Crazy that no matter how I plan or how prepared I try and be, things don't always work the way I had intended.

Take this new blog for example, its Sunday night (the only time I have to write this entry), its now 11pm and my early night is not going to plan. After many hours of frustration and issues trying to upload my photos I gave up and just emailed them to myself (5 at a time), then saved each one..... individually....... grrrrrr. But I'm finally here and ready to do this, for as long as I can keep my eyes open.


So lets go back, we moved here to Tassie, we've had some super fun times,


The tribe

 Spending our days with all the cuzzies, running through sprinklers, camping, swimming, climbing, hiking.

There's been lots of love and laughter and of course (when you get 13 cuzzies together) lots of tears, arguments, tantrums, and disagreements) And that's just us adults, you should see how the kids behave.

  We've celebrated Ashleigh's 9th Birthday and Baptism. We've set short and long term goals (all of which are still on the drawing board) and settled in quite noisily to my big sis's house with her little Tribe. Okay little is definitely the wrong word.

Ashleigh on her baptism day with her Uncle Joe

My kids began at their new school, I began at Uni studying Enviro Science, the whole time being able to witness the home-school education that my nieces and nephews were having.


So in the short time we have been here, some major changes have already occurred. First I've dropped my studies back to Part Time (which I now realise was the best decision I ever made), to make way for major decision number 2 - to pull my two kiddies out of school and begin home-schooling them also.


This decision is one that I question daily, have I made the right decision? Am I capable to school my children? Am I prepared?

And daily I am convinced that yes, I have made the right decision. Sammy wont achieve his potential through the public system, a classroom of 27 children (a composite class) where his teacher believes his handwriting is at a grade 4 level not a grade 1, and this is somehow a disadvantage. How his perfectionate ways are holding him back when he should be allowed to achieve a standard of work that he feels is 'a job well done'. Yes it may take a bit more time as everything does at his age, but to spend that extra time and effort to perfect his work is a part of him that myself and his sister definitely do not possess, its just him, his little way of being the unique little Sammy that we love.

As for Ash Pash, she was always a great little student, never an issue. Her maths skills are awesome for her age and both her and I are excited to progress in this area with more vigour than she ever has before. I am constantly amazed at just how quickly her little mind can figure out and understand Maths equations. Two days ago while having lunch I did a pop quiz, beginning with addition and subtraction of complex numbers, all that she knew quite quickly, so I push on to Algebra, I could see her little mind working hard as she supplemented symbols for numbers and came up with the correct answer every time.

Her Writing on the other hand, now that definitely needs work, she's just messy, she writes so fast and seems to take no care in the writing that it comes out as quick as her mind thinks it, whereas Sammy's writing, although three years behind her, his is much neater and done with such precision that her will rub out any mistakes, though due to this he does not enjoy writing. We will definitely need to work on both of their writing to make sure its neat and tidy while still being enjoyable.

So my little family have been able to spend a few awesome days learning in an environment that they would seldom experience at school.

 

 Sammy on our snake spotting day at the wetlands

 

our classroom for the day

Every Wednesday is excursion day where we get together with the other home school families in the area for different activities and outings. If we don't meet up with the group we still have our own day out, Hiking and studying at the Catarac Gorge was our first Geography study session, not to mention our physical activity for the day. We also went snake spotting at the wetlands a few

What an amazing place for a swim

days back which turned out to be very productive and an amazing way to spend a warn Tassie day.

So my days are filled with children and my nights with Maths and Chemistry. Sunday nights I have reserved for this blog which is why I am still sitting here at 12:24am trying to figure out why my laptop is having evil moments and not allowing me to add any more photos to this blog.

I apologise for the construction of this nights entry, I did have a set format but as most things tonight that too seems to have been flushed down the loo :)

Till next time, have a great week and study hard :)