YAY!!  Our school year has officially wrapped up this week.  DS11 had his evaluation and it went just fine, despite my tendency towards panic over not having "made progress."  I'm so glad to be in true summer mode, to be able to put our focus on just living and enjoying each other as family.  I'll give myself about a month to breathe, then start to look ahead to next year.  It'll be more of a challenge having more than one of them home, all with different learning styles!

I came in here this morning wanting to check on my little blog and maybe write another entry.  Except I didn't really have anything to write about.  So I started clicking on the "random blog" link and read a few entries here and there.  Then I came upon a blog that touched my heart.  I don't remember the name of the blog or its owner.  But it was written by a mom who, in her last entry, had just lost her beloved MIL.  The entry before that was written not too long before her death.  This woman wrote of how "academics" were sliding in her home because of the responsibilites of taking care of her MIL in her last days on earth.  But also at how much the kids were learning just by seeing their mom take such care of another human being, and the reality of how much learning does go on outside of ANY kind of "school," be it a classroom or even a home school.

At this point I breathed a little sigh of relief for our own situation.  We don't have anything nearly as dire that going on in our family, but we've had a busy year with lots going on for us, and so many times I've wondered what DS11 is really "learning."  His books don't get cracked open every single day!  As the year is ending and I'm trying to decide whether to test him or have him evaluated, I realized that there isn't much in his portfolio for the evaluator to look at!!  Would he test any better??  Probably not. 

But what he's gained in the last 4 months of being home and not in a classroom, is one-on-one time with his father, every morning, instead of 15 mintues a day.  They have just been together, father and pre-teen son.  He has helped his dad work on the house, or on the car, and they have had the chance to do a devotional together.   As far as academics, I really struggle with comparing home school to public school, and worrying if they're learning "enough."  This has been my chance to let go!  I'm not "there" yet, but I'm coming along.

Well it's that time of year again, isn't it?  For those of you who must submit a standardized test or an evaluation for your state's requirements, which do you choose and why? 

I'm trying to decide right now which route to go this year.  We haven't been in the position to need to do this for a few years.  The last time we did, I used the CAT test and it went pretty well.  I am considering an eval this time, but the gal I know who does them looks at your portfolio, and ours is rather thin just because of how we've approached our home schooling since pulling DS11 out of the public school in January. 

Whatever we choose, I'll be glad when it's done and we can relax for the summer!  We've had quite a bit going on and keeping up with academics has been a challenge.  I'm ready for a rest!

I think I may have found our curriculum!  It's called Learning Adventures.  Actually it works much like Konos but gives you a daily lesson plan (which I need!).  It also includes everything but math, which is perfect since we're using Math-U-See with great success.  For one child it will cost $149. for an entire school year, and if I add another child it's only $20 for another pack of worksheets.  I also like that they come in loose-leaf format, so we can put them in a size or type of binder that we want, and just take out the sheets we need for a given day.

So, does anyone use this program and have any feedback on it?  I'm really excited about it!

I'd love to hear how others manage their homeschooling budget when using what I refer to as "organized" curriculum.  I know there is a wealth of free and inexpensive stuff available for download on the Internet, but I am not a person who can "make it happen" that way.  I need a true curriculum to walk me through and make sure I'm covering all my bases academically.  I just don't do well looking here and there to piece it together.  However it's no small thing for me to just drop $100 here and there on the latest and greatest, trying to teach 3 boys!   I'm a master at finding deals on eBay, but what are some specific curriculums any of you have found to be budget-friendly?  We do best with unit studies (I have Konos but it is VERY time-consuming for the parent in prep work!!).

Wow, I've been away for quite a while.  Our fall was a different and very hectic time for our family.  We are still busy but life has a way of equalizing and things are smoothing out now in terms of schedules.

I'm back on here in the hopes of making some new friends, finding support, and generally having a place to write about home schooling.  I used to blog a lot over at Homestead Blogger, but many of my friends there have left and honestly, I'm not feeling very "homestead-y" right now! 

