My Children

Here is the most recent photo I have of all of my children. It was taken on Jouster's 19th birthday in July. I can't believe I have a 19 year old son. It makes it harder for people to believe I am only 29 years old when they see him by my side. There may come a day I will have to admit my real age.

Let me update you on what is going on with each of them.

Jouster: He is now 19 and swore he'd never step foot into a college. However, he is now a college student. He has worked out his schedule so he can be a full time student and still work his job at the hog farm 3 days per week. He still struggles from time to time with demons from his past but is really doing well. I am proud of the wonderful young man he has become.

Jester: We struggled with him over the summer. He left home two weeks ago and we haven't heard from him. He has stayed in contact with Jouster so we know he is safe. We will keep our distance and allow him the space he feels he needs from us. He is a senior in high school this year and will turn 18 in a few weeks. I am sad that our relationship has come to this point, but all I can do now is pray for him. The little kids miss him. Maiden said last night, "I hope he comes home so he can sit in his spot again." (Meaning at the dinner table.) It broke my heart.

Squire: Is in 7th grade this year and is taking his homeschool studies very seriously. He started playing piano again which makes me extremely happy! He is in cross country and is begging to join the Civil Air Patrol.

Scribe: Not so serious about school. He's in 6th grade and hides from me a lot. We are working on him staying on task with getting his work done. He's also in piano again...much to his chagrin and is running cross country. He's a pretty good little runner.

Duchess: She has taken over the role of first born. She likes to "mother" the younger two around and keep them in line. She is a second grader this year and is still working on learning to read. She is now in charge of egg collecting and loves her new chore!

Maiden: My little Kindergartner. Her goal for this school year, "To finish Kindergarten." She only thinks she's doing school if she's working in workbooks. Me reading aloud to her is not considered school to her. She gets frustrated when I won't let her work ahead in her books. I need some of her enthusiasm to wear off on Scribe!

Prince Charming: My little boy is three--and--IS POTTY TRAINED!!!! He is my little snuggler and is never far from my side. The most common words out of his mouth are, "I want my mama," or "I need you mama." I love it. Hopefully his need for me follows him all the way through his teen years.

School is in Session!!

Hello, my friends. Summer break is officially over and school has begun here at Rivertree Academy. We completed our first week of school last week and it was blissful. I decided to go with Winter Promise Adventures of the Sea & Sky for the two older boys. It is a themed learning program with a Charlotte Mason approach. They are excited that their history is based on sailing, flight and space travel; and their science focuses on oceans, weather and outer space. For me it it nice to have them show some enthusiasm for learning.

I have been reading a lot about Charlotte Mason's teaching philosophy and am intrigued with the gentle art of learning. One idea I really liked was nature study. I was hoping I could incorporate it into our schooling. Nature cooperated the first day of school. Duchess rescued a cicada from a death grip of a cat out in our yard. She brought the injured creature into the house and we were all able to take a closer look.

We did some research about cicadas and the most interesting fact we found was that they live for 13-17 years. Isn't that amazing? I gave each of the children a clipboard with a piece of drawing paper attached and asked them to draw the bug. We then glued the drawings into their Nature Notebooks ($0.50 composition books from Target).

I asked the girls what they learned about cicadas (implemented narration--another Charlotte Mason approach) and I wrote what they said into their Nature Notebooks:

Maiden's is on the left. She said, "Cicadas lay eggs and sings not that good. They make a hole in a stick and lay eggs in it."

Duchess' is on the right and she had a little more to say, "A cicada sings if it's a male. A female doesn't sing. The mama makes holes in a branch to lay eggs to make babies. It doesn't fly but turns into a flying one after it molts. It lives underground before it can fly."

It was a fun day for us. I am thrilled to be giving our children a Charlotte Mason-style education. I'm sure I'll be telling you more about it in upcoming posts.

I am delighted to be back in the blogosphere. I have missed my blog friends and can't wait to see what's been happening in your lives.

Blessings,