Homeschool Mother's Journal 8/5

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I've seen this link up here and there and haven't ever participated before.  But now, I'm sitting here avoiding the laundry and sink full of dishes, and proud that I accomplished something homeschool related, so I want to shout it out!  LOL

In my life this week…
There has been much chaos. LOL Redoing a bedroom, a spastic refrigerator, and nothing in its usual place. This is not good for for my mind, which operates so much better when there is not clutter! 

In our homeschool this week…
We are getting there! I came back from the conference, as always, all inspired but with the realization that some of the inspiration was a little idealistic. It's good to be aware of that now! I have gotten our schedule put together and the first six weeks planned out. I'm DELIGHTED with this! 

Helpful homeschooling tips or advice to share…
This is a very practical tip, but it has helped me. Take your worktexts that have tear out pages to an office supply store. For about $3 per book, they can spiral bind them and VOILA no more loose pages covering every flat surface in the house. At the end of the year, you've got a nice completed book to file away. 

I am inspired by…

Remember I just got home from a homeschool conference. Right now I am inspired by Sally Clarkson. I bought a few of her workshops on CD at the conference. She just encourages me so much! 

Places we’re going and people we’re seeing…
The main place we are going these days is Lowe's. I think I have used an entire tank of gas going to Lowe's and back. It will be awesome (and oh yes, there will be pictures) when it's done! 

My favorite thing this week was…
Last night. I looked at my planner and saw plans written through all of September. Makes me so happy!  And I'm also going to have to throw in that the meal I had last night for my birthday might have been my other favorite thing.  YUMMY~!!

What’s working/not working for us…
I am loving Heart of Dakota curriculum and it worked so well for us last year. 

Questions/thoughts I have…
How on earth am I going to take the curriculum that I loved so much last year for two children and split it into three children doing their own? We'll see ...

And the mail just got here and it's time to pick up my daughter and I suppose I shouldn't avoid the laundry any longer because I think it's giving me the evil eye, so I'll close for now!

"Not" Back to School Blog Hop: Curriculum Week

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I thought maybe I'd ease into blogging again by joining this blog hop.  We loved all of our curriculum choices last year, so we're continuing on with them this year.

The oldest:  8th grade
She will be doing Bob Jones Writing and Grammar 8 this year.  She is actually just going to be doing the grammar portion of it this year.
She will be completing IEW, which we started last year, for writing.
She will be doing Teaching Textbooks for math.
She will be doing the Resurrection to Reformation study from Heart of Dakota for history, science, and Bible, with a lot of extras thrown in (like poetry, art, and spelling).  She did Creation to Christ last year, and OH, how we loved it!  I am very excited to see what this year is going to hold!
She will be doing Switched on Schoolhouse Texas History in the spring as well.

The middle one:  5th grade
(Let me just take a moment to GASP.  Eighth and fifth grade?  Wow.)
Her plan is pretty easy this year, and I am anticipating a good year for her.
She will again be using Bob Jones for English 5 and Reading 5.  She is well familiar with these, having used them since first grade.  We are former homesat customers, and have DVD's for classes from K4 - 8th grade. 
She will again be using Teaching Textbooks for math.
She will be doing Preparing Hearts for His Glory from Heart of Dakota this year.  She actually did Creation to Christ with her sister last year, and I know it's weird to go down a level, but she is not ready to go up a level, and I would actually like her to repeat the Creation to Christ curriculum when she is in 7th grade, so I think it's going to work well to have her do Preparing spread over two years.  This will cover her history, science, poetry, art, Bible, and spelling.

And, the little one:  Kindergarten  (also unbelievable.)
His plan is very simple this year.  He is ready to learn and asks me two things just about every day.  1. Can one of his friends come over, and 2. Is it time to do some school.  I'm anticipating a fun year with him!
He will be also doing a Heart of Dakota curriculum.  His is Little Hearts for His Glory.  (Yes, I am a bit nervous about running three HOD programs at the same time.)
He will be doing Bob Jones K5 Beginnings for phonics, reading, and handwriting.
He will be doing a Singapore Math workbook.  I'm really not sure where we will land for math.  I'm really not sure exactly where he is now, so this is the one area that might change quickly.  We may end up starting Math U See Alpha pretty quickly, or sticking with this workbook, or really I don't even know.

