Fare Thee Well, sweet summer

I have been busy, busy, busy planning, organizing, researching, purchasing and praying. It must be the beginning of a new school year. This will be my first official homeschooling type post ever because this is the first time I am a full time mother-teacher (in the formal sense anyway).

This morning dawned bright and early and the Fall schedule was set into place in earnest. I awoke a hare earlier than usual. I got dressed immediately in the clothes I laid out last evening. I washed my face, brushed my hair and pulled it up into a little french twist at the back, swept some blusher on my cheeks, dabbed on a bit of Rose beige lipstick, put a spray of my everyday perfume at the nape of my neck, and put on my lucky earrings - the pretty little diamond studs given me by my dearest and nearest.

I then went into the dark kitchen and turned on the lamp at the end of the counter, and poured my first cup of coffee of the day. I enjoyed it immensely in the early morning quiet of the house. Then I crept out onto the front porch as the sun began it's upward dance into the sky and I prayed my morning meditation from the Magnificat amid the flowers, bees, birds, Mr. Hubert, kitty supreme. I was having that "glad to be alive" moment. Today was going to be momentous.

Bridget began kindergarten at our beloved Catholic school. As I felt those pangs of seperating from her after taking her in to her classroom I kept asking myself "what was the reason you're not homeschooling her as well this year?"

Sammy gave me the answer later as we began his first day of lessons here at home ~smiling~. He worked hard for me and was quite willing and eager to begin (I'll admit some surprise at this). He stuck with it, along side me, for 3 full hours with only 1 ten minute break, from which he returned on his own. Really, I had thought our beginning days would be 1 to 2 hours for a month or so. This may still turn out to be so. We'll see.

It was intense. His activity level and distraction quota were very high. His curiosity and talking and question asking were almost non-stop so as to precipitate my secretly begging the Blessed Mother for grace to respond without any weariness or impatience. She didn't fail me.

But, all in all, the day went gracefully well. Bridget came home in the afternoon glowing about all that went on at her school and her new friend, Grace. Sam seemed as if he was taking this learning at home seriously. The younger set (JP and Maryn) drew, looked through books, worked with stickers and paper and were mostly occupied happily except for one small irritable incident having to do with only one graham cracker left on the plate.

I know that God has given me a softly padded entry into this school year. I know there will be some difficult days. So, why am I unafraid and so incredibly at peace? Because I know that God is leading the way. I love not having to feel like I have to try to force Sam into some mold he's never going to fit into so as to please a teacher. I love that he doesn't have to feel stress over learning.

I have entered this with little anxiety due to prayer, the 4 Real boards, some great homeschooling books, and all these great blogging homeschooling women that I know!! What more could I want?

Sam's comment at the close of lessons today was a major boost... "Mommy, I'm really, really, really glad you're going to be my teacher" Yes, well, dear kiddo of mine, that's going to go far on those days when you make your mom question her very sanity in ever attempting this ~laughing~.

But for the record, I'm really, really glad I'm going to be your teacher too. One of us may not make it through your childhood but we're gonna die trying, right?