Over the weekend there were a few things said that touched my heart. I wanted to write them down so I will never forget.
Saturday morning at breakfast Laney said "Mommy, when are we starting school?" I usually start reading to them while they are eating breakfast and she was ready for some stories. Who knew she was so into it!
Later that morning, we were talking about our upcoming trip to Florida and Addison said, "Mommy, can we bring school with us?" I asked her exactly what she wanted to bring. She mentioned some books and her Bible and even her math workbook. I was planning on taking the week off, but I guess that's what I get for planning =)
At church on Sunday a mom I had never met came up to me and told me how excited Addison was that I was her teacher. Apparently, she was telling everyone in her class she was homeschooled!
Later that afternoon my mom and I took the girls to get their first pedicures before our trip and Addison had a long conversation with the person doing her nails about how she was homeschooled and everything she loved about it. I am sure I was just beaming as I sat there listening to what she had to say. When she was finished, the nail technician came up to me and told me how articulate and smart she was for 4. Big smiles!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
It Takes a Village Part 2
There are 3 very key people in our village. My dad (Tom) my mom (Mimi) her husband (Papa Gerry.) Without these 3 people, I don't know how I would survive some days. There are countless other friends and family members that are always willing to lend a helping hand, and we thank God for them every day.
In my last post (which got posted 5 days after I started writing it,) it ended with a new project for us to start. My goal was to paint the bird house Thursday afternoon. My son ended up breaking his leg (an entire other blog!!) so the painting got put on hold, so I pushed it to Friday and then to Saturday. The house has been a little crazy with all the chaos involving Max's broken leg. People coming and going, kids being shuffled around while we took Max to numerous doctors appointments and not really any sort of normalcy going on. Any of you that know my kids, know we need some sort of routine or things get a little crazy!
In comes the village. Instead of trying to find just the right time to paint the bird house which can be a little tricky when it is 1 on 4, I asked my mom if she was up for it. She took the 3 older kids Saturday afternoon and were able to successfully get that bird house painted. 2 on 3 is way better odds when paint is involved =)
Not only did the kids have a great time, a huge mess was not made. Well, there is always Max and he, of course, tried to eat the paint.
Addison and Laney decided they wanted to have a pink bird house.
And the finished product...
In my last post (which got posted 5 days after I started writing it,) it ended with a new project for us to start. My goal was to paint the bird house Thursday afternoon. My son ended up breaking his leg (an entire other blog!!) so the painting got put on hold, so I pushed it to Friday and then to Saturday. The house has been a little crazy with all the chaos involving Max's broken leg. People coming and going, kids being shuffled around while we took Max to numerous doctors appointments and not really any sort of normalcy going on. Any of you that know my kids, know we need some sort of routine or things get a little crazy!
In comes the village. Instead of trying to find just the right time to paint the bird house which can be a little tricky when it is 1 on 4, I asked my mom if she was up for it. She took the 3 older kids Saturday afternoon and were able to successfully get that bird house painted. 2 on 3 is way better odds when paint is involved =)
Not only did the kids have a great time, a huge mess was not made. Well, there is always Max and he, of course, tried to eat the paint.
Addison and Laney decided they wanted to have a pink bird house.
And Max wanted a green roof.
And the finished product...
Monday, August 20, 2012
It takes a village...
So, we've all heard the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child." Well, I am truly blessed to have a village and what a wonderful village it is! It is my hopes and dreams to use that village to help with our homeschooling.
During the day I decided it would be a good idea to practice before we got out real hammers. I got some styrofoam and golf tees and let the kids hammer away with their toy hammer.
Addison was very precise and hammered those nails all the way down.
Laney would hammer for a bit and then move on to the next one before she was finished.
And Max would hammer as hard as he could. Not much aim, but when he hit a golf tee, it went all the way through with one hit! Notice Laney backing away on the side of the picture.
Now, for the real deal. Over to Papa Gerry's house we went and he had everything covered. First he got out a work bench just the right height for the kids and showed them how to nail.
Then, he helped them each individually to make sure they got the hang of it.
After a bit of practice they were able to build a bird house together.
To be continued...
- It will give the kids a change of pace and keep things fresh.
- I certainly don't know everything!
