My Husband Is A Teacher... We Homeschool PART 3

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by a reader and the following is her email and my reply. I waited and saved it for a while to re-read and consider if it was appropriate to post. After careful consideration I believe it might be beneficial to someone. Suprisingly, I found it to be beneficial myself to re-read. LOL!

[From: "Reader" (name protected)= Hi there Shannon! I read your blog and really enjoyed it! I was wondering if you and your husband have found a job as a principal yet. I was really interested when I found your blog because my husband is a teacher as well. We are hoping for a baby soon, whenever the Lord decides! (thats a whole other topic for another time) I was homeschooled and had a mostly positive experience. I loved spending so much time with my family and I believe that my sisters would not be my best friends if it wasn't for all we went through together. I also enjoyed learning at my own pace and learning things I was interested in. I have so many precious memories from being homeschooled. Fortunately, my husband is very supportive of the idea of homeschooling, but we are both concerned how it will affect his career. He is starting his masters this summer and plans to pursue getting his principal papers as well. Brian, my dear husband, thrives in the school environment. He loves what he does and enjoys going to work each day. We don't want him to have to change careers if at all possible. But the big question is who is going to hire a principal whose own kids are not taught at school? We firmly believe that homeschooling our children at least while they are in the early years is so important. But with him starting his masters this summer, we are really looking closely at all this and trying to discern what the Lord would have for us. Any advice would be most welcome! Thank you for your time, "Reader" (name protected)

Me= Sorry to take so long to get back to you. I wanted to clear my head somewhat before trying to advise you in any way or share my thoughts with you. First, I am a new to homeschooling and pulled my kids out of public school in November. It has been a rocky beginning. Much of that I believe is because I was schooled through public school and up until now my kids have been. You just get this "programming" of how things are done that you have to break out of. The wonderful thing for you is that if you grew up homeschooled then you would not have to "de-program" your way of thinking. It is much like many other things in life... If you grow up being screamed at you will often scream at your kids.... being spanked then, you will spank... being hugged then, you will hug .... It is difficult to CHANGE. So, we are working on that "de-programming" and the kids and I realizing that it is OK to do things "different".... different is not wrong, it is only different! A simple example is that the first couple of weeks my kids would ask to go to the bathroom. I would tell them you do not have to wait, just go, and come right back. My older one was in school Pre-K through now (3 1/4 years), so when she does not understand she just sits there. I try to tell her to just ask me what she needs to, but she is so used to "waiting her turn" at school (and sometimes the teachers do not have time to help). For those reasons I would have to tell you that if you want to teach your kids I think it is best to start them out from the beginning. Once they get "programmed" it is hard to change. They are almost like little robots ... waiting in lines, waiting "their" turn, being given "busy" work, not getting really socialized, taught to eat fast, taught to not have conversations with others, etc. I am not saying public school is all bad, but I think they are just used to having to deal with a lot of kids. They have to do all that stuff to have order.

Anyway, I am rambling... about the "not getting really socialized" in PUBLIC school that I mentioned above. The biggest question you will ever hear if you homeschool is how are your kids going to get socialized. I admit it was my biggest concern, too. In public school they really do not socialize like the older generations did. I am 36 and when I was kid there was quite a bit of socialization going on. Now the kids usually are not allowed to speak at lunch time or in class. At recess they can, but there is very little supervision by teachers. They might have two people watching over 50-75 kids at recess and there is just no way to really do that properly. My daughter would come home and say, "My best friend said she is not playing with me." or "I don't want to play with you." Her heart would be broken and no one would intervene, because the teachers would easily not know about it. If this were happening at home we would immediately tell them that we do not want them to say those types of things. We would guide them socially. At school who can you depend on to do that for you?!

As far as how homeschooling affects us.... My husband has had his Master's for 1 1/2 years now and has not gotten the job he wants. We are quite particular I have to say, because we are wanting him to have a short commute still. We just started homeschooling, so that has had nothing to do with it, yet. In the future it may stand in the way of a Principal position. I would say that it is best to be supportive of public school. Let the people you talk to know that you are supportive of public school and do not think homeschooling is for everyone. I personally feel that public school is necessary, because most people today are not willing to make the sacrifices that they would have to make. Not everyone can teach or has the ability to teach. You would likely have a society full of illiterates if everyone homeschooled, which is why public school came to be. I am not saying that homeschool turns out illiterates... not at all. What I mean is that some people are really not bright at all and how would they teach their kids... imagine if they can't read or write, then how would they teach their child. We need public schools. On the other hand if you are able and can educate your kids and enjoy them, then why do it any other way?!

