Monday, November 13, 2017
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Words on Wednesday:Omaha Homeschool Learning Center day!
Posted another update on facebook:
"Figured another homeschooling update was in order...
Well. It's going pretty smoothly so far. Some days are longer than others. 1st grade (Alaina) and K (Matthew) are easy... I see progress all the time. Matthew has all his letter sounds down (he didn't know any a few weeks ago) and I am trying to get him to blend them.. he's getting there! We're just taking it slow. He can easily count to 100... and by 10's and he's getting his 5's. Alaina is reading more and more everyday as well. They both enjoy working on things together, so I let them as much as I can. Johanna (3rd grade) takes a bit longer to get through the day. If we get started on time (8 am, hasn't happened in about a week..) and she stays on task, we can be done by noon. One day she did school All. Day. Long. because she was off task the whole time. So we have those days, but thankfully not everyday! We are now in the full swing of things with art classes and the 5 oldest being in the Learning Center as well.. plus piano lessons, so days are busy and just fly by. So far it is not too overwhelming. We just HAVE to start early enough! I've noticed that Johanna has great reading comprehension (she has to narrate a lot), she's good at Math (just doesn't like it) and her Grammar/English is pretty good as well! I got her a 4th grade English book by mistake and just thought I'd see how it goes... she's flying through it! The teachers at the church school did AWESOME at laying the foundations down with her. So, thank you, Jeanne and Cheri! She apparently was listening even when no one thought she was. Katie and Danielle are still plugging away at their subjects, I still hear about (and smell) Biology the most!"
So, it's going well... overall. The busyness of the week has added a special challenge.. but we're working through it.
I've thought and thought about what we could drop and I don't want to drop anything!!!
Chapel - Katie plays piano once a month, and the three oldest will be speaking or back up singing at least two times over the year... and I think those things are good for them to get comfortable doing. Plus, it's nice to have the little 15 min recess with the friends they made over the years. We probably won't always go to chapel, but mostly.
Piano lessons- Right after recess which is right after chapel. We've been doing them for years. We do two kids a week, rotating. So each kid gets one every other week. Mine is every other Thursday at the house.
Art- We've committed and paid for the year. This lady is a wonderful Christain lady that teaches homeschoolers. She's an excellent artist and has quite the waiting list! We are only in because Jeanne was already taking kids out there from the church school. I *might* consider dropping this next year... but it's not so bad, I only drive every other week and when I do, we can get A LOT of school done while there. Johanna got 3 subjects done yesterday, I think she worked better there than at home! haha!
OHLC- (Learning Center)- Ugh.. I just think it's so fun. To be around so many like minded people is encouraging.. to watch the little ones to tae kwon do. If I have to, this is what will go. I just don't want it to. Alaina and Matthew LOVE it and Steven really wants them to learn self-defense. Next semester I want to put Johanna in something that she'd enjoy too (not that she doesn't enjoy PE, but you know). Katie and Danielle, too. It's just a nice change from normal, a great way to celebrate hump day!
Friday-Katie babysits all day, she can move on from this whenever she feels she needs to, but right now it's working. I've seen SO much character come out of her and I've seen her grow so much. I think she's really helping to make a difference in their little lives.
Teen Serve- One Friday morning a month. It's just nice to have the opportunity to serve, she spends her time in a nursing home. I am am not able to give her the chance to do this kind of thing, so I think it's great. Plus it's one morning a month. Not bad at all!
Anyway, today is Learning Center! Yay!
Everything starts at noon, so we have a short day of school. Well, for Johanna, anyway. It's no problem getting Alaina and Matthew done in the morning. Today in Tae Kwon Do A and M will "buy" a belt with their TKD quarters. :) They are so cute! It's only a half an hour long, but it's long enough!
Well I better get to school.
"Figured another homeschooling update was in order...
