L'Chayim! - Homeschool Blogger

Back again

Sun, 24 Sep 2006 01:46:00 -0500

well, at first I was intimidated because everyone seems to write such thoughtprovoking blogs = and then I thought - i don't care . . .

so, here goes - i broke down and did the Connections Academy thing - you know, the charter school online. it's going okay but pretty intense - lots of work for us considering we were fairly solid UNschoolers. So what changed? Well, the kids did - actually. They wanted to make sure that they were on task. I have a feeling that next year they won't ask to be in it again - which is fine with me.

Emily is in hawaii for a year long missions trip.

that's enough for now.

martha

almost ready

Mon, 2 Jan 2006 19:42:00 -0600

i have all the daily schedules typed up, the plans for corps work are in place, program ideas lined up - whew . . .

busy new years day!

I finished Don's video - it was fun, but took a long time - but it was worth it.

all right gotta go.

Martha

Hanukkah

Wed, 28 Dec 2005 14:56:00 -0600

So we are on day three of hanukkah - even though I think it is day 4 . . . i'll have to check. But we are reading a book called Alexandra's Scroll - it's great.

I've done my end of the year planning - gettimg my life back in order after the craziness of an Army christmas season.

I've got a schedule for homeschooling - let's hope it works - incorporating Bible Bowl, music along with some basics.

we've made some personal goals - calling them CLAIM THE LAND - with each letter standing for a scripture verse, which stands for a goal - hoping it will help me learn bible verses for those things that are important to us.

I'm hoping to keep up with this a little better . . .but we'll see. . . .

Am I an unschooler? or not?

Tue, 22 Nov 2005 22:57:00 -0600

sometimes I wonder. okay, so right now I am smack dab in the middle of taking christmas applications for people who need help with food and toys.

sometimes i feel like i live such a double life. I don't really celebrate Christmas - except to use as an evangelistic tool and a way to talk to people about Jesus. And yet here I am, helping people get toys and food for a holiday that they don't really even celebrate themselves.

Now, I am NOT being cynical - and I'm not in a bad mood - but I just don't get it - when people have to be given toys so that they can give them to their kids. Why can't they make something - or do something together as a family - or have a nice family dinner (which is rare among many families). Why the whole toy/gift thing?

Now, dont get me wrong - I love to give gifts but to be honest, I like doing it all the time. It's not my main love language but I love doing it. I just don't understand why we emphasize it at Christmas. It just sounds so materialistic and greedy to teach our children to expect something for nothing - and from people that they don't even know.

Anyway, I'm trying to make my schedule like this - I will be at home in the morning (do school, housework, etc.) - then me and the kids all go to the church and I work and they hang (sometimes doing schoolwork, sometimes playing in the gym, sometimes volunteering with the other groupies). About dinner time, Steph (the girl who is living with us for a little while) comes by and picks up the kids to take them home for dinner, baths, and bed - and usually movies. That's the plan. we've done it for two days - ithas worked.

the problem is school - since i am so busy with christmas at the office right now, i don't spend a lot of time on schooling them - so I'm looking for self-directed activities - which works well for three out of four of them!

I'm going to make Hanukkah books and have them go through them during the slow hours when I'm busy . . . coloring, etc. I also have JBop which goes through the holidays. other than that, they are doing the times tables daily and reading Narnia.

sigh - so little time, so much to learn, so many books!!!!

Trying to fit it all in

Mon, 24 Oct 2005 10:02:00 -0500

I don't know if anybody will ever read this and maybe I'm hoping that nobody does . . . .
I have five kids at home - one is a senior in High School, and four at home.     I tend to be an unschooler and yet, I feel very pressured to make sure the kids are performing at state regulated levels.   I've never registered any of them and so I have no idea if they are "where they are supposed to be" or not.    I know that they can read well but that's not all school is about.

I am trying to balance being a busy pastor's wife (with lots of responsibility as a help-mate in this area!) and a mom and a homeschool teacher, and a leader in women's ministry.   That's enough but there is more . . .

I have done pretty good at cutting a lot of things out . . .I'm pretty narrowed down to what I HAVE to do . . . I don't do a lot of extra things . . .and still I struggle with getting it all done.

I think the thing that I should work on first is getting a night routine going.   Since we moved here a few months ago, we have never gotten back on track.   We go to bed at all hours and often the kids are up when I fall asleep. then the next day it is hard to get them up - so I just let them sleep.

So, on the list today, set up the "fun" room at the church for the kids (don't want to call it the School Room . . . )and try to come up with a night routine.

Oh, and I'm sick today.

My first entry

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 20:47:00 -0500

I am excited to find a blogging space for homeschoolers - we have problems that other people just don't relate to. When I do have a problem, their response is - just send them to school and have done with it!!!

well, I'll try to keep this fairly current - if only for myself.