Chess....
Swim lessons for Michael
Michael made this cute alligator from clay using a design he found in a book...
This year, Daniel's science is a hodge podge. He completed a unit on the brain and has moved onto carbon chemistry. He attempted to make diagrams of the carbon allotropes: diamond, graphite and buckyballs. The graphite one was the most successful. Just pretend all the pieces are black, we couldn't find jujubes.
To keep things real, it hasn't been the best of weeks around here. All three of the kids have had allergies this week or a mild cold at most. Crankiness has been present more than one day. School work has been procrastinated until the last minute. Boundaries have had to be reset. We stayed at home on Thursday and Friday just to help everyone recover.
One of my biggest struggles right now is the busy-ness. There is just so much going on this time of year. The past two days (although, not totally stress-free) have been a nice respite from the on-the-go normal.
Another struggle I'm dealing with is teaching three different levels of math: 1st grade, Pre-algebra and Algebra 2. Michael is moving quickly through the 1st grade Saxon curriculum and will be able to start on the 2nd grade stuff this year. Daniel wants to finish Pre-Algebra by the end of October, so he can get Algebra 1 done in 8th grade. Tera has just started going over trigonometry in her book and trying to find her rhythm. It just feels like a lot of math juggling!
The bigger issue is that this is the time of year for my seasonal blues. I feel like I've done better emotionally this year than in the years past. I'm giving myself grace for all the things I'm not getting accomplished that I feel like I should be doing. A friend and I are doing a book study on prayer. It's really helping me stay in the Word and staying focused on Him. One of my favorite hymns has always been: "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus."
"Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face.
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
In the light of His glory and grace."
It is so true! The more I turn to Him in prayer and reading His word, the less the things (drama, conflict, worries) seem to get to me. This week my verse has seemed to be:
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."
great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
The days haven't went necessarily great, but His faithfulness and compassion never fail!