Well. It's going pretty smoothly so far. Some days are longer than others. 1st grade (Alaina) and K (Matthew) are easy... I see progress all the time. Matthew has all his letter sounds down (he didn't know any a few weeks ago) and I am trying to get him to blend them.. he's getting there! We're just taking it slow. He can easily count to 100... and by 10's and he's getting his 5's. Alaina is reading more and more everyday as well. They both enjoy working on things together, so I let them as much as I can. Johanna (3rd grade) takes a bit longer to get through the day. If we get started on time (8 am, hasn't happened in about a week..) and she stays on task, we can be done by noon. One day she did school All. Day. Long. because she was off task the whole time. So we have those days, but thankfully not everyday! We are now in the full swing of things with art classes and the 5 oldest being in the Learning Center as well.. plus piano lessons, so days are busy and just fly by. So far it is not too overwhelming. We just HAVE to start early enough! I've noticed that Johanna has great reading comprehension (she has to narrate a lot), she's good at Math (just doesn't like it) and her Grammar/English is pretty good as well! I got her a 4th grade English book by mistake and just thought I'd see how it goes... she's flying through it! The teachers at the church school did AWESOME at laying the foundations down with her. So, thank you, Jeanne and Cheri! She apparently was listening even when no one thought she was. Katie and Danielle are still plugging away at their subjects, I still hear about (and smell) Biology the most!"
So, it's going well... overall. The busyness of the week has added a special challenge.. but we're working through it.
I've thought and thought about what we could drop and I don't want to drop anything!!!
Chapel - Katie plays piano once a month, and the three oldest will be speaking or back up singing at least two times over the year... and I think those things are good for them to get comfortable doing. Plus, it's nice to have the little 15 min recess with the friends they made over the years. We probably won't always go to chapel, but mostly.
Piano lessons- Right after recess which is right after chapel. We've been doing them for years. We do two kids a week, rotating. So each kid gets one every other week. Mine is every other Thursday at the house.
Art- We've committed and paid for the year. This lady is a wonderful Christain lady that teaches homeschoolers. She's an excellent artist and has quite the waiting list! We are only in because Jeanne was already taking kids out there from the church school. I *might* consider dropping this next year... but it's not so bad, I only drive every other week and when I do, we can get A LOT of school done while there. Johanna got 3 subjects done yesterday, I think she worked better there than at home! haha!
OHLC- (Learning Center)- Ugh.. I just think it's so fun. To be around so many like minded people is encouraging.. to watch the little ones to tae kwon do. If I have to, this is what will go. I just don't want it to. Alaina and Matthew LOVE it and Steven really wants them to learn self-defense. Next semester I want to put Johanna in something that she'd enjoy too (not that she doesn't enjoy PE, but you know). Katie and Danielle, too. It's just a nice change from normal, a great way to celebrate hump day!
Friday-Katie babysits all day, she can move on from this whenever she feels she needs to, but right now it's working. I've seen SO much character come out of her and I've seen her grow so much. I think she's really helping to make a difference in their little lives.
Teen Serve- One Friday morning a month. It's just nice to have the opportunity to serve, she spends her time in a nursing home. I am am not able to give her the chance to do this kind of thing, so I think it's great. Plus it's one morning a month. Not bad at all!
Anyway, today is Learning Center! Yay!
Everything starts at noon, so we have a short day of school. Well, for Johanna, anyway. It's no problem getting Alaina and Matthew done in the morning. Today in Tae Kwon Do A and M will "buy" a belt with their TKD quarters. :) They are so cute! It's only a half an hour long, but it's long enough!
Well I better get to school.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Simply Saturday: Accomplishments
I posted this on facebook the other day, thought I'd copy and paste it here..
