Friday, December 9, 2011
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Breakfast is Served...
My new favorite thing. Surely, the easiest way to make eggs... ever. On the bottom of a sprayed muffin tin, place uncooked canadian bacon, or 1 slice of turkey bacon (cut in half so it's now 2 pieces). Crack an egg over the meat (my kids like it scrambled up a bit), sprinkle with cheese, salt and pepper. Pop it in your oven at 350* for 15 minutes. Voila!! We like 'egg mcmuffins', but they're also good just served with toast and fruit! Also makes the perfect meal when we have breakfast for dinner!! Enjoy!! :)
Excuse this House
My mother-in law gave me this framed poem when I was pregnant with our oldest, over 10 years ago... must have been providential! I love it. And it still hangs on my wall... :)
Excuse This House…
Some houses try to hide the fact
That children shelter there;
Ours boasts of it quite openly, the
Signs are everywhere.
For smears are on the windows,
Little smudges on the doors.
I should apologize I guess for
Toys strewn on the floors.
But I sat down with the children
And we played and laughed and read,
And if the doorbell doesn’t shine
Their eyes will shine instead.
For when at times I’m forced to choose,
The one job or the other,
I want to be a housewife, but first
I’ll be a mother.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Our Joy Comes in the Morning
Last year was bad. Very bad. Mainly, because we lost my dear, sweet, dad unexpectedly, and it was a major blow. The grief was more overwhelming than anything I'd ever experienced, and the trauma to our whole family is something I hope we never have to relive. Thankfully, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are on a path to healing and recovery. Needless to say, it has impacted me in every area of life...including our homeschooling.
See, I've come to learn that when you lose someone very special, it completely alters the way you see life. It changes you forever. For me, it made me realize for the first time, how very short life really is. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself saying goodbye to a parent at 32 years old. But I did. And this is what I've learned...
The stuff we sweat over... it's dumb. Seriously. In referring to 'school', this really hit me hard. I didn't even realize how much I'd fallen into 'doing' school!! It was like our year had become one big check off list, and the more things I could cross off, "yep, studied rocks and missions for 4th grade...check. Mastered cursive and long division...check. Made sure everyone spent 20 minutes in silent reading...check," the more I could define my success. Really?! Had I actually begun to make their schooling about me?? Yep, I had. Because I was worrying about the dumb stuff. Not that those things in and of themselves are dumb (ok, maybe cursive isn't exactly the most valuable skill these days, but who am I to change the whole educational system... ;), but the value I was placing on them was. And my whole attitude behind it was worse. Somewhere along the way, I had truly lost my vision for our homeschool.
Needless to say, I've made big changes this year. The biggest, I think, has been my attitude toward their learning, and incorporating my new favorite word, "VALUE", into everything we do. For instance, last year, even if my kids were quietly playing with legos together in their room, I would have stopped them in order to go and 'do school' (i know..what an idiot!). This year, I passionately recognize the value in their building, creating, and, most importantly, working together. I recognize the value in having 'game days', where, other than maybe, finishing a math lesson, the rest of our 'school' is simply playing board games together! I recognize the value in having days that are nothing but reading books...everyone gathered in my bed with 5, sometimes 6 books, and just reading and reading (until they are driving me completely nuts from arguing over whose turn it is to lay by me, while they climb over my body as if I'm a human jungle gym. I'm not a saint.). Yes, we still 'do school', but, I'm no longer letting it take precedence over the wonderful things I'd been setting aside, because I wasn't acknowledging their value. (have I said the word 'value' enough? value, value, value, value. ok, there. good :)
The other thing that really hit me this year, and it's along these same lines, is this idea of a 'well rounded' education. Yes, that's what we're all striving for, (mostly because it's what we were taught was valuable, i think), but at what cost? My girlfriend was reading this very interesting book on education, and she made a point that completely resonated with me. She said, that the major difference between China and the US, educationally speaking, is in the way our systems approach talents and deficits. Here, we take a child's area of weakness, and put all of our energy into improving 'scores', while neglecting the areas of excellence because they are already sufficient. In China, however, they do the opposite...their system allows the weaker areas to maintain at a sufficient level, while zoning in on the natural gifts of that child, working to take them from gifted, to excellence. Now, doesn't that make a whole lot more sense?!! So obvious, so brilliant....and so what I want for my kids. So, next step...out with the busy work, in with only the curriculum that provides great application, life skills, and/or eternal perspective. Yes, we still do spelling and writing, but my 10 year old future engineer/scientist is never going to pen children's books, so why torture him with hours of poetry and creative writing, when he begs to watch the science channel and construct 1000 piece lego sets? Do we really need to study 'how a policeman helps our community', when my 7 year old animal lover is already taming ferrell cats and desperately wants to read books about baby animals while watching Blue Planet? Nope, not gonna do it. I'm choosing to school like the chinese..minus the whole communist thing, of course.
