I've been pretty quiet online lately and it's mainly been due to the fact that we seem to have so much going on over here! We have been searching for a bigger house that walks that fine line between bigger, but not too big, and bigger but not crazy expensive. Since we live in a lake town it's extremely hard to find houses that are a bit bigger but NOT on a lake. It seems that if someone can afford something bigger they forego it to spend the money on getting on the lake. While my family would LOVE to be on the lake, that price point is so high I don't even feel comfortable DREAMING about it! Over the past 5 years we have been looking and searching. We have found a few houses that would work, put in offers on them, but ultimately always lose them since we have a home to sell. About 6 months ago we decided to just give up the search, and about a month ago a house came on the market that's been off and on for 4 years and we finally just decided to check it out. Well, we check it out, liked the size and price and offered on it after walking through it for about a half hour. We have never done that! It felt completely uncomfortable and spontaneous.
That being said, we also needed to get our house market ready, all cleaned up and ready! Let me tell you, it's only been on the market for about a month and I AM SICK of it! Keeping it clean and ready for people to look at has been exhausting. It seems that people always want to come look right in the middle of the day and so our homeschool day just isn't happening. Thus, these past few weeks the kids have been doing something that I personally don't love. They have been using online school. They actually love Time4learning and have been using that for the past few weeks so that we are at least getting the basics done. We have also been reading more together. This week we started Matilda! Z and B ADORE it!
I don't talk about it much online, but since this summer we have also been working with a natural health practitioner on our health. Jason and I have had many chronic health issues and it just seems like we haven't been getting the help we feel we need. Jason has a rare type of arthritis and a myriad of other health issues. I have been dealing with gall bladder and IBS type symptoms since I've been young. I also have battled depression from a very young age, from around the age of 10, and since Nova has been born, extreme anxiety and panic attacks.
This just to say that working a natural angle of trying to get well isn't just taking a pill and hoping it'll work. It's overhauling your whole lifestyle. What you eat, every product you use around and on your body, examining your air quality everywhere you go, examining your water quality everywhere you go. Through this journey we have found out that both Jason and I have quite a few genetic mutations that are playing a huge part in our health and the issues we face every day. Detoxing our life is taking a large part of our time right now. The good part is that we can see the positive health changes in our kids, the bad part is that it's so darn hard and time consuming and these changes aren't something that we can see overnight.
Why do I mention it here? Because everywhere we go, everything we do I have to be prepared with snacks, water, packed lunches or suppers. Twice a week we head an hour and a half south to bring Z to gymnastics and I need to make sure to pack suppers for all five of us (and then we drive the hour and a half home). This, too, has been taking up my time.
So, that's been our past few weeks. Nothing really fun to report about. No great projects, fun insightful thoughts or inspiration. We've just been trying to get the basics covered. I've been trying to keep the house spotless, and been spending my time camping out in the kitchen.
Good news is...we got an offer on the house today! I can't decide if I'm excited or heartbroken. I am excited that I can stop trying to keep everything absolutely perfect. I am also excited that the kids and I can get back to full days of homeschool and that art is back in the rotation! The kids would like to keep Time4Learning in the rotation though as they really do love the fun lessons. I think a bit of fun computer lesson time may be alright to keep in as long as I limit their computer time. :)
A look into our life of homeschooling, natural living, Paleo-ish cooking, and love.
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Monday, January 30, 2017
Homeschool Mission Statement?
This week finally feels as though it's starting off right! Honestly, this whole year has just had so many ups and downs I just don't know what's going on!! Bman is excited about his math, Spanish, and typing. Z seems like she's able to sit down for a period of time and work on something. She's getting excited about science and history, two subjects she's never cared about before. And Nova has, all of a sudden, a great interest in books! This is good for us because trying to read around here is like trying to eat ice in the desert. Meltdown and after meltdown, a sad unsuccessful attempt, anger all around, and then I'm left with everyone unhappy and a wet shirt (baby tears and snot). Not sure if that's the best comparison, but it's what I have at the time.
Lately I've also been looking at my contributions to our homeschool and what I may be doing wrong or what I could do better. While there is always room for improvement in any endeavor, I find that I am always great at the "planning" but not so great at the follow through. I am also not the best at being able to reassess our situation and decide where to go with it. Our days just DON'T fit into the little boxes that I want it to and our one year old can make something that's supposed to take 30 minutes last 2 hours if she really wants to be difficult.
Thus, this has me looking at what I want to really accomplish and what's important in our homeschool. I recently came across this article My Kids Are Straight-A Students And They Know Nothing and it really spoke to me not as a mother, but as the student I once was. I homeschool my children for many reasons, but among them is the way my husband and I feel the system failed us. He and I are very, very different learners, and had very different experiences in school, but both failed us greatly. Growing up I could pass any test, ace any worksheet or project, and all the while I fell asleep in class because I was SO BORED! And once the information was tested on, it seemed as though I shed it all and was left with an empty shell ready to once again absorb for the next test. Unfortunately, this left me not really enjoying much in school. I liked academics just fine, because I was great at it, but nothing spoke to me. I didn't know who I was or what I enjoyed. I just kept playing the game. At the end of it all I went to college and found myself completely lost. I earned a degree in something I found mildly amusing but I did it in the same way--holding on to the information until I didn't "need" it any longer and then moving on. After leaving school, living life, and becoming a life-long learner that actively seeks out information on things I find incredibly interesting, I know NOW what I should have gone to school for, what I would like my life passion to be. Imagine though, IMAGINE, if my kids could have the freedom to learn things they are truly PASSIONATE about and that they can't wait to learn more about!
