Jan. 8, 2009 - Half way there
Well I feel like I have reached a milestone in my journey as a homeschooling mom. I am about half way done with my first year!! Oh sweet Jesus, what a relief!! I feel like I have learned a few things already. Not too sure about my kids, but I am definitely learning!
I have learned that each of my kids have a preference toward a different subject. One loves math, the other cries through it. I tell one to go read, you would think I just told him to rip off each of his toenails one by one, the other I have to make stop and go play. I think this is all part of God's grace to me and to my kids. First of all, he gives me alternating times to correct and push. If they all hated math, I might be tempted to just skip it completely. I am sort of an "easy way out" kind of gal. Secondly, it helps them to sympathize with the frustrated brother and step in to offer some help or encouraging words. I love to see my 7 year old stop to pray with my 9 year old when long division has reduced him to a pile of tears!!
I have learned that finding the easiest cirriculum to administrate, doesn't equal fun or interesting for the kids. This year I chose one cirriculum across the board. It is easy for me, doesn't require alot of prep work or crafty thoughts, but my kids are BORED!! I am now SO excited for the next homeschool convention so that I can spend hours looking through the options to find one that might work for us. Now that I know my kids again and I familiar with their learning styles, I have a much better idea what might work.
I have learned that I am weak. This here is the greatest lesson of them all. I now know that his grace IS sufficient for me and that his power IS made perfect in my weakness. Don't get me wrong I knew that before, but now I REALLY KNOW it. I get to see that in action every day. I know that God is a God who answers prayers. Even frustrated, short prayers through gritted teeth. For me homeschooling has provided a new way for me and my kids to see the Lord work. And that alone inspires me to continue this journey for as long as the Lord allows.
So at my half way point I can honestly say, I love homeschooling! I love my kids in a deeper way then before. I love the Lord with a dependant kind of love that only can exist through his grace.
We are going to be ok!
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Dec. 18, 2008 - cute shoes giveaway
My friend Clair over at Mummydeals is giving away some super cute shoes in a contest. Come over here and check it out!
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Nov. 12, 2008 - I should have stayed home!
Since I am finding it difficult to keep up with 2 blogs, here is what I posted on my other blog today. Sorry to my one reader who reads both:)
I love that all of the Chicago museums have free days. I always want to go but with 4 kids, I can't afford to go unless it is free. Monday was a free day at the Field Museum. Jacob has been obsessed with dinosaurs ever since he was very small and has always asked to go to the dinosaur museum. So on Monday we decided to go. This was the first in a line of bad ideas!!
I didn't decide until Monday morning to go, so I was quite unprepared for the adventure. I had no lunch meat in the house and I had to scramble to come up with lunches at the last minute. Peanut butter and jelly for everyone. YUCK!! Oh well, I pack up and off we go. I realize pulling out of the driveway that I have no gas. First stop gas station. While pumping my gas, I look down and realize that I am wearing one shoe and one slipper. I have no idea how that happened! Dang it, I have to go back home and change my one slipper into a more socially acceptable shoe. Off we go again. We hit the expressway and it is smooth sailing all the way to the museum. After 20 minutes of looking for the parking, we are parked and trying to get in the museum. We load up the mammoth stroller and head to the elevators. Of course not with out going back to the car 3 times for things I forgot. Oh well all is well! We take the elevator up and take the long walk to the doors of the museum. We are on the south side of the museum where I am greeted by A GIANT FLIGHT OF STAIRS!!! No ramp in sight! Time to get creative. I take Camden out of the stroller and give him to Jacob, while Tyler and I carry the stroller up the stairs. Not so fun and not a single person offered to help us! That's fine I can handle this. I can take 4 kids to the museum alone and I don't need any one's help. Yea. Once inside we had a fine time. They have this GREAT natural disasters display right now. We have been studying volcanoes lately so this was the highlight of the day. The rest of the museum, ehh, waste of my time. But oh well, I see things a bit different than the museum does so we plowed through the rest rather quickly. When we exited the museum, we were on the North side of the museum. I looked up and saw the building that my mom works in. I said to the kids, "Look, there is grandma's work. It is not that far, lets go visit her." *disclaimer* Large buildings appear closer than they are!
