1. Finished with CPR training & Fire and Home inspections for the adoption. 2. Science for Next Year.

1.  Adoption

We plan to be finished with our paperwork and training by the end of January.  We still have to attend two 12 hour days of training this month and a few "odds and ends", but that's about it.  Everyone over the age of one needs a TB test, and just Luke and Josh still need that. Our Home Study (where a case worker interviews all family members) is the week after our first 12 hour training.  

So, if all goes as planned, we could be licensed and able to take children into our home in February.  I don't know if that will happen, but it's possible.  

Eligible children have already been taken from their parents, or the parents gave them up, and parental rights  have already been terminated by the time we would get them.  Normally they become our foster children for 6 months to make sure it is a good fit for everyone.  Then we will adopt them and they are ours, full heirs, totally ours.  It's like when we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savoir.  We become children of God.  Full heirs, totally His. 

During the time the children are our foster children there is a requirement that they have to attend public school.  They can attend the schools right on post.  They are small schools and very accustomed to having kids transfer in all during the school year from all over the world.  Kids 3 yo and up have to be in a school setting so 3-5 year olds need to be in some type of Mother's Day Out or Pre-School, but not necessarily 5 days a week.  It could just be a few days a week.  Once we adopt then we can school them how we want.  We'll have to wait and see who we get before deciding about that.   No need to make any plans about that yet!

2.  Science Next Year:

I'm starting to plan the next school year for the kids.  Science seems to be the big question for me as to what to use for each child.  The Rod and Staff is GREAT for Jesse and Sophia this year.  

Luke- 11th grade. Chemistry (DIVE?)  He is doing his chemistry labs this year because he isn't motivated to do labs on his own, so he is going to a 2 day lab intensive.   I just found out about The Spectrum Chemistry- done 3 days a week, one of those days is a lab, so I'm considering that.


Josh- 9th grade. Biology (Apologia independently?  or DIVE?)  I could have him do his labs in a 2 day intensive like Luke is doing.  I like the DIVE programs that schedule everything for the students and have a class on cd.  


Caroline- 7th grade.  Normally my kids do Apologia General Science in 7th grade.  I am looking at The Rainbow which is a 2-year science course for 12-14 year olds.    Here is a blurb from their website:  "We combine two lessons and one lab exercise per week for approximately 32 weeks per year leaving flexibility and freedom in your school year. The first year covers physics and chemistry, and the second year covers biology and applications of science. The curriculum and the Home Laboratories are completely self-contained."  (beginningspublishing.com) 

Jesse- 5th grade.  I think he still has one of the elementary Apologia books to complete.

Sophia- 3rd grade.  Hmmm.  Not sure what she'll do.  It depends on how much I will have to read to her for science.  I need to look around.  I have Sonlight 3rd grade science materials.  Or maybe she can do an Apologia with Jesse...or maybe another year of Rod and Staff.  Or maybe something else.