Tuesday, November 24, 2009 - Another birthday
Once again, it's been a long time since I've written, and H's 14th birthday seems a good time to break the silence. The dining room table is still strewn with balloons which, like croissants, happen every birthday. I must get clearing up soon and get the cake into the oven.
I haven't written for some time because we've had a very difficult few months following a death in N's family, combined with ongoing worries about my mum's health. I won't go into details but writing has fallen down the list of priorities for now. However...
Here's where we all are at the moment.
N is still in the same job though this may change in a few months as his work is having one of its periodic shake-ups. On alternate weekends he goes to see a relative in hospital. This, combined with my working alternate weekends, has meant a big change from our lovely cosy family times, but it's to be hoped we will get back to them at some point.
I'm still working 3 days a week - very variable hours.
J is now working full time at an apprenticeship and it continues to suit him, though the pay is dismal. He split up from his girlfriend at the end of the summer, and these two things in combination mean we see more of him. That's nice!
L is studying for her 'A' levels and has two part-time jobs, so she's the wealthy one! Well, she would be if it weren't for clothes shopping...
H has reached what are known as his 'options'. This means choosing which GCSEs to take. Aside from the compulsory ones, he's thinking of double ICT, history and one more. We are so pleased he's at least thinking of history, as that was both N's and my major subject for our degrees. Of course he may change his mind but it's nice to know one of the children is at least that much interested. He's also due to move upfrom Scouts to Exploreres soon and is looking forward to it. Apparently it's even better than Scouts!
So tonight - the family celebration, and on Friday, the party. I happen to be at work so N has bravely offered to organise this. H has made a foodlist but I really don't know what else will be happening.
Oh, and we're having new windows fitted soon. Trust us to book this in December!
Nov. 15, 2009 - Identity Crisis ~ Whose Homeschool Life Are You Leading?
I wanted to share the following entry that I wrote on my personal blog at the beginning of this year when a close friend of mine began to doubt that she was doing the 'right' thing and felt that she wasn't keeping up with the other moms. This is a great story for both new & veteran homeschoolers and I hope you enjoy it :)
Homeschool support groups for moms are supposed to make you feel good.... right? Well what happens if yours doesn't and you feel inadequate after you leave or find yourself second guessing your choices on your drive home? DON'T!
Do not feel that you are not teaching your child the right things or that you aren't using the right curriculum or that your child isn't at the same developmental age as the child of the mom sitting to your left. Every family is different as is every child's needs. This is a very easy trap to fall into when you are first starting your homeschool journey and I'll admit that even I got caught up in it when I first started. I had carefully chosen to use Sonlight materials because I was very happy with their classical approach to education, christian content and the daily schedules that I can't tell you how much I appreciated in those early days :) We were happily learning at home, things were going wonderfully and I had absolutely no doubt that we were doing just what we were meant to be doing.
Then like many other moms, I joined a local support group so that I could meet up with other like minded moms and learn from their experiences. Learn I did! There were so many great ideas and books that I had never heard of, different learning philosophies and schedules and children that were way ahead of mine. I wanted to suck up all of their knowledge and I wanted to know how I could be just like all of them. That's right... it was like having an identity crisis.
All of a sudden I wasn't so sure that what we were doing was the right thing. Maybe if we switched our language arts program I could expedite K's reading comprehension, or if we tried miquon math we'd get to use those cuisenaire rods and math would magically be easier. I bought more books, manipulatives, read everything I could get my hands on about different teaching philosophies and pushed K harder to be smarter. All of a sudden somehow I had jumped from my own ship and was swimming frantically after someone else's.... someone who wasn't me.... and someone else's schedule that didn't meet what K or I needed. I needed a life preserver and I needed it fast!
