D is for Death
And boy have we experienced a lot of it lately. I feel like we have been living at a hospital or funeral home for a year. Not really, just a couple of months, but it feels like a year. And it hasn't ended.
First of all, back on April the 14th my Great Aunt fell at home and busted her head and broke her wrist. Thank goodness my cousin was there visiting, because a few days later, we found out that she had broken an artery in her head and if my cousin wasn't there, she would have bled out. Then, on the 18th my middle child had a hearing appt. in the building next to the hospital where my aunt was and so we decided to walk over. Well, when my mom got there from work, my aunt was unresponsive. They finally got her to rouse up after several hours of working with her. They moved her to ICU and told us that they had given her too much medication. Well, she got out of the hospital on the 22nd and moved to rehab. She was there for a few weeks and they had to transport her back to the hospital on the 13th of May because she was unresponsive again. This time, they said she was toxic (had a build up of meds in her system). She was released back to rehab on the 17th of May. On the 18th, my mom was called at work and told they were transporting her to a different hospital because she was unresponsive and they were afraid she was having a stroke. Sure enough, she had a MAJOR stroke and lost every bit of function on her right side. She lost the ability to speak, eat, move her arm or leg, she became blind in her right eye, all from a stroke. Well, she had signed a living will and so we had to move her to a Hospice facility where the staff was awesome. They kept my aunt comfortable until she passed on June the 6th. Funeral was on the 9th.
Now, lets back up here. On May the 5th we received a phone call that my husband's grandmother in AR passed away. Thankfully, Grandma's funeral wasn't until Saturday the 11th. So, that week was filled with making sure we were ready to go. My oldest's birthday was the 9th, she had her AP exam on the 10th. And Mother's Day was on the 12th. We left for our 12 hour trip as soon as she got done (1:00 ish).
And finally, I have another great aunt that is on her deathbed. The nurses didn't expect her to make it through the weekend, but she did. But, from what we have been told, she is deteriorating quickly. So, another funeral is on the calendar, just not sure what date yet.
I am ready to get back to a normal schedule. I wouldn't have been anywhere else besides where we were, but I'm ready for normal. We had 1 day of normal yesterday. Today, we were extremely busy doing something for my mom. I'm hoping tomorrow will be a normal day again.
God Bless you all!
Sherie
*Update: My great aunt passed away this morning before I could post this.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
C is for Curriculum
C is for Curriculum
When God speaks to me, He speaks LOUDLY! Meaning, when I asked Him for clarity, he led me to the curriculum I needed to use for the boys. I was unable to sleep for more than a few hours per day for a little over a week, I feel this was how God spoke to me. (No, I don't believe he will come down from Heaven and tell me what to do. I feel like he does have a hand on everything we do and if you ask, He will guide you toward the answer He is going to give you.) Now, He may change His mind later down the road, and He will let me know, I am sure of that. But for now, He has guided me to the following curriculum:
Nic:
Math: Math U See Alpha
Science: Apologia Astronomy (done together with Max)
Reading: Drawn Into the Heart Level 2
Writing: All About Spelling (we will quickly work through level 1 and move on) I Can Write (Christian Light), Writing Strands 2, New American Cursive
History: Mystery of History 1 (done together with Max)
Max:
Math: Math U See Gamma
Science: Apologia Astronomy (done together with Nic)
Reading: Drawn Into the Heart Level 3
Writing: All about Spelling(we will quickly work through level 1 and move on), Writing with Ease, Writing Strands 3
History: Mystery of History 1 (done together with Nic)
And here is my game plan. In order to NOT give my husband a heart attack when the credit card comes in, and to ease the boys into homeschool, I have decided to order one subject per month. Yes, that will mean every subject will have a different ending date, and I'm fine with that. I also have decided when a subject has been completed, we will take a few weeks off from that subject and then start the next level. This way we are always moving forward.
Yes, I know I am heavy on the writing, but I have noticed that when my boys were in private school, they were not given the opportunity to explore their creative sides. So, I want to get their minds working towards writing excellent papers on any subject. I had a practice reading comprehension sheet for my 3rd grader the other day. He was to read a story, and then write his own story using certain words. Well, he read perfectly but when it came to writing a story, he shut down. I tried to give him suggestions. He wrote 1 sentence, that is it. He had no imagination what so ever. He could not think of anything. So, I know the second grader is going to be harder to get to comprehend anything or be creative.
