The Js of our Lives...

Update

2011-09-20T13:30:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I updated.

School is going very well. We have our house up for sale and are staying w/ relatives.

We are keeping up w/ the Sonlight schedule very well. I love having it,esp the Sonlight schedules for Apologia science. If we just follow them, we will be finished in 36 weeks.

We still have some bugs to work out and a few subjects to add, but so far, so good!

Time4Learning review

2011-05-05T21:13:00.004-05:00

Time4Learning is an online education program that can be used as a homeschooling curriculum, an afterschool tutorial or for summer learning. As a member, I've been given the opportunity to share my experiences. The content in this review was not written by Time4Learning. While I was compensated, the opinion is entirely my own.

I decided in Feb. I wanted to do a few months of Time4Learning.com at the end of this school year. I wanted to expose my kids a more "traditional" version of school. Also, I knew that the usual end of the year fatigue would eventually set in.

Though I did not know it then, that decision ended up being a huge lifesaver. We are staying w/ relatives for an extended period of time, while our house gets exterminated. Having school on the computer has been a huge blessing.

Years ago, I did Time4Learning as a full curriculum. I was hoping it would be "fun" for the kids, esp. the one w/ learning disabilites. But only one of my kids thought it was fun(the first grader). I am sure that some kids would find it fun, but it's not a guarantee. Some kids just don't find school fun no matter how you dress it up. I liked it, but decided it wasn't for our family as a full curriculum.

Our experience this time has been a great one. It's not up to me to get everything ready, it's all prepared. I help when they need it. It has made them more independent and has shown me some areas that they need more work.

I have had one of my students(so far) complete the simulated state assessment test. It has been very eye opening. After the first section of the test, I asked why he never looked over the passage again. He told me he thought that would be cheating!! I love that they will be exposed to this type of test taking.

It has been good to see where they match up w/ their grade level. One of them who turned out to not be on grade level in math, I chose a lower level of math and let him work on multiplication and division facts. I think that was a great use of program.

It is $20 a month for the first student and then $15 for each additional. Paying for months in advance gives you a discount. If someone lists you as the one who recommended them, you get $$. When we did it before, I received a check in the mail because 2 people listed me. Also you can earn $$ by writing a blog review. It's nice that they offer these things.

I will definitely want to do Time4Learning.com again at the end of next year's school year!

Check it out, there is alot I haven't mentioned. :)

Sonlight and Time4Learning.com

2011-03-13T22:36:00.002-05:00

Just signed up for a month of Time4Learning.com. I might even do longer. I just felt the need to supplement what I have been doing(Sonlight) w/ some traditional learning.

I think this will be a nice way of rounding things out. I love the literature based approach of Sonlight and will not change from it.

Time4Learning also has a simulated state test. Will be a confidence booster to let them take that! :)

Sonlight update

2010-12-10T22:18:00.003-06:00

Things are going so well. For me, it has been all about sticking w/ it.

It IS December and it is obvious that the Core 3 I bought for this year is not going to get finished...but that is not necessarily a defeat.

It took me this long, but I am finally starting to make some gains in actually learning how to do this whole homeschooling thing.

My oldest is in his second year of high school. I am starting to see that we are actually making lasting progress w/ his education. His work in Sonlight's Core 100 is all coming together.

I am reading all of his books, so I can input some things and he can have someone to talk to about them, so at least *I* am getting a quality education, even if no one else is!! ;)

Bout time!

2010-10-15T22:38:00.003-05:00

Finally a short update. Still homeschooling, still loving Sonlight. Have started this year out very slow, building up, adding a new subject as we are able to handle them. Next week, I am going to start adding in the Sonlight schedule.

I am very excited to finally get it all going full speed. Will adjust if I have to and slow down for awhile.

I am very grateful to be able to homeschool, even though we have challenges like learning disabilities, add, depression and other stuff! :)

2010-06-23T21:51:00.002-05:00

I should update more! But since I found facebook, it satisfies the need for talking and communicating that I originally hoped this blog would fill.

The few visitors I do get like to read about my experience w/ Sonlight Curriculum and I sure like talking about it!! So I will try to post every now and then...

We are currently on a summer break. My intention was to work through the summer, but I was so burned out that we took a break. I am so glad we did. I feel fired up to start again in the fall!

I did a little "sneak peek" the last few weeks of school and used my new SL cores: 100 and Core 3. I have found that I need to follow the schedule exactly for awhile before changing it. I need to give it a chance.

My oldest really needs some input w/ the literature, so this summer I am going to read as many of his level 100 books as I can. There are about 40 and I have read 2. I feel like they are changing my life! And I LOVE LOVE how the assigned books relate so well w/ each other. I am reading a non fiction book about pilgrims and I just finished a fictional story about them. Really well rounded.

Hope the kids enjoy it as much as I have!!!!

Maps

2010-01-20T17:38:00.002-06:00

We just finished Week 14 of Core 1+2. I have never bought the Sonlight markable maps, but as we go through the history, I find myself more and more curious about where everything has taken place.

Today the kids got all into it too, so we pulled out a map, put it up and the kids stuck tacks in the places mentioned in the lesson. Someone had drawn on it, so it needs to be cleaned up, and it was hard to get it to stay because it had torn so many times...

I just chuckled to myself and thought, this is why Sonlight sells a Markable Map. :)

If I can use Sonlight...

2010-01-13T16:16:00.005-06:00

Well truthfully, if I can do it, ANYONE can.

Years ago, I started w/ K. for my oldest child. I loved it, but at that time didn't stick w/ it long enough to learn it. I switched to FIVE in a Row for an easier educational experience. At that time, I had 4 kids in 5 years. A slew of health problems hit me and I still deal w/ some of them...

Well one day on the FIAR website, I happened upon a comment about high school. FIAR doesn't offer high school. I got it in high gear looking around at high school for my oldest who was jr. high age at that time. I wanted something that I could "go all the way with" and not piece together curriculum on my own every year, for every child.

So I pretty much high tailed it back to SL. My plan was to do 1+2 and 3+4 for jr high and then my oldest would be ready for the upper levels. After buying 1+2, I decided that it wasn't that great of a plan, at least for my oldest and I ordered him some used Alt. 6 stuff off of ebay. The 1+2 stuff was too easy and the Alt 6 was too hard. Not to mention that I had a low comprehension extra student who joined us. My younger 3 totally loved the 1+2.

At first I quickly noticed that it would have you pretty much read through a book chapter by chapter, so I quit looking at the schedule and would just read on my own.

Then I tried just reading the books w/ out the schedule on my own. I just couldn't organize it! Couldn't adapt it for all the students I had!

Fast forward to my oldest's ninth grade year, I went back to Five in a Row for my sanity's sake and for the sake of the extra student. I just didn't know how to blend him into our SL experience even though my kids were loving it. I bought Starting Points from Cornerstone Curriculum for my oldest and decided SL was too hard for him.That was settled, breathe a sigh of relief!

Before the new school year started, the extra student went back to public school. I was glad, but now I had to re evaluate my choices. If it was just going to be my younger 3, I didn't need all the FIAR stuff I'd just bought. I'd rather do SL if it was just our family.

So I decided to try 1+2 again. Hey I have only been trying this curriculum for 2 YEARS! lol But it wasn't going to cost me anything, so why not? Should be easier now that I didn't have to deal w/ a student w/ low comprehension.My dyslexic son LOVED SL, he just had to listen to me read all the subjects. But the low comprehension wasn't something I had experience w/. It frustrated me that I didn't know how to help!

My children were now 11, 10 and 8, still in the range of the core, maybe they were a little old for it, but it was what I had and I didn't want to waste it. And I would just use it as a book list if I had to. The books were so compelling! Boring and dry at times, but so worth it!!!

One day I read a review of SL that said it was just a booklist, that the schedule was unneccesary, it just had you read a chapter of the book each day. Well, that was my impression too. So I thought I was fine. I'll just read these books one at a time, chapter by chapter...

Then another day, I read that SL is not a booklist and people are mistaken when they say SL is just a booklist, that the schedule is the heart of the program! What was I missing!!!????

Now that my oldest was using his own program, I could focus on the youngest kids. Instead of trying to figure out how to adapt the schedule, I just started following the SL schedule. I did drop some of the books SL suggested, but kept following the schedule otherwise.

I was starting to understand the beauty of the SL schedule.

The Christian history text would mention something, then it would be mentioned again in the secular history text. Forget the kids, I felt like I was understanding history from a biblical perspective for the first time ever!! I had never understood where Biblical events fell in w/ the history I was taught in public school. Eventually I heard another point of view(Christian), but I doubted that as well. It was hard hearing a different view after so many years of hearing just a secular account. And sometimes it seemed overly Christianized...

But this to me is such a balanced way of learning! My kids can learn mainstream history the way most of America learns it, but also see how Christianity falls into it. They are getting the full package, not only half the story or a cleaned up version of the story...

Actually let's not pretend the school history textbook is as good as the stack of books SL has us read for history, but you get the picture anyway!

Now that I am getting the feel for the schedule sometimes we double up the reading and finish the 4 day schedule in less time. It really helps for those times when life is overtaking us! I am probably able to do this because 1.they are in the upper age range for the core. I don't imagine that I will be able to do this when we move on to next year's core and they are closer to the recommended age. And 2. Now that we have been w/ SL for a while, we are both used to reading alot.

As for my oldest son, after he finishes the year w/ Starting Points, he will be going back to SL for the rest of high school. I am slowly building him up to do more and more rigorous assignments.

We didn't stay w/ SL for Language Arts, we went to Writing strands. It is a much better fit. My oldest daughter did love SL LA and often does it on her own. We still do the readers.And although SL Science goes above and beyond, we(probably ME!) just can't do it and it is pricey. Worth it, but just not in our budget. We do the opt. Bible, it is wonderful. Just today the kids remarked that they loved learning about the Bible at church and then learning more at home. They feel like they are going to Christian school my daughter said!!

It does feel fantastic to have found our perfect match and to not devour every catalog, every website, pick every homeschooler's brain...but it still isn't easy... just because of the various challenges that we all face. :)

2010-01-05T20:33:00.002-06:00

Gonna ease back into school tomorrow. Trying not to make it a huge deal...

I found some great menus that are $5 a month from Menus4Moms.com. My brain just needs help planning and shopping for meals. I have tried so many planners, free and otherwise. So far this one suits our tastes very well. I double the dinners to have leftovers for lunch.

Taking a deep breath, and getting ready to try again!

Christmas break

2009-12-28T13:00:00.001-06:00

Trying to worry too much over the break. It is almost time to buy curriculum again and I haven't finished what I am using. Oh well... I don't have to use the new stuff as soon as I order it in Feb, but it will be tempting!

2009-11-22T19:56:00.001-06:00

I am struggling to get back on track, but I am not discouraged. I know I can just pick it up and get started again.

Co-op is now over, I have a cold or a virus or something...I just need to keep trying.

I keep waiting...

2009-11-04T20:02:00.003-06:00

but the "other shoe" never drops! Dare I sigh a sigh of relief? So many times I have started in excitement only to fizzle out!

I decided to switch back to the 4 day plan of Sonlight's 1+2 program. I bought the 5 day because I just had to do all of it. Recently I was doing the 5 day because the assignments seemed a little shorter, although I don't know if that is actually true or not. I didn't worry about what day of the schedule I was on, I just worked it.

Then I decided after reading on the forums about those who are happy doing the 4 day, I decided to give it a shot. We do attend co-op one day a week and I no longer have the time or energy to obsess about "missed books" that aren't included in the 4 day program. And we are able to read aloud more(me) and they are able to listen to more.

I am so glad I kept up with it even though it felt like I was failing. Even though I felt like I couldn't make people understand what my problem was. Even though I have googled "hate sonlight" hoping to find something that could help me articulate what my problem was!!! Other box checkers(people who must complete every assignment) were adapting, was I one of the ones who could not overcome reason number 6 of " 27 Reasons not to buy Sonlight"? I didn't want to be and now I am not. It is an amazing feeling and such a relief!!!

I would get so mad because it was SL who made me so picky in the first place! w/ their constant improvements and awesome customer service! I never had demands or expectations for curriculum, I thought it was my task master for me to follow exactly and if it didn't work it was my fault...and I was SO jealous of people who found their curriculum and didn't look around anymore. NOW it's ME!!

So after doing various programs over the last few years, and only completing about 8 weeks of SL in that time, I am excited to report that we just finished week 12!

I just breathed a deep sigh, just reading over it, but I will still be prepared for interuptions. I still remain hopeful, though! :)

SL vs...the ultimate review

2009-10-29T17:43:00.007-05:00

After homeschooling for 9 years, I finally get it! My chosen curriculum is Sonlight. And I get that too!!! It is unbelieveable! My husband was right, he always is.

So what took me so long? Well, the extra student I had for 2 years had low comprehension and didn't retain all the reading aloud that you do for SL, so I kept trying to find something that would work for him and my kids.

I had decided to move on over to WinterPromise or My Father's world.

First I checked out WP. I searched the SL forums.

"Lots" of people seemed to find they preferred WP, it was every that SL lacked. The author of the curriculum corresponded w/ me by email and she was wonderfully helpful. In the end, the big thing for me was the high school offerings. And it was really expensive. I am sure there is a cheaper way to do it, but my first year, I was just going to buy what they suggested and it was pricey!

Plus, upon closer inspection, "lots" of people on the forums mixed and matched programs and books from WP and SL, so there really didn't seem to be a mass exodus or anything. Just more of an appreciation of WP.

UPDATE: To clarify, I never purchased WP. I found the author of the curriculum very accessible and very helpful. It just didn't seem to be the right fit for our family.

