Highlights From A Year in the Life of Homeschooling

They say there is a three year learning curve to homeschooling.  Despite a pregnancy the first year and a new baby the next, we are finding our groove and figuring out this lifestyle of learning.  I can't believe we have almost made it through another year.

 

Our History Curriculum is "The Story of the World, Ancient Times."  Our study of Egypt included learning about the Pyramids built for the pharaohs.  We had fun learning about how the engineering and work that went into building the Pyramids as well as the mummies and treasures within.  We even made a Pyramid of our own out of Duplos.  There are lots of Pinterest boards that give great ideas and video links for this curriculum.  We also purchased an activity guide that makes teaching lots easier for mom.

A highlight for me this year was returning to my passion, preschool.  Having three very willing little students we are having lots of fun being creative.  We are learning a letter song that uses sign language and teaches the letter sounds.  We are trying to do a letter of the week but sometimes it takes us a few weeks to get through our activities.   When things get really busy, it becomes the letter of the month. 

This winter while we were trapped inside because of the cold, we used the snow as a canvas.

The letter of the week is always more fun to write in shaving cream.

For "D Week" we drove diggers in rice and painted yellow diggers that's parts actually moved by using brads.  We finished them off with their pictures in the cab to make them look like they were driving.

Another highlight for all of us this year was our Olympic Study during the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.  We learned about the history of the Olympics, which later tied into our history during our Ancient Greece Study.  We  learned about Russia, the Winter Olympic events, and we tracked medal winners.  We also talked about good and bad character traits of Olympians.  Bentley and Payton especially enjoyed their homework each night, which kept them up past their normal bed times watching the Olympics.
Payton especially enjoyed learning about bobsledding and it prompted him to make numerous really cool lego movies using his legos and the stop motion camera on his 3DS.  He spent hours making lego creations and movies and once again it was fun to see his learning become a part of his play.

Jackson enjoyed hearing his brother's version of his favorite stories.  My little's (and big's) love of books makes my mama and teacher's heart smile.

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With our study of Ancient Africa we learned about making Paper Bead Necklaces out of Magazines and we tried our hand at Fried Plantains.  We learned that no one here is fond of Fried Plantains but it was fun to try something new.



During our study about "The New Kingdom of Egypt," we learned about a Woman who was a Pharaoh and we built Egyptian Chariots.  We later learned about The Israelites leaving Egypt and the Plagues.  This tied into our Bible Road Trip as well.  It is fun to see our subjects overlap and come together.

Payton Enjoyed a Study of Mr. Popper's Penguins.  He learned about Mr. Popper's absent- mindedness and could totally relate!  He also did some research about penguins and was excited to continue his research at our local zoo.

We learned that Vaeh and Gracen are both close in size to an Emperor Penguin.

This is a line drawing inspired by the large Nazca Line Drawings in South America that cover hundreds of feet of earth.  Can you tell that we are discovering that we love history??








We have also enjoyed a new math program this year called Teaching Textbooks but it doesn't make for the greatest pictures.  It is computer based and saves me a ton of teaching a grading time.  Both kiddos are fairly independent and when they get a problem wrong twice, the program shows them how to solve the problem and teaches the concept again.

I had to add this one in.  Conner still attends public school and has had a great year with a wonderful teacher!  He was a musketeer in the school musical and we were so proud of his performance.  I see acting in his future.

The next few weeks will be dedicated to wrapping up our current curriculum.  We will take a few weeks off in June for  vacation and camp and then focus the rest of this summer on just a few subjects. Our musketeer will rejoin us at least for the summer months.  We are planning to cover Apologia's study of Anatomy and Physiology for Elementary students.  We will also take a break from our history series to enjoy a DVD series call Drive Thru History: The Holy Lands.  This series will overlap with some of our history as well as Bible.  For math we are going to play tons of math games to keep it fresh in our minds and have a little fun.  P.E. and nature studies will also be a big part of our summer curriculum.  To meet these requirements we will be in the pool lots and find local nature areas to explore.

" Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.  Deuteronomy 6:4-9

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Mama Needs a Social Media Time Out

My eyes pop open in the pitch dark to the sound of a toddler thumping down the stairs on her bottom.  I groggily wonder what time it is when suddenly the clock screams "six-thirty...time to get up."  It doesn't care that only an hour ago I was up nursing a teething uncomfortable little one for the third maybe fourth time (in my sleepy state I lost track).  I hurry out my bedroom door trying not to wake the baby who desperately needs a few more moments of sleep.   I have slept too long again.  If I am going to get a shower and get some breakfast on the table for all these little ones I have to hurry.  My morning starts at a dead run as the house comes alive.  You see my to do-list from the day before and the day before that and the day before that was completely unrealistic for a  mama of a still nursing sometimes fussy infant with reflux, who home-schools four of six children, is potty training two toddlers, keeping a home, cooking for eight three times a day, and on the side, for fun, climbs mountains of laundry.  It is spring break week from public school and my little man whose life revolves around a schedule is more than a little stressed out because he doesn't have one. My beloved is working extra long hours again, the weather is dreary and cold so we can't get out, and with the last ice storm came a little fender bender with a tree (to put it nicely)  that turned us into a one car family for the time being.  Sad, but many days go by where my only contact with the outside world is the mail man and social  media.  I have officially become isolated.
Many years ago, I realized that even as a part-time stay at home mom that my world can quickly become very small and my struggles very large.  Somehow you lose perspective and your life and family become the center of your universe.  That was many years and four children ago when my demands were far less than today.  Now with knowledge comes power, and just being aware that I require a reality check every now and again has helped me to keep perspective.  Until a few days ago.  I lost all perspective and suddenly something someone said to me on social media became more important and more hurtful than it should have. Between the new mama hormones and the pressures of life I still burst into tears just thinking about it.  If I can be hurt that deeply by words typed on a keyboard without looking into the eyes and the heart of the one who spoke them, I need a Social Media Time Out.
I just taught a lesson this last week in Sunday School from Max Lucado's book, You'll Get Through This. The chapter was titled "A Little Gratitude with that Attitude."  I admit right now my attitude to gratitude ratio is pretty far off.  I need to take some time and regroup.  I need more face time instead of facebook time with my peeps.  So for now I wash my hands of it, walk away, regain perspective on my life.  My goal is to hold out until Easter but my guess is that God probably has a lesson in it for me so we will see where it leads.
As for gratitude...I am thankful for my six beautiful blessings.  I am even more thankful that I am able to stay home to enjoy every moment with them.  I am thankful for the middle of the night when it is just me and that precious baby boy, all alone snuggling and snoozing.   I am thankful for a working washer and dryer and those mountains of clothes that show no one is without.  I am thankful for the job of my beloved that puts a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.  I am thankful for the hints of spring in the air and sun in the sky. I am thankful for the mailman and the relationships that go far beyond facebook.  Lastly I am thankful for time-out, the lessons it teaches, and the attitudes it changes.

Mama's Been Just A Bit Busy With Only Twenty Four Hours Left to Live

It has been a while since I last blogged but I have been just a bit busy!  Honestly thoughts come and go so quickly lately that blogging is almost impossible but my head is starting to clear and I am finally coming up for air!!
I can't believe it, Jackson will be four months old this next Monday (which reminds me I need to make an appointment for his four month check up)!  That's pretty much how my brain works these days...one thing reminds me of another until I find myself in a totally different part of the house dumbfounded.  Who was I helping?  What am I doing here?  Oh Yeah!  Anyway...  These early weeks haven't been easy.  Starting at about four weeks Jackson became a super fussy baby.  Days were rough.  Luckily he slept well at night which gave me time to recharge!  We tried everything... Zantac for reflux, gripe water to calm his gas, swaddling, changing my diet, EVERYTHING.  I thanked God every day for my big kid helpers, who helped with the other toddlers or bounced and soothed Jackson in between Math, Grammar, Spelling, History, Bible, and Science so that I could have a moment of Peace. The house was a wreck, really.   At one point I told Monte through my regular bout of evening tears, "it feels strange because he is the hardest baby ever but I don't love him any less."  At an appointment Jackson's doctor, in between screams, asked me if I was doing alright, I must have looked more than a little frazzled.  We had to leave his three week photo session with zero pictures because he screamed through the entire thing.  We couldn't go anywhere or do anything for fear he would break out in wails that we could not soothe.  I made note cards around the house and in the diaper bag to remind us of what we should check for because our brains were no longer functioning  at full capacity through the screaming (does he need a diaper, swaddled, to burp, to eat, to sleep).   Around  eight to ten weeks it just stopped.  At first I had one good day here and there until they became more and more frequent.  He went from what seemed like an impossible baby to an easy baby.   A smiling, happy sleep through the entire night at an extremely young age baby.  Finally I was able to get my head above water.  Whew.  Yes, to most I covered it well, and I didn't call for friend or family back up like I should have...that would have totally revealed the real vulnerable person behind the Super Mom Persona.  Why I really cared about that Super Mom Persona, I don't know but I guess that was all I had left.  Maybe I was terrified that we had tipped the scale from doable to impossible somewhere between child number five and child number six and people would not just think that I was insane...they might actually say it out loud.  It was during this time that I ran across a blog post where they were talking about how God never said He wouldn't give you more than you can handle because then you would never have to rely on Him.  We believe that every child is a blessing.  We know that God definitely teaches us and molds us through them.  These little blessings pretty much keep us humble and remind us that we are not in control.  God carried us through this difficult time and next time a mama says how her baby is super fussy I will get it and  lend a hand.

