mornings - that first hour...

i heard the rumbling sound of a school bus this morning - & my sister says that's the sound of fall...
i slipped out of bed, careful not to wake my tiny bunkmate - & climbed downstairs to greet my classroom.
Soon, coffee was brewing, tea kettles singing, bagels toasting, oatmeal cooking....
& amidst the busyness of our breakfasting, sunshine boy came down & needed to go potty & snuffly baby needed his nose wiped & a fresh diaper.
Soon we were gathered around the table.
We sang O Canada & recited Our Father - and then i read our Proverb for the day (chapter 11). Cai led our devotional - (God is Holy) & we sang a hymn (Holy Holy Holy). Then, 'round the table we went - bringing our hearts to God - showing him what's inside & asking Him to take care of it all...
& then i read them a poem from _Immortal Poems of the English Language_ - 'How do i love thee? Let me count the ways...' & they giggled when i told them it's about daddy & me. i want them to get used to hearing language that sounds strange to their ears at first, so we try to read a poem a day. Sometimes i'll read it & then have the bigs read it again. Some poems are worth hearing 2 or 3 times in one shot...
Mollen was delighted that it was her turn to pick 5 words from our latin & greek flashcards. We went over & over them 'till we knew them by sight... "digitus, jactum, dia..." trying to think when we've heard those words changed & twisted into new words in our language. The big girls are getting pretty good at it...
We skipped geography - 'cause we were talking about Greek myths in history. Sloanie loves a good story & i could tell she could have given the lesson herself - answering every question & filling in extra blanks with things she learned on her own time. i gave the big girls an assignment due in a week and a half - to write a short play of one of the more famous Greek myths - & put it on for a family show.
Over an hour had passed.
Gagey had whined & cried... (i think he's getting that cold that Cai had...)
Charter had gotten distracted & got in trouble for singing to himself while i was trying to teach...
Baby Ephraim tried to grab every ones drinks off the table & the table looked like a disaster zone with dishes, crumbs, books & papers all over it.
Maybe if you were an outsider looking in - you would have wondered if my littles got anything at all out of that 3 ring circus i called school this morning.
...& this is a pretty typical first hour at Chrysalis Academy.
But learning is happening... gradually.
Children are growing... peacefully.
Characters are taking shape... carefully.
God is faithful... constantly.
This is homeschool - intentionally encouraging curiosity & work ethic... exposing little ones to the treasures of wisdom... bending for babies, striving for peace, juggling needs... long after the school bus rumbles by.
****************************
* ps - even though homeschool is right for us - i am fully aware that there are many, many families who are diligently building into their childrens lives who are in the public systems too. i don't think homeschool is the only way to educate little ones - nor do i think that all the good things i expressed just don't happen if little ones do jump on that rumbly bus in the morning. Homeschooling is just something that we do - that we love - & that is a part of who our family is in this season. i hope that it comes across the way i intend in this post...