Then I checked out MFW. I found out they now have high school. Well, one or two levels, w/ more to come. I liked the courses and the fact that they are written to the student. They also include grading guidelines.

The online forum was awesome. It had a real gentle feel to it.

I read and compared. MFW seemed so much cheaper! W/ 4 kids though, it really isn't cheaper than SL, but may be if there is only one child. And although the booklist is optional, many expressed frustration in finding the books and/or racking up huge fines!(that would be me!!!)

Hands on stuff intimidated me(would I have the energy?) and I didn't really want to do it, but I thought it would be good, esp. for the extra student I had.

My mind was made up to do it. It seemed to be just what I needed.

I posted about it here and Sonlight left me a comment wishing me well! I was blown away. My husband said it didn't seem like I wanted to give up on SL.He didn't think I would be able to hunt for books. He really didn't think I would turn them in on time. He didn't think I would have the energy to keep up w/ projects. Why couldn't I just buy all the Sonlight books and use them to the best of my ability? No projects, just reading. No library searches or fines.

He thought the 2 books we had managed to finished were pretty outstanding. Red Sails to Capri was so dry and Ginger Pye had me about bored to tears. I found out on the SL forums that alot of people don't love those titles, but just finish them, it would be worth it. So I did.

W/ Ginger Pye, every day, my little boy would say "Isn't this a good book?!"

When we finished Red Sails to Capri and I went online to check out the real place, I gasped aloud. When I showed it to the kids the next morning, they did too. Every time we hear the word grotto, or Capri, everyone gets excited and says "remember!?" It wasn't a book, it was an experience we shared. It was one of those Sonlight moments.

When my extra student went back to school this year, it was a perfect opportunity to try SL again. The kids are older now. We have built up our reading and listening ears a bit and can listen to 2 or 3 days worth of history reading at a time.So when I get behind because of co-op homework or because I am not feeling good, we can still finish the week.

When I looked at other curriculum choices, one thing they all agreed on, was doing the one God leads you to do. God has led us to SL and He will equip us to do it.

I get it now that SL is a buffet and you don't have to eat all of it. It just took me a LONG time to understand. I don't use Window on the World all the time, for example. But I use the other 2 history books. I love how history is just me reading and us talking about it! What could be easier? I love how the bible reading, the history readings all tie together!

The other day my husband was home for lunch and we were going over the bible memory verse. Our youngest was doing great, her little voice carefully speaking out the long verse. My husband jerks his head around"Is she READING that?!" He couldn't believe she had it memorized. Another one of those Sonlight moments!!!

One step forward, many steps back!

2009-10-27T01:09:00.003-05:00

We are struggling to get all our co-op homework completed. And on time. This week I really need to do at least 2 day's worth each day of the Sonlight assignments. Last week was a total bust in that area.

I think the key is to keep trying!

How does Sonlight work for the chronically ill mom?

2009-10-14T18:17:00.004-05:00

The last few weeks I have been very disappointed w/ myself.I was doing really well w/ the SL schedule and then co-op started. My boys were having a hard time adjusting to managing their time. I was very tired due to the increased activity.

Well today I pulled out my SL binder.Then I gathered all the books that go w/ it. They were on the shelf all together.Took everything to my room, called everyone to my bed and got started.

I thank God that I have stuck w/ one curriculum for this long. I am really learning from the mistakes! I decided instead of one day's reading, I would see if I could do 4 days worth in each subject so I could finish out that week. One map book, I guess I lost, so we are just looking at other maps. One book, I chose not to include...

Because I am doing a lower core than recommended, it was totally doable. But only because I started out following the schedule and then built up! When we first started, we couldn't have tolerated this much reading.Now we didn't do 4 chapters of read aloud, that would have been too much.

The kids do their individual subjects on their own or take turns working w/ me.

I have many issues and struggles, which I would be happy to list if you want to hear about it. ;) It took me FOREVER(or at least it felt like it) to finally feel like I just might be able to do this homeschool thing. And still I must depend on God's grace daily, hourly! It is just not something I could do in my own strength.

But if I could do it under my own power, that wouldn't require faith, would it? :)

2009-10-07T16:36:00.002-05:00

Today the public school kids were out of school. So I let my kids go outside too. I cooked lunch and supper and did some decluttering and now I am thinking: how am I supposed to do ALL this!!?

Ordinarily I homeschool, do kid stuff and Joe does the bulk of the cooking.

Whoever figures it out first, meet back here and tell the other, ok?

Weeeelllll....

2009-10-06T23:54:00.001-05:00

It's not perfect, but we are doing it. We are getting by, keeping up w/ co-op work pretty well. Not steady yet w/ the all the Sonlight stuff, but pretty consistent w/ the kids' individual work.

That is all I can do: just keep improving!

Don't say I didn't update!

2009-10-03T02:12:00.000-05:00

I am still trying to balance homeschool and homeschool co-op and all the illnesses we have been battling. It is definitely working w/ Sonlight. I can be so rigid and inflexible sometimes. Using the lower level for my kids' ages allows me to follow the schedule exactly. It is a relief to finally do something right for once! And I am not making too big a deal about my co-op class. I am trying to keep it low maintenance instead of freaking out over it all week and putting more work in than it needs.

Maybe I will be totally good at this homeschooling thing by the time my youngest graduates!

2009-09-28T23:28:00.001-05:00

Well, I would update, but I am so tired. Sunday is the busiest day for us as a family and Monday is the busiest day for the kids and me. We are 3 weeks into homeschool co-op. It is going so well. I am trying to balance keeping w/ my sonlight schedule at home and the duties of co-op. I am doing better than I ever have in years past, but still lots of room for improvement!

Curriculum and Jon and Kate

2009-08-27T18:04:00.004-05:00

My curriculum wisdom is to stick w/ what you feel God is leading you to do. It will work out. Eventually. It may not feel good all the time, but it will work out.And it will feel right, deep down, it will feel right!

Something that doesn't feel right is the whole Jon and Kate mess. My own parents were divorced when I was about 9. My parents married young, had 3 kids in 2 years(me and then identical twin boys). They did their best but it didn't work.

Being the oldest child, my world was my mom and dad. When their marriage fell apart, part of me died inside. I was daddy's girl and mommy's little helper. Now I was lost...it was easier to believe that there was a bad parent who ran the good parent off than to consider that I was so unlovable that my parents couldn't both be there for me.

It has only been in the last few years that I have been strong enough to look with total honesty at my childhood. I love and like both my parents and stepparents, there wasn't a good one and a bad one at all. And I wasn't unlovable, that was just a childish reaction, although it felt very real.

So I did turn out ok in the end, so to speak. :)

I hope that Jon and Kate's kids(and Jon and Kate) don't have alot of pain to face when they get older. I hope someone is thinking about that now.

My parents were young and their choices were not meant to harm us, but were the best they knew to do at the time. I would say that all of the single parent families I know right now are doing the best they can.

Are Jon and Kate doing the best they can do? I hope so. I have a hard time believing that with all the resources they have available to them that this is the best they can do, but I hope so.

Day 2

2009-08-25T12:59:00.004-05:00

Today went really well.

My health is improving. And since I am now using allergy pills that don't cause drowsiness, I am relishing the feeling of not being groggy all day!!!!

I added to the stuff we did yesterday. We started w/ Bible, which seems to really cause us to have success!

Listened to a chapter of Word of Promise on CD. It is the NKJ version performed by Jim Cavieziel and other famous actors. Then I played a worship song. Today I found one on youtube w/ the words displayed. I instruct the kids to be respectful and try to make the words a prayer. This is the only time I try to shape the way they behave during singing.

Then because some were still eating I went on to read our SL bible reading(for history and studying).

Then it was Window on the World.

For prayer, one day the thought occurred to me that it was silly for us to list our prayer requests and then repeat those very same words as we prayed for them. Plus, no one wants to pray outloud, so they give a prayer request such as "Pray for our aunt who is having surgery" then I would say" I pray for our aunt who is having surgery". weird right?

So~ I declared that while you are giving the need, THAT is your prayer. After all, He is in our midst because He is there wherever 2 or more are gathered!

Also during prayer, I read out the needs of the country we read about in Window on the World.

I have been so torn up over the last 2 years trying to complete the Sonlight materials I bought. These last 2 days have really just come together. Don't tell anyone on the SL message boards that I am using level 1+2 for my kids ages 8-12, with the 14 year old listening in before he does his own work. The top age recommended for this level was 10 I believe, but it just didn't work out before when I tried it.

The Lord took me down this road for a reason. I made the plans, but the Lord ordered my steps.

Remember when it drove me crazy to modify the schedule? I think now we will just do all the activities listed because now they are older, so the activities won't be too much.

Then I completed the SL schedule and went over some math tips w/ everyone.

now they are doing Mad Libs, it is getting really silly...

The oldest still has his work to do and a few have already finished their individual work.

Thank God for completing the work he began in me!

2009-08-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

Started school today. Slow, but sure. I wanted to get all perfectionist about it, but decided it was better to build slowly than to build quickly and crash...

Pick it and stick it

2009-07-30T09:33:00.003-05:00

It's been a while, I'll say it again: blogging is one of the first things to go.

We are getting ready to start school around here pretty soon. My extra student won't be joining us. I sure wish I'd known that before I ordered for this year, but oh well.

It is time to "Pick it and stick it" so to speak. No curriculum is perfect. I have recently realized that I have some "obsessive tendencies" and that sure makes it hard to choose curriculum and then adapt it, etc.

But I am learning to work w/ myself. After all, I'm all I've got!!! :)

Anytime I mention Sonlight, it gets lots of traffic, so I try to give any and all insight I have on the subject because people seem to be interested in hearing it. Maybe some of you are a little obsessive too? ;)

Sonlight bugs me because I am a "box checker" and naturally want to complete every task in the teacher manual(the instructor's guide or IG). But I am told there are too many activities, much like an all you can eat buffet has too many choices for you to eat everything. So you can do one Core level over 2 years or a lower level core than your children need, I suppose.

But even with that, SL is what we declared we will stick w/. The books are memorable, and reading aloud is hard for me because I'd rather read it faster by myself, but it is BEAUTIFUL sharing the wonderful stories. And they schedule so many books, even if I end up doing only a fraction of them, I have still done alot.

And all the books come w/ it. I won't lose library books and that is huge for me.

Nevermind that I am still trying to complete the same core I bought 3 years ago. Now that the special needs student won't be joining us, I can give it a real true test!

Earache pain!

2009-06-23T19:20:00.001-05:00

Check out earache.net for remedies for earache pain that ibuprophen and the pain drops don't help.

Saved us tonight!!!

My husband is a genius part 2

2009-06-18T18:45:00.003-05:00

Yesterday evening as I told my husband about the stressful day of children fighting, bickering, talking constantly, he hit the nail on the head: The children no longer have the tv, computer, games, etc to fight over, so they gravitate to me wanting attention and also bicker over OTHER things now. It was somewhat of a relief to know.

The heat has really made me feel terrible. It was hotter than this in Arizona when I used to visit my mom, but it was a dry heat. This is a muggy, sticky, heavy sweaty hotness.

Also, allergies/cold or whatever we had last week continues to hang on...

Since yesterday was so stressful and chaotic, I was glad I was not on a reality show. As we went through the grocery store 3 kids(out of 4) got to carry balloons we bought for father's day. I just cannot convey to you how obnoxious this turned out. They weren't on strings, but on long plastic sticks w/ lollipops on the end. So just imagine constant bickering because only 3 kids get to carry a precious balloon. Carry it, drop it, break the lollipop. We clogged up the aisles as they watched the balloons rise instead of watching where they were going.

I was fit to be tied by the evening, I tell ya.

If I was famous the headlines would have been scandalous:

"Mom Stresses at Store"
"Balloon Drama on Aisle 12"

Today was a much better day. Thank goodness!

My girls and a girl down the street have been having a "girls club" on Thursdays while the boys volunteer at the library. It is going very well. I am so glad that I feel good enough to do it.

I am using the Keepers of the Home program from Keepers of the Faith. They are much more conservative than I am, but Biblically solid. It is very flexible and the girls can complete the tasks to earn pins or badges like girl scouts. I like it. It is good for the girls to hear and learn things that are in stark contrast to the mainstream.

At first I balked at it being called "keepers of the home". The little girl down the street is being raised by a single mom. But I told them that Moms end up doing alot of family and home management even if they work outside the home. I also said that if they never marry, they will really be in charge of their home! :)

Electronic free...well, mostly

2009-06-17T09:10:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, after I unloaded on my husband over the kids' constant complaining, he came up w/ a genius solution. It's not that each kid is so bad, but when 4 kids complain individually throughout the day, it can feel constant!

Since they cannot appreciate the computer games, Wii, Playstation, cellphones, mp3 players and tv that we have, they can live w/out them for awhile.

Wow! We had such a great afternoon yesterday. And since I did not have the tv on last night, I went to bed earlier.

We did watch our 24 dvd from netflix, but after that turned the tv off.

Lately, I have really been in the habit of turning the tv on or playing on the computer to pass the time because I haven't felt good. I am starting to really feel better and it is time to start breaking the habit. :)

So except for a google search for my coffeemaker manual, this post and maybe checking my email or netflix queue, no computer for me. :)

And if there is a show we want to watch, we will. But I hope we stick w/ not just turning the tv on and watching whatever we can find to pass the time.

the Listener

2009-06-04T21:12:00.003-05:00

Today I felt sick. I watched alot of tv today.

One of the shows I watched was The Listener. Mark my works, the opening of the show would make a really cute SNL skit, so be on the look out for that. Spooky, upbeat music(much like the opening of Medium) w/ the star looking up, right, left wistfully.