My husband spent most of his school career hating it all as it was pounded into his brain and he was punished mildly for being an average student and could never truly see what he was gifted at. Now the subject he absolutely hated most (math) he truly excels in and it's the most favorite part of his job (accounting).
With this thought process front and center I took a look at what I was doing in my homeschool. WHY oh WHY was I still stuck in this model with my children that they NEEDED to get certain things done just because that's how it is in public school?!? My son hated math, which he's truly gifted in. My daughter begged me to learn typing, cooking, sewing, play math games. And yet, here I was, convinced that it's all wrong. But it isn't wrong. I WAS WRONG. I AM WRONG. And this is why our year isn't working. It just isn't. I can't unschool, I can't classically school, I need to school for my children and they are so, so drastically different that it's going to take something different than I've been doing.
I've read of others making a homeschool mission statement. Why am I homeschooling? What's important to me about our homeschool? What do I want to accomplish. Laying it out gave me new perspective on what I need to do to help these little people that I spend all these hours with.
Here is my current mission. I'm not sure if it'll stay the same or if it'll drastically change as we go forth, but here it is for now. I encourage anyone that's homeschooling to sit down and write one. It gives a concrete purpose to who you are as a homeschooling parent, what you'd like to achieve, and what drives you and your homeschool. Is this too long? Maybe? Is this not really what a mission statement is? I don't know and I don't care.
To provide quality education for my children without the social stressors and rigid structural guidelines of public school, allowing them to explore individual interests and develop strong self-confidence and self knowledge.
--To know public school basics but not be chained to them.
--To be able to gain knowledge in special areas not covered by public school
--To gain mastery in an area of their choosing, if they desire
--To head off to college or into adulthood with a basic knowledge of their true interests, chosen by them and pursued by them.
--To leave home with a real-world approach, understanding academics, time and money management, family and home dynamics, having a strong emotional and mental constitution and capable of living on their own.
It may seem like I have the intention of covering so much that I'm going a bit crazy. But really, I'm trying to convey that while the basics are somewhat important, so is passions. That is something that I, personally, need to remember. I also want my kids to be functional members of society someday that are able to leave home knowing how to do laundry, how to feed themselves, and how to basically budget so that they can live their lives. These are also important to me, as many children leave home completely lost when they need to be on their own.
Do you have a mission? What drives your homeschool?
Lately I've also been looking at my contributions to our homeschool and what I may be doing wrong or what I could do better. While there is always room for improvement in any endeavor, I find that I am always great at the "planning" but not so great at the follow through. I am also not the best at being able to reassess our situation and decide where to go with it. Our days just DON'T fit into the little boxes that I want it to and our one year old can make something that's supposed to take 30 minutes last 2 hours if she really wants to be difficult.
Thus, this has me looking at what I want to really accomplish and what's important in our homeschool. I recently came across this article My Kids Are Straight-A Students And They Know Nothing and it really spoke to me not as a mother, but as the student I once was. I homeschool my children for many reasons, but among them is the way my husband and I feel the system failed us. He and I are very, very different learners, and had very different experiences in school, but both failed us greatly. Growing up I could pass any test, ace any worksheet or project, and all the while I fell asleep in class because I was SO BORED! And once the information was tested on, it seemed as though I shed it all and was left with an empty shell ready to once again absorb for the next test. Unfortunately, this left me not really enjoying much in school. I liked academics just fine, because I was great at it, but nothing spoke to me. I didn't know who I was or what I enjoyed. I just kept playing the game. At the end of it all I went to college and found myself completely lost. I earned a degree in something I found mildly amusing but I did it in the same way--holding on to the information until I didn't "need" it any longer and then moving on. After leaving school, living life, and becoming a life-long learner that actively seeks out information on things I find incredibly interesting, I know NOW what I should have gone to school for, what I would like my life passion to be. Imagine though, IMAGINE, if my kids could have the freedom to learn things they are truly PASSIONATE about and that they can't wait to learn more about!
My husband spent most of his school career hating it all as it was pounded into his brain and he was punished mildly for being an average student and could never truly see what he was gifted at. Now the subject he absolutely hated most (math) he truly excels in and it's the most favorite part of his job (accounting).
With this thought process front and center I took a look at what I was doing in my homeschool. WHY oh WHY was I still stuck in this model with my children that they NEEDED to get certain things done just because that's how it is in public school?!? My son hated math, which he's truly gifted in. My daughter begged me to learn typing, cooking, sewing, play math games. And yet, here I was, convinced that it's all wrong. But it isn't wrong. I WAS WRONG. I AM WRONG. And this is why our year isn't working. It just isn't. I can't unschool, I can't classically school, I need to school for my children and they are so, so drastically different that it's going to take something different than I've been doing.
I've read of others making a homeschool mission statement. Why am I homeschooling? What's important to me about our homeschool? What do I want to accomplish. Laying it out gave me new perspective on what I need to do to help these little people that I spend all these hours with.
Here is my current mission. I'm not sure if it'll stay the same or if it'll drastically change as we go forth, but here it is for now. I encourage anyone that's homeschooling to sit down and write one. It gives a concrete purpose to who you are as a homeschooling parent, what you'd like to achieve, and what drives you and your homeschool. Is this too long? Maybe? Is this not really what a mission statement is? I don't know and I don't care.
To provide quality education for my children without the social stressors and rigid structural guidelines of public school, allowing them to explore individual interests and develop strong self-confidence and self knowledge.