Okay, so that's it for our curriculum choices.  It looks so overwhelming to see it all written out here!  (No, it REALLY looks overwhelming now that it's all sitting on our bookshelf!)  I am very excited to see what this year holds for us though.  :)

I will be linking up with Heart of the Matter today and plan to join in with all of their August blog hops as we get ready for NOT back to school!

**NOTE -- I would love a "buddy" who is going through the same HOD curriculum that we are, so please be sure to leave me a message if you are!  Especially the RtoR.  I'm a big fan of comparing notes and sharing ideas along the way!

Ultimate Blog Party 2011 - 5 Minutes for Moms

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I decided to jump into this blog party this year! Looks like fun, and I LOVE reading blogs so I'm sure I'll find some more to add to my list this year! :)

About me ... I'm Melanie, married to Jim for nearly 15 years now. (WOW.) I'm a homeschooling mom of two and a half - one goes to preschool for another couple of months, and then he will be at home too. I have a seventh grader and a fourth grader. We enjoy homeschooling most of the time, and it seems that my blog revolves around that a lot of the time.

I also love to post about books I'm reading, what the Lord is doing in my life, how I'm being challenged, and there's an awful lot of just plain silliness around here too. I love to take pictures of my kids, and join some photo contests here and there. I am not a photographer, I am a mom with a camera, and I love that too.

I think that's me in a nutshell. I'm glad you're here! Be sure to leave a comment if you're a new visitor! There are a ton of blogs on the blog party list, and if you like my blog, I will probably like yours as well and wouldn't want to miss it!

Have a fabulous day!

L.E.N.S. Challenge - February

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The LENS Challenge for the week is February.  

The oldest with the crafting urge that I get about once a year.  (Then I lose all interest in crafting and we rock along for another year.  Actually - I lost interest before this was even finished.  The girls finished it.)  Giggle!!

I'm linking up with Home is Where You Start From, so hop on over and see what February looks like for others.

L.E.N.S. Challenge - PE

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The LENS Challenge for the week is PE.  

I know I have posted this picture before; not for a challenge but because it is one of my favorite pictures ever.   I was a little excited to have an excuse to post it again. 

This is PE for us.  The girls both take dance, and that's pretty much it.  This is from their recital this December.  We do spend some time with Wii Just Dance and riding bikes, and of course the little one spends time jumping off the couch, but dance is the only more formal PE type activity we do.

I'm linking up with Home is Where You Start From, so hop on over and see what others do for PE.

The Homeschool Village - Accomplishments

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The "theme" at The Homeschool Village this month is accomplishments.

We've had a few lately, and I am DELIGHTED.
The main thing -- tomorrow we will complete week 20 and lesson 100 in all of our classes except math!  It is amazing to me to be exactly on schedule!  I planned for some breaks in February (woohoo, Grammy is coming!) and March (woohoo, Spring Break!) and expect that we'll finish up for the year in May.  Did I mention DELIGHTED?  :D  (oh, and math?  We're actually AHEAD on math!)

We are planning to continue math over the summer (on a very relaxed schedule), and will work on handwriting with the middle one and typing with the oldest one, but that will be it.  We have discovered that we do not love having to re-learn anything, especially math!  And, if we can take some things that we don't want to take the time to learn/work on during the normal school day and put them on our summer list, then more the better!  Something different, keeps them from laying around in front of the TV/video game/computer/whatever all day ... it's all good!

Another accomplishment ... well ... kind of ... is simply that this has been a good week.  If you read my blog, you know that last week wasn't fabulous.  This week has been much better, and I am so glad!  Having a talk with the kids last week and trying to set the rules and calmly enforce them has been good.  I did have an epic fail one day when it seemed more expedient to just give in rather than hold to the rules, but other than that, it's been nice for everyone to know what is expected from them, and the consequences of not meeting those expectations.  I think it's made for a calm and even giggly good week.  :)

And one more ... did you see my chili post?  ;)  MAJOR accomplishment there! 

L.E.N.S. Challenge - This Moment

Pin It The oldest is doing a project in her geography class in our homeschool co-op.  She is doing a report on Norway, and presenting it as if she had just gotten back from a vacation in Norway.

On her own, she decided to scour the internet for recipes from Norway.  (giggle ... her mother insisted that it be a DESSERT recipe.  No fish.)  She is presenting her report tomorrow, so she is baking Norwegian cookies for her class today.

