I am coming around to the idea that I really do have physical limitations, and that despite my stupid brain's refusal to acknowledge them, they DO exist and they do interfere with my ability to homeschool my kids the way I want to. 

I would much rather stick my head in the sand and hum a happy tune.

But the reality is that I have something which we think is rheumatoid arthritis, and the associated joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue is quite a deterrent some days. We still have the big kids in 5-point restraints because they are much safer than seatbelt boosters, and I find myself longing for the day they no longer fit in them and we are forced to use a booster.  Then I wouldn't have any guilt and my hands will be much happier with only one kid to buckle in. And out.  And in.  And out. 

The fatigue is tough, but the stiffness slows me down and makes pretty much everything harder to do, and longer.

So I sit here trying to figure out how to merge my health and comfort with the needs of 3 children.  On top of all this I am trying to find the time and ability to manage my youngest's 3 Early Intervention therapies a week, my DD's upcoming weekly OT appt and possible PT appt, and the sensory and OT therapy my oldest DS needs (we haven't even had him evaluated yet though).  That's maybe 7 therapies in one week, plus dance. 

Yikes.  Better put my thinking cap on.  Or hire an Operations Manager.

We had an awesome time preparing for our HS group's Geography Day.  It was really more like International Day, but who's counting LOL.

We had a very good turnout with 12 countries being talked about.  Each family brought a poster with info on their country, some items from their country, and a native/typical food item.  Given DH's background we chose Argentina :)  My MIL did a wonderful job making a mini poster to go on our big poster, she even taped a map on it and pointed out some interesting things.  Then she came over last Friday to babysit (lunch out alone with DH - yay!) and talked about the things she put down and showed the kids some art and a tea set from Argentina.  I did some more research on my own, but talked about it with the kids as we put the poster together.  They're a bit too young to pick and choose appropriate topics and pull pertinent info out. MIL also made alfajores for us to take, they were a big hit. 

I was so impressed with my big kids and how they went from table to table, listening closely to each mini presentation.  Then they did so nicely when we did ours, although I apparently forgot to let Abby  talk :(  I had asked but thought she said no.  She was OK with it, though, as she got the job of putting the Argentina flag stickers on everyone's "passports."

We had to leave early to get home so DH could go to work (Patrick was home napping), so we missed the flag making craft and a game.  Hopefully this will be a yearly event, though, we all really enjoyed it.

Not a whole lot, actually.  But we've had some sickly kids here the last week or so, which of course makes a big difference. I did have a random conversation with Daniel about momentum and friction.  That was spurred by the fun he was having rotating his seat in the Target cafe area.  He almost fell off a few times when he did it too fast and so we talked about what kept him from flying off the seat. I applied the concepts to car accidents he decided he liked friction and hated momentum LOL. 

There has been plenty of art, though, with increasingly complex drawings are observations about those drawings.  I think it's almost time to take them to an art museum.  This is not something I'd have attempted before now, given Daniel's propensity to see open spcaes and think racetrack, but he's mature enough that I hope the art would grab his interest and keep him looking.

I probably went a little too far the other day, but I think sometimes that is the only way you find out what "too far" really is with your kids.   Daniel was strugggling with a puzzle - a 100-piece puzzle starring his favorite superhero, Spiderman - and when he was 2/3 done he got so frustrated he swept it all into the box.  This came after numerous gentle, well-placed suggestions from me on how best to go about completing the puzzle.  He ignored those and insisted on doing it his way, and then focused on two particular pieces and fitting them in.   So like some deranged, perfection-obsessed mom I told him I really wanted him to finish the puzzle and despite his ranting and raving I stood fast. 

What I wanted him to learn was that all he had to do was follow some basic verbal directions and he'd get where he wanted to go.  I know that this is a weak point for him,.  Yet I felt it very important for him to understand that as mom/teacher/guide I really DO know best most of the time and that while his ideas are important, there are times he needs to give up control and just let someone else tell him how to do something so he can see if it works - like when they have far more experience at it than you do.  This is an area in which he has a very difficult time. DH and I joke privately that Daniel would be happiest if everyone just did as he told them to, and if the world in general cooperated with his wishes.  Or if he were Donald Trump LOL.

