Kindergarten, Week 34 and Spring Break

     Oh, goodness!  Two more school weeks and we will be done.  I read through bits of the beginning of this blog and saw how much time I had early on to even write about things outside of our curriculum, but still part of our homeschool.  Not so much as the year is coming to an end.  The last 3 months have been inundated with activities and appointments for both kids and meetings for me.  It's been one thing after another and my documenting duties have fallen to the bottom of my to-do list.

     I'm okay with that.  I know I can't do it all (as much as I try to), but I do what matters first.  I'm called to carry on the work that God has began in me and it is my duty to pass that on to my kids.  If I don't get to blog because my Little Toughie asks questions about the Bible story we're reading and we spend more time than expected in discussion, then I'm okay with that.  If I have to condense two weeks of writing because my kids are enjoying the sunshine while playing with their friends, exhibiting kindness and patience, then I'm okay with that.  While this started as a blog to document (as much as possible) our first year of homeschooling, it has helped to serve as reminder that at the center of it all is our Lord and Savior.  In all things, He comes first.

     In Week 34 we began reading about the Apostle Paul (my favorite).  We have a map that traces all of his missionary routes so we used it while reading how Paul shared the Gospel from one city to the next.  While listening to one of my favorite worship songs ("Redeemed") the lyrics, "I'm not who I used to be" played.  My daughter yelled out, "Like Paul!"  She knows the story of how and why Saul became Paul.  This was first introduced to her last year during VBS; when Paul and the work he did in Athens was the focus.  I'm so happy that it has stuck with her!

     We also began a new book, Dolphin Treasure.  We read Dolphin Adventure in Week 4.  My son was still on Summer Break at that point, so he was able to hear that story.  Dolphin Treasure is a another story by Wayne Grover in which he shares his experience with the same dolphin from Dolphin Adventure.  My daughter was delighted to hear that the dolphin was still around.  She has such a heart for animals and the homeless.

     A couple of months ago we found some toadstools growing around our tree (I learned that this is a sign that our grass is too wet, which makes sense since they started popping up after we had a lot of rain.)  My daughter knows these are not edible and that some mushrooms are poisonous.  This prompted her to start pulling them and tossing them in the compost bin because (and I'm quoting her), "I don't want the homeless people to think it's food and eat it and die."  This is also why every month we prepare two care packages to pass out.

     When this week concluded we began our Spring Break.  My Little Toughie wanted to share the same Spring Break week as her big brother.  Unfortunately, Spring Break kicked off with a 4 a.m. trip to the airport.  My husband was gone all week on business.  Of course, since my timing is impeccable, I started to feel sick once we got home for our early excursion.  My head started throbbing and I started to sniffle.  By the time evening came around I was fully congested and exhausted.  I did all the things I knew to do (for myself) to get better quickly and by Wednesday I was feeling halfway decent.  We even made chocolate chip cookies for a playdate later that day.

     These aren't Paleo, but it's been a very long time since I've made chocolate chip cookies, Paleo or otherwise, and my kids really wanted to make something for their friends.  We still have a batch waiting in the freezer, ready to go for when the call for cookies come!

     My sister and nephew visited and luckily I was feeling better.  Not as energetic, but at least I wasn't stuffy anymore.  It was a wonderful visit and I'm glad my husband got back safely and in time to spend a couple of days with them as well.

     That wraps up the last two weeks.  Week 35 is just around the corner!