1st Day of School

This news may come as to a shock to some of you who we have not seen or talked to us in a while, but we have decided to HOME-SCHOOL this year!  This summer, we began this journey and "tried on" homeschooling. It was a BIG, BIG decision for us, and not one that we took lightly. Brad and I spent many hours praying, fasting for this decision, and in the end, we decided that this was the best decision for our family.

I should add, it is a decision we will be making one-year at a time. If either Brad or I were to look at the next 16 years and think about homeschooling for all of it, the both of us would be completely overwhelmed.  Not only that, Brad and I recognize that God can change the direction He leads us in the future.  Our heart's greatest desire is to be where God leads us, whether that may be in homeschooling, public schooling, or private schooling!



This song "I Don't Want to Go" by Avalon has been extremely meaningful to me as we made this decision.  At times, I have felt like we are in the minority (not only among society as whole, but with good friends too) in making this decision, and that has been super hard for me.  No matter how superficial that may sound, I, like anyone, desire to have community and be in the "same place" as my friends.   But God has been faithful and freed me from my fear of being alone.  I have seen His blessing and been rewarded in ways I never could have anticipated.

The Night Before the 1st Day: Getting both of the Schultuete School Cones Ready for Jillian and Faith

The night before school started, Jillian was a little nervous about the next day and asked me, "Mom, is it still special that I am going into 1st grade even though I am not going to be in public school?"  I was very excited to tell her an absolute and resounding "YES!".  I told her I had lots of fun surprises planned for the 1st day of 1st grade!!!  :-)

1^st Day of School:

v Daddy Reads “Pancakes, Pancakes” by Eric Carle

v Eat Smiley Face Pancakes for Breakfast

v Open Shultuete School Cones

v Get Ready for the Day

v Take School Pictures

v Read Family Rules with Bible Study

v Mommy reads “Teachers are for Reading Stories”

v Science Experiment: Test your Best Buds’ Buds

v Say Good-Bye to Daddy

v Explode the Code Lesson

v Teach Your Child to Read Lesson

v Handwriting

v 1^st Grade Writing Exercises
v Walk Outside
v Lunch
v Read a chapter of “Pippi on Board”
v Quiet Time

v Horizons Math Lessons

v Spelling Words

v Snack and Craft Time!

The girls woke up super excited about the "official" first day of school!

Daddy stayed home from work a little later (8:30 AM) than normal, so he could share in some of the celebrations of the 1st day of school!

While Daddy read the book to the big girls, Anna helped me make the pancake batter in the kitchen.

And then it my turn to read, I read a book about all the fun things I am going to do with them as their teacher!

Smiley Face #1: Jillian

Smiley Face #2: Faith

Smiley Face #3: Anna

Brad read his 1st day of school letter to Jillian:

Jillian,

You are now a first grader.  I am so happy for you and excited to see you learn and grow. I know it is a big change: from Kindergarten to First grade, from Ritchie park to "Jay Drive", but I believe it is what is best for you. Thank you for honoring and respecting us, your parents, and for working so hard.  I know it feels like we are pushing you very hard at times, but learning can be like that sometimes.

I love you!
Dad

I read my 1st day of school letter:

Dear Jillian,

I am so excited and privileged to be your first grade teacher (and mommy too)! :-) I know this year will hold many wonderful memories for us. My prayer for the two of us and our family is that we would learn to love and serve one another during our time together. I know there will be hard moments as well, but I want you to know I will always love you and I am thankful God gave you to me for my daughter. You are a precious gift, Jillian.  I love you!

Love, Mom


I still got teary-eyed even though she is staying home with me! LOL! I am so thankful to have this "extra" time with my little girl!!!


Then Brad read his 1st day of school letter to Faith:

Faith,

You are now in pre-kindergarten! I have been very impressed as you have learned so much this summer and I am excited to see what you will discover this year.   I am so proud of you and I think being at home with your sisters will be very special. Thank you for honoring and respecting us, your parents, and loving your sisters.  You are a clever girl and I believe you will learn much this year. And remember, in all your learning to also learn to trust and love Jesus. He will always be your best friend.

Love,
Daddy

Finally, it was my turn to read my 1st day of school letter to Faith:

Dear Faith,

I am so excited to spend this year with you learning new things! I love your enthusiasm for learning.  You are becoming a super star at spelling and reading new words. And I admire how you are always willing to try and try again when things don't come easily. That is a terrific trait and I pray that it only continues to grow. I am proud to be your mom and love you so much.

Love, Mom

Faith has the most contagious laugh of anyone that I know, I love my sweet girl!!!

Anna enjoyed the 1st day of school celebration and her chocolate pancake A LOT!

Then it was time for the much-anticipated school cone opening!!! 

And wouldn't you know the thing that Jillian got most excited about was Aldi's Swiss Rolls!?!

Faith shared her big sister's enthusiasm! Forget about the white erase markers, Crayola markers, tissue craft, fun erasers, and all that....Swiss Rolls is where the fun is! ;-)

Faith was very excited about her new $1 calculator and has been using it constantly!!!

I wouldn't ordinarily put my girls in matching dresses for the 1st day of school, but one of the things we celebrated yesterday was the time the girls are going to get to share together as sisters this year!  I love how the girls have grown in their love for one another and bonded together this summer.

Brad put Anna on a stool, so she could be the same height as her sister.

Then Brad read our family's rules to the girls:

Holmes Family Household Rules

"As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15b).

1. Tell the truth.

- Trust holds family relationships together.

2. Work Hard and Always Try, with a good attitude.

- David said to Solomon, his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:20

3. Treat others with respect.

- Speak politely.

- Wait your turn to speak.

4. No arguing with Mom and Dad.

- "Ideas and input are valued and respected, but arguing means your point has already been made."

5. Respect each other's property and his/her right to privacy.

- Ask permission to use something that doesn't belong to you.

- Knock before entering a closed room.

6. Obey when you're asked to do something the first time.

- Complaining and tantrums are not allowed.

7. Keep your surroundings neat, clean, and organized.

- Whether its toys, games, clothes, dishes, or school supplies, put things away that you take out.

8. Be kind and helpful to each other.

- Celebrate accomplishments with praise, show good sportsmanship, and look for ways to encourage each other. 

- Encourage one another daily.  Hebrews 3:13

9. Accept that ONLY God is perfect and all the rest of us are going to make mistakes!

- His grace is sufficient even in our mess-ups.

10.  Live in the knowledge that you are unconditionally loved by your mommy, daddy, and most of all, by God. 

Brad read a little from our Usborne book about the human body...

and also talked about all the taste buds we have on our tongue!


Then we did a simple experiment from Tasty Science.

Anna had fun helping shake up the liquid.

Our four year old, Faith, is always eager to be the first to try something. Daddy rewarded her willingness to be our "guinea pig" by letting her identify the sweet taste of raspberry flavor!

Then it was little Anna's turn to do the taste test. She got the sour taste (which was the second best option, all that was left was the salty and savory). I thought she did a fantastic job identifying it as SOUR; I love her puckered lips. :-)  Then Brad and I both were "testers" and tasted the salty and savory. Then we let Jillian do the sweet taste as our finale. It was a fun experiment; we enjoyed learning about our sense of taste.  After this photo was taken, we still had a few more hours of schooling to go, but it was a great beginning to a super first day of school.