You've Got Mail!!

I love getting packages and "real" mail, don't you? Even if they ARE just school books. ;o) I was pleased that even though I only ordered the books last Monday, they were here by Thursday, in time to start next week. I am a little bit anxious about teaching all eight of the kids this year. Technically, I guess I could have waited to have the twins start Kindergarten, since they don't turn 5 until October, but it actually might help me get more school done if they are intimately involved in a lesson and have their "own" school to do. They love to draw and write and count with the math blocks. I just wish the OLDER kids were as enthusiastic about learning. LOL
We are using the Life in America curriculum, a K-12, classical approach, Christian curriculum, the best of a lot of worlds for us. We switched to this a couple of years ago when it got overwhelming to try to keep up with 30 different subjects (5 children, six different subjects each, different grade levels). This way the majority of the lesson is done together, and the assignments are according to ability levels.
I have noticed that Renée seems to be our "unique" child in a lot of ways. She is our only morning person..she actually wakes up cheerful and full of energy! Rebekah is the opposite (and typical of the rest of the family)...dragging out of bed, groggy and grumpy. ;o) Renée is also the only "lefty" in the family. We experimented when she was a toddler and tried to give her a fork or spoon in her right hand, but she would reach over and grab it with her left hand. She writes left-handed, too, and lately when she writes her name, it is completely BACKwards--including the accent mark! I am hoping that is just a phase. I will have to keep an eye on it to make sure it isn't indicative of dyslexia.
We are enrolling the older boys in a Latin 1 class and Art Fundamentals. I have been wanting to have lessons from Patty Rice for several years, but her classes are so popular that she has a TWO year waiting list at her studio! She is teaching a couple of classes with the LIFE homeschool support group this year, and I was on the waiting list for those. Fortunately, several families changed their plans and she called me to tell me that she had room for us! I say "us" because I, too, want to take the class. That way I can teach it to my other kids, and not have to pay the tuition. I really like what she has done, and am super impressed with the art I have seen coming from her students. Patty does art that is realistic, the kind I like. I prefer realistic vs. abstract art, because you can see for yourself whether the artist has talent or not. With some abstract art, it looks like it could have been done by a 2-yr-old...and in some cases, may have been! Normal Rockwell has always been one of my favorite artists: he always saw the human and humorous side of things, and was able to capture emotions on the canvas.