Realistic Homeschooling

I am starting a series today called Realistic Homeschooling.  It will be my journal of the ups and downs of homeschool.  As I was bouncing around the web, there are so many websites, blogs, etc. that are so peppy and happy ALL of the time.  Well, let me be one of the first to tell you, ITS NOT ALWAYS PEPPY AND HAPPY, IN FACT SOMETIMES ITS VERY VERY VERY FRUSTRATING!!!!!!

Yes, I have just started homeschooling and Yes, I am already experiencing the frustrations.  Would I change anything?  Nope!  I am learning my kids inside and out.  We just work through the frustrating parts.

Last Monday, was probably the hardest day so far.  I know I will be comparing all of our frustrating days to that one from now on.  My youngest woke up (granted it was the day after the long 4 day Fourth of July weekend) that morning screaming at me, "I DO NOT WANT TO DO SCHOOL!"  To my response of, "TOO BAD, WE ARE DOING SCHOOL!  NOW GET OVER IT!" 

Well, that day it took him 5 hours to get through 2 math worksheets.  And the math worksheets were not even that hard.  He had to write 1-100 twice and skip count by 10's twice.  Big whoop!  FIVE HOURS of me saying, "Do your work!" over and over and over and over again.  I prayed, I walked out of the room, I sat beside him, I sat across from him, I walked outside.  He got under my skin so bad, and I could not hide it.  He FINALLY got done with math.  But, he still had Calendar work, Reading, and History to do.  Needless to say, we got done with school just in time for me to start cooking supper.  Did I mention that I haven't even done any of MY work yet?  In case you don't know, I own my own tax and bookkeeping business.  And this was a particular week that was going to be super busy with business stuff to do.  I think I got to work on my work at 7:30 that night.

                                                  (this is how I found him at one point)

Tuesday, was close to as frustrating, but not as quite because he actually got his work done 30 minutes before I needed to start supper.  Then, I got to my work around 7:30 again that night.  Wednesday, was better again.  It was about an hour before starting supper when he got done that day.  Thursday, we take off because I have to go around and do payroll for all of my clients.  Then Friday he wakes up, EARLY and in a great mood.  He got all of his work done in 2 hours.  I almost fainted.  And we didn't skimp on anything.  He had just woke up with his mind going in the right direction and got it done.

Now, you would think after all of this talking about one child, that that is all I have.  NOPE!  I have 3 kids.  My daughter is 17.  She is a senior in public school and doing great!  I homeschooled her from 5th - 7th.  She then went to public school because she had gotten too advanced for me.  I didn't understand virtual school back then.  She is doing phenomenal in school.  She is taking honors, AP, or dual enrollment in almost all of her classes and making A's and B's in all of them too.  So, I guess my homeschooling worked out.  Then I also have an 8 year old and he is advanced for his age/grade.  His favorite show is Mythbusters.  He is constantly watching it on Netflix and he doesn't care if he has already watched it, he will watch it a million times.

                                                                       (All 3 kids)
My daughter is volunteering this summer at Hospice. I am so proud of her, not many teenagers would do something like that.  She plans on going to college to be a nurse practitioner once she graduates next June.

My 8 year old gets up, gets a bath, eats breakfast and gets to work.  He is usually done and waiting on his brother to do History together.  I have not (yet) had any problems with him complaining about school.  Well, the only complaint is, its too easy.  Like I said, we have just started.  I told him that in math, I had to pick a place where I thought he was.  Now, we will have to get through the stuff he already knows to get to harder stuff.  I chose Math U See for math for both boys.  I had good success with my daughter using it, and the youngest is definitely a hands on learner.  So, I figured lets do it for both.  My 7 year old is in the Alpha level.  My 8 year old is in the Gamma level.  We are doing 2-3 worksheets every day on this easy stuff, just to get through it.  Then, we will slow down and do 1 worksheet per day.  So, some weeks he may have 2 tests, other weeks, just 1.  It all depends on how fast we move through it.