I think God has been working on me on this issue for a while... like a bad whisper in my ear saying, "Shannon, you should consider homeschool." I have brushed it to the side... tried to ignore it... thought it was a crazy notion. I have to be honest and say that when I made the decision to homeschool it was not because I was really listening to God. I did it to try to gain some sanity in my crazy life. I did search my Bible looking for proof that God would want me to do it, but I came up empty and I think that is because God knew I would not truly be listening to Him anyway. Notice I said I "searched my Bible". I did not say that I prayed about it, did I? So, one day I am talking to a friend and I tell her that I am having these "crazy thoughts" and have been thinking a lot about homeschooling the kids and she said, "Well, pray about it." So, a couple days later I call her and I say, "Well, I have to tell you that the reason I have not prayed about it is that I think will not like the answer. I think if I pray about it God is going to tell me to do it." That essentially is when I knew I would need to listen to God and homeschool my kids. I still did not pray diligently about it, but rather prayed just enough that God could begin to work on me and I decided to do it. I know it is what God would have me to do, but I have a long way to go! It is scary for me, but it is getting less scary. I am understanding that God's timing is soooo very different than the time on a clock. Almost overnight when I was ready to receive it God started pouring out proof to me that I should teach my children and not let others do it. I have gained a mental knowledge in just moments of time that I would have thought would take me years to really get. Suddenly, I am thinking why did I not see this when I "searched my Bible".... God reveals things to use in His timing and when we need it, when we are truly receptive, and when He wants us to have it. Even writing this now I am realizing that God is really using you to "talk to myself" and I am realizing that I need to wake up everyday and start it with praying about how he wants me to handle my homeschooling day and stop trying to "just do it my way or by the books".

I truly hope some of this is helpful to you. Also, if you start out homeschooling let me encourage you to do it all the way through the upper level. Why shelter and protect them and then throw them into that atmosphere when they are older. It would be like tending sheep and then, suddenly one day throwing them into the lion's den. Why go through the trouble of guarding their minds only to throw them into a situation that would potentially poison their minds. My husband teaches 7th grade English and loves it, but they have caught students having "relations" (s--) in the gym dressing rooms or restrooms. They have pregnant students or ones that think they might be. Just a couple weeks ago a substitute teacher was arrested at the school for his involvement in filming another adult with a minor (fortunately, not at the school). Teachers are sometimes not mentally "able" themselves and are at the schools teaching and yelling at the kids. The older years are very dangerous to their minds and they are exposed to innapropriate things by their peers.

I am closing ... I am sure there is more to say, but feel free to ask me more questions. I might actually post this in my blog in the future. I will not use your name, so do not worry about that. I am thinking that others might benefit from this, as well.]

Children and the Concept of Marriage

Kids are so cute! Recently, we were having lunch and Sierra leaned over and kissed Caden on the lips and began to blush and act all giddy. She said she was in love with Caden and she was going to marry him! Savannah and I were stunned and tickled and, of course, after we stopped laughing we had a little discussion about incest. LOL! Tonight Sierra was lying on my bed beside Sahara and she said she wanted to marry her! I told her that she surely can not marry her sister as we giggled about it. I proceeded to ask her if that just meant she loved her. As she continued loving on her baby sister she said that was what she meant. I just love the sweetness and innocence of it all. I do wonder about those children that do not have such guidance. These conversations are cute, but they are also the perfect time for us as parents to teach and guide our children. It is the perfect chance to lightheartedly explain that God made us all with a certain plan in mind.

Also, Sierra asked me today, "Who was first?" I thought she was talking about the birth order of her siblings, so I said, "Savannah". She said, "No, who was first?" It took me a moment to understand that what she wanted to know was who was first on this earth. I told her that Adam was and then, God created Eve to be his mate. She looked bewildered, because I said it as if I expected her to know it. I asked her if she knew what I was talking about and if she knew the story of Adam and Eve. She did not. I don't see how that could be, but it just made me realize the importance of making sure we teach them these things. It is easy to assume that she would have learned this, the most basic of Bible stories, by the age of five. I mean, even if we did not tell her I would think that she would have learned about it in her church classes. Obviously, not. I know that we have taught her other things and she has learned other things in church, so I am not devastated by this. I am just reminded that we are responsible for teaching it to her.

My oldest, Savannah, kissed her buddy Caleb on the lips (a peck) when they were toddlers. Sweet Caleb believes and refers to Savannah as his wife now... well, he may not now, but at the last discussion of this he would call her his wife. In his innocence and purity he believes that if you kiss then you are married. What a glorious moment! For a child to think such a thing speaks volumes about his upbringing! I truly hope that we can raise our children in a way that they will choose courtship vs. dating. What a wonderful way to enter into marriage without the regrets of past relationships. I truly believe that this can be possible if we are not afraid to guide our children by God's plan. In a world that teaches our kids to try everything first it will certainly be a challenge, but one that will be worth our efforts. Who knows... one day Savannah and Caleb might marry, but it won't be because we as parents push them to. That would be their choice, of course. What a testimony they would have if they could look back and say that they had never kissed anyone other than one they would eventually marry.