Thankfully I realized that I needed to do what was right for us and that it was okay to be different from everyone else. That's the beauty of homeschooling, we are free to be different, free to follow our child's lead, and free to work at a slower pace if our child isn't quite ready for what the education system says we are 'supposed' to be learning.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking support groups! I belong to the same one that I started with and I treasure our monthly get together where we can chat over tea and share with each other. It is a wonderful feeling that you can go and share openly with each other using one another as sounding boards for the most glorious to the most disastrous moments of our days at home and be received by smiling faces that are ready give you a hug if you need it. But what I found was I needed to find my own identity and only I could figure that out for myself. Living in someone else's shoes was not going to magically make homeschooling perfect or easier (not that it's super hard *grin*).
This year we have been joined by many new faces, many unsure and worried faces at times as they start their homeschooling journey. They're facing the same feelings of inadequacy and insecurity that I felt when I started and it feels good to be able to share that with them that they can't go wrong if they follow their hearts. They are the best judge of what their children need and there is nothing wrong with going as fast or slow as they need to or switching curriculum if something they chose isn't working just because someone else said it was the best.
I encourage you to seek out one of those new moms at your next homeschool support group meeting and reassure her that she is doing great. And don't forget the veteran moms, we have our moments of doubt to but we have each other for support so just ask and there will always be someone there to lean on :)
Blessings,
Aug. 29, 2009 - A New Year of High Hopes
I've been posting over on tumblr a lot more these days. I have a new post here:
http://karlaakins.tumblr.com/post/174791469/i-love-opening-up-my-new-lesson-plan-book-each
Tumblr is just easier for me. I wish this blog app would work as simply.
I miss hanging out with homeschool moms and dads over here!
So we begin another year of homeschooling. I am no longer with the cottage school. Well, you'll see when you read the link above.
Toodles!
(c) 2008 Karla Akins
Aug. 3, 2009 - Heart of the Matter 2009 Parenting & Home Education Conference Aug 3-7
Get Encouraged and Inspired!
Tomorrow is the start of the 2009 Parenting & Home Education Conference !!
I attended the HOTM conference last year and it was fantastic. Great speakers, door prizes, attendee goody bags and of course just listening to fellow homeschoolers was so inspirational. If you haven't heard about it or forgot to register don't worry there's still time! And even if you're late all of the seminars are going to be available to download after the conference is over so you can enjoy them over and over again throughout the year when you need a little wisdom, a laugh or two or some fresh ideas to keep you going :)
Find out more below and hope to see you there!!
Parenting & Home Education Conference 2009
August 3-7 2009
What God is nudging us to “proclaim” is that we, the parents, are our children’s primary teachers. It
is our biblical duty to “train them up in the way they should go” and that isn’t just for those of us who keep our kids home and teach them the educational basics.
It is the responsibility of all parents whether our children are in public, private, charter, co-op, or home schools. We are still their primary teacher; but many parents in this day and age have become lazy with that responsibility. That is why it must change now.
Parents should be excited about teaching kids to cook, plant a garden, read a story, and most importantly learn about our Lord and Savior. THAT is the ultimate homeschool experience. Every parent becomes a homeschooler the day their child is born. You teach them to coo and ga, how to sit up, how to walk, what to eat, how to dress, and so on.
We invite you to join us online for the second annual Heart of the Matter Online Parenting and Home Education conference. In addition to participating in sessions with all of these fabulous speakers and having a chance to ask them questions directly you will also receive hundreds of dollars worth of free downloads, a chance to win wonderful prizes, MP3s of the sessions (after the event), and lots of fun and fellowship with other parents like yourself.
Speakers currently scheduled are: Andrew Pudewa, Debbie Strayer, Linda Hobar, Sarita Holzmann, Sheila Wray Gregoire, Carol Topp, Sue Patrick, Debbie Maubach, Evonne Mandella, Lee Binz, Belinda Bullard, Paula Winget from Journey Through Learning Lapbooks, Tiany Davis, Dana Hanley, Graham Scharf, Leah Nieman, Anne Elliot, Debra Bell and more!
Click Here to register today!
