Life so far...

We are now into our third week of homeschooling and everything has been going relatively smoothly. I have definitely been less stressed about getting everything done that I had planned for the day knowing that tomorrow is another day. I can definitely see my kids are learning and some of the things they do or say really blows me away. Here are some snapshots into our learning...will work on capturing more. We were able to take a very spontaneous field trip to a certain big rock with some friends ;)

Watch out Tiger!

reflections

Ambidextrous? Nope...just being silly.

Can you guess the letter of the week?

Thinking about soccer

Playing soccer through the city park and recreation.

He can learn anywhere! :D

E-Pie just started American Heritage Girls and is very excited about earning her badges, and I am excited to be involved as assistant unit leader...I know...just jump right in! 

We started our first Classical Conversations class last week, and it went very well. This week, the kids and I have been working on their first week of memory work. I am very impressed with how much they are retaining. I am also kind of impressed with what I am retaining and learning. We find that combining movements with our memory work is a lot of fun. They have practiced during a walk in the park, during warm up exercises in the backyard while I watered the plants, and just while we eat and drive around. It is literally learning ALL day long but it is also pretty fun!

~ H

School year 2012-2013

Welcome to our new school year! We are so excited to be starting another year of our homeschooling journey. We started this week with a little celebration day on Monday.

First day goodie basket

Special first day breakfast- Rainbow sprinkled pancakes!

with marshmallows of course!

smarties...

On Tuesday, we kicked it into gear and actually went through the day according to "my schedule". Result of the day...it went very well, except I went over the time by 45 minutes. This might not be a big deal but it might also mean I am trying to plan too many things for us to do at one time. I will be tweaking things a bit I am sure. Really excited about this school year. Again, I need to work on getting up before my children so that I can feel better prepared to start the day.  Looking forward to the rest of the week. I am hoping include a  weekly post on this blog titled Moments to Remember as I try to capture some special moments in our lives. We will see...sometimes I get ahead of myself...sigh ;)

~ H

Celebrate the Journey

Google Image

I have just returned from the Apologia Live retreat in Atlanta this weekend. It was my first time and can I say, "WOW!?!" This retreat is  for Christian homeschooling moms and it was amazing, encouraging, and empowering! I am so thankful that my husband encouraged me to go and that I had friends to go with (I also made some new friends). I almost didn't go to this retreat because I did not know anyone there. My other homeschooling friends were not sure they could go, but I had it on my heart that I really needed to go. Then, I remembered another homeschooling mom that I had just recently met. The deadline to register was just a few days away and I sent "S" a FB message, "It's short notice but would you like to come with me?" She replied, "oh wow short notice. Let me talk to Hubby tonight." Then, she yes. This was not accidental, friends. This was God's work. The prayers that I had been praying...God answered them by sending me to this retreat. Everything I heard on this retreat was just what I needed to hear...to encourage me as a wife, a mother, and my children's teacher.

These speakers were pioneers of homeschooling. It was such an awesome privilege to hear the testimonies of how God worked and is still working in these women's lives. I kept getting goosebumps. Sometimes it's so hard to see what it will look like in the future for our family, how our children will turn out, and all the other worries that the enemy tries to bombard us with so we can doubt God's will for me and my family. We can't see the big picture that God sees but that isn't what he asks of us. He only asks that we obey and follow with faith.

Back to the speakers...Rachael Carmen (I am smitten by her!) presented her talk on Love, Laugh, and Learning and how as homeschooling moms, most of us probably have the list flip-flopped. Where we have placed academic learning above loving and laughing. I admit, that when I began this homeschooling journey, I did it with the intent of love. But somewhere along the way, I lost the tenderness and laughter as I let my prior experiences as a teacher and as a student from secular schools inhibit the way  why I should be homeschooling. I had not freed myself or my children from the ways of institutionalized "schooling". I confess...I was not smiling...I was not laughing. I was being way too serious.  I was in fervent prayer about it all for awhile now and God answered my prayers as I fellowship with these other amazing homeschooling moms at this conference. I needed to lighten up, enjoy my children, and celebrate the journey that we were on.

