Just a few more please?!

My title indicates what I say at the end of most days.  I just need a few more hours in each day.

Not THAT many - maybe just 3 or 4.  Enough to get all of the things that are straggling around at the end of the day done before I go to bed so that I can really rest my head.  Instead, I find that I finish what absolutely needs to get done but no more and I find I wake up with an instant "to-do" list which doesn't really start the day off where I'd like it to.  Since I don't have the ability to perform magic and change the clock, my ultimate goal is to be able to figure out how to fit more into the hours that I DO have available to me.  I definitely feel like my days need refining and tweaking.  I don't want my days to be go-go-go from start to finish but I do think I can definitely make more out of everyday.

That being said, our days have been amazing.  Ever evolving and ever changing.  Ari has started "pre" pre-school.  It's a small program that is run through our town that meets twice a week for a couple of hours. The first day or two were a little rough but he's gotten the hang of it and is enjoying his time away playing with some new friends.  It's nice as it gives me some concentrated time with K & T which really allows us to get some stuff done!

We've been coming at math from both a pretty standard angle but I'm also trying to find creative ways to teach math.  The kids have been doing an hour a day of independent reading and 90 minutes or more of group reading.  We've been working on our Spanish For You curriculum and the kids are enjoying it.  It's slow going but it's getting there.  We've been delving into the Middle Ages and the kids are thoroughly enjoying it.  They've almost finished with their illuminated manuscripts.  Ty's recently participated in a book club at our library and together the children have started a weekly Ecology and Art homeschool class through Mass Audubon.  It's truly amazing.  Tyler has become obsessed with Charles Dickens after reading this book over and over and over.  I love it.

K's bday is this week and, once again, I forgot how insanely difficult it is to plan a child's birthday with said child around all the time!  It's tricky and leaves me only evenings to get stuff done which I'm not a fan of as I'm pretty spent by the time 8:30 rolls around.  That's about the time that I stop doing things with the children.  We do group reading usually for about an hour at night.  We tuck them in and, remember those loose ends? ya...8:30 pm is when I try to tackle them.  In my book that's too late.  I have to figure out a way to tie up the loose ends BEFORE reading time so that when reading is done and the kids are in bed it becomes my time to be done.  Alas, I'm not quite there yet.
Regardless, we had a great celebratory weekend and are taking her birthday as a day off to celebrate!!

We recently had a wonderful and too short trip to Maine.  We thought about Aunt Mary as we honored the 2 year date of her passing.  It still sucks...all.the.time.  We miss her tremendously and I know she'd be so proud of what the children are accomplishing.  Sigh.

We thought about her all weekend when we were in Maine.  We toasted her and shared our favorite memories.  It was way too short of a trip.

And now, I'd grab a cup of something warm because the upcoming photo reel is a lengthy one!

family park day!

complete with a visit to our local bakery next!

orientation day at "school"

all giggles!  

Science class!  milk, food coloring and a tiny bit of dish soap on a q-tip.  Watch what happens!

math time

independent reading

keeping busy!!

Everyone's favorite Goodnight Moon game

homeschool day at Launch!!

cursive

coloring!

making their own lunches

art class at the library!

music lessons have begun!

putting the finishing touches on his illuminated manuscript

adding details

the three of us together going to Starbucks while Ari was at school!

painting for the first time!

so tired and sweaty from school!

en route to Maine!

worst traveler ever!  she sits on my lap the entire ride...

Audubon ecology class!!

|We miss her every single day...I can't believe how little Ari was here...sigh...

estimating and measuring spirals!

library book club!

ummmm yum!!

start them young!!!

homeschooling on the go!

big thumbs up to his first full day at school!  (it's a whopping 2.5 hours...lol!)

it's marshmallow catapult making time!

The finished catapults came out amazing. The children played for an hour if not more with these launching mini marshmallows and pom poms all over the house!  They were in fits of giggles for hours.  It was TOTALLY worth it.

Until next time friends...

Peace out.