First Day of Coop

Today was the first day of the new coop semester.  My kids LIVE for it, I try to survive it! Truly, there are many things I love about it too.  But, it makes  for a   l   o   n   g   day on Tuesday, and once the kids get to Jordan's and Evan's grades, it is difficult to get their schoolwork done in a four day week.

Typical Coop Day: Well, it begins EARLIER than we like to start our days around here.  We have always homeschooled and are spoiled by not having to rise early and be dressed and out of the house early.  We left our house at 8:00 and have a 25 minute drive to the church that is our homeschool umbrella.  Jordan drives us now :)  I wake Jessie sitting over her with a cup of koolaid and her Prevacid, so she can have that on an empty stomach 30 minutes before eating anything. I try to let her sleep as long as possible, since it is earlier than usual for her, but have figured out if I try to save time by having her eat on the way to save time, she usually won't, so I may have to go back to getting her up a little earlier. I digress, easily sidetracked....

This semester I signed Jessie up for four classes, 8:30-12:30. I plan to try four classes, but if it is too much, we will drop the last one.  The 8:30 class,  I thought I signed up for a class about holidays, but today's class was a story, craft, and coloring.  If I had realized it would be a story type class I might have signed up at 9:30 for playdoh instead of story time. 9:30:  Story time, read stories, sang couple songs and had a snack. 10:30 Song and Dance. Jessie LOVED this.  The teacher owns a dance studio, so she's had a lot of experience with little people.  They did a little pre-ballet (what she called it!) there was no pressure to be perfect, just fun, then did other songs that had motions and movements.  We're Going On A Bear Hunt, If You're Happy And You Know It. For me it all ran together...she loved it. 11:30 was supposed to be a Bible Class, but the teacher didn't show (!!) and helpers (including me) took the kids to an indoor soft play inside the church.  Each of the classes I signed Jessie up for are geared for preschoolers, up to age 5. I have sometimes signed her up for a couple of elementary classes, it really just depends on what is offered.

Up till now, I have attended every coop class with Jessie.  Every parent is required to help 1 hour of their child's coop, not necessarily in their class. I have chosen to stay with Jessie for every class.  When she was younger I just didn't feel comfortable leaving her because she couldn't communicate well enough.  Now, she talks a lot, and although not every word is understandable, I don't worry that she can't express her needs and wants.  There's no mistaking those!!  Also, I have always seen myself as the mediator between Jessie and other children, helping her to be understood.  Finally, I feel that more adults and children know her, so that maybe I can take the tiniest step back. A tiny one.  Not much, just a little.  I will still take her to each class and hope to stay only for PART of each class, except for the one hour I am the committed helper.  We will see :)

Evan took Communications 101, Composition, Game Time and Game of Life.  Jordan took Communications 101, Composition (Essays), Biology Lab (Dissection).  They LOVE coop and look forward to it so much between semesters.  Having the entire day out of the house on Tuesday causes them to have to work into the summer some, and it is worth it to them.  I love that they are both taking writing with a teacher that loves it, it is an area that I really can't give them what she can, so I am thankful they are getting this opportunity.  I am so happy too that Jordan is getting to do Biology lab with a mom that has that background and loves science.  They did microscope last semester, dissection this time.  Jordan was very happy that she was paired with a boy who didn't mind being the one to touch "all the slimy dead stuff without even wearing gloves"!  In the afternoon Jordan and Evan ate lunch with their FLOW (Future Leaders Of The Wiregrass) group, had a devotion and set out for the places they would volunteer for a couple of hours.  Evan was writing letters as part of a pen pal program.  Jordan went to a place that ministers to a variety of people, some are homeless, some are recovering from some type of addiction.  They weren't working directly with those people today, but Jordan has a heart for both of those groups of people.  Mama Tina, that runs the place, made an impression on Jordan and she wants us see how we might volunteer there again later. 

Since Jordan and Evan were having lunch with FLOW, it was just me and Jessie together for lunch and she got to choose where we would go. Not surprisingly, she chose Things N Wings, one of our families favorite places.  After lunch, Jessie and I came home to chill for about an hour 15 minutes, then headed back to pick up Jordan and Evan.  We made a quick trip to a Christian store to find Jordan a track, as she is scheduled to sing Sunday at church.  Raced to Jessie's dance class, then Winn Dixie, and finally, home at about 7:00 p.m.

At lunch Jessie made my day.  I told her I enjoyed having lunch with her by herself, just the two of us.  I asked her if she liked it.  She said, "Yes, it's a bomb".  My sassy girl meant having lunch with me was THE BOMB.  I wasn't 100% certain that was what she meant until at bedtime she told me french fries were a bomb.  My sweet, sassy girl.