Hey, I haven't talked about school in a while.

So I will now!
Our quarterly report is sort-of due this week. Well, as "due" as anything optional is, but since she's in first grade, I would like to have a record to show any questioners.
I was getting kind of worked up about it so I talked it over with another friend. I've given her the "Snap out of it!" speech; now it was her turn.
"You're just getting all wound up because it's the first time. I'll admit, I'll be ten times worse when my turn comes around, but come on. Nobody turns in a perfectly pristine report on time unless they're homeschooling an only child. In a few years, when you have Madeleine, Dale, and Rachel with the little one chewing on the crayons, you'll just grab something, say, 'This will do,' scrape the dried spaghetti off the corner, and send it in. I'll just figure the grease stains won't show up in the copies. We'll both be sending them stuff with ants in it."

After I stopped laughing, I realized she was right.

So... Madeleine is halfway, or almost, through first grade phonics, grammar, science, and spelling. We already started second grade history (it's Bible history) and we'll start second-grade reading and spelling when we get the books, which hopefully will be any day now. We ordered them before my birthday. Math we're on time, but that's okay. I think she needed a break from it. Yeah, we're doing school through the summer. I don't care to spend a few weeks or a month reviewing what she forgot over the summer.
Dale is up to Lesson 13 in Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We hit a hurdle--no, make that a brick wall--with Lesson 12. After too long at the table, way too much yelling and tears, we put it aside for the weekend. When we picked it up again yesterday it was much better. He's recognizing see, eat, meat, rat, and seed. Most of the time, anyway. I'm still waiting for him to recognize one away from the book, but I did point out SAM on the Old Yeller/Savage Sam DVD box. I think it's starting to click. I'll keep you posted.
Rachel knows her letters and colors, but is still more interested in playing instead of school. Though when I pull out the reading book for Dale, she wants to know what's going on.

Of course, little Louie will start his listening comprehension soon. I think Daddy wants to start him with The Hobbit.