Back to School

 

Suddenly it is in the 40's at night and we are shivering in our summer clothes. Time to get out the winter things. The cooler air feels wonderful but in the back of my mind I know that once we get out the fleeces and hats and mittens they will be here for the next 9 months. May is so far away! We have officially started the school year and are loving it. The children just love to learn and that is what is making it so much fun. I am sure that soon our excitement will wear down and it will seem more like work, but right now it is like playing. Instead of letting the year stretch out forever in front of us I realized that I need a shorter picture to work with. I am taking it month by month and setting small goals for each month. At the end of the school year I tried to remember the year and document all that we did and saw and learned. I was amazed at how much we had done. I started to see how much I needed the encouragement of documenting what we are doing month by month. Nothing fancy, just a file on the counter for the three oldest ones to put in special papers and projects as they finish them this month, along with any special trips or lessons or discoveries. I have a list so that I can write down every book they read themselves and another list of books that that they are read by an adult. So much that I am involved with has very little sense of accomplishment attatched to it. Laundry, dishes, meals, housecleaning, errands...they all have to be done again soon. Taking a tiny bit of time to make a note of what we are doing has been such an encouragement and given a sense of accomplishment.