Well, we have just pulled DS11 out of the public middle school.  He is SO much happier.  DH and I are much more relaxed this time around, not feeling the need to just create the classroom here at home.  Since I am now working, they will spend mornings together doing projects, working on Math-U-See, and just spending quality father/son time together.  When I get home in the afternoons, I will work on some grammer and writing with him, since that is an area where he could use some practice.  He has already made a list of things he wants to learn about, and I'm sure we can fill the rest of the school year working on those!

It's really, really good to have him home.

And so it begins!  Well, next week actually but we're gearing up.  The ps here started today and my kids are so tickled that they get another week of summer vacation!  The neighborhood kids don't find it quite so amusing...   I'm also pretty pleased to report that of the three items listed in my previous entry, only #2 has yet to be fulfilled.  I just don't have time in a day right now to sit down and write anything just for me.  Maybe when the house is finished...  I'm working on getting the little graphic link for my scrapbook company placed here on this blog, so if you're into that be sure to check back soon!  Or, in the meantime, you can just visit my site at www.topline-creations.com/scrappinmama3

I'm starting to put a bit of a daily school schedule in my head.  The boys are ages 5, 7 and 10.  Our main curriculum is Konos, and that can be done all together.  For math and language arts, I have to figure out how to give each child some one-on-one when needed without the other two just sitting and waiting.  I'm thinking of rotating an independent reading period, educational computer time, and the one-on-one time.  The youngest doesn't read yet but he could use "reading" time to do constructive play or draw or something.  We'll see how it goes!  I've also got to reinstate the chore chart...  Ugh.

I'm hoping someone on this board can help me out.

I had been receiving e-mail updates from a home school curriculum company that was putting together unit studies on all the US states.  They started with a handful, added a few more, and if I'm not mistaken, they should be done with all 50 now.

Problem is, I deleted the e-mails and cannot for the life of me remember the name of the company or their web site!

Anyone have any idea or know who this might be??  I really want to do the history of a couple of states this year and general Google searches aren't coming up with much.

I posted this over at my Homestead blog, too, but the whole home-schooling-next-year bit started it all, so I'm copying it here as well!

I'm putting this in writing, in public, to have it to come back to when I need a reminder - but this is my official declaration of three major changes about to happen in my life:

1) I will home school all three of my boys starting next September.  There are negative darts flying at me from every direction, it seems (most of them from within, I might add) but I know I have been called to teach them at home and it's time I obey that call.

2) I will start writing again - every day.  If it's only one page in my journal, it counts.  But my larger goal is to publish an article, somewhere.  I'm reading through a book for inspiration and writing exercises.  I used to write all the time and even had a lofty aspiration to write a book about our summer mission honeymoon trip in the wilds of Alaska!  I will rekindle this passion of mine.

3) I will start the scrapbook business I've been eyeing for some time now.  No huge commitment here or large outlay of money, just something fun that might even make me a few bucks while I'm having fun!

Now, if you've read this far, please pray that I can follow through!

...that your kids "might be better off" in public school!!!!!!!!!

Ugh.  What a frustrating afternoon I've had.  Just had to get that out!

I CANNOT wait until next year, when I have all three boys HOME.  I will take the challenges of teaching a head-strong child over some of the behavior I'm dealing with right now.  Don't be fooled - the pull of the world is strong and kids aren't equipped to overcome that yet.  A friend from my Bible study once said she'd heard it put this way:  If you run your white-gloved hand through the mud, the glove gets muddy - the mud doesn't get "glovey!"  I love that. 

If you are a mom like me who has often struggled with "Am I doing the best for my kids?", regardless of what area you feel is lacking, you ARE doing the best by home schooling them and being the Number One influence in their young lives, especially if you are a Christian family.  My son has less than 3 weeks left at our ps and the end can't come soon enough for me.

Oh, and our curriculum next  year will focus largely on character!  Boy could we use that around here....

Well, it's that time of year for me....time to figure out what we'll be using next year.  It's a bigger job this year as I've had two of my kids "in" school this year and next fall I will have all three at home.  Help me!! lol!!