Here is a pic of her with her friend who is over helping her out.  (Mine is the dark-haired one, if you don't happen to already know us.)

(What I really should have pictured here is the mess my kitchen is at THIS MOMENT!)

This week's challenge at Home is Where You Start From is "This Moment".  I chose to take a picture of this exact moment.  Like seriously - I took this pic less than five minutes ago!  Feel free to click on over and see the moments that everyone else chose for this week.

L.E.N.S. Learning Spaces

Pin It Ever just forget things entirely? I found the Home is Where You Start From blog a while back and thought their photo challenges would be fun to enter. I think I didn't have a photo that fit for the first couple of weeks after I found it, and then it got pushed to the back of my brain. I came across it again last week when their theme was weather and planned to find a great picture I have of the youngest playing in the rain. Then I couldn't find the picture. (I realized later that it was on the other computer.) Then I saw this week's challenge - Learning Spaces. I remembered this picture of the middle one curled up in one of my favorite spaces, reading her book.

And I had to enter this week!

The Homeschool Village - Thanksgiving Interview

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This ought to be fun. The Homeschool Village would like us to interview our children this week to get their perspective on Thanksgiving. Two questions:
1. What do you like most about Thanksgiving?
2. How do you describe Thanksgiving?

Answers from the middle one:
1. I like the food. I'm generally a big fan of food so that's important to me. I also like family and spending time with my cousins.

2. It was a time when Pilgrims came on the Cauliflower into America. (Yes she REALLY said cauliflower. I think I need to have a discussion with her teacher. Oh ... wait. Never mind.) They met the Indians and had a meal together. At our house, we usually go to either Grammy's or Nana and Granddaddy's house. We spend time with our family and it's really fun. There is always a BIG turkey.

From the little one:
1. Turkey! And also cookies.

2. It's about food and people. The ship is called Mayflower. (Great. Mrs. Russell is a much better teacher than I am. The five year old knows the name of the ship. The nine year old has it confused with a vegetable she won't eat. LOL!)

And from the oldest:
1. Hanging out with family. Well, that and the food.

2. Thanksgiving is a festive time of year that makes the house smell very good.

(I am really surprised that neither of the older two mentioned having the week off school. I think that might be one of the very best parts for me!)

What do YOUR children say? Link up at The Homeschool Village!

The Homeschool Village - Thankfulness

Pin It I'm finally getting around to getting my post written! Go me. LOL



This week, The Homeschool Village would like us to dedicate our post to a blogger for whom we're thankful.

Seriously, if I did that, it would be a long, long, LONG, L.O.N.G. post. I am thankful to a ton of bloggers!

To my local blogging friends, I love to read your blogs! It's funny to me that I see you in person, some of you several times a week, and yet I find out a lot of what's going on in your lives via your blogs. Maybe it's because when I'm reading your blogs, I am focused on YOU and not thinking about what I'm going to say next, or (let's be completely honest here) I'm not trying to figure out how to turn the conversation back to me.

(Yes, I know. I really do. I'm working on my listening skills.)

(There is a certain freedom in blogging though. I find that I start typing and all sorts of stuff comes out. That's the real reason I usually write up my posts in advance. Sometimes I read the stuff I wrote later and think "OVERSHARE ALERT!!" LOL I'm betting that a lot of you have found out more about me via my blog than I've told you personally.)

To my long distance blogging friends, you have also blessed me. There are tons of times when your blogs are words fitly spoken to me. When I'm having one of those days, you know the ones, I can find blogs to make me laugh, or make me cry, or speak mercy to me, or give me a push in the right direction. I've had pity parties stopped and giggles started, or tears of repentance, or felt an arm of encouragement around my shoulders.

And not bloggers, but to my Christian Moms Forum buddies ... can't do a shoutout to long distance mamas without sending you guys a big huge cyber hug! I am so thankful for all of y'all! Again with the laughing and crying, the hugs, the kicks in the pants.

I am so thankful that the Lord put me in this circle. Both with my local friends and my long distance friends. I love you all, and thank you all for being such an encouragement to me.

(and btw ... don't forget to look down one post and enter the CSN Stores $35 gift certificate giveaway!)

The Homeschool Village - Online Communities

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This week at The Homeschool Village, they'd like us to share why we're thankful for online communities.

