Back to HOMEschool Prayer

 This morning I hastily wrote out a prayer in my rush to squeeze in a little time alone with God before we started our first day of school. Our day is done and we are all still talking to each other so I'd say God answered!

Abba, thank you for a new day. Please fill me with your love, the most important ingredient as we start school today. Help me to be fully present, love well and enjoy our time of discovery and adventure together. I know there will be some groaning and maybe even whining; I'll try not to do it too much. :) And if I hear it from others, help me not take it personally. Thank you for the privilege and resources to teach from home and spend our days learning together. Amen.

You won't have to guess which poses my kids chose and I went along with. All part of being a boy-mom (which I love!)! 

                                                                Socially distanced and ready to roll! 

going a little crazy with the masks. 

Thing 2 says "The whole year is going down the toilet." We shall see!

Thing 1 actually starts his hybrid online program next week - but he joined us for Bible and Current Events this morning. 

How is it possible my BABY is starting MIDDLE SCHOOL!???!!

Zoey is a bit worried to start middle school and requested her own therapy dog.

Top 10 Reasons Why we Chose Homeschool

Top 10 Reasons Why we Chose Homeschool...Again

Yes, it is true. For the third time in my sons' short educational careers we have restarted homeschooling. I wrote this little piece a few weeks ago after a day that I thought I may have made the worst mistake of my life. (Not really...but sort of). Instead of immediately re-enrolling them in public school I used a little writing therapy to talk myself back from the edge! 

10) I love to listen to my kids sweet voices all day long, especially when they are whining at me and limp noodling out of their seats exclaiming that “it is Too Hard!” …to copy 5 words off the white board.

9) I don’t think any other adult should get more time with my children than I do, especially time to torture them with pesky little things like learning to write legibly.

8) I relish opportunities to teach physics, like when my sons decide to throw their swim bags from the second story to the hard floor below. (Why be bothered with carrying it down with you?) The exploding shampoo bottle in that bag is just the object lesson I was waiting for the explain force, gravity, impact and a mom losing her ever-loving-mind!

7) There is nothing like constant interruptions when trying to teach. If one of my three sons for some odd reason fails to do his part, the dog likes to help by vomiting repeatedly throughout the day.

6) I think every parent should practice a well versed script on why they chose the education they did for their kids. Signing up for homeschool gives you the opportunity to parrot your response over and over and over and over again.

5) My whole world revolves around my kids and I can’t think of ANYTHING else to do with my time …like drink a cup of coffee while it is still hot.

4) i kan’t rememburrr anyting I lerned in publik skool so I whant to relern it. Espzially spalling caz itz impartent.

3) Preparing one meal a day for my whole family isn’t enough. Getting to prepare three meals and a zillion snacks a day is much more satisfying. Not to mention all the extra dishes that pile up for these multiple feastings.

2) I want my children to know for sure and for certain they owe everything to me, not just their lives but everything they know.

1) I hate having any time to myself to complete a thought, write an email or carry on a conversation on the phone with an adult. And I get lonely when I’m in the bathroom and no one is on the other side of the door shouting “MOM!!!”

Even now I as write my son is using a lever in a very cool book we just picked up at the library to catapult a sloth onto the keyboard. And I wouldn't have it any other way.  

Tune in later for a post of the  top 10 REAL reasons why we are homeschooling again.

How to Know if your Child is Ready for Kindergarten

The question of the hour here is: Is Thing 3 (who will turn 5 this spring) going to be ready for K come August?  I returned this morning from registering him in our school district which requires a: file full of papers, 20 mins online, 3 hours searching for a birth certificate you later come to realize you never ordered (did I mention this is the third child?), and an amazingly only 30 min. process talking to two different people at the school district office (last time it took over an hour. I lucked out and the nurse hadn’t arrived yet at 7:30am so I got to skip her).

