Jul. 25, 2006 why do they eat their young?
As he was watching some Animal Planet show, my son was mortified that some animals would eat their young. He asked me what kind of Mom would do such a thing. I replied "a Mom that is tired of trying to get them to pay attention".
After an absolutely awful day yesterday with school, I decided I needed to pray, complain (thanks hubby), and regroup about school. My ds9 is driving me crazy!!! He is lazy and spends much more energy trying to figure out how to take a shortcut for something than just doing it. He doesn't read directions and I hear "I don't understand" before he even looks at the work. Well, I lost it. I had to walk away as I was so angry that his little ears were looking pretty tasty. After a bit, I had to apologize and ask for forgiveness (this never seems to get easier).
So this morning, I was determined to make some changes. First of all, I got up early and started with some quiet time and reading out of 101 Devotions for Homeschooling Moms (which I highly recommend). Days always go better if I start by comtemplating "why am I homeschooling?". I thought of something a dear friend said to me when I started homeschooling. She said "It doesn't matter that you teach them to become lawyers, doctors, or astonauts if they go to hell". AMEN!!!
I decided to pull back on the curriculum load for now and concentrate in areas that need it, particularly bible, reading, and character building. I am very task orientated and love a check list. However, my children take after their father on this end. He's always late, loves clutter/chaos, and NEVER gets bent out of shape. Of course he says he married me for my "uternine tracking device". Anyhow, I decided to review the workload I had scheduled for this year.
It dawned on me that with technology changing so rapidly, who really knows what are children need to know beyond the basics? Any of you girls take shorthand? keypunch? dewey decimal system? And why in the world did they not require boys to take typing too? I guess you know from all that... I'm old!
I think that for me, I need to take one day at a time. It's very difficult because I'm a planner. I set goals constantly... for the day, week, month etc. I find myself cramming this down my children also. So what if we don't get to lesson 10 by Friday, due to the fact that our cat had kittens and that was more interesting? I envy people that "fly by the seat of their pants". I need to know what pants I'm going to wear, my seat number, where I'm going, and what I'm going to do when I get there. Oh yea, and I need to arrive 15 minutes early. I pray daily to not be controlled by the "to do" list but by God's spirit.
|
•
Comments (5)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jul. 23, 2006 I'm a reading machine
| I have a very reluctant reader that has now clouded my youngest child's enthusiasm for learning to read. I think once she learns, she will take off and love to read. Surely one of my children will take after me, as I devour books. Anyhow, I found a FREE program online www.progressivephonics.com. I downloaded the first book and took it to the lake with us. I wasn't too impressed looking at it. It seemed very repetitive and not much plot. It is very simple graphics, but hey.... it's free! Anyhow, the adult reads all the words in black and the child reads the words in LARGE RED letters. These are 3 letter words (in the first book) and repetitive (yawn). After about 5 pages, my little girl got so excited that she insisted on reading all 25 pages. After completion, she looked at me and said "Man, I'm a reading machine today!". I've learned my lesson. No matter how boring it may appear to me..... I'm not six. I will do anything to instill a love for books in my children. So check it out.
|
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jul. 18, 2006 Seven Undeniable Truths about Homeschooling
I've had several emails asking me for this article, which I highly recommend reading particularly if you are having to defend your decision to homeschool. Thank you very much to my fellow blogger who sent me the link:
www.triviumpursuit.com/articles/7_und_trs_hsing.htm
|
•
Comments (0)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jul. 17, 2006 That new school smell...
We were going to start school last week. I just could not get motivated. I cleaned out my school room and had great intentions. Then we decided to go the lake one day, a movie the next, our cat had 8 kittens the next day, etc. etc. So now we are supposed to start this morning and I'm still in a funk! So you can imagine how excited my kids are. I don't understand it... I thought I would be pumped up and ready to go. We are starting a new curriculum in some subjects that I feel will be great. We got new supplies, etc. I just can't get excited about homeschooling. I can't be burned out, it's only my second year. I know it is the right thing for my family, regardless of what others think. So just what is the problem? We are going to start this week if it hairlips the county (very special South Carolina saying). My ds is struggling with reading and I guess I'm just not looking forward to that ride. My dd talks about going to " real school" constantly (she is my social butterfly). 180 days sure seems like a long haul when you can't get past 1.