Oh, easy! I love my online communities! I have been so blessed through getting to know people online. When we lived in Bryan, TX, just after getting married, I had NO friends. I was a stay at home wife with no friends. Very lonely place to be! I joined a couple of yahoogroups and had some contact with the outside world through them. Then some of those groups spun off into smaller groups and I was able to really get to know some of the ladies. I've only met a few of them in real life, but I am so thankful for these women, and count them as true friends.

Now I'm a member of a few other online communities, and they are just such a blessing to me! The best thing about online groups is that there is always someone there. Having a crisis? Someone will be online to pray with you. Need encouragement? Someone will have been there and done that and lived to tell about it. Just need to giggle? We can certainly do that too!

I do love my "in real life" friends, and I am incredibly thankful to God for these ladies who are walking through life beside me, but I am also incredibly thankful for my online friends, and the communities that have grown these friendships. :)

The Homeschool Village - Fall!

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I mentioned in my post yesterday that our biggest fall activity is actually pretending that it IS fall. :-/ As I'm typing this, the temperature is 84 degrees, and with the heat index, it feels like 95. Happy fall in Texas, y'all. Sigh.

So ... fall activities around here:
1) looking wistfully at long sleeved clothes and wishing there was a need for us to wear them.

2) giggling when stores put summer clothes on clearance, because we can wear them immediately and rack up the bargains.

3) feeling like I'm completely missing out when I see pics of children in fall leaves. Our yard is covered in pine needles, and as much as I'd love to toss the kids out there and snap some lovely pics, it just doesn't have quite the same feel to it. It's not so much fun for them either! :-P

4) going to the pumpkin patch, as evidenced by my pictures yesterday, which is nice and different.

5) dressing up and going to our church's Fall Festival. We'll be doing that Sunday night, and I'm looking forward to it, although I'm in the midst of a battle with the little one as to whether he will dress up as a fireman (my choice) or Optimus Prime (his choice.) We don't do a whole lot of Halloween here, but have really enjoyed going to the festival every year.

To PJ or Not PJ ... THAT is the question ...

Pin It ... asked by The Homeschool Village this week!



What does getting dressed look like in your home? Do you wear mismatched socks and neon lounge pants? What's the funniest thing your kid wears to school? Link up your post!

Getting dressed ... now that the girls are a little bit older, I do require them to get dressed in the morning. Pajama day was lots of fun when they were little, but now the oldest would look at me as if I had two heads if I suggested pajama day. I can hear it now "But MOTHER! What if someone came over?!?" Oh the horror.

It does start out day off on a good note to have a specific morning routine to follow, and that includes them getting dressed. I didn't say they had to be dressed especially WELL, just decently. And, you will note, I also said THEM getting dressed. On the days I don't have to run the youngest to preschool, you'll find the girls up and dressed and usually me up and jammied. What can I say, it is what it is. :-P

Have a great day, everyone!

The Homeschool Village - Blast From the Past

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Are you ready? Sitting down? Okay, don't know too many people who read blogs while standing up, but just in case, go ahead and sit down now. 1980's hair is COMING YOUR WAY. Don't say you weren't warned!!




Yep, it's MEEEEEE~!! I know you're marveling at the fabulousness of the WINGS and the curls and ... um ... (I can't even bring myself to say it!) the mullet. And oh my, what the 41 year old me would like to say to the 17 year old me ... but THAT, my friends, is not the topic of the day. I am the oldest child and a rule follower and a blank filler-inner, so I must stick to the topic of the day. (As an aside on the blank filler-inner side of me - I missed a blank on the listening guide of my Beth Moore Bible study and it just about drove me crazy. I had to come home and look it up because I felt like it was hanging over me. I suspect I have issues. Ahem. Comments on that not necessary.)

THE TOPIC!!

Share your post about your favorite teacher. Who made a positive impression on you? Whose words have stuck with you all through the years? Have you carried over any of their traits into you own homeschool?

Oh wow. I think all of my teachers made a positive impression on me in some way or another. Even the ones whose names I can't remember! I loved school and was a good student.

I think I liked best the teachers who would be willing to push and stretch me as a student. Mrs. Bishop comes to mind. She was not afraid to throw the hard concepts at us, and fully expected that we would "get it." Of course she was willing to help if we didn't quite understand, but her expectations were high and she kept us on our toes to meet them. She expected, and received, hard work from her students, and we were stronger and better prepared for the rest of life because of it.