--To know public school basics but not be chained to them.
--To be able to gain knowledge in special areas not covered by public school
--To gain mastery in an area of their choosing, if they desire
--To head off to college or into adulthood with a basic knowledge of their true interests, chosen by them and pursued by them.
--To leave home with a real-world approach, understanding academics, time and money management, family and home dynamics, having a strong emotional and mental constitution and capable of living on their own.
It may seem like I have the intention of covering so much that I'm going a bit crazy. But really, I'm trying to convey that while the basics are somewhat important, so is passions. That is something that I, personally, need to remember. I also want my kids to be functional members of society someday that are able to leave home knowing how to do laundry, how to feed themselves, and how to basically budget so that they can live their lives. These are also important to me, as many children leave home completely lost when they need to be on their own.
Do you have a mission? What drives your homeschool?
Saturday, January 28, 2017
Here's what's wrong
While there is so much turmoil and disagreement happening in our country right now, I am choosing to stay in the moment, to focus on raising intelligent children capable of researching the issues, listening instead of yelling, and trying to take a step back from it all. Today we were lucky enough to head to regionals for Bman's swim meet. It was only an hour away and we had a great day.
Here's the problem, as I was sitting on the sidelines waiting to watch my child swim, I heard an interaction that hit me as one of the issues we have as a country today. I do not know who the people were as there were schools from all over the area participating in the meet. However, I have heard situations like this many other times and I am guilty of it also.
Child walking up to mom on bleachers
"Mooomm, I waaant a sour ring pop!"
"Didn't Jamie's daddy just buy you a ring pop sweetie?"
"Yeaahhh, but that was a regular one and I waaannt a sour one."
"Ok sweetie. Wait till [your sibling] swims and we can go get one!"
"But I just reeallly want a sour one! Jamie's daddy just got me a regular one and I want a sour one!"
(Child stomping)
"Ok hun, just a sec."
Child stares expectantly.
"Pleeeaase mom!"
"Maybe we should just be thankful we have one?"
"No, I really want a sour one."
Mom digs in pocket and pulls out money
"Ok, ok. Go get one. I'll be there in a minute."
First of all there have and always will be spoiled children and this child probably or maybe just had this one incident of whining to get something they wanted. My kids whine to get things too. The problem here is that we are raising greedy, greedy children and all the while second guessing our own advice, showing our children we don't need to be listened to.
Giving in to the demands was only the mother's first mistake. And again, I do this too. So I am not condemning her because who is perfect? Giving in every once in a while isn't going to totally spoil our children. However, what happens when that becomes a habit? The second mistake in this interaction was the mom suggesting thankfulness that the child received the candy as a gift from another parent but suggesting it as a question. As if she was unsure of the answer. Then after hearing her child's "No" she proceeded to not only give in, but not even stand by her original instruction to wait until the very next swim was over.
I recently recognized this behavior in my household when we started to change our eating habits. I found that the foods I wouldn't put in my body, I was giving in on and giving them to my children simply because "They are kids and what does a candy bar hurt?" If it hurts me and my body, what does it do to them? I found that while my first answer was often, "No hun, but we can have some cashews and raisins, or ants on a log," after two or three more whiney requests, I often gave in!!!
What is this teaching our children? To keep whining? That our parental authority doesn't mean much? That healthy food or whatever we are saying no to doesn't apply to them? In the example above what does it say to the child that the gift from another was just taken for granted and it wasn't "good enough"? What does originally saying "wait" and then not following through with teaching them patience give them in the long run? In a world of instant gratification, a bit of waiting for a reward, in order to support a sibling in their endeavors, is a good thing.
I have recently been trying to foster thankfulness, patience, and a deep respect for and taking care of our amazing bodies in my children. Recently I was very proud of my Z with the way she handled a situation with a generous older gentleman. While we were heading to the library and older man stopped us and said he heard my delightful children getting out of our van and he had something for them. He opened his car door and had a big tote full off brand new stuffed animals. While that seems a bit creepy his wife was slowly making her way across the street with her walker and explained he enjoys giving them out as gifts to children and other delightful folk he meets. He proceeded to pick out an animal for each child but when he got to Z he didn't quite know which one he felt was for her. He picked out two and asked her to decide which one she liked. I could see that she had her eye on something else but quickly came to the present moment and told him his first choice, a small fuzzy orange/brown bear was perfect. My children thanked the man many times over and as we walked inside I asked Z what she was doing when she hesitated.
"I saw one of those colorful stuffies with the great big eyes in the tote Mom. You know one of those that I really, really like. I was going to ask him for that one, but then I realized that he carefully picked out this first bear just for me and his choice just for me was much, much better."
I was proud of her in that moment. She realized that when someone gives you a gift it needs to be met with gratitude. This is a long way from the child that once cried when she didn't get one thing or another during Christmas or an already fun filled event.
Rest assured we also talked about not letting anyone, of any age, lure them to their car with promises of gifts, candy, etc. But I was with them, we were in a parking lot with other people going in and out and since they were in the handicapped spot we were very, very visible. I felt a bit sad during that conversation though because I remember the days of older people carrying butterscotch or peppermint in their pockets and giving it to me as a child simply because they enjoyed seeing a child happy.
Ps: Please, please excuse my typos. This was composed mobile and my silly phone won't let me edit right now. My typos are driving me crazy!!
Here's the problem, as I was sitting on the sidelines waiting to watch my child swim, I heard an interaction that hit me as one of the issues we have as a country today. I do not know who the people were as there were schools from all over the area participating in the meet. However, I have heard situations like this many other times and I am guilty of it also.