I highly recommend checking out Seven Undeniable Truths of Homeschooling by Harvey Bluedorn. It was written several years ago more true than ever today. It is awesome. If you can't find it on the internet, I'll be glad to email you a copy.
|
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jul. 15, 2006 Selling curriculum on ebay
I have been so busy getting ready to start school that I haven't blogged in a while. While getting ready and cleaning out my schoolroom, I decided to sell a lot of stuff on ebay. I had a ton of Bob Jones stuff (because I live close to the bookstore and visit their scratch & dent table often). Anyhow, I put all this on ebay in hopes of making enough to purchase new stuff. Well, you won't believe this but ebay pulled my auctions!!! They do not allow teacher manuals, test, etc. to be sold on ebay (I could sell pornagraphic stuff though). Go figure, I won't even get started... just wanted to let you know about a website I found where you can sell curriculum in an ebay bid style method. Check out www.thislittlepiggystayshome.com I just not registered and hope to do well. Keep you posted!
I have decided it is too hot to do anything else, so we are starting school. My kids are not happy, but they will be delighted when we are through by May next year!
|
•
Comments (0)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Jun. 3, 2006 Male patterned blindness
It used to be a necessity, now I realize it is a condition passed down from my parents, it's in my blood and will always be there. I am a cheapskate! I used to think this was a negative term, until I read a definition of cheapskate... A person that takes every advantage and makes sacrifices to live below their means. Now let me tell you what a cheapskate is NOT... a person that always lets the other one buy lunch, a person that is dishonest in any way to gain financially, a person that complains about have to give presents or do for others anything that may cost money, or someone that never lets their family go on vacation or eat out due to expense. That person is a tightwad... big difference. Now my husband used to be a tightwad, but I started feeding him coal and now we have diamonds! So he has loosened up and quite the guy!
Anyhow, we are trying to cut our grocery bill, as that seems to be a large portion of our expense. As you know, being a homeschool teacher/mom/cook/scullery maid does not pay well, in this lifetime anyway. I know how to manage money, but there is always room for improvement. My latest venture is condiments. I have made a special place in our pantry for extra condiments and always stock up when there are specials/coupons etc. This has proved however to be a mistake. It has made opening up yet another bottle of ketchup easier than finding the open one in the fridge. I'm not a very good cook, so we eat alot of ketchup.
Now I have a theory... I think there is something special about the refrigerator light that actually blinds the male eyeball. It only effects males, but starts at a young age. However, I think this light also emits some type of hallucinagenic pattern because once the male specimen opens the door, not only can he not see anything but he just stands there letting cold air escape in some type of trance.
I have decided to cut out various photos of deer, elk, moose, or turkeys and attach them to the different condiments. My dh can spot a deer a mile away.
Just a thought. I think our taxes should sponsor a study on this situation. Gotta run, I have several bottles of ketchup to combine. Thanks for letting me vent.
 Marriage is likes flies on a screen door... the ones that want in are out and the ones that want out are in.
|
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 30, 2006 Lord... help me catch that ice cream truck!
I have tried to instill in my children a need to pray. I pray about everything.. from world peace to new shoes. I have sat in the driveway and prayed for a house that I was told would never be on the market. I now live in that house. I've prayed for a specific truck and asked for any color but white. I now have that truck (and it is white). Yes, God definitely has a sense of humor. I know he hears my prayer request, it may just be that the answer is no or not right now.
Anyhow, when we have a friend in need or maybe just hear of something awful on the radio, we stop and pray. My 6 yr. old asked me once if God really listened to prayers. I told her if it was important to her then it would be important to God.
We live on a road with a long driveway. There is a man that lives down the road that drives an ice cream truck and services the closest town which is 6 miles away. On his way home, usually driving about 60 mph he passes our house and for some reason his music is still on. My dd who has bionic hearing starts running each time she hears the tinkling music, but he just flies by never looking for small girl running as fast as she can down the driveway. So last night as she prayed for all the soldiers that were fighting for our country, family safety and so on, she always saves the important request for last. She said "Lord, please help me catch that ice cream truck!".
Keep praying, keep asking... Today could be the day!
|
•
Comments (3)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 29, 2006 Thanks for the guilt trip!
Well, I haven't blogged in a long time and my dear friend boo4baby has scolded me. I get very little computer time in the spring. We live in a 1920 farmhouse and restoration is a life long project. This spring is the first one that I have been able to devote to outside, so I live outside in the few weeks of nice weather we have. In SC, we have a short window of great spring weather before the heat sets in. Anyhow, I will try to do better and blog more often. However, the reason for my guilt is not for non-blogging (is that a word?) but for the content. My two friends, sunshine1 and boo4baby started this blogging gig. I read their blogs and found them very encouraging and spiritual. They told me to give it a try.. I enjoy blogging, but I don't seem to be encouraging or spiritual so I felt like I had nothing to say. THAT is why I feel guilty. Anyhow, I have to decided to just tell my stories and you can put on your big girl panties and deal with it. In my head, I try to be a godly woman but it sure doesn't come out that way on paper (on out of my mouth either). Before my husband proposed to me, he read Proverbs 31 aloud and said "I have found my Proverbs 31 woman." I thought he was breaking up with me and telling me he had found someone else!