We head off down Columbus Dr. toward Michigan Ave. to visit grandma at the Prudential building. Just after passing Millennium Park, I realize that we are below the street we want to be on. I am greeted again by a GIANT FLIGHT OF STAIRS. This time, instead of killing ourselves to get up them, I decide to travel a bit underground to work my way up. My kids are exhausted, we had already been walking for about 30 minutes, and I keep saying, " hurry up guys." My legs are very long, one of my steps is at least 3 of theirs. Tyler has now gotten multiple cramps all over his body from too much walking when he says to me, "Where is the worst place to get a cramp?" Before I can respond, Jacob says," Chicago!" Cracking up we continue on. As we walk underground, I realize where we are. Sam stepped on a sleeping man and I panic. We are on lower Wacker. Me alone with my kids. CRAP!! My hurry up's get frantic and I am now encouraging my kids to run, not walk. After a lot of questions about why people are sleeping on the ground, we emerge in daylight. AAH!!! Freedom! 2 blocks west and then 3 more south and we arrive at the Prudential building. About an hour of walking for Giordano's pizza. To add insult to injury, my mom ordered thin crust! Who eats thin crust at Giordano's? Apparently my mom. Love you mom, but deep dish is the way to go.
I made the decision to take the train on the way back. Quick, cheap ride from Randolph to 12th street and we are close to the museum. Unfortunately when we arrive at the train station, it is 30 minutes till the next train. We wait. At least we are stationary. Camden is out of his mind tired and screams the whole time. When it is time to board the train, I am greeted again by A GIANT FLIGHT OF STAIRS!!! Again out comes Camden, give him to Jacob, and Tyler and I carry down the stroller. Again NO ONE offers to help. Now I need it. I am tired, frustrated, and quickly loosing my sense of humor. Any way we are on the train. YES!! Five minutes later we are off at 12th St. We are greeted yet again by a GIANT FLIGHT OF STAIRS!! Same scenario, like groundhog day, Cam out, Jacob hold, Tyler and I carry, no one offers to help, blah blah blah. Street level arrives and we head back to the museum. 15 minutes later we are back at the original flight of stairs and off to the parking garage. Another 15 minutes and I have found the car and we are in. I then realize that I had to pay for my parking at the terminal back by the elevators. There is no attendant on duty. Nice. Everyone back out of the car. I cried all the way to the stupid terminal thingy, pay for parking, and head back to the car. I am sure the onlookers wondered why I was crying as I paid for my parking. Or maybe they understood since we were all paying WAY TOO MUCH for a place to put our cars. We are now on the road. A wonderful, uneventful ride home. It was a beautiful thing. I really needed uneventful at that point.
So the moral of this story...Its not that easy to take 4 kids alone, anywhere, it looks close, but its not, stairs suck, chivalry is DEAD, pizza should be deep dish, nothing is quick, remember where you park, read the signs in the parking garage, and next time you start a day with 2 different shoes....STAY HOME!
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Sep. 18, 2008 - So far
Thank you so much to everyone who is commenting and helping me. This is exactly what I need. I need to know what websites out there offer free ideas. I need to figure out how to be creative even though I don't believe I was created with that gift!! So keep it coming!
I have at the least managed to complete school every day. Really that is an amazing feat for me. I am not organized or disciplined so consistancy has always been an issue for me. Right now I feel like I am "doing school at home" I don't think this is the best way . My heart is to "home educate" but my only ideas about school come from school. I can thank God for revealing this to me now and not wasting years and regretting. So that is my question this week. How do I move from doing school like the schools to educating my children in a unique way?
Oh yeah another question. My 5.5 year old is a high energy boy. Diagnosed with adhd, I know that I will have to do thing differently with him. He will not sit long enough for seat work right now, but I want to work with him. What ideas are out there for those of us with "special needs kids?" He really needs to learn letter and number recognition along with at the very least writing his name. I am at a loss with this one particularly.
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Sep. 12, 2008 - HELP ME!!!
Hello Homeschooling world
I have been a homeschooler for exactly 9 days now and I am already feeling a bit lost. I am not an authority on anything and I am here to find some help and support. I have no idea what my approach is. I don't know if I am "charlotte Mason" or "an unschooler" or "textbook" really I have no clue. I am simply trying to do as the Lord called me. I have had my children in public school for the last couple years and we made the decision to pull them out this year. I have no problem with the public school, we actually had a great experience. I simply missed my kids. By the time they got home, had a snack, did homework, ate dinner, took showers, it was time for bed. I didn't know these kids anymore. We had lost the connection we had when they were small and I couldn't help but think that this is not what God had in mind for the family. I have 4 boys ages 9, 7, 5, and 1 and a step-daughter that visits on weekends. I am currently homeschooling 3rd grade, 2nd grade, and my most challenging Kindergarten. I love the time I get to spend with them. Each morning I am greeted by them as the wait for the "plan" for the day. The problem lies in that I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I AM DOING!!!! I have purchased material and so we have books to do, but I know this is not it. We finish those in about 2 hours and then what? My kindergartner is definitely a special needs learner and he won't even sit in front of a book for a minute. I need some thing that will work for him that won't cost me a ton of money but will engage a very high energy 5.5 year old and teach him to love and fear the Lord and learning to read and write would be great too. So I am here for help. Give me your ideas, your encouragement, your suggestions. I am all ears!
