Control Week

This week, we officially began our homeschool year with the first day of our new co-op classes. The kiddos are each taking a literature class, the older two a Spanish class, and Madeleine has a dance & movement class. They had a great first day...even though it was a new place with new people and a new routine.

So naturally, Madeleine and Nathanael were curious why we didn't do more school at home since we started co-op. Madeleine's new (and first) math book arrived just before we left for vacation, and she actually asked me if we could take it with us and start school at the beach.  Ah, to have that pre-kindergarten zeal. :)

I told them that this was "Control Week."  As in, Mom needs to get a few projects under control before we start back to school. Laundry.  Stitches out for Madeleine. Art supply purchases.

And Project Reclaim Nathanael's Room.

Oh, my sweet son.  When we moved to VA, I selected books and a few toys to store in each child's room.  The rest of the toys went to the basement playroom.  Slowly, certain things have crept back upstairs into all their rooms.  I knew when we left for the beach that we would come home and get these bedrooms organized.

Wednesday morning

But Nathanael, who has a love for paper airplanes, cardboard creations, and cut-out sketches & printouts of superhero/jedimasters/ninjago characters, well, his room was the worst. Paper creations everywhere you looked. (I wish you could see the collection of cardboard that was underneath his train table.)

Yesterday, we tackled his room first.

The kids pulled everything off of his Ikea shelves (he has a 4x4 on one wall and a 2x2 as a bedside table) and onto the floor.  They echoed what I always say: "You have to make a bigger mess before it looks clean."  And then we got to work.  

Wednesday afternoon

Two trashbags, five basement runs, and a few hours later, we were a bit closer to being done.  We still have some airplanes to hang from the ceiling, pictures to rearrange on the walls, and the prop to hang above the closet.  

Today we organized the legos into storage containers that fill that empty row of top cubbies in the picture above.  We are *almost* done with that chore. (Though I believe we're missing a container or two of legos somewhere.)

Today I figured out a solution for some jewelry storage.  

This afternoon I will continue to print out our history & Bible worksheets for the year, and I will do a little bit more planning. 

Tomorrow, I will schedule dentist appointments, work on some menu planning, and work with the girls in their rooms. (And find a babysitter.  Always such a tough part about moving.)

All this so that next week, I can feel a bit more organized as we begin a "soft start" to homeschool with our reading, math, and Bible curriculum.  After Labor Day, we'll add the rest of our subjects to our weekly routine.

Whew.

How do you get ready for the new school year? Are you ready?!?!?