On the subject of children and marriage I can't skip the father's role. Like most all girls, my daughters "first love" has been their Daddy. On many occassions they have mentioned that one day they want to marry Daddy when they grow up. Again, another chance to lightheartedly discuss incest and such things. LOL! We have taken the time to praise them for loving Daddy, but at the same time we have taken this time to teach them about marriage and family and God's plan.

Touch (A Bit Of A Sequel)

This is just a little add-on to my last posting. I desire their touch as well. And without a shadow of a doubt I know where that gift comes from. I think the sweet touch of our children is just a little glimpse of heaven that God gives us. Imagine for a moment how soft His touch will be.... the most gentle off hands imaginable!

To Be Loved In Such A Way...

To be loved in such a way that your mere touch is all they desire. That is the finest of gifts! What sweetness! My two babies have strep and my little one is so miserable. All she wants is my touch. And so... that is my agenda for the day. What a wonderful job to have! To hold her, cuddle her, wipe her tears away, and be the one to get her through her dark days. She trusts me to care for her and make it better. She is having a rare moment of somewhat peaceful sleep at the moment. And so, I rock my older baby at his protest. He is busy these days...busy being two and playing or chasing after his "Doddy". He does not protest the rocking long, though. He too is now asleep, because much like his sister he still can't resist that touch. All of my babies still succumb sweetly into sleep at my mere touch. What a gift! Sierra, 4, will come sit with me at night and I can simply whisper, "Go to sleep" and lean her head against me and within seconds she is sleeping. She just desires to touch me. Savannah, 8, runs to me at bedtime as if her ability to sleep depends upon that final touch, a hug and kiss, before bedtime. Oh how wonderful it is to be loved is such a way!

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The Passage of Time, AGAIN !~!~!

In February I blogged about "The Passage of Time" and how there seem to be so many milestones at this point in my life. I am sleep-deprived and delirious at 2:00 AM this morning and I have had a crazy week, but for some reason I can't make myself go to bed and sleep. What on earth could be wrong with me?! And then it occurs to me.... I think it is finally really sinking in for me that my daddy had a heart attack this past Monday. He is doing well and is back home already. I think it just happened so fast that it did not have time to all register! When I wrote about "The Passage of Time" I mentioned that my daddy was turning 60 along with many other milestones going on in my life. What I left out is the really "personal" part. I did not mention that my mother-in-law was having testing done for some intestinal issues, my father-in-law was going through surgery on his neck for possible cancer, or that my dad thought he was having heart issues, again. Nine years ago he had five bypasses done on his heart. Well, this time they did a stress test any nothing showed to be abnormal, so they would not do anything else. A month later I get a call that my daddy has been admitted to the hospital for issues related to his heart. I drive down to the hospital the next day to be there for the testing and they tell us that it is ablockage, about 15 minutes later they proceed to tell us that they will put in a stint in, another 15 minutes and he is out and we are visiting with him. We are told that he had a small heart attack and had he waited the blood clot that was causing the blockage would have caused a massive heart attack and he would have died. We are focused on that he lived... that he "dodged another bullet".... that he is here and although we realized the seriousness of it, it is only now that I realized it has not really sunk in for me. I am thankful and I feel blessed. And I am gaining some peace, because after a lifetime of begging my daddy and momma have recently started going to church. I know that God is gracious!

Someone Is Always Pregnant

Someone is always pregnant in this house! They love to pretend they are pregnant... and for some unknown reason they like to be pregnant with multiples... and I do mean multiples! They have stuffed up to sixteen baby dolls in their "bellies"! In all seriousnees I love that they find pregnancy to be such a joy and I pray they will enjoy it as much when they are adults.

On that note.... I feel inclined to remind you all to pray now for your child's mate. I have done that some from the beginning with all my children even when they were still in the womb. It is so important that we raise our children to be patient and wait on the Lord for the ONE that God has designed for them. I have prayed that God will create someone that is perfect for each of my children. This is a great time of reflection for me as I write and a reminder to myself that I need to do this more. I will pray that God is creating or has created that person and that God will make them harmonious as a team. I will pray that God will protect that mate guide them in their life's decisions. I will pray for that child's salvations and that the will grow up to be Godly Christians. I encourage you to do the same for your children!

