Disclaimer: This blog is mostly a personal diary about our homeschooling adventures, my time with family and friends, and a record of my journey with GOD. If you want a peek into our lives, you are always welcome. But if you get bored, please feel free to move on to greener reading pastures! May the LORD bless you and keep you!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/ en-us Homeschool Blogger Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:25:00 -0500 Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:25:00 -0500 Belle wrote this touching paragraph about her big sister.  I had to share it!    Have you ever seen my sister when she wakes up?  It's a very terrifying experience!  She has messy hair and an evil look in her dark green eyes.  You can tell she wants to sleep, and you feel the fear as she glares at you.  You want to run but you know you can't.  She practically looks like she wants to eat you, flesh and all.  Oh, how I'm afraid of my sister in the morning! LOL, there's no drama in my family! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/731336/ Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:25:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/731336/ Wow, I can hardly believe we are entering our fifth year of home schooling!  Although, sometimes it feels like it's been a hundred!  LOL  Again our year has a different structure.  Tori has now graduated high school and is working for a year before deciding on post-secondary education.  I had no idea what a huge burden would be lifted with her being done!  Is that what all home schooling parents feel like? Or just when their first child is finished school?? So, this year I am home schooling two kids again but this time without the distraction of getting another child to and from school and a co-op job.  So far it's going well although it is an ongoing challenge to keep Hunter focused on his work.  My biggest problem this year is having Tori at home when she's not working, and Ron at home during the day when he's worked all night.  Little house, too many people, not enough space, too much noise, and a little boy easily distracted....not a good combination!!  SIGH  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/731323/ Mon, 28 Sep 2009 16:31:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/731323/ Well, it hasn't been very summery weather here this year!  Not that I have minded almost zero humidity and the cooler weather.  It would be nice if it wouldn't rain so much, though.  We haven't had very many pool or beach days. Belle is spending her summer at the Christian day camp she's worked at for three years now.  She loves it!  This year, she is camp counselor for a couple of camps (each camp is two weeks), drama coordinator for a camp, and then will work maintenance for the last week.  She comes home on weekends but it isn't enough time to see her by the time she catches up on sleep and does laundry.  We also go see her on Visitor's Night on Wednesdays.  We have spent some lovely evenings walking along the marina in the next town.  I'm really proud of what she's doing out there.....serving the Lord, getting closer to Him through their "devos", and having great fun with friends and the camp leaders.  Hunter has had a more relaxed holiday.  He started off the summer with a week of day-long vacation Bible school.  They did a great job, and he enjoyed it.  At the end of July, he had two weeks of day camp where Belle works.  This week, he was supposed to go to another DVBS that only runs in the morning but he is really sick with croup, I think.  In our free time, we've been vegging, going to the beach or pool when the weather is nice, getting together with friends, and going out on the boat and fishing with daddy. Tori had to go to summer school to get her last math credit.  She was supposed to attend for the whole month of July but did so well she completed it in less than a week and a half.  But they still made her stay for the two weeks which was frustrating.  The day she finished, she found out she was hired on at a local grocery store.  Unfortunately, it's turned out to be extremely part-time so she is going through the process of working with a job connection agency.  Hopefully, she'll get more work.  We have had quite our struggles with her in the past month.  The law may say she's an adult but the reality is...she isn't!  She is like a baby bird...too big for the nest but not yet able to fly on her own.  It has been frustrating and stressful for us!  We are in the process of drawing up a contract.  I pray things will be able to be worked out enough for us to live in harmony until she moves out!  Ron has been busy with work although he had two days off in July when the plant closed for roof repairs.  Since all the kids were gone, he and I enjoyed lunches out and Timmy's in the morning.  He had business cards made up and since starting to pass those out, his computer business has really taken off.  A co-worker at the plant was killed last week in a drunk driving accident so there is an opening for a full-time job.  He applied for it today.  We have been praying for him to get off the road for years especially since he was advised by his orthopedic surgeon to change jobs because of his knee.  We will wait on the Lord and see what happens. But again plans are up in the air about the new school year.  