Back to School-Summer break is over~

This summer break has been a puzzle making, game playing, lego building, grandparent visiting, Karamoja traveling kinda break.  About the time that the boys start building a large glider and talking about test runs with cats and asking to borrow my bike helmet for when they jump off the roof, I know that it's time to hit the books again.

What's planned for this year?

For science, it's Apologia all around for everyone.  The littles will be studying the human body this year (one of my favorite Apologia books!) We have some in General Science, Physical Science, Chemistry and Advanced Physics.  For history, the two youngest will be doing Story of the World Volume 3 and William, now in sixth grade, will be moving on to Volume 4. For English and writing, I'm moving back to doing Shurley English/IEW with the younger crowd.  I tried Apologia's Writers in Residence last year but unfortunately gave it a thumbs down.  I found it so muddled in it's teaching. For math, everyone except Timothy is still doing Teaching Textbooks.  I LOVE Teaching Textbooks, especially for a large family.  My three middle school students are doing Tree of Life's program, "What's the Big Idea?"  That includes writing, literature, history, and logic.  They are also doing Our Mother Tongue for English Grammar.  My three high school students are doing Tree of Life's "Great Ideas."  They love this online program.  They love the reading, writing and chatting with other students in their classes.  I'm also putting together a Charlotte Mason style US History course for them.  We are using the American Pageant US History textbook as our spine and supplementing with historical fiction.  We'll do a few book discussions and a few essays and call it good.  Other than that, my high schoolers are enjoying pursuing their passions through their electives.

I'm attempting this year without a Missionary Associate.  Praying for God's grace on our time and my energy.  Many of you know that I struggle with chronic illness.  God has seen fit to bring more health struggles this past year as now I seem to have acquired another autoimmune disease which has caused a lot of joint pain in my hands and feet.  It's possible that it's Rheumatoid Arthritis.  We aren't sure yet.  So, I've spent my summer break trying to get very VERY organized and come up with a plan of attack for our school days.  I don't know if it will all work out yet, but I know God will carry us through and the kids will learn what he wants them to know.  I was really encouraged by these verses in 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 as we begin, "To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ."  Praying that God will bless our resolve for good and our works of faith in our little school at home this year...all so that He may be glorified in us and we in him. 

What about you?  If you homeschool, what are you looking forward to for this upcoming year?