While I'm on that topic, I think this is one of the hardest things about homeschooling. As the mom and teacher, it's hard to know how to push my own kids. I don't want to be the tyrant mom and have them think they can't meet my standards. Nor do I want to be raising lazy kids. I think I have some blinders when I try to think of what my kids are capable of - is it what they are really capable of doing, or is it what I THINK they should be capable of doing? Or the opposite - am I content with a lack of effort in one area (which may happen to be a subject I don't enjoy) when they would be better served with me raising the bar? This has become more of a challenge as my children have gotten older and it's become more and more clear that they're not just little clones of me. And let's face it - feeling like you're not good enough to meet a teacher's expectations is one thing. A parent? That's permanent damage territory. It's a constant prayer for wisdom and grace as we draw the lines of expectation! We are quoting this a lot:

Colossians 3:23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men

I think that well sums it up, although I still find myself wavering between pushing for more from them and relaxing with what they do a lot of the time.

So, there's a bit about one of my favorite teachers, and a bit more. Plus ... 80's hair!! And BRACES!! Funny that I had my braces removed just a couple of weeks after my senior portraits. I'm glad I had them on in the portraits though; seems fitting since I wore them all through high school. Just one question - do senior girls still have to wear the fluffy thing in their portraits? Whose idea was that anyway? And WHY? Makes me want to sneeze just looking at it! Oops, I think that was more than one question!

The Homeschool Village - Science

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Oh my. Had to go there, didn't they? The s-word. At least in our homeschool, the s-word is science. We also have the h-word, history. Yikes.

So ... thus far in our homeschool journey, the science has been at the very bottom of the priority list, and for most of the time, didn't even make the priority list at all.

I know what you're thinking. Don't you have a seventh grader? And you haven't done science??

Um.

We did a science curriculum one year. I think it was third grade, or maybe it was fourth? We did a couple of lessons of fifth grade, I seem to recall. I'm pretty sure the middle one did some science when she was in first grade.

So yes, I am a science failure. And I'm admitting it publicly.

That said though - we have been part of a homeschool co-op since the oldest was in first grade, and science is part of their class day every year. They have done some great things with this program! The oldest made an entire ecosystem, complete with pond and garden. The middle one spent a year learning anatomy and made this fabulous human body complete with macaroni brain and balloon lungs. The oldest did an overview of geology last year along with life science. The middle one did astronomy. They both have seemed to learn a lot from co-op, and up until now, we've called it good.

Now that the oldest is in seventh grade though, I figured it was time to step it up a little around here. Part of our Heart of Dakota curriculum is science, and this year we're doing zoology, plant life, early medicine, and human anatomy. I believe we're calling this "making up for lost time!" So far though, I have been amazed as we've gone through our curriculum. They both seem to have a pretty good scientific foundation, so maybe that "lost time" wasn't really lost at all.

This year (remember, we're only in week six now) so far we've talked about various animals and how to classify them, and how God created them uniquely. On Fridays, we do experiments. Of course, that is their favorite part. It's one of my favorite parts too, because their father is usually home on Fridays, and amazingly, right at the time we get to science, I find an errand that I just *have* to run, and hand the book to him. ;) Love experiment Fridays!

I anxious to read about everyone else's science plans!

eta ... just realized I didn't actually answer the specific question regarding my favorite science experiment. And wasn't it just yesterday that I got on to one of the girls for giving me a well-written paper that would have been great had it actually covered the assignment? Apparently the "follow the assignment" apple doesn't fall far from the tree either! We actually haven't done a lot of experiments. I love the chemical reaction experiment with vinegar and baking soda ... great fun to pour it in the sink and say "HEY! I KNOW!! While that's here, let's clean the sink!!" So now I'm even more anxious to read everyone else's posts to find some fun experiments to try!

eta again -- I'm leaving the SpellQuizzer giveaway open for the rest of the day (Scroll down a couple of posts) so if you're interested, go ahead and comment on that post and you'll be entered!

The Homeschool Village - Rules and Discipline

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Totally giggling at this week's Homeschool Village topic:

What is expected of your children? How do you handle interruptions or poor behavior? Do you have homeschool detention?

