Anybody Still Out There?

Well, I'm back. Probably still not everyday, but better, I promise. I think. The last couple of weeks have been a little tiring. That's my excuse, anyway. To put it a succinct way: Kids + Germs = Inevitable. And another equation: Ministry = People = Pain. I questioned my brother-in-law who's a pastor about the timeline for when ministry didn't include people because that would make things a lot easier on me! Oh well, we'll just trust that the Lord's grace and love is sufficient for even me.
On a less whiny note: SWK has started "first grade." Kind of. I finally decided that I cannot spend tons of money on curriculum just so I wouldn't have to be more disciplined. I am certainly not saying that packaged curriculum wouldn't be a whole lot easier and maybe even better, but the plain fact is the reason I was contemplating it is because I know me and I know how lazy I can be. And that's the only reason I was looking at it. Maybe when he gets a little bit older, and I can justify spending that much because it won't be just him but also Bounce, I'll go back to it. Or it could be next week. I'm fickle. I'll admit that in my confessions as well! So we're on to using our original plan which was to basically use the Bible and The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. That's sort of the guide, and it includes a lot of suggestions and reading lists, etc. We just started the First Language Lessons for the Well-Trained Mind by Jessie Wise and we've been using The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading for a while now. We're trying to find our place in Saxon 1 Math. SWK's gifted like his father in math, so it's a struggle to keep him challenged and not just do busy work. So, rather than just bore you with more details, there's lots more, but I'll post a couple of photos instead.

This one I call "Preventative Measures." You'll note that we all take them. I weave the body pillow that cradled my pregnant body into the bunk bed ladder to prevent Ju Ju from breaking another limb, and the boys climb to the top to play with certain toys. Poor Ju Ju. You'd think he'd get the hint, but the picture that I took before this one included him climbing up the end of the bed. He's definitely committed. As I told our nurse when we were there for immunizations last week, I think Bounce's broken leg was a fluke. Ju Ju Bee's, however, I think is going to be a lifestyle. Calgon? Calgon? (Do they even make Calgon anymore?)