This show is full of all-new, original ideas(all of which are very believeable, by the way) including a beautiful female detective who works in a tank top and tight jeans. Character comes complete w/ exterior. Could the plucky young telepath warm her cold heart?

What is with television police departments that they need a spunky civilian sidekick to do their work?

And wonderful moments like: Wow, I just had the thought that I needed a dollar and this young stranger hands me a dollar out of the blue, how magical and heartwarming.

Easy access to the unattended police computer for the leading man to solve the case was the final straw. My husband tells me w/ 10 minutes left our young hero saves the day.

Read my mind, nbc: Yuck!

:)

I got a boost today!

2009-05-20T19:10:00.003-05:00

Check out restministries.com if you have a chronic illness like I do.

I just received a wonderful reply to a question.

In short, the poster said that God is making me more like Christ everyday and my children too are learning from the experience of me going through these struggles.

That never occured to me. I have kinda been holding my breath waiting to feel better.

Lord, help me strive to live in victory as I await your healing. :)

Update

2009-05-19T14:09:00.003-05:00

We ended our school year on May 8. I just couldn't drag it out any further.

The neighbor that has joined us for the last 2 years will return to school. I am very grateful for that, I feel so worn down. I HOPE being w/ us for 2 school years has helped him.

JD is doing very well on medication. I am looking forward to an appt. for JJ to discuss meds for her. I have an upcoming appt w/ to discuss my meds.

I do not feel sadness, but still suffer from extremely low energy. This is SO NOT my homeschool dream!!! It is frustrating to feel so bad all the time.

It is hard to try to homeschool, diet, clean house, etc. w/ no focus and no energy. I am doing the best I can, but it just feels like it is never good enough.

So you can see why I haven't updated the ol' blog. Not much to report.

Just hangin' in there. :)

What if your curriculum doesn't make you happy?

2009-05-01T09:48:00.003-05:00

Something that has taken me a long time to learn, and that I still struggle w/ from time to time concerns the curriculum living up to the advertisements.

Especially w/ specials needs, school won't always be fun. At least not all parts of it all the time. It is hard to know when to change programs and when to keep going.

But just because you aren't having every good experience promised in the catalog doesn't mean the curriculum is a failure.

It takes me forever to learn how to use a program. I found that sometimes I was giving up on a program before I had fully learned it.

Sometimes I wish I was a classroom teacher and the things I learn could be used again next year!!! ;)

Sonlight vs.....AGAIN?????

2009-04-30T11:32:00.005-05:00

Well time marches on.

As we wrap up this school year, I am excited about the changes to come. Well, it's hard to be "excited" w/ so much going on, but I am looking forward, let's just say.

The neighbor that I have homeschooled for 2 years is going back to public school.It would be more beneficial to the family for him to be engaged 8 hours a day at school, instead of coming over here for a short time of tutoring.

I really feel that God led us to homeschool him and we have been blessed in unexpected ways from it.

However, his special need is different from the special needs that my kids have, so it will be good to get back to only dealing w/ our crazy stuff.

And I have tried so many different things trying to find what works best. This child has low comprehension, so having him join our Sonlight Core didn't work out. Well my husband says I should have just kept reading aloud and letting him get whatever he got, but I was trying to address his learning needs and thought that there had to be something out there to fit him. I eventually just found the level where he worked comfortably and let him work there, building his skills. Pretty much, all the kids just started working on their own and we didn't do alot of group stuff.

As you may recall, I recently started using Five in a Row and Beyond Five in a Row. Each child has a scrap book and I print out things from enchanted learning.com that correspond w/ the story.

I thought it would help the neighbor remember what we read. I thought that by looking at the projects, he would recall the book and info. It hasn't really. My kids enjoy the scrap book, I guess, but they seem to just enjoy being read to. They do not enjoy the crafts like I thought they would. I am surprised. They rush to get done.

So I will continue doing what I am doing for now, but having one less student does make me start thinking again about curriculum choices. What curriculum has a lot of reading aloud(my dyslexic son especially loves being read to), no projects...? ;)

2009-04-29T11:36:00.001-05:00

OH my.

The stress level just goes higher and higher.

I am slowly making some good improvements, but sometimes change is painful. And sometimes pain causes crankiness and other negative emotions.

Send a kid to camp

2009-04-27T14:54:00.003-05:00

I am raising money to send a kid(my son JD) to camp. Dyslexia camp, that is. It will be for 5 days 8am-12 pm and the pediatrician highly recommends it.

It is going to cost over $300 and since they are not offering scholarships this year, they suggested we raise our own money. I wouldn't have thought of that.

For more information, just send me an email. Your consideration is appreciated. :)

susan.svbf (use at symbol here) yahoo.com

2009-04-01T23:14:00.006-05:00

It has been really hard to keep up w/ the blog. I so would like to be a "famous" blogger w/ tons of comments and followers or an active forum participant whose every word is relished. ;)

But I don't have the inclination to put in the time to cultivate an internet following.

I write when I write. About what I feel like writing. Letting off steam, sounding off my opinions and recording memories...

There you have it.

And for those interested in the whole SL vs...

Part of this decision was $, part was needing to go from a "heavy" schedule to a lighter one. I love the idea of learning through making memories. We have a lot of fun memories from our time w/ SL. I still use the readers, and will try to continue to read the read alouds I have.

I am currently using Five in a Row unit studies, adapting them for an older crowd. I have an enchanted learning.com account and I print up corresponding pictures and sheets, which they glue into a scrap book. I also have 2 volumes of Beyond Five in a Row which I plan to utilize one of these days...

My oldest(end of 8th grade) is doing Starting Points from Cornerstone Curriculum. It teaches the student how to develop a world view.So far so good. He has already started it and will continue on w/ it for ninth grade.

Sonlight, My Father's World and even WinterPromise still catch my eye. But I am doing so much better w/ the FIAR. I find that I like adding to the curriculum.

From MFW, I bought Writing Strands and another LA book. My oldest loves it! I bought a lower level of it for my other kids. It is written to the child(except for the first 2 levels), it is very specific. Just what we need!!!!

I bought alot of items from SL because I qualified for free shipping, I think it is after $100. So it's not like I completely left.

One of the things I bought from SL was miquon math. I just started w/ the first book for JD,my dyslexia boy and JJ,the 8 year old. Neither will use the rods, but they like it otherwise. The pages are very "clean", not alot of busy pictures or writing. And the print is large enough for him to see clearly.

And in the fall, the neighbor who joins us currently is going back to school in the fall, so that will change things. So I may(ok, you know I definitely will!) revisit all my curriculum choices when it is time to buy again.

I haven't worried so much, I haven't written out potential long term plans on every scrap of paper I touch, so that is an improvement. :)

The Sneaky Chef

2009-03-04T16:15:00.003-06:00

The Sneaky Chef strikes again!!

Her third book is due out in April. I am a huge fan and have both books. There is one for kids and one geared for cooking for "your man". I love the idea of making every meal as healthy as possible and not compromising taste. Especially for my son who has sensory issues. His food preferences are very limited, so it is important to make what he does like as nutritious as possible.

And especially for ME. I only like broccoli, celery, spinach, and raw carrots, so I need all the help I can get!

There are days!

2009-03-04T13:00:00.002-06:00

Some days I just feel so weighted down w/ all that we are dealing with. I am not in a deep depression, but I do feel an overwhelming urge to whine "Why?" But I won't. For now. ;) I'll keep traveling forward. Sometimes that is all you can do.

hello again

2009-03-03T19:31:00.003-06:00

After a long time away, I felt it was time to force myself to post! We got a new keyboard, one that will type every character that we ask it to. ;)

Tonight's dinner was a hit: hamburger patties(I bought them already shaped into patties for an easy meal), Stubb's beef marinade(I actually just used it to flavor the patties. Half way through, I dumped the grease that was accumulating in the pan.I sprinkled brown gravy mix on both sides of the patties. A short time later, I removed the patties, sprinkled and stirred flour( eagle mills, I forget what makes it healthy, but it tastes like white) and vegetable broth to make gravy. There wasn't a whole lot of grease because I'd dumped some out. I put the patties back into the oven, which was off, but still hot. I was sincerely hoping that I hadn't made them taste like salt patties by pouring the gravy mix directly onto the patties.

I heated brown rice(instant) and little green giant buttered corn in the microwave.I seasoned the rice by adding a packet of brown gravy to it and some water. Then I hit it pretty heavy w/ garlic powder and onion powder.

The gravy was great. I was glad because it could have easily gone the other way. :)

over the flu!

2009-02-01T19:04:00.003-06:00

I am finally getting over the flu and ready to get back on the diet I bragged about in my last post! I have eaten whatever I wanted while I was sick, and I am tired of it. I have overeaten many times and am ready to get back to eating protein w/ every meal; it sure makes me less hungry!

TLC is running a show on a man w/ 3 wives. Wow. I saw a show called Forbidden Love: Polygamy a few months ago. The host was a young unmarried female interviewing different polygamist family arrangements. The host told one wife that she could never marry a man she wasn't "in love" with, in addition to loving him as just a friend. The wife then said that comment just confirmed what she had w/ her "husband" was right because that "in love" feeling fades and you can't base a relationship on it.

I so wish I could talk to this lady!!! I would never change her mind, but I sure would like to tell her she is wrong. Just like an article I saw one time, assserted that if a married couple claims their love is better now that it was in the beginning, then they are lying.

I am still "in love" w/ my husband, he can still make my heart skip a beat. And we both feel that our relationship just keeps getting better and better every year as we mature and grow.

So there... I just wanted it to be known. ;)

Diet Alert and other news

2009-01-23T14:27:00.008-06:00

For the first time in my life EVER, I have found a diet that I can stick to!! It hasn't been easy, but I have been pretty successful. It's called "Cracking the Fat-Loss Code" by Wendy Chant.

Fat loss is acheived by varying the diet so the body does not have a chance to adapt to the diet changes, causing a plateau.

AND, here's the best part, you don't give up any foods! Not that you are able to pig out on junk everyday, but you do get to have days where your favorite foods can be included. It is part of the cycle that helps the body think it is getting plenty of food.

That is a mistake I have made in the past with diets. But it is unrealistic to try and give up birthday cake, pizza, etc. for the rest of my life.

I can do this! I don't feel hungry, but I still want to pig out at night. But I don't give up because I know one of my free days is just around the corner.

And in other news...

in a constant uphill battle to have some sort of enjoyable-ness(for student and teacher) when it comes to school and differently-abled learners, we took the day off the other day to watch the inauguration. JD and I had a knock down, drag out stand off, when I foolishly tried to coach him into answering "Bush" when I asked the name of our last President. I knew he knew it, but was just blanking out. At some point he hollered out, "Why couldn't you just move on when I didn't know the answer?!!"

To which I answered that I should have.And that he should have pointed this out to me, minus the freak out. :)

Talking like this is totally improving our interactions. He honestly misses the cues that others are being upset by his behavior, he is so caught up in managing his own feelings.

And I am so not a saintly mothering type, and sometimes I just get so weary of managing emotions and behaviors that I argue back instead of taking charge the way a leader should. So after addressing the issues I had w/ his behavior, I explained that I didn't choose the best way either and would do it differently next time too.

Still on the hunt for some school time that isn't completely painful to one or more parties involved, I took out my Five in a Row(fiar) stuff and found 1 lonely fiar book on my shelf. It is hard finding a good match for my 4 kids and their needs PLUS the neighbor whose needs are completely the opposite!

Fiar is aimed at ages 4-8,which would probably be a comfortable comprehension level for the neighbor and my 8 year old JJ. The neighbor is totally inexperienced in making connections so this would be good for him. My kids have done fiar before and are old pros at noticing details, predicting, etc. Would it be too easy for them at ages 10 and 11? Or would they enjoy it and still be able to take something away from it?

I decided that it wouldn't hurt to try out a few lessons. At first glance, I think the concepts are still valuable for older children, but at this age can be explored in more depth. It would be very easy to "beef up" the lessons, esp using something like enchanted learning to do extra activities w/ the concepts covered in the lessons.

The other night, I consolidated some scrapbooks so each child can have a scrap book to put their projects in.

Yesterday, I read Mirette on the High Wire to everyone. I pointed out France on the map, sang the Geography song, printed a map for them to color, and we talked about the artwork in the book, which was done w/ watercolors. We looked at the last illustration in the book and discussed the color choices of the illustrator.I talked about the color wheel and then they created their own paintings.

I was very satisfied; the neighbor did not seem overstressed and tuned out and my kids remembered the Eifel tower and Madeline, and recalled learning about the color wheel previously.I hope the neighbor will one day make such observations!

Connecting two ideas together, associating one thing w/ another...I am convinced that is what learning is, realizing that "OOOOh, this is just like ____________!!"

So where have I been?

2009-01-12T19:54:00.004-06:00

It has easier for me to come here and type out my opinions on curriculum than it is to share actual feelings. Actually, it took me a long time to even know what I liked,so expressing what works and why took me a long time to learn.

Curriculum was a good first place to start as I seemed to have writer's block.

These last few months(years, even) I have toggled between feeling depressed and feeling good again. Recently I have become determined to tackle these issues. I am doing counseling, medication, regular dr. visits the whole 9 yards. Instead of just letting my health issues and emotional struggles simmer unattended only to explode later, I am making the most honest, self-aware attempt that I have ever made.

The overeating for one thing. It's not about what kind of diet I need to do. It's about using the entertaining aspect of eating for something it is not intended. For the first time, I am really disciplining myself and denying myself.

I am doing the Cracking the Fat Loss code book and I think it is working. I still struggle and want to snack at night on popcorn or cereal, but am doing good so far.

