My husband and I have decided that homeschooling is the best option for our children and family! We are excited to get started with our almost five year old girl, and our 3 year old boy will be along for the ride this year as well! We don't know much about the "how" yet, but we will be learning together as we continue on this journey together! Feel free to read my blog entries and comment! I am looking forward to keeping everyone in the loop as to our exciting and fun times in homeschooling! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Wed, 14 May 2008 11:33:00 -0500 Wed, 14 May 2008 11:33:00 -0500 So it has been a while since I was over here at HSB.  I am now keeping up with our adventures in homeschooling through blogger since more people can comment and access it because many of my friends and family are not homeschoolers but have their own blogs.... Here is the link to where I will be:   www.thinkeditup.blogspot.com     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/532131/ Wed, 14 May 2008 11:33:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/532131/ Katie's glasses came in YESTERDAY! It was supposed to take 5-7 business days. BLESSED AGAIN! I was on the phone waiting for a friend to come to the line and the eye dr. beeped in...needless to say my friend got "hung up on" before she even got to the phone. They said Katie's glasses are in...they are open till 6. It was 4:20 and I had JUST put bread in the oven and we were on a "must have a shower before we go out the door one more day" day. So....at five minutes till five Katie and I had both been bathed, dressed, the oven shut off (good luck bread!) and we were on our way! When we got there and they put the glasses on Katie, as I told my friend, it was no "Helen Keller" moment, but her eyes got really big and she got really close to the mirror to look at herself. She kept saying "I look SO cute!" (I think she may have heard that from me :) Here is Katie in her new glasses! She kept making funny faces so this was the best we got...we were on our way out the door.... I think that these glasses just look like they were made for her! It's almost like she is finally herself...her personality is now complete! If you have been around Katie then you know what I am talking about when I say that....it just seems so natural! I didn't even make it through the morning without another tearjerker though. This morning as I was getting her ready, I took off her glasses while she was standing in front of the mirror so I could brush her hair and pull it back. She squinted and looked in the mirror and said, "Mommy, I need my glasses back on...it looks like bumpy water!" Katie has been seeing "bumpy water" as normal for as far as we know 5 years..... There is no telling what she has missed....everything that she didn't look straight at apparently. We stopped by the in-laws on the way out of town to let them see her glasses. When she got out of the car she immediately looked into their flower bed up next to the house. There was a Brinks security sign on a post next to the house. It was white with blue writing against their basically whitish house. She said "What is THAT?!" They told her. I said, "How long has that been there?" Nana answered, "The whole time we have lived here." (since before she was born)..................... What an amazing and wonderful world for Katie to get to rediscover! Keep her in your prayers as she continues to adjust and we do the patch therapy with her. THANK YOU GOD FOR HELPING US HELP KATIE TO SEE! (The bread didn't get done....oh well....) http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/441108/ Sat, 8 Dec 2007 14:27:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/441108/ I almost think I will not be able to explain this fully through a blog...but I am going to do my best.... Those of you who have known us for a long time know all this, but I am going to share a little background for anyone reading who doesn't.... Katie, our 5 year old daughter, has had a developmental delay with her gross motor skills from birth. She didn't crawl until 11-12 months and didn't walk until she was 17 months old. Her pediatrician didn't seem overly concerned (although she is quick to refer to any kind of blood test available-another story) but she did eventually refer us for physical therapy for her. She went for a month or so....was catching up somewhat....but still far behind her age group. She is also very big for her age, so it appeared to be even worse than it was...for a child that looked 2 years old to be barely walking. She is smart, was talking, mentally fine. Just confusing to us all around and frustrating. It really broke my heart as a mom. Why was our little girl dealing with this? I prayed over it, I worried and cried over it....but we were in such a different season of our lives at that time. I was a full -time student...pregnant again...dealing with all kinds of things. Eventually Katie caught up to be not that far behind. We figured and accepted that Katie is just Katie. She likes to walk slowly, she very very slowly and cautiously took steps one at a time on the same foot, didn't enjoy playground as much as she should...etc...just heartbreaking. Side story ....at her 4 yr check up, she was slightly not perfect on one eye during her vision screening. They said follow up with an exam, but with the "over-cautiousness" of my pediatrician always reccomending some test or another I didn't ever get around to taking her. Katie is SO smart..already knowing all her letters and sounds at 3 years old, and in the earliest levels of reading at 4. I talked to her 3 yr pre-k teacher who agreed that Katie was doing GREAT in school and didn't seem