Business as Usual

                                                     My Grandma... isn't she beautiful?

                                                      Grandma & her sister "aunt Ruthie"

                                                Miss Priss finally caught her a baby kitten

Noah @ the Art Museum

        Alzheimers sucks.. just so you know. I'm caring for my Aunt Ruthie this weekend who has the disease and to see the change in her in just a month and what it does to her mind makes me sad. It so makes me cling even tighter to the hope we have in Christ and a new body (and MIND) in heaven one day! However, it's beautiful up here at the farm and I get to spend some time with my Grandmother who I see infrequently. So, as usual, God is good. 

Laurel is adjusting finally to her school. She's made some friends and I think that has helped. I emailed her teacher and told her some of the trouble we were having at home with her since school started (ie.. major meltdowns, tantrums etc.) and  she told me that in the classroom she was doing great. However, she did still have trouble connecting with the teacher but that seems to be resolving. Also, she had her second audiology test on Friday and it showed we could actually turn her Implant down a bit (she'd been complaining it was too loud). She tested fabulously PRAISE GOD!! Her Speech and Language scores also went up from January. She is finally in the "average" albeit "low average" range for her age group! Her articulation scores went from a 66 (moderately delayed) to and 85 (low average) in 6 months. God God God!!!

Noah is doing great with his schoolwork. However, being 1 month into homeschooling I am finally able to see his learning style & my teaching style. The curriculum I have (explode the code-phonics, Singapore Math, Handwriting without Tears) are working good with him. I also supplement Science (we've done Magnetism, and Water so far) and History (right now George Washington). However, I see that because my time is so limited I NEED a Total Curriculum for him. One that has everything together, spelled out and prepared. I love to teach, it has nothing to do with that but the preparation and tracking down of materials is too time consuming at the point I'm at right now. I suspected this would be the case as I am also the one who prepares the curriculum for our church Sunday School and LOVED the new total curriculum that I found. I am probably going to go with "My Father's World" this year with Noah. It incorporates all subjects and all with Biblical principles. I am a firm believer in "seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." I think the most important thing we can do is teach our children the principles of God along with things they need to know to learn, grown and participate in the world around them. So, this is what we'll try. The great thing about Homeschooling is that if this learning style doesn't work, there are a million more I can try!! We'll hit the right balance!