Posted in General Musings

.. we're ALL going to the doctor. I have had it with this &$#%! cold. We are going on week 3 of this nasty thing. My son and I have had it for 2 weeks and my daughter, as previously mentioned, got it this past Thursday. She and I went through a weekend of fever and chills and I now have a bad sore throat.  To top it off, she's now gotten pinkeye and I started her on eyedrops for it yesterday. All I had before was just a lot of coughing.

I called the docs office and made an appointment for this morning. The lady making appointments said the office is full of patients with this thing and that it just lingers and lingers. I hope he can give us something to help get us over this thing. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Well, maybe my worst.

So, no school again for us today. Maybe we can get some things in this afternoon, but I'm not going to push it with the way we are feeling. What a way to start our first homeschooling year - we haven't had a lesson yet where we are all healthy!!  Grrrrr.

UPDATE:  Cass has an ear infection (that explains the fever/chills) and she'll be needing those eyedrops. The doc also gave her something for the cough. I have .. and I can't believe it... infected tonsils (that explains my fever/chills). He said you don't see that often where tonsilitis sets in following a viral cold. My throat is so sore, and I can' t swallow well. I don't even feel like eating and neither does Cass. I think this is the first time in my entire life that I've had tonsilitis. Wierd! He checked Josh all out and said just to keep up with over-the-counter meds if he needs them, but that he is just fine and to go back if he starts having any difficulty breathing.

He said to wait until bedtime to give Cass the cough medicine because it makes you very drowsy, but she was sooo sleepy this afternoon and nearly in tears from the cough. I figured if she's sleepy anyway ... give her the medicine. So I did and she's now resting soundly. Thankfully, without coughing.

This completely sucks, but at least we have the meds to get it over with now.

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Posted in General Musings

Does anyone else have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning? Since we're now on a schedule I wanted to keep for school, we are getting up an extra 1.5 hours earlier than we normally were so that we can be finished with school by noon. We are a family of night owls, through and through. I've been a night owl since high school, and early mornings are killer.

Last night we were all so tired from all our activities so far this week, that I just couldn't force myself out of bed when the alarm went off this morning. We have our homeschool library program this afternoon for an hour and a half. So, I decided that today will be a "media" day. The kids have several educational PC games that they learn oodles with, so we are having "media" time with the only requirement being that they have to play the ZERO game first and study their spelling. The library program only happens once per month, so I think I may do this as a break from the norm once a month on that day.

I wonder if I am being too strict about getting everything done by noon. Our family may not be cut out for the early morning stuff. I guess I will set the alarm as a "goal" and try to keep it, but I won't kick myself if it doesn't all happen by noon. It just seems like other families can do this with no problems!!

Anyone else here a family of night owls??

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Posted in General Musings

So, I am wide awake (see previous post about my love of coffee ). I decided to Google some homeschooling forums and check them out. Wow. I have just totally re-affirmed why I've decided to homeschool. Some of the stories of parents who have sent their children to public school and ultimately pulled them out are incredible.

Damaged children. Little ones left to figure out how to defend themselves, how to respond to being picked on, told to stop being a tattletale when trying to tell an authority figure what was going on... little ones. Children (little ones!) upset and crying every day because they did not want to go to school and face the social pressures. Parents kicking themselves for making their children go because the school and the teacher (!) told them there weren't any noticable problems. Children who didn't have any problems until they went to public school! Damaged self-esteems and parents trying to rebuild them. Not just in the larger cities - all over.

I am not an over-protective parent type. I want my children to experience some adversity so that they know how to handle it. But they WILL NOT experience it unarmed. To toss a little one in with the crowd, before they have had a chance to develop an adequate amount of self-confidence can be completely disastrous. "They have to learn to deal with these types of people because they will encounter them as an adult." you say? Encountering the types of things I read about that happen on the school playground and the cliques that ultimately form are much better left to an armed adult who has already developed a sense of self and a sense of confidence and worth. Not an impressionable and easily damaged 6 year old.

