I decided to do something a little different with our schooling this year.  First, I decided to start back later, taking a real summer break.  This was mostly done since we had a new baby in the house, but also because we were planning several summer trips, and wanted to be able to just relax and enjoy them before we started back.  Next, I decided to pre-plan our weeks and approximate days.  I've never done this, I'm one that once I have a plan, I feel the need to stick to it, no matter how poorly it's working for us.  Finally, I worked up a schedule for our actual day, three of them actually, since we have some days that look different from the rest.

I have to say as Term 1, comes to a close today, that it's gone great.  We logged 77 days, 13 weeks of school, doing 6 days a week.  The only thing we didn't do was I initially planned for us to school next week as well, but we aren't since the Grandparents and Great-Grands are coming for a visit.  Term 2 and 3, won't be as intensive.  They will be only 10 and 9 weeks, and I won't plan school on Saturdays once Gary gets his Saturdays back to spend with us instead of at the farm.

I have to say this year has been our best so far.  I've not really written about it yet, but this year we've done some testing for the kids, and it's given me alot of insight into what will and won't work for them.  We are cycling once again through phonic sounds, and the kids reading continues to improve.  There are times were Ruth is pretty fluid with decent speed.  Britt's not there yet.  But he's been learning to play Zelda, and in order to know what to do next in the game, he has to read what the other characters are telling him.  I have made a strict rule of not allowing anyone to read it to him, and while it takes him a little time, he is getting better and better.  I'm excited to have just ordered most of our new school books for the year (thanks to Gary's November work bonus).  We have all but finished the spelling book I started at the beginning of the year, and I'm very much looking forward to working in All About Spelling, to reinforce the phonics lessons that we continually drill.  I'm also looking forward to starting our Handwriting Without Tears.  We're going to do a little print review with the old two, and then begin cursive after the new year.  Rebecca is going to be excited with some new workbooks as well, since she's blown through everything I could piece together around here.  All that is left to order is math books, since we are close to completing those as well.

There are days were the monotony of slugging through more school work is overwhelming.  There are days when I want to pull all of my hair out.  There are days were I envy those Moms that load all their heathens on the big yellow bus and wave merrily as they contemplate an entire day alone with a quiet house.  But it is also immensely rewarding, in a way I can't explain to see them as they discover new concepts:  as a math lesson that they have been fighting with suddenly makes since, when they realize that they have been reading the instructions on the video game for the last hour with no help at all and finally find pleasure in reading for themselves.  It gives structure to our days, by being ever new.  I have read that the days pass slowly but the years fly.  And as another year winds down, I'm struck again by the realization that I only have a limited amount of time with our children.  There are only 10 more Christmases with Britt before he is grown and off.  If we average a school year at 180 days, there are only 1,723 more days to teach him all those things I think are important.  What a momentous undertaking.