So far, we have Math in house. I started with this subject because the second grader struggles so much in this subject. And then the third grader was complaining that he didn't have any math , so I ordered his as well.
I've just ordered History, and let me tell you, I think I am more excited about history than they are. I want to learn the Biblical history along side the secular history. I've learned both, but in separate places (church & school), so I've never really put the two together. HOW EXCITING!!!!! It should be in this week. I told the kids that we may not start it this week because I have to look through it and plan it all out and gather supplies, but I am ready to start asap.
Have a great day! May God bless each & every one of you!
Sherie
When God speaks to me, He speaks LOUDLY! Meaning, when I asked Him for clarity, he led me to the curriculum I needed to use for the boys. I was unable to sleep for more than a few hours per day for a little over a week, I feel this was how God spoke to me. (No, I don't believe he will come down from Heaven and tell me what to do. I feel like he does have a hand on everything we do and if you ask, He will guide you toward the answer He is going to give you.) Now, He may change His mind later down the road, and He will let me know, I am sure of that. But for now, He has guided me to the following curriculum:
Nic:
Math: Math U See Alpha
Science: Apologia Astronomy (done together with Max)
Reading: Drawn Into the Heart Level 2
Writing: All About Spelling (we will quickly work through level 1 and move on) I Can Write (Christian Light), Writing Strands 2, New American Cursive
History: Mystery of History 1 (done together with Max)
Max:
Math: Math U See Gamma
Science: Apologia Astronomy (done together with Nic)
Reading: Drawn Into the Heart Level 3
Writing: All about Spelling(we will quickly work through level 1 and move on), Writing with Ease, Writing Strands 3
History: Mystery of History 1 (done together with Nic)
And here is my game plan. In order to NOT give my husband a heart attack when the credit card comes in, and to ease the boys into homeschool, I have decided to order one subject per month. Yes, that will mean every subject will have a different ending date, and I'm fine with that. I also have decided when a subject has been completed, we will take a few weeks off from that subject and then start the next level. This way we are always moving forward.
Yes, I know I am heavy on the writing, but I have noticed that when my boys were in private school, they were not given the opportunity to explore their creative sides. So, I want to get their minds working towards writing excellent papers on any subject. I had a practice reading comprehension sheet for my 3rd grader the other day. He was to read a story, and then write his own story using certain words. Well, he read perfectly but when it came to writing a story, he shut down. I tried to give him suggestions. He wrote 1 sentence, that is it. He had no imagination what so ever. He could not think of anything. So, I know the second grader is going to be harder to get to comprehend anything or be creative.
So far, we have Math in house. I started with this subject because the second grader struggles so much in this subject. And then the third grader was complaining that he didn't have any math , so I ordered his as well.
I've just ordered History, and let me tell you, I think I am more excited about history than they are. I want to learn the Biblical history along side the secular history. I've learned both, but in separate places (church & school), so I've never really put the two together. HOW EXCITING!!!!! It should be in this week. I told the kids that we may not start it this week because I have to look through it and plan it all out and gather supplies, but I am ready to start asap.
Have a great day! May God bless each & every one of you!
Sherie
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
B is for Boys
Back to my writing through the alphabet!
What a busy couple of weeks we have had. On Thursday, May 23rd, I was watching Fox & Friends. They had a family on that homeschools their 12 kids. Well............. this struck something in me that I cannot explain. I had ALWAYS said, I could not EVER homeschool my boys, it would just be too much. Well, I could not stop thinking about it all day and all night. Finally Thursday night, I prayed and asked the Lord, "if this is what you want me to do, please give me clarity." Let me tell you, if you ask the Lord for clarity, He will give it to you if it is His will (at least He did with me). That night it began. I would wake up (to use the bathroom or just wake up out of a deep sleep) but then, my heart would speed up and I would start thinking. And I could NOT go back to sleep for several hours. I would be researching homeschooling. Now, I am no stranger to homeschooling. I homeschooled my daughter 5th-7th grade. But, I still was not sure this was for me. But, it began to get clearer and clearer. I hesitated talking to my husband because I thought he would think I was nuts. You see, my boys are 13 months apart in age and they are VERY competitive with each other, therefore we have fights constantly. But, I got up the nerve to tell him what I was considering. I about fell out because he was for it. WOW!