"Here's an update on our homeschooling journey so far (since a lot of people are asking.. :)).... It's going well, overall! We have completed 7 full days (and probably like 3 or 4 "practice days" haha), and I honestly can't believe how smoothly it has gone! I have had a couple rough days... kids that were not focusing, and we've had our share of whining, but overall even that hasn't been so bad. ...We get started at about 8-8:30am everyday and begin with Bible. We do that all together. After that the older girls go work independently and I teach Johanna, Alaina, and Matthew. My goal is to be done by noon, but usually it's about 2. That is with about an hour and a half break for lunch and cleanup. Danielle is thrilled that she is doing two high school classes with Katie (Biology and History) and she's doing really well! You wouldn't believe all the Biology talk going on around here, haha! Alaina's reading is really picking up, she is flying through her book.. the best part is the cuddles I get while practicing! Matthew went from being able to count to only about 20 to being able to fill in missing numbers in a 1-100 chart, and almost count all the way himself. His handwriting is awesome, too! Katie is loving "planning" all her assignments for the week, and enjoying being home more to work on the projects that she wants to do. Johanna is getting to the point where she can do a lot of her work independently now that we have a week completed, she just knows what to expect. Of course there are some subjects I have to walk her through. Elise likes to "do school" too, so she has a couple little work books and does them if she wants to, or Danielle teaches her the letters from time to time. Joshua... well, he just wants me all the time... so that's interesting... haha. None of us have felt cooped up in the house, but even if we did, we have extracurricular activities a couple days a week to help with that. It's easier than I thought it would be, but we are only a week and a half into it, so I expect rough patches.. I did notice it's easier than Friday homeschool days were, I haven't quite figured out why though... hmmm... Anyway, that is my not-so-short update!"
Yesterday was a good day. We didn't get ALL of our school done, but we got the core classes done, and that is the important thing. We got most of the extras done as well. Plus we had a great playdate with our little friend, Paige, from church, and her Mom, Tammy. Paige is 10 and homeschooled as well. It was good to get to know them a little better.
Yesterdays accomplishments... I got Johanna to understand the difference between cardinal, ordinal, and nominal number... not that it was that hard for her to understand, but more hard for me to explain because I am like, "WHO CARES!" haha! Not a fan of math.. Either way, she got it. I was proud of her. Also proud of myself, because before yesterday even *I* didn't know what they were.. hehe...
The other accomplishment was Matthew counting to 100 all by himself! :) This is huge, because just a couple weeks ago he could maybe make it to 20, but he'd skip 15... So he is doing really well! I think math will come easily to him, though. Maybe he will be a brainiac like Steven.. ;)
I feel discouraged, probably because I look on the negative side, a lot.... I feel bothered by the people that I *feel* are just waiting for me to fail. It's silly, I shouldn't, because the support is overwhelming on the positive side.. and no one has really said anything negative, directly. I just feel it's implied. Mainly that "we won't get out of the house enough" or the kids won't is more like it... I guess no one cares if I do or not, haha.
Our usual school week, starting next week, will look like this:
Monday: chapel at 9 at the church school, and then piano lessons for 2 of the girls alternating every week from 10:30-11:30. We probably wouldn't go to chapel every week, but now that someone will be doing a lesson every week and Katie will be starting to play piano for worship.
Tuesday: Art.. we leave the house at 1:15 and get back at 4. I will be the driver every other week and Alicia will drive the other times. The times I am not driving won't be too bad, because I can come home and get things done. Even when I do drive, it's kid-friendly out there where they get lessons so it's fine.
Wednesday: The homeschool learning center. From noon to one K, D, J, A, and M will have lessons and then Katie will stay alone and work on whatever she needs to for that day and have another lesson at 2. I'll pick her up around 3:30, I think.
Thursday: Every other week I will have my piano lesson at the house, but it also my day that I will take one kid out for icecream for one on one time... just something I thought I'd try out. Except Katie, she's the babysitter, so she'll have to go with me one weekend a month. :) Otherwise it will probably be our "catch up" day for schoolwork..
