Homeschooling in High School

Pin It The oldest is in tenth grade now.

(because what says First Day of School better than Starbucks and PJ's?)

Wow.  When we first started out and she was in PreK, I didn't really think we would still be homeschooling.  We started because she was ready for school, and yet public schooling for preK wasn't an option for us.  She had done Mother's Day Out programs, and we had recently moved, so I wasn't too familiar with the various preK options.  Plus, I had a continually sick toddler at the time, and taking the oldest to school and picking her up was more overwhelming than homeschool!  And now, however many years later, here we are.

I was so worried when high school began!  I'm a pretty scheduled, every blank filled in kind of person, with a bit of overachieving stuck in there.  Give me a transcript to fill out and suggestions of what is required to fill out that transcript and my inner drill sergeant comes out and OH MY HEAVENS we are GOING to get those boxes FILLED.

So the biggest challenge for me so far is relaxing a little.  She is never going to be a scientist, so I don't have to make her crazy and myself sick by ordering 35 little critters for her to dissect on the kitchen table.  We are doing a biology curriculum, but our real time and effort is spent on things that are actually useful to her.

We are still using our beloved Heart of Dakota curriculum.  This year she is doing Missions to Modern Marvels, and we are both enjoying it.  Right now we are on the cusp of the Great Depression.

We are still using Teaching Textbooks, currently in Algebra 2.  One of us is enjoying this.  One of us is not.  I'll just leave y'all to figure out which is which.

We are still using Institute for Excellence in Writing.  She writes pretty well, so this has been kind of fun for her.  She's doing the B Continuation.  I'm not sure where to go next year for her.

We are doing Biology 101, supplemented with the Landry Academy Intensive and co-op.  (I'll try to remember to write a review of the biology lab intensive!  We did this with a group a few months ago and thought it was fabulous!)

She is doing British Literature at co-op, and has already done a lengthy Shakespeare study.

She is getting government at co-op, and we're doing an economics supplement at home.

And of course music.  She is still taking piano and voice, and has spent sufficient time for a performing arts credit.  Also home ec, because she is a dedicated kitchen worker every Wednesday at church.  That girl is QUITE capable in a kitchen!

Because we haven't done a lot of testing, she is also taking an SAT class to help prepare for that.  I'm happy to farm that out!  We also take a PE class.

Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?  It really IS a lot.  It works for us though.  Her days aren't too long.  I think she will be well prepared for life and am content with her schooling.  I actually enjoy it most days.  I enjoy her!  When the days are long and it feels like one kid or another is needing me every single second and I want to go hide in the closet with chocolate, I can remember that I have 2 1/2 years left schooling this one.  Bittersweet.  That usually helps me make it through the day.  That and the aforementioned chocolate in the closet!

The Word for 2014 is ...

Pin It Well, actually there will be two words, because I'm an over achiever like that.  I'm only sharing one right now because the other is still a concept and I can't think of the right word to sum it up.  This is not nearly as lofty as it sounds - really it's more a shortfall in my vocabulary than anything else!  The oldest could probably come up with the right word, and the middle one could probably make up a word, but I'll just wait and see if I can figure it out myself first!

The word I do have now ... is LAUGH.  I can be a bit high strung.  Just a bit.  I like to have all of my ducks in a row, be where I'm supposed to be when I'm supposed to be there, and have everything done appropriately and cleaned up after.  My children sometimes make this a little difficult, like walking out the door and "I can't find my shoes" and "She hit me" and "I'm going to leave every one of the 237894 pieces of this thing I should not have taken out of the house all over the place so that when you're ready to leave, you won't get to because I'm going to be nowhere to be found and you're going to have to gather up all of those pieces" and the ever popular "OH MY SWEET HEAVENS, HAVE YOU BRUSHED YOUR TEETH?"

