Homeschool 101

We had our first "official" day of homeschooling today. We have gradually been easing into it the last couple of months... going through some reading and math review a few times a week. But I knew for my own comfort, as well as Bella's, we needed a loose schedule to follow. She loves a schedule. :) She comes by that honestly. She thrives under clear expectations and laid out plans. So last night, I told her that we were going to have a real school day the next day and explained to her what that would look like. So what did that look like?

My day goes much smoother when I get up before the kids. I got up at 6:00am, showered, got dressed, made the bed, made my coffee, and settled on the couch for scripture reading and prayer time. I wrote down some of my thoughts... today was an act of faith, a call to obedience, a new chapter. I thanked God for his faith in me and this opportunity to serve Him. And then I begged him to bring us through the day alive and still loving each other. :) I got breakfast on the table, and then I went and woke up Bella and Jack at 8:00. They are not early risers, but they woke up easier than I expected. Blessing #1.
* Max has been sick, so he was still sleeping.
The three of us sat down for breakfast, prayed for the day, and had a short Bible reading. A sweet friend gave us a book that has wonderful 5 minute Bible stories that the kids love. While we were still at the table, we did calendar time (identifying the month, day, and year), as well as, going over the days of the week and months of the year. I have two songs on my youtube favorites list that sing the days of the week and months of the year. The kids loved them, so we listened to them several times.
We then got their clothes and shoes on and headed out for a quick 15 minute walk/bike ride. I decided that as long as the weather permits, we are going to do this every morning. I think it will be good for them to burn some of their morning energy before we are confined to the kitchen table. They of course fought over who was going to be in front on the sidewalk, so they ended up having to take turns. They are so competitive, those two.
Bella and I were sitting at the table ready to start Reading by 9:00. I've thought and researched a lot about what to do with Jack while Bella and I are doing school. He is such an energetic little boy, and if this blasted heat would subside, I know he would be happy playing for hours in the backyard. I had decided that I would let him be as involved in our school as he wanted to be. For example, if he's hanging around the table wanting to participate, I will have something for him to do. If he wants to play in his room or outside, that is more than okay as well. He did a little of both today. He sang our letter sound songs with us (he loves singing), and then I gave him some activities to do at the table while Bella and I continued to work.

Sorting blocks by color

Sorting foam pieces by shape

I decided to implement the color card system just during school time. I needed a reward/consequence system that wouldn't interrupt the flow of what we were doing. For example, time out would require a long 'pause' in the middle of what we are working on. I needed something that was understood by both of them, was quick to implement, and was effective. So I made these...

Behind the green card, is a yellow card, and behind the yellow card, is a red card. They both start out at the beginning of the day with green. Reasons for getting their card moved might include bad attitudes, having to tell them something more than once, disobedience... again, I only use this during school time. So for example, I had to ask Bella to get a pencil out 3 times, so I changed her card to yellow. It was quick, she knew what it meant, and she was motivated to earn her green card back. So what are the card rules? Green means good choices are being made, yellow is a warning card, or as we call it, the grace card. Red means there will be a consequence (spanking, no t.v., early bedtime). When they are on yellow, they are able to earn back their green card (acts of kindness, selflessness, grace to others, hard work... basically extra effort acts.) Bella responded really well to this system today. She earned her green card back by offering to let Jack go first during a reading game we were playing.
p.s. I found Jack's card on red this evening. No doubt the handy work of Bella. 

After working on Reading for about an hour and a half, we were all in need of a break. Bella and Jack went off to play in their rooms, and I emptied the dishwasher, swept the kitchen, and re-grouped. Bella has made it very clear that she wants art time, music time, recess, and p.e. worked into the day. :) So, I started them on an "apple craft" in honor of the start of school while I started making lunches.

Baby Max was doing a little of this...

and a little of that...

during all of this. He as also napping about half way through the morning.

We ate lunch, and then had "wiggle to the music" time.