Friday: We have NO PLANS... so another catch up day for schoolwork. Except Katie she babysits this one day a week for PJ and Micah. :)
If nothing else, I feel this is possibly TOO MUCH... ugh... The only thing that we can give up is The Learning Center after this first semester, which I might do. Idk... I know we don't HAVE to do all these things.. but I don't want to give up music and art and then I guess the rest is extra... but it's fun, so idk.. we'll see!
Besides, going to school to "get out of the house" isn't my idea of a fantastic time, anyway!
Signing off!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Take on Tuesday: One week later
One week into this homeschool thing.
Today was a good day. I really appreciate good days!
Johanna was on task today.. Alaina's whining was minimal. Katie and Danielle got their studies done before lunch! Today was also our first day going to art. I was the driver... I hate the freeways.. especially in The Big White Van.. but I did it, and it wasn't too bad.
Joshie (14m) was naughty at Sharon, the art teacher's house. All he wants to do is nurse. All. The. Time. I don't want to quit nursing him, I figure since he is completely unvaccinated (except for the Vit. K shot at birth) he needs the extra antibodies that he can get from breastmilk. At the same time, I really do want to quit nursing him because I feel he is always pulling on me, and thrashing himself around because if I am near, he wants to nurse. Ugh. So, Idk. I am going to CO to visit my sweet Grandma Marie, with out kids, so maybe I'll stop nursing then. I really don't know what I am going to do. Right now he is on my back in a carrier, messing with the bun in my hair. It's the only way I can get anything done. He is satisfied, because I am holding him, yet I am not.. my arms are free. Stinker baby. :) I love him. He's such a sweet, chunky, naughty boy! :)
Back to homeschooling.
So far I am loving Heart of Dakota. It's easy to use. Almost no lesson planning is needed. Lessons are quick at to the point, and the best part, very Biblical! Bible is incorporated into all the lessons. I love that, it's great! Also, if I am short for time, if I cut out a part of it, they are not missing out on Bible.. ever.. :)
Tomorrow we will go over to The Homeschool Learning Center for their "Aren't you glad you are not going back to school" get together.. haha.. they will have free eye and hearing tests and school pics I guess. Also the kids can check out where their new classrooms will be. Katie will be doing Adv. Ballroom dancing.. last year she was in beginners and did really well, they didn't even require her to take a full year like they usually do. :) She will also be taking a Drama class with Danielle. They are both excited about that, plus they are both taking Art on Tuesdays like I mentioned before. Their art teacher is a wonderful Christian lady that teaches homeschooled kids. :) Back to The Homeschool Learning Center, Johanna will be taking P.E., mostly because that was the only thing available for her age group in that time period (I wanted them to all be there taking a class at the same time so I am not out all day, Katie will be there longer, but I will just leave her there and pick her up when she's done), but also because the exercise and team work will do her well... she needs it, she's active! Alaina and Matthew will be taking Tae Kwon Do for 5-7 year olds. They do have one for older kids, which I wanted JOhanna in, but it's not til later in the day. Oh well... So, we'll see how it goes this semester and decide from that point if we want to do another semester.
Well, I have reached my limit with Joshie.. he's protesting...
Gotta go!
Today was a good day. I really appreciate good days!
Johanna was on task today.. Alaina's whining was minimal. Katie and Danielle got their studies done before lunch! Today was also our first day going to art. I was the driver... I hate the freeways.. especially in The Big White Van.. but I did it, and it wasn't too bad.
Joshie (14m) was naughty at Sharon, the art teacher's house. All he wants to do is nurse. All. The. Time. I don't want to quit nursing him, I figure since he is completely unvaccinated (except for the Vit. K shot at birth) he needs the extra antibodies that he can get from breastmilk. At the same time, I really do want to quit nursing him because I feel he is always pulling on me, and thrashing himself around because if I am near, he wants to nurse. Ugh. So, Idk. I am going to CO to visit my sweet Grandma Marie, with out kids, so maybe I'll stop nursing then. I really don't know what I am going to do. Right now he is on my back in a carrier, messing with the bun in my hair. It's the only way I can get anything done. He is satisfied, because I am holding him, yet I am not.. my arms are free. Stinker baby. :) I love him. He's such a sweet, chunky, naughty boy! :)
Back to homeschooling.