In the midst of all of this, the MOM FACE pops out more often than not.  Then I'm snapping at kids and I'm again reminded that since being in my 40's, my bad attitudes tend to last all day.  I remember Beth Moore saying "God doesn't just want to change your life, He wants to change your day" and that's fabulous but I'm JUST. SO. IRRITATED. and don't want to let go of the bad attitude, thankyouverymuch.

So laugh ...

Really I just want to try to loosen up some.  I'm always telling one of my children to loosen up, and as that child has a personality SO MUCH like my own, I have realized that I need to do it too.  I know I'm still going to get irritated when I'm supposed to be somewhere in FOUR MINUTES and there is still a child playing a video game, barefooted with unbrushed teeth, or any of the other millions of things that irritate me, but truth be told ...

... it's really SMALL STUFF, and in the grand scheme of things, doesn't really matter.

So, I'm going to try to loosen up a bit.  And laugh more.  Life is funny.  My kids are funny.  I want to enjoy that.  And maybe I'll be so busy laughing that I won't care so much if I'm a couple of minutes late.  (I promise I will still care whether teeth are brushed or not though, because that's just gross.)

Happy 2014!

Pin It Wow.  Two posts not separated by months!  I know I'm shocked; are you?

I'm not super big on resolutions.  I've been on a path to eat better and be more faithful in some areas for a while, but that's not really a resolution.  I did enjoy the "word of the year" thing last year.  Mine last year was "give".  I meant that like being willing to give of myself more, without counting the cost (or ... ahem ... complaining).  Just being available to meet needs as I had opportunity, and to see those opportunities as gifts or blessings rather than obligations and annoyances.

Did I succeed?

Well.  There was some complaining, I'm not going to lie.  There was probably some foot stamping from time to time.  There were a couple of full blown hissy fits.  Yes, although those who know me may see me as even tempered and calm, this girl can THROW some FITS when it's appropriate.  And when it's not appropriate sometimes.    

There were also some realizations though.  I guess I had some idea that if I were called to a certain task, that I would love that task and it would just be a natural outflow of me.  Well, sometimes that is the case.  Sometimes not so much though.  Sometimes it's just plain work, and it's not a bad thing to give of oneself and work hard.

I think the hard part is telling the difference between deciding that something isn't for me because I'm not called to it, and deciding that something isn't for me because it requires more work than I'm willing to put in.  I suspect this will be a life-long learning thing!  As of right now, I'm content with the tasks before me.  I'm busy - or will be next week when normal life resumes - but as the mom of three kids who homeschool and making an attempt to have a life of my own as well, busyness is to be expected.  I'm still working on enjoying the tasks sometimes though, and especially on not complaining.

So, that was my word and work for 2013.

I think I have my word for 2014.  I hesitate to say it just yet, so I'm going to wait a bit longer before announcing it publicly!

(Wow, I may enjoy blogging again!  Woot!)

Resurrection

Pin It I'm thinking that after a hiatus of about 18 months, I might resurrect my blog.  I really enjoyed blogging before, whether anyone was reading it or not.  Then it started to feel a bit like a chore, and then I felt like I should do it when I didn't really want to.  But now I kind of want to again.

I still don't have anything of importance to say.  I'm still muddling through, trying to figure out life and faith and stuff.  (I'm going to be 45 in 2014 ... shouldn't I have it all figured out by now?  HA.) 

An update of sorts ... the kids are growing so fast.  We are still homeschooling and loving it.  The oldest will graduate from our homeschool in 2016.  The other two are still a year by year decision, but we're getting to the jumping off point for the middle one now.  She is in seventh grade this year.  I've kind of always viewed it as "once we start homeschooling high school, we're committed to it."  I'm sure that could change, but that's what I told the oldest and will likely tell the middle one as well.  The little one is in second grade, so we have a bit with him.