Child walking up to mom on bleachers
"Mooomm, I waaant a sour ring pop!"
"Didn't Jamie's daddy just buy you a ring pop sweetie?"
"Yeaahhh, but that was a regular one and I waaannt a sour one."
"Ok sweetie. Wait till [your sibling] swims and we can go get one!"
"But I just reeallly want a sour one! Jamie's daddy just got me a regular one and I want a sour one!"
(Child stomping)
"Ok hun, just a sec."
Child stares expectantly.
"Pleeeaase mom!"
"Maybe we should just be thankful we have one?"
"No, I really want a sour one."
Mom digs in pocket and pulls out money
"Ok, ok. Go get one. I'll be there in a minute."
First of all there have and always will be spoiled children and this child probably or maybe just had this one incident of whining to get something they wanted. My kids whine to get things too. The problem here is that we are raising greedy, greedy children and all the while second guessing our own advice, showing our children we don't need to be listened to.
Giving in to the demands was only the mother's first mistake. And again, I do this too. So I am not condemning her because who is perfect? Giving in every once in a while isn't going to totally spoil our children. However, what happens when that becomes a habit? The second mistake in this interaction was the mom suggesting thankfulness that the child received the candy as a gift from another parent but suggesting it as a question. As if she was unsure of the answer. Then after hearing her child's "No" she proceeded to not only give in, but not even stand by her original instruction to wait until the very next swim was over.
I recently recognized this behavior in my household when we started to change our eating habits. I found that the foods I wouldn't put in my body, I was giving in on and giving them to my children simply because "They are kids and what does a candy bar hurt?" If it hurts me and my body, what does it do to them? I found that while my first answer was often, "No hun, but we can have some cashews and raisins, or ants on a log," after two or three more whiney requests, I often gave in!!!
What is this teaching our children? To keep whining? That our parental authority doesn't mean much? That healthy food or whatever we are saying no to doesn't apply to them? In the example above what does it say to the child that the gift from another was just taken for granted and it wasn't "good enough"? What does originally saying "wait" and then not following through with teaching them patience give them in the long run? In a world of instant gratification, a bit of waiting for a reward, in order to support a sibling in their endeavors, is a good thing.
I have recently been trying to foster thankfulness, patience, and a deep respect for and taking care of our amazing bodies in my children. Recently I was very proud of my Z with the way she handled a situation with a generous older gentleman. While we were heading to the library and older man stopped us and said he heard my delightful children getting out of our van and he had something for them. He opened his car door and had a big tote full off brand new stuffed animals. While that seems a bit creepy his wife was slowly making her way across the street with her walker and explained he enjoys giving them out as gifts to children and other delightful folk he meets. He proceeded to pick out an animal for each child but when he got to Z he didn't quite know which one he felt was for her. He picked out two and asked her to decide which one she liked. I could see that she had her eye on something else but quickly came to the present moment and told him his first choice, a small fuzzy orange/brown bear was perfect. My children thanked the man many times over and as we walked inside I asked Z what she was doing when she hesitated.
"I saw one of those colorful stuffies with the great big eyes in the tote Mom. You know one of those that I really, really like. I was going to ask him for that one, but then I realized that he carefully picked out this first bear just for me and his choice just for me was much, much better."
I was proud of her in that moment. She realized that when someone gives you a gift it needs to be met with gratitude. This is a long way from the child that once cried when she didn't get one thing or another during Christmas or an already fun filled event.
Rest assured we also talked about not letting anyone, of any age, lure them to their car with promises of gifts, candy, etc. But I was with them, we were in a parking lot with other people going in and out and since they were in the handicapped spot we were very, very visible. I felt a bit sad during that conversation though because I remember the days of older people carrying butterscotch or peppermint in their pockets and giving it to me as a child simply because they enjoyed seeing a child happy.
Ps: Please, please excuse my typos. This was composed mobile and my silly phone won't let me edit right now. My typos are driving me crazy!!
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Restarting after the New Year...
It's been a rough couple weeks around here due to the holidays. We had 4 different Christmas celebrations, food poisoning, a swim meet, a gymnastics meet, travels to other states, and an all around upset to our general routine.
Now that we are into the New Year, the whole family is really having a hard time getting back on track. Our hybrid method is being met with lethargy and an all around bad attitude. Thus, it's time to revamp yet again. I am finding that this year is just so darn hard to find a good routine that works for us! Other years abiding by a loose schedule fit us just fine. The kids were happy, I was happy, work was done, things were learned. This year everyone seems a bit grumpy, learning seems as though it's taking longer and is met with more resistance, and no matter what we just don't seem to accomplish all that we want to.
The kids have agreed that while they like the free unschooling method, they feel a bit lost. Z in particular has a real hard time with it. I think B is doing ok. He usually chooses to spend his time working with his snap circuits, reading books, doing puzzles, art, Legos, K'nex, and occasionally typing and adding to his book, playing math games, doing cursive. But Z is cranky, can't figure out what she wants to do, wants to play games but I'm busy with the baby at that exact moment and B is busy doing his own things, etc.
This week I let them continue to use their new kits and such they received at Christmas. B has been addicted to his Snap Circuits and his new K'nex motor. Z has built a birdhouse with nails and painted it, and has completed fun glow in the dark experiments and slime experiments. We also received a cool little microscope with slides and experiments. We have started with the slides, we've checked out cheek cells, and we are hoping to start the rest of the experiments next week. Zahra has also been eager to get back to her math and her reading. B has been getting his math and reading with his kits this week and so I've let him go, making sure he knows next week it's back to the grind.
