Are We There Yet?

While this question wasn’t really asked, since our children are used to long drives, the 1,754 mile drive from Colorado to North Carolina this past week was quite long.   I already knew the answer to this question, and was still thinking it from time to time. 

We started our school year this week – excitement mingled with dread, you know, but to this little guy, it was all excitement!

Then on the way through Kansas, we stopped overnight and visited with our friends, the Heinz family.  Marlene works at a local quilt shop, and she took me for a brief visit.  Over 5,000 bolts of fabric – anybody feeling covetous (other than me, of course)?

Then, on through St Louis, in the dreadful rush hour traffic.  Always enjoy seeing the arch as we pass through the city.

As usual, there were a lot of miles that were boring…  I spent a good deal of time reading a book I picked up at a thrift store earlier this summer.  Spent a great deal of time wondering how long it would be before I could get out of the truck and stretch my legs.  This was the best I could do in the mean time.

We arrived in NC around 1:30 a.m. Friday morning.  It was so good to be back in this area.  There is a sense of coming home when we are able to visit.  We do love this area, and look forward to visiting our friends as well as ministering in two churches and our alma mater in the coming two weeks.

School Days on the Road

Life always gets a little more complicated once school begins each year.  This year may well be our most challenging yet, with four munchkins in the magic school bus RV.  Junior high, fourth, second, and kindergarten are on the menu.  I am already overwhelmed, and we have just started!

I guess the two biggest obstacles are space in the trailer (we have the nicest school room back in MS, but we aren’t there much), and time.  Right now, we are doing a lot of traveling, and the travel days are broken up into smaller drives so that we can get all of our school work done each day.  Consequently, it takes us longer to get from point A to point B during the school year, and the pressure on the kids is lot more - “Hurry up, we have to drive 350 miles this afternoon, and we cannot leave until you finish your homework!”

Paul is helping teach this year, taking Josiah’s education in hand.  That way, I can focus on the very important foundational teaching for Daniel, Esther, and Abigail.   I am relieved to not have the burden of the upper grades on me this year.  This is preparation for college, you know!  Papers, pop quizzes, reports…

So this is what my entryway looks like now.  Three crates of school books, and more in a drawer behind the stacked pink crates.  I’ve already whacked my bare toes on the edge of the blue crate while walking through the living room.  Ouch!!!   I guess I will have to walk more circumspectly!   :)

I know we will learn a lot of things this year, and I look forward to having a good academic year.

School Room

I have long desired a room that is totally dedicated to home-schooling.  For years, we have used the table to get the homework finished.  I hated clearing off the school books to make room for lunch, then clearing off the lunch dishes to make room for school books, and so on.  In our Indiana home, we had a schoolroom in the basement.  It was rather cold in the winter, but it was open and well-lit, so we made it work.  I got used to not having to shuffle books and dishes several times a day, and it spoiled me!  :)

In the trailer, we do not really have an option – everyone has to squeeze in at the table.  A school room was on my list of “wants” for our new home.  It kept trying to scootch over to the “needs” column, but I kept shoving it back, somewhat reluctantly, I must admit!

The Lord was so good to give us a “bonus room” that we can dedicate to our school needs.  I am so grateful!  So, here are the before and after pictures of this wonderful world of learning!

This was the bonus room as we first saw it.  The walls were painted a neutral beige, but were so full of holes and punctures, that we had to do some serious patching on the drywall.  That meant we had to repaint, too.  There was a wallpaper border around the top, rather appropriate for our purposes, with the whole “library” look, but since I am not the world’s biggest wallpaper fan, I decided that it would have to go as well.  You can see in this picture the nice, spacious closet – a huge plus in my opinion (this house has the nicest closets, and lots of them).  The floor was bare plywood, but other than that, it was in pretty good condition. 

I painted this room my lovely Seamist and we had new carpet installed in the entire upstairs (and in the downstairs bedrooms).  Along with a fresh coat of white trim, it gave the room an entirely new look. 

I was so excited when I found a giant white board at a local consignment shop.  It was a high-quality, 4’x6’ board with a marker trayand it was only $24!  Paul helped me hang it, and it really adds to our classroom instruction!  Over in the corner is our “children’s library,” a collection of books that I have gathered over the years.  They range from my childhood favorites to solid classic children’s literature.  I always encourage my children to read good books – it helps to develop the mind!

Right now, this is where we spend a great deal of time each day.  Since it is such a great part of our lives, I wanted it to be a relaxing, serene atmosphere, too.  I feel that I have accomplished that to a small degree.  Later, I plan to add some pictures of great American landmarks that we have visited as a family.  My ideas are boundless, but so are my pressing priorities, so the photos may have to wait a while! :)

School Days

With all of the hoopla of moving, school really crept up on us quickly this year.  I had (thankfully) ordered all of our books in the spring, so they were waiting, no – lurking – in a corner, threatening my summer happiness each time I happened to catch sight of them. 

However, life must go on, and with it comes schoolwork.  We were still moving and renovating the house when our  set-in-stone first day of school arrived.  I dragged out the books, and, flying by the proverbial seat of my skirt (can you do that?), I started school with no lesson plans made.  Argh!  Where was my brain? I hate it when I do that.  The kids do so much better when they have a plan to follow!  Anyway, that is the terrible truth.  I was unprepared. 

The good news is that we managed to get through the first crazy week, and a few subsequent crazy weeks, but now things have settled down into our normal routine.  Can I have a big “Woohoo!” right now?  :)

I did manage to snap some pictures of the kids on the first day of school.  They aren’t creative, artistic, or even great photos, but they are my babies, and I love them.  I think that their pictures capture their little personalities so well.

Josiah is in sixth grade this year – I really can’t believe it!  He is a responsible and tender-hearted boy, who works hard and is a good student.  He gets more and more like his dad all the time.  It cracks me up!

Abigail is in third grade.  She is as ornery as her picture indicates.  She loves to help in the kitchen, and is also learning to sew a little.  It will be a fun year.

Esther, my first-grader, is a sweet, affectionate child.  She gives hugs that literally take your breath away.  The violence of her affection amazes me! :)  She loves to help in the kitchen as well, and her favorite thing to do with Mama is scrapbook! yay!

Daniel, while not in school yet, had to be a part of the fun.  As you can tell, he is a crazy little boy who likes to ham it up for the camera.  These are the blessings I see every day – some days I appreciate them more than others, as you mothers will understand.  I do love them, though, and I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.