This new year begins and with it a new schedule. Clover has started her Jazz and Tap class at the East Bay Dance Center and is back at Live Oak for her new Trees class. I like when we start to fall in to our weekly routines again and already we have created a new meal plan to help our family with dinners. We have done this in the past and Clover responds well to having the same dinners each week (with variations on a theme at least). Mondays we are out late so a meal of quick sandwiches work. The other days are flexible but consistent: Tuesdays are beans with home made tortillas, Tuesdays we have noodles, Wednesday is soup night. You get the idea. When we have these familiar routines in place, taking care of a child in a dynamic schooling environment is made more simple. The less decisions I have to make about shopping and cooking at the end of the day the better.

Spring will bring new classes. More tap and jazz, swimming at Aquatech and maybe back to the Junior Art and Science center for another art class. We keep ourselves busy but have fun with it. If its too much we can easily cut out something to best serve our family.

Our schooling will be much of the same. Phonics workbook to practice writing, math workbooks, the pre-reading program of poetry and word play. History, science, cooking, painting, drawing, cleaning, pretend play, reading books all day. Puppet shows at Fairyland. Activity days at Live Oak. Field trips to museums. Afternoons on the playground. Picnics in the garden. Homeschooling fits our little family so well!