Did I mention that Pam Tebow was there? She sang to us...scriptures that she sang to her children. SO AMAZING! She is such a lovely person. I love how she referred to her son as Timmy :)

We also got to hear Debra Bell, Elizabeth Smith, Jeannie Fulbright, and Zan Tyler. They were all so wonderfully talented and eloquent in their words to us. Everything they shared was everything I needed to hear. God did this. He planned this for all us homeschooling moms that were in need of rest and renewal. 

I have to share that I love Anne MacCallum! She wrote a song specifically for this year's retreat theme "Celebrate the Journey" and has done the same for previous retreats. What talent she has for singing and songwriting. I loved the theme song and I bought one of her CDs while there- Over The Moon and absolutely love it! Even my kids listen intently to her CD. If you have never heard her sing or her songs, please spoil your ears by checking out her music.

This scripture has been on mind lately and one that I am trying to commit to memory...

1 Corinthians 13
¹ If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,but do not have love, I gain nothing.
 ⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Another one of my favorite part of the retreat was the time for prayer. Both nights, we were given time to pray as Rachael walked around praying for us as well. It just reminded me how important prayer is in my daily life. I came home exploding with excitement and sharing it all with my husband. I have already told all my friends who weren't able to attend that we must go next year.

Thank you God for answering my prayers, for leading me beside quiet waters, for refreshing my soul, and for guiding me along the right path for your name sake. Thank you God for this journey!

PS. I had the honor of meeting Gretta (far left) this weekend at the retreat and hear about her wonderful testimony of God's providence in her life. She also does a beautiful job of describing the Apologia retreat this weekend. She did it much more succinctly than I did without some much rambling. ;) Visit The Johns Family to read all about our awesome weekend! I'm honored she mentioned me and my little ole blog :D

~H

Week #3 and interviews

So we are starting week #3 of our homeschooling. The kids really do seem to enjoy the learning and I enjoy spending time with them. I even enjoy the planning and preparing part of it...I know...it's the OCD that I have. We finished school today in our normal two hours but as I am down here spending some time on the computer to check my emails and Facebook, the kids want to continue with their learning. E-pie even said, "This is a good time for learning." She is currently practicing her writing on the white board while C-bear plays with the pages we have made. I feel really blessed that they feel this way right now and hope that this love of learning will continue as we continue.

Here are the interviews that I had with the kiddos the other day...idea shared by Danielle @ Meet the Dubiens.

I think these interviews would go great in our yearbook that I hope plan to make at the end of each of our homeschool year. 

~ H

What a blessing!

I have to admit...I still wasn't completely sure that I should 100% be homeschooling my children. You know...we all have our weak moments.. usually after my mental meltdown...is this really what God wants me to do? To be with my children all day when I can be like this????


Well, this first week has been pretty stinkin....GREAT!


Well, it wasn't all perfect but it was the answer that God gave me that made it so great. I always had the feeling that I wasn't really spending "time" with my children even though I was a stay-at-home mom. I mainly did the things that I needed to do to make the house run smooth and care for my family (which also has its own importance), made plans of one sort or another so I could run all over the place with my kids in tow, and then I would come up with more things for me to do while feeling like the kids were sometimes in the way. What a completely different feeling I have had this past week since we started. I have been devoting 2+ hours each day with them...NOT while trying to do a million other things (like check my Facebook or emails) but just with them. We work on handwriting, coloring, counting, reading, etc but it's just us and no other distractions. I know God was trying to tell me this is what I was missing out on...my children! 