Also, if you take note you will see a gorgeous little curly headed hunk of a cutie pie in the above picture sporting a diaper. Caden is almost 2 1/2 years old and is NOT potty trained. No big deal to most people. I do realize this, but my girls were both potty trained by two. This hunk-a-chunk is afraid to put his business in the potty. He will tee-tee, although he simply does not have a preference to where -- toilet or diaper.... or wherever else he can spray! Poo is another issue! He will put it in the diaper, on the ground (yes, outside... eeek), on the floor, even on the pillows on my bed once...yuk... but not on a toilet! One time about six months ago, he did a little on the potty. The look of fear that came across his face was extreme. He held in the rest and has refused to do it ever again. So, MY PLEA TO ALL THAT READ THIS POST IS how do you handle a child being afraid to Poo in the potty/toilet? Leave me your wisdom in the form of a comment, PLEASE!!! When I read this back, I think ...well, just let him go where HE WILL... The only possible option that I MIGHT allow would be outside, but I hardly think he is going to grow up normal, if he Poos outside! LOL! Of course, that might eliminate the above issue of having to pray for his perfect mate! LOL! Really though, if you have had a problem with this and can share some insight I would be forever grateful. My husband is a teacher, so this summer we will both be home to "Git it done" potty training this little guy!

Journals They Can Really Call Their Own

I really want to encourage my kids to journal and we have many little journals/diaries aroung the house, but nothing that we have used for homeschooling since we began in November. So, we took an ordinary spiral notebook and one of their art pages (that I posted from last week) and simply glued it on with a glue stick wrapping the edges around to the inside cover. The tempera paint that they used to paint their flower pictures has a rough flakey texture, so I cut a piece of contact paper the size of the cover plus and extra inch to add durability to their journals. This was simple and quick and they were incredibly thrilled and went right to work coloring and writing in their journals! I in turn was thrilled! By the way, I bought these spirals during WMs back to school sale for 10 cents each and picked up a case of 20. Watch those type of sales and stock up for the year ... or longer!

I love that they can really call these "their own creation"!

Spring Has Sprung Birdhouses

What a beautiful day it was in Southeast Texas for Spring to officially begin! Sunshine and mid-70s temps! We celebrated Spring by painting little birdhouse that we picked up at the Dollar Tree. Fun and frugal... a great combination!

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Savannah & Sierra are serious artist at work!




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ART FUN !!!

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Caden looks serious, but he kept running off to find other adventures, also. He did come back three times to work on his, but he has that two year old attention span!

S~P~R~I~N~G !

Free Movie Day

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Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Kiss my Blog! I'm Irish!

(Well, some watered down version. My grandfather "looked" very Irish...short, fair complection, big hump nose... I don't think I got any of his genetic traits, though.... except, the short part!)

Today we are reading:

"The Story of St. Patrick's Day"

by Patricia A. Pingry

It is a small little boardbook that is simple and sturdy enough for all my little ones and perfect simple reading for my second grader. It's primary focus is not on little leprechauns and such, but rather on the history of Saint Patrick and his role in Christian history.

Also, I want to share this site with you for some great St. Patrick's Day fun and school work! It is www.billybear4kids.com and they have lots of great stuff!

May the LUCK OF THE IRISH be with you

and the BLESSINGS OF GOD!!

Curriculum for Homeschool

Being a "newbie" I am always wondering what others are using for a curriculum. Then the thought hit me that maybe that should be on my site, too! Do keep in mind that I plan to make some changes and tweek what we use as I get comfortable with homeschooling.

2nd Grade = Savannah = A Beka 2, all subjects

• What I Like: I like the thoroughness of the 3R's. I feel confident that the program lays a good foundation for Phonics, Reading, and Math.
• What I Don't Like: I do not like that the History, Science, Health & Manners/Social Studies are in the form of Readers and that those readers are each read only for a short period. I would much rather have those subjects spread throughout the whole school year, especially Science.
• Special Note: I am all over the place trying to find my way and take care of all the kids, so we are still getting our bearings...LOL! We are "ahead" in some areas and "behind" (things I know we will catch up on) or "skipping" (some areas that I know we can cover later or have already mastered).
• Next Year: I plan to use A Beka 3 for the 3R's. I already have purchased the readers, but I will probably just use those for reading practice and supplement History and Science throughout the year.

