March 24 -- Home School Adventure Day 1

Katie is my child who has never been a morning person.  I am a firm believer that children need their sleep.  It was a relief to let her sleep until 8:05 and wake up on her own.  Normally we need to leave the house by 8:10 because the first bell rings at 8:15.

She awoke and took a relaxing bath.

I'll be honest, we are usually so rushed that most of the time I have her get dressed the night before (she wears leggings so her clothes are soft).  It saves a lot of morning drama when you are pressed for time and your 5-year-old is a clothes diva.

Our nights are hurried too with lessons, practices, games, homework and playing outside until after dark when we are home.  A bath without me urging her to hurry, much less a morning bath, felt like a luxury.

When I washed her hair I unintentionally rubbed her back while trying to get the tangles out.  "That feels so good," she said.  So, I gave her a massage while getting her dressed.  Something I haven't done since she was a baby.  I loved massaging my infants.

Then, I rubbed lotion on Isaac too.  He has large patches of eczema and I am suppose to lotion him twice a day.  We forget to do it a lot.  Today, we took our time and enjoyed our morning.

The kids were so happy to be with me.  I was happy to be with them.

We were out the door by 10 a.m., headed to the library.  I told them to pick out books before they could take a turn on the computer (the games there are educational).  They filled their bags with books and started playing with toys and puzzles.  Before we knew it, it was time to go.  They had a great time and didn't complain about not getting on the computers.

I was filled with joy being with them today, hearing Katie read to me, watching Isaac concentrate on one task at a time giving it his full attention, and seeing their ear to ear smiles as we hugged and laughed together.

I know every day of home school can't be like this.  I hope when it gets really hard, I will remember how I felt today and it will help me carry on.

I've ordered some books online and am in the process of developing our curriculum.  I think a few more days like today will be the perfect transition in the meantime.  Maybe I should be really scared.  Mostly I feel at peace and excited.