Let me say first off -- the main one who struggles with discipline around here is ME. I am the lazy one, especially after taking a long summer off. I am the one who really needed to get up and go for a walk this morning and decided that no, what I really needed was more sleep, and then proceeded to go back to bed. Funny that this week, the Lord is really working on me in that regard, reminding me that if I'm going to say "why bother doing something if you're only going to halfway doing it?" while halfway doing things myself, well ... I need to step it up a little bit, in several areas.

So now that I've exposed y'all to THAT, I'll tell you how it all works in our homeschool.

The girls know what is expected of them each day. I have a calendar that I fill out every week with that week's assignments. They can look at the calendar and see what lesson they need to do and if there is extra work or other things. They're 4th and 7th grade, so this works pretty well to let them know what I expect from them. It was a happy day when I realized I didn't need to pull out worksheets any more; that I could just write it on the calendar and leave them responsible for getting it done. If they get up on time (this is our biggest struggle right now) and work diligently, they should have all of the day's work done by 1:30 - 2:00. What's not done is expected to be done before computer time, TV time, phone calls, etc.

Interruptions and poor behavior. Usually I reply with poor behavior myself. I've had more than one good southern hissy fit over seeing my children exhibit poor behavior. I'm sure they're learning a ton from my good godly example. (I'm a work in progress, remember?)

That said -- we have discovered what works for each kid, for now. You know how they all have a love language? Turns out they have a discipline language as well. The oldest? Merely the threat of taking the phone or email away and she starts polishing her halo. The middle one? She wants to be around people, so banishment to her room works well for her. Also, they're both old enough to be able to do things with friends and have various privileges, so taking those opportunities away is very effective around here. This is the one area that has gotten much easier as they've gotten older. Well, the discipline hasn't gotten easier, but figuring out what is effective for each of them has.

Homeschool detention -- giggling at that one. I'm not sure who that would punish, them or me, if I had to be the one to enforce it!

There are times when I have put in a call to the principal, DAD, to help with some bad attitudes, but for the most part, they're both kind of like me - the temper may flare and an attitude may pop up from time to time, but mostly it's a short-lived thing, and then we can move along happily. :)

The main rule I've been trying to enforce lately with the girls is that in their squabbles with each other, and me, and with their friends, I believe the Lord is more concerned with how they treat each other than with them being right in the situation. It drives me crazy to see them bicker over which one left her pencil out and spend way more effort fighting it out rather than one of them just picking up the pencil! And yes, folks, that is an example from this very day. We read about Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery and five minutes later fight over who has to take the pencil from the table and move it 2 1/2 feet to the pencil jar. Awesome.

So, that's it for the rules and discipline around here. :)

(btw ... a word to you on the blog hop! Thank you so much for visiting and commenting on my blog! I am WOEFULLY behind on returning the favor. I'm working to get caught up on that! Just wanted to let you know that your comments have blessed me, and I really appreciate the time you have taken to encourage me!)

The Homeschool Village - Dads

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This week at The Homeschool Village is all about dads and their place in the homeschool. To be honest, I was planning to skip this week because I'm really not sure how to answer. With Jim having been gone all of last year, and us just getting started for this year, no one seems to be really sure how to make all the pieces fit together yet.

Last year I was the homeschool commando mom. Jim left in June to go to Afghanistan. We started school in August. When he came home in April, both girls had finished most of their curriculum, so we basically called ourselves done and took a long summer break. (Really, a little TOO long, but that's another post for another day.) So, last year I did all of the planning, purchasing, implementing, disciplining ... all of it. It started out pretty tough, but we found a system that worked for us; namely "let's please finish our work before mom LOSES.HER.MIND." You know, you do what works for you at the time. ;) In some aspects, last year was easier than normal. We had a set schedule because we weren't working around Jim's weird work schedule. Yes, I had to handle everything, but I have enough control freak in me to make that work. So, all in all, weird as it is to say this, last year worked out pretty well, at least as far as our homeschool went.

So now it's time for this year to begin, and some things needed to change with the curriculum we were using. The girls are getting older and we need to step it up in some areas. Jim is back home, back to the regular (weird) schedule. The strange thing is, it's like we're not all sure where we all fit now. Starting school again has shaken things up, and it's kind of like we're all confused. I'm here, so I'm still the purchaser, planner, and implementer, and I've pretty happily handed the disciplinarian role back over to Jim. And the flash card role. I don't enjoy that one so much, and neither does the one who needs the flash cards, so I'd rather just give up that whole chore. School is taking longer and more effort from me this year, which is adding another weird dimension to all of this. Time I would have spent doing things around the house is time I'm spending working with the girls this year, so there are also things around the house that need to be passed off to Jim as well.