Confessions of a Sporadic Blogger

2009-01-12T16:49:00.003-06:00

Well, it's true, I have been outted as a digital immigrant. Could you just google that phrase on your own? It does tire this old lady so to insert all those links...It's always nice to have a name for your condition. ;)

Here I go again w/ Sonlight vs.... It is my most popular topic, so I just keep churnin' em out.

Cost is such a huge factor. My Father's World prices look so much cheaper. That can be deceiving, however. Well if you have one child, that is all you need. But for me, I have my 4 kids, plus one more student so when I look at a mfw program, if there are any consummables needed for each student, that raises my price considerably. $2 here, $5 there multiplied by 4 adds up quickly. Then the fact that w/ Sonlight, I can buy all of the readers w/ a simple click. Some who use and love mfw will quickly object here. Because mfw curriculum comes w/ a very extensive list of readers and go along books that can be purchased(you would have to find them on your own) or borrowed from the library.

Check the SL forums for the true confessions of those who used mfw, checked out books, and accrued a huge library fine!(I will just admit right here that if I ever did mfw, I would definitely not borrow books too often,I would go to the library and just have the kids read them in the library. In fact, I do that right now.) ;)

It's nice to have all of the SL books in the house. And when a reader gets misplaced, I just go on to the next one, no fines, no late notices, no book replacement fee.That is so nice.

But if I had a smaller homeschool budget, I wouldn't mind trying mfw(if it actually did turn out to be cheaper, that is), it seems like a wonderful company.It would be hard to leave SL definitely!

If my budget needs to be smaller, perhaps I will just have to take Rosetta Stone out of my SL cart! lol

Yes, I actually

2009-01-09T17:01:00.002-06:00

I have been known to call my husband and tell him I sent him an email. ;D

Good thing this blog isn't a pet!

2009-01-07T16:07:00.004-06:00

I haven't been very attentive to it! Today I am forcing myself to just throw out any old words. ;)

We are easing back into homeschooling.Slowly, but surely.

I am looking ahead to next year as we purchase our curriculum in Feb(w/ our income tax refund).

For those of you fellow curriculum junkies, I am no longer using Time 4 Learning. I still feel comfortable recommending it, though. It totally saved my life and helped me not to lose my mind last year. Now I am able to continue on w/ Sonlight.

For those who really love specifics, here are the specific reasons we stopped doing T4L:

The oldest(13) liked T4L, but didn't really retain the info. He did like the lessons, but for whatever reason(learning style, maybe?), it just didn't sink in.So we decided to stop it for him, but continue on w/ a few of the others.

JD,(10 at the time), has dyslexia and some other learning disabilities. No curriculum could be fun enough for him. But he did like not having to read or write and he liked having choices for the answers. Eventually, I decided if he was just going to fight me on it, we could fight about something that wasn't costing us $20 a month! ;)

My nine year old, Jr. liked T4L just fine, but she also liked Sonlight LA and the math program that we use. So after a time, I felt I was able to let her go on back to SL LA and our math book and keep some of the others on T4L.

My youngest(a 7 year old girl) would actually still like to be doing T4L!! And if I had the $20, I probably would let her. I think this is a GREAT program to allow the youngest child to "play on". Sometimes she gets left behind. I am sure she is still learning, but w/ T4L, she could be independent and it was "grade level". It made me feel good. But since she was the only child still needing/wanting to do it, I made a deal w/ her to buy her a work book she wanted. She was ok w/ me cancelling after that. :)

As for N, my extra student, he was the main reason I switched from SL to T4L in the first place. Before I knew better, I thought all learning problems were the same. Let me assure you THEY ARE NOT. ;) T4L was great for him because he had choices for the answer. Then if he got the answer wrong, it would explain why it was wrong and what the right answer was. It helped improve his comprehension skills and his reading level. But the higher up he went, the information just got to be over his head. By that time, I felt more comfortable doing things on my own.

Right now, all 4 younger students are using a workbook from WalMart that cost just under $8. It covers basic skill for a grade level.

JD works one page from each section w/ me every day. Jr. does it all on her own, several pages at a time. I only bought her one because she wanted one too.N does one page from each section w/ me everyday and then one page(from each section) for homework everyday. JJ just started and for now we are doing one page from each section. That is where each child is able to work comfortably. I cannot tell you what joy and peace this brings to me!!!!!

From here, it is my plan to add on other subjects now that these basic subjects are being covered.

These last 2 years I did not finish my SL Core 1+2. But we have accomplished so much learning.

I am just going to move on and purchase Core 100 American History for my oldest who is a few months away from 14. He is going to go ahead and start 9th grade.

The 3 younger ones will all move on to Core 3 American History part 1.

I am just going to teach what my kids need, on the level that they need it. If it takes one or two of them more than 4 years to get ready for college, then so be it. A wise woman told me recently, that if the kid can't do high school work, then he certainly isn't ready for college, and did it really matter if the kid started college at 19 instead of 18?

Busy, busy.. dreadfully busy

2008-12-04T13:46:00.004-06:00

Too busy living real life to write about it! I am glad about that, but hope to squeeze out a few moments to be creative soon.

In the mean time, my son w/ Special needs is doing well. I think it is because I am doing so well right now.

As far as Sonlight vs. _______, I plan to continue posting my thoughts on that.

Here's the secret though: If you are a Christian, it's about doing what God has for you.For us, it's SL. And the short reason for that is the Holzmann family ministers to us in such a strong way. That is what God has for us.

MFW, SL, WP are all good Christian companies(what I have seen of all of them), that is why I think I would continue to look over the websites and magazines all the time.

But I always kept being drawn back in to SL for one reason or another. It was my husband who noticed and realized it was because it was the one for us.

No I don't believe simply being drawn to something is a "sign", but I can't think of any other way to describe our experience.

Life is calling me back, I hope to return soon though. Blessings!

2008-11-13T21:02:00.003-06:00

It's been a whirlwind of a week. Monday and Tues, vomiting swooped down our house.
That was bad enough.

When Jr.(she's 9) was at WalMart Monday night w/ Joe, she fainted and threw up. Well, those are two indicators of cerebral aneurysm. So she had a CAT scan and a spinal tap.They both came back negative.She is still sore and headache-y, but on the mend.

here we are in costume

2008-11-05T14:48:00.006-06:00

Dog the Bounty Hunter and wife(minus the blond wig!)

overeating

2008-11-02T11:41:00.001-06:00

A wonderful resource is Shrink Yourself.

The question isn't "Why do you overeat?", but "Why do you overeat as a response to your problems?"

Footloose... again!

2008-10-28T18:20:00.004-05:00

Is anyone else a little worried about the remake of the movie Footloose?

Zac Ephron will play the role(originated by Kevin Bacon )of a teen who moves to a small town where dancing is not allowed.

I haven't seen the original since I was a rebellious teen myself, but I imagine that I will look at the film a little different now.

silver ring thing

2008-10-23T22:39:00.006-05:00

If you ever get the chance to attend a silver ring thing event- do it!

what an awesome blessing! It was so much more than I expected.

Go to silver ring thing.com or check out this picture of our group taken by SRT after they got their rings. It's also posted on the SRT website.To read more about the event or view the rest of the photos taken, go here, just click the 'view this album' link under San Marcos, Tx.

A message to my kids

2008-10-19T22:10:00.002-05:00

Finally! I finished this to share w/ you!!! It's about 3:33 minutes long.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Insomnia

2008-10-11T02:20:00.003-05:00

I hate it.

Actually, I have always been weird about going to bed. I just seem to hate the thought of winding down and going to sleep.Maybe I feel like I am going to miss something...I don't know.

When I started having more and more symptoms of sleep apnea I really began dreading going to bed, knowing that I would feel even more tired after a night of gasping for air than if I would just stay up all night awake, but breathing normally.

As far as the sleep apnea goes, I am doing well w/ the cpap machine. But I am still dealing w/ insomnia several nights a week.

A few tips for the cpap(the one that goes over your nose specifically)~

If you have a tv in the bedroom, put the mask on and watch tv before laying down.

If you are laying down to go to sleep and feel like you can't catch your breath with the mask on, let some air out by sticking a finger between the mask and your face. You can breathe and when you fall asleep, your hand will slip down and the mask will then be on your face correctly.

Don't give up. Leaving sleep apnea untreated can shorten your life. Even wearing it part of the night is better than not using it at all.

I thought I would NEVER get used to it. And then I started becoming more and more comfortable, but I would still take it off in my sleep. I have recently started leaving it on for most of the night.

I haven't slept well for YEARS, so it feels great to finally get some deep sleep.

My brown eyed girl, part 1

2008-10-06T15:53:00.007-05:00

This is my darling daughter, my first born girl. My third child.

She is doing what she loves: taking care of babies and toddlers.She has even launched her own "Mommy's helper" business.

And you go ahead and laugh at this next part if you want to- I don't care. ;)

I named her after myself.

:) I have a big grin on my face just thinking about it. Men do it all the time, so why not me? And ever since she could talk, I would ask her "What are you going to name YOUR little girl?" and she would answer, "Jennifer".(Not that I am really going to expect that, just a having a little fun)

I had my 4 kids in 5 years. It was so cute when one would realize my name was not actually "mom"... And then to find out it was the same name as hers! They thought we were joking!

She is precious and a true blessing!

2008-10-02T22:21:00.002-05:00

I have had a case of writer's block! I sit down and I seem to have nothing to say. Or at least nothing I am able to articulate!

For the second day in a row now, I have written a post and then not published it.

I'll try again tomorrow! :)

Sonlight vs....

2008-09-24T21:47:00.004-05:00

Last night in the wee hours I wrote this post and then I quickly took it down. It didn't express everything that I wanted it to and it didn't sound the way I wanted it to. I didn't know that it would still show up in rss feeds and on blogger reader! So my main readers are going to see it anyway! So for better or for worse, here are some late night ramblings....

I worry that my oldest son is really missing out because I focus so much on my younger 3 + the neighbor.

Is he doing enough to be prepared for high school? I just don't know.

And what will he be using for high school? That is really the question of the hour.

I was all set to switch to My Father's World curriculum when Luke left me the nicest comment. It caused me to remember why I had chosen Sonlight in the first place and what a wonderful family the Holzmanns are and how much I had learned from them.I wish I could articulate the kind of Christian I was and who I am today in Christ.

For one thing, I didn't always realize that there is not one (agreed upon)Christian way. When I first got my SL science materials and read the article on young old, old earth I was totally shocked! I had always been taught "YOUNG EARTH ONLY...or else!" I did not know there were Christians who believed in the old earth theory. So I am supposed to weigh the evidence and decide which of these I believe.

Wow! I did not know that could be trusted with a decision like this!

I love the way SL is so open. They aren't afraid. They even include a section on the website and in the catalog called "reasons not to buy Sonlight".

My Christian faith was always afraid. Afraid that if I let my 2 year old watch Barney, he might grow up to believe that rainbows are made when elephants sneeze. And I still feel a little bit "bad" when on occasion I listen to secular music.That doesn't sound like a strong faith to me!

Now instead of only presenting one side(the side I believe to be right) to my kids, I present what I believe and WHY. AND I include what others believe(when appropriate, of course) and why I disagree. My kids are ages 7-13, I don't know that I would present both sides to a toddler and let him decide! ;) Their faith is STRONG.And their beliefs are their own. And when they leave my house, they won't be blindsided by another point of view after a lifetime of only hearing one side of things.

Whew...I got a little winded there giving that example, so I am going to end it there! ;)

scheduling

2008-09-24T14:52:00.005-05:00

Well now that we are doing time4learning, I am starting over at square one making a schedule. Actually it feels like square ZERO! ;)

3 kids have a turn doing their t4l work on the computer. My schedule had them always working as a group.

More about building a routine and schedule

2008-09-18T16:14:00.004-05:00

My 'building a homeschool schedule and routine' post has brought alot of visitors. Alot for me anyway. ;)

I just looked over it again to see if it really had any wisdom to offer anyone. It is a simple tip, but I believe a useful one-start w/ a few subjects and when those are going smoothly, add one or two more. After a few weeks you will have a solid working schedule instead of the crashing and burning that sometimes happens when you try to start w/ a full on schedule.

Here's another great tip~ Don't get discouraged if my advice doesn't work for you. What works for me may wreak chaos in your house and that is ok. It doesn't mean the advice is bad or that you are a hopeless case. It just means that we aren't a good match. Keep looking and soon you will find someone whose advice works like pure magic for you.

After all, my brain does work in mysterious ways...

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-14T16:00:00.003-05:00

This is a picture of the house where my brother lives. Apparantly, people spraypaint messages when they board up their houses for hurricanes.He came up and stayed at my mom's house

My dad, stepmom and other brother stayed at my house.

The hurricane took another path and they were not hit and our area didn't even see any rain.

I should be back to regularly blogging now!

2008-09-08T15:38:00.004-05:00

It is such a strange feeling to be doing so well w/ homeschooling-the scheduling, the subjects- and at the same time doing so bad w/ housekeeping and chores, esp. in the area of getting the kids to participate.

I really feel myself growing and being more tolerant of things not going perfectly. Which is so good, but nothing ever goes perfectly! At least not for very long!!

Yesterday on PBS, I watched a special on the brain w/ Dr. Amen. Very interesting. He said that many things we think of as bad behaviors are do to brain malfunction.I definitely want to research this more. When I did a google search, quackwatch came up, but I don't plan on doing anything "quacky". I am interested in exercise and fish oil and not giving a place to negative thoughts. None of that will hurt. They may not be miracle cures, but won't hurt anyone.

(Also yesterday and on PBS) I watched Randy Pauch's The Last Lecture.One of the things I took away was the choice of being an Eeyore or a Tigger in life. If I have to chose the one I am most like, I hate to say I have been like Eeyore. I don't know that I can immediately become a Tigger, but maybe I could certain AIM for being more Tigger-like.