I have decided to schedule our days fully again, perhaps at some point maybe including elective fun things they can do on the weekends as "homework". They have both stated that they'd like to fit in more art and fun projects and often forget all the items we have hanging out in the house. For example, B received a gold digging kit and he's super excited to do it. However, he'd like to wait until spring so he can really get into it outside and I know he'll forget all about it. I figure things like that I can remind him about for the weekends but we can study a bit about the history of it during our week.
Here's our plan for next week. We'll see how it goes having a full schedule again. The kids used to whine about it, but after having freedom for a month and a half, it seems they are craving structure. Obviously, we don't live and die by our schedule. So if something needs more time or a kid isn't digging how it's going, we'll adjust...again...
(Click photo to view larger)
The exercise component is more for me than it is for them, but they actually enjoy doing many of my exercises along with me in the mornings. Z adores her gymnastics conditioning so squats and lunges and hopping from place to place is right up her alley and she often asks if she can join me.
So...after all that, how was the holiday season for you? We actually had a great time.
Right before we had our first Christmas celebration Z had her first gymnastics meet! She did great! She got first place for her age group on the floor routine. I was so darn proud of her. She remembered her routines and held herself with a confidence I didn't know she even had. It was AMAZING, I mean really AMAZING to watch her in that competitive element.
Nova spent much of the time during our crazy holidays skipping naps (not by choice), and trying to be a trooper through it all since she really does not enjoy strangers.
Our New Year's celebration was great! We stayed with family and had a great night! The two older kids didn't go to bed until almost 2 AM!!!!
B received Pie Face for Christmas and so of course we had to try it out on New Years! It was fun. The kids had a blast. They also had a great time playing with their younger cousin all night long.
Lastly, here's a bit of what B has been working on lately. He really is loving the Snap Circuits. Each project is explained in the book along with a diagram of what to put where. The description talks about what each project is, why it works, and any other info about it. Some projects specifically are made to "not work" to show examples of wrong circuits. B has made so many things so far but he just can't get enough.
How are you restarting after the holiday break? Did your kids receive anything that they just can't get enough of so far?
Now that we are into the New Year, the whole family is really having a hard time getting back on track. Our hybrid method is being met with lethargy and an all around bad attitude. Thus, it's time to revamp yet again. I am finding that this year is just so darn hard to find a good routine that works for us! Other years abiding by a loose schedule fit us just fine. The kids were happy, I was happy, work was done, things were learned. This year everyone seems a bit grumpy, learning seems as though it's taking longer and is met with more resistance, and no matter what we just don't seem to accomplish all that we want to.
The kids have agreed that while they like the free unschooling method, they feel a bit lost. Z in particular has a real hard time with it. I think B is doing ok. He usually chooses to spend his time working with his snap circuits, reading books, doing puzzles, art, Legos, K'nex, and occasionally typing and adding to his book, playing math games, doing cursive. But Z is cranky, can't figure out what she wants to do, wants to play games but I'm busy with the baby at that exact moment and B is busy doing his own things, etc.
This week I let them continue to use their new kits and such they received at Christmas. B has been addicted to his Snap Circuits and his new K'nex motor. Z has built a birdhouse with nails and painted it, and has completed fun glow in the dark experiments and slime experiments. We also received a cool little microscope with slides and experiments. We have started with the slides, we've checked out cheek cells, and we are hoping to start the rest of the experiments next week. Zahra has also been eager to get back to her math and her reading. B has been getting his math and reading with his kits this week and so I've let him go, making sure he knows next week it's back to the grind.
I have decided to schedule our days fully again, perhaps at some point maybe including elective fun things they can do on the weekends as "homework". They have both stated that they'd like to fit in more art and fun projects and often forget all the items we have hanging out in the house. For example, B received a gold digging kit and he's super excited to do it. However, he'd like to wait until spring so he can really get into it outside and I know he'll forget all about it. I figure things like that I can remind him about for the weekends but we can study a bit about the history of it during our week.
Here's our plan for next week. We'll see how it goes having a full schedule again. The kids used to whine about it, but after having freedom for a month and a half, it seems they are craving structure. Obviously, we don't live and die by our schedule. So if something needs more time or a kid isn't digging how it's going, we'll adjust...again...
(Click photo to view larger)
The exercise component is more for me than it is for them, but they actually enjoy doing many of my exercises along with me in the mornings. Z adores her gymnastics conditioning so squats and lunges and hopping from place to place is right up her alley and she often asks if she can join me.
So...after all that, how was the holiday season for you? We actually had a great time.
Right before we had our first Christmas celebration Z had her first gymnastics meet! She did great! She got first place for her age group on the floor routine. I was so darn proud of her. She remembered her routines and held herself with a confidence I didn't know she even had. It was AMAZING, I mean really AMAZING to watch her in that competitive element.
B received Pie Face for Christmas and so of course we had to try it out on New Years! It was fun. The kids had a blast. They also had a great time playing with their younger cousin all night long.
Lastly, here's a bit of what B has been working on lately. He really is loving the Snap Circuits. Each project is explained in the book along with a diagram of what to put where. The description talks about what each project is, why it works, and any other info about it. Some projects specifically are made to "not work" to show examples of wrong circuits. B has made so many things so far but he just can't get enough.
His first project, a light switch. Zahra is also working on a blanket kit she received. She's not the best at tying so it's a fun project for her because she can work on a skill she is lacking while making something amazing.