Yep, grief can do a lot of things to a momma. It's not fun and I pray it stays away for a long while before visiting again, but there has been some good come from this whole mess. I am thankful that my vision for our homeschool was restored, even after taking a slight detour. I know what it means to hold on to your treasures, and enjoy each blessing while you have them. I realize that, above all, I want my kids to know Jesus Christ, and to love Him more passionately than anything this world can offer. And, I know that we get very easily distracted with the dumb stuff. Thanks, Dad. :)
See, I've come to learn that when you lose someone very special, it completely alters the way you see life. It changes you forever. For me, it made me realize for the first time, how very short life really is. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine myself saying goodbye to a parent at 32 years old. But I did. And this is what I've learned...
The stuff we sweat over... it's dumb. Seriously. In referring to 'school', this really hit me hard. I didn't even realize how much I'd fallen into 'doing' school!! It was like our year had become one big check off list, and the more things I could cross off, "yep, studied rocks and missions for 4th grade...check. Mastered cursive and long division...check. Made sure everyone spent 20 minutes in silent reading...check," the more I could define my success. Really?! Had I actually begun to make their schooling about me?? Yep, I had. Because I was worrying about the dumb stuff. Not that those things in and of themselves are dumb (ok, maybe cursive isn't exactly the most valuable skill these days, but who am I to change the whole educational system... ;), but the value I was placing on them was. And my whole attitude behind it was worse. Somewhere along the way, I had truly lost my vision for our homeschool.
Needless to say, I've made big changes this year. The biggest, I think, has been my attitude toward their learning, and incorporating my new favorite word, "VALUE", into everything we do. For instance, last year, even if my kids were quietly playing with legos together in their room, I would have stopped them in order to go and 'do school' (i know..what an idiot!). This year, I passionately recognize the value in their building, creating, and, most importantly, working together. I recognize the value in having 'game days', where, other than maybe, finishing a math lesson, the rest of our 'school' is simply playing board games together! I recognize the value in having days that are nothing but reading books...everyone gathered in my bed with 5, sometimes 6 books, and just reading and reading (until they are driving me completely nuts from arguing over whose turn it is to lay by me, while they climb over my body as if I'm a human jungle gym. I'm not a saint.). Yes, we still 'do school', but, I'm no longer letting it take precedence over the wonderful things I'd been setting aside, because I wasn't acknowledging their value. (have I said the word 'value' enough? value, value, value, value. ok, there. good :)
The other thing that really hit me this year, and it's along these same lines, is this idea of a 'well rounded' education. Yes, that's what we're all striving for, (mostly because it's what we were taught was valuable, i think), but at what cost? My girlfriend was reading this very interesting book on education, and she made a point that completely resonated with me. She said, that the major difference between China and the US, educationally speaking, is in the way our systems approach talents and deficits. Here, we take a child's area of weakness, and put all of our energy into improving 'scores', while neglecting the areas of excellence because they are already sufficient. In China, however, they do the opposite...their system allows the weaker areas to maintain at a sufficient level, while zoning in on the natural gifts of that child, working to take them from gifted, to excellence. Now, doesn't that make a whole lot more sense?!! So obvious, so brilliant....and so what I want for my kids. So, next step...out with the busy work, in with only the curriculum that provides great application, life skills, and/or eternal perspective. Yes, we still do spelling and writing, but my 10 year old future engineer/scientist is never going to pen children's books, so why torture him with hours of poetry and creative writing, when he begs to watch the science channel and construct 1000 piece lego sets? Do we really need to study 'how a policeman helps our community', when my 7 year old animal lover is already taming ferrell cats and desperately wants to read books about baby animals while watching Blue Planet? Nope, not gonna do it. I'm choosing to school like the chinese..minus the whole communist thing, of course.
