Temporary Blog Break

We have been homeschooling six days a week for the past eight weeks and we are ready for a break!  We will be taking our first scheduled school break for the next two and a half weeks and I will be taking at least two weeks off from blogging. 

Arin has worked really hard with her school work and is coming a long ways.  When we first started schooling in July (on her 4th birthday), she did not want to do her work everyday, now she asks to do school as soon as she wakes up.  She has completed her math book (looking into our next options in this subject), she has completed her Lollipop Logic book as well.  She is now doing her Explode the Code with very little whining, which is a change as she was having a meltdown everytime I'd pull out the book.  Even with her being more cooperative with that workbook, I just don't think it's really the right fit for her.  She seems to be going through the motions more than actually grasping the concepts.  Anyone have any advice on a good math and phonics program for a kindergartener?  We also have Hooked on Phonics which we will be using more frequently after our break.  Arin has been reading and writing more on her own, not all the time or anything, but she is only four :)

I have seen Arin maturing in the past eight weeks.  She is remembering her manners with very little reminder.  She has also taken over "mommying" her sister.  She wants to put her bed at naptime, brush her teeth, change diapers, encourage her, read to her, etc.  They also spend many hours a day coloring together and playing babies, which are the  two favorites at the moment.  It's very sweet to see their relationship develop more and more each day. 

Ella has been growing up as well.  As of a month or so ago, she no longer takes a pacifier.  We had actually taken it away from her this spring, but after a few weeks, she found a hidden pacifier or two around the house and since I was weaning her from nursing at the time, I let her keep the pacifier for comfort.  Yeah, I realize that might have been a bit of laziness on my part (ahem).

Ella is also potty training now.  We bought her a floor potty last week and she is doing fantastic!  So far, she is about a million times easier to potty train than Arin was.  If we are home Ella wears panties most of the day (except naps, night, and when she decides to run around bottomless, which is pretty often).

We are looking forward to our break during which time we will be spending lots of time with our family and friends.  I will start posting highlights from our time off in a couple of weeks and then I will resume with school work posts the following week.