I read them both stories, and then put Jack down for rest time. Bella and I then started on Math. The math curriculum I am using is awesome, but it requires a lot of concentration on my part, as well as, Bella's. It uses mainly manipulatives (very little book work), so I really need the boys resting while we work on it. We spent about 45 minutes on it, and she worked on it with a great attitude and stayed focused. So, she earned herself an hour of ipad time during rest time. :) I went in to check on her, and this is what I found...

Worn out little girl

Today went so smoothly, with only a few minor bumps (such as Jack crumbling his entire chocolate cupcake on the ground)... for that I am so grateful. I am not naive to think *everyday will be this smooth, but I am praising God for TODAY, and I count it as a day of endless blessings.
* when I say everyday, I mean every school day. We have commitments and activities each week that will only allow us to have days like today about 3 times a week. I'll have to find ways squeeze school into our busier days. And some days, like this Friday, we just don't have school at all because more important things come up, like our cousins coming into town!

On our walk this evening, I took a picture of this...

And it reminded me of the verse I read this morning out of Psalms...

Praise the Lord, all you nations;

extol him, all you peoples.

For great is his love toward us,

and the faithfulness of the Lord endures

forever.

Praise the Lord.

Psalms 117

Lessons Learned

I think there can sometimes be a tendency to only tell the good stories or only share the cute pictures... you know, the happy times. :) As a mom, I am always encouraged when I know that other moms have the same struggles that I have. To know that bad or trying experiences, moments, days... happen to all of us . So I felt the urge to share our little experience we had today. I call it "Our trip to Target". :)

After being cooped up in the house for two days with sick kids, and being down to half a roll of toilet paper that was being shared between two bathrooms, it was time to head to the store. We were just going to grab a few things, and I told the kids they could pick out one thing from the dollar section just to do something special for them.

*side note- They didn't even know what the dollar section was because I almost never buy them something just for the heck of it. A wise person once told me always letting your children have something (no matter how small) every time you go to the store is not a good habit to start...they will expect something every time you go to the store. So, needless to say, they were very giddy.

So off we went for a pleasant little outing, just mom and her three perfect adorable children. We stopped in the dollar section first, and after what seemed like forever, they both finally decided on water bottles. The water bottles looked as if they would last a day, but whatever. We continued to shop grabbing diapers, wipes, etc and had to pass the toy aisle to get to the toilet paper. The toy aisle. Anyone else hate that aisle? Sometimes I try to avoid walking by it, but part of me wants my children to be able to walk by the toys and control their urges to shout, jump, run, squeal, or completely fall apart when they're told to "just keep walking". Well, they didn't "just keep walking". Bella darted into the Barbie aisle, so I very calmly (it always starts out very calmly) told her to come back to the cart. I explained we were not going down toy aisles today... Jack responded to this by lunging directly into someone's path to get to some dinosaur contraption. Grrrr. Still keeping my cool, I make eye contact with him, give him my sternest look, and mouth the words, "Get over here now". What does he do? Drops his water bottle, sits on the ground, and starts crying. For crying out loud! How is this falling apart so quickly?!

*another side note- Max now rides in the basket, which takes away Jack's spot. Unless I put him in the big part, but we've already made an ER visit from him falling out on his head when he was in the big part, so I try to avoid that option. So, he walks now with Bella. Good times.

I pull them both over to me, get down on my knees (lots of people are watching by this point), get very close to their little faces, and go over all the things we moms say in these moments... "this is not how I expect you to act, you are throwing a fit, we are here to get toilet paper, you have a special treat already, and the last one I added was if you continue to make bad choices while we are in the store, you will not get to take your water bottle home. Jack continues to whine and is now hanging onto the side of the basket dangling his legs. He then precedes to hit Bella.

Next scene: Mom puts Jack's water bottle on the first random shelf she sees and keeps walking. This is the hard part about following through on a 'threat' in public. The child's behavior probably isn't going to improve. And it did not. Yep, I was that mom with the wailing child, that no matter where you are in the store, you can hear them. Awesome.

