Welcome September!

I just love love love back to school time!  Even though we've been schooling all summer, we still took a few back to school pictures of R, 2nd grade, 7 years old. 

She has so far lost 3 teeth. The fourth is loose and the big tooth is growing behind it.  I wanted her to show her teeth when she smiled, but this is how she likes to take pictures.  =)

Fun and goofy girl!

Strike a pose, Miss R!

So we had an "official" first day of school this week along with the public schools.  We are about 7 weeks into our year as far as how much work we got accomplished this summer.  Then yesterday, the second "official" day of school, R, O, and G were sick, so we didn't get too much done.  Today R and O are better so we'll be schooling after I finish this post.  =)
Some changes to our curriculum: 
I have long loved our math program, Math Mammoth, but as we got more and more into it, R was getting more and more frustrated.  I love the idea of a mastery program (vs. spiral), but sometimes if we got stuck there would be tears and I wished we could do something else.  So, we have switched to Math on the Level.  It takes the best of mastery and spiral and puts them together.  It's very teacher intensive and a pricey up-front cost, which is why I didn't purchase it last year, though I had been drooling over it on my computer!  Last year at this time, R was 6, O was still 3, N was 1, and G was 3 months old.  I just didn't have it in me to get something so teacher-intensive.  But now, I feel ready for it.  After a lot of prayer and saving up, we purchased it and I am so excited!  This week we are working on figuring out what she does know to find out what she needs to know.  =)  We are also doing a lot of math games, which she LOVES. 
Simply Charlotte Mason also came out with a new handwriting program "Print to Cursive Proverbs" which I purchased and R has started.  It's a very gentle approach to learning cursive and so far it's working great!
Our School Room:
This is the time of year when many homeschooling families post pictures of their beautiful school rooms.  I look and wish and hope, but know that for now, we just don't have the space or money.  So, I was getting pretty discontent, to be honest.  Last weekend, I decided to clean up our living room/school space.  I went through every book and every math manipulative and every file.  It took all day, but the result is a living room/school room that is organized and more efficient and that I LOVE.  Everything has a place.  I'm so, so thankful!
Well, it's about time I publish this post and get on to schooling...