Hair Color!

Well, yesterday afternoon Claire got a pink strip and purple strip put in her hair.  She loves it!  And the best part is they are not permanent – they are extensions!  

Showing Initiative

My children fought like cats and dogs yesterday. Oy. 

However, when it came to their schoolwork I was very proud of them. This year I am trying out clipboards with a weekly schedule on them. Yesterday we did our schoolwork, then had lunch and the babies went down for nap. Claire and Chandler went in their rooms for some quiet, independent reading time and when they came out they decided to go ahead and do Tuesday's schoolwork so they could have today off! I was very pleased with their initiative.

First Day of School 2016!

First day of homeschool! 

 

Looking forward to a fresh new year! 

We had a special breakfast of waffles and orange juice this morning.

Then we headed outside to take pictures before we hit the books.   

I asked the kids what they want to be when they grow up – it changes every year!   

As of today Claire wants to be a Veterinarian.  

Chandler wants to be a carpenter like Daddy.

Fiona says she wants to be just like mommy.  Aww.  

And I didn't ask Declan ... though if he could express himself it would probably be a paleontologist. 

I had us down for a light day to break us in. And it’s a good thing too.  Helping four kids at once keeps you on your feet! Ack! Last year I had just two schooling and Fiona and Declan were pretty good about entertaining themselves. This year Fiona has some work and I have to keep Declan busy. He did well with coloring and a snack. But it was still someone constantly needing me and frequently more than one at a time! It's an adjustment, but we'll get this!

I Think We Are Ready!

Lesson plans are made.  Bags are packed.  I think we are ready for our first day of school tomorrow!

Declan's bag has been ordered, but it not here yet.  His is dark grey with red lettering though.  These bags are so handy for their schoolwork!  It's a great size for all their books and they can easily pick them up and take them to wherever they want to do their schoolwork with everything they need.  

Declan's bag:

He's just doing some preschool work to keep him entertained while everyone is working.  We have crayons, coloring book, and notebook, stickers, flashcards of insects and puzzles.

Fiona's bag:  

Fiona is starting some Pre-K work this year.  We have Language Lessons for Little Ones, Building Thinking Skills, and coloring book and notebook.

Chandler's bag:

Second grade!  We have a notebook for journaling, Language Lessons for Little Ones 3 and Horizons Math.  He will also be doing Xtramath online.

Claire's bag:

Fourth grade!  She has a notebook for journaling, Language Lessons for the Very Young 2, Editor in Chief, Horizons Math and Life of Fred Apples.  She will also be doing some Xtramath online and has a Orton-Gillingham tutor that she will see twice a week. 

Everyone will also be doing Apologia Zoology Flying Creatures and Mystery of History III along with our homeschool co-op.  Fiona and Chandler will also be doing Spanish. 

It's going to be a busy year!