After meeting with Laura Bush, we had the opportunity to go see the President in person at a rally in Sellersburg, IN. 

This time, both my husband and another homeschool friend went along.  Of course this was a much larger event than the one Mrs. Bush was at.  The president gave a great speech, but we couldn't get close enough to actually talk to him like we did with Mrs. Bush.  For me, the best speech was the one given at the end by Congressman Sodrel's wife Keta.  In less than a minute, she summed up the importance of this election ... we need to preserve our religious freedoms.  With the gay marriage issue, the abortion issue, and the Bible being labeled as "hate speech" around the world, this is a critical election!  Get out and VOTE!

My dream of homeschooling was to educate my children by "experiencing" rather than just hearing about things that happen or have happened.  As a result, we often substitute field trips in lieu of constant bookwork (not that traditional learning isn't also important!)  

Today was one of those days!  Rachael & I  "skipped school" to go to Columbus, IN, where Laura Bush was scheduled to appear.  This is something that you just can't do when your kids are in a traditional school.  I was amazed at how few children were there.  What a shame to miss an opportunity like that!  Even so, after standing in one spot on the hard cement for several hours, Rachael was getting tired and antsy.  Afraid that I had turned her off to politics forever, I started regretting my decision.  Then Mrs. Bush began her speech ...

On television, she always looks so perfect.  She has that look of distinction, elegance, and class, yet still looks so personable and genuine.  Guess what ... she is exactly the same in person!  During her speech, she was as eloquent and professional as could be.  Yet after her speech, she took time not only to sign autographs, but also to chat - especially to the children that were there.  Her love of children is so readily apparent!  After a lengthy stretch of greeting and signing, the secret service agents were trying to rush her out the door.  However, when she saw Rachael holding out her egg to be signed (yes, I did say egg ... more on that later!), she spoke to her like she had all the time in the world. 

About the egg ... On the day before Easter 2004, we visited the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, CA (another one of those homeschool field trips!)  They had an Easter egg hunt where the children were allowed to pick up only one egg each.  Out of the thousands of eggs, there were (I think 10) "special" eggs that could be redeemed for a prize.  Rachael won a beautiful orange egg autographed by Vice-President Dick Cheney & his wife, Lynne.  After years of searching for something to collect, (after having tried bugs, tin cans, dirty feathers, and every other thing imaginable!) she finally decided on autographed eggs.  (How's that for unique?!?)  Knowing that we might be able to meet Mrs. Bush today, we went to Michael's craft store and bought a wooden egg and some gold paint.  Unfortunately, the paint didn't work so well.  It was splotchy at best! 

I was a little scared at first.  The Secret Service agents inspected it upon our entry into the building.  A little bewildered at the site of a gold painted wooden egg, they agreed to let us take it in.  They were not so amused, however, when Rachael was holding it out to be signed!  We got a lot of stern, questioning stares and were asked about it again and again.  It certainly didn't help matters much when Rachael dropped it behind the red security rope when Mrs. Bush was just a few feet away.  Boy, those Secret Service guys are QUICK! 

Even after all that, the best part of my night was still to come.  As we were sitting at the restaurant discussing the day's events, Rachael said, "Mom, have you ever had a time when you were so overwhelmed that you didn't even realize how amazing something was until several hours later when it all sunk in?  That's how I feel right NOW!"  Score another point for homeschooling!

Having studied Latin myself, I was convinced that I wanted to teach it to Rachael at an early age - just like The Well-Trained Mind suggests.  (BTW - If you haven't read The Well-Trained Mind, it's a MUST READ for anyone even considering homeschooling!)

Well, we tried Latin last year using Prima Latina.  We got through the first few lessons until the Ecclesiastical pronunciation just drove me CRAZY!!!!  Not only is it ecclesiastical, but it's ecclesiastical with a thick southern drawl!  Don't get me wrong, the workbook itself is great.  I just couldn't get used to the pronunciation.  (Also, many of the workbook questions dealt with pronunciation, so I couldn't just "skip" the audio part.)