All this while I internally wonder, Is he ready?  Our other two boys did PreK at 5 and K at 6. Am I pushing him out of the nest too soon? Should I homeschool him longer?

I scanned an article the other day about readiness signs and talked to a couple experts on Skype (2 of my SILs are teachers).  They reassured me that the youngest child is often more ready early on bc they have learned so much from watching older siblings.  I think this is very true – but I’m still not totally convinced. I know he is ready academically, but what about socially and emotionally? 

 I made a checklist here that might help you decide as well:

Social Skills: Check – randomly uses potty words and giggles. Just the other day he chanted off “Poop! Pee! Poop! Poop! Pee!” happily as he helped set the table. He will fit right in at the lunchroom table.

Fine Motor Skills: Check –  He can definitely hold a pen and is apparently a creative genius thinking outside the confines of plain old paper for his latest art endeavor. Hubby wisely had me check his back to make sure no other Things were involved.  This was all him!

 

Verbal Skills: Check – Just yesterday morning over breakfast T2 called him a "Screaming Banshee."  T3 quickly responded, “You’re a Screaming Banshee of Doom!”  Adding “of doom” to any sentence means your son is verbally developing right on track and will be able to hold his own among his peers.

Awareness of Others: - Check – T3 is well aware of what his brothers are doing, and he is NOT doing, right around his bedtime.  The unfairness of the world weighs heavy on his little shoulders as he goes to bed a full 30 – 60 mins before them most evenings.

Self Care: Check (and the angels sing “halleluiah”) – he takes care of #2 start to finish now.  I can totally deal with a plugged toilet from exuberant TP usage – much better than none at all. 

Self Assertive: Check – he learned at an early age to scream the loudest and longest if he ever wants to be heard above the din of two older brothers.

While registering him this morning they asked if he has an IEP (I don’t know what it stands for but basically they are asking if he needs any extra help or services).  I said, “No.  But he does have two older brothers and that should qualify anyone for counseling.”  And in his case, it made have also given him just what he needs to attend school outside our home come fall.  We will see if this mama can let her last little duckling fly yet…sigh.

On Being a Mom and a Teacher

I was really nervous about this day, more nervous than I expected.  It wasn't so much that I just sort of had an idea of what we were going to do (after camping all weekend and spending zero time final prepping).  It wasn't that I didn't think I could teach my kids; I've done it their whole lives after all!  It wasn't even because I'd have three BOYS to keep in line and get new information into their brains.  It was more about my relationship with one of my boys in particular.  I think this summer has been a challenging transition for him and  it is playing out in his over all behavior.  If I'm already struggling to get respect and obedience for the simple daily chores how in the world am I going to do it as a teacher?

A good friend and successful home schooling mom (her son is in college) recently reminded me of

1 Corinthians 13:1- If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

regarding teaching.  She warned me that I could have very smart and accomplished children but if I do it without love they are going to be really messed up! (my words, not hers). Yes, I need to be teacher and mom and disciplinarian and loving them well is doing all three.  But if I do it without all the other things listed in the rest of that passage defining LOVE (patience, kindness, gentleness, etc) then I will have failed.  

And of course I can't do any of it.  Not on my own.  I have to daily draw upon the fullness of my Father's love for me and let it spill over to my kids.  If I try to do it on my own I just end up a noisy gong in their ears giving one more lecture and ultimatum.  That is NOT what I want them to remember from home school. 

I want them to remember the nature walk we took this morning, our discussion on what and why we do the Pledge of Allegiance, the poem they memorized on Individuality for HIStory and our discussion on discretion for Bible. These are the things that get me excited about home school, uniquely crafting their education around our family's values/faith.

Being a teacher and a mom is a tricky balance I'm far from mastering. But I know where to start with both - showing them the same love that He shows me daily. The sacrificial love that took Him from His Throne in Heaven to a dirty manger full of hay to a cross of shame. The powerful Love that rose again and bids me to do the same in Him (Galatians 2:20).  The gracious love that welcomes me to let go of my mistakes, receive his forgiveness and start over and over again. This is the love I want to show my kids, both as a mom and a teacher.  And I can only teach it as well as I receive it from my Savior.

