Fall in Florida

Here we are!  It's fall in Florida and we're still here.  Amazingly enough, Eric made it past his one year.  He's battered and bruised, but has won the admiration of one of the top chefs in the company, which means that the sky's the limit from here.  He's been talking about going to South Korea, but I don't think I am ready to take the international plunge just yet.  Marriott makes going overseas very attractive, with a nanny, driver, private school, insurance all paid for.  It's something we'd like to explore in the future. This summer was fun with weddings in New Orleans and Michigan.  It was good to be back in the Midwest and see family and friends in Iowa too.  Being in Iowa reminded us what down to Earth, do anything for you people are like, and we'd like to get back to that.  We're in the process of firming up which places we'd like to go to. In August when we got back from our trip we started to look for schools for the kids.  I felt that Elle really needed to be around kids more her age, every day, because she is a relater and that's how she learns, and I didn't feel that she was getting enough time with her peers in the co-ops and groups we were in.  A second grade spot opened up at the Charter Montessori school so we signed her up.  Miles started preschool, so we just had Justin to look at.  He was really excited about the prospect of homeschooling, but I had bought all the materials at the convention in May, just couldn't find the motivation to teach.  I think I was just completely worn out from trying to make it work for Elle.  And the summer without camp was brutal on us- the heat meant there wasn't much to do outside.  Summers in Florida are much like winters in Iowa, stuck inside and only able to go out for an hour or two a day. So anyway, we looked at a public school here with an immersion program for Spanish for Justin.  He's been showing signs of giftedness and I thought it might be a good fit.  It sounded good when we visited and talked to the teachers, then we went to orientation.  The school was going to offer Science as a special once a week and recess "occasionally", on days when the kids didn't have P.E., Health, or Guidance.  That and it wasn't a true immersion program, all subjects were taught in Spanish and English.  When we looked at ISL in New Orleans it was total immersion and that's what I had pictured.  Florida has also cut funding for all schools this year, so that meant less aides in the classroom, old computers without a chance of upgrade, and more kids in each class. I withdrew him from that school and was still on the fence.  I looked at FL Virtual School as a possibility.  It seems like a good program but this is the first year they have access to K-5 students.  So Justin could either be a guinea pig for FLVS or the Montessori School that was opening, and we decided to pursue the Charter school.  Because Justin is a sibling of a student, he was offered a spot the day before school started.  Elle has adjusted very, very well and loves school, but Justin has had a lot of issues adjusting and wants to be home with me.  I'd love to pull him out and homeschool him, but I know I don't have the energy right now due to Eric's schedule.  So he will have to deal with an imperfect school for now b/c it's brand new. I had a conference with the teachers on Monday and they said they were concerned about him the first week, but that he has adjusted, and they were surprised to see he is reading some short words.  Elle's teachers are concerned about her level of math proficiency, but I think she'll catch up quickly.  So that's us for now.  I use my free time to sleep and think, lol.  I can actually think straight now.  Not that I won't homeschool again, they might just have to be older.  :) Hope all is well, pics to come.