Wrapping up the 2008-09 School Year

Has it really been a week and a half since my last post? I apologize profusely for that!

We are wrapping up school for another year. I came to the realization in January that I wasn't making school the priority that it needed to be. It was always thrown in our busy day as the last thing we did, rather than it trumping the unimportant.

There was a day that I sat down with Nolan and Gideon and apologized for this. It wasn't that we didn't get our work done, but my daily focus was not where it needed to be.

Being a mommy to five and homeschooling the oldest two, can sometimes be overwhelming. I realized that I needed to tackle the task of homeschooling one day at a time. There were times that I really lacked the energy to do it all, and with prayer and the Lord's help, these past few months have been better than I ever thought possible.

Nolan is my first grader. He catches on extremely well to new ideas and concepts...which is no surprise to anyone that knows my Nolan! We have a few subjects yet to finish, which he will breeze through, of course. It's just a matter of getting them finished up. He is a lot like I was when I was in elementary school. He knows what he is asked to do...and he wants to get it done asap. I have really had to work on getting him to slow down and take the time to read carefully and check over for mistakes. If he gets things wrong, it's mainly due to his impatience of completely his work as fast as he can. We are working on this, and I can see a lot of improvement over the past year. There is a maturity in him this year that wasn't there last year. He is amazing little boy, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him.

Gideon is my Kindergartener. When we first began the schoolyear, I had my doubts. He had just turned five, so he was on the young side for being in Kindergarten. We spent the first couple of months just practicing writing our letters and how to hold the pencil properly. There were days that I felt like I was talking to a wall...like nothing was getting in! Now, he can read and has learned a lot of the basic concepts needed to phonetically sound out words that he is not familiar with. He has learned many sight words, and I am just so proud of him. His face beams when he knows he has done a good job and immediately puts his hand up for a high five!

It has definitely been an interesting year, juggling the younger kids while I teach the older. Paysie had just been born when the year started and now she is starting to move herself around the house. Jamison is finally starting to talk after months of frustration on his part. Haddon is now looking forward to next year, when I will start him on a more structured preschool curriculum.

Needless to say, there have been days that it has felt like my plate was more than full....but those have been few and far between in the more recent months. I am so grateful that I am able to teach my children at home and couldn't imagine not being the sole teacher (along with John!) in their lives.

We have been truly blessed, and as this year wraps up, I am in awe of my God. That He would send me these little people to teach and to nurture...knowing that I would make mistakes and be so very imperfect with them on a daily basis. I am humbled by this great responsibility, but am so very thankful that the Holy Spirit has used me to teach and live out the Gospel to my children.