Homeschooling: Starting off a great year!

Blue plaid jumper…

Brown leather “Eastland” loafers……

When I was a young girl, I used to love getting ready to go back to school. Laying out my Catholic school jumper, I dreamed of playing “pig” with the girls and being chased by the boys.  I was so eager to see all the fun the school year would bring. I remember, excitedly, writing my name on all my composition books; gathering up my tissues boxes; and standing in a line at the local AMES store to purchase my 4 reams of paper. (My mom would make all four of us kids purchase the maximum number of paper reams for the 25 cent deal…haha)

As a homeschooling mom, I would never want to deny my own children some of those beloved traditions, so here are a few things that we like to do for the kiddos on the morning of their first bi-weekly homeschooling co-op.

• Print and laminate class signs…..

We always take a picture the morning of co-op on the front porch. Its a mad scramble to get the pictures done before breakfast and still get out the door in time. The children are so eager to start their day and reunite with all their friends. 

• Everyone gets a new outfit…complete with accessories!! This year, the hubs joined me in hitting up the stores on Labor Day. I will not bore you with all the details but suffice it to say that Miss Missy and Mini Me entertained all the Old Navy patrons with several musical performances while they utilized the dressing room. (Never a dull moment)

DDD was happy to hit the boys section of Old Navy with his dad. Neon green is his current “phase”…….and after countless shopping trips where he “loves everything” and then never wears what I buy him…..I handed this duty over to dad. The hubs doesn’t have my “discount diva” “clearance rack queen” mentality, so DDD was thrilled to have less restrictions on his clothing choices.

This beauty fell in love with this adorable skirt from Old Navy and we found this cute hairband at the Claire’s in the mall. This picture is just a reminder to me of how quickly time goes by.  Sweet Pea is growing up so quickly…..what a beautiful flower that we are watching unfold.

The Fashionista helped me “discover” the store, Crazy 8. She found this adorable sundress and paired it with a cute sparkly headband to match her personality.

We were able to purchase both the little girls dresses as well. Crazy 8’s is now my new “Gymboree” since that store moved out of our mall. I love the bright vibrant colors that they carry. And no…they are not paying me for this “plug”, I just can’t help but share great attire for kids!!

Serving a fun breakfast.

This year it seemed like none of the kids really wanted to eat a big breakfast. I love to make something quick and yummy like blueberry muffins or cinnamon rolls. However, this year they were more than happy to eat a bowl of their favorite “sugar cereal”….which was an awesome treat. So…bring on the “Fruity pebbles”…dyes and all. haha.

Creating a name tag listing of all their classes…… To be able to assist my children with getting to their classes, I wrote up and laminated simple class schedules to be worn around their neck. This helped my children to get to the correct places while I was teaching classes myself.  If one of my kids weren’t sure what class they had, one of the moms could grab their “tag” and check it. It was a huge relief for this mom. For some reason, Mini Me has taken to biting on the corners of hers…(palm to face).

Special love from daddy….. 

This was from the hubs last year. He had me get them donuts and juice and he left them a cute note for when they woke up. They loved it….but….this is totally characteristic of the “awesome dad” that he is.  However, trying to eat a little better this year……the hubs decided to just send them off to co-op with a “kiss”. As he planted a kiss on each one of them, he threw a few Hershey kisses in their lunch box. I wish I had captured it on video…it was precious.

Every fall, we embark on a new journey of homeschooling. This year we have no babies….no toddlers. We have purged our school room of barbies and legos and have added puzzles and more books. Our house is physically ready for school….although our hearts may be basking in the summer sun.

Oh well……Let’s do this!

Welcome 2015-2016 School year!!!!

God bless, Tammi