What we've been up to :)

Things have really fallen into a pattern around here. I wrote a few weeks back about some concerns I had about how long some of our book work was taking us. I can happily report we have cut that time in half! I really appreciate the book work in a classical education and Lovely enjoys seeing what she knows, but Lovely and I both really love diving into other ways of learning - and I felt we were not getting time to do that - even fun reading time! Things have greatly improved, and our learning has gone into other directions as well. I don't feel I have to bribe Lovely (for now) to write or do phonics, etc. as I once had to. She is getting more and more independent with her work and I can check in with her as well. It is wonderful.

Co-op (Totus Tuus) has started. Lovely really enjoyed meeting new friends and her new 1st-3rd grade class of students.

Lovely in her classroom with her small group working on science

I don't have pictures yet of Lovely's Montessori Good Shepherd class, but that has started as well. Lovely really enjoys that class! I'm thrilled both co-op and Good Shepherd afford her time in a mixed age group. It is really wonderful.

Preschool has also started a few days a week for Val. It has been so nice to have a couple of ours to focus just on Lovely and the baby. When Val is with us, she plays, or joins us with her toddler kit I have, or I try to do some Waldor-ify (lol!) things with her and we all read together. Here she is on her first day:

I really admire you homeschoolers who have all your kids at home. Val is great, and as I said - we include her a lot and she does well MOST of the time, but then there are times she just wants me, or gets frustrated, causes noise,  etc and the balancing act for me can be hard with a newborn and a student. Preschool has been such a help. If you don't do something like this for the little ones - what do you do to keep the flow of learning in your home for the older ones?

The weather here (especially in the mornings) is starting to hint of fall, so Lovely has taken full advantage of the great outdoors:

Working on contractions. She erases the extra letters and adds an apostrophe on the words.

Doing copy work from a reading on Pinocchio

Doing some review Math work on bar graphs.

Lovely also recently celebrated her 7th birthday. Her Godparents gave her a lap desk! She has really enjoyed it.

Drawing a picture after reading about mummification.

Her drawing of a woman wrapping a mummy after reading our history section. I promise, there is a covering on her, but the pink is hard to see - lol!

I also meant to share this sweet picture from our first week. She colored a page from a faith assignment. She was asked to draw herself in God's hands. :)

I'm loving time with my angel. So far, this has been a great family decision!!

How is everyone doing? As swamped as we are? I knew this would be a lot of work...but wow - it is SO much work, time, love, and energy. My hat is off to you all!

Blessings!