There are so many good things. It is so important to determine what God has for me. I feel that I am leaning more and more on God's direction and not just the fine opinion of what works for others.

homeschooling in a nutshell

2008-09-03T11:59:00.003-05:00

Today I am frustrated. The last few days have been so stressfull, just trying to balance it all: kids, house, etc. It's just hard for me. I am struggling to cope w/ it. The fact that I am still moving forward is a huge improvement for me!!!

Yesterday I was honored in front of other people by my father in law. It was really quite moving. Totally unexpected! We attended a luncheon for his last day of work. He introduced us(Joe, me and the kids) one by one and spoke of our accomplishments and acheivements.

It's hard for me to describe homeschooling and even parenting to another person. I usually either present only one side, wonderful or stressful. And the truth is that it is not either of these things by itself.It's both.

This popped into my head yesterday:

It's the best of times, and the worst of times.

;)

2008-08-30T18:32:00.005-05:00

Continued tweaking...

So this week I am going to attempt to plug in history to our schedule.

So far the school day looks like this:

Prayer
go over homework
spelling (avko, so everyday I call out words)
Geography songs
Copywork quote
Bible verse memory work
reading tutoring (avko, alot like spelling)
math
science reading
read aloud

I think I am going to add bible reading after spelling and before Geo songs. Then add history reading between copy work and Bible verse.

After finishing the copy work quotes of Ben Franklin( a copy work notebook by knowledge box central, part of a set from homeschool radio shows called Four Great Americans), I am going to use Sonlight's LA for 3rd graders for everyone but the 8th grader. And I am only going to do the copywork and the grammar, not the writing. They just aren't ready yet. But they are going to continue to write sentences for 15 minutes a day w/ their spelling and/or reading words. Sentences before paragraphs, I say! Well, actually Don McCabe of avko said it first, I am just agreeing w/ him.

The oldest joins us for everything through bible memory. Then he goes and watches his math dvd(systemath.com) and is supposed to do his LA also, but often he doesn't. Gotta work on that. I bought him some LA materials from My Father's World because I thought I was headed there. I have added reading, he is reading Gladys Aylward, a read aloud from SL 1+2. He is going to use it as a reader. I am also going to have him read through a Child's History of the World on his own.He hasn't started that at all. And he hasn't started Writing Strands(also bought through mfw).

Ok, I haven't given up yet. Or even lost hope. So that is progress. ;)

A Sonlight moment today

2008-08-28T16:20:00.005-05:00

Look at everyone doing their Geography Songs! They wanted to show their faces because they thought I was trying to take a photo for the Sonlight catalog! But the contest is already over this year. Maybe I will still enter it for next year's catalog. I told them to cover their faces, that it was just a pic for my blog! Pictures like this make me forget all the hard stuff and make me grateful that my pitiful little self has been entrusted w/ these little hearts and minds. :)

I should mention that another HUGE thing that has helped me is prayer. I have been earnestly seeking God and asking for His direction for homeschooling and some other areas too. It just seems like the scales have come off! I started off homeschooling w/ confidence, well more acurately: pride.Then for a long time I felt defeated.I still think I am powerless. BUT w/ God, my weaknesses will be strengths. That is where I am now. Enjoying moments that I don't deserve and didn't create on my own. I hope that when things get low, I can remember that it isn't permanent, that after the valley, a peak is on the way.

Geography Songs is a wonderful little CD(also comes w/ a workbook). It came w/ my Sonlight Core 1+2. A painless way to learn the countries/countinents/planets and have your kid sound like a prodigy all at the same time.

Before this CD, I couldn't even name the oceans and continents. And now I know where Bahrain is. I mentioned to the kids that this is where Michael Jackson now lives. None of them knew who MJ is, but that is beside the point. When the Transformer movie came out, I asked the kids, ok, I excitedly exclaimed, "DID YOU SEE THAT in the Transformer movie that they were in Qatar???!!"

These songs will STICK in your mind. If you know what "ear worm" means, this definitely qualifies!

I love doing as much as possible for all the kids at once. The oldest one is in 8th grade, so I won't be able to do that much longer.

I scrapped the SL schedule and just started at the beginning of the book. Today they kept asking to go on to the next song. It didn't escape my attention that the songs we know best are the ones we did according to the SL schedule! oh well...I was beginning to not get to them at all, that is why I decided to just open the book and go.

We went on and on, song after song. I figured an intro to many of the songs and countries was better than only doing a few songs really well. Besides, they were showing an interest and I wanted to encourage it. So we went through several songs and it started to get silly.

We got to the Middle East song, which was one of the first songs we learned. So everyone is singing really loud and confidently. I pause the song and say through giggles "Let's all sing the song as loud as we can."

So we did. "THE MIDDLE EAST HAS ISRAEL..."

The five kids on the couch shouted the song into their make shift mega phones(the workbooks).

I closed my eyes and leaned back onto my chair. I thought I might cry with happiness.

Building a homeschool routine and schedule

2008-08-27T22:58:00.003-05:00

Thoughts turn to curriculum and schedules this time of year.

Not that I have it together or anything, but when I learn something, I always think I have something to offer because it takes me so long to learn something. That's because I have already found 999 ways that don't work!

I have a great tip today... and it only took me 9 years of homeschooling to learn!

Take several important subjects and start with those. For me, most important are reading instruction, spelling, and math. So once we can complete those everyday, I add one or two subjects more and do that for a week.

I am feeling pretty cocky at this point about being able to tackle Sonlight this semester. Last year, it was so unclear, but now I can look at the schedule(which is too much. They do that on purpose. You are supposed to choose what to use) and easily see that I am not interested in covering Aesop's fables or the poetry, for example.

It seems so simple to me now. We have already plugged in the SL read aloud(actually we listen to it on CD) to the daily schedule.

An aside: I hate to read aloud. Don't tell anyone I am a homeschooling mom who doesn't like to read aloud. And do SL, which as tons of books...Just add it to the long list of reasons why I should not homeschool. ;)I love to read. I love to share the story. But reading aloud is so slow and tedious. I don't mind reading short passages, but chapters are darn near impossible. God can use anyone, I tell ya. He doesn't call the equipped, He equips those He calls. ;)

We have even done SL science and the memory verse several times this week.

One day I will add in the history reading.

I kept feeling like last year was such a waste, that I never found my niche, that I didn't stick w/ anything. I learned so much and perhaps this is the year we will see the fruit.

Lighten UP!

2008-08-26T19:57:00.003-05:00

School has started and I still don't feel it "in the air". So much for that theory.

Today we started so late, but still did mostly everything. I didn't sleep well and couldn't drag myself up.I was tempted to stay down and just do nothing for the day, but it eventually occured to me that sometimes you just have to lighten up. When things seem like they are rock bottom, there is nothing to lose in having a little sense of humor. So instead of feeling bad, I just started from where I was.

It is hard for me to see that I am still the same person no matter what is going on. I want to feel good about myself when I act good. But God isn't so fickle.He continues to grow me and use and change me. I don't need to rush Him or question His timing or help Him along.And I don't need to clean myself up on my own.

I am really enjoying this time of review. My confidence is really building.On Sept. 15, 3 of the kids will begin Time4Learning again, so I guess we will have to tweak things again. I am anxious to see if I feel like I still need it. It was such a life saver last year!!!

2008-08-25T19:52:00.004-05:00

Ok, here's the new plan. I was all set and ready to declare Sonlight "not for us". However...

This semester I am going to give it another try. I just listened to 2 podcasts from SL and I need to make some changes to the way I have been doing some things.So I can't "grab and go" and maybe all the planning isn't done for me like the catalog says.

And maybe there is a bigger learning curve for me than other homeschool moms OR maybe you just don't hear about people who seem to struggle as much as I do.

Last year I couldn't find a way to make SL work. I think it might have been easier if the neighbor hadn't joined us. My kids love for me to read to them and answer questions, but really...Who knows? I love having the neighbor join us, it makes me do more than I normally would do and I take the school day more seriously.

I didn't understand that if the writing was too much, I could drop it for a while. I thought that since I had a lower core, we could just follow the teaching manual(IG) as is. I didn't get that if the reading was boring everyone, I should slow it down.

I didn't understand that if things don't work out perfectly, it doesn't mean that it is the wrong thing to do. I grew so much last year, I had to learn how to teach:

a middle schooler, somewhat unmotivated
a dylexic/dysgraphic who can't read or write, but comprehends well
a motivated elementary student wanting to go and do!
a motivated lower elementary student getting lost in the mix

and the neighbor who can read and write, but has low comprehension, burned out w/ school

Instead of starting day one of school with a full blown schedule, I am building. Each week I add something. I have tweaked the daily schedule, Doing handwriting, then Geography songs, then spelling, then another non-writing activity. I break it up that way for my son who is dysgraphic as he finds writing tedious.

I am really going to challenge myself to try to find my way w/ SL and finish the core I started last fall.One piece at a time. I find myself slipping into the old thought patterns, wanting to add too much, too fast, but I am staying on top of it so far.

The first week was hard, but ended up good. This week is starting off well. I have actually found myself thinking"Now this is the way I wish I was taught!"

Like I said, I fully expect this to be the best year ever.

School, so far

2008-08-22T16:18:00.004-05:00

I do think it is good for me to purposefully write everyday. :) Earlier I thought I was going to have to say how bad our homeschool week has gone, but I can now honestly say that the week has ended on a fairly positive note.

The "feeling" of school isn't in the air because the public school kids haven't started yet. I don't know if I will start early again next year or not.

Sleep has not been sweet and I have been sleeping very late, getting started w/ school late...that is frustrating. But for now it is the best I can do. It doesn't do anyone any good if I have a pity party for myself the whole day instead of just going ahead w/ school.

Having an extra student while I am going through this is a little embarassing. I need to meet w/ his parent and mention that I am just a mom, sometimes I run late and have issues. If they are looking for their child to be gone all day, I cannot provide that. He is welcome to join us. This is a family homeschool, not a professional institution. But we won't beat him up, so to me it is worth it! ;)

Something I am working on is continuing even though things get uncomfortable.

Right now we are reviewing math facts(This whole week was addition), and establishing spelling and reading tutoring routines. Each day I tweak the schedule and today it went very good. I didn't feel overwhelmed at all.I had time leftover and we listened to Ginger Pye , (a read aloud from last year that we never finished) on Cd and I even read some science to them.

One thing AVKO recommends is copywork w/ quotations that make the kids think. I have a book of Ben Franklin quotes to be used as copywork. The quotes make them think and I point out the grammatical reasons for the puncuation in the sentence.

It was a real light bulb moment for me. I realized that Sonlight LA does this too! But what was bogging me down about SL LA was the writing part.

I have had a hard time teaching the kids writing w/ all their learning differences.AVKO has them write sentences every night w/ their spelling or reading words. I agree w/ the author that writing sentences should come first, before paragraphs and stories and creative writing.

So maybe I should give SL LA another go round and just use the dictation only for awhile?

And today I opened one of the Science books up and just read about something that was interesting to us instead of what was scheduled. We had a lively discussion. A homeschool mom's DREAM!!! :D

Here is what is hard for me about SL in a nutshell:They give you too much(on purpose) and you decide what you want to use from it.

I decided I didn't like this style and made plans to change to a program that gives you a little and you add it if you want to.

I am wondering if I am finally learning to use SL??? Stay tuned, if you can stand it. ;)

More homeschool story

2008-08-21T00:34:00.005-05:00

After waffling back and forth all summer, the 3 younger kids went to school that fall. Joe never doubted that I could homeschool, but I wasn't sure.We were going to give school a chance for a year, til Christmas if it was really bad.

Once again, my kids were not misfits or dunces. They were bright students and except for spunky little JJ ;) were perfect angels as far as behavior. She was just "pretty good" I would call it, which is still good.

I will spare you most of the long drawn out saga by just saying that it didn't work out. In a huge way. Every time something would come up, I would freak. We would get it resolved, I would get ready to relax and then another something would cause me to freak. I would have had to invest myself at the school on a pretty near daily basis to make it work out and I decided that if I was going to go to alot of trouble for something, it was going to be on my terms.

So after 6 weeks of public school, one Friday I'd had enough. The last straw was that they could not keep my son from getting hit by other kids. That very day I had written a letter to the school telling about my kids being hit and bullied. I was so proud of myself until that evening when JD casually announced he'd been put in a headlock in the bathroom that day. He considered it just another part of the school experience!! I realized that this was not the right place for him or my other kids. We were better off fending for ourselves.

And it's a good thing the message was so clear that my kids did not belong in school because later on in that school year, we would find out that JD also has Learning Disabilities and ADD.I kindly declined the school's offer of services. We would continue finding private services for him, even though they were costly.

Just an aside when I took JD to be evaluated for ADD, I also took my youngest daughter JJ. She was disagnosed w/ ADHD.

By this time we were using Beyond Five in a Row. And not very well I might add.One day I suddenly realized Five in a Row had no high school program and my oldest was in 6th grade. So I began to research and I found my way back to Sonlight.

The Lord is so funny. The neighbor's grandson joined our homeschool that year, bringing us some much needed structure. He doesn't have Learning Disabilities, but has some comprehension issues and some catching up to do. I would have never thought that by adding another child our family would be helped so much.

I eventually came to believe that I bought the wrong program from SL that year, but at the time I thought it was best.(They do have a guarantee, but I didn't utilize it because the level did fit some of my kids, just not all the way I'd hoped) I did buy some things used, but they ended up being too much.At the second semester I had to add time4learning.com because I just couldn't keep up w/ all the specials needs. 3 of the kids will begin it again in Sept.