Good grief. It boggles the mind at how a few children in a classroom can influence and "make or break" another child's entire public school existence and that the fallout from the experiences with these children can last an entire lifetime. May God help the little ones!

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Posted in General Musings

Completely. There is nothing like sipping on a hot cup of coffee when it's cold and rainy out. It's amazing that such a simple little thing can bring so much comfort. I actually had to bust out the slippers and warmer robes today! Low 60s and rainy.. down to the low 50s tonight. Tomorrow night we dip into the 40s for the first time since early spring. I am in love with fall! There, I said it. I'm not ashamed of it, and if I could marry fall, I would. So there you have it.

I don't know how many of you get the Noggin channel, but there are a lot of really good shows there for kids. It's not mindless like some of the other channels for kids. There is a show on there that I find as much fun (probably more!) to watch as my kids. "The Upside Down Show". Geez, they are sooooo funny on there! We watched it while waiting for my Mom and Dad to get here this afternoon. Those guys are nuts and very entertaining. I feel kind of silly laughing out loud to a kids show! And, it is educational.

Here is their home on the web if you aren't familiar with it:

The Upside Down Show

I have a feeling I'll be stopping back here a couple more times tonight. My coffee mug seems to be wandering on it's own back to the pot. Seriously, like now. There it goes again! I better follow and make sure it gets the right amount of creamer.

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Posted in General Musings

I am getting excited about a field trip we have planned for Thursday. A town about an hour away has one of the neatest county fairs ever. LOTS to do and see. Since we are studying communities, we are counting this as a community event and making a notebook page when we return. We'll be checking everything out including a show on the "Amazing Rainforest", one on big cats with a lion and tiger, and one on alligators. Of course, there will also be the rides for the kids. I'll have to post some pics when we get back.

If you feel so inclined you can check out the fair website here:

Clay County Fair

Also this coming week on Wednesday, we go for the first time to the local library's homeschooling program. They have a special gathering once per month for homeschooled children. This week's topic is global warming. Should be interesting!

We had a great time today. I took the kids for a picnic and playtime in one of the parks. It was gorgeous out - mid 70s and low humidity. I think summer has finally left us - THANK GOODNESS! Then it was off to the grocery store and we bought the dvd "Barnyard" to watch when we got home. Kind of a cute movie - if I had the opportunity again I'd rent instead of buy, though. I don't think it will be one the kids want to pop in over and over. Tomorrow we invited grandma and grandpa over to watch "Nanny McPhee ". We'll be having the standard popcorn and M&Ms. Should be fun!

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Posted in General Musings

We had our first spelling test today. Josh had 7 words that he was looking at all week. I went over them with him a few times, but told him that it was his responsibility to know these words for the test on Friday. When he studied on his own, he did so half-heartedly and didn't really concentrate. The words were:

city
house
good
job
want
work
need

All the words are related to our MBTP study of communities this week. He looked over his words today, and then I gave him the test. He missed two words. I even said, "This is your first test, so I want you to look at what you wrote for numbers 2 and 6 and see if there is anything you want to change." He said they were just fine. He got both of those words wrong, and then I asked him to add the page to his binder. "What about my sticker???" he said. He knows that he only gets a sticker if he does it on his own, correctly, without any outside help. He was pretty upset when I told him he would not be getting a sticker - he even almost cried. But, we had a talk about concentrating while we practice and really learning how to spell the words. Since it was his first test, I am letting him retake it on Monday for a sticker - if he gets them all correct. We'll see if he really practices this time!

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Posted in General Musings

Man, it has been a very hectic couple of weeks! It's crunch time for homeschool, and I just finished 140 or so notebooking pages. A lot of work, but I think it will be worth it. I'm thinking of sharing some free pages and maybe charging a very small amount (a LOT of work!) through Paypal or something if anyone wants the huge thing. So, my task tomorrow is getting it up on my website so people can download the free stuff and take a look at the biggie.