The other feeling I have had was that I was not the same organized freak fiend and disciplined person I used to be when I was teaching. I felt somewhat lazy and couldn't get myself together unless it was down to crunch time and then I usually would be a mess...especially towards my family. This has been a feeling I have had going on almost 5 years now! Lately, I have gotten the organizing groove back and even my discipline...waking up before the kids so I could be ready and also have alone time before starting my day. What a difference it has made in my attitude. Who knows...maybe I will even throw time for exercise in there one of these days???
But I have found that since I have organized my day better (because if I didn't, I would not be able to teach and run a household), I have been able to get A LOT more done or at least I am better at prioritzing what needs to get done instead of feeling either like"I need to get it all done" or "I give up! There's just too much to do."  Confession: When we got back from our trip to Destin, I let the rings in my toilet sit there for almost another week before I got to them because there was more pressing things to do...like start homeschooling. Right when we got back home from Maine in July, I cleaned every toilet in the house because I couldn't stand the rings and it was way past my bedtime. I know...but I am working on it. It's a great feeling not to be controlled by your housework. I will try to remember that more often ;)


My homeschool friends made fun of me because they thought I needed a homeschool intervention. With being gone so much this summer, they thought I had holed myself up in my house to make sure everything was perfect for my homeschool before I would even start. Yes, I can be a little OCD...I have the "clear the table off before I can get started" syndrome. But I realized that I can not have every little plan and laminated card in place before I begin to teach my children. I have a (somewhat clear) goal of what we are doing this year and I can improvise and create as we go along. AND it's fun because there's not a whole lot of pressure on me or the kids. We even get to cuddle during Calendar time...C-Bear and E-Pie LOVE that.


I just know that God has sent me an answer to the uneasy feelings that I have had. No, I don't have everything about homeschooling figured out yet but I am trying not to fret over the small stuff. I am relying on God to guide me through each day and I hope that I remember to look to him every day for everything that I need. I know that I will enjoy, I mean really enjoy this time with my kids who are growing up too fast for me. Yes, I will still have the rough/bad/crazy days but that's ok, too. I know this is where I am meant to be for now.


~ H
 

Homeschooling: ready for the new year

So we have officially started our homeschooling! Our travels have now been completed...whew, what a summer of traveling! Now we can get back into routine and have a little more structure, something both the kids and I thrive on. Gotta have the prerequisite first day pictures! :D

using little curves from Handwriting Without Tears to make silly ears

Finally, snacktime!

Picture of her Mat Person

Can you spot his Mat person? It's somewhere in there ;)

Our day (this year's curriculum) consisted of:

• Calendar Time/Bible 
• Handwriting with Handwriting Without Tears
• Phonics using Explode the Code
• Math using Right Start Mathematics
• Five in a Row Reading (Not a learning to read program but more of a love to learn as we read program)

I will post pictures of our classroom, soon!

~H

Chemistry 101

I am not sure if I mentioned that hubby talked me into buying a science curriculum for our kids...to start this summer :O. He sat through the session that was given by Gravitas Publications- Real Science 4 Kids and was so excited about it that it was quite cute. It's hard not to be excited too when he is. So we decided that we would buy the first set and try it out this summer. I had wanted to start sooner this summer but found myself busy with other things. Finally, I decided that no time would seem like a good time and just dove in. (Great exercise in homeschool- gotta just do it!) The cool thing about it was that it didn't need to happen at a certain time. I just picked up the book and read the first chapter to the kids in the morning. It was a short chapter with few words and colorful illustrations. Then, after their naptime and before dinner, I did the little "experiment" that they had for them. I made E-pie her own little journal (paper stapled together) to record (draw) her observations and thinking while I recorded her words. By the end of the day, both kids could tell us that everything is made up of atoms. E-pie could tell us that things are different because they are made up of different atoms and that when you put atoms together, you make molecules!!! That felt pretty awesome. So we will continue with our lessons. I even wonder if we can take it on the road with us ;)