I had a WONDERFUL Latin teacher in high school (Thanks Mrs. McDaniel!)  We learned using the standard classical pronunciation.  This year I bought the Martha Wilson Latin Primer set.  Because I feel that Latin is so important, I also decided to try the supplemental DVDs.  We've only finished a couple of lessons because I just received the kit a little while ago.  So far, I love it!  Of course, I wish I had taken better notes in high school.  I would love to have shared all of "extra" things that Mrs. McDaniel would weave into class about mythology, culture, and customs...  {sigh}one of the VERY FEW things I miss about high school!

Math has never been my forte.  I've already told my husband (the engineering math whiz!) that teaching high school math is his responsibility.  However, I never imagined that I'd have to recruit him for a 4th grade math problem!  I could figure it out using algrabraic equations, but couldn't figure out how to simply translate it to a 4th grade level - even to a 4th grader as advanced as Rachael is in math.  Here's the problem ...

"2500 people took part in a cross country race.  The number of adults were 4 times the number of children.  If there were 1200 men, how many women were there?"

Of course, after Jeff explained it to Rachael, it was simple.  However, I don't remember anything like that in my 4th grade public school math book! 

Cute story ...

I was teaching a Geography class the other day for our homeschool co-op.  It was the K-1st grade class, and we were studying Brazil.  Of course, the fact that Brazilians speak Portuguese came up.  While pointing to our huge world map I asked, "How would someone in South America learn to speak a language that originated ALL the way over in Europe?"  To my surprise, one little boy raised his hand.  He said as serious as he could be ... "Maybe they heard an echo!"  I thought I was going to die laughing! 

We've only been using it for a few weeks, but I can already tell a dramatic improvement in Rachael's spelling.  When we used to "study" lists for a test, she would look it over, tell me she knew it, and proceed to do terribly on the tests.  Using a modified version of SP, she actually LEARNS the words!  (By modified, I mean that we don't do the activities.  We take the tests and use the multi-sensory/multi-step approach and re-test on the ones she misses.)  So far, she has had 100% recall on all of the words that she had originally misspelled.    School is really going great this year!  We started piano lessons a couple of weeks ago.  My "impossible-to-motivate" daughter has become obsessed with the piano.  When I first asked her about taking lessons, she seemed lukewarm about the idea.  Now, her 20-30 minute daily assigned practice sessions have turned into 45-60 minute sessions.  She LOVES it and will replay a song 20 times to get it just right.  I'm so proud of her!

We just returned from our 1st Annual Homeschool co-op Field Trip/Mini-Vacation!  There were 5 families from our co-op that went.  Unfortunately, the King Tut exhibit was a HUGE disappointment!  After having studied ancient Egyptian History last year in our co-op, we thought the exhibit would be a great supplement to our studies.  Since it was the Monday after Labor Day, we thought it wouldn't be too crowded.  WRONG!  We were all packed into the exhibit like sardines!  Not to mention, most of the exhibit was full of things from Tut's relatives.  Apparently, the sarcophagus and mask that Tut is so famous for, don't travel any longer.  There were a lot of statues and items from the tomb, but it wasn't much different than most Egyptian exhibits which are free!  We paid $78 for myself, my husband, and our 9 year old daughter.  (My 2yo son was free).  What a waste!  Even the free Egyptian exhibit that is always at the Field was 100 times more interesting.  Oh well, the rest of the trip was fun.  We stayed at the Holidome in LaGrange/Countryside, IL.  The hotel was great!  Rachael was able to play with the other kids while I got to hang out with the other moms.  Unfortunately, Nick wasn't very well behaved, so Jeff spent a lot of his time in the room with him.  We're already planning another co-op trip to the Creation Museum in KY as soon as it opens.  I can't wait!

Today was the first day of co-op.  It was awesome!  The kids learned about atoms, protons, neutrons, & electrons in Chemistry.  On the way to the park after class, Rachael was on the phone with her dad reciting the numbers of electrons in each shell of an atom!  I think she made it to the 5th level before we had to hang up.  Can you imagine a 4th grader learning this in a public school?  In geography, we made "passports" in preparation for our "trip around the world."  We also learned the continents and oceans (Did you know that there's a Southern Ocean?  Look it up!)  In art, the kids helped paint the set decorations for our upcoming Thanksgiving play.  We visited a local park to picnic and play before returning home.  When I got home, I was checking my e-mail.  There it was ... an e-mail from my mom with links to an Evansville Courier article about regulating homeschooling in Indiana.  http://www.courierpress.com/news/2006/sep/06/home-schooling-should-be-board-election-topic/

For those of you who don't know, Indiana is an awesome place to homeschool.  It has minimal regulations, and thanks to the folks at HSLDA and IAHE, we plan to keep it that way!  Anyway, I posted a few comments defending homeschooling from an overzealous opinion reporter who likened homeschooling to child abuse.  If you want some insight as to the arguments of anti-homeschool activists, read the article ... but make sure you have your high blood pressure medication handy!

