I wanted so bad to write about the first day of school, actually on the first day of school - but that would have been yesterday. I am a day late. The reason being, I was in bed by 6pm and had no more thought capacity or word allotment - I had used them both up, plus all my reserves, for one day. So, instead, I will write about looking back on the first day of school - a memoir. :)
Actually, it wasn't as bad as I make it seem. We had an awesome first day back to school. It began by bringing Chloe to spend the morning with her Grandma, so that the boys and I can concentrate on school without any interruptions. Not that Chloe is an interruption - but she is a ball of energy. So she and Grandma are getting the wonderful opportunity to bond a few days a week while the boys are able to focus much better on their school work in the mornings.
We dove in head first into our studies and finished just in time for lunch. Bennett is not too keen on having to part with his beloved sister every morning. He's always a little melancholy on the ride home. During lunch, he's waiting with bated breath for that knock on the door to signify that Chloe is once again back home, safe and sound. He asks me over and over through-out the day if he can do more school that he's "so essited" (excited) he "can hardly wait".
Gavin's thirst for knowledge continues to amaze me. He seems to never get enough. He asks questions I wouldn't have thought to ask. His curiosity keeps me constantly with my nose in the books, broadening my own horizons to find answers to his ever expanding list of questions. I love that!!! I love to learn! I don't ever want to stop. I don't ever want to be satisfied with what I know, I want to push on and learn more, new, exciting things. I thank Gavin for reviving that desire in my heart. It is such a joy to be on this journey with my children.
We don't homeschool because it's 'the easy way out' or 'to over-protect' our children or because we feel we're 'better than others' in some way. We homeschool for one simple reason - we are convicted to do so. Right now, in this time of our lives, it is exactly the right thing for our family. It may last 1 year or 12 years, we don't know. But we are definitely enjoying all the ups and downs this road brings. The best part is, we are growing together. We are fostering an environment that encourages a love for learning. Granted, it has taken months of hard, exhausting preparation and requires a majority of my time throughout the day, but that is a small sacrifice for the long term benefits.
Now that I'm off my 'soap-box', I'll get back to our first day of school. Once Bennett and Chloe were down for their naps, Gavin & I began to work studiously on his Language Arts. After about an hour, I promptly ran downstairs to take a small nap. Yes, I took a nap. I could NOT hold my eyes open a minute longer. The excitement and build up of the day had literally wiped me out. When Gavin was done with his homework (30minutes later) he came to wake me up and we did some dinner preparation together. We had wonderful one on one time talking and working together. We got it done fast and even had time to play together.
The younger ones finally woke up and the rest of the day becomes a blur from there.....somehow, dinner got ready, Chloe at 2 dinners, the boys played with the neighbor's, I vacuumed the house and we went on a bike ride. Of course, none of this could happened without the support, constant encouragement and active role Chuck provides on a daily basis.
Well, I can see it's my bedtime (9 pm). I'm going to be needing as much energy reserves as I can muster for tomorrow. Thus concludes my 'memoir'.
