Dec. 17, 2007 - fun christmas gift

Since we never have enough money and it's hard to buy for my husband, two years ago I thought of a fun gift. The twelve days of Christmas - I started before Christmas but really they are from Dec 25th to Jan 6th which we celebrate the Three Kings Day. Someone said, maybe it was wikipedia, that the song originally came when people were hiding their Christian religion. Anyways, I thought I'd pass this along to anyone who needs ideas for their husband or wife. We gave him the gifts when he came home every night - around dinnertime. He liked guessing what we would do next. First day - a partridge in a pair tree - we put a stuffed bird toy in one of our winter bare trees and put some pears up too, which we enjoyed eating. Second day - two turtledoves - we ate some of those turtle chocolate candies Third day - three French hens - I made French toast, but you could make French toast or even cook up some Cornish hens. Third day - three French hens - I made French toast, but you could make French toast or even cook up some Cornish hens. Fourth day - four calling birds - four calling cards which my husband loves to have Fifth day - five golden rings - onion rings Sixth day - six geese a laying - six eggs that we cooked up for everyone for dinner Seventh day - seven swans a swimming - I put my kids in the tub with a bunch of rubber duckies so we'd total seven (the kids included as swans/ducks) Eighth day - eight maids a milking - I think I put on an apron and put some on the kids and served up some milk Ninth day - nine ladies dancing - I videotaped an aerobics class from TV and it happened to be a dance routine with exactly eight women so when I danced in front of it we made nine. Ten day - ten lords a leaping - well me and the kids just jumped around singing the song Eleventh day - eleven pipers piping - me and the kids played recorders and flutes - sounded horrible Twelfth day - twelve drummers drumming - me and the kids banged on some drums and pots and pans. Well I hope someone may find this useful. It was fun and made my husband feel loved which is the best gift. Now, what to get him this year?

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Dec. 4, 2007 - problems with Grandma

A few weeks ago my mother said I had to stop homeschooling, send my son to public school or she wouldn't talk to me anymore. That crisis blew over when we sat, with a mediator, and talked. Nothing was really resolved but now she comes in once a week and teaches reading with my son.

The other day she started worrying again saying he wasn't learning enough - after only three lessons. I tried to just listen. She has a lot of anxieties and later this week I told her to just let go and let God. I know that would help but I can't control other people. I know I've given it up to God.

It's just hard to try to fit into someone else's goals. I like how we homeschool. I like that we homeschool. I love being home with my school age son and my pre-school age son.  I want to be a strong family and I know they will learn the "essentials". 

How do other people deal with doubters?

• 3 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 25, 2007 - doorpost questions

Has anyone used "A Day of Delight" by doorposts. Someone from the homeschool support group recommended it. What type of activites does it have? I'm thinking of ordering it. Just trying to make Christmas more meaninful this year. Already it is since last year we were moving and I was stressed! We also have two birthdays so this time of year is hectic!

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 22, 2007 - fleeting jealousy of public school neighbors

Happy Thanksgiving all! I hope you are blessed and feeling thankful for all your blessings. I just wanted to write how I was at a neighborhood party the other night and one neighbor starting talking to the other one about their daughters at the local school. I felt jealous, maybe because I like to talk and couldn’t join the conversation? Or was it because I wish I could feel like a community like they did for that moment. But then I realized they were meeting for the first time, had heard of each other’s daughters that ride the bus together but had never met. So it’s not really a community. Even though they both volunteer there, there was no real connection. So, I’m not as jealous. And one reason I love homeschooling is that I do network with other parents all the time whether it’s through the co-op, homeschool support group meetings and local events, and even this blog site! So I am thankful. And I guess that’s why we’re not supposed to be jealous – there’s really no point when you look at what you really do have.

• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 15, 2007 - blessing of homeschool

I got an email from an old friend and reminded me of my old life. How I was a public school teacher and my child was in daycare and I just assumed he'd go to school.  Luckily I didn't like what I saw in the schools and realized even I didn't want to teach there as a foreign language teacher and I wanted my son to go to private school. Then I found homeschooling and I'm sooooo happy. I guess finding old friends reminds you of what could have been and I'm just so glad that I found homeschooling and it has given our now bigger family many blessings.

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 11, 2007 - co-dependent?