So far I am loving Heart of Dakota. It's easy to use. Almost no lesson planning is needed. Lessons are quick at to the point, and the best part, very Biblical! Bible is incorporated into all the lessons. I love that, it's great! Also, if I am short for time, if I cut out a part of it, they are not missing out on Bible.. ever.. :)
Tomorrow we will go over to The Homeschool Learning Center for their "Aren't you glad you are not going back to school" get together.. haha.. they will have free eye and hearing tests and school pics I guess. Also the kids can check out where their new classrooms will be. Katie will be doing Adv. Ballroom dancing.. last year she was in beginners and did really well, they didn't even require her to take a full year like they usually do. :) She will also be taking a Drama class with Danielle. They are both excited about that, plus they are both taking Art on Tuesdays like I mentioned before. Their art teacher is a wonderful Christian lady that teaches homeschooled kids. :) Back to The Homeschool Learning Center, Johanna will be taking P.E., mostly because that was the only thing available for her age group in that time period (I wanted them to all be there taking a class at the same time so I am not out all day, Katie will be there longer, but I will just leave her there and pick her up when she's done), but also because the exercise and team work will do her well... she needs it, she's active! Alaina and Matthew will be taking Tae Kwon Do for 5-7 year olds. They do have one for older kids, which I wanted JOhanna in, but it's not til later in the day. Oh well... So, we'll see how it goes this semester and decide from that point if we want to do another semester.
Well, I have reached my limit with Joshie.. he's protesting...
Gotta go!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Take on Tuesday: Take on Homeschooling
Well, I have two days of homeschooling, complete days, that is, under my belt.
I did it!
It wasn't too bad.
Although I worry, are they learning enough? In some ways it seems too easy, but then again I am really only responsible for 3 grades... 3rd, K and 1st. That's easy, I guess. Not sure about the Math. We have A+ Math, they can do it on the computer. While I like just sending someone off to "do math" I am not sure they are learning as well that way. Time will tell, I guess.
Another thing is writing, I hope I can teach them to write well. I just don't want to fail at this.
So, that's my update.
I am cautiously optimistic.
I did it!
It wasn't too bad.
Although I worry, are they learning enough? In some ways it seems too easy, but then again I am really only responsible for 3 grades... 3rd, K and 1st. That's easy, I guess. Not sure about the Math. We have A+ Math, they can do it on the computer. While I like just sending someone off to "do math" I am not sure they are learning as well that way. Time will tell, I guess.
Another thing is writing, I hope I can teach them to write well. I just don't want to fail at this.
So, that's my update.
I am cautiously optimistic.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Mundane Monday: Not so mundane, a new journey
I am honestly shocked that it has been SEVEN months since I last blogged! That is awful, actually! It really is a testament to how busy and crazy life was over this last year. So much has changed.
One year ago I began my teaching journey. I was the elementary Science teacher at The Study, the homeschool co-op the kids attended. I got the privilege because Jeanne knew of my plan to homeschool the following year. This year.
Let's back up some more.
A couple years back, I was the Mom that said, "I will never homeschool", "I would not be able to homeschool", "I don't have the patience", and "my kids would drive me crazy!"
Slowly it transformed because I did feel God tugging at my heart.. I knew it was in our future at some point. At that point, if you asked me, you'd most likely hear the words, "well, I'd love to be able to homeschool, but I just don't know how to start", "but I LOVE the church school", "I wish (or I feel guilty) that I just don't have ANY desire to homeschool", "I do think homeschool is the best option for children, but I am just so afraid to fail"..