A few days later, I started researching curriculum. By the Tuesday after Memorial Day, I had ALL of the curriculum picked out for BOTH boys. If you have ever researched curriculum, you know this is a MAJOR ordeal. When I started homeschooling my daughter, it seemed like forever before I could settle on a curriculum. Now, this curriculum may not work out like I planned, but it is a start. And, that is the joy of homeschooling, you can change if its not working out for you and your student/child. So, I would definitely say that the Lord was giving me CLARITY, wouldn't you?
On Wednesday, I ordered my youngest's Math curriculum. He has been struggling all year with math, so I knew I wanted to get started with him ASAP. I ordered the beginning math for him so that he can have a little more confidence in the backbone of the subject before we move on. Again, the joys of homeschooling. Well, the books were supposed to be in on Monday (yesterday). So, I thought we would start today. But, they came in on Saturday, so we got to start yesterday (Monday).
Also Saturday, while cleaning the boys room. I came across a 3rd grade reader. I had bought it for my daughter when she was in 3rd grade, but never used it. So, he started it yesterday as well. And he keeps asking for more to do (but he is my bookworm, so its not too unusual).
I feel God's had in everything. It is AWESOME!!!!!
This past Friday, my husband said, I just want to make sure we look at the good and the bad of homeschooling and are aware of any down sides to it. So, I googled the disadvantages of homeschooling and read a bunch of site's information. But, every time I would read something negative, I got a calmness about me and knew God wanted me to do this.
Then, Sunday I had some doubt. But, that day I was just cruising around on the internet and came across some blogs from homeschoolers. They talked about having doubt and how doubt is the devils work and gave Bible verses to back it up and then some encouraging verses and all of my doubts disappeared. Thank you Lord. WOW!!!!!
(Pic taken in hotel before Grandma's funeral 5/11/13)
What a busy couple of weeks we have had. On Thursday, May 23rd, I was watching Fox & Friends. They had a family on that homeschools their 12 kids. Well............. this struck something in me that I cannot explain. I had ALWAYS said, I could not EVER homeschool my boys, it would just be too much. Well, I could not stop thinking about it all day and all night. Finally Thursday night, I prayed and asked the Lord, "if this is what you want me to do, please give me clarity." Let me tell you, if you ask the Lord for clarity, He will give it to you if it is His will (at least He did with me). That night it began. I would wake up (to use the bathroom or just wake up out of a deep sleep) but then, my heart would speed up and I would start thinking. And I could NOT go back to sleep for several hours. I would be researching homeschooling. Now, I am no stranger to homeschooling. I homeschooled my daughter 5th-7th grade. But, I still was not sure this was for me. But, it began to get clearer and clearer. I hesitated talking to my husband because I thought he would think I was nuts. You see, my boys are 13 months apart in age and they are VERY competitive with each other, therefore we have fights constantly. But, I got up the nerve to tell him what I was considering. I about fell out because he was for it. WOW!
A few days later, I started researching curriculum. By the Tuesday after Memorial Day, I had ALL of the curriculum picked out for BOTH boys. If you have ever researched curriculum, you know this is a MAJOR ordeal. When I started homeschooling my daughter, it seemed like forever before I could settle on a curriculum. Now, this curriculum may not work out like I planned, but it is a start. And, that is the joy of homeschooling, you can change if its not working out for you and your student/child. So, I would definitely say that the Lord was giving me CLARITY, wouldn't you?
On Wednesday, I ordered my youngest's Math curriculum. He has been struggling all year with math, so I knew I wanted to get started with him ASAP. I ordered the beginning math for him so that he can have a little more confidence in the backbone of the subject before we move on. Again, the joys of homeschooling. Well, the books were supposed to be in on Monday (yesterday). So, I thought we would start today. But, they came in on Saturday, so we got to start yesterday (Monday).
Also Saturday, while cleaning the boys room. I came across a 3rd grade reader. I had bought it for my daughter when she was in 3rd grade, but never used it. So, he started it yesterday as well. And he keeps asking for more to do (but he is my bookworm, so its not too unusual).
I feel God's had in everything. It is AWESOME!!!!!
This past Friday, my husband said, I just want to make sure we look at the good and the bad of homeschooling and are aware of any down sides to it. So, I googled the disadvantages of homeschooling and read a bunch of site's information. But, every time I would read something negative, I got a calmness about me and knew God wanted me to do this.
Then, Sunday I had some doubt. But, that day I was just cruising around on the internet and came across some blogs from homeschoolers. They talked about having doubt and how doubt is the devils work and gave Bible verses to back it up and then some encouraging verses and all of my doubts disappeared. Thank you Lord. WOW!!!!!
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