The trouble with homeschooling

This is my second blog and I am not keeping up on it very well. I really wish I could. But the main problem is that homeschooling doesn't happen between the hours of 9 and noon, it happens all day everyday. Homeschooling and our daily lives all intertwine. I keep up on my main blog WAY more than I do on this one. So much of our normal every day lives influence the happenings in schooling. I feel so much pressure, from myself, to try and keep this one going. But I just can't :( So, after long conversations with myself, I've decided to stop writing in this one. But I welcome you all to join me at my main one. I really love the fact that people actually care enough to leave me comments and encourage me. I would hate to see you guys leave me. So PLEEEEEEASE follow me over HERE. I will miss you if you don't.

Weekly review- with pictures

Well, this week was a fun week, I think. We finished up China finally. It felt like we were there forever. Did you know that fortune cookies didn't come from China? That's a U.S. thing.

Wednesday was our last MAFA day. The kids were supposed to perform in the production next Saturday, but they totally freaked out, with tears and everything. They start to panic with the thought of singing in front of people. And Little Man hates to sing. So we decided to let them skip it. Who needs that kinda stress. I know we should make them sing, but I know they would just stand there, or even cry up there.

Then, on Thursday, it was 84 degrees in Michigan. 84!!!! So we decided to build my new garden. So we had 5 yards of dirt delivered that morning. So we didn't do formal school. Sassy had Woodshop.




They both helped shovel dirt in the wheel barrel. So we'll call that Gym. Then they played for hours in the dirt pile. Boy, were they a mess!!


Then today, Friday, I decided to sew a skirt for Sassy. So they did math and LA, then we went to the library(which they actually read books while waiting for me!!), then off to the store for fabric. I found THIS PATTERN and it looked easy. No gathering!! It was a bit long, but I'll shorten the next one I make tomorrow. I am actually making three more tomorrow.


Next week, I am combining the two weeks of Japan into one. I am itching to get done with school. This nice weather is making it real hard to teach and not send the kids outside all day long. :)

Who's ready?!?!

As in, who's ready to call it a year now? I don't know if it's the weather, even though we had rain for three days straight, or what. I always get like this in the spring. I'm just thankful that I didn't order CtC yet, or I'd really not wanna finish. :) But we're still trudging along.

I went to my homeschool mom's night out last night, and one of the moms was telling us that she is done for the year. So, now I really want stop. Maybe I should've stayed home. :) Yeah right. I haven't been to a MNO in a couple of months, so totally needed it. I miss staying up til 1 am talking to my girls. I may go to another one next week. I need to take advantage of Hubs being off on Fridays.

Have a great weekend.

Weekly review- Easter edition

Well, I had every intention of teaching this week. But, then Monday came and I felt like not. :) I was ready to go, I had the week planned. I even came home early from Easter celebration so I could get my lesson plans done. Then, we made plans to have the kids spend the night at my parents on Wednesday. Well, that means no school on Thursday. And, since Kmart was having double coupons up to $2 all week, I needed to get there early everyday to get the deals. So I have a hard time teaching after I've dragged my kids shopping. SO there was no way teaching was gonna get done.

Little man did get math and spelling done on Monday and Tuesday. And Sassy worked on this cool reading/phonics game thing that I have, and some math. So we will do our second week of China next week. I really want to do the crafts, so this will give me time to get them ready.

We have been listening to the Narnia series in the car. They actually wanna leave the house, just so they can listen to it. They won't listen to them in the house, only the car. Strange. But if it keeps us having a quiet car ride, I'm all for it. We are now on the Silver Chair. Only one more to go. They are spoken really well. It's very exciting to listen to them. I can't wait til the Dawn Treader comes to the theater this year.

I hope all your weeks went smoother than mine. :)

Am I the only one??

OK, I have a question. Am I the only one who gets irritated when other people say they homeschool, but they don't? They say they homeschool when they teach their kids after school and on the weekends, or in the summer. Isn't that called being a parent? Or if their oldest is 3 or 4 and they are teaching preschool. I consider homeschooling if your kids are of school age. Preschool isn't school age. That's again, being a parent and preparing your child for school.

Sorry, but some people just irritate me. I needed to vent.