Skip to May 2012. Steven had been asking me to consider homeschooling because of his workload. His taking on extra jobs was really taking a toll on him, and our family. The tuition for the church school went up, and it seemed that we were adding kids every year! They were very gracious with us and were willing to work with us to help keep costs manageable, but reality is, we have A LOT of kids and there is only so much we can do to keep it low cost.
SO.. I started contacting my friends and family that homeschool.. I got nothing but encouraging words and my confidence really started to build. We didn't really tell a lot of people our plans, but somehow word got out (it wasn't really a secret either) and Jeanne challenged me with the job of Science teacher (and teacher aid for a couple other classes). To be honest, I was terrified at first. Lesson planning? It was foreign. Jeanne walked me through it and by the first day of school in Aug 2012, I was cautiously ready. So, with a 4 year old Matthew, 2 year old Elise and 2 month old Joshua in tow, my teaching experience began.
In the beginning I was there M, T, W from 9-12, but over the year it did get less.
I won't go into my experience a whole lot, just want to cover the basics here, but I will say that it was a very positive experience overall. I LOVE those girls in that elementary classroom, spending so much time with them is irreplaceable. Danielle and Johanna were two that were in there, so of course that in itself was rewarding, but the other girls were wonderful as well.
I gained experience, confidence, I learned what it was like to juggle teaching with babies, and teaching multiple grade levels.
It was exhausting. Joshua, in the beginning, would nap at the church school, but as time went on the only naps he got were in the car on the way home from school at noon and the way to school to pick up the girls at 3:30. I had to cram in everything that needed to be done in the 12:30-3 time frame, it was very challenging to drag the kids out so much.
Half way through the year, my desire to just homeschool already really started to grow. Friends that homeschool large families would tell me that what I was doing sounded harder than actually homeschooling. I was actually told that by more than one family, so it must be true. I probably heard it from about 4 or 5 different homeschool families.
We kept on going though. By the end of the year, although, fully rewarding, I was burned out. My cranky level had reached all time highs and my depression was getting more intense. I was also sleep derived due to Joshua not sleeping well at night.
This summer began and as the reality of homeschooling set in, I grew more and more terrified that I wouldn't have the ability to do this. I wasn't getting the rest I had hoped to get over the summer. Thanks to the furlough, Steven had to work a lot, and just due to his not being around over the last 3 years the behavior of the children had really started to go downhill. When we started realizing that we had many heart and character issues to work on with our kids (sometime last school year), we knew that homeschooling had become more about getting their hearts, training them, and just generally getting closer to them, then about the money it cost to send them to the church school. We knew that even if they could go for free, that homeschooling was still what we were being called to do. We also were seeing more and more that Katie was spending her entire day working on school (between the regular school day and homework) and that I was unable to spend any time working with her and training her to do the basics around the house. She just didn't have the time and got pretty burned out. We knew homeschooling would take maybe 6 hours a day, tops, but mostly likely less.
Over the summer I felt, everyday, that I wanted to homeschool less and less, because I was just plain worn out. I do attribute this to my level of participation at the church school WITH so many little ones in tow. Not that it was bad, it was just challenging. I was overwhelmed. The four oldest girls went to CO for 3 weeks and during that time, only having 3 little ones at home I was able to be refreshed. I re-focused.
So, here I am. They've been home for about a month and I am a different Mommy.
Today, we start homeschooling. For real. We did do a few practice days, already. :)
So, today, I try and fit in our new schedule of getting all the housework done as well as all the school. I didn't sleep well last night and we are all up earlier today than usual so we shall see!
Katie is making cinnamon rolls for "first day of school" breakfast and I am getting ready to get the kids going with the morning chores which consist of cleaning bedrooms and making beds, mostly. A couple of them have bathrooms to do as well.
Here we go!
One year ago I began my teaching journey. I was the elementary Science teacher at The Study, the homeschool co-op the kids attended. I got the privilege because Jeanne knew of my plan to homeschool the following year. This year.
Let's back up some more.
A couple years back, I was the Mom that said, "I will never homeschool", "I would not be able to homeschool", "I don't have the patience", and "my kids would drive me crazy!"