Anyhow, I will try to blog more.. However, if you are looking for wisdom, integrity, encouragement, and spiritual uplifting - don't read my blog. Take a look at boo4baby and sunshine1. They are great friends, have godly attitutudes, and provide tons of encouragement. I read their blogs and wonder sometimes if it is really them writing... because I know them very well! (ha ha, just kidding).
|
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
May. 29, 2006 Because it's none of your business... that's why!
I seldom get questioned regarding my choice for homeschooling. Most of my friends and family are very supportive, even though my hubby comes from a long line of schoolteachers. Anyhow, I had an occasion recently where a friend said she couldn't believe that I thought homeschooling was the way to go. In fairness to this friend, she has heard me STRONGLY oppose homeschooling.... years ago before I even had children. It's funny how much we know about raising children until we actually give birth!
The thing that turned my stance on homeschooling completely around was a two year stint of substitute teaching.... not in a public school where you expect the worst, but in a private christian school. The school is probably one of the best in the area, but I was shocked at how little time is actually spent on educating the kids. Between bathroom breaks, lunch, recess, handwashing, videos, nature walks, gym class, ice cream day, birthday parties, holiday parties, and especially discipline....little time was spent learning. Most of the learning was to occur at home with the tons of homework a 2ND GRADER brought home! It dawned on me that I was homeschooling afterall, but it was in the evenings during homework after an exhausting day of "teaching".
Anyhow, I love to give tacky answers to questions people ask, if they are questions that are none of their business. Here are my tops ten answers to Why are you homeschooling your kids?
10. So I won't miss my soaps and can eat bon-bon's all day.
9. I just LOVE being with kids 24/7 that fight all the time
8. They can learn to load a gun, build a bomb, cuss like a sailor, and dress like a hooker at home too. (For those that don't know me.. this isn't true - For those that know me....you are wondering?)
7. I would much rather decorate that room with piles of books, etc. rather than nice furniture. I like to call it "early american chaos".
6. Because Disneyworld is open in the middle of January.
5. I can spank them daily... whether they need it or not. (IF this offends you, please call your local agency and request a sense of humor immediately)
4. It's SO EASY! We get up at 10:00 and we are done by noon! (A homeschool mom actually said this to me years ago... very scary.)
3. It's SO CHEAP! We don't use books or any supplies. We just get a few videos from the library and eat all day! I heard this from a future mom of fat, lazy, jobless children.
2. Because I want my children to be "social idiots". (I give this answer to people that have rude and disrespectful kids. They never invite my kids to play, okay by me.
1. The most important reason is that I love my kids dearly and want the best for them. I want to build in them a strong foundation before the world starts chipping away at it. But instead, I just say "How much money do you may annually?" They usually get the hint.
Life gets crazy... keep your eyes on the prize!
|
•
Comments (1)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
I just can't seem to get into school. After Spring Break, which was two weeks.. I just can't focus. My kids are doing better than I am! I am changing my curriculum because I am not satisfied with the current one, so I'm struggling to complete it. I feel like I have a new party dress but have to wear my bathrobe for two more weeks. We have had 3 field trips in the last 5 days! By the way, if you are in the Greenville South Carolina area, I HIGHLY recommend a trip to Happy Cow Creamery. It was an awesome field trip. Their milk is about as straight from the cow as you can get. No preservatives, no hormones. If you want to be really frightened, just read on the internet about 3rd grade girls starting their period, body odor problems in young children (hormones cause the sweating, but sweat glands haven't developed yet), and growth problems with boys. I don't do soapbox, just check it out if you are concerned.
Anyhow, I would appreciate any suggestions to get motivated to finish school. We read outside, but I start looking around and pulling weeds. The weather is great and I refuse to stay inside. I would love to pack up and go camping, but hubby is out of town and well..... you know about my last experience.
Any great ideas out there for field trips? other than the zoo!!! If I have to go to the zoo one more time this year, I will be added as a permanent display there.... MANIAC MOM... do not feed!
|
•
Comments (6)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Well, I'm back home after a wonderful week spent with boo4baby and friends. Now it's time for detox...no more chocolate, mountain dew, or cheese dip. I had a great time, but I'm ready to get down to business and finish school. The wonderful weather is calling my name to the garden and I find it very hard to focus. If it's that hard for me, just think of my kids! I think I'm going to start having school at night on pretty days.