A few nights ago I had a dream.  I woke up in a cold sweat...God told me I had twenty four hours left to live and in my dream I couldn't figure out what to do with my final moments on earth.  I know I know kind of morbid but my mind always goes there around the end of my pregnancies and after the baby is born with all those hormones a ragin.  When I am making my freezer meals during this time, I write directions on all of them for Monte to follow so that at least my children will be well fed if I die.  What can I say it's true.  That morning I got out of bed at five a.m. and started my day off early since I couldn't sleep anyway after that.  I hoped that my dream wasn't true but I really felt at peace being home with my kiddos and spending that twenty four hours much like any other.  I stole extra hugs and cuddles and took a few more minutes to listen and talk and was definitely more intentional with my day but all in all it looked pretty much the same.  I was reminded that I am where I am supposed to be and I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.  I am a mama and a wife and if today is my last I am doing exactly what I want to be doing, wiping bottoms and noses, laughing at silly jokes, rocking and nursing my beautiful blond headed baby boy, learning alongside my babies, and lovin my crazy husband, who loves all these little people as much as i do. This is as good as it gets this side of Heaven, screaming babies and all.   AND bonus...it has been a few days and I'm still here!  Thanks God for the wake up call, I needed it. 

 

 

I Love My Kids More Than Homeschooling

This morning feels strange.  I packed up school supplies in a backpack and sent our seven year old off to public school.  Yesterday we met his teacher and saw his new class.  He bravely told me "mom it will feel weird at first and than after a few days it will be fun."  He has always been the bravest kid I know.

We homeschool...it has become part our identity as a family and part of my identity as a mom.  I do not believe that homeschooling is for everyone and I don't have anything against public school so why did this seem like such a hard decision?   Part of the reason that we wanted to homeschool was to become a more cohesive family after the adoption of two of our children in May of 2012.  Last year had its ups and downs but the academic part of homeschooling was actually easier than I thought it would be.  We had fun spending relaxed days learning and exploring together.  We had some intense emotional days of healing after the adoption of our little guy but we managed.  We revisited the plan to homeschool this year and we all agreed...we loved it and desperately wanted to continue.

As we got back into the full swing of school I began to realize that I was asking too much of our seven year old.  Too much of me and too much of him.  By asking him to be with us 24/7 I am asking him to do hard healing work without any emotional breaks.  I am being selfish.  I want him here with us...I want him to be one of us.  But in the process of trying to include him, I am asking him to work very very hard at keeping his big feelings under control and be a part of a family without creating chaos.  I am asking him to go from a home with very little attention to a home with lots and lots of attention and not go on overload.  Before he came to us, home wasn't always a safe place, but school was and those feelings don't just disappear.  After much prayers, some tears, and lots of talking we decided that this was best for him and for us.  We need peace in our home, he needs a break from us, and we need to be emotionally available for him instead of emotionally exhausted.  That is not possible 24/7.

