Good-bye and Hello

Our furry friend Sabrina spent the first fourteen years of our marriage in our home. She was three when I met her, and Stephen had been her friend since he adopted her (or she adopted him) as a kitten. 

She wasn't the friendliest cat...at least, not to anyone other than the two of us. She had quite the reputation with others who tried to befriend her. She was even described once as being "like a bad first date. She lures you in and then turns on you." Haha. I'd have to admit that her reputation was well-earned. 

Thankfully, she tolerated the children rather well, especially in more recent years, but everyone else she could do without. Stephen was easily her favorite, and there was no chance anyone else could encroach on his territory. She did adopt me pretty easily when Stephen and I got married and I moved in with them, but I could never stand in for Stephen. She was all his.

So it was with sad and heavy hearts that we said good-bye last month. She was eighteen years old, and her health was failing quickly.  

Here's to eighteen years with her...crazy girl!

Her favorite place to be

This week we adopted a new kitty. She's somewhere between 1-5 years old, and she's a dainty girl. She was briefly dubbed Josie, but it just didn't roll off the tongue. So she is now known as...

Lady Sybil

She likes head scratches, empty boxes, ice cream, salmon, and best of all...

...she likes Stephen.

She's already found her favorite place to be. I shouldn't be surprised. I think Stephen is secretly the Cat Whisperer. But thankfully this girl doesn't like ONLY Stephen. She likes attention from the me and the kiddos too. So we're looking forward to having her around.  

Back to the Grind?

After all of my reluctance to begin school again and put an end to our leisurely summer days, I've discovered that I like our leisurely school days just as well. The grind isn't such a grind after all...and I'm so relieved.

The routine is good for all of us, perhaps me most of all. We're getting more household chores done, enjoying our lesson times, and I haven't heard "I'm bored" nearly as much since school began again. 

Teaching three is a challenge, as I expected. But spending my time with my Kindergarten-aged daughter first helps her to be more cooperative when it's time to do lessons with her brothers. And the two year old is enthralled with the Little People suddenly which is certainly an answer to prayer. She's much less disruptive than she was last year. 

I've changed up our routine a bit this year and ditched my weekly checklist completely. Freedom from the checklist - ah.

Now since I'm frequently asked (especially by new homeschooling parents) what curriculum we use, I'm going to post it here. This is subject to change, of course, as it's just what's working best for us right now. 

6th Grader:
Saxon Math
Writing & Rhetoric
Latin for Children
G.U.M. Drops (Grammar, Usage & Mechanics)
Sequential Spelling
Zaner-Bloser Cursive and Character ZB Cursive

3rd Grader:
Explode the Code workbooks
All About Spelling
Ordinary Parents Guide to Reading
Saxon Math
Handwriting Skills Simplified (Cursive) and Character ZB Print practice
G.U.M. Drops (Grammar, Usage & Mechanics)

Kindergartener:
Explode the Code workbooks
Phonics Pathways
Singapore's Essential Math
Zaner Bloser Handwriting

Add to that memorization of Scripture and creeds, catechism, poetry reading, Shakespeare, composer study, hymn singing/learning, Christian history, Bible study, literature read-alouds, independent reading, history reading and discussions, map work, science reading, and it looks like a really full plate!

So in the interest of full disclosure, I should let you know that we're usually finished by 2 p.m. (apart from the boys' independent reading). We don't do all of those things every single day...not even every single term. I've divided the school year into six terms - some longer, some shorter. And we'll work on some of those things during some terms and not others. 

For example, Cade (3rd grade) is doing spelling every day this term, but not grammar. Luke (6th grade) is doing grammar, but not spelling. And the litany of reading and memorizing that we're doing is obviously not everything, every day. I'd be headed for the loony-bin if that were the case! Also, during our holiday term (the few weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas), we'll set aside some of the things we'd normally do and instead focus on advent themes.

One of my favorite changes we've made this year is in regards to history and science. Previously we've alternated history and science - history on M/W/F and science on T/Th. This year we are studying history every day for a week and then switching to science every day for a week. This will coincide with the science co-op we're joining which meets every other week. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to alternate every other month.

I've really enjoyed the continuity of studying history all week without jumping back and forth with science every other day. This month we're actually doing history all month long since our science co-op doesn't start until September. After that we'll begin to alternate weeks. I think this will give our studies a better flow and more depth, too.