We were planning on putting Belle back in the academy in the fall.  We cannot afford the full year's tuition.  If I could work in the school for one day a week that cuts the tuition in half.  But with Hunter still home schooling it's not really possible.  And, of course, if Ron gets this new job then we wouldn't be able to afford the academy at all this year.  It is frustrating when I ask the Lord for answers that I end up getting more questions.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/716270/ Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:20:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/716270/ I seriously do not know how people find time to blog on a regular basis!  I do find it sad that my track record is only one posting a year.  I will try to remedy that this month.  I thought our summer was going to be more restful but as happens every year, it's just whipping by and I am left wondering what the heck we've done for two months!  Our school year went very well.  Tori went back to public high school for her senior year.  She had wanted to be a police officer for the past three years.  So, she enrolled in a law course and miracle beyond miracle landed a placement at our Ontario Provincial Police Detachment.  She beat out 25 other students across our city.  We were so proud and it was a real answer to prayer!  She worked in the office and enjoyed the girls she worked with, and even got out in a cruiser with an officer for a ride along.  But in talking to another policeman about her education in regards to being hired on there, he recommended she choose a secondary career as they would train her for policing.  Well, that turned her in another direction completely and now she has abandoned her dream of being in law enforcement.  For now, she doesn't know what she wants to do.  She completed her school year with a short stint in summer school picking up her last math credit, and now is working an extremely part-time job at a local grocery store.  She is hoping to pick up another job or two and work this next year before deciding about her post-secondary education.  She also started dating a lovely Christian guy just before Christmas, and they are quite serious.  Right now, we continue to struggle with her.  She is a baby bird too big for the nest but still unable to fly on her own.  She would not agree, of course, and therein lies the struggle.  I continue to bathe her prayer! As for Belle and Hunter, we all enjoyed our year homeschooling together!  Belle did miss her friends from the academy but she joined the Friday Group and had a great time at their regional competition in May.  The group also had music, art, and archery lessons.  She was busy almost every night of the week.  Monday was her small group Bible study, Tuesday she'd go to the movies or Awanas, Wednesday she was a junior leader helping with the Junior Youth Group, and Friday was Senior Youth Group.  She also picked up some odd jobs babysitting and doing yard work.  As for her school work, that proved to be a little more challenging when working in a new environment with a busy little brother!  She had a harder time staying focused and didn't get as much accomplished as she would have in the academy.  They were always good to get the best out of her.  But she enjoyed being more relaxed at home and spending time with us! With Hunter, I thought home schooling was going to be a complete failure!  By the end of the first month, I was ready to send him back to school!  He was unfocused and squirrely, and he couldn't get any work done unless I practically "sat" on him.  By the end of October, I was at my wits' end and another home school mom had me convinced my son had ADHD, which I would never have considered before.  I was praying for wisdom and asking God to show me what do, and He answered!  I realized he had WAY too much sugar in his diet.  When he was a baby, he had a lot of feeding issues which just spiraled into eating issues when he got older making him a very timid and picky eater.  But, of course, all kids love sugar.  I realized there were a lot of sugary drinks in the house as well.  So, of course, the only plan of action was drastically cutting down his sugar intake.  I arrived at this conclusion on Halloween Day of course!!!  I decided on a two sugar treat a day max which included a granola bar, chocolate milk, etc.  We took him to a Harvest Party instead of out trick or treating.  And within a week, our boy had calmed down and was a different kid.  He read better, had less temper tantrums, was more focused, and could actually get his school work done in a reasonable amount of time.  So, the rest of the year went very well.  I found a lovely tutor for him, taught him a little sign language, and we enjoyed reading together.  He got a lot of work done and I was very pleased with his progress! We also managed to do a lot of extras with home schooling.  We went walking, biking, swimming, played games, did our devotions and prayed together, took some rain and snow days off, and enjoyed a little freedom!  I loved the fact that on a gorgeous fall day, while other kids were stuck in a class room, we had the privilege of going for a walk and picking up pretty leaves!   Thank you, Lord, for a good year!!! As for myself, in September, I started selling Avon.  It is very low on my priority list so I'm not making too much right now.  