The end result was that after much whining, some crying, and a fit or two, he finally dragged out the puzzle and finished it in under an hour.  He followed directions beautifully, and hopefully he learned something.  I second guess myself of course, but hopefully he learned the intended lesson.  Time will tell, I guess.  If it's any indication, he did a 60-piece puzzle the next morning

I woke up (late) this morning to cheery big kids asking when exactly we were leaving for their cousin's birthday party.  Abby happily told me "I'll go get my card."  As I'm chronically blurry-eyed for the first few minutes hours of the day, I told her "It's OK, honey, I have a card.  You can just draw on it."  The crestfallen look told me I had messed up already.  "Or you could get your card."  Bright smile again.  Whew. 

I was presented with two hand-made birthday "cards" (regular copy paper actually) that both my oldests had drawn that morning - without being asked.  Each card had lovely, pertinent drawings of birthday-related items (a first for Daniel who thinks SpiderMan is a must for everyone) and  - here's the big news - words on them.  For Abby this is a common occurrence, but still awesome to see such initiative and ability to write without asking me for help or spelling advice.  Not every word was correct, but phonetically it was right on.  For Daniel it was huge.  Writing is his least favorite activity, and it was all done on his own.  They sometimes do write stuff on their own, but not something as specific and timely as this until now. 

I am very proud of both of my big kids  

The schoolwork is all neatly punched and put away in the respective kids' binders, and even the artwork is corralled.  I'd give myself a medal for this outstanding achievement if it didn't come after months of chaos.

Next up - lesson plans!  Yes, up until now I had no formal lesson plans.  We were winging it, with a mostly unschooling approach but I feel that we would all benefit from a more formal approach.  So I've started to read The Well Trained Mind and am formatting a plan.  Slowly.

OK, it has been a loooong time since I was taught basic math.  So yesterday I printed out a 1st grade "placement" test from Singapore Math to see if my guys were on target for their age.  Then, like any good teacher, I started prepping them for the test LOL.  But first I had to prep myself by looking up "number bonds."   I recall the "<" symbol as standing for "less than" but apparently now it means "equals" in the number bond world.  OK.  I'm not entirely thrilled with using the concept, but went over it today so they'd be familiar with it.  Yes, we school on Saturdays, most times, with DH working it's a weekday for us.  They picked it up pretty quickly but my attempt at using chocolate chips as manipulatives did not go well, they obsessed over the chips like Pavlov's dogs over bells and had trouble focusing on the task.  So I abandoned it, to the tune of much whining and disappointment.

Next up I'll explain word problems.  We've done lots of verbal ones but not many in writing yet.

I admit I am not a huge fan of blogs, but love the idea of a place to record our homeschooling journey.  With a small house and 5 active people, there is not much room for storage, and I find myself avoiding the log I so nicely made up.  I am on the computer daily, though, and with it right here in the open I hope to use this more than I have been using the log.  Plus it's hard to upload pictures to a piece of paper LOL.

I chose "Unfettered Journey" as the title of this blog because our educational choices are not restricted as they would be in a brick & mortar school.   And our many diet restrictions (gluten, dairy, soy, and nuts) do not present the same challenges at home as they would in an institutional setting. 

So let me introduce our "active family": 

Me - the mom.  Hi.  I'm the executive producer of this family LOL.

DH = Hugo = locomotive engineer who works way too much but when he's home he's present and involved in a way many dads are not.  If we did not homeschool he would literally see the kids about 6 hours a week.

Daniel, 6.5 - firstborn son, creative and intense, loves trains, cars, and drawing and  the one with the most restrictions including a severe tree nut allergy.

Abigail, 6.5 - often lost in imaginary fairy worlds, loves to read and draw.  Her gluten sensitivity is what got us started on the path to health.

Patrick - the baby. Almost 2 and behind in expressive speech but smart as a whip and understands way too mcuh.  Loves trains just like his big brother.