Kids books

Had the four children for the evening while Mom got a night out. She suggested I take them to the library. We went and picked out books. Children's books seem to get better and better each year and I have the perfect excuse to spend time reading them. We got a whole stack and headed home. I read to the three youngest with Jack and Helen on my lap and Sophie perched nearby doing drawings while she listened. We read about a steam train, a Zen master panda bear, and a book of poems that were all mainly about the yummy joy of a good book and a quiet corner. Jack listened intently through about half of it all then trundled away. At least he showed some interest. The girls listened to the entire thing. Richard was elsewhere reading books he had picked out.
Afterwards we read the Bible out loud (finally finished John's gospel), then squeezed in violin and Greek for Richard, reading for Helen, and some math for Sophie. I will now steal away to some quiet corner to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

Wow

Despite church and household projects, we actually got in some studying; Koine and violin, reading skills with Helen, and math with Sophie. It has been a good day.

High hopes

I always have this imaginary schedule when I wake up on a Saturday morning. I have it worked out in my head how by the end of the day I will have squeezed in all kinds of activities with the children. And then every Saturday by about eight or nine I realize I didn't quite pull it off.

yeow

Finally got back to the Koine. Finally did a Bible reading after several days of just not getting to it. Got Richard to get in a violin practice immediately following his lesson, which is something we need to be doing every week instead of waiting till three days before the weekly lesson to start practicing... Despite all the chaos and exhaustion made gingerbread cookies...

This ain't easy

Doing the home schooling for the second day in a row (I took two days off). I have one cooperative, self motivated student, one uncooperative, uninterested student, one pre-reader, and one screaming toddler to deal with. How does Rebecca do this now that she is pregnant????? I am getting through this by the grace of God alone. It takes a lot of energy to bounce from child to child and from need to need, my voice is getting hoarse, and we are only about half way through the day's lesson.

New years resolutions

Ok, Sophie is on the music software. Richard and Helen are building stuff with legos. It is a school holiday so the children had a break from classes today.

Did a reading lesson with Helen. Did math with Sophie while Rick practiced violin. Wrote out a short time line: "Ok, Sophie, if someone turns six this year, when were they born? How old will that person be in 2010? What year comes after 1999?.."

Did another reading lesson with Helen. Did some cleaning and some dishes. Still need to do more violin with Rick. Will also read the Bible to all three. Will stay up late finishing chores (the more that get done today, the less gets in the way of tomorrow's tasks). Don't think we will get to the Koine tonight though.