I love reading "day in the life" blog posts. I love getting a peek into someone else's day. I often find a new way of tackling some problem I've been having, something fun to do with my kids, or just an idea that may improve our homeschool or family life. So...I decided to participate in Simple Homeschool's "Day in the Life" link up. So today I share with you what a recent Monday looked like in our house.

Tea Parties, Fairy Tales, and Chapter Books

Well, we've been homeschooling for a little while now, and... I am loving it! Everyday is not rainbows and unicorns and, just like in my classroom, I have tweaked our routine, our resources, and our procedures as needed. I imagine that will be a continual process as life changes. In case you've been curious at all about how things are going, here are some highlights...

Never Say Never...

Hey, Y'all! I thought I'd share on the blog a little about how I ended up homeschooling my kindergartener. And, hopefully, will continue to be able to homeschool for the foreseeable future. I mean, I was a public school teacher. I was a product of public school. I liked school as a kid. My mother, my aunt and my grandmother were public school teachers. What is wrong with public school? And I always thought the only people who homeschooled their kids were wackadoos. Oh boy! How I realize now that was completely wrong! I believed all the stereotypes and myths about homeschooling. It was my own ignorance. I just didn't understand. A few of my experiences with homeschooling did not help. Growing up in my small town, I didn't really know anyone who homeschooled. As a teacher, the few times over the years that I received a new student in my class that was homeschooled they were usually fairly behind academically. One year during a conversation with a parent over her child's frustration with math, the mother said that she didn't like math, so they didn't spend very much time on it. Aw man! For sure, it CAN be done badly, but it doesn't have to be that way. 

A Visit to Magnolia Market

 One of the perks of being home with the kids this year and homeschooling is being able to go places and do fun things whenever we want. During the week...even when it isn't a holiday. Not in summer when it's blazing hot. Avoiding the crowd. I love this! We had a super fun couple of days this week with our little road trip to Waco, home of Magnolia Market, The Silos, and Chip and Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper. (I love them!) 

For the Love of Reading

Hey, Y'all!  We like reading around here.  Right now, we read a lot of picture books.  I really want our kids to grow in their love of reading and become lifelong readers.  You are never too old for picture books, so we will never give those up.  But I've been thinking that maybe I'd like to introduce A to chapter books.  Well, I've taught 4th and 5th grades for the last 21 years, so I didn't really know where to begin with chapter books for a 4 year old.  So I did what any teacher would do...turn to Pinterest! 

We got out of the house...

Oh my goodness, Y'all! I started this blogging thing and then I went MIA. I got really busy with the kids at home and starting our homeschool year, and I had some technical headaches with our computer situation. I started this Sweet Summer string of blogs (here, here, and  here), and  now we are no longer in summer mode. I am one of those people though that CANNOT let things go unfinished, so...here is the end of it...

Growing Responsibility:

Hey, Y'all!  Another part of my summer plan was to help the kids grow in responsibility.  

I wanted them to:

1. Make their beds in the morning. 
2. Set and help clear the table.
3. Clean up their toys.