Now my oldest JC is in 8th grade, JD is in 5th, Jr. is in 4th and little JJ is a 2nd grader.

We looked at WinterPromise, but it would have been very costly. And I didn't want alot of activities.

My Father's World is developing a high school program. That is what we are going to try next.It seems to have everything I want without me forcing it to be what I need. For example, this year w/ SL Core 1+2, I kept wishing they would emphasize the flags of each country more. I notice MFW has geography course and each child gets a flag sticker book. It's little details like that that make me think I may have found a match w/ mfw.

But really it remains to be seen.

All my fears of being behind are slowly melting away as I settle in to some programs that really match what we need.We are finding our niche and making some great strides.

By the way, we no longer pay the big bucks for dyslexia tutoring. I use avko.org. I am really pleased w/ their approach. I use the materials for all the kids for reading, spelling and writing. And even learning comprehension.

It has been a long and winding road and I am all the better to have walked it. :)

Our homeschool story

2008-08-20T15:54:00.008-05:00

Now, before I start w/ all the gory details, please remember that the story has a happy ending! :) Everyone is fine, health problems get resolved, it's all good! Or if not good, then getting better, ok? ;)

I started out buying w/ workbooks and such from WalMart and the education store. Pretty schoolish. Esp. for my little preschooler. I had energy to burn back then and I wanted to "school" someone!

So in the midst of having my little guy do preschool workbooks, I discovered the Weaver curriculum. I bought the preschool/K program called the Interlock. By this time, I now had a preschooler and a toddler. Before we finished the program, I would also have a newborn.

I didn't know it at the time, but it was a unit study.I really liked it. It was lowkey, not schoolish at all.Seemed overly simple, but very effective. When I have to remember what God made on each day of creation, I still think back to the project we did: items glued to large numbers, representing what God made that day. I still remember the moon phases and cloud formations. And so does my son, all these years later.

I went on to the elementary level, Volume 1, which required alot of planning and studying on my part. At this point, I had a 4 children ages 5 and under.Not the time for a big time unit study. (Just a side note, I still don't want to study and plan!)

So we veered over to Five in a Row.Also very low key, but very effective.I didn't even do it consistently, but my kids were learning alot.

Then I decided I didn't like going to the library and getting the books so I bought Sonlight for the first time because you could get all the books you needed in one package. Level K w/ advanced readers. I dropped it pretty fast. It was just too much for the time.

My first grader wasn't reading well. I felt like a failure and he sensed that he was the cause. It was heartbreaking to me that I was messing this all up. Meanwhile, my newborn baby had colic. For months I stayed awake all night and slept all day. My mom was living w/ us at the time and watched the kids during the day.We eventually switched to formula and I started sleeping more at night!

But that didn't clear up everything.Actually, it was during my last pregancy that I began to feel bad. I didn't know it, but I had depression. I asked for help during the pregnancy, but was told they couldn't do anything for me unless I couldn't get out of bed. I wish they'd recommended counseling or something because I took this to mean that there was nothing wrong w/ me.

Even after, the baby's birth, I believe I had post-partum depression or maybe even "regular" depression. One day during that summer, I couldn't bring myself to get the kids ready to go outside to play so they stayed indoors all day that day. I dont' remember now what the exact hold up was, but it scared me that I could not do what needed to be done for the kids.

This was also at the same time of the Andrea Yates thing. It scared me that she was a homeschooling mom, that she had a bunch of young kids, that she had post partum depression. My friend that is a nurse explained to me that having depression makes you feel low, about YOU, it doesn't make you want to hurt others, that is something else. I definitely was only feeling blah, low, about myself.

So, I didn't need to panic or fear, but we decided I needed some help. Of course, I was seeing a dr. and we enrolled the 2 oldest in school for the fall.I wonder too, if I already had sleep apnea at that time, because no matter now much I slept, I never felt rested.

BTW, my kids did really well in school. We got compliments from the teachers. My son caught up in reading and they commented that he was such a bright, eager learner, even though he was behind. Whatever I had done at home was right on they told me. Funny, huh?

Anyway, the school year went pretty well and we enrolled them for the next year.That year was ok, but we began to investigate our options. We looked into a charter school, but it was going to be so much work, we decided to homeschool again.

I breathed a sigh of relief and bought some workbooks from WalMart. We picked up w/ Five in a Row again. I homeschooled fairly uneventfully for about the next 2 years. I never really found my niche, I never really got completely consistent, I never fully got in the groove but we were doing it.

Then at a well check, I finally brought up my suspicions about my 2nd son to my pediatrician. I'd asked about him before to other drs, but always been told he was fine. She suspected right away that he had Sensory Processing Disorder and dyslexia. I just knew she was wrong about the dyslexia. My older son was suspected of having too in 2nd grade and he didn't have it.

Well he did have dyslexia. And sensory processing disorder.And muscle and coordination delays. At that point, I mentally checked out of homeschooling. I never signed up for this, I could barely do it w/ "regular" learners, how could I even think, even dare imagine that I had the patience and whatever else it took to homeschool a special needs learner?

As far as I was concerned, I would continue to homeschool the oldest, but the younger 3 were going to school. Who knew what undiagnosed needs they had that I didn't know about? Let them go to school and get the services they need. I am not good at this, let the professionals do their job, a better job.

Bless my heart, I tried to homeschool and it just didn't work out, I had no other choice but to send them to school. I had done my best and now I could rest.

Because I was done.

To be continued......

A few thoughts on homeschooling and ADD

2008-08-20T15:18:00.003-05:00

I think writing everyday is helpful to me. Getting it out of my brain could only help, I imagine.

Certain topics seem to attract more visitors. Specifically, I have seen several visitors here searching for "Sonlight and ADD".

My short answer is that I think SL could be very good for a kid w/ ADD, unless the kids needs alot of activities and the parent wants activities provided. I also think SL can work for dyslexics if the parent is willing to read to the student or provide books on tape.

HOWEVER~ For me, a parent w/ ADD, the SL schedule rattles my brain. Science is separate, then LA. History, Bible, read alouds are all on one page all together. What really gets me is the notes are organized according to book. So during week 3, I have to go to the back of the giant binder, go to the history section and pull the pages for that week's reading. Then to the read aloud section and pull the questions for the read aloud.

The short answer solution to this is to create your own schedule, either on a spread sheet, or on paper so everything can be in one place. That still doesn't address all the notes scattered everywhere.Surely there is a way to make it all work, but my brain gets all jumbled in the process.

SL makes it this way for a reason, and they make improvements based on customer responses, so I am guessing people like it that way.

Just my 2 cents.

Express yourself

2008-08-19T15:54:00.002-05:00

I think alot of my stress related problems stem from the fact that I feel like my opinion doesn't count and/or matter. I think THAT belief is rooted in the fact that I a first born, a pleaser by nature.

When Joe broke his foot, we had to spend a few weeks at his parents house. They have digital cable and we watched alot of TV. We discovered the show "Jon & Kate Plus 8", about parents who have twins and then septuplets. Yes, Kate can be kind of harsh at times, but one thing I learned from her is that she speaks her mind. Like she will shoo all the kids out of the kitchen, saying "It's too crowded in here, I need space!"

A light bulb went off for me. I would never say that, I would just be stressed about it.As simple as that seems, I realized I needed to speak up more. It wasn't doing anyone any good that I was just going along because, sure I was going along, but my attitude wasn't good, and no one was having fun anyway. And I didn't even realize I was doing this!!!

I have developed some bad habits to cope w/ all the stress. Like emotional eating or running out and buying a snack or a fountain drink. I realized that I was doing these things for enjoyment, comfort, stress relief because I wasn't getting it in my daily life. and these responses don't help anything, mostly just make things worse.

So I have been determined to actively deal with things instead of compensating w/ snacks or drinks or whatever.

It's good that I am working on this because God seems to also be having me work on not quitting.Even when things get hard. Or even unbearable.

A verse that jumped off the page yesterday"Surely His mercy and goodness shall follow me all the days of my life". I felt like it was just for me. And I have repeated it to myself several times. I think I am beginning to understand how you can have hope in the midst of trials...

I'm not cut out for homeschooling

2008-08-18T14:04:00.004-05:00

But God has other plans. I love to learn, I love sharing what I know, esp. w/ my kids. But I just don't seem to have the stamina, the organization that I think one should have to homeschool.

When we found out about dyslexia, dysgraphia and a whole host of other challenges. I gave up on homeschooling and felt darn good about it!

But God...
Long story short, school didnt' work out and I don't mean in a small way. In a huge, no-doubt-left-in-your-mind-way that makes it clear this is not an option.

So here we are. Why do I say these negative things about myself???!

I think people should know that you don't have to be perfect(or anywhere near it, apparantly!) to homeschool.

Or to do anything else that God calls you to do, that on your own, you just can't do.

I am not saying that God always calls you to do something that seems impossible, but when He does, He gets all the glory, because you know it certainly wasn't YOU!

You might be a homeschooler if...

2008-08-15T16:50:00.005-05:00

You LOVE, LOVE the first day of school!!!

In spite of the picture above, my children are not 5,3,2 and 4 months old.

They are actually 13, 10(for a few more weeks), 9 and 7(8 in 3 months).

When I look at old pictures I feel a little sad for all the time gone by. They were so cute! I used to dress them in matching outfits!

Although, when I took this picture, I remember I'd only had about 2 hours sleep. I'd driven 4 hours to meet a fellow homeschooler I'd "met" through the internet.

The baby had terrible colic and for 4 months I nursed her all night long. Then I discovered soy formula and my life took a turn for the better.

Actually I still deal w/ sleep problems, but that is not what I sat down here to write!

Today was our first day of school. Well sort of. Have you ever noticed that when you make pancakes, the first one is often a dud? I set aside this day as a dry run of sorts, to work out any kinks. Thursday, I started organizing paperwork and everyone's backpacks and today we dove in.

This year is going to be our best ever. I got a scheduling idea from Joyce Swann. Now her kids were accelerated and all earned masters degrees at home by age 16 or so.I am not interested in that, but I like the idea of school for 3 solid hours a day(I may have to make it longer, but I like having a set time). No messing around, no goofing off.No talking about anything else, but what we are doing.

Even my spelling/reading/dyslexia materials(avko.org) say to only do activities for 15 min. If it takes longer, it becomes tedious, so we are working up to completing the lessons in under 15 min. We can only get about 1/2 done right now, but I am sure glad to know that we were spending too much time on it before.

And no fits! Fit throwing, whining, complaining, wasting my time and/or the other kids' time is going to result in detention(fancy word for time out) after school.

Another addition this year is homework! Homework builds responsibility and teaches time management. And this year, each child has a backpack w/ all their stuff(another Joyce Swann idea) Last year, we had a school cabinet. It was a big disaster; we were always hunting for our stuff!

Another change on the horizon. I am probably going to quit Sonlight and go over to My Father's World when we get our income tax.Sonlight is a wonderful curriculum. The set up of the schedules and heavy course load are too much for me. This semester I am going to quit using my SL Instructor's guide and just read the books. I am going to see what I have in the way of American History, because when I switch to MFW, they won't get that right away!

So far everything I have planned feels doable, not overwhelming. For about a month, we are going to review math facts, do some reading instruction, things like that. In Sept, the 3 kids that will continue w/ Time4Learning will begin that.

I was thinking today that my littlest didn't have anything to do when I remembered she has time4learning to look forward to!

That is it for now, it's enough!! whew....

God doesn't need my help

2008-08-06T21:46:00.003-05:00

I am so glad He doesn't need my help. Well, most of the time.

alot of the time, I try to be God's little helper OR I totally act like a toddler screaming "NO! ME DO IT!!"

I am a first born, and a raging perfectionist. If you do not suffer from this affliction, you don't know how crippling it can be. Sometimes I just find myself immobilized w/ indecision.

It is a real struggle for me to not to constantly worry about doing things right.

I have to continually place my trust in God, that He will guide me. He'll stop me if I am wrong and nudge me if I need to go. I don't need to obsess.

If I miss it, He will tell me again.

You are invited to a party

2008-07-31T13:48:00.003-05:00

A pity party. My pity party!

OH my. It is quite a day here. As you may know, I dabble in finding remedies for my ds, JD's sensory processing disorder. One of the rumors is that cutting out dairy will help. In my mind it does help him, the pediatrician thinks it is coincidence as there is no scientific evidence to back up the theory of milk causing these kinds of problems.

Once we ran out of milk and didn't replace it right away(about 3 days). JD's behavior was so much better, he seemed like a different person! Even he noticed the difference and was fully on board.

However, in the long term~ We are only able to half heartedly keep the dairy out. It is a real struggle for us! The two girls get runny noses and dark circles under the eyes. My oldest shows no signs of sensitivity at all. I dont' need to clear my throat as much when I leave out dairy.JD does this annoying throat clearing noise when he needs to clear his throat, so I would love it if he could be cured of THAT.

I let him have some frozen yogurt from McD's the other day. All the other kids were getting it, then he had a fudgesicle the next day. My own pediatrician thinks I am wrong!!! I let him have them, maybe I do blame food for his behavior too much...

Today he has no empathy or patience for anyone but himself. Coincidence? I dont' know!

I sure don't care.

I can tell you that we won't be having dairy any time soon. Just in case.

On the blog fence

2008-07-25T21:50:00.003-05:00

Well, I don't write regularly enough to be a "real" blogger. That's ok. As much as I would love to be a good blogger, there just isn't enough time in my life(or committment!) I have to be commited to other things first.

When I get stressed or overwhelmed, I like to comfort myself by deciding not to blog that day. I know it's crazy, but it feels good to drop something!

I compose alot of blog entries in my head. I just never type them out.