Aug. 1, 2009 - FREE Preview of 45 Children's Books
Sylvan Dell Publishing has an amazing assortment of fantastic children's books for the elementary aged crowd! They're beautifully illustrated and at the end of each book is a little Q&A or information section where you can delve deeper into some of the topics that were covered while reading :)
So when I heard that they were offering to let the public preview them in their new interactive ebook format I couldn't wait to check them out!! You have access to 45 great titles, you can view them in either manual mode or auto-flip, and you have the choice to listen to them in either English or Spanish (more languages on the way later).
I just have to say that I am totally crazy about the auto-flip mode *grin*. You select the book you want, the language you want it read in and click on auto-flip and it reads the book to your child! Not that I think it's great that I don't have to read anymore *wink* but from a multi-tasking perspective when you have different aged children learning at home this could be a wonderful tool to use during times when you need to do a little one on one work with a different child. You can set the little ones up with the story book to listen to while you tackle some hard math equations with another child :)
Another perk to ebooks is that they are so much more economical than purchasing the real thing. For me that's a hard one because most of the time I really love to have the book in my hands opposed to sitting at the computer but this is definitely a cost cutter and makes it more accessible to more families and the language choices could be a fun way to practice language skills as you learn a second language :)
Okay enough babbling LOL. I'm sure you're thinking where's the link already!! Pop on over the the LOG IN page and you'll find the code already typed in. All you need to do is hit the 'validate access code' button and you're in :) And don't worry, you have plenty of time to get there and check them out as many of you are probably on summer holidays right now :) You've got until October 31st, 2009 to take advantage of this great trial!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009 - It's been a while...
I haven't blogged for ages... too much to say! Right now I'm not sure of the connection I have, or whether pages are loading reliably, so here's a summary: J has a new job. He was working p/t at a supermarket (who kept changing his hours) and p/t as a school cleaner. Now he has an apprenticeship in admin with the Council and seems to be enjoying it. L has also changed her work: she has more hours at the Body Shop, though these vary. She's also got a Council cleaning job though as it's relief hours only, it's variable. She started by cleaning at the school where J worked (which H goes to), and this week has some hours at the library - where N works! Small town ;-) L has officially finished with school until she gets her GCSE results. If things go well there she will probably go to the sixth form. She was the reason I started this blog, some years ago when I taught her at home. I would have liked to continue longer but she felt able to go back to school and decided for herself to go. I've since offered H some homeschooling, but he looked bemused and refused me! Interestingly, he seems to suit school better than either of the others did. Well, it's summer holidays (grey and rainy) and we are soon going away to Norfolk for a few days so I had better go and get on with some housework - namely the perennial task of sorting the sock bag! L paused to look at the lines of socks arrayed on the living room floor, as she was on her way out to the gym just now. She pointed out three bright, fluffy oddments and told me to put them in her sock drawer: 'They haven't got partners, and they're Charlotte's!' I asked whether she had the partners, whether Charlotte had the partners...? No, nobody had them. they are just three random bright socks belonging to Charlotte, which is why they are now in a bundle in L's sock drawer, waiting, I suppose, for whichever of L's and Charlotte's friends has the partner socks to lend them to L some day. The oddments will then hang around in my sock bag for weeks or months until L sees them and reunites them with their other halves. Goodness knows whether they will even match by then - depends how often each has been worn! I wonder whether any will ever return to Charlotte, and whether she will remember them if they do? I'm not going to worry about them. In the throw-away attitude this generation has acquired, there is no value on a pair of socks. In my teens, I seemed to be forever mending socks or creating garters because they fell down! My father, growing up in the Great Depression, remembers going by train to Liverpool and seeing barefoot children running alongside. Things change.
Jul. 8, 2009 - Thought for Today
A house is not a home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. ~Benjamin Franklin
Thursday, May 21, 2009 - My new blog!
I'm not abandoning this blog, but I'm starting another: someonesthyroxinediary. I've just started taking thyroxine as my body is, in the words of the doctor, 'struggling to use' the thyroxine I produce naturally.
