My friend Gale and I started a playgroup called Lake County Moms and Kids.  We use our local parks as meeting places.  One park in particular is littered so horribly with cigarette butts that it's impossible not to step on them no matter how hard you try.  We not so affectionately call it Ash Tray Park.  There is enough nicotine in one cigarrette butt to kill a child under 20 lbs if they were to ingest it.  Children under 20 lbs ofcourse are generally of the age that puts everything in their mouth.  About half of our playgroup showed up at the city council meeting (we were on the agenda) WITH OUR CHILDREN. The mayor made the first motion, to move us to the front of the agenda, LOLOL.  We went in with the facts, and it looks like we got things moving.  We'll keep attending meetings, sans children, until they start enforcing the law.  The park currently doesn't even have any signs letting people know that it's against state law to smoke within 25 feet of playgrounds and totlots.

Our second day was much better.  We got all but one subject done, without much complaint.  Timmy defenitely needs me to sit right with him.  If I get up to do something he quits working.    He's a very smart boy, but gee whiz is he a wiggler.  His handwriting is gorgeous for his age.  Totally legible and almost neat.  We didn't get our science done yesterday, so I think I'll just read him the chapter and call it done.  It's only the introductory chapter anyway.  Today we have history to do so I don't want to overwhelm him.  Today is also our playgroup day.

Today was our official first day of school.  Timmy was a total monster. We got all of our schoolwork done first (except for science), then went to a frog pond. The idea was to look at various things under a microscope and draw what he saw.  He flat out refused!!!  When it was time to leave he wouldn't even put his shoes on.  When I tried to help him put his shoes on he kicked me!!!  Then in the car on the way home he says, "Don't you wish you'd sent me to school today?"   I think we're going to have a hard first month.  He's really angry about being homeschooled. 

Timmy has said emphatically that he wants a report card .  Right now I'm willing to do anything to help him want to homeschool so I downloaded Homeschool Tracker.  It's much easier to use this program than to keep a grade book.  It'll automatically generate a report card for him.  I set the grading periods to coincide with his friends in public school so that he won't feel left out.  Also, since I'll be keeping his assignments put in homeschool tracker a month in advance Jeremy can take over for me in an emergency.  It's all laid out for him.  The program will even list what resources I'm using for each assignment.  It takes a long time to input the information, but not any longer than a handwritten planner.  It also keeps track of attendance and time spent per subject.

Life right now is full of soccer practices, nightly walks, and organizing curriculum. I have a daycare mom that's not been very considerate.  I get up 1.5 hours early for her child to arrive, yet she doesn't call me when she's decided to send him to grandma.  He's going to be with grandma all week this week.  He has  a really hard time readjusting to daycare after that long away;  This means he'll be crying and whining over every teeny little thing for about 2 weeks after he gets back.  I feel so bad for him.  I may have to terminate.  I can't keep getting up at 530am and staying up until 11pm.  I'm getting really run down, burning the candle at both ends.  May be time to up the vitamins and protein shakes.

I'm getting excited about the first day of school.  Homeschooling Dani was so hard because of her LDs.  I'm hoping that Timmy will be a little more fun.  I loved homeschooling Dani but it was VERY challenging.  There wasn't much time for fun stuff because she struggled with academics.  She's a very hard worker though, wants to fight through and get it right.  I'm very proud of her.  Academics come so naturally to Timmy.  I'm hoping that we'll be able to have a pretty short school day, then have time for more fun things.  Dani's starting public school next week.  They are going to test her for LDs and hopefully pull her for reading intervention.  I'm really sure she has dsylexia.  She's brilliant.  She just needs to learn the tools to help her read better. 

We're waiting until the daycare kids are all off to school to start homeschooling.  We have just a bit over a week until we start.  Timmy's finally starting to get excited.  He made a banner for our front window.  It says "Shady Oak Academy" and it has a big oak tree drawn on, a graduation cap, and lots of children playing.  I finished composing our withdrawl letter to send to his former school.  I filled out the application for HSLDA just in case the school district gives us problems.    We on a serious budget and the bob jones university curriculum was mostly free from my aunt.

Here's our Course of Study

Math:  Saxon Math 2

           I have all of the saxon manipulatives as well.

Reading and Phonics:  BJU Reading 2

                                  McGraw-Hill Phonics 2

Spelling:  BJU Spelling 2

Literature:  Junior Great Books 1st Grade

                 Junior Great Books 2nd Grade Semester 1

                 I didn't want to skip some great literature just because of his grade level

                 we're starting from the begining.

Handwriting:  Copy work

Social Studies:  BJU Heritage Studies 2

                        This curriculum starts out teaching about community maps and community

                        helpers, then moves on to early american history.

Science:  BJU Science 2

              Kitchen Table Science Projects

Art:  Little Hands Art Book

        Clay Creations

        Various prints of famous artists that fit in with our history timeline.

Music:  CDs of great composers.  We will be focusing on music appreciation and rythm

Religion:  Circle Round, raising children in goddess traditions

Last night I picked Dani up from summer visitation with her father.  Six weeks without my girl :(  We're so happy to have her home.  The brother and sister dynamic duo started squabling immediately    It's like a got a different child back.  She's not the Dani I sent.  I wonder how long it will take her to detox.

Last January we put Timmy in public school because I had surgery a couple of months before and didn't feel I could teach him at home effectively.  I WAS WRONG.  He learned NOTHING at public school, except that police officers shoot people that aren't their friends .  His correctional officer father was just thrilled.  He was kindergarten age, but in all first and second grade curriculum.  Despite him proving himself through tests they insisted on placing him in kindergarten....and they insisted that he do kindergarten curriculum.  They did let him work with a higher reading group.  For math he was coloring shapes and learning numbers.....at home he'd been through about 2 months of Saxon Math 2.  He was bored stiff and getting in trouble.  Kindergarten isn't compulsory in our state.  I should have just kept him home and let him do what he wanted for a semester.  He would be in the same place academically, and he wouldn't have been exposed to children badmouthing his father's profession until he was old enough to not believe everything they said.  He's also now "on the record" of the public school system.  As you can see I'm totally regretting my decision. 

Well we're ready to start.  Curriculum is photo copied (we never write in our books, just in case we need to redo a lesson for reinforcement later), shelves are organized, manipulatives are pruned and in their own box, and our classroom is all set up.  Our son is also VERY angry with us.....he liked public school.    We're also signed up for Tiger Cubs, and if my husband gets off work at a decent time of say we'll soon sign up for 4-H.  He's playing soccer as well, but it only lasts through the middle of October.    His best friend from school is in his Tiger Cub den with him, so that helps out.

I was feeling bad about pulling him out of school, but over the summer some things happened that made me feel better.  His best friend invited him to attend vacation bible school with him.  Timmy, the  master of being outgoing, the kid that will talk to anyone and go with anyone, suddenly couldn't be away from me.  He wrapped his arms and legs around my leg and refused to stay at VBS.  Cute teenaged girls aka "leaders" even tried bribing him with ice-cream and water slides.  It was a no-go.