Here is the most recent picture of me...how do you like it?!

I am finally getting around to finding out more about how to use this blog, so I thought I should add an avatar, and I ended up finding myself at this website where I was able to create this life like photo of myself! Wow, I'm looking young, huh?

My computer is acting up, so hopefully this will post. I hope to get back here and do some real blogging soon, with (real) pictures! More later...

This has been a difficult week.  First of all, my heart is heavy as I watch the devastation and desperation that hurricane Katrina has caused. I am speechless. I am praying, and that, I know,  is the best thing I can be doing. I am sending bibles, and gift cards, and I pray they will bless the individuals that recieve them. If this happened in my state, I would have been down there helping as soon as I could have gotten my hands and feet there.  I am the type of person that will take action as needed. It has been so hard for me to just sit on my couch as I watch this.  Oh, how I wanted to just go, and be there, doing anything I could to assist even one person. 

Yesterday I stopped by a neighbors yard sale. I do not know these people, but somehow I knew as I was walking around that this was a homeschooling family. I seemed to just sense it. Then I started talking with the mom, and during the conversation I mentioned that I just began homeschooling my kids. She said she homeschools too. (I knew it!!) She started to encourage me in such a gentle, sweet way. She told me how I will not regret it at all, and that over the years she has been out in public with her children at stores like Wal-mart, and oftentimes a total stranger will approach her and say, "You homeschool your kids, don't you?" and she tells them yes. People can see something different and something good in them. I sensed it too. It was really nice. God works in such amazing ways! He always seems to put someone in my path to encourage me when I least expect it!

This got me thinking about my son, and this is the other reason for the heaviness of my heart right now. He was not raised in a homeschooling family, or a family at all! He was raised in an orphanage, and it shows. His mannerisms, behaviors, etc. are all a compilation of what he has been through in his life, and how he wasn't  raised and what he was exposed to before birth and after birth until he came into our home at the age of 11. Four years of living with a family has not erased that. We have been so hypervigilant in our training, and disciplining of him, but sometimes it just doesn't stick, and he continues to go by his own rules. I know his age has something to do with it, but so does the fact that he was more than likely affected by alcohol as a fetus. Homeschooling him is hard. I just found out about a Yahoo group called Coping with home education. It was just created a few days ago, and already has close to 100 members. It consists of members doing exactly what I am doing, homeschooling their adopted kid/s who have so many issues that it is exhausting and sometimes very difficult to cope with. This time of year is hard for him. When he was in school, he liked it because he wanted to be around other kids. This was the reason we started homeschooling. The peer/social issue was a nightmare. He wants to return to school, but we know this is the best for him, but he doesn't believe that. Since researching what homeschooling is all about, I have come to love it so much that I now know I will be doing it with my young daughter, and I already have started, and she loves it. I want to keep our home joy filled, and I want to create a learning environment that they love. My son is making that very hard right now. He is making choices that are hurting all of us, but I know homeschooling him is still the right thing to do, and I will not give in. I praise God for guiding me and giving me the strength to do what He has called me to do.

I just saw this on another blog, and thought it would be fun to do with my kids. It's just a list of questions for them to answer. It was actually really fun to question them, and I was surprised with a few of the answers. What a great way to get to know your childs heart just a little bit more! Kolya (K) is 16 and Miranda (M) is almost 4.

What are you good at doing?

K-fishing

M-drawing

If you had $10, what would you spend it on?

K-put it in the bank

M-put it in the bank

Who are your friends?

K-Logan

M-Maddie

What is important to you?

K-family

M-you, mommy

Who is your hero?

K-noone

M-daddy

What is your favorite book?

K-Touching spirit bear

M-Clifford the big red dog

What is your favorite food?

K-McDonalds #1 large

M-cereal

What is your favorite school subject?

K-cursive writing

M-projects

What is your favorite thing to do?

K-help Grandma

M-play

How do you show your family you love them?

K-respect them

M-give them a hug

What do you want to be when you grow up?

K-garbage truck driver

M-a farmer

Why?

K-because they move fast, and I like to move fast

M-because I will have a lot of animals

What are you thankful for?

K-that my leg is okay after just getting stitches

M-for everything

Tell me something about God

K-He is always there for you

M-I like God

What is your favorite thing to pray for?

K-my uncle

M-about God

What is your favorite thing to wear?

K-jeans, t-shirts and tennis shoes

M-striped shirt like Strawberry shortcake

What is your favorite movie?

K-westerns

M-Clifford the big red dog

What are you afraid of?

K-getting run over by a boat motor

M-bears

That's it!

I was tagged, so here's goes, a peek into my day...how it really was (are you sure you want to know??).

