Sadly, Bob's mother has hurt her back, so we've spent some time helping her and we left Kelsey to stay with her for a few days last week. So this week is actually the first week, since vacation,and back to school, with all of us home again.
While Kendal was away for three weeks, we worked on a new schedule for the housework and daily chores during the school year. Our goal is to provide more blocks of uninterrupted time for the older girls' schoolwork, and some afternoon time for projects or reading.
Our biggest change is that we send Kendal and Kelsey off to start school right after breakfast and family bible study, instead of including them in morning housework. That means that I delegate kitchen clean-up, care of Noah, Mary and Joy, laundry, other housework and assign and teach elementary schoolwork until lunchtime. We do it all over again after lunch, until all schoolwork is completed. Anna and Daniel have a lot more schoolwork this year since they are in second grade. That translates to more teacher-time. Noah was in my tummy last fall and that was much easier than keeping up with all of his feedings and clothing changes (he's still spitting up) this year. Mary and Joy are old enough to get into fights over all sorts of things...Anyhow, it's a challenging period of transition. Kendal and Kelsey have more difficult schoolwork these days, and the increase in the number of people talking in our house during school hours is adding to the chaos. We're all having to learn how to be quiet, at the same time, for an extended period of time. Explain that to a five month old, two year old, four year old, six year old, etc...
The good news is that after three days, we finally started school well before ten o'clock. Today, it's nearly lunchtime and practically everyone's schoolwork is done. Phew! Monday and Tuesday did not move as swiftly.
I snapped some photos on Monday of the Breakfast Clean-up Crew, Joy sorting laundry and Kendal and Kelsey doing schoolwork.
This morning I was burping Noah, while taking a splinter out of Mary's finger, and Joy was brushing my hair. It seemed like good material for one of those homeschooling cartoons that we love so much! It looks sweet and peaceful enough in the photo, but I felt comically multi-tasked!
Bob, in his husbandly wisdom, has decided this is the perfect season to restart our "date nights". Until last night we had taken Noah with us and nearly abandoned the tradition all together. We went to our "secret place" (Carrabba's) and had a wonderful dinner and dessert. The children were orderly and sweet in our absence. We'll try to find a way to have a weekly date from now on! 
We are thankful that God is patient with us in our relationship with him, in marriage, and in parenting. At breakfast the children and I are studying I Cor. 13 until we memorize it and have applied habitually. We need lots of love without conditions around our house. :)
