turned a year old the last time we were here, so now that he's 2-and-three-quarters, he has a much greater appreciation of everything.

This week in toddler art...

Asa and I enjoyed our art projects this week. In fact, they were so fun that the big 3rd-grader wanted to take part as well :)

First, Asa colored on sand paper. He enjoyed the rough texture and the way coloring on it wore down the crayons (I bought a pack of Target-brand crayons for 39 cents specifically for this activity.)

Asher's "Legend of Zelda" birthday party!

I'll admit I was pretty excited when Asher asked for a Legend of Zelda themed birthday this year.

First week in review

Our first week of school is over!

All in all, things went really well. There were no tears (mine or Asher's), and I enjoyed each day. Let's hope this feeling stays with us through spring. :)

First day of school in photos

His favorite food is "all types of meat"?? Was sure he'd say it was pizza.

It's almost time!

We're starting school on Monday. After a long trip to Bermuda, several visits to Busch Gardens, many playdates, and a week of sports camp, it's time to get started on 3rd grade.

I can't wait.

Getting ready for 3rd grade

It is truly hard to believe my "baby" will be starting third grade this fall.

And it's also kinda hard to believe I've been homeschooling formally for three years, not including preschool. I am in no way an expert, but I have to admit that the planning part of things gets a little easier each year.

As I've mentioned before, we're following a classical style of education. In a nutshell, that just means we're studying history chronologically in four-year cycles, and our subjects align with the history we're learning that year. I use an incredible book called The Well-Trained Mind as my guide, and then I choose my own curricula based on how my child learns.

After this year's homeschool convention, I read the following statement in a pamphlet:

Man, was I convicted.

Two-year olds are awesome (I don't care what anybody else says)

Two-year olds get a bad rap.