We're striving for diligence this year...diligence in our lessons as well as in other areas of our lives. I want to stop checking off boxes (on paper or in my head) and start being "all there" at whatever it is we're doing at that point in time. I hope to see more beauty in our studies and help the children see how it all points to the One who embodies beauty in every way. 

And We're Off...

...on another year of school. 

Not so excited about this year, but we've begun anyway. I set the bar low for today - get math done, and I'll be happy.

We started with cherry-almond scones for breakfast (because I ran out of yeast for the cinnamon rolls that the kids wanted). And the kids filled out their First Day of School Questionnaires and then went to weigh themselves and see how much they'd grown in the last year. And of course, we headed outside for a few first day of school pictures (see the blog header).  

Well, we eventually got our math done and some other things as well. But just as I should have expected, the real learning came at lunchtime. I know-know-know that learning isn't restricted to "school hours" and yet it seems I need a good reminder every now and then. The kids really are learning much more when I'm not trying so hard to teach them.

Best question of the day: So, Mom, how do we know that God really is true and not made up?

Thunk. (That's me falling out of my chair.)

Deep breath. 

Pick myself up off the floor.

And dive in. 

We had a good conversation after I recovered my wits. And to my surprise, I wasn't the first one answering his question. Hearing his brother strongly respond was even better than hearing the question in the first place. Love those discussions!

Yeah, we've got a lot of tweaking to do on our new routine, but we'll get there. And there will be harder days and easier days and sick days and meltdowns (me, probably). But that's all part of the process, and it's in this process that we have countless opportunities to glorify God as we seek to know Him and His creation more. That's why we're doing this, after all.

Summing it up

Summer is but half over in a technical sense, though since we start school again tomorrow, it feels like it's over for us. I don't recall any other summer in which I was not looking forward to beginning a new school year. Usually I'm excited to get back to a more structured day around here. But I feel like summer break has hardly begun...and now it's over. To be accurate, we've taken a shorter break this year due to our travels in May, and I feel like putting off school for a few more weeks because it just can't possibly be August yet, right?

Alas, it is. So we will begin studies once again.

We did our school supplies shopping last week during the tax-free holiday here in Virginia. And there are a few more school books coming in the mail this week, but I guess we are pretty much ready to go.

I think my reticence is mainly regarding scheduling. With more children of school age, I'm trying to figure out how to divide my time amongst them...and remain sane. Oh, and that's to say nothing of the littlest pipsqueak who has just entered the Terrible Twos in a big way. You can pray for me. For all of us!

I've been contemplating the idea of teaching from rest much of this summer break. And yet my soul does not feel restful as we begin this new year. More prayer is needed; of that I am sure. And then I just need to dive in.

So here we go!

All stocked up

The crazy two year old

GBCA to ABC

A few weeks back I mentioned that we'd had our first worship service in our new church building, and then I promptly forgot about the blog. So now, I'm back by popular demand (thanks for the kick in the pants, Adela!), to expound on that.

There's a long story in the background, but suffice it to say, we are no longer meeting as Grace Baptist Church of Arlington. We, the members of GBCA, have joined Arlington Baptist Church. Arlington Baptist has been a gospel witness in Arlington, Virginia, for more than eighty years. Their congregation had grown smaller in recent years and most members were in their later years of life. With no pastor and a large building which was in need of many repairs, they were looking to turn the building over to a congregation capable of restoring it. 

Instead of purchasing the building or even receiving the building at no cost, GBCA elected to join ABC. So we are now meeting and worshiping together with the members of ABC who have been serving there for many years. 

As I mentioned, the building needs lots of work. Mold removal, asbestos removal, HVAC repairs, steeple repair, etc. It will take months--even years--to complete all of it. It's a large building with a beautiful sanctuary, lots of classrooms, lots of pianos (seriously, there are probably ten or so), and office space. The kitchen is large, and there is a fellowship hall as well. Plenty of work to do all around, but the structure of the building is good. And it's wonderful to have room to spread out a bit. We've taken a break from Sunday School for the remainder of the summer in order to repair and prepare rooms for classes, but it's so exciting to look forward to the kids having a real meeting space that won't require set-up/tear-down every Sunday.

For five years, we met in rented space and prayed for a larger, permanent space for our church. God has answered our prayers! He's proven His faithfulness to us over and over again in small things and big. Praise God with us for His kindness in giving us a new, old meeting space and the godly saints with whom we join in serving Him at Arlington Baptist Church.