- It will give family members and friends the opportunity to share their knowledge with our children.
- It will teach the kids they can learn anywhere, any time and from any person.
During the day I decided it would be a good idea to practice before we got out real hammers. I got some styrofoam and golf tees and let the kids hammer away with their toy hammer.
Addison was very precise and hammered those nails all the way down.
Laney would hammer for a bit and then move on to the next one before she was finished.
And Max would hammer as hard as he could. Not much aim, but when he hit a golf tee, it went all the way through with one hit! Notice Laney backing away on the side of the picture.
Now, for the real deal. Over to Papa Gerry's house we went and he had everything covered. First he got out a work bench just the right height for the kids and showed them how to nail.
Then, he helped them each individually to make sure they got the hang of it.
After a bit of practice they were able to build a bird house together.
The best part about building the bird house is it gave us another project to do. We got to paint it!
To be continued...
Saturday, August 11, 2012
We made it!
Well, we have week 1 under our belts and I still have enough energy to blog about it!
As most of you know, we chose Sonlight as our curriculum this year. After tons of research, I thought it was the perfect fit for our family and I am feeling very happy with our decision so far! A quick overview of what I will be teaching. I started the girls on the pre-k core which includes bible, geography, history and science. I put them both on K language arts. Addison on 2nd grade readers (she is currently reading at 4th/5th grade level, but I wanted this to be fun. She stills likes pictures in her books, after all, she is only 4) and Laney on 1st grade readers. Addison on 1st grade math and Laney on Kindergarten math.
Over the past weekend, my husband and I gathered supplies and got organized for the week. I planned absolutely nothing for Monday (no errands, no out to lunch, no play dates, nothing) I wanted to see how the day would go and get a feel for this "homeschooling thing." Let the week begin!
Monday was a great day, but a learning experience as well. I am sure it is no surprise to anyone, but Addison was totally into it and Laney was only into it when something sounded interesting to her. We did get everything accomplished I wanted to, but some minor changes needed to be made. I thought we would start by reading stories on the couch (I was so excited about this. I had a happy picture in my head of me and kids cuddled under a blanket reading our books) however, that came to a screeching halt when Max kept jumping around on everyone and no one could hear or see the pictures.
Change #1 - Read stories while having meals/snacks
I was starting the Language Arts section for the day and the concepts seemed so simple. They wanted me to spend an entire week on the letter F. They both understood the concepts, but the writing part was the problem. Addison was great writing what I asked, but Laney wasn't much into it. I tried helping her and she seemed frustrated, so I just let it go, she just doesn't have the motor skills yet. Later that night, I was thinking to myself, "what in the world am I doing?!? She is only 3, why would I try and make her write?"
Change #2 - Let Laney join in on writing when she wants to. We also started writing letters on the chalkboard which she loved, plus Max can join in. DON'T try and have Laney sit down and write on paper!
As far as the reading and math are concerned, they are both doing great. They think it is so special when it is their turn to read to baby Ella and they actually can't wait to hear what comprehension questions I have for them. The only thing I have had to adjust here is allowing Addison to read more. Since the day we got her readers, they have been up on a book shelf and she has been dying to read them. I have been attempting to follow the reading schedule, but she still wants a variety. I think she has already done 3 weeks worth of reading.
Change #3 - Let Addison read at her own pace even if it is faster than the "schedule" we have.
Once I made my minor adjustments, the rest of the school week went great. The kids were into everything we did. If they would be playing, I would ask "who is ready for more school" and they would come running. We did lots of crafts and art projects, sang songs, danced around and just had plain old fun.
There was 1 major improvement I would like to note. I usually have the kids play in the basement (that is where we keep the majority of our toys) for a while in the morning. It was just recently that I let Max go down with the girls and it has always ended in crying. I could maybe get 10 minutes out of it. However, during school, I call it "free time" and they will all happily go down and play without any arguments until I call them back up. I haven't let them play for over 30 minutes by themselves yet, but this is a vast improvement!
All in all, a great week! I am feeling positive about what we're doing and where we're going. One of the best parts about it is that we were still able to do all the fun stuff we normally do. We went to gymnastics, play dates, park, pool, and even ran some errands.
I'm off to prep for week #2!