Downsized Mamma: Back to School!

 Even though this mamma felt a bit conflicted and sad over our decision to go back to public school I knew in my heart that this is the face I would see on Thing 2's first day of Kindergarten...and that makes me happy-sad!  You know, the happy my kid is so happy and growing up and spreading his wings but sad he isn't as little as he was yesterday. Yesterday he was home with me all the time and I knew all the ups and downs of his little world.  Yesterday he was sucking down popsicles on our back patio, creating Tye-die shirts at the kid's museum and sinking rocks in the ponds with me.  Yesterday we laughed and played and soaked up every last minute of summer because I knew "that day" was coming.  The day that we pulled up to the public school building and I had to RUN to keep up with him as he took off for the playground.  No lingering hugs or clinging to mom.  Sigh.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.
 I know he would learn just as much (or more) academically at home this year AND yet I can't duplicate the organized chaos of 20 kids that fill up my little man's extrovert tank each and every day at public school.  I also can't/won't practice self-control and following directions for 8 hours a day which is what we thought he would benefit the most from going to school.  And they take these lessons nice and slow in K whereas if we waited to send him in a few years we felt it would be a harder transition.
That all being said  we all enjoyed our homeschool time together and now I know that I COULD do it and survive should we need to do it again, which is a good feeling.  We will take it one year at a time deciding what each kid needs and doing our best to meet those needs.

You are stickin with me little man!  You CAN'T stay here!

Thing 2 he really missed seeing all his friends every day at public school.  Even though he also liked getting his work done in 2 hours instead of 8, he opted to go back with his brother.  That leaves this mamma downsized to one little Thing each day!  I'm bravely embracing the freedom this allows and jumping back into some familiar ministry roles I didn't have room for the past 8 years.   Fun! More on that soon!

A Dozen Reasons Why we Chose Public School...NOT

Some of you know that we decided to home school our kids last semester. If you want to know why (and why not) you can click on those links.  This year we decided to send our middle son to public school Kindergarten.  Our oldest son had the option and decided to return to public school.  Before I tell you why, here are a few reasons why not!

1) Because we don't really love our kids enough, if we did we would home school.

2) Because we didn't like the leisurely pace in the mornings, everyone getting enough rest and starting the day off nice and slow AFTER my second cup of coffee.

3)Because our home schooling was a terrible, torturous experience and we would never do it again.

4) Because we hated spending so much time reading together on the couch and all those pesky trips to the library.

5) Because we know that they really can't learn social skills they need to survive with home school.

6) Because they were starting to act so introverted, stopped speaking to anyone outside our family and started speaking in Latin.

7) Because they hated having so much free time to play legos and go on "adventures" in our house with their imaginations.

8) Because I really do believe the government should decide what my kids learn and when and how.

9) Because those taco snacks and chicken nuggets for hot lunch are so much more nutritious than my home cooked meals.

10) Because they were driving me crazy (okay, that one might have been slightly true some of the time).

11) Because all that time doing family devotions and scripture memory with them was such a drag.

12) Because I couldn't teach them as well as some total stranger could, and it isn't really school when you do it at home for just a few hours a day!

I'll post again soon with reasons why we went this route this year...and some first day of school pics.

It Depends on the Day!

Thing 1 and one of his MANY lego creations. 

I finally got around to that Easter craft I mentioned in an earlier post.  We made Yarn Balls with glue, yarn and a balloon. The yarn represented the strips of linen they wrapped around Christ's body, the glue was the spices they dipped them in and in the end after it dries you pop the balloon and you have your "empty tomb"!