So, the role of Dad in our school? I don't really think he knows, and neither do I. Maybe that's something we need to talk about in the very near future.

Homeschooling - In the Beginning

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I just found this blog today and decided I'd play along. It gives me something to post and keeps me from finishing my "moldy" post that is a continuation from the other day. I seem to be having a hard time getting my thoughts out there ... maybe next week.

Anyway! The question of the day is when did you 1st hear about homeschooling and what was your reaction?

I first heard of homeschooling before my middle one was even born. We lived in Bryan, TX (Gig 'Em Aggies) and the Lord had placed us in a church with families who all homeschooled. There was so much I could have gleaned from these women and I am sad to say that I didn't take advantage of it at all. I didn't want that path. I wanted to drop my children off at school and go grocery shopping and clean my house alone! I didn't consider homeschooling at all during that time, but some ideas were planted way deep down apparently, below conscious thought.

(Then the demanding one was born and my thoughts were more than ever focused on I.WANT.A.BREAK! Bless her sweet little heart, she is a very easy little girl, but OH ME OH MY, she was a difficult baby!)

Then we moved here and I met some people here and there who homeschooled. Adding to that was my early September born daughter who was well ready for kindergarten but would have had to go to prek due to her birthday, and at the time, prek was income based and we wouldn't have qualified. The middle one was still a handful and we were worried about the oldest going to school and bringing home sickness, so we kind of decided to try out homeschooling. It was a prek/kindergarten mix with every intention of public school for the next year.

So, here we are, and that oldest is now in seventh grade, and is still at home. And believe me - no one is more surprised by this fact than I am! ;) The middle one who now is only difficult if there is multiplication involved, is in fourth grade, and the little one will, Lord willing, be home for kindergarten next year. (Which means, if we stay on this path, there will be another child in my house for whom I am responsible for teaching multiplication facts. :::shudder::: Okay, clearing mind of THAT thought.)

It's been a fabulous journey, I have to say! We've changed curriculum many times, and there seems to be a constant tweaking. I've learned so much about my kids, though, and have enjoyed having them with me. Well, most days. Of course there are days when I'm sorely tempted to chase down the yellow bus. ;)

I don't know if this is a forever "I'm going to be making their diplomas" plan, we're still pretty much on the "one year at a time" plan, but for now, we're loving it and so thankful that the Lord led us on this path, and so thankful for the friends who have encouraged us through the years. Now I need one of you to step up and handle our multiplication issue. HAHA!! (Seriously - we have finally had a breakthrough there and I'm hoping there will soon be a post in which we rejoice and thank the Lord that a timed test was not only passed, but with an A!)

Pensieve Blog Hop '10

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Welcome! This looks like a fabulous Blog Hop and I decided this morning to join in after seeing it on several friends' blogs!

I'm Melanie, a Christian wife and mom. I have three little ones and we homeschool. I love photography, and well, reading blogs! :)

Let's see ... here you'll find posts on homeschooling (most recently!) and my attempts to clean off my nightstand by giving books away on my blog. I have some other parenting posts here and there, and some marriage posts as well, as we try to adjust to my husband coming back home after a year in Afghanistan.

So that's me and my blog, in a nutshell!

Thanks for visiting!

Women of Faith Wednesday -- Beating the Heat

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(Yes, I'm aware that it's Thursday. LOL)

It's been a few weeks since I've done one of these. I've been lazy or something.

Question of the week:
Whew, it’s hot outside! How do you beat the heat?

Seriously? Mostly I complain about it. Sigh. I realized yesterday that I complained about both the rain and the sunshine. Apparently there is no pleasing me. But moving right along to answer the question ...

We spend as much time as possible in water. That, and we really enjoy the air conditioning. I try to do errands early and if we have to spend time out of the house mid-day, if there's not water involved, then there is certainly air conditioning involved. Mainly we look for water though!

Some days we hang out at the splash park.

Handy dandy slip n slide

Some days are just turn on the hose days.

Sometimes we cool off in the water and then sit and text our friends.

We go swim at friend's houses.

We go to the local public pool.

So basically we just, if we have to be outside, spend the time being as wet as possible!

So, how about you? Got any "beat the heat" tips for me?