I have to say - for any homeschoolers who read this and fear high school, don't.  I absolutely love schooling with the oldest.  I'm learning so much.  I'm a math geek, so it's been fun to relearn Algebra 2, and history (sorry teachers of mine) I feel like I'm learning the first time.  We have just finished World War I and the Roaring 20's.  I think when we restart next Monday, we're jumping right into the Great Depression.  I have loved going through history with her, because not only is it eye-opening for me, I love to get her impressions on it.  Sometimes her take is completely different than mine.  It makes for some interesting discussions around here.

I will try to post an update to our curriculum choices and reviews sometime soon.  And some updated pictures! 

Right now though, I'm going to go make myself a cup of tea and try to pretend that the sink is not full of dirty dishes!  (Some things never change!)

The Latest Round of Excuses

Pin It It seems like the sole purpose of my blog lately is to list my excuses for not blogging.  It is almost to the point where I'm having to make more effort to come up with excuses than it would to just blog.  So here we go.

I remember as a kid summer vacation being literally summer vacation.  There were lazy days and no schedules to follow.  We did usually take a trip in the summer, but I don't remember at all having to pull out the calendar to pick a day to have lunch with a friend.  This is not the case with life now.  Everything is scheduled.  I have to consult the calendar for every little thing.  It is craziness, and I don't know how to stop it.

The stuff is all GOOD.  VBS, trips to visit family, camps, appointments, classes.  Oh, and let's throw a major home improvement project into the mix, because we wouldn't want to take a chance on life being boring.

Now it's the end of July.  We have one more camp to go to, plus a conference.  There are still things to be done in the house.  The calendar is jam-packed.  Oh, and it's about to be time to start school again.  Every year I say that summer is going to be easy without scheduling it to death.  And then every year life happens and I vow to do better the next year.  I think I'm going to give up that plan as I look forward to next summer.  Life is busy.  Period.  Maybe rather than complaining about the busyness and trying to avoid it, I should find a way to embrace it.  I am sure there will be a day when summer rolls around and it's quiet, and no different from every other season, and I will so miss these days of busyness.

All that said ... I really do have posts to follow.  I have pictures to share, plus some deep thoughts that are just about in sharable form. I think I've already posted about our plans for school for next year.  I really want to try to do a better job blogging about that.  We'll see how that goes!

It is today.

Pin It I remember as a kid, we drove several times between Nashville, TN and Trinity, TX.  It was a long drive, and as the oldest child, being in the back seat with the little brother and little sister wasn't always the most fun thing in the world.  The brother was a squirmy little boy and the sister was a screamer.  (Funny how my own children mimic us as children!)  I was trying to be cool - quite a task when sitting on vinyl seats in the south in the summer - haha~!!

There was this song that I remember playing.  I don't know if it was on the radio or the handy-dandy 8 track.  (Giggling at that too ... late 70's, pre-cassette days I think.  Maybe not though; I might be remembering back a little further than the annual road trips.)

Okay, whipping out Merle Haggard here.  Apologies in advance.

... someday, we'll look back and say, it was fun ...

This song would play.  And I would think in all of my pre-teen-ness "This is NOT that day."  This is not fun.  Not in any way, shape or fun.  Don't get me wrong - I loved getting to Trinity and all the visiting.  The road trip though?  At the time, not so much fun. 

Today though?  They were right.  I can look back and say it was fun.  And really?  It probably was fun at the time, I was just too cool to admit it.

I am missing my brother today.

New Clothes!

Pin It Do you like the new look?  I love it!  Maybe new clothes will inspire me to do some new posts.  :) 

Michelle did this again, you can go to the right of my blog on the bottom and click her link; I know she would love to re-do yours as well. 

We have been so busy getting our school year wrapped up.  The little one is finishing his kindergarten DVD program today and will probably finish the rest of his curriculum next week.

The middle one has finished math and reading.  She has one week of English left and a couple of weeks of her Heart of Dakota.

The oldest has finished IEW and will be finishing up math and her Heart of Dakota in the next couple of weeks.

The plans are in place for next year and the books are starting to pile up. 

I have a big picture post that I need to do.  Maybe I'll get motivated to do that soon!