Nine times out of ten while chatting with a friend they ask me how homeschooling is going.  I appreciate that my friends and family care enough to ask and offer their support.  But I often have to stop and think before I can answer because I don’t take time to think about it too much, I just do it.  It is like answering about anything else in life, “How is mothering going?”  “How is ministry going?” or “How is LIFE going?”  It is almost too big to sum up without some time to think and process.
 

What I do know is that homeschooling has finally morphed itself into my daily life (for the most part) that it doesn’t feel so much like an add-on to my day.  It is simply an extension of my mothering, ministering to and loving my family.  I think it is like having a kid – after one you imagine how you will ever do it with two.  And then Thing 2 comes along and somehow you figure it out.  Now Thing 3 is a whole ‘nother story but I won’t go there today…

So my fallback response to the question is, “It depends on the day!”  The days that everyone is rested and in a learning (or teaching, ahem) mood – we do great!  The days that we are not, we do not-so-great.  Not that those days are terrible, it is just isn’t the day you would read about in a “Why I homeschool” post.  Those are the days we cover the basic subjects and then call it good for the day.  We might spend more time snuggled in bed reading books than we do practicing a new math concept on a “bad” day.  And if I’m having a realllly bad day it might end with me going for a walk ALL BY MYSELF once hubby gets home, which is great therapy living out here in the country. 

The good days (in my book) include learning something new and/or practicing the basics academically, spiritually and socially.  They end without a headache on my end or a lot of nagging directed to my charges.  They find me glancing over to see my kids voluntarily paging through library books or showing me their latest engineering lego accomplishment. The good days have lots of snuggles and smiles and “lightbulb” moments when they get it.  So far we have had more good days than bad, so we will be finishing out the year without re-enrollment in public education.  Next year is still up in the air – we are praying  (and analyzing) about what will be best for all of us.  We would love your prayers support for wisdom in this area as well!  Thanks!

"So how is home school going?"

I get this question a lot.  It is like anything else - we have our really good days and our not as great days.  For the most part thus far the pros have far outweighed the cons.  We enjoy taking advantage of a flexible schedule (taking a morning off when we are up late with student friends), doing things that we can't normally do (sledding on Wed. morning with friends...err..PE on Wed. morning), and using everyday things at home to make learning fun and interesting (counting out change with REAL money, the boys get to keep a penny if they do a good job).  Here are some pics of what we have been up to and our first field trip with our local home school group to a Living History Fair.

Making Patterns is Fun!

What could get the full attention of so many boys?

The History of the colt revolver of course!

The pirate presentation was Thing 2s favorite!

Why We Chose Home School – For real this time, I promise!

Home schooling was never really on my radar before last August. I started thinking about it as a possibility for our family honestly for no particular reason, probably a combination of them. The thought of Thing 1 being gone all day again did make me a little sad. And then he and Thing 2 would have their 20^th brother-brawl of the day and I would start counting down the days for school to start! Fast forward a bit and home schooling remained on my mind, in fact I couldn't seem to get away from it. It seemed to be popping up everywhere I looked. I decided to pay more attention to this random thought floating around and start praying about it.
I picked up a few books from the library and liked what I read. The flexible schedule seemed like a great fit for our random ministry hours. I also loved the idea of my boys having more time together and becoming better friends. And the opportunity to integrate our faith into everyday learning appealed to me. At this point I thought I'd better mention the idea to hubby who had already raised his eyebrows at my nighttime reading selection. He calmly told me he would pray about it and hid very well his true feelings that I was completely nuts. Fast forward a couple more months whilst I kept my mouth shut on the subject to him(hubby) and open to Him(God) about as much as I could stand. Meanwhile God changed hubby's heart on the idea as well – not a complete turnaround like mine – he wasn't super-de-dupery excited to start it – but the flexibility it would allow our family interested him enough to give it a try. And that is what we are doing – giving it a try.
As it turns out Thing 1's classroom wasn't the ideal situation – which I observed a few hours a week as I volunteered in it. His teacher is amazing and the principal supportive, there are just too many VERY troubled kids thrown into one class. Even with an Aide in the class the environment was often very difficult to teach in and sometimes unsafe. This did not really affect our decision to home school as much as it affirmed it.
Once we made the decision to give it a try everything fell into place pretty smoothly, just the way I like it. His teacher helped me get me textbooks and showed me tons of helpful websites. She has tirelessly answered my endless questions and even agreed to copy me weekly spelling lists. What a gem! The principal agreed to let him come back once a week for Art class, lunch and recess. The Christian home school group I joined offers Art and Science twice a month for both the boys as well as field trips. Our schedule is filling up quickly!
I definitely have had my moments of panic at the thought of being solely responsible for their education. Yet somehow "mysteriously" I happen upon an encouraging verse or devotional in my daily reading on the exact days that I need an extra Word of encouragement. God is so good and gracious to hold my hand in this transition. Trust me I need a lot of hand-holding to make big life changes and hubby needs to actually get his work done so he can't always be the one to do it!
So why are we home schooling – I don't know if I can tell you exactly why. Perhaps it is God's leading – I'm hesitant to say anything for sure and for certain is God's will. I do know that it isn't outside of His will for us right now though and that is reason enough for me to follow that little persistent nudge. I can tell you what I love and don't love about home schooling…but since it is getting close to dinner time I'd better save that for later!