Pre-K = Sierra = Alpha Omega Horizons

• What I Like: I like that there is a variety of ways they introduce the concepts and the worksheets lead up gradually.
• What I Don't Like: I don't like that they use out of the ordinary examples. I just like things like "A is for Apple, Alligator, etc", not "A is for Ardvark (or some other creature I can't even pronounce sometimes).
• Special Note: I do not honestly use the curriculum as intended and I rarely read anything from the curriculum book. I try to teach Sierra alongside Savannah and I really need it to work together better, so I will not plan to use this curriculum in the future. That is not to say that it is not good. That is a matter of personal preference. If I had it to do over again, I would get some good handwriting practice books/worksheets and "wing it" on Pre-K with fun worksheets and hands-on activities. Some of the stuff is too slow for Sierra (example: She knew how to write up to number 10 back in October, but we are just getting past that in this curriculum).
• Next year: For Kindergarten I plan to use A Beka to some extent. I do feel this early years can be more laid back and I can just let the learning happen. Sierra picks up so much just from watching her big sister. She already knows her double addition facts up to 5+5 and that is a 2nd grade skill, so I am not going to worry about being too rigid on the curriculum as long as she masters her skills that she needs to master for the year.

The Future for All My Kids = Change

• I am uncertain, but I think I will use A Beka or something similar for the 3R's; however, I will probably transition into more unit studies for teaching my various ages. I really enjoy the times when I have time to creatively pull my own stuff together.

I See You!

That's right.... I said, "I see you!" Okay, not actually, but I see all those little dots on my Cluster Map that show me that my site is getting hits. I want to know that I am reaching someone... really reaching someone and not just being seen. So, take a moment to leave a comment or sign up to be a follower. Tell me what you like here and even what you don't. I would love some feedback! And thanks for stopping by!

Rainy Day Art

I am post-happy today. It is rainy and cold and we are stuck inside today, so while rocking babies I have blogged. Other than let the kids have free reign playing and watching some TV this is what they did mid-day. I set out all the new art supplies I ordered from Discount School supply and called the girls in for a little suprise. They painted until they thought they were out of paper (uh-hum.. we DO have more).

Savannah & Sierra hard at work surrounded by their art!

Savannah putting paint on a paint dabber. These make great "fireworks", but really need to be dipped in the paint.

Sierra observing Caden after his nap (hence the "bed head") and we did give him paper after his first practice art page.

FRUGAL TIP OF THE DAY: Many times Goodwill will get donations of mass printed T-Shirts that are brand new. Normally they have a set price of $1.99 (or more) which is still a bargain for a new shirt. On the day we went to the Beaumont Gateway location they were trying to clear them out at 3 for $1. For ONLY 33 cents each these make great paint shirts!!

My Husband is a Teacher... We Homeschool PART 2

If you have not read Part 1 you may to click on the Archive link to read that post first for this to truly make sense. I will be posting this in a series of blogs to contain it's lengthiness.. LOL!

So now you know why we made the switch to homeschool. Now I want to share with you how this affects my husbands career. It is obvious that my husband loves his family, because he has truly put us first in this situation and I admire that more than he will ever understand. I am going to touch on a little of our background because I feel you have to know some of this to understand the struggle we have been through to get to this point. I have been pregnant six times, yet we have only four living children (1st=Savannah, 2nd=miscarriage, 3rd=Sierra, 4th=fetal demise, 5th=Caden, 6th=Sahara). I am a stay-at-home-mom and my husband, Cody, is a teacher. Teaching is not a high pay profession, so when I found out I was pregnant with pregnancy #4 we decided that Cody would go back to college for his Master's degree and become a Principal. After the baby died from a fall, Cody continued in the Master's Program and we made the decision to try to have another baby to heal our hearts. Eventually, I did get pregnant again several months later and two years down the road Cody "walked" the walk with our family of five cheering him on... He had his Master's degree! It was mid-year, so it was not likely that he would get a Principal job right away, but that was okay. He has continued his 7th Grade English Teacher position and is waiting for the right position to become available.

This is where it gets "sticky" ... how does our decision to homeschool affect my husbands' career? We are not really certain at this point, but it is said to possibly be a bit of "career suicide". It is very possible that after all his hard work and all our families sacrifice and struggle that he will be unable to get a Principal position due to us homeschooling. I have to believe that when it is the "right" job position that those involved in that decision will be able to look past those details. If they can't then we will know that we have put our kids first... my husband has put our family first!! I am so proud to be able to say that and proud of him for making that stand!!!

As I Was Saying.... Crazy Texas Weather

As an update to my previous weather post about our crazy weather.... It is with very little suprise to me that it now cold, wet, sloshy, rainy, and just down right dreary! A cold front moved in on Wednesday night and it has been continually drizzling rain. I don't mind cold and I love the rain, but not like this. It makes me sad for those of you that have this weather all the time. God bless you!!! But here is the funny thing about Texas... Come Monday (when my husband is back to work and his Spring Break is over) the temperature will be back to the sunny 7o's that we had for the first half of the week!! C~r~a~z~y~!

