Homeschooling, Weeks 16 and 17

     I missed a week!  I can't believe I did, yet I can understand why.  The days are passing quickly and the weeks are flying by.  My birthday is coming up and then Thanksgiving is exactly a week after.  Between both kids, as most parents know, there's more to do (on top of what is already scheduled) around the holidays.  As a runner turned CrossFitter, I know how to pace myself in all things, but it can still be a lot.  At the beginning of October, all our weekends in November and December were already booked!

      Despite the busyness of this time of the year, we take our time when it comes to homeschooling.  With the Sonlight Curriculum I'm using, there's a lot of reading (which my daughter and I LOVE) and I want to make sure she understands everything she's listening to.  At the same time I don't stress out if she doesn't get a particular concept immediately.  It takes time for things to really sink in and for everything to make sense.  Sometimes, we parents can freak out, especially when we fall into the trap of comparing our kids to other kids.  That can rub off on our kids as well.

     Recently, my daughter caught something at the end of the news (she walked in when it was on) about a 5-year old boy who knew all the countries in the world.  Yes, ALL.  Every single country.  Did I mention that he knew all the capitals as well?  My daughter was amazed and at the same time disappointed with herself for not knowing all the countries.  I had to remind her, and you as well, that we are all blessed with different talents and skills.  I took the opportunity to tell my daughter that God created each and every one of us for a different purpose, with a different set of abilities, and different personalities and that if we were all the same it would get particularly boring.  She was happy to know that God made her special.

     During those times I don't think it's sinking in or that it may be too much, God gives me a glimpse of the work He's doing in her.  This week we finished our Bible study on the Kings (Saul, David and Solomon).  That was a lot of reading and there were different details to the each King's story.  I secretly underestimated her comprehension when she decided to create her own bible and draw pictures to go with each King's story.  She was able to retell the stories, which she so carefully did while on her daddy's lap.

     On the flip side, we squeezed in some fun the past couple of weeks making pizza at my step-daughter's restaurant, Pitfire Pizza (she's the head honcho there).  Every Tuesday she holds a pizza making event and we brought a couple of friends with us.

  

     This was a perfect outing for us because we got to see my step-daughter (and all her gracious and patient staff) and she got to make pizza plus share a meal with her friends.

     Ah, the simple things!