A Dozen Reasons why I chose Home School - NOT

Okay – I've received quite a few requests regarding the "why" we chose to home school this semester. Since I'm feeling a little bit sassy today here are not the reasons
we opted to home school.  
    1. I know more than the teachers who actually have a degree in education.
    2. Public schools are evil.
    3. If you are really a Christian you will home school your child(ren).
    4. I like spending every second of every day with these amazing, wonderful, brilliant little bundles of joy that I call my children.
    5. My kids are so extra super smart that they need an extra challenge that public school just can't provide.
6. Unlike most mom's who have told me "they just couldn't home school" (and I admit I have said in the past to other h.s. moms) I know that I am far better equipped with super home school      teaching abilities – my secret is in my new multivitamin.
7. I don't ever really need a break from my kids because they are so well behaved and never wear me out.
8. I love it when people stare at me blankly with that "why would you ever want to do that?" look in their eyes after I tell them I home school.
9. I want my kids to never interact with other children so I'm keeping them under lock-and-key.
10. I'm not ready to detach from them.
11. I just can't keep up on the household chores so I decided to make them do them all day and call it "real life skills"….actually…hmm…that is a pretty good idea!
12. There is nothing else I can think of to do with my time.

Now that we have that cleared up - I'll post on the reasons we DID choose h.s. soon.

First Day of Home School

Well, technically today was our second day, but since all we did yesterday was Bible and library I'm not counting that as a full day.  All in all I'm not ready to re-enroll them in public school yet, so I'd say so-far-so-good.  I'm taking this experiment one day at a time though. 
I admit I lay in bed this morning not wanting to get up and face the day - maybe it was because hubby is out of town - maybe it was the fear of our first "full" day of home school.  Either way, I got up, got a cup of coffee, some encouragement from Upstairs and got over my lazy mood.  After that and a second cup of coffee things went pretty well  (have I mentioned yet how much I LOVE our new Keurig? Seriously, how did I ever parent before this wonderful machine entered my life?!).  And the beautiful weather (if you consider sunny skies, no snow and upper 30s beautiful) made recess a lot more fun!

Here are a few pics of our first day:

                                             

Camo Verse Packs makes scripture memory fun!                                    Thing 3 needs to learn to read first though, maybe we will save that for tomorrow!

Sorting out all the critters in our house into animal groups.                             This took longer than I expected, they have A LOT of stuffed animals!

                                          

My favorite part of home schooling - reading books on the couch with my Things  (Hubby took this pic a couple days ago so it wasn't tech. "school" but I'm finding real life and home school are pretty interchangeable!).