Yep, grief can do a lot of things to a momma. It's not fun and I pray it stays away for a long while before visiting again, but there has been some good come from this whole mess. I am thankful that my vision for our homeschool was restored, even after taking a slight detour. I know what it means to hold on to your treasures, and enjoy each blessing while you have them. I realize that, above all, I want my kids to know Jesus Christ, and to love Him more passionately than anything this world can offer. And, I know that we get very easily distracted with the dumb stuff. Thanks, Dad. :)
Monday, November 7, 2011
Why I hate (most) Workbooks...
Let me start off by saying... I am not judging!! Yes, I hate workbooks. Some people love them. You go. I'm speaking strictly from personal experience, and a little from conversations with other homeschool mommas who use them and then wish they didn't!
Being in our 6th year of home learning, my girlfriends can attest to the fact that I've tried just about everything, in the curriculum department. And if I haven't, then you can bet I've at least researched it to death! Well, we still haven't managed to squeeze in Latin or renaissance art, but that's probably because those areas just don't appeal to me, so I've yet to dump them on my kids!! ;)
Anyway, back to workbooks. Here's what it boils down to, and I've finally put my finger on it after a great conversation this afternoon with the mama friends at the roller rink :) Workbooks give me tunnel vision. They are someone else's (or more accurately, committee's) opinion of exactly who, what, when, where, why, and how my kids should be learning. They limit us to filling in the blanks and memorizing rules, while reinforcing to my kids that the true value in learning is completing page numbers on paper they will eventually throw away. Workbooks just don't seem to use application as a means of learning. There is no actual 'doing' of the subject, only memorizing in order to 'do' later. Busy work. The beauty of homeschooling, is in letting my kids learn at their own pace. The trouble, for me, with workbooks, is that I get too caught up in finishing them! I get it in my head that this is what they are 'supposed' to do, so if they work too slowly, or the flip side, too quickly, I get all discombobulated! Our schooling becomes totally inside the box, rather than allowing myself to teach them according to their own, individual abilities, and assessing their progress based on progress rather than page numbers. :)
So, just how did I break away (almost) completely from the workbook regime?? It's simple. I stopped buying them. Really, that was a big step. Also, I had to stop and think about what I really wanted for each of my kids. The boys had areas of their schooling that they totally excelled in....and others that I found greatly lacking. By most public school teacher's standards, this would be exactly where we'd insert a new workbook and double the page numbers, because, obviously there were gaps, so it was time to fill those babies in!! But, being the rebel that I am, I did the opposite... got rid of those stinky workbooks and found materials that were strictly fundamental application. And guess what. These materials don't come from committees, they come from *homeschoolers*! God bless the publisher that stands behind the little guy!! I looked for books that had the students *write*, not just fill in the blanks teaching the rules of writing (Writing Strands). I found awesome spelling curriculum (Sequential Spelling) from a friend, that has lists of words by word families, rather than 'grade level', and teaches the kids to spell by immersion and familiarity rather than strictly by random memorization. And, even though most math really does need a workbook to be effectively learned, we listened to all of our friends rave about Teaching Textbooks, and decided to give this cd rom curriculum a try. LOVE it. No busy work, allows mental math (which my son loves!), and the super nice guy who 'teaches' the lessons, walks students through each problem of the lesson one by one if need be! NO BUSY WORK, all application! And, lastly, my final decision in eliminating the textbook travesty in our house...no grammar. Before you fall out of your seat, hear me out. At the suggestion of an awesome speaker/writer at the amazing CHEA conference this year... "don't teach grammar every single year...it doesn't change from one year to the next, so why not let them learn as they go, then save formal lessons for middle school??". Made a whole lot of sense to me. So, in lieu of grammar we're doing (alot) of real writing and reading, as well as daily oral language, instead. Oh, and the kids still love Madlibs, so they do know what nouns (and the other important things ;) are. :)
So, my rant is almost complete, but let me first share with you, sweet friends, my hypocrisy. This is where the 'almost' comes in my title. I haven't given up workbooks completely, because I've found a few that I deem valuable. For one, the "Daily Oral Language" workbooks we use. Two sentences a day filled with misspellings and incorrect or incomplete punctuation and grammar. Student rewrites and fixes the sentences. The end. I can't tell you enough what these little exercises have done for my fifth grader!! And, even though it is a workbook, he is not memorizing the rules, he is applying the rules. Genius. Also, I love the cool American History workbook I found at the teacher supply store last year. It was actually in the 'reading comprehension' section, because it's supposed to be a language arts book, but it's filled with stories that walk the student through American history, then ask a few questions about the essay. Short, sweet, and dual purpose. Even better. So, if you love workbooks, and they are working perfectly for your family, by all means, use them... buy them in bulk, take them on vacation, set a place for them at your dinner table. This is the beauty of home learning...we have the liberty to meet each of our child's needs wherever and however that may look! And I didn't even learn that in a workbook... ;)