to struggle with her sight at all, saw things fine in class, etc....plus we did not have vision insurance. Fast-foward to Oct 2007. Katie is taking Tumbling classes....not doing so well as we expected. I mean I am proud of her because she has started turning foward rolls (a major feat), attempting the balance beam, being a real trooper. In our first year of homeschooling I had started noticing that Katie was having fine motor skill trouble as well. It was a struggle for her to concentrate on forming letters with a pencil and for putting little pegs in a hole. I just thought, well Katie will be a little behind with fine motor skills also. Nov: 5 yr check up. Same results with the eye screening. For some reason (GOD!) I decide since it is the second time, we will take her for an exam. Yesterday: Take Katie to the eye doctor. They spray her eyelids with this stuff that makes them relax the eye muslces so they cannot strain. I quickly notice during the exam as it was confirmed by the dr. Katie's vision is extremely bad. She basically sees in blur. Both eyes are very bad, and one is hardly being able to be used at all because she has overcompensated most likely for FIVE years!!!! She has no depth perception. She has no peripheral vision. I asked the dr. knowing the answer, "Could this possibly affect her gross motor skills?" The dr.'s answer brought me straight to tears: "OH ABSOLUTELY YES!" She continued to say that it will also make them complain of headaches (check) and make them feel sleepy (double check!). It all makes so much sense now. But I never would have thought that her delay in going up and down stairs, jumping, climbing on playground equipment, etc. was due to her sight, as much as it seems SO OBVIOUS now. And her tiredness....just everything. I might have thought of it had there been ANY other symptom (not learning letters, not recognizing objects, not being able to see things we saw) She was "seeing things" but just the way she had always seen them and was smart enough to adjust to that. Motor skills were the ONLY thing that she showed a delay in, which to anyone would seem to be a strenth/movement/confidence issue. Difficult to have confidence climbing a ladder with blurred vision and no depth perception! At first I felt SO overwhelmed with guilt. But the dr. assured me that it is wonderful that I brought her in when we did because something can still be done about the one lazy eye and that she is just starting serious school so this is year. As the day went on I went from guilt to complete and total overwhelming joy! What a BLESSING! Katie, whom I have cried and worried over...who we had just accepted to be a little behind...is going to have a HEALING of sorts over this thing we weren't even thinking about anymore. And I am compelled and happy to give thanks where thanks is due, because I can't even tell you what a miracle this is for us. I really wasn't planning to take her for an exam. She didn't seem to show ANY symptoms at all with struggling with sight. She has dealt with it for so long that it is just normal for her. She doesn't struggle academically, has started reading by just getting by with her one eye. There was no sign that she would need glasses. I fully expected to get the same result as at the pediatrician: she is a little bad with distance. It was the opposite: Katie has trouble with closer distances. Which even further explains the particular issues she has (handwriting, pegboards, balance beams, steps, etc.) We weren't worried over it anymore actually, we were past that point. I didn't even know that this was an area that was even "up" for a miracle anymore. But we were just dealt the biggest blessing of our lives! GOD was in this from the beginning. WHY didn't I take her last year? Because God's timing is PERFECT! My husband and I have also been on a spritual journey the past 6 months in a new season of our lives....and if we had been given this miracle last year....we would have said Thank God, but not to the degree we can this year. God is real and in our lives as #1 priority to us now, and he knew that ALL HONOR would be given to him...in THIS year, at THIS TIME, and in THIS CIRCUMSTANCE. I am just so thankful I can't express how much. We are excited to see in a few days when we get her glasses how the world is going to change for her. I am holding on to the faith that was poured out on us yesterday. I will not let it fade. I know that Katie's first few days with "working eyes" will be an adjustment, but I am ready...SO ready to see how this changes her life. THANK YOU GOD!!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/440946/ Sat, 8 Dec 2007 07:21:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/440946/ I decided to paste something I wrote for my other blog:  www.thinkeditup.blogspot.com I haven't been here for a while, what with homeschooling and all! lol.  actually, I got pretty addicted to my other blog, so that's where I have been.  