Anyway, I've already got our main unit, the Konos "Obedience" study.  I'm not going to buy too much for the youngest, who will be starting Kindergarten.  I've already got a ton of little work books and fun stuff for him just waiting to be used.  I've decided on Math-U-See for all of them, and will order that over the summer.  My biggest quandary is with phonics/spelling, for the 7 and 10 year old.  Money is a huge factor - I love BJU and even A Beka, but they are just TOO expensive!!  I looked at Rod and Staff, which seems very cost effective, but I balked at the fact that they claim to use the KJV exclusively in their lessons.  Not!  So, I continue the pursuit.  I do need something structured; I don't work well without it! 

Wow, I actually got in here tonight!  Seems so much of the time when I try to come to the site, it is SO slow to load.  Usually I give up!  So, here I am.

I ordered the Obedience unit of Konos recently and we are starting that tomorrow.  I'm excited, because it looks like fun and also by the time we finish it, we'll be done for the year.  I'm anxious to be at that point because of having so much to do on the house and getting ready to put it on the market.  Anyway...

One of the things DS10 will get to do this week is take a trip to the hardware store with his dad and take a look at lightbulbs!  Not a terribly exciting product on its own, but he'll have to compare types and cost and determine which ones are most cost-effective!  Plus, ANY trip to the hardware store is a good trip for a guy!  Personally I'm looking forward to the last section, which is on horses...It'll be May, the weather will be nice, and we'll get to take a field trip to a friend's stable!  I always miss having horses in the spring the most.  When winter finally lets go of the earth and everything warms up and greens up, that's when I long to be out in a barn.  My DS5 has the horse bug, too, so he really loves a trip to the farm.

I've begun thinking lately about how it will be next year to have all three of my boys at home.  I know the oldest does best with the unit study approach.  He loves hands-on stuff and exploring interestes as they come up.  My youngest is still too young to really have a "style" yet.  He goes with the flow with whatever is going on around him.  My middle son, however, might be different.  He is the one currently still in the ps, and academically, he's thriving there in a classroom setting.  He needs a bit more structure.  So, I started to wonder, will I end up doing more text/work books with him??  And if I do, how do I juggle the two?!  It will be interesting.  I also thought about starting my youngest with some more traditional stuff.  I find the unit studies work great with my older son, because he's already learned the basics (in a Christian school).  I feel absolutely clueless when it comes to teaching phonics and reading, and think in that situation, I'd like a teacher's manual of some kind to guide me through!  We used BJU Press in our early home school years and I liked it.  I might give it a go again next year with at least the youngest, who will be "starting Kindergarten." 

Oh, home schooling is never dull, is it?!

If anyone reads this and can comment, I'd be very appreciative!

I just renewed my application for membership with the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, with my son getting ready to home school again.  The last time we had him home and were HSLDA members, we were using Bob Jones and later Switched on Schoolhouse.  In re-reading their terms, I noticed a line about using "organized" curriculum - can't remember the exact wording but it gave me pause.  We're going to be doing unit studies because that's what works best and we love the freedom to explore our interests.  A lot of the studies I have found in downloadable format (to be used in notebooking/lapbooking), but I'm wondering, if questioned, would that constitute "organized" curriculum??  We're far from un-schoolers, but neither do we use traditional text- and work-book stuff (at least on a regular basis).

Ideas?!?

...as if it weren't already!!  I'll just be switching gears, is all.  DS10 comes "home" at the end of the month.  I found a unit study on Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) and we're going to start with that.  He LOVES him and was so sad when he died.  I do need to find a math program that works for us, and expect I'll have to experiment a bit before we find the right one, but that's the big area he has struggled with in the classroom.  They teach it a certain way and only that way, and it just doesn't click in his head.  I've gone over stuff with him and explained it differently, and then and only then will it make sense.  I don't think math "theory" has much value anyway; knowing how to balance a checkbook and count out the correct change does!!

NH is a pretty easy state to home school in, but none the less I've got to go in and sort out the file drawers and make a place to keep all our work.  I found a planner the other week while I was packing up some stuff off my bookshelves.  That'll come in handy.  I'm getting so excited to be doing this again!  It's one thing to "school" the young one (DS5) but it's still mostly fun and games with him.  I'm not an advocate of pushing formal schooling on them too young (thank you Mr. and Mrs. Moore!).  He wants to learn to read very badly, though, so I may start putting some emphasis on letter sounds and early phonics.  If he picks it up well, we'll keep going.  Won't know if he's ready until we try!  His two older brothers are both strong readers so who knows.

