A New School Year

Living in Pennsylvania, we have quite a few more regulations than many other states.  We rest in the fact that we follow the law to the letter.  We do a few extra things, but that's just for our own benefit and not the school district that we report to every year.  I am a minimalist for the most part when it comes to submitting portfolios.  We do every subject required by law, but with the "big" ones--Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies--we add beginning, middle and end of the year samples of the kids' work.  Everything else, like Art, Music, PE, Fire Safety and Sign Language get one or two samples.  Many times we cannot document what is undocumentable, like a conversation we had in the vehicle.  This means that we take cameras with us everywhere we go, just in case.

Sometimes we come across a crew doing measurements and we wonder, "This isn't PENDOT.  Who is this?"  So, whomever isn't driving (usually) takes a quick snapshot of the truck with the emblem on the side so we can look it up at home and find out what they do.  This is one of the good and beneficial things about grabbing the camera before walking out the door.  :0)

And of course, on our drives to Cook's Forest, we have to stop and take pictures of the wild Mountain Laurel in bloom.  This bush's leaves so closely resemble the Rhododendron.  They seem to be in the same family.

Interesting studies, just because we carry a camera with us wherever we go.

Today marks the beginning of our 2011-2012 school year.  There is no pomp and circumstance, nothing out of the ordinary.  Right now my youngest (JL if you'd like to look back a few posts at pictures to see who I am referring to.) is looking up Farenheit to Celcius conversion on his Vteck laptop.  He asks, "Mom, is there any country in the world that uses 'K' for measurement of temperature?"  While my son and I sit quietly and let our breakfasts digest, we're both on laptops, learning and growing.  Here in a few minutes, we'll go hang the sheets outside on the clothes line, start some blankets and get to work on Victory Drill Book, Sequential Speller, Easy Grammar and maybe some Math-U-See.  This will probably take us an hour.  This afternoon we'll head to the pool for PE. 

This is the flow of our lives, simple, relaxed, but diligent.  We have chores to do, but people come before things, as they should.  There is a simple and perfect peace that occurs when we take care of our chores to a natural rhythm of life and spend time caring for the most important ones in our lives, those who have eternal spirits.  What a blessing from God! 

Perfect Peace...who can ask for more?