1st Day of School

We had soft start to our school year over the summer. Embarking on this homeschooling adventure was a bit intimidating, and I felt like I needed some time to work the bugs out (and give myself an opportunity to back out on the whole thing) before the public school year began.

Plus, I don't really think taking 3 months off of learning and classroom rules is the most conducive part of the way we traditionally do school...but that's a post for another day.

With the schools in our area starting on various days this week, we decided that we would officially start school this week with a full day on Monday. They even agreed to pose for some Official 1st Day of School Pictures!

So now I have 2 wonderful Kindergarteners:

Mr. N 

Mr. W

They really are best buddies and are happy to be in the same "class" at school.

and a swell preschooler:

Mr. L

watch out, world!

We had a fun day full of Phonics, Spanish...

Reading (this picture makes my heart happy)...

Cooking (L thought this would be "the best dessert ever!" and even ate his dinner in order to get some)...

and even Roller Skating...

We were all pretty exhausted by the time we were finished with our day, but we went to bed with smiles on our faces.

Too Much Monkey Business

In the past 2 weeks, the 3 Musketeers have received Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coloring pages in the mail from one cousin and have witnessed another cousin show off his choreographed dance moves to this little ditty:

Prior to this, they had little interest in the Heroes in a Half Shell or their Turtle Powers.

The tide has turned, my friends, the tide has turned.

Unfortunately (?) we don't have any turtle costumes, and only have one very small plush turtle toy.

My boys do not lack imagination, though, and have adapted the classic characters to fit their needs. I would like to take this moment to introduce you to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Monkeys:

Rafael

Leonardo

Donatello

Michelangelo

They're the world's most fearsome fighting team

At least those little monkeys aren't jumping on the bed anymore.

Lessons Learned as a Brownie

Make new friends
But keep the old.
One is silver 
And the other's gold.

When you are a 5-year-old little girl singing this song with your Brownie troop, it's hard to understand the concept of "old friends."

However, when you are a 30-something and have lived literally all over the Western Hemisphere, the lesson really starts to sink in.

All of my old friends were once new friends.

And I sincerely hope my new friends will stick with me long enough to make that slow slide into the "old friends" category. Those folks who know your history and, although they may not have been a part of your day-to-day for the last howevermany years (apart from facebook status updates and uploaded photos), when you sit down to talk with them or get a phone call, it is as if no time has passed at all. There is catching up to do on the particulars, but the friendship has been able to traverse any gaps in time or space effortlessly. These are the people who understand your heart and soul, who have stood the test of time, whose relationship with you has mellowed like a good red wine.

This is not to undervalue the new friends, though. These are the people who walk beside you in the here and now. Your colleagues, your fellow soccer moms, your church family. You may not share a history with these folks, but you share a present, and their influence and inspiration will help to shape your future.

I feel incredibly blessed to have old friends spread all across the globe. If you happen to be reading this, know I love and cherish you...even when I allow life to get in the way of keeping in touch. I am doubly blessed to be living where I am now, where I have both old and new friends.

I get to have the best of the "silver" and the "gold" nearby.

I have some coffee on (always). Come sit on my front porch with me.

Summer School-cation

We wasted no time in getting down to business on this little homeschool adventure of ours. The boys wanted to start as soon as they got home from their last day of pre-K at the Y. So far it has been a ton of fun and has kept us plenty busy this summer.

SO excited to start Basement School

our classroom

the little table & the reading corner

some of our colorful supplies

the reading sofa

the easel

music, books, and supplies, oh my!

a whole wall dedicated to our masterpieces

scissors & glue

hard at work

such concentration!

working together

reading together

art -- this one was inspired by Moby Dick

everyone loves the chalkboard

sometimes it's easier to concentrate while we ambulate

art is a multi-sensory activity

he's pretty sure oil & water will mix if he shakes it hard enough

he thinks his will mix, too

shake it!

cooking together

teamwork gets the job done

crabcakes were mostly a hit

excited to try new foods!

thumbs way down for clam chowder

STOP

shake shake shake your sillies out

watching our SALSA videos

playing phonics BINGO

I'm going to win!

concentrating hard!

phonics Go Fish!

do you have a sss...ssss...ssssun?

unhappy about losing

from the treasure chest

making coconut cream pie

coconut chicken and tropical fruit salad earned rave reviews

these beans fared better than the flowers we planted just before the tornado hit

coconut cream pie = yum!

There were also plenty of moments of discipline, tears, tantrums, and the like. I decided not to get out the camera at those times, though... Maybe next month.