DH came home this past Saturday night. That in itself doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but he's been gone for 6 weeks! It was so great having him home for a few days. He gets 4 days R&R time every 6 weeks right now. It worked out perfectly for him to be home for our son's 6th birthday (yesterday). We made a big day of it and ended up going to the Omaha zoo about 2.5 hours away. We stopped about halfway and had lunch at Chuckie Cheese with grandma & grandpa.  Then it was off to the zoo. We had such a great time. The kids are just now old enough to really appreciate the zoo and they didn't want to leave! I'll be posting some pics of the jungle area of the zoo - I think that's our favorite part.

DH left for another 6 weeks tonight. =(  It was sad. My daughter always has a hard time with it (she's 4). She's actually pretty "big" about the whole thing, but as he's driving away she breaks down and cries on the couch for a few minutes until I can get her all loved up and distracted with something else.

School starts next week for us.. .lots to do in one weekend so we can take off smoothly. I should be posting more now that I have the monster notebooking file done and my son's birthday is over. I hope all has been going well for everyone - I'll be checking out your blogs tomorrow!

Posted in General Musings

It's been a fairly nasty month of August here. Temps climbing to at or near 100 with higher humidity.  The kind of days where just walking upstairs to take a shower leaves you with a few beads of sweat.  We've had some good rain in the last 2 weeks or so, but that has just served to make it even more humid during the hot days.

TODAY... (oh please oh please oh please let this be the end of the summer temps).. lower 80's, low humidity and a very nice breeze. I left the windows open all night last night and all day today. It's been positively heavenly!! I know the end of the hot temps this month is probably just wishful thinking, but this has SO made me yearn for fall. Fall & spring are my favorite seasons.  I think the weather finally decided to cool off a bit after seeing me break down and buy a small desk fan at Walmart. We have an air conditioner, but the computer room tends to stay a bit warm. I think the weather was there watching me! It's probably some sort of conspiracy between Walmart and the weather. Beware.. beware... Walmart is evil! It will suck you into it's lair and won't let you go until you've spent at least $100. ;)

Posted in General Musings

I am very excited about using Moving Beyond the Page curriculum this year. It just seems perfect for me and my kids. Just enough structure, but not too much.  I wanted something fairly open-ended, yet with quite a bit of the preparation already done - I'm a busy person! Josh is 6 and on grade level in math, but his reading is nearly 3rd grade level. So, it had to be challenging but still basic in some areas. MBTP seems perfect. It's interdisciplinary so he'll get something of everything while we do that - including social studies and science and it was written to touch on all the national standard objectives. I'm teaming it with RightStart Math & Singapore Math's challenging word problems to beef up his math skills, MCP Plaid Phonics (just to be sure he's got everything he needs), Handwriting without Tears & anything else I can come up with.

Anyway, I'm so excited about MBTP (we're using the ages 6-8 program) and yesterday I began developing notebooking pages for all the units/lessons in Concept 1. That's why there was no post here. I plan to make these available somehow for anyone else who is using MBTP ages 6-8 or anyone who is studying communities.. which is the first concept. More on that to come later... like when I'm finished. Don't rush me now, I have sharpened no. 2 pencil and I'm willing to use it. I'm also pretty wicked with the [Shift] key - don't test me! ;)

Today was so busy I feel like I've been run ragged. It seems like everything happens on Thursday, even if it wasn't planned. Do you have a day of the week like that?  Between Tae Kwon Do, gymnastics, grocery & school supply shopping, checking on my parents house (they are out-of-town) and tending to their flowers & tomatoes, taking the kids to the park because it was finally bearable outside, figuring out what the heck happened with a financial matter, getting bills paid... it just goes on. What a nightmare it would be if every day of the week was Thursday.  I mean come on, I only got in 2 cups of coffee. I'm so deprived. (or is that depraved.. I keep forgetting). =)

And now, on to more notebook pages... seize her and throw her in the dungeon!