How are you restarting after the holiday break? Did your kids receive anything that they just can't get enough of so far?
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
When life happens...
We have been running around like crazy people! I assume almost everyone else is too around this time of year. We had a swim meet for B this weekend and while it is hard for most people to hang out all day at these events, sometimes I feel it's even harder when you can't just garb a quick bite to eat. We are really trying to focus on our health right now and so junk food and eating out is not even an option. We find in our family that we have issues and troubles regulating our intake of junk even when we let ourselves have just a little. This includes "kid foods" like hot dogs, mac and cheese, etc. We have also found that the kids keep breaking out in rashes and hives when they have wheat, B gets a bit of ADHD type symptoms when he has ANY kind of sugar (I'm talking running around, unable to focus on anything, moody, yelling, uncontrollable behavior), and the baby cries and cries when she has dairy.
Thus, I pack a cooler fuuuulll of everything. Lunches, homemade healthy snacks, etc. It's like two darn days of prep just to feed these crazy kids for a day like that. I keep hoping that over time will get easier. It hasn't yet... However, Elana over at Elana's Pantry is helping so much lately because she posts her oh-so-wonderful and crazy simple recipes on her blog. This past Saturday we enjoyed these brownies and they saved me from having to buy crap from machines or concession stands because kids have a hard time when they watch others walking around with sugar, sugar and more sugar. Just a note about the brownies, I cut them small, like super small, 64 to a square pan small. Just because it's dates and maple syrup instead of sugar doesn't make a difference. Sugar is sugar.
Also happening now...we hit a deer with my new van! It's not even a year old so it is sad, BUT no one was hurt, the van is repairable, and so I'm choosing to walk away thankful of our good fortune. However, that means this whole week has been wonky trying to figure out how to schedule everything around one vehicle! We finally gave up this evening a rented an SUV that I can fit the kiddos in.
Tomorrow is the start of our Christmas baking. I should have started today but was busy sewing this instead. It turned out alright and just in time because our negative windchill today would have been hard on Nova.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Unschooling Hybrid
Even though we are all happy to be homeschooling around here, it seems we have quite a few days that just end up being more of a fight than they need to be. Z is usually pretty content. She enjoys her curricula, likes structure and knowing what she needs to do, loves seeing progress on paper in regards to what she learns. She likes me to make sure to write how many problems or spelling words she got wrong on the top of her paper, she likes writing her name at the top, etc.
Then we have B. It seems as though he constantly feels I'm forcing him to do things. He whines that I force him to do math, that I force him to do reading (although when left to his own devices he will go through 6 chapter books in a week). We have tried switching curriculum. I have tried letting him do more math online, manipulatives for subjects, board games, etc. And yet, there is still this 8 year old boy slinking around like a slug when the day begins. He slides from place to place slowly leaving a trail of whine slime behind him.
Last week I decided to just let both kids be. We've done this experiment before and truthfully it didn't go that well. I know many people unschool and their kids flourish in the environment and the magic happens. We didn't have that response. I had two whiny people complaining that they were bored and fighting all day long. Either way, I decided it was time for another go.
The week was interesting. It is so hard for me to let go and let them just do whatever they want all day and call it school. I came from public school. I am very type A and I do what I'm told. I have always been that way. During our week there were a lot of Lego and Kinex projects that were built, a lot of super hero fights, lots of coloring and art projects and many, many puzzles. B read 8 chapter books, smaller ones like Geronimo Stilton and Captain Underpants. What did surprise me is that the kids asked to go out and play in the snow. It snowed toward the end of the week and it was sticky, heavy and beautiful. The kids usually whine and moan when I tell them to go out and get some fresh air. I assume they inherited their dislike of being cold from me. While we all love the beauty of winter, we just don't fully enjoy the temperature.
Can you see B in the woods?
The cool part about our house is that we live in a large loop. Not a cul de sac, but we are out in the woods in a neighborhood and in between all the houses is a large circle of woods. So if the kids want to explore part of the woods they can and I feel safe and confident as no one can hunt in there, and no matter what direction they go they can always find the road and just walk home. They can hear me if I call for them and I can regularly give a holler and they always call back with where they are.
Last week was also when I decided to finally get Nova's birthday photos done. The kids helped me make a few of the items that I used in the shoot, and while I was working on the harder projects they both decided to start writing books! Um, for real?!? I can't EVER get them to do their typing and they don't ever want to write. This was probably one of the coolest parts of this week. The other was B started to explore stop animation and made a few really cool videos.
Lastly, B is feeling very into planets lately and decided he wanted to finally do his planet model that he's had sitting around. To be perfectly honest, it's hard to fit all the cool stuff we have sitting around here in the day, especially since we aren't learning about planets in science right now. We are currently on life science, not astronomy. B took it upon himself to look up information on which planet was which, organize them by their size, paint them based upon the real pictures and set up his model. In the end his project looked much different than on the box and so I'm glad he took the time to research it and do it right. Funny though, would he have taken that much time if he had already had a full day of school behind him?
So after this week was over how do I feel now? Well, I feel it was one experiment that was a slight success. The kids worked on a lot of art, B & Z built a lot of projects, we had many impromptu learning lessons about various topics, and the kids voluntarily did seek out information and learn things that otherwise they would have complained about.
On the other hand, at the end of the week, neither one of them wanted to check out a lick of math, Z regressed in her reading by a lesson or two, and the actual amount of "learning time" was way less than I would have liked.