Being in our 6th year of home learning, my girlfriends can attest to the fact that I've tried just about everything, in the curriculum department. And if I haven't, then you can bet I've at least researched it to death! Well, we still haven't managed to squeeze in Latin or renaissance art, but that's probably because those areas just don't appeal to me, so I've yet to dump them on my kids!! ;)
Anyway, back to workbooks. Here's what it boils down to, and I've finally put my finger on it after a great conversation this afternoon with the mama friends at the roller rink :) Workbooks give me tunnel vision. They are someone else's (or more accurately, committee's) opinion of exactly who, what, when, where, why, and how my kids should be learning. They limit us to filling in the blanks and memorizing rules, while reinforcing to my kids that the true value in learning is completing page numbers on paper they will eventually throw away. Workbooks just don't seem to use application as a means of learning. There is no actual 'doing' of the subject, only memorizing in order to 'do' later. Busy work. The beauty of homeschooling, is in letting my kids learn at their own pace. The trouble, for me, with workbooks, is that I get too caught up in finishing them! I get it in my head that this is what they are 'supposed' to do, so if they work too slowly, or the flip side, too quickly, I get all discombobulated! Our schooling becomes totally inside the box, rather than allowing myself to teach them according to their own, individual abilities, and assessing their progress based on progress rather than page numbers. :)
So, just how did I break away (almost) completely from the workbook regime?? It's simple. I stopped buying them. Really, that was a big step. Also, I had to stop and think about what I really wanted for each of my kids. The boys had areas of their schooling that they totally excelled in....and others that I found greatly lacking. By most public school teacher's standards, this would be exactly where we'd insert a new workbook and double the page numbers, because, obviously there were gaps, so it was time to fill those babies in!! But, being the rebel that I am, I did the opposite... got rid of those stinky workbooks and found materials that were strictly fundamental application. And guess what. These materials don't come from committees, they come from *homeschoolers*! God bless the publisher that stands behind the little guy!! I looked for books that had the students *write*, not just fill in the blanks teaching the rules of writing (Writing Strands). I found awesome spelling curriculum (Sequential Spelling) from a friend, that has lists of words by word families, rather than 'grade level', and teaches the kids to spell by immersion and familiarity rather than strictly by random memorization. And, even though most math really does need a workbook to be effectively learned, we listened to all of our friends rave about Teaching Textbooks, and decided to give this cd rom curriculum a try. LOVE it. No busy work, allows mental math (which my son loves!), and the super nice guy who 'teaches' the lessons, walks students through each problem of the lesson one by one if need be! NO BUSY WORK, all application! And, lastly, my final decision in eliminating the textbook travesty in our house...no grammar. Before you fall out of your seat, hear me out. At the suggestion of an awesome speaker/writer at the amazing CHEA conference this year... "don't teach grammar every single year...it doesn't change from one year to the next, so why not let them learn as they go, then save formal lessons for middle school??". Made a whole lot of sense to me. So, in lieu of grammar we're doing (alot) of real writing and reading, as well as daily oral language, instead. Oh, and the kids still love Madlibs, so they do know what nouns (and the other important things ;) are. :)
So, my rant is almost complete, but let me first share with you, sweet friends, my hypocrisy. This is where the 'almost' comes in my title. I haven't given up workbooks completely, because I've found a few that I deem valuable. For one, the "Daily Oral Language" workbooks we use. Two sentences a day filled with misspellings and incorrect or incomplete punctuation and grammar. Student rewrites and fixes the sentences. The end. I can't tell you enough what these little exercises have done for my fifth grader!! And, even though it is a workbook, he is not memorizing the rules, he is applying the rules. Genius. Also, I love the cool American History workbook I found at the teacher supply store last year. It was actually in the 'reading comprehension' section, because it's supposed to be a language arts book, but it's filled with stories that walk the student through American history, then ask a few questions about the essay. Short, sweet, and dual purpose. Even better. So, if you love workbooks, and they are working perfectly for your family, by all means, use them... buy them in bulk, take them on vacation, set a place for them at your dinner table. This is the beauty of home learning...we have the liberty to meet each of our child's needs wherever and however that may look! And I didn't even learn that in a workbook... ;)
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Snack Time!