I had an experience yesterday that I hope I will never forget. My kids and I deliver mobile meals weekly to elderly people. Now before you say "oh, what a servant heart" (only those that don't know me)... let me tell you my motive. My kids truly enjoy it and we deliver meals on trash day. What treasures I have found!!! I found a wonderful floor lamp yesterday and a like new lawn chair. But I digress, back to the "experience". One of my favorite "customers" with mobile meals is an elderly gentleman that makes leather gunbelts. He was a real cowboy in his youth and my son could listen to his stories for hours. He is by far our favorite. We are considering changing our route to make him the last stop. Anyhow, he did not answer the door yesterday as usual. Now you can imagine what my worst fear in delivering meals... finding a dead person!!! So anytime our people don't respond, I cautiously enter the house if possible (leaving the kids on the porch). I entered and called out. I heard a small sound from the back bedroom and my heart stopped. I just knew that he had fallen getting out of the tub and LAST thing on earth I want to see is a 90 year old naked man, or "nekked" man as we say in the south. I entered the room and saw that he was back behind the bed and his hand was up on the bedspread. In a panic, I ran to pull him up. He had not heard me and I think I scared him more than me! I asked if he was alright and he said he was PRAYING, that he couldn't get up so he figured God must have wanted him to continue. I asked how long he had been on his knees and he said about an hour. I helped him up and we got a good laugh. He said he usually prays from his chair, but that sometimes he just really needs to be on his knees... feels like God is listening a little better. He said if he's praying while sitting, that he gets distracted and his knees "feel itchy". I thought about him all day and felt so convicted. I have good knees and can kneel all I want, but how many times do I get on my knees? I don't have to worry about not being able to get up from kneeling, yet often feel that I don't have the time. This man has inspired me to do better... I want God to listen better too. Gotta go...I think my knees feel itchy.
|
•
Comments (2)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
Mar. 27, 2006 Homeschooling while camping, what was I thinking?
The main reason I'm writing this is that I hope to look back someday and laugh, but today is not the day. I decided not to cancel a camping trip planned for last week just because dear hubby was out of town. How hard can it be to drive a 8' wide camper down a 7' wide road, not to mention parking a 27' vehicle in a 26' space? As we pulled out of the driveway, my son said "we forgot to pray" in a panic stricken squeal. We stopped and prayed for safety and I expressed my doubts to God about being able to do this. My youngest said she hoped God thought I could drive this camper, because she sure didn't. Not wanting her to be fearful, I said I can do this, I am WOMAN - hear me roar! My very supportive son said the only roaring to be heard would be Daddy when I wrecked the camper.
We made it to the campsite and after about an hour of trying to back up into the spot, we did it! Not pretty and not straight, but it was in. As for level... I told the kids to that walking around like you're in a fun house could count as P.E.
After getting all set up, we settled down for a great camping trip. I thought it would be wonderful homeschooling in our cozy little camper, quite the Laura Ingalls experience.... ha, more like Lizzie Borden! The kids got up complaining about having to do school, which isn't a new experience, just an amplified one due to close quarters. As we got started, I realized I had no pencils. What kind of mother plans homeschooling and doesn't bring pencils? We searched everywhere and found a stub of a pencil from playing golf. I had to break it in two and it was only 3" long to begin with. I also had to sharpen it with a pocketknife. Well, after about 3 hours of MAJOR whining and complaining about doing school (I joined in during the last hour) I decided enough. We took the rest of the day and enjoyed nature. Wouldn't you know it, the one pretty day we had was spent schooling. The following days were cold, windy, and rainy. So I'm stuck in an area about the size of a bathroom with 2 restless children for 3 days. The first day I talked about Anne Frank and her predicament and the similiarities. The second day I talked about prisoners of war and such. By the third day, I was thinking about the Donner party. They were driving me CRAZY!!! We finally pulled out (several hours early) in the rain and headed home. Of course the crowning moment to any camping trip is dump station. This is another thing that is normally hubby's job but I figured it couldn't be too difficult. As I stood there trying to figure it out, a helpful fellow camper said " Has that sewage pipe been open all week?" I didn't know to close it while setting up (hubby's fault). So now I had to open my sewage drain cap and hope I didn't get spewed. My fellow camper said just turn it and jump fast. Well, let's just say that I'm a big girl and don't jump as fast as I used to. I'm not laughing, but my kids sure were! It was the first time all week I got to see their smiles.
I have prayed for patience everyday of homeschooling. God definitely answers my prayers, just not fast enough!
|
•
Comments (8)
• Post A Comment!
• Permanent Link
|
|
|
|
Page 1
of 1
Last Page | Next Page
|
|