:)

2008-07-09T13:46:00.003-05:00

I am just going to keep writing for awhile about my experiences w/ ADHD. Let me emphasis that I am relating my personal experiences.I do realize that everyone's journey is so personal and unique, and I respect whatever choices loving parents make for their special needs kids. :)

Yesterday I recommended time4learning curriculum.

I should mention that t4l pays you for referring people to the program. If you recommend someone and they list you as the one who referred them, (at the start of their second month I think is how they work it), you get a check for $20. They even have an email form you can send out to people recommending the program. I have never done that, but just from people asking me what homeschool program I use, I unexpectedly received a check in the mail when someone signed up!

My point is that if you were so inclined you might be able to offset the cost of the program!

Anyhow, back to ADHD...

Two of my kids are diagnosed w/ it. When I first found out about the kids, I went to my pediatrician and talked to her. She recommended medication and I agreed. She is a very good dr and I trust her. They took the medication for about 4 days when I started doing some reading and just did an about face deciding that I did not want to START w/ medication. My ped. doesn't believe you can treat it successfully any other way, but other people who have written books believe you can. So I stopped the medication.

For my son, he is so skinny, and the medicine tends to make kids lose thier appetite.And my daughter, for some reason, I just feel that she is too young to start w/ such a powerful drug. I worried how it would effect her development.Honestly, I don't know if that is fear or mother's intuition or what!

Before I tell you my favorite resource on ADHD, a disclaimer is in order. Do not come crying to me when the author of this book ticks you off! Because he will. ;) I do not think everything he says is true, but his method has worked the best for us so far. Even JD's occupational therapist noticed a difference in his memory after a short time on the program. Sorry,but shortly after that we discontinued OT, so I can't update you further. What can I say? I have ADD too!

The book is Unraveling the ADD/ADHD Fiasco by Dave Stein. In a nutshell, the consequence for misbehavior is a boring timeout. Sounds simple, but what could be worse for a kid w/ ADD? :) After the time out, ask the child why he went there. If he doesn't know, then send him back to think about it(up to 3 times). This stimulates their impulsive brains to evaluate their behavior and stretches the memory.

He also says alot of things I totally disagee w/. I don't have the book in front of me(I got it from the library), so I won't list specifics. Maybe I will one day. That would be fun.

ADHD

2008-07-08T09:37:00.004-05:00

I don't write about ADD/ADHD that much, but it seems that every day I get at least one visitor who has googled adhd, so I figured I should have SOMEthing for them to read when they get here!

A great homeschool resource is Time4Learning.com. It is also a great place to start for new homeschoolers. It is $20 a month or you can get it a bit cheaper doing 3 months or even a year at a time.

You can sign up to review the program and they will let you do a month for free.

Ok, believe it or not, I have been sitting here way too long, so that's it for now.

How goes the diet...

2008-07-07T20:17:00.003-05:00

Well I have been feeling great, not feeling like I want to snack all the time. That said, I am dropping the gluten free effort. It is just undoable at this time. I thought it would be enough to do a few weeks( to see if there is an improvement), but it seems from what I have read on the internet that months is more accurate. I just can't hold everyone off for that long!!

Some of these options are so hard trying to do them on my own w/ no support, just an idea from a website or a book!

Since I feel so good diet-wise, I think I need to stay away from flour as much as possible. I have been eating fruit and brown rice w/ no problems. I always thought fruit gave me cravings, but maybe it is the flour!

Another time. Dairy free was hard and is hard to maintain. But gluten is a whole 'nother ball game. It is hard enough just to keep the family eating "healthy".

The kids are acting like real troopers, weathering an attack. I could just roll my eyes, as we aren't even eating alot of veggies yet. Just replaced the snacks w/ fruits and dont' eat out as much.

They are eating more now for sure! I made several meals this week as I usually have expecting them to last 2 meals(one supper, one lunch) and they were devoured w/ no leftovers!! so that is a nice consequence. I think they were filling up on snacks and picking at the meals. I don't allow them to spend their allowance on junk food anymore. I am sure I will again one day, but for now I am trying to retrain pallettes!

YOU on a diet

2008-07-02T11:11:00.002-05:00

It's day 2 of YOU on a Diet. Sort of. I guess. Most of yesterday was spent shopping. YOAD isn't exactly a diet plan, although they do have menus for the first 2 weeks. Too bad it is weird food. So I made up my own menu. It doesn't feel very "diet-ish". I am already eating less and eating better food. So it's a good thing.

And since you have to have whole wheat products, and I figured we would all initially balk at them, I decided to go ahead and try gluten free.

I have read that if you child will only eat certain foods, then suspect a food allergy. Well, there was a time when my ds10 loved milk. When we took it away, his behavior improved so much. Guess what other thing he loves? You got it: bread! Sometimes all he eats at a meal is the bread or the tortilla...so we are going to give that a go.

Ok, that is it for now.

Hello again

2008-07-01T00:55:00.003-05:00

Summer is flying by...It's already July. This month we are going to give another diet the old college try.This time it's YOU on a Diet. I'll let you know how far we make it.My hopes are firmly, quietly optimistic.

When I start school again, I am interested in a style that Joyce Swann used. She schooled her 10 kids 3 hrs a day all year round. They were excellerated and finished school and college at home early. I am not interested in that, but I would like to be totally done w/ school by noon. Working hard for 3 hrs. seems like it could really pay off.we'll see w/ all of the special needs around here! ;)

The GREATEST news ever is that Joe can walk again. I thought I might die from the stress. This weekend I just fell apart and rested.

He is taking on the responsibilities of the children's ministry at church.Our first event was a treasure hunt for the kids. We hid clues at the park and they solved them to find a pinata at the end. Not alot of kids from church came, but we recruited some kids from the park.

I would love to make a blog for the kids' ministry and post pictures and the schedule, but I don't want to just take over! It has been a little hard for me to learn how to work "for" Joe. I am beginning to realize that my job is to list ideas and his job is to actually be the one to make the final plans. Honestly I do not want the pressure of leadership, so it's a good thing! I am getting it!!

I am being pressed and squeezed in many directions, but am all the better for it.

Who's reading!

2008-06-18T15:21:00.004-05:00

I blog simply to express myself. I will blog anyway even if no one reads it. But people do read it. That is so fun to know. Not alot of people leave comments. Ok, two people leave comments. Recently I saw another blogger explain that comments are a blogger's "salary". I thought that was a good analogy. Makes me want to leave more comments!

Stats show that about half of my visitors are from google searches of Sensory disorder and homeschooling w/ sonlight curriculum. Several times the search of the words 'sonlight adhd' led people here. I don't know that I have ever blogged about those 2 things. But I have ADD and 2 of my kids do too. Well one has ADD and the other ADHD.I think Sl is great for add.Let the kids quietly play while you read outloud. what could be simpler!?

update

2008-06-11T14:55:00.002-05:00

Alrighty, I am just going to force myself to write something! ;)

I have so many thoughts swirling around that I just don't know what to say!!

Joe still can't walk on his foot. I have finally surrendered to this whole deal and wasn't sad(for myself) when I learned it would be another month before the dr. would x-ray his foot again to see if it was healed enough to walk on.

JD is having a particularly hard time today. I dont' understand how I am supposed to help these little people w/ problems I haven't even conquered yet! Oh well...I must have something to offer them or the Lord would not have given them to me, would not have designed for me to homeschool them.

sigh

I know part of the reason he acts bad is because he feels bad. I just dont' know what to do!!

During this whole broken foot deal, I was was seriously tired and felt bad, but I had to do things anyway and am a better person for it. I did more than I ever thought I was capable of. Dont know if that applies to him or not.

Year in Review

2008-05-26T15:05:00.004-05:00

We are done for the year, but the Sonlight Core isn't finished.Doing the core over 2 years saves me $~ is how I am going to think about it. ;)

Just as I felt like I was getting the "hang" of it, it was time to quit. In a way, that is good. I always end a time of reading outloud on a cliffhanger, right? So why not end school like that?

I grew and changed so MUCH this year. It was definitely my best homeschool year!! I am really learning to adapt and use what works from the SL "buffet" if you will. My super-literal mind just couldn't comprehend what to pick and what to leave out from the overstocked Instructor Guide. I don't know if I have any tips or hints to help anyone else other than just trial and error...

I will continue to use Time4Learning for JJ, my first grader, the neighbor's grandson that I homeschool and JD who has Learning Disabilities and dyslexia. They can still listen to the read alouds, but can depend on t4l for language arts, and even math and Sci and SS if they need to or want to.

They will continue to read SL readers and do italic handwriting. Well, except for JD. He likes "loops and other groups" handwriting that he learned at therapy. So I try to find handwriting styles that look like it. Handwriting w/ a Purpose is very similar. However, the paper that they print it on has that certain purplish-bluish-whitish flourenscent color that overloads his senses. He has issues processing information he receives from his senses(SPD).

Sometimes in families w/ more than one child, the younger ones participate as "tag alongs"(they listen in w/ the older kids) and/or formal school is delayed so the older ones can receive most of the attention.

I have done this myself to some degree. You know I bought curriculum to teach my oldest colors and numbers! As I had more kids, I did less and less preschool things w/ the youngest ones and they learned those concepts naturally.

But w/ t4l, I can let my littlest one listen in w/ us and get what she gets out of it AND work on her own level doing t4l. The best of both worlds!

Sonlight is definitely for us, we just needed to make some modifications for our family and situation. JC, the oldest, will be doing Core 7 from Sonlight.And for math he will use Systemath dvds. Simple, old school math teaching. Slow and painful...but effective. Jr likes SL language arts and systemath, so she will also completely use SL.

It still brings a tear to my eye when I think of finishing Red Sails to Capri. I only finished it because of the advice of the forums. I really wanted to reach the end so we could enjoy the blue grotto photos. So we plodded through and the night before we finished, I googled some photos.

When I saw them, I just gasped; it took my breath away. The next day, after we finished reading, I showed the kids the same pictures and they gasped just like I did!!! I got goosebumps!!!

This goes beyond school, this is building precious memories that are priceless! I can't even describe it.

I look forward to starting again late this summer!

A Wonderful Spelling Resource

2008-05-16T21:35:00.003-05:00

Parents, teachers, students everywhere!!!

Go check out Spelling City!

It is an awesome sight for practicing spelling and it is free! Type in your spelling words for the week and practice them, take a test, print out a handwriting sheet, or play games w/ the words.

Enjoy!

I am a mom of a teenager!

2008-05-13T20:52:00.009-05:00

I am going to copy Clarinda and post pics of my son, now and then. It really is hard to imagine that he is 13 years old. In 3 more years he will drive and in 5 years he will be 18 years old and be considered an adult. Where does the time go?

I just finished a very intensive project of setting some photos to music of my family, Joe's family and much much more. ;) In all I used over 500 pictures and 11 songs. I am glad to have honored my family and blessed them while they are still living and not waited to do a moving tribute til after they were gone!

Ok, now on to the pics...

He is about 15 months old in this picture. He was such a pretty baby. when we were out and about in public, people would always stop and comment on what a beautiful baby he was. Just the other day, he emailed this picture to me and for some reason, I just found that incredibly adorable!!

This is a fairly recent one of him. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is always up for some fun!! I should probably think of something more meaningful and eloquent, but I blog for fun not for grades. :)

So just enjoy the pics!

more on hope and joy

2008-05-09T02:19:00.004-05:00

I do think there is some level to choosing to hope and choosing to have joy even if you dont' "feel" like it.

But, I contend that you can't just have joy and hope through sheer force of will.

When life starts boiling ya, what bubbles to the surface?

I think faith, hope, joy and love has to grow and develop...

Hope and Joy

2008-05-05T00:07:00.005-05:00

I have gotten really good at saying no and knowing our limits.

Usually only one of us will volunteer/commit to something. That helps cut down on the crazy because that leaves one of us to man the homefront while the other person can fully commit to the outside activity.

I don't even have the words to accurately describe the last several weeks. I have been pushed to my limit, and then beyond. Then pushed beyond that.

Talking it out seems to help. I don't mean listing complaints, but really revealing inside feelings and details. After talking to Joe on Friday, admitting I just can't do all this, admitting I don't seem to have Christian hope or joy...I am feeling more hope and joy.

Maybe I came to the end of mySELF and now am free to rely on God...maybe I had unrealistic expectations about how much hope and joy I should have. And what that should look like.

I think that I didn't know how to have hope and joy in the midst of a bad circumstance. In a way, I was putting "have hope and joy" on a mental to-do list..

Through these hard times, I believe that I learned how to have hope.

In the "Ain't it the truth" department:

2008-04-29T20:48:00.003-05:00

"I find it interesting that people have such a hard time paying $3.50 for a GALLON of gas but don't think twice about paying $5.00 for 12 OUNCES of coffee!"~~~Tawra Kellem of Living on a Dime website

Lessons the Tv taught me

2008-04-26T03:12:00.003-05:00

It's been a long hard road. Who knew?

At my inlaws I watched alot of tv. One of the shows I'd never seen before was the Dog Whisperer. It is crazy how quickly and easily that man gets dogs to do stuff.

I haven't had a lot of time to devote to our dogs, but they are completely different animals since I have started watching the show. After watching the show, I realize that we should only have one dog, but oh well...

Speaking of tv, why would you sign up to do "wife swap"? Who at this point doesn't realize that they set you up w/ the family who would annoy you most?!

I feel like I have swapped lives w/ my husband.He does aLOT. I am amazed.

30 Days to Live

2008-04-14T20:45:00.002-05:00

This is the title of the latest sermon series at church. Not that we have been to church or anything in the last few weeks(because of the broken ankle), but we are reading the book.

How would you live if you had 30 days left on the earth? And of course the moral of the story is, what is holding you back from living life to the fullest NOW?

