Haven't posted here in over a year, though I've been posting lately at my other blog... we are officially a homeschooling family!  Yeah us!

Michael started out liking PS kindergarten last year, did fine through Christmas, then started to crash and burn by March.  We did require him to finish the schoolyear, since nothing had gone horribly wrong - he was just bored.

We began homeschooling this past June, and we haven't looked back... Michael loves it, I like having him home, his little sister likes having him home (most of the time anyway), life is good.

I hope to update this blog frequently, though it will probably be a lot of cross-posts with my other blog... but if I have something that pertains primarily to homeschooling, I'll be sure to post it here first.

Have a blessed day, ya'll...

Below is the link to my 2996 tribute to Gavin McMahon:

http://thepeanutpatch.blogspot.com/2006/09/just-one-man.html

His is a touching story,  just as all of the others are.  Please stop by to pay tribute to this young man.

We had our first day of school on Monday, and it did not go well.  Okay, so it went well in that Michael absorbed the information I could give him faster than I could teach it, nearly... but it didn't go well, because the 1 1/2 hours max that I expected to spend on homeschooling turned into almost 2 1/2 hours of school time, we went through 3 1/2 days worth of lessons, and for the rest of the day, he kept asking me when we were going to have school next.  That's a good thing.  I know that... but with a not-quite-two year old at home, and a house full of chores that had to be done (laundry & kitchen duty), I had to attend to other matters besides teaching.   (and for the record, my house in not immaculate... which is why there wasn't much wiggle room in the do-my-chores department... if I didn't do laundry or dishes, we would be naked & hungry.)

I was pulling my hair out; I called my sister for advice (she works with kindergarteners in the PS system).  I used her as my sounding board, and she gave awesome advice, very unbiased, showing me the pros & cons of doing it both ways.  I got off the phone without an answer, but with clarity in my thoughts.

When my husband got home, we sat down & talked for a long time about how the day had gone.  Neither David nor myself have ever been strictly "you must homeschool" or "you must public school" - we have had a hard time deciding what to do, because we see the drawbacks & benefits of doing both.  After hashing it out for about an hour, we realized that if we didn't let Michael start PS kindergarten on the 16th, and then homeschooling continued to not work for us, we would have lost a year.  Michael is a very tall, very intelligent child for his age, and he is already an anamoly with his peers.  Doing something that could hold him back a year would make him more of one, if we did enroll him in kindergarten next fall.

We didn't have much time to decide, because the first day of school loomed near.  So we did it:  we let him go to kindergarten.  I was worried he would fight it, because he has been insistent that he wants to be homeschooled for the last few weeks.  But when David & I sat him down to talk with him, Michael was overjoyed at the news.  I guess homeschool wasn't all he expected it to be - I think he believed we would sit down together for hours on end, learning anything & everything, and the house & his sister would go by the wayside.  That didn't happen, and I'm sure that disappointed him.

You know what?  He loves kindergarten.  He is excited about it, he doesn't even mind being up at the crack of dawn to catch the bus (which he insists on riding).  His teacher is very nice.  We liked her from the moment we met her, and she even called me at home to let me know Michael was doing fine, because she knows how worried I am about it (I made it clear that we had planned to homeschool, and this was a test run).  Don't get me wrong - I am still torn, worried that I didn't listen to God, worried that I denied myself an answered prayer.  David has comforted me by saying maybe God knew I had to try HSing first, before I realized Michael should be in kindergarten, which is why things turned out the way they have.  I don't know what is right and what is wrong about the situation.

I do know that this is just a trial run.  If something happens that we don't agree with, and it can't be reconciled, if Michael's attitude takes a nosedive & can't be straightened out,  or if Michael becomes very miserable with school and truly wants to be homeschooled again, we will bring him home.  In a heartbeat.  My child's life if more important to me, his happiness, his education, than anything else.  If something challenges that, there will be no questions to ask - he will be home with me again.

For now, I'm going to keep this blog up, since we do still have our little girl at home, and I am beginning to teach her all that she needs to know right now.  And who knows - one day soon, I may have two students in my classroom again.

Thank you to all of those who left me welcoming messages... this is a very friendly blog-space, and I appreciate all the kind words. 

Have a good night, ya'll.

Well, I found this nifty quiz over on someone else's page, so just for the fun of it, I thought I'd try it... seeing as I have no idea what kind of homeschooler I'll be! Turns out, I qualify as an unschooler!!!  I think that's great - it means we just go with the flow (like teaching a kindergartener anatomy, huh?) and take what life hands to us.  We'll see if this method changes once we actually start school!

What Type of Homeschooler Are You?

Salvador Dali Melting clocks are not a problem in your reality. You are an unschooler. You will tolerate a textbook, but only as a last resort. Mud is your friend. You prefer hands-on everything. If your school had an anthem, it would be Dont Worry, Be Happy. Visit my blog: http://www.GuiltFreeHomeschooling.blogspot.com
Take this quiz!

Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

...because I think I find a group we can mesh with!  Woo-hoo!

We met a wonderful homeschooling family last January, when we were first contemplating taking this journey.  We met through the homeschool message board for the city we live in, and the mom very generously loaned me their curriculum for a few weeks, so that I could see if we were interested in purchasing it (Five in a Row - we liked it, but aren't using it for now).  Through that meeting Michael made quick friends with her two sons, one who is a few months older than him, and the other a few months younger (her children are all about 18 months apart, three boys).  Unfortunately, because of conflicting schedules, we've only been able to meet up a few times, the last time being before the summer began.

Anyway, today, I received a message from a homeschooling board in the area just west of our home, telling me we are welcome to join their group, but we are technically out of their "area"... which is the problem I've been running into everywhere in my area.  We live on the border of several areas, but we aren't close to the nucleus of any of them, which is frustrating me right now.  Thankfully, this family came to mind, so I emailed the mom and asked if she could direct me to any groups up in this area that would welcome a new family (they live about 15 minutes from us, so I knew she had probably done the research herself already).

Lo & behold - she has formed her own group!  Because she couldn't find one that they fit into perfectly, she just made her own - and she has invited us to come check it out.  I feel very confident that it will be a good match, because she & I instantly hit it off, as did all of our kids (did I mention she also has a third child, her youngest, that is right about Emily's age?).  They are having a pool party on Monday, and we are hoping to make it so we can meet everyone in the group.  They meet every other week, and although that isn't exactly what I was hoping for (I wanted a weekly group), I'm sure we can manage a different activity during the off weeks on our own.

So, WAHOO!  I'm definitely feeling better about things now, not so worried I'm going to be travelling this road alone this year.  Funny how even though I don't want my kids to feel like they have to "belong" to a group (besides our family, of course!), I've been struggling to find just such a place to make us feel welcome.

We humans are social creatures, aren't we?

... my freak-out session is over.  My house is a little more organized now, and everything is set for "school" to start on Monday.

Michael is flip-flopping now, though, and is torn between HS & PS - the only reason he wants to go to PS is to meet new friends & have recess every day.  Other than that, he is fine with being HSed.

I'm hoping that our local HS groups get back into the swing of things again soon.  Since it is so miserably hot here by June (who am I kidding - Easter Sunday was 100+ degrees), everyone becomes hermits and hides inside their homes until cooler weather (at least below 95 degrees) arrives.  So, say, mid-September, if not later?

So far, I've been in contact with the HS group in the larger city (the one our address is in, but our home is on the border of) and they are still having park days each Thursday (in a different part of the city each week), but since it begins at 11 am, the heat is too miserable to be out & about, and nearly everyone forgoes the event (especially those in my situation, with younger kids - both of mine are under 5).

I joined the email list for the HS group of the town we live on the border of (but where Michael would go to PS if he were going - the districts here are charted weird) & they don't have a formal park day during the summer, they just wait until the temps consistently stay cooler before organizing anything.  After that, though, it is on the same day each week, and at the same park (about 10 minutes from our home).

I've even visited the website of a group in another town (Georgetown) that is 45 minutes away.  It's a smaller town with more conservative values (as a whole), and more likely to be someplace we'd fit into.  The two drawbacks of that group being (a) you have to join the co-op, pay a fee each year (minimal - $25 or so), & wear matching tee shirts when you are together with the group, and (b) they only get together for park day once a month.  They do have a PE group each week, on Friday, but there is a monthly fee to participate, and again, you have to dress alike to participate.  I'm not really into the whole uniform concept - for me, part of homeschooling is letting my kids be who they are, not part of a group with a dress code & such.  Oh, and another thing I didn't like in their rules is that parents are discouraged from socializing during the gatherings, as they want every situation to be a learning experience, and they feel parental socializing can take place at other times.  Hello, I thought the group was for socializing with other homeschooling families?

So, bah.  Michael is a very social child.  VERY SOCIAL.  He needs interaction with children his own age, desperately, and as often as possible.  I worry that once a week at a park day won't be enough for him.  I think he is worried about that, too.

I am convinced that once the HS groups get into their groove, and we start meeting new people, things will go fine.  Between the two groups, we may have two park days each week we can attend, and that may be all we can handle with our homeschool schedule & keeping up with our regular chores.  If not, there is one other homeschool group I haven't contacted, in a town about 12 miles from us, that may have different park days & activities as well.  The only reason I haven't contacted them yet is that the town is known to be, well, rather affluent, and I'm not sure we can fit in there.  I don't want to subject Michael to a group that has so much more than we do that he feels inadequate by being around them.  And yes, this can be a problem at his age - he met a new friend last year in preschool, a very sweet boy who lived in a humongous home with a massive toy room stocked with every play thing my son has ever dreamed of owning, and my son begged me for weeks, no, months to give him what this other little boy had (he still mentions it from time to time, and this occurred last September).  Something we could not, and I personally would not want, to give him, ever, as I don't feel it is good to spoil children to that extent.  However, being a young child, Michael doesn't understand that, and only knows when he sees that type of thing that he is missing out on something that appears to be much more fun than the life he has.*

I am just thankful that Michael seems to be very sure of the fact that he wants to be homeschooled, even in light of the "missing out on so much fun" aspect of things.  I have been honest with him, that he won't get to see other kids as often as he would if he were in PS, but that I'll socialize him as much as time will permit, at least twice a week via whatever routes I have to take to do so.  I have let him know that I am limited in what I can do because of Emily's age, but that things will improve greatly as she gets older and we can be more mobile with her.  I have been honest with him about the pros & cons of both methods of education, because I don't want to convince him HSing is better, and make promises that I might not be able to keep, in order to do my hearts desire.