TV Time... When Time Allows

My TV time is few and far between these days. Simply put if I can't learn something from it to make my life easier then I just don't have time for it. There was a time when I only watched TV for fun, but that day is gone... long gone. Even then I could have lived without it. I do have my moments of TV addiction, since I do have it here. And in the last year or so I have learned that DVR is really the only way to watch TV. I tend to watch TV when I am rocking and nursing my babies and now that I am homeschooling I just have to skip the TV part and teach the other kids while I am rocking. Unless it is nighttime.... we have gotten into a routine of me rocking and nursing the baby and Cody putting the other three to bed. During that time I watch my DVR episodes that have accumulated through the week, if there are any.

And this is what I DVR (strange as it may be): The Duggar Family (currently "18 and Counting"), Kids By The Dozen, Jon & Kate Plus Eight, Wife Swap, Supernanny (not so much anymore), and the one and only just-for-entertainment one is Grey's Anatomy (although recently I am ashamed to admit it). The newest I will be adding to the list is Table for 12 premiering on the 23rd this month.

I am especially addicted to the The Duggar Family episodes. A must see is the "A Very Duggar Wedding" episode. They are an unusual remarkable family!

Spring Has Not Sprung.... Yet It Has

About that Texas weather.....

I'll let the photos do the talking!

Azaleas budding & Blooming!

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Husband is a Teacher... We Homeschool PART 1

Okay, here it is... I said I would blog about this sometime, so this is my first real blog about this subject:

Of course, the first thing that everyone assumes is that we must have had a problem with public school... MYTH! Quite the opposite. For us homeschooling was difficult decision because we have had a good experience with our school. And yes, our school age kids are still young so that may not have always been the case. My husband is a 7th grade teacher and some of the stories he comes home telling me are frightening to say the least.... children having "relations" in the bathrooms, pre-teen pregnancy, teachers with emotional problems, and the list goes on into infinity. Suprisingly, those are not the reasons we switched to homeschooling either.... although, they do make me think that I am glad I did!! LOL!

The oh-so-simple reason I homeschool my kids is to be with them. I had kids fully on purpose and I always want to be with them. I am just NOT one of those people that is eager to see them going out the door. I just "had kids so I could have kids" and I put that in qoutes because I say that all the time. I did not have kids so the grandparents could have them, or the neighbor, or the school, or anyone else. I wanted them to be near me and still want them near me. It has only been recently that through the overwhelming moments of having four that I have had those days that I feel I need a break... and the truth of that is that I really feel THEY need the break from me. I have the need to feel successful at raising them and teaching them that I sometimes "botch" it.... I know I will relax as time goes on and I am going to start reminding my self daily why I am homeschooling them....I want to be with them!!

Last school year my then 1st grader asked me to homeschool her. I decided to. Then, I got this overwhelmign sense of dread the day I ordered my books. On top of that my daughter's teacher was pleading with me not to do it. I did a test run during the Christmas break, but only for a couple of days. In the end I was too uncertain of what I should do. I felt unqualified to teach her!!

So, time jogs on and I chalk it all up to hormones (I was in my first weeks of pregnancy) or something. We get through the school year. Our sweet Sahara is born in July and I am thrilled that Savannah is going to be at home with her baby sister for several weeks before the school year starts again. Suprisingly, Savannah (7) is excited about school starting, so that is a relief! Sierra (4) is excited about her Pre-K school, so all seems right with the world. Except, by the second day of school Savannah is already not excited any longer... it was just okay... then, the homework started. She was given a list of twenty spelling words to be tested on on Fridays, a textbook to read from and answer questions and turn in on Thursdays, Science vocabulary words to learn for a test on Thursdays, Math homework pages on Tuesdays, and weekly reading was expected out of her library book three times a week. Mix that with church on Sunday, gymnastics on Monday, and church on Wednesday (not to mentioned other events) there is no time left to breathe!! NOW notice something here because this is key... I want to be with my children, but not JUST be with them. I want to have some quality time with them! Not just get up and rush them off to school, pick them up, do homework, have dinner, do the bedtime/bath routine and put them to bed early, so they will have the energy to get up and do it all again the next day!!

So, we live in Southeast Texas and we have been through the eye of Hurricane Rita coming directly over our house (with us evacuated) three years ago. We managed to dodge a tropical depression in July and Hurricane Gustav in late August of 2008. With Gustav they did close school for evacuations. Savannah in her innocence began to pray diligently when Hurricane Ike started forming way, way, way out in the Ocean.... her prayer was that Hurricane Ike would hit our area, so she could be out of school. If you are reading this, please remember she was seven and did not understand the devastation she was asking God to bring just so she could get out of school! She does now carry a burden of severe guilt over it now. As fate would have it that crazy Hurricane came and she did get out of school. No child could have been more thrilled to not have to go to school for those couple of weeks! And that is when my eyes opened! How sad that my daughter would pray for a Hurricane to hit to keep from going to school!