So I swallow my pride as a homeschool mama and I look at the needs of each individual child and realize that I can't heal him...in fact maybe I am hurting him.  We will revisit this again in time but for now this is best for everyone.  I love my kids more than I love homeschooling.  For the other children I will continue and I will be ready for him to come back home with us for school if that is what is best for him, but for now I send my brave little boy back to school and let go of a piece of a who I am so that he can heal.  We will miss him today and I hope and pray that he is having a great day!

Welcome Baby Jackson!

WELCOME BABY JACKSON

9lb 7oz, 22 inches long

I can't believe almost three weeks have gone by since baby Jackson joined our family.  These weeks have been a pure joy.  He is very content and eats and sleeps well.

We returned to the hospital with high bilirubin levels and spent a few days under the lights.  We couldn't stand to leave him in his bassinet alone and he hated it as much as we did so we all spent time with him under the lights loving on him until he could return home.

This is Jackson with a full belly.  He loves to eat!

I finally caught him today with his eyes open.  He loves to sleep and hates the flash on the camera so pictures of his beautiful eyes are hard to come by.

Many wonder how Bubba is handling all this.  Luckily he adores Jackson and spends his days being mommy's helper.  He loves to go get him in the morning when he fusses and help mommy change and dress him.  If I am looking for Bubba he can usually be found with his little buddy Jackson!

 

This was our first week without daddy's helping hands.  We are all ready to find our new normal and we are looking forward to easing back into homeschooling next week.  We have our overwhelming moments but are all adjusting quite well.



So Much to Get Done But Something Wasn't Right

Just when I was getting all organized, my freezer was filling up and nesting went into a full swing house cleaning fury...I hit this huge brick wall.  In my last post about camping I eluded to the fact that maybe it was time to slow down but I wasn't ready to stop.  The last few weeks have been a struggle to get anything accomplished.  I could barely get moving in the mornings, normally my most productive time of day, and had to relax after only a few small tasks.  By afternoon I was falling into bed for nap time along with my toddlers and then just getting supper on the table was enough to finish off my day.  Another rest time was sometimes necessary by the time supper was over and Monte would graciously offer to clean up supper and watch the kids while I would relax for a bit in our room to regain energy.  I am turning forty...am I just to old for this pregnancy thing?  My back and body were aching all the time but isn't that just normal for pregnancy?  Then there were days with lots of contractions and back pain that would not subside.  I didn't want to go anywhere or do anything.  Monte was panicking...he goes stir crazy staying home and has never been one to relax.  This last weekend after lots of contractions, back pain, and other minor issues I finally called the doctor on call...something just wasn't right.  She came to the conclusion that I probably had an infection and prescribed antibiotics.  Within 24 hours this returned to a more normal pregnancy for me.  I am able to stay awake during the day and accomplish lots in my normal productive morning hours.  I am so thankful and feel like I can return to being more intentional about parenting and life instead of barely functioning with a foggy head.  So now I am getting back to work, making baby preparations with only five weeks left to go.

My freezer is getting VERY full of casseroles and that makes me happy.  When I am feeling like I have not accomplished anything I just open it up and feel a sense of pride and accomplishment (bonus I also get cooled down).  I know, I know it seems weird but there is something about keeping my family fed that makes me feel like a good mom. The deep zone cleaning is going lots slower than I would like but if anything ends up at the bottom of my list it is deep cleaning projects because these are my least favorite.  I have been stuck working on clothes sorting and cleaning in our family closet room for about three weeks longer than I should but I am slowly making progress.

Something that I have felt a real urgency to work on with all of my kids but especially my toddlers is boundaries.  How am I going to manage a nursing infant on top of two active toddlers and keep everyone happy and safe?  Monte and I have been implementing some new things to make life easier.  We have a great small, fenced in, toddler friendly play space in our back yard complete with a comfy swing for mom but when we go out front to ride trikes or do sidewalk chalk the boundaries are less clear and we used to spend lots of time chasing our toddlers away from our busy street and out of the front yard.  They were hard to contain.  I found a yellow and orange long ski rope that I now lay out on the ground to give them a visual line that they are not to cross (notice in the picture how close Gracen is).  It has really cut down on the amount of time we spent chasing them or hollering to come back.  They still have their moments where they step over and look back with that mischievous grin to see what I will do, but usually a friendly reminder does the trick and we are back in business.  The rope something that we can take with us to the lake or other places to help set safe boundaries.  It still takes constant supervision and extreme consistency...they have to know that we will get up every time and come get them if they don't listen, or that they will sit in time out if they do not obey, but once the training stage is over it makes outside time much less of a battle.