The other night, I put Nicholas to bed as I always do... I lay him down in his bed (which is in our room), I hand him his Duckie & Barney, I cover him up with his blanket, give him a kiss, & tell him I love him, then I close the door and leave the room.  That's it ... no fussing, no crying, no nothing.  (Before you tell me how lucky I am, let me also say that my daughter (who is 9) STILL gets up half a dozen times trying to avoid going to bed.  When she was 2, we were still dealing with the crying and carrying on, etc.)  Anyway, back to Nick ... that night, Jeff had gone to bed before me.  When I finally went to bed, Nicholas was laying in bed w/ Jeff.  I figured that he had crawled over to the bed and Jeff had picked him up.  The next night, when Jeff & I both went to bed, there was Nick!  Duckie in one arm, Barney in the other.  He was tucked in with his own blanket right smack in the middle of our bed.  Keep in mind that it's pitch dark in our room - no night light or anything.  He somehow managed to carry all of his "supplies" from his bed to ours and climb up all by himself.  You must also realize that we have a pretty high bed ... this coupled with the fact that Nick has CP and still can't walk!  He's decided that Mom & Dad's bed is much more comfy than his own!  What a big boy!

Warning:  It's been a busy week and this will likely be a LOOONG post!

Well, we started school on Monday.  I was so ready on Monday morning.  This year, we're going to make a plan and stick to it.  (Yeah...right!!!)  We began Monday morning with the Sonlight Read Aloud, The Secret of the Andes.  We got out the encyclopedia and atlas to do a more in-depth study of the Incan Empire and modern day Peru.  It ended up taking all morning!  But, we had fun learning.  Isn't that what homeschooling is all about?  On Tuesday, the book mentioned Pan and the Pleiades.  Of course, this led us off on a mythology tangent...

We also (officially) started using Spelling Power this year.  I gave Rachael the placement test last year (3rd grade).  She placed in the beginning of 4th grade, which shocked me since Spelling is by far her worst subject.  It must have been a good day for her then, because on Monday, she placed in 3rd grade.  Go figure!  Never let someone tell you that an avid reader will automatically be a good speller.  That child reads more than anyone I've ever seen - yet can't spell a thing!  I'm hoping that SP will work for us.  If not, I'm thinking of trying Sequential Spelling.  A lot of the other co-op moms are using that this year.

On Sunday night, Jeff (my Mechanical Engineer husband), decided that it was time Rachael (my 4th grade daughter) learned Algebra.  They sat at the kitchen table after supper for almost two hours discussing exponents, variables, and the like.  It was one of the sweetest sites you could have imagined!  Rachael is SO much like her dad.  They look alike, they act alike, and they think alike!  She is such a math-minded kid (unlike me!)  It's hard for me to explain math concepts to her, because she does all her computation in her head - and in a manner that's foreign to me!  Of course, using Singapore, "mental math" is stressed a lot.  I've already told Jeff that teaching upper level math is his department!

For English, we used a public school text last year after having tried both Bob Jones & Abeka previously.  This year, we're using Easy Grammar, Wordly Wise, & Flip the Deck - (part of the Stack the Deck writing program).  We're only 4 days into it, but there's a drastic improvement in Rachael's motivation!  She HATED English (especially writing) last year.  So far, it's going well.

For Science, I've decided to wait until 2nd semester to start Biology, since our co-op Chemistry will be pretty time-consuming and extensive.

I've also instituted a no TV during the day rule.  Last year, Rachael would watch TV before school and after lunch.  We would always go through the, "Just one more show ..."  Today, when she was finished with her work, Nick was napping and I was working on a webpage, she sat down on her bed, pulled out her Bible and started reading beyond her assigned verses. 

On Wednesday, a lot of our co-op families met at the park.  We brought our lunches and had a great time.  The moms got to talk and the kids got to play.  Even Nick had a blast climbing on all of the playground equipment.  We're so blessed to have such great friends!