I have also taken over the women's ministry at my church.  That is a big job and has proved challenging!  But it is kingdom work so hopefully the Lord will bless! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/715454/ Sat, 8 Aug 2009 09:20:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/715454/     They say the only constant in life is change.  That is definitely the case in the past few years since taking the kids out of public school.  The first year, I homeschooled one full-time, one part-time, and had one in private school.  The second year, there was one homeschooled, one in the academy full-time, and one in part-time.  The third year, I had one homeschooled, and two in the academy full-time.  This year, we have one in public school, and two being homeschooled full-time!!  Whew!  Good thing I'm flexible!!     Tori will be finishing her last year of high school back in public school.  She only needs six more credits and is taking university prep.  She will be busy but I'm feeling confident she is ready to venture back into the world.  I think it will be a good transition for when she goes away to school.     As for the other two, they are excited to come home with me.  It will be a new venture for me to homeschool two kids.  I am hoping my life might be a little more relaxed.  I'll keep you posted!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/578776/ Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:44:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/578776/     My kids and I are allergic to pets.  We've tried the fish and the furry ones but we have now discovered the perfect pet!  A bearded dragon lizard!  I have always love reptiles and our little Miette is a darling!  We are all excited to have her and love her although I have to admit feeding her live crickets is a bit of a put off.  But if anyone is looking for something different for their children, the beardies are great.  They love to be held and they are very interesting.  We have had our dragon for two months now and she is totally a part of our family.  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/563091/ Sat, 19 Jul 2008 14:27:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/563091/     So, it happens every spring, I started planning our new school year for next fall.  Tori is finishing up her third year of homeschooling.  It has been our best year yet!  She is on track both spiritually and academically.  So!...a huge decision has been made!  Drum roll please.....!  She is returning to school!  She has been wanting to finish her senior year "in a real school".  It is out of district, smaller than the local school, and she has many Christian friends there.  She will only need 6 more credits they will be university-prep.  I think she is ready to go back although I'm still a tad unsure.  I do think, though, that it is a good transition, to step out into the world and still have the safety net and security of her home life before she goes off to university.  Everything seemed to fall into place for her and I even ended up knowing their new principal!  I had prayed she would be blocked from this school if she wasn't meant to go back.  All I can figure is that it is time.  Of course, I am already praying for her year ahead right now!      As for my two youngest children in private school....another drum roll, please!....I have decided to bring them home!!!!  No one is more shocked over this idea/decision more than I!!  But I'm pretty sure the Lord is in it.  We are all very excited.  And looking forward to another year with yet another look!  Oh, and I'm hoping this fall I won't feel like I'm being dragged into the new school year kicking and screaming!!! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/533740/ Sat, 17 May 2008 11:43:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/533740/     I can't believe it's been eight months since I've posted here!  That's almost a WHOLE year!  It's been so eventful I could fill up a blog site just with that!      The fall began and I survived.  This year, I worked two full days at the Christian school.  That was tough since it's a very long day.  But on the flip side, it was wonderful to not have a divided mind.  I was either working in the school or I was homeschooling Tori.  I loved my two full days of being with her.  Since she felt it was the Lord's will she homeschool for Grade 11, it has been a pleasant year.  We got a lot done with Hunter occupied at school.  She has done mostly ACE, has been tutored a bit by Jamie, and taken two courses through the correspondence.  She is now registered for her senior year at a public school across town.  I have mixed feelings but God seemed to orchestrate events so that she was accepted, and I even found out I knew the principal.  We'll see how things play out in the fall.  There is always homeschooling to fall back on!      As for Belle, she has done excellent this year, maintaining an average of 93%.  She has made every Honour Roll each quarter is always awarded with a free school trip.  This quarter we are going to the Science Centre.     Hunter has also done well with his school although he's struggled with Scripture memory, and long days.  He gets bored easily but he's reading now and is extremely good in Math.     Our year continued to be full of setbacks and stresses.  In September, my husband's and both girls' bikes were stolen in broad daylight right beside our house.  