And so it begins....

Our first day of school began this morning. Lee and I were up early but were not the first to rise. Our son was up bright and early eager to greet the day. While he hasn't admitted his excitement for school to start, his jitteriness and desire/need to be on top of my every move this morning (read: standing right next to me as I cooked breakfast, nonstop talking, and near panic over his lunch sack not fitting in his duffel bag!!) led me to believe otherwise. Maybe he was feeling a bit nervous, either way, I think he was "feeling" something other than what he was trying to portray! Needless to say, this morning called for warm, homemade biscuits, strong coffee, and a light heart.

Charlotte also began her first day of first grade here at home. She was soooooooo excited and couldn't wait to jump right in. Kiki was slow to wake this morning so we had to alter our plans for a morning visit to the sheep and instead meandered around the yard looking for signs of Autumn. We said "Good Morning" to the chickens and the sunshine and welcomed the day with our morning prayer::

Awake, the sun is shining bright:

He drives away the long, dark night. 

The moon and stars have gone to rest

And earth in softest green is dressed

Now will we open wide our heart:

Of this great world we all are part,

And if we work, or sleep, or play:

Be with us golden sun this day.

The morning moved along well. Seraphina, our one year old babe, made it almost impossible to press on and Charlotte and I became a little concerned that our desires to work this morning would be just about impossible. I opted to try and put her down for an early nap, hoping we could at least get through a majority of our work. Today, we succeeded. Seri napped long enough for us to complete our task, although Charlotte was resistant to stop for breaks in between for fear that Seri would awaken and then we'd have to stop. 

Anyone homeschooling with super littles at home have any advice on how to work with an eager first grader while managing a toddler who demands full attention? 

I was amazed at the amount of dedication Charlotte showed today. She loves to learn and she picked up on all the concepts and rhythms that were appropriate for her. I snuck in a math game that was a bit advanced, she gave it a whirl but quickly communicated that it didn't feel right, she wasn't getting it! Our main goal for today was to review a bunch of things we did last year so I could see how much she retained. WOW! Kids minds are amazing. Where I thought we'd have to begin again, Charlotte breezed right through and I found we were able to jump ahead to where we'd left off, no problem. 

Tomorrow will be so exciting as we really jump into our science and art blocks!

You've heard me speak to the size of our home, 1000 sq ft (+/- a foot here and there). It's a constant battle to find the right flow from room to room so we decided to overhaul our two main living spaces; the family room and  the dining room, in an attempt to have more space for each. We flip-flopped the two rooms and I think, so far, all that we'd hoped for with the switch is coming to fruition. There is a bit more peace for little Seraphina who had a hard time navigating the narrow and high spaces and always felt left behind, our family room in now in the same space as the kitchen which has been nice for engaging the children more, sharing in more conversations, and just being happy to glance over from the kitchen and see every one's little faces. Having the dining room separated has allowed me more space to create a "school room". We are "kitchen table learners" so having a room pull double duty in the smaller space was a challenge. I think we've been afforded just enough space to satisfy what needs to be done right now. Fingers crossed!

I hope the school year is proving to be a beautiful one for all of you. I would love to hear how you all are doing.....