As most of you know, we chose Sonlight as our curriculum this year. After tons of research, I thought it was the perfect fit for our family and I am feeling very happy with our decision so far! A quick overview of what I will be teaching. I started the girls on the pre-k core which includes bible, geography, history and science. I put them both on K language arts. Addison on 2nd grade readers (she is currently reading at 4th/5th grade level, but I wanted this to be fun. She stills likes pictures in her books, after all, she is only 4) and Laney on 1st grade readers. Addison on 1st grade math and Laney on Kindergarten math.
Over the past weekend, my husband and I gathered supplies and got organized for the week. I planned absolutely nothing for Monday (no errands, no out to lunch, no play dates, nothing) I wanted to see how the day would go and get a feel for this "homeschooling thing." Let the week begin!
Monday was a great day, but a learning experience as well. I am sure it is no surprise to anyone, but Addison was totally into it and Laney was only into it when something sounded interesting to her. We did get everything accomplished I wanted to, but some minor changes needed to be made. I thought we would start by reading stories on the couch (I was so excited about this. I had a happy picture in my head of me and kids cuddled under a blanket reading our books) however, that came to a screeching halt when Max kept jumping around on everyone and no one could hear or see the pictures.
Change #1 - Read stories while having meals/snacks
I was starting the Language Arts section for the day and the concepts seemed so simple. They wanted me to spend an entire week on the letter F. They both understood the concepts, but the writing part was the problem. Addison was great writing what I asked, but Laney wasn't much into it. I tried helping her and she seemed frustrated, so I just let it go, she just doesn't have the motor skills yet. Later that night, I was thinking to myself, "what in the world am I doing?!? She is only 3, why would I try and make her write?"
Change #2 - Let Laney join in on writing when she wants to. We also started writing letters on the chalkboard which she loved, plus Max can join in. DON'T try and have Laney sit down and write on paper!
As far as the reading and math are concerned, they are both doing great. They think it is so special when it is their turn to read to baby Ella and they actually can't wait to hear what comprehension questions I have for them. The only thing I have had to adjust here is allowing Addison to read more. Since the day we got her readers, they have been up on a book shelf and she has been dying to read them. I have been attempting to follow the reading schedule, but she still wants a variety. I think she has already done 3 weeks worth of reading.
Change #3 - Let Addison read at her own pace even if it is faster than the "schedule" we have.
Once I made my minor adjustments, the rest of the school week went great. The kids were into everything we did. If they would be playing, I would ask "who is ready for more school" and they would come running. We did lots of crafts and art projects, sang songs, danced around and just had plain old fun.
There was 1 major improvement I would like to note. I usually have the kids play in the basement (that is where we keep the majority of our toys) for a while in the morning. It was just recently that I let Max go down with the girls and it has always ended in crying. I could maybe get 10 minutes out of it. However, during school, I call it "free time" and they will all happily go down and play without any arguments until I call them back up. I haven't let them play for over 30 minutes by themselves yet, but this is a vast improvement!
All in all, a great week! I am feeling positive about what we're doing and where we're going. One of the best parts about it is that we were still able to do all the fun stuff we normally do. We went to gymnastics, play dates, park, pool, and even ran some errands.
I'm off to prep for week #2!
Thursday, June 28, 2012
One month and counting...
August is quickly approaching which means I am one month away from offically being a homeschooler. Am I nervous, ABSOLUTELY!
I have mentioned this to a few friends and their first response is always "why? what do you have to be nervous about?" Although I do appreciate the optimism, the nerves are still there. I think to myself, "What DO I have to be nervous about?" and the answers keep coming and coming.
1. The amount of energy I am going to need.
This has become a lot more "real" to me since our newest addition has arrived. I cannot express how much energy and patience it takes to make it through the day. I mean 14 hours of constant movement (I do make it a point to sit down while I am nursing!) Up the stairs, down the stairs, on the floor, picking up one kid, then picking up another, making 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and all the dishes that go along with them, "mommy can you get me this", "mommy I need that," loading kids in and out of the car, laundry, paying bills, trying to maintain some sort of clean household and the list can go on and on.
I would like to say that so far I am keeping up. I have a lot of energy during the day, but come night time, I am ready to sit down. Right now I am only getting about 2/3 hour stretches of sleep at night, so I am hoping when I start to get a full nights sleep, things will only get better.