Well, I'd better get to bed.  Nick's physical therapist will be here tomorrow and I need to get up in the morning to get the house cleaned up before she gets here!  Goodnight!

After leaving messages at 6 different numbers, I finally tracked down Nick's test results.  Apparently, he does have some scarring in his brain.  This explains the spasticity and confirms the cerebral palsy diagnosis.  We met with his physical therapist this morning and got the approval process started for his DAFOs.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to get everything ready for school to begin on Monday.  We were supposed to have our annual HEARTH homeschool kickoff at the local swimming pool today.  Unfortunately, rain caused it to be postponed until Monday.  Oh well, maybe that will be an incentive for Rachael to get all of her work done Monday morning! 

We've had such a busy week!  On Wednesday, we went with several homeschool friends to see "Deep Sea 3D" at the IMAX at the Indiana State Museum in Indy.  If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend it!  So far, our co-op has gone to see "The Human Body", "Walking on the Moon 3D", & "Deep Sea 3D."  "Deep Sea" was by far my favorite.  There was soooo much information packed into the 45 minute segment!  Not to mention, the photography was stunning.  After the movie, we went to McDonald's in Martinsville.  Our kids were the only ones in the indoor play area.  Maybe all the other kids were in school?  I don't really know since I don't keep up with the school schedules around here!  Anyway, the older co-op kids had fun coaxing Nicholas through the play tubes.  He had a blast!  For not being able to walk, that boy can CLIMB!!!!  You know, our co-op has been so blessed.  I've been reading about co-op horror stories on some of my e-lists. Our kids all get along so well.  They have really become close in the past couple of years.  I'm such a maternal person anyway, but there are times when I really feel like the co-op kids are my own!  I'm really looking forward to watching them all grow up together... 

We are home from Riley.  Your prayers worked!  When we got there, they gave us the option of using an I.V. or oral sedation.  (Of course we used the oral)  It took a long time for him to go under and he had a bizarre reaction, but the scan went perfectly and he's doing fine.  We won't know the results for a day or two, but I'm just relieved that this day is over!

We just found out on Tuesday that my two year old son, Nicholas, has Cerebral Palsy.  This wasn't totally unexpected.  He was a preemie born at 29 1/2 weeks gestation.  We were told from the onset that this was a possibility.  You hear the statistics, it scares you, but you never really think that will be MY child!  The good news is that he has a mild case of Spastic Diplegia.  In English, that means that it's mainly his legs that are affected.  He still doesn't walk, but the neurologist seemed convinced that with DAFOs (Dynamic Ankle-Foot Orthosis [plastic leg braces]), he should be walking in the near future.  He's been going to a physical therapist since he was 9-10 months old. 

We have to go to Riley Hospital on Monday for an MRI.  Since he's so young, they need to put him under.  The last time they put him under, he was supposed to wake up an hour later.  It took 3 days to revive him.  There were several episodes during that time when his ventilator came out and he started turning blue. 

So far, I think this is my 3rd or 4th attempt at keeping a Blog.  I'm not exactly a prolific writer, but I'm going to do my best at keeping it up.  I'm hoping that this will serve not only as an outlet, but also as a record of our schoolwork and life.

I'm getting excited about our upcoming school year.  We're trying out Sonlight this year.  I bought an old TG and we're using most of the books from the library.  What can I say, I'm a cheapskate!  I spend so much money on supplemental books & materials that I hate to spend a lot on one specific curriculum.  We're also continuing with Singapore Math.  We LOVE it!  If you have a gifted math student, you've just gotta try it!  It defies all my understanding of math.  I'm one of those people who have to whip out a pencil and paper for simple addition and subtraction problems.  Fortunately, Rachael got her Engineer Daddy's math skills ... working out everything in her head - which is what Singapore stresses. 

I'm also teaching World Geography & Cultures to our homeschool co-op.  We will have 3 age groups this year ... K-1, 2-3, & 4+.  Another mom (who happens to have been a high school science teacher in a previous life!) is teaching elementary chemistry (Using the God's Design for Chemistry - Properties of Atoms & Molecules book).  We also have an artist who will be teaching art, and another mom who will be offering a voice class.  Rachael will also begin piano lessons in a few weeks.  Wow!  Where did the summer go?