Holiday Weekend

It has been a busy month. Full of the unexpected. Full of frantic planning. Full of single parenting. When your husband is in the groundwater business you basically live alone most of March and part of April. I really need this long weekend.

Athena is going to visit her Grandparents in Moose Jaw. They'll come pick her up Friday morning. Paul is off work, as I imagine most people are. We get to have the day and evening all to ourselves. We need that too. Time to reconnect. Time to laugh. Time to just be with each other.

We are heading to Regina on Saturday to visit family and we'll pick up Athena Sunday morning and visit more family. We'll be back home Sunday for dinner. I am hoping to really relax and enjoy.

My Inside Out e-course starts on Monday and I am really looking forward to it. I need that too. I have been having some small anxiety issues and if you know me at all, that is not ME at all. The anxiety is NOT connected to home schooling. In fact, that is the one thing that I know is I am doing right. But I need to step back. Re-evaluate. I found some time the other day and slipped into my yoga room for a short half hour practice. I feel more like myself than I ever have when I am on that mat. The course has yoga and meditation in it too. I am hoping for great things from it.

I need to cook. Paul has been away every day for dinner this week and we have been eating scrappy meals. I need to make some soup.

I am hoping to come back from this little break renewed and refreshed. And even though I am no longer a practicing Christian, isn't that what Easter is all about? New life.

And thank you all for all of the encouragement you have left in the comments. Very much appreciated.

Shaking My Head

Short note:

We went back to Athena's school yesterday to return something she had forgotten here. The teacher called me in to discuss some concerns.

#1 Socialization (rolls eyes). Athena needs several hours with peers every day. How am I going to manage that?

#2 How will I ever possibly teach her to read? She took the liberty of photocopying the entire Handwriting Without Tears book for me. You know that you start at the top of the letters right?(No, I am a dunce. I didn't know that. Sheesh.)

#3 Here is a note about immunizations. I know you'll want to get them updated and the Public Health Nurse will be doing them next week. (No thank you)

#4 I am leaving Athena's cubicle and mailbox as they are because I think you may be sending her back before long. (Oh really?)

Just thought I'd give you a little chuckle in your day.

Parentheses are mine.

Last Week in Pictures

Her idea. A hummingbird of course.

Field Journal

Ready to go to the Butterfly Exhibit.

Copy work.

Decorating Easter bunny hutch

National Geographic Kids Online. Love it!

The first Spring Robin

Plasticine

I can't resist pictures of those eyelashes and freckles.

Yes, it snowed. Yes those are bare foot prints on the deck.

Dyeing Easter eggs

Making a fairy house

This is her interpretation of a horse running.

The week was great but chilly. The butterfly exhibit was excellent. There were butterflies all around us, landing on us. I didn't think we could take pictures but we were allowed. But, the camera was in the car.

A woman came up to Athena and looked at her field journal. She identified herself as a school teacher. She told Athena that her butterfly entries in the journal were "great and a wonderful idea". Then asked her how old she was and what grade she was in. Athena said "I'm home schooled." And the woman nodded her head and gave the "thumbs up" sign and said to us "Good job."

This week, the weather is unseasonably warm. Yesterday was spent outside. The whole day. From 9 to 4. I think today will be the same.

New Focus

As you probably know if you have visited here at all, I have changed the topic of this blog as our life situation changed. I am now going to post about our adventures in home schooling.

I will use this space to document our journey along this yet unexplored path. Unexplored, I say, because although I have several years experience with home schooling my older girls, this will be the first time I attempt to do it with an only child. This should prove to present unique opportunities and challenges as well.

I was not expecting to begin quite this early. I planned to begin with first grade in the fall. Due to unforeseen events and circumstances, I found myself kind of scrambling this week. I was under pressure and am still under pressure to get organized. As of this moment, I am not. Not at all.

We did mange to do schooling three days this week. Athena learned to read the first two Bob Books on her own. The gleam in her eye when she realized that she could sound out words was beyond reward for both of us. She has taken them out several times a day to practice.

We did some simple math. A color by number and some rudimentary measuring. We baked two items and she did all the measuring herself. And of course we read books. We spent time outdoors building Fairy Houses and splashing in puddles. We spotted the first spring robin this morning.

As luck would have it there is a butterfly exhibit coming to the city this weekend so we began her Field Journal. She wanted to call it a field journal instead of a nature notebook because of course, Deigo has a field journal. Whatever works. We cut out pictures of the featured butterflies from our news paper, pasted them in the journal and copied their names below the pictures. We hope to find all 8 species this weekend. (Hopefully not the Giant Owl. It is reported to have an 8 inch wing span)

I feel a huge relief at having taken her out of school and yet a huge responsibility now lies on my shoulders. I have not written down my plans yet and that about drives me nuts. I am methodical and organized if nothing else.

But, my husband, my oldest daughter and my dear sister put it all into perspective for me when they told me "Don't forget, it's only Kindergarten." Indeed.

It's Official

It happened again. I got the " Come Hither" gesture. Another informal Parent/Teacher Interview.

(Sigh) Not again.

"Mrs. Payette, can I talk to you a minute? Have you noticed anything 'off' about Athena these past months? No? Well, I am having more trouble than ever. She is so distracted. I cannot keep her attention. I am constantly trying to usher her toward the group. I can't get her in from recess. She is the last one outside and then I can't get her attention to come in. It is getting worse."

And then Athena comes out of her class. The last one again. Of course. She looks exhausted. She looks defeated. And then she sees me. " Mama!" And she puts her boots on and bolts out the door. She runs halfway home. She laughs. She talks excitedly. She is free!

And so today is her last day of school. She has to hand in her library books and collect her things.

It is official. I gave written notice. I am withdrawing her from school.

We are officially Home Schoolers! Woohoo!