I began to reevaluate the homeschool issue and my children attended public school for their last time on October 31, 2008. (To be continued... I will share more about how this affects my husband as a Teacher, etc)

Is it really a BREAK ?!

Well, I mentioned that my husband is a teacher, so we will be following the local school calendar for our homeschooling for the most part. It is Spring Break......, but is it really a break!? Come on now... you know what I mean, surely! We all have such high hopes of accomplishment and relaxation during what is "supposed to be" a break. Take a day like today. We slept in until 8:am because the clock in the bedroom did not get reset. I was trying to let everyone rest up for our busy day. The problem with sleeping in is that we had doctor appointments starting at 10:am and needed to allow 40 minutes to get there... So, that gives us just over an hour to get six people dressed, fed, and packed up for an all dayer (new word)!

Anyway, so today Sahara had a follow-up appointment for an ear infection at 10:am and Savannah had a check-up at 10:40 ... both at the same office, but seeing different doctors. Afterwards, we went to Office Depot, Goodwill, had a picnic and play time at the park, hung out for a while at Barnes & Noble, picked up a gift at Lifeway Christian Bookstore, proceeded to the mall where we quickly hit about three of our fav stores, ran (yes, I do mean RAN) through the mall to get back to our car (that would be our exercise for the day.. HA!), loaded all kids in the car to change into gymnastics leotards, went to gymnastics (hubby went in, I stayed with two exhausted sleeping babies in the van), went to Wal-Mart for groceries for tomorrows day trip, came home to a quicky meal, bathed two of the four children, put all kids to bed, now I am blogging and hubby in shower (my turn next for the shower).... I won't even go into to what still has to be done to prepare for tomorrow..... going to the BEACH!!

That's right just another relaxing day at the beach tomorrow!!! You think? When pigs fly!! Actually we are looking forward to it, but for many more reasons than one might expect. You see we live in the path of Hurricane Ike and we have been very anxious to get down to the coast to check out the damage. We also plan on having some fun with our family while educating our children about hurricanes and compassion, etc. I will do a follow-up post. I expect a very emotional day and I can't wait to share it here on my "little blog".

Movie: City of Ember

THUMBS UP !!!

Truly it is just a fluke that I have had movie reviews lately. We do not really watch a lot of movies and are way behind on what is current. If it is not a "kid friendly" show then we probably don't even know it exists. That being said we were trying to take advantage of these free Redbox codes for movies, except that my husband does not know how to enter the codes and we ended up paying for them anyway.... living proof that promotions really do work to get you to spend money! LOL! I must also add that I was very aggravated that he brought this movie home for the KIDS! The outside of the movie LOOKS disturbing and I thought it was a scarey movie... not something I would choose for my kids.

So, anyway... on with the movie! It turns out this is a GREAT MOVIE FOR FAMILIES AND THE KIDS LOVED IT! It is easily classified as a Suspense/Adventure movie.... hard to imagine that can exist without being scarey, but it was not scarey. There is no bad language and no nudity, etc.. And the icing on the cake... it was very interesting even for the adults!!

My husband is actually planning to take it to his school for his 7th grade English class to view..... Hmm... I think this is the first time I have mentioned my husband is a teacher.... Hmmmm... and we homeschool?! Well, that will be a great for a future blog ... watch for that soon! I have to say bye for the moment... LIFE is calling and I have to get back to it!

Rainbow Craft Project

THESE ARE NOT MY PHOTOS. THESE PHOTOS ARE FROM "ITTY BITTY LOVE" @ WWW.ITTYBITTYLOVE.BLOGSPOT.COM

http://ittybittylove.blogspot.com/2009/03/in-like-lion.html

I have got to do this one with my kids. I found this and wanted to share, so follow the link for details and more wonderful ideas. This would be so great to use for a Rainbow study, Noah's Ark, Colors, etc. I was thinking that you could also add cotton balls to the styrofoam after you complete the rainbow to make it more cloud-like.

Tip of the Day: BINGO Markers

Bingo markers are so versatile and so much fun! I have not ever used them for Bingo, but they are a great ART TOOL for Pre-K and beyond.

• If you do a search for Dot Art you will find worksheets that work great to stamp "dots" of Bingo marker on to create a picture.
• Draw a letter/number (or print out) on a blank page and have the child "dot" the shape.
• Write the child's name on a blank page and "dot" the shape.
• Red "dots" make great pepperoni on a pizza craft, balls on a Christmas tree, etc.
• Purple or green "dots" make a wonderful cluster of grapes.

