Here is the breakdown by age:

Austin – 7th Grade

History/Literature/Copywork/Bible:  Illuminations with Mystery of History II (only using these subjects)

Language Arts: Christian Light Education Language Arts 7  I really love CLE.  Solid program, great price and my kids actually like it.

Math: CLE Math 7 (again…I love CLE)

Foreign Language: Latin for Children Primer A  This will be our first year doing Latin.

Science: Christian Kids Explore Earth & Science and he will also have supplemental unit studies on his own.

Geography: The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide as a supplement to Mystery of History

Fine Arts:  We will be doing some art studies this year as a family…picking famous artists and studying about their lives and their works.

Brodie – 5th Grade

History/Literature/Copywork/Bible:  Illuminations with Mystery of History II (only using these subjects)

Language Arts: CLE Language Arts 5

Math : CLE Math 5

Foreign Language: Latin for Children Primer A  This will be our first year doing Latin.

Science: Christian Kids Explore Earth & Science

Geography: The Ultimate Geography and Timeline Guide as a supplement to Mystery of History

Fine Arts:  We will be doing some art studies this year as a family…picking famous artists and studying about their lives and their works.

Chase – 1st Grade

Language Arts: He will be finishing up CLE Learning to Read and doing CLE Language Arts 1

Math: CLE Math 1

Bible/History/Fine Arts/Science/Geography:  Theses will be combined with the older boys with less being required of Chase as far as formal work

Evan – K4/5

Evan will begin the year doing Rod and Staff books ABC Series workbooks.  Along with listening into his older siblings lessons.  When ready he will move onto CLE Learning to Read.  Most of his “Kindergarten” year will be spent playing

So there you have it.

Happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

*photos in post by Andie Smith*

Most people who don’t really know my husband would say he is serious.  He has a dry sense of humor with most people (that I happen to find frickin’ hilarious) and it takes him a long while to be himself around new people.

The other night I was trying to take a picture of our dogs because they were laying with each other on the couch in a very strange way, but every time I got the camera close they would move.  Jason was on the couch watching a funny movie and I was able to capture more of the “normal” side of Jason.  He is always cracking some sort of joke at home.  Since I have always told people that he is really not super quiet at home I had to show this side of him.

Here…the movie was just getting a little funny.

When he laughs like this I can’t stop laughing either.  It is infectious.  Also…I think my husband has an amazing smile.

Then, the movie got funnier and he tried to get me to look at the screen.

In the end he finally made me put away my camera.  But I am going to have these pictures framed…and every time I pass them I will bust up laughing.

Start the laundry…with 6 people in this house we go through a lot of laundry.  I hate laundry so for me doing it all in one day would make me want to cry.  So I do a few loads a day.

Next is coffee….this is not an optional step.

Then comes breakfast. Today it was an egg in a hole.

However, I was not the one to cook them. I will be honest here. My oldest two boys do most of the breakfast cooking around here. And it’s awesome.

Then we start some school work.

Next I go to the gym for Zumba and this time I also ran before Zumba. This is me post workout sans makeup and majorly sweating. It was toning day in Zumba in which the beautiful, Maria, tries to kill me with Zumba mixed with weights and lately she has thrown in some plyometrics to make me cry.

Then I log my workouts on Dailymile. I want credit for every nanosecond I workout.

Then it’s home to do MORE laundry.

After that I do a little housework (might as well I am already sweaty).

Then it is lunch time for the kids. Today we just raided the fridge and ate leftovers.

Then while they eat I get down to the real work….Pinterest.

And I play with my dogs for a bit…

And with that my morning was over…

Next time I crazy afternoon.

In the beginning of my running journey I couldn’t run 30 seconds without feeling like I was going to collapse to the ground.  I made myself stick through it.  I promised myself I would do the Couch to 5K program for AT LEAST 6 weeks before I quit.  The first 2-3 weeks were nothing short of torture.  I am shocked that I didn’t quit.  Somewhere around the 5 week mark I started to look forward to my daily runs.  I would run longer distances without feeling like I would fall to the ground at any moment.  A few months later my husband got back into running.  Jason ran in college (competitively for his school) and burned out afterwards.  He once told me that he would NEVER be a runner again.  Never say never.

Now a year later I am officially in training for my first half marathon.  My husband is in training for another marathon and hoping to qualify for Boston.  We have completely revamped our lives.  We eat 95% real, whole food.  I run and do Zumba.  I coordinate the running club for my gym.  I feel better, I am happier and I am 50 pounds lighter.  Our whole lives are so much better.

All because one day…I just went.

Needless to say, he has never been a sit down and lets color a picture type kid.  I was a little freaked out over the summer as a prepared to start “real school” with him.  Afterall, my others learned to read while in public school.  What if I messed him up?

When we began school it became very apparent to me that he was not ready for what most would consider school.  I freaked.  Then I prayed.  The answer I got was to play, read, do light stuff and wait.  Just wait.  Many boys are not ready for workbooks and such at age 5.  I have told other mothers this in the past.  I know this to be true and yet, I was freaking out that my son was so…well normal.  So for the months of September – December Chase did a phonics program on the computer and the rest was play work.

We started doing a first grade phonics curriculum and some Kindergarten math workbooks a few weeks ago.  It’s amazing how letting him have those few months to just be a boy helped.  He is now able to sit..do his work…and move on.

It is validating to know that I know what my son needs and that I don’t have to follow anyone else’s timeline of when and what he needs to do.  Most importantly he is happy, I am happy and his spirit wasn’t squashed in the process.

I tried.  I really tried to leave this site.  And I did for a year and half.  I left blogging completely for basically the last year.  I think the break was good for me.  But, I miss it.  So I sat down and tried to come up with a new name.  But, really?  I have always and will always be…Frazzled LaShawn.

So I am back.  I want to say bigger and better, but the truth is I am SMALLER and better.  More on that in posts to come.  A lot has changed.  A lot is still the same.

I’ve missed you….

Bugsie is a pill.  Seriously he is the most spoiled rotten child I have.  He is fabulous though.  He is a best friend to all our kids.  He keeps me feet warm at night (or boiling hot now that it is summer).  He is a clown and a cuddle-bug.

So Bugsie…on your first birthday I have compiled this list of things about you.

Favorite food:  Whatever the kids are having…especially corn dogs.

Favorite place to sleep:  In bed with Mom and Dad…preferabbly in the most inconvenient place to maximize the amount of space I am taking up.  I also like to sleep on my back on the couch to make sure everyone can see my “maleness”.

Favorite outdoor activity:  Pestering my big brother dogs, Mojo and Beau (they secretly love it).

Favorite indoor activity:  Pestering my cat sisters and making the living room stink (Boston Terriers are gassy).

Favorite thing about your human family:  They let me nurse on all the stuffed animals in the house (This nursing he does is not something that can be explained…I must get it on video).  They also think I am awesome.

The truth is, Bugsie is so much a member of this family I can’t imagine what we would do without him now.  He was an ADORABLE puppy:

And now he is a super cool, awesome, though stinky, dog. And he couldn’t have us more wrapped around his paw:

By the way, we think he so awesome that he is getting fixed tomorrow. HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUGSIE!!! Snip snip.

Soon I will no longer be Frazzled LaShawn…..I am getting a new identity.

Stay tuned, my friends.