To whom it may concern:

Home school is actually going really well! I honestly was afraid that much of it would consist of me yelling at my kid and wanting to tear my hair out, but guess what? We really, really like each other! {Crazy, right?} Methinks mayhaps I was right about him needing more one on one time with yours truly. {I have 2 SERIOUS momma's boys on my hands...}

Seriously, I love this. 

I feel a little bad, because I told Kort that he can go back to school for fourth grade and see if he can have awesome behavior and such, BUT I am such a converted home-schooler in my heart, that I kinda don't even want to. {But, I still will if that's what he wants, and he can show repect and work hard.}

Every morning, we start out with family devotional. We sing songs, talk about "big" things, read from the scriptures, memorize articles of faith and inspirational poems from Grandpa Headlee's compilation of his favorite poems and quotes...it's just the BEST way to start our day.

Then he works on math. He is so good at math, he could prolly teach me a thing or two. {And for those of you who are concerned that someone who writes/uses the word "prolly" is home-schooling an 8 year old, unto you I say: "Worry not." I am fully aware that prolly is not, in fact, a word. However, I adore how it looks on the page as well as how it rolls off the tongue. So there.}

Then we KILL IT with the spelling {he loves it, and is a fast learner.} and memorizing states and capitals.  We also started a "State Book" {my idea}where Kort reads a fact card about the state of his choice, and then makes a poster {8 x 11 sheet of paper}showing the state, capital, state bird, state flower, and additional pictures that represent different facts about each state.

One of my favorites was where he drew a rat to signify that Delaware was the first state to "RATify the U.S. Constitution. Awesomeness to the extreme.

We learn science. We do science experiments in the kitchen. We have found an AWESOME online game called "Powder Toy" that teaches him chemistry {like, gangbusters} and he doesn't even notice that he's learning ... which is incredible! He thinks he is partying it up with 15 minutes of free time, but NO! He's LEARNING! YAY! Score one for mom trickery.

When it's lunch time - guess what? It's home ec time too! He is learning to COOK, people. Is he gonna be a catch, or what?

I hate to say it {okay, no I don't} but I was kind of super-right about the whole "other kids being a mega distraction" thing. Without all of the cute girls and cool buddies to impress, he is so focused. Unbelievably focused.

Three weeks ago, I could have sworn that the kid needed Ritalin.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
He needed a different environment.

Isn't it just amazing that God can speak to us, and, if we will listen, we can often get insight and direct answers to prayer? I sort of REALLY think that is just amazing.

I love getting out huge bins of art supplies and letting him just create whatever he wants.
I REALLY love his creative writing time, too.
I folded stacks of white paper in half and stapled them into little books so they could feel all "official" and what not, then I found a bunch story prompts online and Kort is really diggin' em!

They say things like:
"Write a story where you are the captain of a pirate ship."
Or
"Write a story titled: The Baby Dragon."

He just eats it right up.
He even dedicated the dragon book to me and Kyle. {Aw.}
He is thriving, and I love that I get to be there to see it every day.

{Painted coffee filters. We are going to string them into a garland.}

AND, another wonderful thing: He has started writing and drawing and creating  all on his own again! I haven't seen that for 4 years. He is drawing detailed story boards and making books filled with drawings of his inventions with detailed instructions about how they work. He writes his own math problems and solves them... on SATURDAY when he is SO NOT required to be doing school stuff. It's wonderful.

So, I know this might sound all sorts of brag-y, but it's really not meant to be.

It's just that, well, I thought that there was a good possibility that our little home-school adventure would end in a screeching, halting, fire-y, burn-y, horrid nightmare of a train wreck. And miracle of all miracles, it hasn't. {Ahem. Um, so far.}

So sue me if I feel that a little rejoicing is in order.

No, seriously. Sue me. Do it.
I have a pedophile van with your name on it, baby.

Xo,
Lola Bef.