Our Alaskan Experience

A Year Later... here we are 2008

 Wow amazing that it has been half a year since I last blogged!! Life has taken the family to a new town, and a new life style. We have moved to rural Alaska living life with a generator, limited neighbors, and newly installed indoor plumbing & running water. It is amazing how you take for granted the things in life that we feel are "necessary" until we do not have them, and then they are perks!!

     (our back yard)

2007 has brought my family closer together. Our daughter is now 16 & a sophomore, and our son is 12 & a 6th grader. Both are doing great with their studies, and continue to surprise me to what they enjoy learning. More so now with our life style I am thankful for given the push to homeschool (this is explained more in my previous postings to how we came to homeschooling).  Homeschooling has helped to bring my family together to be a family and not just 4 people who co-exist within the same 4 walls.

With each year I am continue to re-examine our means of homeschooling. We want our children to get a better education then my we got, but also the education that they deserve.  After having "A Thomas Jefferson Education" on my shelf for 2 years, I am starting the process to prepare me to become a better mentor for my children. The point that has turned me around is the one that has bothered me all along through the past 4 years of homeschooling. Am I educating my children the best way possible to help add to their education?? What I have read thus far (1/2 thru the book) I have to boost my education first to be able to better educate my children.  I looked at the classic books at just that written words that we read, answer questions on, and then move on. (Or at least that is how it was presented to me during my school years). I never thought that the classics could teach us full circle for our life. Thinking about it, it's one of those duh moments....  So I have my list of classics, plus more books on Thomas Jefferson Education that I want to read. Anyone that uses the Thomas Jefferson Education out there I would love to hear from.  I do not want a conveyor belt education for my children, and I want my children to be able to think/learn for themselves. So off I am going reading and more reading.... wish me luck...

Best wishes for all of you in the blogging world for 2008. Hope that it is a great year for you and your family.

Time Passes On

Once again we are at the end of the year. This being the first year that I have home schooled both my children; we have decided to go "year round". In my thoughts, how can learning only be done 9 months out of a year?  Does the mind shut off for 3 months??? Never really understanding this whole concept of part-year learning, we have planned out our learning path. If there are others out there in the Blog world that does the same, do you do the same? I figured that this is one of the true benefits to home schooling. The only time that I can see that this would be a problem is when my 9^th grader starts taking dual credit classes through college. 

Have a great day out there. We will be doing the same here.

 Denice

2007 challenges

With each year there is always a new challenge in one form or another. Since 6/5/2004 our lives have NOT been the same. While on vacation, my children where in a horrible car accident. This was that one moment that all parents fear the most, a phone call that states that you only children are injured. After finally getting the scene of the car accident I search for my tow children and to check out their physical condition. To make a LONG story short, both my son was treated and released from the ER with 2 broken ribs, my daughter was hospitalized with liver and spleen problems, where she spent 2 weeks.

(Here are Jessica & Adam just a few days before the accident)

Here we sit 2 years 7 months 2 days later, and my daughter is still having severe pain since the accident. Back in January 2006 we where referred to our second pain doctor, but this turned out to be the best referral to date. After a spinal block or epidural she is pain free ranging from a few weeks to two months. What I believe is our first challenge of 2007 is to convince this pain doctor that we NEED him and his procedures. Given that my daughter is only 15, he takes this into consideration when administering the medication via needles, changing the medication with just about every procedure. With this action I have read that it will have less of a long-term affect on her and her health. But please know this, the alternative to these procedures is her on narcotics with a pain rating still around 7-9 ON THE MEDS. She is not able to walk very far, sit for more than 15 minutes, and carry nothing over 2 pounds. Let me remind you that my daughter is only 15; this is NO life for her or anyone for that matter.

After about 15 minutes of consult, the doctor agreed to do another procedure to help her out of her pain. Then as we where leaving the office they gave me an appointment card for 2 months later with instructions to call if the pain comes back before this. So I am crossing my fingers that he understands that we need him to help keep her out of pain, until we can finally find a doctor that is willing to help us figure out what is wrong…… honestly this has been an ongoing struggle for me since 6/5/2004, and will continue until she is better, or we hear a prognoses for the future with a plan in force.  