Slowly it transformed because I did feel God tugging at my heart.. I knew it was in our future at some point. At that point, if you asked me, you'd most likely hear the words, "well, I'd love to be able to homeschool, but I just don't know how to start", "but I LOVE the church school", "I wish (or I feel guilty) that I just don't have ANY desire to homeschool", "I do think homeschool is the best option for children, but I am just so afraid to fail"..
Skip to May 2012. Steven had been asking me to consider homeschooling because of his workload. His taking on extra jobs was really taking a toll on him, and our family. The tuition for the church school went up, and it seemed that we were adding kids every year! They were very gracious with us and were willing to work with us to help keep costs manageable, but reality is, we have A LOT of kids and there is only so much we can do to keep it low cost.
SO.. I started contacting my friends and family that homeschool.. I got nothing but encouraging words and my confidence really started to build. We didn't really tell a lot of people our plans, but somehow word got out (it wasn't really a secret either) and Jeanne challenged me with the job of Science teacher (and teacher aid for a couple other classes). To be honest, I was terrified at first. Lesson planning? It was foreign. Jeanne walked me through it and by the first day of school in Aug 2012, I was cautiously ready. So, with a 4 year old Matthew, 2 year old Elise and 2 month old Joshua in tow, my teaching experience began.
In the beginning I was there M, T, W from 9-12, but over the year it did get less.
I won't go into my experience a whole lot, just want to cover the basics here, but I will say that it was a very positive experience overall. I LOVE those girls in that elementary classroom, spending so much time with them is irreplaceable. Danielle and Johanna were two that were in there, so of course that in itself was rewarding, but the other girls were wonderful as well.
I gained experience, confidence, I learned what it was like to juggle teaching with babies, and teaching multiple grade levels.
It was exhausting. Joshua, in the beginning, would nap at the church school, but as time went on the only naps he got were in the car on the way home from school at noon and the way to school to pick up the girls at 3:30. I had to cram in everything that needed to be done in the 12:30-3 time frame, it was very challenging to drag the kids out so much.
Half way through the year, my desire to just homeschool already really started to grow. Friends that homeschool large families would tell me that what I was doing sounded harder than actually homeschooling. I was actually told that by more than one family, so it must be true. I probably heard it from about 4 or 5 different homeschool families.
We kept on going though. By the end of the year, although, fully rewarding, I was burned out. My cranky level had reached all time highs and my depression was getting more intense. I was also sleep derived due to Joshua not sleeping well at night.
This summer began and as the reality of homeschooling set in, I grew more and more terrified that I wouldn't have the ability to do this. I wasn't getting the rest I had hoped to get over the summer. Thanks to the furlough, Steven had to work a lot, and just due to his not being around over the last 3 years the behavior of the children had really started to go downhill. When we started realizing that we had many heart and character issues to work on with our kids (sometime last school year), we knew that homeschooling had become more about getting their hearts, training them, and just generally getting closer to them, then about the money it cost to send them to the church school. We knew that even if they could go for free, that homeschooling was still what we were being called to do. We also were seeing more and more that Katie was spending her entire day working on school (between the regular school day and homework) and that I was unable to spend any time working with her and training her to do the basics around the house. She just didn't have the time and got pretty burned out. We knew homeschooling would take maybe 6 hours a day, tops, but mostly likely less.
Over the summer I felt, everyday, that I wanted to homeschool less and less, because I was just plain worn out. I do attribute this to my level of participation at the church school WITH so many little ones in tow. Not that it was bad, it was just challenging. I was overwhelmed. The four oldest girls went to CO for 3 weeks and during that time, only having 3 little ones at home I was able to be refreshed. I re-focused.
So, here I am. They've been home for about a month and I am a different Mommy.
Today, we start homeschooling. For real. We did do a few practice days, already. :)
So, today, I try and fit in our new schedule of getting all the housework done as well as all the school. I didn't sleep well last night and we are all up earlier today than usual so we shall see!