We eat in on the go. Mostly, we eat in the car, because I'm just not a morning person (which makes not having to tote 3 kids to school at the crack of dawn every day even more appealing :). So, anything that gets us out the door more quickly, and with 20 minutes of extra sleep in the a.m....I'm all over it. And, these little treats are amazing!! Super yummy, perfect for breakfast or snack in a hurry, and even better paired with a strawberry mango smoothie. I snagged them from this cute little blog, which I found on my new favorite obsession, pinterest :) Enjoy!!
http://smashedpeasandcarrots.blogspot.com/2011/08/no-bake-energy-bites-recipe.html
No-Bake Energy Bites
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
How it came to be...
It seems like every few months, some sweet friend seeks me out, wanting to know more about homeschooling. Not that I'm by any means the guru, but I suppose they can see the word 'passion' written across my forehead. Even though there are plenty of days when I question my sanity, figuring I must be a glutton for punishment, by the end of the night when I see all of their sweet, sleeping little faces, I couldn't be happier that we spent another day of learning and living...together. So, yes, homeschooling is my passion. Mostly because it's become more than just a decision of how to best educate our kids, it is truly our lifestyle. Yep, we are slowly morphing into that family who takes field trips even when on vacation, buys only educational toys for Christmas, and sits down on the couch at night *with popcorn*... to watch a great documentary. And it's a good thing these things didn't happen over night, because when I first blind sided my dear husband 5 1/2 years ago with the revelation that this was how we were supposed to school our kids, his encouraging response was, "What?? You want to turn our kids into nerds?!". Didn't exactly get off to the best start with that one, but fortunately, the Lord softened his heart, and by the end of the first year he was convinced...well, that and I'm a pretty good persuader when need be :)
So, this is the place I will turn to, when God just really encourages me to be the encourager ...or when I need to rant about the well meaning friend who asked me about 'socialization'... Nevertheless, we could all use a little bit of sunshine, tidbits of helpful info, easy recipes to throw in the crockpot when the last thing you want to do is clean up the kitchen for the 16th time that day. Life is too precious to keep it to ourselves...it's much better enjoyed with good friends :)
So, this is the place I will turn to, when God just really encourages me to be the encourager ...or when I need to rant about the well meaning friend who asked me about 'socialization'... Nevertheless, we could all use a little bit of sunshine, tidbits of helpful info, easy recipes to throw in the crockpot when the last thing you want to do is clean up the kitchen for the 16th time that day. Life is too precious to keep it to ourselves...it's much better enjoyed with good friends :)
Homeschooling Is...
Worrying about what they may not be learning at home...
Relieved by what you know they’re not learning at school!
Stressing that you're not equipped to teach…
Excited and reassured that you will all be learning together!
The joy of not putting your kids on the bus...
Wishing you could throw your kids on the bus!
Fearful that your children will become ‘unsocialized homeschoolers’…
Grateful that your children are unsocialized homeschoolers!
Worrying about standardized test scores…
Laughing at ‘standardized’ testing!
Desperately wanting a few hours to yourself…
Loving the days of being at home together!
Falling down on your knees seeking His will…
Lifting your arms high knowing He’s blessing your obedience!
Being amazed at how much you’ve taught your own children…
Feeling even more amazed at all they’ve taught you!!
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