I just printed out the cutest little unit study for my youngest!  If you've never checked out the "homeschool e-store" it's a must! (and, conveniently, there's link in that little box to the right!).  I got something called "The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse", which is a Beatrix Potter book.  Can't wait to start it, it looks so fun.  One of the subjects we'll cover is learning about mice, which is appropriate since we have 4 of them in this house as pets! 

I'm glad my kids work well with unit studies because I absolutely love them.  There's so much freedom to explore what you like and still incorporate "the three R's" into learning.  I've got one on automobiles and the Civil War waiting in the wings (for my older boy). 

With the possibility of moving to CO on the horizon, I realize I'll have to learn a whole new state's laws on homeschooling.  I'm pretty comfortable with what it takes here in NH (not much!).  According to the HSLDA web site, there's not too much differnce.  Anyone here from Colorado??  Advice and suggestions always welcome!  Send me a pm.

Well, off to get the day started!

Well, not controlling the actual person!...but having control over who exactly your child is friends with??  Who does this and what is your experience with it? 

I just asked my son (10 yrs. old) to send home the the neighborhood boy who was here playing with him.  They were downstairs in the play area (right below the office where I sit) and I could hear the conversations.  There was no cussing going on but the words were most definitely not "building up or encouraging" and they were directed at the 10-yr. old's two younger brothers.  I just didn't like the feel of the whole thing and I won't tolerate my kids being treated that way in their own home so that was the end of that. 

I've really struggled with the kids that my kids hang out with (the oldest in particular).  We live in a rural area and often the only playmates are the kids who live on our circle.  Seems we've always had an issue with one neighborhood kid or another.  We've gently explained our family ways on occasion, when the situation called for it, but at times (like today) we just needed to remove the boy and his influence. 

Do you isolate your children so they have NO friends, or just firmly enforce the rules when needed???  Would love any input that anyone cares to impart!

God bless!

I had hoped to get a new entry in here before now but the past week+ has been a bit of a whirlwind.  I have been feeling discouraged in my home school endeavor of late and have been trying to browse the blogs here to get some inspiration.  It does work!  I'm just feeling a little aimless right now.  I'm all fired up about starting with my 5-yr. old next week.  He's so excited to be starting "school!"  So nice to have such a refreshing outlook.  My 10-yr. old does NOT have such an outlook and is such a challenge.  He's still in the ps and will probably stay there until we move or the end of this year, whichever comes first.  Many many reasons behind that but right now he just needs some stability and not more change. 

When I do resume hs'ing him I'd like to try something by Learning Adventures.  They've got a whole series of unit studies, starting with ancient histories/civilizations which my son is very interested in.  And all from a Christian viewpoint, I might add.  I plan to use notebooking/lapbooking with my kids since I think that's a great way for them to keep track of their work as well as showcase what they've learned.

My middle son is thriving in the traditional classroom setting and loves worksheets so that will present an interesting challenge to me.  And of course there's the youngest who doesn't read or write yet and needs full one-on-one time with me!  *sigh*  I've got Five in a Row which we're going to start next week, as well as some little worksheets and such that he can start with.  I'll see where it goes from there!  Such an adventure, isn't it?

Well it's time to refill my coffee cup (again...) so I'll sign off and wish you all a Happy and Blessed New Year!!

Just a brief entry to say hello to everyone and get this blog started.  I've got one over at Homesteadblogger.com ( www.homesteadblogger.com/mckeehomestead/ ) and wanted to start a home school blog as well.  It's always good to have somewhere to post in this incredible journey of raising and teaching children!  Some days I'm sure I could write a novel.

Hopefully I'll manage to come up with a title for this little deal pretty soon.  Tonight I'm too tired and the brain is on auto-pilot.  No creativity left today!

Anyway, I'm a devoted reader of TOS magazine, where I first read about Homestead- and Homeschool-blogging.  Matter of fact I think my subscription is up already with the next issue so I'd better make a note to renew a.s.a.p.

So that's my intro!  Will be back soon.  God bless!