My Agenda

First off, let me point out that I can copy and paste html with the best of them. Notice that once again, my pic is a neat little link. Why? How did I duplicate this stunning feat of technology? Cause I can copy and paste, baby. Copy and paste all the way :)

Second, let me say it tickles me to no end to be able to title a post "My Agenda." I feel like I am now totally qualified to participate in some giant conspiracy theory. Why? Because I have an agenda.

Third, I cheated on this assignment. Yes, that's right. You can kick me out of the group now. You didn't think it was possible to cheat on a blog meme, did you? And yet, I found a way. (I mean, a way other than the copy/paste trick up above.) Wanna know what I did? I went and read other people's blogs before I started working on my own assignment. Scandalous, I know.

So, if you're still reading, and haven't been shocked away... let me tell you what I'm doing this school year.

My curriculum is a pretty easy thing. Since we participate in OHVA, we use the packaged K-12 curriculum for almost all our subjects. Sweetling just thrives on the traditional, academic, structured program. I'm not sure how much of a long term match it will be for Toa of Boy, but so far the very hands-on, manipulative based kindergarten program is a huge hit. In later years, we might have to reevaluate and chose different curriculum for him....but that's later.

This summer, Sweetling decided that for her devotion time, she was going to read a chapter of the Bible each day. She decided she would start in Genesis and just read one chapter a day till she read through the entire Bible. I, being the finished-challenged individual that I am, was aghast. I tried to cover my dismay at what I thought was an impossible plan, by very gently asking Sweetling if she knew how many chapters there were in the entire Bible. Sweetling didn't. And of course, I didn't know the exact number, just that there were a huge honking number of chapters. So we looked it up. And I gently asked Sweetling if she understood how many years it would take her to read the entire Bible with its 1,189 chapters, if she were reading one chapter every weekday. Sweetling went and did the long division, and seemed perfectly content with her plan. I, still the concerned mommy, gently suggested perhaps a different reading plan, one that would lead her through excerpts from each book of the Bible in just a few months. But no, no, that wasn't the same as reading the entire Bible. Sweetling was steadfast in her plan to read the whole Bible, chapter by chapter, no matter how long it takes her. So, that's our plan for Sweetling's Bible study. ("Our" in that statement is horribly misused. I managed to read through the entire Bible only once in my life, and that only because I found The Daily Bible, which put everything in chronological order, cut out 'redundant' passages, and explained a little of the history and context where needed. It was a major accomplishment for me to stick to a program regularly for an entire year.)

I was stuck on what to do for Toa of Boy's devotions. He needed something. We had, through the summer, read through the Rhyme Bible, by reading one short Bible story in order each day. I thought perhaps he still needed some familiarity with the major events and people in the Bible. I had considered making lapbooks for our Bible study. We could pick a major Bible story, or Bible hero, and work for a week or two on a lapbook. I still think this is a solid plan, and we might come back to it next year. But, in the meantime, Toa of Boy has been asking... "Why can't we see God? Nobody ever sees God? Mommy, does God die? Why did Jesus die?" And I don't want to ignore these questions. I try to answer them as he asks, but I'm often caught off guard on them, and its hard to put responses to such profound questions in the language of a five-year old. So, I wasn't sold on the lapbook projects, because I felt it wouldn't really address what Toa of Boy wanted and needed. But, as I was cheating and reading other blogs, I found this...Leading Little Ones to God.
(Much thanks to Kim @ Homestead Acres.)

Every Thursday we'll be participating in a curriculum based co-op. Since everyone in the co-op uses the same curriculum we do, the subjects and school work they do as part of the co-op isn't in addition to, or instead of, what we'd be doing anyway, it will be a part of and go along with it. I'm really looking forward to it, and so is Sweetling. Toa of Boy isn't as on board, but he will be once he starts hanging out with and playing with the other boys. And I'm the assist in his room in the morning, so that will help him transition into a new environment.

On Wednesday nights, Sweetling will be participating in a Bible Bowl curriculum on Exodus. On Sunday evenings she can pick either a drama/speaking class based on presenting scripture OR she can participate in praise dance that I'll be leading. And of course, she's still in Tae Kwon Do on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Toa of Boy has church activities on Wednesday and Sunday nights. He doesn't have any extra-curricular sports activities. I don't think Tae Kwon Do would be a good fit for him just yet, and I didn't want to add the running around of soccer practice into our schedule.

So, that's our curriculum. For some unknown reason, I actually thought I was going to have a short post this time.

Now, on to my agenda. <insert maniacal laughter here>

This year...
* I am NOT going to let staying with the curriculum dominate our schooling. I am going to skip units and lessons when appropriate for either or both children.
* I am going to make sure Sweetling has plenty of time during the day, at least one to two hours, to work on her own, independent projects and studies.
*I am going to stick to a basic daily structure and schedule. We will start the day on time. We will take only an hour for a lunch break. We will end the day with plenty of free time left over.
*I am going to insist that morning and afternoon checklists get accomplished each day, including mine.
*I am going to get up at a reasonable hour to get dressed, do my devotions, and get through my morning stuff before school starts instead of waiting till the last minute to roll out of bed.
*I am going to sort and start laundry, clip coupons, vacuum, and get the next weeks worth of lessons done on Sunday afternoon so that we are ready for the week on Monday morning.
*I am going to get most of my grocery list written and in order Monday night, so that I'm ready to go shopping Tuesday after school.
*And I'm going to have to find some way to keep things varied and interesting for me, because doing the same thing week after week isn't going to happen all year long. I'll crash and burn, baby, crash and burn. Blogging is one of those ways, but I know I'll need to cycle through some other things as well. I'm getting back into dance this fall, but I'm not sure if that will increase my happiness or increase my stress levels. I'm going to need some other, fun, relaxing creative outlets. (Hint, hint, and nudge, nudge, to Christopher Robin.)

And that's my agenda.

No one is allowed to burst my little bubble on this one. If the Maven can have a bubble the size of all of Canada, I'm allowed to have a little bubble all of my own.