Posted in General Musings

Ever have a day when you had so much on your mind that you didn't really eat (at least anything very good)? I just realized I am famished. But did I actually make myself a decent meal or anything? No. I went to the kitchen and grabbed crackers and a can of squeeze cheese. lol!  I am sitting here trying to remember what I ate today, and it's not pretty. I've been spending every minute lately planning and researching online for homeschool (starts first week of Sept for me). Here is a list of food I ate today (*cringe*):

Breakfast: A donut & 3 cups of coffee (Yes, 3.)
Lunch: ??? I fixed lunch for the kids, but don't recall eating anything myself.
Dinner: The left over waffle fries I made as part of my kid's dinner with some ranch dressing. More coffee.
Late night snack: Crackers and Squeeze cheese. And, (dare I say it?) more coffee.

I feel like I'm back in college... only I actually have money to buy food. lol!

Posted in General Musings

I am completely clueless as far as any curriculum for these areas. I finally have all the materials for the "main" subjects, but I need some really basic art and music books for my kids (6 & 4 years old). My kids both love these areas and we've done a lot of crafts and singing in the past. But, I'd like them to learn more about each one - line, symetry, etc. in art and the basic scale and how to read notes in music, for example. Anyone have any suggestions for kids this age?

Oops.. I suppose I should add that I'd prefer it not be too Christian based. A few songs, etc. is fine - have nothing against it whatsoever and take the kids to VBS in the summer. But, on the whole, we don't frequent church much.

Posted in General Musings

If you have landed on this page and read the description, you know that this blog will mainly be about my children making a school notebook of their homeschooling work & experiences. I will also be sharing my experiences as a homeschool teacher. I am not new to teaching. I taught 5th grade in the public school system for nine years. That was enough to convince me that homeschooling my own children would be the best choice for our family. =) While nearly all public school teachers do the best job they possibly can under the conditions, it is impossible to give each child the time they would need to really skyrocket their learning and education on an individual basis. I was exhausted at the end of each and every teaching day! My hat is off to those teachers still in the trenches of the public school system.

Am I worried about "socialization"? Nope.

This seems to be the main argument people throw at you when they learn you are homeschooling. I don't want or agree with the "socialization" that takes place in the public school system. I'd rather my children feel positive about their social experiences. I don't want the unhealthy nature of the school playground where some children, by virtue only of how they look or their type of personality are either held up as being better than others or are ostricized.  No, I do not harbor terrible memories of my own experience on the school playground or in the classroom. I was actually one of the more "popular" set of kids and exceled in school. But I do remember. I remember the little girl whose parents could not afford the "right" clothing for her. She wore hand-me-downs and got teased to no end and ostricized on the playground, for no other reason than that. It completely affected everything she did in school, including her performance. Later in high school she was so painfully shy that she didn't say anything to anyone. I remember others who were never allowed to play in games at recess or were always picked last for teams during physical education. I saw the effect that had on those kids, both from my own experience as a child and as a teacher. You can't concentrate or get excited about learning when you are constantly worried about what your peers are saying or thinking about you.

Some people say that sort of thing helps them to develop a "thick skin". Sorry, but I'd prefer my 6 year old son not have to develop some sort of thick skin just to be able to deal with certain children at school, or worse yet, develop some of the same characteristics of those children by virtue of the playground version of "socialization". I watched the kindergarten group at the local school this past year. Half of those children would never be allowed to step foot in my door. Why then, would I want my child to "experience" these kids at school? I don't expect every single experience my children have to be socially positive, but I plan on being there when it's not to minimize the damage and help them deal with it.

Will my children get together with other children? Absolutely. They'll get to play & enjoy children who respect their parents and respect others. My son takes Tae Kwon Do twice per week. He's learning the tenets of the art - courtesy, respect, self-control, perseverence & indomitable spirit - and he's learning it right alongside other kids. My daughter takes gymnastics and ballet, and when she gets old enough, the same Tae Kwon Do my son is taking, if she would like. My kids are socially just fine - and both feel good about being with other children.

Whew. Glad to get that off my chest. Now I'll be able to handle the next "concerned" person's question about the socialization of my children without doinking them in the head first. ;)