The kids prayed and prayed but they were never recovered.  At the end of October, Ron had his second surgery so he was off work again for a month.  This surgery fixed the sharp pain he was having and he can now straighten it better but it continues to hurt him.  He should find a new occupation but so far nothing has come up.  December found him laid off for work again for the three weeks over the Christmas season.  Finances were a constant worry since he is self-employed.  The kids had to learn that Christmas really was about the Christ-child and not getting presents.  Many wonderful friends did up providing for us, and we certainly did not lack during the holiday season!  Praise the Lord!     For Christmas, we went up north to my parents to spend a few lovely days in front of the fireplace in their cozy log home.  My sister and her family were there.  As it always happens, everyone got sick with various and asundry ailments.  Ron and Hunter were in emerg on Boxing Day.  And then, we had another misfortune.  Ron and Belle were in an almost head on vehicle collison on a snowy highway outside of my parents' town.  God kept them safe, and our family were also in town so they were surrounded by support.  Both were really shaken and Belle had a sore neck and back from the seat belt locking but otherwise they were fine.  The person responsible for the accident and her passenger were also fine after a trip to emerg.  Unfortunately, our van did not survive, and it was written off.  We had a lovely expensive rental car for three weeks but, alas, I was not meant to enjoy it.  The day we came home from my parents', I ended up sick with ongoing bladder problems and bronchitis.  I spent the month of January in bed except to see doctors, specialists, and trips to the emergency.  I was in so much pain I was ready to give up.  I had many tests, scopes, was put under twice within four days, and eventually had emergency surgery to remove a kidney stone (11 mms OUCH!)  After awhile, the pain went away but it's been a long haul getting my strength back.  I am even still exhausted after running errands or doing anything physically taxing.  And, to this day, my specialist has NO idea what was wrong with me.  Personally, I think God healed me.  My church was great!  I had a lot of people praying and sending cards including my students at school.  The moms  were wonderful!  They brought meals for a week, and then my Bible study ladies brought some meals.  I have no idea how people outside the family of God make it through life!     Chronicling the calamities, in February we found out no financial institution would give us money for a new van.  And to top it off, we are still paying the same amount every month only now we have one vehicle.  So, we borrowed a van from some missionary friends in Africa, only to have to put money into it when their muffler fell off.  Now, our SUV needs work.  Last week, the van we borrowed was stolen.  Again in broad daylight in the middle of the afternoon.  We didn't hear back from the police and assumed it had ended up in a chop shop.  I was not surprised something like this would happen given the past year and a half.  Four different people told me to wait and see what good God was going to bring out of this latest crisis.  So, I did not rant and rave at God but waited quietly.  And miracle of miracles!!!!...it was recovered yesterday, and as God would have it, we were out searching for the van when a tow truck pulled in with it in tow!!!  We can NOT believe we were there at that exact point and time, at that exact place!  We are so happy to have it back as we felt a great weight of responsibility for it.  Ron's computer tool box was missing but everything else is intact except for the ignition.      So, even though this past year has been hell, I will end this post rejoicing in the Lord! http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/517539/ Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:37:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/517539/     Have you noticed the crickets are chirping?  And that the evenings and mornings are cooler with the afternoons heating up?  Have you seen all the stores with their back-to-school stock in?  And the garden centres selling their mums?  These are all the sad signs of summer ending!     Two months ago, I was actually wondering what I was going to do with my kids for 2 1/2 months of summer vacation!  I must have been out of mind!!!  Here we are two months later, and I can feel the familiar tension building up in me as another school year approaches.  I usually feel like I've been dragged into autumn kicking and screaming...sometimes literally when the alarm starts going off again at 6:30am.  But it isn't always about losing my sleep, it's putting back on the mantle of educator and all the pressure that comes with that.  And working part-time in my younger children's school while homeschooling a high schooler full-time isn't exactly a picnic, either!  So, I will soak up whatever is left of summer and put off thinking of school as long as I possibly can!  Of course, my son laughs at me when I can't help but sneak a peek at all the new school supplies in the stores!      Our summer has been so different but good!  Tori, who is 16, got her first full-time job working at a golf and country club.  