I need to catch up with everyone here though, so I hope to see you all on your blogs! thanks! Well..I have avoided the topic till now, just because I didn't want to offend anyone...but really I don't have anything offensive to say...and if you are reading this, then you must be my friend and will hopefully realize that I am talking about my belief here, and nothing is meant to criticize anyone for their choices! So, with that being said, I just want to say that I LOVE homeschooling! And...my children seem to enjoy it as well! They are learning so much! I want to brag that my daughter is reading end of year kindergarten level books (in case you didn't know they read in kindergarten these days!) and so that puts us at being on track for first grade level by the end of the year! (She just turned 5). She knows even and odd numbers, can add number up to 10 in her head, and her handwriting is looking very good! Noah is also doing very well! He has learned his address, phone number, birthday, letters A-G and the sound (the important part) and can recognize numbers and count. Besides that, he knows all this colors, shapes, lots of stuff about various "stuff." Oh, and Katie knows what a quadrilateral and parrallel lines are! And...Noah can write his name! (he is 3) They also both have friends at church, can interact in a group of students at the local playschool where they play while I have moms bible study, and have access to many more, but we have such a full schedule that we just haven't had time to go to park day yet. I am saying all this to say: homeschooling works, and it works well! I do not mean at all to sound like I am bragging...but I am a mom, and as the one who was there when her children learned all the above mentioned things: I am PROUD of them! (and their teacher!) Why should a mom cry because she has to send her child "off to school." I have to say that homeschooling has equaled "PEACE" in our home. Just like the name we chose for our school: PEACE Academy. Peace in knowing that Katie and Noah can learn at their own pace (Be it fast or slow). Peace in knowing that they are safe. Peace in knowing that they can stay in out of the stormy, snowy, cold, or hot weather. Peace in knowing that the friends they have are from families we know, that we know will be a positive influence in their lives. Peace in knowing that what they are reading, being read to, learning about science, learning about values, are all things based in a belief system that we believe to be honest and true. Peace from knowing that there is no divided allegience between what is going on at school and what is going on at home. Peace in knowing that their faith will have time to be built strongly, matured, and nourished before it is attacked by outside views. Peace in knowing that that we can say that we did what was right for us, and we have all benefitted from it. Some may view this as being a sheltering parent. I believe that all the "unsheltering" my child needs can be acheived by walking through the mall or Wal-Mart. This is just my opinion. Some may not feel called to homeschool their children. That it is a matter that should be prayer over, and I don't disagree. But, how many people pray over sending their children anywhere else? Would they be willing to accept that they weren't called to send their children to public or private school? God doesn't always call us to our comfort zone. I just felt the need to share my views, as it has become something very dear to me. I want everyone to experience the closeness and rewards of being a homeschool family. It is just so much fun, so rewarding, and not to mention the flexibility. All that stuff I mentioned at the beginning? We just started school in September, and we average 2 1/2 hrs 3 days a week of actual "school." It is awesome! And our kids are wierdos because of it. We were all wierdos long before we started homeschooling! :) Oh, and I don't claim to have any advantage by having been a teacher before...I am glued to every word of the script in my math teacher's manual! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/426583/ Tue, 13 Nov 2007 22:24:00 -0600 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/426583/ So, I won homeschool blogger of the month on a yahoo share group in which I am a member.  I was so surprised!  It is really encouraging to hear from other ladies who homeschool...I just love that group and was honored to be chosen for October!  Our homeschooling it going pretty well.  We are still finding our routine, we never have two days exactly the same!  Which keeps it fun! I am using Right Start Math with Katie and sometimes I am tempted to skip over something that I think is just too complicated for her to understand, but I usually just go ahead and try it, and boy she is so smart!  So far she has learned the term "quadrilateral" and "parallel" and "non-parallel."  AND she really understands them!  I have decided to not think about skipping anything anymore!  They are capable of so much more that we give them credit for being able to understand! On the other hand...my silly son.  He is three and he just messes with me sometimes...I think he knows that I need to know that he is learning "something."  We have done 4 letters so far...and sometimes he just says "I don't know" when I ask him "what is this letter?"  He smiles when he does it too.  He is going to be one of those who you know he knows it but he just doesn't want to show it! We are having a great time, though.  We are visiting a local pumpkin patch this week for a field trip.  Next week we are going to a local orchestra concert....I am really excited about that.  My kids love to watch Little Einsteins and are very interested in orchestra instruments.  Great opportunities for us! LOVING EVERY SINGLE DAY!!!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/401246/ Tue, 2 Oct 2007 07:24:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/401246/ School is going great.  I am enjoying every minute of time spent with my children...they are learning everything well and just showing me how smart I know they are!  Our new classroom is working out so well...plenty of room to roam around and play and also get things accomplished.  My mom's Bible study has also just began a new study.  It's a Beth Moore series:  A Woman's Heart:  God's Dwelling Place.  It is just wonderful.  It is making me do my homework each night, which I actually look foward to doing and have to pace myself to not finished it too soon!  