(My 8 year old working hard.  You would think the 7 year old was working hard too, but no he was still goofing off.)

God Bless you all!
Sherie

Weekly Review 7/12/13

What a week!  We started out Monday with my youngest (7) screaming that he did NOT want to do school.  So, Monday was VERY long!  Tuesday, he still didn't want to do school, but it didn't take as long that day.  Wednesday, he woke up not wanting to do school again.  He started at 10:30am and finished at 3:30pm.  Thursday, I do my bookkeeping errands, so no school.  Friday, was excellent.  He woke up in a great mood, started school around 8:30 and finished at 10:30.  And we did every subject, no skimping.

Here is a picture diary of what we accomplished in History this week.  Of course, we did math, calendar work, reading, and writing also.  And we also read and answered questions about history.

 I found the above idea on Pinterest here

 

 Above is the animals my boys created and named.  God created the animals on day 6 and Adam had to name them.  So, my boys had to create new animals and name them.  I can't remember the names of their animals, but aren't they cute!

Again, another Pinterest idea.  We took the idea and made days on the timeline of what happened on that day.  I have found that with my boys, repetition is the key for them to remember things.  So, we read about creation, we created 2 different crafts about creation and we placed the days on the timeline so they will have a visual reminder every day of what God did for us.

God Bless you all!
Sherie

F is for Fourth!

F is for Fourth

Well, this Fourth of July was a wet soggy one.  We have a sort of tropical system (sort of because its not named, but has tropical characteristics) sitting right over the top of the Panhandle of Florida.  And this year, we actually made plans for the WHOLE weekend.  We never make plans ANY weekend, so for us to make plans is amazing.  LOL!  We were "supposed" to go to the beach on Thursday, the Florida Caverns of Friday, and have a yard sale Saturday.  But, what we ended up doing was going to the Navy Museum on Thursday, sit around on Friday because the weather was just too wet, and go to dinner at my mother in laws tonight (Saturday).  We have had a great long weekend despite the yucky weather.  Here are some pics of some crafts we did on Tuesday, and then a pic of my daughter and youngest son at the museum.

Colored rice is really easy.  1 Tablespoon of Vinegar, and food coloring, mix in 1 Cup of rice.  Then, once its the color you want, spread the rice out on parchment paper to dry.  I let mine dry over night.

I didn't know how messy it would be, so I had the boys take their shirts off.  This is one area my mom is shocked at that we school in just shorts.  I told her that sometimes the boys don't even have on shorts, sometime we homeschool in underwear, that is the beauty of homeschooling.  :-)
 

 

 Happy Birthday America!  May God Bless us all!
Sherie

E is for Emotions

E is for Emotions

I don't know about you, but my emotions can be like riding on a rollercoaster.  I can wake up happy, and 30 minutes later be sad, then another 30 minutes and I am excited, then another 30 minutes I am frustrated.  I hate this about myself.  In starting this homeschooling journey, I have had every emotion possible.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God has led me to this junction in my life and that He is leading me to homeschool my boys.  But, it does not stop my emotions of doubt, guilt, disbelief.  It also conjures up the emotions of elation, excitement, joy, pride, and exhilaration.  I believe God gives us these emotions to keep us on our toes.

I've also been struggling with my personal emotions about myself.  Lately, I have hated everything about myself.  My hair is driving me crazy!  I feel like its just a mop on top of my head.  I hate my body, but do I work out?  NOOOO!  If I would get off my butt, I would feel better about myself.  But, I make excuses and then when its time to eat, I choose bad foods instead of good foods.  I HAVE to get this under control.  As far as my hair?  I haven't made up my mind what I want to do.  I have a few more weeks until my next hair appointment, so I can think about that for a little while longer.

So, if you read an emotional post by me, just know that the next one will probably be a lot happier.

Have a great day!
Sherie

D is for Death

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.

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

B is for Boys

Back to my writing through the alphabet!

(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!!!!!