Four Handmaids Orthodox Christian Academy

I have often thought of starting a blog to help keep track of our homeschooling journey. Like most homeschooling families, I have tried several ways of planning and recording our curriculum. Managing the curriculum, resources, documentation, and the countless bookmarks has been alright for just one child. Soon my second daughter will officially start the homeschooling journey (I have been dragging my feet). It seemed blogging would allow me to document what we’ve done, remind me of what worked and didn’t work, and minimize some of the clutter. Besides, the two questions I dislike the most are, “What are you doing?” and “What did you do today?” . The answers are always the same, “school” and “cleaned”. I am sure that the person asking doesn’t really want to hear about teaching the girls to fold laundry or how I swept the floor, cleaned the table, or did the dishes. However, some of our relatives and homeschooling friends have expressed interest in what types of things our girls are learning. I’m sure that some of the happenings at our house will probably make you feel a little better about your own. Finally, this blog will allow me to do something that I enjoy…write.

These are our four Handmaids. Handmaid is the term used to refer to a female Orthodox Christian during a church service (for example “Handmaid of the Lord Katherine….”). Males are referred to as Servant of the Lord. Our four handmaids are:

Katherine 8, Saint-Katherine the Martyr: Katherine is currently in second grade. She loves to read and is not afraid of big books. Her favorite subjects are history, Orthodoxy, and gymnastics.

Sarah 5, Saint-Sarah the Abbess: She has started preschool and will begin kindergarten in the fall. She can read three letter words, likes to draw, likes math, and is teaching herself cursive (she already taught herself to print).

Elizabeth 3, Saint- Grand Duchess Elizabeth: Elizabeth just turned three. She generally plays with educational toys while we work. She does like to write, and her favorite book is Olivia (for those of you familiar with the character, Elizabeth would give Olivia a run for her money).

Helena born Jan 08, Saint-Helena the Empress: Helena is cute and snuggly. She is sleeping pretty well and likes to be held (having three big sisters has kind of spoiled her). She is a “chunky-monkey” and has fat roles everywhere!

The Four Handmaids