So, Monday will be our first day of school.  I have our school calender on the wall, with the "First Day of School" square stuck in place.  We will wake up and begin our journey, and pray that it is a long one.

Because, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."

Have a great weekend, ya'll.

* {I just want to point out that God meets our family's every need - we are not poor by any means, but neither are we wealthy.  We are a middle of the road family, making ends meet like the average American next door, but trying to do so with minimal debt, and the minimal debt we do have we are aggresively paying off by the end of this year, God willing.  We have sacrificed the "extras" in life so that I can be a SAHM, and my husband and I are completely at peace with our decision... and we are teaching our children to be at peace with it, too.  However, we are definitely in the minority in the area we live in - a very techie-saturated community where many of our peers are in two-income families making well over $100K a year, often over $200K a year,and still struggling to get by.  And they just don't understand how we can be satisfied living the life the good Lord gave us, and making our way slowly in the world, waiting for God to bless us with a home in our price range and driving cars that are twice as old or older than most of the homes they live in.  Most of our peers are trying to find happiness in new cars & new homes & annual vacations that cost more than a year's worth of our rent... we can't, and have no desire, to keep up with that lifestyle.  But it's a concept that our children are too young to fully grasp, though as I said before, we are teaching them our values, and one day, they will get it.  We haven't always had this mindset - it came about after I lost my job in 2001, the month before Michael was born - and the Lord threw us into a situation that made us stop & think about what was important in our life.  At that point, we realized we would do without whatever we had to in order fo me to be at home with our children... it's a decision we don't regret, and one that we are constantly tweaking to improve.  Our most recent improvement has been working towards becoming completely debt-free (we owe less than $2K right now, praise God!) & following the principles laid out in Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Makeover.  I'm not saying our way is any better than anyone else's, but it is the path we've decided to take, and because not many follow it, we have become an anomoly, and that oftentimes makes it difficult for us to be comfortable with others, not because of how we feel, but how they respond to us.}

...who is starting out with homeschooling just a little bit scared?  (Or so scared, I can't even think straight?!)

Now that we have made our decision to homeschool, I am re-organizing around the house, we have all of our supplies ready to start "school" on Monday morning... and I feel myself panicking, wondering if I am doing the right thing?  I am just feeling so inadequate, I feel unqualified to educate my son, worried that I won't be able to teach him all that is necessary for him to learn... yes, I know this is only kindergarten, but I'm looking at the distant future, and that is just freaking me out.

I am confident this is what God wants me to do.  Today, during a moment of panic, I picked up a devotional I've been meaning to start, and flipped to a random page, looking for some peace of mind.

Here's what that page said:

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.  Proverbs 16:3

...When you ask for God's help, are you expecting a bare-minimum, meager-but-satisfactory answer or no answer at all?  God wants to help you succeed in all of your endeavors.  Open your arms and receive His blessing.  He is always glad to help!"

(GodSpeaks Devotional, excerpts from pages 118-119)

~~~~~

Please, someone tell me it isn't just me... does everyone go through this at some point in time?

...and I not sure if I'm going to switch my blog over to this community completely.  Right now, I blog on blogger, my address there is:

www.thepeanutpatch.blogspot.com

Feel free to hop on over and see what is going on with us these days...

I'm a SAHM to two kidlets: Michael will be 5 on August 29, Emily will be 2 on September 21.  I've been married to my high school sweetheart for just over 9 years (as of May)... we live in Central Texas.

We are just toddling off on our homeschool journey - we enrolled Michael in public school kindergarten, and now our plans have changed!  You can read the whole story on my other blog, by clicking here, and here, and here, and here... those should be in chronological order, if I managed to link them properly!

I did homeschool Michael until he was three, when I delivered Emily, then I got really sick (click here to read about that story) and so we enrolled him two days a week in preschool so he could get out of the house more.  That was truly a great experience for our family, it really was... no horror stories there.  God really blessed us when he sent us there... but it is nice to get to homeschool again!

So, thanks for visiting.  I may post some more here, but for now, check out my other blog if you want current information.  It's just that I finally figured out how to work my blog over there (I'm not extremely computer savvy  ) & I hate change, especially change that will take a lot of time right now, just when I'm getting even busier with kid-stuff.

Have a good night, ya'll.