Schooltime!

So we are in full swing here coming up on the end of week 4 at the Howells Homeschool.

First off, I really want to say I'M SORRY to every teacher my kids have ever had because I simply have NOT appreciated them even a smidgen of what they deserve.  Holy Smokes- this teacher role is overwhelming, tough, tiring (as in I'm pretty sure I've napped or at least dreamed about napping every day so far) but it's also fun, full and rich.

We got organized!

Our station

First day of school sugar rush- er....breakfast.

Piano Lessons with Daddy

I am COMPLETELY overwhelmed with this task.  I have so many ideas of things I want to do, books I want to read out loud,  books I want THEM to read, projects, biographies, nature walks, piano lessons, piano practice, physical outlets (no option here!), brain breaks, speech help, flashcards, workbooks, lap books, map work, cursive... and the continuous "Mom, mom, mom, mom, mom.., MOM!" for double checking work, grammar, handwriting, help translating sonnets, figuring out diagrams or checking quizzes.  I bet YOU are even daydreaming about a nap now! =) 

I just have to quiet my mind and heart and know I cannot teach them everything TODAY or this WEEK or this YEAR! Not to mention I am confident that even after many years of this work I will still not ever be done. 

Over.whelming. 

However, my favorite part of our day is our first 30 minutes we call Proverbs and Prayer. (Hooray for alliteration!)  One homeschooling friend once told me "always start with God's word. That way if the rest of the day goes downhill at least you got done what is really important."  Good words.  So we draw or act or recite some proverbs, we pray, we have our own "morning watch" time before we launch into the Pilgrims, trapezoids or ecosystems.  

What a new world we have launched into.   

I hope we never recover.