I have to share something though...it is something I wrote and shared with my email friends.  A thought was mentioned in my Wednesday night class at church...a thought about God changing the nature of a person when they become saved.  Just wanted to post it here and see what anyone thought of it.  Talk to you all soon! Jesus said, "By their fruit you will recognize them." (Matthew 7:16 NIV)   I just wanted to share a thought that has been on my mind today, something I heard in class last night at church.   You don't have to coax and work to get a good cherry tree to produce good cherries.  IT JUST DOES!  Because that's what it IS: a good tree.  A good tree  by its own nature will produce good fruit naturally.   Likewise, don't be angry because a poison berry tree produces poisonous berries.  No amount of pleading and coaxing can change the nature of a poison berry tree.  It produces bad fruit because that what it IS:  a bad tree.  A bad tree, by its "natural" nature of being, will produce bad fruit every time.   It is like this with Christians.  In the verse above and below refer to the nature of Christians.  We can tell who truly has made a "nature change" by their fruit.  When you accept Jesus, HE is the only one who can make a change in your nature IF YOU WILL OBEY AND ALLOW HIM TO DO SO. THEN, the poison tree you used to be can be a NEW CREATION and produce good fruit with HIS help.  If you have a loved one who is lost, don't be angry and frustrated with their behavior.  A sinner, by his or her nature will produce bad fruit that's just what they do!  You can't make another person's nature change....no one on this earth can. There is only ONE who can do that and until they allow it to happen, they are going to be the same tree they have always been. All you can do is fervently pray and watch your own fruit so as to not deceive the other trees.   But also ask yourself, as I have been doing.  What fruit am I producing?  Would someone know my nature by my fruit?  The verse below speaks to us as believers.  Just think about it.   "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to Me as 'Lord,' but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21 NLT)   http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/395525/ Sat, 22 Sep 2007 07:30:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/395525/ Well....I have to say that I have a a fantastic and FUN first week of school with my children!  Katie and Noah are excited to go downstairs to our classroom in the mornings, and they LOVE school with mommy!  Mommy LOVES school with them as well! Our first day was a little bit rough for Noah.  With the new room, he just wanted to play and not sit still AT ALL.  I know he is only three, but he could sit still for a story or to see what day it is lol!  Anyway, we did school Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  By Thursday, he was more in a routine and overall it was a great week.  They both learned their memory verse for the week, Noah really and truly learned the letter "A" and Katie is off to a great start with Right Start Math.  I am teaching them both together with Math at this point, though I anticipate that later I will have to split when it starts moving along faster.  I am interested to see how he does with it though.  He has had no prior number "schooling" at all really, so I am anxious to see how the "blank slate" responds to Right Start.  I am going to skip Katie a good bit in Reading, she is pretty bored with the beginning of the year stuff in kindergarten Abeka, so next week I plan to see how far she can go in the book. So...we love school!  Great week!  Can't wait till next week! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/391805/ Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/391805/ We are finally ready to start school!  These are the after pictures of our basement room!  We start school tomorrow!  I am so proud of my husband and his paw paw and dad who worked many long hours to finish the room for our precious children.  Don't be alarmed if it looks formal bc of the desks...these were passed down "heirlooms" you could say, they belonged to me and my brother.  Katie and Noah love it and just don't want to leave it since I got all the "school stuff" put in Friday.  I will blog to let everyone know how day one goes.  Pray for us!  By the way, I am so proud of the after pictures that I am not ashamed to share the before.  Here it is: http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/388192/ Sun, 9 Sep 2007 19:50:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/388192/ I haven't posted in a while...mainly because I am at a stand still in the homeschooling department.  I am currently waiting on all our curriculum to arrive, and waiting for our homeschool room to get finished.  We have a start, but limited time to work on it, so hopefully our space will be done by September.  I am anxiously awaiting our orders to come in so I can look over all the curriculum and hopefully start making some plans with it.  I have a daily and weekly schedule done, with the enrollment in tumbling classes and a library day worked into our weekly schedule.  The waiting is difficult.  I want to be busy, but my hands are tied with this stuff. I got to see some great close friend of ours this past weekend, so that was a welcome break!  We always have so much fun with them and our children enjoy each other.  Unfortunately, they are a military family, so the prospect of them living nearby is only a far in the future thing.  She will homeschool also, so we really would enjoy having them nearby, but it is not God's plan right now. I have enjoyed looking at all the homeschool open house entries.  