For now the kids and I have talked and we have agreed to try a hybrid. I will schedule less of their day and we will make sure to cover the basics. Reading, math, handwriting, spelling, grammar. The other subjects we have great curricula and at any time the kids can ask and we can pick it up and do it. So I fill their work towers with things I feel they must do and things that they can choose to do. If they don't like those choices and something else is pulling them in that direction, they are free to go do it. We decided to give this a go for a bit, and if it seems like their free time is frittered away we will reassess. The kids are excited about this option. So far this week B is excelling and Z is lost. I foresee the future looking like more direction for her and a continuing light touch with B. I will always continue to be amazed at how different every person learns and the differing needs of the individual. Prior to this homeschool journey I just never knew how important individualized learning was.
Then we have B. It seems as though he constantly feels I'm forcing him to do things. He whines that I force him to do math, that I force him to do reading (although when left to his own devices he will go through 6 chapter books in a week). We have tried switching curriculum. I have tried letting him do more math online, manipulatives for subjects, board games, etc. And yet, there is still this 8 year old boy slinking around like a slug when the day begins. He slides from place to place slowly leaving a trail of whine slime behind him.
Last week I decided to just let both kids be. We've done this experiment before and truthfully it didn't go that well. I know many people unschool and their kids flourish in the environment and the magic happens. We didn't have that response. I had two whiny people complaining that they were bored and fighting all day long. Either way, I decided it was time for another go.
The week was interesting. It is so hard for me to let go and let them just do whatever they want all day and call it school. I came from public school. I am very type A and I do what I'm told. I have always been that way. During our week there were a lot of Lego and Kinex projects that were built, a lot of super hero fights, lots of coloring and art projects and many, many puzzles. B read 8 chapter books, smaller ones like Geronimo Stilton and Captain Underpants. What did surprise me is that the kids asked to go out and play in the snow. It snowed toward the end of the week and it was sticky, heavy and beautiful. The kids usually whine and moan when I tell them to go out and get some fresh air. I assume they inherited their dislike of being cold from me. While we all love the beauty of winter, we just don't fully enjoy the temperature.
Can you see B in the woods?
Usually our days are so full and we are so busy we don't have time to step back much. Since we were looser this week, I was able to do a bit more cooking with Z. We decided to make a batch of pancakes for lunch one day and realized we were out of the almond flour that we needed to make them. After some internet searching with Z we found out that we could try sunflower seed flour. So, off we ran to grind the seeds and make the flour. Halfway through cooking our pancakes we realized that they were all turning green as they cooled! Scared to eat them, we ran back to the computer to research was was happening. That turned into a short lesson on acids and bases and chemical reactions, namely what happens to sunflower products and the chlorogenic acid in them when they meet up with baking soda. (Our pancakes are covered in mashed up strawberries)
Our week included a few more things that, while we do them every week, we simply had more time to stop and explore our world. We stopped off at the organic grocery store in the next town while shopping and had great discussions on organic vs non organic. What pesticides are, what their purpose is and why we try not to consume them. While we've had abbreviated conversations about this topic before, we were able to delve into it further and the kids asked to do a quick internet search about what items have the most pesticides and such. Since B adores apples he picked the biggest he could find, I think he did a good job. Oh, and see how Z is wearing an odd dress? That's her vampire costume from Halloween 2 years ago. It seems lately she has very specific ideas on fashion and how certain things need to be worn certain days. You would NOT believe how many older ladies came up to her and told her that her dress was beautiful. She shyly commented "thank you" and made sure to give me a look that seemed to say, "See Mom, this dress really is for every occasion."
Last week was also when I decided to finally get Nova's birthday photos done. The kids helped me make a few of the items that I used in the shoot, and while I was working on the harder projects they both decided to start writing books! Um, for real?!? I can't EVER get them to do their typing and they don't ever want to write. This was probably one of the coolest parts of this week. The other was B started to explore stop animation and made a few really cool videos.
Lastly, B is feeling very into planets lately and decided he wanted to finally do his planet model that he's had sitting around. To be perfectly honest, it's hard to fit all the cool stuff we have sitting around here in the day, especially since we aren't learning about planets in science right now. We are currently on life science, not astronomy. B took it upon himself to look up information on which planet was which, organize them by their size, paint them based upon the real pictures and set up his model. In the end his project looked much different than on the box and so I'm glad he took the time to research it and do it right. Funny though, would he have taken that much time if he had already had a full day of school behind him?
So after this week was over how do I feel now? Well, I feel it was one experiment that was a slight success. The kids worked on a lot of art, B & Z built a lot of projects, we had many impromptu learning lessons about various topics, and the kids voluntarily did seek out information and learn things that otherwise they would have complained about.
On the other hand, at the end of the week, neither one of them wanted to check out a lick of math, Z regressed in her reading by a lesson or two, and the actual amount of "learning time" was way less than I would have liked.
For now the kids and I have talked and we have agreed to try a hybrid. I will schedule less of their day and we will make sure to cover the basics. Reading, math, handwriting, spelling, grammar. The other subjects we have great curricula and at any time the kids can ask and we can pick it up and do it. So I fill their work towers with things I feel they must do and things that they can choose to do. If they don't like those choices and something else is pulling them in that direction, they are free to go do it. We decided to give this a go for a bit, and if it seems like their free time is frittered away we will reassess. The kids are excited about this option. So far this week B is excelling and Z is lost. I foresee the future looking like more direction for her and a continuing light touch with B. I will always continue to be amazed at how different every person learns and the differing needs of the individual. Prior to this homeschool journey I just never knew how important individualized learning was.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Natural Makeup.