Mission: Get out of this store as quickly as possible.

He continues to cry and holler, so I sweep him into an aisle and pop him on the hiney. He's too far gone. I promise him a spanking when we get home.

What surprised me the most about this whole episode was Bella's compassion for Jack. She pleaded with me to give him another chance. Please mom, she kept saying. I didn't mind him hitting me. He really wants that water bottle. I went over with her that if I never follow through with what I say, my kids won't trust my word and authority. She kept telling him Jack, stop crying and maybe you can earn it back.  (And one point she looked at me and said Mom, are you surprised I'm being so compassionate?) He didn't stop crying, and we finally made it out of the store (not without looks of pity, judgement, annoyance, and some people threw some kind looks our way). He really turned up the volume when he realized I was actually going to drive away from the store without his water bottle.

Sigh. Jack finally calmed down (after his spanking and lots of cuddle time with me), and kept asking why I took his water bottle away. Taking away his water bottle ended up being hard for all three of us. I just kept repeating why I took it away, and as he laid his head down for rest time, he said Maybe I can earn it back someday. Goodnight mom.

It's hard moms, I know. Everyone has been there or will be there at some point. You're not a bad mom. Your kids aren't the worst kids on the planet. They're learning. We're learning.

When we got home, Bella went to the kitchen and kept coming out with cups of water for Jack. She was trying to find one that would help calm him down. The winner? A small vase that the kids have recently started drinking water out of for fun. Jack has named it his beer bottle. Yep. That's my son. I hear Bella say Jack, how about some water in your beer bottle? NEVER a dull moment around here...

I ate two cookies this afternoon. And I'll probably eat two more later. Happy parenting! :)

Rain

"Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced it's crops."
                                                                                                  James 5:18


Praise the Lord for the rain today! After a very restless morning full of sick kids and a tired mom, we were so thankful when the rain started pouring down. We all stopped watching our movie (shout out to Beethoven) and just stared out the window. It's been too long since we've had a good solid day of pouring rain. Moods were instantly lightened, and we decided to head outside. There was a little bit of thunder, but we had to get out of the house.

Isn't it amazing how the gift of rain can lift your spirits and calm your soul? Even as I sit here and type, it's so peaceful to sit and watch the rain through the window... despite the yelling and fighting in the background. My kids know how to keep it real. :)

Playing in the rain is just straight up fun. Hope you and yours have enjoyed your rainy day as well!

Yes, I did have a half dressed little girl. Didn't realize it until the fun had already started! Oh well.

Homeschooling the Oldest

Bella...

~ Precocious
~ Strong-willed (nope, hasn't eased up on this one)
~ Opinionated
~ Intentional
~ Lover of books
~ Picky (particularly with food, clothes, and hair)
~ Silly
~ Sensitive
~ Argumentative
~ Smart
~ Social
~ Inquisitive
~ Lover of bugs, reptiles, or any animal (currently has gecko eggs in a jar in her room)
~ Lover of crafts, art, and puzzles
~ Articulate
~ Courageous

Ah Bella. My first. My girl. 5 years old. She challenges me in more ways than I could have ever imagined. She's feisty and imaginative, and she makes my brain work everyday. We converse all day about all sorts of things. She asks hard questions about God and heaven. She makes up her own words. She'll pretend to speak in a different language. She'll talk with an accent just for the fun of it. She's mischievous, ornery, sweet, adventurous... so much like her dad. She's the queen bee, head honcho, ruler of the castle... whatever you want to call it... that's what she thinks she is among her siblings. We love her. A whole lot. 