Weekly review

I must say, this weather is making it really hard to concentrate on teaching. But, I have been doing it, amazingly. :) This week went went to China, but I didn't do all the extra stuff like crafts and reading extra books. So next week should be packed with stuff. We aren't taking an Easter break. We're feeling pretty motivated so why stop now. :)

Little Man is doing excellent with the geography game. He is totally picking it up fast. I'm trying to keep up. We are having trouble with the "stans" though. You know, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and so on......I'm sure we'll get it eventually. Sassy is trying to read the country cards to us. I just laugh. Since she can't manage to read normal words, why on God's green Earth would she try to read those. So she gets mad if we say them first, and the quits. No big deal. We are looking for a general knowledge, not mastery.

Sassy has been trying to read more lately. Even as I type this, she is sitting on the couch with a stack of easy readers and trying to read them. Yesterday she was sitting at the kitchen table with Little man at breakfast, and they were both reading Calvin and Hobbs. It was too funny, cuz 1. They never eat at the same time and 2. They never are that quiet when they eat. It was silent. I was checking blogs and such and no one was talking. I wish everyday was like that. But I'm happy she is finally taking an interest in reading.

I ordered the five Wrap ups for math, and they came in last week. So everyday they are grabbing them and trying to solve the problems. They think they are playing. They don't realize they are learning. Shhh...don't tell them.

Today we are skipping school to go to the zoo. It was 80 degrees yesterday, and they say today will be hotter. So I am getting my review one fast today.

Happy Easter!!

Our day

I need to write this down, cuz it seems to change every year. I like to have a general order in my morning. Everything runs smoother if everyone knows what to expect. I'm not a schedule follower really, but my kids are, so I kinda have to be. I'm sure I'll do another post like this next year and laugh at how different it is. Here goes:

Anywhere from 7-8:30 Little man and Sassy wake up. I refuse to get up before 7. So, if they do, they must go back to their rooms and sleep or play, til atleast 7. :) Then I will get up and make them breakfast. Yes, I know they should be making their own, but who needs that stress of trying to get the toast crispy enough, or putting enough butter on it so the cinn/sugar mix will melt. I don't need drama in the morning. They are creatures of habit, so they eat the same thing everyday. Right now it is plain toast with cinnamon and sugar for Little Man, and Sassy eats chocolate oatmeal. A girl after my own heart. Plain oatmeal with a handful of chocolate chips and a spoonful of peanut butter. Yummy!! I must admit, I eat a bowl also.

On a side note, I am the only person who makes breakfast right. Daddy doesn't. When I leave I have to tell him exactly how to do it. You would think oatmeal and toast, how hard can that be? But, have you met my children?

8:30-9 If I am motivated I will take a shower, otherwise it waits til after lunch.

9-9:15 Bible lesson

9:15-9:30 Geography

9:30-10:30 Language/phonics and math

10:30-11 is either reading or craft.

11-12 Lunch

Yes, we are done with school within two hours. The kids don't like to waste time. They want to get it done NOW. I would love to take our time and take breaks, but they won't let me. Also, I've tried to schedule LA and math first, but they won't let me. Pick your battles, right? I don't like to rush. So that's why some days that I know we're going to be busy with shopping or running around, I declare an only math and language day. They won't do geography after, but they will do LA and math alone. Strange kids, I know.

So that is our day for our 2009/10 school year.

By, George, I think she's gettin' it!!

I must say that I am super excited I went to Homeschooling works(see last post). Since I bought 20 Boxcar Children, Sassy has been wanting to read them. So today, Little man and I read five chapters and Sassy kept asking to try. She'd read a paragraph every now and then. She did struggle with many of the words, but she wanted to do it. I cannot explain how happy I am because of that. She NEVER asks to read. Then, after I was done reading, she went and got another reader, and continued to try. I am hoping this is a sign that it's finally starting to click.

Curriculum fairs

On Saturday, I went to Homeschooling Works. It is a yearly thing for me. It is the local curriculum fair of us Michiganders. Since Hubs and I have have been buckling down in the budget, I needed to be smart in my purchases this year. Which meant I couldn't go and buy everything I saw that I think I might use sometime. :) I was going to buy what I needed first, and if there was any extra money, then I could buy stuff I wanted.

Well I go there early so I could go to the used book sale first. Since the only thing that I needed was Math U See Gamma, I was free to look at things I kinda needed, but it wouldn't kill me if I didn't get. Cuz if you order the math and they don't have it there, they'll ship it for free. So I could shop for other things knowing I can still get the math. So I made a B-line to the readers. Sassy wanted easy readers and The Boxcar children. Little Man NEVER wants books. So, there were no requests from him. :) He was gonna suffer with whatever I get him.


