THAT.
And I think I'm in denial. I'm not ready for school to start, but did that stop Miss A from beginning 2nd grade yesterday and little Miss C started Kindergarten today?? Oh, no it didn't! Oh my... I can't believe that little pip squeak is starting school already! I'm definitely excited for them, but am feeling a wee bit blue over it.
In fact, today's post will highlight some pictures I took of them (though originally I was going to post pics from their birthdays from last month... last month! Oh, how I'm behind!) And did I mention that we just arrived home from Portland, Maine? No? Well, it's true! But that'll have to wait for another post, because here are my babies that are growing up way too fast for this mama...
Miss A. Oh, what a wonderful, strong, brave, tenderhearted girl you are!
I could just pinch her cheeks! (And do quite often.)
And little Miss C... She was so excited and ready for school today. Watch out world.
Miss J decided she wanted to be part of the fun, so she donned her giraffe backpack and walked Miss C to her class.
Love this quote in the front of the school. And don't you just love that mosiac artwork? It makes me want to grab the closest tile and hammer and start on one of our own!
Yes, she is entering a new stage in her life. It's a bit overwhelming letting my daughters go in the world where they'll be exposed to outside influence. Though of course I'll continue to teach them correct principles and lessons at home, I hope I've prepared them enough thus far for this new school adventure. Us mamas have our work cut out for us, don't we? But bring it on. Nothing beats being a mother. Nothing.
And though Miss J hasn't started school yet, she did have her first dance lesson yesterday!
I know it's not the best picture (her hair is totally overexposed), but it's all she'd give me yesterday. :)
Oh, these three little munchkins of mine... I love them dearly.
xo,
Pamela
WHAT DO YOU MEAN???? "Not the best picture?" Miss J looks ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pony tails & Pink! PERFECT!!!!!!!! :)
It IS SO HARD to let them go into the world! Girls are easier in that they tell you things, where boys keep it all inside! So, it makes it a little easier to step in when things don't go right for them, if needed! One of ours is a Junior in College & our daughter, a Senior in High School. We Home School, so it makes things alot easier to manage WHAT they're taught! :)
Posted by: Becky Green | September 05, 2012 at 05:52 PM
Ha ha! The lighting is overexposed! You should see the other ones. :)
What kind of curriculum do you use? Homeschooling has been on my mind for the past year... but settling on a curriculum is so overwhelming. Plus, I'm concerned about what to do with the babe while working with the other two... I don't want to neglect her!
Posted by: Pamela Susan | September 05, 2012 at 06:27 PM
Your girls are so sweet Pamela.....LOVE your pics of them. Just want to add that we also home school, but have a very relaxed approach. We set objectives for the year and make sure we are doing activities throughout the year that meet those objectives. Just wanted to share that home schooling does not necessarily need to mean you are replicating 'school' at home with a set curriculum. Good luck with whatever you choose!
Posted by: heathere from mpls | September 05, 2012 at 07:22 PM
Heathere! Thanks for your input... I really appreciate it! How did you decide which objectives to meet? State requirements? I love what you said about not replicating 'school' at home... I have a couple homeschooling friends that have said the same thing, which I like. Because I'm not the MOST organized person in the world, I'm feeling like I need some curriculum to keep me on track and focused. Or maybe I'm just making it more difficult than it needs to be!! But the issue with Jane is definitely a real one... I don't want to create a situation where I'm constantly frustrated with not being able to focus on the girls' schooling/activities while making sure her needs are met as well... I feel like that wouldn't be fair to her or to the family as a whole. Thoughts?
Posted by: Pamela Susan | September 05, 2012 at 07:37 PM
I did research online on what 1st graders typically learn in that grade. I evaluated if that is what I want my boys learn, took out some things, and added in some things. But the way we teach those things is very unstructured. At first I was very uptight and thought I was not organized enough, focused enough, whatever enough and was really getting down on myself. I'd be sitting at the table with one child while the other two were being left out because the curriculum was not for their age group. Then I read more on the unschooling method and realized that I wanted to lean more that way and take more of a 'learning through life' approach versus a curriculum. This allows me to incorporate topics into the nautral flow of our life. This allows all 3 boys to be involved and all of them can get something out of what we are doing. It also allows me to flex into topics that interest the boys at the time. So if they are really into science for a month, then we focus on science for a month. No big deal..... As long as we are covering all of the objectives in the year, it doesn't matter if we have arts, math, science, reading, etc every day. Let's talk more via email if you want!
Posted by: Heathere | September 07, 2012 at 01:45 PM