BACK TO SCHOOL & A FIELD TRIP TO THE DAIRY FARM

Last week was our first week back to school since having Jude.  We took three weeks off.  I tried to start the week prior but the whole day was a complete disaster and so I said "Nope, not going to start yet!  We'll wait another week!"  And I'm so glad we did because last week went so well. 

When I had Alanna I started back at school too soon and it caused me to get extremely stressed out and overwhelmed.  I felt bad if I needed to just "take a day off" and felt like I had to stay up with the same exact schedule as the private or public schools or even other home-schoolers.  But I learned through all of that, that our schedule won't be just like other home-schoolers and it won't be like other schools.  And trying to be like any one else other than "us" will just cause me to be totally overwhelmed.  So right now we're mostly doing four days of school per week and one field trip per week.  And it's been so wonderful.  It's kept me from feeling burned out and it allows the kids and me to just have fun and enjoy each other in a different way.  

Here's how our first week back to school with four kids went...

Monday and Tuesday we stayed home all day and focused on getting back into the grove of school.   Please note and excuse the huge mess all over the table which includes...books, high chair trays, bibs, napkins, an ergo, colored pencils etc.!!! Keeping it real :)

I switched Liam to a different pre-school curriculum because the one I was using involved so much prep that I just couldn't seem to keep up with it.  It had a lot of printing, laminating, and cutting on my part.  It was taking up a lot of my time and it was costing me so much money.  So I bought the Rod & Staff pre-school curriculum and so far he is really liking it and I'm very happy with it.  

Jude spent some time hanging out in his chair while we did school but mostly had to be held all day. 

Alanna and Liam love reading time.  I read to the kids every day.  Lately I've been reading to them whenever I have to nurse Jude.  It keeps them close and keeps them from fighting while I'm busy. 

Wednesday was the best day last week.  We went on a field trip with our home-school group to a dairy farm.  It was so awesome.  They had a corn maze, hay ride, and fun area for the kids...

Liam led the way for us through the corn maze.  Ruy and his friend Preston ran off ahead.  I actually couldn't get Ruy to hold still long enough the whole day to get a picture of him.  He had so much fun. 

Jude nursed and took a little snooze while the kids played in the fun area. 

We ate a picnic lunch and then went on an 1.5 hour tour of the farm where they talked about everything they do at the farm. 

The kids were all so excited about the cows!!! 

We were so happy that Nathan was able to go with us. It was such a huge help to me having him there to help keep up with all the kids.

The kids loved playing in the cotton seeds.

 

The baby cows were my favorite.  They are so little and sweet. 

I think one of the best parts of the day was seeing a calf moments after it was born!  The mother was trying to push the calf out when we walked by, but she was getting stressed with us around so we had to move on but got to come back right after she delivered the calf.  It was really incredible. The kids were so excited to see such a little cow.

I tried to get a picture of all of us before we left but other than Jude, none of the other kids were up for it so just Jude and I got a picture by the cow fields.  This field trip was so educational and so fun.  I was really happy we got to go.  

Thursday we were outside having some play time when Nathan found a salamander.  That provided a lot of entertainment for the kids and a science lesson right in our backyard.  Ruy loved him so much he wanted to keep him. 

Alanna wanted to hold him so much but she kept getting freaked out and throwing him so I had to help her.  

When we were done holding him, Liam let him go in his habitat "living free and in the wild!"  Like the Wild Kratts always say :) 

Later that evening we had some family time which included snuggling Jude & holding Jude in the Ergo while Nathan wrestled with the kids.  It's so nice when he is home at night to play with the kids and get some of their energy out before bedtime.  

This is where he has basically lived the past four weeks.

 And then Friday we did school again and used the front porch as our "school room" for part of the day.  We don't always do school just at the kitchen table.  Sometimes Ruy does school in his room, the living room, or in the back yard, or on the front porch.  I love that about home-schooling. 

Well that sums up how our week went last week.  I'm so glad it went well and that I'm not feeling overwhelmed or stressed out.  Jude has just fit into our family so well.  It feels like he's always been there and we can't imagine life without him.