It's likely I've had the condition a long time but it's getting worse and a blood test for something else showed it. Before this I had suspected I had a bit of a tendency to an underactive thyroid gland, but didn't think it was enough to be medically significant, which just goes to show I should take more notice of myself. 
It's not cureable but it is treatable, if you see what I mean. All that has to happen is for the doctor to work out just how much of the hormone to replace, and prescribe the tablets. Voila.
As the thyroid controls the speed of the metabolism, someone with an underactive thyroid (or who, like me, produces enough thyroxine but can't use it properly) will slow down in one or more ways. I happen to have lots of the symptoms although my deficiency isn't too severe. The new blog is to see what happens to the symptoms as I settle into treatment - hopefully it will save my friends from being bored by all the latest developments! I'm also hoping it will serve as an encouragement to me to see what progress I make and not lose sight of the huge blessing of not feeling wiped out by very ordinary activity.
If I can remember how, I'll add a link somewhere it can be found easily. could be useful if I lose the notebook with the URL in!
May. 12, 2009 - Another Homeschooler Graduates
My son, Noah, is graduating on Sunday. It is the third of my offspring to be graduating from our home school/cottage school and I cannot tell you how relieved I am to have gotten this child through eighteen years of education! (Yes! Education starts in the womb when you're a home school Mom!)
Changes are being made here. Our cottage school is disbanding and we will become instead a home school cooperative and meet two or three mornings a week. I am hoping to have more time for domestic duties and writing. I will continue home schooling the twins and I'm looking forward to spending more 1:1 time with them. They are getting to be a lot of fun.
I would like to post more on this blog, but I get frustrated with the picture posting. So I mainly post things over on my tumblr blogs. Come visit me there!
http://cottageschool.tumblr.com
http://pastorswives.tubmlr.com
http://karlaakins.tumblr.com
http://jesuslovesbikerchickstoo.tumblr.com
http://grandmasbragblog.tumblr.com
http://mylifewithautism.tumblr.com
I know there are too many of them, but just sign up for the e-mail and they will come to your mail box so you don't have to follow all the time. I don't post every day. Especially right now with graduation going on!
Leave me a comment today and let me know what your favorite songs are to use at your graduations. I am not very excited about the selection of songs out there for Christians (that are on the top of the charts.) My son is going to sing "It Is Well With My Soul." He has a beautiful bass voice. He's also a drummer like his older brother. They both have very different styles and techniques but they are both very good. I have no idea how the offspring of a violinist/singer/pianist and a guitarist/banjo-player could become drummers, but there you have it. Maybe my grandchildren will make melodies! One can only dream and hope!
Thanks for reading my blog today! It is nice to be back in homeschooler land, but I wish this beautiful blog set-up worked better for me. I would really like to be involved more in this community!
Happy Graduation to all who are graduating in 2009!
(c) 2008 Karla Akins
Sunday, May 10, 2009 - When does the service begin?
We had an interesting talk at church this morning - by the way I was at New Life - and a quotation stuck in my mind. The speaker was talking about how as Christians we can 'box God in', limiting what we allow him to do in us and through us. This has been a big theme recently and this speaker, from the opposite end of the country, was saying what has been said in sermons and prophecy from members of the local church recently.
Towards the end of the talk he mentioned someone has said that
after the Sunday morning meeting has ended, that's when the service begins.
Of course he wasn't talking about chatting over coffee afterwards. He was talking about when we get home, when we interact with others, go to work or whatever comes up all the other hours of the week. A full church building which has no impact on the wider community is missing the boat.
This is quite a challenge, but so true. It's hardest to walk the walk when we are with those who know us best, our families probably. In addition, outside church we may be in situations where we are the only person of faith and in that case, it's up to us to live the Kingdom in that situation and be the channel through which God can flow to others. Otherwise the real service just isn't happening.
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