I haven't been able to comment on all of them, because I have a dial-up connection and getting from page to page is hard enough without going to the comment box every time.  I have learned lots of things and gotten lots of ideas for organization.  Anyway....hopefully I will have my before and after pictures of the classroom up in the next couple of weeks.  I look forward to sharing it.  Talk to you later! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/373780/ Wed, 15 Aug 2007 09:02:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/373780/ We attended the Homeschool Expo this past weekend, so I HAD to make some changes!  WOW!!  I saw so many things and got my hands on some awesome stuff!  We have definitely decided to go with some curriculum, which of course we will use at our own pace and add to and modify to fit our two little "students." So my new encourager, Jenn4Him, begged me to do an open house entry, although I am FAR from being ready for day 1.  It is encouraging as well as pressuring to see what a great job everyone is doing and how so many of you have already had "day 1!"  My goal is to begin day 1 of school on Sept. 4th.  A rough outline of our day follows, because I am one who NEEDS a schedule or I will slack or spend too much time on something that I truly don't want to.... Here's what I have so far for our daily schedule: 7:00-8:30:  Wake up, dress, breakfast, morning routine 8:30-8:50:  Center/Play time while mommy gets thoughts together for the day 8:50-9:00:  prayer, pledges, memorization time (verses, poems) 9:00-9:15:  Calendar time, action songs 9:30-10:00:  Phonics and Reading time, together and individually.  We are going to use the Abeka Program for Reading/Language/Phonics.  We are using the 5 yr program for Katie and just a couple of books for Noah from the 3-yr old program. 10:00-10:15:  Kumon Workbooks (cutting, tracing, mazes), Handwriting Without Tears (MAT man-I loved him!) 10:15-10:45:  Upstairs to make snacks and do a few chores around the house 10:45-10:55:  Read aloud, Bible storytime (Bedell Bible Curriculum) 10:55-11:25:  Math lessons together and individually.  Noah will just be "learning" some number recognition and counting.  We have chosen RightStart Math for Katie. 11:25-12:00:  Monday-Art activity, Tuesday-Science, Wednesday-Music, Thursday-library, Friday-Playtime and Gross Motor Skills practice. 12:00-12:30:  "Recess" on indoor play area or in rooms 12:30-1:00:  lunch/done for the day! The schedule will be for Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.  On Tuesday mornings we attend a Mom's Bible study that takes most of the morning where they will play in a preschool during the time I am in the study.  After Tuesday Bible study, I will try to do some short reading and math lessons with Katie while Noah plays with some educational toys and games, so she is sure to get everything she needs in those areas.  On Thursdays I am planning to take them to the library for storyhour during the morning, then in the afternoon they are going to be enrolled in some kind of physical activity class, dance or tumbling. On Thursdays I also plan to fit in some sign language learning during the day.  We absolutely fell in love with the format and thoroughness of the Bedell Bible Stories. I also LOVE the Handwriting Without Tears program, esp for my son, who isn't ready to "write" yet.  It looks easy and fun so I hope both of them will enjoy it!   I also have high hopes for the RightStart Math program.  I hated Math as a child, it was so boring and repetitive, so I am hoping that using the abacus and learning while using games, etc will make math time fun for Katie and she will look forward to "playing" with math. One of my favorite discoveries has been the Kumon workbooks.  My kids have loved these.  These are great for my three year old to learn cutting skills, pasting skills, and right now tracing skills, where he just practices "drawing lines" to connect the two pictures to make straight lines, later on curved lines, etc.  It is so much like a game that he doesn't realize he is getting ready to be ready for writing letters.  Also, the cutting practices are so much fun!  We also have a simple mazes book that is great for practicing pencil control.  I really enjoy these books and have already purchased several to use this year to help them with fine motor skills. I had to change the paragraph about homeschooling for free, because my views have definitely changed since I attended the expo.  There is just so much out there to help moms be great homeschoolers, and even though it will cost us a little upfront, I truly believe we will be making a great investment for our children!  I still plan to supplement with some fun things online as we need or see fit.  I will definitely be searching out the science/social studies/music/health activities and lessons online. I am getting more and more excited everyday!  We have so much to do between now and Sept. 4th! I took a picture of my downstairs basement room (the future classroom) in its current unfinished state, and I will be anxious to compare it to the "after" picture when everything is ready!  I will definitely post our results as our adventure begins next month!  I couldn't bring myself to post the before picture until I have the "after" one ready! Thanks for reading my extremely amateur open house blog!  I am really excited about looking at everyone else's postings and may change some things if I find some really good ideas elsewhere! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/367548/ Fri, 3 Aug 2007 19:23:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carriethompson/367548/