Katie is making cinnamon rolls for "first day of school" breakfast and I am getting ready to get the kids going with the morning chores which consist of cleaning bedrooms and making beds, mostly. A couple of them have bathrooms to do as well.
Here we go!
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Words on Wednesday: A sick day
Today I kept Alaina home from school... right now she, Matthew and Elise are sick. Well, Lisey is getting better. They have fevers, bad coughs, sore throats.
It started with Steven. He was watching those three for me while I took the other 4 to see Becca and meet Ezekiel. (he's soooo sweet!) Anyway, Steven got really sick the Friday I left and didn't start getting better until today (Wed.) I got back on Monday. Poor guy. It's really awful to take care of kids feeling that way. Thankfully he's doing better now and the kids will be soon. The silver lining? I got to stay home today! Take a much needed sick day. Because Alaina is sick I didn't have to leave in the middle of the day to pick her up. Steven was so nice and brought the kids to school this morning for me. I am supposed to be getting things done.. but it's hard to do when I just want to rest!!! I did get some laundry done and shirts ironed though.
On the other hand, I had a GREAT birthday... the day I left, Friday, was my birthday. I traveled most of the day, but that was okay, it was relaxing. No screaming kids! Then I got to see Becca... and Ezekiel! He's 2 months now. It's crazy, one year ago I was writing about her losing her first baby, that was so sad. Today I am writing about meeting her new one. What a difference a year brings.
That night we went and got Mexican food, I got my meal for free. :)
The next day we took the girls swimming and just sat and talked for 3 hours. Sooo nice! We had homemade pizza that day. Yum! The next day was Sunday, we ended up not going to church because of how cold it was outside. We just hung out and later in the day Adrielle came over. She and her new husband Clay live near Becca. That was fun. I got to also briefly see Ezra.. .he's sooo cute!!! Monday morning we just took our time getting ready to go and left about 12:30. We got home and took off running when we got here, it hasn't slowed down since. So... I am thankful for this sick day, but sad that my little kiddos have to be sick.
Time to get back to cleaning. I still have ironing, the living room needs to be cleaned, dishes need to be done.
It started with Steven. He was watching those three for me while I took the other 4 to see Becca and meet Ezekiel. (he's soooo sweet!) Anyway, Steven got really sick the Friday I left and didn't start getting better until today (Wed.) I got back on Monday. Poor guy. It's really awful to take care of kids feeling that way. Thankfully he's doing better now and the kids will be soon. The silver lining? I got to stay home today! Take a much needed sick day. Because Alaina is sick I didn't have to leave in the middle of the day to pick her up. Steven was so nice and brought the kids to school this morning for me. I am supposed to be getting things done.. but it's hard to do when I just want to rest!!! I did get some laundry done and shirts ironed though.
On the other hand, I had a GREAT birthday... the day I left, Friday, was my birthday. I traveled most of the day, but that was okay, it was relaxing. No screaming kids! Then I got to see Becca... and Ezekiel! He's 2 months now. It's crazy, one year ago I was writing about her losing her first baby, that was so sad. Today I am writing about meeting her new one. What a difference a year brings.
That night we went and got Mexican food, I got my meal for free. :)
The next day we took the girls swimming and just sat and talked for 3 hours. Sooo nice! We had homemade pizza that day. Yum! The next day was Sunday, we ended up not going to church because of how cold it was outside. We just hung out and later in the day Adrielle came over. She and her new husband Clay live near Becca. That was fun. I got to also briefly see Ezra.. .he's sooo cute!!! Monday morning we just took our time getting ready to go and left about 12:30. We got home and took off running when we got here, it hasn't slowed down since. So... I am thankful for this sick day, but sad that my little kiddos have to be sick.
Time to get back to cleaning. I still have ironing, the living room needs to be cleaned, dishes need to be done.
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