One goal if I only had 30 days would be to not leave anything unsaid. I have already told my mom I think she is great. She started to cry, so thank goodness I didn't say "awesome". ;)

My mom hates to have her picture taken and I always lecture her that it is a bad example for the kids to put herself down like that. On Sat. I didn't want my kids taking pics of me and my mom was quick to remind me that I don't let her get away w/ talking like that. I said that I feel like I look terrible and confessed that in my mind I want to put off taking pics til I look better.

"If you only had 30 days to live, would you stop them from taking your picture?"

Her question just cut right to my heart. Of course I wouldn't stop them if I only had 30 days to live.

I like this experiment. It is very clarifying...and life changing.

Another update

2008-04-10T20:32:00.003-05:00

Joe is finally pain free. Which is good. Another step in the right direction. My mom and my brother are going to build a ramp to our house on Sat. I am going to have help reorganizing the house to accomodate the wheelchair. So we just might go home one day after all. ;)

Meanwhile, we struggle to stay encouraged...but we press on.

update

2008-04-06T16:13:00.003-05:00

Well, Joe had the surgery and we are back at his parent's house. His hospital stay wasn't uneventful and it didn't go very smoothly, but it's done. He has to stay completely off of it for 4 weeks. In about 4 weeks, he should have a walking cast put on it.

It has been 2 weeks since he broke it. The way life is now, it is almost too hard to believe he once walked on his own and lived life w/out pain.Two weeks ago I never would have believed that I could do all that I have done over these last 2 weeks. Of course, I have had aLOT of help to be able to do what I am doing. When someone helps me by cooking or watching the kids, it allows me to do something else that needs to be done.

Two weeks ago, I would have rested if someone took all my kids for the day. I just cannot describe the difference now. I am not saying this is the worst thing that could ever happen to anyone, by any means! It's just that this is mind boggling to me that everything now falls on me. At first, I felt like crumbling under the weight of it.

But I am starting to become accustomed to it. Somewhat.

At first, I felt discouraged about not having Joe to back me up, but now, I actually feel empowered after doing it for awhile. My mind is adjusting and doing it "all" is becoming my new normal.

Update on broken foot situation

2008-03-31T09:23:00.003-05:00

Last week was a long and discouraging week. This week is starting to look like more of the same.

My husband is still waiting to be scheduled for surgery. He had to be cleared by the cardiologist due to his heart problems this summer. Well, it takes days to type that up and send to the surgeon.

Well, that's all I have time for today.

Blessings!

Life as I knew it...

2008-03-24T16:18:00.002-05:00

Have I ever told you about my husband? He is a helper and a giver. He is the strong silent type. Well, until he gets to know ya. Then he's talkative. He loves to work w/ kids and if he could choose another career, he might be a teacher. Although he does love being a chemist.Esp. when he gets to teach kids chemistry.

For awhile now I have been coasting along. I am right in the middle of having some issues diagnosed and treated. And my loving man picks up the slack. Many times he comes home for lunch and fixes us all something to eat. Many times he makes supper. He is so generous and kind. Whenever he makes himself something to drink, he always makes me one too.

Sunday morning he woke up and starting getting everyone ready for church. That's when, in an instant our life took another interesting turn. He slipped on a plastic bag that was on the floor.

He broke his ankle in 2 places. Tuesday we see the specialist to see if he will need surgery. Right now he has a splint. The hard part is that his "good" leg isn't very strong due to a previous injury. He can hardly get in and out of the wheel chair. We are staying at my inlaws for now and I don't expect to update very quickly.

God is good and I feel the prayers of all of our family and friends. And I am taking pretty good care of him, if I do say so myself. He has been a good influence on me.

Can't we all just get along?

2008-03-22T01:49:00.004-05:00

God made us all different.

I am a homeschooling mom to my CORE. I am not always good at it, I have taken breaks from it, I have even tried to quit! But at the end of the day I am a homeschooler, by that I don't mean so much an educator, but a MOM. Whenever I think of God's calling on my life, His will for my life, I think of my family, my neighborhood, simple things.

Now, please hear me. I feel these things so strongly, that I cannot understand why someone would want a career while their child goes to daycare. I do not mean that I think that daycare or career is wrong; I mean that I cannot imagine myself doing it.

When I was younger, I would have just felt superior.Of course I am older now and I realize that they feel as right about career and daycare as I do about homeschooling.

When I imagine how another person is feeling and try to understand and see how they see it...I am showing love to that other person. If I act as if I am "at war" w/ those who aren't like me, what purpose does that serve? Well, for one, it divides us, into "the group who agrees w/ me" and "the the group who doesn't". I am not going to convince many people to cross over to my side by belittling them.

Ok, I guess it really doesn't matter if I never "convert" someone to my belief on education or family. But it does matter when it relates to sharing our faith and showing God's love.

I really want to be a genuine Christian. I want other people to see the love of Christ displayed in me.

Jesus ate with sinners. How do you think he treated them? I think He smiled. I think He was humble. I think He spoke the truth in love.

Really, my big problem is the way Christians treat other Christians. When are we going to get that there is NOT one right way of living out the Christian faith?! You know what would be a huge witness to the world? If a Christian biker chick and a head covering lady had a bible study together. I am not talking about a new world religion, I am talking about we agree on so much! Maybe we don't agree on every little way of living it out, but we believe in Christ crucified right?!

Tonight I watched an interview on TBN. Paul Crouch Jr(I think it was) was interviewing Jim Caviezel. I have seen Jim Caviezel say on other programs that he and his wife are Catholic. And of course Paul Crouch is a Protestant, maybe charismatic? Anyway, they were talking about the Passion of the Christ and Jim's new audio bible project. They talked back and forth about God and Jesus and the bible and reading the word and the importance of prayer. They were both sincere and it was obvious that they both loved the Lord.

Isn't that neat? I don't think the interview would have been as moving and glorifying to God if they had argued over the Eucharist or "once saved always saved" or speaking in tongues.You get the idea.

There is a time and place for respectful debate, but if we do not show love and genuine respect...it's all empty! Respectfully disagreeing in love speaks VOLUMES!!

You know what? :) For a really good read on this subject(and more), Go read Blue Like Jazz. And for goodness sake, live humbly and smile! at the members at the church across town! ;)

You like me...you really like me!

2008-03-20T00:51:00.004-05:00

The most exciting thing has happened to me. Ok, it is exciting for me, in my little life, that is! I was asked to be a contributing writer for a time4learning blog.

Here is the blog description:
"This group blog is owned and operated by Time4Learning.com. The authors are provided monthly compensation to participate. They are selected from existing Time4Learning members. Their instructions can be summarized as follows…Please write candidly about your homeschool experience and how Time4Learning fits into the overall program. We are interested in details about how your days are organized, how and what your children are learning, and what is working and what is not. While the intent of the blog is to spread the word about Time4Learning, it is NOT to mislead. Our use of members to get the word out is an effort to avoid sending out “advertising” messages which over-emphasize our strengths, and fail to mention our shortcomings. We believe in establishing a fair trusting relationship with our members and potential members. We ask our members to blog with this in mind."

Check it out sometime here!

2008-03-19T16:59:00.001-05:00

Today we were doing Sonlight LA and the kids were supposed to write sentences using personification.

My ds10, who has various learning differences, was understandibly not enthused. He prefers doing LA on time4learning.com because there is no writing, and it is multiple choice.

I explained matter-of-factly that he finds the SL writing assignments so hard because he has trouble expressing himself with words, just as he has trouble writing(dysgraphia). And I informed him that he actually has a better vocabulary than some kids who are regular learners. And all I wanted him to do was to talk it out with me.

So my dd8 writes out her sentences and leaves the room. Ds10 hides under a blanket while I try to draw the answers out of him. Then EUREKA, I have a great idea. God really blessed me today, I tell ya.

I am an author trying to write a story about a boy who has dyslexia and I want to give the words on the page human characteristics to help my readers understand what it is like. So I ask him about bullies, how they act, what they do. "They're mean". I kept asking him questions until I got some descriptions I could use,"they tease".He talked about how words move on the page, "weaving". He was starting to get it. I contribute some ideas too.

So then, God again! inspires me and I call my dd8 back to hear what we have come up w/.

I say"The boy opens the book and the words stare back at him. They tease him like a bully on the playground. They weave around the page and the boy chases them like a mom chasing her kid in a candy store."

Her eyes widen and she says "Wow" softly. I ask ds, "Is that what it's like to have dyslexia?" He says yes. I ask dd "Does giving the words human characteristics help you understand better what it is like to have dyslexia?" She says "Yes!"

It was a very special moment and I thank God and SL for it!

Sensory Processing Disorder

2008-03-18T15:52:00.006-05:00

Cajunchic's comment got me thinkin' about SPD.This is the face of Sensory Processing Disorder. The night JD was born my mom and I put clothes on him and he screamed so much that we didn't even change him into a "going home" outfit when he left the hospital.Notice how his mouth is slightly turned down. It was that way alot.

My son is 10 months old in this picture. We are at a backyard party, around people, so he is frowning.When he was a week old we went to visit my mom, he cried and was uncomfortable the whole time. How did he even know he was away from home, I wondered? His little hand is blurred because he is signing. He only learned one sign(the sign for "all done"), and he used it for everything. Here he probably wants me to pick him up and get him away from the photographer. As a young baby, he would even cry when my husband held him. One evening, my husband said he would hold him even if he cried to give me a break. JD cried and his eyes followed me as I walked around the house.

One time while having pictures made at Sears when JD was about 6 months old, I really thought something was seriously wrong w/ him. He was so captivated by the balls they placed in front of him as props, he WOULD NOT look up. We called, shouted, shook a can of pennies, he wasn't looking up from those balls. I told my pediatrician I thought he was autistic. He stifled a laugh and suggested we test his hearing.

Everyone thought I was crazy for "wishing" something on my son. I didn't want to label him, I wanted to find out what was wrong. I felt deep down that there was something not right. I did ask another pediatrician when JD was 3 why he was always "rubbing" people. The backs of my arms, my mom's legs.He would press his face into my skin. She said he was just a touchy person and to teach him the time and place to show affection.

Sometimes he seemed perfectly fine. Especially to people outside the family, even to extended family.But at home, it could be terrible. He hated transitions. He had crying outbursts when things didn't go his way.As he grew older, I became fearful about asking our current pediatrician because I didn't want her to tell me not to homeschool, so I kept silent.

JD ended up going to public preschool and 1/2 a year of Kindergarten. Neither teacher mentioned any problems. He loved the routine of it all and was on his best behavior most of the time at school.

Finally when JD was in second grade I spoke to the pediatrician. I immediately wished I'd done it sooner! She began asking me questions. When I told her he liked to rub, but not be rubbed, she seemed to know instantly that he had Sensory Processing Disorder(spd).She suggested he best tested. She also suspected that he had dyslexia. After having him tested I would find that to be another bullseye!

Wow.JD couldn't process correctly the information he received from his senses. Now I understood why.Why about alot of things.Why he was always hot, even as a newborn. Why his cheeks were always red. When he was in preschool, he told me he didn't like to wear pants as they "made his legs feel like they were on fire". Why he demanded his food be HOT and complained if it wasn't. Even now, he favors snack foods over real food. I didn't understand this until I took medicine that dulled my appetite. I didn't want dinner, but could be tempted by salty or sweet tastes as they aren't as bland tasting.

He is now 10 years old and has come along way. So have I. When I read The Out of Sync Child, I realized I had done alot of things right. Encouraging him when he seemed fearful instead of just letting him retreat. Doing alot of fun activities(like crafts and projects). Playing outside.

I will say here again that cutting out milk was huge. He does get some cheese now and then, but milk, ice cream, pudding, etc really do a number on him and he is a GROUCH for days when he has them.

He is still pretty serious, and a peculiar individual, but he does smile alot more and doesn't mind being around people. Many of the "SPD behaviors" he had when he was younger are gone.He still has the challenges of ADD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, some muscle and coordination delays and learning disabilities. Sometimes it breaks my heart that he has to work so hard to learn how to read or participate in karate or override so many feelings just to be able to act right and get along w/ others.

This post isn't the whole picture by any means, or the end of the story...

SeaWorld

2008-03-17T22:14:00.003-05:00

Here's evidence that we went to SeaWorld(9/2007). Too bad it was homeschool fieldtrip day so Shamu didn't splash them. Very disappointing. ;)

The one on the end in the white cap isn't mine, and one of the rest is the neighbor that I homeschool.

Homeschooling

2008-03-17T01:47:00.003-05:00

I love posting a pic and then writing. It really helps get me motivated to write!

This picture was taken last fall. Doesn't it look like a fun way to have school? See, I figure, when all the kids' memories have faded of day to day struggles, all they will have left are the fun pictures!! I will love that day!! lol

Today on my mind is homeschooling. I know that I am supposed to be doing it. When I think of my life's purpose, or God's will for me, I think of Homeschooling.

It's not always pretty and I am not always able to do everything that I want to.

My latest little worry session is over curriculum. I am definitely drawn to Sonlight. Oh my, it is aLOT of reading. I don't understand what it means that you can pick and choose the activities. Why are they listed in the daily schedule then???!!

I look at WinterPromise that is supposed to be lighter, but I don't want to change. What if it is worse?!

So I continue to press on using time4learning for most all subjects, which is a wonderful thing right now as I continue to seek relief from health issues.

If I have learned one thing, it is to continue on, even limp along if needed, but just keep going forward!

More pics!

2008-03-15T21:58:00.004-05:00

This is my aunt, my mom and the kids at Christmas time. I hope I look as good in my 50's as these girls do!! Who am I kidding?!

I wish I looked as good as they do right now in my 30s!!!!!