Awhile ago someone I know said that I was co-dependent on my children because I want to stay home with them. I wondered if she was right? But the more I thought about it I think it’s just that different people want to spend different amounts of time with their children. For me, I hated working and leaving my baby at home when he was a newborn. Luckily he was home with my husband and then in a few months I got to spend all summer with him (the one benefit of being a public school teacher). Bu then the next year he went to an in-home daycare. The woman was great but I was jealous – she got to stay home with my baby all day and it wierded me out that he had her perfume on him when I picked him up. I wanted him to be held by me all day. The next year he was at a great day care center that he loved but the next year we moved and the only opening was at a center that seemed to be run by depressed people (his teacher quit middle of the year). Now I was a student and seemed to always be working or studying and our time was low together. I really wanted to stay home. I was tired of paying other people to be with my son. Luckily I didn’t find a job, my second son was born and he was “high needs” so we didn’t feel comfortable letting anyone else take care of him (I was afraid someone would shake him from all his crying). Plus I really wanted to stay home and try home schooling. Grandma convinced us my son “needed” preschool so we put him in two days a week (mornings only), not too bad it seemed. So every time I think I have to get a job I get upset. I don’t like working outside the home. Maybe if I had some great interesting career but even when I had some contract jobs in the creative career I love I knew the hours were too long and missed my son but did them because they were for a maximum of two weeks each time. So, maybe I’m co-dependent, I don’t care. Call me what you will, but maybe some people just like to spend more time with their children than others. Well, today I ran into her again, briefly. This time she was talking about how happy that her son is in all day pre-school and a friend of hers is “co-dependent” and doesn’t want her son in day care. So she uses that “co-dependent” word a lot. Plus she admitted that she doesn’t like being home all day with her son. So again, that’s her choice.

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 10, 2007 - insensitivity of strangers of those with different abilities

Whenever we try to go out as a family it usually goes pretty well but sometimes I get mad when someone refers to a child as “good” just because my toddler was acting “bad”. A month ago we went to a parent’s night at the local school. My six year old was fine (he isn’t on the spectrum), but my two and a half year old who is in the process of being diagnosed as asperger’s saw all the food and was bored by the long speech. He went over to the food and dropped a plate of cupcakes as I cleaned up another mess he made. Later one of the teachers went up to a four year old and said, “You were so good.” I just felt like that wasn’t fair. He’s older and not on the spectrum. Today it happened again, at the local library. The small library where we used to go was great, they loved both of my sons. But now that we’ve moved in town, the larger central library always seems to hate my son. Yes, when he is holding a video box or CD case he doesn’t want to give it up to get zapped and they look at him like he’s an alien when he cries. Today they had a special program that was supposed to start at 3. We got there ten minutes early, at the end of his nap. He was quiet and waiting. He was fine but as the crowd grew and the time passed, nothing was happening. There were supposed to be animals but the lady got lost and was late. My son didn’t see animals, he was tired, he didn’t understand why we weren’t in the normal section of the library where we go, so by the time the lady arrived (40 minutes late) he lost it. He started crying. (not uncommon for two almost three year olds) I thought once he saw the animals he’d be fine but the librarian asked us to leave so others could hear. So I felt nervous leaving my 6 year old but felt rushed out. We went to another section of the library where I could see the door if my older son left for some reason. My toddler was happy finding videos. So we went back and with his videos in hand and finally able to see some animals, he was fine. Later as the program went on he started talking and I heard other two and three year olds babbling (typical after almost an hour), but the librarian told the “boys and girls” to remember to be quiet. We survived and as we left I heard a woman with two girls, one looked almost four and other sixish, say that the librarian came over to say “your girls are so good”. The mother agreed. So she felt good that she has raised perfectly quiet children. I know that it’s a discipline method to point out when people are good but what good is it to point out to some girls and their parent that they were good when they were 1) older, 2) not any obvious different abilities, and 3) how is that going to effect the behaviors of kids from different families and abilities. It made me so mad. If my son were blind or deaf or with some obvious disability would they be so cruel????

• 0 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 6, 2007 - what a public school student hears

I translate for the public schools at parent teacher conferences and yesterday I helped one family with their son who is in ninth grade.  The teachers said he needed to do his homework and concentrate in class. The student seemed too cool to care. It reminded me of a cartoon where a man is yelling at his dog, "Sit down, Rover.  Roll over, Rover. Don't do that, Rover."  And the dog hears, "Blah Blah Blah, Rover."  I think it's the same with this public school student. The father said he only loves to play video games and watch TV when he's home.  I don't know of any homeschool families with this situation. Maybe a middle school student is not the most motivated but still they don't watch TV all day and the family knows their children and there is a true relationship whereas from what I've seen in secondary schools, teacher and students only get to know each other for 45 minutes or 90 minutes a day.
I'm just so thankful that I found homeschooling!

• 1 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link

Nov. 4, 2007 - books for home school kids

My son picked up some books at the library and one actually had characters that were homeschooled so I asked people on my on line home school support list of other such books since I’ve been frustrated with how many books are about school and I have to explain to my son what they are talking (or usually complaining) about. Here is the list we came up with, feel free to email me with more: too smart jones and the buried jewels a bilbert morris mystery moody the name you can trust a ministry of moody bible institute Religious - they wrote these books after having trouble even with "christian" books that displayed troubling school problems Pippi Longstocking The Secret Garden last year's American Girl girl of the year, Jess, was homeschooled. She only has one book. 2006 or 2005 I believe the children in the mary poppins books are tutored at home Also, the betsy-tacy books- I don’t recall any mention of school but it has been a while since we read them. : Surviving the Applewhites (in the homeschoolers as eccentrics vein) Little House in the Big Woods_ And my daughter says that in the first Boxcar Children book, the kids don't go to school. The Railway Children_ by E. Nesbit _Island of the Blue Dolphins_ is possibly the ultimate book about learning on your own.

• 2 Comments • Post A Comment! • Permanent Link