The things we as parents, do for our children amazes f me, it is like we get super-hero-ish and could move the Earth. I was raised with the highlighted lesson of life as “Everything happens for a reason”. Well if it had not been for my daughter health issues we would not have started homeschooling. So even though the accident and the effects are horrible, it has changed our lives forever, for the better. We are now a family, not 4 people living in the same home, going in 500 different directions. We now know our children, and love them for whom and what they have become so far. So I fret over this, but I also am uplifted by it as well. I will end with this; I LOVE MY CHILDREN AND WOULD DO ANYTHING TO KEEP THEM SAFE, SECURE AND HEALTHY.

Denice

December Plans

Here I sit after a few hours of grading. I have to admit that this is my least favorite part, the records. As each one of the kids do their work I am going over it with them, so I have an idea to the capacity that they understand, so am bad at letting it go a matter of days before getting through the pike. Is there anyone else out there that feels the same way??? Please do not let me be the only one….

WOW today is the first of December. I think that it is hard to believe that the year is almost over. I decided tonight that I am going to make the 24 days before Christmas count, to do something for the family that they are not expecting. We are just getting into a rut and I am looking for a way to throw a curve ball. So tonight before I go to bed I am going to make a batch of the families favorite cookies.

Wish me luck. Have a great day everyone! Denice

The Fridged Cold

Well we are back from a LONG vacation that took us over five states.

We had a great time, saw a lot of old friends, visited with family, and drove. The weekend before we came home the temperatures hit the 80’s… we knew coming home to -25 and colder would be hard to do.

Today was the first day that my son was able to go outside and play. Forgetting about the cold weather here in North Pole, he asked to play outside last week; the temperature was sitting about -32. So as a good mom I said yes that he could but I did not think that he would be out there too long. He just looked at me funny, that was until he saw thermometer! No he did not go out to play!

After all of our travels I think the kids where more excited about being home then we where. I have to give it to them; it is hard to do school work while riding in a car, or at other people's houses. They did such a great job, most of the time, finishing assignments on time without complaining! Having a schedule and your own home to ensure success is great. We love being home!!!!!

Oh my daughter just had her 15th b-day Sunday. Hard to believe that my baby girl is 15! They grow too fast! Happy birthday Jessica!!!!

Have a great day everyone. Denice

Living Art in Alaska

Our front yard has been turned into a large snow yard for Adam. Over the past few days Adam has been taking advantage of the wet snow, or fairly wet snow that is, and has been building anything and everything that he can think of! As I look out of the window and see snow piles and tracks I think of all the hours Adam spent running, sliding, building pushing a rolling to create my living picture.

Every year, before the snow hits the ground, we are holding on to our summer. To the long warm nights, even the hoards of mosquitoes. Then it comes to be that the leaves that have hidden our neighbors hit the ground, we know it is just a matter of time before our world is dark, cold and covered in white.   

Now that we have the first layer of snow, the temperature is dropping, roads a slick, and the trees are now white, and we can sit back and enjoy the scenery. What else could we do, complain…..? What would like get us? Cabin fever…. To all of you out in cyber world, enjoy this weather and what we have been granted to enjoy and live among. Life is grand!!!

Vacation Area

Our vacation is coming even fast. We where hoping that we would be leaving the cold weather of Alaska to the warmer weather of the mid-west & south. I guess time will tell if this is possible!

We are visiting the area around Mattoon, Charleston Illinois area. Then on to Berea/Lexington KY, and Knoxville, TN. Our vacation is being depicted by family members…. everyone wants to see the kids… have kids, must travel!

I have found some great locations to see and do around Indianapolis  ( President Benjamin Harrison Home, Eiteljorg Museum, & Morris Butler House) Springfield, IL (Lincoln’s Home, Illinois State Museum, Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site, Under the Prairie, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Lincoln’s Tomb, & Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices)  and northern KY (Lincoln’s Home, & Salato Wildlife Education Center)

Any other suggestions would be grateful from anyone. Thanks for taking your time to help.                                                         Denice

Going, Going, Gone!!

