Homeschool......

This year we have started a new endeavor.......homeschool.  Last spring was just pure craziness in the White house with me working full time day shift, going to Philadelphia, and all the kids extracurricular stuff, so Mike and I decided to make a big change in our lifestyle and me go part time.  Our family needed to simplify.  Then God stirred my heart to homeschool.  Decreasing an income, requires decreasing the outgoing money as well (simple math).  So we took Ella and Taylor out of school, and left Chase in school.  I did't think homeschooling an eighth grader for the first time was very smart..... We are using a Classical curriculum which is what they are use to.  The school they have been at is a classical school. Classical education is not a new idea, it has been around for many years, in fact it was the public-school way of teaching until sometime in the 1960s.  Classical education has a very simple but brilliant idea to education......
Classical Christian schools use the children’s God-given strengths at each stage of growth to help them learn; young children enjoy memorizing, singing, and rhymes, so a solid foundation is laid in each subject of study at this age; junior-high students are inquisitive, so we develop their ability to reason and discern truth; and high-school students want to talk, so we teach them how to present their ideas persuasively. The result is a graduate who knows what they believe and why and can positively impact the community around them. 

(Taken from the Association of Classical and Christian Schools, www.accsedu.org .)

      We are part of a homeschool classical group, called Classical Conversations.  This program gives the kids a social day at "school" where we attend class together and work on memory work together. The memory work includes history, science, latin, english, and skip counting.  Ella is also doing a very intense grammar program.  I was always a math lover and never enjoyed grammar.  I'm really not sure I ever understood it, so trying to teach it is a little daunting.  Ok, a lot daunting.......And I, myself, have learned a lot in the class.
I had to add a math program for each of them and grammar and spelling for Taylor.
It is so nice being home more and having this time with them.  I am Very thankful for that.  They grow up so fast, I really wish I had had more time with Chase as well.
In all honesty, the beginning was not easy...... Ella was pretty upset that she didn't go back to her school and friends, so it took a little time for her to get over it and understand this is the way it is..... Taylor has been Taylor, happy, go with the flow, as always.  Yes, he misses his friends, but he has enjoyed being home and both of them have now made new friends at our CC group. 
Olivia has been home with us as well, she's not quite ready for school.  We're trying to catch her up on basics, like counting, ABC's, and colors.....

We have just wrapped up our first semester and I have loved it!  I sometimes get a little nostalgic and miss their old school, but I have to say how thankful I am to have this time with them. I trully enjoy my kids, and am loving every minute of this time we have together.  Before I know it they will be grown and gone, so I am going to savor this time I have with them.