She works on the maintenance crew and her mornings start at 5:00 am.  It is hard phyical labour, in sometimes extreme heat.  I am so proud of her for persevering!  She is quite pleased with the money she's made as well.     Belle, who just turned 13, has had a very full summer at a Christian camp.  She has been through a week of leadership camp, two weeks of being a leader-in-training, two weeks as a camper (hard switch there!), and will finish out with a week on the kitchen staff.  She stays out at the camp when she is on staff so it is a new experience with her being away.  She has grown up a lot over the summer, sometimes going all "teenager" on me which I am not used to when it comes to my sweet Belle!     With the girls gone most of the summer, that has left a lot of time for Hunter and I to be together.  He has taken two weeks of swimming lessons...which he passed with flying colours, and just finished a week of vacation Bible school.  We have gone to the wading pool, the beach, and spent a lot of time at a friend's pool.  He's become an extremely good swimmer.  His biggest and proudest accomplishment this summer has been learning to ride a two-wheeler!  I feel like a proud mommy bird whose baby has learned to fly!      As for Ron, he finally went back to work full-time at the beginning of August.  This injury has been a long haul and it's not over yet.  He will have a second surgery done in October since he still cannot straighten his leg.  He is still in quite a lot of pain and his knee is tight and swollen.  The financial stress is ongoing and very draining.      Well, that pretty much sums up our life to date!  I will not think of the "s-word" until the very last minute I have to....then you will hear me kicking and screaming!!!     http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/373972/ Wed, 15 Aug 2007 13:26:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/373972/     I don't know about other homeschooling moms, but every March I start thinking about the next school year.  Since I've only been doing this for two years now, it has been an agonizing prospect every year.  The first March, the Lord told me to homeschool again next fall.  This year, when I was feeling some pressure to register her for public school, I prayed again and I felt the Lord telling me to wait, just wait.  So, I waited since obeying the year before had brought such spectacular results.  I wasn't sure what I was waiting for, though.  In spite of Tori's turn around, she had continued to want to go back to public school.  And, even though, she is in a much better place now, I am still convinced that is not the place for my child, or any of my children, no matter what grade they are in!  I would love to see all three of my kids at the academy.  The other two have done very well there, and I feel such a peace knowing that they are where they are supposed to be.  But it has been quite a challenge this year to work three mornings a week at the academy, and homeschool a high-schooler full-time.  Despite my continued prayers, Tori is still adamantly against going there next fall.   I have been avoiding the subject of schooling next fall because I didn't want to get into a battle of wills.  Also, the question came up as to what would happen if she insisted on going to public despite our continued opposition.  Does a parent completely wipe their hands of it, and leave her to her own devices or do they take her through the process and stand beside her despite the rebellion?!  Advice from experienced homeschoolers advised me to stand beside her no matter the decision.  So, to avoid the inevitable conflict, I avoided the subject completely, praying in the meantime, God would block her from the public school, and give me the miracle I wanted by convincing her to go to the academy.  Tori and I did have a relaxed and non-confrontational chat about my concerns and problems with public school to which she had an argument for everyone in her mind.  Teenagers really should be lawyers!  In the end, I closed the subject by telling her to just pray for God's will for her life.  She told me she had prayed but I said, "No, you have prayed for what YOU want for your life, not what God wants!"  To this, she had no rebuttal.  In the meantime, I have avoided, agonized, stewed, and prayed about the situation.  Last Thursday night, it dawned on me at about midnight, that I had been doing the very thing I had encouraged Tori not to do.  I was praying MY will for Tori's life and was completely convicted!  So, I repented and asked God to show me clearly what He wanted for Tori in regards to her education.  Not 24 hours later, Tori and I were having a nice mother/daughter chat when she suddenly said, "Oh!  I guess I should tell you what I'm doing for school next year."  I inwardly cringed and prepared for the inevitable and ugly battle.  Then she says, "I've decided to homeschool again!"  I was ecstatic with shock and joy!  And completely overwhelmed at how amazing God is!  His timing was hilarious and has taught me a valuable lesson.  When I surrendered my will to His, He knew I was finally ready to hear the answer to my months of prayers.  More than just Tori is getting an education through our homeschooling journey!  http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/334265/ Sun, 27 May 2007 14:40:00 -0500 http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/jewel/334265/