Hi Ho Hi Ho It's off to work we go...

Okay so it's only been like 8 days since my last post and I feel like I'm in total deprivation from the computer. I've had to force myself to stay away from the beckoning monitor to get housework done and then fun stuff in. Lots of game-playing with friends, and the kiddos. The Artist's new favorite is Scattergories.

Life is crazy-- CRAZY, I tell you. We've been running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Which is fine and fun at times, but leaves me no time to get my painting done and other misc ventures. But, still, the most important things should come first, and I'm not complaining.

I've been working. Not WORK work, but fun work. I've done two big portrait sessions and a wedding in the past week. The wedding alone left me with over a thousand pictures in a four-hour time frame. Lots to edit, crop, play with.

It's also the time of year to get busy for the coming school year. I've decided to do my eclectic mix again: some Charlotte Mason, A Beka math for the Artist and K12 math for The Nature Boy. Konos for other subjects along with some science kits and various readers. There's just too much available to be pinned down with one thing. And the kids are too different to pick a brand/ style for them to do together. Some of that is okay, but not everything. I'm different, too. I need some fun stuff tied in. Oh, who am I kidding? I need LOTS of fun stuff-- lots of music, hands-on stuff, reading great books, and LOTS and LOTS of time outside.We learn by doing: crafting, cooking, reading, writing, narrating.

I also have many good quotes now from a couple of friends, that I plan to work into my homeschool (and life) philosophy:

"Your family is your number one ministry."

"Every time you walk out the door, that is a potential enemy to your family life. It had better be important."

"Parent-teacher conferences are the best, because I can just sit around blabbering to myself."

I also love these famous quotes:

"Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire." - W B Yeats

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." Willa A. Foster

Here's hoping and praying that we all have a productive, enjoyable and Christ-centered year of learning ahead of us!!