We have been in the midst of switching to a more natural lifestyle around here lately. While that's not homeschool related it is important to me for the health of my family and myself. Allergies, health issues, auto immune disorders, genetic mutations and hyper-emotional children has made us aware that things need to change. We were actually doing pretty well a couple years ago with our food and products but since natural living is not the norm it's hard to stick with it when life gets crazy.
Thankfully we have seen that it is very important for the health of us and our little ones and are once again making natural, holistic living a priority. While this is not necessarily a makeup review blog, it is a family oriented place for me to offer our experiences in family living. So I hope this helps someone out there.
This month I have been trying to switch out my makeup and body products for things that are a bit better. Z is a incredibly obsessed with makeup, so if I let her play around with it at all I would like it to be ok for her body. I am prone to acne, even at age 32, and thus far the only makeup I was able to use without many problems was MAC. However, those ingredients don't exactly have me feeling all wonderful inside. This past week I have been trying samples of Alima Pure and Araza and hope to also try RMS Beaulty and Red Apple Lipstick products. This is just me talking about switching products in my life to align with a better and healtheir lifestyle. So please don't think this is marketing or anything. I researched and bought all this stuff. I just really want to show others what I think about certain items so that the online makeup hunt can be easier.
NOTICE: I only received 3 1/2 hours of sleep the night before this photo!! See how I didn't even care that my selfie sucked and my husband and clutter was in the background? I'll do better on more sleep. I promise! The baby had a rough night. But wow, really, look at those undereye bags!!!!
UPDATE: Not so tired in this one, but having the original shows another aspect to my life. I'm tired with huge undereye circles too! This photo also shows the eyeliner.
The Alima Pure foundation is good. I got the Find Your Match kit and think I have found a good match. I love that they offer that option because buying makeup online is soooo hard! The foundation goes on smooth, doesn't seem cakey or flakey. However, I do not like the powder concealer. It does not seem to conceal my under eye circles all that well and does seem to make the whole overall look a bit "powdery". I think I'll be trying something else for that. I've got my eye on trying their cream concealer.
The Satin Finishing Powder is also great. Nice, silky and a great matte finish. I gave the Contour Powder and the Satin Matte Eyeliner a whirl also. The eyeliner is good as it seems super pigmented and stays on well through the day. I haven't found a great way to apply it though. The brush I have doesn't work the best. I did not at all enjoy the contour powder though. It seemed a bit to ashy on me and was tough to blend like I wanted. So far I'm giving Alima a chance and we'll see how it goes! The website is nice, the sample foundation sizes are nice and they have a reasonable return policy.
I've got a whole bunch more products coming and my daughter is ecstatic to try them out! Maybe she can model lip glosses on her adorable pout since she won't stay out of them!!
We are off to gymnastics!
Thankfully we have seen that it is very important for the health of us and our little ones and are once again making natural, holistic living a priority. While this is not necessarily a makeup review blog, it is a family oriented place for me to offer our experiences in family living. So I hope this helps someone out there.
This month I have been trying to switch out my makeup and body products for things that are a bit better. Z is a incredibly obsessed with makeup, so if I let her play around with it at all I would like it to be ok for her body. I am prone to acne, even at age 32, and thus far the only makeup I was able to use without many problems was MAC. However, those ingredients don't exactly have me feeling all wonderful inside. This past week I have been trying samples of Alima Pure and Araza and hope to also try RMS Beaulty and Red Apple Lipstick products. This is just me talking about switching products in my life to align with a better and healtheir lifestyle. So please don't think this is marketing or anything. I researched and bought all this stuff. I just really want to show others what I think about certain items so that the online makeup hunt can be easier.
I love how this stuff feels. Super creamy and soft. The color I ended up going with was 8, a neutral toned light, in the 7 in 1 Foundation and the Green Tea Concealer in golden light. I didn't feel the concealer helped too much with slight red blemishes but did alright under my eyes. I also tried the contouring bronzer, finishing powder and lip gloss. Even though I liked how this went on I did notice small breakouts forming along my jawline and chin. I think perhaps the coconut oil is just too much for my skin. If you can do coconut oil on your face (I can't usually) then you should check them out. They have samples to purchase and so there's no risk in buying a huge pot and hating it! Plus, it feels nice on.
UPDATE: Not so tired in this one, but having the original shows another aspect to my life. I'm tired with huge undereye circles too! This photo also shows the eyeliner.
The Alima Pure foundation is good. I got the Find Your Match kit and think I have found a good match. I love that they offer that option because buying makeup online is soooo hard! The foundation goes on smooth, doesn't seem cakey or flakey. However, I do not like the powder concealer. It does not seem to conceal my under eye circles all that well and does seem to make the whole overall look a bit "powdery". I think I'll be trying something else for that. I've got my eye on trying their cream concealer.
The Satin Finishing Powder is also great. Nice, silky and a great matte finish. I gave the Contour Powder and the Satin Matte Eyeliner a whirl also. The eyeliner is good as it seems super pigmented and stays on well through the day. I haven't found a great way to apply it though. The brush I have doesn't work the best. I did not at all enjoy the contour powder though. It seemed a bit to ashy on me and was tough to blend like I wanted. So far I'm giving Alima a chance and we'll see how it goes! The website is nice, the sample foundation sizes are nice and they have a reasonable return policy.
I've got a whole bunch more products coming and my daughter is ecstatic to try them out! Maybe she can model lip glosses on her adorable pout since she won't stay out of them!!
We are off to gymnastics!
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