So Far, So Good!

Well, it's been a week and so far, so good! 

I've ordered some books in the "Things Every First Grader Should Know" series, and have started looking into the common core requirements.  My focus is on developing their critical thinking skills and exposure to lots of information-- cultivating interests, but I also know that the world we live in requires occasional standardized tests.  I want to make sure they do well when it's their time to take the CRCT's.

I was worried about the prospect of homeschooling again, because there's an element of wicked sibling rivalry with my son and daughter... and although this is comforting in a backwards way (I'm convinced that the more siblings fight, the closer they'll be in the long run), this can be a hard dynamic to manage when they're in competing-for-attention-and-resources mode.  As much as I'm able to, I try to defuse the tension with humor (one of my favorites is to tell them that I'll go get a knife and cut open my belly, and they'll have to take off their shoes and curl up small, but I'll stuff them back in; when they're fighting over mama cuddles).

So far, I have actually really enjoyed this week, myself-- I have not contemplated sticking my head in the oven even once, or had any spa-vacation escape fantasies.  I have been dilligent about administering cod liver oil and feeding them only nutrient-dense foods, have a pot of bone soup going, took a field trip to a real health food store (an hour away) to procure some provisions.

The kids have been engaged in lots of fun projects-- I let them dig up my flower bed and replant them in 'flower pots' they constructed out of my garden bricks... we looked at the roots of the plants and talked about the different parts of the plant and their function; reading, math, music... 

So far, so good!