Today was actually somewhat of a normal homeschool day for us, since it was my husbands first day back to work as a teacher. I got up with the kids, got them breakfast, and explained that we would be doing school work next, unlike the casual way we did it all summer. Now things were going to be scheduled. Kolya, looked up at me from his coffee cup, with a not so happy look on his face. I explained to him that I know change is hard, and he has been used to doing his school work in the late afternoons mostly over the summer, but now things were changing back. He was resistant. I asked him to pray about it, and to ask God to help him handle the change, and to ask God to help him enjoy learning. He sat on the couch staring out the window, then finally made the decision to come and work. We were mainly working on spelling, which has been our focus all summer. Kolya, only having been speaking english for the past 4 years, is having trouble learning vowels. This makes it hard to spell almost any word. I went through his word lists from the past few months, and asked him if he could still spell some of them, and to my amazement, he did very well! I was so proud of him. When he took a moment to think about the spelling first, he was able to get it right! This was a momentous occasion, as his learning disabilities often keep him from feeling successful at all. Miranda was then eagerly awaiting her turn to work, so we went over her abc's and then took out her Clifford the Big Red Dog (her favorite) calendar and starting getting it ready to start in Sept. She is such a sponge right now, wanting to learn everything. Then she wanted to do a project, so we made a fish tank out of some paper plates, saran wrap and some cute little fishies she colored.

Daddy came home for lunch next, and I made some needed phone calls, checked email, and got myself ready. Kolya spent this time cuddling with cats as usual. That is his one favorite activities. He is an animal lover! Spending time with his cats has always been something he needs to do every day, and it seems to be a calming, organizing activity for him. He swears he has them all trained to do tricks, etc. One he calls his pillow, and it actually goes right up the head of the bed and stretches out when Kolya says "pillow", then he actually uses it as a pillow and the cat loves it and purrs it up. It is hilarious.

Next we ran into town to run errands. Went to the dollar tree and Safeway, and came home. Daddy came home from his first day of work shortly after, and I started getting dinner ready, and got outside and did some yard work. Then it was time for my daily walk. Tonight both kids wanted to come with me, and I was leaving earlier than usual, and it was still hot! Kolya decided to ride a ten speed bike with his dog's leash tied to the handlebar. I pushed Miranda in the baby jogger. We had a great time as Kolya and his dog, Princess put on a show for us the whole way. Anytime a car came by, the dog wanted to chase it, so it would often pull Kolya so quickly that he'd go flying off the bike, and the dog was running down the road dragging a ten speed bike on it's side, trying to catch the car. This happened about 3 times. Just one of the many things Kolya, my adventurous, daring, impulsive, crazy kid does! I can't even count all the things I see him do, that I think,
"oh my! what am I going to do with him?" This was actually nothing compared to the many things he has done in the past. I continually pray for patience and guidance in  parenting him! I think out in public sometimes people think he is not being parented, or at least, not being parented well, but the fact is that he has come a long, long way, and is able to at least be re directed now, and will mostly always correct his behavior. This is a major milestone for him! Imagine not having parents for almost 12 years of your life, parenting yourself, and then all of a sudden you are living in a home with a dad, mom, and a sister, and all the rules change. It was not an easy transition for him!

After the walk, which by the way, almost killed me in the heat, I came back, and took out the weed eater and edged the yard. I came in,  showered, gave Miranda a bath, and watched Super Nanny. I love that show!  Now I am heading to bed, exhausted! What a day!

I am Michelle, and I am very new to homeschooling. My son was adopted 4 1/2 yrs ago from russia, at the age of 11. My daughter was born 6 months after that so I became a first time mother of two within a matter of months! It has been a journey, and I am so thankful that the Lord has opened this door to homeschooling up to us. I originally considered homeschooling due to my son's special needs. Due to his background, some known, and some unknown, there is a lot we are dealing with. Learning is a huge challenge for him. Getting along with people is a challenge for him at times. I am tested daily, but through it all, it has only brought me closer to the Lord, and for that I am so thankful!

My daughter is so curious, easy going, and loves to learn! She is almost 4 now, and is starting to write her name, loves to play go fish, loves to be read to constantly, loves to paint, do puzzles, sing,  and the list goes on and on!  I am sure the possibilities in homeschooling for her will be endless.

Today's Blessings:

My son, Kolya,  picked more blackberries for us from our bushes, and Miranda and I made a pie! She had so much fun rolling the dough for the crust, but had even more fun eating the warm, bubbling pie fresh from the oven! It was such fun. The other blessing that occured today, was when Kolya walked up to me in the kitchen after I pulled the pie out of the oven and gave me kiss on the cheek and said "Thanks, mom". Now, this is a rare thing for him to do! It was so sweet. He was obviously very excited about the pie as well! I think I may need to bake pies more often...

I plan on keeping this blog as current as possible...more to come!!!

Okay, I am not going to try anything fancy, just want to test this to see if it is working! I am really excited to start this blog thing! It is late and I need to get to bed, but just wanted to try it out. More blogging later...

Michelle