I don't know about you, but she sounds like a tough recipe for homeschooling. But I also think she is a perfect recipe for homeschooling. So why homeschool? This is the question I receive a lot. Like most parents, we started looking at school options for her at the beginning of the year in anticipation of her turning five. We looked at the public school she would be assigned to, and they had very poor academic ratings. I taught for a public school for 7 years and loved it. There are some really wonderful schools out there, but the one she would have to go to wasn't one of them. So we re-evaluated and decided to look into a high-rated public school in town that children get to attend based on a lottery system. I called and signed up for the parent informational meeting. We were all set to go. We never made it to that meeting. I had a tug that was telling me that that school wasn't the right choice for her either. Mark felt the same way. We sat down one evening and had a long talk about what we wanted and what we felt the Lord wanted for Bella. This verse came to mind...

Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

                                                                                                 Proverbs 22:6

I kept thinking, "How am I already supposed to be done training her up when she's only 5 years old?".

I couldn't shake that my responsibility of teaching her, shaping her, molding her... wasn't over yet. I was going to entrust someone else to the care of her 7-8 hours a day, 5 days a week. When did I get to "train her up"? Am I saying that you no longer get to parent your child because they go to school full-time? Of course not. I don't want to offend anyone and their decision for their family. You have to do what's best for your family. And that's what we were trying to do for ours. So we prayed. And prayed. We went to a parent meeting at a NAUMS school. Mark and I both graduated high-school from a NAUMS school, and we felt like this might be the perfect setting for Bella and our family. The school is a private/home school. Elementary students go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays and are home to do their homework the rest of the week. We loved the school we visited, and we went home to talk and pray some more. We knew that financially, sending her there this fall, would be difficult. That is when we started toying with the idea of homeschooling her. I've thought and prayed hours over this decision. As a parent, you just want what's best for your child, and you want to stay in the center of God's will. It was quickly very clear to both of us that homeschooling Bella this year was what we were supposed to do. Now just because I say it was clear doesn't mean that I was confident, excited, or at peace with it. I was nervous and still am. I have a lot of questions and concerns, but I am doing my best to walk by faith.

We live by faith, not by sight.

                              2 Corinthians 5:7

We have some great encouragers that the Lord has put in our lives to cheer us on. And we are so thankful for those individuals. So, we approach the next few weeks with excitement and butterflies. :) I know it will be a learning process for the whole family. And I'll be sure to update on our progress! Prayers are always appreciated. :) 

Biggest Boy

Jack insists on being called the "biggest boy" just so everyone is clear that he is bigger than his baby brother.

I never fully grasped the term "all boy" until Jack hit 2.5 years. Oh.My.Goodness. He is everywhere at once and into everything imaginable. He's pretty awesome. :)

Here are a few fun facts about my Jack...

~ He will be three next month.
~ He is still completely in love with horses. Lives and breathes them.
~ He is still completely in love with Daddy. He is by far Daddy's #1 fan.
~ He has received the nicknames Dennis the Menace and Curious Jack.
~ He loves to be outside and will spend hours out there playing.
~ He loves to swing and taught himself how to pump his legs.
~ He loves to climb, jump off really high surfaces, throw things, and hit things.
~ He can turn anything into a gun or sword.
~ If he's not supposed to mess with something, it is his goal to get to it.
~ His favorite movie right now is Beauty and the Beast.
~ His favorite book is anything that has a horse in it.
~ He loves to sleep and still takes a 2-3 hour nap everyday.
~ He has a really big heart and is very sensitive.
~ He is a cuddlebug when he wakes up. If you don't catch him then, you won't for the rest of the day.
~ He cries every Sunday when he's dropped off in Sunday school. Poor kid.
~ He's starting MDO this fall to make some new friends and conquer his separation anxiety. :)
~ He is still the sweetest, kindest soul you'll ever meet. He just pulls at my heart strings. I love him tons!

See. Awesome I tell ya. :)

p.s. If you're wondering how I'm knocking out these posts so fast, it's because I'm down to one kid over here, and he's asleep. Mark has taken Jack and Bella to La Grange for the evening. :) Also, I'm no longer working on a slower than slow PC. We are an iMac family now. :)