I'm simply amazed!

This morning I decided to have Bear read a library book to me for reading. The lessons from The Ordinary Parents Guide to Teaching Reading were getting a little tedious and, honestly, I haven't done one in about three weeks. Plus it seems like she does a whole lot of "real life" reading as I have her read in a whole lot of different areas - directions on her worksheets, things like that.
So, I'm listening to her read and I was just simply stunned at how well she does! In fact, I had to call Ched and have him listen to her. Not only was she reading the words well, she was reading the story with feeling! Putting emotion into the characters voices and everything! It was SO GREAT to hear!! This was something that I needed SO MUCH right now because there have been a lot of days lately where I've been scratching my head, wondering if I'm really doing a good enough job.

It's funny, I talk about all these "special" things that we do and I don't think I've ever mentioned the everyday things that we do. Every day we start school by saying prayers, each of us taking a turn. I love hearing Bear pray because she's really beginning to expand her prayer life. For example, she remembers every time she says a prayer to pray for some good friends of ours who are sick. And not just general prayers for them either, but specific prayers, like asking that Myra wouldn't get sores in her mouth and things like that. That pure, fantastic faith of a child is so amazing to watch. After prayers, she'll go over to the bulletin board and check of the date on the calendar and change the day of the week and the weather card (if the weather has changed!) Then we begin lessons, after I've gotten Deco all set up with whatever activity he chooses to begin.

I've begun checking out Great Illustrated Classics from the library and reading them out loud to The Kids. (Mainly Bear, Deco usually loses interest!) So far this year we've read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and we're currently about halfway through Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. I've got The Adventures of Huck Finn on request from the library, so hopefully that will come in soon. I usually read these books at breakfast and lunchtime, and I do a Bible devotional either at breakfast or after we say prayers at the beginning of school.

Things have been kind of hectic since we got back from Ohio, only because I've felt out of my "groove" and haven't been making my lesson plan each weekend. It's amazing how that can throw me off! BUT, I'm back in that as of this past Sunday, so things are looking up this week.