Nursing gets Silly

I highly encourage you to nurse your babies beyond the first six weeks.... I have made mention of this in a previous post about breastfeeding. The reason I say this is not to just be a pushy breastfeeding advocate. It is simply because if you do not tough it out you are going to miss the "sillies" . They start out just nursing... just innocently getting nourishment from your tired body. Then, one day they start getting plain silly. One day you might notice they are kicking their little legs as if in some rythym... just from the joy of it. Another day they start to get distracted by you and begin to smile as milk runs out of their tiny little mouths and all over their face. Quite often they jerk their head around to observe the happenings in the room and suddenly their ear is filled with milk and you find yourself laughing out loud at the silliness of it all. On a day like today you are distracted in conversation and you realize after a few moments that your little one is nursing and jibbering, "uhm-uhm-uhm... uhm, uhm, uhm" while kicking her legs in that little rythym... you realize she is seven months old and she is the silliest and sweetest seven month old ever (as they all are). You see if you miss this you are gonna wish you had not... and some of the cutest stuff is yet to come!!

Free Movie Wednesdays at RedBox & other RedBox BARGAINS

Each Wednesday in March you can get a free movie at RedBox if you go on their blog for the code at www.blog.redbox.com . The code for today is 75EA16 ! You can also sign up for Free Monday Movies by having the codes sent to your cell phone. Do consider your individual cost of text messaging, if you sign up. Another thing you can do for a free movie is sign up to recieve their email. It seems there are many ways to save at Redbox, so do a search and you will probably find some more freebie codes!!! COOL! Thanks Redbox!!

Crazy TEXAS Weather

Just last week...meaning through yesterday and through the night... it has been cold! I just went in and turned off the heat because it is suddenly SUNNY & WARM... The forecast shows a full week of nights in the 60s and days in the upper 70s !~!~! What beautiful crazy weather we are having here in Texas. You honestly never know what to expect here! Next week there could be a frost .... and probably will be....LOL!

The azaleas are blooming, the wind is blowing, the birds are singing, the kids are giggling... it is pure living poetry!

Painted Fingers Pic

Sierra started this year out in Public School Pre-K and she always came home with clean fingers. In this pic Sierra was simply using marker. Yes, she is obviously a messy one! LOL!

I have to say that taking her out of school has been the hardest part of switching to homeschool. Savannah (2nd grader) understood and wanted to make the switch. Sierra misses her friends and her wonderful teacher. She is adjusting and tells me she likes homeschool, but I know that she is partially trying to please me. I know that in the big picture we have made the best choice, but last night this little one told me that she wants to go back to her school just one more day "so they won't forget me." Heartwrenching!

TWO Tips of the Day.... Free Overlays / Portable Dry Erase

I like to find uses for "garbage" sometimes. Some things just don't seem right to throw away! Okay everyone!!!..... you know our kids have all opened a million packages with Barbies, baby dolls, toy trucks, or whatever. They always have such beautiful packaging and sometimes you just know the packaging cost more to produce than the item did. Let's focus on those that have that wonderful thick plastic on the front so you can see into that beautiful new Barbie (etc.). It provides a wonderful "window" by which to view your new toy, but it can be recycled into a wonderful learning tool, also. Start ripping that stuff apart and cutting it into the desired shape and save it for teaching!!!

TIP #1: First of all, I have a huge dry erase board on one wall of our learning room (FYI: It is a full sheet of "shower board"). Recently though, I have realized that it is easier to stay seated than to hop up and demonstrate something on the "board".... not to mention that I feel so "Teachery" when I go to the "board". We are working at a table with a white surface and I can simply lay down my homemade clear overlay and write with a dry erase marker. This is great for me since I have a baby in my arms most of the time. It also allows me to sit with my children and have face to face contact, which is less intimidating than me going to the "board". The children can also easily write on it with you. I can write a math problem and they fill in the answer. Hmmm... saves paper, energy, and time! It is so thin that it easily stores in a file folder or stays laying out on the work surface without causing clutter. It is easily portable, so that gives you options to carry with you outside or on the go. Also, I must mention that it is soooo shiney that the dry erase mark off super easy... no hard scrubbing or alcohol, etc.

TIP #2: The other thing that works well is to use TWO pieces of the plastic at a time. Notice the pictures of Sierra practicing her name. In the pics you can see the layers, because my bottom plastic was rounded. On that piece I wrote her name in permanent marker, so she can practice it over and over. You could use dry erase, if you would be changing what the child will practice. Also, I taped the layers together on the back side to prevent sliding.

Also, notice that Sierra is Sleeping Beauty today. Home many kids get to go to school in costume whenever they want! She is a TOTAL princess... all girly-girl!

Daily Refection

I was thinking back today

about the days

following the birth

of my youngest.

My then seven year old,

Savannah, said,

"Hey Momma, we have our

own little bobble head!"