~ H

Homeschool Highs

Hubby and I were fortunate enough to attend our very first homeschooling conference this past weekend, and it was AWESOME! I know I am still on a high from all the wonderful things that I’ve heard and learned. It was truly inspirational and further convicting to us why we feel that this is the best choice for our family. We got to hear Ken Ham and Voddie Bauchman speak and they are both truly gifted speakers. I just cannot believe that some truths are not taught in our schools and that theories are being taught as facts...anyhow, I digress. But if you want to learn more about it, you can read more about Ken and his mission at http://www.answersingenesis.org/
It can really shake the foundation of science on which you and I were taught. I really felt God by my side as I experienced the conference. It can get overwhelming at times when you are presented with so much information and stuff but I believed that God would lead me in the right direction. Even now, I am at peace with the idea of homeschooling and feel ready to start even though I still haven’t gotten all my ducks in a row...don’t know that I ever will. This phrase shared by Vicki Bentley at the conference will stay with me, “My home is clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy.” I didn’t get to listen to Todd Wilson speak in person, but I did get his CD of the session and it is titled “Lies all homeschoolers believe”. I think it should be titled, “Lies all parents believe”. In fact, most of the sessions at the conference, I felt should be heard by parents everywhere, not just homeschooling parents, because we all want to raise children in a way that trains them for life and to raise Godly children. Todd Wilson has a great and humorous website that is geared towards Dads but I’ve enjoyed reading it, too. http://www.familymanweb.com/ I signed hubby up for the weekly newsletter. Don’t worry. I told hubby about it...after the fact.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

I am just so pumped about it all. Someone at the conference told us how she asked her young child (the oldest of 3, I think) one day whether he wanted to take a nap or learn to read. Well, he chose to learn to read, and she got to snuggle with him and teach him how to read while the others napped. I tried that and it worked! I asked E-pie (who doesn’t like to nap even though she could) the same question and guess what she picked? So, we sat down on the couch for about 30 minutes to learn how to read. We first used Boggle Jr. to build some -at words by sounding it out. At first, E-pie would remove all the letter tiles after she built a word and build the next -at word from scratch. Then, she got to the point where she realized that the A and T stayed and only the first letter changed. Then, we read 2 BOB books about Mat and Sam. She struggled at first because she wanted to remember their names instead of sounding it out when she forgot but with a little pep talk and hugs, she was able to do it. You should have seen her face when I told her she read a book ALL BY HERSELF!!! I was so happy for her but also felt like it was a victory for me.

Just do it!

After all my praying, thinking, reading, and talking about it....it's time that I just do it. That's what all the other homeschooling moms out there are saying. I'm trying to think too much about it. Plan too much. Find a good starting point. The only good starting point is the one where we are at. It won't be easy but it will be worth it. So...I am jumping in. It's not as organized as I'd like it to be yet...kinda feel like I am all over the place. There are just so many helpful blogs out there with so many great ideas. I've done a few Montessori activities with C-Bear and he does enjoy them. E-Pie is attending preschool at a nearby church 3 days a week. I also need to work on disciplining myself like getting my rear out of bed in the morning before my kids are trying to get me up. Like getting to bed at night at a decent hour so that I get all my beauty sleep ;)

If you had talked to me a year ago, I would have dismissed the idea immediately. Not sure what has changed in me. I know I want to spend more time with my kids. I want to be a part of their day, to be their primary teacher, and to be there when they've reached an "aha" moment. Maybe it's also because I grew up away from my parents and I don't want to miss out on what my parents did. Maybe it's because I've been in the schools and know what it's like as a student and a teacher. Maybe I don't want them to push them to grow up so fast, to let them enjoy a little more of their childhood. Maybe it's what I feel God is calling me towards and what scripture has taught me, at least the scriptures that I have been exposed to. (I'm a new Christian. Still need to go to the Table of Contents to find the different books in the Bible. We started attending church in 2007 and was baptized in 2008. More about our that in another post.)

It's comforting to know that homeschooling is whatever and however we want it to be. It works around our families and we can mold it to meet our needs. How awesome is that??? An education that is tailored made and flexible. We're going to let E-Pie finish this year off in the church's preschool and we'll officially start her kindergarten year at home with us next year. Of course, I can't resist all those great activities and E-Pie loves to learn so we still try to do a few when we have time for it and then there's all those "field trips" that we are already taking.

This blog will be used to help record what we've done- an electronic portfolio, to give credit to those blogs that have been such a great resources to me, and to give back to the online homeschooling community by sharing our ideas and love of homeschooling.

~ H