2. No time to myself
Currently my older 2 are at a summer program for 2 hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays and that gives me time to run errands, get to dr. appts for me or the little ones and try to get the house organized. What am I going to do when I don't have those 4 hours a week?? I know we will find a new "normal" but going to the store with 2 instead of 4 is a LOT easier!
I can always tell when I need to get out of the house because my patience starts to run short and I know I need a break. Mentally, I know I need to do things for myself, but I truly struggle with that. I always feel guilty when I have to ask other people for help. My husband is fabulous when it comes to this and is always saying "GO, take some time for you, you deserve it!" I just need to learn to actually do it.
3. I need to dedicate time daily for "school"
Although we currently try to get in some study time every day, there are many days that pass and I think to myself where did the time go?
I do have a couple of positive things going for me here. We are starting at the beginning of August so if we miss a day here or there it's ok. We can also take time off for vacation and around the holidays and still be able to get all of our work in. My kids are young enough that if we don't get everything done, we can take as much time as we need. (Definite benefit of homeschooling!)
As I am reading back over this blog, I am overcome with a feeling of confidence. Although there will be some obstacles and adjustments, I know there isn't anything I can't handle. I know there will be times when I will question homeschooling, but I will just need to go back to the reasons I decided to homeschool and keep in mind what is important to our family. If you ever have any words of encouragement, feel free to share them!
**On a side note. As I sit here typing this blog, my 2 oldest are watching their afternoon video and I just heard my little Laney say to her big sister "Ad, I love you" and she responded "I love you too!" Nothing melts my heart more and I know these are the moments I don't want to miss!!
I started this blog with the oh my gosh, what am I going to do mentallity and I am ending it with a smile. It's the little things that keep me going.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Learning by Osmosis??
Laney reading to Addison
I decided to start her on Sonlight's kindergarten readers just to see how she would do, boy, was I blown away! She has done 2/3 of the years curriculum in about a month. I would like to make a side note that this is only done when SHE wants to. If there is any attempt to "make" her read when she doesn't want to, nothing gets accomplished. However, when she WANTS to read, she just flies through these books. She usually sits on the couch with her daddy, mostly squirming while she reads, but when she has an audience, she will sit right up and read the books to you, no problem.
Daddy helping Laney while Addison watches
My in-laws were here to help when the new baby was born and Laney asked to do some sight word flash cards. After every word, she would look back for grandma's approval and then she would keep going strong. I couldn't believe she sat still for the entire box, plus, she didn't miss one word!!
So, has she learned by osmosis? I'm not really for sure. I do know that I now have a 3 year old who will be starting 1st grade readers in the fall without much work on my part. I will continue to read as much as possible to all of my kids in hopes they continue to enjoy the love of learning.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Our Vegetable Garden
We decided it would be a lot of fun to start a vegetable garden this year and so far we have not been disappointed. We don't have anything ready to eat yet, but the kids have loved every part of it. We built a raised garden so they were able to help daddy put that together. They loved digging in the dirt and planting the seeds. Watering has become a daily chore they are excited about doing.
The excitement in their eyes when they see their seeds turning into plants is priceless. They will come running through the door screaming, "Mommy, mommy, come look!!" I can't wait to see what happens when vegetables actually come in. Whenever it rains, we talk about how our garden is going to grow bigger because of all the water it is getting. Our kids, like most, love being outside and exploring new things. What a fun way for them to learn more about nature and where some of our foods come from than our own vegetable garden. The best part about it is we will get fresh organic fruits and vegetables!
Max eating the dirt!!
The excitement in their eyes when they see their seeds turning into plants is priceless. They will come running through the door screaming, "Mommy, mommy, come look!!" I can't wait to see what happens when vegetables actually come in. Whenever it rains, we talk about how our garden is going to grow bigger because of all the water it is getting. Our kids, like most, love being outside and exploring new things. What a fun way for them to learn more about nature and where some of our foods come from than our own vegetable garden. The best part about it is we will get fresh organic fruits and vegetables!
Ready to garden
Digging dirt
Soil for the tomatoes
Planting the seeds
Max eating the dirt!!
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