We have implemented something similar in the house called blanket time.  The original idea came from Michelle Dugger's book," A Love That Multiplies."    Each child has their own blanket and activities and is expected to stay on their blanket until time is up (again notice Gracen who likes to live on the edge).  This works exceptionally well for us during those times when we need a few moments to finish up a task with no little ones underfoot or getting into things.  It does not work for long periods of time but is great for 15-20 minute periods and I am hoping that it will work keep them near me and out of trouble while nurse a hungry baby.

If all else fails...it's off to baby jail.  This is a room with toys and comfy recliners for mom and dad along with a T.V.  It is baby proof and gated to contain little people.  We try not to contain them to this room too much during the day but it is sometimes necessary when older kids or mommy are unavailable to keep a close eye on them.  I require very little "alone time" but Mommy is entitled to a shower every day.  As you can see by the picture little ones sometime try to escape...yes he is able to open the dead bolt.  Luckily the screen door has an even higher latch that he has not yet mastered and if he does make it out back he is still fenced in...yikes.  This room has been a lifesaver so many times when we need a moment or need to keep the toddlers contained for a bit.

For the older kids it is about diligence and independence with their daily tasks.  They each have a daily morning and afternoon chore list as well as help clean house each week.  As we look ahead to mom being less able to supervise we are rewarding the big kids for doing a good job with their chores on their own, without lots of adult supervision.  I have found that they need to know that mom will still check chores when they are done and if this step gets skipped they start to get sloppy again.  I constantly have to remind myself that they are still kids and perfection is not realistic.  I am so thankful for all they do.

You know the old saying "when you can't beat em join em."  This is so true.  Sometimes I just need to stop the to do lists and join them...if I can't then they can join me and we all get something done together.  We love to bake together or make cleaning fun, like hosing down the dusty toys in the breezeway and letting everyone get wet in the process.  Sometimes I am required to stop and cuddle and that's what being a mom is all about.  It's not the to do lists that make the memories...its those moments when we cuddle or work or play together that we will all remember.

So as we wait, we prepare with excited anticipation for the new one coming.  He does finally have a name but until one of the kids spills the beans it is our family secret.

 

 



Time to Slow Down

 

This weekend we decided to go camping with Monte's family.  Our thirty one foot fifth wheel with a slide has been retired and the truck that tows it has been sold in place of more practical transportation for a soon to be family of eight.  But...we still wanted to camp.  So we purchased a 150 square foot tent and decided to rough it in order to make memories with our children and extended family.  It was so much work and fun all wrapped together but it was worth every minute.

We took two vehicles in order to carry all of our gear and haul all of our little people.  Vaeh rode with pillows and bedding packed all around her.  On the way home she was exhausted and used them to her advantage.
The weather was beautiful the first two days but Saturday night strong storms were forcasted so we packed up and headed for home for night and returned the next day for more family fun.  It was nice to be only thirty miles from home so that this was an option for us.  Tent camping through a storm is not my idea of a good time and we really needed sleep to be able to function well.

We found a large group of geese and enjoyed skipping rocks down by the shore.  Smores and visiting around the campfire are always a favorite for everyone and Grandma makes her famous camping funnel cakes. Many enjoy card games around the picnic table.
My kids have the best cousins in the world and even the little ones are included in their fun.
On Sunday we returned without our box of toys so creativity was born out of boredom and the older kids enjoyed building tee-pees while the little ones played with sticks and rocks.   

We returned home exhausted from all of our family fun.  As we were working together to unpack I looked down at my pregnant body and swollen ankles and came to the conclusion that this was probably our last big family outing before the baby arrives in seven short weeks.  Although it was so much fun, it is probably time to slow down, to start saying "no," and keep our outside activities to a minimum.  At this point, being seven months pregnant, outings are getting more and more difficult and physically taxing to organize and orchestrate.  I am entitled to hibernate in the air-conditioning and nest, spend time relaxing with my children, and slowing down before our new little blessing joins us and I will try to do just that.