Well, I hit the jackpot in the used book sale. I bought 20 Boxcar Children, a book about Amelia Earhart, Ben Franklin and a couple of readers. I didn't get sucked into buying things I would never use. I know our local library has all of them, but I want them to be able to grab them and read them whenever they want. It's good to have a home library.

I also got Handwriting without tears Cursive for both of them. And a bunch of other informational books that they can either read or just look at the pictures. The knights/castle one is for Little Man. I also bought a multiplication wrap up for Little Man to use with his math this year. Gamma is all about multiplication, so I thought this would work perfectly.

At first, like every other time Little Man gets something new, he didn't like anything I bought, and told me I wasted my money. But I remained calm and today he told me that did think some of the things were cool. Now I'm not expecting my kids to get as excited as I do when I buy lots of books, but a simple thanks would be nice. Sassy was thrilled with her dot to dot coloring book and all the other books I got.

I love going to this book fair, not just because I get lots of wonderful books, but because I get to see lots of wonderful friends. Some of these people I see on FB, but not in person, and some of them I only see here. So it's kinda like a mini homeschool reunion. :) And the best part of this one, was that I actually had money left over!! That NEVER happens. (insert sheepish grin)

Our curriculum budget, this year, is $500. Since My Father's World is NEVER at Homeschooling Works, I didn't need the entire amount. So I had $200 to spend here, since MFW is about $300 for both kids. Like I said before, I was focused on what I needed. Since I have about $50 bucks left, I can buy a little LA workbook for Little man and a new science or board game for them both. Or I may have to order the addition and subtraction wrap ups instead of the games. After the reaction I got from the multiplication, I think that's what I need to do. :)YAY, more shopping!!!

I can't wait til next year.

weekly highlights

This week was full of well, school. I actually did school. I am so proud. And I was complaining to my friend Terri that at the rate I'm going, we won't be done til the end of June. That is too much pressure. I want to take July off, then start up in August with Creation to Greeks. But I was a poor planner this year, between the many sicknesses and deciding to take December off at the last minute, I don't wanna be stressed at the end. So, my wonderful friend told me that she combined two weeks into one. WHAT?!?! Why didn't I think of that??? Well, guess what we did this week? Saudi Arabia all in one week.

We even did science too. They were very interested in the endangered species and pollution sections. Since we are really jumping into recycling, they are very curious about the enviroment. I must say that this is the most interesting parts of the whole science program.

The weather was perfect this week, so we spent a lot of time outside. By we, I mean the kids. I'm an indoor girl. :) Although I was plotting out my new garden site. I can't wait!! I know the kids are gonna love doing the garden again. I'm just trying to figure out what kinds of fruits and veggies to plant. Hmmm....

I was even approached my a new neighbor who was wondering if we homeschool. I guess the kids screaming down the sidewalk on scooters in the middle of the day was a dead giveaway. :) The funny thing is, that when the neighbor yelled from across the street, I knew what she was gonna ask. I almost stopped her by saying "Yes we homeschool , and my hubby works for the fire department." But, I think that would've came out strong. So I let her ask the questions. And sure enough, that's what she wanted to know. Gosh, I am so smart.

The only day I didn't do school was Wednesday. Usually I like to atleast do math, but it was busy day, electronically, for me. Which means, I was busy texting, emailing, Facebooking, and talking on the phone all morning. I NEVER do that, but sometimes it happens. I'm usually quick in conversation, but the kids weren't being bad, so I figured I'd keep talking. Next thing I knew, it was lunchtime, then MAFA. Such is life.

I'm attending a local curriculum fair on Saturday. I am so excited!!! They even have a used book sale there also. I have my list all typed out and ready to go. Little man needs Gamma and, if I can find some new to me books, that would be great. I'm shooting for Magic tree house and Boxcar children. Sassy doesn't need anything, but she wants me to find some easy readers for her. I think I may pick up Handwriting without Tears cursive for both kids. Sassy's been asking for cursive all year, but I knew Little man wasn't ready for it. But, since he'll be in 5th next year and she'll be in 3rd, that makes them about even in the maturity level. :) I didn't wanna teach it twice. So next year, should be an interesting one. Who am I kidding, I'll probably start using it now. The only downside of the fair, is that MFW is never there. So I still have to buy it later. But that actually works out better for. Cuz, if I get it now, I wanna use it now. So, it's a blessing in disguise.

The weather man is reporting MUCH colder temps for next week, so hopefully I can keep moving along, even though "we" won't be able to play outside. I want this year to be over!!! It's been fun, but it's time.