It has been a crazy day. We are for the first time in more than two years taking a family vacation in 41 days. Living in Alaska there are not too many locations to give us a living history lesson that applies to studies at hand. Wanting to take advantage of the fantastic opportunity that being in the mid-west has to offer, I am planning a number of visits to museums and historical landmarks. I hope that neither my children nor husband will despise me at the end of our 2 weeks. Does anyone have any suggestions to places to see in central IL, Eastern KY, Western IN, or northern TN in November???? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Living in such a great state as Alaska there are many places to see and do, but when you are learning about early pioneers it is hard to experience that here, go figure!!! But when it comes time to learn about the gold rush, environment, Alaska state history, and so, it will be easy to do here!! Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE living in Alaska and would not have it any other way. We have only been back in state now 3 ˝ years. But we know that there is no other place that we want to call home….

Here is a picture of the end of our autumn. I know that the calendar says that we have not even started, but this is the land of winter 7-8 months of the year! So all of our other seasons are short…. sometimes too short!!! 

                               Denice

A new day

I love this site, and all the other home schooling families out there. It makes you feel like we are not alone.  It has helped to read other’s postings and to relate. I am very new to blogging, so bear with me.  

We are busy working on Health, Wordly Wise, math, Roots ups, Japanese, reading, World Cultures, and a little PE as well. There are days that I feel that we are not doing enough, and then days I try to do too much…. that is when I am up into the early hours of the new day grading work. Am I the only one????

I know that Denali has nothing to do with my day, but I just wanted to bring a little Alaska to everyone on each one of my postings. I hope that you are enjoying them. Any comments left are appreciated, thank you!!!

Well back to work I must go…. Have a good day all!!!   

Oh one last thing re: a comment left by mlpinky, my son is doing just fine,

Unfortunately my daughter is a different story. We are dealing with the situation day to day, and love her new doctor. Thank God for pain doctors!!!! We know that we will get through this, and one day she will be pain free and be able to live a normal functioning life (whatever that is!!).   

Denice

First time ice skating

Greetings from North Pole

Well good evening to everyone. A little about me & my family, I am a very proud mother of two great children. We currently live in North Pole, AK and home school through the local IDEA (Interior Distance Education Of Alaska) office. This is our third year of home schooling, but first year that I am home schooling both of my children.

Growing up in Alaska, I have been home schooled a few of my school years, and grew up knowing many students that where home schooled. Honestly though as I became a parent, I never thought that I would ever home school myself. As they say "everything happens for a reason", my children where in a horrible car accident over two years ago. As the result of the accident our oldest child, Jessica, was not able to physically continue with the 7th grade in public school. This was a very hard blow to our family, but we picked up the pieces and moved on to home schooling.

The first year was through the local school district, as I did not know that I had any other options. The year went okay, we made it and she passed the 7th grade with okay grades. Jessica is an honor roll student, so a few C's was hard on her. Knowing that this was going to tear us up if we had to continue this way, I started searching for more options. That is when I found IDEA and now we are moving on to year #2 with them!!!

Last year home schooling my daughter went well. She thrived with all that I gave her, and came out with a great understanding of all the subjects. All in all it was a fantastic year for the two of us. With a positive year, it has brought her and I together stronger then we would have ever thought could be.

It was crazy that at the end of the day of home schooling, my son would come of from school. It was then that I had to work twice as hard then I had done all day with my daughter. As the year went on, the frustration got worst not better. That was when we decided that I would be home schooling both children this school year.

With the "no child left behind" act in place, my son was being left way behind. So part of my main focus is to bring him back up to speed, and to get him comfortable with the whole learning experience. I am showing him that learning can & should be fun and exciting each day. Sometimes this is hard, but we are doing pretty well. Now that I am home schooling both children I would not want to do anything but this. I now know that I missed out on a lot over the first 7 years of their education. Home schooling is great!!!

One thing I would love to find is some pen pals for my children. Who would love to hear what it is like to live in North Pole Alaska??? It would be great for them to be able to communicate with others and learn about different locations.

Well this is a lot longer then I thought it would be. I need to go and get some grading done. I hope that someone will respond Re: pen pals or just comments on my blog. Have a great night all.   Denice