5 days down 15 to go

While my parents are off experiencing quite the adventure (picking up two children) in China, Jared and I are here having our own adventure. For three weeks we are the "parents" of ten children. They range from ages 15-5. Eight of them are home schooled. I'll admit I knew we could handle making sure the kids stay out of trouble and are fed but I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep the schedule going with school.

I am happy to say it has now been three days (of school) and things are going well. My mom hadn't had a chance to completely figure out the curriculum, due to many different complications, so we have had to be flexible. These kids are great. They have been so patient and willing to work hard. I discovered yesterday how to check up on their progress (most of their work is on the computer) and realized some of the children needed more direction. Today I said they would have to redo lessons and quizzes until they could pass with an 80%. Some of them had to redo it five times or more but not one of them complained. When I realized how many times they were repeating things I felt kind of bad and made sure to sit down and explain concepts to them and walk them through the quizzes. I love watching the learning processes. Even the children who don't think they're very smart truly do want to learn and will do what it takes with a little encouragement.

This really is a full time plus some job. Even though these kids have been well behaved and very helpful it is still tiring. We were up by 6:40 and I hadn't stopped to sit until about 45 minutes ago when I had to do some things on the computer. Yes, the house is a mess but I decided I should take some time to unwind and regroup soo I can finish out the day with a genuine smile on my face. I know my mom will just say she does what she has to and that she's really not as amazing as people think she is but she's a hero in my eyes. I love you mom!

We're off to a good start and I am anxious to see what we can accomplish in the next couple weeks.

Now to rally the kids to make some dinner and clean this house.