We finally got to the mall today. We brought along J's friend (A) and had so much fun. J had some birthday money to spend and got a Build-A-Bear, tons of stuff from Limited Too, and a bag of candy from Dylan's Candy Shop. The kids played with puppies at the pet store (they're allowed take one into a small room and play - so fun), went on the carousel, and we had a great lunch. K got Ed Hardy sneakers, an Abercrombie hobo bag she wants to use for school books, some Victoria's Secret stuff, and a Juicy charm chain. She just needs some basic fill-in clothes, a few more school supplies, and another 2 pairs of shoes. Having uniforms really cut out so much back-to-school shopping time and money.

Yesterday J spent the day at her friend, P's house. P was one of J's best friends at the gifted school 2 yrs ago. It was so great to see her and her mom - it was like no time had passed. J has so much more social life now as a homeschooler than she ever did when she went to school. And W will soon be a part of a local traveling CYO basketball team. He asks everyday about it. It's a great opportunity for him to make more friends his age.

I spent the other night creating this elaborate home/homeschool schedule. It's mainly for me to have my week in order. I rejoined Flylady a while back and it's really motivating. I am a total "list" person and feel so much calmer with one. So my list starts with Monday and has the basics of the days laid out. I have my cleaning routines on there, a day slotted for a library visit, 2 days for grocery shopping, and the academic subject breakdown based on J's and W's input. Every day is Language Arts and Math, Monday and Wednesday includes Science, Tuesdays and Thursdays include History/Geography, and Fridays are for Art and Music (although some art and music will be incorporated every day anyway). I plan on utilizing mainly the Charlotte Mason method (kid requested, mother approved, lol) with the worldbook guideline, along with plenty of websites, related activities, and trips. I think we should give this plan at least 3 months to see how it works for us. The kids are excited to start - maybe next week.